Spiritual Warfare

Do not be impressed with the enemy or dwell on what is not good. It's dumb.
Jesus conquered death! And He loves us a whole lot.
He's way more impressive.

freedom.

it came today.

Superheroes.

The Kara tribe in Ethiopia has an awful tradition of killing children. If a child is born out of wedlock, is unannounced to the tribal leaders, or has teeth that come in from the top of the mouth instead of the bottom, they consider the child cursed and kill him. The child will either be thrown into the river to drown, left in a hut to die, or tied to a tree with cuts in his skin for the animals.

As I listened to two workers, Kristen and Mona, talk about their experience with the tribe and how they did everything they possibly could to save one child’s life, I was amazed by the strength of these women. God told them to do something to help and they listened.

They talked to the tribal leaders to see if they could save a man’s child who was about to be killed. The tribal leaders agreed and gave them the baby girl, happy to get something cursed out of the village. Kristen held her tight and took care of her. At night the baby had to lay on Kristen’s chest to sleep, but she would stop breathing while she slept because she was sick. Kristen stayed awake all night holding her, making sure she continued to breathe, and praying she would be healthy again.

When Kristen responded to what God had told her to do, I wonder if God thought, “Finally, someone is finally listening to me, finally something is going to change, finally children will be saved because one person is listening to me.”

Kristen was Jesus for this baby girl. Jesus was Kristen, staying awake all night with the baby in His arms making sure she never stopped breathing.

I know that might sound cheesy, but this picture really made me see the deep love of God for His people and the importance of acting on what He tells us to do.

“We can’t stand by and watch the destruction of this beautiful planet.” Optimus Prime

He calls us to be His hands and feet.

Pipes.

Louis Armstrong’s voice was mistaken for a Muppet today. This was unfortunate.

I grew up listening to Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie because my dad is a trumpet man. He went to school for it, performs for people and teaches kids how to love music. I fell in love with the sound of the trumpet, really good music and Louis Armstrong’s voice.

Everybody who has ever heard Louis Armstrong knows it is Louis Armstrong. There is something about his voice that either makes you hate him or love him. My opinion, the guy is kind of a big deal. His voice reminds me of a happy grandpa smoking a pipe and telling stories to his grandkids. You probably sing What a Wonderful World with wrinkly eyes and teeth showing because your attempt to do his gargle, raspy thing is not working out so well. No one can sing a song like Louis just like no one can tell a story like an old man with a pipe in hand and time to spare.

Here’s the thing, regardless of how unique his voice is, it is rarely listened to. If you are not paying attention you can miss it. If you have not listened to him in awhile you can forget it. If you have never heard his voice or even his name, it may fall on deaf ears when it comes or be mistaken for something that will never compare.

I have never audibly heard the voice of God, but His voice is still present in my life. I hear Him most when I recognize Who He is - the times when I bury my face further into the carpet until I feel low enough to pray; the times when I realize I have always needed Him and that He was always there; the times when I remember that I am fully loved by a Holy King.

I do not want to miss His voice. I do not want to forget His voice. I do not want His voice to fall on deaf ears or be mistaken for something as little as intuition.  

I want to be in a constant state of poverty.

St. Peter's Cathedral in Bautzen, Germany.

Scars and Bad Movies

I love listening to people tell their stories. There is something special about the background of a person; why they have a Harry Potter scar on their forehead or why they proudly own a copy of the latest Indiana Jones movie. These little things make up a person, and sometimes they are not always the most fun to talk about because they can be hard and unfair.

There is this old homeless woman named Little Coches who sells her handmade dolls at the farmer’s market in my hometown. A few years ago I was taking a journalism class that required me to create a photo story about something. I decided that, if she was willing, I would tell her story.

She told me about how she was raped. How she had a son. How he died. She told me about her alcoholic husband and how women are treated in her Hopi tribe. She told me why she lived outside next to the market and that she made dolls and jewelry to provide for her and her dog. I also learned that she loved Jesus.

The cool thing for me was that through making photos of her and writing down her story we had built a relationship. After a few days with her I was accepted, I was "in". She introduced me to her friends and gave me one of her dolls.

After sending in my assignment and presenting it to my class, people decided to wake up a little earlier on Saturday mornings to visit Little Coches and maybe even buy a doll from her. I found out that people really wanted to help her and support what she was doing to provide. That’s when I fully realized the impact that telling a person’s story can make.

People need Jesus and people need people. That’s why God tells us to love Him and love others. A lot of people are not able to tell their own story or to help themselves, and no one can save themselves. Photography and journalism are pointless if there is not truth behind it, no gospel at the root of it. You can make people aware of injustice all you want, but that will never change where a person ends up in the end if Truth isn’t shared.

That is why I am doing this DTS here, where I can learn to trust God, to share truth and to tell someone’s story. So far it has been pretty fantastic.

I am in Germany.