RobAHokie

Urbana 06: Global Partnerships

2007-01-11T08:19:00.000-08:00

One of my highlights from Urbana 06 was hearing Oscar Muriu, pastor of Nairobi Chapel, speak powerfully on the state of the global church and the need for interdependency between western and non-western Christians. I highly recommend listening to his message through the link above - it could change the way you think about missions and the church around the world!

Wes and I actually had the chance to visit the Nairobi Chapel family of churches this past July, although at the time we didn't get to meet Oscar because he was in the US in preparation for Urbana! Below is a picture of us with Oscar at Urbana following an outstanding seminar he gave on Global Partnerships in the Church.

Thanksgiving

2006-11-30T15:43:00.000-08:00

Karen, me, and my parents at the beach over Thanksgiving

My family, Karen, and I spent Thanksgiving with my Brazilian relatives in Myrtle Beach, SC. I hadn't been there in a year and a half, so it was good to be with them. There was lots of Portuguese spoken (though not by me!), and although we did have turkey, the rest of the meal wasn't the standard Thanksgiving mashed potatoes and green-bean casserole. It's good to be reminded that I come from a crosscultural family, which is a big reason why I'm in crosscultural ministry.

Me, my sister (Katharyn) and my cousins

The Prayer Room: From 3-3 to 24-7?

2006-11-15T18:31:00.000-08:00

After Wes and I moved to Blacksburg in June 2005, we set up a small prayer room at the front of our house. Since we live across the street from campus, our vision has been that students would be able to walk over and use the prayer room anytime as a quiet place to meet with God.

Just this month, we opened up the prayer room to vtONE, a student organization that brings together many of the campus ministries at Virginia Tech. For three nights a week, three hours each night, students come over and fill the place with worship to God and prayers for their friends, the campus and the world.

We're excited that students are using this space. Our dream is that whether in our house or in a combination of local places, there would eventually be a 24-7 prayer movement in Blacksburg. Please join us in asking God to draw more people into prayer!

October Adventures

2006-11-02T12:59:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, October 21, I asked my friend and colleague Karen Gupton to marry me - she said yes! Karen currently serves on InterVarsity staff at UNC-Greensboro.

It's been a beautiful fall season in southwest Virginia. Here's a picture of Wes and I enjoying the view from nearby Tinker Cliffs on the Appalachian Trail.

Aradhna Concert Weekend: October 6-7, 2006

2006-10-12T19:04:00.000-07:00

Aradhna (which means "worship" in Hindi) played several incredible shows in and around Blacksburg during the weekend, drawing many from the Indian community as well as Americans and other international students. The first show was in the home of the Indian family who hosts our Indian Bible Fellowship. Nearly 50 people came during the evening to enjoy the music in an intimate setting.

The second show in Squires Student Center drew over 120 people. Dozens sat on mats near the stage (including me!). Each concert featured an intermission with samosas (potato-stuffed pastries), chai (Indian tea), and time to meet members of the band.

I've become a big Aradhna fan over the last few months as I've learned to play some of their songs on the guitar, so I was thrilled at the chance to see the band perform twice, as well to spend quality time getting to know them after picking them up from the airport. The weekend was only made better by the many friends, old and new, who came out to the concerts, as well as the presence of my girlfriend Karen (below), who came in from North Carolina for the shows.

Nairobi: Encountering Jesus Outside the City

2006-08-05T16:26:00.000-07:00

I’ll never forget the day Wes and I met Jesus in the slum area of Korogocho on the outskirts of Nairobi. We were there to see Tulip, the Tumaini (Swahili for "Hope") Ladies' Integrational Program. The program offers vocational training with daily Bible study for teenage girls who can’t afford to pay for secondary education (high school isn’t government funded). In an area where many families scrape by on $1/day, Tulip has a real impact on the community.

Shortly after arriving, we were asked to share an encouraging lesson from Scripture with the girls. The program director, Mary, handed us a Bible and said we could have a few minutes to prepare. “You’ll have about an hour to speak to them,” she said. What had we gotten ourselves into? We thought we were just there for a visit! And who were we, two American men, to share a message of hope with these Kenyan girls from the poorest of the poor?

I led the small group in a discussion of the gospel story about the paralytic whose faith-filled friends lowered him through a roof to get him to Jesus. The interactive discussion was different from the sit-silently-and-listen-to-the-teacher Bible studies common to their culture, and I was glad they tried their best to respond to my questions. Still, I could see the lack of self-esteem in some of their faces. How often do these girls get to interact with young men who treat them with respect and believe they have something to say?

