Leading by actions is a must

“What you are speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you are saying.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Words are important but the oxygen we waste could be used to carry out the words we speak. In our lives we become very good at dictating what others should do or exemplify in their own lives around us, but do we listen to our own advice.

This has become a huge step at the House of Moses by students not just speaking what should be done but carrying it out by their actions. And oftentimes there are no words spoken, just an action carried out.

And the outcome of such…we are seeing others students step up and accept the challenge.

Few questions:
1. What in your life do you speak but not carry out?
2. How can you change this?

Challenge:
In the next week try to speak with your actions only and see the effect it has on others around you.

Remember we serve a King who said He loved us but also carried this action out.

A question for me.

A quick question for myself, and since this is a blog…you can jump in and answer within your own spirit.

Would you be willing to continue to do what you are doing today for the rest of your life EVEN IF no one ever appreciated or acknowledge your contribution you have made.

We (I) are quick to say, absolutely, no doubt, “heck yea”, etc. but do our lives really reflect this? Maybe not our lives, but the still small voice inside that is the precursor of what truly comes out of our mouth and body language.

I believe deep down there is a gigantic peace to rest and reside in, when I (we) are able to answer the questions above with a YES and our lives reflect our answer.

“I have learned to be content…” Apostle Paul
“Not to us Lord, but to you be the Glory…” King David
“He must increase…I must decrease.” -John the Baptist

Thinking of others first…sometimes it’s not what you think!

IF we were going to take a poll and ask 100 people how we live out the above verse, I am sure many would quickly say serving others…allowing others to go in front of you at the “line” of life.

Isn’t that what Jesus did?

Absolutely Jesus was the ultimate “last” while he was on this planet. He placed others in front of Him.
– When He was tired and was headed to a remote place to rest…a few thousand people showed up and he fed them.
– He washed the very feet of his disciples.
– He took our sins.

But he also placed others well being in front of being liked.

For example when he told Peter, “…get behind me Satan…” this wasn’t a soft rebuke. Peter was so concerned about his own well being, there was no way he was going to let his Jesus die, although it was God’s will.

So often we make the walk with Christ something of weaklings…placing others needs in front of your own… But I would have to argue that so often we miss this verse when we see a person going down the wrong path and we sit idly by without saying anything.

Place your comfort, second to others’ well being.

Second chances and cups of coffee!

Transparency is something we definitely do not tiptoe around in our lives and with this blog I am going to continue this truth.

You see, Christi just returned from the Dominican Republic early this morning around 3 am. We, especially me (JOHN) was ready to see her. But last night before she arrived I had one of those pity parties. You know those the ones that you place yourself as the center of the universe and are bummed because people are not bowing down to your hidden agendas and ideas.

Anyway, because of the pity party, I totally missed loving Christi well. As I was sitting in the place Ava calls my “Jesus place” I was trying to convince Jesus that I deserve this time of pity…but of course that never works because HE brings up passages like Philippians 2.

As I continued to seek HIM in prayer I begin to confess my foolishness and selflessness that caused me not to love Christi well on her arrival. The more time spent in prayer with my Jesus the more my eyes fell of me and was directed towards my wife.

Then…Jesus had this great idea. Take Christi a cup of coffee as she was teaching at Sonlight today.

GREAT IDEA JESUS.

SO I made her coffee just the way she likes it and took it over to her class. I have to admit in humility, I promise, I felt like a knight in shinning armor on my arrival as Christi said, ‘Oh honey, I was just thinking about how much I wanted coffee and then you brought me some.”

Yay Jesus, straight up bullseye target again.

Guys and gals, get over yourself and serve your spouse. And rest in second chances of cups of coffee!

“She always does that.”

After devotionals last night, I went down stairs to get something from one of the boys and I saw Miselene mopping the floor. This surprised me greatly, because it is the guys’ responsibility at the House of Moses to mop the bottom floor and the girls mop the second floor.

When I saw her doing this, I said “Miselene, what are you doing?” Unknowingly KenKen was following behind me and he said, “Oh dad she always does that.”

My heart was bursting with joy!!!

Why?
1. We have the following verse on one of our walls at HoM:
“The greatest among you will be your servant.” Matthew 23:11
They are truly living this verse out.

