tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75517330749027298602024-03-12T17:54:44.260-07:00Restless Heart Ministries Inc. .....where compassion and passion collidethis is a place to see the light of Christ bring hope in the darkness. It's theology hammered out on the anvil of realityRev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.comBlogger105125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-63013132810283320332011-05-12T07:24:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:21:54.690-07:00Summer Mission 2011God has done great things! I have been talking with the clinic director about this summer's trip and to have been told that the Tanzanian Government's initiative to bring Insecticide Treated Nets free of charge to it's people has finally reached Tabora! Thank you to all who have helped us purchase and distribute over 2,000 nets that have covered 8,000 people! The stockpile we purchased for distribution at the clinic is not yet depleted and we will still purchase nets when need. So what is our call now that the need for nets is not as chronic?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZK7gKHEWt1pMh2NN87sSx4xC__tBOk8fO-UlcVXqs-T3Zw2FI68HYWOXaWPdzmwHYkcOINfB48Ldw90HJZ0Asicm_MxY2gyuSE2fN50YNshrceESgxaQzVXwNznW8O0k6mv8pAkfx7hg/s1600/corn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZK7gKHEWt1pMh2NN87sSx4xC__tBOk8fO-UlcVXqs-T3Zw2FI68HYWOXaWPdzmwHYkcOINfB48Ldw90HJZ0Asicm_MxY2gyuSE2fN50YNshrceESgxaQzVXwNznW8O0k6mv8pAkfx7hg/s200/corn.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
...feeding the widows and orphans! <br />
Last year the rain came at the wrong time. As a result the maze crop didn't pollinate. We were able to purchase 9 tons of corn. This year it has gotten worse. The rice failed completly and the corn barely came in. We will be negotiating the purchase of corn so that they can feed the starving as well assist the diocese in caring for the church planters. We have raised over $2,400 for food alone. This will, depending upon cost, match what was purchased last year. The overhead is simply gas to get the corn out. God is so good to His children!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx9G2JqyPipADrf0O0mTq7DhAvfPJuf79-Vy-o2otpasu1C1q9-5uv8GtE_FzebwG8y6T8o32vANv3smjsBlZtHq5RkolIi1HKLvz6uOS1Go6mw6cuDO6KGzow6SQqpFQr38qbACxP9XI/s1600/girl.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx9G2JqyPipADrf0O0mTq7DhAvfPJuf79-Vy-o2otpasu1C1q9-5uv8GtE_FzebwG8y6T8o32vANv3smjsBlZtHq5RkolIi1HKLvz6uOS1Go6mw6cuDO6KGzow6SQqpFQr38qbACxP9XI/s200/girl.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: right;">...clothe the naked!</div><div style="text-align: left;">I have also been given 30 handmade dresses by a wonderful woman of God to bring dignity and joy to some of the young girls I will meet. Every girls loves to look pretty! It doesn't matter where you live! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicY5SIlBXeKaPlZX-pYiXgD1cE2CRbsvEqTtacZ5eRObUEq0oF9tkaM_yEuSxcdRHLdVL7V8Xmq1AUfqgu60lPC8dWdOU9S1zIr3aaSKeDTl7LOeu18Mu2QsMLwHAow3PZlzK_BIUCjmk/s1600/hat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicY5SIlBXeKaPlZX-pYiXgD1cE2CRbsvEqTtacZ5eRObUEq0oF9tkaM_yEuSxcdRHLdVL7V8Xmq1AUfqgu60lPC8dWdOU9S1zIr3aaSKeDTl7LOeu18Mu2QsMLwHAow3PZlzK_BIUCjmk/s200/hat.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">...hats for babies!</div><div style="text-align: left;">Last year a group of postal workers from British Colombia knit hats for me to bring distribute through the woman's and children's clinic. This year the Seniors at the center where we worship heard about this and got in on it. I have over two hundred hats this year! A number of ladies at New Hope (youth included) contributed their skill as well. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnRO34vXCIjdRsc7Ij3Vp_CDhgzmJj83gDLhswRUVsA7Kf91ep7uutbmELvLxy3tbIn1AYF6JChv33r7g6zJBhsIiXVzVcAKXLOAECyOI1rPPvoVA4X0hQC7igqgpHo0UgAgIJ3xuqFws/s1600/kidscross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnRO34vXCIjdRsc7Ij3Vp_CDhgzmJj83gDLhswRUVsA7Kf91ep7uutbmELvLxy3tbIn1AYF6JChv33r7g6zJBhsIiXVzVcAKXLOAECyOI1rPPvoVA4X0hQC7igqgpHo0UgAgIJ3xuqFws/s200/kidscross.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: right;">...bring the Good News of Jesus Christ!</div><div style="text-align: left;">I will again be sharing the Good News that God has sent His son Jesus Christ to ransom his lost children from death and defeat all the things that harm and destroy his people. Please pray for the message of Hope to be spoken in the Power of the Holy Spirit and that many will come into the Kingdom of God!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Thank you to all who have made this trip possible. It is my fifth trip in the last six years. I am humbled that God has chosen me for this ministry and thankful that He has partnered you all with me. Please keep me and my family in prayer May 19-31st. Will post when I can. Look forward to God doing great things for His children! Donations are still being accepted. Shoot me a note if you are moved to help. Ansate Sana, thank you very much. Mungu Akubariki! God Bless you!</div><div style="text-align: left;">Bryan</div>Rev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-3998731271576817292011-03-26T06:07:00.000-07:002011-03-26T06:07:39.828-07:00Friends of Restless Heart Ministries, you saved another family!Dear Friends,<br />
I had an urge to call our friend Ruth in Tanzania yesterday. She is caring for a family in one of the outlying villages in desperate need. The clinic is building a hut for them on our farm so they can work the land, have a place to life and access to much needed health care. I asked how we might help, this was the reply.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><i>We gather we may need 15 bag of cement :18.000 each bag (270.000) and some wood for roof. Food is about 40.000 a month for 3-4 on a very basic level ( that gives them maize, beans, dagar-little smelly fishies- porridge, and maybe a little rice and milk, some oil and some tea and peanuts) They will have some fresh stuff from the farm and they have chicken , so some eggs. <br />
That is not too bad nutritionally I don't think?<br />
It is of course not enough for ****, but we are giving him plenty of extra protein and vitamins)<br />
Mama Ndugu brought the loveliest sprightliest little 3 year old girl while I was doing ward rounds. She was really cute with braids and pink t shirt and trousers : a picture of lovely life and health ..and asked me if I rembered her: I admitted I did not : I had seen her 1/2 year before weighing 5 KG *(2 1/2 years old at 10 pounds) with undiagnosed TB. We referred her for Tb treatment and she was given food help from Familia Moja (Restless Hearts!!!!) and now she weigh 13 kg and is : amazing!<br />
I wish I had my camera but it is broken!!!!<br />
You just would have loved it!<br />
God bless Ruth</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">So, friends, it is because of your prayers and donations that the hut will be completed and the family has found a donor who will be providing food each month. They are taught the Bible and prayed for each day. They are not Christians, but they are seeing and hearing daily of His Love. Thank you all for helping this family!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Bryan</i></div>Rev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-23959180012108600492010-05-28T14:00:00.000-07:002010-05-28T14:00:38.183-07:00Seymour gets baptized at 88 years oldSo I man I have known for years got baptized on last week into the family of God. I was so excited to hear about it that I ran upstairs to tell my wife weeping with joy....why?<br />
<br />
I met him years ago while serving as an assistant at a church in CT. His friends would bring him to church and he would walk up for a blessing during communion, see he was Jewish but came each week to hear of Jesus and experience His love through His people. One Sunday he walked right up to me as I was handing out the bread, looked me in the eye and said "I want one of those". "I'm sorry" I told him, "but you can't Seymor, you need to be Christian" (I knew him well and he didn't believe in Jesus at the time)..."so God doesn't want me?" he replied. "Oh no, he wants you desperately" I told him.<br />
<br />
So for the next year he would come to church looking for peace. He had lost his wife (the good woman) years ago and he didn't understand why and was in deep pain. She had suffered an long illness...they were good people, he had done good, he was an industry leader in the NY garment industry...and now he was alone, trying to fill a void and numb the confussion. He gave tirelessly to the poor and broken...and he would listen over and over.<br />
<br />
One Sunday he walked up to me during the service and said "I don't believe what you believe but I want to... But I can see that you really believe it with all you have"...."is that enough?" For now, I told him...and he went back to his pew.<br />
<br />
We would meet for lunch time and again and talk about the good woman and Jesus over burgers at Fridays' in the mall...and always the sadness would remain. He loved me (as he always said) and adored my wife and daughter...and I loved him as only a person who has walked through deep sadness personally can....<br />
<br />
I left that parish yet kept in touch. And this morning I heard that last Sunday he got baptized. The priest had walked up to him during brunch after the first service and told him he had been thinking that he should be baptized...ok, he said. Great, let's get together and discuss it! No, let's do it today! Sure, next service! No, how why not now?<br />
<br />
So upstairs they went, with a witness...and my friend Seymour walked away from a world of pain and hurt into the open loving healing arms of Jesus. And I weep and shake as I write this. I can still see his face across from mine over so many burgers...the why's, the pain, the why would a God like that want a man like me?<br />
<br />
I cannot wait to see him as soon as I can, this new creation friend of mine. I am so grateful for his friends that brought him to church and told him of Jesus..and I am so grateful for God that He gave his best for this man...and that this man walked away from all he knew into a new faith and the arms of Christ....at 88 years old...praise GodRev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-73389273901115346462010-05-19T09:40:00.000-07:002010-05-19T09:40:58.835-07:00One month and countingSo this morning I was in prayer about why the Lord has sent me to Tabora...and I kept getting the sense that was to simply talk about Jesus, buy nets and help bring food and water. So when I started working this morning there was a message telling me of a wonderful new donation for just such work!<br />
