around the world with Jesus

We watch Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. We love this new show (2 episodes so far) where a famous chef from the U.K. comes to the most obese city in USA with hopes to transform the food culture of the people. He cares about their health and the health of the USA and hopes a revolution is starting there in Huntington, WV.

As someone who leads groups around the world on various types of “missions,” I thought I’d share 10 things I see in the show that can teach us about serving cross-culturally:

1. Be passionate about what you’re doing, or don’t go. It can be way too tough to face whatever you’ll face if your heart isn’t 100% in it.  (The radio station host and some of the lunch ladies aren’t so welcoming.)

2.  Show respect to the culture you’re visiting. You are in fact, an outsider. Listen, observe and keep an open mind about things. Jamie gets flak from people who think he doesn’t respect them. The only ones who listen are the ones who feel respected.

3.  Connect with a local church. As someone who loves Jesus, I like this idea anyway for everyone, everywhere. In the show (episode 1), I love how he connects with a local pastor. Jamie doesn’t speak of his faith, but realizes the church cares about people in the community.  The pastor is a fabulous resource and ally.

4.  Look for local resources. Jamie looks around to see what’s available locally. What people get what he’s doing? Potential partners? Food sources? Especially when doing development work (I guess most types of international work), using local resources is a key!

5.  Don’t assume everyone will automatically agree with this good news you’re sharing. Actually, it looks like Jamie thought he might have more agreement than he’s received the first two episodes. He believes in what he’s sharing and he knows it’s true…shouldn’t everyone immediately jump on board? Whether sharing faith or medical information or the value of good education, perhaps not everyone will get or even care about what feeds your passion.

6.  Be flexible with ways to share your core values. Throughout the show, Jamie doesn’t change what he believes, but he works at finding the most effective way get the point across. If what he’s trying doesn’t work, he’s willing to alter the method (i.e. various school lunch menus and teaching methods.)

7.  It’s not just about the masses, it’s about the individual. He obviously cares deeply about an obese and struggling family with whom he connects. He spends a lot of time with them, studies their diet, speaks truth to them, and shows compassion with their hurts and frustrations.

8. Don’t be afraid to speak truth, even if it’s hard to share. He speaks truth after he’s built relationships and has a window to do so. People don’t always like to hear him, but it’s making an impact.

9.  Have fun with what you’re doing. He finds a way to enjoy the journey and laugh, even when things are tough.

10. Care for the people regardless of whether or not they listen to you. The show is just starting and we don’t know how each of the individuals will react to what he’s sharing. He seems invested in what he’s doing, and I hope he’ll continue caring for the people regardless of how they ultimately decide to apply what he’s telling them. If he’s just showing concern so they’ll believe him and change, it’s manipulation. People are worth more than having to endure manipulation.

There’s my top 10 list. What would you add or change? Are there shows that have taught you cross-cultural lessons?

I really love Jesus, and I love Lost…The Gospel According to Lost by Chris Seay is a fun book.  I just read it on my flight from Bangladesh and am glad we didn’t crash on a mysterious island on the way… 

April and I hesitantly joined the Lost bandwagon about 1 ½ years ago (here’s a blog entry from that era). Great choice. We’ve watched each episode, and smile as time deepens our confusion. In the midst of our wonder, we love the show and can’t wait to see what happens next.

Seay describes the purpose of the book as “not to erase the mystery, but to allow each of us to seek a posture that celebrates the things we do know and to embrace the mystery of things that have yet to unfold.” He does this well.

To show the connection of Lost and the Gospel, Seay points out references to faith, philosophy, history, literature, and relationships from the plot thick program. He also shares lessons from our faith that perhaps the writers never intended.   

Most chapters serve as a character study, highlighting the ways faith, doubt, fear, pain, guilt, insecurity, and history are seen in a certain Lost character.   

I enjoy the over coffee (or sushi) conversational style of the book. He writes things I can hear him say, such as, “If you didn’t cry in season four’s episode ‘The Constant,’ something is wrong with you; you were either distracted or, worse; it is possible you have no soul.”

Seay uses humor, insights, a love for Jesus, a respect for elements of pop culture and obvious passion for the program to craft the book.                                                                              

If you’re a Lost fan, I recommend the book as a fun read. Also, The Gospel According to Lost could be a great eye opening gift to Lost fans who may not be on your faith journey.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The earliest known Hebrew writing deals with worship and helping the poor.

