A Life of Value

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

So God created mankind in his own image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:26-27

Recently, I had a chance to talk with one of my patients who had been dealing with various problems for some time now. During his visit, he said “I don’t see why I’m still alive”. After this revelation, I sat, listened, and let him explore his feelings/thoughts on this statement.  I came to find out that he really felt like his life had no meaning or value because of his circumstances. Over the years, I have had similar talks with many people and at times, struggle with what to say when someone wants to give up or has given up. I believe this is the reason, God has placed Genesis 1 has been on my heart for the past two years.

If you’ve grown up or spent any time in church, you know that God created everything in seven days (really six), and on Day Six, God created man. I went to a Christian school and spent many years memorizing various aspects of the Bible: the days of creation, Jacob’s 12 sons, the disciples, the books of the Bible, various passages, etc. While there was a lot of good of these memorizations,  I missed the real purpose of these events/people and the heart behind Scripture. Genesis 1 is an example of where I never really understood the true meaning of scripture! I did not understand the implication of being created in God’s image and the introduction of the Imago Dei.

The Imago Dei is a Latin phrase which means “the image of God” and as you can see in Genesis 1, we are created in the image of God! Knowing this, what does this mean for you? It means that  you are an image-bearer of the Lord and therefore, your life is valuable! When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). He was saying to love your neighbor as yourself because, like you, they have been made in MY image AND because of this, they are to be valued.

I would argue that many of the problems we face in this world (war, racism, murders, riots, suicides, etc.) stem from the lack of value we have placed on others and ourselves. The great call of the Gospel of grace is this notion of Christ entering into the brokenness of our lives and showing us how much we are loved and valued by His Abba, and as Christians, we are to show the same love and value to others we come across. If we do not show the same grace that has been afforded to us then we really do not understand the grace that we have received.

Brothers and sisters, it is time for us all to accept our identity as “image-bearers” and start being the Salt and Light that our Lord has called us to be. As this new year begins, I challenge you to not seek a “new year, new you” but instead start to see yourself and others as the Imago Dei, allow the Holy Spirit to move within your heart so that you can continue to be sanctified into the likeness of Christ, and start living out the Gospel. At times, this WILL be extremely difficult because we will continue to war against our natural tendencies until we die, but if you press into the Lord and let the Holy Spirit,  guide you, the process will be worth it. Jesus did not call us to an easy life but there is true fullness of life in Him!

Selah

Why I Wish the Prosperity Gospel Worked!

I should preface this post by saying that this is actually a combination of two ideas I’ve been rolling around my head for some time now. The first, as the title states, “why I wish the prosperity gospel was real” and second “what would I say to a nonbeliever, newbie believer, or long time believer . . . pretty much to anyone if asked why I believed in Jesus!

For those who may not know what the “Prosperity Gospel” is, I would sum it up as this: God wants to bless you with health, wealth, and a prosperous life. God essentially created the universe to revolve around you. This is a message that is preached to many around the world and has been the cause of a lot of debate within the Christian community. When you first hear this preached then backed up with scripture, it sounds like a wonderful thing. . . When I’m truthful with myself, I wish it was true! I wish God would bless me with riches, prestige, and perfect health, even to be married to Candice Patton (my current celebrity crush) with two kids living in a wealthy neighborhood and a job where I am the boss and in complete control! To add to that, me and my family would have the means to travel the world and stay in the most extravagant places every country had to offer!

Each of us might have slight variations on what the perfect life would be, but wouldn’t this be a phenomenal concept! By just becoming a Christian, God gives you your heart’s desires. Nothing you could imagine or ask for would be beyond His power and on top of that, after I die I go to Heaven to spend eternity in bliss (which often times gets put on the back burner)! I believe that if this “gospel” worked, Christianity would be THE ONLY religion on Earth! The more I think about this “gospel” and what it has to offer, I long for it. Finally, I GET TO BE THE POINT!!!

Sadly, the problem with this theology is that, it will always leave you wanting more.

I want this to be true because those things I listed would make me happy! But when you really look at the “Prosperity Gospel”, it will leave you still longing for something more and you will never, ever be satisfied. In the end, if it did work, it would guarantee nothing but short term happiness (not joy).

Never satisfied, always demanding the next best thing, and in this day & age, the next best thing comes out every week. Once boredom set in, I would want to a better job with more benefits and more money. A bigger home in a ritzier neighborhood. More prestige. And I guarantee, eventually, Candice Patton would not be enough to satisfy me, so I would move on to the next celebrity or model. . . and eventually, the cycle would repeat.

The Gospel that I believe offers something way more than any Prosperity preacher could ever offer. To sum up the Gospel, look to John 3:16& 17 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

I would tell anyone that the heart behind following Christ is not some grandiose experience where we’ll be blessed with health, wealth, and prosperity. Nor does it mean we have to live in poverty and follow Him out of begrudging submission to a list of Dos and Don’ts. To me, following Christ is knowing that my identity isn’t in my accomplishments, achievements, nor my shortcomings, or faults but it rest in knowing that in the middle of my mess of a life, at my weakest, lowest point, God still reaches out to me and pulls me up saying “It’s okay Keith. I love you as you are and not some future perfected version of yourself”! The power of the Gospel is that my salvation no longer hinges on the “good deeds” I do (let’s be honest, Christians do not own the rights to “good deeds) but on Christ crucified! His life poured out so that I can come back into fellowship with my heavenly Father.

