Chavez y Romanos (Romans)

Hello all,

This is my half hour slot to write a blog, so it won't be so cut short as it was yesterday, as long as my typing is swift and fluid.  But there's also a lot more.  When I arrived at the office this morning at 8:30, I switched my Ingles back on and spoke (and thought) in sustained English for the first time since four o'clock the previous day.  Isn't that insane?  I loved every minute of it.  But to take you into a day in the life of the Chavez family, my host and my new adopted family, it starts at 4:00 am for Sra. Chavez, doing morning chores and preparing breakfast for Sr. Chavez, who catches the bus at 5:30 am to get to work 40 minutes away in San Jose.  He works for a food company called "Tio Pelon" which in English translates to 'Uncle Baldy.'  When I asked what 'pelon' meant at dinner time, the family very animated and joyfully, pointed to the head of Sr. Chavez, whose hair is, as you guessed, receding.  Shortly after this, el senor (sr. Chavez) explained to me very clearly that "tenemos una ragla de este case.  Pe prohibe tener verguenza en esta casa," which means "We have one rule in this house.  To be embarrassed in this house is prohibited."  They have a huge love for their family, and this shows in how open and free of shame they live in within their home, and that their value and worth is not in how they are perceived, but ascribed by their loving God.  Their house was warm and welcoming, which to me was both a blessing and a weird ground for me, just being put through cultural training, and worrisome that I'm going to say or do something that will cause offense.  So that can be a prayer request, that I may not fear causing offense, but live and operate in God's love and the love God and I share for my host family.  This morning, Sra. Chavez rode into town with me on the bus.  We left the house at around 8:10 (a very late morning for my in Costa Rica) to catch the bus at the bus stop up the hill, and ride it into town.  When we parted ways for me to go to the office, Sra. Chavez began her errands into the supermarket, stop at the bank, and run other errands in town.  In the evening, el Papa returns from work at around 7 pm, and his two daughters return from their work at the church at around 8 (except their days off on Monday).  Sra. Chavez will have dinner ready and we'll eat as soon as the family is at home.  After dinner, we clean up the kitchen, and evening activities continue until bed time - 9:30 for los senores (parents) and probably later for las hijas (daughters).  Their house is very humble but beautiful, with natural A/C - a corridor running throughout the house to allow wind to pass through and air out the house -  windows and doors open (it actually was very comfortable in this climate, and Sra. Chavez actually wore a sweatshirt at night.  Everything is in its place and the house is very clean - Ticos are a very very clean people.  I'm glad I didn't bring enough stuff to make a huge mess cause they're way cleaner than I am.  Messes are attended to as soon as they're made.  Dishes are cleaned and returned to their place right after use, and there are just enough plates for everyone, but nothing in excess.  Dinner was rice, meat, and potatoes.  Their flavors were very very yummy.  I had to repeat the same thing a hundred times cause it was sooooo good.  "Es muy sabroso,"  "que buena la cena," and "me gusta mucho."  And, as many of you are thinking or assuming, the coffee is good (think tov, the hebrew word that gets translated to good that really means 'good' with a lot of emphasis of the gut, similar to a 'oh that's goooooooooood').  

But this morning our study was on Romans 12:1&2, and I wanted to share some of that with you all and how it kicked my gut this morning with the awesomeness of God.  When we started, and Josh asked to consider the phrase "transform you by the renewing of your mind," my first thought was that it doesn't command us to renew our mind, as if it's in our power to.  No, it says to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.  Then Josh points out that the verb "be transformed" is a passive verb, as in it's happening to us, and conversely, in the clause before that the word "be conformed to(NIV)" or "imitate" (NLT) the world is an active verb.  So it's like Paul is saying, "refrain from conforming and let God transform you by changing your mind through his revelation," or through Him teaching you, or also, "give up so He can work on you".  Isn't that awesome.  We just have to sit back and listen to God, and he does the work in us.   How awesome is God to take people who, of no self achievement of their own, works and molds and changes people who simply say yes in their hearts and minds to God.  And "God's will" in the end of the second verse, is God's will for our very being, not so much our specific actions, but the very core of who we are.  So all the two verses, in response to the first 11 chapters, Paul is saying, in light of the gospel, offer yourself up as a sacrifice of your being (alive in Christ), for God to change and transform loving in response to you placing yourself at the alter before God.  Aaah man isn't that awesome.  Sanctification is not something unattainable, but something God wants to give us every day, and us showing we accept it is laying ourselves on that alter for Him to renew with his fire of knowing Him.  I could continue here, but if the Spirit is speaking to you, God will do a whole lot more in leading you in exploring this awesomeness, so I'll leave it up to you to meditate on anything worth meditating on.  I'll leave you with an awesome lyric from a favorite band of a friend of mine, Trey Frye, and it puts this into a great picture of surrender, or giving up.  The band name is My Epic, and the lyric is 

"I stopped striving for perfection and surrendered to it instead"

I love yall, and God Bless,

Brad


p.s. Ooh, that was long.  Thanks for reading all the way to this point