It's been a while but it feels the same

So i just got back into my home town, I mean I've been in Cali for a few days but when I say my home town i mean Amador County. It has been a weird feeling so far, i went straight to my best friends work to say hi and wait for his lunch so we could chat. I have driven around a little and am now sitting in the like, only Starbucks in the county. The thing that is weird to me is not being back or seeing old faces and familiar roads, or even how much has changed since i was last in town; the weird part is how it feels as if i never left.

It just feels so natural to me, like i have been on a 2 year vacation and am now back home. I got on the airplane leaving for Cali expecting to get there and feel like a vacation, out of place; after all i haven't been to Cali for a year. Now that i am here it feels like home again, like i am where i am supposed to be. I know that God has kept a longing for here in my heart to keep me reminded that i am someday supposed to be here ministering to the youth, but i didn't think that i would feel so at home. The reason i was expecting to feel out of place is because i am beginning to see Hawaii as my home. I feel attached to what and, more importantly, who i have there. This last semester i made such strong connections that even though it was only 13 weeks of getting to know each other it felt like years. I have every night half expected to get a text from Landon or Mel saying they are downstairs and lets go do something. I have been blessed with such a strong community that makes me feel as if i can actually be at home in HI. Then i show up in the AC and see Jerry and it feels as if i could be, and am, at home here. I want to go over to his house every night like i used to and chill with him his wife and my God-Children.

I am supposed to be done with school soon and move back like my plan going into this said, but with so many things changing in my life its getting harder and harder to see that as a reality in my mind. God has revealed to me that i am supposed to be in HI for longer than i had initially thought, and i am still dealing with that fact. I want to be here in the AC so badly, but at the same time i want to be back in HI with my new community. I guess its a battle of following God's will and realizing that even though i am barely in the AC and spend most of my life in my HI community that i dont need to be divided as i am. I can have 2 homes, i can hold in my heart longing for Amador and a longing for HI.

I guess 2 is better than one.

Spirit-lead or Humanitarian?

So tonight was the Homeless Outreach and i went after a long time of not going because i did not feel the calling to go. I went tonight because The Parking Spot as a ministry wanted to partner and support the outreach.. As was serving the homeless i noticed how appreciative and joyful they were, even when non-homeless were getting food.

The strange thing was, it was very satisfying. I felt good. I felt like i was doing a good thing.

It almost felt the same as walking in the Lord's will.

As i thought about it, i didnt go before because i knew it wasn't in my giftings and passions, it wasnt where God was calling me to this season; the strange thing was it felt like it. I think a lot of ppl might confuse humanitarian works for those Spirit-led works. They hear in church that they are supposed to be doing these things, and if not they aren't being a "good Christian". When they go they might be confusing feelings.

The Parking Spot is a ministry that equips our community with teachings of authentic biblical community and out of that we release our ppl to do those things that they are passionate about. This outreach is the first fruits of that heart. and as our ppl do these things we as the leaders support them. Those that organized the outreach are the ones walking in God's will for their lives, operating in their passions and giftings. Those of us there for support, well i cant speak for everyone but, i was not.

However, I dont think it was a bad thing. I think there is room for Humanitarianism within the Kingdom as long as it doesnt get in the way of The Lord's will. For example if had chose the outreach over an other ministry within a church because i thought that "going out and doing something" is always God's will then it would be a bad thing because i was not operating in my calling and what God has told me to do this season which is equip the Church body.

I dont know...im just thinking through this.

Thoughts?

Spiritual covering and leadership???

So normally i am very firm in my "it was your decision you live with it" rule. I will not feel that bad if you made a decision that you end up regretting even if there was a possibility that i could of stopped it from happening.

This situation though, i am not sure how i feel about it. Here is the scene, there are a lot of (trying not to sound arrogant) spiritually young girls in the dorms; all adults, but relatively new to Christianity. On friday i suggested a movie since we finished the Pspot early. I suggested "Devil" as it looked interesting and i like scary movies. There was good buy in but Steph had come down and she heard about the plans and asked what movie we were seeing, i told her and she looked at me with very serious eyes and said 'dont take my girls to see that, you gotta protect these girls'. I thought she was being really like, all serious but joking, you know what i mean ya? Ok so i really thought she was joking but we didn't go see it that night and i shrugged it off. Now last night, Sunday, we all went as a group to see the movie. Now as a little background, I have seen Alot of scary movies and it is my favorite genre, I dont get scared at them and see them as just movies. So it ended up being the typical scene, a bunch of girls getting scared and one guy not, but one of the girls was really affected by it and was very shaken up.

Now according to my typical rule i would have said "it was your decision you live with it", and shrugged it off. But as soon as that happened i saw back to Friday night when Steph was talking to me and was like "oh crap".

I am not sure how to feel about it, i was really convicted. I feel like i should have stepped up and took Spiritual leadership as one of the more "mature" Christians of the dorms and heeded what Steph had said. I feel like i should have caught that she was serious and possibly even being a little prophetic.

Wether or not i am to always be a Spiritual leader for the dorms i dont know, probably not though. But i feel that this time i should of been.

So if those of you that saw the movie with me read this, I humbly ask your forgiveness that i did not catch something that possibly God was telling me through Steph.

Thoughts?

Much love,

Chris.

Mark and The Navi

This is an assignment for my Bible and Pop culture class

It is my reflection on Mark Driscoll's review of "Avatar" and "The Shack", more so "Avatar"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cI5GxM4f50----- His review/rant

"Mark Driscoll and his reviews of “Avatar” and “The Shack”, in my opinion, are extremely dangerous to where the church should be heading with the integration and embrace of culture outside of the typical “Western Christianity”. After observing a few of his different reviews I believe that his views on “culture” fall short of where it should be. In his review of Avatar he attacks the morality of blending cultures as opposed to erasing them for, what the invading force would call, the right culture. In Avatar the story told is as old as America, probably even older, where an outside force attacks and attempts to conquer and bastardize the culture. And typically in those stories the natives are portrayed the victims and the attackers are villainized. I agree with the view that the natives are the “good guys”. In those situations the attackers are asserting that their culture is better therefore the natives need to bluntly, adapt or die; the natives are now the “bad guys” according to the attackers. Driscoll seems to agree with this mindset, throughout his review he attacks the “Navi” culture calling it demonic and praises the human culture calling it “progress”. This mindset is very acceptable and helpful to Western and American views, but detrimental to a Kingdom perspective. As our society has evolved from that of a very separated world, one that we really didn’t come into contact with people from other cultures; to one that with a push of a button we can be chatting with someone in a foreign nation. We need to become more sensitive to the differences in culture, not only sensitive but learn to embrace the differences and see the beauty in each of God’s carefully crafted people groups. What the story Mark portrays in Avatar is the opposite of that, he says, and that as we evangelize we need to replace their “primitive” culture with our “progressive” culture. So in his eyes the human should have won and taken over Pandora. What I believe is the more effective method would have been to make friends with the natives, learn their customs, learn their language, and see the beauty of their ways; then find a way to be a part of their reality while showing them the ways of “progress” and living in harmony. So the same should be with evangelism, we go to a place, make friends with the natives, learn their customs, learn their language, and see the beauty of their ways; then find a way to be a part of their reality while showing them the ways of truth and God’s kingdom and living in harmony with them. Sorry it is so long, I got kind of fired up."