Something Real

A few reasons I am becoming an old man:

My college roommate of 4 years got married this weekend.

I went to bed last night before 9 o’clock.

I am not into getting Christmas presents at all. Giving is pretty cool, but I find it too obligatory.

I now take vacation.

Oilfield word/phrase of the week:

“this is fast-hole country” – an expression used to describe how quickly oil wells can be drilled in the Permian Basin; often used as frequently and with similar gusto as with similar expressions, such as ‘this is America!’ or ‘this is our town!’; can be used to encourage others to do something with more speed or enthusiasm; usually spoken with great pride

Something real

This weekend in Dallas for Mark’s wedding was one of the best times that I have had in a while. At Texas A&M, Dallas is the Mecca of destinations after graduation, and I always thought that was goofy and just a fad. However, after just being there for a few days, I can see why.

It was such a blessing to see so many good friends from college that I have had very little contact with in many months. I often forget of how good God has been to me. I am blessed to know some of the most Godly, passionate young people in the world. I was so encouraged this weekend to hear of how God is moving in their individual lives, communities, and entire countries. I am so blessed to have seen these people, and we immediately begin to share of how God is teaching and changing us. To me, that signifies that something real has happened within me and them.

Is speaking about Jesus and His gospel quick to roll off our tongues?

A great friend of mine was talking about this progression the other day.

God miraculously opens our hearts to see the beauty of the gospel and God saves us.

The next natural progression is to begin to live it out. Our living out Godly, holy and righteous lives is proof of the change that has happened within us, but changing our behavior does not produce a changed heart. Only God can do that.

However, the next natural progression of a regenerated heart is to talk about it and share it with others.

Sure, some will see our lives and maybe ask, ‘what’s different about that guy/girl?’ But, we need to be quick to see God and His gospel in everyday life and to point it out to others. We need to encourage each other with words as we see God’s Grace in their lives. We need to lose our fear of man, and talk about the majesty of our God. Someone (often quoted) once said, ‘Preach the gospel always, when necessary use words’ To me, that is an excuse not to speak. That is a crutch that we use so that we might not offend people. That is a vice that we need God to remove from our lives. We need to open our mouths to talk about God and His gospel, with Christians and non-Christians the like.

By God’s grace I have succeeded a few times, but my missed opportunities far outweigh my successes. May we not be good, moral people who only speak of sports, the weather and the economy. May we speak about God’s great Love for us – His Son.

Step of Faith

In my last post, I wrote about an opportunity for me to be apart of a water-well drilling trip to Guatemala with Living Water International. I cannot in words, describe how pumped I am to get to be apart of something like this; to go and share the truth of Jesus Christ, the Living Water, by meeting the urgent needs of a community some 1,200 miles from my home.

The other day, I casually emailed my contact with Living Water to get more information about well-sponsorship and the team I will be working with. Currently, it is unknown who I will be going on the trip with, but I know that God is working those details out. Carrie emailed me back with some great news about well-sponsorship. Living Water allows trip members the opportunity to sponsor the well that they will be working on; however, the funds for this well have yet to be identified.

That got me thinking. Actually, I should say that God stirred my heart when I read that email.

What if we could sponsor that water well?

But then I thought better of that.

…

Yeah, maybe I could scrounge up $5,000 before May, but I don’t really want to have to ask people for money. I don’t want to put that burden on people. I don’t want people to just feel guilty and give. I’ll just let somebody else sponsor that well, besides I am just one member of the team. Maybe they’ll want to sponsor it. Yeah, that’ll be better anyways. I’ll just go. That’s enough, right? Good thing I can justify not doing it, because I sure did not want to have to ask for money. Phew. That’s a load of my back.

…

“By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth”  - 1 John 3:16-18

…

I’m not closing my heart against these people am I? I mean, I am going all the way to Guatemala to do some manual labor. That is love if I have ever seen it. I am sacrificing my vacation, money and time to do this for them. That should be enough.

…

“Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart. To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.”  - Proverbs 21:2-3

…

Dang, that cuts to the heart, but is it really necessary to go all the way there and pay for the well? I mean, what about my savings and that new truck I want? I can’t possibly do both. What if I just gave a little bit towards the well?

…

“Take care and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”  - Luke 12:15

…

That is a small sampling of the dialogue between me and God’s Word about whether to take this leap of faith. It became evident to me fast that I did not trust that our God is big enough to supply a measly $5,000. I did not trust that He had already set aside these funds to pay for this well at the outset of creation. I did not want to step out in faith by asking God to show Himself as our great Provider.

However, I cannot help but step out in faith, because of what He has done in my life and who He has proved Himself to be over the years.

I am committing to Living Water to provide the funds for this well by January 15^th.

Do I have $5,000? No.

Will I, by myself, by January 15^th? No.

Do we, together? Maybe.

Does God have a plan? Yes.

Will you join me? If you would like to give towards providing a water-well in the name of Jesus, please do.

Either message me (rctballa88@hotmail.com) or call me (936-465-7616) to talk about it, or just send me a check (4301 Raleigh CT APT 1508 – Midland, TX 79707). I guarantee that all funds sent to me will be put towards this water well with Living Water, or towards another well if God provides the money.

“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”  - 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

Living Water

Something really cool happened in my life this week. Maybe we will look back one day and call it monumental, but only time will tell. I sent in my registration form and money to take a trip with Living Water International to a village in Guatemala to drill a water well in May.

Living Water is an organization that was started about 20 years ago out of a church in Sugarland, Texas. This church took a mission trip to a country. We will leave the name of the country and village out of the story, because in truth this story about this village is the same story as that of thousands upon thousands of villages all around the globe. This church was able to see the living conditions of the people there. The people drank water that we would not even allow our pets to drink. It was causing their children to be constantly sick and to die of diarrhea and other diseases associated with drinking unsanitary water. This was the only source of water that they had, though.

Not only was the water completely unsanitary, but also was miles away. The villages women and children’s sole job was to make the trek back and forth carrying water. This means that most women did not have jobs to support their family and that most children in these communities did not attend school. Survival and satisfying thirst outweighs education and economy in these villages, as it would to us if we lived there. Can you imagine the life? Carrying water all the time, every day? Never having enough to satisfy? Working so hard to get water, only to see your kid get sick from it? Having no hope of life?

This church saw this injustice and decided to do something about it. They mobilized resources and people to begin to drill water wells in villages all around the globe. Their motto is – Providing a cup of water in Jesus’ name. Living Water (along with many other organizations) exists to spread the fame, glory and love of Jesus Christ by meeting the basic needs of people all around the globe. Drilling a well is not enough for them, and should not be. They bring the name of Him who is the true Living Water, the one who can truly satisfy. Living Water is committed to spreading the gospel, educating people about health and sanitation, and providing one of the basics of life, water, to tens of thousands each year.

I am extremely excited to be a part of the solution to the World Water Crisis. I am stoked to get to go share the name and hope of Jesus by helping drill a water well in Guatemala.

Want to know more about the World Water Crisis? Check out this video from Living Water International. Think about these statistics from Living Water’s website and other resources.

·         There are around 884 million people in the world without access to clean, safe drinking water. That’s almost three times the population of the U.S.

·         More people die each year from drinking dirty water than from the world’s hurricanes, floods, tsunamis, and earthquakes combined

·         Water-related diseases cost 443 million school days a year. That equals 2 million kids not going to school all year because of lack of clean water.

·         More than 150 million school-age children are severely affected by waterborne parasites like roundworm, whipworm, and hookworm.

·         In sub-Saharan Africa alone, 40 billion hours of labor are wasted each year carrying water over long distances. If that was America, that would be the equivalent of 400-800 billion dollars of lost pay.

·         These factors contribute to keeping people trapped in poverty

·         More than a billion people live on less than a dollar a day, including the vast majority of those without access to safe water.

·         Many women spend 15-20 hours per week collecting water, often walking up to 7 miles in the dry season.

·         At any given time, half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from a water-related disease.

·         Nearly 90 percent of all diseases in the world are caused by unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene.

·         Every year, there are 4 billion cases of diarrhea as a direct result of drinking contaminated water; this results in more than 2.2 million deaths each year—the equivalent of 20 jumbo jets crashing every day.

·         The World Bank offers a range of cost estimates to reach “basic levels of coverage…in water and sanitation” to be $9 billion at the low end, and $30 billion a year for “achieving universal coverage” for water and sanitation. They add that the figure “…represents less than five days’ worth of global military spending and less than half what rich countries spend each year on mineral water.”

Knowing the stats and being aware is only part of the solution. We are called to action. Not by Living Water or Blood Water or any organization, but by Jesus in the Scriptures. The call to do justice, love mercy, provide for the poor, and give to the needy is so intertwined with the Christian life, it would be impossible to separate the two. To love God is to love people. To walk with God is to walk with people and show them the love of God. To be a Christian is to be about doing justice and loving mercy.

If you would like to help Living Water, please do. Now. Don’t wait or you won’t do it at all. You can donate to their website. One well cost about $5,000. Would God have you give to that this Christmas instead of piling up some more junk? Could God be calling you to go? I believe we are all called to go, and if we are not going, then we should be sending. All the while, we are all praying that the love of God would be shown throughout the whole world and that people would come and be satisfied with the Living Water.

Sometimes, the pig just likes to wrastle

I have been wanting to do a weekly post highlighting the oilfield word/saying of the week. For those of you on the outside, the oilfield has its own language. Much like there are many different dialects and forms of English, so it is with the oilfield. The terms used to describe normal activities in the oilfield are far from normal or acceptable in crowds with younger ears. For instance, a common procedure when working on a well for safety reasons is ‘nippling up the BOP (blow-out-preventer)’. Now, I’m not saying, but I’m just saying. Another example would be the term used to describe a certain retaining vessel on a drilling rig – a possum belly. These are but two small examples.

The oilfield reminds me of one of my favorite Aggie sayings. From the outside looking in you can’t understand it, and from the inside looking out you can’t explain it. You cannot fully understand it until you have lived in it for a long time, but I want to try to give you a small glimpse into my world for the time being.

This week’s glimpse is a short story told to me by one of our field guys on our way back from lunch. We’ll call him John. In truth, this has nothing to do with the oilfield, but I found it strikingly funny and it was told to me in the oilfield, so it counts.

John was interested in buying a certain type of ATV to ride through the sand hills. He found a rancher that was selling one for $1500. John made a drive to the fella’s ranch with $1500 in his pocket, as he thought that was a fair price. However, John made an offer of $1100 to the rancher. The rancher threw down his hat, cussed and spit a lot, then came back and asked for $1400. John again undercut him and offered $1150. The rancher was infuriated and went about his shenanigans again. This went on for a while and the two finally settled on a price. The rancher then went on to tell John about his pig wrestling days. He told John, “Wrastling pigs ain’t that bad, really. But sometimes, the pig likes to wrastle.”

That was the story that John told me in the truck, and then he busted out laughing like crazy. I laughed hard as well, not because it was funny, but because I wanted to use that phrase in everyday life. ‘Well you know, sometimes the pig just likes to wrastle.’ Look for the opportunity, and let me know if you can use it in everyday language without laughing.

Thoughts on full time missions/ministry

In light of my last post, I have done some thinking, reading, and praying about my desire to one day do full-time ministry/mission of some sort. I borrowed a book this weekend from the legendary library of Nick Langford entitled The Missionary Call. It has been extremely helpful in describing the current climate in missions and the call to missions. That book, along with conversations with multiple people this weekend and the Spirit teaching me through the Word of God has made me realize a few things.

