As a disclaimer, I have no idea where I'm going with this blog post...but that is the beauty of this thing!
Yesterday was an interesting day for me mainly because I felt burdened almost to the point of being slightly depressed. This is really weird for me, especially following an awesome Wednesday night at Epicenter. I probably felt like that guy I saw at the Braves game last weekend. From what I could gather, sitting 3 feet away from them, this dude came to the Braves game with a girlfriend, got in a "discussion" and then left to power through a very awkward drive home (trust me) with the girl that used to be his girlfriend. He probably entered day one thinking to himself, "This is going to be a great day! Not only did my girlfriend agree to go to a sporting event with me, but..it's a BRAVES GAME!" Poor guy. Never saw it coming. I imagine he awoke the next morning feeling like he should stay in his sweat pants all day and eat nothing but ice cream and wonder if it was all just one big nightmare. This, in a weird way, sums up what I was feeling yesterday. "Allow me to explain...no, no...that would take too long...let me sum up." (80's movie quote...anyone???)
Wednesday night at Epicenter was awesome. I went into Wednesday prepared for the night and anxious to get it started mainly because Matt was out of town and I was basically making sure everything flowed smoothly, nobody went to the ER and the building didn't catch fire. None of that happened...all glory to God! Anyway, we had the CEO and some "top dogs" from the Lifebook (which was mentioned in an earlier post) visit us to see how we were promoting the Lifebook and to just be apart of the service with us. It was great. The worship was awesome and my good friend Dallas (AKA: "Houston" as the faithful readers will recognize...) brought the word and challenged our students to take advantage of the Lifebook and just get out and share the love of Christ with their peers at school. After Epicenter I got to meet with my studly group of guys for discipleship...after I accidentally abandoned one of them in the church parking lot. Seriously, between leaving kids at church and my Honduras stories that the kids refuse to let me live down, I HAVE to be in the running for worst intern ever...haha. The night was just plain awesome. We got to study Hebrews chapter 1 together and dive into the deity of Christ, and what it meant for Him to be fully God and fully man at the same time. For those of you that are stuck on my illustration from the beginning...I haven't forgotten about you.
Thursday morning I woke up and I was just burdened for some friends of mine. I couldn't even figure out why I felt this way after an awesome night. I woke up thinking, "Last night was awesome but today I just feel so heavy that I don't want to move. I just want to sit around all day because I feel so depressed." I hopped on Facebook which is what I normally do right before I head out the door for work. The reason I was so burdened for some friends of mine, and one specifically, was because their facebook status was the first thing I saw on my news feed. This friend of mine, which I have known for probably 18 years or so, has views that are completely opposite of mine in just about every category. I immediately felt burdened for him because I know he is lost and I couldn't help but hear Dallas' words from the night before ringing in my ears. I couldn't help but think, "Man, he's made such bad decisions since going to college. What if I had kept in touch with him through high school? What if I had spent more time with him growing up? Could I have made a difference?" Now, honestly, I haven't talked to this guy since high school and that was 5 years ago. So part of me feels regret and even a little sense of responsibility for not making the most of my time with him. This got me thinking, how many other "friends" do I have on facebook that are in the exact same spot. How many people do I know by name that I have come in contact with, and have not heard the name of Jesus from me? It's straight up terrifying. I've been looking through my list of friends and I see things like "Atheist" and "Faith through evolution" as religious views, I see quotes and activities including things that I don't do, I see lobbying for gay rights and abortions...and I'm burdened. Don't take this the wrong way. I'm NOT condemning them. I didn't send these people a message or post on their wall about how awful they are, or how they are living in sin. No, I literally felt BURDENED for these souls that I claim to be friends with. People I worked with, people I would see at the mall or at sporting events. People I had the chance to share Jesus with. My responsibility.
Now I'm not throwing a pity party for myself or stating how terrible a Christian I am. I am just being real. I had the chance, sometimes many chances, to share Christ. But I didn't. That is on me and nobody else. This is why I have such a passion for student ministry. I see the mistakes I made. I see the opportunities I let slip by and I don't want to see the students of today and tomorrow make those same mistakes. That's why I'm pumped about this Lifebook that is going to be in the hands of every single student in Cherokee county next week. That is why I carry a few extra copies in my car now. That is why I never want to miss another opportunity to share what Christ has done in my life. That is why I'm asking God to give me a chance to talk to some of these friends...even though we haven't talked in 5 years. I'm burdened. I'm burdened and I pray that burden for the lost never fades away. I'm willing to live with it. Are you?
1 Corinthians 15:58 - "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves FULLY to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor is not in vain."
Friday, April 23, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
The End!!
Welp...time for another post.
A lot has been happening this week since returning from Honduras. Since returning from the mission field, I have not slept in past 7am and I have not taken any naps. Needless to say, don't try to call me tomorrow.
