If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 1Jn 3:17

Working for a Christian ministry, i get the chance to answer phones for telethon pledges and prayer requests a few times a year. Part of me loves it and part of me doesn’t look forward to it at all. After today, my total thinking has changed.

Normally, i get a few calls with people wanting to pledge money or wanting prayer for health or a wayward son or something. Today was different.

To start with, i’m reading a book by Tim Keller called Generous Justice which is all about how God’s grace and justice to us is cause to give grace and justice to all others around us. not justice as in punishment but what they are due - protection, care, love, grace, punishment, correction…it goes on and on. i’m on a chapter now all about the good samaritan and who is my neighbor and giving grace and care to all.

That said, i got a call from a lady in PA who the whole world is against. At first i thought she was just a victim and had that mentality, but God checked me quickly on that and reminded me she was my neighbor and His daughter. She’s staying in a shelter, trying to make ends meet, at odds with a couple of ex-husbands and stepkids, taken advantage of by men, employers, kids, government…she’s hopeless. And it was me on the phone with her with my bright little attitude and safety of a good job and family and church and friends.

Somehow, “God cares” and “God be with you” and “i’ll be praying for you” seemed so shallow without skin in the game. I tried to justify the fact that she was all the way in PA and i’m down here in warm, comfy VA Beach and there should be a church or shelter or organization to help her out there. That worked for a second.

The fact remains that there are people just like her right here where i’m at and how genuine is my care and compassion if i’m not doing something to help them out? Yes, i’m blessed beyond measure with a wife and kids and family and friends and church and job and finance and peace and joy and grace, but others aren’t and i can and should do something.

it really is true that ignorance is bliss. life is easier when you’re just cruising in your own lane with the blinders up. But my blinders have been removed and now yours have also. What are our next steps?

We took a little road trip to St Louis last weekend, a little 15 hour jaunt. We’ve been sponsoring Emily, a girl from Uganda, thru Watoto these past 5 or so years and she is finally on the choir tour of the States. They came as close as western Illinois so we had to go meet her.

Let me just say, a 15 hour car ride was well worth meeting this sweet girl. She grabbed Brook and would not let go. she kept hugging her and had to sit right next to her when we sat down to talk and get to know each other. He smile is so beautiful and though her English is a bit broken, we had a great chat with her.

Watoto had the run of the service in the evening and the overall theme was that we are not forgotten, God is aware of everyone and their situation. Yeah, this is a truth we all like to sing with Mr Houghton here in the States, but it takes on a new meaning when explained by Ugandan children who were left orphans by war or disease. When a 8 year old girl is responsible for her younger siblings and how they get food and shelter, it’s a bit more meaningful to know that God is intimately aware of all they go thru.

What Watoto and Gary & Marilyn Skinner are doing in Uganda and now South Sudan and soon other nations in Africa is nothing short of a miracle. To take in widows and orphans and child soldiers and give them hope and health and Jesus and food and shelter and a future is amazing. it was so amazing to hear these little ones who’ve been thru hell have vision and hope to give back to Uganda and Africa and see themselves as the generation of change.

The trip itself was a classic Chalfant road trip - fires in western VA, crazy laughs and jokes, music, rain, stiff backs, weird rest stops - all in a days travel.

we did get to go up in the St Louis Arch, eat a concrete custard shake at Ted Drewes on Rt 66, shop at a vintage record store, take a riverboat cruise up the Mighty Mississip, see the Wizard of Oz characters standing out on a street corner, watch mindless cable shows on bridesmaids, listen to Ad & Elle’s STL rap and come up with goofy nicknames for all sorts of things.

Bottom Line:

check out www.watoto.com and sponsor a child
enjoy time with your family
do something you’ve never done before
or go somewhere you’ve never been before
live and know God is watching & aware & closer than a brother

where’s you next road trip to?

My goal was to sit down and do a quick wrap up of my trip to Jordan in a nice, neat little package. But the more I thought about it…the people I met, the places I saw, the conversations, the impressions…my thoughts were way too many and muddled to be wrapped up easily. So, I guess I’ll just try to get as much out as possible and then see where it goes from there.

I’m currently in the “missing-the-journey-but trying-to-get-back-in-the-normal-routine” phase of the trip. It’s an interesting place to be. Getting outside of your normal, day to day, comfort zones opens and expands the world a bit more. It also helps you to see things in a new light. Here are a few more imagesl

First off, the people.

I was very fortunate to be on a trip with some great people. I honestly believe I made some true friends…which is good since we were in a bus for hours at a time. We came from all different ends of the spectrum – TBN, CBN, travel writers, Quakers, Catholics, American, Canadian, print, web, TV, first time traveler, seasoned veteran travelers, younger, not-so-younger…but we gelled like a some kind of strange, extended family. That tends to happen when you are together for the bulk of 10 days together. There were some lively discussions, a few pranks and a lot of laughter.

We were also privileged to have met some very interesting people during the trip. Brother Andrew, who ran the Holy Land Institute for the Deaf had such a calm, wisdom to him. As he gave us a tour of the facilities, he threw out some amazing nuggets of wisdom on serving and loving that I’m still chewing on. His love for people and especially those forgotten was refreshing and challenging and see so much in his interaction with the students and staff at the school.

Layla, a late 50-something, Canadian who came to Jordan through Australia and her love for camels, Wadi Rum and adventure was motivating. She is in the process of a totally new life in the Jordanian desert and has such energy and life, she’s contagious. Here’s a woman who would normally be starting to think about retirement and “winding down” but she’s got a ton of business ideas and seems to be just starting.

Rustom Mkhjian, the supervisor for the Baptism Site and his love for history and the sites was one of the most passionate people i’ve ever met. He would pull info from the Bible, the Koran, historical documents all from the top of his head. I don’t know how many people he’s led through the site, but I know he was with the Pope and other dignitaries and I’m sure he was just as animated and passionate with them as he was with us.

His Excellency Senator Akel Biltaji, who has served in a number of different capacities with the Jordanian government, sat down with us on our final night and just talked about the region and government and religion and change. He spoke with such authority and conviction. President Bush, T.D Jakes, Benny Hinn all came up in the conversation.

A Beautiful Country

The places we went to were inspiring in their own right. Amman is a hustling, bustling city that was safe and clean. The streets were full of people and vendors and there was a lot of construction and traffic was a bit crazy, but it was a great city. They have taken great care of some great historical sites, as well.

Petra, the Dead Sea, Wadi Rum were all fantastic and MUST see places on any trip to the area. The natural beauty of the mountains and desert was truly amazing! To describe these places just feels like you are over-using already over-used adjectives, but they ARE awesome, amazing, beautiful, breath-taking, overwhelming, wow…!!

The Biblical sites were great, but I think I expected to be moved more by Mt. Nebo and Jesus baptism site. I appreciate the history and their significance, but I think I was moved more by the size and scope of Petra and Wadi Rum. It was easier to see the hand and magnitude of God in the natural places more than the sites with churches and memorials all over them

A Muddled Mess of Thoughts and Impressions

As i mentioned before, I’m deeply in the “missing-the-journey-but trying-to-get-back-in-the-normal-routine” phase of the trip. Here are a few thoughts i’m working out:

I’m able to see the simplistic beauty of the Bedouin life vs. the American yearning for more and more.

I think about God’s majesty and His thoughts towards me represented in the desert of Wadi Rum vs. my own insecurities as I desire to “be somebody” and “accomplish great things” even in ministry and church.

I realize I’m not called to live in a tent in the desert or stay in 5 star hotels every night, but I am called to love people and serve where ever I am.

I’m called to humble myself and forget my own agenda and seek after and trust God, the God who created Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and my neighborhood and set the whole universe in motion.

I’m called to get to know fellow travelers on a bus on the King’s Highway and on this journey through life.

I’m called to love Christians & Jews & Muslims & Jordanians & Canadians & Americans & all people – God does.

As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were. Romans 4:17

Do you have that dream or calling that God has given you but in the natural, there is nothing pointing to it being fulfilled? Have you had words spoken to you or over you that right now have no way of becoming reality outside of a move of God?

I am living that out right now. i take great comfort in the story of Abraham and the story of Joseph. They waited YEARS for fulfillment of a promise and dream that God Himself gave them. The best part is that they were faithful and saw what God promised come to past. Those things weren’t just something for them, they were promises to sustain a people and bless nations!

