Posted in General Posts by Brandon Barnum on 5/21/2012
I've been thinking about names. At the moment I am reading a book called The Christian Athiest and it has me wondering how much I really know God. Or even how much I want to know God. The author of this book says that a good indication for how much you really know God may be found in the name you call him by. I wondered...How do I pray? Many people begin their prayers very similarly.
Dear God,
Blah blah, fill in the blank.
That is how I used to pray. And then one day I woke up and desired something more. I didn't want to just pray as if I were writing a letter anymore. Don't take this on as a judgment toward any of you who pray this way. This is just a personal revelation, maybe not for you. Anyway, I heard someone pray calling God "Father" and I liked it. Something about the name of Father ran very close to home for me but I didn't really think twice about the implications of that name in my life. I began to begin my prayers by speaking to my Father.
Now, as I think about it, I am realizing the truth. God really is a Father to me. Growing up, I did not have much of a father figure around when I needed him. I was, for the most part raised by my mother. And now I see. Where my father was absent, My Father stepped in and has been teaching me the wisdom that I need to become a man.
Thank you my Father in heaven.
Then I started wondering. I have a great understanding of how much He loves me, but I find myself (if I may alliterate my point) in a posture of personal protection and power instead of a posture of penitence and prayer. I elevate myself and rely on myself and too often profess with my mouth but not with my internal devotion.
God forgive me and teach me to be a better son and prince in your kingdom.
We act so often like we do not really want God to be that One in our lives. We say so, but search deep...do we really give EVERYTHING we've got? Because that is what he expects.
So I ask you now...Who do YOU say God is? Is he your Counselor, your Lord, your Father, Savior, Healer? Search yourself. How does He display that name in your life? I guarentee that he does. Do you really want HIm? I pray that you do. I pray that you and I WANT the LORD of heaven and of earth as much as we NEED him. Feel free to comment. I would love to see the the names of Him we serve posted for the world to see.
The Man With Unclean Lips,
Brandon Barnum
| |
|
Posted in General Posts by Brandon Barnum on 5/12/2012
Our expedition to leave Ukraine and enter Romania left us with a continual feeling of movement for about a day or so. It’s kind of like being on a boat for any unspecified amount of time and then stepping onto land. You just feel like you are moving. Here is why. 19 hour train to Kiev, Ukraine from our contact. 3 hour layover at the train station there. 25 hour train to Budapest, Hungary. 4 hours in the city, 4 hour drive with our contact into Romania, and we have arrived at our final destination, a place that I would like to call “The Castle.”
Really it is a giant 4 floor house/dorm/conference center located in the middle of a large “camp” like property. We live on a hillside that looks over a small village in Romania. I am intentionally not telling you the name of the place because I want your imagination to wander a bit. I want you to think of what you may call a “classic European village” and tell me if this is what you picture…And note that this description is not in any way embellished to make my experience sound more amazing than it is. We really are living in a quintessential European landscape.
I look out of the window and as far as the eye can see there are hills of the greenest grass and trees that the eye can comprehend. On the hillside in the near distance, sheep and their shepherd roam freely while people ride by on bicycles on a nearby path. Our castle overlooks the tiny village that is tucked away pleasantly in a small valley between hills. A church steeple with a simple yet ornate design protrudes over the smaller homes and nearby farmers are preparing their fields for spring planting. Now picture where the green hills meet the sky. Do you ever look at the sky and almost feel like you could reach out your hand and grab a cloud? It is so blue and clean and pure that if it were any closer, one would fall to the ground and be crushed. Even tonight, as I look at the moon; it is so close that I feel like I can pull down deep heaven on my very head. Praise God for his majesty and creation. This is the view that I am humbled to see everyday for the next month.
Welcome to Romania. Enjoy your stay.
The Man With Unclean Lips,
Brandon Barnum
| |
|
Posted in General Posts by Brandon Barnum on 4/8/2012
Well guys...I'm really here. Actually, I've been here for about 2 weeks now! Shhh, don't tell anyone I haven't written a blog about Ukraine yet. You see, a lot has happened in the last couple of weeks both with things we have experienced and ways that God has been mentoring me. This blog is going to be about experiences I think. Though who knows what will happen by the end. So here we go.
