This morning Erica and myself had breakfast with some friends – go the bagels and coffee in Titirangi! We discussed what it means to be a Christian and share with others about our faith.

I found a common theme emerged that as a Christian, we are expected to live a life different from the masses. But how exactly do we appear differently? (Apart from when we gain enough courage to share with someone for a couple of minutes a month why we go to church on Sunday, or why we reckon evolution is a myth!)

During this talk I came to notice that we often think to be a Christian means to sneak Jesus (emphasis on the ‘sneak’) into a conversation in a ‘seeker friendly’ way. I too seem to live with a subtle underlying pressure to share Jesus, but is sneaking Jesus into a conversation somewhere ever going to be enough for me? And even if I do happen to sneak Him in, or win a conversation/argument with a Jehovah’s Witness at my door – will that make me feel that I have appeased my ‘being a good disciple’ tension…?

No.

So I have concluded that I’m taking a break from sharing Jesus, ‘cos it hasn’t worked that well for me thus far. Instead I am going to focus on:
1. Loving the homeless people we work with weekly in a more holistic way (which may include praying for them – even when they are sick from too many drugs);
2. Serving others who I see using their gifts to bless and disciple others;
3. My gifts, which often includes discipling younger Christians, and lastly;
4. Doing what Jesus did rather than trying just to imitate what He spoke.

My theology may be a bit wack here, but I’m always open to criticism (constructive only!).

How to deal with what crashed away…

Walking along the beach lives scattered on the ground,
not a small footprint in the sand to be found.

The beach looks the same the sand and the water as well,
although life goes on, you would never tell.

House foundations sitting untouched,
everything else scattered around just as much.

I keep everything to myself, including the deep feeling inside;
the life of the village has had something die.

The world has forgotten what these people live every day,
thinking how it must of just all gone away.

The people are the same but their view has changed,
into something much different and very much strange.

They don’t go for an afternoon walk on the beach anymore,
so frightened of what might become of the shore.

So their lives have relocated into something way up high,
they cannot bear the pain of where their belongings now lie.

Not sure of how to get rid of this feeling,
the head is spinning, the mind is reeling.

In Apia:

• Spending time with kids and families in the children’s ward at Apia Hospital;
• Visits to four schools (preschool, primary, and college) to share testimonies, teach classes, and do practical work;
• Hanging out at a kid’s camp run by YWAM Samoa
• Prayer and rubbish clean-up around town

In Lepa and Saleapaga (the area worst-hit by the tsunami):

• Pouring a concrete foundation for a new fale with Habitat for Humanity
• Teaching three mornings at Lepa Primary school
• Sharing testimonies and stories at Lepa College
• Doing practical work to help a village chief rebuild his home
• Clearing tsunami rubble and repairing the roof of a beachfront fale partially destroyed by the wave

1. Youth cannot do anything worthwhile anyways.

2. The money spent on short term outreaches could be better used elsewhere.
True. But only if you have a limited view of God’s resources. I can see how in the past some teams could have put more of their $$ into other things and been more effective, but the reality is that if the youth are not going on the trip, they are massively more unlikely to fundraise and save to the same amount that the youth who are going on the trip would do. It is also great seeing the older relatives and community of the youth join in and support both prayerfully and financially.

3. Our community needs God just as much as they do!
True.  Everyone needs God, one as much as the other, black, white brown – it does not matter. In the long term however, a team of youth that travels out to do a short term trip is 10 times more likely to start something back in their community once they return, than a team of youth who stay back. Those numbers are a conservative conclusion based on 5+ years of youth and mission work.

4. Nothing will be accomplished in 2 weeks.
False. All our teams work alongside long-term missionaries to serve practical and spiritual needs of the community they are based in. For example: One Water tank (built in two weeks) can provide 6000-8000 litres of fresh water that will bless a village of up to 500 people. Saving them from hours of work, strained muscles and backs from carrying water, numerous sickness’ such as campylobacter and dehydration.

5. Short term missions hinder long term missionaries.
All our contacts love short-term teams… (most of them anyways!!).  We work alongside pre-existing ministries to make sure there is follow-up after we leave and so that the work that is done contributes, and not detracts from work that our long term contacts are doing to bless and serve the nations they are in.

With all those excuses nailed, it’s time to do something about Matthew 28:19!

Last year during the season of Lent I went through a justice prayer calendar put on by these dudes out in the UK. Every day there was some info on an injustice and a way to get involved. I had also been going through 30 day’s of Prayer by the fine people at Photogenx. While I was going through it I had a thought that it was time for me to create my own justice prayer guide. This is when I had the feeling that something big was…

Click here for more

After 20 minutes I managed to grab some food (although the salad had been picked dry of olives), and as I was approaching my table I was accosted by the same young woman who I had seen “giving the evils” to the rowdy kids earlier. “Did you hear that flippin’ kids language!?” she stated. “Nah” was all I could say before hearing a minutes worth of obscenities communicated to me that had come out of a particular young girl’s mouth, and how irresponsible her parents must be. The young child was pointed out to me and although she looked familiar, I couldn’t help cracking up when I was told that this young three year old girl had told one of the other kids to “Shuddup or she would get the bash!”. “I just don’t think a girl that young should even know what the ‘F’ word is!” I was told before I moved on. As I sat down, I saw (and heard) the young girl quite articulately pronounce the ‘F’ word more than once and then saw her run to the door in excitement as her father entered the room. Again I had to laugh out loud ( lol ) but this time it was because this child’s father is actually the pastor of a local church I know.

