CrossRoads Café – 4/25/08

In January, when God allowed me begin leadership of CrossRoads, I envisioned a lively environment where Young Adults could enjoy themselves and be able to allow Scripture to shape their lifestyles. In just 4 months, God has done exceedingly, abundantly above what I could have thought.

[Sidebar: Yes, I know that phrase has been overplayed… but I couldn’t think of a better way to say it!]

This past Friday showed me that God is really up to something. People are packing out the room that in January was way too big for us. The Lord is blessing our discussions and really dealing with our issues within community. Raychon Stroman made the first encore appearance at CrossRoads Café with some spoken word, and Jeremy Berkeley brought a group to lead us in praise & worship. I wish I could say that we had it planned weeks in advance, but the truth is God opened the door right on time and blew our socks off! He continuously illustrates for me that He has this thing under control and we’re just along for the ride.

What a great ride!

Jamaica Missions – Day 7

4/18/07

Today was a pretty long & eventful day. After breakfast, we started the day at the “infirmary” in Trelawny. This is an establishment that takes in elderly people who need medical care and a place to stay. Many of these have no family to speak of and no money to pay. The infirmary offers free care and lodging for them. It is a truly remarkable ministry. They asked me to speak some words of encouragment to them. I was so overwhelmed by their situation and the wonderful ministry that was going on, I had no clue what to say! I just told them the story about the disciples asking Jesus about the blind man, “who sinned… he or his parents.” I told them that they were in a perfect position for God to display His power through them!

Later we went shopping at the town square in Montego Bay. That was a funny experience. When the native barterers see Americans (money), their eyes light up. “Come see what I got mon!” I was able to bargain my way to a wood carved map of Jamaica and some nice earrings for my wife. I also stopped by the supermarket to get some Guava Jam for home. Man, that stuff will change your life!

The last night of the crusade was incredible. I preached from Mark 1:14-15 when Jesus’ ministry starts. His words tells us about a Past Reality, a Present Reign, and a Pending Reaction. The past reality is that the Israelites would come to the temple yearly for someone else to seek atonement for their sins… continuing to come back seeking a blessing. With this, I addressed the habit of people coming to the altar looking for a blessing with no intention of trusting Christ. I didn’t realize how controversial it was until people afterward came up to me like “whoa!” It’s okay… I’m leaving tomorrow! LOL.

Representatives from the church gave us some nice gifts afterwards. They were so grateful for our ministry throughout the week. We’re grateful as well for the opportunity to come to Jamaica and share our time and gifts with them. I now have a wonderful Jamaican family.

I’m exhausted. Six sermons in six nights will do that to you. But I’m so energized by what God has done through us this week. I praise God that he allowed me this experience. Jamaica is such a ripe mission field because of its heritage (it’s in the Guinness Book of World Records for most churches per square mile). I look forward to the first opportunity to go back.

Thanks for taking the ride with me!

Jamaica Missions – Day 6

Today was the last day for the ladies on our team to minister to the girls at the orphanage. They made up a Jeopardy game for them to review all that they had learned this week (man, these girls are competitive), then showed them a video with excerpts from the Passion of the Christ. After the video, the gospel was shared and many of them asked for one of the ladies to talk with them and pray with them further about making a decision for Christ. It was obvious that the ladies have done a great job in teaching and loving these girls all this week.

There’s something that’s irking me about the “Altar Call” custom here in Jamaica. When the invitation is given, the Pastor begins urges lost souls to come forward… and if you wait long enough, they often do. Then, when the Pastor communicates the gospel to them and instructs them to confess and repent to receive the gift of salvation… a few of them don’t want to. WHAT IN THE WORLD DID YOU COME UP HERE FOR!?! One of the natives told me that it’s probably because they think they will be “blessed” by coming up to the altar… even without trusting Christ.

OK… I got something for’em tomorrow!

Jamaica Missions – Day 5

Today started differently… and it set the tone for today. Like everyday this week, I was at the shore at 5:55am for the sunrise. Only, I didn’t see it. It was a very cloudy morning and the clouds blocked view of the sun. But the effects of the sun broke through the clouds and showed on the water. Something in that told me that I would see God’s power in an unusual way today. I did. For the first time since we’ve been here, it rained… and boy did it make up for lost time. It seemed like every time I looked out the window, it was pouring. This meant that we didn’t get to go out and do any street evangelism. So I stayed in the room to rest and prepare for the crusade tonight.

