Jul23
At the end of my missions trip to Manila last summer, I wrote down one of my prayers and stuck it in my Bible. Here’s a piece of it.
My God, I confess that I turn a blind eye when I buy clothes or food, not thinking about the wages of the people making the clothes in sweatshops. Give me discernment to know where to shop and where to buy things to better support them rather than supporting companies which [do the opposite]…help me to steward my money wisely, give generously, and use it to the support the poor in their situation.
One of the verses that really stuck out to me was James 5:4 – “Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the Lord Almighty”. There were a lot of things that God taught me that summer, but one thing that I really took home was how to better steward my money to further God’s kingdom.
So, how does this have anything to do with being a Steazer? And what is a Steazer anyway?
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Aug2
What a trek it has been these past six weeks, living and serving incarnationally among the urban poor of Manila! I just got back from our debrief week in Bangkok, Thailand and am staying in Taipei now. As many of you know, I will be in Taiwan for a year teaching English.
I can honestly say that the past six weeks have been the most intense, emotional, and joyful six weeks of my life as I lived among the poor in Manila. Although the physical discomforts of living in the slums are hard to ignore, I was surprised at how little those seemed to bother me. Praise God for how He’s worked in me to change that! Instead, I found myself much more emotionally stressed as I saw so much poverty in my face and felt helpless to change their situation and as I saw the innocence and dignity stripped from young girls working in the bars. continue reading »
I saw the Hillsongs United concert last night which was incredible, of course. 
The Merriweather Post Pavilion was packed, literally, with multitudes of people all gathered to worship God through music. The entire outdoor pavilion was lined with people and even beyond, on the lawn, there were even more!
It was so encouraging to see the worship team use the musical gifts God has given them for His kingdom and glory. And I think the one thing that stood out to me the most was just how large of a congregation was brought together last night all singing in unison. It was great to hear and see shouts of joy and jumps of praise all for God’s glory and praise.
I can’t even describe how beautiful a sound it was to hear THOUSANDS of people singing the same song all in one voice, all in unison, all in praise of our mighty God.
Victor, Me, and Paul at the Hillsongs Concert