I would also let you know that life is hard BUT the Cross accounts for every single mistake, flaw, or shortcoming we could ever do/have! You are not so far gone that God does not still love you. When it comes to walking this Christian Life out, I would encourage you just to go talk to God yourself. It will feel very weird at first but if you seek Him wholeheartedly, God will hear Him and respond. I would also say it’s okay to come at God with your frustrations and anger as well as any grief and sorrows you are dealing with. God wants all of you . . .the good and the bad!

The Gospel that I presented may not sound all that great to many people who want health, wealth, and prosperity because the focus shifts from you to God. But I do know that at the end of the day, my priorities shift to being content with what I have been blessed with while striving to share what little I have with others whether that be money, food, or even my time. At the end of the day, I’m rooted in something deeper that will not disappoint or leave me with a longing that will never be filled.

Preach the Gospel to Yourself

“When Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened,’ He assumed we would grow weary, discouraged, and disheartened along the way. These words are a touching testimony to the genuine humanness of Jesus. He had no romantic notion of the cost of discipleship. He knew that following Him was as unsentimental as duty, as demanding as love. He knew that physical pain, the loss of loved ones, failure, loneliness, rejection, abandonment, and betrayal would sap our spirits; that the day would come when faith would no longer offer any drive, reassurance, or comfort; that prayer would lack any sense of reality or progress; that we would echo the cry of Teresa of Avila: ‘Lord, if this is the way you  treat your friends, no wonder you have so few!’”

                                                                   – Brennan Manning “The Ragamuffin Gospel”

      We all have read the verses that talk about God’s love for us. Hopefully, we’ve heard sermons that reinforce the idea of God’s love, and we have multiple worship songs that do the same. I’d be willing to bet that at some point in your life, you have sung the children’s song “Jesus loves me”. These are all wonderful reminders that God loves you but I want to pose a question to you: If God walked up to you on your worst day (if it could go wrong, it has gone wrong kind of day), stared you in the eyes, and asked ‘Do you believe that I love you,’ how would you answer?

     I believe it’s easy as believers to be sure of His love for us when things are going great, but I know I’ve felt unlovable at times even doubted His love for me when things are rough. This times occur despite knowing that we were never promised an easy life. There are days when my whole walk seems more like a burden than something to actually rejoice over. I’m sure many of you, at one point or another have felt the same way. Old habits that you’ve tried to kick but always seem to slink back into your life. Mistakes that keep being made despite trying to be obedient to what God has called you to do. Feeling like a failure because you haven’t lived up to the God’s standard. And the list just goes on and on.

      If you have ever felt unworthy of God’s love, if you have ever felt like you were never good enough,  if you have ever questioned your faith, etc., let me tell you something. . .IT’S OKAY! I guarantee every great Christian such as Billy Graham, A.W. Tozer, even Billy Graham have all had their moments of doubt. Breathe and let’s talk.

     The above selection from The Ragamuffin Gospel is a beautiful observation about God’s love. No matter what you are going through, believe that God loves you as you are and not some future, perfect version of who you believe you should be. When Jesus hung on that old rugged cross, He made provision for every mistake, sin, setback, and backslide that you would/will ever undergo. God loves you so much that He offered up His son as a final sacrifice! Never again would we have to earn our way into heaven, earn His love, or have to feel condemned when we do mess up. When I see the cross, I see God saying “You are going to mess up at some point but it’s okay! I love you so much, that you will never have to worry about me leaving your side!”

     Meditate on His unfailing love for you! Let it sink down to the deepest parts of your soul, and let it take root so that no matter what you are going through or will go through, you will never doubt that HE LOVES YOU! I believe we ALL need to daily preach the Gospel to ourselves as a constant reminder that WE ARE LOVED! While it seems foolish to many, it is the most powerful message we will ever hear. To me, it reminds me that there is an endless supply of His grace poured out for you whenever you need it!

I Don’t Trust God with the Heart – Tales of a Fifth Year Nurse

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18

    I’m going to be honest with you, 2014 has not been my year. Even though I’ve completed a huge milestone in my life by becoming a Nurse Practitioner, I have gone through much more heartache, pain, ups and downs than I could have ever imagined. Honestly I want to tell God to let me off this roller coaster because I want to throw up. Even now writing this post, I still have pent up anger, frustration, and tears because I’m physically, emotionally, and spiritually running on fumes. I’m almost tired of talking to Him about the same things over and over with no answers being given.

