This weeks post come from Andrew Miller.  Andrew just finished a year long internship with Grace Community Church, and he will be greatly missed!  He is now off to seminary in St. Louis.  These thoughts come as a result of his recent trip to Toronto on one of Grace’s short-term trips.

Holy ground hurts.

That’s what I learned on a mission trip to Toronto at 1:17 AM when our trip leader told us to “take off our shoes and socks.”

We had been walking around the city all day. We were tired, hungry, and thought we were about to get some sleep. We were wrong.

“Take off your shoes and socks.”

We stared back, not sure if the trip leader had just said what we thought he said.

He said it again – louder this time – with a smile that seemed almost mischievous.

“Take off your shoes and socks.”

“Why?”

“Just trust me. Take off your shoes and your socks.”

One other thing I forgot to mention: it’s cold – probably 20 degrees – and we were standing on rough concrete – not the smooth kind on sidewalks in the suburbs – but the gritty and gravely kind characteristic of worn down sections of the city.

I slowly started untying my shoelaces. Hesitantly, the rest of our team followed suit. Soon six sets of skin-clad feet were in direct contact with that 20-degree, gritty, gravely, holy ground.

Holy? That’s what the trip leader seemed to think. He started to tell a story from the life of Moses to make his point. So mentally transition from imagining cold Toronto night to stifling hot middle-eastern dessert several millennia ago…

When God meets Moses in the burning bush in Exodus 3, he tells him to take off his sandals, not because its insanely hot, but because the place he’s standing is holy ground.

The trip leader raises an interesting question: “What makes the place where Moses is standing holy?” The obvious answer is the presence of God. But the presence of God is everywhere, is it not?

Several other factors are significant. First, there’s the initiative of God. Here we have God initiating with Moses in a way that’s unusual. We have God talking action on behalf of his people. We have God doing something special.

Second, there’s the willingness of Moses to notice what God is doing. In Exodus 3:4 it says, “When the Lord saw that Moses had gone over to look, God called to him.” It seems like there’s a connection between Moses’ willingness to stop and pay attention and God’s decision to reveal what He’s doing to Moses in that moment.

So in this holy ground moment we have God who is active – setting something important in motion. And we have Moses who is attentive. This creates a context for a holy ground encounter. Holy ground happens when God is at work in a special way and we notice.

Next, God invites Moses to join Him in what He’s doing. Moses has a role to play – a role that will require courage, risk, and suffering. And this is where it gets interesting…

In that moment Moses is forced to face his deepest insecurities and fears. God asks Moses to return to Egypt – a place marked by sin and failure – a place he’s spent the past 40 years of his life hiding from! For Moses, this is not holy ground that is happy or harmless; this is holy ground that hurts.

Before that moment on the Toronto steets I had always thought of holy ground moments as pleasant, warm, and happy occasions. Shivering on that Toronto sidewalk, my feet numb with pain from the icy ground beneath me, I realized that holy ground moments hurt.

So often we want our encounters with God to be warm and comfortable. And we need those encounters from time to time – the kind where God reminds us that he loves us and is for us. But we need the other kind of encounters too – the kind that make us uncomfortable – the kind where we come face to face with injustice and brokenness and pain. God uses these encounters show us the things that He cares about – and then to invite us to do something about them.

This past week I’ve spent my morning quiet times doing a five week devotional from author and social justice advocate Tom Davis about sex trafficking. These quiet times haven’t been warm or comfortable, but they have been Holy Ground moments – moments where I became aware of an injustice in the world and heard God’s invitation to fight against it.

If you’re interested you can read more about this issue at www.sheispriceless.com. I’d strongly recommend downloading the 5-day devotional. These 5 minutes devos may be uncomfortable, but they will compel you towards Gods kingdom purposes!

So here’s my question that I’m going to continue to wrestle with. Am I willing to respond when I sense God inviting me to Holy Ground Moment that will hurt?

Trying to answer this question was the focus for our Summer Interns here at Grace.  We are so sad that are Summer Interns have now departed.  Here are some excerpts of what one Intern had to say about their time with us this summer.  I hope you will be encouraged by what one intern has learned through 11 weeks at Grace Community.

Holistic

This concept seems to be the biggest theme that I will take away from this summer. Living a life on mission with God is something that totally encompasses our years here on earth. As Jesus expressed in Matthew 6:10, we are to pray that God’s “will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Being missional isn’t something we turn on and off; rather, it is an attitude or stance we adopt out of a response to God’s unconditional love for us.

Rhythmic

Similar to the holistic approach we’re called to adopt, finding a rhythm to allow the kingdom of God to break into our lives is a key part of missional living. Sitting under a tree in Toronto, God opened my eyes to the concept of askesis, or a posture of space to experience the Creator and His creation here on earth. Askesis becomes a rhythmic framework for God’s story to play out in our lives, an idea central to being a part of God’s mission. A personalized and purposeful strategy to notice God’s voice in our life is a concept that frees us from the guilt and obligation that often comes to my mind when I think about a lifetime of “quiet-times”. Being on mission with God is so much more than merely checking thirty minutes of time spent with Him off our to-do list. It’s about tuning our heart to the rhythms that God has a propensity towards- love, social justice, grace, etc.

