Rewind. Pause. Push Play. Identity crisis solved.
October 17, 2011 – Aaron Bird
Rewind: Identity. This word has been giving people headaches for centuries. It’s what defines you; it’s who you are. It’s what some people spend their whole lives looking for. According to the Oxford Dictionary identity is the very definition of intuitive: it’s the fact of being who or what a person or thing is, which pretty much says that your identity is you. Yet, we walk around, hanging our heads, full of passion and pain, desperately asking everyone and everything around us for direction. We ask them to do what proves too difficult for us to do on our own; we ask them to define us, to tell us what is at our core. We ask “Where do I fit in? Where am I not wanted? How valuable am I? How insignificant? What 
purpose do I serve? Where do I fall short? Who am I?” Their answers, however, trap us in a dangerous cycle; they always leave us unsatisfied, which is why we keep asking. Mankind is going through a major identity crisis. It won’t end until we stop asking everything and everyone, and start asking The One.
You want to know who you are?
You are God’s child.
If you’re looking for your identity, that’s it right there, in all of its mysterious, awe-inspiring grandeur: you are God’s child.
There are a couple of things at the center of our identity crisis…
The process of elimination: Even when we feel like we don’t know exactly who we are, we can almost always say something about who we’re not. I am not as smart as him; I am not as pretty as her; I am not as successful as her; I am not as kind as him, etc. There’s a much more scientific, intellectual name for this, but at its core, it’s a process of elimination, similar to the test-taking technique we’re all so familiar with (well, it’s not A or C…). The flaw here, is that it’s completely destructive. Whether it’s intentional or not, you are putting yourself in direct competition with those around you in an attempt to prove you deserve to exist and have value. But, how can you prove that you have value if your your evidence rests completely on all of the things you are not – all of the things you are “missing?”
Belief that actions are your identity: The world around us is constantly saying that what you do is inherently who you are. If you teach, you’re a teacher; if you preach, you’re a preacher; if if you write, you’re a writer; if you farm, you’re a farmer; if you run, you’re a runner; if you succeed, you’re a success. But, the problem here is that what you do is inherently who you are, even when those things are not positive… If you cheat, you’re a cheater; if you lose, you’re a loser; if you quit, you’re a quitter; if you fail, you’re a failure. So, then, if you win the spelling bee, but fail an exam, who are you: a winner or a failure? Or do they cancel out, meaning you are nothing at all?
Take a look at what Paul has to say about our identity crisis:
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. Galatians 3:26-29
You see, the truth is, you don’t have to impress anybody. You already have an identity: you are God’s child. And since you are incapable of impressing God, any efforts spent trying to assert your claim to this identity, to prove you are somehow worthy of it, are in vain. You can’t prove anything, which is why God made it so you don’t have to. You belong to God, and you can either embrace that truth, or run from it.
We struggle with this concept because we are constantly looking inward and outward, and never upward. But, the more you get yourself out of the way – the more you let Him have you – the more truly yourself you become. Once your life belongs to Christ, you are completely clothed in this new identity. You have nothing left to prove, because in Christ you have value; you have significance. When you are sure of God – who He is and what He has promised – you are sure of yourself. Our value comes from being loved by the Lord, and our identity is firmly rooted in who God is. Since God never changes, His love never changes, which means that our value never changes. Your importance on this earth never depreciates. You are God’s child.
That is the Gospel. He never changes, so who you are never changes. Again, you can embrace it, or you can run from it, but that doesn’t change it. Do you know who you are?
Pause: Even if it makes you feel silly, read these things out loud. Make them a part of your prayer life today. Write them down. Repeat them to yourself as your falling asleep. Internalize this truth: I am God’s child. We all need a paradigm shift. We all need to see ourselves as God sees us.
I may be angry; I may be happy. I may be big; I may be little. I may be dark skinned; I may be light skinned. I may eat desert first; I may not eat much at all. I may be gorgeous; I may need a little makeup. I am God’s child.
I may love politics; I may hate politics. I may be introverted; I may love people. I may have a job; I may be unemployed. I may like a cold of cup of lemonade; I may like a nice glass of wine. I may marinate and sauté; I may overuse my microwave. I may get straight A’s; I may not remember the last time I got an A. I am God’s child.
I may be single; I may be married. I may like rap; I may only listen to Stephen-Curtis Chapman. I may make lots of money; I may barely make ends meet. I may like dogs; I may like cats. I may have children; I may not have children. I may like pricy lattes; I may only drink tap water. I may have a police record; I may live in fear of taking risks. I am God’s child.
I may have a plan for my life; I may be clueless. I may be successful; I may be struggling. I may be popular; I may always sit by myself. I may believe in global warming; I may think it’s a hoax. I may kiss on the first date; I may wait till marriage. I may like soap operas; I may not own a TV. I may appreciate real books; I may own a kindle. I am God’s child.
I have value. I have worth. I have significance. I am accepted. I am known. I am loved. I have nothing to prove. I am God’s child.
Push Play: 
Brokenness stems from a grand misunderstanding of ourselves and of the world around us. Lifetimes are wasted in search of abstract answers to concrete questions; we deny simple, clear-cut truths in search of something big enough to fill the void in our souls. We’ve removed certainty from everyday life, preferring the comfort of confusion – no one’s wrong; everyone just has a slightly different, possibly valid, interpretation. In so doing we have made living much harder than it needs to be. We have convinced ourselves that our identities are complicated and intangible and vague and indefinable.
The problem isn’t that our identities are hidden or intrinsically complicated; they’re not even all that abstract. The problem is that we are trying to recreate something that already exists. Ironically, we end up denying our true selves in a vain attempt to find our true selves.
We haven’t always had an identity crisis. The modern concept of individual identity is a relatively new idea – most scholars agree that term and the idea it embodies is probably only a few centuries old. In our efforts to understand the world, to embrace reason, to question and critique and doubt, either to find truth or simply for argument’s sake, we have confused ourselves. We are constantly mistaking lies for truth. “The unity of the self was not a problem so long as the traditional Christian conception of the soul held sway…”* but when we decided God wasn’t necessarily God, when we decided the Gospel was just a nice story, when we relegated Christianity to nothing more than a placeholder – a satisfactory explanation only until the ‘real’ truth can be found… that’s when we lost sight of our identity.
It’s okay to question, and it’s even okay to doubt, but let those questions drive you closer to God, not farther. Don’t believe the lie that man-kind has progressed past the need for God. We will never not need God, and we will never be ourselves without God. If you feel lost, this is what you’re missing.
Your identity is mysterious, but it’s not a mystery. Your identity is beyond comprehension, but it’s not out of reach. Your identity was bought at a high price, but it was freely given to you. Your identity will not be found in this world; it resides above. Your identity is who you are. And who you are, is a child of God.
Much Love,
Taylor
*Gleason, Philip. “Identifying Identity: A Semantic History.” The Journal of American History. 911 (1983): 910-931. http://www.jstor.org.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/stable/1901196
We have to drink Water to give water.
October 10, 2011 – Aaron Bird
Sorry for the temporary hiatus last week… we had a somewhat unconventional service (an interactive discussion about some of the fundamentals of Christianity) that didn’t really lend itself to a written format. This week, too, was a little different, so you won’t find the same “Rewind. Pause. Push Play.” segments, instead you’ll just get my take of Bird’s message. This week was about being convicted, being called to action. This week was about sacrificing for the good of our brothers and sisters around the world who are dying each and every day. This week was about drinking Water so we can give water…
Nobody likes infomercials. They’re long, they’re overdramatic, and they’re always trying to get you to do something… usually that something is “Call right now to place your order and receive our special bonus prize!” To make matters worse, the product they’re selling is typically unnecessary, overpriced, and poorly made. Nobody likes infomercials because they attempt to trick you, and sometimes guilt you, out of your hard earned cash.
You know what people like even less than infomercials about the latest and greatest quadruple-use kitchen appliance? Christian infomercials. You know the ones I’m talking about – there’s the guy or gal 
dressed in a simple pair of shorts and old t-shirt holding the most adorable child ever standing in the middle of a dirty, dusty street asking you to please do for the least of these. Now, it’s not that we, as viewers, don’t support the mission of the charities behind these advertisements, nor do we aim to scoff at those among us who choose to pick up the phone and donate the much needed funds to drum up food, medicine, and clean water for our brothers and sisters in need. Quite to the contrary, we’re all for someone else answering the call to make a sacrifice on the behalf of a stranger, and we’re definitely all for Christians, in general, stepping up to change the world. Yep, we’re all completely, one-hundred percent on board with sitting in our living rooms and praying for Christians to become the active hands and feet of Christ all over our broken world. And yet, whenever those commercials come on, most of us promptly change the channel. You see, the problem isn’t that we’re against the vision behind these Christian infomercials, it’s quite simply that we don’t like feeling convicted.
The trick there, of course, is that if are seeking to live our life apart from conviction by avoiding it at every possible turn, then we can’t really call ourselves Christ followers, can we? After all, everything Christ does convicts.
So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. Now he had to go through Samaria. John 4: 3-4
Looking at a map, this journey makes sense; of course Jesus would go through Samaria to get from Judea to Galilee – it’s a straight shot. But, culturally speaking, this was a radical concept. No Jew chose to go through Samaria; instead, if you wanted to go north from Judea, you first went east, crossed the Jordan river, then traveled north, then crossed the river again and went west until you reached your destination. The Samaritans were half-breeds, social outcasts, a constant reminder of a violent, shameful past (when the Asyrians invaded, they killed many of the Israelite men, but kept and copulated with the women, creating a new cultural mix of people, with whom the Jews did not associate).
The significance of Jesus’ choice to go through Samaria has less to do with correcting nonsensical travel habits and more to do with irradicating hateful, divisive social prejudice. That, in and of itself, ought to be convicting. There are plenty of people we avoid on a daily basis because they seem “less-than” the kind of people we think we should be hanging out with. Who are the people in your life that you avoid? Do you do so because being with them leaves you feeling just a bit dirty? Do you think that’s what Jesus wants you to do? Where or who is your Samaria?
Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” John 4: 6-7
Once again, to our twenty-first century minds, this doesn’t necessarily strike us as odd, but, again, this was a big deal. It was high noon when Jesus and the Samaritan woman were at the well together… no one drew water at high noon! They’re in the middle of Samaria, which is a hot, dry country, and noon is the absolute hottest part of the day; typcially, women would only make the trip to and from the well in the early morning or the evening hours, when the sun was less harsh. Also, they would generally go in groups to pass the time and strengthen community. The only reason, then, that this woman would be at the well at noon would be if she were a social outcast, either forced out or too ashamed to join with the other women.
Also, Jesus is a Jewish man talking to a shamed Samaritan woman (three strikes against her, by the way), and He’s asking her for a drink! Jesus, a Jewish man and the one, true God, is asking this poor, wretched woman for a drink. Jesus doesn’t hesitate or avoid; He doesn’t avert His eyes or maintain a holier-than-thou attitude (despite His having every right to do so). No, instead, He acknowledges her presence and strikes up a conversation. He validates her existence.
Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you Living Water.” … The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” John 4: 10, 15
The Samaritan woman probably would have benefited from reading through a written transcription of this conversation, especially if it included the tell-tale capitalizations. Here you have yet another example of Jesus’ wondrous rhetorical skill – His incredible ability to manipulate words and stories so that they take on ground-shattering significance. When Jesus makes mention of this Living Water (which He later explains would forever eliminate her thirst), He is no longer speaking of water (H2O); He’s speaking about Himself. She, of course, doesn’t understand – how could she; this is a pretty radical concept. All she’s thinking about is the hours she spends each day walking to and from the well just so she can draw water; how tired she is when she reaches home again; and how she has to do it all over again the next day. When she asks Him for “this water” she still thinks He’s talking about liquid water – that He’s got some sort of magic, self-replenishing water that will get rid of her lonely, shameful journeys to the well.
We know, of course, that the water Jesus is speaking of is not liquid, but grace, and the life it brings isn’t corporeal, it’s spiritual. Jesus is the Living Water, and those who come to know and trust in Him will never thirst again – they will be eternally satisfied.
The woman said, “I know that Messiah [called Christ] is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am He.” John 4:25-26
She’s not disagreeing with what Jesus is saying, she just doesn’t understand. She’s confused and probably feeling a bit convicted (because Jesus did just finish calling her out on her five husbands), but she’s not willing to act yet. Instead, she simply repeats what she already knows to be true: The Messiah is coming and He will explain everything when He gets here. He’ll tell me what to do and how to live and where to find this magic water. He’ll make it so I don’t have to live under this shame any longer. Jesus listens patiently, but when she’s finished speaking, He wastes no time in setting her straight: I am that Messiah, and I have explained it to you. I am the Living Water; I can make it so you are never lacking again.
Are you lacking? Do you have the Living Water?
We have a water crisis on our hands. For most of us here in America, living in the twenty-first century means having indoor plumbing, satisfactory sanitation systems, and clean water at your finger tips, but to many of our brothers and sisters in other countries, ‘the twenty-first century’ has little baring on the modernization of their culture. In countries like Rwanda, women walk, on average, three miles a day to get water for themselves and their families, and the water they get isn’t even clean. That means two months of these women’s lives each year are spent transporting water. This substance is supposed to be life sustaining, but, instead, it often brings sickness and death. So, why go to all this work? Well, it’s obvious really; because you need it. Without water, people die.
Over 884 million people do not have access to clean drinking water, and 5,000 children die each day due to water related diseases, many of which are completely preventable. The question, then, is this: Would you dink this water? If not, why should they?
Without clean water, people die. People are dying. We have a water crisis.
So, why do we have a water crisis? Because we have a Water crisis. Everyone is thristy for something, and everyone spends painful hours toiling away trying to find the thing they believe will relieve their thirst. But if we only had Living Water, we would never thirst again.
Read that again slowly: If we only had Living Water, we would never thirst again.
What I mean to say is that if we have Jesus in our lives, we are never lacking. He always provides. Our cup is always full. Even when we don’t see it that way. He provides for all of our needs, physical and spiritual (like it says in Matthew 6, if He takes care of the wild flowers and the birds, how can we not trust that He will take care of us all the more?). And, as if that idea isn’t radical enough, I believe that if we have more Jesus in our lives – if we welcome Him in and allow Him to reign over all our thoughts and actions – we can irradicate physical thirst too.
Each year, 2.2 million people die as a result of contaminated drinking water; that’s 20 jumbo jets full of people that effectively crash. Each day. If those were literal jumbo jets, people would be up in arms across the world; there would be committees and civil action groups working to prevent the tragedy from continuing; there would be groups of people claiming a conspiracy. There would be an overwhelming sense of conviction. We would want to act.
We need to act. Real people are dying. This is not a joke or an exaggeration; this is reality.
We have a water crisis because we have a Water crisis. Followers of Christ are changing the channel, averting their eyes, avoiding Samaria, and refusing to acknowledge a world of people strugglilng to survive. We need to start watching those Christian infomercials and embracing that feeling so similar to guilt and calling it by its true name. We need to be convicted. We need to follow Jesus’ example and walk to the well in Samaria, sit down beside it and meet people there. We need to drink Water to give water.
At the well is where the world changes; it’s where sanctification, justification, and transformation happen. Life happens at the well, but it’s messy, which is why we’d rather sit on our couch or in our pew and say a silent prayer rather than taking action.
You will never be held accountable for the number of bible verses you committed to memory or the number of worship songs you sung. But you will be held accountable for what you did, or didn’t do, at the well. You are here for such a time as this – there are no more excuses. Take action. Drink Water to give water.
Much love,
Taylor
Join the 10 Days Campaign. Across the nation, college students are giving up all drinks other than water for the next 10 days (Oct. 10 – 19th) and donating all of the money they would have spent to Living Water International, which will take the proceeds and build wells in Rwanda, providing thousands of people with clean, safe drinking water. Be a part of the change.
Rewind. Pause. Push Play. His rules remove your chains.
September 26, 2011 – Aaron Bird
Rewind: God’s will for you is not that hard to figure out. It’s not hidden or cloaked in mystery. There is no maze, no one, right path for you to take to get God’s best for you. Despite what you may have been told, God doesn’t try to trick you or rely on your correct interpretation of His promptings… when He speaks, He SPEAKS, and when He acts, He ACTS. Stop making your life more complicated than it has to be.
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence… 2 Peter 1:3
God has given you everything you need.
His plan for you is written down. It’s been around for thousands of years, and millions of people have already read and lived it. He has placed His plan for you on your heart, and He has made it evident in the world around you: For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. Romans 1:19-20. He even went so far as to nail His will on a cross for the whole world to see.
His will is for you to be with Him.
Stop stressing out about what God’s will is and live your life in pursuit of Jesus.
That being said, God has called His children to live differently than everyone else…
And I [Christ] am no longer in the world, but they [God’s people, those who keep His word] are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as We are one… They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. John 17:11, 16
And because He knows we aren’t so good at figuring out how to live well without help, He has set out some rules… and this is where people get tripped up.
No one likes that word ‘rules.’ Secretly, or maybe not so secretly, we’re all rebels at heart, and we view rules as the strings that hold us back and keep us from being completely free. But that’s a lie. His rules don’t limit your freedom, they remove your chains.
God loves you. And because He loves you, He wants you to be with Him. And because He wants you to be with Him, he wants to protect you from the things that could hurt you – the things of this world that could keep you from being with Him. He wants to set up a hedge of protection around your life. That’s what his rules are: a hedge of protection.
It’s the same logic that drives a loving dog owner to fence in his backyard. You want your dog to be free to roam around, investigate, and explore, to experience joy, challenge and growth, but, at the same time, you want to make sure that they’re safe, so you put up a fence to ensure that they’re exploration doesn’t end up killing them. The difference here is that a dog owner wouldn’t set up a fence and then leave the gate open… God not only loves us enough to give us freedom within his hedge of protection, but He loves us enough to give us the choice to leave.
If the dog/fence analogy isn’t working for you, think about it as living within the circle. Circles have no beginning and no end, and they are often used as a symbol of perfection and infinite love (think, wedding rings). Within the circle God has established for His people, we are each a piece of divine art; works-in-progress, no doubt, but art nonetheless. Inside the circle we are being sculpted and perfected; we’re becoming who we were meant to be. Inside, we’re made beautiful. Outside, we’re less than what our maker intended.
Sometimes, despite the inherent perfection within the circle, our sinful, impatient hearts tempt us to leave. We decide that we’re tired of letting God continue to sculpt our raw materials into something that looks more and more like Him. We tell ourselves we’re bored of living by the rules; we want to be our own master and live how we think is best. But the truth is, we leave the circle not because we’re bored, but because we can’t handle just how much God loves us.
Love, true love, the kind of agape love God has for us, is not interchangeable for kindness; it doesn’t mean constantly holding your hand or making every decision for you, and it certainly doesn’t mean telling your you’re great when you’re not. Love is exacting; it’s precise. Love points out where you’re falling sort, and encourages you to seek out Something to make you better. It boils down to what C.S. Lewis called the “intolerable compliment:” God loves you just the way you are, but He absolutely refuses to leave you that way.
God’s love is intense and unrelenting, and it pushes you to be more than what you are. It pushes you to be more like Him.
We get stuck in self-constructed mazes when we start to fixate on what we get worked up about because, often, it’s not what God gets worked up about, and we don’t understand why God isn’t getting worked up enough about what we’re worked up about to give us a direct answer about what we should do about what we’re worked up about. (See how that kind of logic can drive you crazy?) The thing is, God’s worked up about you: about who you are and who you’re becoming. His focus is extremely internal and that doesn’t always mesh with our external concerns.
When you’re living within the circle, respecting the hedge of protection God has established around your life, you always know where God is, even when you can’t see Him, and that gives you the freedom to roam, to decide, and to investigate without risk of endangering your soul. When you’re in the circle, you’re walking with Jesus, and life is good. Even when life is hard, it’s good.
Pause: God knows you and cares for you and has taken the time to explain how you can live a life of righteousness – one that is pleasing in His sight. With God, life is good. No matter what.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23
Push Play: “The thing is, God’s worked up about you: about who you are and who you’re becoming.” That truth should be incredibly humbling, and probably a little bit terrifying. The fact that God’s worked up about you is a big deal, and I can’t help but think that if the God of the universe is worked up about little, insignificant me, shouldn’t I be equally worked up about Him? God doesn’t need me, He doesn’t need any of us, but He wants us. He wants us so much He died for us. How can we even begin to understand that?
Yes, God is accessible and relatable and He wants you to approach Him, but we need to remember that He is also LORD. He’s powerful and holy, and while we are incapable of giving Him the kind of praise, reverence, and respect that He deserves, we still ought to try. He loves us. We should honor Him.
Much love,
Taylor
Rewind. Pause. Push Play. About that ‘divinely inspired’ hunch…
September 19, 2011 – Aaron Bird
Rewind: The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai: “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” Jonah 1:1-2
So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them… so make yourself an ark of cypress; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it…” Genesis 6:13-15
When the LORD saw that he [Moses] had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses! … I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob… I have come down to rescue them [the Israelites] from the hand of the Egyptians… so, now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring My people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” Exodus 3:4, 6, 8, 10
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid… This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:8-10, 12
As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him. Matthew 9:9
The bible makes it very clear: when God wants to get your attention, especially when He’s calling you to take action, He is anything but subtle. He uses storms and giant fish, world-consuming floods, burning bushes that speak, plagues of frogs and locusts, and angels singing His praises. And Jesus. So, then, why is it that even though the bible gives us every reason to believe that God is loud, we say “it’s God’s will,” when our only justification is a gut feeling or an inspired hunch? (*This is when the crowd shouts, “we just know; we can feel it.”)
The idea that these “little hunches and promptings I feel deep down in my heart/stomach/toes/nose/etc are God’s way of revealing His will to me,” is just as biblically sound as the whole “He has one, unique, detailed blueprint for my whole life” idea. In other words, it’s just not supported by scripture. Try as you might, you’re not gonna find an example of a Godly man/woman/child who relied on their intuition, no matter how finely tuned it may have been, to discern God’s will for their life. And when you think about it, the reasons why are kind of obvious…
Gut feelings give you all the power in the relationship… God made us and has been dealing with us for a LOOONNGG time; He’s well aware that we’re clueless and stubborn and generally unobservant. Do you really think that He would rely on your correct interpretation of a gut feeling every time He wants to communicate with you? *BTW: we’re not talking about feelings of peace, comfort, or conviction here; think major-life-choices and calls to action.*
On that same note: inspired hunches effectively eliminate the need for accountability… Who’s going to call you out or caution you about acting on a calling from the Lord? If it’s God’s will, it’s God’ will, and who am I to tell you differently, right? See below for the inherent problem here.