This year, I’m reading through the Bible chronologically. I’m almost finished with Job, one of the earliest known stories in the Scripture. Throughout the book, Job refers over and over and over again to the fact that he felt he was doing what God wanted Him to do, he was helping the poor, orphans, widows, etc.  He wondered why he was chosen to face such a difficult time.

That was the point, he was doing what God wanted him to do, and that’s why he  was chosen as one Satan wanted to tempt.  Job understood a big part of God’s heart.

Feeding the poor, helping the widows and orphans…all while worshipping God.

About 1 1/2 years ago, some ancient pottery shards were found near the Elah Valley in Israel. They’re the oldest known Hebrew texts and they date to the time of King David.  The largest shard was recently translated by an expert. Here’s the text, as quoted in this great story of the Jerusalem Post.

1 you shall not do [it], but worship the [Lord].

2 Judge the sla[ve] and the wid[ow] / Judge the orph[an]

3 [and] the stranger. [Pl]ead for the infant / plead for the po[or and]

4 the widow. Rehabilitate [the poor] at the hands of the king.

5 Protect the po[or and] the slave / [supp]ort the stranger.

I don’t feel comfortable calling the above Scripture, but it’s a great reminder that helping others is one of the great ways to follow the plan God has for our lives. Worship often does equal helping those in the greatest need.  Now, the earliest known writings in a biblical language indicates this truth.

h/t Sojourners for making me aware of the inscription. 

PS: That’s an old Bible (Grandpa Ten Boom’s to be precise) not the ancient Hebrew manuscript. Just wanted you to know that…

In Armenia just over a year ago, we worked with some wonderful people in the plateaus of the Caucasus Mountains. These Yezide Kurds are amongst the poorest people groups of the region. Those we met are hard working, wonderful people who earn very, very little money. We felt bad knowing they heat their homes and cook their food with bricks made of dried cow poop.  This photo shows a mound of hay which the animals can eat during the winter and mounds of cow poop to use in cooking/heating.

Their region provides very little wood for fires and they use the resources available to them.

A pastor with whom we worked said if he and the people of his church could help their neighbors utilize something besides the norm for their fuel it would make a huge difference.

Chad, one of Convoy of Hope’s former interns, is in Armenia right now. Among his various projects, he’s helping these Yezide Kurds use something much better than cow poop to use as fuel. Coffee.

Java Logs are bricks made of coffee ground.  They’re not a new thing, but they are in the plateaus of the Caucas Mountains. Chad’s using local resources, including coffee grounds from area hotels and restaurants to test java logs with these great people.

He’s still working on the best local resource for the wax that helps keep the java logs together, but from what I’ve heard from him, overall things are going well.  Pray for the right wax combination and source so the project can spread across the area…

I love innovation.

What are some innovative things you’ve seen to help people where you live or around the world?

Since joining the Convoy of Hope team, I’ve been amazed at the surprises I’ve encountered in the scriptures regarding God’s heart for the poor.  I’ve grown up in the church, but missed some pretty important lessons from the 2000+ verses where He shares how He feels about those in need.

Our interns and I discuss His heart for the poor and our passions to help them during each training session.  We talk, watch videos, hear from great people and read.  The most engaging book we’ve read on compassion and His heart is Hope Lives: A Journey of Restoration by Amber Van Schooneveld. 

The book challenges without sending anyone on guilt trips, and encourages without letting anyone off the hook. I especially appreciate the ways Amber connects life in our own context with ways we can help others in need around the world.   It’s a book for those who drink Starbucks, update their facebooks, don’t necessarily feel called to live in the jungle but who care deeply about Jesus and others.

I got in touch with Amber and she was gracious enough to share via Skype with our fall team on the last day of the term.  It was fun.
I thought I’d pass on my thoughts on this great book.  There is companion curriculum for small groups (or youth groups). 

Jesus says the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. In his latest book, Primal, Mark Batterson takes readers on a journey to a deeper discovery of understanding just what the command means. It’s a journey to the core of Christianity, and indeed, it’s Primal.

I don’t know Mark (just met him in line to get a hot dog at a conference once), but I listen to his podcasts.  He writes like he speaks.  As I read I hear his voice in my version of an audiobook.  His words aren’t so much a theological dissertation as they are a practical account of his thoughts on each of these important areas.  He combines stories, examples from science and history, and insightful commentary.  I got a great new perspective on a command I’ve heard my entire life.

Consider these thoughts:                                       

 “A child dies from drinking contaminated water every twenty-one seconds.  Are you okay with this? That question can be and must be asked of all suffering and every injustice. Are you okay with this?”