We had a very motivating night on Wednesday at Epicenter. Matt Lawson brought the heat (it's baseball season...get used to the metaphors). Matt challenged our students, coming off of our mission trip, by asking "What in the WORLD are we doing???" He encouraged the students to start thinking about playing a larger role in the great commission. Matt used Matthew 24:4-14 as his passage. In this passage, Jesus is asked about the end times. Now, Jesus does give us quite a few signs of the end (which I think we tend to get all caught up in) but the last one is the one that should hit the Christians right between the eyes. Jesus talks about famines, wars, earthquakes, and people hating each other. I did some research for Matt to include in his message. Did you know that there have already been 20 earthquakes in 2010 alone? I made a list of all the wars or battles that have occurred since 1990 and it took me a page and a half on Word...single spaced! As Matt said, we can check off everything Jesus says are signs of the end...except one. Verse 14 says "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to ALL the nations, and THEN then end will come." We are nowhere close to checking this box off. I encourage you to visit www.joshuaproject.net to get a better idea of how many unreached people groups are out there. Sure all these other things are happening (and Jesus calls them "birth pangs") but man...we are dropping the ball on getting the gospel to the nations! I can't remember who this quote belongs to but "why are we so focused on His second coming, when half the world hasn't even heard of His first?" Oh. Snap. Talk about putting your life into focus.
The reason I'm rambling on about this (other than just coming back from a mission trip) is that our students and students of other youth groups in our area, are combining to spread the gospel of John to over 12,000 students in the Cherokee and Cobb county schools. 12,000!!!! That's incredible! Check out www.thelifebook.com to learn about the process. Basically we are challenging our students to hand out free copies of the book of John to all of their classmates during one week. The response last Wednesday night was awesome. We had tables spread out all over the auditorium with signs for their respective schools over them. The kids flooded to the tables to grab 3, 5, or even 15 copies to pass out to their friends. Start in your backyard...then expand the borders. I can see a fire developing in these kids.
Ok. I hadn't even planned on talking about that but I guess that is the beauty of having a blog! I really wanted to mention a prayer request. After Epicenter on Wednesday nights, I will be meeting with six guys for a mentoring/bible study time. We started meeting this past week and it was great. The six of us have committed to read through the entire New Testament by Christmas. I upped the ante a bit on them by challenging them to read the entire Bible. I told them that I wouldn't challenge them to do it if I wasn't going to do it myself. So, by Christmas, I hope to have read the entire Bible. We downloaded a personal reading plan from www.youversion.com that allows you to edit the dates of your specific plan. Starting next week we will be diving into the book of Hebrews. I gave the guys the option of doing an outside book study or just simply diving head-first with no abandon into the scriptures. They decided as a group that they wanted to study Hebrews. Pray for us as we begin with Chapter One next week. Here are the names of my guys so that you can pray for them regularly:
Justin
Brantley (AKA: B-Rant from a previous post...)
Jacob Y.
Jacob K.
Chase
Nick
Hopefully I will have one more guy join our group. He is currently playing baseball for his high school but the season ends in 2 weeks so hopefully Connor will be joining us as well.
That's about it for me today. This is simply what God has laid on my heart and I'm just writing it down!
I'm headed to my first Braves game of 2010 here in a few hours so I may do a sports blog post tomorrow...keep your eyes open
A lot has been happening this week since returning from Honduras. Since returning from the mission field, I have not slept in past 7am and I have not taken any naps. Needless to say, don't try to call me tomorrow.
We had a very motivating night on Wednesday at Epicenter. Matt Lawson brought the heat (it's baseball season...get used to the metaphors). Matt challenged our students, coming off of our mission trip, by asking "What in the WORLD are we doing???" He encouraged the students to start thinking about playing a larger role in the great commission. Matt used Matthew 24:4-14 as his passage. In this passage, Jesus is asked about the end times. Now, Jesus does give us quite a few signs of the end (which I think we tend to get all caught up in) but the last one is the one that should hit the Christians right between the eyes. Jesus talks about famines, wars, earthquakes, and people hating each other. I did some research for Matt to include in his message. Did you know that there have already been 20 earthquakes in 2010 alone? I made a list of all the wars or battles that have occurred since 1990 and it took me a page and a half on Word...single spaced! As Matt said, we can check off everything Jesus says are signs of the end...except one. Verse 14 says "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to ALL the nations, and THEN then end will come." We are nowhere close to checking this box off. I encourage you to visit www.joshuaproject.net to get a better idea of how many unreached people groups are out there. Sure all these other things are happening (and Jesus calls them "birth pangs") but man...we are dropping the ball on getting the gospel to the nations! I can't remember who this quote belongs to but "why are we so focused on His second coming, when half the world hasn't even heard of His first?" Oh. Snap. Talk about putting your life into focus.
