Adaptive Expectations

Hello again blogosphere. Now that I've had some time to process my adventures in Baja, Mexico I feel it pertinent to share it with you, my readers, so that you will share parts of my experience as well as God-willing learn something from what I have to share. To catch anyone else up, I went on a two week mission trip in July to La Paz, a city near the tip of the Baja peninsula in what turned out to be the middle-of-nowhere, Mexico. It was a great trip. We spent the first week working on a ranch with some incredible missionaries and then spent the final stage of our trip kayaking in the Sea of Cortes. I have plenty of stories, just ask me.

Now as with all mission trips, there is a certain expectation that is placed on them. It seems that everyone knows these unwritten rules about what mission trips are supposed to do. Mission trips are supposed  to change your life. Mission trips are supposed to rock your spiritual world and transform your soul. Mission trips are supposed to bring you back to God, no matter how far you've been.

I don't know where these expectations came from, but we all know that they are very real. Yet, why is it that I sit here and seem to see so little life change? Why is my spirituality still constant? Why am I just as far from God as I was before I left? Here is a better question: why do we forced our conjectures upon an Almighty God?

You see mission trips will rock your world in that special way, if God wants them to, and only if He does. We have no control over that. As Christians in our culture we seem to live for camps, retreats, and mission trips to fill our cup for just long enough until we make it to the next event. We grow to lazy or selfish to feed ourselves. We count on these "mountain top" experiences to be enough to keep us afloat. The Christian life has turned into a survival and not a battle.

But, God does not waste opportunities. He is always teaching us. Sometimes, we must adapt our expectations to meet the need He sees in us. That's what I had to learn this time. You see for me, God hadn't planned a grand spiritual awakening. He didn't speak word of prophecy over my life. But I have found that's just fine with me.

Spirituality isn't enough to make us people of God, so we mustn't limit our scope of successfulness to such a category. Anyone can be spiritual, and if you don't believe me, ask around. When we strip ourselves of our preconceived notions, we are able to look beyond any disappointed and truly see what God has in store for our eyes in the moment.

For me, I needed my life to be give more clarity. I need something to strive toward tangibly. Through this need I have discovered what are beginning to become my five core values. Passion, Intentionality, Adventure, Seeking, and Significance.

Passion: I want to be enjoying everything that I do. I want to be sure to be moving in a direction that ties in with what God has purposed me towards. I want to fulfill God's specific call on my life.

Intentionality: I don't want to waste any time that God has given me, I want to live out His Gospel with every part of my life. I want to make every relationship, conversation, and action display a purposeful and intentional desire to be Jesus to the world around me.

Adventure: I was created to be a risk taker. I want to do things others would call impossible. I want to live a life outside of my comfort zone. I don't seek danger, but I am more than willing to wrestle with it head on.

Seeking: I have an attitude that desires more, specifically when it comes to my walk with the Lord. I'm never at my finishing point on this earth. I want to be aware of that and I want to continue thirsting for more. I refuse to settle in my life for simply existing where I am, there is more, and I strive to continue searching out for more always.

Significance: Plain and simple, when my life is done, I want to have made a difference for Christ. I want my life to be so dynamic it is unforgettable. And I don't mean that its all about me, because clearly all of me strives to point towards Christ Jesus. I want a life that matters, not just existence.


So sure, I didn't experience that crazy growth that many connect to missions, but I don't care. There were moments on the trip that I will always remember. There were moments that will affect my life in the near future. Stories will be told. Laughter will be shared. But it all comes back to this adapted expectation.

Jesus does what He wants, no matter what you want. I learned some practical things about my life that I needed to know for who I will become. It wasn't as flashy or as dramatic as expected, but heck, I'll trade my expectations for His goodness any day. He goes above and beyond anything we could ever expect.

Keep you mind open to what God can do. Don't give up because you're stuck in a rut... still. Keep the faith, follow after Him. He wants you to continue to be increasing in your life, but not just spiritually. 2 Peter 1 tells of so many areas we must always be growing in.

