Another Take on Worldliness

I started thinking about a Christian’s role in the world and how much of the “world” (in a Christian worldliness sense) each of us should intake (spurred on by a conversation with another Taylor student). It was said that we need to “be a part of culture to relate better to non-Christians”. He argued that we need to keep up to date with culture to be relevant (this blog is not pointing fingers or saying any one person is wrong it’s just what’s up).

I disagree. Romans 12:2 says that we are “not to conform the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds”, and goes later to say that it is God’s will for us. A definition of culture from the American Heritage Dictionary says, “The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought.” I have heard it said that Christians are “counter-culture” because we “are not of this world” and do not live by the same rules that non-Christians do (see Colossians 2:20*).

I have tried in the past year and a half or so to not be a part of this world by limiting my intake of movies, music that doesn’t have good lyrics, and anything of the like to “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2), and if anything, I feel better able to witness to people because I better understand God, His love, and how this world is dying and in need of Him.

Luke 8 has the parable of the seeds, and it says that “The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.” Obviously between that verse James 4:4**, and James 1:27***, God does not want us to be polluted by worldly things.

I argue that to relate to people, we need to speak the truth, because God’s law is written on our hearts****, and the biggest reason of all: we already live in the world along with them. Just because I choose not to fill my mind with a lot of things that will do nothing for me eternally or spiritually does not mean that I cannot have meaningful relationships and conversations with people. Being salt and light and making a difference in the world comes through our relationship with God***** and nothing else. I can honestly say that back in the day I used to idolize TV and movies, and they choked out my desire to know God more and grow up in Christ because I was too focused on stuff that doesn’t last.

The first Psalm says that whoever walks in the counsel of the wicked, sits in the seat of sinners, and stands in the way of mockers will be like chaff that the wind blows away.

Think about it, say when you get married you only spend 10 minutes a day with your spouse and hours on end in front of the TV…your partner would not be too happy, and she is not even the one who gave us salvation and forgiveness, the greatest gift anybody could imagine.

I think our desires and delights should come first and foremost in God (Psalms 1:1-3, and Psalms 37:4)****** and that we shouldn’t care a whole lot about other stuff, because nothing else brings life or salvation.

Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and take to heart what God has for you guys.

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Footnotes:
* Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules?

**You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

***Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

****Romans 2:15

***** John 15:5

****** Psalms 1
(1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.)

And Psalms 37:4 (Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.)

Home Stretch

I only have 2 more days of my practicum, only a few more classes, only a few easy (hopefully) tests, and plenty of time to enjoy my last weeks here in Ecuador.

This weekend doesn’t have too much in store: a trip to a jewelry town and the church garage sale, and then Sunday an extra credit seminar given by some Nobel Peace prize dude (for 25% of our final test).

The week after we may go to an orphanage to help out or we may go to Yungilla. Then during that week Tues-Fri we’re going to Montanita and possibly Salinas beaches to chill.


A few funny things happened yesterday. As I was leaving my house, I was reaching in my backpack to get my MP3 player and my digital camera fell out of its case and bounced 3 times on the concrete. How sad, at least my camera still works.

Then less than 10 minutes later, I wanted to get my camera to take a pic of something, and I juggled my camera case for a few seconds until it fell into a puddle. But hey at least my camera still works.

Then after I took a picture of the best graffiti ever (of a chicken smoking a cigarette), I saw from the bus a boy in a Chicago Bears Jersey. This was not just any Bears jersey; it said Kevin on the back. Pretty awesome. I think it was Kevin Butler from the ’85 Bears.

Earthquake! 6.8 on the Richter!

Matthew 24:6-8 (Jesus talking about the end times)
“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.”

Yesterday night at about 11pm there was an earthquake in from what I hear all of Ecuador. No one died and in Cuenca only one house collapsed, and a mirror fell off the wall at my grandma’s house (from what my dad tells me).

I think I had just fallen asleep when it started, and at first I thought it was heavy machinery close to my house (there are a lot of busses and trucks in Ecuador, and also there is a house going up right behind my room) but quickly realized that it was an earthquake.

I really wasn’t thinking logically at all. Instead of running outside to a safer place, I stayed in my bed thinking “This is so cool!” Bad idea. I finally thought about running to safety when it ended. It was about a minute long, and reached 6.8 on the Richter scale. It was a biggy.

Nobody was hurt to my knowledge and everything is back to normal. My boss told me that around 3 earthquakes have happened in the past 6 months.

I learned a few things from that:
1. I need to think about safety in times like that
2. Anybody could go at anytime and we need to be ready
3. Anything that could have caused death is a good opportunity to talk about death and life after death and a good chance to share the gospel

Thoughts with 40 days left

A lot can happen in 40 days (just ask Noah).

Here are some things on tap for our last 40 days:
-Visit to Incan ruins
-Another beach trip: this time possibly visiting 2 world-class beaches. Between taking public transportation and staying in hostels, not only will it not cost a ton, but we will hopefully have the freedom we expect.
-Enjoy more free time: Practicums end December 7.
-Spend some time with the fam: I still have to finish the video I started with my sibs, and hopefully some more trips to Yungilla.

Reasons I’m looking forward to home:
-see family and friends again obviously
-my j-term and second semester schedules rock
-having a car
-having a climate that does not rain every day

Reasons I want to stay here:
-my Ecuadorian family
-I enjoy living in a big city (no offense Upland)
-I want to continue improving in my Spanish
-I will miss some people I met

Cucumber Eating Champion

I am the Kobayashi of cucumbers.

And here is my story.

It all starts with our International Management teacher pushing our test up one two days. Since our class is longer on Wednesdays than Fridays, he decided to give the test Wednesday. That means studying would have to be done Tuesday night.

I decided that I did not want to study, and I wanted to go to Home Church with my brother.

After we arrived, the hosts brought out cups filled with sugar, one for everyone there. I wondered, what on earth is going on? Then came plates filled with cucumbers, carrots, onions, tomatoes, and big red spicy peppers. I thought “Uh-Oh”.

We had a race to finish the sugar and since I felt sort of sick, I decided to pretend to be eating it also.

The leader then says we are having an eating contest, and every team needs a representative for each vegetable. I quickly volunteered for the only veggie I thought I liked, the carrot.

The girl next to me claimed the carrot, so I quickly volunteered for the thing that would not make me super sick, the cucumber.

When it came to my turn, I was a little apprehensive but determined to eat that thing as quickly as humanly possible. I first bit into the cucumber and it was good. Then I shoved about a third of it in my mouth and crunched it.

The other people noticed the good head start I had and started chanting, “KEVIN! KEVIN!”.

It was the most glorious moment of my life.

Just kidding. But I did win (it helps that I have about 5 years on everybody there), and the cucumber was quite delicious also.

Larry the cucumber would be proud.

Also I think our team won every vegetable. It may have helped that our team of five had 2 guys with beards and myself.

When it came time for the pepper (called aji in Ecuador), people were ready to be sick. The one kid who always wears the same sweater actually threw up after downing that pepper. Another guy’s eyes turned really red and ate crackers like crazy after he was done.

Then after that fun game, we got down to business. The hosts brought out chips and sausages to dip in ketchup.

So what did all of this mean?

The 2 minute message was about Philippians 1:21, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain.” The sick vegetables were symbolizing trials we face in our Christian lives, and the chips/ketchup/sausage-links were representing heaven.

That verse makes you really wonder why people live for anything other than Christ, because Paul would know have written it unless Christ was unbelievable better than anything else.

Personally I would like to use the Bible more in the Home Church, although having fun and growing relationships by eating veggies is good too. I guess since Paul wanted to be all things to all people (1 Corinthians 9:19-23), this is good. I think that since the age group is younger than I, this was a good idea.

Although the next time there is a food eating contest, can I get some pie or hotdogs or pizza or Magnums?