The reason I'm rambling on about this (other than just coming back from a mission trip) is that our students and students of other youth groups in our area, are combining to spread the gospel of John to over 12,000 students in the Cherokee and Cobb county schools. 12,000!!!! That's incredible! Check out www.thelifebook.com to learn about the process. Basically we are challenging our students to hand out free copies of the book of John to all of their classmates during one week. The response last Wednesday night was awesome. We had tables spread out all over the auditorium with signs for their respective schools over them. The kids flooded to the tables to grab 3, 5, or even 15 copies to pass out to their friends. Start in your backyard...then expand the borders. I can see a fire developing in these kids.
Ok. I hadn't even planned on talking about that but I guess that is the beauty of having a blog! I really wanted to mention a prayer request. After Epicenter on Wednesday nights, I will be meeting with six guys for a mentoring/bible study time. We started meeting this past week and it was great. The six of us have committed to read through the entire New Testament by Christmas. I upped the ante a bit on them by challenging them to read the entire Bible. I told them that I wouldn't challenge them to do it if I wasn't going to do it myself. So, by Christmas, I hope to have read the entire Bible. We downloaded a personal reading plan from www.youversion.com that allows you to edit the dates of your specific plan. Starting next week we will be diving into the book of Hebrews. I gave the guys the option of doing an outside book study or just simply diving head-first with no abandon into the scriptures. They decided as a group that they wanted to study Hebrews. Pray for us as we begin with Chapter One next week. Here are the names of my guys so that you can pray for them regularly:
Justin
Brantley (AKA: B-Rant from a previous post...)
Jacob Y.
Jacob K.
Chase
Nick
Hopefully I will have one more guy join our group. He is currently playing baseball for his high school but the season ends in 2 weeks so hopefully Connor will be joining us as well.
That's about it for me today. This is simply what God has laid on my heart and I'm just writing it down!
I'm headed to my first Braves game of 2010 here in a few hours so I may do a sports blog post tomorrow...keep your eyes open
Sunday, April 11, 2010
My Week In Honduras (and how I joined Honduras' most wanted...) PART 2
So this post or Part Dos (see how I inserted a little Spanish??) as I call it, is going to be more random than my first post. I will also explain the "most wanted" part of my title.
There are really four things that I want to convey to my loyal readers today. Apart from the spiritual aspect (see part 1) of the trip, these are the four things that I will most likely remember for the rest of my life:
1.) "Squashing the dreams of 30 kids with one swift kick"
Ok. A disclaimer before I begin: I felt TERRIBLE after the events of these first two stories...which happened on the SAME day at the SAME school. Please don't hate me.
On Wednesday, after we visited the Mayan school, we visited a Spanish-speaking public school. I started "playing" soccer with some of our students and about 30 Honduran kids. Now, you need to know a vital piece of information. We were not playing on a soccer field. We were playing on a concrete basketball court, which doubled as their soccer field, that was surrounded by a ten foot cement wall with barbed and razor wire on top. Now that the stage is set: enter disaster. Someone lobbed a ball to me and I thought I would show off what little soccer skills I actually have by trying a bicycle kick. As you can probably guess, this did not go off as well as I planned. The soccer ball hung in suspended animation as my mind raced ahead of thoughts of a glorious GOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLL (watch un-American soccer and you'll get that). Instead, I kicked it over the 10-foot wall of death. Immediately, all 30 kids looked at me with despair in their eyes and yelled "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!" A group of kids took off running towards the gate to retrieve the ONLY soccer ball the school owned. I followed closely behind while dodging rocks that were thrown at me for my sin. (Ok, I made that up). I finally reach the back gate and turn the corner only to find...a steep hill that leads into a ravine that probably went on for two miles. This just keeps getting better. So, now picture me, a 23 year old American who speaks 3 Spanish words trying to communicate with 10 Spanish kids as we search for the lone soccer ball in the midst of bushes and shrubbery at the entrance to the ravine. I tried communicating with the kids through sign language by pointing to my eyes and making a big circle with my hands...only to be met with a mixture of laughter at the stupid American and more murderous looks. After 20 minutes of looking for the soccer ball, I started to dig some money out of my wallet so that I could give it to the principal so that he could buy a new soccer ball. Right as I was doing that, I heard some joyful shouting in the bushes to my left. The kids pulled the ball out of the bushes and ran by me laughing and and saying things which I think were insulting towards me.
I was banned from playing soccer the rest of the day.
2.) "Honduras' Most Wanted"
2 hours later. Same school. Disaster numero dos.
