.reverse.

“Then he called his disciples and the crowds to come over and listen. ‘If any of you wants to be my follower,’ he told them, ‘you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me.'” {Mark 8:34}

This past weekend I had the privilege of working as a small group leader at a student conference. Clayton King, who is one of my favorite speakers, did a phenomenal job sharing Truth and it was a blessing to see three girls in my small group give their lives to the Lord. Clayton also came to my school at the beginning of the year as the main speaker for our annual revival. God has now presented this concept of taking up your cross to me for the third time this year–and I have finally realized that he does not want me to keep it to myself. One of the reasons that I love to listen to Clayton King is that he makes the Word come alive by presenting cultural context information alongside the passage at hand. I hope that this verse becomes real to you as you begin to understand the gravity of what it means to take up your cross.

During the time of Jesus’ earthly life, the Roman Empire had control over Caesarea Philippi and numerous other provinces as well. (In Mark 8:27 we see that Jesus had left Galilee and went to the villages of Caesarea Philippi.) The Romans implemented the horrific torture tool known as the cross and were not afraid to use it. Jews and others under the control of Rome avoided any sort of run in with the Roman soldiers as much as possible. One group of radicals known as the Jesuits were determined to show Rome exactly what they thought about having their land invaded and placed under harsh reign. They decided that they would create a disturbance in order to prove their point. A group of them began to fight one day in the public square, attracting the immediate attention of the Roman soldiers. Crowds gathered around to see the commotion, just like curious humans are prone to do. Numerous other Jesuits were scattered throughout the crowd and would begin to surround the Roman soldiers in the crowd. All Jesuits carried small daggers in their outer cloaks, which creates the theory that Peter was a Jesuit (he pulled out a dagger to cut off the soldier’s ear who came to arrest Jesus). These scattered Jesuits would get close to the Roman soldiers, secretly pull out their daggers, ram them in the soldiers’ side or back, twist it around, then stick it back into their cloak and back away. Obviously Rome was not happy that this humiliation had happened to their solders so they decided to get even. All known Jesuits were arrested and sentenced to death on a cross. Now, this was a significant amount of the population of the community–the Jesuits were a prominent group in the Jewish community. The soldiers would beat the arrested Jesuits and then demand, “Take up your cross!” The Jesuits would then pick up the cross beam and carry it to their site of death. Crosses were placed outside the city and throughout the city so that no one would be able to avoid seeing the punishment that faced those who dared to go against the Roman Empire. No one was allowed to give them food or water. For days they would hang there for all to see. Imagine the wailing permeating the city day and night, the desperate pleas for someone to kill them already. After they had died, they were left on the cross. Their flesh would rot and the stench would fill the city for what probably felt like an eternity. Flesh soon turned in to skeletons and these were also left on the crosses as a permanent reminder that Rome will not be messed with.

Now imagine Jesus saying to his followers: “Take up your cross.” He was probably under the shadow of a skeleton that had been left on a cross outside of the city. This term would have been equated to the pain we felt from 9/11. Even if we didn’t personally know anyone affected by the attacks, we still have an attachment to the situation because someone attacked our community. Jesus probably had some people walk away at this point because his challenge was to reverse our thinking. This challenge to abandon cultural norms throws us so far out of our comfort zones that we desire nothing less than to immediately reject this idea. But when Jesus was asking us to take up our crosses, he was inviting us to learn to die to ourselves and to begin to place our priorities in line with God’s. It is time to take up our cross even if it means public ridicule. May we not be afraid to face the earthly terrors of this world with God’s approval and power on our side.

.sacrifice.

This past week in the Bible study I attend we studied the passage of Isaiah 53 which is one of my favorite passages. I had been waiting for this week all year, especially since we had finally made it out of the more difficult chapters of study in Isaiah. May you begin to fall in love with God all over again as you recognize the gravity of his sacrifice and our need for a Savior.

Many of us have large amounts of debt whether from college tuition, homes, cars, or other large purchases. Imagine if someone walked into the bank, paid every debt that you owed, and asked for nothing in return. How would you respond? Would you accept the gift or allow pride to deny it? Sin is our greatest debt, our greatest tragedy. We deserve the wrath, death, and punishment that sin creates in our lives. Yet, Jesus became the substitution for us. He saved us from sin and God’s wrath by standing in our place. He bears all sin for all men for all times. The only thing worthy to bring to the Lamb who paid our debt is lost souls. Jesus substituted his own life for guilty sinners to pay for their salvation.

