It’s 5:50 am, the sun is rising and I am wide awake – I’m suffering from jetlag for the second time. I don some running shoes and clothes and step out of my air conditioned but otherwise humble accomodation onto the large spanish style balcony that reminds me of the movie Zoro, and into the warm, sticky air of the Caribbean island of Trinidad. I descend the beautifully crafted spiral staircase to the ground below where I meet a number of other jet-lagged travellers for the morning run. As we leave the training compound, I notice the gutters on the side of the road are not the slight step up that we are used to in australia, rather a large trench exists on either side of the road to handle massive amounts of stormwater during the rainy season. Driveways form miniature bridges accross these casms from which eminates a smell that is not very pleasent for that time of morning.

Every person that we pass along the way waves to us and says ‘Good morning’ and we respond in kind. In the Caribbean it is very rude not to warmly greet someone you make eye contact with and I’m sure we also stand out as some of the only white people on the island. As we turn a corner onto the main street there are cars honking and weaving around each other, there seem to be very few rules. Every third or fourth car is either a sporty new Japanese car or an older car that has been heavily modified, everyone loves fast cars. In our short journey we make out churches (half the population are nominal christians who occasionally attend church) and a Hindu school (around 40%) are hindu.

Exausted, I am more than happy to return to the training facility to have  a shower and spend some time with God before breakfast, but I am excited to be in such a different country and excited to see how God will use me in such a place.

At Pre Ship Training I am learning about local culture, the ship structure, methods of evangelism and spiritual disciplines (like quiet time and bible reading). It is an intensive week that will do well to prepare me for my two years on the ship and with each day that passes I am more eager to actually board this vessel.

As my bus travels along the unlimited autobahn to Frankfurt, Germany for my flight to Tobago, I gaze out the window at the rolling green hills, the occasional picturesque village and most of all, the expensive black BMWs that speed by. A thought enters my mind: I would really love to live and work in Germany and drive a fast, black, shiny car and live in a beautiful village. I would like to get married, settle down, live the easy life and make lots of money. I especially like the cold climate of northwest Europe. But I am on my way to one of the hottest parts of the world and to a life of sacrifice. I won’t have a car at all and I will be sharing a little cabin with three other blokes, eating what is given to me and doing whatever I am told. I have elected to live this life because I believe that God has called me to join the ministry of the Logos Hope.

As I look forward to the trials and hardships that may befall me in the coming two years, I think how hard it seems to go on. And as I think of all that I have left behind and all that I could be aquiring that I have sacrificed, it seems so easy to ‘abandon ship’ and run back towards my old life. It is almost as though I am walking up a steep slope towards God’s plan for my life and I would much rather slide back down the slippery slope towards the things I used to enjoy. But as I consider difficulty to press on, I am reminded of the honour of serving God and the amazing adventures that await me and the ways in which God will use me to reach those who have not heard of Jesus. It is so wonderful to press on in what God has laid before me. And as I think of how easy it is to slip back into old habits, even on the ship, I am reminded of just how dissapointing it would be to abandon the life that God has called me to live.

Sometimes it seems like living the Christian life is too hard and it would be so much fun to just take back a few habits from our old life, but Christ has called us to move forward, not backward, into the life that he has prepared for us and the good works He has prepared for us to do.

Press on.

At breakfast we have bread and cereal. At lunch we have bread and a hot dish. At dinner we have more bread. The European lifestyle is a little different to that in Australia. But it is not without it’s advantages. In the food department they have a drink called cola mit orange which obviously is like combining coke and fanta. And there is a musli cereal with chocolate prices in it. Brilliant. It is in a way the same with the culture. Sometime I must speak slowly for others to understand but sometimes I learn or practice their language so it is fun.

I am here to learn about culture differences and other difficulties that I may encounter while I am on logos hope. Also I am going through a transition from my life back home to my life overseas.

On Sunday I will fly to Trinidad for ten more days of pre ship training near the ship and hopefully board the ship on September 10th. I will have no Internet until then so don’t worry if I don’t post until then.

Blessings.
Chris.

