There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. -- 1 Timothy 2:5

My wife and I have been taking Cantonese lessons from a very patient tutor. It would be an understatement to say that the language has been difficult for us to learn. The western ear is not trained to hear “tones” and Cantonese employs seven distinct tones that make all the difference in the world when filling a sound with meaning.

Our need for an interpreter is never more apparent than when we try and move around in the city. We have been both frustrated and amused by our frequent inability to speak specific location names in a way that any given taxi driver understands. One place we travel to often, “On Ting,” is almost always a challenge to communicate, no matter how many times we repeat it, and no matter how precise our pronunciation is.

“ON Ting.”

“on TING.”

“ON TING.”

“on ting.”

“oN tInG!”

“Onnnnn TInGGGGGGG”

There have been times when we have said it perhaps 40-50 times only receiving a questioning look from the driver. So on these special occasions I’m glad I have a phone with connections to some friends here in Hong Kong that know and understand both English and Cantonese. It is incredibly humbling to “phone a friend,” then pass the phone to the taxi driver and almost in that same instant to see complete understanding spread over his face while he says “Ahhh, On Ting!”

(And I might add the driver says it in a way that sounds to us exactly how we were just saying it but obviously wasn’t at all how we were just saying it.)

I’m so thankful for a mediator, or “go-between,” that can communicate from us to him and from him to us. A good mediator knows both sides.

I’m so thankful for the Mediator, Jesus that bridges fallen man with a transcendent God. Jesus knows both sides perfectly well. He knows the side of deity; he knows the side of humanity.

He was with His Father since eternity past. He is before all things and nothing was made without Christ, Colossians says. He has come and declared God to us. He is the living Word, or message from God. And He came to do the will of His Father in heaven. Christ knows the deity side, perfectly.

But He also knows the human side perfectly well, too.

In the Old Testament we discover that the Messiah is acquainted with grief and a “man of sorrows.” (Isaiah 53:3)

In the New Testament we get a clearer picture of why Christ truly is the “Son of Man.” Hebrews 4:15 says: “For we do not have a high priest [Christ] who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” (NIV)

Philippians 2:5-7 states: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.” (NKJV)

And perhaps the most compelling verse that demonstrates that Christ knows our side is Hebrews 5:8 which says: “Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” (KJV)

The only Mediator that could finish the job must be One that is both David’s son and David’s Lord. The Son of Man and the Son of God! (see Matthew 22:41-46)

Only Jesus Christ could serve in the role of a Mediator that could reconcile sinful man to a holy God. Nobody knows both sides like Jesus does.

Jesus, You are the perfect Mediator and without You we could never find and know God! Thank you, Jesus!

As Christians we believe that we should love and value those things that God loves and values. Humanity has value because we were created in the image of God.

No matter one's color.

No matter one's gender.

No matter one's upbringing.

And,

No matter one's age.

As humans, we are the part of God's Creation most like Him. Our ultimate heritage is that God made us in His own image for His own pleasure. These truths have amazing ramifications for how we should think and act.

We are pleased to present a new dynamation that celebrates these truths called “Before.”

See, I knew that title would get you to take a second look. So, who is the fatso?

Me.

For several years I’ve been overweight. Not grossly, mind you…but gross enough. Blubber isn’t pretty, nor is it healthy. And it’s hard to believe that an oft-winded muffin-top was God’s intended design.

Due to God’s awesome grace, I’ve made several weight-altering changes recently. I am pleased to report that I am now down about 40 pounds from whence I began. I still have about 30 more to go to get back down to optimum levels but solid progress has been made. Rejoice with me.

I’m blogging about this for a few reasons:

• Content -- Because if I did this a couple years ago there wouldn’t be much to say after the title.
• Accountability – I’m in a difficult phase of it. Throughout this journey it has been beneficial for me to share with others my goals and strategies. I am now expanding the scope. The temptation for me is to be content with being less overweight than I was, but overweight nonetheless. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. I will not order Pizza Hut.
• Relationship -- If my journey is a help or inspiration to some then that will be well worth the light affliction of saying “no” to Ferroro Rocher.

