Reflections...

I just returned from a two week trip from one of the poorest places on earth: Ethiopia!  I think this has been my 23rd or 24th trip to Africa and every time I come home I'm simply amazed, stunned and somewhat bewildered for what life has afforded me here in the West.  Namely, the freedom I have to  worship my God openly and to live in a place that is so abundant, so rich, and so plentiful.  Let me be honest though, I think I'm blessed with what I have.  You see, I've met so many folks who've been persecuted, beaten and have suffered greatly for their faith & they seem to have an intimacy with their Creator that I dream of having...it really seems that in their sufferings, they have a deeper connection to the Lord that I aspire toward.  Further, I know all to well that the abundance of things cannot buy my happiness or my fulfillment, no question!  My confession: some of the richest people I've met have been some of the poorest people on this here planet; some of the most fulfilled, content people I've ever met have been brutally beaten because of their unrelenting commitment to Jesus.  Here's a snap shot of my trip:

Once again, we were arrested in a small village outside of Gondar.  This time, we were held for over two hours because we were simply talking about Jesus - Ethiopia is suppose to be a free country, however, when one is out in the bush, all bets are off, if you will.  The Chief of Police told us to leave the area and if we wanted to proclaim our religion, we'd  better do it in a church or a synagogue - not openly.  His words, "Let this be a warning; if you're caught again, you will do jail time!"  Our translators informed us that jail time this go around could be up to one month...go figure.  Last time, we did spend two days in jail; my Ethiopian friends spent five days and when they were released, they informed us they sang all night and shared their faith with the local prisoners (I seriously remember laying on a floor that one night if there wondering if there would be coffee waiting for me in the morning - I really did think this!)...

This is the area we were arrested...

When I return from a developing country, I purposefully walk through Morro Bay's Albertsons to, well...take it all in.  Seriously, if I were to take some of my friends in East Africa to one of our stores here on the West Coast, dude - they would be speechless.  And, I frequent coffee shops and restaurants to, well...take it all in.  When we are in the country side, most people have never heard of a Bob's Big Boy, a Starbucks...let alone an establishment that sells food or drink while you wait.  And yet, in their simplicity, such a deep communal friendship is almost intimidating to a Westerner (Question for you: whens the last time you had coffee or tea with your neighbor?  This is an everyday experience for my friends in Ethiopia...convicting, hah?)

Coffee at a precious ladies hut...

As I prepare to go to the office in an hour or so, with emails to return, phone calls to make, a sermon to finish - my hope today is that I can embrace what my friends have over there; namely, a deeper appreciation for the life I have and an intentional devotion to developing my relationships. You see, when it is all said and done, all we really have is a God that is madly in love with us and, friends that we can link arms with and be grateful. 

Thanks for letting me ramble, this isn't the most profound blog in the blog world, just some thoughts I'm formulating! I think the picture below sums it all up for me: these kids have nothing according to world standards, yet the joy in the face tells me they really have it all:

Joy comes from within, not without!