Jesus is the reason…Or is He?

I hope that you all had a very blessed and very merry Christmas. In light of the holiday, myself, Skywalker and Johnny left for a trip across the Red Sea for several days, planning on celebrating the Christmas Season in Egyption style. We have had a blast, and as soon as we return I will be sure to upload some pictures on the photoblog. 

 Although Egypt is some-what more Christian than Jordan, it definalty lacks in the “Christmas Spirit” catagory.  Being a huge fan of this particular season, I found it strange to be so far removed from the Christmas that we have all grown to love and enjoy.  When I woke up on December 25th, there was no tree, no presents to open (mom and dad sent me plenty though!), no carols to sing, no stocking waiting for me, or any of the normal things that we consider “normal”.  It was just me, and 2 guys. We spent most of the day in traffic in Cairo and then rushed off to catch a very cheap train after wishing our families and loved ones a Merry Christmas. 

It was odd. But why was it odd?  Did the Celebration of the Incarnation of God depend on lights, carols, trees and presents?     Had the ideas of tradition and the fun comercialism of the Christmas Season become so well ingrained into my understanding of the holiday?  I found my self realizing that although, “Jesus is the reason…”, He had not been my reason for a long while. 

Philipians 2 states that, “God became man and dwelt among  us.” Think of that, God all-powerful, and all-loving came to earth as a baby.  Paul goes on to state that He came and made Himself “nothing.” The reason being only to give the good news of life that we could receive through His horrific death.  This is Christmas. 

Jesus is the reason…Or is He?  If you took away all your traditions-your tree, your Honey-baked Ham, the lights, the presents- would you still be as joyful and happy about the season?

I confess, I was not. Everything was out of place.  Except the true reason for celebration.  He never left. He was never out of place. He became nothing, so that I could have value, love, and reason for living.

May God grant you a very Merry Christmas and wonderful New Year!

The Shabaab

As the semester is coming to an end, and Christmas is just around the corner, I thought it would be great to give an update on what the plans are for next semester. Originally, we had made plans to move to Zarqa, a city north-east of Amman. However, God has seemed to move our hearts to stay where we are at. Although we will be teaching at an English Center next semester in Zarqa on a weekly basis, we have come to the conclusion that concentrating on our relationships here, in Amman, were great opportunities that we could not pass up.

Let me explain. Amman is the home of the “shabob,” or the younger, secular Muslim. Basically, they are me, but Muslim. They are young, ready for change, and seem to desire something different than what they have been given for so many centuries. It is a breading ground for college students to come together, and just hang out. The idea of making friends with this group is easy and obtainable. If you can’t tell, this is my personal favorite part about this culture. There are only a handful of people in the city that are working specifically with this group. We want to add to that number. I feel that we have the unique opportunity at our age to reach out and befriend this part of the culture. These are the movers and shakers of the Jordan of tomorrow, and possibly the Middle East in general. They will and are currently reshaping the culture. It has become more Westernized, and more Post-modern. Don’t be fooled, they are still very much Muslim, but are open to accepting the ideas of other faiths, and most importantly critical thinking.

Critical thinking is something that the Arab culture lacks, almost completely. I personally believe that if the culture would begin to critique itself, and given a generation or two, many of the issues we see in the news today would cease to exist. Including the most important issue of all. This younger generation is in fact willing to learn, to question, and with the provision of the Holy Spirit, change.

the People part 2

The people of Jordan, and practically every Arab you will ever meet, are what I like to call “cause sensitive.” There are several issues, that I’m sure you are familiar with. Their viewpoint is very different than our western views however. This may seem like an obvious statement, and it is. Their views are different for several reasons. These differences stem from: religion, region, and history. There is one difference that I could never stress enough. It is essential to understanding them as a people. They live here. We as westerners do not. They go through the wars, they’re family’s have been uprooted from their homes. Something you and I as Americans have never experienced. Always keep that fact in mind when the you watch the news of the Middle East.

One of the major sensitive issues is obviously the Palestinian-Isreali conflict. Jordan is something in between 60% and 70% Palestinian ex-patriots. Most were uprooted and thrown out of the country after the war in 1967. Many still have family there, that they have not seen for years. These people lost their homes one generation ago. They are refugees in a land that doesn’t necessarily like them. Most of the Jordanians are not happy that their country is overrun with foreigners. Their hatred toward America (not Americans-just the government) stems from the lack of effort we have given to restoring them to their homes. In their eyes, we only work for the good of the Isreali government, which is very corrupt. Of course the Palestinian government is extremely corrupt also. It’s a two way street. Praying for the peace of Jerusalem has never meant more after being in this part of the world.