Towards the end of the day, I was sitting on the sideline watching some others play soccer. For the record, I volunteered to sit out so that no more disasters would happen at my hand. That didn't help. I will change the name of the innocents to protect their identity. "Houston" was the goalie for the American team and he noticed a small Honduran boy carrying a very nice backpack. Now, in hindsight, we should have remembered that we were at a school and that all students carry backpacks. We did not process that information. We thought it was the bag of one of our high school students, so "B-Rant" and I basically cornered the kid to get "our" bag back. After "B-Rant" and I physically removed the bag from the kid a small riot broke out. (I may be exaggerating a little bit). "B-Rant" decided to run from the small group of kids that were surrounding him and yelling in Spanish. Not smart. "B-Rant" runs track for his school and he was barely staying ahead of these kids. He yells in a terrified voice, "Aaron!!! Where do I go?!?!?!" Sadly, "B-Rant" ran himself into a corner and was surrounded by the mob. It literally looked like a scene from a horror movie. The one white kid holding a backpack over his head while multiple Honduran kids clawed at him and tried to climb up his body to retrieve their stolen bag. One of our other students, who we will name "Opie Taylor", suggested that we look inside the bag to make sure it was ours before we barricaded ourselves in the bus. Smart kid. We opened it up to find Spanish textbooks and notebook paper. Needless to say, "B-Rant" and I felt AWFUL. We explained what we thought was happening and thankfully, I avoided a second stoning that I was deserving of. However, the school did take our mugshots and they posted our pictures on Honduras' Most Wanted. We are horrible Americans.
3.) "Heaven On Earth"
I found a Dunkin Donuts in Honduras. We stopped there. It was wonderful. See the pic at: http://twitpic.com/1eodrd
4.) "Weird and Useless Info"
I found out that if someone licks your elbow when you aren't looking...you can't feel it. Those were some weird bus rides...
Aaaahhhhh memories.
There are really four things that I want to convey to my loyal readers today. Apart from the spiritual aspect (see part 1) of the trip, these are the four things that I will most likely remember for the rest of my life:
1.) "Squashing the dreams of 30 kids with one swift kick"
Ok. A disclaimer before I begin: I felt TERRIBLE after the events of these first two stories...which happened on the SAME day at the SAME school. Please don't hate me.
On Wednesday, after we visited the Mayan school, we visited a Spanish-speaking public school. I started "playing" soccer with some of our students and about 30 Honduran kids. Now, you need to know a vital piece of information. We were not playing on a soccer field. We were playing on a concrete basketball court, which doubled as their soccer field, that was surrounded by a ten foot cement wall with barbed and razor wire on top. Now that the stage is set: enter disaster. Someone lobbed a ball to me and I thought I would show off what little soccer skills I actually have by trying a bicycle kick. As you can probably guess, this did not go off as well as I planned. The soccer ball hung in suspended animation as my mind raced ahead of thoughts of a glorious GOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAALLLLLL (watch un-American soccer and you'll get that). Instead, I kicked it over the 10-foot wall of death. Immediately, all 30 kids looked at me with despair in their eyes and yelled "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!" A group of kids took off running towards the gate to retrieve the ONLY soccer ball the school owned. I followed closely behind while dodging rocks that were thrown at me for my sin. (Ok, I made that up). I finally reach the back gate and turn the corner only to find...a steep hill that leads into a ravine that probably went on for two miles. This just keeps getting better. So, now picture me, a 23 year old American who speaks 3 Spanish words trying to communicate with 10 Spanish kids as we search for the lone soccer ball in the midst of bushes and shrubbery at the entrance to the ravine. I tried communicating with the kids through sign language by pointing to my eyes and making a big circle with my hands...only to be met with a mixture of laughter at the stupid American and more murderous looks. After 20 minutes of looking for the soccer ball, I started to dig some money out of my wallet so that I could give it to the principal so that he could buy a new soccer ball. Right as I was doing that, I heard some joyful shouting in the bushes to my left. The kids pulled the ball out of the bushes and ran by me laughing and and saying things which I think were insulting towards me.
I was banned from playing soccer the rest of the day.
2.) "Honduras' Most Wanted"
2 hours later. Same school. Disaster numero dos.
Towards the end of the day, I was sitting on the sideline watching some others play soccer. For the record, I volunteered to sit out so that no more disasters would happen at my hand. That didn't help. I will change the name of the innocents to protect their identity. "Houston" was the goalie for the American team and he noticed a small Honduran boy carrying a very nice backpack. Now, in hindsight, we should have remembered that we were at a school and that all students carry backpacks. We did not process that information. We thought it was the bag of one of our high school students, so "B-Rant" and I basically cornered the kid to get "our" bag back. After "B-Rant" and I physically removed the bag from the kid a small riot broke out. (I may be exaggerating a little bit). "B-Rant" decided to run from the small group of kids that were surrounding him and yelling in Spanish. Not smart. "B-Rant" runs track for his school and he was barely staying ahead of these kids. He yells in a terrified voice, "Aaron!!! Where do I go?!?!?!" Sadly, "B-Rant" ran himself into a corner and was surrounded by the mob. It literally looked like a scene from a horror movie. The one white kid holding a backpack over his head while multiple Honduran kids clawed at him and tried to climb up his body to retrieve their stolen bag. One of our other students, who we will name "Opie Taylor", suggested that we look inside the bag to make sure it was ours before we barricaded ourselves in the bus. Smart kid. We opened it up to find Spanish textbooks and notebook paper. Needless to say, "B-Rant" and I felt AWFUL. We explained what we thought was happening and thankfully, I avoided a second stoning that I was deserving of. However, the school did take our mugshots and they posted our pictures on Honduras' Most Wanted. We are horrible Americans.
