Be Sober. Be Watchful.

Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. 1 Peter 5:8 AMP

I read this verse to the team this morning. We prayed together and encouraged one another to be intentional with our last two weeks in Sarajevo. Because of the comfort we have found in the city, we could easily coast the rest of the trip. However, that is not our desire. Collectively, we are pursuing more fruitful relationships, smooth transitions and life transformations in ourselves and the people we have met.

A part of our intentionality is praying during Jumma, the Friday prayer at mosque. We walked through the city to the mosque and found a spot on the outside. I held on to the metal bars separating me from the men knelt down in prayer. As men gathered on mats in front of me, I prayed with more passion.

Lost in my own thoughts and prayers, a man walked up and stood rather close. He began speaking to me and I told him I did not speak Bosnian. He did not seem to mind and kept talking. He was dressed in all black, smelled horrible and smiled with sharp, jagged teeth. I gave up trying to communicate and ignored him until he walked away. I was relieved he walked away, but then I saw him in the corner of my eye. He walked in front of me, then behind me, then in front again. Thankfully, my friend Aldin stood beside me and protected me. For the rest of the prayer I saw him slowly circling around me and glaring my way. Often times I have seen spiritual manifests in the physical. That is exactly what I was seeing. The man was a physical representation of what our enemy has been doing in Sarajevo. He is prowling around seeking someone to devour.

When the prayer concluded the man walked back over to me. Unfortunately for him, I was raging with anger against the enemy and the confusion he has caused. The man began to flirt with me and with my finger pointed in his face, I sternly commanded, “No! No! No! Go away! Leave me alone!” The man seemed unaffected by my angry face and loud voice, but soon walked away.

I WILL NOT BE SILENT ANYMORE.

I am not making a judgement about the man, but the experience I had today made me more aware and sensitive to the flaming darts of the evil one and my need for the full armor of God.

Eternity in the Hearts of Men

We have been here for a few days now and I have already learned so much! We spent the first three days in orientation learning about the culture and the history of this great country. Here's a highlight! 


Last night, Brett and I taught our first English class. We have four students eager to practice the language. Our topic we chose was about hope. The introduction was an excerpt from the Shawshank Redemption movie. This is one of my favorite movies. Each of the students took turns reading the script. 


"Get busy living or get busy dying," one of the students read. This began a discussion about living life to the fullest and never giving up on dreams. Each student spoke of words that were related to hope. 


Faith. 
Expectation. 
Dreams.
Self-esteem. 
Steadfast. 


After defining hope, we continued with the script. Everyone was participating and engaging in conversation. We were all asking questions and debating this topic. We kept going with the script.  


"Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies." 


Then I asked, "what gives you hope?" The answers were family and friends. Then one person said religion. This was a perfect transition into, "how is hope related to Christianity?"


One guy answered, "Followers of Jesus believe He died for them and paid a price that gives them hope to know they can be forgiven." 


Yes. yes. yes. This was a perfect way to end the class. I shared Hebrews 6:19 with the class. 

1. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain. Amazed and asking if this was from the Old or New Testament, they all wrote down the verse!

So, just a reminder, that was our first class. We will have many more over the next four weeks and I trust the God brought them each to our class. Please pray for more spiritual conversations. As we talk about Hope, Peace, Sacrifice, may each conversation point to Jesus Christ the Author and Perfecter. 

I Do Me.

The title of this post is inspired by a friend whose life motto is, "you do you and I do me." It may be a confusing statement at first, but once he explained it to me I understood quite well. 


For me, the phrase 'I do me' encompasses what Jesus has been calling me to my whole life. He has called me to radical obedience. Jesus commanded, "follow me." Follow Him. Wherever He goes, whatever He does. Follow closely. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." These words leap off the page of my Book and I know Jesus is talking to me. So, I go. 


Tomorrow, I will be traveling to Sarajevo, Bosnia. This place is already so close to my heart and I haven't set foot on its soil. If you read about the war in the 90s, your heart just might break a little. You might feel uncomfortable to know the atrocious attacks that occurred. I have read as many articles and watched as many videos as I can. It is now time to take the leap across the big pond and discover this place for myself. 


If you don't already know, 5 other interns and I will be living in Sarajevo for 6 weeks teaching English conversation classes.  This will give us an opportunity to meet people and build relationships. 


Preparations for this trip have looked different than past trips. I have been extremely behind on packing. The worst part is I had a simple desire to just stay home. I was enjoying the river, the beach, my family and friends so much that I considered the option of not going and staying home. I was then reminded of Jesus' words, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life" (Mark 10:29&30)


Months ago, Jesus said, "Go." I must obey and commit to what He has commanded. And as my friend puts it, "I do me." Because I abide in Jesus and Jesus in me, I know my heart will follow. My heart is not exactly something to be trusted at times. The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse— who can understand it? I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings (Jeremiah 17:9&10). 


"I do me" is more than a saying its a way of life. It breathes identity. "I do me."...the me who Jesus brought out of darkness into marvelous light, out of the pit and set upon a rock, making my steps secure, He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise [and I pray] many will see and put their trust in Him (Psalm 40).