The other cause they seem to tae up is the war in Iraq, which, make no mistake is in civil war. It is a different civil war than the United States suffered. It has no defined borders. And many of the people literally live next to each other. Many of the refugees of the war live here in Jordan, and most hate the American government. Sure they have a new and better government in place, but once again, they are here, you are there. They have no homes to go back to. Many of the kids I work with have been kidnapped since the US entered Iraq. Rightful blame or not, the blame has fallen on the US in this area.

Those are just a few of the issues that Arabs are very sensitive about. There are a diverse group of people, with many “causes” to take up, most against each other. These are a few that are agreed upon by the Arab community. These unite them like nothing else, short of the Quran itself.

The People…

I was thinking recently about what to communicate to you all, and I realized that I had not written much about the people of Jordan. There is a reason for this, mainly because I am just now getting a good feel for who they are, and why they are who they are.
The Arab peoples of Jordan are an interesting bunch to observe and live amongst. Their way of life is much different from what we as western American’s would consider “common sense.”
For example. If one were in traffic on I-40 in North Carolina, one would normally realize that doing anything other than sitting there, creeping along trying to get to the exit would be futile. If, however, an Arab were to be in the mix, they would find it useful and somewhat pleasant to continually wail on the horn. This is a normal function of driving…for everyone. So you can only imagine what several blocks of traffic sound like.

Obviously this is a minor difference, all be it, a quite annoying one. However it symbolizes one thing that we must keep in mind when observing, befriending, or when just watching the nightly news. Common sense is not always universal.

The country of Jordan is made up of over 60% Palestinian refugees, mixed with a growing number of refugees from our eastern neighbor, Iraq. The rest is from the Bedouin Tribes, making up the “true” Jordanian. It is over 98% Muslim, but this is divided into differing groups. Though, not divided by religious sects, as one would assume, but by ages and social class.

Let me explain. The city of Amman is divided into 2 main areas. East and West. The East is known for its conservative Islamic Nature accompanied by a dirty and impoverished community. There is very little Western influence, which shows up in the economic and religious free thought subjects. Accordingly, the youth seem to continue to fallow in the footsteps of their fathers, choosing tradition and the norm rather than thinking outside the box. West Amman is a completely different ballgame. It is wealthy, readily accepting of Western culture and very ready for change. The youth are much like the youth of America, only they are naturally segregated by gender. This is not a rule of the culture, just a tradition. They are very open minded, and very ready to accept outsiders as friends. Although they are indeed Muslim, they have realized that there are other religions in our world, and that these other religions and ways of life hold value. Most of these youth could be classified as secular. There is a growing idea that Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are all related and therefore the same. Since they all lead to Allah, there is only settle differences and diverse ways of knowing Him.

Sound familiar? I thought it might.

This idea has come from a few angles. First, there is the ignorance factor. Most do not completely understand Islam, but follow it blindly because this is who they are as a community. Second, the Christian Church is readily thought of as Catholic or Greek Orthodox, both traditional and very removed from their Muslim Neighbors. If they know an Evangelical, the vast majority seem to be judgmental, and accepting only of likeminded individuals. I say most, because this is not the case for all. We have some amazing brothers and sisters here that are working more diligently than any westerner ever could.

I plan to write more on this issue, but for now, I think this is a good bit to chew on. Feel free to comment below or ask questions…I would love to hear from you.