 “The more of God’s creation I experience, the more I am convinced of this: awed silence in the presence of divine beauty is a form of worship that is often deeper and truer than sung words.”

 “I’d rather have one God idea than a thousand good ideas.”

 “Pray like it depends on God and work like it depends on you.”

 The highlight for me:

 The entire book is engaging, but I’m most thankful for his thoughts on loving God with our hearts.

 I’m on my way home from an emotionally intense trip to Bangladesh and Nepal, two of the world’s most fascinating yet poverty stricken countries.  While there are many ways we love Him with our hearts, Mark spends good time communicating God’s heart for the poor.  Loving God means loving what He loves and caring like He cares.  The words inspired me, and I’m thankful for their impact on all who will read them.   

 Conclusion:

This is a great book.  I suggest it as the first book for you in 2010.  It’s relevant, challenging, inspiring, thought provoking and practical.

 The message to me?  Let’s love deeply, dwell in awestruck wonder, think creative God given ideas, and work really, really hard for Him. 

Lastly, thank you Mark for sipping coffee at Ebenezer’s with our fall ’09 Convoy of Hope interns and now for stopping by this site on your blog tour…

Last month our interns served at an outreach in the DC area.  While there, they met up with author/pastor/leader/thinker/twitterer, Mark Batterson.  Mark lived here in Springfield for a few years while in college and from what he tells us, enjoys Andy’s Frozen Custard.  Why am I blogging about him?

Two reasons: 

1.  He took an hour out of his schedule to meet with our interns.  They drank coffee and talked about life.  He really poured into them.  Many have mentioned that it’s a highlight of their internship.  Thank you Mark. 

He also gave us copies of his books In A Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day and Wild Goose Chase.  We’ll keep a copy of each in our intern house for the future generations of interns to read around the world.  Thanks for these as well.

2.  He has a new book, Primal, coming out soon.  His publisher is giving away 500 copies to bloggers who agree to review it.  I submitted my name and this blog and would love to give my meticulously and beautifully worded review of the work.  Plus, I’d love a free copy of what I know will be some great reading.

Hence, this post. 

1.  Thanks Mark!
2.  I pray Primal impacts a lot of people.

PS:  Thanks Randy Whitlow for the heads up on this opportunity.

I loved my time with OneHope (was called Book of Hope International back then) leading interns and teams.  A few years ago on a trip to Ghana, a film crew from fearless films joined us to get about 100 hours of footage.  We wondered if it would ever be released…it’s been released and is now available on INO Records and is in stores. 

 “Nomad: The Great Reverse” is episode 2 of the Nomad series.  The first episode followed Sara Groves on her trip to Rwanda.  Anyways…Chip, Troy and co. did a great job editing the video and capturing the spirit of our time in Ghana.

It was fun reliving the trip.  It’s been great keeping in touch with the team since then…weddings, hard times, moves, new opportunities, babies and more.  Great team.  Great video.

There’s a hunger crisis happening in the world. While this isn’t new, it seems like hunger issues are getting more severe while technology and communication of the problem increases.

While I’ve never worked with them, I love seeing groups like the people who work with this miracle food, Plumpynut.

Check this out…http://www.theywilldie.org/.  It’s a combination of locally grown peanut butter mixed with powdered milk and a vitamin pack.  Their website says a 3-week supply can literally save the life of a child.  Thinking not only with the head, but with the heart is such a good thing. 

We at Convoy of Hope have communictated with the PlumpyNut people, and who knows what partnerships could be ahead.

There are solutions still to be found, and I hope some of our interns find some of those solutions.

Here’s a good place to mention the moringa tree. Many of our interns, and Convoy of Hope family members have worked with this miracle tree. This site describes them well, http://tinyurl.com/3gcjs3.  Maybe I’ll talk more about them another time.

There are still millions of people who’ve never heard that Jesus is the Son of God…some have never even heard his name. 

The story of Jesus, and what He means is powerful…and it doesn’t begin in the New Testament.  In the Wednesday night Bible Study at my church, I recently shared this story of EE-TAOW, which means, “It’s True!”  The story is about some indigenous people in Papua New Guinea, near where I spent 3 months back in ‘03.  In fact, here’s a man I met on the trip…

Here’s a clip from EE-TAOW from the web…and it can be ordered on line.  Good stuff…

Here are some boys I met on the same island where the video was filmed…