Do you believe?

Last week at work I was, possibly for the first time in my life, asked directly what I believed.  The ten-year-old Muslim girl threw me off guard when she asked me if I was a Muslim.  I replied that I wasn't.  She then prodded and asked if I went to church.  Finally, she looked me directly in the eyes and asked, 

"Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God?" 

Wow. Never has any adult asked me this so directly, and coming from a child I was, to say the least, a little unprepared.  I replied "yes," to which she boldly responded, "well I don't believe that God had any wives or children."

At this point a million thoughts ran through my mind: do I engage her in this conversation and explain the trinity and the details of my beliefs (which I was probably unprepared to eloquently do), or do I respect the rules of keeping religious talk out of the workplace? What would happen with whatever I said - how would she respond? Would I get reprimanded for sharing this information? I wondered how many other people she asked this and what came of those conversations. 

But what came out of my mouth was, "what do you believe?"  To which she didn't respond and then, to not make her dwell in the awkwardness, I asked what other beliefs she knew about.

We talked a little about various religions and beliefs people held, but before we could get into anything of significance, it was time to leave.  I really cannot stop thinking about this small encounter.  I am sure I will see this girl again, and my prayer is that she will continue to be curious and to ask questions.  I pray also that God will give me the right words to say and also for the other people she will most likely talk with.  Regardless of any silly mistakes on my part, I am sure God has His heart and eye on her and all things are working together for His good.

This encounter was also a great blessing for me, because it made me start thinking seriously about what I believe and why.  Various religions hold true to their roots and there are some things they do not compromise.  As Christians, we should never compromise the reality of Christ and the power of His death and resurrection, both what it means in our lives and what it means in the larger sense for the world.  I am no theological scholar - but I know it is important to acknowledge my brokenness and accept the healing and restoration that comes from Christ alone.  Whenever I have strayed from this truth, my spirit strongly suffered and my identity became out of whack.  My identity is tied up with Christ, and apart from Him I am nothing.  

I hope this Easter is full of meditation and focus on what Easter is truly about. 

Here are some songs I am listening to this week, in preparation for Easter:  

Book Review: No Compromise: the life story of Keith Green

Keith Green was an incredibly INTENSE man. And I had to write that in capital letters because that is exactly what he was. He was always on a quest to find spiritual meaning, whether it was through drugs or sex or any sort of cult, he was all or nothing. Through his spiritual journey he comes across Jesus and decided to follow him. With his totally devoted personality, he starts to realize that Christian's aren't necessarily totally devoted. He sees a lot of holes and is perplexed. Instead of this driving him away from Christ, this does quite the opposite and he commits to loving and sharing the gospel with everyone he meets. Giving rides to hitchhikers just so he could strike up a conversation and opening his home to wounded people with no home was a regular act for Keith. Reading his story, written by his wife Melody, I couldn't help but get uncomfortable at the way he lived his life - how completely sold out he was to following Christ and how he continuously sought to bring others to Him. It was strange, but I felt convicted. Some may say I'm a little off the wall or somewhat radical, but I am nothing compared to Keith Green. His sense of urgency to share the gospel with people and live completely devoted to the cause is something that I have yet a ways to grow in.

If you're looking for a book that will make you uncomfortable, convicted, and inspired, this would definitely fit the bill.

Book Report: Faith Under Fire

Since October, I have been on a reading spree. Ironically or planned, I'm not sure, but all three of the books that I have read in the past few months have been under the similar theme of Christian life and faith under complicated environmental situations. In other worlds, these books depicted the real life of Christians living under oppressive governments and places where Christianity was considered a threat and menace to society. These stories came full circle as in the midst of reading, David and I had the privilege to share a meal with man who has lived under such circumstances.

God's Smuggler, written by Brother Andrew tells of his unique conversion and call to be a missionary to the former Soviet Union. After being a unique kid in his village, he decided to leave the comfort of complacent society and visit fellow believers living under the Iron Curtain. He first visited Poland and could not be stopped from raising funds and bringing hundreds, if not thousands, of Bibles to these hurting countries. He not only shares his experience as a Bible smuggler, but he also shares the struggles of the church oppressed by the communist government. His visits to these nations not only provided needed literature, but also brought hope and encouragement to believers who, in their nation, were only exposed to the death of the Church. It is also interesting seeing how the devil uses the government to disenfranchise the church in a subversive way. Even tough his story takes place in a different time and place, the methods used by the enemy are still very poignant and relevant to life in comfortable and free America.

The next read was Total Abandon by Gary Witherall. Gary and his wife Bonnie decided to go live and love their neighbors in Lebanon during the height of the Middle East terrors (as we American's knew it to be). The moved to Lebanon and became part of the people there - serving at a local medical clinic and sharing the love of Christ to their neighbors. Gary recalls the relationships and passion that was put into Lebanon. Then, one morning, a few months after September 11th, Gary wakes up to a horrifying voicemail. He rushes to the medical clinic where his wife worked and saw his bride laying lifeless. Bonnie was murdered in the place she loved most. In midst of this terror, Gary chose to forgive and love instead of hate. This book is not only about the love Gary and Bonnie shared with Lebanon, but even more so about the love that transformed this dark situation into hope and restoration. Gary's testimony not only shows the beauty in the power of forgiveness towards others and what effect it has on them, but even more so about the healing power of forgiveness within oneself.

Finally, I read Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand. This book was mailed by the Voice of the Martyrs, which Richard founded. If the previous books were intense, this one is even more so. Richard writes about his experience spent in prison for his faith in the former Soviet Union. He witnessed many miracles and makes it clear that the underground church, and even more so, believers in prison, experience the most beautiful fellowship and manifestation of faith that we, in our comfortable pew seats will never. I believe it. He tells of his accounts and also shares experiences of fellow believers in the area. He also makes it clear that the events of the book are not over - they are very real and are continuing today in many Asian communist nations.

I believe it and it was confirmed.

In December, David met our new neighbor, who happened to be a refugee from Burma. This man was living evidence of the situation believers find themselves in across the world. For proclaiming his faith, he spent 5 years in prison. He was able to share his experience with David and I, and later at a Thanksgiving with my family. His experience definitely puts our comfortable American life to shame. Despite being beaten and abused for years on end, this man remains strong in his faith. He isn't bothered or interested in various denominational differences that we so frequently debate and fill our minds with. For him, the beauty is that wherever he went he was able to encounter other believers. To him a believer isn't one denomination or another. In his mind, if you believe in Christ, you are Christian.

Such simplicity, as our neighbor and the many people of the books I previously read have is beautiful. It is a shame to worry about whether or not Adam and Eve had belly buttons when there are believers who are risking their very life as they gather in the middle of the night with their brethren to pray. Sometimes they can sing, but most likely they will get arrested before the song is over.

These books and conversations, have definitely left me thinking. Our faith is precious, and it is not guaranteed to come this easy.

For further chewing, I recommend watching Francis Chan's recent sermon: