Never settle for the 'Same'

This is a kind of a long post (I challenge you to read the whole thing), but God has put some thoughts on my heart that I needed to share. Are you a follower of Jesus Christ? How are you growing and changing? Scripture tells us we need to 'Move beyond the elementary teachings of Christ and onto maturity.' (Hebrews 6:1). We are also told to "Continue to live our lives in Him (Jesus), being rooted and built up in him, strenghtening our faith and overflowing with thankfulness." (Colossians 2:6-7) If God created us for a reason our lives should not be mundane and us staying in the 'same.' We are called to 'Go into the whole world and make disciples of all nations, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I (The Lord) will be with you always." (Matthew 28:19-20). The idea of growing and change has been on my mind a lot recently and so the majority of this post will be tied in to that theme. Some of the themes and quotes in the post will come from Nate Louder (pastor of Shoreline City Antigua), Rob Douglass (pastor of Dillsburg BIC church), lyrics from songs, and my own thoughts. I've sensed the Holy Spirit speaking to me in this area, but I also think others who read this need this encouragement and push forward as well. I invite you to open your heart and mind to what the Lord is telling you through my words. I also pray that these words will cause a stirring and that it will be something that Spirit places on your heart. Okay so that was quite the introduction, but as always if you receive this update via e-mail and the formatting is messed up, click the blog title which will take you directly to our web page. You can also click on any photo to enlarge it.

"I know breakthrough is coming. Your presence is an open door. We want you Lord, like never before. So come now Lord, like never before."

I will be using this story of Bartimaeus in Mark 10 to reference to some of the points I will be covering:
"46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road."

So in some ways I would suggest to you that in the early part of this story Bartimaeus (I'm going to call him Bart because it's easier to type) is like us. We are content to sit alongside the road begging, thinking nothing greater will come in life. We are satisfied, semi-comfortable because we know nothing that much greater will come. We have probably heard of this Jesus guy in this far off land, and may even believe in Him, but don't think He can impact our lives. We have been around the 'same' (same culture, same people, same church, same life, same decisions and same opportunities) our whole lives. We may have had some variety, but don't really feel like we are making a difference or have a purpose in live. Bart was around the 'same' his whole life. He did the same thing every day. "When you are around the 'same' you lose the capacity to grow and develop different mindsets." -Nate Louder.

"We cannot stay the same because we lose the potential to grow." -Nate Louder. Bart was losing his life by doing the same mundane thing over and over again. Then one day everything changed. He heard Jesus was coming to his hometown, going to pass by the road where he was sitting. Jesus was going to be within inches of him. His attitude, his mindset, his outlook on life changed within seconds because he knew that this guy could heal him. What changes our attitude? What changes our life? What makes us want to grow? Is it Jesus? Does wanting to grow toward Him wake you up in the morning? Does it make you want to talk about what He has done in your life? As we look back at Bart - his story isn't finished - not even close. He began to SHOUT. HE BEGAN TO SHOUT. Because he knew that there could be something more for his life. When we fight against the mundane and against the 'same' we don't just sit there calmly and say, Jesus I need you. NO WE SHOUT AGAINST THE WALLS,  that Satan has put up against us. The enemy doesn't want us to grow. He doesn't want us to know God better, he doesn't want us to feel a purpose or value in life. No we SHOUT AGAINST THE ENEMY. We break down those walls and say, "This is how I fight my battles. It may look like I'm surrounded, but I'm surrounded by YOU, THE VICTORY IS YOURS."  

Remember, the enemy doesn't go away easily. There were those around Bart who were telling him to be quiet, to shut up, that Jesus didn't care about him. Do we have those voices in our lives? Of course! What are we doing to fight against those voices and against the enemy? We need to SHOUT all the more like Bart does. "The louder the silencers get (in your life) the more God is moving. You will give hope to those around you if you step out of the 'same.' " - Nate Louder. Bart is stepping out of the 'same' - he is starting to give hope to those around him. The people all of a sudden realized that his shouting worked because Jesus stopped and recognized Bart, He valued him, He called to him, and those others had to guide him to Jesus. I can't image Bart's feelings or emotions because he had waited his entire life for something more. He jumped up, threw his cloak aside (probably all he had because he was a beggar) and came toward Jesus. "You don't want to miss God's will for your life if you are staying in the 'same.' "- Nate Louder. Do we jump up and run toward Jesus when He calls us? Are we willing to move forward, to grow, to step out into what God has called us toward? Jesus tells Bart 'your faith has healed you.' Immediately he was able to see. When we take that next step, when we grow, God begins to open up our yes and show us what He has for us. 

Well what is next? Again looking back to the story of Bart - he followed Jesus along the road. After his eyes were open the only thing he wanted to do was follow Him. What is next for you and me? We need to lean on God. When times get hard, SHOUT AND CRY OUT. When times are blessed, GIVE THANKS. What are you doing on a daily basis to grow? A applicable but difficult challenge and reminder from Pastor Rob, "When was the last time you talked to your next-door neighbor? They could be struggling with a disease, addiction, or just need someone to listen too." We need need to step out and become uncomfortable. Let's get out of the 'same' and impact the world for Jesus. 

Spirit come, Spirit come, speak revival in our world. Challenge us to grow and change, to never settle for the 'same.' 

As I think about growing and changing I believe God has so much more for us here in Guatemala as a part of Push The Rock. August 20th marked our two year date of living here. (Photo 1 is our first night in Guatemala and 2nd photos was taken a few weeks ago)

                                   

I have been thinking, dreaming, talking, discussing about what God has for us in the next two years. As Shauna and I look back we are amazed at how much the Lord has worked, provided, and helped us to grow. Are we getting ready to enter a season of expansion and growth? I believe so. Obviously this whole post is about growth - so why would God put that on my heart if I didn't believe it was for all aspects of life? Our after-school program is continuing to grow, our waiting-list is growing, our space is filling up, and our connections around the community are increasing. We have people who want to run youth and kids events involving sports. There are opportunities to develop basketball and soccer teams and have tournaments with other teams in the area.

We ask you to pray. Pray with authority, conviction, and that the Holy Spirit would guide, lead and give wisdom. Pray that we would not be hesitant to grow even without the necessary resources because we know God will provide. Pray for a new building, space, staff, finances, and continued connections. I have made connections just in the past month with a person who works with Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and a pastor and his son who have a BIC church here in our town!! Who would have guessed? Crazy how the Lord can work. Oh what a Savior, isn't he wonderful. For He is Lord of all. We pour out our praise to you only. Great are you Lord. Hasta que todo el mundo conozca el amor de Jesus. (Until the whole world knows the love of Jesus)

                         

                                                                          

Another note which I will talk about more in the next post is that we will be coming back to PA area for a visit in December for about a month. So if you are interested in meeting up with us or having us to your church, small group, home, youth group, coffee shop, or one on one to catch up we would love that! Shoot us a e-mail (abrubaker@pushtherock.org or krishauna@hopeforhome.org) because we are already beginning to set up our schedule. More info to come.

If you would like to message, e-mail, or video about any part of this post or if you have any questions, I would be honored and glad to talk. God is so good. We are so grateful for your financial and prayer support.

Never settle for the 'Same.' Be challenged, grow, and change!

Love from Guatemala,

Andi, Krishauna, and Sammy

If you have any questions or want to know more about our ministry and what we are doing in Guatemala send us an email at abrubaker@pushtherock.org or 
krishauna@hopeforhome.org.

If you feel God is calling you to support us financially you can go to 

pushtherock.org/donate and find Andi Brubaker on the drop down menu or hopeforhome.org/donate and designate your gift to Andi and Krishauna.