When was the last time you witnessed to someone?  Does that question bring all sorts of ideas about what that means?  Instead of thinking of the last time you brought someone to Christ does you mind go to all the time that has passed since you last talked to someone about Christ?

Does your mind immediately go to guilt?

If so, why is that?

I have heard numerous times from different pastors in different churches say how important it is not to be ashamed of the gospel, and that they should tell everyone they meet about Jesus.  Does this sound familiar?  They’ve even made songs about this idea.

The thing is I don’t know if it’s a problem of people being ashamed of Jesus.  At least a lot of the Christians that I know are glad to be associated with the son of the living God.  Sometimes what keeps people quiet in the marketplace is not shame but what I believe is a God-given respect for the rights of other people.  Sometimes in unnatural situations people may not want to start preaching and I don’t blame them.  They would rather not violate the sense of propriety that they feel.

There is nothing worse than someone trying to tell someone about Jesus in a forced, unnatural state while their motivation comes from satisfying a sense of guilt.  Even the person witnessing in that moment wishes they could pull out the Men In Black memory eraser and walk away.

We simply need to be natural and real, if Jesus lives in us then it shouldn’t be long before people around us realize it.  We can’t force people to believe in Jesus.  People believing in Jesus is not our goal, it’s our hope but not our goal.  Our goal is to love people with the transforming, inexplicable love that God put inside of us showing them what our God is like.

Because our goal is not to bring people to Jesus, it’s to bring Jesus to people.

 Photo Credit: Royal Constantine

I’m a Palestinian. I was born in Saudi Arabia, lived there six years, lived in Palestine the next three years, and am living in America since then. I started my school years first through third grade in Palestine.  My family is all fully Palestinian. My childhood best friends are Palestinian. I grew up loving Palestine.
 
 
When I came to know the Lord in high school, I heard from Him multiple times to forgive the Israelis. My response for a very long time was, “That won’t happen.”
 
 
Me? Forgive Israelis? Israelis who have occupied my homeland for decades? Israelis who still build settlements on Palestinian land?  Israelis who I have seen videos and pictures of demolishing homes and beating and shooting Palestinians? The murderers? The thieves? The last people I believe should live on this Planet? But why? How can I forgive evil people? How can I approve of such a thing?
 
 
Those were some of the thoughts going through my mind as I pondered on God’s request.
 
 
Then something struck me.
 
 
God didn’t ask me to forgive the Israelis precisely because they were good people nor because what they’re doing is right. He didn’t ask me to forgive them as a way of approving of what they’re doing.
 
 
God asked me to forgive the Israelis so that I can be free of any bondage of bitterness. He wanted to bring me to another glory but was waiting for me to empty more of myself. God wanted me to be more like Him when I choose to forgive. God wanted me to be just, forgiving everyone just as Christ forgave me.
 
 
I came to realize holding grudges against anyone does more harm on me and my spiritual walk with God than anything else. Lack of forgiveness happens when there is a significant imbalance of justice. When I refuse to forgive someone, I in a way tell God that I can bring justice on my own. On the other hand, forgiveness is an act of surrender to God believing He is a just God.
 
 
As a side note, please understand that I am not a Zionist. I don’t have a political agenda and I could honestly care less what political agenda you have, but what matters is the fact that you, me, Palestinians, and Israelis are all God’s people through the blood of the Lamb and God loves us all equally. Moreover, no matter what your political opinions are on what land belongs to whom, Palestinians deserve land to live on just as much as Israelis deserve land to live on, and in the end we really have to think and define about what our home is.  The Kingdom of Heaven should be considered our homeland.  We are called to bring people to the eternal Kingdom. There is one King who rules over all of us, and it is His Kingdom you should be defending and fighting for.  The moment after you give your last breath, will God ask you how much you fought for land? Or will he ask you how much more did you care about sharing the Good News of Christ with the people who were around you? In the end, the souls are what matter, not the soil. ¹
 
 
I’m a Palestinian Christian who has forgiven and loves Israeli Jews. God has helped me through this process of forgiveness and He has raised me to view forgiveness as a tool to strengthen me.
 