Experience…

It is the end of Ramadan here in the Middle East. Which means a few things. First, it means we can eat in public during the day again!! Second, it’s party time. After Ramadan is over, there are 3 days when everything shuts down. It’s called Eid Ilfitar. Most of the Muslim families use this time to visit their extended families, which are quite large. As for us, we decided to get out of town. We were able to visit one of the truly most remarkable sights on the planet, Petra. If you are familiar with the Indiana Jones trilogy, you will remember the temple where they found the Holy Grail during the 3rd installment of the series. This was no set; it was in fact a small part of Petra. This city has been built over several different empires, dating back past the time of Christ in some areas. It is truly remarkable. Virtually all of it has been carved out of the sandstone wall, and with narrow passageways on one side, and torturous mountain terrain on the other, it is very difficult to get to. Atop one of the surrounding mountains is the Monastery, which overlooks the Petra valley and on a separate peak, sits the Tomb of Aaron, the brother of Moses. Our goal was to find Aaron’s tomb, but it proved to be more difficult than we had thought. We got directions and after searching in vain for about 6 hours through the wilderness, we found ourselves back where we began…the entrance gate. It did make for a good story, and some incredible hiking through the narrow valleys between the mountains.
We have also been able to see yet another one of Jordan’s natural wonders this week. Wadi Donna is a nature reserve that starts out several thousand feet above sea level and quickly finds its way down towards the Dead Sea. It resembles that of the Grand Canyon, as the land just seems to end and plummit down. We were able to hike this area over 2 days and we found the scenery phenomenal.

There is much more I could say about both of these amazing sites, as well as several other areas here in Jordan that are remarkable. Words however, would not do them justice.

Describing the stars light while camping under a dessert moon is something that language is not made to do. To detail a sunset over that same dessert landscape is a task that cannot truly be completed.
I have learned, in these situations, to appreciate not being able to put things into words. God’s creation was not meant to be written about, or described in a history or science book. It was meant to be experienced by his greatest creation, mankind. It was meant to be shared between friends, and shared in community with its Creator.

It is true that one can know God simply by reading what He has given us, the Bible. And it is true that you can find Him in the stillness of your living room couch or your kitchen table. However, God seems to display Himself in a different way when we experience His what He has carved with His own hands, what He has spoken into existence with His own voice.

I relish the time I have outside the city of Amman. I have realized that I have neglected to do the same in Lynchburg or Winston-Salem. God is a creative being. That is not some systematic theology term. It is an attribute that can only be experienced.

A Method in the Madness

It has been a very interesting last couple of days here. To be honest it has been quite difficult. First, my computer went down for reasons unknown to anyone in the eastern hemisphere. So you can imagine how that tends to complicate the life of a any 20 something guy. Next, I lost my cell phone. Something that is crucial in this culture to meeting with people. If you do not have a “mobile” there is practically little chance of you getting in touch with anyone, short of running into them on the street. It’s amazing how dependent we have become on technology. To be quite honest, it’s frustrating to realize your life is revolving around something so material. Something so un-eternal.

That being said, God was at work with both of these frustrating scenarios. I have become friends with one of the guys at the computer store. We have seen each other several times now, and plan to hang out. It really has a potential for great friendship. When I lost my cell phone, I called it, not really believing I would get it back. I was caught by surprise when a Taxi driver answered. I could not speak enough Arabic to make sure he understood, and he could not speak enough English. To make a long story short, I gained a new friend, one that wants to learn more English and wants to teach me more Arabic. I got my phone back, and my computer miraculously healed itself.

Coincidence? I think not.

God has been preparing souls here for a long time. He is using many things that I have not seen before anywhere else. He is at work here in the Middle East. The friendships are being built, and the conversations are beginning to turn to the only thing really worthy of conversing.

Ilhumdualla! (In English, this means Praise be to God!)

Happy Ramadan!!

The holiday season of Ramadan is in full swing here in the Middle East. Ramadan is a month long celebration revolving around the Prophets fleet to Medina. It is known as the time of year in which one gives to the needy. Generosity is the core of Ramadan. During this month, Muslims greet one another with the saying “Ramadan Kareem.” Kareem (yes like the LA Lakers Star) means generosity. Sounds like a happy time of year, right?

I, however, have decided that the term “holiday” is a misnomer. Let me explain. Imagine a region full of people that smoke constantly (not too hard for us North Carolinians). Now, imagine these same nicotine-addicted people not being aloud to smoke for over 12 hours per day, for over a month. Add fasting from all liquids, and food from sun up to sun down and you have a very grumpy group of tobacco craved, starving, dieing of thirst individuals. Oh, and did I mention they were coffee addicts as well?

It has been interesting to see people celebrate this “holiday” the past week, with about 3 more to go. When the sun sets and dusk begins, the local Mosques sound the call to prayer. This marks “iftar” or the breaking of the fast. It is quite a site to see restaurants packed full of people, just sitting, not eating, waiting for the Imam to come over the loud speaker and give the go ahead for the nightly gorging. They seem to be devoted to the whole process, and actually compare it to Christmas. As I said, a misnomer.