Relying on subtle promptings and signs tends to get you what you want… When we start interpreting feelings and looking for signs, we can find whatever we want to find. It’s like looking at one of these cool optical illusions, as soon as you think you know what you’re supposed to see, it’s hard to see anything else. Popular methods may include bible roulette, clearing your mind and attributing the next thought to God, or saying that if the next car you see is red you’ll go with option A, if it’s blue, option B, and if it’s another color, you get to play again.
OK, so now that we’ve established that our gut feelings aren’t always as legitimate as we’d like them to be, how do we, as Christians who want to follow God and listen to Him in all we do, go about making decisions? Well, first off, there’s an inherent flaw in our question. We need to stop thinking that “when faced with two or more good, moral alternatives, I must be careful to choose the ‘right’ one, because, of course, there’s always a ‘right’ one,” and embrace the
validity of equal options. When you’re presented with choices, assuming they don’t go against God’s moral will (which He has outlined pretty clearly in the bible), it’s an occasion to celebrate! God loves you; He wants the best for you, and because He loves you so much, He’s given you the freedom to make decisions! It’s not a punishment, it’s a blessing! With that in mind, maybe we don’t even need to ask that question (Lord, which should I choose?!?!) in the first place.
When you’ve decided to follow God, He gives you His best for your life, always. So, stop wandering around in circles, driving yourself nuts, and stressing out over whether or not God wants you to major in Biology or History, see you drive the blue car or the red car, or take a job in Texas or Maine. The Lord wrote you a letter explaining how to live your life in a righteous way (it’s 66 books long and probably sitting on a shelf or maybe hiding under your bed), so read it again and again, and seek to live your life in pursuit of Jesus.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t pray about the choices you make or the goals you set – God wants to be in relationship with you, and He wants you to recognize His sovereignty over all that you do – nor am I saying that, despite your prayers, God will remain silent. God does answer prayers – He has proven that time again – and through Christ, we can each have a personal relationship with Him, where we can be in constant conversation with each other. Like I said in the very beginning, God is loud, and when He wants to speak, He’ll speak. All I’m saying 
is that, the times when you pray and you don’t get an answer, maybe you’re asking the wrong question. And, when you’re so caught up in looking for a sign that you call your gut feelings God’s will, maybe the ‘right’ answer you’re looking for doesn’t really exist.
Maybe, just maybe, God answered your question and gave you that sign a long time ago, and now He’s pointing to the Gospel, to His Son on the cross and His resurrection from the grave asking, “Could this be any more clear?”
Pause: Next time you’re wondering what God’s will for you is, turn to the one source with all the answers… the bible.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2
As for other matters, brothers and sisters, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. It is God’s will that you should be sanctified… 1 Thessalonians 4:1-3
For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. 1 Peter 2:15-17
Push Play: It’s easier said than done. Knowing on an intellectual level that God doesn’t have one, unique, detailed blueprint for my entire life and that there isn’t necessarily a ‘right’ answer to every question is easy enough. It makes sense that, because I have given my life to Christ, God takes my decisions and uses them for His glory; after all, we still have free will even after we’ve declared Christ as our Lord. Therefore, I am capable of deciding for myself, and God has promised that He will be there for me and that He will use my life, including my mistakes, for His purposes.
Knowing this on an emotional level, however, is a little trickier. Humans are relational beings – we live in community, and we don’t tend to do well in isolation – and emotions are a big part of relationships. So, being told that I can’t always trust my emotions in my relationship with Christ is a little scary. But, again, it makes sense; emotions are extremely subjective. If I could completely rely on my emotions to accurately portray my relationship with Jesus, then that would mean the 
times that I feel far from God, as if I were walking in the desert, are times when Jesus has actually left my side, and I know that it is not true. Jesus is with us always, whether we want Him there or not, and whether we feel Him there or not; we are never alone.
Putting these truths into play in my life, however true and logical they may be, is ridiculously difficult sometimes. Trusting in God is hard (if you disagree, you probably haven’t really tried it). It can actually be a lot easier to get stressed out and worked up over what God’s will for 
you is in this or that situation than to trust that no matter your choice, God’s gonna be there, or at the very least, it feels safer. But, God’s will for us isn’t to stay safe or comfortable; it’s to follow Him, to trust Him, and to love Him, no matter the consequences. Trusting in God means we don’t have to do as much work – He means what He says, and you can’t miss what He says because He wrote it all down for you. Ironic, isn’t it, that it’s so hard to do something so easy?
Much love,
Taylor
Rewind. Pause. Push Play. Go find YADA.
August 29, 2011 – Aaron Bird
Rewind: What do you want? What do you wish you had? You probably don’t need more than a few seconds to come up with a whole list of things that you want: maybe it’s a car or a new computer or some cash. Maybe you’re more of a big-picture person and you really want world peace or the end of world hunger. Or maybe after a week of classes all you want is to pass your organic chemistry final this semester… But, what if, rather than another limited human being, God were the one asking you that question? Would your answer be any different? Would you be like Solomon and ask for wisdom?
… the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” Solomon answered, “…give Your servant a discerning heart to govern Your people and to distinguish between right and wrong…” The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this… [and said to him,] “I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart…” 1 Kings 3:4-6, 9-10, 12
In our culture, wisdom has become yet another watered-down term more likely to pop up in a conversation about the qualifications for Jeopardy contestants than in one about life goals. The problem with that is, quite simply, that wisdom and knowledge are not the same thing. Knowledge is information based; it’s quantifiable and, when you’re in college, it’s what earns you a degree. But, knowledge, despite what you may have been told, is not what prepares you for a life of success and happiness. Wisdom, on the other hand, is a way of living, of walking in grace and righteousness. Wisdom is relational knowledge that comes from a growing understanding of the Lord. Wisdom is like a tree:
Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she [wisdom] is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed… My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; they will be life for you… Proverbs 3: 13-18, 21-22.
In Hebrew, the word for wisdom, and therefore the word that embodies wisdom as a way of life, is YADA, and, as the book of Proverbs tells us, YADA is a big deal! So big, in fact, that it is compared with the Tree of Life. That tree is the reason why God sent cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the Garden of Eden, and it’s the same tree that John saw in his vision of Heaven baring twelve crops of fruit and covered in leaves of healing (Gen. 3:24, Rev. 22:1-2). The Tree of Life is precious and rare and God has seen fit to protect it and save it for His children; thus, the book of Proverbs is saying that in the same way that the Tree of Life provides an everlasting life with the Lord in Heaven, so too does wisdom offer us a way of walking closely with God during our life here on earth. Seeking YADA, a way of life with the Lord, is our purpose – it’s what this life is all about – and it effectively trumps all other endeavors.
Here’s a little YADA, courtesy of Aaron, to get you started:
Think ‘ripple effect’ before acting: Newton said it (every action has an equal and opposite reaction), Ashton Kutcher acted in it (The Butterfly Effect), John Donne penned it (“No man is an island entire of itself”), and your daily life affirms it: everything you do will eventually end up effecting someone or something else, so take a moment and consider the consequences, good and bad, before choosing anything.
Be smart about what you exchange your life for: Is what you did today, or what you’ll do tomorrow, worth exchanging a day of your life for, because that’s what you’re doing. Don’t waste valuable time on unworthy causes. Don’t be afraid to quit or change your mind. Make conscious decisions about what battles you’re willing to wage; don’t fight just because you can.
The grass may be greener over there, but it’s also covered in poop: (Ya know, because poop is fertilizer…) But, seriously, don’t spend your life wishing for what you don’t have. If you need it, God will provide it. If you don’t need it, then you really don’t need to spend time wishing you had it. When the world says everything you’re not is better than what you are, it’s generally a lie.
Unlearn things so you can continue to learn: When you start thinking you know everything, remind yourself that you don’t. God created a complex and mystifying world, and He’s the only one who has the luxury of spending even one day not learning.
Connect with more than a volleyball: Your name is probably not Tom Hanks, and you’re probably not stranded on a desert island, so Wilson (the volleyball) should probably not be your only friend. The only thing God ever deemed “not good” was man being alone, so go connect.
Be humble: If you’re thinking, “Check! Got that one covered,” then, I’m sorry, but you don’t. Everyone loves a humble person, they make other people feel good, and they often meet with success. Wise people are humble people (James 3:13).
‘I love you’ is the most profound thing you can say to someone: Love is so much more than what our mainstream culture says it is. It is something so much deeper, so much more meaningful, so much harder, and so much more complicated than what we are taught to believe. Love is a verb and a commitment, not just an emotion. Love changes everything.
Do something with Jesus Christ: The Gospel consists of the first four books of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John); it’s the Good News – the story of Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. After reading about Christ, you have to decide: either He was crazy, He was a liar, or He is Lord. The one thing you cannot decide is that He was “just a good teacher;” if you come to that conclusion, you missed something. Go back and read it again; pay attention to the claims He makes: He wasn’t pretending or exaggerating to make a point; He meant what He said, and you need to take Him seriously. He said He was sent by God the Father (Luke 4:16-21); He said He had the power to forgive sins (Mark 2:5, Luke 7:47-48); He said He would be beaten and killed, and on the third day, come back to life – He said He would conquer death itself (Matthew 16:21 and 20:18-19, Mark 8:31, Luke 18:31). So, what are you going to do with those statements? Some people bowed down and worshiped – those people were healed and forgiven – and some people chose to walk away in disbelief and hatred. What about you? Remember, Jesus predates “Christianity”, and God existed before time itself, so you should make your decision based on the Word of God, not on the things you’ve heard about “Christians” or “religion.” Read about Jesus for yourself, and then decide how you are going to react to the Son of Man: are you His disciple or are you a scoffer; are you for Him or against Him, because there is no in between.
YADA, it’s a way of life; it’s wisdom, not knowledge; it’s walking with the Lord; it’s like a tree; it’s precious; it’s a refuge; it’s what you should be looking for. Go find it.
Pause: If you’re interested in leading a Christ-like life, meaning one that is satisfying, righteous, holy, happy, challenging, and fulfilling, you should probably check out some of the pieces of YADA written by Solomon in the book of Proverbs. A few verses a day can bring about some pretty big revelations, and really change the way you live.
“Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you. She will set a garland of grace on your head and present you with a crown of splendor.” Proverbs 4: 6-9
“Wisdom has built her house; she has hewn out its seven pillars. She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table. She has sent out her maids, and she calls from the highest point of the city. ‘Let all who are simple come in here!’ she says to those who lack judgment. ‘Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.” Proverbs 9:1-6
“Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life.” Proverbs 22: 4
Push Play: So, you know how a square can be a rectangle (because a rectangle is a shape with four sides and four right angles), but a rectangle cannot be a square (because a square is a shape with four sides and four right angles, but all of its sides must be the same size)? Well, wisdom and knowledge have a similar relationship. Knowledge can be wisdom, but wisdom cannot be (just) knowledge…
Knowledge can be wisdom: it’s wise to be well-informed (“Wise men store up knowledge” Prov. 10:14). Human beings need doctors and engineers and writers and teachers and managers and leaders, and it’s very important that those people each know the information they need to perform well. In the same way, it’s wise to inform yourself about an 
issue before you choose your position, and to research your classes and professors when deciding what to register for each semester. Education is by no means a wasted endeavor; knowledge often plays a critical role in gaining wisdom. But…
Wisdom cannot be (just) knowledge: wisdom is something much bigger than just information. Wisdom is YADA; it’s a way of life. Wisdom may include knowledge, but it is not the equivalent of knowledge. Wisdom is a focused application of knowledge that serves to bring you into closer communion with the Lord. You may be the smartest person in the world, but if you don’t know Jesus – if you’re not living for Him and walking with Him and beleving in what He has said – then you’re not wise, you’re just really smart.
The comparison isn’t perfect, and I’m not even totally confident that I got the order right (maybe it should read “wisdom can be knowledge but knowledge can’t be wisdom”?), but I’m pretty sure you get what I’m saying. Educating yourself and earning your degree does not in and of itself make you a wise man or woman of God. Loving the Lord, reading, believing, and trying your best to follow His Word, spreading the Gospel, loving your neighbors, respecting your parents, worshiping Jesus – those things are what come together and begin the process of walking in wisdom.
Much love,
Taylor
Te[am] Iubesc: We’re all still processing…
Wednesday, August 2nd, 2011, Bolingbrook, IL.
I must have sat down to write this post at least twenty times this summer, and each time I’ve ended up staring at a blank screen or a blank page for at least twenty minutes before giving up…
I just keep thinking, “what is there that I could possibly say that could ever adequately describe and satisfactorily conclude a trip that, for so many of us, changed everything?” I am convinced that not even the most talented wordsmith around (let alone me) would be able to write something beautiful enough, deep enough, or complex enough to communicate the impact Tinca has had on the lives of Te[am] Iubesc’s members. And yet…
We have been home for nine weeks now; we’ve gone through the hundreds of pictures dozens of times; we’ve told stories to anyone and everyone who’s been kind enough to listen; and we’ve thought about and prayed for Rachel, Dave, Michelle, Urb, Abel, Samuel, David, Naomi, Alex, Simona, Calina, Maria, Florica, and Mariana each and every day. We’ve been home for nine whole weeks, and I think it’s pretty safe to say that we’re all still a bit heartbroken. I know am.
I’m heartbroken that I’m not currently spending my days digging holes and raking rocks and chopping wood and building showers and twirling kids and dancing with toddlers and holding babies in the sunshine and pushing kids on the swing as they shout “mai tare!” and learning firsthand from the amazing missionaries at the Isaiah Center.
I am still heartbroken, and I have a feeling I always will be. And that’s OK.
You see, I left a part of my heart in Tinca… I couldn’t bring Abel and Samuel home with me; I couldn’t promise Iza that I would definitely see her again; I couldn’t stay and protect Davina from her bubble-stealing peers in the gypsy village forever… on May 29th, I had to leave Romania and begin my journey home along with the rest of my team. (At one point, Dave “the Man” Truss joked about ‘misplacing’ our passports so that we could stay a little longer; he was kidding, but I am not ashamed to say that I seriously thought about it.)
I learned so much about myself, and about God in the two weeks I was abroad. I learned that I, too, am indeed an incredibly selfish human being capable of thinking entirely of myself even when surrounded by the glory of the Lord. I learned that as hard as it is to put on an attitude of humility here in the states, it’s even harder to not judge the young woman who removes her shoe and hits her child over the head with it just because he wouldn’t leave her alone. I learned that kids are kids no matter where they come from or how they were raised: little boys like bugs and dirt and little girls like twirling and painting nails. I learned that I can in fact sleep in the same bed I just saw a bug crawl out of, much in the same way that I can get
used to the smell of trash and human waste. I learned that I do not like eating sausage for breakfast, especially cold liver sausage; no thank you. I learned that language is not nearly the barrier to clear communication that it’s cracked up to be.
I came to understand more fully that true love is a commitment that has nearly nothing to do with emotion. More importantly, it is not just a commitment to the person you’re loving, but to the Lord; one that says, “God, I love You, and I trust You, and that is why I am choosing to act this way towards this person.” I came to understand more fully just how big our world is, and was subsequently confronted by the thought of just how big our God must be. I came to understand more fully that people matter, regardless of who they are, what they’ve done, 
or how they treat you. And, since I’ve been home, I’ve come to understand more fully what it means to be restless – I have been convicted to live out Christ’s love in an active, rather than a passive, way; I don’t want to sit and just love the people around me – those within arms reach – but I also want to get up and go out and love those who are hard to find, and even harder to hold on to.
I think I will always be a little heartbroken thanks to my time in Tinca, but the way I see it, heartbreak goes hand in hand with loving and serving the Lord. When Jesus looks at His church here on earth and sees the hurt and the brokenness and the depth of sin, I imagine His magnificent heart breaks. Therefore, if we, as Christ followers, are really called to live our lives in pursuit of a life that is more and more Christ-like – then our hearts must truly be broken for the things that break His. I am, and forever will be, so thankful for my broken heart, just as I will be eternally grateful for my time spent in Tinca.
To Te[am] Iubesc: Ben, Conner, Emily, Heather, Val, Kelly, Jonathan, Sarah, JP, J.D., Robbie, Justin, Steph, Alina, and Tyler, I love you all so much! I am so blessed to know each and every one of you, and I am so thankful to have shared this with you.
To all of our supporters: You were just as much a part of this trip as we were! You, be it through prayer or donation, joined us in being Christ’s hands and feet, and loving on people in desperate need of hope. We love you all!
Update: Upon leaving Romania, we were able to give Rachel and her team about $8,000 (see, told you our supporters were a HUGE part of our trip!!), which was used to place a down payment on a new, large, 
piece of property where Rachel plans to drastically expand her ministry! Once stateside again, Ben sifted through our receipts, and the team collected a few more donations, and, together, were able to send even more mula to Tinca! Since then, thanks to God’s divine love, power, and grace, Rachel has been able to purchase the new property outright!! That means that, in addition to the current Isaiah Center, she now owns a house large enough to accommodate teams our size and even a bit bigger, and the land on which to build a brand new Isaiah Center where she can take care of even more kiddos! AND, the current Isaiah Center can now eventually be transformed into a community center where young adults can go to learn productive vocational skills and further chip away at the cycle of abuse and oppression within the gypsy community! Rachel is truly a visionary, and it is obvious that God is not done with her, her ministry, or the Roma of Tinca! He has not, and will not forget or abandon His children!
Much love,
Taylor
http://www.youtube.com/user/illinoisaxiom#p/u/0/Vk7p2xdgGdI
Te[am] Iubesc: Reflections on the Voyage Home
I’m sitting here in a flying machine thousands of feet above you typing away on an iPad….crazy much? Well, I think so. (the idea of airplanes still freak me out, but that’s a story for another day). A couple things I found note worthy so far today…
1) Airplane food isn’t actually that bad. In fact, it’s pretty dang tasty and I really enjoyed my vegetarian option of spinach and cheese pasta. Do let not those trickster comedians tell you otherwise.
2) Airplane seats aren’t meant for 8 hour rides. Like, this is borderline torture, they should really look into getting the seats some better lumbar support, and not making me feel like I have the back of a fifty year old…( which may or may not be the case…still determining that possibility)
3) Heather brought along a HUGE kit of string for friendship bracelets, which occupied the majority of our two hour extended layover in Brussels. I’ve currently made 3 bracelets while heather has made 5 and is currently working on a twisted hair wrap that most 4th grade girls would sport for myself. We’ve gotten a few funny looks along side a very excited airline attendant asking us “girls” what we were doing to our hair…yes we are twenty and yes we are proud.
With five hours still left on the plane, I have a far amount of time to process the past two weeks of my life. It’s weird to say that in five hours I’ll be at the airport meeting my family. I’m excited to go home for the familiarity of it and for the much needed rest (not to mention seeing whole family again which hasn’t happened since Christmas). But it was hard to go. It’s hard to leave all the people and relationships behind. It’s hard to think about another team coming in to work with Rachel and Dave at the center and not have that team be mine. But it’s amazing that there are other teams going to share the workload. To share their love and their God given passions and to spur the ministry on. It’s amazing to think what all these other people can do to further Gods plan for Tinca. I’m sad to leave, but i know God did His work with us there and has a wonderful plan for the groups to follow.
So what so we do know? Where does that leave us? To me, there are a few things we can still do….We can remember. Remember the faces and the names of the forgotten people of Tinca. We can reflect. Reflect on their stories and how that has affected and shaped our own. We can pray. Pray for God’s will to be done and that He continues to work in and bless the people of Tinca. And we can share. We can share our story and our passion for this ministry and how it’s changed us, whether we really planned for that to happen or not.
I want to thank all of you for supporting and partnering us on this life changing journey. God has done some amazing, breathtaking, life changing things on this trip and we’re all so happy we could share this experience with you.
So much love,
Sarah
Te[am] Iubesc: All Good Things Must Come to an End
Sunday morning, we woke up prepared to leave our hotel in Tinca for the last time. We ate breakfast, took one last look around for loose belongings, and piled into the van for church. It’s hard to believe that our time in Tinca is over. We have accomplished so much in our time there; we have improved Rachel’s facility, played with kids in the village who may not get the chance to play everyday. We worked on fixing up the house of two very special little boys. And yet, our feelings leaving Tinca are bittersweet. We are proud to have accomplished so many wonderful things, but also know that there is still so much work to be done. Rachels vision is so big…we just hope we can continue to be a part of that vision and the bigger vision God has for Tinca.
We attended the same church that we went to last week, and then hit up McDonalds afterwards! After eating we had to say a difficult goodbye to Rachel, Dave, Iza, Michelle, Herb, Abel, and Samuel. For spending such a short amount of time in Tinca, we have come to see these people as our friends, and as people we care deeply for.
We loaded into the van and drove to Budapest. After a brief stop at the hotel to unload our bags, we headed out to see as much of Budapest that we could in our short time there. Our tour guide, Tibor, knew more about his city than anyone I have ever seen! We traipsed around Budapest and saw some beautiful sites. Budapest is a gorgeous city with a rich history. the weather was perfect, and we got to see the sun set over one of my new favorite cities. I will never forget standing on the bridge between Buda and Pest and looking over the Danube run through the city under a skyline and sunset that could take your breath away. What a fantastic reward for all the hard work we have put in on this trip.
Our day ended by returning to the hotel after dinner and packing up for our early morning flight to Brussels. This trip has been an amazing experience, with moments I will not soon forget. I feel blessed to have been a part of it. Thank you for supporting us, praying for us, thinking of us, and following us as we go. Bon voyage!
