As I write this first journal entry I am on the last leg of my plane trip over to Kenya. I’ve been amazed during this plane ride about the beauty below me! I’m currently flying from Paris to Nairobi; in the beginning we were flying over what looked like endless ocean. It is a clear day so the water is dazzling, literally sparkling below me. There are scattered clouds here and there, and then amongst the water appeared several small formations that I couldn’t quite make out at first, but they turned out to be islands; mountainous islands but with bustling life evident. I really wish I knew which islands we were passing over! Now we are flying over what appeared to be a brown sea at first, but I actually think is some sort of desert. I can make out what I think are sand dunes below me. The world is so incredible!
To start off this blog, I wanted to share a few things that I’ve been reading on my plane ride over that have really struck a cord with me. I just started reading Radical, a book written by David Platt. My dear friend, Tiffany Shin, recommended it to me and my parents just happened to have it in their library of books at home! The book is about taking back your faith, recognizing the radical nature of Christ, and being cautious of the American churches’ way of viewing our faith. David Platt opens the book by describing an underground church in an Asian country; the church leaders that are gathering for hours at a time under the cover of night, praying over their loved ones who are suffering for Christ and pouring out tears over their love for Christ. They meet daily, risking their lives, and are hungry for God’s word. Compare this to a Sunday morning in The United States with our nice clothes, loud music sets, and bright stage preparations. The church in Asia is sacrificing everything for the sake of Christ, and by doing so they are experiencing Christ’s love like no other.
Over the past year or so I have been praying that God would renew my “aweness” of Him; that he would stir up a zeal and a passion for Him that is not as fiery as it should be. I desire to hunger for God more than anything else with a child-like faith, and yet I don’t. This book goes on to describe the passage in Luke 9 when Jesus tells three would-be followers that one must let someone else bury his father, one cannot say goodbye to his family, and one must leave all of his possessions behind. But he promises that if you “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, you will have treasure in heaven”. Suddenly I thought to myself: this is the reason that I’m not experiencing the fullness of God; this is why I’m not “on fire” for Christ like I ought to be. I’m not abandoning myself to Him; I’m not letting go of my comforts. I’m trying to mold Christ into my life, instead of the other way around.
With this prelude, I’m hoping to take the next three weeks to abandon my comforts and my life to Christ. I want to get a glimpse of Christ the way the Asian church sees Him! Don’t you? Someone worth dieing for! But I don’t want to stop after 3 weeks. I hope that we can challenge each other when I return to do the same thing at home, in our own circle of friends, our own families, and in our own church communities. In several hours I will be landing in Nairobi and will be dropped off at Jan and Tim Ryder’s. I can’t wait!
To start off this blog, I wanted to share a few things that I’ve been reading on my plane ride over that have really struck a cord with me. I just started reading Radical, a book written by David Platt. My dear friend, Tiffany Shin, recommended it to me and my parents just happened to have it in their library of books at home! The book is about taking back your faith, recognizing the radical nature of Christ, and being cautious of the American churches’ way of viewing our faith. David Platt opens the book by describing an underground church in an Asian country; the church leaders that are gathering for hours at a time under the cover of night, praying over their loved ones who are suffering for Christ and pouring out tears over their love for Christ. They meet daily, risking their lives, and are hungry for God’s word. Compare this to a Sunday morning in The United States with our nice clothes, loud music sets, and bright stage preparations. The church in Asia is sacrificing everything for the sake of Christ, and by doing so they are experiencing Christ’s love like no other.
Over the past year or so I have been praying that God would renew my “aweness” of Him; that he would stir up a zeal and a passion for Him that is not as fiery as it should be. I desire to hunger for God more than anything else with a child-like faith, and yet I don’t. This book goes on to describe the passage in Luke 9 when Jesus tells three would-be followers that one must let someone else bury his father, one cannot say goodbye to his family, and one must leave all of his possessions behind. But he promises that if you “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, you will have treasure in heaven”. Suddenly I thought to myself: this is the reason that I’m not experiencing the fullness of God; this is why I’m not “on fire” for Christ like I ought to be. I’m not abandoning myself to Him; I’m not letting go of my comforts. I’m trying to mold Christ into my life, instead of the other way around.
With this prelude, I’m hoping to take the next three weeks to abandon my comforts and my life to Christ. I want to get a glimpse of Christ the way the Asian church sees Him! Don’t you? Someone worth dieing for! But I don’t want to stop after 3 weeks. I hope that we can challenge each other when I return to do the same thing at home, in our own circle of friends, our own families, and in our own church communities. In several hours I will be landing in Nairobi and will be dropped off at Jan and Tim Ryder’s. I can’t wait!
So glad you were able to get the book! Blessed to share this journey with you. :) Praying for your time there and the work of Christ in you and those you care for. Tiffany
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