     Recently, I had a conversation with one of my dear friends, Kelly, and over the course of our talk, she asked me “Do you trust God with other people’s hearts”? Now, before I delve into that question, I should tell you that God has been deconstructing my Christianese (phrases/beliefs that we Christians have grown up learning and using but many times aren’t really sure what they mean). Don’t feel bad because I’m not calling anyone out on this because I’m guilty of the same things . . .”Give it over to God.” “Trust His timing,” “Let Him bear that burden.” “Rest in Him”, etc. Some I understand but others I say merely out of habit. It’s what I’m used to hearing, therefore I tell the same thing to others . . . and herein lies the problem. Why do I tell people something when I really don’t understand what it is I’m telling them?

     So back to the question of “Do I trust God with others’ hearts”? After some time alone with Him, I realized I really don’t! I am a nurse. I chose this field because I want to fix (heal) people. I work in a Cardiovascular ICU that specializes in thoracic surgeries such as Open Heart Surgery, and often times, I am able to manipulate the heart to do what I need it to do in order to help it heal. I use medications, pacemakers, pacer wires, Iatraaortic Balloon Pumps, and a variety of other methods in order to increase or decrease the heart rate, decrease the workload of the heart, change heart rhythms, even stop the heart if needed.  I love that medicine has allowed for such advances but after some reflection, my nurse’s nature grates against God’s nature to heal. While I know, he has given me these abilities and knowledge, there does come a time, when emotional healing can only be done by Him, and that’s where I find I struggle with trusting Him.

      So what does it mean to trust God? Honestly, I still don’t have an answer! Is it a physical action, a mental willing, or something completely different? I wish I could talk to some of the Biblical greats like David as he stood before Goliath, Noah while he was building the Ark, Nehemiah as he helped rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, Moses as he stood before Pharaoh on multiple occasions, even Jesus as He stood before the mob as they came to arrest Him just to get a small clue as what it means to trust God especially when things seem to be going against you. Maybe trust varies from person to person. Maybe some things are easier to trust God for than others. As for me, all I can do is pray, seek His presence, and trust that He will show me what that looks like for me. I’m pretty sure that trust will look differently to each of you, so don’t be discouraged if one way doesn’t work, try another way! Make it something personal between you and Him because in the end, all he wants is you to have faith in Him, in what He has done, and what He will do whether you can see the end result or not!

Broken

 

 

“Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies – or else? The chain reaction of evil – hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars – must be broken, or else we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation”.

– Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

We live in a world where all kinds of evil acts seem to be happening. Genocide, rape, mass shootings, gang violence, theft, racism, sexism, war . . . the list goes on and on. Even here in the U.S., as advanced as we are, we have not escaped the madness. The movie theatre shootings in Colorado, the Connecticut school shooting, the Trayvon Martin/Zimmerman case, the man who had kidnapped women and held them in his home for years, and the Boston Marathon bombing to name a few. People everywhere seem to be crying out for justice, blood, and vengeance and with all the right to do so. Honestly, there have been times when I’ve joined the mob in wanting retribution for the many lives that have been affected by these atrocities.Many times I’ve told myself that these monsters will get what’s coming to them when they stand before God and answer for their crimes!

I’m sure many of you have said this phrase or something similar at different points in your life. But recently, this phrase has taken on a different meaning when I’ve heard other people say it.  In the Bible, Paul writes the church in Rome and addresses several issues that had come up, and one point that resonates in this time of increased violence is the following verse: Romans 3:23 – ‘for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’.

It’s easy to let our emotions run high when we are blasted with so much senseless violence and we feel like we or others have been wronged, especially when it occurs in a horrific way. But Paul comes out and says, ‘Guess what, you’re no better than that person whose blood you’re calling for. In God’s eyes, we are ALL the same’. I read that and it’s definitely a gut-check! Let me be clear, in no way am I condoning what has occurred. Terrible acts have been committed, people have lost loved ones, and lives have been changed, for the worst in many scenarios, but I remind myself that we live in a broken, imperfect world. At times, things seem great and wonderful then suddenly everything flips upside-down and our world goes to hell. Things in this world aren’t fair, but thankfully, as believers, we know we were never guaranteed an easy life. That being said, I want to pose two questions to everyone:

1) How would Jesus respond to these “monsters”?

2) As His followers, how should we respond?

HE IS ALWAYS THERE! I remind myself that Jesus was there when that guy walked into the school and started opening fire. He was there with the families of those poor children as they all sat and grieved over these small ones. He was there with the guy as he kidnapped those women and took them home. He was there with these women as they endured Lord knows what in his home. He was there as the bombers set the timers on their explosives and walked away. He was there with those first responders as they rushed into the fray after the bombs went off. He was there with the families and victims as they sat in the hospital waiting. He was there as Trayvon sat there bleeding to death after being shot. And he was there with Zimmerman as he sat in his cell continuing to replay that night over and over in his mind. He wasn’t there condemning them for what had happened but reminding them that HE STILL LOVES THEM! He didn’t just die for those of us who are “good” because as Paul said WE AREN’T. He died for ALL of us because HE LOVED US FIRST!