 
When I hold no grudges against anyone, the enemy can’t hold me down. I am forever free of the bondage of bitterness.
 
 
Forgiveness paved the path to freedom in my life. I don’t forgive as a declaration of what’s right or wrong. I forgive because there is no measure compared to what Christ paid for on the cross. If Christ forgave Peter who’s betrayed Him more than once, who am I to not forgive when Christ commands me to?
 
 
I urge you to pray about every area of bitterness in your life.  Surrender your bitterness to God, and declare forgiveness and love over every person and situation. Free yourself from this burden and bondage of bitterness. Hold on to God’s hands as He guides you to the next glory of forgiveness, love, and further enlightenment of His character and grace.
 
 

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¹Much credit given to Saed Awwad’s wisdom

When I was little, I used to get growing pains in my legs so bad at night that I would run to my parents’ bedroom to wake them up, crying, asking them to take the pain away.  They couldn’t.  But they invariably picked me up, prayed for me, and let me sleep with them.  And the comfort of knowing they were there was enough to make the throbbing pain bearable enough to fall asleep again.  The pain didn’t disappear, my legs didn’t hurt any less, but just being with my parents reassured me that everything was going to be ok, and that the pain was, in fact, a good thing.  I would be taller in the morning!

This is such a beautiful picture of what life is like following Jesus.Jesus never promised his disciples life would be easy. Actually, he required just the opposite.  When speaking to a crowd in Luke 9, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from you selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”  This is uncomfortable- highly uncomfortable.  The only reason taking up a torture instrument daily would be required of anyone must be because there is a reward far more glorious than the inglorious cost. The reward of life with Jesus requires discomfort.

But here’s the problem: comfort is a deeply embedded desire for most Americans.  In part, it’s instinct.  We don’t like pain.  We strive to gain an education so we can get a job that will comfortably provide for us and our families.  We work long hours to make money so we can comfortably retire. We seek activities and opportunities that fall in our proverbial “comfort zone” and try to avoid those that do not.  The problem, the danger, in pursuing comfort is this: growth has never been comfortable.

So what if God is nudging you to do something uncomfortable?  Faith is often spelled R-I-S-K.  It’s scary to follow a God we cannot see.  It’s scary to pray for the sick believing they will be healed.  It’s scary to think about asking for less time in work to spend more time loving the broken. It’s scary to even have a conversation with a homeless man beyond negotiating what you might give him. We shouldn’t be surprised if Jesus asks us to do these things.  After all, Jesus was homeless.  He was born in a feeding trough.  He died the most brutal death imaginable on a cross.  And he’s who we are striving to be like.

Does this make you uncomfortable?  Wrestle with the ideas God may be giving you about doing something uncomfortable.  Maybe he is calling you to live in a smaller home and use the extra money to spend more on behalf of others.  Maybe it’s to change jobs.  Maybe it’s to pray for that person you see in a wheelchair in the middle of a mall.  Maybe it’s to share the love of God with someone who has never heard the good news – your next door neighbor perhaps. Wrestle with the idea that God wants you to grow in faith, trust, hope, and love, and like a parent comforting a growing, pained child, he’ll comfort you through the uncomfortable moments in following Him.  He’ll show you the reward.

For when you lose your life for my sake, you’ll gain it. –Jesus (Matthew 10:39)

The Berkeley World Wall of Peace was constructed in 1988. It is approximately 175ft. long, and is made of over 5,000 hand-painted tiles, each representing an idea, a tradition, or a belief that is unique to the artist. This wall is a symbol for the many cultures and parts of the world that Berkeley represents.

“If you could choose one word to describe Berkeley, what would it be?” Take a moment to find an answer to this question, even if you’ve never been to Berkeley in your life, or all you know about it is from reading 360blogs. There’s no wrong answer!

I recently conducted a survey asking people this very question. Note: this was conducted via text message and might be heavily biased towards college freshmen. While awaiting responses, I prepared myself for a couple outcomes. The first was that no one would respond because they thought it was some random mass text… which it was. The second was that everyone would say something different, and I would have nothing interesting to write a blog on. The second is partly true.