<br />
This morning I purchased an ingenious irrigation system from Chaplin Living Water Ministries. There are two drip systems; one uses a trash can the other a five gallon bucket (neither included!) and a flat irrigation tape, connectors and a nail. By raising the container a specific height and spacing the holes in the tape, it is possible to make horrible land fertile! The entire weight is 16lbs so I will have to trim my bags way down but that's ok....<br />
<br />
So it's been a good day...God clearly spoke in prayer, and answered! And I found a way to help people not only conserve water, but increase their harvest!<br />
<br />
Keep ya posted, keep praying!<br />
Blessings<br />
bRev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-41827611865627374962010-05-12T05:23:00.000-07:002010-05-12T05:23:02.418-07:00Tanzania 2010 updat from the clinicPlans are well underway! We have raised funds to:<br />
<ol><li>cover my travel to and in Tanzania</li>
<li>build the cistern in Tura</li>
<li>purchase nearly 400 nets!</li>
</ol>Keep praying as hearts are moved and funds roll in! Here is the latest update from the clinic (don't mind the spelling as Ruth has a broken keyboard)<br />
<div> </div><div>Reg Mwakashindye : don't worry about spelling: I spell it wrong all the time.... Reg cistern or well: they are having a lot of input from government suddenly and been give 'a lot of money' (!!!) to build a zahanati , water, etc. o We think they are trying to phase us out maybe, but there are so many places to go that are waiting for us that we are quite grateful. </div><div>We are hoping to build a small 'familia moja community' on th farm for socially, or 'medicALLY' OUTCAST /needy PEOPLE. We are hoping to build two first houses this summer and we have <strong>no</strong> clean water there. So maybe building a rainwater cistern there would be something that people want to support? </div><div>God bless you wherever you are. Love from here</div><div>Ruth</div>So we wiRev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-24877649349598416972010-04-15T06:09:00.000-07:002010-04-15T10:36:14.769-07:00what happens when the Holy Spirit falls on kidsBryan, <br />
I just have to tell you what happened here yesterday. Noah (our second) had a baseball game and Chase stayed with his friend JB (who is not a Christian) to play Xbox. We return three hours later to see them out in the dark putting away the lawn mower. Our neighbor moved months ago back to Cleveland because her parents both died and she was alone in the house and only in her early twenties. The house is empty and the landscaping was really getting bad. In our community, you are fined if your yard is not kept up. Instead of playing video games, Chase and JB spent three hours cutting grass, pulling weeds, and clipping hedges for someone who would never know and never see them. They felt very good when they were done.<br />
The next day, another neighbor who saw them cutting the grass asked if they would cut their grass for $20. They were so excited because they had been trying to get lawn jobs. JB came up to me and told me very excitedly. I told him that it was God and he said, “I know!”. I started to tell him about the Good Samaritan story, but Chase had just told him. He told him that they helped someone who couldn’t give them anything in return. God saw their hearts. Praise God! What a witness to JB and Chase!<br />
Another boy on the street asked why they were cutting the grass at the empty house and if they were getting paid. Chase & JB said no and that boy said, "What a waste of time!". <br />
I have been holding a bible study for these kids every week for about 8 months. I have seen small moments in their lives (usually only during the bible study and not outside where it really counts), but when the kids lead the kids, then we will see real change! God is at work on our street!<br />
Thank you for your workshop. Chase gets it and has had two opportunities to live it already this week!<br />
KristtiRev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-20574671145908718022010-03-19T07:02:00.000-07:002010-03-19T07:45:53.850-07:00Blood, Jesus and the Soviet Union...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCBJAh9JJOCYKRpKIAO7nEMJmbd9P3Dqq22rZ3XoaulvC1s3UNjtePej-_jGMQW3vYFhzwufC8nRIEeh3TYXVt8F_EST0hpD8hGLgiA86HsK2DH1r_uWA-inq25aDpI-xiNpKjhFS-jg/s1600-h/blood.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCBJAh9JJOCYKRpKIAO7nEMJmbd9P3Dqq22rZ3XoaulvC1s3UNjtePej-_jGMQW3vYFhzwufC8nRIEeh3TYXVt8F_EST0hpD8hGLgiA86HsK2DH1r_uWA-inq25aDpI-xiNpKjhFS-jg/s320/blood.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5450345660774736514" border="0" /></a>Early this morning I went to a clinic to have some blood drawn. I had to fast overnight so I was in the twilight state of dad-with-an-infant-with-no-coffeeness... a very sad state indeed. The last thing on my agenda was talking about the centrality of Jesus to the Christian Faith to a Polish immigrant who had seen the destruction of Churches in an attempt to erase a the history of Christianity from an entire country but God always seems to have a different agenda for me... (dang, and without coffee)<br /><br />Her name was Celina and noticing her accent I started small talk asking where she called home. Poland, she told me...how do you say hello (I love to learn a bit of language) so she told me and smiled and that opened the flood gates and we talked all about Poland...<br /><br />I was taught about the hills, the plains, the mountains, the people. I asked her when she came and she told me she had been in Poland when it was occupied by the Soviet Union. "I'm a priest" I told her, "what was it like for the Churches then...do you have a faith background?"...Yes, she said she was Catholic and spoke with pride of Pope John Paul II. It was good for them all because before that they never saw the faith, it was all hidden in Rome but now it was in their villages.<br /><br />The Churches were knocked down and burned during the Soviet Occupation she told me, and they were taught in school that Jesus did not exist, a vastly different story from what they were told my their parents at home. They (the Soviets) had no idea about Jesus. She told me of a Soviet doctor who had come to America; she had pulled her aside one day while she was doing some blood work and asked her "what is this Christmas?" ...It is the birthday of Jesus! Celina told her...<br /><br />Can you imagine, she asked me, not knowing about Jesus? It is sad, she said, especially all those whose religions practice hatred...like the violent Muslims. If you just practice your faith well, we are all OK! You practice what you do and we practice what we do...we all worship Jesus but in different ways...I could understand how her parents taught her this. They had been forced by death and fire to recant their faith...and now they could not stomach to "force" anyone to accept a faith that seemed exclusive. She came from a land and a time where you didn't talk back to your parents, where you accepted what they said...<br /><br />And I was left to speak the Truth to a woman whom I had just met, an Ancient Truth, the Truth, that went against what she had learned from her parents in the village...<br />"Celina, that is not Christianity. Only the Christian Faith worships Jesus." He is the only hope to reform the hatred you have seen. It's about being in Christ and worshiping Him. "<br /><br />How do you convince someone who has been told by their fathers, fathers, father something else? "You can't" I told her, "that is the job of the Holy Spirit", the power that your Pope knew. "Only the Holy Spirit can transform a heart of stone to a heart of flesh."<br /><br />"This is not what my parents taught me" she said. "I will have to think about it".... so I told her to not believe me but to search the Scriptures and ask a Priest. She looked intense, not offended.<br /><br />I was struck by the conversation and went off to have breakfast at Starbucks, sitting by the window, reading, eating and praying...and I found myself struck yet again by how God is so ridiculous...<br />a woman had watched her country destroyed by a Godless power and had come to America for opportunity...and one morning while drawing blood from a sleep-deprived man heard about Jesus in a way she never had...<br /><br />So I have this haunting thought in my mind from the whole conversation; she said she was very glad that John Paul II was from Poland because they could finally see the faith and it was no longer hidden in Italy...how true for the rest of the world...folks don't see Jesus because He's hidden in the Church...<br />bRev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-80079915199512677442010-03-17T05:10:00.000-07:002010-03-17T05:46:38.120-07:00Spirit-driven mission according to Scaredy Squirrel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE01dWkXcDfBfszcslsO3-7xKDRB12UR7D7IsYvxUKjdnCDkvOLlIuwcPA6eI9JBmJo5GRgJw5bXU_ykK8cpHmjDFqHLcgH-DROIzTR-Ig3AdFh1L2K499_-BIquUJmcMQGFcl92Z5TrU/s1600-h/scardy+squirell.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE01dWkXcDfBfszcslsO3-7xKDRB12UR7D7IsYvxUKjdnCDkvOLlIuwcPA6eI9JBmJo5GRgJw5bXU_ykK8cpHmjDFqHLcgH-DROIzTR-Ig3AdFh1L2K499_-BIquUJmcMQGFcl92Z5TrU/s320/scardy+squirell.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449574487174257010" border="0" /></a><br />I am an Anglican, and as such I believe the Word of God to be True, the Master to have paid my price, Jesus to be alive and active, and to be called to proclaim Jesus to the ends of the Earth.<br /><br />I am Anglican, and I trust God to be God, and His plans will succeed.<br /><br />But I have not always felt this way, and I, along with Paul (the wretch formally known as Saul) live a daily struggle to release my meager, futile attempt of control of the universe to the one who created it....<br /><br />As I have journeyed this Lent I have seen God in the midst of my life and the lives of others. I have seen and heard the Voice which spoke creation into existence in the homeless, the natural order, within the wall of my house and the interior of my soul. He has used ancient Words from the Patriarchs, Words from my Spiritual Anglican Fathers and from my daughter's story books...