WAKE UP!

What is needed in your life to wake you up?  Like a stack of books thrown to the floor wakes a sleeping student, I have been thrown from the status quo.  What will it take to move you?

We are called to step into the impossible, knowing that until we attempt to live in a way that requires God to come through for us, we are likely to stay on this side of normal.  I don't know about you, but I am not content with normal.

If you were aware that your neighbor across the street was suffering from starvation, because he could not afford a meal, would you not rush to his house with a loaf of bread and peanut-butter?

If it came to your attention that the child across your street was walking to school through the cold winter without a coat (while your children had three each), would you not rush to deliver a warm coat to that home?

It has been brought to my attention that in India millions of children are suffering under living conditions absolutely too horrendous to comprehend.  The woman in the picture below is a Dalit.  She lives at the bottom of society in India, which means her only means of income to ward of starvation and homelessness is to clean human feces from a non-existant sewer system.  (Don't look too closely, unless you want to have your heart broken for this woman.)  This is the future that Dalit children have to look forward to:

If you were given the opportunity to help children out of this oppression, would you accept?

I have been given that opportunity, and you had better believe I said "YES!"

We work for SpringHill Camps, and our mission is to create EXPERIENCES which enable children to KNOW and GROW in their relationship with Jesus Christ.  It is with that set of skills, and with that passion for kids to know their worth, that Liz and I partner with Granger Community Church to take the message of the cross to Kalavai, India.  We aim to partner with the local body of believers and train the leaders in how to create those same experiences for their children all year long.  Our goal, which is too big to accomplish on our own, is to help this village and its children, see their worth.

But I don't want to go it alone!  I want to take as many people through this journey with me as I can.  If you long to be a part of changing the HOPES & DREAMS of these Dalit children, the Scriptures promise that where your treasures lie, your heart will be also.  As I'm building this team of supporters, I ask you to consider joining me through prayer and support.

We leave in December, but before that, I need to buy a plane ticket, and get shots, and all of this costs money.  Thanks to Al Gore, it is easier than ever to give. You can go to GCC's Support Page, create an account (very easy), and you're set.  If you'd rather a simpler method, you can use Paypal through THIS LINK.  In either case, you MUST indicate Jay Taylor or Liz Taylor for the funds to be allocated properly.

My prayer is that you research more into the work the Lord is doing in India.  To aid you in your quest, I've included a few links for you to look at, if you have the time.  Thank you for your contributions, your time to read all of this, and your love for the Lord.  Happy reading...

Dalit Freedom Network - an organization building schools for Dalit children.

Kalavai video - a village transformed by GCC through planting a church and starting small businesses.

Life Mission International - the church planting organization working in partnership with GCC.

National Geographic - a gripping article on the oppression still present in the defunct caste system.

Hopes and Dreams

There is a quote in a DC Talk song that goes something like this: "The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is CHRISTIANS who acknowledge God with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle."

I've been on a kick lately trying to figure out what discipline looks like.

I've been talking about living simply, seizing every moment to experience God, and on occasion to stop caring so deeply about the world.

Let me delve slightly deeper into the thoughts going through my head lately, and then share a very exciting new development in my life.

1. God is ALWAYS at work around you!  I mention this in an earlier post (CLICK HERE).
2. To experience God you must daily place yourself in the middle of the impossible, knowing that you are completely in need of His intervention. (Step out in faith into areas that ONLY God can pull it off.)
3. Be prepared to make MAJOR ADJUSTMENTS to your life in order to follow God's will. 
4. If you believe that nothing significant can happen through you, you have said more about your belief in God than about yourself.
5. God is not our servent.  He does not make adjustments to our plans.  We are HIS servants, and we must adjust our lives to what HE is about to do.

If you've ever taken part in the study "Experiencing God" you might recognize these points.  If not, I recommend it.  As I work my way through each of the exercises and pray through each of the questions, I am challenged at my own disbelief.  God, help my unbelief.

So what is the exciting new development?  Maybe I'll save it for next time...

The Things We Leave Behind

I was in Canada for my grandfather's memorial service.  He passed away on September 13th, and the whole family made the drive from Nebraska to Ontario to celebrate his life.  It was evident throughout the whole weekend that he was a loved and esteemed man.  One person spoke of his faithful prayer life, while another spoke of his heart for the lost.  One mentioned his courage as a tribal missionary, while another mentioned his faithful care for his wife through Alzheimer's  and cancer.

I was impacted by a different fact.

When he passed away, the only items that he left behind were able to be packed into a single car.

This man lived simply.

I don't, but I want to.

Experience

I recently asked the question about discipline, and I've been thinking about it ever since. In the thinking and  praying, this new train of thought has emerged.  It comes in the form of analogy, and I want you to know that I speak candidly and from a deeply personal perspective as I share this with you.

The thought is centered around this truth: God is always at work around you.  If you do not STOP and think about that, it can easily pass right by without any deeper impact.

 -- God is ALWAYS at work around you. --

If that is true, then where was God at work around you TODAY?

When there is a day that you DON'T see God at work, the only way to interpret that day is, "I must have not seen what God was doing today."  - Never, "God must not have worked today."  And this brings me to the analogy...

All my life my dad has worked on one project after another.  He is always working on something.  One day it is the motorcycle in the garage; the next day it is the gutters.  One week he tackles a project of refinishing the floor in his kitchen, and the next week he is replacing the CV-joint in his 278,000 mile van.  He might be woodworking, or he might be landscaping, but he is always doing something.  On certain occasions, I have joined him on his projects, and EVERY TIME I have walked away with a deeper knowledge base and a new skill-set.

Other times, I have chosen not to work alongside my father.  On those occasions, I look back and realize that I missed out on valuable lessons.  I am not a proficient motorcycle mechanic, I cannot disassemble a clutch assembly, I have never installed gutters, and the list goes on.  My choice to NOT join my dad on his projects did not mean the work didn't get done, but simply that I was not a part of it.

I have missed out on so many valuable lessons and experiences because I never joined in on the work.  I transition back to God's work, and I realize that He is at work around me EVERY DAY, whether I choose to join him or not.

Discipline

I'm interested in knowing what perfect discipline looks like.  When considering the word "discipline" several thoughts and images come to mind...  but what is a perfect balance, and how different can that look from person to person?

Are there categories of discipline, and are they all importnat?

(example: spiritual discipline, athletic discipline, mental discipline, financial discipline, etc.)

If a man woke up and put his body through a regimen of workouts that sculpted and defined his body to a point of physical perfection, but he didn't read, I'm sure we would all agree that he was skewed to one extreme.  Likewise, if a woman devoted her entire life to prayer, but she never studied the Word of God or attempted to master her appetite, she would not be balanced.

I'm interested to know if you would add anything to this list:

A person of balanced discipline would need to be well-learned, physically active, socially prominent, scripturally grounded, and living within his/her means.

Is there a portion I'm missing? (Like the amount of time spent in silence/solitude?  Work/Play balance? etc.)  I'd like to know your thoughts...