A Psalm of Praise

Your beauty is beyond compare

It is magnified throughout the Earth.

That which covers the Earth gives you praise

How majestic is your Glory

Your overwhelming love surrounds me

My breath is taken away by your splendor

How awesome it is to experience your grace.

Your artful strokes are displayed for all to see.

As I look out among the fields

I see only beauty, as though a master painter has been hard at work

The colors mix together with such emotion

It is as though it works together to bring you praise

As I stand here with the gentle stillness of the moment

I am taken aback by thought of you.

Your fierce love encompasses all of me

Leaving me vulnerable yet content

All around me the snow falls gently to the ground

The soft silence as each flake hits the ground

Goes unnoticed by all except you

You gently guide each flake as it descends

Your wondrous presence is unavoidable

It is shown through every aspect of creation

From the smallest flake of snow to the highest mountain

I’m caught up in your glory, Hosanna to the highest

So often the Psalmist was speechless

I understand now his thoughts

His inability to shout anything but praise

A glimpse of you is enough to lose oneself in the moment

Being a Good Steward

As I was driving to my neighborhood gas station the other day, I started thinking about how little time to myself I've really had over the last couple weeks. We've been pretty busy at the ranch and when we have off a lot of us end up hanging out for the rest of the day. While I love hanging out with people and getting to know them, I've noticed that I really do need some time of my own to just relax and rest in God, just as Jesus used to go off in solitude, I find the same desire in myself. Here is the problem though. Its not that I haven't had time to myself, I have. Its not even the fact that I haven't had the quantity of time to myself that I would need, I have. The problem is with the fact that I have been a poor steward of that time.

When I have time to myself I tend to waste it on things like video games or sitting on facebook or something like that. I rarely spend it truly resting. That is not to say that those are bad or even not forms of resting, but when I rest I need to be better at understanding what I need to gain rest. Sometimes you need to have those days of simply sitting on the couch and doing absolutely nothing. Other days you need to spend your time alone going on a hike or a bike ride. Either way you have to be intentional about doing what it is that your body really needs. We often do things because it is the thing that is easiest to do, but a lot of the time it ends up just making us more tired and feeling as though we haven't rested. After thinking about this and spending time by myself in a way that allows me to actually rest. Rest is a beautiful thing when done properly. It makes you more energetic and more amiable. I know that during the time when I wasn't really spending time by myself to help me rest I was a little irritable and felt drained most of the time. Now I'm feeling much better and feel ready to do whatever it is that I need to do. We must always be aware of how we are feeling as it affects everyone around us, that is why rest is so vital to our lives.

The Gospel is alive.

As I stroll through Sendafa, I'm greeted by many hungry, poverty stricken faces. All of which have a huge grin and an out-stretched hand. I take the hand and say hello in one of the few Amharic words that I've learned. As I stand there a small crowd of children begins to form, everyone saying hello and asking me my name. I respond to them, "Sime Ryan no." They giggle a little bit at my clearly poor Amharic and all respond with their names. I say the names about 3 or 4 times each, every time getting further and further from the correct pronunciation, but they don't mind. One of the older boys knows a little bit of English and we start up a conversation. He asks me where I'm from, I say America, to which several of the kids ask if I can take them with me. I explain that I cannot to which there is little complaining, except in my own heart. I stand there talking for a while and taking photos and showing them their photos to which there is a great amount of excitement.

I notice that the rest of my team have already moved on, and I'm left alone with my entourage of kids. I motion to them that I need to go towards the rest of my group but they are welcome to come with me. So I begin to walk through the dust-filled streets of Sendafa with a crowd of children all anxiously trying to grab my hand. I wave to a few other shop keepers and people along the streets, they wave back with a smile. I begin trying to think of a deep spiritual parallel to the situation. Yet I'm taken aback by the moment. Here I am trying to relate this to something when the most important thing is to simply be with them. Simply being with them should be enough of a lesson in love than anything else. This line of thought though takes me to Jesus walking the streets and allowing the children to come to Him. People often begged Jesus to heal them or for some sort of help and He always provided what they needed. Here I am, a man walking through Sendafa with very little and certainly not able to give what these kids need to truly be provided for. I am helpless, all I can do is simply tell them a few phrases that God is good and that I'm glad to have met them. Despite all that, they continue to walk with me and keep me company. My time with them reminds me of God providing for every need and that without Him we are helpless. Their smiles display God's compassion and love, and their faces mirror God's as he looks in wonderment at His creation.