<br /><br />I have learned from Scaredy Squirrel that we can pack all we wish to bring for all of the unforeseen emergencies yet it is God alone who knows what we will need, and it is He alone who can provide what is needed along the way. Scaredy Squirrel never left his tree for fear of the presumed known (green martians, sharks, killer bees, poison ivy, tarantulas, and germs) looking and checking day after day at his emergency kit packed with all that would be needed in case the dreaded expected unexpected happened upon him....<br /><br />...and when he finally did fall out of his tree (an accidental reaction to a misconception of reality) he found that he was not in need of all he thought he was...God had made him a flying squirrel.<br /><br />And so it is with Christians who experience what Brennan Manning calls "the second conversion", a point in life when they are exposed to the reality of their futile attempts and the greater reality of God's Grace in the midst of their fear. Sometimes they jump, other times they are pushed, but in the midst of the free-fall if they will but release their lives to the Spirit of God He will appear...the relief may not come in the way they expected; they may not sprout wings and fly, but God will come...<br /><br />Jesus told his followers to go and spread the Gospel and take no staff or bag (the Gospels record this story differently...take/don't take the staff) for His promise to Abram (later Abraham) of protection and reward holds true to them...for God is not man that He should lie nor son of man that he should deceive. Don't pack an emergency kit, for you will have no need for God. That is trust, and that is where the power of God lives...<br /><br />So at New Hope my folks are jumping out of the tree into a housing complex a mile away from us that people steer away from because of things more real than green martians and sharks in the woods...and we are taking no staff nor purse but we are praying and jumping. If we stay in the tree where will they hear of Jesus?<br /><br />We jump out of our tree because our Savior was nailed to His tree for us...<br />Will you jump too? This Lent, pray that God shows you where your plans hold back God's desires and dreams for you and the world.<br />b<br /><br />SoRev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-74533722144512726292010-03-16T10:47:00.000-07:002010-03-16T11:47:57.428-07:00Barney's beat shoes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZa_rT7XwAoYf7rvCL_JoxKaCZTxOYXEnLt_8Lqy2aB8fHIqpCziHtDk0klkWN6OfgvtjgLTVxjypgT-0ne25WfpWsLEKvFvibLOhoUhREwhK20TPECC35qHBJ4BKDbjtx_TUCDsgR98/s1600-h/photo(6).jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZa_rT7XwAoYf7rvCL_JoxKaCZTxOYXEnLt_8Lqy2aB8fHIqpCziHtDk0klkWN6OfgvtjgLTVxjypgT-0ne25WfpWsLEKvFvibLOhoUhREwhK20TPECC35qHBJ4BKDbjtx_TUCDsgR98/s320/photo(6).jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449289898666895746" border="0" /></a><br />So I have a real problem with deception...to know that what you are trying to conceal is not palatable and to package it so that others will start to swallow the lie....until it's so far down their throats that they can't spit it back out...that's just wrong.<br /><br />I have a truth that many will not agree with, that Jesus is God, that the Cross on which He died paid a ransom for my soul and brought me back into relationship with God the Father, and that at some point in time Jesus will return and bring those who profess to His name along with Him...<br /><br />My being right with God is because of Jesus...Christianity has nothing to hide...it professes a ridiculous truth and does not try to soften it.<br /><br />One of the letters in the Bible, called the Second Letter to the Corinthians says in chapter two, verse 17 that "unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, like men sent from God". The Greek behind the word there for "peddle" means to water down, like wine, to take what was strong and make it weak. That is what Barney is doing with the Cross of Christ, he tells people that it did not buy our sins, that Jesus was not God....<br /><br />And Barney is committed to going to many places to tell this lie...I've seen him in many places in town, most recently today at the Children's Museum...<br />I had taken my daughters for a daddy-day-date and there was Barney and his friend in white shirts, black pants and name tag...working as a volunteer...<br /><br />As I've mentioned before, I have no problem with folks wearing their symbols (the uniform is such I had been told) but tell the truth behind your outfit please...so I said hey and he remembered me and started some small talk...we were on our way out so I sat down and put my youngest in her car seat and put my oldest coat on...and closed my eyes and began to pray for these two young guys who had been lied to for so long by so many...and when I open my eyes I noticed Barney's beat shoes...he was talking to a person on the other side of counter and had one foot resting behind the other so that the sole of his shoe was exposed..and I noticed that the heal of his left foot had completely worn through so that a large waffle-looking section of the inside of the heal had been exposed...and the Holy Spirit began to move my heart...why could he not afford new shoes? Why was he comfortable with bad shoes? Did folks in his "church" know he had such crappy shoes?" And then I was convicted of the fact that his shoes had been worn out by all his walking in my town spreading lies about Jesus...and I was sad because my shoes were not...<br />What do your soles look like? What does your soul look like? What do your shoes wear out from? Spreading the Gospel, working, exercise? Why don't Christians in North America have to buy multiple pairs of shoes each year because we walk around so much spreading the Gospel?<br />Ahhh So many questions! It's been some Lent let me tell you....I pray that my shoes wear out, and that my Gospel is not peddled...<br />bRev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-49835034387438916822010-03-14T17:31:00.000-07:002010-03-14T17:54:42.222-07:00living water in the midst of the chaos<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwGEEWm3JJiCWPhz_dAG5XFgTb9BFiG2fTCby3t7xVgLq8gQi_yoVLGPWDQVPEZRhAu0vTBCYO8QkLOsZkXkQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe> My church was really blessed today by a friend of ours named Annie. She's part of the thing that God is doing to her generation...living a life following Jesus like the world hasn't see in a long, long, long time. Her testimony is powerful, her love for Jesus gut-wrenching, and her passion for seeing people live Holy lives unquenchable.<br /><br />I arrived early to help set up the church as I do each Sunday at the middle school where we met. It was a pretty crappy day by North American Standards..a bit of rain, a bit of cold, but I was moved to get out of my truck and pray for the area around us...<br /><br />So I walked across the parking lot to look at this little brook and find that it's raging. It's amazing how a little water over a wide area can turn into a powerful river when focused....<br />so I found myself praying deeply, and loudly, that the Church would become the torrent in the midst of our towns, that God would concentrate His Spirit and pull the people together and that the river formed would carve a path that cannot be stopped...<br /><br />Annie preached on the Living Water that flows out from us...and we later spoke of the water that flows from under the Temple in the Throne Room that pours from the four corners...<br /><br />But around the river was a whole lot of trash...beer cans, nip bottles, and just garbage...so I found myself praying for all those who are outside the source of the Water of Life, and picked up the junk and placed on the floor in front of the alter...and as we went up for communion, we were had to walk past it all...praying for those outside the river...<br />a powerful day indeed.<br /><br />Do you see the river flowing under your school too, or is it just me? Do you stop and pick them up just like Christ did for you, or is it too wet, or too cold? Did anything stop Jesus? I pray that we all jump in the torrent and pull those in with us along the banks...Rev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-39533843084085763312010-02-24T08:17:00.000-08:002010-02-24T09:51:47.857-08:00how to loose the fear...I've been in Dallas for the past four days surrounded by people who are following Jesus Christ and helping the nations see His radiant image and experience healing and power. The Bible studies were insane as one teacher in particular spoke the inspired words from Saint Paul to the Church in Corinth....all things will one day glorify Jesus...and it all became clear<br /><br />As is the case with me so often, and as the teachings reminded us time and time again, God works on the periphery of life and if we are attentive to the movement of the Spirit we will see it. I received a great many things from the gathering, but it was with my Bishop over breakfast in Dallas Fortworth Airport that I was released to bring Jesus to the nations...out on the edges, on the end of the vine, where there is the greatest amount of light.<br /><br />Brennan Manning speaks of a trust that borders on the heroic as the trust that honors God. This trust is the faith Paul wrote about in his second letter to the church in Corinth and explains why we are given this trust:for the honor of Jesus and the comfort and salvation of others (2 Cor. 1:3ff).<br /><br />I read this passage this morning as I sucked down a grande Americano and had one of those "ah-ha-so-how-could-i-have-not-seen-that-moments" ...the God of all comfort gives us comfort through our conviction of the reality of Jesus so that when we walk in the dark places we will be able to be a witness to those around us.. When we are fully (well, as much as we can in our "being sanctified human state") aware of the power and scope of Christ's atonement we are set free from fear...sounds good on paper, yeah? The comfort is not for me, for he also states that we will suffer as well...our comfort is a bit different.<br /><br />So over breakfast after the conference Jesus came to my aid and helped me loose just a bit more of my fear. I was able to give my fear to God, along with confessing my pride lack of trust over eggs and homefries...and the most incredible thing happened:<br /><br />I was forgiven and set free. God wants me to be all he died for me to be (stolen verse, but too good to pass up).