I am here with a friend named Juan. I’ve been here with him 6 or 7 times now trying to have a surgery that he desperately needs. This should-be-easy process is complicated for many reasons. I’ll do my best to explain.

First, let’s talk about the hospital. This is the hospital in Managua that is free to all Nicaraguans. Sounds great right? But this free hospital is run by people that are not qualified to run a hospital. That’s the first problem. The second is the “system” that is in place here. It seems so ridiculous.  You are handed a slip of paper from your doctor when you have an appointment. To get back into the hospital you need this piece of paper. The security guard will not let you in the door without it. Once you figure out how to get in you wait. Everyone waits. No sign in. No number system. No snack machines, books, magazines – nothing.

Now let’s talk about Juan. Shortly after we got here last August, another crazy couple came down to work with us. Their names are Joe and Julie (Joe is pictured right with Juan). They have some medical training so they started volunteering at the local hospital with another friend of ours – Seth. The three of them met Juan during their visits to the hospital and as they became friends they learned more about his story (you can find Seth’s post about Juan here). Juan had surgery 15 years ago to correct his bowed legs. His left leg healed fine but his right leg did not. The doctors put some screws in his leg damaging it further and the leg never fully healed. He also has a bone condition called osteopetrosis (or “stone bone”) which means his bones are extremely hard, making it very difficult to operate.

He has had a bone infection for 15 years now. Joe, Julie, the Hickersons and Seth decided they would help Juan get the care he needed so they took him to a better hospital to get a professional opinion and some x-rays. After this, he was all set to go back to the free hospital so he could have the surgery there. Seth continued to go back with Juan only to be re-scheduled or given any number of other excuses just to not operate that day. Seth must have gone to the hospital with Juan 10 times. When it came time for Seth to leave, I offered to take this over for him never having met Juan. In my attempt to let my yes be yes – this is where we are now.

I can’t begin to imagine what it’s like to live with a bone infection for 15 years. The doctors describe the open sores that expose his bone as “volcanoes”. Juan needs a miracle. His entire life has been changed by this. He has never walked like a normal man. There is no doubt that if Juan was born in America he would be walking today. This hospital is Juan’s only choice and you could argue that it is the hospital’s fault that his leg is in this condition in the first place. I’m looking at him now and he looks terrified at the thought of having to stay here again – scarred with what happened here when he was a boy. He tells me that if I’m not with him, they will not even see him or ignore him all together. Without his “Yankee friends” he says he’s hopeless.

Juan makes a very difficult journey to get to the hospital from his home in Tipitapa. The hour long bus ride is very painful and this morning he fell really hard while getting out of the bus in Managua. It took him 10 minutes of sitting down for the pain to subside enough for us to make the 20 minute cab ride to the hospital.

Most of the people I work with here in Granada have difficult circumstances today because of bad decisions they made in the past. This is not the case with Juan. He has never struggled with addiction. He has no self-destructive behaviors or compulsions plaguing his life. In fact, despite his circumstances, he spreads joy everywhere he goes. He talks to everyone and they instantly love him. His joy is contagious, heart-warming and encouraging. He truly is a blessing to know and be around.

So why am I here? I am here because I believe in a God that hears the cry of his people. I believe in a God that wants to heal Juan’s leg. I am here because, as my friend Joe Kidd put it, “The Lord has won the war and is much bigger than the stupid Nica system and any of satan’s forces working with it!”.

“We Christians must simplify our lives or lose untold treasures on earth and in eternity. Modern civilization is so complex as to make the devotional life but impossible. The need for solitude and quietness was never greater than it is today.” – A. W. Tozer

I read this after spending the first hour of my day checking Twitter, Facebook, email and reading blogs. Granted a lot of this involved reading about what God is doing around the world but it left me wondering if the conveniences and luxuries that I enjoy really make my spiritual life better.

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Are we too connected to everything to enjoy the close relationship with God that only comes through “solitude and quietness”? Are we spending more time – learning and reading and then updating Twitter and Facebook with what we’re learning and reading – than we are with our creator?