-Emily
Te[am] Iubesc: Clash of the Cultures
Saturday, May 28th, 2011 : Tinca, Romania. 11:45pm
We made it. Our last full day in Romania has come to an end, and what a day it was. Saturday brought with it naps, synagogues, markets, cats, and WWII, just to name a few. Our team ventured to the great city of Oradea today, and let me tell you, what an adventure it was. The day started off as any other day. I was awakened by church bells (an alarm set on JD’s iPad) and hopped in the shower. Breakfast was eggs and ham with toast and blueberry jelly. We headed over to the Isaiah Center to get Dave and then headed to Oradea. I enjoy long car rides because it leaves plenty of time for good conversations. The first stop of the day was at Selgros, a local grocery store comparable to a Sam’s Club. We were there for over an hour going around the store and trying to decipher Romanian products. A bunch of us bought candy and Frutti Fresh. After Selgros we packed all our goodies and drove into the city of Oradea. We were able to shop at the local market there. What an experience that was! It was essentially an open air market, with everything from shirts to food. I am always amazed at how cheap everything is here. Things that would normally be $40-$50 dollars in The States are $20-$30 dollars here. I think my favorite purchase made by our team at the market was Conner. He bought some euro-undies and sported them for us later that day. What happened next no one could have expected. So generally, when we all travel together, we take a mini bus so that we can all ride together. The driver drops us off and then usually parks somewhere and takes a nap while we do our thing. Well, this time, while the driver was napping, a cat snuck in and pooped ALL over the bus. It got on backpacks, on Frutti Fresh, on clothes, everywhere. The driver cleaned it up, but our bus still smelled like used diapers doused in cleaning products. It really wasn’t a big deal to us but our driver felt so bad and kept on apologizing. That is one memory most of us will always remember from the trip.
Next on our agenda was to walk around the city and do some shopping and sight seeing. This was my favorite part of the day because we got to learn a bit about the history of Oradea. The thing that got me the most, though, was how big of a presence WWII has in Eastern Europe. Talk about culture shock. That is one thing that has been one of the biggest obstacles to overcome. Most people that go on mission trips go through a culture shock, as most places are different then America. But we had to experience 3 different cultures, that of Tinca, Romania, which is a modest town, the gypsy village, which is below the poverty line, and Oradea, which is pretty nice, but has so much history behind it. With Oradea, most of the places we went to talked about the Holocaust and the Jewish people that lived (and died) there. We went by buildings that had been bombed or burned by Nazis. One building in particular that we went to was a Jewish Synagogue where hundreds of Jews met their end when Nazis stormed in and killed them. There were monuments all over the city to people (mainly Jews) that had died there. You just don’t get to see history like that in The States. I feel like a lot of times Americans take sympathy on situations for a little bit, but then forget about the travesties that happen over seas (Haiti and Japan to name a few). Having a thing like WWI being so present and alive in Oradea was jaw dropping. The influence WWII had on Oradea literally shaped the city. The city had 30,000 Jews living in it, but now it only has 300. The trip we took made me realize that things that happen around the world don’t just last as long as the media portrays it, but that these events shape cultures, shape cities, shape nations. We need to break out of the American bubble and stay connected with things happening around the world. We Christians should never stop praying for things. It is my hope that the lessons learned here in Romania stick with the team and I, and that we do not forgot about the things, good and bad, that go on here.
-Tyler Yount
(photos coming soon)
Te[am] Iubesc: The Final Countdown
Friday, May 27th, 2011 : Tinca, Romania. 11:45pm
This morning started off different than the others. Instead of heading straight to work, we began by giving some toys to the kids at the center. The etch-e-sketches were a big hit. The only thing that pulled them away from them was the candy. We had lots of fun blowing bubbles and dancing with all the kids. Those kids can really shake it!
Then it was time to go to the village to work on Abel and Samuel’s house. Right before leaving, Ben asked for a couple volunteers to do something. Sarah and I volunteered and it turns out that something was clearing a quite large patch of weeds, small trees, vines, and roots. We hacked and axed and pulled our way through. We flattened it! I was really glad I got to do this last task with Sarah since we had been paired up on other odd tasks on the trip. It turned out that the space that we cleared will become the space for the new addition onto the Isaiah Center! Meanwhile at Abel and Samu’s house, their hut was painted, the attic cleaned out, and a drainage pipe laid. We were both a little sad that we didn’t get to go to the village, but I just kept reminding myself that all of this is not about me, or what I want. All of this work is for God and for His glory.
Everyone came back to us for lunch, and after that we left to see the new building FMN is buying. It was awesome to hear Rachel talk about her plans for the place and the work that needs done. I just want to stay another two weeks and start building! Then we got to go see the elderly home that Mehai runs. It was great to see him in a different setting. He can be a little disgruntled at times, and all we’ve done is work, so I loved seeing him smiling and proud of the place and his new pigs.
Then came the rope swing. Everyone had fun, and the cold water felt great! I kind of failed on 2 out of three jumps, but even they were fun. I’m going to have to practice for when I come back! Then back at the center, our clothes stayed soaked as we played with the kids in the sprinkler, and the kids wore the new swimsuits we brought them. Simona was shivering with cold from playing so long but would not stop! The newly finished outdoor shower was tested, and it worked great.
Saying goodbye to all of the kids was sad, we have all learned their individual personalities and were just beginning to really bond with them and then it was time to take them back to the village for the last time. Since Sarah and I hadn’t seen Abel and Samu’s house yet, we got to go to take them home; but so many people wanted to go back we almost didn’t get to go again! Everyone loves these kids so much, and wants to see them to the last moment.
Back at the center, we got to relax, eat dinner, have team time, and watch a movie. We were able to enjoy a little bit of the work we’ve done these couple weeks. We all sat on the patio that was a pigsty, literally, at the beginning. We sat around a fire pit we dug, fueled by all the wood we cut and carried to the woodshed we built. There was a peace I felt there, knowing that more teams this summer are going to be worshipping there. I can’t wait to see pictures of this place at the end of the summer. If every team makes as many changes as we did, this whole town could look completely different! I can’t wait to keep up with the changes, and when I return sometime in the future, I don’t doubt Rachel and the whole FMN team will still be adding on and expanding this great ministry in Tinca, Romania.
– Valerie
Te[am] Iubesc: Never Alone
Wednesday, May 25th, 2011 Tinca, Romania 11:30pm
After an incredible Tuesday that saw Te(am) Iubesc really hit our stride, there was a lot of excitement going into today. It started with another punctual breakfast meeting followed by an encouraging devotional from Taylor and JD. The day continued with one of my favorite team building opportunities, the “buddy walk” to the Isaiah Center. The one-mile trek to and from the Center has come to be a great opportunity to get to learn more about, encourage, and uplift a teammate.
Once we arrived, some got right back to work on the previous day’s projects while others loaded up our donated shoes and headed into the village. Being able to give shoes to the families of the Isaiah Center’s children was an awesome experience. In total there were roughly 250 pairs distributed. They seemed to be very appreciative and for people who often walk on rock and glass filled ground without shoes, it was a much-needed gift. As Dave and the rest of the crew drove off, they said they could see a little girl holding up a large pair of men’s shoes that consumed her entire arms as she joyfully waved goodbye. A little confused about her size, but still grinning from cheek to cheek.
Robbie and I stayed behind in the village. The two of us have been working there alongside the father of two of Rachel’s children at the Center for the past few days now. His name is Adrian (pronounced Ah-dree-on) and he is actually a Christian man who shares a passion for building God’s Kingdom in the village. Our project has been creating brick outhouses.These will eventually be a great asset in an area set to be fenced off and used specifically for ministry purposes such as bible schools. Adrian also hopes to create a house of prayer in the village for people to safely gather for prayer and fellowship. It has been wonderful getting to know him better, coming to understand that a number of these parents do truly love their children, and being able to joke with him while at the same time helping to teach him some English.
After finishing the outhouses, we came back to an awesome lunch (complete with homemade doughnuts – a personal favorite of the team) and then headed out for our last day of bible school in the village. As always, we ran around with the children, tossed them in the air, spun them around, painted fingernails, kicked the soccer ball, and told them a bible story – all activities that the kids have come to know and love these past three days. However, as time went on, I could sense a feeling of uneasiness in some of them. One young boy in particular, Samuel, a child I’ve come to know well through both our bible schools and my time working in the village, began to hold on to me and was unwilling to let go. He’d always wanted to be by my side, but today, as he continually latched on to my leg, it was as if I could sense the fear in his heart in his knowing that our time was almost over. All that many of these children have ever come to know is neglect and abandonment. We as a team, have given our all in trying to show them the love of Christ, a love that does not abandon, but our time here is only temporary. That is why the ministry of Forget Me Not is so important. Teams may come and go, but it’s these incredible people who remain as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in Tinca, Romania. Their selfless work in helping to build long lasting relationships with these children and their families is such an integral part of vision God has given Rachel for His people, those cast aside by the rest of society. It’s such a privilege to be a part of that vision and to be able to share the love of Christ with these people, reminding them that they are never alone.
It was back to work once we arrived at the Center. Some painted the garden and playground while others began work on finishing the fire pit. This area will most likely be the site for some amazing fellowship as relationships continue to be built with the Roma (gypsy) families. The hope was to have the project finished by today, but in looking at our remaining materials it appeared that goal would be near impossible to reach. Still, the group pressed on hoping the get as much finished as possible with what we had. What transpired was nothing short of a God-given miracle. The entire patio was cemented and project completed using literally our very last ounce of cement. Thus putting an encouraging cap on a great day.
It was certainly a day full of emotion, yet rich in God’s goodness. All glory to Him.
Be blessed,
Justin Neally
Te[am] Iubesc: PART ONE & TWO
Tuesday, May 24th, 2011 Tinca, Romania 11:30pm
PART ONE: RECAP and Jungle adventure
I’m not really sure where to begin…so here we go! We’ve been here in Tinca for 7 days and have gotten a tremendous amount of work done. Today we’re finishing up (roofing) the wood shed, totally reconstructed the garden fence, put together patio benches, finished assembling a swing set (no more fighting for swings! woohoo!!) conquered the wooded jungle to paint silly trees so silly ants wouldn’t eat them up (more on that in a minute) and filled a couple hundred water balloons.
The jungle: So here in Romania they paint the trunk of the tree with this white acidic paint to keep ants and bugs from eating away the tree (makes sense, seems like a great idea…and it is). The only problem is getting to the trees. Ya see, I was assigned the task and recruited Alina(the first time around) and Val(for round two) to help to paint these suckers. I thought it’d be easy enough to slab some weird cottage cheese looking paint a couple(more like 25) trees…Little did we know these trees rested snuggly amongst some of the biggest and scratchiest weeds I have ever encountered. The weedy boogers came up to my face and if either of us fell down and died…well, we weren’t really sure if our bodies would be found again. When we went to the very back of the property we saw the leafy beasts. So with the awkwardly small trashcan of pesticide-paint and a garden hoe I fashioned to act as a machete; we trucked our way up the hill to where the naked trees awaited us. Ripping through the weeds with the handle of the hoe I felt like Moses parting the red sea (me folding over the green sea of jungle weeds) to free the Israelites (trees) from the harmful Egyptians (tree eating ants). It may sound silly, but we needed all the strength we could muster for this gig. Needless to say we survived the jungle and painted all the trees. We learned that shorts are a HORRIBLE idea and that charging recklessly through was the most effective way to create a path, yet the most painful. All in all, we’re rocked it and proved victorious.