<br /><br />So, how can you let a few of your chains fall? Look at times in your life when you have been afraid or felt that God had abandoned you and say "Lord, I am sorry that I felt that you could not keep me safe in this area. Please forgive me."<br /><br />There may be some work to still do for sanctification is a process, and it may be a long road but this is the start. So I am grateful for the conference, and for the fact that I came to the airport eight hours before my fight, and that my Bishop took a wrong turn inside the terminal so that he happened to pass by me, and that the Holy Spirit allowed me to confess my fear and weakness to the Lord and my Bishop, and that God healed me in many ways...for in my weakness God is my strength...<br /><br />Thank you Jesus that indeed you take my yoke when I ask you too... I am walking a little lighter today. A bit more of my life has glorified Jesus.<br />bRev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-64440015186156388652010-02-20T11:04:00.000-08:002010-02-20T11:25:55.014-08:00Ruthless Trust...a Lenten giftAt New Hope Anglican Church a number of us are reading "Ruthless Trust" written by Brennan Manning through Lent. As I prayed for our parish and asked the Lord what it is we will need for our work, trust echoed over and over. Manning is very clear in the book that trust is the mark of a true disciple of Jesus...I've understood this for years, but why through Lent?<br /><br />Trust was required of Jesus as He abandoned Himself to the Fathers' will...<br />Trust was required of those who followed him...<br />Trust is what's needed more than anything in a world where we can seemingly fix anything...<br /><br />Trust is what we get when we give up our will, our lives, our autonomy....<br />He is asking us to give up ourselves. We do this so often in church, singing songs of surrender. But the reality comes home to roost quickly when we examine our lives and our actions, doesn't it? <span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Trust is our gift back to God, and He finds it so enchanting that Jesus died for it (p.2)...childlike surrender is in trust is the defining spirit of authentic discipleship.(p4). <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />Why is it so hard to trust? We want clarity! We need to see where were going! "Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and you must let go of it" (p5)<br /><br />The stakes are enormous and seem to be irreversible, don't they? But that is what the Lord demands of us...and has not History proved Him to be faithful? Perhaps if we would just take the time to come before the Lord and speak to Him about all the times we feel He has let us down, the times when He was not there, then He might be able to speak to us.<br /><br />It's a come-clean and get-honest moment with the Lord. I've brought many things to him....and I keep doing it...day after day and sometimes moment after moment.<br /><br />What are you giving up for Lent....try giving up your lack of trust...<br />b<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><br /></span>Rev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-57807628358791107072010-02-18T03:08:00.000-08:002010-02-18T03:34:37.181-08:00Jesus wasn't a jerkI was struck hard as I am each Lent by the incredible power and love the early church had for the Lord, each other and the world...and how far off the mark my life in Christ is to theirs. In particular the passages we read from 2 Corinthians 5:20ff hit me to the point that I found myself standing in front of a congregation of two combined churches repenting of my failure and to be the ambassador Christ called me to be, and asking them all, young to old, to accept my failure and forgive me. How could I do this? How could I stand weeping in front of those whom I lead as well as a visiting church and their pastor? The Holy Spirit blessed me with eyes to see the ancient Church, myself and the Lord together...<br /><span class="verse-num" id="v47005020-1"></span><br />Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. <span class="verse-num" id="v47005021-1">21 </span>For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. <p id="p47006001.01-1"><span class="chapter-num" id="v47006001-1">6:1 </span>Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. <span class="verse-num" id="v47006002-1">2 </span>For he says,</p> <div class="block-indent"> <p class="line-group" id="p47006002.04-1">“In a favorable time I listened to you,<br /><span class="indent"></span>and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”</p> </div> <p class="same-paragraph" id="p47006002.22-1">Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. <span class="verse-num" id="v47006003-1">3 </span>We put no obstacle in any one's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, <span class="verse-num" id="v47006004-1">4 </span>but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, <span class="verse-num" id="v47006005-1">5 </span>beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; <span class="verse-num" id="v47006006-1">6 </span>by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; <span class="verse-num" id="v47006007-1">7 </span>by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; <span class="verse-num" id="v47006008-1">8 </span>through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; <span class="verse-num" id="v47006009-1">9 </span>as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; <span class="verse-num" id="v47006010-1">10 </span>as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.</p><p class="same-paragraph" id="p47006002.22-1">So I repented of complaining when others mocked me, of taking the easy way out, of not staying up nights in prayer and ministry, of being overfed, of slandering others when I was angry, of being upset when my character was defamed, of not rejoicing...</p><p class="same-paragraph" id="p47006002.22-1">So the early Church's leaders repented of this, so I did, thanks to the Holy Spirit, who put it all into perspective. And by His Grace, I am a new man today. We finished with Eucharist so that we would not attempt to live this life on our own which would lead to complete failure. Funny thing about God, He tends to hold your feet to the fire. On the way home I stopped for a coffee after a long day and long drive home. The girl who made my Americano asked me, after we talked a little, what I gave up for Lent. (guess my dirty forehead gave it away)...I didn't respond right away, I had just repented in the Spirit and guess was still processing.<br /></p><p class="same-paragraph" id="p47006002.22-1">"I gave up being a jerk" I told her, "and by God's Grace I won't be anymore". She was taken back to be sure. When she finally had some words together she said "that's odd, most folks give up chocolate or alcohol, I've never heard of that". "Well" I told her "we're called to give up sin in our lives that keep us from being the full image of Jesus. So when Lent is over, we're supposed to look more like Him. So what I lay down I try not to pick back up... At the end of Lent, I wanna look more like Jesus, and He wasn't a jerk."</p><p class="same-paragraph" id="p47006002.22-1">please pray for me</p><p class="same-paragraph" id="p47006002.22-1">b<br /></p><p style="font-style: italic;" class="same-paragraph" id="p47006002.22-1"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /></p>Rev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-74234185213235232332010-02-15T16:46:00.001-08:002010-02-15T17:03:56.795-08:00Mormons in the Mall...the lies they don't tell yajimmy Hendrix once said it wasn't the notes, it was the spaces in between...and man did that come home to roost today when I walked behind a group of Mormon Elders today at the mall.<br />First, I gotta tell ya, when I see a cult such as the Mormons or the Jehovah Witness's I follow them around, praying and walking up to those whom they talk to and fill in the empty spaces. Why? I'm a follower of Jesus and when folks lie about Jesus, I have to speak up<br />So I walked up to this group of eight who were wearing their name tags walking around the mall and asked if they were talking to folks that day. "No, today isn't a "P" day" I was told. "P" day I asked. "<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Proselytizing</span>" they said, they were just hanging out at the mall. But they were wearing the uniform and badges so I knew it was a total lie. So I did what I said I would do and just followed them at a distance praying and asking God to keep me from getting any sense of superiority.<br />Well it was a cat and mouse game. I finally walked up to then at one point and said "It's pretty obvious you lied and you are indeed here to talk about Mormonism...so let me just ask you one question. Are your parents Mormon? Yes they all said. What about your Grandparents? One of the three said yes. To the two I asked, where are they now that they have died if they weren't Mormon? Well, it hit the fan. I kept asking simple questions and was told that God does not judge and all is acceptable, that Jesus saves everyone, that you don't have to have a full command of Scripture to be an Elder, that all "christian" faiths are <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ok</span>...<br />What <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">happened</span> was that that I asked questions off the ones they had been trained to answer..and they were ripped when I wouldn't let them not answer the question. What they didn't say is that they believe that the Mormon "church" has the only line on the truth...so these four kids couldn't even tell me their "truth". Near the end of the conversation one of them said "please let me just speak (I wouldn't let him turn the question), and I said sure, let's just sit down here and you can tell me every thing you want to...to that he said he wanted to go and play basketball...funny, I thought if we truly cared for souls we would take all the time needed at all places..my heart broke for these kids and I have even more resolve to stop the lies that God hasn't paid the full debt in Jesus. I mean, these kids said we worship the same Jesus, but that His death and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">substitutionary</span> atonement were sufficient....and that this is what all <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Christians</span> believe.