Why Did You Go to Cambodia?

It's Tuesday & I'm back to my regular job. Just last week I was on the other side of the world, sharing time in a country with a culture that I have grown to love. Me and ten nine other people were on the trip that changed our hearts and affected us in a way that will never be forgotten. The Khmer people of Cambodia were the focus of this two week mission trip that I had the opportunity of taking part in. Our church, First Baptist of Cleveland, TN, had partnered with the organization People for Care and Learning (PCL for short) to take part in their 4 day youth camp and see all the amazing things God was doing through this organization there in Cambodia. We walked with, ate with, shared with and worshipped an amazing God with these people. We went from the slums of the capital city of Phenom Pehn to a campground situated between the beautiful mountains of Cambodia and finally to the northern tourist city of Siem Reap all the while interacting with the Khmer people.
   You see this was the second year in a row that I have gone to this country, but this year was different. Last year I was introduced to the people that I would come to call my friends. This year I would strengthen those friendships and learn what relationships really mean when sharing the love of Jesus Christ. I see these people as my brothers and sisters in Christ. Yeah, I know, anyone who is a Christian I must see as my brother and sister in Christ. But, to be able to return one year later to the other side of the world and have people remember your name and who you are is a real special feeling. These were people that I had not seen in a year, had very little communication with, but they remembered me because I had taken time last year to get to know them, to eat with them and to talk to them. I did what Jesus did in the Bible with those he interacted with. He formed a relationship with others by talking with them and spending time with them.
    When we read of Jesus interacting with individuals we see that He always talked with them and spent time with them. In our churches today I bet we couldn't name over half of the people that attend. We have a hard enough time trying to keep up with the people we do know and then most of the time we surround ourselves with only those people and are afraid to let anyone new in. Jesus wasn't like that. One of my favorite stories is Jesus' interaction with Zacchaeus Luke 19. I'm not a fan because of the awesome children's song that goes with it (please notice my sarcasm), but because of what Jesus did. Jesus called out to Zacchaeus and told him to come down from the tree because,"for today I must stay at your house." Jesus stayed with Zacchaeus, ate with him and got to know him. Yes, Jesus already knew him, but he formed a relationship with Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus got to know who Jesus was had formed a relationship with him.
   Jesus desires the same relationship with us. We must get to know Jesus, know Him in such a way that we want to imitate him and tell others about him. That means we must want to form relationships with other people, get to know them so that we can be Jesus to them. Jesus formed relationships with other people so we must desire to do the same. I have formed some awesome relationships with people in Cambodia, but I must also do the same in my community. The love that I have for these brothers and sisters in Cambodia, must be the same love I have for brothers and sisters in my community or wherever. It is the love of Jesus Christ. In the places that we go we must desire to be like Jesus and part of that desire is to interact with people and form relationships with them.
   So, why did I go to Cambodia? Just to see my loved ones.

The Truth About Outlet Stores

The Truth About Outlet Stores

The other day I was with my wife in the great city of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Now, to understand the rest of this story you must know what kind of attractions exist in Pigeon Forge. Go-karts. putt-putt golf, various types of theatres, cool "museums" and outlet stores. Oh yeah, then Dolly Parton has a certain amusement park there that I can't mention the name due to copyright laws. It rhymes with Hollywood, just replace the H with a D. 

Anyway, I went with my wife to an area of Pigeon Forge that has a a wide variety of outlet stores. Outlet stores are one of the great American inventions. When brand name stores have overstock or merchandise that is damaged or has something wrong with it, that pieve ends up in an outlet store. This merchandise is then sold at a discounted price. Well, that's how it used to be, specifically back in the last few years of the 20th century. Neglecting to remember that I was now in the 21st century and this country having suffered maybe the worst recession ever, I proceeded to enter an outlet store hoping to score some nice stuff at a discounted price. I walked over to a nice butoon down shirt that I knew I would probably be purchasing very shortly. That is, until I looked at the price. It took me some time to find it because they hide those suckers so well. When I did it suddenly hit me that the definition of outlet store had changed. Now, I am not going to mention the store or the price, but let me just say that I didn't walk out holding a bag. I was frustrated because this store was supposed to be an outlet, advertising good merchandise at a cheaper price, but just ended up being another reguklar store in the chain of stores that bear a brand name.

It got me thinking though, do we as Christians present ourselves in this way? Do we tell people we are a Christian only to continue acting and living like we aren't? Do we on the outside look like a Christian, but on the inside have not chaged one bit? One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Romans 12:1-2, "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice- the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." You see, when you give your all to God, he will change you from the inside out. When your heart changes then the rest of you will change. Your actions, behavior, talk, all of that will change. This change must continue by constantly getting into God's Word, covering your day with it. People will know that when you say you are a Christian that you truly are a Christian by your life. You will no longer try to sell to others that you are a Christian, but you will automatically live it.