Sunday, July 29, 2007
Interesting guy, bolder than I
I don't know if any of you have heard much about the "People of Peru" project but there was a recent article in the local conference publication that reminded me of it again. My cousin is a filmmaker and has just finished a film about this guy's ministry and how it all came about. It's very moving and inspirational. (I'm hoping to score a DVD here in the next few weeks to play at church!) Basically, he didn't have any "missionary" skills, but realized his own personal passion for helping these children of Christ who had so much less than he. What I like most about his style is that he's a non-conformist, outside-the-box kind of guy. Don't have a sponsoring agency? "Who cares!" Don't have any special training? "I've got love!" Don't have an official "call"? "I heard the people calling!" He was willing to leave a pretty comfortable life and just let God play out His plan. Because of some recent publicity and sponsorship, he has been able to afford more and create quite an incredible from-the-ground-up ministry for young women and children there in Peru.
Not all of us have the ability to just pick up and "go", but we can definitely be ready to serve wherever we are. I'm sure there are quite a few more people like him following Christ where they see a need. I'd like to hear about them if you know of some stories.
**just saw that his site is down, so check back again in a few days**
Not all of us have the ability to just pick up and "go", but we can definitely be ready to serve wherever we are. I'm sure there are quite a few more people like him following Christ where they see a need. I'd like to hear about them if you know of some stories.
**just saw that his site is down, so check back again in a few days**
Labels: boldness, missionary, Peru
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Thessalonians: an 'Adventist' Epistle
Happy 4th of July!
This past weekend at Epicenter, we read I Thessalonians, the whole book. I enjoyed the the broad overview and hearing some common 'sound bytes' in context such as, "But I would not have you be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope" and "The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night."
Primarily because of these two themes and the enigmatic apocalyptic language in II Thessalonians, it struck me that the message of Thessalonians is very 'Adventist.' Then came my moment of conviction.
Paul is thrilled with Timothy's glowing report from the church in Thessalonica not because they are proclaiming Christ's soon return or because they understand the finer points of the nature of man but because of "the good news of your faith and love." He affirms them not for their doctrinal purity or their evangelistic zeal but for that same love saying, "Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another."
Why did this focus on love not cause me to think of this as an 'Adventist' message? Some may say that is because we lack love; and, this may be true. However, it seems to me that a lack of love may simply be the result of how we define community. Our community tends to be based on intellectual beliefs and correct doctrines rather than relational love and practical actions.
For this reason, I am very excited about Campmeeting 2.0: Bloggin' the 28 Adventist beliefs sponsored by the Spectrum Blog. This series of posts hosted on various blogs seeks to answer a simple question: how do each of our Seventh-day Adventist fundamental beliefs translate into habits or actions today? I see this as a way to help us move beyond theory and into praxis. Maybe Thessalonians is 'Adventist' after all.
Here are links to the first three posts:
Ron Osborn on The Life, Death and Resurrection of Christ
Johnny Ramirez-Johnson on Applying Trinity to human relationships
Johnny Ramirez on The remnant and its mission
Enjoy!
This past weekend at Epicenter, we read I Thessalonians, the whole book. I enjoyed the the broad overview and hearing some common 'sound bytes' in context such as, "But I would not have you be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope" and "The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night."
Primarily because of these two themes and the enigmatic apocalyptic language in II Thessalonians, it struck me that the message of Thessalonians is very 'Adventist.' Then came my moment of conviction.
Paul is thrilled with Timothy's glowing report from the church in Thessalonica not because they are proclaiming Christ's soon return or because they understand the finer points of the nature of man but because of "the good news of your faith and love." He affirms them not for their doctrinal purity or their evangelistic zeal but for that same love saying, "Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another."
Why did this focus on love not cause me to think of this as an 'Adventist' message? Some may say that is because we lack love; and, this may be true. However, it seems to me that a lack of love may simply be the result of how we define community. Our community tends to be based on intellectual beliefs and correct doctrines rather than relational love and practical actions.
For this reason, I am very excited about Campmeeting 2.0: Bloggin' the 28 Adventist beliefs sponsored by the Spectrum Blog. This series of posts hosted on various blogs seeks to answer a simple question: how do each of our Seventh-day Adventist fundamental beliefs translate into habits or actions today? I see this as a way to help us move beyond theory and into praxis. Maybe Thessalonians is 'Adventist' after all.
Here are links to the first three posts:
Ron Osborn on The Life, Death and Resurrection of Christ
Johnny Ramirez-Johnson on Applying Trinity to human relationships
Johnny Ramirez on The remnant and its mission
Enjoy!
Labels: community, Epicenter, evangelism, gospel, Thessalonians
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