The Beginning Of This Journey

Early last year (2010) I was in pain. I was misdiagnosed with gout, then misdiagnosed again with pseudogout, until finally a rheumatologist determined I have a degenerative condition called spondyloarthropathy. The condition itself is far less exciting than trying to pronounce it. For me, the condition basically means there are times when I have crippling pain in my knees, ankles, and feet.

This was a real wake-up call for me. And over the past several months since the diagnosis I believe God has helped order my steps to make small yet progressively impactful decisions that have helped me to gain some momentum toward health. For the first time in my life since being overweight I feel like I’m seeing some consistent and quantifiable victory in the area of weight and overall health.

Unsalted Words

Before, I would think about my weight every day and resolutely make non-resolutions. I would feel better about eating large or greasy because I would determine in my mind to go running the next day or that coming weekend. But “more important” things almost always distracted me. Sometimes the more important thing was going out to dinner with friends or family.

I felt guilty. A few skinny people inspired me. Most skinny people annoyed me. (I forgive you, though.)

I felt extremely frustrated. My lovely wife has the metabolism of a hummingbird. I once had a similar metabolism. I longed for the days when I could eat and drink gargantuan portions of whatever I wanted and still remain in shape. But those days ended when I hit about 23.

I spent money during bursts of inspiration. I bought stuff specially designed to help one lose weight. But seriously, the pills and drinks might account for 2-3% of what a person needs to lose weight. I’m not going to say that they’re not helpful but they are not worth the very, very, very, *small* help that they are. Buying those things are like building a house and spending money on a diamond-plated nail gun instead of good concrete for the foundation. I mean…the nail gun will help but come on. You don’t need it. Just grab a $2.99 hammer and get the job done. What matters much more than the tool is the effort and determination behind the tool.

I burned through quite a bit of cash a few years ago in the L.A. Weight Loss program. From that experience I took away some humorous stories, a few lessons of what doesn’t work for me, and pretty much all my blubber.

I am wired to direct all my energies toward fixing something. But weight loss requires lifestyle change not quick bursts of well-intended activity. Those kind of bursts can’t last. I always fizzled.

Several times, I bought into the idea that I didn’t have to change in order to lose weight. The products that advertise that you can eat all you want and do no exercise do their job the moment you buy them…and then cease entirely to be effective from that point onward.

So, as you can see, I’m fully human.

What Is Working For Me (may not work for you)

I have not followed any specific diet or exercise plans. But what I am doing is working for me. I think some of the points that I purport below are more-or-less common denominators for weight loss.

These little changes have not been an overnight thing. It has been largely trial and error for me for years. I feel a bit like the guy that said “it took me 3 long years to make a million bucks overnight.” It has taken me many years of struggling to start understanding and/or believing the stuff that really does matter in regards to losing weight.

Here is the foundation for the success I’ve enjoyed thus far: Making healthy choices that I can actually *live with*, daily.

Most everything else has flowed out from this foundation.

I gave up trying to do the “big” things and determined to start doing small things that I could do daily. Instead of rushing down for a  new gym membership, instead of eating air and warm water for a few days, instead of flaming up and flaming out I decided to try the slow burn strategy: small, daily, yet permanently acceptable.

So, here’s my healthy list:

