CSUF Dorms

When he (Jesus) saw the crowds, he had compassion on them,

because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a

shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful

but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to

send out workers into his harvest field.” – Matthew’s Gospel of

Jesus, Chapter 9 verses 36 through 38 (NIV)

Monday, April 1, 2013

For Christ at CSUF

Hello friends! Thank you for stopping over to my website! I am so thrilled to be sent by the Greater Los Angeles Division of InterVarsity to plant a Chapter at CSU Fullerton with my staff partner, Timothy Lee! I have committed the next five years to this campus, and Olivia and I will relocate near campus so that we can be accessible to students there for years to come. It is my desire to connect with each of you and ask for a few minutes of your time to meet with you to share my vision for CSUF and invite you to prayerfully consider being a prayer and financial partner to my ministry. If we have already met, thank you! If we haven't yet, I look forward to doing so soon! For Christ at CSUF, Ben :)

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

James 2:17

I read my campus newspaper today and was both inspired and perplexed.

About 275 CSUN students participated in an AIDS walk in West Hollywood along with some 30,000 supporters. The group of students are praised for their philanthropic spirit, and giving back to their community. The walkers all brought small tubes of toothpaste to give to people affected by AIDS. Walkers also received free transportation and free food throughout the morning and walk.

I am all for everyone "doing their part," and I see an absolutely large value in small giving. I am completely for advocacy and for standing up to global atrocities. More glaring than the 275 students at the walk are the 35,000 students that didn't attend. I do lift up those who spent their day walking for AIDS.

I still can't help but question. What is a small tube of toothpaste going to do for the seven year old in Zambia who just lost their second parent to AIDS, and is attempting to survive and take care of her three year old brother? It poses a glaring question. What are we doing, as Christians, to be the hands and feet of the God we serve? Many of us wouldn't even give up a day to walk in the name of AIDS (or buy the 99 cent toothpaste to donate)... but even if we did: is it enough?

James attacks the heart of this attitude towards faith in the following passage:

James 2:14-19
"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder."

He poses an interesting question. Can a faith without action save us? God is the final judge, but James is asking a thought-provoking question. What James is getting at here (in our generation) is the following situation:

Someone asks for prayer for a pertinent need:
"Can you pray for me? I just lost my job and cannot afford to buy groceries for my two children."
"Yes, I will pray for you. God will come through."

Or in the context of AIDS:
"Would you pray for Africa? They are affected by an AIDS crisis that is orphaning and widowing women and children."
"Yes, I will pray for them. God will work mightily in Africa."

What good is our well-meaning response if we do not see ourselves in the answer to that prayer?

Christian living is messy. It's difficult. It's sacrificial. It's not immediately appealing, and especially isn't self-pleasing. We are called to emulate the life of the Son of God, who spent every breath of his life living for others. In his last moments, knowing that he was to be betrayed, he chose to wash the feet of his followers... even the one he knew would betray him!

Let's be honest here. If we, as Christians, only focus on the AIDS crisis in Africa, we are not truly listening to God. God provides passions for us so that we, as the body of Christ, serve people all over the world of whom are experiencing different problems. Some of us are called to corporate America to shine light into a dark, self-serving and lonely community. Others of us have a passion for orphans and widows. As a matter of fact, if we have a heart that resembles God's, we Do have a passion for orphans and widows. We are called to be like God, and God has a HUGE heart for the least in our society. The difference is some will receive a call to spend a lifetime working with widows and orphans, and others may be called to spend their lives elsewhere yet maybe help those who want to spend their lifetimes working with widows and orphans.

I bless you and lift you up if you choose to walk and donate toothpaste to make a change. I do really mean that, by the way... I am not sarcastic at all. On the other hand, I hope to challenge you.

There are needs in the country of Zambia. What are you going to do about them?

Don't just assume that if you're over the age of 29 and have a career that your job is to financially fund. Pray! God may be calling you to GO. Also, don't just assume that you have to GO to Zambia to make a difference. There are missionaries that need funding, homes for orphans that need to be built, and children who need to be sponsored.

Would you join me in prayer for Zambia, and the orphans and widows affected by AIDS? I add only one condition. Let our prayer be: "God, what can I do?" God is moving, and all we need to do is ask where he would like to get us on board.

As far as I know, there are a plethora of spots open to go to Zambia this summer to be a teacher for Camp Hope, a week-long bible camp for orphans. There are also spots to be a summer intern.

As far as I know, there is a large hole in funding for house #6 in Chongwe. There are 8 orphans and a widow of whom God has already hand-picked to live in that home. It is not built because the people God is calling to fund it are not responding.

As far as I know, there is still a Huge need in funding for the Chicken Farm that is going up in Chongwe. This is a self-sustaining project that will provide jobs for local people and will provide tens of thousands of US dollars annually for the ministry once started.

As far as I know, there are still more children that need to be sponsored. The homes already built need to continue receiving funding so that the children and the mama of the home can eat, receive health care, go to school, and do everything else a Zambian child should be able to do.

Don't assume that one need is yours to fill. Pray, and receive God's calling. Then run recklessly in faith towards what God tells you to do.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

California

It's been a while since I have last posted. I apologize for how long I've taken to get my thoughts together... I'm not even sure if they Are together, but I'm going to try anyways.

I warn you. I've had time to think and I've got some tough things to say.

Adjusting back to California life hasn't necessarily been difficult. I do have plenty to say about it though... It's easy to get drunk on all of the amenities we have here, so it's been more of a struggle to remember where I came from and remember where God has convicted me to change. It's been a little difficult reading some facebook statuses that have 20-somethings (some even older) complaining about the tiniest little things, just a week after being in a country where I sat with a young child dying of AIDs.

I recently read a post on a forum I participate on where a young man was bragging that he bought a $300 pair of "True Religion" jeans, and how he felt cool wearing them. There's some irony to that, isn't there. The country God chose to place me currently does follow this "True Religion." The religion isn't true, but it is a religion. Christians even give up Jesus to follow this religion from time to time. The sermon I heard in church last Sunday said something interesting about this topic. It was about imitation, and about how we all imitate somebody or something. Some people choose to imitate their neighbors... others celebrities or singers. Some people choose to imitate their parents or siblings... others choose to imitate their friends. When you boil it down though, we are either imitating Jesus Christ or we are imitating the opposite. If we aren't rooted in the love that Jesus gives us and our lives aren't a representation of that love, we are imitating the wrong person (and might be as far away from God as they are).

That poor young man is imitating a culture that tells him that he needs to buy expensive things to help cure his feelings of insecurity. He has an aching for something better, but is going to the wrong doctor. You don't go to an optometrist for brain surgery. Jesus says that he came to heal the sick, not the well. The devil acts in brilliant fashion in different parts of the world. He acts within the spiritual realm of witchcraft in Zambia, and acts in keeping us comfortable and fattened in the day of slaughter here in America. You don't even have to look to Zambia to see places where God's love needs to be spread. My college campus is full of people like the young man I described who are looking for the right thing in the wrong places. There are needs in your own backyard. Mine happens to be a university at the moment, and was Zambia for two months. Where is yours?

It's funny, because when you tell people that you spent two months in Zambia they often (naively) say how hard it must've been to see the poverty. Of course it is true that my heart broke when I saw children and adults who were just "surviving." Often times though, those same people had brighter smiles than the people I meet who are making six figures. When you are looking through the "American" lens at poverty, you think of people who are struggling to live. When you look through God's lens at poverty, you might also find people who are living plentifully in death.

I don't hate my culture. I don't dislike my peers in California at all... I love them. My heart just breaks for them. You expect me to say my heart breaks for Zambia (and it did and still does), but you might not be as happy and warm-hearted to hear that my heart breaks for my own country just as much. Where there is physical need in Zambia to go along with the spiritual needs that every country has, there is a spiritual paradox that I'm afraid of in America. The average Christian (which translates to a follower of Christ) doesn't resemble Christ at all. Buying a $200 cross necklace doesn't make you more Christian... it actually goes against how Jesus called us to spend our money. Putting a Jesus fish on a car that we never use to further his kingdom seems odd. There is a "popular Christian culture" that has been growing for the past 10-20 years that I am afraid of.

I'm not saying this from a "pedestal" that I think I'm better than other Christians. I'm the chief of all sinners. I say these things from experience! I mentioned jewelry because I bought a $100 ring that had a cross on it from C28 with good intentions. I wanted it to remind me of Jesus throughout my day. What it ended up doing was making me think highly of my ring, and think more about the shiny ring than of Jesus anyways - it aided me in my materialism. I'm the guy who often acts more "Christian" in front of people than I do in the darkness alone, and people think that I'm a perfect Christian. I like being regarded as a good Christian. I feed off of people's compliments. I've got plenty of problems, and am just as messed up (if not more) than any of the examples I've put out there. Please don't mistake me for thinking that I've somehow achieved a status to where I can speak down upon "American Christian Culture" just because I spent two months abroad.

What I can attest to however, is that God has been speaking to me and convicting me in things that I usually wouldn't think of had I not seen his global perspective this summer. He may not be convicting you in the same ways, and that's fine. I'm not here to judge anyone, and it doesn't mean that if you own a pair of "True Religion" jeans you aren't Christian. I would argue that that purchase wasn't within the will of God, but I would also argue that my purchases of fast food (which add up very very fast) don't fit into His will either.

What I'm hoping to do is share ways that I have been convicted against myself, and ways that my heart breaks for my country. Nothing more, nothing less.

Often times a missionary leaves his or her soil with a feeling that he is going to "save" wherever he or she is going. That might even be correct. What happened for me however, was that every time God graced me with the opportunity to be used to save, I was saved ten-fold. I come back from Zambia saved ten times as much as I might have saved others. Seeing God in a new way and sharing his compassion for the helpless (orphans and widows) taught me more than I could have ever taught the orphans and widows.

