Being affectionately desirous of one another: How English camps work. My talk w/ the Haviřov youth group.

1. Mission - service and gospel

2. Worship

3. Growth - relationship, discipleship

“So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us” (1 Thessalonians 2:8; cf. Acts 17).

TTYN: turn to your neighbor

English Camp: A place/tool to introduce Christ and Christ in our lives to non-Christians through relationships.

English camp does not work if you are only “affectionately desirous” of one another. When your affection extends toward the lost, camp is an incredible place where you see God bringing His kingdom and working in the lives of those who do not know Him yet.

How do we do cultivate this affectionate desire?

It's basically doing for others what Jesus did and is doing for us.

1. Thank God for them (1:2)
2. Imitate Jesus and your leaders, and be Christians worth imitating (1:6-7). This does not mean perfect. It means humble, honest, sincere people who point others to Jesus not only with our holiness but with our confession and repentance and joyful reception of His forgiveness BECAUSE it’s all Jesus (1 Cor. 15:10).
3. Have boldness in our God to declare to [them] the gospel of God [even] in the midst of much conflict (2:2).
4. Speak to please God, not man - one another or unbelievers. This means without words of flattery or to get something from them - money, honor, approval, popularity, worldly acceptance, glory, etc. (2:4-6). Do not be “charlatans or false prophets in order to gratify [our] own vanity, line [our] own pockets, or gain (even legitimate) honor (vv. 5–6).
5. Be gentle and selfless (2:7). Also see 1 Peter 3:13-17, esp. v. 15).
1. Is there anyone who is a mom that will be with us or anyone who is a father? It would be great to have the mom or dad or both talk about the gentleness and selflessness in a mother nursing and taking care of her children. We could also ask the students to share what kind of gentleness and selflessness they see in a mother’s care of her children. I think it would be worth it to ask, “Why? Why does a mother care of her children, and why does she do it this way - gently and selflessly?” How can we go and do likewise with a) one another and (b) our lost friends and family?
6. Share the gospel. Share your life (2:8).
1. Are you doing this with one another? Are you trusting God and each other with who you really are? Are you sharing the gospel with each other?
2. Confess your sins and joys to one another. Repent with another. Share the gospel with one another. Forgive one another. Pray for and with one another.
7. Work hard. Have holy, righteous, and blameless conduct (2:9-10).
8. Encourage and exhort one another (2:11-12).
9. Thank God for when they receive the word of God as the word of God (2:13).
10. TTYN: What are you most looking forward to doing? Why? What are you least looking forward to doing? Why? What looks like the easiest or most natural for you? What do you think is/will be the hardest? Why? What will require the most faith for you? Why?

How can this happen?

1. Remember and remind each other of God's affectionate desire for us:
1. Loved by God (1:4).
2. Chosen by God (1:4).
3. Our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction (1:5). “Power (miraculous power, or power in preaching, or both), the Holy Spirit (manifestations of the Spirit’s approving presence), and full conviction (transparent sincerity and integrity, bringing certainty to the hearers’ minds).”
4. Received the gospel with joy (1:6)
5. Left old desires and gained new desires (1:9-10).
6. Delivered.
7. Approved by God (2:4).
8. Entrusted with God’s gospel (2:4).
9. The word of God is at work in you (2:13)
10. Called into His kingdom and glory (2:13).
2. TTYN: What excited you most on this list? Why? What is hardest for you to believe/accept? Why? What barriers are between these truths and your belief/acceptance of them? How will God and His body - the church - help you overcome them?

“Abide in me - make your home in me - and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing...I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me...I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them” (John 15:4-5; 17:23, 26).

Abide in me means to continue in a daily, personal relationship with Jesus, characterized by trust, prayer, obedience (see v. 10), and joy. Be at home in Jesus.

How do we do this at camp?

Every part of camp is designed to create community, which gives non-Christians a direct experience of Christ in us, and, we hope and pray, Christ Himself. All of it is experiencing and sharing life with others. Through this we are able to build relationships and share the gospel with our words and actions. In all these areas we hope and pray the students will see someONE different than the world. That someone not being ourselves but Jesus.

English groups: This is our main act of service. We create an environment where we teach and learn and build each other up with a Christ-like attitude - accepted as they are, whatever their English level and we help them improve.

Sports: We create an environment where we intentionally bring others into equal participation regardless of skill. The goal is not to win or to beat the other teams but to build stronger friendships through the activity of sports. This is a main place others will see Christ in us.

Evening Program: Having fun together. We have games, camp songs, the camp dance, a testimony, and a story from God’s word. More opportunities to reach outward and express your "affectionate desire" for them. Stand by someone new or different. Don't just participate in camp with your friends from Mladez.

Conversation groups: Creating an environment where students can be heard, their voice and presence can be affirmed and appreciated. We communicate who they are is worthwhile regardless of their mistaken beliefs. We want those beliefs to change, but in the meantime that does not make them as a person any less created by God in His image whom He desires to come to repentance and life.

Camp is...

A mid-year event. It is not the finish line, and it is not the beginning. Camp starts six month before - in the six months before camp it is your relationships, love, and boldness in reaching out to your friends and schoolmates that makes camp possible. You have to invite your friends and communicate your genuine desire for them to be there.

The six months after camp is continuing to live life in relationship with your friends and peers from camp. Your youth group vision must be lived before, during, and after camp:

1. Mission - service and gospel

2. Worship

3. Growth - relationship, discipleship

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:9-10).

A tool in the greater picture of Christ’s commission. It is one week in one year in a whole life and community lived with this purpose: “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

A spiritual undertaking. English camp is not just an event. It is a place of spiritual battle. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:10-12). Satan hates us and does not want us to succeed. Nothing can stop God’s purposes, but Satan will do whatever he can to quench our witness through temptation, division, fear, sickness, and spiritual attack. We must fight the battle. Jesus has already won the war, so as His church we put on His armor and fight His way: 2 Cor. 10:3-6.

A response to Christ’s love for us and an act of love toward others. Remember, this is not in a vacuum. Camp isn’t happening on its own. Let camp be another response to Christ’s love for you and an act of love toward others. Are you responding to Christ’s love now? Start remembering and believing and responding to His love for you now!

