Fighting for God

-by Micah-

One of my best friends shared a revelation with me recently. He told me about his new struggle in "fighting for a relationship with God". He explained it as, "removing distractions and allowing the Holy Spirit to be my motivation for the things I do day to day."

I thought about it, fighting for God, fighting for our time with God. It's a revelation we so badly need. Solomon says there is nothing new under the sun, and I believe it, but in today's "modern/technological" world I think it could be argued that there are more things than ever competing for our time.

Not that Old Testament Jews had it any easier, actually guess I could shoot down my aforementioned statement by considering the way people used to have to work the land for their dinner, while we just throw something in the microwave (well, some people do).

I'd be willing bet that if we told the Old Testament Jews of our 21st century conveniences and luxuries, they would assume us to have the surplus time to spend hours a day in Scripture and prayer, and even further hours in the care of widows and orphans. But quite the opposite has resulted. What exactly are we doing with all the time the microwave/cell phone/Internet/automobile have afforded us? We sure aren't breaking our backs like the Old Testament people did. We aren't digging wells for our water. We aren't spending every daylight hour for months building walls to protect our cities from invasion. We aren't even milking goats for milk anymore. But somehow we manage to say, "Wow, I've just been too busy this week to get into the Word...maybe on Sunday."

My friend mentioned "removing distractions" as a way of fighting for time with God. I think he is on to something. 'Cuz the stats show we are spending our time in three places (actually I have no idea what the stats show, I'm just making an educated guess here): at work, in the car, in front of the TV/computer. So, let's quit our jobs, sell our cars, and burn our TVs!!

Well, maybe not, but something along those lines is where our generation needs to head. Okay, forget the whole "our generation" cliche'. It's where WE need to head. How many cars do you own? No, seriously, that's not a rhetorical question; how many cars do you own? How many TVs? Cable or satellite subscription? How many hours per week are you working? If it's over 40-45 you may need to prioritize.

Am I being too judgmental? Too legalistic? Maybe I am; only God can judge the heart.

So yeah, we could cancel our cable TV service, give away a car, limit the number of movies and Friends episodes we watch each week. And guess what!?!? We could tell our bosses to take no more than 40hrs/week or we'll quit and find a job that actually respects us and our lives outside work! Sure you'll take a pay cut, but let's talk about priorities! Actually, priorities are another topic altogether.

We could do all those things, but in the end I'd just encourage you to add up where your time goes, and then pray about it. If you listen, He will tell you.

Kingdom of God?

-by Micah-

A good friend poised a hypothetical question, in response to the previous post:

"Is the Kingdom of God an organization or a church? [W]e don't belong to a church and don't really feel connected to any church from our past. On top of that we are not all that familiar with many ministries that we could give it to...What is the Kingdom of God?"

He brings up two important issues: what composes the "Kingdom of God"? And, what does someone do if they don't have a "home-church" and have no true heartstrings attached to any given ministry? (As a side note, I would encourage anyone in this situation to pray for God's leading towards a home-church; important stuff.)

I will not try to sound like I have all the answers, but this I know: God's Kingdom is everywhere. It's the scruffy beggar, the orphan, your neighbor, the widow (poor or rich), your spouse, the massive Presbyterian church on the corner, any ministry that is organized in Jesus' name, the non-denominational church that meets in the elementary school gym, me and you, etc. etc. etc. (as some bald headed king once said.)

In regards to not feeling connected and not being familiar with specific ministries: a wise author wrote, "Your heart will follow your money." And it's so true. Just pick a ministry and give. It's that simple.

-Compassion International
-the Voice of the Martyrs
-Love146
-Focus on the Family
-Focus Action
-International Justice Mission (IJM)

The list goes on, but these are some ministries and organizations that are doing POWERFUL work for the Kingdom. These are places we give and our hearts have grown heavy for their missions: Children in Ethiopia, Martyrs in Saudi Arabia, 11 year old girls sold as sex slaves, the American family, conservative politics, human trafficking.

There are hundreds of organizations that are giving everything for the Kingdom. We are called to give everything too; we are going to be held accountable for what we do with our resources: our prayers, our money, our time, our blood, our tears, our sweat, our lives.

There is SO much joy that comes in giving (and NOT just money, although that is the place to start). Please don't let any excuse stand in your way.

$100K!!

