Tag Archives: live like God is real

Who am I?

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I hate revealing personal information about myself online. Look at my Facebook profile, and you’ll see no interests, no favorite books, no movies.

VOICE Team 1 throughout the years.

The problem was a couple months ago, Karen asked us writers and translators of this blog to write a bio to introduce ourselves. We were given the following criteria:

  • A brief bio (can include where you’re from, what you’re doing now, interests…)
  • What years you were involved in VOICE
  • Favorite VOICE memory

I didn’t know what to write.

Why am I like this? Maybe it’s because being the youngest person in my family, I’m used to just going along with what the older people in my family want to do. Maybe it’s because I’m fickle, so my favorites are constantly changing. Maybe it’s because I like to be mysterious. 🙂

One big reason, however, is that I’ve grown up with two months of every year taken up by both the CI (Children’s Institute) and VOICE. During that time, I don’t listen to music, I wear “VOICE clothes”, and I don’t have any time for my own “interests”. Without me realizing it, a big part of my identity and interests has become VOICE. I also may be subconsciously afraid that by stating my interests, people will think my views also represent VOICE.

The truth is, I have been doing VOICE for a LONG time. On the one hand, it’s easy for me to get tired of doing the same thing year after year. On the other hand, I have to wonder if I would face an identity crisis if I stopped doing VOICE.

This past weekend at the VOICE retreat, we’ve talked a lot about our identity: how the way we view ourselves, the people around us, and most importantly, God, will affect the way we live our life. While VOICE is an important way that God has worked in my life, at the same time, it’s still just a program. I will serve in VOICE as long as God has me here, and at the same time remember that I am here to serve God, not the program.

 

Turn the Light On!

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A man ran through a pitch dark room shouting, “I hate you, darkness!  Go away!  Stop being dark!”

Silence.  The darkness didn’t go away.  In fact, it didn’t even budge.  For hours the man ranted and raved against the darkness in the room, but the darkness never wavered.

Finally another man walked into the room.  He did not scream and curse the darkness.  Instead, he walked resolutely across the room and turned on the light.  The darkness was gone.

Sometimes I get so frustrated with the evil in the world that all I do is complain about how dark the darkness is.  There are so many issues that I can get upset about, but there is only one solution: Jesus, the Light of the world.

A few days ago, as I was reading in the Gospel of John, I was excited to find Jesus’ description of how He “turned the light on” for the world.

   “If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.
“If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin…”  John 15:22, 24a

Jesus spoke and lived in a way that set Him apart from everyone else.  However, Jesus was not just trying to be unique.  The purpose of His set apart life was so people would know that they had sin.  Unless light shines into a room, there is no way to tell what is in the room.  Similarly, unless the light of Christ shines into a person’s life, that person will never know the true state of their heart or see their need.

Think back to the day you accepted Jesus as your Savior.  Think about how different your life would be now if you had never done that.  I remember what I was like.  I remember feeling miserably hopeless – and I grew up in a Christian family!  I would never have had peace, I would never have gone to VOICE, and my life would be a wreck right now if it weren’t for Jesus in me.

“But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared” (Titus 3:4).  No one becomes a Christian without the kindness and love of God “appearing” to him.  That’s “turning the light on!”

As we learn to see unsaved people the way God sees them (see Joel’s post for more on this), let’s look for ways to “turn the light on” for them.  How can we speak and live in a way that will shine Jesus, the Light of the world, into the lives of others?

 

Under God

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Saint Paul's Cathedral

I’ve been reading the book With by Skye Jethani. I have not finished it yet, but just the first few chapters have been keenly insightful to my relationship with God.