Who is God? What does He do? Who does God say I am? = Who am I? What does God say I have? = What I have? Kairos youth group teaching, 01/10/2013

Text: Ephesians 1; Isaiah 28:15-19

If I could have a white board or one of the English camp boards with white paper, that would be great. If we have the board with paper, then I would also like some strong tape for hanging the paper up.

What do they need to know?

They need to know who they are in Christ.

Why do they need to know it?

The truth of who God made them sets them free from slavery to lies producing freedom expressed through joy and worship and obedience (a result of love).

What do they need to do?

They need to believe the truth about who God has made them and says they are instead of the lies told them by the world, people around them, and themselves.

Why do they need to do it?

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32 ESV).

Where is the gospel?

The Christian's identity is purchased by Christ's obedience to the point of death on the cross and His resurrection and ascension in victory over Satan, sin, and death.

How can I help them remember?

Interactive study of Ephesians 1.

Me: I always tried to make changes by being sorry and working really hard to do the right thing. Why? I felt bad for sinning. I knew I wasn't doing what I ought, and I felt guilty, and I felt like I constantly disappointed God. He saved me, but He would rather me get everything right. "I have to forgive him again? Ugh, fine, here's more grace." That's what I thought God said. I didn't know who God very well, and I didn't know who I was. I was a Christian, but I didn't know what that meant. I thought I could lose God's love, and I thought He didn't want to continue giving me His love for this life. I was wrong.

We: We all need to know who we are, who God says we are. That is what really matters. Satan and our flesh would have us believe anything but that, and they are all lies, and they will enslave each and every one of us if we believe them, but God has the last word. So, tonight we are going to find out the truth of who God is and who we are, and Jesus said to those who believe in Him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32 emphasis mine).

God: Tonight the word we will be studying is Ephesians 1. Now, the the book of Ephesians is in the New Testament, and it is a letter the apostle Paul wrote to the church in the city of Ephesus, which is in modern day Turkey, while he was a prisoner in Rome, and Ephesus loved false gods. They had some of the most stunning temples in the entire Roman Empire, and Paul is writing to the Christians, the church, in that city. And this is the word of God, which was written not only for their sake, but for yours and every other Christian around the world, for your instruction, to give you examples of rejecting God and following God, to teach you and reprove you and correct you and train you, so that you could praise God.[1] So, David is going to read Ephesians 1. Listen in. You got to turn off those mental mp3 players and cell phones we all have. This is FOR YOU. Translator reads Ephesians 1. Amen.

Alright, I am going to split you into groups and give each group a set of verses to look at. Each person will need a pen and a piece of paper. We are going to do a lot with this chapter, and I'm really excited for God to show you His love and truth tonight, and give you freedom.

Split youth group into groups of 3-5 students.

Alright, fold your paper in half hamburger style (across the middle horizontally). For three groups: Now, Group 1 has verses 1-8; group 2 has verses 9-16; and group 3 has verses 17-23. So, keep your paper folded and look at the top half of your paper. Write on it across the top, "Who is God? What does He do?" So, each group will look at their group's verses and write down your answers. Then each group will share with everyone else what they found. This is where we have to start on our journey into truth and freedom. Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly... Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 10:10; 14:6). We need to know who God is first.

Time to study and write.

Alright, let's start sharing what God has taught us. During the sharing time, the translator or another volunteer who knows Czech will write down their answers via whiteboard or typed up on a projector.

This is awesome. God is showing Himself to you. Loot at who God is and what He does, and He has revealed Himself to us, to you, so that you could know Him! That is amazing. Do you believe all this? Not just here (point to head) but here (point to heart)? Pause.

Maybe right now you are realizing that some of these are hard for you to believe and accept; maybe some of these you do not believe and accept at all. This is where those lies in our life are fighting, and it's easy to believe them. We are used to them; they are normal and safe and comfortable for us, and they enslave us and steal our joy and hope and love and seek to destroy us. What are some of those lies you believe about who God is? These can from Satan - he is the accuser and father of lies - if you are hearing second person statements in your mind: "You're not worthy. You're not loved. You are disgusting," those are ACCUSATIONS. God does not speak to you that way; those are the words of the accuser; the world - messages from books, movies, songs, advertisements and more; and relationships - friends, parents, teachers, siblings, enemies, and more. For example, maybe your father or mother left and has pretty much abandoned the family, abandoned you, and his or her actions communicate, "I don't care. I won't take care of you. I don't love you," and many other statements, and the lie Satan, the world, and your flesh want you to believe is that God is the same way: He does not care. He won't take care of you. He doesn't love you. He will abandon you. And those statements are ALL LIES. Maybe you believe other lies. Maybe your teacher says that you are stupid and not worth anything, and you think that God says or feels or believes that you're stupid and not worth anything. Again, LIES. Maybe a guy or girl has rejected you and told you you're not acceptable because of your outward appearance, and you think God sees you the same way. LIES. Or maybe a guy or girl has accepted you because of your outward actions and appearance, and you think God accepts you the same way. LIES!

So, what do you think and feel about God that does not line up with what you just wrote down and shared, with who God is? Unfold your papers. On the back side on the half where you wrote down, "Who is God?" I want you to write, "Lies I am tempted to believe about God." Now, take some time individually to think and pray and ask God to show you what lies you are tempted to believe and do believe. Write those down, and if you know the reason why you are tempted to believe that lie and perhaps do believe it, you can write that down to. 

Time to think, pray, and write.

Alright, now I am going to have you back in your groups. I would like you each to share one lie you wrote down with your group, and if you see a truth about God that confronts that lie, share that too. If you do not want to, we will not make you share, but I encourage you to take a step of faith with God and your brothers and sisters in Christ and be vulnerable: "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working" (James 5:16);[2] and when you are listening, listen as Christ would. Christ receive the confession of sin and responds with love and forgiveness, and you are standing as His ambassador to be a vessel of His love and forgiveness in word and deed.

Time to share.

Okay, we're going forward. We are now going to look at ourselves. What? Yes, we are going to look at ourselves, but through a different set of eyes. Each group will have verses 1 and 2. Group 1 vv. 3-6; Group 2 vv. 7-11; and Group 3  vv. 12-14. On the bottom half of the truth side of your paper make three columns. At the top of the first column write, "Who does God say I am? = Who am I?" At the top of the second column write, "What does God say I have? = What I have?" And at the top of the third column write, "Why did God do this?" Each group will look at their sections verses and write down their answers. Then each group will share with the rest what they found.

Time to study and write.