Jesus had to suffer in order to redeem his people. Yet, in the end, he was exalted to a place of honor and glory. How are we supposed to respond to this exalted one? We are called to follow him in obedience as Jesus followed his father in obedience. Obedience is the truest test of if we are Christ followers or not. Sin, in its nature, is hideous to God. When Jesus was beaten and crushed for our sins, he became and unrecognizable, wounded mass of flesh. Jesus had to be made to look as hideous as sin looks in God’s eyes. His death was sufficient for all, but it is only effective for those who believe. No matter how dry our culture is today, if we are rooted in God’s Word we don’t have to worry about being impacted by a spiritually dry culture. In Psalm 22 it describes how Jesus went through mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional suffering. In order for him to stand in the place of sinners, Jesus had to relate on every level the curse of sin. Jesus was rejected to bear all grief and all sorrow caused by sin. We will never know the grief and suffering of our full sins. How will we respond to the exalted Lamb?

Jesus was sentenced to death in order to save us. It was my individual sin that placed Jesus on the cross. Jesus’ death removes not only sin, but also guilt. Our greatest need is reconciliation with God which is impossible apart from Christ. In the Isaiah passage and others throughout the Bible it talks about how Jesus was silent before his accusers. He had no reason to defend himself; he was obedient, sinless, and had spoken truth at all times. Jesus was rejected, he was despised, he was alone. There is no one in any time frame that Jesus can not relate to. Though innocent, Jesus suffered to cleanse all guilt for sin. Do you know the peace of knowing sin and guilt is removed? Do others see this peace in you that is unexplainable? Will you let the love of God overwhelm you?

Sin evokes the infinite wrath of God. Yet Jesus’ death justifies my life. Justification is declaring one not guilty. As humans we are guilty from birth; but God declares a guilty people not guilty. Even though Jesus experienced so much suffering, he ultimately experienced satisfaction. Suffering and anguish were not Jesus’ last emotions as he took his final breath; satisfaction was. Because he poured out his life, we are required to pour out our lives for him. God and Jesus are satisfied because believers are justified. Being declared not guilty is the power of the Gospel. What are you waiting for? Will you accept God’s call on your life? Will you surrender to his paying your debt in full?

 

I encourage you to take time to read Isaiah 53. I promise it will be worth it.

.disconnect.

One of the hardest things to go through in life is to grow up. At times it is exciting and fun; at others it hurts. We look forward to graduations, new seasons of life, getting married, and starting families and careers. We try to avoid deaths of loved ones, broken relationships, and detrimental mistakes. Yet we fail to realize that this is all part of life and it is ultimately shaping us in to who God wants us to be. Tears may be shed, feelings get hurt, and words may be spoken that you wish you could take back, but life continues on. Life was never meant to be easy. We also forget that most of the things that hurt us or disrupt our lives don’t happen overnight. Just as it takes time to nurture a plant, the lack of invested time will eventually kill it.  May we begin to realize our need to remove our focus on ourselves and desperately seek to invest our time in others. It may just make this thing called life a little bit easier to bear.

.with open eyes.

First and foremost, I want to thank everyone who prayed for our team while we were gone. No human effort is possible without the power of prayer behind it. During the course of the week spent in Athens I experienced so much! Thankfully I had a journal with me to help me remember the events of each day. So for anyone willing to listen, I would like to share with you how God is working in Athens, Greece.

We left the Greenville-Spartanburg airport at about 9:30 and landed in Newark about two hours later. During our forever long layover in Newark it finally hit me that I was about to be on a plane headed to Greece. Greece has always been one of those places on my “I want to go here one day” list, but would have never thought that I would go while in college. Flying in to Newark was fun because we could see the New York City skyline and the Statue of Liberty from our windows. We finally boarded the plane to Athens and you could tell the whole team was so excited!

Before my trip, a sweet friend of mine told me about the book Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Deibler Rose. It is about a couple that served in missions during the time of WWII. She talks about how her and her husband got separated and her time spent in a concentration camp. Unfortunately I was not able to finish it on the plane, but I definitely recommend it as a great book. In one part of the book she talks about how her husband was able to connect with the people they were ministering to, but it wasn’t until she was able to come to the people that God opened the doors. Before she left, her mentor reminded her that she was entering Satan’s territory, but that the enemy was already defeated. It hit me then: this was the same situation that I was heading into, the same situation we should be living in each day. Satan may have a hold, but he has already been defeated.