Jethani talks about how many times we view ourselves in an “Under God” relationship with our Heavenly Father. This view rightly acknowledges Him as the Creator who is over us, who has the right set the moral rules and laws in this world. The problem comes when we try to manipulate God into blessing us by being morally good. Have you ever heard someone say, “How could God let this happen to me? I’ve always gone to church!” Or, “How could so-and-so be dying of cancer, they have done so many good works for God.”
This view, which started out so well, quickly turns into nothing different than that of the heathens of old, who offered sacrifices so that the rains would come, the locusts would stop or their flocks and herds would grow.
As C.S. Lewis describes, God “isn’t safe, but He is good.” We cannot manipulate Him into giving us good grades, a new car, health, wealth, or salvation. Jesus Christ didn’t save us because we were morally good, but because we could never be good enough to earn anything from God except eternal separation.
Let’s live like God really is who He says He is and that He does what He says He will do. Stop trying to manipulate Him into giving you what you want and being offended at Him when it doesn’t work. Realize that in Christ He has blessed us not because of how good we are, but only because of how good He is!
R

R.I.P.?!?

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Two legendary leaders died this year.

Both had incredible charisma, with fanatical followers leaping to their every bidding. Both demanded the utmost from themselves and those beneath them, the ones falling short forced to face their wrath. Both engineered the impossible, shaking the world with their accomplishments. The way the world responded to their deaths couldn’t be more different.

One was Steve Jobs, the other was Osama Bin Laden.

© flicker.com/photos/thisisbossi

When Osama Bin Laden died, Americans took to the streets to celebrate. Joyous demonstrations spontaneously sprouted at every major city and university. The man who had masterminded the attack killing thousands of Americans was dead.

When Steve Jobs died, Apple users around the world congregated at Apple stores, holding up iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch candles. Mournful posts on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ slowed the internet to a crawl. The man who had coordinated the production of the world’s most beloved technology devices was dead.

I happen to be both an American and an Apple user. My life was greatly affected by 9/11, and I also have a Macbook Pro and an iPhone. Most importantly, however, I am a Christian. If we looked at these events from that perspective, then what would we see?

Regardless of the terrible or wonderful things these men have done, we must not forget a very important fact: to the best of my knowledge, both died without ever accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

That leaves us with one sobering conclusion: They are both eternally separated from God, and must suffer the judgment of hell.

Christians, do we let ourselves get so caught up in temporal things that we lose sight of the eternal fate of the people around us?

As an American, it is true I am grateful for the soldiers that protect my country, and the patience and determination required to finally bring Bin Laden to justice (though I have some misgivings whether or not an assassination was the best way to handle it).

As an Apple user, I am grateful for the amazing devices that I use daily for work, pleasure, documenting important events of my life, and to write blogposts like this one.

As a Christian, I grieve that neither man ever accepted Christ’s wonderful work of redemption, and that they never used their incredible gifts to invest treasure in heaven. May I daily remember both God’s mercy AND justice, and may I share His gospel to everyone that He brings to my path.

Drowsy Soldiers

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Like most people, I thrive on mountaintop experiences. That’s to say, I always feel very close to God and enjoy renewed hope and vision whenever I encounter spiritual refreshment. Conferences like VOICE always do wonders in challenging my faith and creating a passion in my heart that feels like it will last forever. The problem, however, is when reality sets in and I return back to the “valley” from my mountaintop experience. Instead of jumping into daily life with the same spiritual strength, I often find myself slipping into spiritual drowsiness.

Have you ever taken the time to look through Scripture to see the kinds of problems that popped up for those who slept? Noah fell asleep and his son came into his tent and brought shame to the family. While Samson slept, Delilah cut his hair which took away his strength. King Saul slept and David took his spear away from him. Sleepy Eutychus went to sleep and fell out of the window.

I’m realizing more and more that sleep can creep into our soul just as easily and quietly as it does to our body. My decision is that I can either give in to spiritual laziness, or I can be “sober and vigilant”—recognizing that the Enemy is waiting to pounce as soon as I indulge myself in spiritual sleep. Soldiers of Jesus Christ are faithful to stand fast even when things are boring and their spiritual life isn’t very exciting—especially a couple of months after VOICE when everything is back to normal!

