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"Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy." (Habakkuk 3:2 NIV)
Habakkuk, a man who dedicated his life to encourage the remnant in Judah to stay faithful even though a majority of the nation had turned away from the living God. Besides being a mouthful, Habakkuk displays a tremendous desperation for God to move in his nation and generation. He prays what I believe should be echoed by every ministry, church, pastor, and Christ follower in the world…Let us not be a generation to only hear of who you were and be amazed at what you did, but us look to who you are and what you are doing. Let your glory rain in our desolate, disobedient cultures and be merciful on us as work among them.
I believe the heart of Habakkuk was that he was unsatisfied with the hearsay of God’s works. I‘m surprised he didn‘t say "The parting of the Red Sea thing was great, but can you show us that same power and provision today?" He held his nation’s past close to his heart, but his passion was that God continue to work in mighty ways among his people. May that be our heart as well, let us thank God for what he has done for us in our past, but may yesterday’s faith not be sufficient for today. Let us unite with unrelenting passion and prayer that God would continue to accomplish remarkable things among us today.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Stop This Train
The days seem to be in a hurry lately and months have become less patient. Time is going and there is no way to call it back, it rolls on like a steam engine headed for its final destination and for me, that will be my only stop. My time in India has been more fulfilling than I ever thought possible, I have made so many new friends, gained so much experience, and I have memories to last a lifetime. But this is the question that is haunting....more than the fun, the people, the challenges, and the great stories.... what am I leaving behind?
People come and people go, it’s hard to say goodbye to people you have written pages and pages of your life with. Most come and contribute their time and energy and like an earthquake things are happening, things are moving, but eventually the ground stops shaking, eventually whatever was happening comes to a halt. I have seen it over and over again with the teams that have come to help serve BTC, they come booming and declaring revival and freedom in this land, and for the time they are with us the earth is shaking with God’s glory. But eventually they leave, and that passion always seems to leave with them. So what sets apart the earth shakers from the earth changers? Let me put it this way:
I used to work on a ranch in high school, one of my jobs was to make sure that weeds weren’t growing out of control everywhere. I remember that every now and then I would find these enormous 3ft tall weeds in the most indiscreet places, behind a barrel, in the corner of a barn. And all around them would be full of other weeds because of the seed the large one was able to drop as it grew. So one weed, allowed to grow, multiplied itself for others to grow, and turned a inconspicuous place into another area with more work for me.
So what’s the point? The difference from an earth shaker to an earth changer is that an earth changer, like the weeds in my story, choose to grow and produce where they can. In most cases it might not be center-stage or in the most dignified position. But wherever they are at, they grow. They produce an environment for others to grow with them, so that even though they may be behind the scenes, a great impact is being made in themselves, in the people around them, and in the area around them.
I might not be able to stop this train or ever harness time. But wherever I am I know that I can help others grow, my passion and calling is to see others reach their full potential and that has been my life-song working with my students. I may never change the world, I may never have a booming ministry or the greatest stories to tell you, and nobody may remember me for the things i do on earth. I pray that when all is said and done, and when the tracks finally reach their end, Jesus welcomes me home and says. “You never changed the world Manuel, but you raised up generations that won’t stop trying.”
People come and people go, it’s hard to say goodbye to people you have written pages and pages of your life with. Most come and contribute their time and energy and like an earthquake things are happening, things are moving, but eventually the ground stops shaking, eventually whatever was happening comes to a halt. I have seen it over and over again with the teams that have come to help serve BTC, they come booming and declaring revival and freedom in this land, and for the time they are with us the earth is shaking with God’s glory. But eventually they leave, and that passion always seems to leave with them. So what sets apart the earth shakers from the earth changers? Let me put it this way:
I used to work on a ranch in high school, one of my jobs was to make sure that weeds weren’t growing out of control everywhere. I remember that every now and then I would find these enormous 3ft tall weeds in the most indiscreet places, behind a barrel, in the corner of a barn. And all around them would be full of other weeds because of the seed the large one was able to drop as it grew. So one weed, allowed to grow, multiplied itself for others to grow, and turned a inconspicuous place into another area with more work for me.
