The Heart of a Champion

This past weekend, we held our Men's Retreat at the Natalei Eco Lodge in Tailevu. It was a great location right on the beach. We had thirty-six students come which was way more than we were expecting. It turned out to be a great weekend of fun and fellowship. I also learned a little more about Fijian guys this weekend. They love to sing. They sang nonstop the whole weekend. For future reference, if you want to put on a successful men's retreat in Fiji, you need two things: a rugby ball and a guitar.

We talked a lot about what the heart of a Biblical man looks like. We focused specifically on rejecting passivity, striving for purity, choosing humility over pride and seeking brotherhood. It's been really cool to meet with some of the guys this week and debrief. I've talked with several guys who have already made huge steps toward cutting certain sins out their life and others who have a renewed desire to serve God. It was a really exciting and fun weekend. Here are some pictures, hope you enjoy!

Jeremiah was a Bull Frog

If you're looking for pictures in this post, you're not going to get any. I'm going to try to do something I don't normally do on this blog: let you into my mind! Typically I just write about things that are going on in my life and not things that I'm processing. At least for today, that's going to change.

I am currently reading through the book of Jeremiah. This is a big deal for me because if I'm honest, I'm a little scared of the Old Testament. It's so rich with history and people and stories that I don't know a lot about. And for some reason, it just seems harder to understand. But fear should never be a motivator for not doing something so I picked a book that I thought would be challenging to read. It hasn't disappointed either. It's been tough to really grasp principles that I can apply to my life today. I've been praying that God would reveal his character to me through Jeremiah. I've also been praying for a healthy fear of God in my life as I'm reading through Jeremiah (the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom ya' know!).

Anyway, I came across this scene in Jeremiah 13 that I wanted to share with you. Here's the text in case you don't have a Bible handy. Jeremiah 13: 1-11 says,

Thus says the LORD to me, "Go and buy a linen loincloth and put it around your waist, and do not dip it in water." So I bought a loincloth according to the word of the LORD, and put it around my waist. And the word of the LORD came to me a second time, "Take the loincloth that you have bought, which is around your waist, and arise, go to the Euphrates and hide it there in a cleft of the rock. So I went and hid it by the Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me. Ande after many days the LORD said to me, "Arise, go to the Euphrates, and take from there the loincloth that I commanded you to hide there." Then I went to the Euphrates, and dug, and I took the loincloth from the place where I had hidden it. And behold, the loincloth was spoiled: it was good for nothing. Then the word of the LORD came to me: "Thus says the LORD: Even so will I spoil the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is good for nothing. For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the LORD, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen.

I think this story is really interesting and challenging for us as believers. It's strange that God would compare us to a loincloth, or a pair of underwear for lack of a better term. The reason why is because it is a close, intimate piece of clothing. It touches the skin in an area that isn't often exposed. In verse 11, God tells us that he created us to cling to him just as a loincloth clings to a man. God should be a priority in our lives, the center of everything. That's what happens when we cling to him.

But this story exposes our fallen condition. God tells Jeremiah to hide his new, perfect loincloth in a cleft of the rock. Jeremiah leaves it behind for a while and when he goes to retrieve it, the loincloth is spoiled, useless. This is what happens when we "have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them". Now I doubt you're worshipping Baal or some other God but we all have idols in our lives. Anything you put before God is an idol. For some, it's success, fame, fortune, for others it family, relationships or even ministry. God demonstrates what happens to us when we tie our loincloth around anything else but Him: it becomes spoiled and worthless. As I read this story, I was challenged to think of what I wrap my loincloth around in this life: comfort, ministry, friendships. What do you wrap your loincloth around?

The beauty of this story is that God tells us we're meant for something more. He tells us in verse 11 that we exist for his glory. The very next book in the Old Testament is Lamentations. Some say it was written by Jeremiah but it depicts someone who is lamenting over the destruction of Jerusalem. It lists the horrors of God's judgment as a result of the people's sin but right in the middle, the author reminds us that God is not finished with his people even when they sin greatly. Lamentations 3: 21-26 says,

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the should who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

That's the Gospel and it's for you and me. We continually turn away from God toward idols but his mercies never come to an end. We've spoiled the loincloth but Jesus has washed it clean with his blood. We were useless but God has sealed us with his Spirit to make use of us.

This is the message of hope for all of us and the message I get to share with students everyday. I want to cling to God like a loincloth clings to man despite how I feel. I challenge you to do the same. Wrapping our loincloths around our idols is never fulfilling but God's mercies are new every morning. I hope that the Gospel continues to transform your life and mine. I serve a mighty God and I exist for his glory. Would you join me?

The Beautiful Land of Tailevu

A quick apology to all of my faithful followers (I hope you're out there). I know I haven't blogged for over a month. My brother reminds me every time I talk to him (thanks Brady). So hopefully I will make up for it this week.

Yesterday, our team had the opportunity to go to a village. Our boss, Koli, took us and a couple of students to the beautiful land of Tailevu (one of the fourteen provinces in Fiji). I like to think that if I was born in Fiji, I would be from Tailevu. So it was a little bit like returning home.

