Wild Calla Lillies grow in my back yard. Winding through fences, poking out of bushes,greeting me as I climb the shallow steps that wind around our flat.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Why I love New Zealand Reason #147
Wild Calla Lillies grow in my back yard. Winding through fences, poking out of bushes,greeting me as I climb the shallow steps that wind around our flat.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
from grace to grace
"How wonderful to know that Christianity is more than a padded down pew or a dim cathedral, but it is a real, living, daily experience which goes on from grace to grace."
Jim Elliot
I've been going through Galatians with each of the Bible Studies I lead through StudentLife and the theme of justification by faith alone pervades each study. But what a delicate balance it is! It is easy to look at stringent religious organisations and judge that they are trying to earn salvation by their efforts. But what about my heart?
In Romans 9:31-32 Paul explains that "Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works..."
Here we see that legalism is not defined by mere obedience but by the value the subject places on obedience. It makes me wonder if I obey God because I believe (in some small, unconscious area of my heart) that my salvation hinges on personal effort or if I obey in faith.
That raises the question; How do I obey in faith? I think we must first look at what we are to have faith in. The answer is Christ. We believe that God is faithful to keep his covenant with Abraham, we believe that the seed from which Abraham has many descendants is Christ (see Galatians 3) and we are included in the covenant that God makes with His people saying that He has wiped away our sins and forgiven our iniquities (See Hebrews 10).
I think we often forget how much of an impact perspective has in our walk with the Lord. If I don't have faith, I am unable to participate in the freedom of the Christian life. I begin to have faith in myself, which is no faith at all. And then I wonder why my walk with the Lord is so up and down. It's because I'm trying to live the Christian life in my own strength as opposed to by faith in God's grace.
But when I walk by faith I can see my life characterised by grace. I cannot keep myself from sinful thoughts, but He can. I cannot keep myself from reacting out of anger, jealousy, or pride, but He can. So I cling to Him, when I feel like a failure and I make much of Him when there is fruit.
"But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people." (Jer 31:33)
"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful."
(Hebrews 10:19-23 ESV)
Jim Elliot
I've been going through Galatians with each of the Bible Studies I lead through StudentLife and the theme of justification by faith alone pervades each study. But what a delicate balance it is! It is easy to look at stringent religious organisations and judge that they are trying to earn salvation by their efforts. But what about my heart?
In Romans 9:31-32 Paul explains that "Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works..."
Here we see that legalism is not defined by mere obedience but by the value the subject places on obedience. It makes me wonder if I obey God because I believe (in some small, unconscious area of my heart) that my salvation hinges on personal effort or if I obey in faith.
That raises the question; How do I obey in faith? I think we must first look at what we are to have faith in. The answer is Christ. We believe that God is faithful to keep his covenant with Abraham, we believe that the seed from which Abraham has many descendants is Christ (see Galatians 3) and we are included in the covenant that God makes with His people saying that He has wiped away our sins and forgiven our iniquities (See Hebrews 10).
I think we often forget how much of an impact perspective has in our walk with the Lord. If I don't have faith, I am unable to participate in the freedom of the Christian life. I begin to have faith in myself, which is no faith at all. And then I wonder why my walk with the Lord is so up and down. It's because I'm trying to live the Christian life in my own strength as opposed to by faith in God's grace.
But when I walk by faith I can see my life characterised by grace. I cannot keep myself from sinful thoughts, but He can. I cannot keep myself from reacting out of anger, jealousy, or pride, but He can. So I cling to Him, when I feel like a failure and I make much of Him when there is fruit.
"But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people." (Jer 31:33)
"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful."
(Hebrews 10:19-23 ESV)
Friday, September 10, 2010
excessive drinking culture
Check out an article about Aaron Thompson (the director of Student Life in Dunedin, NZ) and his efforts to provide alternatives for students who live in the excessive drinking culture at Otago University. His idea is to get students actively involved in the community (by providing incentives) and help them to find positive ways to spend their time.
http://www.odt.co.nz/campus/university-otago/125614/scheme-will-reward-students-helping-residents
It's really cool to see how Student Life is having an impact in other campuses across the country!
http://www.odt.co.nz/campus/university-otago/125614/scheme-will-reward-students-helping-residents
It's really cool to see how Student Life is having an impact in other campuses across the country!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Mt. Holdsworth
I finally got to go backpacking in NZ!!! Those of you who know me know that it is a hobby of mine to go into the woods for days on end and climb up mountains, and NZ is a backpacking destination that many only dream of chartering. I still can't believe I've been here 8 months and haven't taken advantage of the "Great Walks" of NZ.