PART TWO: Underdog
I’ve always been one for the underdog in life, and I feel confident saying that most of you reading this blog are probably in the same boat as me…why else do we love movies like Little Miss Sunshine, Good Will Hunting,…or every single sports movie ever made (Remember the Titans, Rudy, Rocky, Blind Side, Miracle…just to name a few). We have this sympathy, this heartache for the characters that have it the hardest and realistically no real hope at exceeding or even succeeding in their life.
Today I was introduced to a new underdog: Loomy. (I’m not really sure how to spell her name, but I doubt she’s all that sure either to tell you the truth). Her skin is one of the darkest in her village. In America we would be totally cool with being dark and probably really excited if we were darker than our friends and brag about tan or whatever. Yet here, in the Gypsy village it’s all-apart of the village hierarchy and being the darkest kid in the group is never, ever a good thing. Val and I were attempting to play a silly lighthearted circle game with the girls and had them all grab hands, but none of the girls would touch her. I tried to help by putting the others girls’ hand’s around Loomy’s to show them what to do, but they would let go, or move away from her to the other side of the circle. And it kept happening over and over again…and I started to get really fired up about this and upset for her. This was in no way fair, everyone else was accepted into the game but her…So obviously we had to put her in the most valued spot in the circle….holding hands with BOTH Val and myself. For the rest of the day Loomy and I clung to each other. Two other girls had been hanging on me the past day and today, but I wanted to make sure Loomy knew she was just as good as them, and she was loved. A few times she got lost in the shuffle and let go of me. Once I realized she was gone, I went to find her, calling out her name. It only took a couple seconds for her to come running to me, greeting me with one of the most beautiful smiles I’ve honestly ever seen in my life. I cared enough to go after her. I included her and made her a crucial role in all our games because this is was she deserved and because she was the underdog. I wanted to fight for her because she couldn’t. I wanted the other girls to see the beauty I saw in her, and the beauty God saw in her. This is how God feels about us. He comes after us, he fights for us, and he sees our beauty when we or others don’t. Tomorrow will be our last day at the village for VBS, and after that I may never see Loomy again…but I’ll pray for her and for her future. I’ll pray she learns that’s she just as good, if not better than the other girls. Ill pray that she becomes another one of those underdog stories and she learns God loves her, and I love her from a half a world away.
-Sarah
Te[am] Iubesc: Vacation Bible School of Hard Knocks
Monday, May 23rd, 2011 : Tinca, Romania. 11:30pm
“First day of VBS! FIRST DAY OF VBS!!!”
Today has not been the only day in my life that I have woken up and thought those exact words, but it is the first time I’ve been able to do so in another country.
This morning was an interesting one as we all woke up to our first “Americanized” breakfast: scrambled eggs with ham and milk and cereal. The feeling of home was quickly to be worn off however as we headed to the town’s farmers’ market.
It really felt like the entire village was there, and they had brought their kids, their car, their horses, their chickens, and pigs. My best description of the marketplace is that it seemed that I was within arms reach of a sickle, a collapsible fishing pole, a rug, some sort of block of fat, or a piece of soccer merchandise at any point during my visit. I didn’t have any Lei (the local money) so I didn’t end up getting anything except an extreme culture shock.
After the market we did a little bit of work on both the swing set extension and the new wood shed for the Isaiah Center before heading to the village. After lunch we briefly went through the plans for our drama performance that we were going to perform towards the end of our VBS program, and then we packed up into the vans and headed for the village.
Talk about a paradigm shift.
Toddlers running around with no pants on, sewage in the ditches, children smoking, adults throwing rocks at kids as punishment, and too many other surprises had been awaiting us. And we were eager to share the love of Jesus among all of that brokenness.
While the girls painted nails with the children and women, the guys focused on throwing frisbees and kicking soccer balls. I quickly made friends with a little boy named David and we began to play a form of soccer tennis that is apparently popular in the village. We were having a great time playing and then the adults started to mix into the game. It wasn’t that the adults weren’t entertaining or involving David and me in the game, but it seemed as if once they showed up, the kids seemed to vanish. It seemed odd at first, but when I began to see how they tended to bully the children, it all made sense.
We then headed over to do the drama that I had planned out for our first day and my jaw was once again dropped. None of what I had expected our “stage” and narration to be was correct. We had about 20 feet of room to recreate Pharoah chasing Moses and the parting of the Red Sea. Despite the setbacks, the kids behaved and seemed to enjoy the performance. Everything was going alright until the candy came out.
Imagine Black Friday sales for children because that’s what giving out free candy is like in the village. We actually ended up packing up and leaving early because we didn’t want things to get hostile, which kind of bummed out our team a bit.
Although I spent the rest of my day at the Isaiah Center and continued my role as “Calu” (the Romanian word for horse) for the children, I couldn’t help but reminisce on what I had just experienced in the village. Even though I was physically carrying little Mariana on my shoulders around the entire property, my mind was in another place completely.
It wasn’t until the end of the night that I finally realized how to best describe what I thought the village was like…it was like being in middle school again.
The parents and adults didn’t act like they were adults really; it was more like they were the 8th graders that nobody messed with. All those younger feared them, but yet still tried to be with them. Everyone else, kids included just fit the roles of the younger classmen who didn’t really stand a chance against any upper classmen bullies. It’s just too bad that the bullying in the village isn’t just verbal abuse or teasing, but instead is often physical or sexual abuse.
I’m just hoping and praying that what we do this week, that what Rachael does everyday, that what the Lord presses on their hearts, will graduate them from this middle school of hard knocks.
-JP
Te[am] Iubesc: A Day of Rest
Sunday, May 22th, 2011 : Tinca, Romania. 11:30pm
Sunday. A day of rest.
Never has this concept felt so real to me.
Over our three days here in Tinca, we have put in a great deal of hours doing work projects and playing with kids. I could do the math, but it’s late. Since we arrived and started working, I’ve seen the yard of the Isaiah Center transform. Where there was a pigsty with crumbling roof and dusty cement walls, there is now a freshly paved patio area surrounding a fire pit. Where there once was an empty corner, there now stands the skeleton of a woodshed to house the enormous pile of firewood stacked up against the fence. The swing set that held three swings now stands extended waiting for five brand new additions. I haven’t seen the progress made on the outhouses in the gypsy village, but I am told the work that Robbie, Justin, JP, Tyler and Ben have done has left the buildings ready for the construction of walls and roofs.
Besides all of this, I have seen my friends become attached to the children at the Isaiah Center. Each morning, as we are setting up for our projects, I watch out the corner of my eye for those little ones to begin their ascent on the yard in search of someone to play with. And we have played! We’ve got lots of sore shoulders and backs from piggy-back rides. We’ve all gotten used to hearing the children say “hai tare!” as we push them on the swings. We’re pushing as hard as we can! We’ve seen it proved true that no matter the culture, little boys love bugs, dirt and beating stuff with hammers. I’ve enjoyed playing house with Simona and Calina as we baked bread made of sand and prematurely picked apples. We’ve worked hard and we’ve played hard. And today, we were thankful for it.
Even being in the know about all this as the missions intern, I was still caught off guard by the amount of projects we would take on or the energy involved in playing with adorable little kids. But without all the time, energy, muscle power and cooperation we are spending on all these projects, this day – this Sunday – would not have meant so much.
We woke up at the usual time for breakfast (oddly bright red sausage with mustard) before packing in a van to drive 45 minutes to church in Oradea. Though the service was not in English, we were blessed by the passion and the familiarity of being among fellow believers. Some of the coolest moments happened as we sang How Great Is Our God and Majesty in English amidst the resounding Romanian chorus. Our translator worked hard to help us understand the message. It truly was encouraging to learn about God’s love even in the midst of the deserts in our lives. We were reminded that when we are in the desert, thirsty and unable to see God, sometimes we have to begin to dig deep in order to find the water that is his blessing and provision in our lives.
After church, we enjoyed a delicious and filling meal at the Capitoleum before exchanging our money and heading back to Tinca for some rest time. The few hours we had at the hotel were so good for sleep and fellowship that has been missing during our weeks of hard work.
Around eight, we went to Rachel’s for burgers and smores. During team time, we talked about what this day has meant to us. I think the general feeling was thankfulness for the opportunity to refocus. While we are hard at work during the week, it is tough to see past finding a rhythm while mixing cement or frustration with not knowing the language. But this time to spend with God and each other was a clear reminder of why we are here and what is most important. After one more good sleep, I think we’ll be ready to dig more holes and love on more kids, this time in the gypsy village during VBS. It’s no wonder that God commands us to take a Sabbath. I can’t wait for the next one to be able to see the blessings that come from this week!
Until then, keep praying, for Rachel and all the Isaiah Center kids, the three VBS days and all the work projects to come. God’s gonna do some cool stuff.
Much Love!
Stephanie
Te[am] Iubesc: Inaugural Work Day
Thursday, May 19th, 2011 : Tinca, Romania. 10:30pm
The alarm at 7:30 came way too quickly this morning, though the alarm may have been unnecessary. The village roosters and dogs are definitely willing to wake you as the sun rises over the village. Our first day of work in Romania had finally arrived.
After a swift breakfast and devotion, the team set out on the approximately 1 mile journey to the Isaiah Center. In hand were all of the toys and games that we had brought with us in our luggage. Upon arrival we met up with Michelle and Herb who are two Americans working at the mission for an extended period of time and another friend Mehai, who also works for FMN. We were all fortunate enough to go on the drive to pick up the children from there homes in the morning. Riding through the village and seeing not only the difference between the standard of living in the United States, but also the difference between the Romanians, and they gypsies. Certain streets near the outside of the village were designated, unofficially of course, as the streets where the gypsies live since the Romanians want nothing to do with them. Gathering up the children that were excited to come to the Isaiah Center was really cool to see.
Once the team got back we began to tackle the three main projects for the day, the first being to demolish and recycle the pig barn. As the team disassembled the structure, we sorted the pieces by their type and quality since we will be using whatever we can save to build some outhouses in the village. The demolition was almost completed by the end of the day, as well as a fence put up to fill the hole left by the lack of pig barn wall. Rebuilding that fence section was crucial since, if it wasn’t finished tonight, there was a great risk people would try to walk in during the night and steal items from the center. The team also split firewood at Rachel’s home, and stacking it up to dry. Believe it or not, this is the first shipment of wood for the winter to heat her home and the Isaiah Center. Lastly, the team used the rubble that was unfit for building materials to level a portion of the yard where a foundation will be poured tomorrow for the lean-to that will house the previously mentioned firewood.
All of these projects happened while we got to take turns playing all sorts of games with the children, getting to know there names and what they enjoyed doing. All of which made it an amazing and tiring experience.
The team finished off the night with an amazing (and HUGE) meal of soup, bread, walnut-cinnamon toast, and crepes. Never has a shower and soft bed felt more comfortable.
Thanks so much for your prayers and support, we really feel God working and doing great things through the ministry and Rachel!
JD
Te[am] Iubesc: We Made It!!
Wednesday, May 18th, 2011 : Tinca, Romania. 11:30pm
We made it! We jumped on our plane to Budapest after I (Emily) took a SERIOUS nap on the floor of the Paris airport. A short 2 hour flight later, we were on the ground and enjoying the beautiful weather in Budapest. The bus ride to Tinca was accompanied by some excellent techno music, courtesy of our driver but enjoyed by all. We arrived at our hotel and settled in, then finished our day with dinner provided by the hotel. The pork and potatoes were delicious!
