By Josh Weidmann on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 12:06 AM

The Guatemalan family I was staying with informed my American roommate and I that we were invited over to another family’s home for dinner. Excited to experience yet another cultural difference by visiting another local’s home, I dressed for the occasion. I took one of the nice shirts I had packed out of my duffle bag. After dressing up and fixing up my hair I went down stairs to notify the family I was ready.

Using the very little English He knew, Tulio, the father of the house, told me that we were going to be walking to the near by house we’d be visiting. So rather quietly we walked a mile or two. Conversation was lacking, but not because my and my American roommate didn’t have anything to say to our Guatemalan host (or visa-versa) by none of us knew enough of each other language to communicate.

Before getting to their house, we walked down a long alley of lower and middle class homes. Some of the families along the alley were living in nothing more than make shift shacks made out of sheets of metal and used cardboard boxes. Children were playing games in the trash cans as the competed to find the most food. When we arrived at the home where dinner was going to be served, we walk through a large old rusty door and into a house that had a sheet as their front door.

Sweet smiles were exchanged with all and soft welcoming kisses on the cheek were given by all the men to the women. In the far corner of the small crowded room were two of the other American students on our trip. With a proud tone of ownership over this home they were staying in, they said, “Let us show you around… follow us.”

We proceeded through all the rooms and bathrooms. It turns out that the three story house seemed to have much more packed into it than appeared from the alley way view outside. Near the end of the tour, Liz, One of the American girls, insisted on taking us too the roof where the family raised various pets. Liz said, “There are four chickens us here… we hear them clucking and crowing every morning and that is what wakes us up.”

As we meandered around the small roof we found cages of small finches and parakeets. There was also a cage or two of rabbits and other various small animals. And then as we rounded the corner to look in the pin behind the stairwell from which we just came, Liz said, “Look at the chickens over here.” And before the words were even out of her mouth her face expressed her bewilderment. “The chickens are gone…you don’t think…”

“Dinner!” I shouted with a teasing smile, “I guess we are having chicken for dinner!”

Liz was devastated think the chicken she had heard and seen that morning were now going to be served on the plate in front of her. I must admit, I laughed when we all sat down to pray and I noticed that Liz couldn’t keep her eyes closed as she examined the freshly cook (and killed) chicken breast on the plate in front of her.

That day I was reminded of how simple eating can be in America. Too often we eat a meal without ever really thinking about or thanking God for the time and work that went into getting that meal before us. It was not just the cooking that took time – that was the smallest part of the process.

That night, my prayers before my meals were given a while new importance. Not only do I need to pray that God blesses what I put into my body (no matter how old or fresh it may be), but I must thank Him for giving me my daily bread. Sound familiar? If it was important enough for Jesus to tell us to pray it, we must not forget to do it.

By Josh Weidmann on Sunday, July 15, 2007 12:39 PM

This morning I attended Rob Bell’s Church, MarsHill, just outside of Grand Rapids, MI.

I’ve heard a lot about his rapidly growing church over the years, and after the release of Bell’s book, Velvet Elvis, I’ve wanted to gather the time to be able to visit the church where he pastors. My excitement, curiosity and even skepticism was brewing this morning as I entered the old shopping mall parking lot which was now buzzing with people heading in the doors with Bibles in hand.

I will not criticize the church of MarsHill, nor will I say anything bad about Bell. The bottomline is that they are a part of the larger “Church” – the family of God. However I will say that they time I spent with them was eye-opening. Every time I have heard Bell speak, or read either of his books (His new one, SexGod released in March of this year), watching his Nooma videos, or now after attending his church, I grow increasingly aware of the longing people have for finding the relevancy of scripture to their lives.

Bell is great at using the intellectual knowledge and education he has had to teach people, but more so he has a way of communication in an authentic and relevant way. Now a word of caution should be spoken here; too often people try too hard to be relevant. In some cases Bell’s authenticity and radiant relevancy may cloud the deeper biblical message he is trying to convey. Nevertheless, his listeners are entranced by the way he seemingly brings the social conversations of today into a congenial and intellection interaction with biblical theologies.

So with retro-style New Balance shoes, Faded Corduroy pants, and a vintage Munsingwear shirt, Rob Bell stood before the church preaching and meeting people in the world where they live. In his series, “God is Green” he spoke to the biblical mandate for people to care for this earth. Those sitting in the plastic chair surrounding the stage nodded their heads and threw out a few “amen” statements as their cares for rain forests, and opinions about the oil industry, were pricked with his words.

Though I many not always agree with his exegesis (the way he derives truth applications from Scripture) I can say his authenticity should be an example to all those who teach God people. The person we are on stage should be consistent with who we are off stage. In the same way, we must strive to share God’s truth with people with the goal of life change in mind. Let us not ever make the mistake of wrapping scripture around our extra-biblical beliefs or passions but instead find the Word of God at the core of all our beliefs and passions. I believe that if God’s truth is our chief end, then relevancy will naturally follow.

By Josh Weidmann on Tuesday, July 03, 2007 3:05 PM

Here is a picture of me and some of my crazy students on our first day in Guatemala!

By Josh Weidmann on Monday, July 02, 2007 11:06 AM

After nearly 20 hours of travel I am now back in the sweet United States of America. The muggy air of Guatemala, the assortment of smells, the unknown foods, the fear of accidentally drinking the water… all those things are behind me now. The familiarity of home has brought comfort to my fleshly side, but my spirit misses the work and people of Los Alamos, Guatemala.

My time with the students from Harvest in South America was phenomenal. The sweet embraces of the people there, the gentle kisses on the check with every hug, made that foreign place quickly feel like home. The work we did was small compared to the work God did in our lives. With every swing of a pick, scoop of a shovel, or stroke of a paint brush, God moved to make us more like Him. Watching His intimate touch in the lives of the students – and in my life – first hand was something that truly was life changing.

Some of you have heard that I was very sick, and I appreciate your kind emails and words. I did get extremely ill the first few days of trip. But after many hours of rest and the tender care of those that didn’t know English but knew the language of love, I was nursed back to health. Many others on our team got sick too, but by God’s grace we were able to finish the week strong and our bodies are now on the road to recovery. Please pray for our continual healing and return to normal health.

The stories of my time there are numerous. I wish I could take the time to sit with you and tell them all to you. I will still make and effort to share some here over the next few weeks as the return to my memory, as well as post pictures to give you a glimpse of God’s face as I saw it in Guatemala. But now I am headed to camp for two weeks. My communication from there will be limited, but I will still try to come here often for reflecting and connecting with you.

Thank you all for partnering with me in prayer and growing closer to our King. It is good to be back, let’s keep pressing closer to the heart of God…

Josh.