WHaT iS GoD uP To?

Well, it's been a while since I've written mostly due to the fact that I spent the last week at a place called the Highlands -- a place built by Rawlings Foundation for the purpose of ministering to Dominicans through sports camps. Last week though, SCORE teams stayed at the complex and traveled out throughout the Dominican Republic like typical SCORE teams do. I had the opportunity to travel and translate for a basketball team. The team actually was made up of a girls and boys basketball team and a group that we ended up naming "The Village People" because we basically went to villages while the rest of the group was playing basketball. This week has definitely stretched my comfort zone and made me ponder some things.

Being stretched. Because I was a translator, many times without a missionary this week, I was used to translate the Gospel in a more individual way than what normally happens here. The team that I traveled with was very charismatic and I believe had the intentions of saving the island. (I do not have a judgment about that, but I say it so that you understand that every conversation was very intentional and focused about salvation.) My stretching came from being forced to translate about Jesus Christ almost immediately upon meeting people once we entered into a village and asking if they wanted to be saved.

What is God up to in my life? I have realized over the past year or so, if not before, that I am a very relational person -- and deeply relational at that. I do believe that it is my purpose to further the kingdom of God, but I think that it is best done through relationships and not abruptness nor signing on a "dotted line." I am not saying that all of the people who prayed for Jesus to come into their lives were not genuine, just simply that God stretched me in those experiences as it was uncomfortable sometimes to be in such an environment.

Pondering. Does God still allow people to use the Holy Spirit to heal the sick like He allowed the disciples to do after Jesus' death? The last day that the team was here, they were very intentional and outspoken about wanting to physically heal the people who were ill (even those who had been ill for their entire lives.) In doing so, my eyebrows, along with many others around here were raised. Is healing someone physically or proclaiming that in the middle of a village that is poor and mixed with believers and non-believers real or just for show? Do we need to profess a "physical healing" in order for a spiritual one to occur?

I am about to start reading Radical which is a pretty popular book that is going around. I haven't had the chance to start it, but I assume it is similar to a book I read a book last year Crazy Love which focused on luke warm Christians and the need to stretch ourselves more to further God's kingdom and represent ourselves like we truly do believe. I am assuming that they will be similar. Truly believing deep down that the Holy Spirit can heal someone -- is that radical? or is it false? I have never believed in that before. After the stories of what happened yesterday, I think I still don't believe that God puts that in us the same way that he did a long time ago, but it has me thinking... How much do I limit God's power? I understand that He is all-powerful... But has He changed the way that he uses us or do we just limit Him? Any theological responses to this would be great. COMMENT!

What was God up to last week? Why has he been having me experience this -- this thing that is so far from where my comfort zone is. Maybe to have me jump back into my Bible and seek Him, maybe to allow me to ask questions, maybe to encourage me to stretch myself.

More to come...