Responses included generic words like ‘amazing’, ‘culture’ ‘liberal’, and even ‘pot’. There were, however, a few words that popped up more than once. ‘Diverse,’ for instance, came up five times out of the thirty-five words I collected. I don’t think anyone can argue with this; I’ve been to many places, but Berkeley is the most diverse city I’ve ever been to. ‘Berkeley people’ can’t be placed into a category not only because the people are diverse, but the people themselves are always changing. They constantly create new ways to amaze themselves, whether through art, music, education, books, food, church, or thrift stores.

The most commonly appearing word was ‘eclectic’, which came up a total of six times. I was surprised that this was the most common answer, partly because I had to look it up in the dictionary. The Oxford American Dictionary defines it as “1) deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources,” and “2) philosophy of, denoting, or belonging to a class of ancient philosophers who did not belong to or found any recognized school of thought but selected such doctrines as they wished from various schools.” My first reaction was that, indeed, we are ‘diverse.’ We are an agglomeration of many different identities; we are intellectuals, hippies, activists and students. We are professionals, food-lovers, and in debt. We are farmer’s market attendees, street performers, smokers, and church-goers.

So who are we? The answer is all of them. Any. One or the other. This one and that one. Either and both.

Out of all the responses to my text, one person replied, “passionate”. Of my short experience in Berkeley thus far, I realize that ‘passionate’ has to be the one thing we all have in common. I have yet to meet a ‘Berkeley person’ who isn’t passionate about something, whether it be food, school, protesting, democracy, church, Philz coffee, the peace wall, or Cheeseboard pizza. So, what are YOU passionate about?

I thought it was ironic that my husband wanted to celebrate his “older-than-Jesus” birthday (aka his 34^th birthday, one year older than Jesus was when he was crucified) by going to Death Valley.

I like exploring National Parks, and road trips with him are fun, so I knew we would have a good time together; however, I was expecting a fairly bland, sandy desert landscape.  Wow, was I wrong (…about the landscape, not about the time together).

Death Valley is an incredibly diverse and interesting place.  Jagged mountains, salt flats, miles of sand dunes, green, white, purple, and blue hued canyons, craggy 1 ½ foot-high crystallized mineral formations, and of course, the lowest point below sea level in North America…  And, since we were heading there in late March, the desert wildflowers were in bloom.

Awesome.

Death Valley was ripe with photo-opps, especially in the morning and evening hours.  We had to bundle up for the sunrise photo shoot (with Colorado-caliber winter coats and hats), but it was worth it.

Our splurge for a night at the desert resort, swimming outside under the stars and then sitting outside listening to the wind through the palm trees added a nice touch to the getaway too.

Along the way we encountered bus loads of people from numerous Asian and European countries.  At some locations he and I were in the minority as residents of North America.  And, yet, when I mentioned the trip to people who have lived in California all their lives, they seemed to wonder why anyone would want to go to Death Valley.  (!)

So, what makes Death Valley so incredibly cool that people from around the world flock to visit?  Maybe it’s just close enough to be an international bus-tour-pitstop between LA and Las Vegas.

Or, maybe it is a drama of texture, elevation and color just waiting for explorers!

(The coyote begging for food right next to the “don’t feed the coyotes” sign was also fun to see.)

Check it out for yourself @ http://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm

http://www.nps.gov/deva/photosmultimedia/photogallery.htm

 Photo taken by author

 

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”

-Isaiah 43:18-19

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

-Isaiah 41:10

“You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry.” -Psalm 10:17

“I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” -Psalm 4:8

“Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.” -Isaiah 49:13

“But now, this is what the Lord says – he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.’” -Isaiah 43:1

Who wouldn’t want to seek after this amazing God who cares so much for His creation? I have fallen in love with Jesus, and it happened because I gave Him a chance to prove that His promises are true. Are you willing to give Jesus a chance to prove that these promises above as well as every promise in His word is true?  