2. The great examples that are being set by the students serving one another…so so very important attribute of a leader!

3. It is not going unnoticed by the students at HoM.

One proud dad!

Intimacy in your marriage…

On August 21st Christi and I celebrated 15 years. YES…I am a very blessed man.

One of the areas of our marriage that is becoming oh so good is the intimacy portion of our marriage; yeah not only that part, but our conversations and transparency with one another.

For example, in the past when I was facing something difficult and having a hard time handling it, I would put up this front (that Christi could quickly see through) and act as if I had no problem. But today in our marriage I am learning to go to Christi and say, “Baby…I am having a difficult time with this situation, will you please pray for me.” Through this, we are quickly becoming even more ONE.

And it is happening through being vulnerable.

Some of the synonyms for “vulnerable” are:
helpless, defenseless, powerless, impotent, weak, susceptible.

And in my helplessness, defenselessness, weakness, etc. before my wife, a tangible fruit is intimacy.

You see this vulnerably lived out in the Garden of Eden before the fall of man within the marriage of Adam and Eve;

“Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame”

But once sin happened, you see this quickly fade;

“Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.”

You see this, within their relationship because of sin, the intimacy faded…DON’T Let this HAPPEN!

TODAY, husbands and wives…if you long for intimacy, begin being vulnerable with one another. Share your weaknesses within your spouse. I promise it will be difficult but oh so worth it!

Learning to Abide

It’s funny how many of my “moments” are captured on Family Fun Fritay Fridays! It’s our movie night…as the movie plays I look around at our beautiful children and bask in our family here.

Tonight right before devotions and movie night one of our girls, Nerlande comes up to sit and talk. When your children hurt, it is so hard not to want to react in their defense; as she’s sharing some painful experiences of her day I say all the “right” things; you know:
– Forgive & pray for them…
– people will always talk but God knows truth and sees our hearts
– keep seeking Christ; keep your eyes on him and the fruit of His Spirit will shine through you and be your defense and blessing
– people are hurting and jealous and it’s really hard at times to be happy for others when they don’t have what you do

Then, I realize:
1. I am hurting with my girl but I’m not mad – Wow!
2. I have finally learned not to respond in emotional reaction and can live in Exodus 14:14 because God is our defender and will fight our battles

Then she says, you know what I love about House of Moses; the love. Well, that sums it up; people can say whatever they say about whatever; but our children are confirmed and affirmed, first by their identity in Christ and second confident in the love they have at home…Victory!

During the movie, I look over at our one boy that didn’t pass his government exam who has other dynamics entwined in his situation and is going to have a season of reflection out of the home because of choices he’s made. Through this tough time, we stay faithful to our call as a leadership and discipleship home with which discipline and accountability come but He is more impacted by the fact that:
1. As a man, he has completely owned his choices and how they impact him (that is HUGE in Haiti where “Sa pa fot mwen”-No my fault is common phrase response)
2. This is his family and he is deeply loved – God will do the work he needs to do for He is Soverign, in control as he saw in his brother Kenken’s life and he rests in that. There is peace

There is no condemnation in Christ…
As John and I are unplugging the movie and projector, I ask him if he responded publicly on facebook or blogging about Joel Osteen’s wife’s rant about obeying for yourself and not for God – so on and so on…He said, “No, it would have been out of a wrong heart and a reactional response.” Looks like he’s living out the same triumph lesson tonight too…

I want our words, our life, our love to be not that of ourselves but from God. Tonight I am filled at the fruit of that desire; I go to bed praying our home is the aroma Christ to the extra girls sleeping over with Terah; the little ones extremely happy having a sleep party with two of their big sisters, Lovelie and Nerlande, a house full of secure and happy lives in Christ who survived a week of Rheto re-takes, first week of school, another week of Rheto and Philo prep club Summer School and getting home from Cap Haiten for a visa. We are all back home together and nothing else matters.

Roundabouts

Do you remember the days of the roundabouts at the park.  People would pile on this crazy ride and someone who wanted to make others sick would quickly spend the “puke machine” until someone would either fall off or fulfill the name previously given to the roundabout.  Oh the fun we had…

As we reenter the states one of the questions we are asked most often is, “How does it feel to come back to the states for a time?”  Up until this morning it was difficult to relate the feeling we had until I saw a picture of a roundabout.