Present

Asking God to reveal what He is doing in our current circumstances becomes central to following His will. We can be on mission for God regardless of what our outward circumstances dictate.

Deconstructive

I write this because it was one of the greatest themes to my summer, a combined result of time spent at Grace and also time spent in Toronto. Being on mission with God means being open to change and growth and new experiences. We must allow our hearts to continually break for what breaks God’s heart.

Relational

Part of following and experiencing God’s mission is expressed through true and authentic community. God never intended us to walk with Him alone, but rather alongside other believers who can encourage us, challenge us to holiness, and speak wisdom into our choices/decisions. Living into this community is central to God’s design for our lives and the Church as a whole.

I experienced authentic community throughout the summer, both at Grace and especially in Toronto. It’s amazing to me that a church of over 5,000 people with over 100 staff members can feel like home after only a few months of being here. Much of that sensation comes from the relationships I’ve developed with the other interns, fellow staff members, and the larger Access community. God has used the friends I’ve made here (especially the other interns) to remind of His love time and time again and I can’t thank Him enough for that. Comparing my attitude at the beginning of the summer when I still felt isolated and disconnected to the intense sense of joy I’ve felt over the last two months is an amazing opportunity to remember God’s mission includes others.

Palms-Up

This posture is central to living on mission with God. Even though the Lord has blessed us with free will, the power of choice can often become an idol in our lives. We can choose paths that offer instant gratification or worldly satisfaction, but yet offer little or no eternal impact. We can choose to serve the attractive fallacy of the American Dream, rather than the God of the universe. A missional lifestyle is one in which we offer the tension between worldly desires and the will of the Kingdom up to the Lord on a moment-by-moment basis. It’s a continual process of dying to self and living in light of God’s kingdom here on earth. As Mark 8: 34-38 so wonderfully articulates, we must lose our way to better serve God’s way.

This was a theme that resonated through my entire summer so I can’t quite pick out an individualized moment. As you already know, coming to Grace was not necessarily what I expected or had planned. However, it’s been amazing to watch God meet every need, every request and every challenge that has come my way. When I remain palms-up before the Lord, He can do something with my nothing.

So, to sum up what I have come to understand as the essence of living on mission for God: adopting a posture of love and openness to God’s work and God’s heart in our present circumstance (regardless of what they might be or not be) and seeking His will as a Christ-following community of believers.

This is what one Intern has said…what would you say it means to live on mission with God?

Today’s post comes to us from Trey Sullivan, an Intern on the Worship team at Grace Community Church. Check him out in Sojourn this weekend as he leads us in worship. Trey recently went with Access to Toronto on a short-term trip. Here are some thoughts from his trip…

Tired feet in Toronto

It’s late at night: 2 or 3am. My feet hurt from walking, and my mind is beginning to fog over. I am walking with two friends through the rougher part of the homosexual district of Toronto. The streets are fairly clear of people, until our constant footsteps bring us to the main road that we turn onto. We intuitively stop talking, closing our mouths so that we can open our eyes, ears and hearts. Two ladies, well dressed, talk casually to each other on the street corner under the lamppost, exchanging the normal friendly banter. Transvestites. Selling their bodies on the street for a few dollars. A “lady” in a red dress curses at her feet while she messes with white high heels that are obviously too high and far too small for her feet. She calls her all-white-dressed, blonde friend over to her, and asks for help getting her shoes back on. From the conversation that follows, it’s obvious that this is not the first time she has asked for help. The lady in the white dress is happy to oblige. Community; friendship; personhood; dignity.

Church in Toronto

It’s the next day: the afternoon. I’ve just finished praying through the penitential rite at a large and very ornate Anglican church. Gothic architecture and the history of the Canadian church adorns the walls – it feels like a Catholic church in its grandness and splendor. I have prayed for forgiveness of my sins. I am judgmental. One foot in front of the other, out into the gardens that separate the church from the St. Lawrence market. As I walk alone, I see three ladies who seem oddly out of place strolling through the garden laughing together and talking to someone on the phone. More transvestites. Looking closely at them, their faces become familiar. I am in the presence of the same transvestites that had been selling their bodies only the night before. They are still together and still cross-dressed, though less seductive in their outfit choice. They laugh and banter together as friends do, speaking of shopping and of visits to mutual friends. I am witnessing a community. I am witnessing persons who are not defined by their career choice. I am witnessing, in a small and broken way, the love that marks the King, and His Kingdom. I am witnessing the image of God.

Some people raise the question–are “mission” trips or “Short-term” trips worth the time, energy, and money that go into them? Can’t we just help people in our own backyard?  There are lots of people here that need help!

And we would say YES!  There are lots of people in our neighborhoods that need help–and we are doing our part at Grace Community Church to help them and know them.  But there is a slice of the Kingdom of God that a person can participate in when you get outside your own culture and context that is unlike anything else.

Currently have we have trips in Ukraine and Colombia.  Trips from Mississippi, Toronto, and New York have just returned, and still later this summer trips will be heading to New York, Japan, and Costa Rica.

