sisu.

dry bones.

My soul cries out
My soul cries out for You

These bones cry out

These dry bones cry for You

To live and move

Only You

Can raise the dead

Lift my head up

Jesus, You’re the one who saves us

Constantly creates us into something new

Jesus surely you will find us

Surely our Messiah will make all things new

Will make all things new

Life is breaking out

Is breaking out

Life is breaking out

Is breaking out

Is breaking out 

love embodied.

I was thinking the other day how I would title this chapter of life... And, well, I decided that these past few months aren't really a chapter of my life, they are a whole new book made up of all sorts of little chapters. I think the title of the book should be Metamorphosis... And I think I'd like to title one the chapters, which I'm currently living, something like this: Being Infused With a Supernatural Love.

I see how impossible it is to live the love that Christ calls us to unless we die to ourselves and are infused with a supernatural love.

Paul's first letter to the Corinthian church, 13:4-7 (ESV)

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

In light of Jesus' call for us to die to ourselves, what do these character traits of love look like?

Being patient means dying to the desire of an untroubled life.

Being kind means dying to the fear that others may not return that kindness.

Having no envy means dying to the desire for unshared affection.

Not boasting means dying to the desire to call attention to our successes.

Not being rude means dying to the desire to express our freedom offensively.

Not insisting on your own way means dying to the dominance of our own preferences.

Not being irritable or resentful means dying to the need for no frustrations.

Not rejoicing at wrongdoing means dying to the desire to see others "get what they deserve."

Bearing or enduring all things means dying to the desire to run away from the pain of obedience.

And if we die to these things, then what do we live to?

Being patient means being willing to enter the situations that are difficult because we believe in the power of the Spirit.

Being kind means living to shower all of the undeserved kindness we receive from God on others.

Having no envy means living to rejoice in what God gives others.

Not boasting means living in the freedom to boast about God and what he has done through others.

Not being rude means living with others in such a way that your freedom is used to build them up and not your own sinful desires.

Not insisting on your own way means living in the confidence that "I live now in Christ's way, trusting that the sovereign God, who is my Father, will always guide me down the right path."

Not being irritable or resentful means living to bring grace into every situation like Jesus did.

Not rejoicing at wrongdoing means living in such a way that others see mercy from us when so many want to give them justice.

Bearing and enduring all things means living unafraid of pain because we know that God uses pain to make us more and more into the image of his son.

When everything else in this world eventually comes to an end, love will not. It is eternal. Just think how radically we could live on this earth earth if we lived in light of eternity!

Those lists are from a message I listened to the other day by one of the elders from Cornerstone, Francis Chan's church in California, Todd Nighswonger, and the message is called Love Embodied. You can find the video podcast on the website: www.cornerstonesimi.com under the "media" tab on the left.

42 airplanes.

I'm sitting in the Salt Lake City airport on my way to visit friends in Portland, Oregon. I take back the disparaging thoughts I've had about Utah because it looks surprisingly beautiful out the window with snowcapped mountains and bright blue skies.

On the flight over here from Chicago, I added up (with the help of pen and paper) the number of airplanes that I've been on in the last 6 months and came up with a grand total of 42 airplanes. Of course, many of those were connecting flights, and I didn't even pay for half of them... But that's a lot of traveling, especially considering that during those 6 months I made 7 trips between the US and Bolivia.

I want to share a video that a friend posted on Facebook a few days ago that got me thinking about all this traveling...

It's been a process, but God's been opening my eyes to how lost and hurting people are here, despite appearances... It's impossible to miss noticing just how much people need God in Bolivia, but somehow I've overlooked it here in America. Or maybe I've just not been sensitive... I encounter so many people in this nomadic life I'm living, and I tend to see right past them without ever noticing them. I travel with an ipod and book, lost in my own world. Such a shame to have wasted so many opportunities to share truth and love with people. But I'm encouraged by this new insight to be bold and to reach out to people, and I'm so thankful that God still continues to shape and mold my heart.

homeward bound.

It's a funny thing when you're willing to go anywhere and do anything that God asks... to love and help the poorest of the poor... to give up comforts and leave behind friends or family... to contract scabies and parasites... to witness death and utter despair... to give all of your time, money, and love away... And instead of taking you to the ends of the earth, God sends you right back home.

Even if it's only for a season, it's a funny thing and doesn't always make sense. But God cares more about us and the condition of our hearts than he does about our location or what we do for him.

So I'm homeward bound for a week... or two... or maybe much more.

18 days

18 days into a 4 month furlough, and I'm studying the Word and seeking new life from the Creator.

All Creatures

by Josh Garrels

All creatures of our God and King,

Lift up your voice and let us sing

O Praise Him! O Praise Him!

Alleluia

Creation sent to me the centipede

to witness the complexity

of one hundred legs that were moving unexpectedly

ironically

just as they were meant to be,

they’re fearfully and wonderfully made;

An organism praised in circadian rhythms:

the sun will rise and then the sun will set, and then the sun will rise again,

so lift up your head!

this is life: not a static object preserved and displayed like a relic from the dead

You are not a fruitless tree with a rootless disease

growin’ in a bucket in a rich man’s home

next to the TV tamed and alone

learnin’ to lust for the things you don’t own

like an arm chair warrior who’s been dethroned

Declawed and fixed

fighting for you life with unattended slit wrists.

Don’t let your name get intermingled with the number cause its time to awaken from the devilish slumber,

to freely follow the Forerunner

to the fatherland and rally round the renaissance man

and the wisdom of His ways

and all the work of His hands

catch come as catch can

concentrating on the good words of the Son of Man,

the plan is to withstand the demands of a confused oppressor:

a wolf in sheep’s clothes

with monotonous lectures

and questionable gestures

unequal measures

cultural pressures

and synthetic textures

force fed instead of the most beautiful architecture

of our long lost, forgotten origins:

Unseen fiber in the blood of my King

And that old rock where we confessed our sins

Oh, my God, fellow man

in this great land they all cry out for

full restoration

and this will take

patience

AND THIS WILL TAKE THE TRIBES

AND THE TONGUES OF ALL THE NATIONS

and all of creation groans in anticipation

Waitin’ for the Son of God to be manifest

I can feel it burnin’ in my chest

The liberation for the oppressed

And it’s beautiful like the feet that bring good news…

Its beautiful like this freedom tune

Its beautiful like the power to choose…to change

Beautiful like the long awaited rain

Beautiful like the healing pains

Beautiful like the holy flames…coming down!

All creatures of our God and King

Lift up your voice and with us sing

O Praise Him! O Praise Him!

Alleluia….

new post.

I'm still alive.

I was away from Bolivia for just about 4 weeks visiting the US.

News to come!