While God never intended us to live life constantly within those spiritual mountaintop experiences, He also never intended for us to walk through life drowsily and halfheartedly. Jesus came so that we would “have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). It’s kind of hard to experience that abundant life when I’m fighting off drowsiness day after day. William Gurnall, a pastor who lived over 400 years ago, challenged Christians to “busy yourselves in your Christian duties and spiritual drowsiness will flee.” Pretty good advice, huh?

White or Wrong?

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© http://www.flickr.com/photos/clintonjeff/ 

There it was: white, gleaming and beautiful, lying on the counter.

I wanted it.

I got the original metal iPhone for a great price, but after two years of faithful service, it was showing its age. It couldn’t record video, a gigantic grey blob was growing across the middle of the screen, and newer, more complicated apps wouldn’t even install. It was finally time to upgrade to the iPhone 4.

There was one problem: EVERYONE was buying an iPhone 4, and I didn’t want to be like everyone else! I decided to just tolerate my broken phone and wait patiently for the WHITE iPhone 4.

I didn’t think it would take 9 months for Apple to make it.

The day it was finally released, I was so excited, I almost danced to my local cellphone store—

—Only to find that they were sold out. “That’s ok,” I thought. “I’m not going to the States for VOICE for another six weeks, so I’ll put my name on the waiting list. I’ve waited this long, a few more weeks won’t hurt.”

The problem was the store didn’t get any more white iPhones.

I called other store, but they were sold out too. I started to give up, but three days before I returned to the States, I found one store that had one iPhone 4 to sell the next morning. YES!!!! God was rewarding my patience! I got up early the next morning to wait in line for the phone–

–Only to find that someone else was ALREADY waiting in line–and had been waiting since 4:00 in the morning!

At first I was frustrated and disappointed, but then I stopped to ask myself some questions.

  1. Why did I want a white iPhone 4?
    Answer: To be cool. To have something that NO ONE ELSE had.
  2. Would the color of the iPhone affect the way I used it?
    Answer: Ummm… probably not.
  3. Should a first world problem like the color of my phone be taking so much of my time?
    Answer: …No.
  4. Was God using this to teach me a lesson?
    Answer: Yes. I wanted people to see my phone and think I was cool and special. God wanted me to remember that my phone is only a tool. If used properly, it would bring glory to God, not myself.

I ended up with a black iPhone 4.

discovering my other gods

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I have a problem with greed.

God’s been showing me through the book Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller. In his chapter on money, he writes,

As a pastor I’ve had people come to me to confess that they struggle with almost every kind of sin. Almost. I cannot recall anyone ever coming to me and saying, “I spend too much money on myself. I think my greedy lust for money is harming my family, my soul, and people around me.” Greed hides itself from the victim. The money god’s modus operandi includes blindness to your own heart.

At first I thought, “What?! Me? I don’t have a problem with greed! I’m the girl who still doesn’t have an iPod (much less an iPhone) and would rather not get a second car.”

As I read on, however, God has been showing me otherwise.

I could list a dozen examples, but I’ll just share about one of the first times God confronted me with this problem after we got married.

It was Luke’s birthday. We were driving home from Chicago, and I was at the wheel. Our little 4-cylinder Nissan had a hard time climbing the hills of Missouri. To help it along, I would speed down one hill to make it to the top of the next.

Things were going swimmingly until I found a cop waiting at the top of one of those hills. I hit the brakes, but it was too late. I saw lights flashing behind me, so I pulled over and got my first speeding ticket.

Luke never blamed me. He never told me that I should have been more cautious. He never berated me for wasting his hard-earned money.

But I couldn’t forgive myself. Why? Not so much because I had broken the law, but because I got caught and the penalty was going to put a dent in our savings.

Perhaps you think this is no big deal, but it is to God. He’s using this book to expose more than the god of greed in my life.

So what am I going to do about it? There’s not much I can do except confess my sin and let God replace those gods with Himself.