After the Bible study Mary and some of the girls led us into the heart of the slum to a clinic and church, both also named Tumaini. The pastor’s office in the clinic, shared by George and James, was like a closet, with a mostly empty bookshelf, a small desk, a bench, and a wooden chair frame without a seat. These men live in the slum, receive no financial support from their church, and yet they welcomed us by offering to go get us soft drinks. George probably spent the local equivalent of a day’s wages to offer us the refreshment of an orange Fanta – unbelievable hospitality. The church itself, planted last year, was as equally unimpressive as the office, with uneven dirt floors, tin roofing, and a few low, backless benches. Yet in that small space, the Lord brings 75 people (mostly children) to worship each Sunday.

Though I’ve seen images of material poverty in the two-thirds world, they cannot adequately capture the slum experience in Nairobi. One has to add to the sight of endless mud walls and tin roofs the smell of garbage and filthy water, the feel of the hot sun and the muddy, rocky ground, the sound of carts rolling through the market and of hundreds of children, near and far, crying out “Mzungu [white person], How are you!” as soon as they see us approaching.

At the end of the day we caught a ride back downtown in a Matatu, a hip-hop blaring 14-passenger van that typically exceeds its capacity. The bumpy, pothole-dodging ride was made more interested by the two cops with machine guns who hopped on for a bit (one sat right behind me with his gun resting on his lap in my direction), as well as by the conductor/fare collector/ride recruiter manning the side door who, after successfully filling every seat in the van, sat on the lap of the last passenger in the door (that is, when he wasn’t riding standing up outside the van with the door wide open).

Downtown Nairobi, where we spent the most time during our trip, is a skyscraper-lined metropolis with world-class banks, hotels, and shopping. But on this day spent just outside the city, in a slum where anything goes, we found world-class faith, hospitality, and even hope.

“And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.” Hebrews 13:12-14

African Christian Fellowship gathering - April 2, 2006

2006-05-04T20:56:00.000-07:00

Int'l Discovery Weekend: March 3-5, 2006

2006-03-23T11:03:00.000-08:00

Working my way out of a job

2006-02-28T14:44:00.000-08:00

The Lord has never kept me in one place for too long. Sure, growing up in Atlanta I lived in the same house until I was 18, but in the meantime, I attended five different schools. Since then, I've moved every year or two for study or work: Chapel Hill - Germany - Chapel Hill - Raleigh - Blacksburg. Each period brings back distinct memories.

I'm supposed to be here for at least three years on InterVarsity staff. My hope is that no matter how long I stay, my job looks different from semester to semester.

In the fall of '05 I ran all over town for four months, trying to figure out what's going on and what I'm supposed to do. This semester my focus has been on student leadership development - intentionally empowering students to do what I might be able to do better, but if I did it all by myself, I'd burn out and they wouldn't grow in using their Spirit-given gifts.

My goal is to work my way out of a job - or at least, out of the specific roles I'm playing at the moment, such as Bible study host, musical worship leader or prayer meeting coordinator. If students can take over these roles, I'll be freed up to focus my attention on students or cultural groups who are currently overlooked in the scope of our ministry. Join me in praying that the Lord will use me and our volunteers to raise up more partners in this ministry among the students themselves.

Church

2005-12-08T14:56:00.000-08:00

My church home in Blacksburg is St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, a historic African-American congregation with local roots going back to the late 1850s. Many people (including myself) have wondered how I decided to join St. Paul. Here's the short version of the story....

As an InterVarsity student I began learning about God's desire for racial and ethnic reconciliation as part of his love for people from every nation and culture. I studied abroad and developed many international friendships, but I had few relationships with American students from racial backgrounds other than my own, even though I had come to believe that ethnic and cultural diversity was a good thing. The people I lived with, hung out with, and worshiped with almost all looked like me. I desired reconciliation, but wasn't willing to sacrifice much to make it happen. Those from other cultures and backgrounds were welcome to come and fit in to my church and campus fellowship (which required, of course, a degree of submission to the majority culture).

One year ago I began reading a book, Being White, through which I heard God's challenge to take a step of displacement out of my own culture and into another. If reconciliation is to be a reality, I learned, then those in the cultural majority must be willing to submit to and learn from those in the minority. As I prayed about what to do, I sensed the call to seek out a predominantly Black church. The idea brought excitement as well as apprehension. How would I be received? What would my friends and family think? About seven months later, on my first Sunday in Blacksburg, I visited St. Paul AME. I was warmly welcomed by the pastor, Rev. Glenn Orr, and the small congregation. I sensed that day that I didn't need to look any further for a new church - God had led me to the right place. The following month I joined the church, and in October I had the chance to preach one Sunday and share this story with the congregation.

Even though I love my new church family, being a part of St. Paul is not always easy. Things often aren't done the way I'm used to or the way that makes the most sense to me. However, I knew going into the cross-cultural experience that such frustration would be part of the deal. The Lord is using St. Paul to teach me far more than just about race and culture, reconciliation and justice - he's teaching me in new ways what it means to be a part of his body, the church. The sacrifices of comfort and familiarity are far outweighed by the love I've received from the congregation and the hope of being a small part of seeing God's people reconciled and united.