The truth of the matter is we ALL have fallen short of God’s glory. Of our own power, we deserve eternal separation from of Father! When looking at Jesus and the Law, He was always elevating it! In Matthew 5, he tells people you may not commit adultery by your standards, but if you look lustfully at another person then you have committed that sin. A tougher one to swallow, you may not physically murder someone, but if you are angry at someone then you can be judged like murderer. WOW! How many of us can say we have NEVER done any of the above mentioned? I know I’m guilty as charged, and it seems like I’m already doomed to an eternity of damnation.

God is just because He counts ALL sin as equal! Let me be clear, even though all sin is equal to God, they do have different repercussions here on Earth, and we are subject to the earthly laws while we are alive. I’m just as guilty as the guy who shot those children in Connecticut because of the lustful thoughts I’ve had. I’m just as guilty as the child pedophile because I lied to my parents about where I was that random Friday night in High School. I’m just as guilty as the Boston Bomber because I wanted to hurt those people who said I couldn’t date their daughter because of my race . . . Thank the Lord for His grace!

Humans are imperfect. God knew we could not earn our way to Heaven on our own power because we live in a fallen, broken world. So how did He reconcile us back to Him? Through His son, Jesus! By taking on all the sin of the world when He was nailed to the cross, we now have a restored relationship with our Father. We are redeemed from a punishment that we deserve, and now we have 24 hour, 7 day-a-week access to God. He doesn’t see Keith as a thief, an adulterer, a murderer, He only sees Keith, HIS son, HIS heir . . . pure and lovely! If God loves me for my wrongs and shortcomings then shouldn’t I show the same love to these people who are/have been feeling unloved? Would you be mad at God, if you saw these people walking around in heaven? What would it look like, if we all showed the same love that has been extended to us?  

One of Jesus’ most memorable encounters was when the crowd brings the woman accused of adultery before Him so they could stone her. According to the Law, they had all the right to do this, but Jesus surprises them by saying “alright you can stone her . . . but only if you have never sinned”. As the think about what HE said, the crowd slowly disperses as He continues to write in the dirt, and after everyone leaves he says this to the woman:

Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?”

 “No, Lord,” she said.

And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”

Like I said, I’m not justifying any of these acts or condoning what has happened, BUT I do ask that before any of us cast the first stone, we look at ourselves and ask are these people any less deserving of grace than we are.

Who Are You?

A friend of mine shared the following quote with me at our Bible study group one morning:

I’m not what I think I am

I’m not what you think I am

I’m what I think, you think that I am

We spend much of our lives trying to figure out who we are. This is often complicated by the various outside forces that influence our thoughts and habits (actors/actresses, friends, family, athletes, etc). When looking at the various factors that can influence us, it’s no real surprise that we struggle with our identity!

When I asked myself ‘who am I”, I came up with this: I am a son, a brother, a friend, a nurse, a student, a Christian, a First Responder, and a teacher. Don’t know a lot about my dad’s side of the family but I do know that my mom’s side originated in central Africa (Kenya) and along the coast, possibly the Congo. Teaching runs all throughout both sides of my family which explains my fondness for teaching clinicals for Auburn’s nursing program.

Like others, I struggled with who I was at different points in my life. In high school, trying to fit in and be accepted by my peers even if it meant doing things that I’m not necessarily proud of. In college, trying to balance school and a social life which I didn’t do a great job with but I did walk away with some great friends and memories. Even now, trying to pursue a Master’s as a Nurse Practitioner and hopefully finally be done with school!  I’ve even thought about going back to my old high school and teaching a Bible class. Not memorization of facts and verses in the Bible, but really showing these students what their identity in Christ is as well as what it means when you are secure in that identity! I’d be interested to see how their lives would change once they no longer had to struggle against so much of what the world throws at them, and just resting in their identities as Christ sees them! . . . Needless to say, who knows where my life will lead.

Before we can even start to understand our identity in Christ, I believe it’s more important to understand who He is. Now I’m sure 99% of those who read this know about Jesus (virgin birth; did miracles; son of God who died for the sins of the world). While these statements are correct, these are but a small glimpse as to who Jesus really is. Here’s a list of names/phrases used that refer to Jesus:

• Son of God – Matthews 3:17
• High Priest – Hebrews 5:10
• Immanuel – Matthew 1:2
• The Word – John 1:1
• King of the Jews – 2:1-2
• The Way, The Truth, The Life – John 14:6
• Shepherd – Matthew 2:6
• Living Water – John 7:37-39
• Bread of Life – John 6:35
• Light – John 8:12
• A man (son, brother, etc) – Luke 2
• Rabbi (Teacher) – Matthew 28:3
• Healer – Matthew 15:8
• Love – 1 John 4:16
• Lion of Judah – Revelation 5:5-6
• Lamb of God – John 1:29
• SIN – 2 Corinthians 5:21

 After reading through these, you can see why Jesus is so much more than the cliché so many of us can spout out at a moment’s notice.

Once we understand who Christ is, we can start to see how He views us. . .

