Travel Blog

The Bible says my King is the King of the Jews. He’s the King of Israel. He’s the King of righteousness. He’s the King of the ages. He’s the King of Heaven. He’s the King of glory. He’s the King of kings, and He’s the Lord of lords. That’s my King. I wonder…Do you know Him?

My King is a sovereign King. No means of measure can define his limitless love. He’s enduringly strong. He’s entirely sincere. He’s eternally steadfast. He’s immortally graceful. He’s imperially powerful. He’s impartially merciful. Do you know Him?

He’s the greatest phenomenon that has ever crossed the horizon of this world. He’s God’s Son. He’s the sinner’s Savior. He’s the peak of civilization. He’s unparalleled. He’s unprecedented. He is the loftiest idea in literature. He’s the highest personality in philosophy. He’s the fundamental doctrine of true theology. He’s the only one qualified to be an all-sufficient Savior. I wonder if you know Him today.

He supplies strength for the weak. He’s available for the tempted and the tried. He sympathizes and He saves. He strengthens and sustains. He guards and He guides. He heals the sick. He cleanses the lepers. He forgives sinners. He discharges debtors. He delivers the captives. He defends the feeble. He blesses the young. He serves the unfortunate. He regards the aged. He rewards the diligent, and He beautifies the meager. I wonder if you know Him.

He’s the key to knowledge. He’s the wellspring of wisdom. He’s the doorway of deliverance. He’s the pathway of peace. He’s the roadway of righteousness. He’s the highway of holiness. He’s the gateway of glory. Do you know Him?

Well, His light is matchless. His goodness is limitless. His mercy is everlasting. His love never changes. His word is enough. His grace is sufficient. His reign is righteous, and His yoke is easy and His burden is light. I wish I could describe Him to you. Yes, He’s indescribable. He’s incomprehensible. He’s invincible. He’s irresistible. You can’t get Him out of your mind. You can’t get Him off of your head. You can’t outlive Him, and you can’t live without Him.

Well, the Pharisees couldn’t stand Him but they found out they couldn’t stop Him. Pilate couldn’t find any fault in Him. Herod couldn’t kill Him. Death couldn’t handle Him, and the grave couldn’t hold Him. I wonder if you know Him.
by Dr. S.M. Lockridge

Heavenly Father,

Please direct me. Spare me from myself and the selfish thoughts that dwell in me. Help me see your path for my life. I need you. Without you there is no me. Find me and fill me up. My desires are foolish. Change them to meet your desires. Hear my cries, my Elohim! Comfort and guide me. My heart cannot bare the pain of the loss I’ve endured.

I’ve been thinking about the changes this trip has made in me and the changes it hasn’t. I had quite a few expectations and one in particular hasn’t really been met. I really want to put myself into a situation where I was forced to rely on others and therefore forced to talk with others and overcome my shyness. I did put myself in situations where I was forced to talk with complete strangers, but I still completely fight it.

I do everything but ask for help. I waste hours and hours of walking around lost before I muster enough courage to ask a stranger to help me. Now, it’s not all just about shyness. Part of it is wondering if this person I’m about to ask is going to take me for a ride. But 97% of it is simply pride. And I don’t know why.

It seems, at first, that the thing I lack is pride. But when I look at it for what it is, it’s pride. And it’s completely irrational. My overwhelming desire to protect my pride keeps me from simple human interaction. What’s even more, I seem to think I have nothing to talk about! But I talk my friends’ ears off all the time. I think the end all is that I have a bit of low self-esteem, and I’m not sure why. I’m petrifide of rejection, and I’m not sure why. I’m fully aware that rejection will actually help build up my confidence and that failures are the perfect tool for learning. So if it logically makes sense, why do I still hesitate?

I think I’ll take this opportunity to actually enact this thing called courage. I’ll stand in the face of my fears and charge forward. With confindence in God’s plan for my future I should have–as the Australians say–”no worries.”

So I hired a taxi and explored the city. The poverty is shocking. What even more shocking is the huge devide between rich and poor. You see this entire city–or maybe nation–trying to grab hold of the future, to modernize and technologize. And then you see the disregard for the common man. People are living on the side of the road in tarp houses, or in run down buildings, or buildings that were half finished and forgotten about.

A man approached my taxi window asking for money. He had an infection of some kind that left gaping hole in his leg that had dried out and become like jerky. He was walking on it, going from car to car as people ignored him or waved him away. I was so shocked and didn’t know what to do. At the moment I thought “No amount of money I can give him is going to help him.” But I’m sure my heart and mind were not in the right place. I look back at that moment and the moment when children ran up to me begging for food, pointing at the empty tin foil my lunch was in, and other similar moments and wonder, WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO!?

I find myself at a loss. I feel compelled to help these people. When I’m caught off guard, in the heat of the moment, I find it difficult to find the ability to do anything more than stare or keep walking and say “I’m sorry.” I feel helpless. I give some of them money. And more come.

What bothers me more is I don’t find the time to think about these issues more often. I spend hours, days and weeks pondering my own sorry situation, looking for solutions. I usually find them. So why am I not spending more time thinking of solutions for these issues? Can I even do anything?! These issues are huge!

I saw most of Dehli in a day. It’s rather large, but the monuments are spread across the entire city. I expect to head to Agra tomorrow and see the Taj Mahal.

In my conversation with Christine (a shipmate on my boat cruise to Olympos in Turkey) I’ve somewhat compiled my thoughts regarding the simplicity of our purpose.

Matthew 22:34-40
34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:
36″Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[b] 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[c] 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

John 13:34-35
34″A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

How do we please God? We follow His commandments. What are his commandments? Love God and each other, this is the fullfillment of the whole Law. So how do we love God? We love each other. How do we love each other? We love each other as Jesus loved us. How did Jesus love us? He became the ultimate servant going so far as to give up His own life for our benefit.

“Paul brings out the same truth when he develops the metaphor of the church as the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12; Eph. 4:11-16). Each individual in the church is to develop deep relationships with other members so that the body can grow and “build itself up in love” (Eph. 4:16). To be mature Christians who reflect God’s image, we need vital relationships with others. ” [1]

1. Love feels compassion.
2. Love is intentional.
3. Love denies self.
4. Love acts.
5. Love gives.

Love is a VERB!

It’s fantastic when someone realizes the simplicity Jesus spoke. When he turned the Jewish faith upside-down and reveal the true nature of the Law it was amazing! But what I really noticed, after my conversation with Christine, was that it wasn’t just the Jewish faith being flip-flopped, it’s also popular Christianity as we see it thrown about today! When I explained to Christine the simplicity of Jesus’ words, she asked “Then why do they make it seem so confusing and complicated?” Maybe “they” was refering to her perception of Christian leaders or maybe just Christians in general–some who today look just like the Pharisees of Jesus day. They complicate the simple formula.

I think that was one of the issues I had in understanding Jesus’ message. I saw hypocrisy on every level and it didn’t seem like anyone was addressing it. I still don’t know why we humans complicate things so simple, but what I did discover was that I didn’t need a religion. I needed a relationship–with God. I also realized relationships can’t be maintained vicariously. I can’t have a mediator between God and I–not a priest, not a pastor, not a friend and not a parent.