Kairos

Venezuela 2013: Shirt Off My Back

We've all heard it. "I'd give you the shirt off of my back." Tonight that really happened. It would be impossible for me to adequately articulate just how special the people at Iglesias Filadelfia made our team feel this week, and especially tonight. They celebrated us and the work we have done together to the glory of God in a remarkable way.

Tonight as we concluded our time with them the church threw us a special going away party. There were so many people at the church that it was impossible for everyone to fit into the alleyway where we were hosted. Dozens of people waited for pictures with various members of the team as email addresses, mementos, and social media info were swapped.

During this time a young man about twenty years old approached me with his friend who translated. He had been especially blessed by the nightly services we were able to take part in. He wanted to offer me a token of his appreciation. And so, he literally gave me the shirt off of his back because it says "Venezuela" on it.

I was touched. Admittedly, I feel as though my contributions have been small this week. I am mostly here to encourage and document. I offer pastoral input when the opportunities present themselves, but in the grand scheme of this adventure I am a behind-the-curtain kind of guy. Still, he insisted on giving me his shirt. It was an incredibly humbling gesture.

What it taught me is that what I may see as small others see as magnificent. What I might see as routine could be something that is life-changing for another. The next time someone tells me, "I'd give you the shirt off of my back" I'll have to tell them about this dear fellow I met at a place called Filadelfia in Venezuela.

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Memphis Lights

I'm pretty excited about finally being able to share the new short film with you guys. After hours and hours of work here it is.... [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljLuja369Gw&w=560&h=315]

 

Poverty and homelessness are prominent in parts of Memphis, TN. This is the story of one church's effort to share a light in the darkness.

 

48 Hours

The last 48 hours were a whirlwind of awesome. I departed Friday afternoon from Russellville First Assembly of God in the company of 17 other excellent individuals as part of our Chi Alpha missions team "Kairos". Our destination? Memphis International Church. We arrived around 7:30 pm Friday and didn't waste any time getting to work, but the purpose of this entry is not to highlight what our team did this weekend. That will come in another later writing. I just wanted to take a brief moment as I lie here ready to catch up on some sleep and reflect on the remarkable nature of the church I spent the weekend with. Memphis International Church is a place that is light on resources, but steeped in compassion. It is their driving motivation. And in a place full of such diversity, it is the tie that binds. I was utterly blown away by the level of outreach they are able to accomplish with what little they have. To that end, search your heart and support them if you find it in your means to do so.

I have been in a LOT of churches in my life, but never one that is so on target in terms of understanding their community and engaging it with the unfettered love of Jesus. This is a place that is deeply connected to the Great Commission. They get it. They aren't trying to shape people into homogenous hive-mind-like drones. They are showing and sharing Jesus with every brick on their property, but it doesn't stop there. They are regularly reaching out into their community. They understand that the Church is much less about a building, and much more about the connected Christ-centered community.

It's not a large church. It's not a large congregation. But they are making a difference where they are at that puts a lot of places I have seen to shame. What an incredible weekend!

More to come soon.