So did skipping studying hurt me? A little, but my boss didn’t come in the next afternoon so I studied then.

Recently, my favourite Psalm has been Psalm 1. Here it is:

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.

Quito and Galapagos Trip

Day 1: We flew from Cuenca to Quito and had a city tour of Quito. Quito, the capital of Ecuador, is rich in culture and history. We saw a lot of historical sites and cathedrals.
In the afternoon, we went to the Equator line at a place called “Mitad del Mundo” (middle of the world). We first went to the “fake one”. A few hundred years ago, some French dudes thought they found the Equator and made a sweet monument there. Problem was, they were about 200m off target, but is a big tourist spot and still considered by most “Mitad del Mundo” even though it isn’t. We had to convince our driver to drive us to the real equator after, because what’s the point of going to the fake one? At the real one we learned about the history of Ecuador and some of the cool physics of the equator; namely the direction water flushes and how an egg balances.

Day 2: We went to Otavalo, the biggest market in all of South America. When you hear “biggest in _________” you generally think gargantuan. I was expecting a market 4 blocks by 4 blocks with tons of variety.

It’s funny how expectations don’t affect the real thing at all.

When we first got there, I realized that it was only about twice the size of the market in Cuenca (it was about one square block on the 2nd biggest day of the week)…and they all had the same classic “Ecuadorian Artesian” stuff. So I perused and found some sweet stuff for gifts and also bought a hammock. I thought the hour they gave us was way too small for the biggest market in South America, until I was done shopping after 20 minutes.
The best part of Otavalo was easily the llama fur tienda that we found towards the end. I almost bought some slippers made from genuine llama fur, but the $17 starting price wasn’t even dickering down.

Then we went to Cotacachi, a town that specializes in leather. I got a nice double sided (black/brown) belt for $10.


Day 3: First Galapagos day did not go as expected. We expected to arrive at Galapagos at 12pm and have the whole rest of the day to enjoy the islands, but a flight delay pushed us back to 4pm ish….and we really didn’t see much, unless you think the Quito airport is much.

We did go to the Charles Darwin Center to see some tortoises.

Day 4: Today we went on a boat to visit a sweet island (I don’t remember which one) where we went on a nature walk and saw iguanas and a vast array of the unique birds of Galapagos (yes including the blue footed booby). Then after the sweet walk, we went snorkelling and I saw a school of Dory fishes (the blue fish from Finding Nemo, no clue what they’re called). Also a friendly sea lion came by us and we hung out for a while. The sea lion would swim 6 inches away from my face and then spin around and swim around like crazy. That was flippin’ sweet.

After that we went to a beach and snorkelled some more, seeing more fish and sharks, and also a lone flamingo. And it was sunny and the perfect temperature. Thanks God!

Day 5: Second day involved going to see some tortoises in the wild in the morning, which was sweet.

In the afternoon, we went to Tortuga Bay and hiked around seeing wildlife and then we kayaked and saw a ton of sea turtles coming up for air, blue footed boobies diving in the water, and a shark.

Although day 5 was cloudy, I think it helped us not turn to lobsters.

Our tour guide Eduardo’s grandmother was the “Ice-Cream lady” for the Galapagos islands.
We ate so many Magnum ice cream bars this day because we finally found places with variety and we had to try all of the flavours that are not in Cuenca. I had 2, and a person remaining unnamed had 4 Magnums in one day. My absolute favourite is the Blanc (white chocolate covering chocolate ice cream) and the cookies and cream flavour.

It was also interesting hearing what life was like in a beautiful place that thrived on tourism from our tour guide. Hearing about introduced species of plants and animals hurting the environment was interesting to hear.

Day 6: Last day our “activity” was seeing a crater. It took 10 minutes and then we left. It was an awesome trip…but 2 days in the one of the most beautiful places on earth? I would have liked another 5 days at least, but I am thankful for the two days we had and am thankful that Taylor paid for those two days.

LINKS TO PICS:
~QUITO~
~GALAPAGOS~