So what’s the point? The difference from an earth shaker to an earth changer is that an earth changer, like the weeds in my story, choose to grow and produce where they can. In most cases it might not be center-stage or in the most dignified position. But wherever they are at, they grow. They produce an environment for others to grow with them, so that even though they may be behind the scenes, a great impact is being made in themselves, in the people around them, and in the area around them.
I might not be able to stop this train or ever harness time. But wherever I am I know that I can help others grow, my passion and calling is to see others reach their full potential and that has been my life-song working with my students. I may never change the world, I may never have a booming ministry or the greatest stories to tell you, and nobody may remember me for the things i do on earth. I pray that when all is said and done, and when the tracks finally reach their end, Jesus welcomes me home and says. “You never changed the world Manuel, but you raised up generations that won’t stop trying.”
Monday, May 12, 2008
Ol' Jerry and I
“ Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, ‘Now, I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.’” (Jeremiah 1:9-10)
This verse has had a profound effect on me since the moment I received it. I cannot escape the small voice in my mind, and tug at my heart that tell me this verse coincides with a direct call on my life as well. I understand that the context of this verse is God directly speaking to Jeremiah, not a promise to every believer. But every time I read this verse it is as if God saying, “ Manuel, Here is my provision and direction to a man whose call mirrors your own.”
It wasn’t until recently that I understood what this verse actually means and why it has had such an intense effect on me spiritually. I have mostly characterized this verse with a conqueror-like approach; physically eliminating corrupt governments and false teachers, crushing idols and removing temples, building churches and proclaiming the gospel, bringing many to salvation and turning lost souls around….kind of extreme right? But in one swift revelation my thoughts were turned inside out and I began to understand why this verse, of all scripture screamed… That’s you!
One evening I was praying for the new program men that had just arrived earlier that week. We were about a few days into our bible study and I was taking almost every minute of my prep time in solid prayer. I think I should coin the term “Rambo prayer” because I was shooting down every fear, blowing up every kind of doubt, and killing the roots of deceptiveness on behalf of these men. And it was when the adrenaline died down that I picked up my bible and found myself at this verse.
I wept, tears fell in their familiar places along the page, and for the first time I understood why this verse was so special to me: Like Jeremiah God has appointed me to a specific place, for now it is in India. Like Jeremiah I am called to remove and restore. But then I thought, when was the last time I heard of Jeremiah being a mighty warrior like David, Saul or Joshua? The truth is, he never was! Jeremiah’s tearing down, uprooting, and building was in turning a people back to Christ. Jeremiah spoke words of repentance and recommitment to God, that their unbelief would be done away with, their faith encouraged and built up.
It made sense, and I was overwhelmed by the power and grace of God. For the past six months I have been living this verse unknowingly. My main purpose at BTC has been in the areas of teaching and discipleship. Like a flood I realized that “with his words in my mouth” I have been uprooting disbelief, tearing down strongholds, and building a new, everlasting kingdom in the lives of all those God has “appointed” me to. It‘s not the work of a mighty conqueror, but that of a servant. And although I have been unaware, God has been using me to work in the lives of these men doing the same thing that he called Jeremiah to do…to bring a people back to Himself.
This verse has had a profound effect on me since the moment I received it. I cannot escape the small voice in my mind, and tug at my heart that tell me this verse coincides with a direct call on my life as well. I understand that the context of this verse is God directly speaking to Jeremiah, not a promise to every believer. But every time I read this verse it is as if God saying, “ Manuel, Here is my provision and direction to a man whose call mirrors your own.”
It wasn’t until recently that I understood what this verse actually means and why it has had such an intense effect on me spiritually. I have mostly characterized this verse with a conqueror-like approach; physically eliminating corrupt governments and false teachers, crushing idols and removing temples, building churches and proclaiming the gospel, bringing many to salvation and turning lost souls around….kind of extreme right? But in one swift revelation my thoughts were turned inside out and I began to understand why this verse, of all scripture screamed… That’s you!