I leave you with this. Don't be afraid to cast aside your own expectations and let Christ do what He wants. He is always in line with the plan the Father has created. Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding. His way leads to true life.

thanks for reading,
-matt

Prayer Points

Prayer Points – Baja Mexico Team 2010

Just to keep everyone in the loop. I'll be going to Baja Mexico with a team of 10 students for two weeks starting July 11th. We'll be working with LeaderTreks which means it will be much more than just a mission trip. Here are some ways you can follow us in our journey and support us through prayer.

1 Peter 4:11. "If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen."

Daily Prayers

            Pray for:

·         Vulnerability between team members and unity for the team as a whole.

·         Wisdom for all members.

·         A willingness to take risks.

·         Spiritual growth.

·         A lasting impact to be left on ourselves and others.

Sunday July 11^th

·         Pray for protection and safe travel for the group as we fly into Mexico and then drive to our site in La Paz.

·         Team – Pray for the food team, led by Steven. This is our grocery shopping day and it is very critical we purchase all the necessary supplies. Pray for discernment and wisdom over this process.

Monday July 12^th

·         Pray for a quick adjustment into our new surroundings and a strong first day on the worksite. Also pray that as we promote the VBS on this day that as many children as possible are able to attend.

·         Team- Pray for the work team, led by Allie D and Alex. Pray for boldness and confidence as they pioneer the first day on the work site. The team needs this strong leadership to follow.

Tuesday July 13^th

·         Pray for team unity and vulnerability among all members. Let all walls preventing communication be removed starting with team time and continuing into all aspects of the day. Pray that we become fully united.

·         Team- Pray for the ministry, led by Bennett and Lauren. Tuesday is the first day of VBS so please pray for flexibility and patience as they direct the team and minister to the local children.

Wednesday July 14^th

·         Pray that the team would settle into a rhythm that is effective. This requires precise time management and coordination. Pray our schedule flows seamlessly.

·         Team- Pray for the adult leaders, Ash and Abby. Pray that God would continue to show them the specific roles dynamics they play into the team life. Ask for wisdom and guidance as they help the team continue in the right direction.

Thursday July 15^th

·         Pray that as a team we would press on towards specific goals and continue to take risks as we move forward on the worksite and at the VBS.

·         Team- Pray for the worship team led by Nathan. Pray that he would be able to encourage and energize the team by bringing a contagious worshipful spirit everywhere he goes.

Friday July 16^th

·         Pray that the team is able to finish strong in all areas. Also pray for joyful spirits and encouraged souls that will be confident and satisfied in the work we accomplish.

·         Team- Pray for the cleaning/water team led by Allie R and Ryan. Pray that they enable the team by promoting a “leave it better than you found it” lifestyle in all aspects of the day.

Saturday and Sunday July 17^th-18^th

·         Pray for a refreshing and relaxing weekend so that the team will be restored and ready for the challenging kayaking week ahead of them.

·         Pray for intentional relationships and intentional conversations so that the team would continue to grow closer to each other relationally.

·         Pray for the student leaders, Matt and Steph. Pray that they specifically would be emotionally and mentally refreshed. Pray that they would be able to effectively lead the team through this transition and into the week ahead of them.

Monday – Thursday July 19^th-22^nd

·         Pray that the team would rely on God’s strength and develop perseverance and endurance in the strenuous wilderness conditions.

·         Pray that the team would individually be more in step with the Spirit and willing to embrace new growth and change.

Friday July 23^rd

·         Pray for safe travel on the way home.

·         Pray that the team would continue to impact everyone around them for Christ. Pray that the missional lifestyle continues on even as the trip draws to an end.

Truth

I had the privilege, along with Nathan Spell, to represent Christianity at the Klein's annual Religious Symposium and it was definitely a success. Last year was also great, but this year had a different element to it that set it apart.

Before the Symposium started Nathan and I spent some time in prayer and simply invited the Spirit to guide us in our words and actions. And surely as He tells us to ask, seek, and knock; God opened the door to many possibilities now that we had surrender ourselves to His purposes for the event.

Each religion had their own turn to explain what they believed. There were some great speakers who really described their faiths very well, but there was still something missing. I felt the Spirit tug on my heart and he guided me to a verse that showed Nathan and I the Truth. I felt the Spirit whisper to me that the religions they followed weren't enough. I knew that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. I knew he was the narrow path. Listening to my peers build the entire basis of their existence on the sand instead of the rock was hard.