Hiking Season

2005-10-27T16:15:00.000-07:00

This month I've enjoyed several hikes in the mountains of western Virginia. Here's a recent photo of me and Wes at McAfee's Knob on the Appalachian Trail, about 45 minutes from Blacksburg.

High score to heaven

2005-09-28T22:00:00.000-07:00

I grew up in a Christian tradition where the ultimate expression of Christianity takes the form of evangelism, which means getting other people to give their lives to Jesus (getting them saved, for short). Evangelism as such is the highest calling of each individual Christian, and the ultimate goal of the church. The climax of every worship service is the invitation (altar call), at which time someone can officially become a Christian by praying a prayer of salvation and walking down the aisle to inform the pastor of his or her decision for Christ. Maybe this sounds familiar to you, or maybe it sounds totally foreign. As a child, this was reality for me.

Reality as preached in the sermon was reinforced by Sunday school. In my sixth grade class, I recall one terrible morning when my well-intentioned teacher asked each child to verbally state whether or not we had received Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. All the other kids (including the bad ones) said yes. How could I say no, even when I knew it wasn't true? So I lied. Fortunately, I was among the brightest and best behaved children in the class, so my teacher never suspected that I was still an obstinate sinner.

Another way evangelism was subtly elevated to preeminence in Sunday school was through the occasional use of incentives. Our teachers would announce the possibility of winning a great prize (like a new Bible) by collecting points. Points were earned for certain good behaviors like regular attendance at Sunday school and memorizing Bible verses. Bringing a friend to church scored you mega-points (even if that friend already went to church elsewhere). I have to take a moment to apologize to my friends, especially Craig, who got dragged to church several times in order for me to get more points. The best prize I ever won was a set of twelve apostle-head-shaped metal charms to go on a keychain or bracelet, each with the name of the apostle and a Bible verse inscribed on the back. I have no idea where those apostle-heads are now, but I know that most of my friends who came have little or no interest in church anymore.

So here I am, all grown up and working in a job where one of my roles is, ironically, evangelist. The temptation from my youth is still there to view the communication of the gospel as a means to get points. The prizes are no longer Bibles and apostle-head charms, but fame and recognition from the Christian community for being an all-star InterVarsity staff worker - and of course, eternal rewards from God himself. The consequences of being a lousy evangelist loom larger too. If too few students become Christians, I fear that people might stop financially supporting my work and that God will be disappointed with me. Not to mention that I'll be way behind in the race for points.

Please join with me in praying:

that I can know the gospel for what it is: as the story of the Kingdom of God, a story which continues today as the Spirit restores the reign of God in the lives of individuals and communities all over the earth
that I'll be free from the temptation to score points with God and with people by trying to win converts to Christianity, InterVarsity, or any other cause
that I can unselfishly celebrate the victories of other ministers and not be focused on building up a ministry as my personal kingdom
that I can proclaim the holistic gospel of the Kingdom with sensitivity, grace, and courage

For more reflections on the gospel and evangelism, check out Robert's Books.

Prayed Out

2005-09-13T13:30:00.000-07:00

Have you ever gotten tired of bowing your head? From a 6:30 AM daily prayer meeting at church to midday meetings with ministry partners, pastors, and faculty, to late-night prayer gatherings with students, neighbors, and Wes, the last two weeks have been punctuated by prayer. Prayer for the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Katrina, for the VT campus, for the town of Blacksburg. Prayer for students to step up as leaders, for more volunteers to join the ministry, for wisdom in approaching the ever-growing number of opportunities to exercise my own talents and energy. Prayer for our daily bread of God's Word, of the Spirit's action, of supporters' gifts and prayers to keep me on campus a little longer. Prayer for God's kingdom to come, for his will to be done, for his fame to be made known among all people near and far.

All this prayer has produced an unexpected result: weariness. The more I pray, the more I see God act. But the more I see God act, the more I realize the need to pray, because I feel the weight of God's love for a loveless world. And finally I reach a point where my awareness of the needs of the world, the ministry, and the people I love are too great for my words. At this point, the best I can do is just sit still before the Lord.

I thought prayer was supposed to be refreshing and life-giving! Well, it is, in the same way that exercising my body relieves stress and gives me more energy throughout the rest of the day. But working out makes me really tired, too. So I guess my spiritual muscles aren't as strong as I thought (a good thing to know at this point in the year)! I couldn't yet pray all day even if I wanted to. This is why I value the prayers of those from afar - the Lord uses them to sustain me. Thank you for standing with me when I'm all prayed out.