As someone returning to Romania for the second mission, this trip is already having some special importance for me. Talking at the coffeehouse fundraiser, I made the statement that it’s easy to forget how real the lives of the kids here are. Driving to Tinca, I realized that, in a sense, I too forget how real this world is. It’s easy to forget that this place exists. It’s easy to forget that these hardships are real, that poverty is real. I think that, after our first trip, I settled back into life and accepted that the Romania trip had been an incredible experience, but not something I knew how to experience every day. That’s something I’ll be consciously fighting both throughout and after this trip. I think that’s something we can all fight: that ignorance is bliss, but awareness breeds change. I can’t wait to see what this trip brings, and on top of all the anxiety and excitement, I think one word best describes my mood right now: hopeful.
Emily
Te[am] Iubesc: Are We There Yet??
Tuesday, May 17th, 2011. Paris, France. 11:30am
Technically, it’s Wednesday already, both at home and here in Paris, but it definitely still feels like Tuesday night…
After months and months of planning, Te[am] Iubesc arrived at O’Hare around 2pm today, packed and ready to go. We worked our way through security and got to our gate around 3:30 (there are sixteen of us so it took a while); we boarded the plane around 5:30, were in the air by 6:10 and landed in Paris a little before 9am, which felt more like 2am to our sleep-deprived bodies. It was a long, warm, stuffy flight, spanning almost 8 hours, and, needless to say, we were all very happy when we got to stand up, stretch, and walk into the sunlight.
From the plane, we took an airport shuttle to our gate, and that’s when the fun began. Charles de Gaul airport is big and busy and beautiful, but it’s also kind of confusing, and despite our best efforts, we were definitely that stereotypical group of confused Americans for a little while. In other words, we walked around quite a bit, which actually felt quite nice considering we had spent the better part of the last 11 hours sitting down.
After walking the terminal from end to end (quite swiftly, mind you) and asking two different people for directions (Where is Malev??), we finally found the check-in. And, as it turned out, we were too early – we couldn’t check in more than two hours before our flight was scheduled to leave – so we sat on the nearby chairs and waited.
Right now, we’re finally at the gate with only another hour or so before we’re in the air again heading to Budapest, Hungary. The flight itself is only two hours, but once we land, we’ll all pile into a van for a nice 3 hour drive to Tinca, Romania. Finally!
It’s been a long day already and it’s not even noon here; we’re all tired and stiff and missing our beds back home, but, hey, at least we all got through security without a hitch, twice! Moreover, we’re in Paris, France! The flight attendant on board pronounced it Pair-ee, and I’ve already eaten two authentic Parisian croissants! But, best of all, before today is over, we’ll be in Tinca, getting ready to spend the next two weeks working as Christ’s hands and feet, and showing His magnificent love to some beautiful Roma children!
We are Te[am] Iubesc – team I Love You – and we really do love all of you, and we can’t wait to love on everyone we meet in the days ahead. Thank you so much for all of your support and prayers.
Tinca, here we come!
Taylor
Te[am] Iubesc: We’re Going to Romania!
That’s right, sixteen of us will be working with Rachel Ross, founder of Forget Me Not Ministries, in Tinca, Romania from May 17-30th! Many of you have already partnered with us, either in prayer or financial support, and for that, we thank you from the bottoms of our hearts! God has been so faithful in bringing us this far – we have been blessed with the opportunity to see Him move in ways we never would have imagined, and you are a big part of that.
As we finish packing, drive to the airport, and eventually board our plane on Tuesday afternoon, we would really love it if you were to be praying for us. We feel that God has called us back to FMN (we took our first trip there back in 2009) to play a part in fulfilling His divine purposes, and we hope that our eyes, ears, and hearts will be wide open to the glorious things He’s looking to teach us in the next two weeks. Please pray that we would be able to make a difference in the lives that we touch in Tinca, and that we would come back to the corn fields of central Illinois forever changed.
Be sure to check back here for daily (hopefully) updates! Thank you so much for being a part of this journey with us!
Much love,
Te[am] Iubesc
Rewind. Pause. Push Play. Aaron says, “Encourage everyone; it’s a command.”
February 24, 2011
Rewind: Encourage everyone every day…
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” 1 Thes. 5:11
“I can live for two months on a good compliment.” – Mark Twain
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Prov. 17:22
“One word or a pleasing smile is often enough to raise up a saddened and wounded soul.” – Therese of Lisieux
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Eph. 4:29
Encourage everyone every day…
Over the last few weeks we’ve been exploring love. We’ve been given pictures of love through stories, we’ve examined the different types of love used in the bible and what they each mean, and we’ve talked about how loving people and having a spirit of generosity go hand-in-hand, but how do we go about loving others all the time, especially when their needs may not be so obvious? Last night, Aaron said the answer is pretty simple: encourage everyone every day.
As followers of Christ, we are called to build each other up, to inspire others, and encourage those around us. What Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 is not a suggestion or even a strong recommendation; it’s a command. We are to constantly encourage. Just like everyone has an IQ – intelligence quotient – Aaron believes that we all also have an EQ – an encouragement quotient – that constantly needs to be refilled one way or another. Of course, when you’re in need of encouragement, the first place to turn is the Bible, God’s love letter to you, but there’s no reason why we can’t all be seeking to help meet each other’s encouragement quotas at the same time.
While the idea of encouraging everyone every day may seem simple, making it happen is a little more difficult; encouragement is truly an art form – it’s a skill, just like playing an instrument, that you have to practice in order to perfect. That being said, Aaron laid out three action steps for each of us to partake in last night during the worship service, each of which was meant to show us how easy, necessary, and rewarding it can be to build some one up.
- Take a moment and think about the last time someone encouraged you… Now think about the last time you encouraged someone else…
Maybe you were able to think of both of those moments very quickly, but maybe not. Maybe it’s been a while since you’ve felt encouraged, and maybe it’s been even longer since you took the time to encourage someone else. No matter how long it took you to remember, and no matter how long ago the encouragement exchanges actually happened, keep in mind that Hebrews 3:13 says, “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today…” In other words, Hebrews tells us that we need to encourage people now, right now, because tomorrow may not actually get here. Don’t let the moment pass you by; if someone is in need of a pick me up, or you notice that someone is doing a great job, tell them! Don’t wait for a “better” time; just like John Mayer says (over and over and over again), “Say whatcha need to say.” Go give someone a hug and say, “much love!”
- Start going out of your way to encourage people; make it a priority. Have you encouraged someone today? Maybe you should…
We are all so quick to criticize. No, really, we are. Next time you’re walking down the street, try to listen to your internal monologue; you may be surprised by what you hear. Not only are we quick to judge in our heads, but we’re often too quick to speak those words of condemnation or disapproval aloud. As kids, we were all taught that cute little nursery rhyme, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” That, my friends, is a lie. Words do have an effect: they can either be medicine or poison. Therefore, be careful of what you say, even when you’re trying to be encouraging. Try not to tell someone that they’re the most Christ-like person you’ve ever met, or that no one else is as smart as them – that’s called evaluation, and all it does is put unnecessary pressure on the person you’re trying to encourage. Instead, focus on appreciating their efforts; say that they are a hard worker, or that they have really been putting their God-given talents to good use. No one wants to be judged, not even if it’s affirming. Take the time to leave an encouraging note for a family member, roommate, or friend.
- Establish relationships with people. Form a community that seeks to encourage everyone. Through that connection, you will pull closer to Christ.
In other words, there is a purpose behind constantly encouraging others. Paul says that his purpose for writing to encourage Christians in Colosse was “that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ” (Col. 2:2). By taking the time to encourage one another (to love one another), you form connections to people, and those connections tether you all to Christ, from whom all love originates. Start making encouraging connections!
Encourage everyone every day.
Pause: Here are some words of encouragement for you from your Heavenly Father.
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging… The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Psalm 46:1-3, 7
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7
“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 4-5
Push Play: Before you can love someone else, you have to learn to love yourself. That’s a phrase that we’ve all heard a million times from friends, family members, mentors, teachers, etc. What they mean is that you have to learn to accept and be happy with who you are before you can fully accept and be happy with someone else. However, just like the “Sticks and Stones” mantra is a lie, so too is this beloved word of “wisdom.” It should really be: before you can love someone else, even before you can love yourself, you have to first love God. God loves you more than you could ever imagine, and until you start to understand that, love is always going to seem like a foreign concept – something that is just out of your reach. The thing is, loving God isn’t a stationary or a solitary thing. Loving God is a lifestyle, because when you believe in Him, and you accept Jesus as your savior, everything changes, including the way you live. Including the way you go about loving other people. Loving God requires showing love to other people, because when you love someone you listen to them, and God has told us repeatedly to love one another. Moreover, loving God isn’t something you ever perfect here on Earth, thus you can learn to love God by loving on other people. That’s right, it’s a circle. Love God -> Love People -> Love God -> Love People -> Love God…
Rewind. Pause. Push Play. Mary says, “Love & Generosity: you can’t have one without the other.”
February 17, 2011
Rewind: Last night, Mary told us that there are over 3,000 verses in Scripture that speak to generous living in one form or another. Some, like Proverbs 11: 24-25, encourage us to give abundantly: “Some people give much but get back even more. Others don’t give what they should and end up poor. Whoever gives to others will get richer…” (NCV) While others, like Proverbs 18:1, tell us selfishness is isolating and foolish: “Unfriendly people are selfish and hate all good sense” (NCV). It’s quite obvious from all this that God wants us to live generously, but how do you do that? You let God’s love pour out of you and into those around you. It’s like Mary said, “Love and generosity; you simply can’t have one without the other.”
As humans, we are consumed with selfish ends: what is it going to do for me? How do I benefit? What do I gain? Me, me, me! Think about it, we operate on this level pretty much from the moment we’re born. As soon as you’ve mastered the all important, “Mama” and “Dada,” the next words out of your mouth are “me,” “mine,” “I do it,” and “no!” When you get a little older, you learn about this strange concept – sharing – which is a bummer, because, after all, those are your toys. By the time you get to college, you’re really good at thinking about life in terms of “me,” so it seems only natural that you spend the whole four years focusing on my dreams, my goals, my talents, and my needs. Selfishness doesn’t end there, though; oh no, it only gets worse after graduation. Then it’s all about my job, my money, my car, my house, my money, my huge wedding, my future, and, oh yeah, my money. It’s just like Mary said last night: if we don’t pay attention, we turn into selfish beasts really, really fast.
Close your eyes and think back to just two month ago. It was December, and it was cold, and for us students, it was time for finals, but it was also Christmas time… There is just something about the Christmas season that makes people, Christians and non-believers alike, want to give, to help, and to love one another better. But what happens to that feeling the rest of the year? It’s like the spirit of giving gets taken down and packed away with the ornaments and twinkly lights! Jesus didn’t call us to love each other one month out of the year; He commanded us to love always. Remember how Jesus responded to the Sadducees? “The most important command is this… Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. The second command is this: Love your neighbor as you love yourself. There are no commands more important than these.”
