Homeless.

In less than nine hours, I will be homeless in the city for the weekend. No money, no car; just me, a backpack with a blanket and some snacks, and my classmates – maybe. I don’t know what to expect from Poverty Weekend, a period of 48 hours living in a homeless person’s shoes. Many students have gone before me, but Dr. Cook mandates that they only discuss their experiences with one another. To the rest of us, it is a big mystery.

To be perfectly honest, I’m a weird mixture of excited and terrified. Terrified because I’m dreading being out in the cold for hours (it’s supposed to drop below 50 tonight and tomorrow night), and I’m worried that I’ll somehow be separated from my friends who will also be on the weekend. I’m saddened that I’m missing a second weekend in a row on campus, unable to socialize or work on homework. But I’m excited because everyone who has experienced Poverty Weekend practically leaps out of their chair with excitement when they find out I’m going. Because everyone has told me it will change my life.

So here's to a weekend of joy and doubts. Of prayer and trials. Of God.

Psalm 121:7-8 “The LORD will keep you from all harm - He will watch over your life. Yahweh will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

A Day Without Shoes

It all started when someone invited Palmer Chinchen, author of True Religion, to speak in chapel at Cedarville University. Palmer is known for his compassion for the poor across the globe, and once hosted a "Barefoot Sunday" at his home church. On Barefoot Sunday, church members were encouraged to leave their shoes at the alter (to be given to those living in poverty with no shoes at all) and go the rest of the day without wearing shoes. Cedarville's current freshman class dreamed big, and held what was called Barefoot Thursday on the day that Palmer spoke - Spetember 8, 2011.

The goal of Barefoot Thursday is twofold. Firstly, to collect pairs of shoes for those in need. Secondly, to help those of us living in comfortable middle-class America empathize with the poverty-stricken population. Today was unusually cold and rainy (but it's Ohio - really, nothing is unusual), making it an inconvenient day to trek around campus barefoot. Along with many others, I made the decision to not only donate a few pairs of shoes that I knew I no longer needed, but spend the day without shoes.

The wet sidewalks were cold; and when your feet are cold, your whole body is cold. But at the end of the day, I had lost nothing from my day without shoes. Is going without shoes really that big of a deal? Maybe not for people who only spend a few minutes outside in the cold before going indoors to warm up. And shoes don't matter when you walk only on soft grass or smooth sidewalk. But soft grass, warm buildings, and clean sidewalks are also middle class luxuries. Imagine going a day without shoes in poverty-stricken Africa. Imagine having no shoes while you search for food or shelter amidst ground covered with trash or broken glass. Imagine that you have a cut on your foot with no antiseptics or bandages to help it heal. A day without shoes in poverty is different than a day without shoes in suburbia.

Cedarville students gave 3,276 pairs of shoes today. Thanks to the passion of a single college freshman with a bright idea, over three thousand people will receive a pair of shoes connected to the gospel message. Don't ever believe that you can't make a difference; you can. Just act.

Australia Reflections: Passion

Hello everyone. As the dates suggest, I've been home from Australia for three weeks now. In seventeen short days, summer will come to a close and life at Cedarville will resume. I've been spending most of my time reading all seven Harry Potter books and sorting through countless stacks of clothes. I've had a lot of time to think about Australia - what I learned, what I miss, and how the trip changed me.

The one word that sums up my experience with OneVoice Australia 2011? Passion. To quote Kim Walker of Jesus Culture:

I’m alive to bring glory to You, King
God of victory, You are my passion
It’s in the way You are, You don’t change at all
Great and humble God, You are my passion

My strength in life is I am Yours
My soul delights because I am Yours

Your will on earth is all I’m living for

Jesus, I glorify; Jesus, my love is Yours
You are my heart’s desire; I live to know You more

Passion - for the Lord God, in the name of Jesus Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit - consumed this trip. Passion gave each team member the faith that provided $3000 to fund the trip. Passion provided patience on long bus rides and longer flights. Passion gave us energy when we had three concerts in a single day after sleeping only a few hours the night before. Passion provided the love shared among team members, and the joy expressed through dance and raised hands. Passion is the reason that a smile spreads across my face every time I look at pictures of those precious memories. Passion is the reason that I have the urge to raise my hands and sing at the top of my lungs when I hear a song that we sang. And passion is the reason that I will seek the opportunity to do it all over again. 