I have arrived in Delden, Holland at a conference center called de Kronze Danne. I am here to train and prepare for my two weeks on board the Logos Hope. The conference centre reminds me a lot of surf camp and soul survivor. I am staying in a cabin with 4 other men in a block called ‘de Els’ which seems to be an L shaped building. Of those I am staying with one is from Switzerland, one from France, one from South Korea and one from the UK so this is good preparation for life on the ship. There is a main area called ‘the Hof’ where we have worship and teaching for the 250

new recruits. There is also a massive dining hall where we have our meals together and between meals where everyone seems to bring their laptops to use the internet. My first day here was nice and easy while we got to know our surroundings and each other. I have met a number of people, some of who will go to the ship with me, others who I may only see in heaven but are still amazing people to meet. Also I have seen some familiar faces from last time I was on board, I thank God for that. Our first actual scheduled event was a praise and worship session in the evening followed by an introduction to the wonderful staff and and the program for the week. Today we only have a couple of sessions planned (including our ship meeting) as we all slowly adjust to our new surroundings. Tomorrow we will get into some good teaching and preparation. It’s going to be a very good week-and-a-bit.

What does it mean to be a Christian? Is it about doing good, living by the rules of a religion? Is it about filling in time here on earth while waiting for our ascent into heaven? There must be something more. Surely we have a purpose in this life beyond making money, sleeping, working and dying.

Something we really need to understand about the world is that, yes God loves us – but it’s not about God loving us at all. It’s about God. Everything is about God. He is the Alpha and the Omega, The beginning and the end and without him nothing that exists has come into being. The story the universe and therefore the meaning of life, the universe and everything is all about God, and we are his treasured creations.

We have been given life by God’s breath and whilst we have made a mess of our world, He has given us quite an amazing planet to live on. God is worthy of worship, it’s quite simple. He created the stars – do you have any idea how massive the universe is, how complex every star and planet, how intricate the human body? God is amazing! And every person on this earth should give him the glory for the great things he has done.

God’s desire

God is really keen to make contact with the rest of the world, but he’s not about to force himself on people like a dictator. Check out Ezekiel 36:22-23: “…It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name… I will show the holiness of my great name … Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.” (my emphasis added). And Habakkuk 2:14

“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”.

Abraham

His plan to reach the nations through people started with Abraham: Take a look at Genesis 12: 2-3:

I will make you into a great nation
       and I will bless you;
       I will make your name great,
       and you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,
       and whoever curses you I will curse;
       and all peoples on earth
       will be blessed through you.

This promise of God to bless Abraham and his descendants is given with the intention that Abraham and his descendants would bless all the peoples of the earth. We see also in Ezekiel 36 that God wants to use Israel to make his name known all over the earth, even though they had not done so well so far.

Blessings today

This blessing extends to us today. In Galatians 3:8-9 the author states “The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.” and in Acts 3:25-26: “You are really the ones God told his prophets to speak to. And you were given the promise that God made to your ancestors. He said to Abraham, “All nations on earth will be blessed because of someone from your family.” God sent his chosen Son to you first, because God wanted to bless you and make each one of you turn away from your sins.”

That’s fantastic! The blessing is given to us non-Jewish follows of Christ as well, but why? So that we may be a blessing to others. We cannot simply accept that God has blessed us without accepting the second part of the statement in Genesis 12:2 that commands us to be a blessing to others.

Our mission

So how are we to be a blessing to others and make God’s name great thought the earth. Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 28: 19: “Go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”. Our mission is clear, we need to get about the business of sharing the great news of Jesus Christ with people from all over the world. Not all of us need to go overseas and preach, but all of us need to play a part in this task. For this is both the desire of God and the revealed destiny of the church.

And they sang a new song:
   “You are worthy to take the scroll
      and to open its seals,
   because you were slain,
      and with your blood you purchased men for God
      from every tribe and language and people and nation. (Rev 5:9)

So I’m out of a job and uni is on break for the summer. What should I do with my time? I have endless bounds of time to do all the things that I used to love doing… now what were they? That’s right – games and dvds, the stuff that everyone else seems to love doing that I’ve never had time for because I’ve been working and studying.