One evening I was praying for the new program men that had just arrived earlier that week. We were about a few days into our bible study and I was taking almost every minute of my prep time in solid prayer. I think I should coin the term “Rambo prayer” because I was shooting down every fear, blowing up every kind of doubt, and killing the roots of deceptiveness on behalf of these men. And it was when the adrenaline died down that I picked up my bible and found myself at this verse.
I wept, tears fell in their familiar places along the page, and for the first time I understood why this verse was so special to me: Like Jeremiah God has appointed me to a specific place, for now it is in India. Like Jeremiah I am called to remove and restore. But then I thought, when was the last time I heard of Jeremiah being a mighty warrior like David, Saul or Joshua? The truth is, he never was! Jeremiah’s tearing down, uprooting, and building was in turning a people back to Christ. Jeremiah spoke words of repentance and recommitment to God, that their unbelief would be done away with, their faith encouraged and built up.
It made sense, and I was overwhelmed by the power and grace of God. For the past six months I have been living this verse unknowingly. My main purpose at BTC has been in the areas of teaching and discipleship. Like a flood I realized that “with his words in my mouth” I have been uprooting disbelief, tearing down strongholds, and building a new, everlasting kingdom in the lives of all those God has “appointed” me to. It‘s not the work of a mighty conqueror, but that of a servant. And although I have been unaware, God has been using me to work in the lives of these men doing the same thing that he called Jeremiah to do…to bring a people back to Himself.
Aspiring Apologist
I am currently in the position of teaching 20+ men foundational bible doctrine. Most of these men come from backgrounds of serving other gods and a history of idol worship. They question the accuracy of the bible, the savior-quality of Jesus, and the existence of one true God. Their faith varies across the board; some are desperate for a savior, others are content without one, while still others believe that hope lies at the base of an idol.
I remember the first few times we met for class, I could feel their deep hopelessness, a feeling I have forgotten since I found Christ. And now that same hopelessness was staring me in the face, through the eyes of men who have known nothing else but life without a savior, a hopelessness that has never shown its face to the hollow soul it dwells in, only the façade of contentment. Contentment without its counterpart, content without Hope.
Yet I have found favor in those same eyes. It may be my skin color, or the joy I carry in their presence. They have accepted me, respect my teaching, and are interested in my love for a culture and people unlike myself. They have learned to accept the believer in Christ, but may they soon see that it is Christ in me that they have accepted, and desire His presence in their lives as well.
I am a teacher, but by the grace of God He has taught me to be an apologist as well, a defender of the faith. So many of their questions arise out of anger, resentment, or confusion. That wasn’t so the first week we met, praise God that something is stirring in their hearts! I have learned to answer in love, truth, and application and it has served me well. I have found that there is no reason to fear questioning and no reason to reply in an imposing manner. I don’t fear the reliability of my faith, and that in itself may minister to the questioner more than the answer to the initial question. God’s word is sufficient and it is truly a miracle as verses flash to mind and illustrations form even as a question is being asked.
I leave those classes feeling encouraged, discouraged, and challenged simultaneously. I sense the pain Jesus felt as people would walk with him, see his miracles, hear his teaching and yet still not believe he was the son of God. The pain of knowing that someone is so close to redemption, but not willing to receive it. I have been saturated in intercession for these men, and fighting for their salvation and for that road to be made straight and clear.
But more so, may a desire for Jesus well up in their souls. A desire that crushes the face of hopelessness and reveals the void that lay beneath. May they be willing to let Jesus fill the space that was meant for him since the day they were born.
I remember the first few times we met for class, I could feel their deep hopelessness, a feeling I have forgotten since I found Christ. And now that same hopelessness was staring me in the face, through the eyes of men who have known nothing else but life without a savior, a hopelessness that has never shown its face to the hollow soul it dwells in, only the façade of contentment. Contentment without its counterpart, content without Hope.
Yet I have found favor in those same eyes. It may be my skin color, or the joy I carry in their presence. They have accepted me, respect my teaching, and are interested in my love for a culture and people unlike myself. They have learned to accept the believer in Christ, but may they soon see that it is Christ in me that they have accepted, and desire His presence in their lives as well.
