4+2=6

Progress.

After many many hours of work, here is a sample of the progress that has been made on a simply 3D model of "Cienega." It is the Phase 1 building for a new Christian University that Amor Ministries wants to plant in the Yucatan Peninsula. This will be the seed for Christian education near the Cancun/ Puerto Morelos, Mexico area.

Enjoy :-)

** Also check out more photos added under the photo tab above! **

Halfway and Some more.

As the halfway point of my internship and mission experience has come and gone, God daily continues to bless the work being done here in Latin America. Me and my team are hard at work diligently working on the design of the Phase I building for the Christian University complex that we designed earlier this year in February. As the architecture design begins to wrap up and the structure for the building is coming to completion our anticipation for the building completion runs high.  Just a few months ago this vision for a new Christian University in the Yucatan Peninsula was simply a dream, a desire, a thought, we are now seeing the physical production and it is truly coming alive!

It is a blessing that I do not take for granted as I daily get to work and serve alongside some amazing people who truly want to expand God’s Kingdom.  As an intern it is my job to work and coordinate with the volunteer professionals, preparing and editing drawings and figuring out design solutions as they arise along the way.  It has been a time of growing both in my field of architecture and knowledge but also spiritually.

Every day we open up the office with worship, prayer, devotions, etc. Also, once a week myself and the interns get together to have a bible study. We have been studying and learning on the topic of “Biblical Manhood.” On top of those, once a week I get together with my boss [Tim] who is also my mentor and we have fellowship together. We have been going through the book “Wild At Heart.” This has been a great time of spiritual growth as we discuss topics about how to live a spiritually rich life. How to embrace the adventure and battle that God has placed us in. God has been teaching me that my life needs to be consumed in Him. Everything I do is for His glory. As I have begun to embrace this idea the blessings have been overflowing.  The relationships I have made with my host family, within my church, and within the community of Atenas, Costa Rica are incredible.

One in particular, Jose Pablo, a high school student who is interested in being an Architect and doing missions over in Japan. He comes to the office voluntarily once a week to work and serve alongside of us as he develops his skills and desire to learn how architecture can make a difference throughout the world. I have gotten to have many conversations with Jose. Typically he speaks English as I speak Spanish, it’s quite entertaining. We have had conversations regarding spiritual relationship, missions, service, each other’s past and backgrounds. I have grown quite fond of Jose’s desire to serve. He opened up to me one day, and I could see in his eyes. As he told me about his desire to serve and be God’s messenger over in Japan, I could relate.  The passion that he spoke with resonated so strongly within my heart. “This is why I am here. This is why I am in Costa Rica,” I said to myself. “The passions and desires that God has put in my heart, to make a difference in such a needy world.”

I am here for a purpose and daily God is revealing that to me. God has been growing me spiritually as He molds me into the man He has created me to be. He has been able to use me to serve others. As I daily sacrifice my comforts and own desires to do His will, I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. God, is one amazing boss.

Why did Jesus fold the napkin?

Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection? I never 
noticed this.... The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was 
placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. 
The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, 
and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.

'Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the 

tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran 
and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She 
said, 'They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where 
they have put him!'

Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple out ran 
Peter and got there first. He stopped and looked in and saw the linen cloth 
lying there, but he didn't go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He 
also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered 
Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.'

Was that important? Absolutely! Is it really significant? Yes!
In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to 
understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day.
The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy 
knew this tradition. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he 
made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was 
furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until 
the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, 
until the master was finished.

Now if the master were done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his 
fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss 
it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded 
napkin meant,  "I'm finished." But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it 
beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because..........

The folded napkin meant, "I'm coming back!"

GodisLove. LoveisGod.

Throughout my life I have struggled to define love. Some say it is am emotion. Others say it comes and goes. While others say it just is.  I have wrestled with how to define what Love truly is.  Recently God has laid it on my heart to discover what true biblical love is. Here are a few things God has been teaching me:

"Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply from the heart." 1 Peter 1:22

- In order to love, I must first be purified.

"This is love for God: To obey His commands." 1 John 5:3

- I must be obedient.

"Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love." 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

- I must remain faithful.

"God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God and God in Him." 1 John 4:16

- If I am living in God and He in me, then I live in love.

"Love is

.patient

.kind

.it does not envy

.it does not boast

.it is not proud

.it is not rude

.it is not easily-angered

.it keeps no record

.it does not delight in evil

.it rejoices with truth

.it always protects

.it always hopes

.it always perseveres

.it never fails."

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

the Stand.

'For I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned,

in awe of the one who gave it all.

yes, I'l stand, my soul Lord to you surrendered,

all I am is yours.'

My God is bigger. My God is better. My God IS love.

Built on a Cornerstone.

A cornerstone was used in the history of building to make sure a building was square.  It was used as the foundational stone to construct the building so that is may stand perfect. So that the walls may all be plumb and flush.  As Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ states that our cornerstone in our walk of faith is Christ. As He is the most perfect. He will direct us in the right direction to make sure we hit the mark set before us.

"As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:

   “See, I lay a stone in Zion, 
a chosen and precious cornerstone, 
and the one who trusts in him 
will never be put to shame.”

    Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

   “The stone the builders rejected 
has become the cornerstone,”

    and,

   “A stone that causes people to stumble 
and a rock that makes them fall.”

   They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

   But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

   Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.   Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us."

1 Peter 2:4-12

cor·ner·stone

–noun

1. a stone uniting two masonry walls at an intersection.

2. a stone representing the nominal starting place in theconstruction of a monumental building, usually carved with the date and laid with appropriate ceremonies.

3. something that is essential, indispensable, or basic

4. the chief foundation on which something is constructed or developed


"In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His spirit."


Ephesians 2:21-22

-- God is my Cornerstone whom I have built my life around. I know I won't miss the mark for Christ is perfect. If I talk behind Him and want to be like Him, may I get dirty and dusty in His footsteps.--

A Test of Manhood. Of Discipline.

I have to admit, I have been slacking! It has been almost a month since I last updated my blog.  It's not because God isn't working. It's not because there is nothing exicting happening here in Costa Rica. Rather, and I will admit, it is from shear laziness! How convicted do I feel.

During my time here all of the interns meet on Tuesday night for a guys Bible study.  Our focus has been "Biblical Manhood."  We have been studying and asking the question, "What is 'Biblical Manhood'? and how do we live that out?  We have covered topics such as Man's Creation and Purpose, God's Guide, Sainthood, Servanthood, and Discipleship/ Walking with God.  These kinds of topics have hit home with me and have led me on a search and discovery of what true manhood is.  The first week after discussion we began to discuse our definitions of what we thought 'biblical mahood' looks like.  My definition of manhood looks something like this:

"Living in the submission and surrender of/to our own fleshly/ sinful nature, bearing God's intention of man to live in sacrifice, love, humility, unity and responsibility, as an offering to God."

This has sent me over the past few months and weeks to really dig into God's word and discover what it truly means to be a man. Are my eyes set on the world's view of man. A "man" that indulges in his fleshly desires, consumed by the media, by cars, the pursuit of women, popularity and social acceptance. But rather am I living as God intended me to live. To reflect the image of my Creator. To work, create, and be relational. Daily I have been asking myself, Am I being fruitful and responsible today with the work that God has set before me? [Gen. 1:28 and Eph. 2:10]

As I near the half-way point of my time and service here in Costa Rica it is easy to lose track of why I am here. It is easy to get in a routine and loose the luster that the "unknowns" used to have. As things become more familiar and I become more comfortable with that language, the culture, and especially living with a Costa Rican family, it is easy to forget servanthood, responsibility, and 'selflessness'. It is my prayer that God would work discipline and resonsibility in me over the next few months. Many He daily work in me to continue molding and scultpting the Man that He has in mind for me to be. And it is my prayer that daily I will be glorifying Him in everything that I do and say.

On that note, be looking for a blog update everyweek. I may also include a short update or thought here and there throughout the week as the Lord lays on my heart.  I cannot express to you the joy it brings me when I receive a email or post of encouragement and prayers. It fans the flame of servanthood in my heart knowing that God doesn't expect us to do life on our own.  But a true man seeks for guidance, insight, and help from others. When we are truly able to be open about our life, I believe we have stepped into the intention that God has for us to live in love, humility, unity and responsibility.