Alright, let's start sharing what God has taught us. During the sharing time, the translator or another volunteer who knows Czech will write down their answers. I will also do some short explanations/fleshing outs of what the students share.

Wow, this is great stuff. Look at who God says we are, which is who we really are if we follow His Son. Look at what God says we have, which we really have if we follow His Son. Look at the reasons why God did all this! It's amazing. Do you believe all this? Not just here (point to head) but here (point to heart)?

What are some of those lies you believe about yourself? Again, these can from Satan, the world, and relationships. For example, maybe your father left, and in his actions he has told you, "You're not wanted, or you're not worth it, or you're on your own;" and the Satan and the world and your flesh want you to believe these are true, and all those statements are FALSE; THEY'RE LIES. Maybe a different lie you believe is, "I'm hopeless," because you keep sinning when you know you're not supposed to, and feel like you can't stop. That's a lie too! Other lies could be: I'm unloveable. I'm a lost cause. I need to protect myself.

So, what do you think and feel about yourself that does not line up with what you just wrote down and shared, with what God says about you and for you? Unfold your papers. On the back side on the bottom half I want you to write, "Lies I am tempted to believe about myself." Now, take some time individually to think and pray and ask God to show you what lies you are tempted to believe and do believe. Write those down, and if you know the reason why you are tempted to believe that lie and perhaps do believe it, you can write that down to.

Time to think, pray, and write.

Alright, now I am going to have you back in your groups. I would like you each to share one lie you wrote down with your group, and if you see a truth about God that confronts that lie, share that too. If you do not want to, we will not make you share, but I encourage you to take a step of faith with God and your brothers and sisters in Christ and be vulnerable. Remember, "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working" (James 5:16);[4] and when you are listening, listen as Christ would. Christ receive the confession of sin and responds with love and forgiveness, and you are standing as His ambassador to be a vessel of His love and forgiveness in word and deed.

Time to share.

Alright, let's bring it back up here. So, now what? God through Paul has just told us all these awesome, incredible, true things about God and us. What now? Paul knows that without God these words will never come on the page and make their home in our heads and hearts. He knows God has to press these deep onto our souls. So, what does he do? He prays. In verses 16-23 he is praying God would work in His children to know and believe all these things God has revealed about Himself and who we are in Him, and He finishes His prayer by reminding his readers of God's "immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe," the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is applied to making you remember and believe God's truth about Himself and you. David reads verses 16-23. So, what are we going to do? We are going to do exactly what Paul does after sharing these truths. We are going to pray. So, I want you to get back in your groups and pray verses 16-23 over one another, and after that David will close with prayer, and then we will get to respond with worship. Amen? Amen. Let's pray.

After worship.

You: So, you may be wondering where we go from here, when the night's over and tomorrow comes or next week comes or next month or next year, what's next? Fight to remember and believe these truths - Who God is and who you are and what you have and why He did it.

So, here are some ideas to help you fight to remember and believe:

• Take your truth page home and hang it where you will see it regularly - bedroom, bathroom mirror, by your computer. Notice how we put the truths on the front and lies on the back. This way you have a visual reminder not only of the truth but also that the truth - Jesus - conquers the lies.
• Read God's word, seriously, read it, by yourself and with other brothers and sisters. If you want to look especially at this topic, read Galatians, Ephesians, and Colossians; and ask these same questions. And the next question after all these is, "How then am I called to live?" Remember, it is always who God IS and who you ARE before it's what you get to do :)
• Confess and repent to Jesus and one another and love and forgive and pray for each other.
• Journal: Journal out (write down) lies that you are believing, and it will help you see, "Okay, that’s a lie," and then write a Scripture or a truth. Ask yourself and say, “This is a lie. What’s a truth? What’s a counter response to this?” Journal those out, so that you can actually look and see, “Okay, I’m believing this lie again. What’s the truth?” And you may need to this for a while - there's nothing wrong with that - until God renews your mind in certain areas, because we are all prone to believing certain lies. So, I think it’s good to see it on paper and see that we actually are believing in certain lies.[4]
• Go see Les Miserables together and ask, "What's true in this film? What's not true? What character(s) do I identify with most? Why? Where is God in my life?"
• Visit the websites www.kosteljinak.cz and www.biblickaknihova.cz. Watch and listen to sermons. Read good, true articles and books that will point you to Christ and encourage your soul.

I thank God I got to be here and teach and walk through God's word with you all tonight. May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ multiply His grace and peace to you this year and all the years to come until He returns, and may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

[1] Romans 4:23-24; 15:4; 1 Corinthians 9:10; 10:6, 11; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Psalm 102:18

[2] Cf. Prov. 28:13-14; Gal. 6:1-5; Matt. 18:15-35; 1 John 1:8-10

[3] Ibid.

[4] Grace Driscoll: http://marshill.com/media/real-marriage/friend-with-benefits#transcript

Sexting and the Vacuum

Sexting: the use of text messaging to send sexually suggestive texts and/or pictures to others. It is now being practiced more and more commonly by junior high and high school students (See: MTV Study on Digital Abuse, The "Sexting" Craze, U.S. judge rules for teen girls in "sexting" case, Hype, Buzzwords, and Permanence of "Sexting"; Sexting; Sexting: Just a modern version of spin-the-bottle?; or watch these two videos: 1 and 2.)  And it is one way among many that young people are using to find the attention, affirmation, and affection they long for.



Sexting has painful consequences: the distribution of child pornography by minors, selfish and abusive and threatening relationships, blackmail, a complete twisting and distortion of honor and shame, right and wrong, what a healthy relationship based on love looks like (see my three part "Love" series: 1, 2, and 3).

Now, many have concluded this is deviant behavior that ought not continue, but no one has a basis to say why.  "It's wrong because it's against the law," some say, "And look at all those negative consequences," others state, but why is it a law in the first place?  Why are these consequences negative?  Why are these costs considered 'too high'?  Without God (the Trinitarian God of the Bible) there is no basis for a satisfactory answer.  "Without God all is permissible." (Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment).  The Apostle Paul seems to endorse such a conclusion regarding the absence of objective meaning and morality apart from God when he says, "If the dead are not raised, 'Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die'" (1 Cor. 15:32).

Temporary (fleeting) physical pleasure and temporary (fleeting) attention, affirmation, and affection often outweigh, in our own minds and hearts, the consequences.  We are all looking for someone to say we are good enough, strong enough, beautiful enough, and etcetera, but it never fulfills: “There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus” (Blaise Pascal).