• You are made in His image –Genesis 1:26-27
• You are cleansed – Leviticus 16:30-31
• You are NEVER alone – Joshua 1:9
• You are a holy, chosen, treasured possession. Loved and redeemed – Deuteronomy 7:6-9
• You are beautiful – Ecclesiastes 3:11
• You are fearless – Jeremiah 17:8
• You are relentlessly pursued – Hosea 2:19-20
• You are beloved sons & daughters – I John 3:1-2
• You are Salt & Light – Matthew 5:13-16
• You are priests – I Peter 2:9
• You are a marvelous workmanship – Ephesians 2:10
• You are FORGIVEN – Ephesians 4:32

 There are tons of passages that I could list showing how much God loves us and how He sees us but I think these are nice starters and a great reminder! Just think, the Creator of the universe so loves and desires fellowship with us that He sent His Son to die for us all in order for us to experience the same type of fellowship He had with so many people we read about in the Bible!

I believe that when Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane and asked for the cup to pass to from Him, God gave Him visions of the people He would be dying . . . me, you, and a multitude of others. After seeing our faces Jesus relented and said, “Yet not my will but yours be done.”  He endured ALL those beatings, whippings, humiliation, and Crucifixion because He cared more about you and me than His own life!

Rests in your identity and how God sees you!  The World says you need to have more money, more things, more power, etc in order to be loved or achieve greatness, but God, our Father, says “No my son/daughter, all I want is your heart. I may not bless you with immense wealth, power, fame, and prestige and you will go through some tough times BUT I promise I’ll be right there by your side and I will continue loving you!”

God Will Provide

      Abraham is the one biblical individual with whom I identify with the most. At times, his faith (like mine) was strong and rock solid, while at other times, it was very questionable. But when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son (the long promised one through which he would continue his lineage), Isaac, he willingly led his son to the slaughter. As they approached the site where the sacrifice would occur, Isaac asked his father, “where is the lamb for the sacrifice?” To this, Abraham simply answered, “God will provide”. Now while I don’t have children of my own, I can only imagine what was going through his head as they climbed the mountain, as he and Isaac built the altar, as he tied Isaac up then placed him on that altar, and more chilling, as he held the knife mere inches away from his son. What amazing faith it took to keep believing God for the best when there was no indication that his son would be spared. But as the story goes, due to his faith, an angel stopped Abraham and God provided a ram to take the place of Isaac (Genesis 22).

     For many of us, it’s very easy to be sidetracked with various things going on in our lives. Jobs, children, sports, relationships, and a plethora of other things easily occupy our thoughts. A lot of times, God tends to take a backseat to life’s other demands. Please don’t feel guilty if this describes you because I have been guilty of the same. The beautiful thing about God is that through the ups and downs in our lives, He is always there! When things are crazy in our lives and we’re not sure how we’re going to make it, remember that He is always there and that HE WILL PROVIDE! He is our Rock and our Strength! Our strength WILL fail at points and this will cause us to doubt, lose focus, and become preoccupied with other things, but rest in His strength because through Him nothing is impossible! We have nothing to fear or worry about when we face tough times because we have His peace. This peace is something no other force, circumstance, or person can take away from us because His son overcame the world!

Remember GOD WILL PROVIDE!

 John 16:33 – “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Who is more blessed?

    I’ve been lucky enough to have been able to go on a few mission trips since I’ve graduated nursing school. Actually, my first time doing any type of mission work was when I went to Haiti a few months after the earthquake struck the island nation. Since then I’ve gone to Honduras a couple of times through the hospital at which I work. On each trip I’ve gone on, God has revealed lots to me not just about the work we did but also about the people we served. For this post, I want to talk about my trip to Honduras and some things that have really impacted my walk.

     About two years ago, through a random series of events, I was able to go with my hospital on its yearly mission trip to Honduras. Now many of you may be thinking this was purely a medical mission trip but I promise you, this was far from just medical. The cool thing about these trips was the focus on spreading the Gospel! The mission involved not only medical treatment for people but also adult and children ministry, dentistry, pharmacy, and even an eyeglass hut for those who need reading glasses or sunglasses. We even gathered clothes and other goodies to make care packages to hand out to the village we visited that week. Overall it was a very rewarding experience . . . but not in the way you’re probably thinking!

     While I did enjoy getting to help these people get the medical care that many of them would probably not be able to again for another several months or even years, the attitude that they displayed was truly uplifting. In Habakkuk 3:17-19, the prophet tells God that even when he has nothing, he will give Him praise and be joyful! For many reading this, we may not be able to fully understand what it means to have nothing but I saw many people who come from nothing BUT the faith and joy I saw expressed was inspiring. I saw many patients who were thankful for simply a small bag of Tylenol and Multivitamins! Think about how many of us (me included) have these simple pills available in our medicine cabinets or if we wanted, we can run to the store and pick them up. Even more inspiring was having this attitude of gratitude after waiting for a couple of hours or more in the hot sun. Through the long wait, they would still smile and be thankful that their problems were being addressed.