We are staying with, wouldn't you know it, an American family here in Ukraine! Seriously, we are at home here. Just like part of the family. After the first day I had 5 new brothers and sisters and kind of a pseudo-mom and dad. It is nice. We get to experience some American made food, people who speak English as a first language, an oven, a gas stove-top, drinking water purified out of the tap, and even playing some catch in the yard.
The first night we were here, a group of about 20 students from a local youth group wanted to come and welcome us to Ukraine by cooking dinner for us! They were so awesome. I tried Sala, which is uncooked pigs fat (a Ukrainian favorite snack), salted fish (another raw Ukrainian favorite, though not mine at all), and varaniki...That one was delicious. It was like a dough with mashed potatoes in it. Sometimes it has meat or even jelly I guess. It was a good time. Oh, by the way, the best cream puffs in the world are in Ukraine...basically, a Eastern European Twinkie. So addictive.
The weather was very cold and breezy for the first week but it has begun to warm up and feel like Spring!
So far we have gone to two different high schools to share with the students about our trip thus far. They have been awesome and we have had opportunities to hang out with them outside of school and they actually showed us around our town Lutugino. We have had them over for dinner so they could experience tacos for the first time. The looks they gave us when we tried to explain how they worked were priceless.
One of the more prominent ministries of our contact is doing eyeglass clinics. They go to surrounding towns, to churches, and do free eye exams and give away free eyeglasses to anyone who needs them. We get to share testimonies as they wait, get to know the people, love on little old Babushkas (grandmothers), sing songs for people, give out some Bibles. It is a really cool hands on ministry.
So far it has been a lot of fun to be in this new part of the world. This week we travel about an hour away from our contact's house to stay with different families and teach at some English camps while doing some more eyeglass clinics. Can't wait to see what is in store for that one!
The Man With Unclean Lips,
Brandon Barnum
| |
|
Posted in General Posts by Brandon Barnum on 4/1/2012
You know, I though long and hard about how i was going to write this blog. It is such a long and intense story. One of which I cannot truely convey through the written word as well as if I were able to speak to you all in person. So I will just lay it out for you the very best that I can. I did the craziest thing at our 8 month debrief...It rocked my world, shook up Y-squad, and made God smile as widely as i can imagine only he could. I stepped down as a team leader (dun dun dun)!
I chose, on my own volition to release my authority to another. It was the single most difficult decision that I have had to make and probably will have to make on the World Race, and it all came down to a simple reason...God asked me to. I have been given much authority and trust as a team leader. Part of that trust, is that I am able to discern when God is speaking his will into my life. Toward the end of month 3 I heard an inkling of something in the back of my mind saying that I was going to step aside as a leader before the race was over. What? Where did that come from? Over the course of the following months it became clearer. Here is what God was telling me..."Brandon, before the end of the race I am going to ask you to choose, on your own accord, to step aside as a team leader. I leave this up to you. If you choose to stay on as a leader, I will bless you and you will excell and it will be great. But, I am asking you to make the difficult choice and step aside...And I will bless you in that too."
That has been my wrestling match. My "Jacob moment" if you will. All my life people have told me that they trust me with responsibility but rarely have I been given the opportunity to be trusted. Now I have truely been given this great honor and God is asking me to give it up. No thanks. Honestly, I really wanted to stick it out. I wanted to stay on as a leader and take the team, running for the gold, all the way to the finish line. That would have been easier. But in this instance God had asked me to make the difficult choice; the choice that changes everything about my race and would leave me vulnerable and completely humble. I listened to counsel, I thought about what I desire most, and most of all, I prayed. And prayed, and prayed. For peace in my decisions. For strength to stand firm. For courage to follow through. Counsel told me that they supported me whatever I decided...Clearly I still had to make this choice on my own. My desire was desperately to please God, but did that outweigh my desire to carry authority, position, honor, or even the burden of a team on my shoulders? Prayer told me that if I did this, God would be there and he would be so proud of my obedience. And then there was the fear. Fear of disappointing people if I did it, knowing that teams would change; squad leaders would have a headache all week trying to figure that out, and people may be angry with me. Fear of disappointing God if I didn't obey. God then was so great. He said that he would take care of it. All I had to do was make the choice and he would do the rest.
