Living Radical.

Today was by far the most inspirational Monday I've had in El Salvador since coming here. I would usually expect to be sitting around doing nothing but cleaning and being lazy. This morning, however, I awoke earlier than I would consider to be "sleeping in". It felt as though my blood was pulsing through my body and I had a newfound sense of purpose. I took care of mine and Kaylie's laundry and sat downstairs. I finished the book Radical by David Platt and it rocked my world. It's all about abandoning the concept of the "American Dream" (you know, the nice car, big house, huge savings accounts) for radical living for Jesus. The final chapter challenges us to take a year of our life, and implement five concepts in order to begin living the rest of our lives radically. The entire time I was reading this book my mind only pictured myself doing these things, not some fuzzy-faced person of my imagination.

1. Pray for the entire world- he gives a website that centers on a different country and their prayer requests each day, so by the end of the year you have literally prayed for the entire world. Just ponder that thought once more, in a year...I will have prayed for the ENTIRE WORLD. How huge is that?
2. Read through the entire Word- he challenges us to read the entire Bible, word for word, in a year. I am probably most excited for this because I have truely only been living as a Christian for a few months. I've never read the bible before.
3. Sacrifice your money for a specific purpose- it's all about putting caps on what you would normally spend your money on for luxuries, and putting that excess money towards someone who is suffering. We tend to think of ourselves as not rich, but look at it this way- do you have clean, runnnig water in your house and at the tips of your fingers? Do you have food on the table everyday? Do you have a warm bed to sleep in at night? If you answered "yes" to all of the above, you ARE rich compared to the rest of the world. Obviously as a student here in El Salvador I won't be able to do and give as much as I would like, but I will never be short of a giving heart.
4. Spend your time in another context- basically take yourself out of your comfort zone, whether it be a different town or a different country, for the sake of forming relationships. It would be so easy to simply send money where it's needed, but what is a check compared to the time and passion it requires to actually put yourself where the need is? I'm living it right now, and there is nothing more humbling than being right in the middle of the needs of people.
5. Commit your life to a multiplying community- making disciples takes time, and it requires patience. You have to nurture the relationships you form with people. Sure, everyone you share Jesus with isn't going to accpet him into their hearts, but even if there is just one person saved in a mass of one thousand, isn't it worth taking the time for the soul of that one person?

I called a group meeting today to discuss taking up this challenge with both hands and truely giving it a shot this year. Kirk and Wes chose otherwise, but the girls of this group have truely had a passion sparked in our hearts for this commitment. We've also decided that we would love to try to start a youth group for the students at the school. These kids go to a Christian school and some of them don't believe in God. We're with them everyday and have so many opportunities to impact their lives. What is one year, when it could decide the way I live my life for the rest of my exisitence on this earth? What is one worldly year, when it could decide if I am spending eternity in Heaven with my Father? I encourage everyone to read this book, not just because it has touched me personally and in a big way, but because it truely hits the error of the American Dream on the nose.

One year. Pray. Read. Sacrifice. Spend time. Commit your life. "So what happens when radical obedience to Christ becomes the new normal? Are you willing to see? You have a choice. You can cling to short-term treasures that you cannot keep, or you can live for long-term treasures that you cannot lose: people coming to Christ; men, women, and children living because they now have food; unreached tribes receiving the gospel. And the allconsuming satisfaction of knowing and experiencing Christ as the treasure above all others. You and I have an average of about seventy or eighty years on this earth. During these years we are bombarded with the temporary. Make money. Get stuff. Be comfortable. Live well. Have fun. In the middle of it all, we get blinded to the eternal. But it's there. You and I stand on the porch of eternity. Both of us will soon stand before God to give an account for our stewardship of the time, the resources, the gifts, and ultimately the gospel he has entrusted to us. When that day comes, I am convinced we will not wish we had given more of ourselves to living the American dream. We will not wish we had made more money, acquired more stuff, lived more comfortably, taken more vacations, watched more television, pursued greater retirement, or been more successful in the eyes of this world. Instead we will wish we had given more of ourselved to living for the day when every nation, tribe, people, and langauge will bow around the throne and sing the prases of the Savior who delights in radical obedience and the God who deserves eternal worship. Are you ready to live for this dream? Let's not waver any longer." (Platt 216-217).

All For His Glory,
 Taylor