3.) "Heaven On Earth"
I found a Dunkin Donuts in Honduras. We stopped there. It was wonderful. See the pic at: http://twitpic.com/1eodrd
4.) "Weird and Useless Info"
I found out that if someone licks your elbow when you aren't looking...you can't feel it. Those were some weird bus rides...
Aaaahhhhh memories.
My Week In Honduras (and how I joined Honduras' most wanted...) PART 1
Wow.
What an amazing week of seeing God move in the nation of Honduras. There is so much to say and I know I'll forget some things but I'll do my best to recap. By the way, today is a "two-parter" on my blog. This will be the more informational post, while the second post will be more funny stories, random thoughts and happenings etc.
We left bright and early at 4am on Monday morning from Woodstock. After a very lengthy day of traveling, we finally arrived at the Word of Life Honduras Camp around 11pm (1am EST). We took a team of around fifty 9th and 10th graders to Honduras to simply preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. We split our group up into two teams and each team visited schools throughout the day using drama, preaching and conversations to tell others about the good news of Salvation through Christ alone.
Our first full day in Honduras (Tuesday) we performed our drama presentation at a Christian school in the morning. That afternoon, the local Word of Life missionaries took us shopping in the "Valley of Angels." On Wednesday, we visited my two favorite schools of the week. In the morning we visited The Mayan school. This was a bi-lingual school so we were able to talk to the students in English with ease. We saw a good number come to Christ at this school and I had the chance to talk to some of the guys after our presentation. I was simply amazed at how much the students knew about the Bible. Sadly, there is a major Catholic influence in Honduras and nearly every student that I talked to during the week felt like they would never see heaven due to all the sin in their lives. They felt unworthy. They felt like they couldn't earn their way to heaven. These were powerful conversations. I spent a lot of time showing the students that it is not by their works that get them to Heaven, but rather the grace of God. When they realized that a 23 year old guy from America, who has had many more years of sin under his belt, could come to Christ though grace and faith alone, their eyes lit up. It's so hard to explain what I saw in their eyes. They finally understood that the free gift of salvation was available to them, no matter what they've done. To God be ALL the glory. I was reminded of how thankful I am for a God who accepts me, loves me, and made salvation available to me despite my sinful life. What a powerful and humbling thought.
Thursday was just a powerful day all around. We visited 2 schools that day, one in the morning and one in the late afternoon. God moved mightily at those schools and we were so thankful to be a small part of it. That night was probably a defining moment in many of our students lives. Before I explain, I have to give some shout outs to the high school students of First Baptist Woodstock. These guys and girls were so passionate about sharing Christ. They would share with anyone and everyone who would listen. They ignored language barriers and social norms. They exemplified what it means to be "lights in a dark and crooked generation." I was so proud of each and every one of them. In a moment of extreme honesty, I wish I had their passionate attitude about sharing Christ when I was in High School. After visiting the schools we were returning to the camp that night. One of our students needed to use "the facilities." Our driver (shout out to Mauro...the best driver in Honduras) stopped at a gas station so that we could stretch and use the bathroom. What should have been a 10 minute stop...turned into one of the best hours of the week. Gas stations in Honduras are pretty popular places for people to congregate and hang out. Two of our students noticed a lady with a baby sitting outside the door begging for money. These two students pulled their money together, gave it to her and then sat down and shared the gospel with her. This just sparked everything that followed. A few of our students saw this and decided that they would go share the gospel with a small group of guys that were hanging out in the parking lot. The rest of the team got on the bus and started a prayer time for our peers who were sharing Christ. One by one, our students kept getting off the bus to witness to the employees, customers, and even a random traveling Mariachi band! These students understood that just because they left the schools, didn't mean that they could stop being a light for Christ. After an hour of sitting, witnessing and praying at the gas station...God held true to His promise and redeemed a young lady and brought her into His family. How awesome is that?? A revival broke out, not only at the gas station but in the hearts of our students as well, because somebody needed to go number one! God rocks. Simple as that.