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I decided to dig into that a bit further today and this is the lesson that I will be sharing tonight:

“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” (James 1:1)

A servant is defined as a person who is working in the service of another. In another version (NASB) it uses the term “bondservant”. A bondservant is someone who is bound to another as a servant. It is a picture of the servants’ close ties with his master. He belongs to him. He is obligated to him and he wants to do his will. The will of the bondservant is consumed by the will of the master. A bondservant willingly devotes himself to his master. This is not a forced relationship. It was often a choice or an agreement.

Here in the first sentence of James’ letter we see him defining who he is. He is stating his status and that is that he is a servant or a bondservant of God. He is saying that he has fully surrendered to God and to his will. James understood that as a person who has been redeemed his life was no longer his own.

“…for you were bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20)

“You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.” (1 Corinthians 7:23)

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for w many.” (Mark 10:45)

In Mark, we see James and Paul’s motivation for writing these verses. The one they followed – the one they were bondservants to – is stating that he came to serve, not to be served. James is saying that he is the property of his Lord, Jesus Christ – the one who when he was on earth was his half-brother. He doesn’t even mention this fact in the introduction of his letter. This dedication was important to James – more important than status or the opinions of others. If I was writing this letter I would have no doubt mentioned the fact that Jesus – the savior of the world, the son of God himself – was my half-brother.

Another reason James mentions this word – servant or bondservant – is to make the connection between his life before and after Christ. Before Christ, he was a slave to sin. But Christ reached into his life and rescued him from death and separation from God so now he had dedicated his life to Christ.

We are all servants to someone or something even if we don’t realize it. That someone or something either brings us life or brings us death. If we are not a servant to one, then we are a servant to the other. The questions James is presenting his readers are the same questions being presented to us – what are you a servant of and does this master bring you life or does it bring you death?

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Part of my job here is to teach the guys that their identity is not in their addiction, their identity is in Christ (I am in the process of learning this as well). We are not addicts – we are Christ-followers. Some of us may still struggle but that struggle no longer defines us, Christ defines us. Though often times we run back to our addictions, this does not mean that we have not been set free from our addictions. When this happens it is more of an identity issue than it is an addiction issue.

In the 9 months I’ve been here, I have seen God remove the false selves of several guys (including myself) and I’ve seen a couple of those guys pick them up again. But when this happens, it does not mean that everything they did was a waste. Putting on the new self is a discipline that comes with practice.

Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. [Colossians 3:9-10]

…to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. [Ephesians 4:21-24]

“How It Works” or “Cómo Funciona” is what we read at the beginning of our meetings:

• Click here to view/download/print “How It Works” in English
• Click here to view/download/print “Cómo Funciona” in Spanish

“Just For Today” or “Sólo Por Hoy” is what we read at the end of our meetings:

• Click here to view/download/print “Just For Today” in English
• Click here to view/download/print “SóloPor Hoy” in Spanish

Solo Por Hoy (Just For Today) is a group that ministers to addicts and alcoholics. The group teaches its members about freedom from life-controlling addictions through prayer, the power of the Holy Spirit and the support that comes from sharing struggles and victories within the group. Solo Por Hoy uses the 12 Steps of AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) and NA (Narcotics Anonymous) as a tool to help teach people how to become responsible members of society. Transformation is possible and we believe this happens one day at a time.

This ministry has grown its own legs and has its own momentum. At this point we are just holding on. What started as a weekly meeting at 8:30am Thursday mornings now involves two churches and meets 4 times a week (Mondays at 7pm, Tuesdays at 7pm, Thursdays at 8:30am and Saturdays at 8:00am). We have had several people tell us that because of SPH they now have something to look forward to and are excited about living a life free from addiction. It has been amazing to be a part of this and to see God working in the lives of so many here.

