A Prayer for St. Louis & Ferguson Thoughts

Heavenly Father, you know all things. You hold all things. Nothing comes as a shock to you, and I praise you for that. I don't have to worry about anything because before the sun sets today and rises tomorrow you know what will happen. You see Ferguson and you know every person's heartache. You know every person's anger. Most of all, you love and care for them more than we now how to humanly express. As I watch from so many miles away, I ask that you send your Comforter to the city and that His presence would be felt. I know that in hard emotional times when temperatures are hot, we don't always feel or want to acknowledge you, which is why I ask that you really fill the city with your presence. And God I pray that your Church, that the body of Christ would rise up;  Would tend to the brokenhearted. I pray that there would be no blame shifting, people pointing, but the only pointing would be to your son, Jesus. He has already carried our burdens. Carry the burdens of the people now. Use this time Lord to bring glory to your name. In all things may you get the glory, and some how for this ugly, this mess we have created of and by ourselves, may you get the glory out of it. Amen.

 

I don't know all the details and I don't pretend to know all the details. I don't know both sides of the story, and unless you are Michael Brown or Darren Wilson, then neither do you. Media is powerful, isn't it? It's hard as a society for us to move on from tragic events. It's even harder when we live in a society that doesn't allow us to forget our past. We're supposed to learn from it though, aren't we? Sadly I think we say with our mouths that we're different, but our minds and actions say otherwise. When are we really going to show that skin color is nothing but a color?

While I can't understand at all the pain the blacks are relating to, I don't blame them for the anger thay have. Granted, it doesn't justify the looting and setting cars to fire, but there also isn't justification for the police force using tear gas on them, is it? As MLK Jr. once said, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." Even our President said:

But I join Michael’s parents in asking anyone who protests this decision to do so peacefully. Let me repeat Michael’s father’s words:  “Hurting others or destroying property is not the answer. No matter what the grand jury decides, I do not want my son’s death to be in vain. I want it to lead to incredible change, positive change, change that makes the St. Louis region better for everyone."

We have a long way to go. The Ferguson situation only brought to light what has been oppressed for far too long. We have to work together so that for our nation, our children's sake the next generation does not grow up and live in a world of hate. Two sided.  The first photo was 40 years ago of people being doused with water from a firehose for nothing but their skin color. And below, present day, cars set abaze and tear gas in hand.

St. Louis really needs our prayers. We need each other.  Lord help us all.

The GREAT Commission.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20

Yesterday was a really great day. I went to two different church services and in each of them I saw this very verse in action. I witnessed an Argentine brother be prayed over as he was sent out from our local church, and later I watched a Brazilian sister be baptized in a step of obedience and faith. 

If you know me well, you'd know I cried at both of these services watching my brother and sister do exactly as His word says. His living and active word calls people to action, and nothing brought greater joy to my heart. Nothing.  Don't you see what makes this commission so great, though?

This brother, Joaquin, is going to India for a month to work and serve with Argentine M's in the Himilayas for the month of December. I'm sure he'd love the prayers. Heading to land of idolatry and false gods, he and his team of 11 others will be traveling throughout the mountains using music and the word to minister to the people there. I'm so excited to see what this trip brings about in both his life and the lives of the people there.

My sister Julia invited me earlier this week to church and dinner afterward. Obviously I love both of those things and accepted. So, imagine my surprise when I got there and she told me she couldn't sit with me because she was being baptized. Her and 20 others were dunked last night. PRAISE GOD. When asking everyone why they wanted this, they all said, "obedience and faith," but some gave additional testimony to how Jesus had forgiven them of their sins forever. To the least of these, can I just get an amen?

As we were singing at the beginning, I was just in awe of the glory and presence of God in this great city. That He would allow me to be a part of His work at a time such as this. To watch a brother be sent out yesterday and a sister be baptized in the same day. As church was letting out they had all 20 of them on stage and were singing a song called, "Te Doy Gloria" which is a party song. It repeats this line saying, "I give you glory (x3), to you Jesus". And I just thought to myself, this is a sliver of what heaven looks like for just one person repenting.

I pray than God gets ALL the glory, NOTHING, but the glory for what is happening here in Buenos Aires. May the enemy be defeated and have no part in this city. It's all for His name's sake.
 

Tunesday Tuesday.

Remember in Gossip Girl when Dan and Serena get married and Serena comes down the stairs looking like a goddess while Florence & The Machine is playing this song?? I do, and it's one of my favorite TV moments ever.

 

Enjoy.

{P.S. did you also know that Florence and Blake Lively (Serena) are besties? True fact.}

The Marvelous City.

Oi. Bom dia. Obrigada.

This is about the extent of my Portuguese, yet for the last week my head was flooded with words I did not understand and I was at the mercy of those around me and my Spanish to get me around a country that is vastly different that I expected.

Welcome to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Expectations often don't meet reality do they? My trip to Rio was no exception to that. I planned about 2-3 months ago to have this vacation with a friend and about 4 days before leaving found out she couldn't go because of medical reasons. Being the planner I am, this did nothing but put me into a panic. I was not mad at her, ever, but rather confused at why God was separating us... what good can come from this and how am I supposed to rearrange a trip in such short notice? Really I was mad at science. But, I put on my big girl pants and got to emailing like crazy with some local M's in Rio that so graciously housed me and set me up with a local to be a tour guide for my time there.

Literally, saved. my. trip.

While I'm still not sure why God didn't want us to go to Rio together at this time, I know that His way is better and that He works everything out in the end. And He did just that. I had some fears before going about safety of being alone, and I have to say I never once felt afraid. Despite the culture and language differences, I felt completely covered in prayer and the presence of the HS. The family I stayed with was super busy the whole time, but made time for me and for that I am forever grateful.