Here is a link to a blog the team kept while in Ukraine.  I warn you, the stories from Ukraine could bring a tear to your eye.  The way God showed up at the camp they put on for disabled kids was awe inspiring:

Grace Trip to Ukraine.

This weekend you will find trip leaders in the lobby for some trips coming up later this year.  If you have never been on a trip, maybe it is time for you to follow God on an adventure like this.  Here are a few stories from the team that recently returned from serving in New York.:

My most precious moment from Saturday has been on my mind ever since…There was a little boy in a wheel chair that came to the bus with his mother and grandmother.  I instantly noticed him and asked them if I could help them get their soup and drinks since they were pushing a wheel chair.  They went to the location under the tent where they would eat and I brought them three soups and iced tea.  This little boy was so sweet.  We believe he may have had cerebral palsy.  I wanted to take him home with me and be able to love on him like I would my son Brennan!  I was able to help him eat his lunch, my mom brought him some chocolates and he and I talked.  He was 10 1/2 years old, his birthday was in October, his favorite color was blue and he liked Spiderman.  :)  We had spent time coloring on the sidewalk with the other kids and sadly this was something he obviously could not do.  I asked him if he could spell his name and he spelled it to me while I wrote it on the sidewalk in blue sidewalk chalk.  His name was Yimbert…:)  I then wrote my name on the sidewalk as well.  I asked him if he would like his face painted and he smiled and said he would like a spiderman on his arm.  How sweet is that…:)  One of the things that we have each really struggled with is the kids.

Jo was very touched by the people that we saw at multiple stops during our trip.  The bus has a routine schedule so every Friday they go to Harlem for lunch and the Newark projects for dinner.  Every Saturday they go to the South Bronx.  The purpose of this is so that people know where they can get food and many people come to multiple stops.  There was a man named Rafael that was in Harlem on Friday and the South Bronx on Saturday.  There was also a man named Angel that was waiting for us at both Harlem and the South Bronx when we arrived at the stop.  Angel sat on the bus with us at both locations from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  He had developed a deep friendship with the folks on the NYC Relief bus.  One of the NYC Relief bus leaders would take Angel to movies, dinner, etc. and was taking him to the Social Security office on Monday morning to help straighten some things out.  Angel was maybe forty years old and was born with some learning disabilities.  At some point when he was younger his brother beat him with a baseball bat causing significant brain injuries..it truly saddens me to think about that.  Angel is just the sweetest person that really enjoys being around the relief bus.  We drove him home on the bus yesterday and I can tell you that we are all sad to see him go…

My mom shared a story that touched her at the beginning of lunch in the South Bronx.  She was serving the iced tea from the bus and had this moment where it was as if time stood still.  She was looking out on the sidewalks and saw all of the activities that our team was involved in.  My dad was talking to an older couple whom he carried soup for, others on our team were praying with people, some were playing with kids, others were handing out clothes, hygiene items, information on shelters, rehabilitation programs, etc.  Mom described this as a really incredible moment taking this all in…

For more stories from New York, Click here.

“You see that corner back there? That’s where I was told to never go when I was a kid because I’d get stabbed.”

That memorable insight from our trip leader, delivered on a night walk at 1:30 a.m., is just one of the many memories I will carry with me from the Short Term Trip to Toronto I was able to be a part of last fall. It was a cold and rainy weekend in mid-November, and I found myself in a group of six other twenty-somethings following our guide through parts of the city that I never could have dreamed, let alone imagined myself walking through.

Many images remain fixed in my mind from those night walks. I remember a man on his cell phone, standing outside a night club known as a hot spot for homosexual clientele. There was nothing remarkable in the man’s appearance, but I found myself wondering how he had found himself there on that rainy night, and where he was going.

I remember passing a waitress working at an outdoor cafe who had more tattoos and piercing that I could count. I remember feeling sad for her, and then wondering why the fact that she was different from me made me so sad.

I remember crossing the street, while a group of fifteen prostitutes walked directly behind us. As we walked, I overheard their conversation, talking about their friends, their day job and what they watched on TV last night. I thought, “Wow, they’re not very different fom me.”

I remember meeting one young man who was high on some drug or another, but was very excited to welcome us to Cananda. As he explained Canada’s systematic plan to invade the United States, I found myself uncomfortable and wanting to pull away. Why did this man’s ramblings make me want to recoil with fear?

I remember visiting the AIDS memorial and looking at plaque after plaque of names of those lost to the disease. I saw many places where only nicknames were given, and many more where only a date of death was listed, commemorating a friend who was loved in life, but not known close enough to know an age or birth date.

The AIDS Memorial in Toronto (Photo by Katie Osland)

I remember a time when labels for people came so easy: gay, punk, hooker, junkie. Those labels don’t come so easily anymore. For me, those people now have faces, some of them have names, and I know they each have a story.

Some of these people have found themselves in difficult circumstances because of choices they’ve made, some are there because of the choices of others, but all of them are children of God. They fit into Jesus’ category of “our neighbor” far more snugly than I’m often comfortable admitting to myself.  The one other thing I remember about my time in Toronto is taking time to look into those faces, and seeing how much they look like Jesus.