I can do all things through whom?

Sitting in the home of Abarash-Hale, I simply talk with her through the aid of my translator Agretu. She has lived in Sendafa for 13 years, she moved here from the southern part of Ethiopia in the attempts to better her life. She is the mother of 5 sons and 1 daughter, three of which have progressed through school quite a bit and have learned a good deal of English. The home we are sitting in is clearly one of the wealthier homes here as it has furniture and several small electronics. By our standards however, the dirt floor, mud walls, and tin roof and door would of course be considered intense poverty.

I talk with her children, who while a little shy allow me to learn more about them and their lives. The older son leads the youth group at church and has been studying hard in school. His brother and sister are both in the choir at church and all three have made it to at least 10th grade, the daughter has actually reached 12th grade which is quite the accomplishment in this town. Our time with them is relaxed and enjoyable. We ask them how we can pray for them and they tell us several things. They want success in their education in combination with a life transformation so that they can be a blessing to Sendafa, to Ethiopia and to the world.

I begin to think about that statement. They want to be a blessing to the world. Not just their country or even continent, but the entire world. They want God to give them the strength to do so. they are relying on him to achieve this through them, not their own abilities or circumstances. I'm surprised by my reaction because it is one of an almost patronizing skepticism. I know in my heart that they can't rise out of their poverty and affect the world.

Now I have always had similar aspirations. I know that I can affect the world. That I can somehow reach others and make a difference. The reason why however is because I know what I'm capable of. I know the abilities that I have, the opportunities that I've been given and the advantages that are inherent in my life. Throughout my life, I've always known my limitations. I've been able to accurately predict whether or not I will succeed at something. The problem in all of this is that I'm relying on myself. I'm relying on my own circumstances and abilities to change the world. In doing this I am limiting God in his ability to work through me. If I rely on my own strength then I will never be able to do the things that God can do through me if I merely step out of my comfort zone.

I'm reminded of my last trip here when I came away feeling as though I were the "least of these" in a spiritual sense. That my knowledge and understanding of God was childish in comparison to those who know God here. Abarash's family may not have the opportunities that I have or the abilities that I have been blessed with, but they have already succeeded in their goal of being a blessing to the world. Now I know that with their hearts relying on God for their strength, they will continue to be a blessing to the world. It is my turn to now follow their example and not allow my own abilities to limit God's work in my life.

Content?

I typically would describe myself as content in what God has given me. I was challenged recently however to really look at that and see if I'm content because God is in my life and has filled all my needs or if I'm content because I have all the things that I need. I was in D.C. recently and was overwhelmed by the homelessness there. They were in utter despair everywhere I went. It was a cold night and they were bundled up in the doorways trying to stay warm in the midst of one of the coldest nights of the week. I gave what I could but it was clearly not enough. I couldn't imagine what they must go through being in this cold every day from not having a warm bed to being unable to getting a hot shower and curling up on the couch for the night. It was just a humble experience and made me thankful for what I have.

Just a few days later I was back at the Ranch and was about to take a shower when I realized that we had no running water. I was a little stunned at first not having something that I've had for so long. As the day wore on, the inability to have running water began to annoy me tremendously. I was upset that I had to go without a shower and had to search all around the ranch just for a working bathroom. It wasn't more than a week since I had been in D.C. surrounded by the homeless there and in just over a week I'll be on my way to Ethiopia, the second poorest country in the world where most people there have no access to a bathroom and certainly not running water. I was relieved later that night when the water was fixed and I was saved from this annoyance.

The next morning we discussed Phillipians 4:10-19 where Paul is talking to the church at Phillipi about how he is able to be content in his circumstances and to be able to feel hunger and plenty and remain content in Christ regardless. It was a definite shock to my system. I was left thinking about how my peace rested on the comforts that I take for granted. I don't think I had ever thought about not having certain luxuries before. The good thing about this however is that it afforded me the opportunity to reflect upon it and change the true foundations of my peace so that I can truly be content in Christ.