We search and we search for some person or some thing or some list of do's and don'ts  to give us the attention, affirmation, and affection we need.  But we're all broken people, and nothing and no one and no list of do's and don'ts is capable of closing and filling the "God shaped vacuum in [our] hearts."  Our sin tore us away from God and His all satisfying attention, affirmation, and affection.

And so God sent His Son: "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit...For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father" (1 Peter 3:18; Ephesians 2:18).  The good news is God had a plan, and this plan was to send His Son, Jesus, who lived a perfectly obedient life and fulfilled our need for a perfect sacrifice for our sins.  He, Jesus, paid the debt of our sins on the cross, and He died, and three days later He rose from the dead, and His perfect life of obedience, His willing death, and His resurrection achieved for us forgiveness of sins and justification as He took our sins on the cross and gave us His righteousness, and ultimately, He brings us to God who loves us and gives Himself to us as a free gift of grace we receive by faith.

Therefore, when we seek the attention, affirmation, and affection we were created to have, God says, "Come home. Return to me and be healed. Turn away from your searching, your life of sin and shame; leave your broken cisterns and receive from me living water - my salvation - receive Me."[1] May today be the day of your salvation, and if you already believe in Christ and have received Him, may this reminder stir you up to love and good deeds, to remember and believe and truth the Father who with joy sent His Son for you, who's Son, with joy, went to the cross to bring you home to His Father who receives you with joy. Hallelujah! Praise His name. Amen.
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[1] Maybe you are still wondering, "Why isn't forgiveness or a new life or heaven ultimately the good news? Why is God Himself the good news?" Good question. Here is one of the best responses:

"God is the one Being in all the universe for whom seeking his own praise is the ultimately loving act. For him self-exaltation is the highest virtue. When he does all things "for the praise of his glory" as Ephesians 1 says, he preserves for us and offers to us the only thing in all the world which can satisfy our longings. God is for us, and therefore has been, is now, and always will be, for himself. Praise the Lord! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord" (John Piper).

"Pumped Up Kicks" and the Gospel

So, before you watch the video below and listen to the song I want to tell you it is very catchy and peppy, but the song is about brokenness and sin and evil. There isn't any profanity, but through some conversations with others I believe I need to put this disclaimer up. To read the lyrics click here.

This blog was inspired by a conversation I had with couple friends about a month ago. One was sharing how she was really upset that the radio stations were playing this song - a song about a boy who found his father's gun and killed his father and goes on to kill his peers (or at least muse about it). I hadn't heard the song yet, so I went home and checked it out. Yes, it is really catchy and upbeat and fun to sing, and it is about those dark topics and stories we rarely come in contact with until they are thrown in our face by circumstance or media.

What I heard in the song God used to stir me to compassion. There are young men and women all over this country in all of our schools and lives that are bitter and betrayed, disconnected, broken, forgotten, and outcast[1]. This song tells of a boy who is abused and unloved by his father, and finds solace at least in the thought of killing him and killing others.

Therefore, what are we to make of this song, the young men who wrote it, and the many who listen to it not because it is fun and catchy but because they resonate with the story of a young person in pain and anger? I believe it ought to stir us to compassion and evangelism. How many people around you and me need the gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news of redemption, that Christ took the wrath we deserved and cleanses and heals us from the sin committed against us? How many people around us who are bitter, betrayed, disconnected, broken, forgotten, and outcast are seen through the eyes of our flesh - strange, weird, amusing, not worth it - without grace - instead of through the eyes of Jesus Christ - "For our sake he made him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God...who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God" (1 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 12:2).

When we hear this song or other songs like it, may we be stirred to pray for more laborers to go into the harvest; may we pray for God to give healing and salvation to the writers and performers of these songs and to those represented by the song. May we remember that "God so loved the world [the world of people that did not know him and and who loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil], that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16; 1:10; 3:19) and do likewise: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another" (John 13:34 cf. John 15:9, 12).

Finally, "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man [Adam], and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned...Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's [Jesus] obedience the many will be made righteous...In him [Jesus] was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it...[He has] come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in [Him] may not remain in darkness." (Romans 5:12, 18-19; John 1:4-5; 12:46).

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[1] Gross, Craig, and Jason Harper. Jesus Loves You This I Know. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2009. Print.

Seeing the Trajectory

I was recently (within the last month or so) inspired to read Exodus.  I had listened to a couple sermons, and I wanted to begin diving into what these pastors were pointing at.[1]  That is the trajectory of the Old Testament to Jesus, looking at how the words of God in the Old Testament are "pregnant or round with the gospel"[2].

So, I've been reading the Exodus, and it has been incredible.  I am seeing Moses as a mediator in a whole new light.  It is even more clear and amazing how Christ is the new and perfect Moses.  Just as the physical tabernacle of the Jews were shadows of the heavenly tabernacle, so Moses is a shadow of God's ultimate mediator - His Son - Jesus.

I have been thinking about all the sacrifices and offering that were required of God's people - sin offering, burnt offering, grain offering, wave offering, drink offering, and etcetera.  Jesus did not just fulfill completely the sacrifice of atonement, but he accomplished and fulfilled the requirement of all of these offerings and sacrifices.  Whatever these offerings were supposed to accomplish but could not (Hebrews 10:4) Jesus accomplished in fullness in His life, death, and resurrection.

Today I was reading Exodus 33:12 - 34:16.  In these passages Moses pleads with God to be with him and the Israelites or not to lead them to the Promised Land at all.  God responds and declares He will be with them; He will give them rest; His people have found favor in His sight; He will make them distinct from the other nations; He knows His people by name.  Pregnant with the gospel.  Do you see Jesus and His work?


Jesus has made the plea and He Himself has responded; He is preparing us for and leading us into the Promised Land - eternity with him.  Jesus declares, "And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20); He promises and gives us rest (Matthew 11:28-29; Ephesians 2:6); Jesus found favor (grace) in the eyes of His Father (Matthew 3:17; 17:5; Ephesians 1:3); He has made us distinct from the rest of the world: "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy" (1 Peter 2:9-10).  He knows us individually and personally (John 10:14, 27; 2 Timothy 2:19).  "Round with the gospel."


