What will we Give up?

This was written during a summer evangelistic trip I was on with about 30 other people. Unfortunately there have been a number of other situations where these words would be just as applicable.

“And now for this trip, for my brothers and sisters here. I am honestly sick of a great many things. Where is our excitement, where is our passion, where is our joy. We will spend a night swimming, at a birthday party, or just hanging out, yet not in prayer. I have been on that porch three times now, and there was only one who was man enough to give up some time to pray. We will have a day for water parks, for amusement parks, for shopping or movies, yet we will not devote a day to fasting and praying and reaching out to the people on this island. Evenings spent watching movies, evenings spent playing games, this beloved thing called fellowship, in which we can do whatever we please as long is it's with other people. What are we here for?!?! For fun? Can we not give up a summer completely to God??? Do we not seek to grow in our faith in such incredible ways??? Are we content with only learning some new bible teaching and evangelistic methods??? If that is all that occurs this summer, and I say nothing, than I have not fulfilled the task for which I was called here. I did not come on this summer trip for fellowship, and certainly not for fun. I am here to change lives. If I cannot do that quietly, I will begin to make noise. If I cannot do that subtly, I will do so bluntly. I will soon leave this trip, I will leave this country, and I will leave this world, in due time. I would rather have every one of you hate me, than to come here and not try to change lives. Why will we not mourn for this world?? Do we not see it is dying?? Will we not get serious with this life? Do you think the lives the apostles lived were only for them?? Or as an example to us? This life is not worth living for! The church of this nation is living in comfort and wealth and complacency, and it disgusts me! I am ranting because I do not know what else to say. I don't know how to get people to get this. How long must I sing this song?? Are we truly willing to live for God, to give up all, as we so passionately sing in our 'praise' songs? Will you go to another country knowing you would be arrested, tortured and murdered? Would you go with a family knowing they would suffer this fate? Would you get the best job you can find here, and live in the cheapest dump of a trailer park you can find to give away all that money to missions? Even with a family? What about inner-city? Harlem? If you have to sit on the floor because to many stray bullets come through the windows at night? Would you take a family? What if God called you to these things, are you willing to go? Are you truly joyful to go where He wants you to go, and die how he wants you to die? We sing it in song, we pray it in prayer, do we really mean it though? I am sick of so many things I see in Christianity here in this nation. I see so little hope of changing anything. Sometimes I think I mourn more for this nation and it's people than any other. Not because it is persecuted, not because it has never heard the name Jesus, but because it is a hopeless nation. We as Christians in this nation are so brainwashed by society that we cannot even imagine 'really' giving up everything. Could we give up every form of entertainment? You say it's not all bad, we don't have to. But do you even stop to think about that seriously before speaking?? To seriously ask God if you should never again watch a movie. Maybe I ask for to much. Maybe Americans cannot think so much. Maybe it's just not possible for you to understand these words I say. And so I continue in mourning prayer for you, for the men and women on this trip, and for the Christians of this nation. Maybe something I did this summer made a difference in someone’s life, maybe I changed someone in some small way. I hope and pray my efforts are not in vain.”