Pharisee

The other day I had one of the best conversations I've had with anyone in a long time. In talking with my friend we talked a lot about spirituality and some pretty weighty subjects. Something kind of hit me during the conversation that really struck a chord with what I was feeling the few weeks leading up to that. I had been like a Pharisee from the New Testament. In my dealings with other Christians I often think to myself how much more spiritual I am than them or how I'm more disciplined or mature in certain areas than them. This arrogance and pride is the furthest thing from what God desires. Its the same arrogance that spurred Jesus on to make statements against them like they are a brood of vipers. Despite the fact that they followed the law and were not among the "sinners" they were the ones criticized by Christ and harshly admonished by Him.

In addition to this I often find myself getting mad at those who claim that there is no God. Instead of looking at them with compassion as Christ did, I look at them with scorn. I don't take the time to relate the gospel to them I merely counter their arguments and ridicule them for their unbelief, while I sit on my throne of self-righteousness. If my words are merely telling others that they are wrong then I'm not conveying the gospel at all. We must share the Truth with Grace or else we just simply become like the Pharisees and look down on those who do no believe or we become defensive and back into our own shelters or Christian bubbles. We must not be ashamed of the Gospel. If we look upon the world with scorn then we are still not looking on it the way Christ looks at it. He sees the corruption and the brokenness of the world and has compassion and feels sorrow. We should do the same. We should be in constant prayer to soften the hearts of those who do no believe. Our actions should be filled with compassion and Grace.

Radical Transformation

About a week ago, a van went through the front door of my house. The car nearly killed me as I had been walking in and out of that same door several times. The house was and is severely damaged due to the impact and the fact that the car remained on when it was in the house lead to the entire house filling with smoke and causing everything to smell like burnt rubber. It was a brutal experience in which something that was far out of our control drastically changed our circumstances. Yet something amazing happened and it had happened far before this. My family had been radically transformed into a godly household. This incident clearly shook all of us up quite a bit, but we did not get angry or bitter by it. Rather the contrary my family has done its best to show love to the family of the boy who hit the house and to the boy himself. Instead of becoming bitter at our circumstance we have taken this time to serve as a witness of Christ's love and compassion. We have had many people comment on how they don't understand how we can be so calm about the situation, how we can possibly be so forgiving so quickly. My parents simply reply that they are grateful and understand that things could have been worse.

I am truly amazed at my parents and how they have handled the situation. This incident will certainly be a major part of the very near future and will impact many things for a long time to come, yet through it all they maintain a wonderful knowledge of Grace and refuse to allow any bitterness come in. Now the question must be asked is this just their nature or is there something else behind it that is fueling this compassion? The answer is both. You see, there was a time that we certainly would not have handled the situation like this. We would have certainly been bitter and angry and would have thought only of ourselves. Christ's glory would be the furthest thing from our mind. At some point however, we began to give our lives to Christ more and more. It was not an overnight process, but a gradual one filled with struggles and vulnerability. Christ transformed our lives. He gave us a new life, one filled with the knowledge that His glory is to be the number one priority in our lives. Are we always mindful of that or focused on that? Absolutely not. We do however recognize a great change in our lives. We aren't the same and can't possibly go back to what we were.

This is the story of a Christian life. We were once something else. We were once sinners completely lost and need of a savior. God called us to Him and made us new in His image. He took the blame for our sins and paid our debt. In a manner of speaking we were once oranges. We lived as oranges do and were unable to be anything else. Then something happened, we were radically transformed into something else. We became apples. We were no longer the oranges that we were and no matter how hard we try we can never be oranges again. Sure we can act like oranges, but that doesn't change who we are. Eventually our inner character begins to show and it becomes apparent that we are apples. Before we accepted Christ we were sinners. We lived as sinners did and lead lives of sin. Then Christ came into our lives and changed us into those that He has deemed as righteous. Are we always righteous? No. We still sin and we still cling to what we once were, but with Christ we are no longer that. He has claimed us as His own and we can never be anything different than His children. That radical transformation in our lives is the evidence that Christ is in our lives.