Is that how you’re living? Do you love your neighbors as much as you love yourself? Truth be told, that’s hard to do, because we love ourselves a lot. But just like Mary explained last night, learning to live generously – living a life that is brimming over with love – is as simple as reexamining what you place value on (people, success, honesty, money, possessions), and what your heart looks like when you give (cheerful, willing, and honest, or begrudging and deceitful). Keep in mind that giving isn’t always something tangible like money or goods; you can also give of your time and your spirit in the form of patience, kindness, grace, and forgiveness. If you’re looking for an example of loving generosity, just look to Jesus; there was certainly no room for selfishness on the cross.
Pause: Take a moment to think about the selfish behaviors in your life and how they are keeping you from living the life of love and generosity that Jesus has called you to live.
“Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.” Deuteronomy 15:10
“Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.” Luke 6:38
“But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” Mark 12:42-44
Push Play: It’s really easy to not give. It’s really easy to close your eyes or turn away from a need and convince yourself that you don’t understand or that it’s not your problem anyway. In the same way, it’s really easy to give a little bit because you feel like you have to. How many times have you given to a cause, any cause, just because the people you’re with have pulled out their wallets? Giving of your spirit is even more tricky, because, let’s be honest here, if you don’t want to, you probably won’t. After a long day, it’s hard to muster the strength to treat people with patience and grace, but that is what we are told to do. The truth is, Jesus calls us to give abundantly and willingly. In other words, we are to give more than what we think we are capable of – be it monetarily or spiritually – and do it with a smile in our hearts. Yeah, what Christ calls us to do is not always easy, but it is always rewarding.
Much Love,
Taylor
Rewind. Pause. Push Play. Aaron says, “Love is validating someone’s existence.”
February 10, 2011
Rewind: Do you want to change the world? Maybe you just want to change your world – your family life, what you’re used to, your friendships, or your expectations. No matter what it is you’re looking to do, big or small, the truth is that you simply can’t do it without love. I’m sure you’ve all heard it a million times before: Love is patient, love is kind… but have you ever paid close attention to what Paul says just a little bit earlier in his letter to the Corinthians? 1 Corinthians 13:1 says, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.” Did you get that? Even if you do something great, something truly amazing, if you do it without love, it’s just noise – it doesn’t really mean anything. Whether you want to be an architect, an engineer, a professor, an athlete, a mom, a dad, a rock star, or a friend, if you don’t know what it means to love, how it looks to love, or how it feels to love, well, then, it just won’t matter that much.
Alright, so you have to have love, but what does that even mean? How do you go about defining love? Last week, you may remember, Aaron used stories to paint pictures of what love looks like and how love feels, but what about what love means? That’s a tricky question to answer because love is just so big. But, in an effort to establish a more concrete definition, last night Aaron looked to 1 John chapter 4 where in the space of 21 verses, John uses the word love 28 times.
As you may or may not know, there are four different Greek words for love, each with their own meaning and 
Biblical application. You’ve got storge (stor-gay), meaning a natural affection for someone; similar to the immediate, effortless bond between parent and child. Then there’s philia, meaning brotherly love, or friendship. There’s also eros, meaning a passionate, romantic, or sensual love. And then there’s agape – this is the word that John uses all 28 times in chapter 4. Agape is a God-sourced love; it is a self-sacrificing, self-surrendering, and unconditional type of love. It’s the kind of love that we need most, but don’t always want. It’s the kind of love that moved God to send His only Son to die on our behalf.
Especially with Valentine’s Day looming near, the word love gets thrown around quite a lot, but its meaning isn’t usually connected with agape. The love that most of us are familiar with says, “If you are intrinsically lovable, I can love you,” but what if you’re not lovable right now? What if you cut someone off, or step on their toe, or say the wrong thing? What then? It’s not always easy to love people, and it’s even harder to love people well, but agape says, “no matter what, I will love you.”
So how do you go about showing agape to people? Well, Aaron says it’s as simple, and as complex, as 
validating someone’s existence. Notice people; learn their names; actively listen to their stories; take an interest; say something kind; share a smile. When you validate someone’s existence, you are recognizing that they are there, that they matter, and you are letting them know you care that they’re there. Jesus did this all the time. He went to the outcasts – the widows, the tax collectors, the sick, the broken – and He spoke to them; He cared for them. He validated their existence. Every time you fail to validate a person’s existence, and this is something we all fail at a lot of the time, you become less than the person God has called you to be. The flip side, of course, is that the more you truly love someone else, the more love you feel in your own life. When you pour out God’s love, you make room for God to continue pouring more and more love in, which of course leads you to pour more love out, which makes room for God to pour more in, which leads…
Pause: Even if you’ve read these verses a million times before, take a minute and read them again, focusing on the deeper meaning of God’s agape for you.
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:8-11
“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing… Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13: 2-3, 6-8, 13
Push Play: Go out and agape. I’m not sure that there’s a whole lot more I can say on this topic, because unfortunately, there’s only so much you can learn about love from books and talks. It would be really great if we could fully understand love as God intends it while sitting still, because then it would be easy, but as one of my favorite songs, “The Road to Jericho Is Lined With Starving People” by This Providence, puts it, “If lovin’ were easy, it wouldn’t be love.” So, whether it’s striking up a conversation with your waitress, as Aaron suggested yesterday, or smiling at the homeless man on the corner, or treating someone who tries your patience with grace and kindness, go do something. Start practicing agape right now.
Much Love,
Taylor
Rewind. Pause. Push Play. Aaron says, “God’s love is like that.”
February 3, 2011
Rewind: Love; it’s a word that has become watered down and overused, especially in the English language. It’s weird to think that most of us use the same four letter word to describe how we feel about pizza, chocolate, our
favorite sweater, an interesting class, a movie star, our best friend, our pets, the snow, our parents, and our God. With all of those things wrapped up into our conception of love, it’s sometimes hard to understand what it really means to believe that God loves us. Try as you might – and I’ve tried a lot, because I really like words – words just don’t seem to cut it when it comes to describing love. But that doesn’t mean that God’s love has to remain a mystery.
Last night, Aaron took a page out of Christ’s play book (Matt. 22:1, for instance), and taught in word-pictures, stories. So, what is God’s love like? “Well,” Aaron said, “it’s kinda like…”
There was a guy named Randy who really had to use the bathroom. He dashed into the first men’s room he found, and went about his business. As he was washing his hands, however, he heard a voice call out, “Help!” It was coming from the handicapped stall. Now, Randy stopped to think for a moment: this guy hasn’t seen my face or even what I’m wearing; really, I could turn around and walk out of the restroom, and no one would know. But Randy didn’t walk out. Instead, he crawled under the locked door of the handicapped stall and helped the man who was stranded between his wheelchair and the toilet. It wasn’t pretty or fun; it didn’t smell pleasant, and they were both embarrassed, but Randy helped the man up, and cleaned him, the floor, the wheel chair, and the toilet. He then waited until the man was done, and helped him back into his wheel chair and out of the restroom. Randy and that man will probably never see each other again. God’s love is kinda like that. “…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve…” Matt. 20:28
There was an airplane that took off just like a million other airplanes, and flew along its path just like a million other airplanes, and, for all intents and purposes, seemed to be like a million other airplanes, until it stopped being like those other airplanes. At some point during
the flight, the plane hit intense turbulence and started going down. As you may be able to imagine, people panicked. They cried and screamed and fumbled frantically with seatbelts and the masks hanging from the ceiling. Amidst the chaos, one man, wearing a black outfit with a white collar, sat quietly observing the scene. He saw two small children, ages 5 and 7, crying while their parents freaked out nearby. The priest got up out of his chair, walked over to the kids, and started telling jokes. He comforted them, wiped away their tears, and made them laugh. Picture that for a second. This plane is falling out of the sky, the passengers are all going nuts, everyone is consumed with fear and worry, and there, in the middle of all of that, is a man and two small children, laughing and smiling. God’s love is kinda like that. “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:7
One in two families go through a divorce now-a-days. A man came home one day to find his wife in the act of cheating on him. After the inevitable argument and a little time, the two decided to go to counseling together. For a while, things seemed to be getting better; they were back to laughing together and holding hands. The man was hopeful that they could move on. But then his wife cheated again. In fact, she cheated at least four more times. It got to the point where this man would go to where he knew she would be, just so he could bring her home again. Eventually, his wife moved out, but the man never stopped pursuing her. His friends questioned him repeatedly. Don’t you know what’s going on? Can’t you see that she has an infidelity problem and it isn’t going to get any better? What are you doing? Why don’t you just let her go? In response, all the man could say was, “I love my wife; I will always love her.” He said he had a promise to stand by her and care for her no matter what, and if she were to come back tomorrow, he would welcome her home with open arms. God’s love is kinda like that.
In fact, God’s love is so much like that last example that there’s a whole book in the bible depicting that same principle of undying love. Hosea was a prophet told, by God, to marry Gomer, a prostitute, and no matter how many times she ran back to her other lovers, Hosea found her and brought her home. Hosea’s relentless pursuit of Gomer’s heart mirrors the Lord’s relentless pursuit of His people who continuously turn away from His love. Just as the man’s friends questioned his actions, one can imagine that the angels sometimes question God. What are You doing? Don’t You know there is darkness in the Church? Can’t You see that Your people will only keep breaking Your heart? Why can’t You just let them go? He won’t let us go because He has made us a promise. He will fight for us, and care for us, and listen to us, and love us forever. He says, “I love the Church, and I will always love her; I will stand by her forever.” Yeah, God’s love is like that.
Pause: There are a few scripture passages scattered throughout the message above that I would strongly encourage you to look up and meditate on, but also read through these excerpts from The Message translation of Hosea. They speak to the heartbreak God experiences each time we turn away, and the unending love He has for us despite our perpetual infidelity problem.
“When Israel was only a child, I loved him. I called out, “My son!” – called him out of Egypt. But when others called him, eh ran off and left me. He worshiped the popular sex gods, he played at religion with toy gods. Still, I stuck with him. I led Ephraim. I rescued him from human bondage, but he never acknowledged my help…” Hosea 11:1-3
“My people are hell-bent on leaving me. They pray to god Baal for help He doesn’t lift a finger to help them. But how can I give up on you, Ephraim? How can I turn you loose, Israel?… I can’t bear to even think such thoughts. My insides churn in protest. And so I’m not going to act on my anger. I’m not going to destroy Ephraim. And why? Because I am God and not a human. I’m The Holy One and I’m here – in your very midst.” Hosea 11:7-9
“I will heal their waywardness. I will love them lavishly. My anger is played out. I will make a fresh start with Israel. He’ll burst into bloom like a crocus in the spring… Ephraim is finished with gods that are no-gods. From now on I’m the one who answers and satisfies him. I am like a luxuriant fruit tree. Everything you need is to be found in me.” Hosea 14:4-5, 8
Push Play: If you haven’t guessed already, the book of Hosea is one of my favorite books of the bible. If you haven’t read it, go read it right now, please. It’s only 14 chapters, and it goes by pretty quick. In my opinion, you simply can’t find a better love story. God’s love for us is real and true and far more moving than anything else in the world. When we are filled to the brim with God’s love, it’s only natural that we turn around and pour that love out
into the world. True love is an action, after all. That’s why Aaron gave us examples, that’s why Jesus told parables, that’s why Hosea was made to chase after Gomer, and that’s why Axiom does things like Water on Green and Cocoa on the Quad. This week, let love motivate you to choose to serve others and act with grace and mercy even when it’s tough, because God loves you like that all the time.
Axiom at the University of Illinois 