     At the end of this trip, several of us were sitting around talking and reflecting about our experience when God placed a question on my heart which I posed to the others . . . who is more blessed? We here in the USA or the people in this poor Honduran village we had just left? Now many would probably think “Well we in the United States are way more blessed than the Hondurans! We have running water, central heating and air conditioning, stores to buy food fresh food, sewer systems, paved roads, etc. I mean we got it pretty good here! USA, USA, USA”. It was different for me though. Yes, we Americans are truly blessed with these things; we have accomplished much, and don’t have to suffer like many others do around the world. However, I do think that we are spoiled and take for granted how blessed we are. Don’t get me wrong, I love this country and the freedom that comes with it. But I feel like when it comes to the spiritual side of things, the Honduran people are way better off than us for a few reasons.

     Let’s start with thankfulness. When’s the last time you thanked God for what he has blessed you with? When things weren’t going well, did you thank Him for the blessings you weren’t as aware of? Don’t feel bad, I’m just as guilty of this as well. It’s easy to forget who has blessed us when things are going great AND it’s easy to forget about God’s blessings when things aren’t going well. What I saw reflected in the Honduran villagers was that heart of true thankfulness. I saw thankfulness for those who got those small bags of Tylenol and multivitamins to help with aches and pains that had been wearing on them for a long time. I saw thankfulness on the faces of people who experienced relief from rotting teeth after they were pulled. I saw thankfulness in the eyes of the person who put on reading glasses and for the first time could clearly see things they couldn’t only minutes before. I saw thankfulness on the faces of kids who were able to get a pair of shoes after running around in shoes that were too small or who had no shoes whatsoever. And I saw thankfulness in the people who got to hear the Gospel preached and decided to follow Jesus. I learned what thankfulness really looked like!

      Another reason I think the Honduran villagers were more blessed than us would be the lack of media overload. We can’t pretend that we Americans are not bombarded by media! We have TV, radios, XM radio, facebook, twitter, instagram, etc. to fill our days and nights with seemingly great but in the end pretty meaningless stuff. I mean who cares that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are having a baby after she got divorced from Chris Humphries a few months ago . . . (the only reason I know that is because I work with some awesome ladies!). But you get my point! What’s the newest celebrity gossip? What’s the latest fashion? What’s the new hotspot in town? What’s the best place to go for a weekend getaway? Can I live without this new gadget? These are a small sample of what we are bombarded with on a daily basis, but they do make us lose focus on what’s really important. The great thing about being in the remote mountains of Honduras was NOT having to worry about these things. Our focus was on sharing the Gospel and loving on God’s people! This lack of media let me see how these people were invested in each other lives, pulling together to spread the word to as many people as they could about the chance to come be seen by a doctor/nurse, and just enjoying the fellowship of the people in their community. When you think about it, it sounds like a very sweet life! What would our lives look like without the media overload???

      A final lesson learned on this trip is how God moves in all His children. While in the village, we held nightly church services with the community, and by the last night we would have quite a big crowd of people! We heard singing from our mission team, the Honduran mission team, and then the local church finished with their own songs. After worship, we got to hear people from our team tell about their testimonies, they shared more of the Gospel, and then the local pastor spoke. The cool thing about this experience was that even though I’m not fluent in Spanish and didn’t understand everything that was being said by the Hondurans, I knew and felt that we ALL were worshiping the same God. By the time we got to the last night of church, the presence of God was so tangible, I was brought to tears. Just picture it, two groups of people who had nothing in common but their love of Jesus, and they’re all just loving on each other and worshiping together!

      Now that I’ve made everyone feel guilty about thinking America was better, let me say that I do still love this country and all we have. I’m not trying to convince anyone to give up their lifestyles, move to the remotest part of a foreign country (I refuse to say Africa!), and become a missionary. In all honesty, nothing felt better after getting back from the trip than getting to use a flushing toilet, then taking a nice, long, warm shower, and finally crawling into my bed while the A/C ran all night. My hope with this post is that people will start to think of what they should be doing with their blessings. The night before we left, one of the pharmacists who came with us led devotional, and one of things he said that has stuck with me was this, “God has blessed us so that we can be a blessing to others”. Powerful words! God blesses so many of us, not for us to store up earthly treasures for ourselves but for us to share our blessings with others!

     One of the things I always hear at the end of the mission trips I’ve been on is that while the groups are thankful for us coming to help, they remind us that there are plenty of people here in the US who still need to hear the Gospel . . .don’t forget them! We have just as many people who need not only food, clothing, and medicine, but also who need to hear about Jesus. We all have been blessed with different gifts and I think it’s time we start putting them to use. You don’t have to go out the country to impact the lives of someone!

When reflecting on mission work, here are the lessons I have learned:

1)  Remember to thank God, no matter our circumstances.

2)  Focus on what’s important.

3) God is universal!

4)  There are people in our own towns that still need to hear about Jesus and experience     His love.

 

 

Tell Them About Me

Matthew 28:18-19 – Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

For some time now, a question has been rolling around my head that has really been messing with my spirit . . . What is the Gospel? Since many who will read this live in the “Bible Belt”, I’m sure just about all of us could tell anyone about the Gospel (the first four books in the New Testament). We could talk about the promise of a Messiah, the virgin birth, the miracles Jesus performed, the parables, the 12 disciples, even His arrest, torture, death, and resurrection. Not to say that the life of Jesus isn’t important, but if someone was to ask what the Gospel was, I’m not sure many Christians could give a very clear, succinct answer.