Friday was a long day. We stayed at one of the largest (and it might have been the largest) public high school all day long. We performed 5 presentations. We got to speak to 3,000 kids alone on that one day. This was an awesome day for me personally. I saw a group of boys early in the day that I knew I wanted to talk to. After one of the presentations, I grabbed a translator and for the next 45 minutes I had the honor of talking to six young Honduran boys about Jesus Christ. It was a long talk because of the Catholic situation that I mentioned earlier, but I wouldn't trade a minute of it for anything in the world. All glory goes to God for this next sentence. After 45 minutes of talking with them, I was able to lead all six of my new brothers to faith in Christ. Now, I'm not a big crier...but I'm man enough to say that after that long and challenging conversation, I couldn't help but shed some joyful tears. I know I'll never see them again here on earth, but you better believe that I am going to hunt them down and hug each and every one of those guys once I get to heaven!
All in all, God rocked my world this week. He blew me away with something new each day. Throughout the week, our team was able to speak to more than 5,000+ students and we were able to celebrate with around 1,000 new brothers and sisters in Christ. I'm so thankful that God allowed me to play a small part in furthering His kingdom in Honduras.
To God be all the glory, forever and ever...
What an amazing week of seeing God move in the nation of Honduras. There is so much to say and I know I'll forget some things but I'll do my best to recap. By the way, today is a "two-parter" on my blog. This will be the more informational post, while the second post will be more funny stories, random thoughts and happenings etc.
We left bright and early at 4am on Monday morning from Woodstock. After a very lengthy day of traveling, we finally arrived at the Word of Life Honduras Camp around 11pm (1am EST). We took a team of around fifty 9th and 10th graders to Honduras to simply preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. We split our group up into two teams and each team visited schools throughout the day using drama, preaching and conversations to tell others about the good news of Salvation through Christ alone.
Our first full day in Honduras (Tuesday) we performed our drama presentation at a Christian school in the morning. That afternoon, the local Word of Life missionaries took us shopping in the "Valley of Angels." On Wednesday, we visited my two favorite schools of the week. In the morning we visited The Mayan school. This was a bi-lingual school so we were able to talk to the students in English with ease. We saw a good number come to Christ at this school and I had the chance to talk to some of the guys after our presentation. I was simply amazed at how much the students knew about the Bible. Sadly, there is a major Catholic influence in Honduras and nearly every student that I talked to during the week felt like they would never see heaven due to all the sin in their lives. They felt unworthy. They felt like they couldn't earn their way to heaven. These were powerful conversations. I spent a lot of time showing the students that it is not by their works that get them to Heaven, but rather the grace of God. When they realized that a 23 year old guy from America, who has had many more years of sin under his belt, could come to Christ though grace and faith alone, their eyes lit up. It's so hard to explain what I saw in their eyes. They finally understood that the free gift of salvation was available to them, no matter what they've done. To God be ALL the glory. I was reminded of how thankful I am for a God who accepts me, loves me, and made salvation available to me despite my sinful life. What a powerful and humbling thought.
Thursday was just a powerful day all around. We visited 2 schools that day, one in the morning and one in the late afternoon. God moved mightily at those schools and we were so thankful to be a small part of it. That night was probably a defining moment in many of our students lives. Before I explain, I have to give some shout outs to the high school students of First Baptist Woodstock. These guys and girls were so passionate about sharing Christ. They would share with anyone and everyone who would listen. They ignored language barriers and social norms. They exemplified what it means to be "lights in a dark and crooked generation." I was so proud of each and every one of them. In a moment of extreme honesty, I wish I had their passionate attitude about sharing Christ when I was in High School. After visiting the schools we were returning to the camp that night. One of our students needed to use "the facilities." Our driver (shout out to Mauro...the best driver in Honduras) stopped at a gas station so that we could stretch and use the bathroom. What should have been a 10 minute stop...turned into one of the best hours of the week. Gas stations in Honduras are pretty popular places for people to congregate and hang out. Two of our students noticed a lady with a baby sitting outside the door begging for money. These two students pulled their money together, gave it to her and then sat down and shared the gospel with her. This just sparked everything that followed. A few of our students saw this and decided that they would go share the gospel with a small group of guys that were hanging out in the parking lot. The rest of the team got on the bus and started a prayer time for our peers who were sharing Christ. One by one, our students kept getting off the bus to witness to the employees, customers, and even a random traveling Mariachi band! These students understood that just because they left the schools, didn't mean that they could stop being a light for Christ. After an hour of sitting, witnessing and praying at the gas station...God held true to His promise and redeemed a young lady and brought her into His family. How awesome is that?? A revival broke out, not only at the gas station but in the hearts of our students as well, because somebody needed to go number one! God rocks. Simple as that.
Friday was a long day. We stayed at one of the largest (and it might have been the largest) public high school all day long. We performed 5 presentations. We got to speak to 3,000 kids alone on that one day. This was an awesome day for me personally. I saw a group of boys early in the day that I knew I wanted to talk to. After one of the presentations, I grabbed a translator and for the next 45 minutes I had the honor of talking to six young Honduran boys about Jesus Christ. It was a long talk because of the Catholic situation that I mentioned earlier, but I wouldn't trade a minute of it for anything in the world. All glory goes to God for this next sentence. After 45 minutes of talking with them, I was able to lead all six of my new brothers to faith in Christ. Now, I'm not a big crier...but I'm man enough to say that after that long and challenging conversation, I couldn't help but shed some joyful tears. I know I'll never see them again here on earth, but you better believe that I am going to hunt them down and hug each and every one of those guys once I get to heaven!