My qualm is not with those who believe differently, but those who stop short of finding answers. It breaks my heart. I love you guys, and continually pray for you.

One of the questions that I took was something along these lines, "Can you follow the teachings of Christ and not believe in Him and still go to Heaven?" I answered, how can someone follow the teachings of Jesus without believing in Him? He proclaimed himself to be God, and you would call him a liar? After hearing reasonings and rationalizations in that room that seemed even to contradict themselves, I was pretty heartbroken. If you are going to put all your chips into one religious basket, then wouldn't investigates the incidences where it appears to contradict itself be worth it?

I have had my questions and  my share of doubts. We all do, no matter what we believe. I try my best to get answers and explanations. What if we stop short? What if we settle? I've seen to many people settle. Something in our culture has taught us to be passive. If something doesn't make sense, then we often ignore it.
These unanswered questions that seem to go against what we believe could lead us to more answers if only we would follow up on them.

That is why I so admire this one student that was willing to ask the most important question. She asked, "Why does religion matter?" That's the right place to start. Our answer came straight from the Word. John 10:10-18. To her, all these beliefs didn't seem to have a clear purpose. So why believe something that doesn't make sense? She took the first step on Friday and asked that question. I continue to pray that she would continue this journey. Because for all of us, if we seek the Truth in earnest, Jesus Christ will forever be the answer.

To those among the Way and those still searching,
-matt

Mission Costa Rica '09

As many of you know, I was gone these past two months serving the Lord in Los Guido, San Jose, Costa Rica. It was quite a trip, definitely life-changing. We got there on a Sunday, Day 0 as it is called by LeaderTreks, and had time to hang out, eat dinner and get an intro into just exactly what we would be doing during out stay.

Day 1 (monday) roles around, we wake up in the morning, cook and eat breakfast, and then are off to spend 45 minutes with God. That does sound like a lot of time, especially when most of us might not be used to spending that much time every day with the Lord. But it wasn't very difficult to adjust to, I found that desire to want to know God on a deeper level, and that pushed me onward. We were studying the Beatitudes, which turned out to be an amazing series of lessons, the first day we studied "Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for their's is the kingdom of heaven." We read through Luke 7:36-50 and talked about what it meant to be poor in spirit, what it meant to be desperate for God. The story of the woman who had nothing to offer, but was accepted by Christ really connected with me, and pushed me to take a step back and to live with humility. We then went to the worksite! Our project for the trip was building a road for a community that the government had denied support to. The people who lived on the street had raised all there own funds, bought all the supplies needed, and just needed to get it built. We all learned how to set up pearling, lay down the netting and the rebar, mix the concrete (which we did by hand), and finally get it to the finished product. We worked until 1:30 with a short lunch break and then we cleaned up, or rather started to as the daily rain came in from the mountains. It began to start raining, I looked straight up to the sky and said, "God hold off the rain until we finish on the worksite," and He did, because He is always faithful. Then we walked down the street to Iglesia de Deos, the Church of God, to host a VBS for the kids in the neighborhood, the first VBS that has ever been done in this community. We arrived at the church around 2:15ish so that we could check it out and set up before the kids arrived at three. Well, not exactly. We found out about 3:15 that the teacher was sick and that we wouldn't be doing the VBS that day after all. We left the church and walked down to a local park to invite some more kids and then turned to walk home, and the rain that God had been holding off since 1:30, started to fall, we got home a bit wet but started an early dinner, did team time which was our nightly group sessions where we went through the morning devos, evaluated how well we did that day, discussed leadership qualities in our growth journals, and did encouragement at the end. Thus was ended an eventful Day 1.

I won't give you a full blown day by day recap, that would take forever but I will let you know more on what went on. The first week we worked on the road in the morning and did a VBS (with the exception of monday) in the afternoon. Day 2, Isabella, our misionary partner who actually let us stay in her house for two weeks and live with her, prophecied over me in Spanish. I don't speak much Spanish or rather, Yo hable pecito Espanol, but I understood every word she said, the Spirit was clearly at work. Day 5, Friday, I was actually prophecied over again, in English this time, by Isabella's son Diego who was in his mid twenties I'd guesstimate. So within four days time I was prophecied over twice.... WOW. I was a bit surprised to say the very least. (and did I mention that Matt Johnson had his thumb sliced open by our LT intern when we were mixing concrete? Guess I forgot. It was a total accident and we all laughed about it later, but Matt was out of commission for both weeks when it came to hard physical labor. But he still worked his butt off, so I'm proud of him for that.)

We woke up at 4Am on Saturday to drive to Mt. Arenal and a zipline place for the weekend, it was a great change of pace and my worn out body definitely could use the rest. That night was pretty eventful as it finally dawned on me that I can't hold this team together, that I'm actually not in control of anything and that God will do exactly what he wants to do. God broke me of my pride that night, and from then onward I was able to more fully depend on God than anything I had to offer, that was the turning point of the trip.

Day 8 (the second monday) we started our new schedule, work from 9AM to 5PM, all day. It was a particularly hot morning, meaning that the clouds would roll in thicker and the rain would most likely be extremely intense. So we prayed all morning for the rain to stay away. A few of the team left to go to the grocery store less than two miles away after lunch and we kept working. And when the rain was right upon us we prayed again, most of us had been praying individually, but we asked God to keep the skies clear, and He answered. The clouds rolled in and the rain started to pour, everywhere but our street. If you looked up above your head, you could see a ring, clear and blue, of crystal clear skies in a circle right above us. God had created a hole in the sky and kept us dry as we did his work. The food crew got back an hour or so later, and they were wet. They had been rained on. It had actually poured buckets everywhere around us, including the grocery store that was just two miles away, just TWO MILES!

Day 10 the 5 adults that were with us left the worksite, telling us that it was our project, our time to step up and take ownership, our time to make a difference. So we worked our butts off and did all we could and worked quite possibly the hardest we worked the entire trip, only to find out that we had run out of water again, and that it wouldn't be on til 4 or 5PM and it wasn't even 3 yet. We took a break, came back later that evening, and finished our work.

I did mention we ran out of water just as a reminder of what I'm greatful of back home. We had days where we didn't have running water, we had days where both of the bathrooms in the house were out of commission, we had to go as long as a full week without pooping. I don't say that to be gross, but it was a struggle! Anyhow, that was a random tangent, back to the story.

Day 11 (thursday numero dos) We finished the road! And as if that wasn't cool enough, our ministry team through a block party for the entire street. People who hadn't spoken to eachother in TWENTY YEARS came out and were all talking and having a great time, eating some good food and watching the kids play. To see God do that was quite possibly the most powerful event I have ever experienced, a couple of teenage gringos had reunited a commnuity, we had seen the love of God in our lives, and reflected it out into the lives around us. After that day we came home, friday we had our last goodbye's to Isabella and her family, to Freddie and our neighbors, and that was that. I miss all of them. Will we ever cross path's again? I do not know. God willing we do, but if not, they have definitely shown me more about myself and what it means to follow Christ, so I am in their debts, Godbless.

Now that I've had a few days to decompress, to readjust to life as most of us know it: comfy beds, warm showers, a family of less than 15 people to live with on a daily basis, and frozen pizzas. I'm finding it really difficult this time around to come home. It's not that I don't appreciate home, I do, but I miss the life I lived in Costa Rica, I don't want to let that go. I've made a concerted effort to be set apart, to be different from who I once was. I'm in the word for at least an hour every day, and I'm working on living that missional lifestyle that Christ has called us to. There was so much more that happened on this trip, so much more lives changed by the Love of God, but if I would have continued to write we would have both been here all day. I compell you to come and ask me more, I want to tell it - to share my story with everyone. These above mentioned stories are just tidbits, God did so much more than you could ever imagine, than I could have hoped or desired. But I leave you with this, God is faithful always and He delights in his children. Expect God's Glory. Expect it and He will give it to you.

-matt

Religious Symposium

Just got back from a Religious Symposium that was hosted at Klein by our Islamic club KIT. I gotta say it was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be and I defintely learned a lot about other religions I didn't know. just ask me about it sometime.

the cool part for me was that the way the meeting was run each religion had a 5 minute segment to explain to the audience (a bit less than 100 ppl were there i'd say) what they believed. I got to go third following the Muslims and Catholics (they divided Christianity up into Protestantism, Catholicism, and the Mormons<-- more about them later). I took my segment to simply spread the Gospel, below is a bit of my notes...

· God created the world and it was good, it was in a state of perfect harmony and peace, shalom
· Man sinned against God, we disobeyed what he had commanded and we broke the perfect peace and left the world twisted and broken

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

· God out of his mercy and love and NOT out of anything we have done or could ever do came to save the world.
o Because we sinned against God and he is just and requires perfection there was NO WAY for man to get to him, not even by trying to follow ALL of his commands as closely as one can
· Jesus Christ came to earth
o Christ was God in the flesh,
Col 1:15 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”
o Christ came for the lost, the lonely, the refuse, the worthless and called them worthy
o He then was murdered. he was beaten til he was unrecognizable and hung on a cross to die even though he lived a perfect life and had wronged no one.

AND THIS IS THE GOSPEL
That although we did nothing to warrant it, Christ came to earth and bore our sins to the grave, dying for all that we had done as a sacrifice. Christ literally BECAME the sins of the world. The sacrifice of his blood, we are washed of our sins forever and declared blameless by God who sees not our wrongs but the one right, Jesus’ death. We were forgiven of all our sins, past, present, and future. By his death God made us right in his sight, Christ became the only bridge across chasm between man and God, allowing all who believe in him to experience eternal life in heaven at His right hand.

I had morre verse that i used like Mark 10:45, Matthew 12:34, 1 Cor 10:13 but that was my basic framework, i elaborated more as i talked. anyhow, It honestly has been way to long since I seriously was able to share the Gospel and to have an open forum like that was really great. The emphasis that I tried to support was that unlike other religions, Christianity is not a religon. Its a relationship with Christ. and that as good as we strive to be an as many things we do, we will never ever ever be good enough to be with God because he is holy and we are fallen. It was a bit humbling to study up on this message and really start to take to heart the fact that we are NOT good enough, and we never will be. I thank God for that.

I also began to understand other religions more. It finally made since that the crazy terrorists in the Middle East are in no way associated with Islam, they're just a sect that claims to be a part of it and Muslims are not extremists like those few are. And i never really considered that Buddhism or Hinduism were really still around to day or exactly what it looked like in a 21st cenutry setting, so I enjoyed hearing about that. Then came the Mormons.... We have some major differences in theologoy and they don't believe in the Trinity and also claim that above all God just wants us to be happy, whether or not that brings him the most glory. (Mormon's please correct me if I am incorrect but this is what I heard at the symposium) It was a bit ironic that the Mormons and the Christians sat on opposite sides of the pannel. But i learned a bit more about their beliefs and am able to affirm more today that they do not believe in the same Gospel that we Christians do. I also found some other interesting things about other religions, i.e. Muslims believe you don't have to be Islamic to reach heaven.

We answered some questions and the only one directed towards me was the question, "Why are there so many translations of the Bible?" which I think i did a good job answering. I went back and talked about the history of the Bible saying that it was written originally in three different languages, Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew (I actually said Latin instead of Aramaic, whoops, but a friend did correct me.) And then I proceded to describe the methods that the more recent translations use mentioning that they all communicated the same thing but just used different wording (I should have mention a verse in two different translations here but I didn't think of it at the time, but I'll be ready next time.) such as the ESV being translated as more of a word-for-word translation and the NIV was based more of a thought-for-thought method. I made sure I emphasized that they said the same thing though, didn't want to wind up looking like we make up the wording we like best.

I'm sure there's more but thats what's coming out right now. Above all yall
ROMANS 1:16
I AM NOT ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL FOR IT THE POWER OF SALVATION FOR ALL WHO BELIEVE, FIRST FOR THE JEW THEN FOR THE GENTILE.
rep him always guys, peace
-matt