Obedience. That is the word of the day. That is what it all came down to. So, I really knew what I had to do. I had to be as bold as a lion, humble as a mouse, and obey my God. So the rest is history. I am now a member of the team. 5 of us are still the same. We ended up trading around 2 members, one of them becoming our new team leader. And, the burden was lifted. The struggle was instantly gone, I was able to see how much God had planned among the whole squad by me making that one choice. And it was good stuff. He has completely blessed me in my decision. I am able to focus on building up a new team leader because goodness knows that she will be feeling many of the things I felt at first. I can see the team from another perspective so I may be able to contribute differently. And what is really great is, God did not take away my leadership...No, he gave me a firmer foundation of the leadership that already existed. You see, I am a lion of a different color. I didn't fight for more power and authority. I gave it up, and in doing so on god's command, I gained so much more in the Kingdom! It's not often you find that kind of thing. I feel like the man who was given 10 talents and invested to earn more. He was honored above the rest. Praise God that I may humble myself before him and obey his direction for my life. Thanks for stickin' it out with me on this blog. I know it's a longer one than usual. I'll try and keep you all posted on how not being a team leader has been going here in Ukraine.
Truly
The Man With Unclean Lips,
Brandon Barnum
| |
|
Posted in General Posts by Brandon Barnum on 3/28/2012
What is a trip to China without a visit to the Great Wall? I couldn't disappoint myself by not going. So I did. This thing was huge. It goes on for something like 3,000 miles and is one of the only man made objects that can be seen from outer space. That is vast. But what people tend not to think about is how this wall was so well thought out that it was built over mountains and very large hills to keep the ancient Mongolians out. That means that it was no level walk in the park. No, it was up and down, up and down, up and down. Stairs. They were everywhere. Some stairs were restored so they were easy to walk on and some were rocky and crumbly so one wrong move and you would be the worlds largest slinky. But man it was beautiful. You know how sometimes you can look at a landscape and almost believe that it is a painting and not reality? That is how I felt sitting on the edge of one of man's greatest feats. God can be so creative it hurts. Anyway...it was awesome. Thought you should know.
The Man With Unclean Lips,
Brandon Barnum
| |
|
Posted in General Posts by Brandon Barnum on 3/26/2012
I can't tell you where it is exactly. I can't tell you who I worked with. I can't tell you names. All I can tell you is the city and what we did...How is that for intriguing?
Actually, the organization that we worked with in China was known to and even helped by the government even though it is a Christian organization. They do such a great job in Sanmenxia that the Chinese government doesn't even mind so much that they are Christians, though there is still restriction. Our month in China was pretty awesome and very exhausting. Our task was simple. Love children. completing the task was not always easy but it was simple. We worked at a welfare center that took in and cared for orphaned, abandoned, and disabled children. The majority of children there were either physically or mentally disabled. Some were premature children that were unwanted. Some were children under a year old that have been recovered from dumpsters. Some had Downs, some had CP, and some were just stricken with disease. One may hear this and get extremely agitated, angry, sad, and upset. That's ok, you probably should be. But as angry as what happened to these children make you, One minute with them and you fall in love. The anger is washed out with joy for their lives, The sadness you feel begins to turn into happiness in their presence.
We often think "What good is it that we can't even talk about Jesus to the people we are with? How am I actually sharing God's love?" Well that is exactly it. Words go so far. Eventually, we must show themby our love. And all that those children need is our love. I will never forget the biggest smiles I have ever seen on children as they are just held for no other reason than they are precious and are wanted. Everyday I played with toddlers anywhere from 2-5 years old and just enjoyed their company. I helped feed those who were immobile, teach those who couldn't yet walk on their own to walk, and play with those who are not able to get the attention that they need. You see, the organization that we were with has the funding to hire more people to care for these kids...they just don't have the people to hire. No one seems to want the job. I can see it on the faces of those who work there how much they love the kids but also how tired they are and how difficult it is for them to keep up with the amount of children they must look after. They were often so busy trying to care for the basic needs of these children that they had difficulty finding time to just play and hold and love them. That was our job. 5 days a week for 2 and a half weeks, we went to the center and were just there for them. Jesus' gospel was shared in the simplest of ways.