But this burst of growth has also brought with it the need to dig into our living expenses in order to fund coffee, pastries, paper copies, etc. for 3 of the 4 weekly meetings. We have plans to stay here until the end of September but our support runs out at the end of May. We have saved enough money to cover our living expense until then, but we could use help funding Solo Por Hoy for not only the rest of our time here but also after we leave. If you feel led to help out with this, here’s a breakdown of what’s involved and how you can help:

• Costs:
  • $8.00 per week – To fund coffee, pastries and photo copies for 3 meetings
• 4 ways you can give:
  • Through our AIM account by clicking here.
  • By mail by clicking here – and then clicking the “Donate by Mail” button
  • Giving through Paypal by sending money to frankburder [at] gmail [dot] com
  • Buying a plane ticket to Granada and giving directly to the ministry!

We are eternally grateful to all of you who have made this journey possible for us. We can’t thank you enough!

- Mucho Amor de Granada!

When Bekah and got here we saw a need for deeper growth from within the body at El Puente (the mission base and church that we work with). From our experience with our faith family, our walk changed when we joined a small group. We grew deep in our relationships together and our spiritual growth. We began to serve our city together.

We expressed our desire to see the church at El Puente implement small groups (grupos pequeños) to the base leader and he thought it was a great idea. Last week we hosted a small group leader dinner at our house with the intention of telling people about small group leadership opportunities. 25 people came and we had some of the best shepherd’s pie in the world. It was a big success and the next day we had several people step up to lead a small group.

It’s been amazing to see this actually happen. It has now gained its own momentum. To see God working so clearly has been so refreshing and encouraging. Frankly, working with addicts and alcoholics 24/7 can wear you out (we’re a lot of work!) so to be involved with other ministries has been good for me.

We’ve also begun to really seek God and ask him about our future when our time here is up at the end of August. Please join us in praying for discernment and guidance from God.

During the time of the group when we allow for people to share, one of the brothers shared how he had offended Lester in his past and through tears he apologized to him. They met in the middle of the room and embraced each other as Lester forgave him. It was beautiful. I leaned over to Mario and said “that’s what this is all about”. Reconciliation. Restoration. Forgiveness.

That’s when it hit me. God is at work in these meetings. God is moving in the hearts of addicts in this little corner of the world and I get to be a part of this. It’s truly a beautiful experience.

3 days down – 4 to go!

It takes time. To do it right, you need to be influencing a disciple’s life 24/7 like Jesus did. 16 waking hours a day x 3 years = 15,000 hours.

It takes years. Disciples change slowly and make lots of mistakes before they start getting it right. And they may never leave your life.

It takes trust. When you ask your disciple to change her behavior and you don’t have an answer she likes for “Why?” She still has to trust you.

It takes modeling. A thousand sermons don’t show you how to change your behavior, but if the behavior can be demonstrated, it answers the “How?” question.

It takes confrontation. In our natural fleshly state, our behavior is selfish; to help change it, disciplers must confront it and ask for something different.

It takes availability. Discipling another person is an inconvenient task. It intrudes on your regular life and often robs you of your privacy.

It takes vulnerability. As your disciple sees you live your life out before her, she see your flaws. Those flaws give her permission to fail.

It takes care. You can’t do this clinically. Sometimes you have to hug and kiss disciples. You have to accept them in their messed up state.

It takes listening. The only way that you can help a disciple work through the need for change is by listening.

It takes wisdom. You’re dealing with a person’s life here. The counsel you give in tough situations may be hard to hear and implement.

It takes confidentiality. Your disciple’s issues are a matter between the two of you. Share it elsewhere without permission and you blow trust.

It takes vision. You have to see your disciple not as they are, but in your mind’s eye fully developed.

Since we’ve been here in Granada trying to live this out in daily life, I think the availability is the one that trips me up the most. Am I really making myself available to people or do I get annoyed when they drop by or inconvenience me in any way. I’ve never been an it’s-ok-to-drop-by-on-me-anytime-kind-of-guy but I know that this is an important part of building relationships through which true discipleship happens.

Today I am praying that I can become a person who says, “It’s ok to drop by on me because I care about you. It’s ok to come to me when you need someone to talk to even if that doesn’t fit into my schedule.”