Flying in to Athens, Greece

We finally landed in the Athens airport at 11:00 a.m. Athens time. Customs was very simple to get through and then we had to wait in baggage claim for about an hour. The airport had Greek music playing throughout the whole place which was a nice welcome. My first thought flying in was that there was a lot of green compared to the desert of Africa. When we left the airport we were taken to Scripture Union which was our housing for the week. We stayed in the area of Kifissia. As soon as we got our stuff in and beds picked out it was time to go see the city. As much as we wanted to go to bed, we had to stay up to adjust to the time. We had our first experience with the public transportation which we quickly became experts at by the end of the week. We ended up going to the shopping district just below the Acropolis. Every vendor told us that we could have fifty percent off because we were American. It was funny to see how everyone looked at us. We definitely did not blend in and our large group added to the curiosity as well. The group from Columbia, SC arrived around dinner and after a long day we finally all got to go to sleep.

Once the Columbia team arrived we had sixty-three people in our group. On Sunday we went to Mars Hill which was quite a feat moving that many people through the metro system. Once we got to Mars Hill we had our worship service overlooking the city of Athens. The view was amazing! God began to show me the darkness that he had placed me in for the week as I looked over the city. It was a great way to begin to prepare our hearts. We then had our first restaurant experience and it was so good! The Greeks definitely know how to eat some great food!

Mars Hill from Acropolis

On Monday my group got to go to the refugee center. Athens is a city of five million with one million of those people being refugees. The missionaries working at the refugee center are from Georgia and they have  helpers from the Middle East who help them prepare meals and share the Gospel message with the refugees and their families who come there for help. The majority of those who come to the center have escaped from Farsi speaking countries and know little to no English. They are also trapped in the culture and religion of Islam. When they come to the center they are given food, clothing, and an English lesson. After that they can stay for a service where the Bible is preached. Amazingly, many choose to stay and listen.  I was given the opportunity to work with the preschool aged children. At first it was very difficult because I couldn’t communicate with them. I finally sat down at one of the little tables, picked up a toy, and started playing with them. They loved being smiled at and just having someone new there to play with. We had a tea party and car chases and did some construction with our Bob the Builder tool set. They stole my heart. Even though I have no idea what they were saying about me, I wanted take them all home. When we had to leave I saw one of the little boys I had played with as we were walking out the door and he gave me the biggest smile. Somehow I held back my tears as I thought about how I will probably never see him again and how he is living in a place where he is unwanted. Children are precious to the Lord and they hold a very special place in his heart. God showed me this week that I have a desire to one day create a place for unwanted children, something like an orphanage, and to show them that there is a Father that loves them.

After our morning at the center we went to the Acropolis and Parthenon. Monday was a national religious holiday known as Clean Monday. It is similar to our Mardi Gras celebration. They dress up in costumes and have colorful decorations everywhere. They also fly kites as part of the tradition. Many businesses are closed and the Greeks take time to enjoy the city. We also had our first of many trips to a bakery. Like I said before, the Greeks know how to make good food!

Tuesday morning it snowed! It rarely snows in Athens–I think one Greek told me that it hadn’t snowed in four years. We had to delay some of our plans but my group was able to go back to the refugee center later that day. I hoped that I could work with the kids again, but God had a different plan. There was a group from a school in Ohio that joined us that day so we had a lot of volunteers there that night. All of the positions were taken so I joined the adults and listened to their English lesson. I kept asking God what he wanted me to do and he showed me an empty seat. There was a lady sitting by herself and I debated with God over whether it was culturally acceptable for me to sit down next to her or not. Of course, stubborn me knew that I needed to follow God’s prompting and I went to sit down next to her. I asked her her name and she told me it was Mina. Another woman came and sat next to her and I found out that her name was Narimalaa. Narimalaa’s English was very good and she began to tell me all about her family and Mina’s family and she wanted to know everything about me. They were very surprised that I was not married! I found out that Mina was an Afghani and her husband had been killed before she brought her children to Greece. She had been in Athens for seven months and she is trying to get to England. Narimalaa told me that she had five brothers and five sisters, that she had been in Athens for eight months, she has two sons and two daughters, and her family is trying to get to Germany because her husband can’t find any work. The lady sitting in front of us also turned around to talk to us and I found out her name was Lassibba and she kept asking if she could come back with me in my suitcase. Narimalaa’s daughter Baharra came up from the preschool room once it was time to eat and she was so precious. At first she was scared of me, but then she warmed right up to me. She showed me the picture she had colored and she sang me a song. She was four years old and of course she wanted me to sing her a song back. Her song was in Farsi and my song was Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. She loved it. Those women will never know it, but they changed my whole opinion about Afghanis and my desire to never visit the Middle East. They were so accepting and my heart breaks for them even now as I know how entrapped they are by Islam. Although I wasn’t able to spend much time with them, they have forever impacted my heart.