Even the puking, peeing, spitting, hitting, ripping off of my glasses, pulling of my hair, chairs flying, toys hitting me in the face, and other shinanigans will be missed. Not so much as to ask for it everyday, but I will miss the good times anyway. God bless those children. They certainly blessed me.
The Man With Unclean Lips,
Brandon Barnum
| |
|
Posted in General Posts by Brandon Barnum on 3/25/2012
Do you ever have those experiences in life where so much has happened but you really have no idea where to begin in telling the story? Welcome to my life, where everything is an experience. It's not always life changing but it is always moving me closer to my identity in Christ and that is a difficult thing to explain sometimes. It has been at least a month since my last blog post. This is due to a little (or very large) place I like to call China. We have spent month 8 of the race internet free because of certain restrictions that China places on its citizens and visitors...In China, Christianity is not welcome with open arms. A practicing foreigner is allowed to practice but the sharing of the Gospel is a big time no no. We wanted to make sure that those that we had contact with in China were protected as best as possible.
But now I am in Ukraine and I have to do the best I can to share about what it was like in The People's Republic of China. Hopefully I can do this in a few different posts to keep you all interested but go easy on me, it has been a wild ride. I think I'll start with China itself...Spit.
If there was one word that I can use to describe China, it is spit. Lots and lots of spit. These people have so much saliva flowing that the Yellow River itself could be made of it. My goodness. It is imperative to watch your step. The food is so freaking good though. I love Chinese food. And I mean REAL Chinese, dumplings, pork spare ribs, broccoli, not American knock offs (though Panda Express still has good Chow Mein). Chopsticks are not just a novelty, the people really are short, and the Chinese language is very difficult. This month was the first cold month of the race. We were all frantic to get warm clothes as soon as possible. Welcome to the land of knock-off everythings. The people toast to everything, but they don't clink. Never clink. Lazy susans are necessary at all meals because of the MASSIVE amounts of food placed before you. We like ice cold water right? That is almost taboo and very strange to the Chinese. They drink hot water, which I actually kind of like, especially in the cold weather. When trying to board a train in China, you will be stuck in a stampede of people trying desperately to get on the train like they will never find a seat, though everyone has their own assigned seat so there is really no reason to freak like they do. At meal times anything goes. The slurp and burp method is the way of the Chinese. With all this said, here is the conclusion of the matter...
I love the Chinese. They are so kind (most of the time), very hospitable, friendly, welcoming, intense, pushy, dedicated, and just plain fun. They need God. And they are hungry for Him. Many just don't know it yet. In my next few blogs I will talk a little bit about my experiences in ministry in particular, and also our 8 month debrief. I hope you are all still on this ride with me...I feel like I am just getting started.
The Man With Unclean Lips,
Brandon Barnum
| |
|
Posted in General Posts by Brandon Barnum on 2/21/2012
My tropical excursion is coming to an end.
Finally after 7 months of lots of sun and heat and sometimes rain, sweat, mosquitoes, and sunburns; we are soon journeying into a new season...Frigid cold. China is going to be in the dead of winter when we arrive and we cannot wait. Not necessarily for the cold weather but the new adventure that will inevitably follow in its wake. As we frantically search for the appropriate attire for such a change we run into snags like...it's still freaking hot!
Anyway, It is definitely exciting that we are heading into this new leg of the trip. But, I want to share with you about where I am at this very moment. Well, I'm sitting in a chair in a classroom but God is good! In the past week I came to an understanding that our team here in Gua Musang has been suffering spiritually. Not necessarily individually, but as a team things have seemed forced and unnatural when we get together. It doesn't surprise me. We are in a particularly closed off location in Malaysia. So for that reason I decided to try something new. Now, we have already planned to study the word together every week which has been great. 1 John, btw, cources with love. It rocks my face. But, I have decided to bring intentional times in the word to every team meeting, everyday. Some of you at this point may say, "Well duh Brandon. Why haven't you done that from the beginning?" Others may say, "Wow, that is way too much. Stick to the once a week plan and let people process." I say, "We live as bright lights in darkness and the light is easily dimmed. Right now, we need a rekindler." I have already seen a difference in the way everyone is interacting with each other during team time and we are being fed by the only book that can offer sustenance. Thank you God for your words of life.