On an exciting note, this outpouring of corporate prayer is a both a response to and an invitation for the Spirit's work in Blacksburg. I have never sensed so much unity and expectancy among Christians in a place before. In spite of the weariness, my spirit senses that God is doing BIG things in this small town.

the Unexpected Guest

2005-08-25T23:45:00.000-07:00

On Saturday night InterVarsity hosted a Luau on campus to welcome new students, complete with snow cones, torches, a limbo line, a water balloon toss, and Wes in a grass skirt. I arrived a few minutes early to help set up and join the students who were signed up to pray throughout the event. As new students began to trickle onto the lawn, I noticed a shirtless middle-aged man with a handfull of tattoos reclining alone just a few feet away from the snow cone booth. This guy was definitely not a freshman! Wanting to be a welcoming example for our students, I sat down next to the man, invited him to get some food and struck up a conversation. It wasn't long before I got the sense that Kenny, a local resident whose only goal was to find a job and then "stay out of trouble," didn't have a lot of purpose to his life.

I consider myself gospel-minded, but not necessarily gospel-tongued. While I feel comfortable speaking of Jesus in front of groups, I'm much more hesitant face-to-face. It's even more difficult when I'm not my ministry comfort zone, i.e. international students. However, sensing that Kenny needed to hear the gospel, I explained about InterVarsity being a Christian group and then asked, "So, how do you feel about Jesus?"

"Can't say I have any feelings about him," he answered in the plainest tone. Not what I was expecting! I thought everybody - at least everybody who grows up in the South going to church for a while, as Kenny had, felt one way or another about Jesus. I sat in silence for about a minute, not knowing how to reply to such honest indifference.

Finally, I spoke up and said, "Well, if you don't have much of an opinion about Jesus, do you mind if I share part of my story?" Kenny welcomed me to go ahead, and I pulled out my testimony from the dusty shelf of my Baptist memory, fumbling through my conversion story and a loose paraphrase of the gospel message. "How do you feel about what I just shared?" I asked, hoping for some kind of reaction.

"Look at that guy trying to get under that bar" he answered, staring past me with fascination at the limbo line. I rephrased my question, hoping he just didn't hear me: "Do you ever feel like you need God's forgiveness?"

"Oh yeah. I've done some things. It just takes time." I explained that while it might take time for situations to be made right again, God's forgiveness is as immediately available as our repentant request to receive it.

I had to leave soon after that, but I invited Kenny to church the next day, saying I'd meet him at the same place we were sitting if he wanted to come. The next morning I came out, waited, waited, and finally went to the service, not sure if I'd ever see Kenny again, but knowing that the Lord knew where he was.

Just three days later, I was riding home with someone down Main Street when I saw Kenny sitting on a bench. Responding to the Spirit and the opportunity, I hopped out of the car at a stop light and walked back up the street. Kenny seemed glad to see me. I asked him about his job search - "got an interview on Saturday at Burger King" - and whether he ended up coming to meet me for church. Twenty minutes late, he said.

I don't know if Kenny is for real or not - about getting a job or being interested in going to church. But I know that the Lord's love for him is real, so I'm praying for Kenny to know that. And I'll be waiting again on Sunday morning.

Lord of the University

2005-08-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

Every morning when I walk out the door, I look out across our front yard. Between me and the university lies a church, above which towers a large wooden cross. Among all the blessings of having a house so close to campus, God has given me this cross as a daily reminder that Jesus is Lord over Virginia Tech. In this place where students devote their lives to so many things - academic achievement, excessive partying, and of course, a nationally-ranked football team - Jesus is Lord, commanding their obedience and offering them life. That's why I'm here - because Christ is here, calling students from every nation to give their lives to him. I'm just a partner with Jesus in calling people to see the cross as I see it, to experience it as I have experienced it. Thank you for praying with me that the Lord will be received at Virginia Tech.

Welcome to Blacksburg....

2005-06-15T20:02:00.000-07:00

My seafoam-green, graffiti-splotched '95 Ford Windstar, packed with half my worldly possessions (the other half is coming on the next trip), pulled into Blacksburg today at approximately 5:30 PM. Hungry from the road, my new roommate and ministry partner, Wes, suggested we grab dinner at Mike’s Grill on Main St., reputedly the best burger place in town. I had a salad. Pretty decent lettuce, but I'm not likely to come back with international friends - a sign on the wall declares: “America: Love it or leave it” below an eagle emblem and a large US flag.

So begins life in this small, southwest Virginia town of 40,000 with 2,000 of the rest of the world's best and brightest dwelling and studying, often unnoticed, in our midst. This blog is a closer look into my life and ministry here. I hope you can get a better idea of what I do, and also see what God is doing in this place.

You may be wondering about the title of this blog. It's a little play on words, combining my internet identity (RobAHowe) with the name of the Virginia Tech sports teams (the Hokies). What is a Hokie, anyway? Apparently, I am, now that I work at Virginia Tech - although I'll always be a Tar Heel inside.