And I thought they were learning from us...

As you may know I spent this last week on a new kind of adventure down in the dry, hot world of Texas, Mexico, and New Mexico. Partnering with an organization called Casas Por Cristo, we sent two teams to Juarez, Mexico to build two houses for two incredibly deserving families. Although a completely different part of the world than Fiji, the last country I visited, I found several commonalities. However these commonalities are with the people that I had ventured into these places with. It is certainly easy to walk into Juarez and just be baffled by the incredible percentage of people who live under the poverty line. It's easy to ask such questions as "Why don't these people do anything to move out of these shacks built out of cardboard and wood scraps." It's really easy to come over the border and to say wow, these people are just so poor... These people are just so lacking... The more and more I adventure though the world, the more and more I get to know the hearts of the people on it, the more I see that we've really got it all so backwards. I come to Juarez to find that those families did more for most of us than we could have ever done for them. It's incredible how poor you can be and still have more than most of the people coming to help you.

I recall one night from the trip when we all got together at the end of the night, and one of our leaders asked us just a simple questions. "What do you think?"

Just one simple question. I wasn't ready to hear all of the answers to follow. Answers that spoke of tough guys being completely broken down to nothing. Answers that suddenly any problems between a husband and a wife were just not simply important anymore. Answers that described in detail how lacking a life is when it is not focused on those around us. How is it that 32 people can travel thousands of miles to come and work on a house, and the whole time it was more of God working on our hearts.

The reason I started this blog to begin with was to motivate any who may read to look past a normal Christianity that was truly surface, and to reach at a ridiculously close relationship with Jesus Christ that drive you to love people in a way that almost appears well... odd.

This trip only supported the feelings I already had of what it looks like to truly be alive. I felt alive when I was working my butt off in a dust storm, thirsty and tired, for the King of Kings. I felt alive when I looked in the eyes of a family that was just given a house for absolutely nothing. I felt alive when we gave them that house then told them that it was a "free gift from Jesus." I felt alive when I got to bear my soul with 30 people who can instantly feel like family. You can only go so far before you have to think to yourself. "This is how God intended life to be..."

As I read through Acts 4 yet again, the words just mean so much more to me now:

"32All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. "

It's interesting how those words can seemingly come to life when you put yourself in the right situations...

So I guess you can look at this post as more than informational... perhaps as a plea. I plea that you look deeply into your heart. I plea that you analyze what you are all about. I plea that you question what your walk with God is all about. I plea that you ask yourself who your life is all about. I plea that you take chances. I plea that you make yourself uncomfortable. I plea that you will work for change... You don't even have to be a Christian to ask yourself these hard questions. You just have to try real hard to answer them.

The more and more I get to meet all kinds of people all around the world the more I am realizing that I don't know, or I've gotten wrong. I went into this journey thinking I could teach so many people so many things. When in reality, it has been me doing all of the learning all along...

And lastly to my brothers and sisters of CCV who took this journey as well, you are all such gifted and incredible people. It was my privilege to serve next to you all...

An "ENFP" Stepping Out of the Box

Sometimes it's easy to feel like the world has just put us in a box. What I am talking about is beyond the box that stereotypes put us in. At CCV when you want to come on staff, or even become a volunteer you have to take a Myers Briggs Test, and then you also have to take a spiritual gifts test. Now there are a few things I love about these tests and a few things I hate about these tests. Check em' out.

What I like:
The Myers Briggs test especially helps you learn more about the direction you should be heading in. The test puts together all of your strengths and specific personality traits and puts them nicely into 4 letters to give you a little idea of what makes you tick the way that you do. The spiritual gifts test is also a good test to take. This test will really help you indicate your strengths, and help you decipher what aspects of ministry that you should be serving in. I really do love both of these tests, but I want to move on to talking smack about them for a second. And then finish with a Disclaimer!

What I don't like:
There is one problem that I dislike about each of these tests, and those are roadblocks. Once you take a test, and land a certain letter code, or a certain strand of spiritual gifts, it's easy to assume that person is unable to fit in any of those other categories. Let me explain my situation. I happen to be an ENFP. This pegs me as an Extrovert, someone who uses Intuition, a Feeler and a Perceiver. Now you can imagine how someone seeing these tests would say, "Adam can't just relax, and not talk, or be antisocial." Well let me tell you what, it's a lot more difficult if people peg you as someone unable to do so! I happen to work at a Cafe' that has a few customers during a 8 hour shift, and I do juuust fine to the surprise of many! We need to stay away from the assumption that the ability to Sense, Think and Judge are not options for an ENFP. Because my leading Spiritual Gifts are Discernment, Wisdom and leadership does not make me unable to Administrate.

Now let me finish with this disclaimer:

It is very important that you come to the realization that certain people will always be strong and weak in certain areas. It's important to realize God has given each of us very specific spiritual gifts to glorify his kingdom. If we were all the same tool we would not get anywhere. You can find the Bible littered with scriptures of Spiritual Gifts in 1 Cor 12, Romans 12, and 1 Pet 4 etc... They aren't in there so many times for nothing, there is an important role of these gifts.

HOWEVER:

It is very important that at the same time we push our fellow followers to grow in areas that they may be weaker at that we may be stronger at. We can also never assume that because something is not necessarily someones strength that the CAN'T do it. I'm going to be honest, I will never be able to teach like Melissa can, and she may not be able to discern the way I do. But sometimes when you give people the benefit of the doubt, they can truly surprise you. Maybe you need to get out of a box... or just maybe you have to let someone else out of theirs.