Sidewalk to School

Get Out of the Boat

I am reminded today of Peter's encounter with Jesus on the water. I cannot imagine what must have been going through the disciples minds as they saw Jesus walking on water but then he calls out to them to get out of the boat and do the same. All but one play it safe, all but one allowed fear to keep them from experiencing God and doing the impossible. Peter gets out of the boat and begins to walk on water. How Peter must have been totally blown away by that opportunity. I am reminded that I need to get out of the boat of safety, the boat of comfort, the boat of ease and step out into the unknown and experience God in perhaps ways I have never and to allow Him to use me in ways that perhaps I have never been used. But I am also reminded that I like Peter can become easily distracted by the things around me and take my eyes off Jesus and immediately begin to sink. Peter became afraid, fear is really nothing more than not trusting Christ in the midst of the unknown. As long as my eyes are fixed on Him, as long as I am trusting Him taking that step of getting out of the boat and doing the impossible does not seem so hard. The second I take my eyes of Christ and begin trusting myself instead I will sink. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding, in all my ways acknowledge Him and He will direct my paths. Lord help me today to get out of the boat and do the impossible, but more than that help me to keep my eyes fixed on you.

India: What has God taught me?

Since returning from India I have been asked this question often and I really have not had a good response other than, "It was amazing", "It was eye-opening", and many other short sweet diatribes that seem so short of the truth. So I woke up this morning with this question heavy on my heart and I feel I need to begin processing the answer through my blog.
Meeting Ananthi and hearing her story of how God has used her to reach out to the poorest of poor with the Gospel of Jesus is truly amazing as I see a clear example of what Jesus was saying throughout the Gospels of what it means to help the poor, care for the needy and fulfill the Great Commission. To hear and see her incredible dependence on God is both inspiring and convicting. Even in the midst of poverty and from my minds eye just miserable conditions I saw joy and an incredible dependence on God that I do not see in myself or in much of Christianity here in the US. Our western mindset says I need to go over there and get them out of those conditions and give them a nice home, nice clothes, nice this and that and we want to throw stuff at them and somehow believe that this is the answer. Then I look in the mirror and say wait a minute I have a nice home, nice care, nice clothes, I have basically whatever I want whenever I want and yet I find myself not satisfied, I find myself not content, I find myself miserable, I find myself not dependent on God. Has the overabundance of stuff and the chasing of the "American Dream" clouded my ability to rely on God and seek Him daily? One of the guys posed a great question, is what these people need to really pull them out of their conditions? What's amazing is the community that you see happening in the midst of those conditions, the joy on the kids faces, the dependence on God. What I saw in India through Friend of the Good Samaritan School, Ananthi, their staff was the Gospel in action as they strive to meet basic needs, education, medical, food and most importantly the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I did not seem them trying to pull kids out of the slums and give them better homes or more stuff, but rather teach them to depend on God and allow Him to meet all of your needs. On Sunday we held a church service where hundreds of people came and what blew me away was the noticeable difference between the kids that attended the Good Samaritan school and those who did not, they were healthier looking, more respectful, more joyful, and most importantly more in love with Jesus. I am reminded of this song:

Heart of Worship

When the music fades
And all is stripped away
And I simply come
Longing just to bring
Something that's of worth
That will bless your heart

I'll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the ways things appear
You're looking into my heart

I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You
All about You, Jesus
I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You
It's all about You Jesus

King of endless worth
No one could express
How much You deserve
Though I'm weak and poor
All I have is Yours
Every single breath

I'll bring You more than just a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear
You're looking into my heart

I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You
All about You, Jesus
I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You
It's all about You Jesus

Its all about you
Jesus

I realize that our stuff is not the problem it's my heart. My prayer is that just like the people of India that I encountered who have little and whose hearts seemed bent toward God and who live in total dependence on Him, that I who am surrounded by much will learn to depend on God and allow my heart to truly love and seek after Jesus.