• GOD. I brought my goals before God.  I discussed them with Him. I asked God for help. I asked Him to put the things/people/stuff in my life that I needed to experience change.
• ME. I had to be the one to make the decision for health. I could not ultimately look to my wife, my parents, or my friends to fix my issue. I had to take responsibility. My wife was not at fault because she fried up some bacon. My parents were not at fault even though my mom took me to McDonalds often as a child. God was not to blame for withholding from me the gift of a hyper-metabolism, either. This was my issue and I needed to grab ahold of both handles and own up to it!
• FOOD EDUCATION. I went to the internet and got educated about food. What is a calorie? What is a carb? What is protein? Why is fiber important? Please note, if you pay for information about this issue then you deserve to lose the money. Good data is all over the net you just have to make some effort to look for it and read. I learned and am learning. I have spent a good amount of time educating myself about food, online.
• THE LIST. I found several foods that are universally agreed upon as being healthy foods that enhance weight loss. And then I began to determine THE LIST. “THE LIST” is a compilation of all the healthy foods that I can live with having to eat every day. This has been somewhat enjoyable and I’ve even tried some new foods. Today, I tried some China Kumquats and they were…interesting.
• WHOLE FOOD. Whole food has really seemed to help. I’ve been eating stuff like hard-boiled eggs, raw almonds, asparagus, apples, and blueberries.
• PILL-LESSNESS. I stopped looking for the secret pill or ultra-effective diet. Deep down I think I already knew what works and I just had to believe it. I think that’s an important distinction, too. Note I didn’t say “do it” I said I had to “believe it.”
• ANTICARBONATION. This was a huge step that I don’t think I could have made at first. But it has proven to be very effective in my case. I gave up Pepsi, Coke, and the like. Also, I gave up fruit juices and sport drinks because they are high in calories and sugar. So, what I drink nowadays is…
• WATER AND GREEN TEA. Sugarless, of course. And a lot of it.
• EAT MORE FREQUENTLY. Snack throughout the day on healthy things. Today at my desk I’ve eaten some raw strawberries and three little EDO almond pastries. Eating less food more frequently inspires your metabolism.
• FLAVOR. When we eat at home nowadays we try to make the food extra flavorful through the use of herbs and spices such as chili peppers. Since I’m eating less food I want the food that I do eat to be flavorful and there are many healthy and creative ways to achieve this. My wife has been a great help in this area!
• LESS SALT. Too much salt is really bad for people looking to lose weight. When I do use salt I use small amounts of sea salt.
• NO DESSERTS. Any questions?
• WRONG THINKING. I imagine some will find this erroneous thinking humorous. But for years I thought that if the food doesn’t feel physically heavy then it shouldn’t make me gain weight. I mean, bacon doesn’t feel heavy on the plate. A one-pound bag of potato chips could at max make me gain only one pound, right? I had to stop thinking like this. This is really bad thinking. I had to stop thinking in terms of the weight/quantity of food and begin to think in terms of the quality of food.
• LIFESTYLE. Sarah and I have had a lifestyle change beginning in Autumn 2010. Coming to Hong Kong has really helped us to be more physically active. We walk about 20 minutes to school in the morning and then walk 20 minutes back home. That’s an automatic 40 minutes of daily exercise. We’re not going to a gym to do it…it is just part and parcel with our daily lives. We could use the taxi or the rail system but we have made the decision to walk because it is more healthy. So once again it has been figuring out the small things that we can do and actually abide!
• MOMENTUM. When I could tighten my belt another notch it was great encouragement! And then when I could tighten it another two notches it really got me jazzed. As I have seen little steps of progress it has been highly motivational for me to continue making the small daily decisions that I can accept permanently.
• FRIENDS. Rob and Julie Gillen were largely inspirational to me because of the success they achieved in their own lives. I needed to find someone that has “been there, done that” and Rob was that guy. I spoke candidly with him about my goals and his own journey of getting physically fit. I treated his words of wisdom as a buffet (I am good at buffet style) and discerned those things that could work for me. He was the guy that really unlocked things for me with the concept of “making little changes that I could actually maintain.” 
• KNOW YOURSELF. After so many years of failing in this area I had to adopt an Edison-like attitude. In failing was an education. I knew the things that didn’t work for me. Oh, I knew. Rob encouraged me to “reward myself” at some intervals. But I know myself. I know that rewarding myself could easily turn into a week’s worth of rewards. Know how you are wired. Know thyself! I can’t reward myself.
• DAILY DAILY DAILY. There are no breaks when one is on the battlefield. I am at war with my blubber and the attitudes within me (that still exist) that yielded the blubber in the first place!
• TALK TO YOURSELF. Talking to myself and yelling at myself has been helpful. Yeah, I know you think this is weird and that I’m a little crazy. That’s okay. It’s working for me.
• IMAGINATION. I have mentally blocked out certain foods by focusing wholly upon THE LIST. Today I was in the Circle K and I found myself surprised when I actually noticed some of the bad kinds of food (baked goodies, cookies, chocolate, etc). Surprised not because I noticed them, but because I hadn’t noticed them sooner. In my mind I had blocked those foods because of concentrating so intently on the foods that were on THE LIST. They’re there but they’re not. Spooky.
• ACCOUNTABILITY. I have shared my journey and my goals with others. I think that accountability can serve as sort of a crutch when we are weak or just limping along. Again, I’ve posted this publicly in hopes that doing so will further exhort me to accomplishing my goal of 215.