Anyway, village life is totally different from life here in Suva. Think secluded and independent. I'm not sure that every village is self-sufficient but they provide for most of their own needs. Koli's village is about an hour and a half outside of Suva. Half an hour of that time was spent driving on a dirt and gravel road.

Most Fijians come from a village but not many of them live there. It's a great place to go spend time with family around the holidays but most Fijians live a little closer to the towns and cities where they work. This was an especially unique trip because Koli is part of the chiefly family of his village. Koli's brother is the head chief. There is a lot of history behind his family and their ancestors. I wish I knew it well enough to share it with you but unfortunately I don't. I wouldn't even know where to begin. Instead, I hope that a few pictures will do it justice. Enjoy!

We traveled by carrier. Think flat-bed truck with two benches on either side and tarp over top. It made for one great adventure.

Typical home in the village

Random girl on a ladder

Picture in front of the former Chief's tomb
 

The men around the Kava bowl. If you're curious, google kava.

We recently purchased a grill. "American Barbecue" is what the Fijians like to call it.

The Chiefly House

Oh to live in Fiji

Samson and the Pirate Monks

I recently read a book called Samson and the Pirate Monks.  Author Nate Larkin, a former pastor, shares his life story in pursuit of authentic brotherhood.  I think most men can identify with Nate and his struggle to be honest and transparent with others, men in particular.

I've really been thinking about the value of transparency in my life.  Dave, Rob and I meet on a weekly basis to talk about our successes and failures, accomplishments and shortcomings, strengths and struggles.  After reading this book, we're all excited and renewed in our pursuit of authentic brotherhood.  I'm so thankful that we've seen the value of transparency at such a young age.  I think a lot of men miss this lesson somewhere along the line and it proves destructive later in life.

I think one of our biggest challenges as men is holding up the appearance that we have it all together (not to exclude you ladies but I only know how to speak from a man's perspective).  

And to the angel of the church in Sardis write:  "The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.  I know your works.  You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead."

Revelation 3:1

So many Christians have the reputation of being alive but under all the masks and make-up, they're truly dead inside.  There could be countless reasons for this but I think one of the most consistent is the lack of transparency.  I'm not necessarily talking about accountability but a brother or sister who you can be brutally honest with about what's going on with your life.  The greatest thing that could ever happen to any of us is to be truly known by someone else.  I pray for your life and mine that we would not be fake but real, open, honest and transparent.

As we've been thinking about that in Fiji and how we can convey this truth to the men in our movement, we've decided that we need to spend more time together.  This semester, we're instituting "Man Day".  Man Day will be a frequent event where the men of our movement get together to do manly things and talk about manhood.  We're not trying to fit a stereotype but rather trying to create a place where young men can come have honest conversations about what we're going through and who God created us to be.  We're really excited and hoping that this will become a real brotherhood where authentic conversations happen between authentic people.

To kick off Man Day, we took as many students as we could to go see Captain America.  We sent out a mass text to the guys in our movement and told them to bring their friends.  Twenty-five showed up!

After the movie, we walked down to McDonalds for a little ice cream.  There, we started the conversation.  We're hoping and praying that these men would learn this lesson of community early on.  We pray that passivity and isolation would not plague them for the rest of their lives.  This is who we were created to be: brothers, friends.

If you're a man, and you get a chance, check out Samson and the Pirate Monks and start the conversation with someone in your life.  We're all fallen and none of us measure up, so let's stop pretending and thank God for the freedom he's given us through the cross!

The Fausts in Fiji

Where in the world is the Faust family?  Well, they're back in Cincinnati now but they were in Fiji last week!  My Dad, Mom, Brady and Michelle came to visit me (by way of Australia) and see my life here in Fiji.  It was so great to see them.  I sorely missed Matthew, Krista, Cooper and Ellie but it was so refreshing to get to see family.  I've been gone for seven months now and have only been able to talk to them over the phone and through video chat.

The thing I loved most was for them to get to see where I live and work and meet the people that I've grown to love.  It was awesome for my two worlds to collide.  They had the chance to see my apartment, go to campus, meet the staff team and some of the students that I've been investing in.  I loved having them here and I think this visit will hold me over for the next three and a half months until I come home.

Here are a few of the pictures from their visit.  I hope Michelle doesn't hate me after this post because I stole all of her pictures.  Now that she has a blog, we may see some repeats but the battle of the blogs is on!

The Bosses and The Rents

The Intercontinental

Broskies

The Newlyweds!

I'm so thankful to have such a great family.  They've supported me a hundred percent in all that I do.  I love you guys!

The Land of the Long White Cloud

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  So here is 21,000 on New Zealand.  Plus a few of my own.

So good to drive again!

Practicing my swing over Lake Taupo

Huka Falls

Boiling Mud

Best Blue Steel I've seen in a long time

My boss's hometown

I think we saw a rainbow everyday

Cathedral Cove

This beach was in the Chronicles of Narnia:  Prince Caspian

Dolphin

Overall, we had a great time in New Zealand.  It's a beautiful country.  There's so much to do and see.  Hopefully I'll make it back sometime to see everything I missed!

The new semester starts tomorrow.  Please be praying for our team as we get back on campus everyday.  Also, my parents, Brady and Michelle arrive in two days!  I can't wait to see them and to get a little taste of home.  It's going to be a great week!