But a few of us from church strapped on our packs and our hiking boots this weekend for a 4,000ft ascent up Mt. Holdsworth. It rained the entire time, and the second half was actual hands and feet climbing up root systems and rocks to get to the top. Once we arrived at our Hut we could barely see the tips of smaller mountains above the clouds. The evening was filled with a warm fire, clothes drying, and texas hold'em poker (two of the guys were training for harder treks and filled their packs excessively to prepare). We woke up to a breathtaking sunrise and a little bit of cloud clearing before it started to snow. The hike downhill was brutal on the knees and every bit as tricky as maneuvering uphill, but overall the trip was amazing.
It was such a blessing to be able to take a weekend and enjoy some mountain views, good company, and time with the Lord enjoying His creation.
"The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing — to reach the Mountain, to find the place where all the beauty came from — my country, the place where I ought to have been born. Do you think it all meant nothing, all the longing? The longing for home? For indeed it now feels not like going, but like going back." (C.S. Lewis Till We Have Faces)
Te Reo Maori
The government puts on free language classes for Te Reo Maori (the indigenous language of New Zealand) and I met some students who go on Tuesday nights, so I’ve been taking language class with them and learning more about Maori culture, history, and how to speak te reo! I love languages and I’ve found it to be really helpful in pronouncing NZ place names and learning cultural conventions.
The thing I love most about it, though is meeting people that I normally wouldn't have the chance to meet. We are one big happy whanau (that's maori for family) and the food is always bountiful! It feels like I am stepping onto the set of a sitcom every time I enter the classroom. There are the archetypal characters and then there are the quirky comedians, and everyone seems to have a different perspective and a different history. I've decided that I fit in as the quirky foreign kid who pronounces everything oddly, and I love it!
The thing I love most about it, though is meeting people that I normally wouldn't have the chance to meet. We are one big happy whanau (that's maori for family) and the food is always bountiful! It feels like I am stepping onto the set of a sitcom every time I enter the classroom. There are the archetypal characters and then there are the quirky comedians, and everyone seems to have a different perspective and a different history. I've decided that I fit in as the quirky foreign kid who pronounces everything oddly, and I love it!
I'm going to go see if I can make more money
On Friday nights a few of us from church have been serving the community by having a free bbq on the streets of Wellington. We park our bbq in front of one of the brothels in town and hand out sausages to the homeless, the prostitutes, and the usual crowd of Friday night party-goers.
The conversations that come out of a simple gesture are amazing. First, people are shocked that you are handing them free food, no strings attached. So typically they ask why and we simply reply that we are a group of Christians that want to show God’s love to them because of His great love for us. That is when the conversations, the questions, sometime the tears or the accusations begin pouring out. I’ve been asked the hardest questions by people and have prayed with prostitutes and bantered with drunk businessmen.
The hardest moment I had was while talking to one of the regular prostitutes that comes by. She was telling me of her difficulties, we talked about the Lord, about prayer, about hope, but when she had finished eating she turned and said, "Well I guess I'm going to go see if I can make some more money".
What do I do? I asked her to stay, told her we can find a place to help her, but the reality is that you can't force people to turn their lives around. She graciously declined my offer and walked away.
It was a profound moment for me, realizing that while poverty and desperation are part of a physical lifestyle for her, it is very much a spiritual reality for countless people in the world. How often are the answers to true joy, and meaning in our lives right there in front of us and we turn away, prostituting ourselves out to whatever will give us instant results?
What are the things you think you need? Where do you go to find instant gratification? I know for me many of the things I turn to for satisfaction are worthless in comparison to true satisfaction in the Lord.
The conversations that come out of a simple gesture are amazing. First, people are shocked that you are handing them free food, no strings attached. So typically they ask why and we simply reply that we are a group of Christians that want to show God’s love to them because of His great love for us. That is when the conversations, the questions, sometime the tears or the accusations begin pouring out. I’ve been asked the hardest questions by people and have prayed with prostitutes and bantered with drunk businessmen.
The hardest moment I had was while talking to one of the regular prostitutes that comes by. She was telling me of her difficulties, we talked about the Lord, about prayer, about hope, but when she had finished eating she turned and said, "Well I guess I'm going to go see if I can make some more money".
What do I do? I asked her to stay, told her we can find a place to help her, but the reality is that you can't force people to turn their lives around. She graciously declined my offer and walked away.
It was a profound moment for me, realizing that while poverty and desperation are part of a physical lifestyle for her, it is very much a spiritual reality for countless people in the world. How often are the answers to true joy, and meaning in our lives right there in front of us and we turn away, prostituting ourselves out to whatever will give us instant results?
What are the things you think you need? Where do you go to find instant gratification? I know for me many of the things I turn to for satisfaction are worthless in comparison to true satisfaction in the Lord.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
The rain is settling
From atop the hill with fog settled low the skyscrapers looked as if they are floating---a city in the sky. We are plummeting through the city, a free fall on wheels, navigating the slopes with reckless agility. With each turn the exit doors clamor open and shut, teasing those seated next to it. How the brick sidewalks shine in the rain! Drenched from head to toe, the halo of streetlights warms my face. Winter in May.
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