When our family steps back into America, we find ourselves on a roundabout.  A roundabout where friends, family, and newfound communities come and see us as we spin one hundred miles an hour.  As we spend we shout hellos, love yous, and share an updated journey on how God is moving at the House of Moses.  As the spin continues these friends, family and newfound communities leave and go back to their life here in America as a new set replaces them.  Again we spin and shout all the above over and over.

You would think that after a few years of doing this, we would be able to find a balance of the sharing, planning, spending time with family and friends, and etc.  but we have not.  For this, we thank you for your patience and love as we navigate this new curve in our life journey.

I do want to express our deep soul “thank you” for those that stand at the proverbial roundabout of our life here in America during the summer.  You will never know the great encouragement God brings to our lives through your smiles, prayers, hugs, and listening ears.  These moments with you, although brief, challenge us to continue the journey we are on in Haiti.

We praise God for each of you!

-jb

Does the fruit of what your serving – satisfy?

We have been in the states for a week now enjoying a gift of vacation from some precious friends. A few days into our annual stateside visit, I noticed some things about myself that I had to get figured out with God.

We were totally consumed with rest, good food, hot baths, limitless internet, swimming, family time, etc. and yet I found myself impatient, a little gripy, and snappy. We are being renewed right?! ALL of our wants and needs are completely being met…or are they?

After a time of Sabbath, I realized in Haiti we are constantly pouring out. Having a daily household of sixteen kids and living in a community of twenty takes selflessness and pressing into Christ, desperate for his touch and intimacy that fills you to live beyond yourself. We could not victoriously exist otherwise.

When you do this, your physical state may be stripped but your spiritual state is so empowered and you are abiding in the Spirit of Christ and what flows out is the fruit of the Spirit. Here, for me, it was the opposite.

I was melting in repentance as I read through scripture I have read numerous times, nearly to memorization…Gal. 5

My Bible has these sections titled, Keep Your Freedom & The Spirit and Human Nature

Being touched by the reminder of what the Spirit of God produces; I went to 1 Corinthians 13, throughout both scriptures I found myself answering tough questions within about what was flowing from me as a wife & mommy.

Initially it would be easy to say I’m stressed in new ways or overwhelmed by “adjusting” to the states or even physically battling monthly female issues but those are all EXCUSES and nothing that trumps the power of the Spirit of God or living out kingdom culture.

Truth is, I spent days feeding all things ME. I was reacting selfishly because I was allowing human nature things to satisfy me and not my Jesus. Don’t get me wrong, You can have both and balance both with victory but at that time and moment, I wasn’t.   I was talking to God (praying) and living with truth within me but not abiding in the Spirit of God because I hadn’t been desperately pressing into him daily to complete and satisfy me in the way that I do at home.   **Note to self: God doesn’t stay at home when you go on vacation… for me I had to realize that my FOCUS was on hot baths, food, and rest/sleeping, etc. After a few days of that, in little ways I was looking to my husband and children to be that satisfaction and when either did something I didn’t like or irritating; I snapped! Why?!  Well, #1 it’s not their job to make me happy. Feeding my selfish and flesh desires or putting focus on them didn’t produce beautiful things within me because Christ alone wasn’t my satisfaction.  

This was a perfect way to get this season started and remind me to keep the main thing, the main thing. I am so thankful for this time in many ways and thankful that God reveals himself to me through discipline and ready to out this weekend and begin sharing this faith journey!

 

 

Between two worlds

It is crazy to think in less than one week we will be back in America for a few weeks. As this has been before us for some time I have had time to think about the return. These are a few things that have been placed upon my heart:

1. I am now leaving home and traveling to America while at the beginning of this journey I was leaving home and traveling to Haiti.
2. One word that Jesus continues to place before me is discipline. Discipline in my spiritual life. I do not want to go backwards as the closeness to Jesus is so precious.
3. Our missional life does not stop . Far too often we segment our spiritual journey into “punching the time clock.”
But according to Paul “we no longer live…” When surrendering to Christ we have committed to a full time lifelong commitment to making Him known.
4. Resting in Him is important allowing Jesus to fill us, not god substitutes.

We are so ready to see family and friends but being prepared to reenter America is just as important as preparing to enter Haiti.

Pray with us.

Jb