I hope this is helpful to others, it has been helpful for me to organize these thoughts. I have not arrived. In fact, I feel like I am at the most difficult phase of this process and this post has been written in part to help recharge my “self-discipline batteries” (there are only two and they are triple A).

Peace without grease.

Prior to July of 2010 we had not planned on coming to Hong Kong. For several years while living in the states, we had grown somewhat comfortable and were looking for God’s help in rescuing us from the snares of American materialism and apathy and Christianbubble living. I was especially moved by Dr. Tim Keesee’s “Dispatches from the Front” videos in late 2009. My wife also noticed our condition (likely before I did) and began praying.  We weren’t looking for anything specific, but we knew that we needed His grace and direction to jostle us up and out from our rut.

This summer we were presented with an opportunity to come minister at a secondary school in Hong Kong and also to help kids4truth gain a footprint in that region of the world. From the very start this felt like it was a “God thing” and both my wife and I really wanted to go.

So, in late August of this year my wife and I landed in Hong Kong. It has been a whirlwind of activity and acclamation since arriving here. For the first few weeks we stayed at the Harbour Plaza Resort in Tin Shui Wai. As you can see the maker of beds there did not have people my size in mind (good thing there were 2 of um). We are currently renting a 700SF apartment close to the school. It takes us about 20 minutes to walk to the school every day. It’s a “deeeee-lux apartment in the sky-y-y-y” as we live on the 34th floor and have some really unique views of the “bedroom community” that is Tin Shui Wai.

During the weekdays both I and my wife work at the Chinese YMCA Secondary School (this is separate from the YMCA organization in the states). Because Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, we enjoy many religious liberties at the school. We have been encouraged by the school leadership to teach students the Bible. Many of the students here need Christ. Recently I have been asked by one of the classes I teach (about seventy 18-20 year olds or “Form 7”) to do a class that contrasts Christianity and Buddhism. I think based on some responses received from a questionnaire that there are probably less than 10 Christians in the class, so roughly 1 out of 7-10 students are believers. Many are like the Form 7 student that replied when asked if he believed in God: “Of course not.”

I think this 1 in 10 ratio would likely apply to the rest of the 1200 students here at the school (for example, the very well-promoted Student Christian Fellowship had a total of 14 students attend). Please pray for the Gospel to run and have free course among the students. May God be pleased to open spiritual eyes and grant saving faith and repentance.

In a sense, we are tent-making missionaries as we receive a salary from the school. Only here, our “tent-making” is among our most significant ministries. We have daily opportunities to influence these kids with the Gospel. We have found many of them to be receptive and interested. But I think they are looking for the same thing teens everywhere are looking for: examples that live the Gospel. I write that with a humble and burdened heart knowing how short I fall of this. Stories like Jonah, David, and Balaam’s talking you-know-what give me glimmers of hope. God is so good and gracious to use us and to let us be a part of His drama of redemption.

On the weekends, we are actively involved with Grace Baptist Church in the Tuen Mun area. Pastor Cedric Wong has been a constant blessing and encouragement to us. We are partnering with him to translate the kids4truth curriculum into traditional Chinese characters and subsequently establish clubs in this area. Please pray for this endeavor! I think it is an important one. With kids4truth translated into Chinese the potential outreach of the ministry increases by about 1 billion lives. We have already begun one kids4truth club at the church; about 20 children attend every Sunday. Recently the first patches were awarded to some of the kids. It was a big deal. We are praying that the number of children attending would grow, and that more churches in this area would begin kids4truth clubs as materials become available.