<br />to that I say...I will walk behind anyone, any where, at any time and make sure they tell the truth they believe and don't mislead with partial truth...Rev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-42914845192470370002010-01-27T06:22:00.000-08:002010-01-27T06:54:40.895-08:00substandard sardines and Jesus<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX1PLCmzAlwJIgczLDC8NthmQxt4nVIyvc9ib2uX4fZ5Ga1zmfQVcnKEegbxNESFkeiErQL4fP89-d-YV91Rik5_zEPdmHyjC5ssjWdSBALT8OK3xnW4PufLXoWfVdw_Wk5d2sOZWJeNA/s1600-h/IMG00249.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX1PLCmzAlwJIgczLDC8NthmQxt4nVIyvc9ib2uX4fZ5Ga1zmfQVcnKEegbxNESFkeiErQL4fP89-d-YV91Rik5_zEPdmHyjC5ssjWdSBALT8OK3xnW4PufLXoWfVdw_Wk5d2sOZWJeNA/s320/IMG00249.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431425567024584338" border="0" /></a><br />During my trip to Tanzania last year I had to build an impromptu roof rack for the clinic truck to carry all of nets back from Arusha. I purchased the lumber from a local guy on the side of the road...after some negotiating I bought eight feet of rough-cut 2x6 for $5 US. I needed some tie downs to keep the huge bundles on top. Peter, one of the drivers for the diocese wanted to use the traditional long strips of black rubber that Tanzanians used to tie down everything...I swear they would use it to tie a wing back on an air plane! But to be fair, it's local, it's cheap, and it's functional. "Driver" doesn't begin to describe what these guys are...they are expert drivers, know everyone everywhere, can find everything, fix everything, and put their lives on the line for you...but I was on a hunt for some came straps as the drive was a few hundred miles on dirt "roads"...<br /><br />Arusha is the hub of all the tourist traffic heading off on safari so it has an odd mix of traditional and "modern"...we found this supermarket in town that was just insane! You could buy anything you wanted, at a pretty reasonable price...of course most folks in this huge place were mzungu (whites)...and every accent could be heard in each isle...<br /><br /><br />I found my straps in the automotive isle (having one of those was nuts enough)...and we poked around buying things we didn't need but were craving anyway...broccoli, coffee, candy...canned fish for the ride back...so this can caught my eye...<br /><br />have you ever wondered where the world's supplies of substandard sardines ends up? It's a dirty little secret i guess you don't see on the "deadliest catch"..sure those fish suck, but hey, let's send them to Tanzania and make some money!...<br /><br />I kinda think that's how most of us life out lives of mercy to the hurting world...we keep the best and send the substandard stuff along...how can i say this? It's so rare that new clothes make it through the sorting bins at a local mission agency where I volunteer with a bunch of guys that when a piece of tagged clothing comes through you'd think we found a hundred dollar bill...<br /><br />sure, when disaster hits we all jump on, but what happens when the dust settles...<br />i guess it's a gut check for me...am i keeping all the best and sending along the crappy sardines? If we have been truly transformed by Jesus, we'll give away the best...just like God did.<br />When we peer into the manger, the cross, the empty tomb...and realize the once-for-all-deal that we have been given....you just can't keep the good fish to yourselves...Rev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-9106769773391310062010-01-12T02:30:00.000-08:002010-01-19T13:06:17.198-08:00Jesus, assault weapons, and reconcilliaiton<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-kUGPnWDGwOUD43Mt0xA3s5915fWhaVjh8LtGK0JTMorH3BT2oXTVBo86p5pwSxqx84l62Pw-P5bMHIPeF2pgihezj3RZLX4m2B4LlCEj_Br_0iKDkXS0ur8SOkeofnndEgoLclAHYE/s1600-h/DSC_0006(2).jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-kUGPnWDGwOUD43Mt0xA3s5915fWhaVjh8LtGK0JTMorH3BT2oXTVBo86p5pwSxqx84l62Pw-P5bMHIPeF2pgihezj3RZLX4m2B4LlCEj_Br_0iKDkXS0ur8SOkeofnndEgoLclAHYE/s320/DSC_0006(2).jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5425799154438426274" border="0" /></a><br />...This past weekend as I was instituted as the Rector of my church (formally recognized is all that means, with many prayers and praises) the local paper was there with us. The headline the next day read "Rebel Priest Ordained". Other than the editorial glitch (I was already ordained) I'm really glad that they see me as a rebel because I am doing all in my power to be part of the revolution..<br /><br />I was a revolutionary in college when i hung out with folks who were into Earth First and spiked trees. I've lost count on how many times I've marched on DC to protest policies, I've picketed outside the UN, and even the US Embassy in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Pannama</span>...we actually closed the Pan-American Highway... I picked coffee for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Sandinista's</span> in 1987 during the Contra War and hung out with 13 year-old kids with AK47's and US Grenade Bandoleer. Yep, I bit of a Rebel...<br /><br />And now they say I'm a Rebel because I love Jesus, think He is who He said He was, believe God is tired of Christians sitting in their pews watching all Hell break loose, and want to empower Christians to live lives of love that will set the world upside-down just like God asked us to.<br /><br />And the revolution was a blast last week as i called the local churches together to pray for a broken country and send some aid as well. So a friend and I went to local business putting up fliers to call people to prayer...we stuck them on gas pumps, auto vacuums, coffee shops...grocers put them in their customers bags, stacks were taken to be handed out...<br /><br />and as I was out I bought some gas cards for some folks and there was a lady there with a sticker on her car that read "the more people i meet, the more i like my dog"...after a week of hearing people talking so much crap about such a tragic event i wanted to show her at least one person who might be acceptable so I turned back, bought an additional $25 card and gave it to her.<br /><br />"no, no, no" she said "you don't have to do that"..."yeah I do"...handed it to her and left...<br /><br />so let the revolution continue...and for God's sake, get out of your pew....see most people think God is as big as a jerk as many people who claim to be His followers....<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Gandhi</span> was asked once why he wasn't a Christian and his reply was "because of Christians"....so let's try to bring <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">reconciliation</span> to the broken, and show people the revolution on God's terms, not ours<br />bRev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-22429531625903519542010-01-07T03:23:00.000-08:002010-01-07T03:36:46.029-08:00New Year Resolutions and Jesus....they don't mix<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhbzgnmwkECaMImPPUWw4V4OGfEElzflM21MX9JdBihno68NDlWf4-oecAYoi0unM9ApO8KAOI4mBGvuUHLf9s5Tn9P5Xq_4WPZGcryJWcu7pkgRzLiYGF13Jg4KnhxHsRfFS17XOw87k/s1600-h/100_7700.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhbzgnmwkECaMImPPUWw4V4OGfEElzflM21MX9JdBihno68NDlWf4-oecAYoi0unM9ApO8KAOI4mBGvuUHLf9s5Tn9P5Xq_4WPZGcryJWcu7pkgRzLiYGF13Jg4KnhxHsRfFS17XOw87k/s320/100_7700.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423957207539192498" border="0" /></a>So it's been awhile since I had a chance to breath and type a bit but life hasn't stopped, nor our work...<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">I've</span> just been remiss. I really want to be more <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">diligent</span> about blogging this year. No, this is not a New Year's Resolution! As a matter of fact I can't stand them and I starting to think that Jesus thinks there nuts too!<br /><br />The history behind them as most will attest to a time when people would return debts and start fresh. Before the New Year date was <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">aligned</span> with our calendar the day fell on the Spring <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Solstice</span>, which makes a whole lot more sense, yeah? I used to celebrate the New Year by either spending the day surfing on the East End of Long Island in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Monatuak</span> in as many wetsuits as I owned or rock climbing in New <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Paltz</span>, NY freezing parts of my body off but proving a point!<br />But what makes New Year's and the accompanying resolutions really "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">un</span>-Jesus"?<br /><ol><li>We're called to live lives self-examination daily, not once a year</li><li>The top 10 list is self-centered. Most include loosing weight, not smoking etc...good things to do, but all about "me"</li><li>They fix the results of the root problem, not the root</li></ol>So here's the deal...this year I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">resolve</span>, by God's grace and power, to ask myself daily why i do what i do and what or who and i living for. i will seek to live my life for the sake of others and when my life drops out of balance i will look for the cause<br /><br />It's not a "what would Jesus do" thing...it's a "do I look like Jesus" and if not ask Him to help me...<br /><br />so the shot at the top of this post is of my friends in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Tura</span>, Tanzania....<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">I'm</span> gonna try and live for them this year<br />bRev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-82006884045649620642009-11-18T05:27:00.000-08:002009-11-18T06:02:43.580-08:00Christ-like hateIf i hear "it is what it is" one more time I'm sure <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">i'm</span> gonna puke, honest. It really hit me last week how much I hate this phrase. I know hate is a strong word, but i hate this phrase and everything about it in very real Christ-like hate. How can this be? Common now Bryan, didn't Jesus say love your enemies? Doesn't the Bible say God is love? Absolutely! But trust me, God hates a lot of things and I was witness to many of them yesterday...