Keitt Update - June 2012

Threads (extended version)

Our pastor back in the states, Jonathan Martin, often refers to the"Holy Ghost iPod shuffle".  It's this idea that the higher powers of God himself are at times choosing which songs you should hear, creating a thread between your possible circumstances, issues, trials, joys, etc.  Sounds a bit strange, but I'm a believer.  I'd even add that these powers are often sneaking out of our little music machines and tying together bits of conversations, friendships, experiences and thoughts.  I must admit that it's pretty cool when it happens.  


Side note - I'm not that guy that thinks that God is choosing ever minute detail the occurs, nor do I have any issue with the words lucky, random or serendipity.  And no, for me this doesn't reduce His sovereignty, He just uses it when he wants to.  


Ok back to the point.


So in the past few months I've had two threads running through my life in about every way possible, sexuality and short term missions.  Interested?


Let's start with short term missions (STM) since I know it caught your eye :)


- The Bruces - We had our first family stay with us who has come down with their church on a STM trip.  It was definitely interesting/cool to see it from the opposite side of the spectrum, as the receiving community instead of the sending.


- Jules - So we have a friend who's headed out to do 11 months of short term missions in a just a bit.  She hopped down here for her spring break and we had an amazing time hanging out, camping, kayaking, and talking about her coming trip.


- Mary Beth and Ericka - Not only helping plan their weeks here, but spending a lot of time along side of them in those events


- Institute with Juanito - During this animism class we got ourselves into a very interesting conversation about the goals and methods of STM.


- Jamie - I appreciate her thoughts which typically are on point and spunky... I ran across this blog of her's and found it thought provoking.  Warning, she's blunt, and at times has the mouth of a sailor, but overall I'm digging her thoughts.  Just thought I'd fill you in.  


- May 31- Took on the responsibility of guiding my first mission team to the lovely town of Ralco and now have another perspective.


This blog (1) is named threads, (2) is already long enough, and (3) I want to get to the sexual thread, so I'll conclude this thread with these.


I like and yet am really hesitant with short term missions.  Maybe after a few more rounds on the merry-go-round with this topic and I'll title the blog Short Term Missions.  


Sexuality


- Mars Hill - Started listening to the marriage series, which I will push once again.  Driscol does a thorough job of diving into all aspects of marriage and doesn't shy away when it comes to the sexual stuff.  


- A pair of conversations with close friends about the church, purity, marriage and sexuality.


- McDowell - I was invited to a Josh McDowell conference where he spoke very directly and openly about porn, sex, masturbation, marriage, satisfaction, etc.  He's got some pretty solid resources for parents, kids, youth pastors and everyone else under the sun.


- The Lock-In - Literally two days after going to the conference, I was asked to speak about Sexuality at our youth lock-in.


I have so many things to say about sexuality, but like I said before, the focus is on the threads.


Landing the plane.


I honestly believe that this is the beginning of these two threads and don't know where or how God is going to lead me through them, but it's exciting.

How It Went...

Thank you guys so much for praying for us this week and our 3AM sex lesson last night/this morning!  To say those prayers were answered would be an understatement.  We were able to get a lot of great information throughout the week, felt prepared and excited to share, (still super nervous but no panic attacks!) and it really just flowed in a way that was truly beyond us.  It was also cool to see some of the response - This had been the first time these topics were shared and discussed so openly with our youth at church and many of them expressed their gratitude for what and how we shared.  We were both able to talk with individuals afterwards as well.


It has been a LONG week, but very much worth it.  


Perhaps more will come later as we continue to reflect upon it all :) but right now I am going off of 3 hours of sleep in the last 40 or so...


So it's time for bed.  Just wanted to thank you again for your encouragement, questions, wonderings-how-it-went, and of course prayers!  Ya'll are the best. 

Let's talk about Sex

Have you ever had God ask you to do something to which you just blatantly said no?


Tracey was asked to teach a class to our youth group guys on pornography.  Which was actually really cool because just this week he went to a Josh McDowell seminar on sexuality and how to teach adolescents about it the right way.  He literally said "I just wish there was some way I could really teach this content to our youth group."


AWESOME!  Here's your chance.  I love when God is sneaky!  


Not as awesome: I was asked to teach the girls.


Now, don't get me wrong, I taught sex ed. in Charlotte for 5 years... but that was with transparencies and in my first language.  With an actual poster that read "We do not ask personal questions."  


It's not even that I mind talking about the subject.  It's the whole getting up in front of a large group thing.  It's REALLY not my thing.  (So much that I looked into somehow getting into teaching another way when I learned education majors were required to take public speaking.)


Also not my thing - speaking in Spanish when I'm nervous.  The first time I played violin in worship here, I was so nervous that when the guitarist was telling me about a Stradivarius violin in a museum here in Santiago, I responded with "Oh, I left it at home...."  Reallly?!


So as if there were not already enough factors to deter me from this whole ordeal, let's just add that it will be taking place at 2:00 in the morning.  When I don't articulate clearly in any language.


What made me say no?  Fear, nerves, thoughts of inadequacy, the desire to NOT be completely stressed out the entire week.  


And what made me call him back an hour later and say yes?  Honestly... conviction.  If I'm going to talk all day about how God works through people and how whatever good I do in this world really is from Him, then I have to believe it with everything.  Including things that I don't at all feel able, comfortable, or remotely confident in.  