Well, that's the update...I will try and blog a couple more times before I hit China. Once we get there, internet will be zero. We decide to take the month off from the net during that month because of the sensitive nature of our objectve there haha. Lot's of fun still to come. Praise God!
The Man With Unclean Lips,
Brandon Barnum
| |
|
Posted in General Posts by Brandon Barnum on 2/13/2012
Exactly 1 month ago I posted my last blog...oops. A lot has happened and while you may think that that would require a more vast array of blog posts, I really just had no idea how to present anything. An entire country between and almost halfway through another. I'll sum up so I can get to what's most important...right now.
Cambodia
Beautiful Desolation...It reminded me of my home in the Las Vegas desert. Everything seemed dead and brown. The dry season. But something about the place was just beautiful. We did not have the perks that we have now in Malaysia. No warm showers, actually we just had buckets. No beds, mosquitoes everywhere, 14 people crammed into one room, always blistering hot providing us with a sweaty mess to clean up anywhere we went, no air conditioning, nothing anywhere but buddhist temples. It was one of my favorite countries so far on the race. I love the Cambodian people. The genocides during the Khmer Rouge has seemed to bring the people together and community is not the right word to describe the closeness that everyone feels toward each other. Even in trajedy, when a little girl drowned in front of my very eyes, a story that I have been trying to write for you but I truly have no idea where to begin, everyone from miles around shows up to honor the family. One day I hope to share with you that wild day. I love Cambodia dearly and will speak of it for years to come.
Malaysia
Now I am living the Mystery in Malaysia. I am now an English teacher, dying to my speech in order to be all things to all men. Certain words that I commonly use in everyday conversation such as missionary, Christian, amen, God, Jesus, etc. I must be very careful about speaking here. Only in private may I speak openly and even then, softly. In order to protect my host and the ministry that they do in this very Muslim and closed off area of the nation we are very careful not to endanger their work. Word travels quickly and here, that is a dangerous thing. God bless the believers here for their faith. Sometimes they do not even get any time for fellowship in months. Their faith is astounding.
So here I am. This morning I began reading John. While the other gospels speak of Jesus the messiah, the teacher, or the healer, John speaks of the DIvine Christ. In the very first chapter God began to scream out to me, and his breath was so warm. He spoke to me through John 1:12.
"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."
The RIGHT to become children of God...We speak of his grace in our lives and how without him, we are unworthy. True, but here is exactly the part that we miss. We have chosen to receive him. He gave us the RIGHT to become children of God. He did not just give us the option, he did not just give us the permission. He gave us a RIGHT! A divine anointing! We have been given a claim to the Kingdom of God. It is our divine RIGHT as children born of GOD, the KING of EVERYTHING. God was screaming through his word today, "Take hold of it Brandon!" He was telling me to step up to the throne that was prepared for me.
"But you are a CHOSEN people, a ROYAL priesthood, a HOLY nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wolderful 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." -1 Peter 2:9-10
Read that first chapter of John and this passage will seem very familiar. It's all about this blinding and wonderful light that casts out the darkness. I have been learning all about this idea of stepping into my identity, anointing, and the royalty that God has created me to be. I am his son. You are his sons and daughters, meant for a royal place beside his Son Jesus. Get excited people. You are only catching a glimpse of your divine inheritance on this earth. You are meant for so much more than you think you can accomplish and that makes your worth greater than anything you can imagine.
The Man With Unclean Lips,
Brandon Barnum
| |
|
Next 10 Articles >>
|
|
|
Here we are hangin' out on an old WWII Tank. This was one of the tanks that protected the town during the Nazi invasion.
Small towns in Ukraine are highly reliant on factories.
This is a rehab center. More than nice facilities, you need beautiful hearts.
Hospital visits! Bibles and puzzles for the kids!
Sasha!
Springtime is coming quick in Ukraine. It was so beautiful here. This is the Market area of town where all the Babushkas sold fake flowers.
It looks a bit desolate but within this past week everything turned bright green. It happened so fast. I love it!
Lada...you wont find these in the States.
And finally, the man himself...I know, I chopped the beard. 