A couple of months ago, my friend Matt went on a mission trip to China. Not a typical mission trip but a very dangerous one in which he and a small group would smuggle Bibles into the country. The story about what they faced and encountered to just help bring these people Bibles is quite an amazing and exciting story in itself, but there was one part of the story that really made me rethink things about church, the Bible, and the significance of the Gospel.

Their final weekend in China, the group travelled into Northern China to take more Bibles to Pastor Samuel Lam. A couple of quick facts:

1. China is an atheist state. They go through great lengths to prevent Christianity and other religions from taking root and spreading through the region. In northern China, if you are caught with a Bible, talking about Jesus, etc. you can be arrested or even shot on sight.
2. Samuel Lam is quite infamous among many in China. He was arrested and imprisoned for preaching the Gospel for which he spent 22 years or so in prison. His wife passed away not long before his release and since then he has continued to spread the Good News. The government has sent people to catch him but he always ends up converting those who come to him. Needless to say, this man loves the Lord and seeks to make Him known!

Anyway, Matt and the group made their way to his “church” to bring more bibles for him to hand out. Matt described it as a four story shack (nothing like many of us have experienced) in which people would come and line the stairwells, open spaces, and empty rooms 3-4 times a week just to hear him speak. He estimated that he’ll preach to several thousand people a week! When asked what He preaches on (a certain series, book of the Bible, or theme), he simply said, “I preach the Gospel”.

When I heard this, God really started messing with me about what Pastor Lam said, and even when was the last time I heard the Gospel preached in my own church or other churches that I listen to through podcasts. But more importantly, He kept asking me what the Gospel was. These questions bothered me even more because Jesus’ last command was “Go and tell people the Gospel (Good News)” and if I couldn’t explain this to God (the author), how could I explain it to someone who has never heard it, much less has heard it but doesn’t understand it.

Like anyone, I went to Bible to start to find the answer. I figured it’d be easy! I mean I went to a Christian school ever since first grade and could tell you about just about every story in the Bible, and over the past few years, I’ve started reading the Word for myself, trying to get a better understanding about the basis of my faith. . . I couldn’t have been more wrong! For so long, I had this view that God in the Old Testament was vengeful and sought to punish those who weren’t with him. Then He decided that that wasn’t working, so He sent Jesus and became all nice and loving. But the more I read and let the Holy Spirit start revealing more truths about what I was reading; I then began to see a whole different God. Then it finally hit me!

My take on the Gospel:

First, you shouldn’t look at the Bible as a book of rules and regulations (do’s and don’ts). At its heart, the Bible AND the Gospel is the story of a relationship. God created man. This pleased Him so much that He fellowshipped with them daily! After some time, man broke His one command (sinned) and that relationship was broken (Genesis 2 & 3). Even though man sinned, God went about trying to repair that lost relationship through various means: Noah, Abraham and the Jewish patriarchs, even covenants with the nation of Israel. Through all the ups and downs with His chosen people, God continued to pursue that lost relationship but in the end, that relationship could only be fixed one way . . . Jesus!

By Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, several things happened:

1. A lost relationship had been restored.
2. We have been redeemed from a death that we deserved but now don’t have to suffer.
3. We now have 24 hour access to talk with God. No more priests or other medians. Just us and God!

The Gospel – The basis of our Christian faith. When you think about it, we have an awesome God! He loved us so much (even with all of our shortcomings) that He wants to be in a close relationship with all of us. Not in a way where we go to Him when we want something but where He wants to reveal more and more about His nature and His heart!

On a related note, when we talk about our “walk with Christ”, keep in mind, it’s a long process. I would say it’s more like a marathon and not a 50-yard dash. As we grow closer and closer to Him, we become like Him (Christ-like). The idea of grace is also seen repeatedly throughout scripture. This is reflected in the Hillsong United song, “Inside Out”, when its opens with this phrase:

A thousand times I’ve failed

Still your mercy remains.

Should I stumble again

Still I’m caught in your grace.

This is a great reminder that we WILL mess up (we’re human after all) but the awesome thing about God’s grace is that He’s there to catch us, put us back on our feet, and then He continues to walk with us!

I believe these concepts are so fundamental to our Christian faith! I encourage everyone who does read this to: seek after God, understand the Gospel for yourself, learn why Jesus told us to tell others about it, and how would you tell someone if they asked you about it. Be reassured that He is with us all the way and that you’re never alone when telling others about Him!

Medicine and Faith – “Doing My Job”

   

     Several months ago, my friend Joel shared a passage with me that really shook and challenged him. In I Corinthians 9, Paul talks about “being something to everyone” in order to witness to others about Christ. I love verse 22 when he says “When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some”. I hope the story I’m about share doesn’t guilt anyone into feeling they haven’t witnessed to others but I do hope it shows two things: 1) My own human weakness 2) How God really can use ANYONE to help show His love.

