LA Day 2

01/06/11

Matthew 15

“These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far away.
Their worship is a farce,
for they replace God’s commands
with their own man-made teachings...
You are not defiled by what you eat; you are defiled by what you say and do.”
Matthew 15:8-9;11

So many people were trying to look at this whole follow God thing is something that has to be done in such a legalistic way, but it is the opposite. It is not about how closely people follow the law. It is not about not eating certain foods. It is not about not working on the sabbath. It is about where the heart is. It is one thing to worship God in these ways, but when their hearts aren’t in it, then it is a problem. They are not really worshiping God in the first place.

As I am here and am back in the ministry that I love so much, I see people’s hearts really in it. I see people who really care about what they do. It is more of a reality thing and not a follow the rules kind of thing. They love the people that they work with. They model the right life to live through the love of Jesus Christ. They pour into the city of LA so much and it is awesome. They do not show people that it is all about going to church, following the rules, praying, reading the Bible...but they show them that it is so much more. It is more than being a “cookie cutter Christian,” it is showing the love of Christ. It is having a heart that is filled with the Spirit of the Lord and that is so into the people around them.

The reason why this is such a big deal around here is because the people that are witnessed to in this area look at Christianity with a “oh, I have to follow the rules.” They look at as if they decide to follow God, then they have a list of things that they HAVE to do. They have a list of rules to follow. However, the missionaries show the people that it is so much more than that. They show them that it is loving God so much to follow his rules. They show them that it is loving God so much that they ask for his will. They show them that it is loving God so much that they let him change them.

Life in LA: Real Day 1

Today, we woke up and hung out a bit. Most of us had a bit of time before we had to be at Bob’s and so we relaxed until then. It was good to have time in the morning to hang out and be alone. It was good to be able to process what was on my mind and to prepare myself for the day.

We met at Bob’s and headed out with Biron around the neighborhood. He took us on a tour to show us what was what and so on. It was a good explanation of things and a good tour, but I must say that I got a bit annoyed. I just don’t like how “touristy” it was. We were travelling in a large group and everyone was taking pictures. Part of this has to do with the fact that I know some of the people here. I have interacted with them and hung out with them and to turn their area of living into a tourist area is hard for me. It is one thing to go around and to learn, but we looked so much like spectators and that this was a zoo. I know that was not our intention, but that is just how I felt. Also, I think that if we would have been in smaller groups, it would not have been so bad. I know that it obviously had to be this way, but it just was extremely awkward to me.

Later in the day we went around the different ministries of World Impact. As we were in the middle school, I saw a few of my campers from the summer. It was good to see them because they are so great. They had already started to shoot me with the imaginary blow darts by the time that I saw them...shocking. It was funny though and good to see them. We walked through LACS Middle School, Sonshine Shop, and were upstairs in the TUMI office. It was cool to walk through things and see them again. I think that it is more confirming that I should be out here, but that is going to take a little bit more prayer.

Cavanagh, Sarah, and I grabbed some Pupusas for lunch at the Salvadorian place on Washington. Pupusas are so good! It was good to be in a smaller group and to hang out with Jon a little bit. I know him just a bit and it has been good to get to know him a little more. He is really great and really cares about the group which I think is awesome.

We also had the privilege of listening to Keith Phillips speak today, twice. He spoke to us separately and then he spoke at the Gathering as well. It was good to hear him speak later at the Gathering because he really went deeper on what he had said earlier in the day. He really went into his vision and the new vision of World Impact which was great for me to hear because I do see myself being here. This is how we ended the night, the Gathering. It was good to eat with the interns and hear what has been happening in their lives. It is so great to see how God has been working here and how his hand is moving.