So if this whole Biblical concept is true, which I know it is, this sex talk is going to be pretty incredible!  Because I'm not sure I could think of someone less qualified to deliver.


(Please pray for us both - The event goes from 9:30pm on Friday - 7:00am Saturday, we'll teach at 2:00am... pray for our students, our preparation and delivery, and that I don't experience any panic attacks this week :)  For real, though...)

And who better to teach English with than Abba

  So let me be honest.  I've never listened to Abba, or at least known that I was listening to them.  But I imagine like everyone else you've heard the band name before.  Well my amazing Oxford Textbook that I use for my class this morning, definitely used them as an "authentic material" to end our lesson on money.

  It was awesome!  I'm mean can you honestly think of a better way to teach colloquial phrases like "have a ball" and "fool around".  The students are adults and they loved watching the video.  For some reason Chile is kind of trapped in the 80s :).  Abbas from the 80s right?  Sorry didn't mean to distract from the monthly update.  Check it out below!

Our Month in Pictures! - May 2012

Understanding Hormah

My life was changed by this book.  I clearly remember the first time that I flipped through the pages on a chicken bus in who knows where Guatemala.  I remember how after glancing over the first few pages I felt like I had finally found a way to organize or classify my emotions, thoughts, doubts and the over all way in which I wanted to follow Christ.  If you haven't read this book, well you should.  I'll say no more.







I've started to read this book which is more like a devotional which is strange for me, since I've never been a big fan of devotionals.  They've always seemed...forced or fake, I don't know they've just never "caído bien" to me.  Oh by the way, the same author, Shane Claiborne, wrote this book and so I gave it a shot.  It's been a nice change of pace, it's got a balance of history, real world application, catholic style liturgy and worship which I've found hard to find in other books, let's even say people, and churches.  Again, I believe you should check it out.



Well the other day I was reading the scriptures selection for the day, which were suppose to be Numbers 22:1-21, but for some odd reason I read chapter 21 by mistake...  It's a great way to start the morning or any part of your day :).

"1 When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them. 2 Then Israel made this vow to the LORD: "If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy their cities." 3 The LORD listened to Israel's plea and gave the Canaanites over to them. They completely destroyed them and their towns; so the place was named Hormah. "

...we will totally destroy their cities...they completely destroyed them and their towns.  So a few more verses in I realized my mistaken selection of 21 instead of 22, went back to the Common Prayer and looked back to see if I had missed these verses a previous day.

I hadn't missed anything.  Claiborne for some reason decided to start the previous day with Numbers 21:4 instead of verse 1.  But why?  Common Prayer has more or less followed a linear progression through the old and new testament with the daily verses, skipping over some parts here and there.  I'm not mad at him and definitely still highly recommend the two reads, which may have lost some of their luster after my past few lines, but honestly they're incredible books.  This incident just brought up question for me.

In the past two weeks I found my self in two other conversations, confronting this same problematic issue, explaining or rationalizing some other the "stranger" parts of the Bible/God.

Christine and Ericka (our recent guest) met this guy on the subway who started a conversation because he heard them speaking English.  Long story short, he's come to church with us the past two weeks, has lots of questions and makes it clear that he wants to learn more about this churchy Christ thing before diving in.    He's very scientific about decisions.  So we gave him a Bible and this past Sunday he comes up to me and asks what I think about Genesis 6:4.

Oh boy, and he hasn't even gotten to the part of the daughter being chopped up into 12 parts sent out UPS style.  How do I answer questions like that?  And who gives a guy a bible and lets 'em start in the Old Testament?  That's asking for disaster.

Another night we were invited to a neighbors' cook out and I found myself in the funnest/most ironic situation.  I've just been asked what I believe about God, Christ, the Church, etc. and I've got a big fat cuban cigar in one hand and glass of rum on the rocks in the other.  What an image.

Quick tangent - I could write a whole blog/book about that moment and probably will.  I figured if you're this deep in the entry/blog then I'm not going to "clean it up" for you.  You get the authentic un-rated version.  But just know that, no, I don't smoke, I love my lungs, cycling and my future too much and no, I'm not an alcoholic, moderation is the key :)  Honestly I think when managing moderation correctly you open up a lot more ears and opportunities to share Christ with other... enough of this tangent for now.

By now my neighbor has found out that I teach Sunday school and starts asking some more of those really tough questions about the Bible, real world experiences.  This guys got some images and experiences that I'd even hate to even see in a movie.  He's an ambulance driver and has witnessed first hand the carnage and savage ugliness of this world.  I'm not talking about bad car wrecks, I'm talking about fathers mutilating their kids and so forth...  I can't give a Romans Road answer or some clean cut image of the Bible and this kingdom of God.

I think God gave me Numbers 21 for a reason.  Maybe to prepare myself to respond with, "Now that doesn't make any sense to me either/I don't know," to these anticipating conversations that I would have.  Maybe it was to help me in my own walk.  I don't know how to end this blog so I'll end it with a quote from another of my favorite authors, Francis Chan.

 "Like the nervous kid who tries to keep his friends from seeing his drunken father, I have tried to hide God at times.  Who do I think I am?  The truth is, God is perfect and right in all that He does...  We need to stop trying to domesticate God or confine Him to tidy categories and compartments that reflect our human sentiments rather than his inexplicable ways."