Romans 12:2

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Kenya 2016

Ephesians 2:10English Standard Version (ESV)

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.



Charlie recently got home from Kenya, Africa on a mission trip with Catalyst for Africa.  He has once again been blown away by God, and all that He has created.  Charlie got to see some amazing country and animals, some he had never even heard of before, such a wonderful experience.



Here's the thing that blows my mind, our God is such an amazing creator that is infinitely more amazing than we will ever comprehend.  It will literally take us an ETERNITY to discover the wonder and the Glory of our God.  But what just kills me, is in all His amazing creation, the thing that is most dear to his heart, is his children and His relationship with them and their relationships with one another. 

He loves us, He created us, and He isn't up there in heaven biting his nails to see if we can get it right or if we can
 perform or produce
 stuff for Him.
 He cares about the process, the relationship with us, and us with each other.  
We measure success in numbers and productivity,
 God measures success by
"produce"
 as well, but the produce He looks at, is fruit, the fruit of the spirit, which is; 
 LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS,
 and
 SELF CONTROL.

We can be the best people,
 (by human standards)
 best moms and dads,
 kids and students,
 workers and bosses,
 if we measure with what WE do, and what WE produce on the outside,
but if we don't have 
JESUS
 producing and working on the inside
 it all for
 NOTHING.

The people we are doing all that good stuff with and for in our home and around the world,  will not  be helped at all if we 
don't speak the truth and tell all who can hear about
 Jesus.
Jesus is the best and most important part of any good deed or good work.
All our good works will burn up in the end, but if 
 JESUS
is the center of it all, it will last for eternity.

1 Corinthians 3:11-13(ESV)

11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.

Here is just a small glimpse of what God does....he brings 3 guys from totally different parts of the country, with totally different lives, families, jobs, and life experiences to come together and go to a country in Africa, and teach in a leadership conference, to love, and encourage, and teach leaders in Kenya and a few from Uganda.


  How does this happen??
  God is a good good  Father, and all we need in common we already have thru HIM, 
LOVE AND FAMILY,
We don't need to have to have anything else in common, in fact when you only hang out with people that look and act like us, we are missing some of the greatest blessings life has to offer.


I'm sure there's a more "efficient" way, in the world's standards,of doing the things these guys did, but there is no other way to develop a relationship than to take the time to 
talk and listen,
laugh and cry,
teach and learn,
and
 eat and drink together.
This is what Jesus modeled for us, this is his example.
 God could have taken a giant Bible and threw it at us from heaven and told us to read it and live by it and wished us good luck and see ya later,
 but instead He sent the WORD in the flesh.

John 1:14English Standard Version (ESV)

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

After all that Charlie had gotten to see and learn and share, it was once again the relationships and the people and their stories of how God pursued them all in different ways to bring them to where they were at that particular moment.
  His heart has been challenged and changed once again to how great our God is.

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