Who Belongs? july 14, 2016
I often don't know quite what's going to happen as I (AJ) peruse the streets of Bethania, on two feet or two wheels. It's impossible to hide, being the only consistent gringo in said peninsula (surrounded by ravines, not lakes). So there's a mix of reactions to me: kids staring in confusion, drunks stopping me to ask for money, mothers whispering something to the person next to them, and also people I've come to know giving me a wave or a shout.
I rode into Bethania yesterday, quite excited about having just tuned up the gears on my bike, and headed to the infamous corner of the soccer pitch where sometimes there's an...ugly...game of basketball happening in the park, or some folks playing a version of "Sorry", but always a steady supply and scent of marijuana. To me, it seems like a good place to be. As you can imagine, the conversations are always different, but yesterday's brought on some good, tough thoughts, and I was really grateful that God made it go as it did.
Julio is a temporary worker at a nearby factory, and makes 10 bucks for a day's work, usually 4/5 days a week. He's got a daugther who lives with her baby mama, but he helps care for her, and sees her often. When he's not working, he likes to smoke weed, not much else.
Julio hasn't been to church since he was a young chap. He doesn't want to be a hypocrite; being part a church while also being a weed smoker doesn't sit well with him, so he sticks with the weed. He's seen a lot of hypocrisy in the church. He's seen a lot of people caging themselves in with rules and living boring lives. He's seen a lot of people consumed by church activities and doing nothing else but church things. Nothing about it all really appeals to him. He believes in God, though.
"Is it a sin to smoke weed? Is it a sin to drink alcohol?" I asked. Yes, he said, because your body is a temple. (The majority church culture here condemns these things, among others). I asked Julio, "If my body is a temple, is it a sin to eat a greasy hamburger Irregardless, do you think someone can be a part of a church and keep smoking weed?"
The Bible doesn't talk much about smoking. Or social drinking. Or dating. Or video games. Or eating disorders. Or TV. Or social media. Or sports. Or other things that can be destructive and so people condemn said things. The Bible talks a lot about idols, though. About things steering peoples' loyalty and desire away from God. Are there things in my life that are competing Gods? Do I make decisions based on my desire and quest for a blunt/girl/beer/better body/Netflix/Facebook/money more than on God? Who/what am I really following? The Bible says a lot more about where your heart and your mind are set than on specific vices. But when you check yourself, honestly, what are you holding onto more tightly, what are you pursuing more faithfully?
Believing in God can mean a lot of different things, Julio and I decided. 1) Believing He exists. Nothing more. 2) Believing He exists andcommunicating with him (either out of routine or earnest pursuit to know who He is more). 3) Believing, communicating, knowing Him more plus obedience and pursuit of Him and His heart, His kingdom. There's people all over this spectrum, a lot dependent on their experiences growing up. But regardless of where you are on the "spectrum of belief," there should be a place in the Church for you. The church will be full of hypocrites, I told Julio, hypocrites like me, and you're welcome to join that, not as a perfect person but as a person who realizes their messed-up-ness and wants to jump in the process of believing in God bit by bit. The Church ought to be a mix of people in all places on the "spectrum of belief," that #1's can learn from #3's and #3's can learn from #1's and so forth. Many churches (esp. in Guatemala) aren't OK with that model...sanctification often appears "immediate" and stiff, dressed in suits and Pharisaic.
I told Julio, "Jesus didn't like the leaders of the church very much in His day. He actually spent more time in places like these, with people like you." I think that's why I keep meandering to that one infamous corner of the soccer pitch. "I think the Church needs more weed-smokers in it. It makes people like me think and learn. If you're looking for God, you belong in the Church, to be in with others in the continual process of sanctification. I don't know what will come of your relationship to marijuana as a result, really it depends on you and God, but I think going after a relationship with God is more important and more eternal than holding onto a good relationship with marijuana at the cost of keeping God at a distance."
We both left the field with a lot to think about. Would I/my church embrace someone like Julio into the family of sinners being sanctified, or be too focused on the blunt in his hand to see his humanity?
"We are pilgrims on a journey; we're together on this road;
We are here to help eachother; walk the mile and bear the load."
Verse 2, "The Servant Song"
*Note: not every day is this profound at thought-provoking.
*Note: The Toros Football Club is still together, but not participating in the league (AFGA...it only has 4 teams this year) cause we lost a few players and had a lot of people that rarely showed up and the league made the entrance fee stupid high and poorly organized...there's 2 other teams in the same boat. So we're gonna play some scrimmages and stuff but we're not gonna win the Maya Bowl...at least not this year. But pray that we stick together and that discipleship keeps going within the team.
We're so grateful you're walking along with us! How cool is life?