What a hope we have in Jesus!  No longer must we say, "Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people...If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”" (Exodus 33:13, 15-16).  We can and do proclaim, "Yes!  Because of Jesus we have found favor in your sight.  You have made us a people for yourself.  You do show us your ways (John 14:26; 16:13; 1 John 2:27)!


May we - His people - ever marvel more at the glorious sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ - taking the wrath of God and purchasing a people for Himself forever.  May more and more people all over the world - from every tribe, tongue, and nation - come to marvel at the glorious work of God their Savior. 
_____________________________________________________________

[1] Messages from the Gospel Coalition's 2011 National Conference: http://thegospelcoalition.org/conferences/2011/#media
[2] From Mike Bullmore's message at The Gospel Coalition's 2011 National Conference: http://thegospelcoalition.org/resources/a/gods_great_heart_of_love_toward_his_own1

A Promise Fulfilled

I gave my word to a friend I would have a new blog written by the end of the day.  This is me fulfilling that promise.

Josiah Venture: I am almost done with the application to be taken on as a full-time Josiah Venture missionary. One big personality/ministry profile test to go.

Josiah Venture 2: I will be going back to the Czech Republic this summer to co-lead an intern team with Tyler Patty.  I am really excited for who God is bringing together and what He has planned for this coming summer.  I am thankful to once again be a laborer sent to fields white for harvest.

Books: I just started Love Wins by Rob Bell at the encouragement of two friends - Matt and Tim.  So, we'll see how that goes.  I'll be sharing my thoughts on this book with all of you from time to time right here.

Prayer Requests: Continued growth and maturity in life and faith.  Preparing for leadership and ministry this summer.  Boldness and courage in speaking the truth in love whether that is confronting sin or foolish decisions or sharing the gospel with friends and strangers.

Sermons: I recently listened to sermons from John Piper on spiritual gifts.  They are fantastic.  Head over to www.desiringgod.org to listen to, watch, read, or download them.  They are "Spirtual Gifts", "Faith: The root and trait of all spiritual gifts", "Using Our Gifts in Proportion to Our Faith Parts 1, 2, and 3".  Enjoy :)  I'll be listening to Matt Chandler's sermons from his series through Habakkuk.  You can listen to or read them here.

Good times: I cut my hair and beard (Thank you, Rachel, for the extra nudging.  Many people are very grateful).  I turned 23: morning and afternoon with my dad, dinners with family and friends, one of them being my first steakhouse dinner with my first steak and red wine pairing.  It was fantastic.  Also, I got to enjoy some red wine and dark chocolate for my birthday with friends as well.

Grace Groups: I'm in a Grace Group going through Book 2.  If you don't know what a Grace Group is, just click here.  Good, tough stuff.

Movies: Recently, I have had the opportunity to enjoy some really good movies.  I humbly recommend "Get Low" with Robert Duvall and Bill Murray, "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World" with Michael Cera, "It's Kind of a Funny Story" with Zach Galifinakis, and "RED" with Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman.  Check them out at your leisure.  They are all worth seeing.

Čau!

San Antonio

It is nearly two months since my feet touched down on American soil.  After seven months abroad, I've learned that the soil itself feels the same nearly everywhere; it is the newness of what you have known and experienced before that can be a bit dizzying.

I have enjoyed the "culture shock moments" of being back - a toilet swirl, the American social, conversational murmur, pricier food, driving again, having conversations exclusively in English, and returning to my home church - Wayside Chapel.  I think it looks a bit like being at college, and you have only eaten cafeteria food for a whole semester.  Then you return home for Thanksgiving or Christmas.  Suddenly it's family and friends and incredible amounts of food all at once, and you love it, but it can be overwhelming at times, especially if you eat too much.

So, good times (Tak, dobrý časy).  It was an incredible time in the Czech, and I miss living there - the friends, the food, the places; and it has been a blessing to be back.

More to come here in the days and weeks ahead.  I am looking forward to blogging once again.

New post next week.

Yes, after a long break, I will be back blogging next week.  Thank you for your patience.

"Untouched Fields of Snow;" journal entry from the evening of November 29th while riding home with Greg from Malenovice

"Untouched fields of snow."  This phrase has been going through my my mind.  I see it as a living picture of some truth of this country and the people who live here.  As you drive or train around these days you will surely see untouched fields (or landscapes) of snow - beautiful, bright, shining.  And so the people are here - made in the image of God with innate beauty and worth and value and purpose.  But in the midst of its beauty there is death. There is no life in snow.  It neither is alive nor produces life, and so are the vast majority of people here.  In them is only death, and like snow that is here for a season and then melts away, so their lives will melt away.  And for a season they may gleam and shine bright and beautiful, but there is death in them, and unlike snow that melts away and returns each in year in season, they will not return.  It is appointed to die once and then face judgment.[1]  And this fate is all our fates; for sin gives birth to death and only death, and maybe as with the first snow the birth is celebrated, but in due season death comes.

And it is in this state, in the untouched fields of snow of our hearts that Jesus proclaims, "The fields are white for harvest!"[2]  For it is Jesus who takes our hearts touched only by the gleaming, cold death of sin and brings forth life.  With the fields frozen and buried, the stuff of life is cut off, for the fields of untouched snow cannot and will not grow - buried under gleaming death - and death would have its way, but Jesus comes to the fields of our frozen hearts and melts away the sin and quickens us to new life, taking the frozen, gleaming death of our lives upon Himself and giving us the stuff of life, which in truth is the person of life - Himself - Jesus the Christ.

And so I hope and believe for the people of the Czech Republic and for my friends and family back home in America, whose lives are but fields of snow - life killed, buried under the weight of death.

And it is to these fields Jesus also proclaims, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out more laborers."[3]  And like the sun that melts the ice and brings life, so the Son of God melts our dead, frozen hearts and gives new life - His life - to us.

And it is to these frozen fields of snow we laborers are called, and to these frozen souls we proclaim the Savior; we love those frozen and dead by sin, and the Holy Spirit moves in and through us as life from the life Giver, and saves.

We are in a world of untouched fields of snow waiting to be touched by the melting, life-giving embrace of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

With 26 days to go...

Yesterday I shared about my weekend in Zlín.  Today I want to share about my week in Tabor.

High Schools:
God, in the last two weeks, has opened up two schools for Greg and I to go into.  This means students who need Jesus have been placed at our fingertips (so to speak).  God has given us access to the lives of students of all backgrounds who all need Jesus.

