Wow, I can't believe I've been in Uganda for almost four weeks now! It's been quite the journey. I think the "honeymoon stage" of my trip has now ended, meaning that I have started to miss home, family, and friends, but God has surely been with me every step of the way. He is the reason that I'm here, and He is enough to sustain me. Wherever I find myself. Here's a quick summary of what I've been up to:

Supervising music exams at Heritage International School, including marking portions of these exams.
Shadowing a middle and high school music teacher, learning by observing, and helping whenever I can.
Helping a grade four teacher with group activities.
Spending time with children in a juvenile prison with an organization called 60 Feet (www.sixtyfeet.org). This includes helping to lead them in worship (but most of the time, they are leading me!), and teaching them how to play guitar.
Riding boda boda's, the local motorcycle taxi transportation that weaves in and out of traffic, sometimes on the wrong side of the road.
Helping to lead worship at a local school that houses previous street kids, called Doors Ministries.
A hospital visitation at the International Hospital of Kampala, the best hospital in Uganda.
Slowly learning Luganda, the official language of Kampala (besides English).
Tutoring a special needs child music (both trumpet and violin).
Learning brain developments and behaviours in children, specifically how trauma affects the brain.
Helping to teach children a curriculum that educates them about the importance of emotional health and safety.
Helping to translate North American concepts of a curriculum into a Ugandan context.

Something that I started learning and paying particularly close attention to within the past two months is the concept of margins. Put simply, margins is any remaining resources subsequent to fulfilling responsibilities. In other words, at the end of the day, do you have any time, energy, money, emotion, or motivation (or a number other things) left over, or have you spent it all - plus some - on all the activities, meetings, and events throughout the day? In North America, margins seems to be a little-known concept, and as a Christian, I believe this poses two great issues that many do not consider.

First, without margins, burnout is inevitable. People who keep going without any rest or margins in the name of ministry and serving, in the end will find themselves unable to keep going. They will burn out.

Second, without margins, it is almost impossible for God to interrupt your day and for you to listen and obey what He desires you to do in that particular moment.

If, for instance, you receive a phone call from a friend in distress, do you have the margins in your life to be a light in your friend's life at that moment, or is that phone call simply an inconvenience because you have so many other responsibilities to fulfill?

If, for instance, a mother's son needs to go to the hospital, and there is no one else to sit with the mother while the son is in the operation room, do you have the margins to keep her company, or is it a disruption and a bother, an event that upsets the rest of your plans for the day?

That is not to say that you should let others take advantage of you, for margins also includes time for oneself to recuperate and to rest. I am merely scratching the surface of the concept of margins, attempting to relate it to living a missional lifestyle.

*Insert segue here*

I believe that it is impossible to live a missional lifestyle - a life that I believe God calls all people to live - without having margins.

A missional lifestyle simply means living a life on mission. 24/7. It means that at every moment, you are on mission to shine the light of Christ to a darkened world; to proclaim the Gospel of Christ in both word and deed at all times; not simply just on a scheduled missions trip.

“A missional lifestyle simply means living a life on mission. 24/7.”

My supervisor recently told me that she believes you cannot always schedule ministry, for ministry opportunities occur at all hours of the day, not just in set times of the day, or in specific services and events throughout the week. This became clear to me a few days ago as I sat with a mother in a hospital waiting room, who was worried for her child whose hip was dislocated and fractured from falling off a swing. This was not a planned ministry event, but a ministry opportunity that God placed before me to serve Him. The time I spent with this mother has been one of the highlights of my time in Uganda so far, as I read some of our favourite passages of the Bible to her. The hunger and desire she has to hear and understand God's Word is incredible. Not only just my presence of being there, but reading the Bible together gave her courage and peace that the surgery would be successful. (Her son now has a cast on, and is recovering well.)

If I had have been busy with so many other scheduled ministry events and services, I would not have had the time to be with this mother, something I believe God wanted me to do. Being busy seems to be the new badge of honour in North America, yet I believe that being less busy not only increases our own health (in all its aspects), but also allows us to not be inconvenienced by opportunities that God presents us to serve. Instead, it helps us to welcome the moments to serve those God puts in our path, ultimately serving Christ.

As I look through the gospel accounts in the Bible, I do not see anything to support Jesus scheduling ministry events. Perhaps He did when He was preaching the beatitudes, as recorded in Matthew. Perhaps He did when He taught the Word of God to the people on the shore while He sat in a boat, as recorded in Luke.

But it never once says Jesus did.

In the four gospel accounts, Jesus was constantly being interrupted throughout His time on earth. Crowds continuously followed Him. Sick and diseased people were persistently being brought before Him. Teachers of the law incessantly questioned and accused Him. Not once do I see a time where Jesus scheduled a healing service, or a weekend preaching seminar.

“In the four gospel accounts, Jesus was constantly being interrupted throughout His time on earth.”

I am not saying that these ministry services are wrong or illegitimate. I am simply making an observation that Jesus' recorded ministry occurred in the moments presented before Him. He taught as He went. He healed as He went. He served as He went.

I am also not trying to minimize Sunday church services, for I believe wholeheartedly that meeting together with the body of Christ weekly is very important for every follower of Jesus. I am, however, trying to expand my own thoughts, that Sunday morning services are enough.

They aren't.

A disciple of Jesus must serve with his/her entire being. Every day. Every hour. Every moment. This is what true worship is.

I do not claim to have sufficient knowledge to properly define a missional lifestyle, nor do I feel adequate to assess my own life to see if I am doing ministry well.

I am in no way striving to judge the life of others, for I am a professional when it comes to not having margins in my life.

I am simply observing and learning.

I am simply wrestling with what it means to live a missional lifestyle.

Nov 19, 2016

Sufficiently Independent

As such, the more we become aware of our insufficiencies and our dependency upon God, the more we will incline ourselves to pray unceasingly.

Sep 17, 2016

An Increased Awareness

An increased awareness of God's presence always produces an increased awareness of our sin. There is no way around it. One simply cannot look upon the true Jesus Christ and not be confounded by both the awesome holiness of God's glory and grace, and the awful sinfulness of our own hearts and minds.

Sep 10, 2016

Can I Have a Re-Do?

I apologize for not being clear. The only person I have to blame is myself.

It’s not because everyone is dumb. It’s not because Stoplight is too complex. It’s because up until now, I’ve been answering the wrong question.

Jun 17, 2016

Every. Last. One.

There, of course, are quite a number that fall on any point along this spectrum, but very few that seem to be balanced in the middle. Perhaps this is because of our human nature to dichotomize issues until we’re black and blue in the face.

May 17, 2016

Did God Change His Mind?

It was in that moment that I had done it. I had officially made up my mind: I was going to stay in Edmonton for the remainder of 2016. No one could convince me otherwise, not even myself - as much as I wanted to.

And yet, I did change my mind. Or was it God? Did God change His mind? Can God change His mind?

Jan 17, 2016

Even When I Don't Feel Like It

I started realizing that I didn't want to be here.

After having lived in the 'real world' for over half a year, and then coming back to theoretical books and work in classrooms, it felt as if there was no point. Why am I sitting in class when I could still be 'out there' doing 'better things with my life'? These are thoughts coming from a kid who loves school, and loves learning in a classroom setting.

Dec 29, 2015

Back in the Motherland (aka Canada)

As part of my re-entry assignment, I was asked to answer bunch of questions in my journal. As I answered these questions, I realized that there's no better way to help others understand where I am coming from, what I've experienced, and what I am thinking and feeling, than to share those responses.

Nov 23, 2015

DNA Transfusion

But is it true mentorship when you have to put the label of mentorship on it? I have always been discontented with the North American view of mentorship. It feels too mechanical, too impersonal. Is mentorship relegated to weekly/monthly checklist checkup meetings where only specific topics are discussed (particularly the taboo topics)? Is this the type of mentorship the Bible records? Or is mentorship something much greater?

Oct 25, 2015

Titles & Boxes

Though there were three new men, not one of them asked me this question. It did, however, come out through various conversations happening at the table that I was a Bible college student studying abroad and that I was planning on graduating in April. Boom. There was my title. No need to inquire any further. No need to ask the third important question.

Oct 12, 2015

Neither Here, Nor There

This wisdom may come from other people. It may come from using logic and my own thoughts. And it most certainly comes from understanding God's Word. But it just didn't seem spiritual enough. It didn't seem like the 'almost-graduated-Bible-college-student' way of making decisions. Balancing out pro's and con's, weighing out future regrets... This was not how I envisioned making this decision. It seemed too ordinary.