a confronting dichotomy.

"a division or contrast between two things that are, or are represented as being opposed or entirely different..."

i have been thinking on this a lot lately. often things in life are one way or the other, they can often be opposing as well. take for example the city of jakarta...

i have been here for over 2 weeks now and it's mind blowing when i think about the separate dichotomy's that i have experienced. here i am walking in the heart of the city, admiring the breathtaking structures that ascend into the sky, then in the blink of an eye, there i am starring into a poverty induced area, barricaded by walls and fences so as not to clutter the beauty of the city streets.

in the midst of being surrounded by such opposing sides i find myself drawn. but not to just one side alone, i find myself drawn in fact to the people, the people who find themselves situated on one of these two sides.

i am in love. in love with the faces, the gestures, the movements, the longings, the desires, and so much more that i have witnessed in my time here. i am in love with the beauty that God's children posses, the things that mold and shape them to be who they are. there is a desire awakening within me to respond...respond to the cry, the call, the smile, the pain, the joy, the laughter, the felt need, the eternal need. how does one respond? to be honest that i am still working out...

i am reminded of the story of the "Good Samaritan" (Luke 10:25-36). i have been confronted with the fact that so many times i fall into the role of one of the first two people, crossing the path of the injured man lying beaten and bruised by robbers who stripped him of all he had and left him in the road. i too often find myself quickly passing by without even a second look let alone a second thought. i long to respond with the actions of the "Good Samaritan", so why don't i?

i am coming to realize more and more that not only like the city of jakarta and many others with their confronting dichotomies, there is an ongoing dichotomy that i am having to battle daily, it is that of my flesh and my spirit. i am faced with that of my flesh which desires what is contrary to my spirit, and my spirit desiring that which is contrary to my flesh...both opposing one another (Galatians 5:16-17). because of my love for God, my desire is to be led by the spirit, but in choosing that i am constantly confronted with and in conflict with the opposite. it is an ongoing challenge, but one that i choose to fight daily and know that in the end "all things God works for the good of those who love him..." (Romans 8:28).

*pictures will come soon....*

darjak diaries - entry #3

the word on the street...

in the city of darwin there's a "buzz" in the air that's never been heard before, one that speaks of dynamic fun, exciting adventures and crazy epxperience. it's that of the youth awakening to a new phenomena. what could this be you may be asking yourself? it's something that has them coming back for more, wishing saturday was EVERY day of the week, and that they could chill with the guys in the cool black shirts non- stop. it's the "buzz" of youth street darwin my friends, taking over the city.

we are about to have our 5th saturday in a row now and the crew are addicted! they just can't get enough. we have seen numbers increase week after week. we had 24 in total for youth street teams this past week and over 30 come for youth street live! we are of course praying that numbers will yet again increase this week.

along with all this excitement i do have some sad news... this will be our last saturday in darwin as an outreach team. we have LOVED our time here , chillin with the youth of the city, going into high schools , doing lunchtime programs jam packed with music, skate, and building relationships. for all you out there who may be wondering " what about youth street?", well don't fret my friends. youth street will be kicking off full time in darwin when February 2009 rolls around. so get excited and stick around, who knows when youth street may be coming to a town near YOU!

a piece of god....

just recently i was asked this question..."when haunted by restlessness and anxiety at the thought of working through a circumstance mirroring you, is there peace to be found?" granted it was worded a bit differently, but an interesting question just the same. what would you have said?

i am coming to believe that the answer to this question is yes.

now, had you asked me this just a few days ago i would have laughed at you. it's amazing how quickly god responds to our heart's cry. i found myself in a very similar situation, faced with a circumstance that required me to remain calm and put forward a peaceful response. i wish i could tell you that i did in fact respond that way, but to the other person's shock i did not.

i think the peace of god is laced with trust. it seems as though it is near impossible to find the peace of god in a circumstance if you are not willing to trust him. when i was making one of the most important decisions of my life (thus far) this past year i was needing the peace of god, even though i didn't realize it at first. of course hindsight is 20/20 isn't it? i look back now and see so clearly. as i began to trust god with my circumstance whole heartedly without reserve, it was then that his peace came over me and i was able to face that decision head on, knowing that no matter what the outcome i was completely trusting god.

when staring into the mirror of circumstance yourself, what would your response be?