All in all, God rocked my world this week. He blew me away with something new each day. Throughout the week, our team was able to speak to more than 5,000+ students and we were able to celebrate with around 1,000 new brothers and sisters in Christ. I'm so thankful that God allowed me to play a small part in furthering His kingdom in Honduras.
To God be all the glory, forever and ever...
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Season 1. Episode 1. "The Pilot"
Well, to the three of you that have randomly come across this brand new blog, I welcome you with open arms. My name is Aaron Crawford and I have decided to start a blog that will track the random thoughts that venture through my head day after day. You probably have a few questions already, so allow me to read your mind and answer them for you:
What is a "Bondservant" and why is it in your blog's title?
A "bondservant" is a term that has intrigued me for quite a while. The term comes from the ancient Greek word "doulos" and it basically is a term to describe someone who is "devoted to another to the disregard of one's own interests." (Thank you BlueLetterBible). The apostle Paul (though not the only one to do so) uses this term frequently at the beginning of letters that he would write to various churches back in the day. This is most notably seen in Romans 1, Galatians 1, and Philippians 1. Ultimately, Paul is making it abundantly clear to anyone and everyone who he is identified with. He is identifying himself with the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. The definition that was mentioned earlier even states that a bondservant is so devoted to someone (as in Paul's case, Jesus) that they don't even think about themselves. Paul even says in Philippians 1:21, "For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Paul was basically saying that as long as he drew breath, people were going to hear about this Savior who radically changed his life and that because he was so dedicated to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, that even if he died or was killed for this message, he would still come out on top because he knew that his death would lead to eternal life with the one he was devoted to. Ultimately, this is my desire (though I don't live it out as passionately as I should). I want people to know where my allegiance lies. I want people to know that I'm a bondservant. That I give up all my rights, I die to myself, and I live whole-heartedly and completely for my King, my Abba Father. That is why "bondservant" is in the title of my blog.
Why start a blog?
There are a few people out there who are reading this and have the indescribably pleasure of knowing me personally (I promise I'm humble). They also know that I am currently enrolled in Seminary with Liberty University's online program. This should bring a question to your mind. "Aaron," you may say, "why would you start a blog? Don't you write enough in Seminary as it is? Do you really think people will read this?" The answer is relatively simiple. I've discovered over the past year that I actually enjoy writing. Now, I am by no means an author capable of writing epic novels (shameless shout out #1: Here's looking at you Cliff Graham. See www.lionofwar.com as well as his blog: knowthecovering.blogspot.com) but I do enjoy getting my thoughts out on "paper." Honestly, throughout college and so far in seminary, I get much better grades on my papers and presentations than I ever did on tests. Plus, there are no format rules that I must follow in order to get a good grade. So:
This format right here
is an acceptable
way
to write on a blog without getting docked
points.
FREEEEEEEEDOM!!!!! (That's my obligatory "man movie" reference)
Also, I'm currently in the middle of a youth ministry internship in Woodstock, Georgia and the youth pastor that I'm serving with this year has encouraged me to start one, even if the sole purpose is to just practice writing. This is not a mandatory part of my internship but it is something that Matt (shameless shout out #2: you should check out Matt Lawson's blog here: www.revolutionspeaks.wordpress.com) has encouraged me to do. So this is me expanding my horizon. I'm stepping out into the great unkown. As far as people reading it...I have no clue. Hopefully this will be used as a tool for discussion, which leads me to the next question in your mushy brain:
Ok, so what is the purpose of this blog?
The purpose of this blog is to basically fill you in on whatever random thoughts have recently been filling my head. This will not be a daily blog. I don't have the time right now to update and maintain a blog each and every day. It will be more along the lines of me updating my fantasy baseball team, which means I'll do a lot in the beginning stages because I think that I'm going to win it all...and then I will settle down to posting about once or twice a week. I give you fair warning: I have NO idea what this is going to look like. Most days, I will post something serioius such as what God has been teaching me or what He is challenging me with. Other days I may comment on a movie or a TV show (if you gamble, I'd put good money on me posting a blog about the end of 24 in a few months...), sporting events (lets just say...Tennessee Volunteers. Enough said.), or why I think the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (early 90's version) was the best cartoon made...ever. Can I get a "Cow-wa-bunga"??? Who knows? I can promise you this: You may not agree with me (which is completely fine) but I'll be as truthful and as honest as I can be, especially when it comes to anything pertaining to my Risen King, Jesus Christ.