We have found the Hong Kong people easy to love. We have already made what we feel will be lifelong relationships with so many here. The students at the school have been very kind and accepting of us, though because of the language barrier it takes some time and effort. Most of the students can speak English well enough to have at least some measure of meaningful conversation, but some are fearful to use this language foreign to them. We have used tools such as chess, Chinese chess, table tennis, Facebook, graphic design, drawing, music, and basketball to open doors of communication. The girls here especially adore my wife. They think she is beautiful. (So do I). As for me, they are just amazed at my height. I am “tai goh” (too tall).

The staff at the Chinese YMCA has also been wonderful to us: supportive and available. We feel that we are part of a team. It is difficult to think of not staying here as our hearts have put down roots attached to many of these people.

The church we’re partnering with feels to me like what an early and biblical New Testament church might have felt like. The church body is together A LOT…for no defined reason, for no planned program…they are just a community. The atmosphere at the church is extremely human. It’s a group of transparent people that have been touched by the Gospel and want to live for Jesus. How refreshing it is to go to Friday night prayer time and hear requests from congregants that confess faults to one another and pray spiritual prayers for spiritual help. People in the church are concerned about God and each other, and they live it. It’s really good. (Also, there’s no formal church on Sunday night and I’m pretty sure that this is biblical. :-)  )

The church meets in a YMCA facility (not another school, just a center…and it has no relationship with the YMCA secondary school that has no relationship with anything YMCA in the states. Clear?) Tuen Mun is a very active part of Hong Kong and is considered a blue-collar region. There are people walking outside (and inside) the church location all the time so the opportunities to minister are overwhelming. Hong Kong is people, lack of space, and buildings! They don’t build out here, they build up!

Besides helping with the kids4truth program at the church, we have begun a basketball ministry called “The Silver Bears.” Check it out on Facebook and become a fan! We are also exploring ways how the church might better equip those people desiring ministry training in this region of the world. Pastor Cedric would also like to begin an internship program for U.S. single-college-grads that would like to come and minister for a few months. If you or someone you know would be interested in this, please contact me. We have had an intern here for the past couple months and she has had a significant ministry working at the church. She has been teaching a cooking class and several ladies in the Tuen Mun area have attended. She has also been teaching a free English class to elementary students. The opportunities for ministry are endless here. Come to the city!

So that’s what we’ve been doing the last few months. The great people at kids4truth have enabled my wife and I to go on this adventure. The kids4truth ministry continues to expand in the states and Canada. We’re also gaining a small footprint in Mexico as we are almost finished with the Spanish translation of the curriculum. Please pray for the k4t-into-Chinese translation endeavors. Please pray for us.

God is awesome.

This past Sunday the first ever Kids 4 Truth Club *in Cantonese* began. The translation of the Kids 4 Truth curriculum into traditional Chinese characters is underway and progressing rapidly. Please pray for this endeavor.

Here is a short video below that shows them learning Truth 0101 from the Kids 4 Truth Curriculum. They are using the Discoverers Level Truthcards but we are using Level 2-4 lesson plans during the teaching time.

Learning Kids 4 Truth in Hong Kong from Bob Roberts on Vimeo.

Many of the regular readers of this blog are already aware that Bob and Sarah are currently in Hong Kong. The Lord opened a wonderful opportunity for the two of them to experience missions first hand for the next nine months and at Kids 4 Truth, we are excited both for them as well as to see how The Lord is going to use this opportunity to further the ministry of Kids 4 Truth.

A month or so back, we spent a weekend recording new content for some updated training materials (more on that soon) and at the end of the day, I sat down with them around a kitchen table and asked them a few questions about their upcoming trip. We thought that posting this might help everyone have a better idea of what their thoughts were going into the trip and how you might pray for them while they are away.

