faithrunner

Two phrases stuck me as I interacted with the students I taught and moved in and out of the city where we stayed. The first was "the wealth of poverty." Simplicity simplifies life, and there is a place for fewer things when it comes to our relationship with each other and God. If you don't have a cell phone, car, internet access, and don't own a car or your home, you have a bit more time to spend with family and friends. If you find yourself with little and you have no status, resource or recourse, or wealth, it may be easier to worship the God who has provided what you have and who has given any hope you may have. The wealth of poverty is that things of this earth free you to worship the things of God. The second phrase applies to my culture of origins, and that is the "poverty of wealth." By all world standards we are among the wealthiest people on the planet. Transport your land, house, and stuff in it (including the garage and attic), and you will be am...

Here's a shot at the church we served with. This was a shot from the Prayer meeting we participated in on Tuesday night. The saying on the wall behind the worship area is "my house is a house of prayer." Prayer is central to the life of the church. I have seldom been in a gathering like this before. This is what they call in Cuba a BiCi Taxi, and they were everywhere...like cabs in NYC, just powered by people. That's Jim Denison, the pastor of Park Cities Baptist Church of Dallas . The trip rode on the back of their years of work on the island. We taught as part of B H Carroll's Master's program that is now available to the students there. Here Jim and I share lunch with some of the students. As in all learning settings, it's between classes that much of the learning happens. Here I am with my translator on the first day of classes out at "the farm," a true farm that was converted into a conference and training center for the entire island. Ther...

We made it to Cuba as planned, and we have had a wonderful four days here. The classes I am teaching are going well, and the students are truly masters level students--Cuba does a great job of educating all their citizens. They are from all over the island and many different theological backgrounds. I am learning as much as I am teaching. Sunday, worship was authentic and the people are so warm and welcoming. They sing many of the songs we sing--in Spanish--the music is just as good and the musicians as spirited. Last night we participated in a 2.5 hour prayer meeting...amazing. We left about 10:30 from the church and did not feel tired. I know again what filled with the Spirit feels like. The church is the center of the life of the people, and they have over 100 small groups all over the city. Know the ekklesia is alive and well here. I am blessed that what I will come home to is not so far from what I am experiencing here. The weather is tropical and more like May than December, but ...

I have begun my journey to Cuba . We are traveling on religious visas from the government and we have been invited to teach religious instruction in the town of Camaguey. ( Click here for a link to a photo gallery of the town and the newspaper in Spanish or English.) I am traveling with Jim Denison, Pastor of Teaching, and Jeff Boyd, Associate Pastor of Missions , of Park Cities Baptist Church , who have been going to this region of the country for some time. Jim's a long-time friend from seminary days, and we are both connected to B H Carroll Theological Institute , for whom we are teaching next week. Amy, who is a member of Legacy, has also been to the church we will be teaching in. I'm looking forward to meeting their friends and learning the hospitality of the people there. We'll be staying in the Hotel Colon in Camaguey. I'll let you know how it is when I get there. I'll check in through internet cafes in town and try to give you feel of what we are doing. P...

I understand once again why God prescribes fasting with prayer. Fasting subdues the body and its functions to the point that it finally slows down enough to pray. When you are jacked up on caffeine and sugar and running around to complete a list of things you "have to do," you can't pray--you barely know there is a God other than he's "out there" taking care of you. Fasting brings your body to a halt and squelches appetites that distract us from the only One who can satisfy all of our longings. We met at the church tonight for a time of worship and continued prayer. There was no doubt who had fasted today. They were quieter, more focused, and a spirit of humility was around them. We shared a sensitivity to God's Spirit that you cannot feel when you rush into a room of theater lighting and amplified sound. I was blessed to join them as we prayed for our church, community, and those who will be the focus of our attention during the Christmas series, Ente...

When I got to the office, I began my morning trek through email, which, by the way, is the hardest thing to fast from these days. Email has become integral to how we communicate. It satisfies us task-oriented people well because we know how many we have answered and how many left to go...but it must drive the people-people nuts--or keeps them online for hours. For the lunch hour, I began to look forward to my message on December 9, when I return from my trip next week. (More later on this.) I am really excited about the series we will begin on Sunday: "Enter the Prince of Peace." Troy kicks off this week with poverty and hunger. He will be at the end of the Flood's 30-hour famine, and I will continue with the topics of outcasts and aliens on the 9th. I've read passages like Matthew 8:2-4 (leper); 1 Peter 1:1 ; 2:11 ; Psalms 68:5 ; and Matthew 9:28-30 (blind) to get into the first-century issues related to aliens and outcasts then. Our attitudes toward illegal alie...

I'm a little nervous even posting this because Jesus made it clear that when you choose to pray and fast He alone is your audience. ( Matt. 6:5-18 ) So, I will not pray or fast in front of you, but I'll share what I am experiencing as I spend my day practicing these spiritual disciplines. I arose at 5:30 anticipating the day. I spent the first hour or so meditating on Psalm 100 , which I will reflect on all day, and journaling. That Psalm is "for giving thanks," and I wanted my thoughts to be captured by thanksgiving all day. Along with the call to give praise, the central confession for me is, "For the LORD is God and it is he who made us, and not we ourselves." (v. 3) God is God, and I am not. I did not invent him, but he created me. That is the central confession of my faith for only there can I come to know my need for a Rescuer and Leader and experience the true nature of God's love for me and others. I journaled mostly about my experience yesterda...