I am a teacher, but by the grace of God He has taught me to be an apologist as well, a defender of the faith. So many of their questions arise out of anger, resentment, or confusion. That wasn’t so the first week we met, praise God that something is stirring in their hearts! I have learned to answer in love, truth, and application and it has served me well. I have found that there is no reason to fear questioning and no reason to reply in an imposing manner. I don’t fear the reliability of my faith, and that in itself may minister to the questioner more than the answer to the initial question. God’s word is sufficient and it is truly a miracle as verses flash to mind and illustrations form even as a question is being asked.
I leave those classes feeling encouraged, discouraged, and challenged simultaneously. I sense the pain Jesus felt as people would walk with him, see his miracles, hear his teaching and yet still not believe he was the son of God. The pain of knowing that someone is so close to redemption, but not willing to receive it. I have been saturated in intercession for these men, and fighting for their salvation and for that road to be made straight and clear.
But more so, may a desire for Jesus well up in their souls. A desire that crushes the face of hopelessness and reveals the void that lay beneath. May they be willing to let Jesus fill the space that was meant for him since the day they were born.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Lord of the Flies
"I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you." (Luke 10:19)
It was about ten til’ seven and I was walking to get to my evening bible class, I soon learned that class got cancelled due to a movie night for the guys. No problem, I figured I would use the extra time to walk around the grounds, it was fairly nice weather to go for a walk. As I was walking up the road I met Jyoti and a couple other of the small boys and talked to them for a while, then continued up the road toward the tower. As I was going I remember dropping my keys, and as I was picking them up I hear screaming from down the road…"Manuel! Manuel!" It was Jyoti, and I quickly realized what she was screaming about. A wild bore, about the size of a small bear (no exaggeration) had broke through the barbed wire fencing and was running full speed through one of the fields headed toward the front gate. No big deal at first, but then after seeing me, it changed direction and was now barreling toward me.
I remember the boys telling me to watch out for these wild pigs because they have seriously injured and even killed people in neighboring villages. But never until this moment had I ever seen one, and now it was too close for comfort.
My instincts had me flying back down the road, but as I glanced back the possessed pig was right on my tail, grunting and snorting with its ugly charred black face. It was about five feet behind me when I made a quick turn off the road and into the field below, the bore continued straight and then broke through another fence and back into the brush. I couldn’t believe what just happened, I just got run down by a bore!
I learned later that only moments before the bore had tried to kill one of the dogs here, and I guess on his way out he wanted a taste of some white meat. Jyoti and the boys were shaking as they came to see how I was, I guess they have seen the worst of pig attacks so they kept saying "God is with you, God is with you" He definitely was. I will probably never forget that experience.
To this point in India I have dealt with snakes and scorpions…there are plenty of them here, but I think Jesus should have added "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions....and outrun the wild bore."
I always wondered how training for that 199 Mile race last year would be useful on the mission field…..now I know.
It was about ten til’ seven and I was walking to get to my evening bible class, I soon learned that class got cancelled due to a movie night for the guys. No problem, I figured I would use the extra time to walk around the grounds, it was fairly nice weather to go for a walk. As I was walking up the road I met Jyoti and a couple other of the small boys and talked to them for a while, then continued up the road toward the tower. As I was going I remember dropping my keys, and as I was picking them up I hear screaming from down the road…"Manuel! Manuel!" It was Jyoti, and I quickly realized what she was screaming about. A wild bore, about the size of a small bear (no exaggeration) had broke through the barbed wire fencing and was running full speed through one of the fields headed toward the front gate. No big deal at first, but then after seeing me, it changed direction and was now barreling toward me.
I remember the boys telling me to watch out for these wild pigs because they have seriously injured and even killed people in neighboring villages. But never until this moment had I ever seen one, and now it was too close for comfort.
My instincts had me flying back down the road, but as I glanced back the possessed pig was right on my tail, grunting and snorting with its ugly charred black face. It was about five feet behind me when I made a quick turn off the road and into the field below, the bore continued straight and then broke through another fence and back into the brush. I couldn’t believe what just happened, I just got run down by a bore!