<br />So it is what it is... in Connecticut strip bars are legal under the guise that all parties concerned are "willing" I suppose. But God hates it, and I will make no apologies about that statement. God hates the fact that His creation is being sold or rented for use outside of His beautiful original intent. I hate driving by larger than life signs on the highway telling me what "love" is about. I have a wife and two young daughters, one is two and a half, the other is 14 weeks. Each time I see a billboard about "love" or "dancers" I think of mom's and dad's who drive by these signs who have children caught up in this exploitation. I'm not looking forward to the day when I have to tell my daughters about these signs they see everyday...it's called sin kids and it destroys lives, homes, families, dignities...and it's really ugly and why is it allowed? Because most folks in pews like to sit in pews...<br />So I followed a sign yesterday after finally being convicted that I live a life of "it is what it is" by simply driving by these signs and complaining and doing nothing....I pulled off the highway on my way home from a meeting. I had tons of things to do but that was a lame excuse to not help break chains of exploitation. So the place was right off the side of the highway and I parked my truck in a central location, dropped the tailgate and sat there in my collar praying for an hour in silence; I prayed for the girls who were being exploited and the men who were exploiting them, for a state government that makes money off this exploitation, for the wives of the men who saw me and stuck their ring fingers inside their pockets, for the kids who went the to Subway next to this place and saw all this action, for my daughters, for the parents of the girls who worked in places like these, for parents whose sons went to places like these, for the kids who's mom's worked in places like these, for the kids who's dads went to places like these...and I began to day dream of a day when the Church would rise up and hate the things that Jesus hates....not the people, He loves them, but the ugliness that we have all become blind to.<br />Thankfully nobody approached me (I was ready but scared) I sat shivering from the cold, hyperventilating in nervousness, and thankful that God has so transformed my life that I hate the things that He hates....<br />...so i sat their praying, not yelling, carrying tears on my cheeks, no sign in my hands...and by God's grace perhaps one person saw the love of Jesus saying no....and was changed<br />So it is what it is,<br />It ain't what it's gonna be (when Jesus makes all things new)<br />So what are you gonna do about it?<br />I can't take any credit for what i did...<br />...see I met a bunch on 2o something kids last year at a youth conference (Rock the World) who stood against a wall outside the strip district in Kansas City every Thursday night for a year...they took in prostitutes and helped them get their lives back...this kids inspired me<br />...i also know of a bunch of people in a small church who are planning to minister at a truck stop in the center of the country that is known as the second largest hub of human trafficking in the country. These are people you would never expect to do this, but they are getting ready.<br />...all these folks understand what it means to hate like Jesus....to love the broken caught up in the horrible ugliness of this broken world, to see the cashmere under the burlap, and what to pour the love of Jesus on those whom have had a truck load of crud poured on them...<br />So what are you going to do about it? It doesn't have to be big, but it does have to be something...and it has to be in love...<br />I was changed yesterday...my heart broke a little more, my prayers became a more focused, and my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">priorities</span> in life shifted..<br />bRev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-50604207528335448412009-10-28T06:57:00.000-07:002009-10-28T08:58:33.529-07:00Christians should play in traffic"Why don't you go and play in traffic!" ...<br />Not such a nice thing to say to someone. I remember this as being one of the earliest playground put-downs I ever learned. You'd tossed it out on the kids you didn't really like, often paired with a "your-mamma joke"...."your mamma tells you there are cookies in the street for you!" I think that Christians should play in traffic! Not that I don't like them (well, some I do not), but too many Christians are content to live in the parking lot, waiting for the service to start, their Bible Study friends to show up, or to set-up for the pot-luck, or whatever. Parking lots are nice, safe gathering places. You pull in, get out of your car when you want, get back in when the whatever-thing is over, and drive home...<br /><br />But life is lived in the street, with everything flying<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYIkiuXskoep0PbcVlWLXIMhG23VkRGnGx9vE0BbdAk-HewSepPYBtHXvU6xZC_LMhR6jIRl_hMFpddT33eyBHFSZbL-9O2uh7WEqOaUJnaoVrBrfNdRic80RXqLTMYIujhveo3j3hYdQ/s1600-h/100_8260.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 203px; height: 153px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYIkiuXskoep0PbcVlWLXIMhG23VkRGnGx9vE0BbdAk-HewSepPYBtHXvU6xZC_LMhR6jIRl_hMFpddT33eyBHFSZbL-9O2uh7WEqOaUJnaoVrBrfNdRic80RXqLTMYIujhveo3j3hYdQ/s320/100_8260.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397672083699269410" border="0" /></a> by. Here is today's foray into traffic. It started out with a phone call while my family and I were away for a short trip up North. We have a connection with a woman who runs a yearly childrens tagsale that involves 80 sellers. I walked up to her two years ago when we visited the sale and asked if the sellers might consider donating her leftovers to our ministry efforts. She normally splits the donations between myself and a social worker in town but this year we were given all of the items! I had to laugh as it was just last week that we cleared out our garage and thought it would be empty for some time. My daughter (2 yr old Olivia) thought it was nice that "there was nothing up front!" and she could get to her bike by herself!<br /><br />Whenever my garage is full, I know the Lord is a<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaW184eF4BeUoAQ1J-H3869EInISVRgzQ8JnZUxqFSJncY7D000lorkRswbtQq-vD853cNA0yTv2a_OTa9qKg2dsrLrGczT4teA0P77FITxyqfuK6VAQS15VQ9FsRBPLgaybdV71XtV5I/s1600-h/100_8262.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaW184eF4BeUoAQ1J-H3869EInISVRgzQ8JnZUxqFSJncY7D000lorkRswbtQq-vD853cNA0yTv2a_OTa9qKg2dsrLrGczT4teA0P77FITxyqfuK6VAQS15VQ9FsRBPLgaybdV71XtV5I/s320/100_8262.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397650509571590018" border="0" /></a>bout to send someone our way. Her name was Katiria, and she had gotten my number from a pregnancy crisis center. She's expecting a baby girl in a few months and didn't have any baby furniture...all she needed she told me was a baby bouncer; I showed up with a bouncer, baby bath, highchair, exercise seat, play mat, toys and a box of winter clothes. I would like to make a shameless plug here for the Honda Ridgeline Truck! I replaced my Toyota Tacoma (you may have seen it in previous blogs) a couple of months ago after I looked in the rear view mirror at my daughter sitting wedged between bags of donated cloths. The Lord sent this truck our way and it is perfect for our ministry! The back seats fold up completely in less than a minute so I can make deliveries in poor weather without a tarp!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPDcA5SIhwu1z_WcSSIa3vlwQ8wSwfnfACt91GRcH5u1BwQBguAQIJaU0C7D2Hn-r3TuSEiMkkAGlz1cPeGSt9reFcJHA8F2y76j0cJJbfDhIswZHAXT56T8BgtIMgtghUVblY74lGoU/s1600-h/100_8263.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 231px; height: 174px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKPDcA5SIhwu1z_WcSSIa3vlwQ8wSwfnfACt91GRcH5u1BwQBguAQIJaU0C7D2Hn-r3TuSEiMkkAGlz1cPeGSt9reFcJHA8F2y76j0cJJbfDhIswZHAXT56T8BgtIMgtghUVblY74lGoU/s320/100_8263.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397650825958524770" border="0" /></a>So with the the truck full of blessings I left the parking lot and went and played in traffic. This portion of my ministry rarely takes me more than 10 miles from my home but I am always astounded by where I end up. My GPS has a little flag that pops up on the screen and tells me I have arrived at my destination...but until I walk in the door I never know what it will be like.<br /><br />So this morning I found a pregnant mother with her young son and her mom living in an apartment with a couch and a couple of speakers...no table or chairs, lamps, picutures....nothing...well there is now a pile of things for the baby coming. So I passed on the blessings, talked about life, shared about Jesus, and prayed for them...and made a mental note of what they needed so I could get back. This is traffic people, and it's where followers of Christ need to play...get out of the parking lot, for the sake of Christ and those who have yet to see or feel His goodness and Glory...<br /><br />It's not easy, and at times it's not fun...even dangerous. I always wear a collar when I drop off by myself. But it is always right and it always changes me...and the traffic never stops. As I was leaving to make the delivery my cell rang. It was a woman who I had helped about a year ago when she got her first apartment and she had no furniture for herself and her son. She is expecting another child and was perhaps looking for a crib...she wasn't sure if she was going to keep the baby as the financial burden is great. I don't have a crib for her right now, but I told her that I would buy her one tomorrow. She said to wait, and not spend the money as she would think about it. I prayed for her and told her I'd call her....the traffic doesn't stop.<br /><br />Your faithful servant of the Most High God,<br />bRev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-78570175750462380922009-10-08T06:57:00.000-07:002009-10-08T07:29:57.310-07:00Who is going to pay for it?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4e9vDcfe54imTrUR7UPwa_D8f8BQQXkDwcXwnTyJ1Y-V6hG-MXtM7JcI0MmV9J9x3z9XmiTZumpckfSkGzeOB63uLQKJJ7pqFJPm5NSXO3JI4jT61sBFLFcwVh8VvGJkMwPAqcZJ6DbI/s1600-h/100_8184.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 156px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4e9vDcfe54imTrUR7UPwa_D8f8BQQXkDwcXwnTyJ1Y-V6hG-MXtM7JcI0MmV9J9x3z9XmiTZumpckfSkGzeOB63uLQKJJ7pqFJPm5NSXO3JI4jT61sBFLFcwVh8VvGJkMwPAqcZJ6DbI/s320/100_8184.