Another takeaway from this trip is that I am thankful (not proud) that English is my first language, because it is a platform of communication for people from different nations. Also, I LOVE SPANISH! When I didn't know Portuguese and didn't see anyone around that looked like they knew English, I defaulted to Spanish. It looks like Portuguese, though (in my opinion) sounds vastly different.

 I was surprised by the number of international tourist I saw in Rio.  At the Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf, or at Maracanã Stadium, I hardly ever encountered people speaking American English... it was European accents or Australian English. 

 <<Funny story though... a man saw me in my chaco sandals who also was wearing chacos himself and wanted to take a picture of our feet together! I didn't ask where he was from, but if I had to guess...it would be the USofA>>

What else can I saw about Rio, other than the language? The food is amazing! The people are colorful and very friendly, cariñoso.  Rio was a good trip, but now that it's checked off the list, I'm ready to sit back and see  A R G E N T I N A.

Day 2: Maracanã

Day 3: Beaches

Day 3: Jardim Botanico

Day 3: Orchids at Jardim Botanico

Day 4: Christ the Redeemer

Day 2: These high school girls have a small group that I got to sit in on!

Tunesday Tuesday.

I bought a bunch of songs from Bethel Music last week, but this is the one that I can't get out of my head....

#BALife: Part 2

Six months in and I've learned a few things since my first #balife post. Mostly I wanted to share with you some hand gestures that I won't be able to leave behind when I come home. Then some other sayings or things that are just unique to here. So, sit back and come to Argentina with me:

1. This right hand which you shake back and forth and is GREAT. I don't go a day without using it, even if just with my roommate. It's great for exclamations... like, "What were you/they/she thinking?!" or "I can't believe that happened!!" I don't know why the girl is smiling in this photo. Normally your mouth is open and eyebrows wide.

2. This means anything in the past ... ___ times ago. Far away.  Hace mucho. All of the above. There wasn't a great picture of it, but it's good and used often...

3.   Qué sé yo? What do I know? I don't know! Not sure about something... just flick your hand under your chin.

4. There's another thing you do with your hand and you flick it when 'me cuesta mucho'. Something was hard, rough, and you're describing it to another person. If you're REALLY good you can make your hands make a snapping noise.  [sorry, I couldn't find a picture]
 
5. "si si si si si si si" never "si". Argentines, if you ask them a question, will tell you si 5 times over. Unless the answer is no. Then it's "no no no no no no" :)

6. Argentines are SO patient. I thought this when I first got here and it's something I was reminded of again today when paying a bill. I hope I get better at. I learned this when I got here that I carried my American ways with me that us USAns are FAST paced and don't like to wait. Argentines.... well if they have to wait 30 minutes to pay a bill, they wait and accept it. You don't see them complaining about it. It's what they know, and I appreciate that about them.

7. R-E-S-P-E-C-T when it comes to transit, anyway. This is more for guys.. and I love it! There is a lot of mutual respect among people here. Elderly and women with young children or pregnant always are given a seat on the bus. And at bus stops, guys always let ladies on before them (unless it's a really long line). I have this inner struggle sometimes if I'm in the front of the bus if I should give my seat up. Probably, when in doubt, the answer is yes. I've got some learning left to do.

8. Besos... we knew this was coming. I'm not surprised by this #balife, but I'm really going to miss it when I leave. Yesterday I made sure to kiss everyone before I left church. And today, when I arrived a little after a meeting started, I made sure to go around and kiss everyone at the table --which though seems rude and counterculture to us Americans, it would be rude to NOT beso them when I had arrived.

Well guys, there you have it. Mi querido Buenos Aires.

La Catedral de La Plata

Yerba Mate

Cabildo

Puente de Mujer :: Puerto Madero

Our Great High Priest.

I've been reading through the Pentateuch lately and currently I'm in Leviticus. I have to say, Exodus was a lot better than I remembered it being. Moses is a rockstar... and I can relate to him a lot. Not that I'm a rockstar, but I can relate to a lot of his insecurities earlier in his life.... but anyway, that's not what I'm writing about tonight.

In Leviticus, I've been going through the 5 offerings: The guilt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering. As I've been reading these, and the regulations that the Lord required for the priests too, all I can think is that I am SO thankful I didn't live in this time... I would need so many goats!! But only two of these offerings are mandatory, three are voluntary; The sin and guilt offering are compulsory.

In ch 5 v 17 it says "if a person sins and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord's commands, even though he does not know it, he is guilty and will be held responsible." All it takes is just one to be guilty. So I'm reading through and trying to process the old covenant and what it meant to be a child of God... and I was just discouraged for them. What high standards God must have had! I'd be best friends with the priest making atoning sacrifices every day.

I'm only now in chapter 10 of Leviticus, but I couldn't take it any longer the other day. I had to get to the good news. I had to read ahead and go to Hebrews, to read of our Great High Priest who came for us in the flesh to be our living sacrifice once and for all.

Hebrews 4:14-16 says:
Therefore since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we were- yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. [my emphasis added]

-and-

Hebrews 7:24-28 says:
But because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always live to intercede for them. Such a high priest meets out need- one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever.  [my emphasis added]

David Platt taught us it was okay to clap and shout when reading Scripture and I have to say when reading Hebrews 4:14 I just want to PRAISE Him that the veil was torn and we have access to the most holy place and HE intercedes for US to the Father. That is something worth clapping for.

So now when I read through Leviticus and realize just how imperfect I am - man who is weak, it makes me more thankful, give more praise, and more aware (if even possible) of what Jesus went through when he became the new covenant.