Speaking of that...Monday morning( 4:30 am ) I'm leaving with a group of leaders and about forty 9th and 10th graders for Honduras. We will be there for a week-long mission trip. We will be visiting schools and using drama and open air evangelism to reach the people of Honduras for Jesus Christ. Pleas pray for our young team as they give up their spring break to go minister to and serve those that are less fortunate than themselves. I can't wait to see what God is going to do for His glory and His kingdom next week. I promise to post something after we get back...
Ok. This is officially the end of my first post. I'm not quite sure how to end this...so...
THE END.
What is a "Bondservant" and why is it in your blog's title?
A "bondservant" is a term that has intrigued me for quite a while. The term comes from the ancient Greek word "doulos" and it basically is a term to describe someone who is "devoted to another to the disregard of one's own interests." (Thank you BlueLetterBible). The apostle Paul (though not the only one to do so) uses this term frequently at the beginning of letters that he would write to various churches back in the day. This is most notably seen in Romans 1, Galatians 1, and Philippians 1. Ultimately, Paul is making it abundantly clear to anyone and everyone who he is identified with. He is identifying himself with the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. The definition that was mentioned earlier even states that a bondservant is so devoted to someone (as in Paul's case, Jesus) that they don't even think about themselves. Paul even says in Philippians 1:21, "For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Paul was basically saying that as long as he drew breath, people were going to hear about this Savior who radically changed his life and that because he was so dedicated to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, that even if he died or was killed for this message, he would still come out on top because he knew that his death would lead to eternal life with the one he was devoted to. Ultimately, this is my desire (though I don't live it out as passionately as I should). I want people to know where my allegiance lies. I want people to know that I'm a bondservant. That I give up all my rights, I die to myself, and I live whole-heartedly and completely for my King, my Abba Father. That is why "bondservant" is in the title of my blog.
Why start a blog?
There are a few people out there who are reading this and have the indescribably pleasure of knowing me personally (I promise I'm humble). They also know that I am currently enrolled in Seminary with Liberty University's online program. This should bring a question to your mind. "Aaron," you may say, "why would you start a blog? Don't you write enough in Seminary as it is? Do you really think people will read this?" The answer is relatively simiple. I've discovered over the past year that I actually enjoy writing. Now, I am by no means an author capable of writing epic novels (shameless shout out #1: Here's looking at you Cliff Graham. See www.lionofwar.com as well as his blog: knowthecovering.blogspot.com) but I do enjoy getting my thoughts out on "paper." Honestly, throughout college and so far in seminary, I get much better grades on my papers and presentations than I ever did on tests. Plus, there are no format rules that I must follow in order to get a good grade. So:
This format right here
is an acceptable
way
to write on a blog without getting docked
points.
FREEEEEEEEDOM!!!!! (That's my obligatory "man movie" reference)
Also, I'm currently in the middle of a youth ministry internship in Woodstock, Georgia and the youth pastor that I'm serving with this year has encouraged me to start one, even if the sole purpose is to just practice writing. This is not a mandatory part of my internship but it is something that Matt (shameless shout out #2: you should check out Matt Lawson's blog here: www.revolutionspeaks.wordpress.com) has encouraged me to do. So this is me expanding my horizon. I'm stepping out into the great unkown. As far as people reading it...I have no clue. Hopefully this will be used as a tool for discussion, which leads me to the next question in your mushy brain:
Ok, so what is the purpose of this blog?
The purpose of this blog is to basically fill you in on whatever random thoughts have recently been filling my head. This will not be a daily blog. I don't have the time right now to update and maintain a blog each and every day. It will be more along the lines of me updating my fantasy baseball team, which means I'll do a lot in the beginning stages because I think that I'm going to win it all...and then I will settle down to posting about once or twice a week. I give you fair warning: I have NO idea what this is going to look like. Most days, I will post something serioius such as what God has been teaching me or what He is challenging me with. Other days I may comment on a movie or a TV show (if you gamble, I'd put good money on me posting a blog about the end of 24 in a few months...), sporting events (lets just say...Tennessee Volunteers. Enough said.), or why I think the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (early 90's version) was the best cartoon made...ever. Can I get a "Cow-wa-bunga"??? Who knows? I can promise you this: You may not agree with me (which is completely fine) but I'll be as truthful and as honest as I can be, especially when it comes to anything pertaining to my Risen King, Jesus Christ.
Speaking of that...Monday morning( 4:30 am ) I'm leaving with a group of leaders and about forty 9th and 10th graders for Honduras. We will be there for a week-long mission trip. We will be visiting schools and using drama and open air evangelism to reach the people of Honduras for Jesus Christ. Pleas pray for our young team as they give up their spring break to go minister to and serve those that are less fortunate than themselves. I can't wait to see what God is going to do for His glory and His kingdom next week. I promise to post something after we get back...
Ok. This is officially the end of my first post. I'm not quite sure how to end this...so...
THE END.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)