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390228519169407618" border="0" /></a><br />So this is what my little back patio looks like this morning. I picked up a bed, lamp, shelves and a few other items last night with my dad. I had a referral for a single mom who had to leave her apartment because of black mold. She had to leave everything she had behind...everything that is accept for her four <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKE4bN5CaZMgnJWzcR-f-gcROAK2jfOL8udm_dGXXb-rPMJ0LpbpwoC29ZvgCXlfpfscZyTXN-xazyXSN35HLeZoo8BxUlnTZmKC2OeajbiFoJl00nk8i5eJ8Fv6pZpU8POvph6T42Tpg/s1600-h/100_8187.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 199px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKE4bN5CaZMgnJWzcR-f-gcROAK2jfOL8udm_dGXXb-rPMJ0LpbpwoC29ZvgCXlfpfscZyTXN-xazyXSN35HLeZoo8BxUlnTZmKC2OeajbiFoJl00nk8i5eJ8Fv6pZpU8POvph6T42Tpg/s320/100_8187.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390229692545305986" border="0" /></a>children (4,3,2 and one month old).<br /><br />This is what my garage looks like. I've got another twin bed, a TV, a couple of chairs and a number of other odds and ends that were donated to me to help out the folks I'm in contact with. That blue plastic thing on top is my oldest daughters pool...you can't see her wagon underneath the pile.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWehw5RRyNRfwsVid-SLG7-38ohj-AU1Npr-TAvpLLXB6v5t5sK7xL2K7quQGds5B_tU3rxArB4k2SDNmMcMKtz1ytbxfe5H7CMVj4nmF2CF1Vc5apDs_kx2NgMGuQ-LxIPEZ7mjhYtJg/s1600-h/100_8188.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 212px; height: 159px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWehw5RRyNRfwsVid-SLG7-38ohj-AU1Npr-TAvpLLXB6v5t5sK7xL2K7quQGds5B_tU3rxArB4k2SDNmMcMKtz1ytbxfe5H7CMVj4nmF2CF1Vc5apDs_kx2NgMGuQ-LxIPEZ7mjhYtJg/s320/100_8188.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390230644946486370" border="0" /></a><br /><br />This is my "office" in the basement. I keep baby clothes, diapers and formula on hand. As a dad of two kids, I know how expensive these items are so whenever I am refereed to a family I ask if diapers or formula would be helpful. Now, I'm not trying to come across as a super-apostle that everyone should emulate. I've been given a very specific task and am trying my best to make "much of Jesus and much of His cross"<br /><br />So as you can see, we're a little pressed for space with our ministry. Our second daughter, as small as she is, takes up more room that I thought. We've been tossing around the idea of looking for storage space but never seriously...until this morning. I found a space at a self-storage facility that seems like it will fit our needs. It will cost us around $125 per month to rent. Not too bad, but the question soon came up with my wife and me "who will pay for it?"...our ministry funding? Our personal giving? Some friends who know our work well?<br /><br />I was struck by how fast the question came up...even while I was unloading my truck this morning my neighbor and I had a talk about my work (she loves it) and I mentioned our need for storage...and her remark was "who is going to pay for it?"...<br /><br />Now here's the problem...this very question Jesus constantly gives me...how far and I willing to be put out for the sake of the Gospel and for the needs of others? And the Holy Spirit reminds me of how far Jesus did....Rev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-65850514546117317972009-08-28T06:18:00.000-07:002009-08-28T06:45:22.467-07:00Jesus wants us to put people down!I've just launched into, well, I should say called, brought, dragged....into another personal spiritual reformation. Reformations, when they're true, can be troublesome.<br /><br />It's not a make-over. As a Western American Culture we're all about makeovers. We can watch as friends send your name and video of your "pathetic" style into What Not to Wear and have Stacy and Clinton convince you that yes, you were a slob, just look in the 360 mirror...<br /><br />Or we can go a step past that and stick you in a fish-tank on the middle of a sidewalk and have complete strangers tell you that you look at least 10 years older than you really are...and then have all kinds of chemicals dumped on and in your body so you look that magical 10 years younger<br /><br />We watch houses, living rooms, closets, backyards, lives made over so...but does it last? I watched Stacy and Clinton the other day (oh yeah, I need fashion tips) and they were doing over this guy who was really honest in the end and said "I don't think two years down the road I'll keep this up, but it would be good". They both flipped and had him "rewind" and say "oh yes, I will do my best to keep this up!"<br /><br />Makeovers don't get down to the foundation...except for extreme home makeover I should say...it's a cover up for what we can see, clothes that cause the illusion of losing weight, makeup that makes us look well rested when we work far too many hours...<br /><br />No, only reformations get to the root, and that's a task too big for ourselves to do. And it's too big a task to ask others to do alone as well. So that's where our big Compassionate God comes into play, empowering us to love and do the things He would like us to love and do, by changing our foundations. It's a process, see. God has planted His son in me, and the Holy Spirit is working to illuminate my heart and mind.<br /><br />So for me, it's been the call to deeper prayer in Scripture so I can pray the will of God into my life and the lives of others. I've launched into a book by D.A. Carson (Call to Spiritual Reformation) that's taking me on a journey into the heart of God. It's changing me, from the inside out. It's causing me to love those I didn't.<br /><br />Carson writes "we shouldn't put anyone down, unless it's on our prayer list". So I'm finding myself putting lots more people and things down on my prayer list. Things like politics (secular and church) that I didn't want to think about because it took me off my track of "being spiritual" are now on the top. And I'm learning how to pray with an honest bipartisan heart...not the fake bipartisanship I had before.<br /><br />So, I pray this reformation will have it's way with me. It's uncomfortable, since it's shifting me around. And I'm putting lots of people down along the way. And Jesus, I am sure, is really happy about that.<br />bRev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-81036185039407941172009-08-13T07:30:00.000-07:002009-08-13T08:01:01.903-07:00I shopped for beds, for Christ's sake!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369456214807988418" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcRiCbbhAQyLgQR4V9iwAaeumTjKO1SS88kAXrjXM8osAv70Rh8shDK6AONLyy6H0O3ABW4p2xyiVDiSRnkj5LCcgGMpfXyNAl5oITx9OBNfKBfId5Q3WiNmEKVr9-y85WJWN1saDyppQ/s320/100_8024.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br />For Christ's sake, I learned about furniture shopping this past week! You can't just walk into a store anymore and buy a bed and drive away with it in very many places. So I spent a few hours running around looking for a bed to take care of someone...<br /><br /><br /><br />For Christ's sake, I had enough in donation fund to buy Donna's little two year old daughter her own bed. She was still sleeping with her mom. Donna works full time, and a good nights sleep is really needed, so a "simple thing" like a bed really goes a long way.<br /><br /><br /><br />I was able to find Donna through one of my contacts who performs home visits. She's a member of the growing population of working poor in America. Although she works hard and tries her best it's just not enough any more. There is always something coming up, always a decision to make, something needs to be purchased and someone or something always has to do without. So Donna's gave up her own comfort because she couldn't buy a bed for her daughter.<br /><br /><br /><br />That is sacrifice. Hard as she tried, it just isn't enough.<br /><br /><br /><br />There is an myth that the Albatross pierced it's breast and fed their y0ung with the blood. It was the iconic image of self-sacrifice, and as such the early church picked up on it and used to to explain the substitutionary love of Christ's sacrifice. He gave up His live and was pierced, He fed us with His blood.<br /><br /><br /><br />So we, as followers of Christ, are called to pierced ourselves for those who are crying out for food...<br /><br /><br /><br />Not just a little pin-prick, but a real piercing...<br /><br /><br /><br />So, for Christ's sake, and to help out Donna's daughter, I chased down a brand-new twin box spring/mattress and frame, a set of girlie sheets, a new pillow, and pink side bar so she wouldn't roll out in her sleep. I took a bit of work to get everything, to get the funds, to find the person, but Jesus did a bit of work for me...<br /><br /><br /><br />...did God work in the midst of this, for Christ's sake?<br /><br />He did, as always. Donna shared that she was not working yet as she was high risk and had lost two children seven months into her pregancy. So I shared the story of my son Samuel...and then told her of my eight-day-old daughter, Hannah...which means "God is Mercy". I was there I told her, because Christ had given me everything, and I wanted to others to feel His presence.<br /><br /><br /><br />So for Christ's sake, God led me to a woman to bring a bed for her daughter, share a story like hers, and talk about Restoration.<br /><br />And all simply because I went furniture shopping, for Christ's sake!Rev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-45643001951097000642009-07-30T09:05:00.000-07:002009-07-30T11:07:54.812-07:00Random Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty really ticked off Jesus<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9DnUDjmyWeUBCUqLetU9mDpg6szEnMMX0ONeXQuvOJ2ly-tzrXr9FEB6lmoH1yAMBouIfuOCyt5YJfc1llHcV-DF0dGJE5NJrmZLzlWRL6pw7neJeZNCzHJ12S94YRQbSrTGZ-MECaA/s1600-h/marie.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364286335062704514" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9DnUDjmyWeUBCUqLetU9mDpg6szEnMMX0ONeXQuvOJ2ly-tzrXr9FEB6lmoH1yAMBouIfuOCyt5YJfc1llHcV-DF0dGJE5NJrmZLzlWRL6pw7neJeZNCzHJ12S94YRQbSrTGZ-MECaA/s320/marie.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Forgive me for being bold, but I've really come to believe that Jesus doesn't really care for random kindness and senseless acts of beauty. </div><div></div><div></div><div>Randomness is very selective. We really don't do anything randomly, do we? We're spurred on to do a "random act of kindness" to people we want to help out, when our schedule allows for it, when we have enough for ourselves. Do you randomly help people who tick you off?