After a month out of work and uni, I’ve realised that I should have left games and watching movies in the past, I’ve grown out of that now – I’m 22. My friends bought me half-life 2, counterstrike source and World of Warcraft for my birthday/christmas present this year, and whilst I was extremely thankful for the gifts, I quickly realised that a pack of cigarettes and some beer would have done less damage to my lifestyle and my relationship with God.

Firstly, I take offence to the amount of fantasy, mysticism, magic and downright evil content in the game world of warcraft, but I chose to live with it to be part of the scene. Quickly I became addicted to the point where I would spend up to 5 hours a day playing this ridiculous game, it was slowly, but surely sucking my life away. This morning I uninstalled World of Warcraft and Half life 2 in a bid to get my life back. The real world was moving all around me but all I cared about was that game, and now I’ve got sooo much catching up to do, did you know that it’s december? I barely acknowledged it.

With watching movies, I’ve realised that watching them does nothing for me, just fills my head with images which in a lot of cases i shouldnt be filling it with. I want to spend time with friends where I actually get to know them better and share life with them, rather than watching movies.

So, I’m kind of in a no man’s land right now, I really want to watch star trek: voyager, but I know that there’s no point in watching it again, and I am just looking for comfort activities, things that used to make me happy in high school, where I should be spending time with God, reading books and actually earning a living.

Sigh. Guess I’d better do some work today.

A few weeks ago, ade gave me a photocopy of a section of a book called
‘Esssential habits of an affective teenager’ (or something like that).
In it it asks me to answer several far out and personal questions. So
here are my answers:

1. Think of a person who has made a
positive difference in your life. What qualities does that person have
that you would like to develop?
Adrian Wauchope:
Adrian is my mentor and my big brother in Christ. He has helped me to
mature as a Christian man and release some of my potential. Adrian is
outgoing and friendly, he is never shy and eager to give handshakes and
or hugs. Adrian is all about encouragement and wants to help younger
men to develop thier Christian walk. Adrian would never leave a man
behind, no matter how unpopular.
Michael Crocombe:
Michael is my boss and has been for a few years. I am like an
apprentice to him, learning business and life skills. Michael is wise
and discerning, never quick to anger and never rushes in. Michael will
put all of himself into something he believes in.

2. Imagine 20 years from now you are surrounded by the most important people in your life. Who are they and what are you doing?
I am in a dissused factory in the heart of bombay directing a team of
skilled workers to install Information Technology and production
equipment for an upcoming major evangelistic event, At my side is a
young man in his late 20s – my apprentice – he is learning the finer
points of managing IT and production as he will take my place when I
retire. At lunch I am joined by my pastor, a german evangelist with a
heart for India. He depends on me to provide the technological support
for his ministry. I am also joined by my wife of eleven years and my
nine year old daughter Kathrine. She is practicing playing the flute,
which she is learning to supplement her existing vocal and piano
talents. She has only a healthy interest in technology and has plenty
of friends at school.

3. If a steel beam (6 inches wide)
were placed across two skyscrapers, for what would you be willing to
cross? A thousand dollars? A million? Your pet? Your brother? Fame?
Think carefully….

a) If that action were necessary to bring about the salvation of my friend Nathan or someone I am friends with in the future.
b) To prove that I am a worthy husband to my wife to be or to her parents
c) To save any of my children form any serious harm

4. If you could spend a day in a great library studying anything you wanted, what would you study?
The early church: 1ad-200ad

5. List ten things you love to do:
(not in any order)
  1. Worship God
  2. Write software
  3. Run production
  4. Hack (install difficult software, make changes to existing software)
  5. Listen to music
  6. Play music
  7. Learn to do something new
  8. Create visual art
  9. Write
  10. Serve God

6. Describe a time when you were deeply inspired
I was once inspired when I went into the bush and talked to God and
took photos of his beautiful creation. I was inspired by the grandure
and intracacy of His creation.

7. Five years from now, your local
paper does a story about you and they want to interview three people…
a parent and two friends. What would you want them to say about you?
I would want them to say that I really care about people, always do
what is right and fight against injustice. I want them to say that
Jesus is always first in my life. I want them to say that I built my
house upon the rock and cannot not be moved.