Mark 12:28-29, The Message: The religious scholar put in his question, "Which is most important of all the commandments?" Jesus said, "Love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy."

Hillsong Days 3-4... and Ciao, Australia! :(

It has finally come... the time to leave Australia and fly home to the good ol' US of A. It's a bittersweet moment - I'm excited to go home, relax, and see my friends and family. But simply put, I love Australia and I love what the Lord has done here. Over the past two days, I have worshiped in ways that I never have before. I have felt the presence of God in ways that I cannot explain. I have heard the Scriptures spoken about in ways I have never thought about before. God has been good, and He will continue to be good. I fly home tomorrow, making July 9, 2011 officially the longest day of my life. I leave and arrive home on the same day, but it takes me 25 actual hours to travel 11 hours forward time. Trippy, eh? No worries, though, mate - I'll make it all right. I'll blog more when I'm less exhausted and post a few more pictures from the wonderful awesomeness that is Australia. Love you all!

Hillsong Conference: Day 2

Interesting. Today, according to some moments, was a terrible day. But other moments were wonderful.. Basically, it was conference ALL day long - we walked to the conference center at 8 this morning for the morning session. Priscilla Shirer spoke passionately about truly feeling the presence of the Holy Spirit. How Jesus Christ is all that anyone needs at any time. How ministry is simply pointing others to Jesus and nothing more. She consecutively named every book of the Bible in order paired with a phrase describing the identity and role of God in that particular book. Her message was phenomenal, totally and completely from the Lord.

Fact: Everyone who works at Hillsong thinks we're more important than we actually are. Our phrase of the day? "Uhmm, choir." As long as we clarify that we're with the choir, we can do whatever we want. So far, we have been allowed into sessions early to save seats and received VIP passes to the JAM (youth) session at Luna Park this afternoon. We took a bus to Luna Park and wandered around for a little while before setting in the picnic area to read our books. The session itself was in the "Big Top" and was one of the most lively youth rallies I have ever witnessed. The speaker, Jentezen Franklin, used the story of David's army fighting Absalom to tell Christians to stay out of the woods. The passage says that more of Absalom's men died from the woods than the sword; just choosing the wrong environment killed them. Franklin stretched the metaphor to Absalom himself, who found himself swinging from an oak tree caught by his hair, helpless as Joab tortured him before he finally was put to death. Jesus also died hanging on a tree - He did so that we might not have to. 

Remember how I said that everyone working at Hillsong thinks we're more important than we actually are? And remember how I said that some parts of today weren't so great? Well, here's what I mean. We were standing in crowds literally all afternoon. Before the morning session, on the way to Luna Park, at Luna Park, while leaving Luna Park, etc. Our feet were sore, our backs were achy. But in the midst of this, we sang with the Hillsong choir on the stage behind Darlene Zschech and Israel Houghton at the session tonight. Yeah. I know. SO cool. The downside of that was missing most of the session because we were being escorted around (still standing, still in a crowd). On the up side again, we got volunteer t-shirts (even though we're not really volunteers) and VIP badges that pretty much let us go anywhere we want (how and why do we have those? no idea, but we'll take it!). But on the downside, today was such a weird and hectic day that I didn't eat until after the session tonight, making a total of 13 hours with no food for Michelle. Oh well; Allie and Charmaine and I stopped at Subway on the way back from the session (and after watching a bit of rugby on the big screen in the conference center). All in all, it's been a fun day. It hasn't really been an experience I would like to repeat any time soon, but it's cool to say that I sang on stage at the Hillsong conference. They asked us if we wanted to come sing again tomorrow morning... but sound check is at 6:45. That's probably not going to happen. :)

Hillsong Conference: Day 1

Today, as you can tell from the title and the countless other times I’ve mentioned it, marked the first day of the Hillsong conference. Charmaine, Allie, Debby, and I walked down to the Entertainment Centre this morning at 10AM to pick up our registration wristbands from Justin. Twenty minutes later, Justin arrived. We waited over an hour at a table outside Macca’s while Justin and Jordan waited in line, but finally we got our wristbands and ate lunch at a Chinese place in the Market City food court.

