drinking deep

In two days I will be on my way over to Chennai, India. This will be a first for me. Honestly, I have not had much time to think about the reality of all of this. seriously, is something wrong with me? Shouldn't I feel some sort of anxiety or a certain amount of disbelief? I am definitely looking forward to it, kind of like a quiet excitement. I have been in the United States for far too long now, it has been a year and several months since I have remained in this country. This is the longest I have stayed in one place for years now. I view this trip to India as an odd type of relief and renewal for myself. I will be going along with a small team of adults from North Heights (the church I work at) It is an absolutely solid team, I would not be surprised if we see miraculous healing or other signs and wonders. Seriously, there are some Christ Followers in this team. We will be working with several ywam ministries while in Chennai. Coming alongside these ministries we will be working with an AIDS hospice, a street kids ministry, counseling clinics, ministry in slums, doing some work in tsunami affected areas... a whole lot of stuff, all subject to change. I am anticipating some beautiful things during this time. I have been finding myself restless lately, asking myself deep questions and processing through whatever odd types of regurgitated mass surface as a result. I suppose this is justifiable. The questions I ask are ones that are rooted in the faith I claim. The difference between following Christ and labeling oneself "Christian". What is the "cost" of following Christ? More questions and feelings than I care to express here and now. Maybe India will straighten these questions up or maybe it will add more fuel to the fire, I am leaning toward the latter. If you desire to pray, please do. Intercede on our behalf and on behalf of those we will be displaying love to. Ask that Christ would be seen through us and that we could reveal His truth and beauty as we encounter it. Peace.

Networking... why do I like it?

I have been trying to figure this out over the past month. Initially I find it odd that something such as networking would cause me the joy that it does. As I have thought it over more I am beginning to see some reasons why. Networking in ministry is a beautiful thing. It is tracking patterns and resources and seeing how they can fit together in order to benefit all parties involved. It is like solving a puzzle, but needing to hunt for the pieces first. What's more, is that it is looking at the most uniquely beautiful and complex pieces of God's creation. People. When everything is said and done, I get to work with people. People are miraculous. With every person you meet, you are able to experience a wonder of God's creative power. When you get to combine these masterpieces and they build unity, the result is brilliant. With every person I meet, I get to experience an aspect of God that I could have otherwise missed out on.