Ends up there is a reason this child has bad language and it does have a lot to do with the parents – but not in the way you think. You see these pastors have moved from the ‘nicer’ parts of Auckland to the poorest part to serve God and love their community. They have not only decided to serve the people God has called them to, but they have moved their family to live in the neighborhood. They are now fully integrated into the community and their children go to the local preschool, so it’s no wonder they come home with some colourful expressions! I am sure this is just a small part of the sacrifice this family has had to make here. Another friend of mine once asked this young girl about her doll. As my friend was being told all about the doll she was surprised to hear that the doll’s father was in prison. In what world do young three year old girls know that fathers are in prison and the mother stays at home to look after the children? That world is not many minutes drive from where I currently live, and that world is sadly becoming more a part of the world in which we all live. But, do we want to be a part of the solution? That’s the question.

What a powerful testament to living out Gods calling! Can you imagine the flak that these parents must get at Christmas or other family holidays? What would your parents say if you came home with some new vocab after playing at the local pastors house? Somehow in a weird way I reckon Jesus probably cracks up too when he hears these things. I also reckon he has a huge smile when he looks down and sees this pastor and his family loving the community that they are in so much, that at times they may get a bad name from it.

So, ‘Should three year olds know the ‘F’ word?’… I’ll let you decide. I did however tell the young woman that the reason behind that three year olds language was that there is a deep sacrificial love for the lost… maybe more three year olds should know the ‘F’ word and this world would be a better place!

(Part of the genius marketing of ’100% pure’ New Zealand which has increased NZ tourism, despite the tourism worldwide trend which has declined throughout the recession.)

So, on the Sunday morning I arrived at a lodge in Newton to see a group of people hanging around outside having a cigarette in the early morning sun. This is the type of lodge that has people come straight from prison, and also houses those who are substance dependent – despite the sign on the road saying that it provided “tourist and backpacker accommodation”! After hearing their conversation about who got the most smashed the night before, and who in the lodge had the biggest “domestic”, I was introduced to the three guys I was going to take to church. They all confessed that they hadn’t been to church since a funeral last year, but they wanted to come early to attend the service and then stay for the free feed afterward. I found more than one of them a bit intimidating, but we warmed to each other quickly.

Driving to church, and just before turning onto Newton Road, we were held up by “GUCCI”. A middle aged woman driving a Mercedes coupe with a soft top, and to top it off of course with “GUCCI” as the personalised plate. She had not moved for a whole green light so I got out and approached her to find out what was wrong. Winding down her window, I was accosted by the excess of fragrance and found out her car was broken down. I told her I had three friends who could help her out, to which she reluctantly accepted.

As I informed the guys in my car, I was surprised that they were so keen to help this lady who clearly had too much money to play with. As they all shuffled out of my car and proceeded to push “GUCCI” across the road and down onto a side street, I was reminded of Ants talking about how God has an upside-down kingdom. Here were three people with barely a cent to their names, who needed a free meal, pushing a car whose owner’s perfume probably cost more money than they had seen in a long while. The funny thing was that I seemed to have more prejudice towards this lady than what they did… I blame my mood on the perfume though, it irritated my sinuses!

Somehow there was something so beautiful in watching these three guys push that ridiculously expensive car and its owner across the street, which is why I captured it on camera. In the Bible it talks about how true religion is one that comforts the widows and the homeless and the poor. I wonder if God wants us to spend time with these people because it’s actually beneficial for us as Christians.

I enjoyed that church service so much! Surrounded by people who didn’t know the social rules of church, talking over the top of the pastor’s sermon, motioning throughout the sermon to go out back and have a cigarette, and then eating food afterward, discussing methadone, heroin and broken families. Somehow that refreshed my soul. I think it’s a step closer to how Jesus would have done things.

Basically, City Lights is a non denominational movement that gets young people involved in serving their communities in a practical and loving way.  In the past we have helped out with CYF’s initiatives, women’s homes, low decile schools and foster care – doing things like painting, cleaning, running community fun days, and DIY.  The event is held over the weekend of March 5th and 6th. If you are in Auckland over this weekend and are thinking about getting involved I would urge you to do so.  There are plenty of areas of need around our city and this is a safe and effective way to serve needs in a practical manner.

The Bible talks about ‘true religion’ as being one that serves the needs of the widows and the orphans – people that could do with a helping hand, and so often we as Christians are thinking, “How can I get closer to God?” Well the answer is quite clear in my opinion. These two objectives meet at the same point when Jesus says, “Whatever you have done to the least of these, you have done for me”.