School 1: This school is like the middle/upper-middle class high school comparable to Ronald Reagan High School or Alamo Heights High School (for those that live in San Antonio).  Almost all the students here will go on to universities.

School 2: This school is comparable to Roosevelt High School (again for San Antonions).  It is a technical/vocational school.  Most of these students will not go to university, and the simple truth is there is less money to be had there.

In both schools, the students have equal need of Jesus.  In both schools there is the pain caused by sin.  In both schools there are walls of different shapes and sizes between Jesus and their hearts.  In both schools, I believe, is low-hanging fruit waiting to be picked, a bountiful field ready for the harvest.

I have had two weeks to go in to classes at School 1 and one week to go into classes at School 2.  God has decided these two doors would open up with one month left in the Czech Republic.  God has given me 26 more days in this country for this season.  I hope it is 26 days of preparing the way for these students and teachers to meet Jesus Christ (Mark 1).  26 more days...

Prayer Requests:

• We will be having a sports afternoon for School 2 on Wednesday, November 29.  We are hoping and praying it will be an opportunity to connect with students, especially guys.  "So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us" (1 Thessalonians 2:8).
• For wisdom in pursuing relationships with individual students - where, when, who, how, etc.
• For wisdom and courage in telling them the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• For the Thanksgiving youth group night/outreach - for the youth group to be loving and inviting and welcoming and for relationships to begin between Christians and non-Christians, to the glory of God, the sanctification of His children, and the salvation of the lost.

Dekuji moc (Thank you very much)!

P.S. I may be mostly offline this next week.  I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving.  May it be a time of rejoicing, praying, and thanking.  In all these God is faithful.  Amen.

A weekend in Zlín

Below you will find the story/account of my weekend in Zlín.  For those that have less time, you will be able to skim through the bolded words or phrases for a quicker read while (I hope) still getting all the main ideas.  Čau!

One final weekend:
I want to thank you for your continued support of the ministry I am a part of here in the Czech Republic.  My final weekend (of this season at least) in Zlín and Olomouc was great.

I got to teach on Friday night, and I talked about God's call on our lives.  God is ultimately unique (Isaiah 64:4), and He imparts this uniqueness to His children (1 Corinthians 2:9-10), and then we split for the guys to read and talk through 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and for the girls to read and talk through Proverbs 31:10-31; both pictures of what a life called by God look like, and we as brothers and sisters are called to exhort and encourage one another toward these pictures of Christ-likeness, with our prayers, our words, and our actions.

The rest of the overnighter was a lot of fun, especially introducing them to P.O.W. (Place, Occupation, Weapon).  I love it because it is an improv game that overcomes language barriers.  We also ate pizza, which is an essential requirement of any youth group overnighter.  We walked around town and closed out the night with a viewing of "Fireproof".

Saturday was full of surprises as plans changed and changed again.  When it was said and done, I got to spend the day in the beautiful city of Olomouc.  David, one of the students at the overnighter, goes to college in Olomouc, and he took the afternoon off to give me a tour of the great sights - walking, pictures, churches, architecture, statues and sculptures, a black and tan and fried chicken and cheese, dorm room coffee, and good conversation - so good.

Back in Zlín for the evening, I went to Samuel's house for the night.  He is the elder who is responsible for the college and youth ministry of the church and the Czech leader I led Zlín camp with.  Staying with him and his family is always a joy.  Full of hospitality and love, the Huštovi family has been a source of great joy and encouragement for me.

The Huštovi family and me.  L-R: Samuel, Eliška, Šarka, Barunka, and me.

Sunday followed with a wonderful farewell in the church as I got to enjoy seeing Filip, a student who became a Christian this summer, share his testimony again, and be given the opportunity to share my testimony.  I was only asked about five minutes before, so I did not have anything planed (for those who may come and visit Czech churches, always have a message/testimony in your back pocket because you really never know when you will be asked to share).  I ended up sharing about the people in my life who impacted me - Mom and Dad, a 65(?) year old Sunday school teacher named Ed, my first and third youth pastors, my first and only college pastor, and roommates (and this is only scratching the surface).  I read Hebrews 10:24 and exhorted them and myself to not put off what we can say to someone today until tomorrow because you never know what God will do with your words and actions.  Like the five loaves and two fish, we do not know how God will multiply our obedience in "spurring one another on to love and good deeds," but we have hope and assurance that He will because our "Father is always working" and "the wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."  We believe that God has done, is doing, and continue to do great things.


I got to thank the church for their hospitality and spend a relaxing afternoon with the Huštovi for lunch and dessert, then I boarded the train to head back home to Tabor.  I was given the opportunity to tell three people about Jesus.  So thank you for your prayers.  God acts because of our prayers (Isaiah 37:21ff. Keyword: "Because").

And that was my weekend in Zlín and Olomouc.

For more pictures from the weekend, please click here.

Prayer Requests:

• I am traveling to Ústí nad Labem tomorrow.  I will be joining the youth groups from Litvinov camp for a weekend retreat.  I am teaching Friday night, and this will be my final weekend (in this season) with these friends.  So, prayers for teaching, relationships, and goodbyes.  "[Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).
• For a restful week after the Ústí weekend.  I will be traveling to Orlova to visit friends and then is Thanksgiving conference (WooHoo!).
• Next Friday is a Thanksgiving youth group night/outreach for the Tabor youth group.  I will be sharing a short word, and we are hoping to build relationships with some new students who (we are hoping and praying) will be there.

Thank you all.  It is hard to believe I am near the end of this season.  It's been amazing.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

Hebrews 12:1-2

Week 25 of 30 (give or take)

I want to show you all pictures of what has been going on, and then I'll add some text.  Sound good?  I hope so.

More photos from the "Autumn" themed English club (like I promised):

Leading English club.

Greg, Danča, a Matě listening "eagerly" and enjoying čaj.

Eliška a Kačka cherishing a pre-butchered (carved) pumpkin.

My partner in crime, Franta, and I as we decide how best to carve our pumpkin.

Our finished masterpiece.

Bara, Danča, and Greg beginning the Jack-O-Lantern process.

Bara eying up the potential pumpkin spook.

The squash, the myth, the legend...it is Jack-O-Potter (and Greg).