</div><div></div><div></div><div>Senselessness has no purpose. Senseless acts of beauty are not very beautiful at all; they are self-seeking, self-serving and rather cruel. It says "I helped you for no reason" or "I cared for your hurts, well, just because!". </div><div></div><div></div><div>No, I think Jesus wouldn't be down with that purple sticker... He's down with living a transformational life of integrity, one that makes us more lovely and those around us more loved. </div><div></div><div></div><div>I just dropped off a truck-bed full of furniture to Marie and her daughter this morning. A case worker called me and said they could use some help. So I packed up a dresser, two end tables, a coffee table, a kitchen cart, two throw rugs and some kitchen stuff that some folks gave me. I keep this stuff in my garage <em>on purpose to be kind</em> to people who need help. </div><div></div><div></div><div>My wife and I also gave them a set of new dishes and flatware. It says a lot when folks who are struggling get something new. It says when we were shopping, we knew there were some folks who didn't have what we do. It says we spent our money on you and we were committed to finding and helping you. It says "you are worth something new and shiny".</div><div></div><div>It has a very intentional purpose and is not random at all. It makes my life intentional, and makes the person on the other end feel the same way. </div><div></div><div></div><div>So what did this do? </div><div></div><div>Marie told me that while she was waiting for me her daughter asked her why I was doing this. "Because sometimes nice people do nice things" she told her. I told them both that's not why I do this. I do this because Christ is always good and gives me everything all the time....and I was just passing some of it along to them. When I gave her the dishes and flatware she was deeply moved. I don't think many people with access to computers know many folks who have furnished their entire lives with second-hand everything. For the first time in nine months that woman and that girl <em>real.</em></div><div></div><div>Could you really tell Maria and her daughter they just recipients of randomness and senselessness? </div><div></div><div>So, do yo get it? Jesus can't stand random kindness and senseless acts of beauty.</div><div>How can I say this? The cross was not random, nor was it senseless. And as He did, so do we. </div><div>blessings,</div><div>b</div>Rev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-4407816016561330472009-07-10T13:27:00.000-07:002009-07-10T14:07:27.697-07:00Junk on my desk; Jesus' love for the unfinished<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAEuly6czoUtr_gbJmAhmA2fZ-2IVWYkwyQI_I4hotFf-lHdFXMLmAasX4h_rVQ59rZZyisZb4mc_CwXR2rGrreDQuatBTQH2ZKJ83Iib3jUKbLPynVjAMN3l4XfG4p7HW7C3qEr5810/s1600-h/aggate.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356931117696744978" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAEuly6czoUtr_gbJmAhmA2fZ-2IVWYkwyQI_I4hotFf-lHdFXMLmAasX4h_rVQ59rZZyisZb4mc_CwXR2rGrreDQuatBTQH2ZKJ83Iib3jUKbLPynVjAMN3l4XfG4p7HW7C3qEr5810/s320/aggate.jpg" border="0" /></a> Sorry for the poor shot, but my card reader is sick...<br />So years ago when I was like 9 or so and looking way to much like Danny Partridge, I visited a friend of my uncle's while staying with him one Christmas. He was a hoot this guy...he kinda looked and sounded like a character from one of the old-school <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">claymation</span> Christmas Specials... I remember wire glasses and a plaid vest...<br /><br />He was (or is if He's still alive)...a crazy rock collector. He had everything from beach pebbles to hunks of rock from African diamond mines that actually had diamonds in them! His house was FULL of this stuff!<br /><br />He took me around his house and my eyes must have been big as dinner plates...we ended up in his shop where he cut and polished the precious and semi-precious stones. He looked right at me..."Bryan, take any rock you want..." I kinda lost my breath...he was being honest too, no little game for a funny little overweight, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">freckled</span>, redheaded kid...<br /><br />I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">reall</span> don't know why, but in the midst hundreds of really expensive rocks i picked up this one...it's Colorado <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Agate</span>, a semi-<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">precious</span> gem stone...and it's not even completely polished! The bottom is still rough as well as the top corner that you can see.<br /><br />"Really....you <em>really</em> want that one?"....yes, what is it?<br /><br />So I've had this half-done rock that's not worth much that I picked out from <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">amongst</span> the largest collection of perfect and expensive rocks....<br /><br />I keep it now right in front of me on my desk. It reminds me of myself you see, and all of those I find, and all of those whom Christ died for...the unfinished, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">un</span>-perfect, in-expensive, diamonds-in-the-rough (i could have picked one!)<br /><br /><br />Micah 5:2 "But you, Bethlehem <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Ephrathah</span>, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."<br /><br /><br />1 Corinthians 1:26 - 2:2 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-- and the things that are not-- to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-- that is, our <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">righteousness</span>, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">NIV</span> 1 Corinthians 2:1 When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.<br /><br />So, thank God that I am not finished with, yet chosen to polished into the image of the Author of Faith...<br />"<em>do you really want THAT one"....</em><br />...you see, i know the answer is yes...<br /><br />Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.<br />bRev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7551733074902729860.post-41919433993082790112009-06-17T11:14:00.000-07:002009-06-17T11:49:13.949-07:00The heros of Tanzania<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvr-VFQXjiwe8evca_NWjaWoTKnABfihjBlyB_s7ktVzU1yM6YUz5T1xYl8P1uQl8zQTyzcxoPexHzZ7KsCV0CgaDZU48jMtYzWegKdwa15Q-EO9IKv9Jw_5xJUezrZnLGrzj7n4e6o0/s1600-h/100_7580.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348363449752470802" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvr-VFQXjiwe8evca_NWjaWoTKnABfihjBlyB_s7ktVzU1yM6YUz5T1xYl8P1uQl8zQTyzcxoPexHzZ7KsCV0CgaDZU48jMtYzWegKdwa15Q-EO9IKv9Jw_5xJUezrZnLGrzj7n4e6o0/s320/100_7580.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I flew into JFK yesterday at 7:50 am and as soon as I hit the ground people began to ask me about the trip. It's odd talking about it right now; I have so many things to talk about and at the same time I'm desperately trying to understand what happened to me along the way. Oswald Chambers would say I became a "holy experiment"...</div><div> </div><div><em> </em></div><div><em>"there is actually only one thing you can dedicate to God, and that is your right to yourself (See Romans 12:1). If you will give God your right to yourself, He will make a holy experiment our of you-and His experiments always succeed".</em> (My Utmost for His Highest, June 13th).</div><div> </div><div> </div><div>I'll be writing about the trip for the next however long it takes but I have to start by giving God the glory of all things and to tell the story of Asher, the holy experiment. Asher is an Evangelist with my diocese in Tabora, Tanzania. Evangelists are laypersons (men and women) who are called by God to enter into a community and plant a church. They receive no money from the diocese and live off the what they can grow and earn. When they rains don't come, they are very hungry. When the crops do well, they are full. At all times they love the Lord with a steadfast love that cannot be moved. </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Asher is the evangelist in the village of Mwakashndye, Tanzania. When the Dr. at our clinic asked the evangelists if they would work with her to bring the clinic to the poor who could not access health care, Asher jumped at the chance. It takes 2 1/2 hours to get to his village from the clinic, up to 6 hours during the rainy season. He and others made a "road" out of a "track" (single-track bike track for you Americans) so that the clinic truck could make it out instead of having to pack all the gear on the back of bikes. </div><div>The clinic arrives every two weeks and Asher is there to serve his people. </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>He sits on a wooden crate that is sideways, behind a wooden table in the shade of the main mud-brick house that the clinic runs out of. He takes the meager money that the sick bring to pay for the drugs that are heavily subsidized by the clinic. None of the money that he sees pass before him will go to him. He is a selfless man, he is a holy experiment. </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>The others kid him often (in love) that he has no teeth and has to eat only soft food during the morning communal breakfast that is the meal for us that day. We laugh and I share with him that he will have glorious "Resurrection teeth" with whick he can eat aged beef at the feasting table with Christ. As the day ends I search Asher out and ask him how his church is doing. He tells me that there are around 50 people who attend each Sunday. How many in your village I ask...about 50 he tells me. </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>Asher gets it. He has given all that he had and has allowed the Lord to make a holy experiment out of him. I am so grateful for this man and his faith, for his love for his people and for the blood of Jesus that saved him. If you ever come with me to Tabora, I will introduce him to you. If that never happens, look for him at the Banqueting Table, he'll be the one with the biggest smile, sharing his aged beef with all those around him. </div><div> </div><div>In His Mercy</div><div>bryan</div><div> </div>Rev. Bryan Bywaterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02282366537394291268noreply@blogger.com0