-AJ & Alaina
thewestys.weebly.com
guatemala.team.org
p.s. Things We're Into Lately:
1. Food: Mexican Tortas. Also Lasagna. Also Mangos. Also Berries n Cream French Toast.
2. Natural Systems: Lightning at Night. With or without the storm.
3. Natural Features: Volcano San Pedro. Climbed it.
4. Activity: Chamusca (pick-up soccer games in parks)
5. Activity: Saying goodbye to friends who worked at IJM here. Natalia. Allyson. Janey. Jessica. Clare.
6. Song: Finish Line/Drown by Chance the Rapper
I rode into Bethania yesterday, quite excited about having just tuned up the gears on my bike, and headed to the infamous corner of the soccer pitch where sometimes there's an...ugly...game of basketball happening in the park, or some folks playing a version of "Sorry", but always a steady supply and scent of marijuana. To me, it seems like a good place to be. As you can imagine, the conversations are always different, but yesterday's brought on some good, tough thoughts, and I was really grateful that God made it go as it did.
Julio is a temporary worker at a nearby factory, and makes 10 bucks for a day's work, usually 4/5 days a week. He's got a daugther who lives with her baby mama, but he helps care for her, and sees her often. When he's not working, he likes to smoke weed, not much else.
Julio hasn't been to church since he was a young chap. He doesn't want to be a hypocrite; being part a church while also being a weed smoker doesn't sit well with him, so he sticks with the weed. He's seen a lot of hypocrisy in the church. He's seen a lot of people caging themselves in with rules and living boring lives. He's seen a lot of people consumed by church activities and doing nothing else but church things. Nothing about it all really appeals to him. He believes in God, though.
"Is it a sin to smoke weed? Is it a sin to drink alcohol?" I asked. Yes, he said, because your body is a temple. (The majority church culture here condemns these things, among others). I asked Julio, "If my body is a temple, is it a sin to eat a greasy hamburger Irregardless, do you think someone can be a part of a church and keep smoking weed?"
The Bible doesn't talk much about smoking. Or social drinking. Or dating. Or video games. Or eating disorders. Or TV. Or social media. Or sports. Or other things that can be destructive and so people condemn said things. The Bible talks a lot about idols, though. About things steering peoples' loyalty and desire away from God. Are there things in my life that are competing Gods? Do I make decisions based on my desire and quest for a blunt/girl/beer/better body/Netflix/Facebook/money more than on God? Who/what am I really following? The Bible says a lot more about where your heart and your mind are set than on specific vices. But when you check yourself, honestly, what are you holding onto more tightly, what are you pursuing more faithfully?
Believing in God can mean a lot of different things, Julio and I decided. 1) Believing He exists. Nothing more. 2) Believing He exists andcommunicating with him (either out of routine or earnest pursuit to know who He is more). 3) Believing, communicating, knowing Him more plus obedience and pursuit of Him and His heart, His kingdom. There's people all over this spectrum, a lot dependent on their experiences growing up. But regardless of where you are on the "spectrum of belief," there should be a place in the Church for you. The church will be full of hypocrites, I told Julio, hypocrites like me, and you're welcome to join that, not as a perfect person but as a person who realizes their messed-up-ness and wants to jump in the process of believing in God bit by bit. The Church ought to be a mix of people in all places on the "spectrum of belief," that #1's can learn from #3's and #3's can learn from #1's and so forth. Many churches (esp. in Guatemala) aren't OK with that model...sanctification often appears "immediate" and stiff, dressed in suits and Pharisaic.
I told Julio, "Jesus didn't like the leaders of the church very much in His day. He actually spent more time in places like these, with people like you." I think that's why I keep meandering to that one infamous corner of the soccer pitch. "I think the Church needs more weed-smokers in it. It makes people like me think and learn. If you're looking for God, you belong in the Church, to be in with others in the continual process of sanctification. I don't know what will come of your relationship to marijuana as a result, really it depends on you and God, but I think going after a relationship with God is more important and more eternal than holding onto a good relationship with marijuana at the cost of keeping God at a distance."
We both left the field with a lot to think about. Would I/my church embrace someone like Julio into the family of sinners being sanctified, or be too focused on the blunt in his hand to see his humanity?
"We are pilgrims on a journey; we're together on this road;
We are here to help eachother; walk the mile and bear the load."
Verse 2, "The Servant Song"
*Note: not every day is this profound at thought-provoking.
*Note: The Toros Football Club is still together, but not participating in the league (AFGA...it only has 4 teams this year) cause we lost a few players and had a lot of people that rarely showed up and the league made the entrance fee stupid high and poorly organized...there's 2 other teams in the same boat. So we're gonna play some scrimmages and stuff but we're not gonna win the Maya Bowl...at least not this year. But pray that we stick together and that discipleship keeps going within the team.
We're so grateful you're walking along with us! How cool is life?
-AJ & Alaina
thewestys.weebly.com
guatemala.team.org
p.s. Things We're Into Lately:
1. Food: Mexican Tortas. Also Lasagna. Also Mangos. Also Berries n Cream French Toast.
2. Natural Systems: Lightning at Night. With or without the storm.
3. Natural Features: Volcano San Pedro. Climbed it.
4. Activity: Chamusca (pick-up soccer games in parks)
5. Activity: Saying goodbye to friends who worked at IJM here. Natalia. Allyson. Janey. Jessica. Clare.
6. Song: Finish Line/Drown by Chance the Rapper