We have been given an amazing opportunity to start an English Club at a local Baptist School. This is the same Baptist school that I have mentioned before as being 80% Muslim. We will be starting next Thursday or Saturday. Personally, I will be working with the school Basketball team under the current coach. I’ve heard he’s Canadian, so I’m sure they could use some good Tar Heel input. This is something I am very excited about. It is a great way to begin relationships. There is also a group of foreign students who have no Religion Teacher. Lord willing, we will be teaching them 2 days a week. The teaching for the semester is over the Gospel of John.

Needless to say, we are getting very busy. It’s great to be able to really get involved with the needs of some of the schools. Please be praying for us as we juggle language classes and study along with these new opportunities.

I have updated the Pictures page. We recently went on a trip to Wadi Rum, where Lawrence of Arabia took place and was filmed. It is absolutely breathtaking with rock structures ranging form 400-over 1000 ft tall. We were able to stay with the Bedouin in the desert, where we slept under a blanket of stars the likes of which I have never seen. It was amazing. To see the pictures click “Pictures” above on the menu bar and follow the link.

Feel free to email me or leave a question or comment in the comment box. I would love to hear from you and answer any questions. Dialogue is a good.

So this is getting difficult…

I have been in class for a little over 2 weeks now, and I can tell you one thing about the Arabic Language- it’s difficult. I have been told that Arabic is the 2nd most difficult language to learn, after Mandarin Chinese. I would agree with that assumption. Although we are somewhat mastering the “survival phrases,” the magnitude of this challenge is very overwhelming. The amount of studying is grueling. What is even more disheartening is the situations that follow studying, when one thinks that he has perfected the phrase, only to realize when it is used, that the native cannot understand.
This does however produce some incredible laughs. There are many of the Arabic words that sound very similar to one another. With just an extra puff of air, one can change the connotation, definition and everything else in between. This, as you can imagine, can produce an unfortunate turn of events when visiting with the Jordanian people. For example: There is a student at the school I attend, who was invited to dinner with a Jordanian family. After the meal he made a comment about how great the meal tasted. He used a common phrase, “Shahtayn,” meaning literally, “double your health.” In the students mind, he said it exactly as he was taught. However the reaction was not what he had indeed hoped for. Apparently he had said something wrong. When he inquired about it, he repeated the phrase that he used to compliment the food. Apparently the correct word was, “sahtayn,” not “Shahtayn.” His extra “h” had changed the meaning from “double your health,” to “double your bowel movements.” I thought all of you would enjoy that little blunder. And no, that student was not me-so don’t go getting ideas!
Needless to say, this has already been a humbling experience. It is amazing how God seems to work most noticeably when we are humbled by life’s circumstances. Most of my academic career I have been able take my studies less seriously and remain in good graces with my report cards. School has always come rather easy for me. I could do minimal studying and still receive above average grades. This is really the first time that I will have to truly work hard at learning.
The teaching system here is different than the State’s mentality of learning. Here, we memorize and drill long before we understand. For me this is difficult. If I don’t understand than what is the point of drilling and memorizing? This is however, another, all is it, frustrating part of the Arabic culture. I have struggled with this fact and have come to the realization that I cannot change the way the material is taught, for to do so would be removing bedrock of the educational environment of the Middle East. Since I would only have approximately 8 more months to accomplish such a feat, it would be logically impossible and a bad use of my time. This process has required me to become humble about my approach to the Arabic Language. I must do so to learn. In turn, this is necessary to ultimately be able take care of a much deeper and more costly problem than bad teaching habits. Their un-westernized education system is not why God has brought me here.

If you would like to see some pictures, click here.

5 years later…

I was a Sophomore in high school. We had just finished an FCA meeting when our Ahtletic Director, Mr. Baker, notified us of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

I’m sure we can all look back and say exactly where we where the day the Towers fell. For the first time in American recent history, our homeland was the victim of a religious hate crime that cost over 2700 people their lives. I, like evey other American, was flooded with many emotions. Pain, fear, sympathy, anger, and hate. Once the news released the organization responsible for the killings, I was infuriated, and I was ready to take on the entire Muslim world if need be. When the US invaded Afghanistan I chanted with hatred for those who had wronged us. I wanted them to pay for what they did to my country. I quickly jumped on the bandwagon of desiring war and payment for the sins of those responsible. I remember saying hearing and saying things like, “Just nuke them all!” “Let’s go ‘an get ‘em!” “Make ‘em pay!” I even seriously considered joining the Armed forces to combat those who would desire to kill me and the “Christian values” for which we stood.