Wednesday morning we started our coffeehouse ministry. There was still some snow falling and it was extremely cold but the Starbucks was still open. Two of my group members and myself went to Starbucks to find some people to talk to. Starting conversations with others where you know that there is a huge obstacle of rejection is not something that comes naturally to me. Earlier that week I had asked my group to pray for me concerning boldness and God answered in such an amazing way!

Coffeehouse day

When we first sat down with our coffees we couldn’t decide who we should talk to. There was an elderly gentleman sitting next to us, another man outside, and a couple sitting behind us. I had noticed the couple when we first walked in and almost immediately decided I didn’t want to talk to them because they probably didn’t want to be disturbed. After sitting at the table for about ten minutes I finally decided I was pretty content just sitting and drinking my coffee and minding my own business. God finally told me, “You have to do this.” Once again my stubborn side came out and I kinda debated with God for about thirty seconds in my heart. “But what if they don’t speak English? How am I going to know what to say?” I finally turned around and asked the lady where she had bought her purse. Thankfully she spoke English and she tried to tell me where it was. The man that was with her leaned around and, in perfect English, asked us where we were from. He then began to tell us how he had studied for seven years at a university in Florida. I ended up talking to this couple for almost an hour and a half. I came to find out that the girl’s name was Electra and his name was Alexander. Electra was a lawyer and Alexander was a banker. I asked them about the religious implications of the Clean Monday holiday and found out that they claimed to be Greek Orthodox just because it is what everyone does. They hadn’t been to church for years; only the “old people” go to church. Whenever I would ask about religion, Alexander would answer my question, but he never wanted to talk about personal beliefs. He always changed the topic. Admittedly, I was a little disappointed about this, but afterwards I realized that God simply wanted me to talk to them. It was very apparent that I didn’t believe in Greek Orthodoxy and I do believe that some seeds were planted that day. God also showed me faces to put with names of individuals I can pray for.

After the coffeehouse time we went to go visit the Roma camp. Before we got there we put together some bags of groceries that would be passed out to each house. It was so cold outside and the wind made it even colder and some of the Roma people came out with very thin clothes on, some didn’t have shoes. The homes were very small and very run down looking. I wasn’t able to go in one of the homes but I was told they were only one room, they had two beds in them, a central air conditioning unit in the middle, and a 32″ plasma screen TV on the wall. Many of them also drove BMWs. They choose to live this way and it broke my heart. The kids came running out of their homes as soon as we pulled up. Once again, they didn’t speak any English. I began playing soccer with some of them and others made some balloon animals. One little boy came up and just wanted to give a high five; he had the biggest smile on his face. Again God showed me that sometimes all you have to do is smile. One little kid only knew one English phrase and he kept repeating it over and over. In our language it is very offensive and when he first said it I was appalled. But as he kept repeating it, I began to realize that the reason he knows that phrase is because of our sin-filled culture. What we produce in the U.S. spreads throughout the earth whether we realize it or not. It is time for us to begin to revolutionize our culture for the glory of God. The Roma are some of the most unreached people groups of the world and are in a desperate need for a way out of the darkness.

Harris from the University of Athens

Thursday we went to the University of Athens to work with the Campus Crusade for Christ stationed there. Two members of my group and myself went to a cafe on campus and started talking to one of the students there. We had been given spiritual interest surveys from the Campus Crusade students to help us start conversations. The student we talked to was named Harris and he was seventeen and a chemical engineering freshman at the university. Public universities are free for Greek students and you have eight years to complete a four year degree. Before you enter college, you take a test that determines what you will study in college. Whatever you score highest in, that’s what you will study and you rarely can change your major after that. Harris had studied in the U.S. during high school and spoke almost perfect English. When we first started talking to him he told us that he believed that there was a higher power out there that had created us but he wouldn’t claim that power to be God. He told us he had read the whole Bible before when he was in the States and for a while had gone to church on a regular basis. He understood that we were created and that sin was a real part of the world. He kept asking why do bad things happen to good people and how can a God allow suffering to happen. He really challenged us and thankfully God gave us the wisdom to answer his questions. He asked us how we knew that we were right and that Mohammed, Buddha, or any other religion wasn’t also right. I told him two things: faith and love. I had him read out loud Hebrews 11:1 which says that we have confidence and assurance. I also looked him right in the eye and said, “I have confidence and assurance because my God is not dead. Those other religious figures are still in the grave. My God is alive and I am able to share in his life.” I wish I could have taped it and been able to show everyone, but his eyes began to have a little more hope in them. We sat with Harris and talked with him for over two hours. He showed me how the church has lost its responsibility. One time he asked me how the kids who have to sell drugs to support their parents because their parents and their parents before them sold drugs can shoot another kid who will steal their drugs and God not do anything about it. It was one of those moments when I had to greatly rely on God’s words and I told him I was to blame for that. That as a believer in the saving power of Christ, it was my responsibility to go tell them that there is a way out of that darkness. I told him that I have become a failure at living up to the responsibility that I have been given. I also told him that this is the problem in our churches and he was astonished. He didn’t understand at first how it was my fault until I explained to him the immense responsibility. By the end of our time talking with Harris he said he did believe there is a God but he isn’t quite ready to give up his party life just yet. Thankfully Campus Crusade will be able to keep in contact with him and I know that God is not done with Harris yet.

Corinth from the citadel

Friday we traveled to Ancient Corinth and to Sounio. Corinth was simply amazing especially imagining Paul walking along the same roads and the glory that the city must have held. Only one percent of the city has been excavated. We were able to walk around and we visited the museum they have there. We then went to the citadel of Ancient Corinth and hiked up to the top. I had lunch that day overlooking the city of Corinth, the ocean, and the mountains. It was so amazing to sit and revel in God’s beautiful creation. We then traveled to Sounio and got to watch the sunset. It was gorgeous! Most of my pictures are up on my Facebook so if you would like to see them, just let me know. If you aren’t a Facebook user you can still see the pictures; I will be able to send you a public link.

 

 

We headed home on Saturday and landed in Newark Saturday evening. I miss being in Greece. I miss being in Africa. God has solidified my desire to rebel against the American Dream. Beyond a doubt, his plan for my life is for me to pour out my life for him to those who are trapped in the darkness. Please begin to pray that I will be ready to go wherever God calls me next. Pray that I will not abandon his call for my life; that no one, no thing, no desire of mine will ever overshadow his will. Pray for the missionaries in Athens right now. Pray that God will continue to use them and that they will continue to work solely for him. Pray for the church and that we will begin to have a sense of urgency and a heart for the nations. Pray that we will not be content just staying inside of our comfort zones any longer. Pray that God will show you where he is calling you and who he wants you to minister to. People are looking for a hope, they are looking for a way to escape from their own lives. We hold the solution, let us be the remedy. Thank you for joining me in praying for the nations and for reaching out to those who need to know Truth. May the kingdom of God never be the same.

 

.home.

Pray again today for safety during travel as we head from Newark to Greenville-Spartanburg. Pray that we will be excited to share what we experienced and that God will continue to work through us stateside. Pray that we will continue to remember that God is calling us to storm the gates of hell–not just in the foreign field. Pray that we will adjust to the time change again and that God will give us strength to make it through our classes starting tomorrow. I cannot wait to share with you some of what I experience. Look for an update soon!

.leaving.

Pray today that God will once again give us safety as we head back to the U.S. Pray that we will never forget the experiences and the changes that Christ made in our lives through this trip. Pray that friendships created during this time will not break. Pray that God will continue to stir a passion in us and a desire to proclaim him on a daily basis.

.history.

Pray today that we will be safe as we travel around the city of Athens. Pray that God will continue to present opportunities to us to share truth even though it is not a specified ministry day. Pray that as we travel to the church at Corinth that God will rekindle our passion for his Word. Pray that we will continue to remind ourselves that we are not here through our own power; only God can do something this amazing! Pray that we will remember to be light today.

.outcast.

Pray today for the Roma people group. This people group consists of the gypsies, drug dealers and addicts, and the outcasts of society. Pray that any fears will again be dispelled and that peace will surround us. Pray that we will show love to these people. Pray that parents and adults in the area will begin to respond when they see us interacting with the children. Pray that God will surround us with his hand of protection on this trip and that we will again remember to be the light. Pray that seeds will be planted and that God will work as only he can work.

.recovery.

Pray today for the rehab center we will be going to. I do not know a lot about this destination because it was Plan B, but I know there is a reason for it now being Plan A. Pray that God will dispel any fears and that he will reveal to us what he wants us to say to those we encounter. Pray that those in the rehab center will see God’s love through us and that language barriers will me minimal. Pray that we will remember to be the light in the darkness. Pray that God will work powerfully on this trip to the rehab center.

.safe.

Pray today for those we will encounter at the refugee center. Pray that language barriers will be minimal. Pray that we will speak in love and truth. Pray that we will be able to plant more seeds and establish more relationships. Pray for those at the refugee center who have escaped from difficult situations. Pray that they will see that there is a God who loves them more than they could imagine! Pray that we will remember to focus not on what we want to gain from the trip, but on what God is going to do that day. Pray that we will be flexible and that we will continue to be bold for him.