Last weeks of my internship

Two more weeks...
I've visited people and I've forgot some
I've preached twice (and again next sunday) and heard other people preach
I've thought about how to be a church and suffered some present things
I've pray with people and worshiped with other
I've seen people at the end of their life and kids runing to sunday school
I've had encouraging times and I've had discouraging times
Thank you Father

Having a coffee

Sitting on my bed...Thinking about the future and wondering where I am going and to what God is leading me.
My internship is over in a month and a half and I don't know what I will be doing after that.
I'm living on the first floor at some friend's place in Lille (France), my internship is teaching me a lot and brings me to places I would not have expected...
But right now I have so many questions...
I can't have a scholarship to take online classes (which I wanted to do for a few quarters at least)
I don't have any money to start a bar ministry...
I don't really want to work in a "secular" job...
What am I supposed to do with that. I know that God will provide, will lead me and show me his will...but right now I don't see anything, right now I'm in a fog with no concrete direction.

sorry

I'm sorry for the lack of updates on my blog, if you're reading this, thanks for remaining faithful.

It's been now almost 5 weeks since I've been back from California. The first weeks were really hard for me is some ways and really encouraging in some other ways (see my last post).

I'm doing my internship in my church right now and God is using that experience in a powerful way in my life. I learn to love people more, to meet them where they're at in life, pray for them and share who they are and who I am. Last sunday I preached for the second time in my life. The topic assigned by my pastor was : "what does it mean to be a Christian today." And to be honest I hated him for a few days after that.

Anyway, it's a question that has invaded my everyday life. What do people around me see in me? What is it supposed to bring in my everyday life? Do people know I'm a christian just because I don't drink, I read my Bible everyday or go to Church every sunday morning? Or do people see that I am Christian for things deeper and more obvious than that?

I preach a transformative gospel... do I live it?

I preach a never ending-deeper than the ocean-ready to give his life-... love do I live it?

An other side of my internship is to meet with people in my church who are at that point in their faith and its expression where they need more... where they need something different.

I'm gonna form a reflection group with who we're gonna think about other ways to do a service, to do worship,... it's pretty exciting to talk with them and see what we could do in the future.

I miss California and think about my friends, brothers and sisters over there everyday. I hope I can come back soon.

After 3 weeks.

Coming back here was not the easiest thing I've done in the past months....maybe even the most difficult. It is hard to come back in the Belgian mentality and I realize the bad aspects of it now more than ever. Anyway... sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

One of my big question coming back here was "why?" or to be more precise, what does God want for me here beside doing my internship. I realize little by little that God might just want me to sit in a bar have a drink and be ready for the opportunities that come to me. It's amazing to see that since I came back, every time I go out in bars, I get into a discussion with someone and every time that discussion evolve toward God, Jesus,... I had such discussions with people I would never expect to. And I feel people around me craving for something and questioning what this life is all about. My friend who visited from London told me: "there is something huge going on in your city, people are looking for God and every conversation ends up with God in it. As if God was sitting in the corner of every bar we go, waiting to jump into the discussion." Please pray for that.

Anyway it was good to be back with Melodie, my family, church and friends... here are some pictures.

  

first blog outside US.

I'm in Belgium, it's been a week. The mixed feelings inhabiting me when I left California have been replaced by other mixed feelings. I look at the people around me in the streets of Tournai, and I have a hard time to love them. I miss my friends in Pasadena so much. It is good to see Melo and my family and friends here again and spend some time with them. I wish I was in class in Payton 301, or in the library right now. Eating balanced and healthy meals feels good....

I start my internship in two churches next week (part time in each). The first one is my own church, the pastor asked me to develop alternative services from time to time. I know that what I learned in my classes will help me a lot, and I pray that God gives me new tools and opens new horizons to me. The second church is a small church -around 20 people- that has been though a lot of hard times. The pastor, who's a friend of mine as well, came 4 years ago and is trying to bring the pieces back together and develop the community. I don't know yet what I'll be doing with him, but I'm excited to work with him anyway.

I'll try to keep you updated with what's going on in my life here on the other side of the ocean.

I love you .

Video final project

02/11

Good lecture guys. Zizek's worldview in interesting since it is new to me. A lot of content in two hours so it's gonna take a while to process all that. One think that seems to be questioned to me is his conception that we have to step back from buying bio, fairtrade etc in order to think about a new way of doing thing without capitalism. My question is, if we do stop, WE can survive, but what about those people on the other side of the production process for who it is their only way of survival (even if they are exploited)? I don't think that we can just stop consumming without bringing an alternative to those people....well it's a really vast question anyway.