I challenge you to read this book too—but be prepared to take a good hard uncomfortable look at your heart.

Preparing for VOICE 2011

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Twelve years ago, I found myself in Chicago, trying to plan our first summer conference. It wasn’t known as VOICE yet—back then, it was called CLEC (Character Leadership English Conference). I really had no idea what I was doing. My father wanted a conference that would provide training in character, leadership, and English, and so I learned to make his dream come true—one call, one spreadsheet, one day at a time.

Now, nine conferences and hundreds of spreadsheets later, I must confess that I care a lot about the logistics. I care about our design. I care about the order of events. I care about how things are presented. But sometimes, I care too much.

This year, God has blessed me with a daughter who needs love and care. The time I once devoted to details must now be shared with her.

So as we prepare to dive into VOICE 2011, I find myself having to give up certain aspects of the conference that were (and still are) important to me. I have to remind myself that God cares far more about the people involved in VOICE than He cares about my perfectly planned details. While good logistics may make for a smoother conference, only God can change a person’s life.

If you’ll be at VOICE this year, I need you to help me remember that. And if you won’t be there, please pray that God will continue to use VOICE to clarify the message of the Gospel.

Here’s to another great conference!

 

Getting Over Myself

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I think the biggest hindrance to God working in my life is myself. My own pride is the thing that prevents me from hearing constructive criticism or changing the way I do things to make them better. What if I didn’t fear the opinions of those around me? I would have so much more freedom to be who I really was and do the things I really felt called to do.

Scripture says that God hates pride (Proverbs 16:5). It also says that God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). This is good news! It means that God is on our side to help us get over ourselves! He hates our pride even more than we do and sent His Son to die on the cross to save us from ourselves.

Here are a couple ideas for getting over yourself:

  • Pray Boldly! You know that God is on your side!
  • Plan Ahead. Make decision ahead of time when you know that you will be in high pressure environments where you won’t want to do the right thing.
  • Say No. When you find yourself leaning into something that is not what God has called you to, say no.
  • Live Boldly. Watch diligently for the fear of others opinions in your soul and act against it when it comes.

Remember, Christ DIED for your sins, so that you could live in freedom FOR Him. You are not alone!

R

Shaken by the Gospel

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“Shake well. Settling is natural.”

Have you, like I, ever ignored that warning of shaking first – only to find that it would’ve been much better had we listened? Smoothies & life might not have a lot in common, but, this “warning” label is just as important in our spiritual life as it is in reality.

Sometimes I like January 1st; other times, I truly resent it. This year, I was taken aback. I saw myself in a way I had never before. Desperate. I had become desperate for change. I realized the mundane had affected my life, heart, and soul. My passion & zeal for life needed to be more than a spark – I wanted a burning flame.

God doesn’t want us to be stuck in the ordinary. He may have us there for a season, but, it is for only that – a season. He will interject times of ‘shaking’ where everything we know might be changed – for us to thrive & flourish with passion; fulfilling the purpose that He created for each one of us to do. Prepare now for that time – it will come.

For the past three months, He has been doing a lot of ‘shaking’ in my own life. I’ve seen Him place me into situations outside of my comfort zone, and realized the potential for new growth. New church; meeting other young people from my area who have the desire to live like God is real in their own life; taking a course on missions & culture, and loving every minute of it . . . with all of this being only the beginning!

Peter challenged the early Christians in Acts to believe the things they had seen & heard, and drove the Truth of the Gospel into their hearts & minds. His encouragement and the passion in his soul transformed their lives, and ours as a result. After being shaken by the Gospel, they became open and willing to do whatever was necessary to spread the good news of Jesus and to take care of one another. {Acts 2:42-47}

That first Christian church in Acts had two goals: 1) Meet each other’s needs; 2) Take the message of the Gospel to the world. With these two goals they turned the world upside down.

Almost 2,000 years later, what are some ways you think our generation can turn the world upside down just like those early Christians did?