-by Micah-


A WINDFALL
 When great-Aunt Emma past away last week, it was a shock to the whole family. Her health had appeared fine, but sometimes these things just happen. We all morn for Aunt Emma, but the sorrow has been tempered a bit.

We all knew Aunt Emma was rich, she had a home in Carmel, and vacationed to Mexico often. But just how rich was not realized until word came of the inheritance.

We were not even that close; I remember visiting with her years ago at a family reunion in San Fransisco, but since then we hadn't exchanged anything beyond the annual birthday greeting. The news of $100,000 came as a bit of a surprise. But we are not complaining in the slightest. Thanks Aunty Emm!!!

SPENDING THE MONEY
The cool $100K has not even hit our bank account and the money is already spent. Funny how that works. Not physically spent mind you, but in our heads we know where every dollar is going.

Being obedient, and striving for virtue, the top 20% will go back to God's Kingdom. There are multiple ministries and organizations who we would love to bless.

Next, prudence must rule. We still have student debt and this will be taken care of. Another $20K leaves as quickly as it came.

Then we think towards the future and will continue to fund our Roth IRA, and perhaps set up a Health Savings Account (HSA). $5K to each should do nicely.

Now the fun begins right? Obedience and obligations satisfied leaves us some room to play. We both need new computers, we both need road bikes, we both need new mtn. bikes, and we could really use a more Colorado oriented car for the winter driving.

Okay, okay, the fun may sound a little over blown, but hey! We just came into $100 grand! Live a little. Toys all come in at about $21K.

So, there it is: $71K down and $29K left, the perfect amount for a down payment on a house! Colorado home-ownership here we come!

THE QUESTION

But you know what this leaves me wondering? Is this the way it's supposed to be? Is this windfall really a good thing? Have we indeed bettered ourselves in this process? Sure we will have been "obedient" and "prudent" with our giving, and our savings, and our investments; heck, the debt pay-off in itself is applaudable. But in the end, will we actually be closer to God?

THE TRUTH

Well, in case you thought it odd, and even audacious of me to flaunt this news (and all the spending details) in your face, I think you would be right.

The truth is, this is all fabricated; there is no Aunt Emm and no $100K. But my point is this:

THE POINT

I asked myself what I would do with $100K. I answered honestly, that really is what I would do. And for the most part, I believe it a decent expenditure of the money. Paying off debt is always good, saving and investing are prudent, and giving to the Kingdom is the BEST use of your money period.

But when I asked myself the question, "Would I be closer in relationship to God?" I realized I would not. In fact, quite the opposite would result.

In spending that money I would have eliminated liability, liability that makes me very dependent upon God, I would have created a "safety net/buffer," something that would make me less dependent on God. To top it off I would have created/purchased more idols/gods in my life to worship other than Him. In the end I would have pushed myself further from Him.

You could say to me, "But you would have given twenty-thousand dollars to the Kingdom; that would bring you closer to God." But does $20K-closer plus $80K-further add up to a positive?

THE END

So, in the end, I think I got a glimpse of why God does not shower us with tons of money, even when we know He wants good things for us. Maybe someday, when I could honestly say I'd give it all away, He will bless me like that. But until then...

Would $100K be nice? Yeah it would! But if it means I mentally lose my dependence on God while pride and idols take root, then no. No amount of money is worth that.

Post-It Verses

Brady & Jessica's Engagement Shoot

Well, this long weekend we had the unique opportunity to provide a favor for a couple good friends.

We met Brady and Jessica on our first visit to Onuri English Ministry here in Bucheon (BOEM). Brady is the teaching pastor at BOEM as well as an English teacher at a local academy; Jessica is on her second year of teaching at a public elementary school.

Brady and Jessica were engaged this last summer on a return trip to the States. They will be married this January.

We spent the Saturday afternoon in Seoul's Hongik University area. Being the top liberal arts school, it is known for its eclectic mix of coffee shops, eateries, boutiques, and artistic murals.

See? Korea can be fun.

Click on any of these to get a high-res image:

One of my favorites.

If some of these posses look familiar, that's because they are. Being a first time for us, we were not hesitant to take a few cues from known pros.

This turned out to be Steph's and my favorite background; there is something about deep-red that is rich to me.

Brady spotted this Korean-graffiti for what turned out to be the most unique series of the day.

Most all credit goes to Steph for her quick work and general knowledge of the Nikon, while I got a handful of shots in, she took a lion's share of the near 600 frames.

Thanks Brady and Jessica, for trusting us with such a significant event - we had a blast.