Someone's relationship status on Facebook got updated ;)

Okay, now more a few pics from our first men's group last Sunday night:

So, I didn't get any picture of us guys actually, but here are a couple shots of the aftermath: burgers, roasted pumpkin seeds (which I made for the first time - score!), drinks, and the Word.

Pretty good ingredients for a guy's night.  The key verse was 1 Corinthians 11:7.

So, that's that for pics right now.  Onto the text:

This week has been an explosion of sorts, mainly in regards to new opportunities.  This week doors opened to two different high schools here in Tabor, which is great.  Both of these schools we were trying to get some things started at since September or October, and now, they have finally opened up for Greg and I to come in and teach English, which for us a bridge to meet students initially and begin to pursue relationships and evangelism with them.  I am so thankful God has opened these doors.  This also creates a whole new area of prayer needs:

• Scheduling, pursuing calling and not potential, pursuing fruitfulness and not busy-ness (thanks to Mark Driscoll for that phrasing): Basically, with these new opportunities, there is lots of overlap: Which school do I serve at more?  Do I balance both?  Is one supposed to be my primary focus and the other supplemental?  How do I balance these two new opportunities, new open doors?  Prayer for wisdom as I pursue God's direction is much appreciated.
• Connecting with students: I do want to pursue teaching English with God-honoring excellence.  If the students do not know English better by the end of the class, I have failed.  That being said, for me (us), English is far more a means to an end - that end being meeting with and connecting with students for the sake of Christ and His elect.  Wisdom in knowing how and when to pursue students (collectively and individually) - in and out of school - is something I need intensely.
• Bridging relationships I build to Greg and the Christian students and youth group/church here: I leave soon.  This truth makes it all the more important to be a bridge to those who are staying here and continuing in the labor among God's harvest here.  I do not want students to leave when I leave.  I want students to be connected to God's laborers here when I leave.  So, prayer for this as well is needed.
• "John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.
  He must increase, but I must decrease.”
  He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him" (John 3:27-36 ESV).

Finally (for this post), I go to Zlín this weekend to spend time with the youth group there, teach the Bible, and enjoy fellowship with the students and leaders.  This will be my last time seeing these people for this season in the Czech Republic.  Please pray that when I speak to the group it would be a fulfillment of 1 Peter 4:11-12, and that it is a good last time with them, that it is a time we can have and look back on with joy.  I hope for and believe great things for these brothers and sisters, and I am thankful and humbled that God has called me to be a part of their lives and calling and His work in and through them.

Thank you all so much.  I look forward to more.  Čau!
If you want more to pray for, please pray for more laborers to come to Tabor, southern Bohemia, and the Czech Republic as a whole; please pray for people to come to salvation in Jesus Christ; and please pray that the Christians here (including myself) would really go and make disciples and speak boldly with power, love, and a sound-mind/self-control (2 Timothy 1:7ff.).

Dekuji moc!

An evening of autumn

Today was a pretty good today.  I got to help teach in the jr. high this morning, which was followed by a morning search for candles.  Why candles?  We needed them for our jack-o-lanterns tonight.  Yes, tonight was the autumn/fall/late Halloween/taste of Thanksgiving English club.  Well, I got the candles, and then I took another look at a recipe for apple cider I found online.  After using Google's online translator to try and figure some stuff out I went to Billa (the local grocery store) to begin the hunt.  I was able to find everything I needed except for cheesecloth and kitchen string.  The journey toward getting all the items was certainly laughable and humbling - limited Czech + online translations + somewhat confused workers + laughing with Martina Pixova as I talked with her on the phone asking, "What is hřebíček?"  Turns out they were the cloves I was looking for.  Score!

Well, since I could not find the cheesecloth I figured we would just throw all the ingredients in and strain them out or just be careful when serving it to not give someone a few allspice berries or orange rinds in their drink.  However, after talking with Greg and getting into some good ol' American ingenuity, we decided we could make our own tea bags out of coffee filters.  We threw the ingredients in those and stapled them off and into the cider they went for brewing.  And it turned out flippin' awesome! (you may read that in whatever tone of voice best works for you).

After cleaning up, I decided we needed more apple cider.  The tea bags couldn't be out of flavor yet.  So I went out to Billa for the fourth time today and bought two more bottles of cider.  They are brewing away right now.

Greg and Štěpán took a lot of pictures, and I took some also.  Right now, I only have mine on hand.  I put up a link to the other pictures when I get a chance.  Enjoy!

Pumpkins from Tesco for the Jack-O-Lanterns

Everything you need for hot apple cider. 

Post English club mugs.

Our homemade tea bags.

So, that was Thursday.  I have a full day head of me tomorrow: jr. high in the morning, workout after that, lunch with friends, back to the junior high at 2, Czech lesson at 4, and my first graduation ball.  So, prayer for any and all those things is appreciated.  I really desire that I would decrease and Christ would increase as I spend time with others.

Oh, and we saved all the pumpkin guts.  I am thinking of trying out this recipe some time soon.

A post of pictures

I just got back from Multicamp.  Now that I'm rockin' my Nikon Coolpix 4600 4-megapixel digital camera, I got pictures for all of you.  Go this link to see them all.  Čau!

On the road again

Today, I was on the road again (well, technically its rails because I rode trains).  By now, I will hopefully be in Vsetin, CZ for Multicamp.  I'll doing 3 sessions of 3 hour English lessons for students and hanging out and having a good time.

This means I will likely be offline until this coming Monday.  In the mean time, please pray for my health (I got myself a bad cold), for Christian students to come away knowing and loving Jesus more, and non-Christian students to come away knowing and loving Him for the first time in their lives.  Also, please pray for wisdom as I teach and have conversations and participate in the lives of these students.  May I be an instrument of preparing the path for them and Jesus to meet in significant ways (Mark 1).

A snapshot of my personal life - books I am reading or just finished:

I just finished the Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Ezekiel.  Talk about wading through swamps for a while, but it was totally worth it.
I just finished Mark.  It was a nice change after being in the Old Testament for about a month or longer.  I think I will head to 1 and 2 Peter next.
I am reading On Being A Theologian of the Cross.  It is pushing me to think more deeply about grace and holiness.
I am reading Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum.  It is fascinating.  It makes want to take a long sea journey and see and meet amazing people.

Čau!

Less of an update, more of a story...about a friendship

So, I have come to find myself in a surprising new friendship...with butter.  Yes, butter.

