Often Pastor Skip makes a joke about one of his sons "suffering for Jesus" in Hawaii, the joke obviously being ironic to use the words Hawaii and suffering in the same sentence. The same can be said for any of us who live here in America compared to almost every other country. The question I have is would I really be willing to suffer for Jesus?

The Church that I grew up at about once a year would have what they call "missionary week" where missionaries from all over would come and share their stories etc etc. Well I remember sitting in Sunday school hearing them talk about how when they were sitting where I was they would beg God not to send them to Africa and sure enough that is where God sent them. I wasn't about to make that mistake, so praying not to go to Africa doesn't work and I'm not dumb enough to ask God to send me to Africa, so I found what seemed like a good alternative. I would tell God that I am willing to go wherever He sends me but that I think there are some great opportunities to stay here.

I find that 20 some odd years later my prayers can tend to be the same...trying to figure out how to get my way without looking like Jonah.

2 Corinthians 1:8-10
8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in [a]Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; 9 [b]indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; 10 who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, [c]He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us

Burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life. What would it be like to be that dependent upon Jesus? Is it possible in this culture, in a place filled with excess to actually be that dependent upon Jesus? What would we look like, what would our church look like if we became like this, so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead" What does that kind of dependency even look like? Maybe we might pray more fervently, care less about our selves, not make any decisions without having heard from God, maybe even branch out from just reading the Proverbs of the day.

A part of me honestly fears that my children will never truly grasp the true character/nature of God, I beg God that He will teach them complete dependency upon Him, no matter what sort of "hell on earth" path God might allow them to go on, to get them to that place, desperate for Jesus.

Eric House