A Pink Mohawk

Being a white American who is 6'7" tall and who has has dirty blond hair and blue eyes has always gotten me a lot of strange looks in Hong Kong (and across Asia). None of those looks, however, can compare with the responses people give to seeing a pink mohawk on my head.

It's a funny story. As part of our youth fundraiser, I auctioned off the rights to pick the style and color of my hair for a 3-week timespan. I figured the youth would pool their money and put up a good bid, but I thought the announcement that I would be leading music in church during one of those 3 weeks and preaching another one would inspire certain adults in attendance at the fundraiser (such as the pastor and some of our deacons) to attempt to outbid the youth. What ended up happening is that the deacons and pastor seemed completely at ease with the idea of me preaching and leading music in a mystery hairstyle picked by the evil genius of the youth, and the youth came out of the gate in the bidding making the clear statement that they were in this one to win it all. A few adults made semi-serious bids, just to get the youth to raise their price, but in the end, the youth paid 660 HKD for the right to pick the style and color of my hair for a timespan of 3 weeks. The rest is history.

Like I said, having this hair has gotten some amazing responses. Comments I have received include a man from my church explaining to me that an office worker in Hong Kong could never have this haircut because they would get fired and a witty flight attendant telling me to "watch your hair" as I boarded an airplane (She was so proud of that one, she made sure to point out what she had said to the next few passengers to board so they could all know how witty she was). I also had a man ask me if I could come to his house and paint the ceiling with my hair. One man simply stated the obvious: "You are tall, and your hair is tall." A slightly more colorful man told me, "Your hair is explosive." I've also been told it makes me look like David Crowder, a comparison which I get a lot (although he doesn't have the mohawk), and Shane Claiborne (This is a new one, and I don't see the connection, since he has dreads, not a mohawk...). All of this is in addition to numerous bystanders who stare, either blankly or in awe, in total defiance of all cultural politeness, as I walk the streets.

The added attention I have gotten from my hair has gotten me thinking. From a physical standpoint, it is hard to find anyone who looks more out of place in Hong Kong than I do, even without the pink mohawk. Adding the mohawk, however, has certainly caused a greater gap between what one expects to find in Hong Kong and what I look like. The thing is, I'm different, more so with the mohawk than ever before. And because I'm different, people notice me. They go out of their way to talk to me about my hair. They ask questions about it. They make jokes and comments about it.

As Christians, we are called to be different than the world around us. I certainly don't believe this means we should all walk around town in pink mohawks. What I do believe is that we should live such lives of radical love, sacrifice, giving, community, grace, and service, all driven at their heart by the gospel, that the world around us notices something different about us. What better way to show the world that we're serious about our faith than to actually live lives that are driven at their hearts by our faith? I think this type of lifestyle being truly lived out in our communities would cause people to pay attention to what we are doing and (ultimately) to why we are doing it. People may not get it. They may make negative comments. They may ask questions. I can't guarantee their response (and I'm not suggesting that we stop verbally sharing our faith, just recommending that we be more intentional about living lives that back up what we say), but I bet if we had a community where people truly lived like this, this community would be so distinct from those around them that the people around them would have no choice but to acknowledge the difference and either intentionally ignore it or find out more about it. I guess what I'm trying to say is that as Christians, the lives we live should not blend into the world like an Asian walking the streets of Hong Kong. We should stick out like a pink mohawk on a crazy tall American.

John 13:35

"By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

A Link and Thoughts on Planning Youth Camp

First off, for those of you who haven't heard it yet, I preached at my church in Hong Kong a couple weeks ago. If you want to hear the sermon, here is a link for it:

http://218.189.239.40:44057/shares/share/12June2011_Nothing%20but%20the%20Gospel.mp3

Secondly, starting this Sunday, I will be leading 2 weeks of youth camp/missions trip with my youth group. From Sunday to Friday, we will have a camp, where we will have times of fun and learning about God's Word. Then, on Saturday, we will go to Manila for a week to work at Kids International Ministries. Planning this trip has taught me a lot of things about myself and about life in general. Here are some of the highlights:

• I am not an organizer. Each of us has strengths and weaknesses, and organizing something like this is one of my weaknesses.
• I am horrible at asking other people for help. I'm not sure if I just don't want to inconvenience them or if I want to do the job myself, but I'm just generally not good at asking for help. Which makes more organizing for me. Which is not a good thing.
• It takes a lot of time to plan a camp. When you're planning one for the first time, you don't necessarily realize all that goes into it (unless you're a great organizer) until you're doing it. Which, if you have failed to plan properly, will likely happen at the last minute, since you didn't know there would be SO MUCH TO DO!
• Going to camp is much more fun than planning for camp.
• Good friends who can help you out when you're super busy at work are amazing blessings. Especially when they offer to help without even being asked (see the part about me not being good at asking for help).

That being said, please pray for our upcoming camp. Here are a few things you can be praying for:

• That any youth who come who are not already Christians would hear and believe the gospel during this trip.
• That our kids who come who are already Christians will grow in their walk with Christ during our time at camp.
• That our whole group would have hearts to serve during our time in Manila.
• That we would all remain safe and healthy throughout the trip.
• That any minor details that I may have missed in the planning stages would work themselves out and not turn into big deals.

Already?

This past Tuesday, June 21, marked 1 year since my arrival to Hong Kong. I don't know about the rest of you, but I find it hard to believe that I've been here that long. As I look back over the past year, I see that I have learned a lot (and most of it was stuff that I never expected to learn this year). Here are some highlights:

• God is REALLY BIG-I have had a number of difficult times this year, whether it was the trouble of transitioning to a city where I didn't know anybody or the culture, issues with having no idea how to do my job, or any other of a number of things. Throughout all of them, one of the most comforting things for me to remember is that me being here is not an accident. My presence in this specific place at this specific time is a part of God's plan that He had before He formed the earth, and He has me here for a purpose. Reflecting on that truth makes it hard to stay discouraged by various trials for too long.

• Unity is awesome (and essential)-One of the highlights of my year has been meeting on a weekly basis with youth leaders from churches across the city to pray together for our youth. The people in this group are some of my closest friends in Hong Kong. Despite a number of differences in doctrine, church structure, etc. we are able to recognize the fact that we have Christ in common, and that the common bond of Christ is stronger than any secondary differences that may separate us. Having this unity allows us to work together to see God glorified in Hong Kong, rather than working in competition to see us and our individual ministries glorified. This unity has born amazing fruit in the youth of this city.

• Your heart will follow your treasure-Growing up, I would always read Jesus statement in Matthew 6:21 ("Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also") as saying that where we invest our treasure is indicative of where our hearts are. While this is true on one level, I have learned this year that it works the opposite way as well. When we place our treasure somewhere, our hearts will follow our treasure. This is not an original insight-I read it in a book, but can't remember which one-but I have really gotten to see it in action this year. When I came to Hong Kong, the plan was to stay for one year, then go back to the States. After spending a year of my life in this city, investing in this city, getting involved in the lives of the people of this city-investing my "treasures" here-I have grown to love this city. That is why I will be staying in Hong Kong for another year (although I will be working at a different job here).

There are many more lessons I have learned over the past year, maybe they will be shared in future posts. (or maybe not... time will tell)

Things that Stir My Affections

For this week's blog, I want to share a challenge from a pastor named Matt Chandler. He says that we should identify the things in our lives that stir our affections for God, and the things that rob our affections for Him. Everything in life affects the way we perceive God and the way we relate to Him. For example, sin separates us from God and robs us of communion with Him. Obedience to God draws us closer to Him. However, certain things which are morally neutral (such as listening to different styles of music, eating certain foods, or different conversation topics) also have the ability to create within us a desire to draw near to God or to make us feel a greater gap between us and God. Here is a list of some things I have identified in my life that stir my affections:

Things that rob me of my joy in Christ and make me feel distant from God:

• Excessive caffeine and sugar--In moderation, these things are essential ingredients to me successfully completing most days. When I take caffeine and sugar in excess, however, they have a tendency to make me feel anxious and jumpy and draw my desires away from God to worry.
• Sara Bareilles--Musically, I love her. Lyrically, she is incredibly depressing, and I often cannot help but be in a bad mood when I listen to her music.
• Excessive rest or lack of rest--The balance in life between work and rest is one that must be delicately maintained. Too much work without rest, and I begin to find my identity in what I do rather than in who I am in Christ, not to mention exhaustion. Too much rest and not enough work, and I begin to suffer from sloth.
• Overeating--So many people take me out to eat here and order excessive amounts of food. They eat a little bit and then tell me to finish the rest. Not wanting to appear rude, I usually do my best to accomplish this feat. After the meal, my body is out of its normal, healthy equilibrium, and I am unable to focus on God because of the discomfort I am experiencing in my stomach.

Things that stir my affections for God:

• Anything deeply theological--Whether this is solid preaching, a good book, or music with totally gospel-centered lyrics (although preferably not southern gospel-styled), things that more clearly reveal to me who God is, how He works, and how I can know Him more deeply typically cause me to draw closer to Him and have a deeper desire to know Him.
• Fresh fruit--This may seem weird, but eat a fresh, ripe mango and tell me God's not awesome for creating it.
• Starry skies--One of my favorite things to do while I'm at home is go outside on a night when it is below 0 degrees (so the sky is too cold for clouds) and stare at the stars, pondering the greatness of the God who created them and knows them all by name. Starry skies are one of the things I miss most in Hong Kong.
• A good night's sleep--It's amazing the difference it makes for my day to be able to wake up with a smile on my face rather than having my first thought of the day be how much I hate my alarm clock.
• Self-sacrificial service for the sake of someone totally undeserving of it--Whether it is hearing a story of someone who gave his or her life so that others could live, or seeing a group of 20-somethings give up their weekday evenings to tutor inner-city kids so they can pass school, I see shadows of Christ's ultimate sacrifice in these things, and the joy I find in these stories of self-sacrificing service always cause me to have a desire to dive more deeply into understanding Christ's sacrifice for me.