The purpose of my writing about what I learned is not to tell you what to do or not to do, but to see if God wants to use what he taught me to teach you.

That said, it has been hard to transition into American ministry. With Zambia it was cut and dry: I'm there to disciple and serve orphans who otherwise would be in absolutely desolate situations. In America, I'm trying to spread the name of Jesus to a people who are sick of Christians. They like the idea of Jesus, but hate his followers. What's even worse is to think of all the ways I've contributed to that. Keeps my life in check, that's for sure.

On a completely different note, I miss the children in the My Father's House homes. I miss the Zambian staff, and I miss the Mamas who run the homes and love the kids every day. I knew every time I got to hang with those kids I was one of the luckiest people in the world, but it's still hard to know that I don't know if God will ever let me go back. Every Orphan's Hope is doing some amazing things in Zambia. I can only pray that I can be a part of them again sometime later in life.

-Ben

Monday, August 16, 2010

Process

Back in the states and need more time to process everything before I post again. I appreciate your patience! In the mean-time, here is a slide show set to a Zambian worship tune.

Monday, August 9, 2010

See for yourself

I haven't yet been able to write about the second Fellowship Day which occurred Saturday. Although the energy level was noticeably lower than the first (a predictable symptom of having mostly 14-18 year olds one day and mostly middle-aged adults the next), the connections made between the children and the missionaries were still both encouraging and fun to watch.

The day operated much the same as the first: getting to know the My Father's House children by doing crafts, playing games, having a bible study, and listening to testimonies. The connections that were made were special, and I pray that these missionaries begin their second mission when they get home: pleading the cause of the orphan to their home countries.

I could write more about what happened that day, but I felt it more appropriate to simply allow you to see for yourself.













Sunday, August 8, 2010

Too Soon

I come to you with a heavy heart.

I have five more full days left in this country. The days have been long, but the weeks have been short and the end is coming much too soon. It felt like just yesterday I was picked up at the airport and taken to my new home for the summer. We are now having to think about packing, cleaning up the home, and saying our goodbyes. I've already had to say goodbye to two short-term missionary teams, Gary (the founder), Mama (the lead Zambian staff who left for a conference), and Paul and Kim (our team leaders).

I have no idea how I will be able to say goodbye to the rest of the Zambian staff, the Mamas, the interns, and those kids. I'm a little overwhelmed with the task, and dreading Saturday. It's going to be a sad flight.

I know that I was only called for two months, and that my mission is fulfilled here for the summer. I knew this day was coming, but I didn't realize how hard it would be.

On the other side of things, I am excited to spend some quality time with the kids, mamas and staff of EOH Zambia. We have enough dinner plans to make us obese, and we have plans to hang out at all of the MFH homes and spoil them just a little (movie & popcorn are one of the options). We've been so busy running two Camp Hope's and putting on Fellowship Days that we haven't been able to spend as much time as we'd like with the MFH kids, so we are all excited to hang with them!

For those of you who are Christian, please pray for me that I am able to put aside my feelings about not wanting to leave, so that I can truly soak up my time here in these last few days. I can sulk when I get on the plane.

Thank you all so much for your support. I've been blessed by your kind words about the blog, and it truly helps me while I'm out here to hear from you.

Love you guys,

Ben

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Psalm 30:11

I come to you at a loss for words. I'm usually full of them, but I am empty.

There was a moment tonight, where God spoke to me.

We just finished day four of Camp Hope, Lusaka, and things have been...

Tonight we set up a borrowed projector and sound system and played the "Jesus Film" translated to Nyanja on a wall at Deliverance church. It was at 19:00, and there was a decent croud.

What happened before, however, is what moved me.

We had about 20 minutes to kill before the movie started, and we hooked up Megan's laptop to the speakers and began to play some up-beat worship music. For whatever reason, joy overcame the crowd and the children began dancing. The short-term missionaries joined in, and many of them were dancing hand-in-hand: missionary with Zambian child. I was overcome with emotion, and felt God calling me to step back. I stepped back to see the all of them dancing, and God told me that this was what heaven would be like. Every nation dancing and singing for the glory of God, with absolute pure joy.

Psalm 149:3
Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music to him with tambourine and harp.

It struck me that on most nights, many of these children are taking care of a dying parent, going to bed hungry, or suffering some type of abuse. The world they live in offers them very little hope.

The God they are getting to know, brings them to dancing. The God they are getting to know, comforts them in their distress. The God they are getting to know, is a father to the fatherless. The God they are getting to know, has a love for them that they are only now beginning to comprehend. They God they are getting to know offers them the hope they seek.

Revelation 21:4
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

I got teary eyed then, and I get teary eyed again thinking about it. I wish you could have seen the joy of the children and missionaries. It may have been 20 minutes of a bunch of people dancing, but I believe it was much more. These were people who were sharing the love and joy of Jesus, who died for them so that they may have life. This is what heaven is like.

Psalm 30:11
You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy