American Christianity--What's Wrong?

You might not care what I have to say. You might have looked at the title and laughed. But it’s important for you to read this. It might change the way you see American Christianity.

American Christianity is different from Christianity in the rest of the world. If you’re a Christian, new or old, you might know this. Christians in China and the Middle East and in Africa are killed for their faith. They meet in small rooms, hidden from the authorities. Most only have one or two Bibles to a group of twenty or thirty. If they meet in groups too large, people might get suspicious. Christians in American meet in large auditoriums. Everyone has their own Bible. Hundreds of people are free to meet together. You might have read about the underground churches, and how some of the people are imprisoned and tortured just because of their faith. If you compare it to people in America, if they’re tired or want to watch something on TV, they stay home from church. It’s not the lack of transportation, it’s the lack of actual faith. It’s one thing if you’re sick or you can’t get to church because you’re snowed in or there’s absolutely no way you can get there. But you can have your own little house church. You have a Bible, and you can pray.

It doesn’t matter whether your church is traditional or contemporary . If you look around you when you enter the sanctuary, you’ll see stage lights, instruments, cushioned pews or chairs and clean windows. Church has become a social event. It’s a checkmark on your calendar. We go to see and be seen. We listen to the sermon, sing a few songs, and leave. We decide to stop going to this church because we didn’t like the music, or we don’t go to that church because we don’t like the pastor. We don’t apply what we learned to our lives (if we learned anything at all). We go about our lives living like we want.

What would happen if America suddenly became a communist nation, and you are told to deny Jesus Christ and become a Muslim, or be executed. Would you refuse or agree? Would you give up everything to stay a Christian? Would you openly disobey the government and announce that you will never deny Jesus because he is your Lord and Savior? I think most people would say they would deny Jesus, but on the inside say, ‘I will still recognize Jesus’ just because they don’t want to die. I know I would rather be killed for my faith than deny Jesus.

I have several friends who just don’t get it. they show up on Wednesday nights for youth group ‘worship,’ but they don’t actually worship. They joke around during prayer or text during the lesson. They claim they’re Christians, but their actions say otherwise. I think a lot of American Christians take Christianity for granted. If you are a Christian, did you just say the prayer and walk down the aisle and now live your live the way you did before you became a Christian, or do you actually follow Jesus? Do you try to be a witness for your friends and family and strangers around you? Do your friends ask you, “What do you have that I don’t? Why are you so happy?”
I’m not going to apologize for stepping on any toes. If you find yourself hating this article because you are one of those who said the right words and have your ticket to Heaven, I really don’t care. I won’t feel any loss. I hope you change your views, though. It’s not hard to change. I did.

Why the World Needs a Savior

In the 2006 film Superman Returns, Lois Lane writes and article for the Daily Planet titled ‘Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman.’ Later in the movie, when Superman takes Lois for a flight, he asks her what she hears. Of course being miles up in the sky, and lacking super-hearing, she says, “Nothing.” To which he replies, “I hear everything. People crying out for a savior.”
Lois eventually realizes that she was wrong. The world needs Superman. She needs Superman. At the end of the movie, after Superman sees Jason, Lois’s son, one last time, Jason wakes up and calls out the window to him. Lois, who is standing in her yard, wishing that Superman isn’t dead, looks up to see Superman hovering in front of her, over the river. She says, “Will we see you…around?”
Superman smiles and says, “I’m always around.”

I don’t have super-hearing, but I hear people crying out for a savior. In the news, on Facebook, on the street, at the library, in Wal-Mart. They might not always think that’s what they’re doing, but they are. They have problems. I don’t know what they are. Maybe it’s drugs or alcohol. They might have family issues. But no matter what they’re all going through, they are all thinking the same thing. “I need a savior.” Not necessarily those words, but something similar.
The world needs a Savior, and there’s only one. Jesus. You probably think I’m a lunatic, but it’s true. The only one who can save this world is Jesus.
Next time you have a problem, remember, He’s always around.

Hate

Hate
It’s ugly
Hate
It’s evil
Hate
It’s unfriendly
Hate
Why do we hate when it’s easier to love
Why do we hate when it’s an awful feeling
When love would be better we do the opposite
When we know it feels bad, we hate
Just for one minute, think,
Is it better to hate, or is it better to love?

Writer's Block

Oh, writer's block.
You are no great friend of mine.
In fact, mortal enemies, we are.
Me attempting to write.
You holding my hand back.
Why must you do this to me?
What have I ever done to you?
One day, I will defeat you,
And create a masterpiece worthy of legend.