I learned later that only moments before the bore had tried to kill one of the dogs here, and I guess on his way out he wanted a taste of some white meat. Jyoti and the boys were shaking as they came to see how I was, I guess they have seen the worst of pig attacks so they kept saying "God is with you, God is with you" He definitely was. I will probably never forget that experience.
To this point in India I have dealt with snakes and scorpions…there are plenty of them here, but I think Jesus should have added "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions....and outrun the wild bore."
I always wondered how training for that 199 Mile race last year would be useful on the mission field…..now I know.
Sri Lanka
"There hasn’t been a bombing in 4 days….. things are pretty calm."
One of the first comments I hear on arriving into Colombo, Sri Lanka. I quickly noticed armed men scattered every hundred yards or so on many of the main roads with machine guns in hand. Checkpoints are scattered throughout the city to monitor what or who is coming in and out. Hand to hand combat continues only a hundred miles of where I sleep tonight and in the morning the news will report the 110 casualties that took place. I see the damaged intersection where the last bus blew up, and as a government bus is stopped next to us at a red light, I pray that this one won’t be the next. I hear stories of missing relief workers and persecuted Christians, people beaten for what they believe and killed for lack of conformity to the country’s Buddhist philosophy. Tamil Hindus vs. Sri Lankan Buddhists, and everyone else is effected by this civil war.
I never expected any this going into Sri Lanka for my visa getaway. But soon I understood that for this missionary family I was staying with, it was normal, a way of life that they have grown accustomed to over the past few years. It all seemed unrealistic as I took this in, but it was and has been very real to this family, and every other that serves in a war torn or persecuted country. My heart has always gone out to the persecuted church, but never have I experienced what it means to be a member of one. I definitely have a desire to work more with such churches now that I have seen that it can be such chaos and a struggle at times.
I really put into perspective the limited freedom I have in Mumbai, and the freedom I have in the U.S. The persecuted church faces much opposition for holding a single outreach or building project and in some cases regular church meetings. I have certain freedoms here in Mumbai people wish they had elsewhere, even more within the U.S. This trip really encouraged me to intercede more for the persecuted church, and to exercise the freedom I do have within ministry in India and the U.S.
Let us check our surroundings, may we not wait until there are soldiers on our streets or the day when our faith is illegal to decide and do something, we have our freedom now… let us use it.
One of the first comments I hear on arriving into Colombo, Sri Lanka. I quickly noticed armed men scattered every hundred yards or so on many of the main roads with machine guns in hand. Checkpoints are scattered throughout the city to monitor what or who is coming in and out. Hand to hand combat continues only a hundred miles of where I sleep tonight and in the morning the news will report the 110 casualties that took place. I see the damaged intersection where the last bus blew up, and as a government bus is stopped next to us at a red light, I pray that this one won’t be the next. I hear stories of missing relief workers and persecuted Christians, people beaten for what they believe and killed for lack of conformity to the country’s Buddhist philosophy. Tamil Hindus vs. Sri Lankan Buddhists, and everyone else is effected by this civil war.
I never expected any this going into Sri Lanka for my visa getaway. But soon I understood that for this missionary family I was staying with, it was normal, a way of life that they have grown accustomed to over the past few years. It all seemed unrealistic as I took this in, but it was and has been very real to this family, and every other that serves in a war torn or persecuted country. My heart has always gone out to the persecuted church, but never have I experienced what it means to be a member of one. I definitely have a desire to work more with such churches now that I have seen that it can be such chaos and a struggle at times.
I really put into perspective the limited freedom I have in Mumbai, and the freedom I have in the U.S. The persecuted church faces much opposition for holding a single outreach or building project and in some cases regular church meetings. I have certain freedoms here in Mumbai people wish they had elsewhere, even more within the U.S. This trip really encouraged me to intercede more for the persecuted church, and to exercise the freedom I do have within ministry in India and the U.S.
Let us check our surroundings, may we not wait until there are soldiers on our streets or the day when our faith is illegal to decide and do something, we have our freedom now… let us use it.
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