A few things that we wanted to clarify based on what Bob and Sarah have learned (they have learned a ton in a very short time) since they’ve been in Hong Kong:

• Cantonese and Mandarin are two the main spoken languages
• The written word is either traditional or simplified. In Hong Kong we use Cantonese and traditional characters
• Although the school receives government funding and is a public school for all intents and purposes, it has a "Christian" name...the Chinese YMCA Secondary School http://www.cymcass.edu.hk/eng/index.htm

While they are away, they will be posting regular updates to this site to catalog their ministry there as well as some of their experiences. Additionally, they are posting small clips and photos on the Kids 4 Truth Facebook page as well as Bob’s Facebook profile.

I just finished watching the second installment in the "Dispatches from the Front" series.

And I'm sitting here, trying to wrap my mind around what I've just seen and heard and eloquently tell my blog all about it, but what I just really want to type is this: "God is Big."

Really BIG.

I walk by sight more than I walk by faith. I am infected with materialism and comfort. I often think America is the world-leader in all things Christian because I am content to think us chiefest among the nations in most other things. Baloney. The obedient, Gospel-centered lives showcased in this presentation put me to shame. My comfortable-in-the-box-don't-rock-the-boat flavor of Christianity is dismal and dark compared to the bright Gospel lights shining forth from believers in places like Albania and Kosovo.

God is AWESOME.

"Opening a window to Christ's Kingdom" is the stated purpose of these presentations. The goal according to Dr. Tim Keesee is to show how big God is and how powerful His Gospel is. God's Church is growing, His fame is spreading, and we should not miss it for the world! I think these guys are hitting the mark. (At least it's working on me.) 

I bawled like a kid when I saw the camp for the kids in Kosovo. Most of the 50 children attending were orphans whose parents were killed in the war. Should I be doing something for them? What am I doing for them? Am I spinning my wheels by further spoiling an already-spoiled nation? These questions are not easily answered and to my discomfort, they're not easily dodged. I guess I should thank God for that.

Some of the more noteworthy gems include:

• "This place is haunted by silence...or perhaps I am haunted by my own." [Dr. Tim ponders after observing the graves of over 100 men in one village that were all slaughtered on the same day during the war in 1999.]
  

• "How to Plant Churches [from a church-planting missionary in Albania]

1. Pray
2. Meet people
3. Tell them about Jesus"

• "The Gospel is Viral" [regarding an Albanian woman who trusted Christ in college at age 20 and now about 10 years later over 40 of her family members have become Christians through her witness and testimony.]

• "Dirt never stopped Calvary love." [concerning outcast Gypsies in Montenegro]

• "His letter was packed with GRACE and GRIT." [in reference to an instructive from a missionary in Albania on what to tell American churches about mission work.]

Lord willing, I'm about to stop living vicariously through these DVDs and do something that looks a bit more like Jesus. Stay tuned.

And in the meantime, do yourself a giant favor and watch the second Dispatch. And your first time through...I suggest that you watch it alone.

A great article by Ed Vasicek that I’m sure you will benefit from has been posted recently HERE.

Here are a couple of fantastic quotes by Mr. Vasicek:

• “We live in a day and age where speakers complain about believers not knowing the basic facts, yet these leaders do nothing to remedy the problem. Complaining about the problem, or revealing it, is not enough: we should, instead, fix the problem. And we should not move on until we have done so.”
• “All Christians need to know and review the basic “facts.” Most of us agree that, by and large, learning concepts is better than mere memorization of information. But not always. Rote memory has gotten a bum wrap: Learning by rote is an excellent way to lay a foundation—especially if you contemplate what you have learned!”

Ed, we here at K4T couldn’t agree with you more and that’s why we do what we do! We are trying to be a part of the solution to the problems you so articulately described sir! God bless you for being a solid voice!

They are finally here. These "numbers" are a great complement to the Kids 4 Truth curriculum, or they can stand alone as great resources for moms and dads, teachers, ministry leaders, etc, etc, etc.