You see, I rarely use better.  When I want jam on my bread, I don't lube it up with butter first.  When I eat pancakes or waffles, maple syrup is just fine.  Sometimes I do eat buttered toast, but that is only if it is an "only butter" piece of toast.  When I eat bread with meat and cheese and veggies, butter is not present.

So, how did I find myself in this new found friendship with butter?  Well, it started slowly.  "Maybe I'll follow suit and add some butter to this piece of bread.  I'll just eat a piece of buttered bread."  This, like any gateway decision, will lead to this morning's breakfast: "Yes, I will put butter on each piece of bread I eat whether I will ultimately add peach jelly or meat and cheese.  It doesn't matter.  The butter's here, and I am going to enjoy this friendship."

Will I be as dedicated a friend as I showed myself this morning.  Probably not, and I doubt my friendship with butter will last when I return back to the states, seeing as you cannot really Skype or Email or Facebook with butter (I am not counting any of the "I like butter" fan pages.  Those are 'fan' pages, not 'friend' pages).

You may be thinking, "But Jonathan, your relationship with butter does not have to be long distance.  After all, we do have butter in America.  This friendship can last.  It really can."  No, my friends, I don't think it can (or will).

"Why?" you ask.  It is simple.  Butter does not pursue you in America like it pursues you here.  Butter is patient here.  It waits at every meal at camp and at every home.  It doesn't beg or plead.  It waits.  It remains present with you and is patient with you, as if to say, "I know you'll come around.  Look how present and patient I am, and look how much everyone else so enjoys me.  I have time.  I'm butter."  Yes, my friends.  This is the butter of the Czech Republic.  A butter I have become friends with for the time being, a friendship I do not think will last much past the next two months, for better or for worse.

Do you have any unexpected friendships?

What's happened, happening, and coming up.

What's happened?

So, for those of you who read my blog nine days ago, I need to update you on how all that went:

- The teaching went really well at youth group.  I received a lot of good feedback.  Thank you so much for praying.  I taught on Mark 1:1-15 on being people who "prepare the way" for others and Jesus to meet.  Really, thank you.

- The weekend in České Budějovice was great.  Thank you for praying.  I believe God responded to those prayers with "Yes."  I was encouraged and refreshed and discipleship opportunities showed up, and it was a good time.  The paragraphs up to the next " - " share about the weekend.  If you need to move through this blog quicker, just scroll down to the next " - ".

I had a great 9 kilometer hike with a student there named Pet'r.  We talked about life, leadership, youth ministry, politics, rebuke and correction, team building, vision, and more. We also went to a small village called Trocnov.  This is where a very famous Czech named Jan Žižka was born and where a very nice statue of him resides (there are statues of him all over Southern Bohemia - southwest Czech).  He was born at Trocnov around 1360 and despite the youthful loss of his left eye, went on to become the most feared and respected military leader and tactician in Czech history.

Read more about him here.

We went to a fast-food window (Hungry Window) for lunch, and the ones in ČB completely outdo the one here in Tabor.  They sold BURRITOS!  It was awesome!  Cheese, beans, corn, chicken, and BBQ sauce.  Heck yeah!  I am looking forward to eating there again before I return to the states.


We also spent quite a few hours in a Čajovna (Tea House).  It was quite relaxing.  I got Chocolate Tea.  It was Earl Grey with milk and sugar and cocoa.  It was rather enjoyable.  I recommend trying it if you like tea and chocolate and milk.


We prayed, played Activity, which is kind of like the Czech version of the group game Cranium, and we watched "Jáchyme, hod ho do stroje!" which means "Jáchym, throw him in the machine!"  It's a famous Czech comedy, and I did laugh - comedy success.  I also got to spend Sunday afternoon enjoying a comfortable living room with two of the students and their family - espresso and fun conversation in a cozy chair.  Not a shabby way to rest on a Sunday.


- Teaching at the junior high has gone well.  One of the teachers said she will come to church on Sunday.  Also, I have been able meet more students, and class visits have been fun.  Please pray that God would guide me in how He wants me to connect with these students more, and that I would be proactive in responding to the Spirit's impulses.


- The missionaries coming to visit was great.  Nate and Emily Hughes, Dan and Kim Johnson, Leah Cox, and Melissa Wilson all came out and spent Friday evening through Saturday (today) afternoon with Greg and me.  Greg taught at youth group Ephesians 4:1-6; we went out and had delicious Indian food (at the Indian restaurant I told you about.  I wasn't kidding about how good their food is); we enjoyed conversation with each other - stories, jokes, laughs, memories, ministry, and etcetera.  We shared lessons we had learned about persevering in ministry here and visions that we have and prayed together.  I am incredibly thankful to be part of this team and community, and it is through you - prayers and/or generous, sacrificial giving - that God has brought me into this time and place to be with these people.  Thank you.


- I received an incredible care package from my mom a few days ago.  When I say incredible, I mean incredible: Hershey's white chocolate peppermint kisses, dark chocolate reese's, double-stuffed oreos, microwave instant barley/veggie side dish things for meals, trail mix bars, beef jerky, a binder of really helpful class notes from Moody, hot cocoa mix, microwave Asian dinners, and my digital camera (that means pictures will be coming).  Like I said, incredible :|)


What's Happening?


- I am blogging for all of you.
- I am always desiring and trying to learn more Czech.  Please pray I pursue this earnestly and intentionally.


What's coming up?


- I will be traveling to Strakonice on Monday to spend time with students and help with English Club.  I'll be staying over in Strakonice and traveling to Česke Budějovice on Tuesday to hang with students and help with their English club too.  I'm looking forward to seeing the people in Strakonice and spending time with them, and it will be great to see the ČB group again.


- I will be traveling to Vsetin (Southern Moravia - southeast Czech) on Wednesday for a youth conference (www.multicamp.cz) of about 200 students to help with English teaching there and spend time with students.  My connection with this conference is the Zlin youth group from our second camp in the summer.

"Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God.  Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Corinthians 3:4-6).

This is what I desire.  I ask that you would pray this over me as I pursue His direction for me this week and the weeks to come.


I also ask you would pray for things much bigger than myself - for God to save many here, to cause much growth in His children, to send more laborers, to raise up Godly men and women to lead His bride - the church, for wisdom for His shepherds already in place.  Please pray for the churches and youth groups in Tabor, Strakonice, České Budějovice, Litvínov, and Zlín.

Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest" (John 4:35).

Thank you all.  Čau!