I’m a worship leader and feel called to be a worship pastor. Right now, that is not happening in my life. i’m working at just being faithful at what’s in my hand at this point. To be honest, my pride rages up from time to time. It’s a struggle. But i hold on to the fact that a calling is not for just one person, it’s for a group or a nation. i will not allow myself to disqualify me from the calling that is on me. i won’t allow my pride to consume the dream inside of me.

i’ve got a God to please, a calling to live out and a people to bless. i’ve just got to remain faithful and ready. Are you ready?

DVDs. Functional, dependable, useable, handy, they moved us quickly into the digital age. Bye-bye analog VHS tape, hello digital beauty that could hold so much more information and were much easier to store and probably cheaper to make. But…their days are numbered now with Blu-Ray, DVR and downloads.

I fighting that same syndrome. i’m at a weird stage. i’m old enough to remember church and worship music “back in the day” - our worship time was piano and organ, a big choir, a song leader (who kept time with wide swoops if they were good) singing hymns and Maranatha songs with a Don Moen tune thrown in for good measure. For smaller gatherings, it was a couple or three acoustic guitars and lots of harmonies.

And then the 90’s came and we brought in the “worship band”! Times were a-changing. Hillsong, Integrity, Bob Fitts, Tommy Walker, Vineyard and others were giving us real worship songs in a modern setting. It was quite an interesting time with the older generation wanting to keep the hymns and the younger wanting the guitars and drums. We would revamp the hymns with a beat and a hooky chorus to appease both camps.

I love the sound of worship now. It’s a huge mix of all genres, nations, sounds. It seems like we’re coming back to some solid lyrics and spiritual themes as well. There was a time when it seemed we were more about the sound/style than theological strength, but it’s all merging in great way now.

But it seems it’s all moving to the “next generation” and people in my age group are either producers or teachers or settled into a nice comfy church as pastor or worship pastor. I’m none of those and don’t feel like i’m done yet. I’d love to teach or produce or be a worship pastor, but that’s just not happening. I’m not ready to be tossed out with the DVDs or put on a shelf. I don’t think i’ve had my best days…maybe i have…? I thot 40s were the new 30s? Sometimes it feels like the new 60s.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the excitement and passion of the young guns. i love their creativity and energy. i want to do all i can to develop and push them. i just feel like i’ve still got excitement and passion and energy and creativity all bottled up…i just don’t look good in skinny jeans.

i keep coming back to a few recurring thoughts:

1. Be faithful with what’s in your hand. i’ve got a great marriage, amazing kids, a guitar, passion, love for the church, desire to see people connect with their Savior, creativity and most of my hair.

2. I’ve been saved AND called. i’m not just here to use up air. there’s a purpose. God believes in me even when i don’t believe in myself.

i’m thinking i just need a few kindred spirits to lock arms with and sharpen each other. there’s got to be more of us fighting the DVD Syndrome. Hang in there!

Daily days are just that, daily. it’s our normal routine. it’s what God has called us to. it’s what’s in our hands. this is where the rubber meets the road. it’s being faithful in the small things and more small things and mundane things. we get so used to the daily days, we forget they are slowly building our foundation for our future. each daily decision or action lays a base to build more on later.

Eph 2:10 says “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Phil 2:13 says “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” this is where i’m at right now. i know i was created to do good works which God has all planned. i also know it’s up to Him and He’s working in me to work thru me.
i’m working out how to stay dedicated to the daily days without getting comfortable here but not seeking to build too fast. i just get so impatient knowing what God has called me to, but waiting on Him to work in me.

yeah, so…that’s my life in a nutshell right now - daily days.

we just got back from a whirlwind trip to Indiana to pick up Addyson, go to a wedding and see our families. it was so quick, but soooo good. it really showed me some cool things about who i am and where i came from. here are a few of bullet points:

- there’s no comparison to life with God and life without God. we got to spend time and talk with some of Brook’s cousins and extended family who are on fire for God now after many years of not and i was pumped up. Also spending time with my family and going to church with them on Sunday was so cool after many years of praying and wishing. God is still in the process of calling, saving, healing, restoring, working, loving…

- family is deeply imbedded and a part of us. we got to spend time with a lot of different people and it was so cool to hear and learn and share with all of them. there’s just something connecting us with our families even though we may only see some of them only once in a while.