God held the rain and we had a great crusade. I preached to my new Jamaican friends about their “Spiritual Passport” from Ephesians 2:1-10. The text tells us (1) where we’re from, (2) where we’ve been, and (3) where we’re going. One young lady responded to the call and came forward. The pastors here have developed a practice of simply praying for these souls, then inviting them back for the next church meeting. For the second night in a row, I grabbed the mic and shared gospel with them and led them to actually confess and repent. We know that if their confession and repentance are genuine, then they are sealed by the Holy Spirit and will leave in His custody. If not, they won’t. We ain’t got time hope they come back tomorrow!

At the end of the crusade, God’s power overwhelmed me. I realized that He stopped the rain, and orchestrated countless events because He had a plan to save the soul of this young woman who up to this point had been a Jehovah’s Witness. God is so awesome.

Bobby wept.

Jamaica Missions – Day 4

This is church in Jamaica. Man, they can get crunk! I want to tell you about some of wonderful brothers and sisters here in Jamaica that I love praying for:

1. We went back to the city of Falmouth today to evangelize and hand out tracts. We had Pastor Fairweather with us, which helped us out a little more than the guy that was with us yesterday. [Sidebar: It’s funny how the more we interact with the native people, the more we pick up the accent! LOL.] At one point, I propped up on a wall next to a young man, gave him a tract and introduced myself. I told him about the crusade and asked him honestly if he liked to go to church. He smiled and shook his head no. As I began to share the gospel with him, he told us that he was saved but had “backslidden” (his words). He then told a story about how God had miraculously healed his leg when no doctor could. I challenged him that he must return to the God whose power he has experienced in a mighty way. It seemed like that’s what he really wanted. Let’s pray for God’s grace to cover him.
2. There’s a lady who attends Bounty Hall Church. She’s quite old and completely blind. I walked past her home yesterday, it’s not even much of a hut. But she’s the loudest and most active worshipper in the church. She she’s always clapping her hands, singing and dancing during the Praise and Worship time. She excites me! When the Pastor asked if anyone had a testimony, she leaped up and started singing: “I have so much to thank God for!” It was awesome. I couldn’t help but think how much I complain and how my silly issues hinder my praise.
3. One of our team members celebrated her birthday today. Karen is actually from Jamaica and is teaching our team well about the food and customs. We got her some cake and sang Happy Birthday to her after supper (Which is what they call lunch in Jamaica… and dinner comes later… and it isn’t a full meal, but actually a pastry or something like that). Happy Birthday Karen
4. Six young men who came to the crusade after playing football (which is what they call soccer in Jamaica… and… well, you get my point) responded to the call and prayed to receive Christ today. Actually, eight came to the altar, but it seemed like two of them were on games and weren’t ready to confess and repent. I could tell that a few of them were serious about their commitment to Christ. I am excited about that and am praying for them. I’m also in awe of the power of the Gospel! The message was “It Takes Much to Give New Life” from John 11. The response to the Word has been wonderful. About all of those who attend are saying that they are being blessed by the messages! Praise God!
5. There’s a mosquito in my room (actually, there’s one left after I’ve killed two already!) These little cuss words are eating me alive! I have 5 bites on my forearm that I didn’t have an hour ago! And I keep smacking myself. I’m twitching and scratching like Smokey when he was in Debo’s pigeon coop! So I’m praying for me too! That they don’t eat me alive while I’m asleep!

Jamaica Missions – Day 3

Isn’t this beautiful? No, not me… the sunrise! Today started again with the same beautiful sunrise that yesterday started with. This picture doesn’t even come close to displaying how incredible it was. Again, God’s creation has a way of reminding you of His majesty and your mortality. Wonderful.

After going back to sleep, coming late for our morning briefing, and having some breakfast we dropped most of the team off at the girls orphanage where they will spend their days for the rest of the week. Then the few others of us went into town to do some witnessing and pass out fliers for the Crusade. We started out in a town called Falmouth, which is busy with many shops, etc. It seemed to be “downtown” Trelawny. We soon learned that Falmouth is about 7 miles from Bounty Hall and most of the people there probably wouldn’t make that far of a trip (there aren’t as many cars here) for the Crusade. So then we went to the surrounding areas of Bounty Hall to invite some people who lived within walking distance. For the walk through Falmouth, us Americans were pretty much alone. For the second walk around Bounty Hall, we had a couple of natives with us. It was so much more comfortable and empowering sharing Christ with Jamaicans when you have Jamaicans with you… especially in their own neighborhood. There are many barriers for us Americans to conquer while witnessing, including the difference in dialect. I think we determined that if the Lord allows us to return to Trelawny, we must spend more time equipping the natives to share their faith… then bring them into the cities with us. That will probably be much more effective.

Tonight’s Tent Crusade was scheduled to begin at 7pm. We got there (we as in the missionaries who are hosting it) at 7:19pm. It began at 7:37pm. HEY MON, NO PROBLEM!!! LOL. Once it started, it was incredible! To be honest, I can’t understand a word that the natives are singing because of their heavy accent, but the worship was awesome. The Bishop of the Jamaica Church of God was there tonight. Bishop Samuel is a big man with huge hands and a deep, booming voice. Everything about him says Bishop! He lead us in a song after greeting us which must have had like 7 verses! I wasn’t gonna stop him! He could probably crush me with his hands! LOL.

My sermon was from Luke 17:11-19. One of the ten lepers pushed past his deteriorating disease and came close to Christ from afar off. This was one of those times where I am sure that I experienced the Holy Spirit standing up within me and preaching. The power of the Word was unmistakable and I know that couldn’t have been a result of ANYTHING I produced. God is so good. I’m grateful to be a tool in His hand. I preached until my knees were sweaty! No, seriously… after I was done, I was soaked! The people were very receptive and again two people prayed to receive Christ afterwards. Again, I pray that their confession and repentance were genuine.

I praise God for what He’s doing this week. I’m having so much fun and He’s showing Himself mighty…

…but I miss my wife! Ya’ll pray for me.

Jamaica Missions – Day 2

Today started at 5:55am with the most breathtaking sunrise that I’ve ever seen. I wish I could share that moment with you. I will attempt to get a picture of tomorrow’s sunrise and post it. Still, it will scarcely capture the beauty of God’s creation. His majesty is simply amazing, and there it was in full force!

Breakfast was unbelievable this morning. Seriously, I’m coming back to America with some more weight! We had fresh fruit (and when I say fresh, I mean fresh of the tree dripping with ripeness!), callilu (sp?), fried dumplings, fried plantin, and more stuff that I can’t pronounce… but definitely can eat! I’m definitely getting spoiled here!

We had church this morning at Bounty Hall Church of God where Pastor Fairweather is the Pastor. Half way through, I was passing a petition to change the name to Bounty Hall Church of Divine Aerobics! Stand up… sit down… hug your neighbor… stand up… sing this song… praise God… Amen… sit down… Hallelujah!… Stand up… Whew! By the time the preacher began, I had worked off all of my breakfast and was ready for some curry goat!!! Just kidding. Seriously though, church was wonderful and the people were so gracious and welcoming to us.

After lunch and a nap, we were off to the first night of our crusade. The crusade was supposed to start at 6:30… we got there at 6:38… it actually started at 7:21. Hey mon, NO PROBLEM!!! For the most part, the crusade seemed like Sunday service part two. Part of me was wondering if there would be any non-believers there, and the visionary in me was thinking of how we could really bring this thing to some sinners! Then I noticed that people trickled in continuously and by the time I started preaching, there was hardly any room in the tent.

I preached a message entitled “The Fabulous Life” from John 14:1-3. The message went over well and the Lord really blessed our time. Two adults and two children responded to the call to discipleship at the end. That’s exciting. I pray that their confession and repentance was genuine.

We go to the town square tomorrow to do some evangelism, then another night at the tent crusade. First of all though, the day starts at 5:55am.

Jamaica Missions – Day 1

The first day of my mission trip to Jamaica was a long one. I was up late Friday night (into Saturday morning) because CrossRoads Café was ridiculous. A group named Relentless came through and enticed worship that CrossRoads has not seen since I’ve been there. We also had record attendance and an incredible POW-WOW. Breakdown from this plus last minute packing got me to bed at about 2am.

3:20am came too quickly after that! I had to meet the Jamaica team at 4am at the church. God is not pleased!!! Did Jesus even rise that early? LOL. I was working off an hour of sleep, so you know what’s up. I was a zombie all day.

