A Journal Entry while in Ethiopia



I wrote the following in my journal at 3:00am on the 20th of May while I was in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia:

"...a phrase in the Torah has caught my attention in light of and in relation to what a former Pharisee, Religious Leader Paul wrote some 2,000 years ago; namely, whatever and in everything, I mean all of my existence, do for the Lover of my soul.  As I read this, my mind, my preacher mind, immediately is beginning to formulate a sermon for my much loved church 11,000 miles away (...my thought: you all really need to hear this...).  Yet, as I read this passage and evaluate this phrase, I'm having a moment - a moment that is saying to wait, a moment that is saying, '...this is for you pal!'  Okay...the Torah quote is from Deuteronomy 30:20.  Moses is addressing the children of Israel, encouraging them to love God, obey Him and, hold fast to Him so that they may dwell in the land He promised to their fathers.  Here's my thought: the land is the place that God gave to them years before, a land that even today is greatly disputed.  In fact, its a land that is flowing with milk and honey, with an abundance of...milk and honey.  In other words: its amazing, breathtaking, both to the eye and the soul.  Okay, as I sit here, with a candle light, music blaring at the disco outside the guest house, I ask, '...how does this relate?'  The answer: what my favorite Rabbi named Yeshua said some 2,000 years ago, '...I've come to give life and to give it more abundantly.'  Could it be, as the Holy Scriptures have a way of interpreting herself, that the dwelling of Deuteronomy is for us, for me, all these years later?  A place in life that God has purposefully with intention, specificity and intimacy created for me to live and exist in?  Let me say it this way, the Hebrew word for dwell, if my one year of Hebrew serves as an expert, carries with it the idea of living life to the fullest, under the directive of God?  The life to the fullest is, then, where my satisfaction, purpose, meaning and fulfilment lies!  Further, if I live there, exist there, ultimately He, God, is pleased because He's fulfilling His purpose in me and the hope is that I glorify Him in that place, that dwelling.  You know, this seems so freeing, so loose of societal expectation, of human expectation, of personal expectation!  And, as I live, explore and exist in that dwelling, my life is realized and complete.  Hence, He's glorified and I become whom I am designed and created to be; namely, one who dwells in His presence continually.  Last, as I dwell, hang out and simply be with Him in the place called milk and honey, I truly can experience the peace, the joy and the abundance that He promises!  Interesting...I'm blessed in this journey and He's stoked for me!  Wow..."

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!