Haters, Stop Hatin'

The government might not work the way you want it to work. You might not like the people in office, but that doesn't give you the right to hate them. After all, hate can kill people. Hate can start wars. Hate will cause you to lose those you love. Besides, some of them could be brothers and sisters in Christ. Would you ever hate your brother or sister? The government often screws up, yes, but that's because they're humans. Just like you. You screw up occasionally, right? But most of the time, they're doing thier best to keep the country running and safe. Every person should obey the government in power. No government would exist if it hadn't been established by God.* So your silly hating will get you no where. If something is going wrong, protest it peacefully. You have the resources to do it. Facebook, Twitter, blogs, YouTube. But don't get stupid about it. If enought people get involved in a movement to change the way things are run for the better, in a peaceful manner, then you will see the change happen. But if things get violent, all you'll hear about is the violence, bloodshed, anger and more hate. So haters, stop hatin'.  Turn your anger and hate into peace and love. People respond better to those.
*Romans 13:1

Set the World on Fire

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. This famous quote from Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities is the perfect way to describe my DTS Outreach. I was dreading going to India the moment I found out that it was my outreach location. But now I see that there was a reason God took me there.
I started strong, but somewhere near the end, I began to lose it. I was tired, I was homesick, I was sick of seeing the same people everyday. Despite that, I think I finished strong. Let me recap the events of the last two months:
We arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal after four days of travel. I enjoy traveling, but four straight days is a little too much to be going to one location. Our bags were missing ans it was cold. For an entire week, we did pretty much nothing except eat amazing Nepali food and huddle together like penguins on an Antarctica night. We often went to the stupa. I was surprised by the huge Tibetan population. Because of this population, there were a ton of Buddhists. While were were there, God put it on my heart to pray for the people that daily flocked to the stupa to pray. So I spent a good deal of time interceding. I cam to the realization that they're searching. Searching for something that is impossible to find without God. Peace for the turmoil of the human mind.
We did a kid's camp for a church. That was the first time I have ever felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. About five of the kid's became Christians, several of the kid's were healed from constant nightmares, stomach pain, horrible headaches, and one little boy was able to fully bend his arm for the first time in four years. I was also healed, from the hip pain I had had for two years. After that, I was encouraged that I wasn't totally useless while on outreach. But I was ready to move on. Fortunately, we were scheduled to go to a little town in east Nepal called Birtamod. We somehow managed to learn the 'Everything' skit in less that one afternoon. I discovered that acting is quite enjoyable. I became discouraged in Birtamod, despite the fact that we had already had four or five salvation's on our first day there. Not only did everyone on the team get sick, we had prayed for healing for several people and we didn't see results. We attempted to do some good old street evangelism, but for me it turned out to be an epic fail. I discovered that reading the Bible was actually fun. By the end of the week, I was restless and ready to move on.
In Kolkata, I worked with a woman who lived in a village that was all Hindu. Only her family and one other family were Christian. It was very encouraging to see that, even though, for so long, she and her husband had been cut off from their families, ridiculed, and almost kicked out of their home because of their faith in Jesus Christ, they were still very much strong. We worked there for two weeks and had five salvations, and one healing.  Our third week in Kolkata, we worked with Mother Teresa Ministries.
In Delhi, I worked with street kids, Muslim university students and Christian Afgani refugees. Working with the street kids gave me a clearer picture of what God wants me to do in New York. As were worked with the university students, I realized that I might possibly have a bit of extrovert in me. When I visited my Afgani family, I found that not only was it easier for me to talk to people I don't really know, I was actually enjoying it. In our second week in Delhi, I almost fell apart. I was frustrated and therefore angry. But we worked it out and I finished strong.
As the time to come home drew nearer and nearer, I felt myself wishing we could stay longer. I have never had the desire and longing to know God as I do now. I have certainly grown in my walk with him. Because of my stronger relationship with him, I am more pleasant to be around. I am happier. I am secure in myself, knowing that the lies are replaced with the truth. I am ready to set the world on fire for God.

Pics of India

Humayun's Tomb (Delhi)

The Sun (it's that little black spot)

The Taj Mahal (Agra)

My Street Kids (Treasure House, Delhi)

The Taj Mahal

Pics of Nepal

Our neighborhood in Kathmandu

The Stupa, not far from our neighborhood.

A shrine at a Monastery

At the Monastery

Fancy Prayer Wheels at the Monastery

A Sunset in our neighborhood.

Family Reunion

We left friend status long ago. We're more like one big family. We have the same stupid arguments, the same 'family times.' The 2011-2012 Fall DTS is back together again. After 3 months of separation, we're sticking together again. Part of me dreads going home, but part of me knows that I'll see them all again someday.
Today, we are sharing outreach stories, funny team stories, and what we plan on doing with our lives now. We haven't even gotten halfway through. But we are taking a nice, long break, as sitting still for more that an hour is challenging for some. The morning was filled with laughter, as each team did a skit or song describing their outreach. Hopefully, the afternoon will be filled with even more laughter.

This is Serious

This is serious.

Get involved!

America!

Finally in the States. You want details about the trip, right?
OK...long, tiring, boring.
Done.

Then we got In-N-Out when we landed in LA. Amazing ending.

DEBRIEF!!!!!!!!!

Official outreach ministry is over, but we still have ministry opportunities, here at Neemrana Fort-Palace resort. So far, debrief has been awesome. We spend our days sleeping in the sun, exploring hidden passageways and bird watching. India has some amazing birds. From the balcony of the girl's suite, we can see peacocks and brilliantly green parrots. We got camels, and donkeys. Saw some monkeys and an elephant. The food here is amazing. We only eat breakfast, and dinner, but we get high tea. They won't let us pour our own coffee in the morning, or at tea. It's a pretty classy place.

I have become a totally different girl since the beginning of outreach. I have come to the realization that inside an introvert, is a little bit of extrovert.

My outreach team has become my second family, and I'll be sad to leave them.