- my brother and his family are true heroes! they are going thru quite a season right now and are facing it head on with amazing attitudes and fortitude. there is tremendous blessing on the other side of this - look out Farmland!

- ministry is a deep part of who we are. Brook’s family has a long history of ministry and building the church and pastors throughout the family and extended family. my family is becoming more and more embeded in the local church and building it. i love to find out more and more on both sides who are living out their calling.

- prayer is KEY! my mom prayed for years and years for my dad and now he is an amazing testimony. Brook’s mom is a prayer warrior for her family and now great things are happening. we pray daily for our families and staring to see some signs of great things to come. God is Good!

i’m just amazed at heritage and how things that were decided and done (good & bad) have consequences on future generations. i pray Brook and i and the girls continue on a Godly heritage day by day, decision by decision.

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Phil 4:8

one of the things i like about this verse is that it’s all encompassing. it’s not just a church/religious thing. whatever is true or lovely or admirable…yeah, a lot of those things are directly related to God, but some things aren’t.

sunrises, flowers, bravery, justice, symphonies, architecture…not really churchy or religious but can be noble, lovely, excellent or admirable. all of these qualities should point us back to God our creator.

this verse shows that our lives aren’t compartmentalized. work, fun, family, world, truth, God, sports, praiseworthy…no, it’s all pretty much all mixed together. truth, right, excellent goes across all areas of life - keep your eyes open.

that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again. Phil 1:6

We can’t control everything that happens to us, but we can choose how we respond to any situation.

Jer 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Ps 138:8 The LORD will work out his plans for my life – for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me.

2 Cor 5:5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Luke 22:42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

These are verses i’ve been hanging on to for a while now and i’m starting to put some thots together on them. Sometimes it just takes a while to get bits of what you know to come together in a truth, a bedrock for you to stand on.

So, we know that God is good and He loves us like no other love. We know that He has saved AND called us. He has ordered our steps and has good works for us to accomplish. He has promised us a hope and a future and left the Spirit as a deposit. He has blessed us with gifts, talents, abilities and our personality to accomplish these good works and live our this hope and future.

We also know that He has given us free will and thoughts, emotions, feelings and our own will. His good works, future and hope aren’t always what we would choose first or second or maybe even third. We tend to view our gifts, talents and abilities as our own and for our own purpose. We deserve joy and a good life and the chance to stake our own claim on our own lives.

This is where the big choice comes in - not my will, but Yours be done. Kingdom eyes, the Spirit that dwells within us, helps us to see the bigger picture. if it was just about us staking a claim and enjoying our little lives, how thin is that? How brief is that? But when we choose God’s will, suddenly life gets much bigger than just my tiny circle and grows exponentially!

I’ve really been dealing with this perspective a lot lately. it’s a daily choice to say “not my will but Yours be done.” it’s not a one time thing…sometimes it’s moment by moment. it’s easy when things are going well and you sense God moving in, through and around you. It’s far tougher when that future and those good deeds seem far off. That’s when it’s truly a choice and a true indicator of God’s Spirit dwelling within.

I’m no where near perfect on this choice, but each time i give myself - talents, $, time, personality, wants, dreams, wishes, thoughts - my perspective gets a little bigger.

Step by step, moment by moment…moving forward!

Any one with me on this?

I love Twitter on Sundays! So many encouraging words in anticipation for church all over the world. And then all the tweets of God moving - social media was made for Sundays! Blog, Tweet, Facebook…get it out there. Share, encourage, be encouraged.

When we moved to Australia a few years ago, we called it our Big God Adventure. It truly was a big God who called the Chalfant 5 out of comfy Ohio and around the world.

We truly saw a big God at work in providing & blessing & guiding us for 2 years overseas.

But I’m thinking I’m seeing a new side of our Big God now. We’ve been back for almost 5 years now and all my big dreams & plans have not really come to pass like I wanted them to. But I’m realizing that’s ok. It’s not about my dreams & plans - it’s about Jesus.

If it’s all up to me & my planning & desires, how big is God in that? But as I submit & humble myself before Him, He gets bigger as I subside - not really me but my selfishness. I must decrease so that He may increase.

It hasn’t been an easy journey, maybe the hardest season of my life, but I’m starting to understand it a bit.

It all comes down to Jesus.