After a Coles run and a relaxing nap and coffee back at the hotel, we walked back to the conference. Our buddy from when we sang at Hillsong church, Alex, hooked us up with sweet seats near the front. We didn’t even have to wait until the doors officially opened. It pays to have connections! The opening rally itself was phenomenal, as expected. Joel Houston and Darlene Zschech led worship that sounded just like a Hillsong CD cranked up about five thousand times regular volume. 

John Maxwell, a former pastor in the U.S. preached a powerful message on leadership taken from Paul and his letters to the Corinthians. John Maxwell’s first point: Your identity comes from Christ, not from the people you are leading. If I concern myself with acceptance or approval, my motivations are wrong. All that matters is that I honor Jesus Christ and His purpose. Maxwell’s second point: Godly leadership uses God’s perspective – you see more, and you see it first. Lead yourself before you try to lead others; if you wouldn’t follow you, why should others? I learned that leadership is work, and it is hard. It is a constant pouring of yourself into others in order to better them, not yourself.

After an invitation and the chorus of Forever Reign, the rally was over; but there was still more to come. Jesus Culture gave a late-night worship concert open to the public. Between Kim Walker’s ad libs and the sheer masses of believers all raising their hands to glorify the King, the experience was literally heavenly. Justin has mentioned on several occasions that none of us here in Australia are here by accident; God has a specific reason for me to be here. Until now, I didn’t know what it was. I’m sure I still don’t know everything. But Kim said something, something that I repeated in praise but then was struck by my statement: I am here to know you more. My purpose is to know Him more. The reason that I am in Australia is to get to know Jesus more. The final song, Show Me Your Glory, hit me hard. I have always struggled with pride, but this song (along with the message) broke down walls. God is so holy, so holy. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God! Compared to the holy glory of Jesus Christ, I am nothing. Literally invisible.

And after a late dinner stop at Hungry Jack’s, it’s back to the hotel and ready for day two early tomorrow. See you then!

Vacation Down Under!

Today was the bittersweet day where we had to say goodbye to our wonderful host families and hello to the Marriott. We feel like real adults, out on our own with all of Sydney at our beck and call. Well, not really, because the Hillsong conference will take up almost all of our time over the next few days. But today was basically a free day.

Debby, more than almost anyone, knows how to work employees and walk out with the best deal possible. We were able to check into our rooms hours before actual check-in time, get free wi-fi for all of our computers, and even ended up in three rooms instead of two. Around noon, I went out with Allie, Lisa, and Brittany to find some food and explore the area immediately surrounding our hotel. We're located right next to Hyde Park, giving us an area to come outside and read and relax. Today, though, we walked downtown a few blocks to a mall with a Coles, where we stocked up on muffins for breakfast and some other munchies. On the walk back, we stopped at a place that sold delicious chicken and chips. There was actually some sort of fire across the street, so we spent most of our lunch watching the firemen drag hoses across the busy street. 

After arriving back at the hotel and taking a quick nap, Aaron and I left for the Opera House. We had tickets to see Flinders String Quartet with Karin Schaupp, guest guitarist. It was easier than we thought it would be to get there; the harbour is just two train stops away. We picked up our tickets and then walked around for a bit to find some dinner. We decided to go the safe and cheap route and go to Maccas, but instead of eating inside, we found a spot by the water. Just a side note - it is incredibly beautiful there at night. Then, we were off to the opera house. Rather than the main concert hall, our performance was in the Utzon Room; it was much smaller than we expected and had no assigned seats. The room was amazing though, with windows behind the stage overlooking the water and the ceiling was the raw curved stone of the building. And then the quartet. Oh my GOODNESS. Words cannot express how beautiful that music was, so I won't even begin to try. But I can tell you the chocolate gelato we ate afterwards was beyond delicious, and that the cute little animal we saw in Hyde Park on our way back was absolutely adorable. We googled it; it was a brush tail possum. We were hoping for a more exciting name, but that'll have to do.

Anyway, today has been a long but wonderful day. It's the first July 4 in a long time that I haven't watched fireworks or eaten hamburgers, but I'll gladly swap for a fantastic cellist and a bowl full of gelato. Happy Independence Day, America. I'll see you again in five days!