Go and spend a few minutes kicking the tires! Try entering the following numbers into the entry box (these numbers are taken from the curriculum. Each six digit number represents one of the curriculum units). 

040101

030207

020704

040909

 

"Radical rescue work" is how Dr. Tim Keesee describes this new video about ministry in impossible places like Cambodia and Borneo, but after watching it I'm convinced anew that there's another rescue work that needs doing. Dr. Tim knows what it is. So do I. American Christians need to be rescued from the blindness that selling out to the American Dream brings. His first video in what looks to be a series-in-progress is a strong prescription for our disease of comfortable apathy.

I want to thank Dr. Tim Keesee and the good people at Frontline Missions for producing this video. I am greatly looking forward to the next one and am praying that God will bless their endeavors mightily.

Folks I commend this video to you. Let's not settle for comfortable American dreams. Let's burn out for Jesus. I needed this video. I needed to be stirred again by the power of the Gospel. Oh how I wish the loudest voices were the ones most consumed with Christ and the power of His Gospel. 

Here are a couple previews below, but they're not enough! Buy the video and watch it with some friends. You can find out more and order the video HERE.

I sure enjoyed being interviewed by Stu Epperson a few years back. I see that today they replayed the interview on the air and online HERE. Hope you are well, Stu. I would love to reconnect sometime and let you know how our ministry is going sir!

Below is perhaps the most interestingly random conversation I've ever had with a junior camper and it happened this past week at Northland Camp.

This converstaion took place after a morning chapel service that really didn't have anything to do with missions work or activities, and certainly had nothing to do with Nepal.

***BEGIN CONVERSATION***

Camper (Girl, age about 9): "Mr. Bob, I REALLY need to speak with you about something VERY important."

Me (Adult Male, age old): [graciously shooing other children away] "Okay, let's walk over here and talk."

[we walk, we stop]

Camper: [BIG SIGH] "Well, here it is. Every time I hear about Nepal I get this tingly feeling in my heart. I think that maybe God wants me to go there."

Me: "Hey that's great..." [Camper interrupts my positive expression]

Camper: "Yeah but I ALSO think that God wants me to be a farmer."

Me: "Well maybe you can do some farming in Nepal."

Camper: "Well see that's the problem. I would really like to be a farmer in Nepal but let's say that I need to go back home and visit my mom and dad..."

Me: "uh-huh"

Camper: "...then WHO will watch my COWS?" [this question ends abruptly and with unusual intensity]

[pause]

Me: [I begin fighting a really big smile and sort of start losing I think] "Hmmm."

Camper: "I mean, I think that I could go to Nepal if I were to only have a few cows because then when I needed to come home I could take those cows with me when I go. I would definitely take a boat so that they could come too."

Me: "Well maybe there are some people in Nepal that you could ask to watch your cows while you are gone."

Camper: "I'm not sure there is anyone like that over there."

Me: "I'm pretty sure there are a few."

Camper: [ponders this thought, mumbles something, and then wanders away.]

***END CONVERSATION***

I really enjoy working with juniors. I mean... cows, Nepal, farming, and intercontinental-travel-by-sea all in one conversation, and all in under a minute. Beautiful.

I think Ken Ham does a very solid job of defining the biggest issues confronting Christians today.

THE VIDEO IS HERE

Major on the majors folks. Spend your time wisely. Let's endeavor to live uncomfortable lives for the Gospel's sake. Speak the truth in love to our culture...no matter the cost. 

I am doing my part to help the viral spread of this brilliant 3 minute video. It is worth watching on several levels:

1. The command this man possesses of the English language is one-of-a-kind. Our language is lovely, and listening to it spoken by one that weilds it with such skill and authority is marvelous.

2. He says really, really good things that need to be heard and heeded by all that carry any amount of influence. 

3. He boldly confronts with the truth. I'd love to hear this guy deliver a sermon! 

Enjoy!

 

Is it considered Christian growth because I just deleted a whole bunch of stuff I wrote about this ad and refused to publish it on my blog? 

I hope so. That would be the highlight of today's sanctification methinks.