Want to Quit Your Job?

For those of you who have been following the vision of Equip Mozambique and its desire to impact the country in the area of business, you probably knew this moment was coming. In order to increase the embarrassingly low amount of Mozambican-run businesses, we would have to ask some people to leave their jobs.

That would cause anyone anxiety, but let me put it into perspective for you. Imagine having a great job, being paid more than almost all of your friends, and having job security in an economy where unemployment is 23%. Now add to that the cultural differences: in the west, we revel in doing the unknown; if no one else has done it, that makes us want to do it even more. In Mozambique, if no one else has done it, no one wants to try. As a Mozambican just starting out, the prospect is terrifying. However, I've never known God to shy away from asking people to do the impossible or terrifying!

The roles we have ended up in are visionary, catalyst, and mentor. As visionaries, we call out the gifting we see in the Mozambicans and how we can see God using them. As catalysts, we we down with them and look at logistics; when should they leave their jobs, what kind of funds they will need before they begin, and what contacts they will need to develop. As mentors, we are with them every step of the way, helping with wisdom, encouragement, and calling out potential pitfalls we see. Unlike last time we were in Mozambique, we are not helping financially and will only get involved in these business ideas if the Mozambican behind it is more invested in the idea than we are.

Personally, this has been thrilling for me, both in the excited sense and the scary sense. If you have ever been used by God to call something into being that wasn't there before, you know what I mean. To hear something in prayer and to fight for it until it becomes reality is one of the most satisfying things I have ever done. One of these days I'll give you my rant about open-door/close-door prayers, but suffice it to say it's just more fun figuring out God's will and then seeking its fulfillment. That was my favorite part about leading small groups in the US; sitting down with others, praying with them, finding the Lord's will, and fighting with them until it happened. Some of the most powerful were also some of the longest. Long shots at Med school, scholarships, becoming president of a fraternity, chronic sexual struggles, life-long battles with self-hatred; I saw God do it all. Sometimes the battles took months or years but that made the victory even sweeter when it did happen.

God's just taken what I was used to and upped the ante. The most nervous I get is when I see Bernardo's little girl, knowing that if things go south, she may not have anything to eat; there is no such thing as unemployment benefits here. However, I just see this as a continually-expanding lesson to me of God's faithfulness. When He asked me if I could trust Him with my life, it took me several years to answer yes. Then He asked if I could trust Him with my wife's life too. Several more years. Last year, He asked if I could trust Him with my kid's lives, and that was the hardest one yet. Now he is asking me about other families and other people's kids and while I know I can trust Him on a theological level, I'm still working at getting there practically.

Waiting ON the Lord

But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. - Isaiah 40:31

I used to read this verse passively; spend time in God's presence and He'll rejuvenate you. More recently, I realized that in the original Hebrew, waiting is an active thing; it's a choice you make. You prioritize time with God and He will give you strength for the things you need to do. But somehow the most obvious meaning of this passage evaded me until very recently.


Have you ever been waited on? I'm not talking about being waited on at a Steak N Shake or other normal restaurant; sometimes it can take many minutes and excessive hand-waiving to flag down a waiter. Being waited on is a completely different experience. Last year, my in-laws took me to an expensive restaurant when we were visiting them. Not only did the host get to know our names, but he was constantly watching from the other side of the room for any hint that we needed anything. No yelling, no waving; all it took was a finger in the air and we were quickly attended to. I can't help but think that's exactly the way God wants us to interact with Him; waiting for the slightest command from in high.


So why did the simplest and most obvious reading of this verse evade me for so long? The answer is pretty depressing and all too common; I was trying to insert God into my plans instead of trying to find my place in God's plans. I've also realized that I'm scary-good at this; so good I can convince myself that my plans were actually God's in the first place. More on that to come in a later post :).

God's Guidance in Our Lives

So I just wanted to share how God’s been guiding and directing us over the past year because even in the craziness, He’s proven Himself faithful. They say that you don’t grow without being challenged, and we have certainly been challenged! Also I know that a lot of you are seeking God’s will for your life and maybe our story will be an encouragement.

Your Birthright for What?

Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal. – Hebrews 12:16

This verse really hit me. I used to look at it like “duh, I’d never trade anything for just a meal. Stupid Esau.” but how often do we do exactly that? How often do we give up what God has made us for and created us to do for tiny, inconsequential things?

“I feel called to Africa but I don’t like spiders.”

“I know I should help that man, but I’m late.”

“I’m afraid of what people think of me.”

“I’m too busy.”

Wow… If God made us, then He knows exactly what brings us true life. He’s created each of us for a specific purpose and given each of us a spectacular destiny, yet we don’t follow Him for the silliest reasons.

I don’t want to know the number of times where God has laid someone on my heart to pray for, put someone in my path to help, or given me an opportunity to speak life to someone and I traded it. I traded a chance to make an impact – to fulfill in greater measure my calling – for things even more trivial than a bowl of soup. “I don’t have time”, “Maybe someone else will help”, and “I don’t want to” – those small fleeting comforts and excuses aren’t worth giving up what God has created me for.

Hosea

I haven’t been able to get enough of Hosea recently. God’s saying “I love you so much that you were a prostitute but I married you anyway. You kept sleeping with other people, but I’m going to take you back and heal you.” Could it be? Could God actually love us like that?

“God who doesn’t interact with you” vs “there is no God” – I can understand that debate and why there’s confusion between them. However, “God is chasing after you”? That’s either real or it’s not.

1 am

Well, after starting out strong with posting on this blog, I've really slacked off. That seems to be a consistent problem for me - I have this great idea or step out on something I hear from God, but I'm rather lacking when it comes to follow through. Like Peter. When Jesus walked on water toward the disciples, Peter was the only one to jump out of the boat and walk toward Jesus. It was a natural response for a disciple - disciples were supposed to do everything their masters were doing and they had often participated with Jesus in the supernatural before, but Peter was the only one to actually do it. This story is interesting to me because it challenges some key things I think about God.

Tales from Mozambique Part 1

Prologue - if you just want the story, skip this paragraph: For those of you who knew me in college, you must have thought I grew unusually silent over my time in Mozambique. It’s true – I just didn’t know how to process some of the things we were going through, and they are so far out of everyday life for most Americans that I didn’t know what I could/should say. I still don’t know on some things, but that’s not always the point. I hope you find these stories thought-provoking and learn from my mistakes! Everything I’m writing is as true as I can make it – cross-referenced with the other people there at the time, but my memory can be a bit hazy at times. I’ll specifically point out the details I don’t remember well.