Although it was an all-day trip (7am-5pm), the travel went by pretty quickly. Probably because I slept through most of it. I woke up maybe twice on the flight from Reagan National to Miami. And stayed awake long enough to eat some chicken wings and airline snacks during the flight from Miami to Montego Bay. I also spent much of my layover time starting on “Don’t Waste Your Life” by John Piper. I figured this book will help my mindset as I prepare to preach several evangelistic sermons this week. So far, so good.

When we arrived in Jamaica, I was blown away! This place is so beautiful! The water, the skyline, the people… it’s wonderful. After long waits through immigration and customs, we finally hopped a church bus to our hotel where the accomodations are incredible and I found a WiFi signal somewhere nearby. Yes!!! That’s definitely a pleasant surprise.

[Sidebar: I know what you're thinking. Mission Trip? Yeah right Bobby! Well, I'm thinking that too! LOL.]

For dinner, we went to Pastor Fairweather’s home. He is the pastor of the local church that we are working with this week, Bounty Hall. The food was bangin! I had authentic curry goat and Jamaican Ginger Beer for the first time. I spent the rest of the evening trying to figure out how I could get a case of each back to Maryland!

I’ve had a great time so far. We have church in the morning at Bounty Hall, and our evangelistic tent crusade begins tomorrow evening. I will be preaching tomorrow night (Sunday) at the crusade and I appreciate your prayers.

Will check back in tomorrow. Much Love.

Tuesday Inside Bobby’s Brain

Ok, back by popular demand. I invite you into my brain and share with you my private thoughts for a day. Believe me, there are many others… but these things have been written so that you might believe that I am completely in need of some serious help! So here goes.

8:05am – Yaaaaawn…

8:06am – What is that smell? Is that me? Dude. Colgate Total time.

8:20am – OK, it’s the first… must write the rent check and take it to the office.

9:11am – (Behind someone coming to a sudden, complete stop at the beginning of an acceleration lane) WHATAREUDOIN!?! Jeesh!

9:12am – Oh, you’re too busy smoking your cigarette, checking your cell phone and doing your make up to watch what you’re doing. I understand now. Carry on.

[Sidebar: You don’t have to point out the fact that I’m still struggling with timeliness. I know… I know.]

9:50am – (Reading my work e-mail inbox) C’mon man, you can’t e-mail me Monday evening asking me to preach on Wednesday morning. Can’t do it dude. I can next week though.

9:55am – (Realizing that I will be at a conference next Wednesday) Oh shoot! I can’t do it next week either.

10:05am – Dang! Forgot to write that rent check!

10:47am – Man, I really gotta figure out a way to get on Facebook at work! I wonder if anyone has written on my wall.

11:23am – Wow. 12 new faces at CrossRoads Café on Friday. Lord, prepare us to minister effectively to these lives as you keep them coming. Thank You for Your faithfulness.

5:13pm – Are you serious? $3.45 a gallon for regular? Whoa! G.W. is on games fa’real.

[Sidebar: on games (awn-gämz) – adj. in a continual state of playing around, a failure to be completely serious and/or adept.]

5:31pm – (walking by the leasing office in my building) Oh yeah… still gotta write that rent check. I’ll do it when I get upstairs.

5:40pm – What is all this stuff my wife got from the grocery store? Dang babe, who are we trying to feed?

5:42pm – Yes! Berry Berry Kix! You go girl!!!

5:55pm – Man, I have a lot to prepare before my lecture tomorrow… and not much time before Bible Study tonight… OK, Facebook time!

[Sidebar: LOL!]

6:55pm – Thank you Lord for such a beautiful day! It was cloudy and dreary earlier, but it’s gorgeous now. Your power is incredible!

8:07pm – (in the middle of Bible Study) Dude, you know what would be good right now? A GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH! LOL. That is so random. I’m not supposed to be the one with cravings.

10:08pm – (eating my grilled cheese sandwich) Man, something’s not right… That’s it! Not enough cheese!

10:20pm – (eating my 2nd grilled cheese sandwich) Man, something’s still not right… I think it’s this wheat bread. I need some Wonder Bread for a good grilled cheese sandwich. My wife gets this stupid healthy stuff. Sigh.

11:12pm – OK, tomorrow’s the 2nd. Shoot! Still forgot to write the rent check. I’ll write it in the morning.