welcome!

'shine your eyes’ is a phrase that I picked up in liberia, west africa. it means to open your eyes and see the Truth. this is my hope for people everywhere, myself included, that we will continually be transformed to see and be the ideals God has set forth as the Kingdom. the book of isaiah says it this way:

'see, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. each man will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land. then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed, and the ears of those who hear will listen. the mind of the rash will understand, and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear.’ isaiah 32:1-4

currently this is taking shape in my life working with bahamas habitat. we are working to provide aviation support to bahamas methodist habitat, a hurricane relief/sub-standard housing repair organization based in the bahamas. know that we would love for you to come spend some time with us as we take part in all the beautiful ways that God is loving His creation.

in the words of mother teresa, “pray for me that i not loosen my grip on the hands of Jesus even under the guise of ministering to the poor.” and i pray that in all that you do, whether coming to the bahamas, serving in haiti or celebrating life in your part of the world that you will simply love and come and see all that God has for us. let this place be a place of celebration and conversation for us to greater understand life with one another.

‘and because of our faith, He has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand. and we confidently and joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God has in mind for us to be.’ –romans 5:2

peace.

11.06.2009

peter just got served!

last sunday was the cap of the mission train (choo choo!).  bill higgs is the president of the methodist conference and preached the sermon.  i am thankful for his words, and i love when God shows his humor in themes.  bill spoke about what God has been teaching me over the last year or so, and that is service.  one theme in the idea of service is that it is not about you and it's not about me, it's about being in rhythm with God.  simple.  right?  this theme has revealed itself to me in reading mother teresa, living in the bahamas, talking with friends and in going to the grocery store.  these places are just the venue from which God's love illuminates.  it does not matter what 'good' we do or where we are, it is allowing God to be through you, and this is service.  i read an article talking about the difference between fixing, helping and serving.  fixing implies what i want you to become or be (unfair).  helping is just a soothing coat for my conscience.  service, though.  service takes time, presence, understanding, prayer and love.  this should be our agenda.  not our fabricated ideals, but to truly submit to letting earth be as it is in Heaven and participate.

take this perspective and read everything that Christ said while on earth.  Christ is the gatekeeper through whom we are escorted into the Kingdom and united with the Father.  Praise the Lord for that sure promise.  as ministers and shepherds we escort our Church into the Kingdom that is already active in the places we call home.  when Jesus tried to prepare Peter for Jesus's coming death, resurrection and ascension, heartbroken Peter tried to 'help' or 'fix' the situation.  he said no Lord! it cannot be!  Jesus's strong response was 'get thee behind me satan!'  yikes.  satan??  my understanding of this exchange is couched in the difference between infatuation and love.  too often we as believers are infatuated with the romance of Jesus coming to die on a cross to save our sins.  yes.  this is Truth and is beautiful.  peter did not understand that to Love Christ means understanding that Christ was given as God's only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  this is Love.  he was infatuated with Jesus thus, making him selfish and unable to bear the idea of sacrifice and suffering, the very calling that Christ had.  his infatuation of Jesus blinded his love for Jesus. 

how hilarious is Jesus after He rose from the dead and talks with peter asking him, "peter, do you love me?" 3 times!  yes, Lord, you know that i love you!  3 times.  fragile peter's impatience is tangible in this picture.  here is Jesus's response to peter all three times:  feed my sheep.  service. shepherd those into the Kingdom.  peter just got served with Love.

check out the prayer that Jesus prayed in the garden before being arrested in john chapter 15 as it echos this Truth.  the unity of Jesus and the Father is possible for us as His creation through His death and resurrection, this being the point of the Cross.  Jesus's final words: "it is finished": we can do no more and no more needs to be done for us to be reconciled to the Father.  let's us praise Him as we join this love to God and to our neighbors alike.  service, feeding His sheep, is celebration of this Truth.

the beginning of john tells the story of two disciples following Jesus as He was walking.  the picture i have in my head as i read this story is them awkwardly following Him and Jesus turns around and says something to the effect of what do you want?  the disciples scramble, probably stutter, and say uh uh where are you staying tonight?  gracefully Jesus replies, "come and see."  the disciples simply wanted to be in His presence (see, it is a theme) and sit at His feet.  and this is what we are about here at methodist habitat. in the words of Jesus and mother teresa:: come and see.  we do hope that you come down to see this place and the people here and our larger prayer is that our eyes are continually opened and transformed to see and participate in the Kingdom.  let not our eyes be blinded with infatuation with the beauty of a place or the Love that is poured out in sacrifice, let us serve and here we will know and be peace and Love.

peace to you.

"Yesterday is gone. Tommorow has not yet come. We have only today. So let us begin."-mother teresa
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