I took this attitude with me to college. And at some point, something changed. Somehow, I was transformed from one who wanted vengeance, to someone who advocates the love of the wicked. I started to get to know Jesus, and His teachings. I realized that my mindset was far from His.

In Matthew 5:38, Jesus is right in the middle of His, “Sermon on the Mount.”

He states: “You have heard it said, “An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you one cheek, turn to him the other also…” Later he says, “You have heard it said of old, “You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love you enemy, and pray for those who persecute you…For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others?”

Jesus very blatantly called my attitude toward the Muslim people on the carpet. I had advocated the idea of making men pay for their sin against me. All the while claiming to be serving a Savior who paid the price for my sins against Him. I realized that I had indeed become a hypocrite, and worse a Pharisee.

I want to be clear here, I am not stating that we should not support our troops, or our Government. Paul stated in Romans 13 that our respect of the Government God has put in place is very important. Our God is working through these wars, and many are coming to Him because of the opportunities that our troops have given the peoples of Afghanistan and Iraq.

However, my point is this. As the representatives of Christ on this planet, our calling is far higher than homeland security, and we answer to someone much more important than President. We answer to our King. We are responsible to spread His Kingdom on this earth. That means following His commands of responding in love, not hatred and peaceful attitudes instead of violence. This means going the extra mile (or 7,000) to befriend one who is not loved, one who is ignorant of the One who gave up His life so that the wicked could live.

In the movie, “The End of the Spear,” Nate Saint is accompanied with 4 other men to the Akka Indians in South America. As the story goes, the tribe was known for violence against foreigners and in the end all 5 men were speared to death. As Nate looked up from the ground into the face of his murderer, he said the only phrase he knew in the native language: ” I am your sincere friend.” The men had guns, they could have protected themselves, but they did not. That day all 5 men were brutally murdered. They gave up their lives, so that their own murderers could have a chance to hear the Gospel in the future.

On September 11, 2001 I wanted revenge on those who hurt my people. Five years later, I feel that I have only begun to realize the depth of the love of Christ, and the love for the pagan people that we call our “enemies.”

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners unto repentance.”
-Jesus (Luke 5:31-32)

let the madness begin…

The last few days have really been amazing. God has allowed us to start building relationships with a few teenage guys in the area. We played soccer with them, (which as you can imagine was a disgrace to the red, white and blue), and then had a chance to shoot some pool with them downtown. They could not have been more friendly and gracious to us. The Jordanian people are more than hospitable. They go out of their way to make you feel welcome in their home. In fact, their form of welcome literally means to welcome you as family, and this is something they mean.
One of the guys we hung out with is named mike. He is really a great kid. We were able to get into a discussion about religion in general. He said that he did not like anyone who did not live in peace, and considering where I am living I completely agree. He also noted that he wanted to open his mind to newer ideas about the Ingial, which is Arabic for the Gospels. He actually has a copy of the gospels in his home. He made a very interesting comment about the Prophet. Mike said that according to Mohammed, all good men should live in peace. He was basically stating that good men should be at peace with one another, as long as they remained good. I responded with the story of Zacheaus. Mohammed taught to live in peace with only “good” men. Jesus, however, taught something different. He was a friend with prostitutes, and thieves. Mike wants to talk more about the Ingial later this week over coffee. It looks like this will be the first of many relationships that God has prepared for us.

We also started classes today. It was great to finally find out what we were up against. It’s going to be a difficult challenge, but I am convinced our Savior has us here for a reason. We are His Body, and He has chosen to use us for this purpose in this time. I know that He will continue to work through us (by us I do mean those of you committed to praying for me.) He has chosen to use people throughout the ages of time, and He has given the church the responsibility of being the representation of Christ’s unreserved love and friendship to a world searching for those who are not experiencing the relationship and life that Jesus has given us.
Pray for Mike’s eyes and mind to be opened by the truth, and for the wisdom of God to control my friendship.

I’m sorry that I have not been able to put up any pictures yet; we have a limited amount of bandwidth in our Internet connection here, so we can only upload every time we go out to an Internet cafe.
Here are a few I thought you would enjoy: