Often times we can get spiritually numb. We get distracted and loose our sense of urgency. That happened to me this week. Its like we forget we are in a battle and all of the sudden we think we have the right to be comfortable and please ourselves. Well Friday morning I was listening to a sermon by Francis Chan from Cornerstone church in Simi Valley and I woke up.
He just wrote a book, and will be getting $500,000 in royalties this year. Instead of spending it he opened a charitable trust so that it can only be given to charitable organizations. 100% of his royalties are going to this trust. He also has a friend working with International Justice Mission who works in Cambodia to shut down the brothels (girls are between the ages of 8-18). So some of the money will go there. Some will go to the 50,000 Christians in India who have been displaced by radicals, and some to the aids pandemic in Africa etc. Some people told Francis that he should save some of it in case of an emergency. Do you know what he said? he said "do you think that the brothels in Cambodia are not an emergency?" What is an emergency? Is it only an emergency if you are directly involved? Look around this is an emergency, the day of the Lord is at hand and we have forgotten we are in a battle.
The Lord used this sermon series to wake me up to the emergency around us. Stop saving for an emergency, stop waiting for an emergency. This is an emergency.
If you want to listen to them, go to cornerstone simi's page and listen to the 3 part series "living a life that matters"
Saturday, May 09, 2009
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Pictures of the Trip
This is one of the 85 schools that the company has started in the country. This is most definately one of the biggest. These schools target the "untouchables" or the lowest ecenomic class. They go all the way through High School, and the classes are taught in English. It is very expensive to get an "english" education in the country, so it is a great opportunity for the kids.
This is a very common sight. When I took this picture it was about 8am, and roughly 100 degrees out. Hence the loin cloth.
Usually these carts will be filled with fruits or something.
This man is wearing whats called a lungi. AKA a man skirt. It isnt formal wear or anything, but I will most definately wear this.
This old lady sat in this same spot every day. Occasionally she would yell at the naked kid running around but other than that I never heard her say anything. I even asked her if I could take this picture and she just stared at me. So I took it.
I am back!
Well I have come and gone. I spent the last 2 weeks over there and I am now in the states once again. In all honesty the trip was much better than I expected. Here are the 3 major things that I learned about the culture:
1) There is more diversity here than any other place I have been to. The difference between the north and the south is astronomical- language, culture, dress, food EVERYTHING. So if I learn something in the north it probably isn’t true of the south.
2) An easterner finds their identity completely in their family tree. For example if they want to know about you they will ask about your father, mother and siblings. They see you as only one small piece of a greater pie. On top of that because they identify themselves with their family it is very difficult for them to autonomously make a decision, or decide something against their family. This might be when HE said you had to be born again into a new family to enter the kingdom.
3) Everything is hierarchical. The hierarchy is based on job title, age, experience, who their father was, anything. It is also very rude to question, you are expected to just trust those above you. This is another reason why it would be so hard for someone to go against their parents in any kind of decision.
Our father is very good, and he is working in amazing ways over there. In spite of everything the evil one is trying to do, his good news is going literally to the ends of the earth. As of now we are still working on finalizing some of the last minute details.
1) There is more diversity here than any other place I have been to. The difference between the north and the south is astronomical- language, culture, dress, food EVERYTHING. So if I learn something in the north it probably isn’t true of the south.
2) An easterner finds their identity completely in their family tree. For example if they want to know about you they will ask about your father, mother and siblings. They see you as only one small piece of a greater pie. On top of that because they identify themselves with their family it is very difficult for them to autonomously make a decision, or decide something against their family. This might be when HE said you had to be born again into a new family to enter the kingdom.
3) Everything is hierarchical. The hierarchy is based on job title, age, experience, who their father was, anything. It is also very rude to question, you are expected to just trust those above you. This is another reason why it would be so hard for someone to go against their parents in any kind of decision.
Our father is very good, and he is working in amazing ways over there. In spite of everything the evil one is trying to do, his good news is going literally to the ends of the earth. As of now we are still working on finalizing some of the last minute details.
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