Mission Trip: Missions

I've been talking with Pastor about going on a mission trip to Jamaica hopefully sometime soon. Amidst ALL of the things God has been putting in my heart for Him and His people, I really want to experience other countries and cultures. Specifically, cultures and people that are TRULY suffering, fighting to live, and fighting to practice their faith. I realize that I am quite naive about what I am wanting, but honestly, if God told me that I could go anywhere and not die (this would be my first mission trip, I'd like to come back) I would go to stinking China or Iraq, seriously. My heart WANTS to suffer physically, to see hardship firsthand, I think I would still go if I was going to get beat up. It goes back to perspective. I need it. Mainly because the truth is that it is harder to live for Christ than to die for Christ. The latter is more or less someone else's choice, the first is dependent on our discipline and commitment. I want to go serve someone who only knows servanthood. I want to lay hands on and encourage a lonely minister in a third world country. I want them to lay hands on and encourage me, because I need to learn that I am a missionary in my country, and I suck at it most of the time.

Have you considered ever going on a mission trip? Maybe you need to see the same things I need to see for the strengthening of your faith?

Let's stinking DO IT!! I feel retarded because I am still on the fence of doing what I know God is calling me to do. I am willing, but still learning to just do whatever it takes to MAKE it happen. I will go on a mission trip soon, before June, God will provide the money, the place, the annointing, and please God the safety (the others are a given, but nowhere in the bible does it promise we will always be safe).

Do what God is calling you to do!! I am not a favorite, God is not calling me alone to do new things for His kingdom. Listen to Him, it will change your life. Do it now!!

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Good morning...

Beautiful day this Sunday morning. Crappy night of sleep, horrible dreams, extremely sore from some hard physical work. But wow beautiful day!!! I came up to church early today for a few reasons but in my driving that put me driving past a lake while the sun was coming up in astounding beauty, thank you Lord. Had an honest conversation with some leaders this morning as we got ready for worship that called out a heaviness and laziness that some leaders were experiencing. Practice was frustrating, some issues in my leadership/relationships need to be hit head on that have slipped the last few weeks with some people. But WOW what an amazing day, as God hits me hard with trusting Him, and today I had to repent of hating myself and really who God has made me. Really, I realized that I have hated my personality, my physical appearance, my leadership skills... now I DO need to grow, and I hate that I am not walking with discipline and prayer... but God has called me to be Scott Clark, whether I am loved and liked by others or not!!!

I have a tendency to over study, over analyze, over complicate my welcomes, etc.

I am re-learning over and over again to truly trust God, to write down the things God reveals to me, but to stay flexible. Today God took what I had prepared for a welcome and adjusted like every other sentence, and as I was about to look over my notes I realized that everything God had changed would go out the window if I just looked "one more time". So I decided not to look, which is a huge breakthrough for me, and God took my words and made it powerful, effective. Something that I could never do with my words.

All of that said and done, I am just saying that we need to trust who God has made us, be willing to be vulnerable (I could have forgotten everything without my notes and looked unprepared) because God will use you how He's made you, not how you think you should be.

Our perfect God loves us how He made us, imperfect.

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