    I work in a Cardiovascular ICU which means we deal primarily with thoracic surgeries (Heart Bypass, Thoracotomies, Valve replacements, etc), but from time to time we will admit other ICU overflow patients. I love taking care of CV patients, but I do enjoy the variety offered when we get these overflow patients. However, the one type of patient I hate having to deal with are those who have overdosed on drugs especially when these were suicide attempts. For me it’s a huge hassle to: specially prepare these rooms for them, try gathering history on someone who is usually zonked out, feeling that they are selfish for trying such a thing,having to deal with their mood swings and physical threats, and them trying to leave before being discharged.

     One particular night, I had the chance to care for a patient who not long after starting my shift, ended up dying. During this time, I was able to pray with the family and just try to love on them during this difficult time. After attending to their needs and some final paperwork, I decided to step off the floor for a little while to visit a friend who was also in the hospital. After getting back to the unit, I was told that I was getting a patient that had tried committing suicide by drug overdose. I feel guilty admitting that I thought to myself “why didn’t they do it right the first time” because as previously mentioned, these are my least favorite patients to deal with, and to be totally honest, my selfishness started to show itself. I really just wanted to have a nice chill night, get my work done, and just catch up with my co-workers.

      When the patient arrived to the room, he was very rude and bent on going on home so he could finish the job. Of course, I had tuned him out and had all plans just to do what I needed to do to finish my work for the night so I could go home, but Jesus had a much different plan for me. While  documenting his history, I asked him why (nurses will get the humor in asking WHY) he tried to kill himself. Still giving me attitude, he said nobody loves him, everybody hates him, and that he’d be better off dead. It wasn’t until he uttered the phrase “then I called someone” that I really started listening. I guess this struck me as odd because if I was trying to kill myself, why bother telling people who obviously don’t care. Anyway, he went on to say he called the cops to tell them he was about to kill himself so they sent an officer out to get him. He said the cop was very nice to him and talked with him until an ambulance arrived and brought him to the hospital. He even commented on how nice everyone had been to him since he had been there BUT he didn’t feel deserving of this attention and still pleaded to go home.

      I asked him if he believed in Christ, and emphatically he told me yes! I can’t explain it but the more he talked, the more I could tell how deeply he loved the Lord. I asked him what his favorite passage was and he quoted John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him”. I then asked him what that meant and he said that there was nothing more he could do to earn his salvation! It was finished on the cross and he was thankful for that blessing. I then shared several things with him: My favorite verse Proverbs 27:17 and why I loved it followed by a quick walk through the ‘Romans Road’. I pointed out that in God’s eyes, we are all equal and that in the grand scheme, everyone’s mistakes are equal in His eyes, but more importantly He still loves us all just the same! I even told him that given different events in both our lives, I could be the one in bed while he was admitting me on a suicide attempt. After some more talk about the Gospel, I offered to pray with him which he didn’t feel worthy enough to accept but I said it was an honor to do so. After finishing my assessment and getting him settled, he said to me, “You know, if I had just one friend like you, I think I would have turned out alright”.

     I left his room totally blown away by what had just transpired and talked with my co-worker/friend, Erin about it. This whole experience made me realize several things:

I. Proverbs 27:17 says “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”. This is huge because I’ve been blessed with so many people (family and friends) who encourage and sharpen me with their love, encouragement, and support. I know I wouldn’t be who I am today without this support! More importantly, there are others out there who have not been as blessed and these people need/want the same love I’ve experienced just as much (I believe this is so true no matter what they may tell you!).

2. I Corinthians 9 tells us to be something to everyone or to put it better “humble yourself to the level of the people you’re trying to reach to not only bring them to Christ but also understand how they view the world. This man I took care of had been hurt by family, friends, and church members who wanted nothing to do with him (Let me be clear, I’m not bashing the church here), so in order to get their attention OR to make them hurt like he had been hurt, he tried to kill himself. Just think, if they had shown him just a little love, he would be enjoying a much happier life. . .I should also clarify again that he did not die that night!

3. Lastly, it caused me to reflect on my heart. What if I had totally blown him off? How many times should I have tried talking to someone who was hurting (patients, their families, co-workers, strangers, etc) but due to my selfishness decided to just “do my job”. Let me be clear, I still struggle with pushing aside my selfishness in order to be more Christ-like but I am encouraged in knowing that my walk is like a marathon not a 100m dash! A person’s walk is a process! Change doesn’t happen overnight, and at times things will be very difficult. But I know that as I start to better understand Christ’s heart, it will be easier to do those things that I should do without much/any hesitation.

     To wrap things up, I encourage others (Christians especially) to ask yourselves the tough questions about your heart. Not to make you feel guilty about where you have messed up but as motivation to see in what areas can you continue to grow in! Complacency can be very dangerous so like Paul says in I Corinthians 9, “run to win. . .and run with purpose in every step!” Be encouraged that there will be times you will mess up but getting up and finishing this race will be way more rewarding than just giving up. Also, step out of yourself and see the world through the eyes of others. You never know how a random act of kindness, some encouraging words, or just loving on others will affect their outlook on life!