It’s been a unique experience already to be a part of what’s going on here in Haiti. One of the things we ask participants to take notice of is the Lord’s moving around us. In my case, a theme has developed from day one of this adventure. Radical. “Rad” for short. Blahaha. 
After beginning a relationship with Elizabeth from the airport she had some concerns about the AIM organization, specifically their excessive use of the word radical on their website. It was a big deal. And, by the way, I oblige any reservations or apprehension about the connotation and usage of the word radical in violent, extreme, and other contexts. I get you, for real. But let’s apply the biblical distinction to it here and roll through the story.
Radical has been on my mind ever since Elizabeth, Clint, and I discussed the word and our applications of it thoroughly after our airport encounter. I remember thinking that they made it strangely important that we reach a mutual understanding on the topic before launching this adventure together.
Fast forward to a day before my departure, and my roommate, Gavin, gives me a book he just bought from his church. It’s a book by a local pastor, David Platt, called “Radical”. Hmmm. Ok, I took it. I read the book in one week, which was crazy fast due to how busy we are here. I couldn’t put it down in my off time. His book challenges us to consider how we have manipulated a God-centered gospel to
fit our human-centered preferences. “It ain’t for the faint,” as I said to my F-team. They knew that though. Platt passionately proposes we have a radical response to Jesus:
live the gospel in ways that are true, filled with promise, and ultimately world
changing.
fit our human-centered preferences. “It ain’t for the faint,” as I said to my F-team. They knew that though. Platt passionately proposes we have a radical response to Jesus:
live the gospel in ways that are true, filled with promise, and ultimately world
changing.
I was able to give a message to another group about the third objective for our ministry team here in Haiti – “Sharing your Faith.” The Lord brought to my mind a thousand things to lay before our teams that I had learned through this book. The response later that day to our objective was radical. We were able to be with two women who accepted and believed Christ on our house to house ministry that afternoon. That’s radical, but we didn’t do it, He did.
It will be interesting to see more themes unfold. Already, as we said earlier, Christ is being exalted through the radical generosity of our lives. It’s strange to think that a proposal for Christians to simply follow the teachings of the Bible and the intructions of Jesus would be radical. It is though, and it allows us to care more. Radical, radical, radical. Rad, rad, rad.