8. Think of something that represents you… a rose, a song, an animal… why does it represent you?
I am a lighthouse built upon the Rock. With Jesus as my firm foundation
I will weather the storm. With the light of the world inside me, I will
shine his light in the world, even in the darkest night. I will not be
moved.

9. If you could spend an hour with any person who ever lived, who would that person be? Why that person? What would you ask?
It would have to be Jesus disciple; Peter. Though he stumbled  and
fell, he gave his all for Jesus, and God made him a solid rock to build
his church upon.

10. Everyone has one or more talents, what are you good at?
Technology
Production
Music
Visual Art
Writing

What kind of conclusion can I draw from all that? I havn’t a clue.A few weeks ago, ade gave me a photocopy of a section of a book called ‘Esssential habits of an affective teenager’ (or something like that). In it it asks me to answer several far out and personal questions. So here are my answers:

1. Think of a person who has made a positive difference in your life. What qualities does that person have that you would like to develop?
Adrian Wauchope:
Adrian is my mentor and my big brother in Christ. He has helped me to mature as a Christian man and release some of my potential. Adrian is outgoing and friendly, he is never shy and eager to give handshakes and or hugs. Adrian is all about encouragement and wants to help younger men to develop thier Christian walk. Adrian would never leave a man behind, no matter how unpopular.
Michael Crocombe:
Michael is my boss and has been for a few years. I am like an apprentice to him, learning business and life skills. Michael is wise and discerning, never quick to anger and never rushes in. Michael will put all of himself into something he believes in.

2. Imagine 20 years from now you are surrounded by the most important people in your life. Who are they and what are you doing?
I am in a dissused factory in the heart of bombay directing a team of skilled workers to install Information Technology and production equipment for an upcoming major evangelistic event, At my side is a young man in his late 20s – my apprentice – he is learning the finer points of managing IT and production as he will take my place when I retire. At lunch I am joined by my pastor, a german evangelist with a heart for India. He depends on me to provide the technological support for his ministry. I am also joined by my wife of eleven years and my nine year old daughter Kathrine. She is practicing playing the flute, which she is learning to supplement her existing vocal and piano talents. She has only a healthy interest in technology and has plenty of friends at school.

3. If a steel beam (6 inches wide) were placed across two skyscrapers, for what would you be willing to cross? A thousand dollars? A million? Your pet? Your brother? Fame? Think carefully….

a) If that action were necessary to bring about the salvation of my friend Nathan or someone I am friends with in the future.
b) To prove that I am a worthy husband to my wife to be or to her parents
c) To save any of my children form any serious harm

4. If you could spend a day in a great library studying anything you wanted, what would you study?
The early church: 1ad-200ad

5. List ten things you love to do:
(not in any order)
1. Worship God
2. Write software
3. Run production
4. Hack (install difficult software, make changes to existing software)
5. Listen to music
6. Play music
7. Learn to do something new
8. Create visual art
9. Write
10. Serve God

6. Describe a time when you were deeply inspired
I was once inspired when I went into the bush and talked to God and took photos of his beautiful creation. I was inspired by the grandure and intracacy of His creation.

7. Five years from now, your local paper does a story about you and they want to interview three people… a parent and two friends. What would you want them to say about you?
I would want them to say that I really care about people, always do what is right and fight against injustice. I want them to say that Jesus is always first in my life. I want them to say that I built my house upon the rock and cannot not be moved.

8. Think of something that represents you… a rose, a song, an animal… why does it represent you?
I am a lighthouse built upon the Rock. With Jesus as my firm foundation I will weather the storm. With the light of the world inside me, I will shine his light in the world, even in the darkest night. I will not be moved.

9. If you could spend an hour with any person who ever lived, who would that person be? Why that person? What would you ask?
It would have to be Jesus disciple; Peter. Though he stumbled and fell, he gave his all for Jesus, and God made him a solid rock to build his church upon.

10. Everyone has one or more talents, what are you good at?
Technology
Production
Music
Visual Art
Writing

What kind of conclusion can I draw from all that? I havn’t a clue.