Thursday's Thought--Sneak Preview of this Sunday's Sermon

I have been asked to preach at IBC this Sunday because last week and this week we have been/will be honoring our graduating seniors during the Sunday morning service. Every time I preach at IBC (this will be the second time), I feel a great weight because of the importance of the fact that I am delivering the Word of God to the entire church and because of the rarity of this opportunity arising. I feel a need to pick not just something important to say to the church, but to actually say the most important thing to the church that I can.

This time, I have decided to preach on 1 Cor. 2:1-5, specifically focusing on the part where Paul says it was his goal during his time among them to know nothing except Christ and Him crucified. During my study this week, it has truly amazed me that with all of the issues facing that church--including, but not limited to: intense sexual immorality, divisions, selfishness in approaching the Lord's Supper and spiritual gifts, and denial of the resurrection of the dead--Paul continually points them back to Christ as the ultimate solution to every problem the church is facing. He truly understands that, as Timothy Keller so wisely says, "Idolatry is always the reason we ever do anything wrong." Every problem the church was facing was due to the fact that they were taking worship of the true God and replacing it with worship of other things. The only way to fix this problem was to point them back to the true God and replace their idolatry with worship. The gospel was, in Paul's eyes, the most important thing for the Corinthian church to know. If Paul thought it was so important, I guess it should be a safe pick for my time preaching at IBC.

That's the teaser. Check back in next week for the link so you can listen to the podcast.

Thursday's Thought

Last Friday morning, I woke up very early to go to breakfast and hear a man speak who biked over 30,000 miles from Siberia to London via Australia. When I got on the bus to go to this breakfast, I wanted to read a passage from the Bible, since I knew I had a busy day ahead and it would be a while before I would have more time to do it. Wanting to keep my reading (and the process of getting stuff out of my bag) more simple, I simply grabbed my Kindle, turned it on, opened the Bible on it, and read the first thing that was on the page.

When I turned on the Kindle, it took me to 2 Kings 15. It was a random chapter. As I started to read it, I thought maybe I should have been more intentional about the passage I picked. I read about king after king who ruled Israel and Judah—good ones, bad ones, ones who inherited the throne when their fathers died, others who took the throne by force, and lots of other details about each king—and I was confused. What did this have to do with my life, with my understanding of who God is, or with my understanding of how to live a life that is defined by the gospel?

I finished reading the chapter, and I was still totally confused. I spent the rest of the bus ride thinking about what I had read. It’s in the Bible, so it had to be significant, but why? And then it hit me. Everybody in this long list of kings, whether they were good, bad, traitors, idolaters, worshipers of the true God, warriors, or wimps, died. They got a few verses in a random chapter in the middle of 2 Kings to tell about their life and the way they led their nation, and then the story moved on from them to the next guy. This is because the story in 2 Kings 15 is not about Azariah, Zechariah, Shallum, Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah, or Jotham. Each of them is a small player in the story of God calling a people to Himself, purifying that people for Himself, and—ultimately—making all things new. The main character in this chapter is God. He is the One ho raised these men to power for a time to fulfill His purposes. He is the One who allows bad kings to reign (for a time) and strikes one of the good ones with leprosy. He is the One who still lives after kings and kingdoms rise and fall. His story is the one that will endure.

And then I got it. I am like one of these kings. My life, in the grand scheme of history, is no more than a few verses in the middle of some random chapter in the middle of some random book. But that’s ok. Because it’s not my story that needs to last. It’s His story that needs to be told and that will endure. And to play the most minor role in His story is much more significant than being famous, powerful, or rich.

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!” Romans 11:33

From the Head to the Heart

I’m pretty sure that ever since my second Friday of Pathfinders in first grade I could have recited Proverbs 3:5-6 to anyone at any time. The thing I have been learning this week is that there is a big difference between knowing a truth in my head and knowing that truth in such a way that it sinks into the core of your being and impacts the very way you live your life. Obviously, this is not a new lesson for me, but it is one that God has been pounding me with this week.

I have been spending a lot of time lately thinking about what I’m doing next year. Crunch time is fast approaching, and my decision is (hopefully) imminent. I have a couple of options that I am considering, and I am confident that at any of them I will enjoy my job, have great opportunities to serve, and will learn a lot. The issue is that (obviously) I want to make the best decision, not just a good decision. And I have been stressed out lately about which one I’ll choose. Which is odd, considering I just finished memorizing Philippians, which includes the verse, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” I can recite that verse all day long. The disconnect comes when I try to take the verses I know in my head, such as Philippians 3:6-7 and Proverbs 3:5-6 and actually live them. It’s taking a while for me to learn this one, and I don’t know when it will sink in for good, but I’m now aware of the problem, and I think that’s an important first step to finding the solution (which will involve a lot of prayer and time in the Bible.)