Photo Credit:  Drown

As a Christian, expect and anticipate:
1. The impossible.
2. To be changed from within.
3. Spiritual battle.
4. Authority under the power of Jesus’ Name.
5. Hearing God’s voice.
6. Witnessing the Holy Spirit’s gifts manifested.
7. A call to ministry, whether in your home or overseas.

As a Christian, don’t expect nor anticipate:
1. To be celebrated.
2. Dry seasons.
3. Disappointment.
4. Excuses for temptations.
5. Staying home.
6. Becoming rich.
7. Routine.

The Lord Jesus is living today, reaching for the hearts crying out to Him. If you’re bored as a Christian, think again about what you’re living for.

 Photo Credit: marynmbtol

February 14th is an interesting day. Red and pink become the only colors you can see, the card section at Target is covered with hearts, musical cards with love songs, and “I love you!” written everywhere, and chocolate and heart-shaped candies flood each store. On one hand, the holiday seems to be focused on romantic love, but then you have CareBears Valentines that say, “I love you beary much!” being handed out in elementary school classrooms and people saying we should celebrate anyone we love, from our family and friends to our pets. Then there are those who have renamed this holiday as SAD Day (aka Single Awareness Day) and boycott the whole thing or spend it surrounded by tissues while they watch a romantic comedy alone on their couch. It’s a holiday that brings up a range of emotions and attitudes, and it’s likely that throughout each person’s life their attitude towards February 14th has fluctuated.

This holiday wasn’t really on my radar until I came to the US and discovered that on February 14th children would give each other little cards with various cartoon characters that sometimes had a candy or lollipop attached. Everyone in class gave each other Valentines, so no one was left out. Then, when I hit junior high, I discovered that only the popular kids or those who had parents that worked at the school got a Valentine Gram (usually consisting of a small teddy bear, a bag of candy, and a cute heart-shaped tag). As high school rolled around, my friends who were dating would receive flowers in the middle of class while everyone else pretended not to care and suddenly became very interested in the geography of the North Pole that they had previously found ridiculously boring. Finally, I hit my college years, and the reality became inevitable: as much as I tried to focus on filial and friendship love, I could no longer pretend that I didn’t have a Valentine. Sorry, mom and dad, but you asking me to be your Valentine didn’t count. My special Valentine was nowhere to be found.

During my young adult years, I came to think of Valentine’s Day as a reminder of what is to come. I gave up trying to ignore my nonexistent love life and pretending it was just as nice telling my family and friends that I loved them , and I started to view the holiday with joy and hope for the future. Last year I spend Valentine’s Day having dinner with some friends who were also single, and together we shared with each other our hopes for the day when we’ll have our own Valentines. I tried to make an effort to love those around me and look forward to the day when I can spend Valentine’s Day with my own special someone and finally celebrate the holiday to its fullest.

Fast forward to 2012. For the first time in my life, I will actually have a Valentine on Valentine’s Day. My special someone has been in my life for almost a year, and I’m looking forward to celebrating this special day with him by my side. That said, I am very much aware that there are many individuals out there who have mixed emotions about February 14th, 2012. I won’t say how they should celebrate this holiday or pretend that Valentine’s Day need not be related to romance, and I most certainly will not say we should just focus on God’s love for us(even though that is always a good thing to do). All that I will say is that love and romance is a beautiful thing, and there is something very special about being chosen and loved by someone. That is something we can acknowledge despite complicated emotions that may arise depending on our individual situation. Whether or not you are experiencing love first-hand, I wish you a very happy Valentine’s Day. Let’s celebrate love and have hope! Love is indeed a wonderful and extravagant gift.

Photo Credit: alice_ling

A couple of weeks ago I was on an access road in north Berkeley heading toward San Pablo Avenue. As I prepared to merge into the right lane to turn onto San Pablo I quickly had to turn my head to catch a glimpse of something in a large, fenced-in vacant lot. It was two wild turkeys! I couldn’t believe it. Not only did they seem unusual but they were so out of place, surrounded by California landscape including several palm trees and a growth of a variety of plants. The lot was also next to the water, so my first thought was, what are wild turkeys doing on the shores of the East Bay?

Have you ever felt out of place? Like a square peg in a round hole? Like a turkey in a vacant urban lot? Like you aren’t a real fit for the traditional roles of society or the church?

Questions like, who am I, and where do I fit in the scheme of life are especially common among young adults exploring their gifts and abilities, checking out the job and career market and working toward their educational goals. Some individuals seem to know instinctively from childhood who they are, what they are going to pursue, and how they can successfully fit into society. Examples of this would include professional athletes and actors. It is likely that a famous quarterback or the star of a TV drama discovered early how he or she was specifically built to do this one thing.

But not everyone naturally feels they fit in the career boxes that society has to offer them. There are many people out there who are talented, bright and capable but for some reason still feel “out of place.” They are not sure what career path to pursue in life. And sometimes are afraid to make decisions, fearing they will make the wrong choice.

Leonardo da Vinci is an example of one of the most talented, brilliant personalities in history who never quite fit into one mold. He is most noted as an artist for his painting, the Mona Lisa. However, Leonardo didn’t settle on a neat career path. He was a much more complex, multidimensional character than someone viewing his painting might assume. In How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci, Michael J. Gelb describes Leonardo’s aptitude for almost everything.  He was an inventor, a skilled engineer, musician, scientist and philosopher to name only a few. He invented forerunners of the tank, the parachute, and the helicopter. His design for the extendable ladder is still used by fire fighters to this day. The most amusing feature of Leonardo’s personality was his reputation as a great party planner, drawing on his outstanding skills as a cook and his knack for decorating.

Leonardo did it all. He was Dr. Everything. So he failed to squeeze into any one category, refusing to be limited because he was fascinated by so many things.

Although no one may ever begin to match Leonardo’s genius, he is an encouragement to people everywhere who have trouble focusing on one interest and so feeling they are in the right place.

For example, Leonardo didn’t always complete what he started. His painting, the Last Supper, still awaits finishing touches from its creator’s hand, but is considered a masterpiece nonetheless. While no employer will be impressed if you skip a day at work to finish your oil painting, creative people sometimes find it difficult to stifle one project in order to complete the last few nagging details of another. And they pay the price.

So enjoy who God made you to be. If you are a multifaceted, creative person who loves to be involved in more than one challenge, that’s a good thing. Don’t be discouraged by your own creativity even if sometimes you feel like a turkey in an urban landscape. The Apostle Paul offers some insight for those who live by comparison with others: “if they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding” (2 Co. 10:12 ESV). God has a remarkable plan for your life that includes using all of your gifts and talents. Enjoy them.

Photo Credit

Have you ever seen a big church?  Some call these “mega-churches”.  Do you ever wonder what makes so many people flock to one place?  How does that happen?  A man named Jerry Cook was one of the first pastors to experience this phenomenon and even though different geographies require different forms of ministry he says that there were key ingredients that brought his congregation from under 500 to over 4,500 in just three years.

Jerry defines the Church as “people redeemed, filled with the Holy Spirit, equipped to serve, meeting needs everywhere in Jesus’ name.”   He claims one of the mistakes we make is seeing the church as a field instead of a force.  They clearly have different goals and emphasize different ways of reaching those goals.  See the table below:

Church as a Field                                                                                   Church as a Force

Goals Are:                                                                                                    Goals Are:

Numbers (attendance)                                                                                Wholeness (of oneself)

Budget                                                                                                                Equipped (to minister)

Facility (Building Programs)                                                                     Released (to minister)

Emphasis On:                                                                                           Emphasis On:

Visibility                                                                                                         Worship

Organization                                                                                                 Training

Programs                                                                                                       Fellowship

Promotion

Jerry is convinced that the elements in seeing the church as a force are things that produce spirit filled people who can meet others needs in Jesus’ name.

This tells me that the idea was never to create a “mega-church”.  The idea was to be the church and some becoming “mega” was just a byproduct.  Because people gather where they want to don’t they?  The reason people gather and flock to a church is because they get a sense that it is a part of the Church.  The way to be a part of the church is to direct the church away from professionalism and into the hands of people who do not know what they are doing.

Photo Credit: Flickmor