• I am extremely young and naïve at times. I am hardly wise or experienced.
• I do not need to have my whole life figured out right now. I need years of building and growing. I am not ready to take on a full-time ministry position.
• I need to learn to be faithful with what God has given me now, or I will not be faithful with much. If I am not ‘on mission’ now, getting on a plane and selling everything will not make me ready to be ‘on mission’ in a different country/state/city. If I am not sharing Christ with my co-workers now, what makes me think that I will somewhere else?
• If I really want to be about the Kingdom, then I need to be about the Kingdom where God has me now. If He moves me or calls me elsewhere, then I want to be about the Kingdom there. God has me here for the same reason that many of my friends are in other countries on mission – making disciples. How am I doing with my purpose?
• I have made the mistake of desiring a high office. I need to learn to serve and be humbled where I am at, before I take on a role that requires much more service, character, time and sacrifice.
• Sending missionaries and funding ministry is as equally important as going and doing the ministry. Going should not be idolized. Going should not be thought to be only for ‘advanced’ or ‘better’ Christians.
• Prayer is as equally important as going and sending. Praying consistently for missionaries and ministries is a far more humbling role than going or sending.
• Ultimately, this is a matter of following Jesus. Knowing His will and desires for me are best found by getting as close to Him as I can and staying there; resting in knowing Him.

Just some facts and truths that have been revealed to me. I tend to be caught up in a frenzy of passion and thought, and end up not rightly thinking about an issue. My last post was an example of that. I am young, passionate and want to throw myself fully into things, but sometimes I end up not rightly considering the whole story.

Father, help me to see things rightly and to know You. Teach me to be faithful and obedient with the little that you have given me, not so that You’ll give me more one day, but because You love me and gave Yourself for me. Thanks for sticking with me on this dirt road of sanctification and being patient with me. I love you, Dad!

What gets me going

First of all, I am up way too late. It is past 9 p.m. and I am not asleep. This is not normal. Keep reading, because you know it is going to be good if I stayed up past 11 to write this.

We watched a Rob Bell video at Bible Study tonight. He was talking about anger, righteous anger and ways that we respond to situations. He suggested that anger is only a passing emotion, but ultimately how we respond to it makes it right or wrong. More or less, I agree. Jesus was angry and subsequently ran people out of the Temple because they had disrespected and not honored His Father’s house. His anger at this injustice, or misdeed, or sin, led him to do something about it. His anger moved Him to action to right the wrong, hold up the cause for the oppressed, fight the case of injustice, etc.

Rob quickly transitioned to talking about how we decide our careers, life directions, passions, or whatever you call it. Often, people will ask you, ‘What is it that you love to do?’ to help you determine what it is that you should pursue. Or, ‘What are you passionate about.’ I have written before that I am not sure that I can answer that question. I am not real certain what I am passionate about. Rob suggested asking instead, “What makes you angry? What is it that stirs within you a desire to go right a wrong, or begin something that no one is paying any attention to? What is it that makes you think, ‘Man somebody should really do something about that.’”

I feel like I might be able to answer that question easier than, ‘What are you passionate about?’ In some ways, these questions ask the same thing, because anger and passion/love are both emotions. They both are an emotional response to situations, people, etc. Obviously, they are different, but when referring to life direction, they convey the same thought. What gets you going? Something clicked when he asked that question like it never did when I have been asked, “What are you passionate about?”

I hate injustice. I want people to get a fair shake at it. I want others to have what I have, whether that is opportunities, chances, food, drink, or medicine. I want others to have clean drinking water. I want diarrhea not to kill over 20,000 people a day worldwide, when I can buy Pepto-Bismol at any gas station for the change I find on the way from my truck to the store. I want others to have the knowledge of our Savior. I want them to have the same opportunity to accept or reject Him as King, Messiah and Lord. I want equality. I hate these injustices. I think it is wrong, and I want to do something about it.

This week I have been thinking a lot about Living Water. I am currently working with them on getting trained to go and drill water wells. I am planning on making a trip this next year at least once. But more than just doing it once or twice, I want to do something like that full-time. I want to be on mission. I want to spread the gospel. I do not want to just have a successful career in the oil field. I want to see a need in the world and live my life to fill that need and to open the door for the gospel message to go forth.

This week I have been thinking about the call of the first disciples as I have worked through John 1 and 2. Immediate obedience to the call. I have been praying that God would open doors for me to go. I have been praying that I would be willing to be obedient to the call. I have been praying that this would be from God and not just my human desires to do something cool with my life. I have been praying for favor.

This week I have been thinking about living my life for more. I do not want to work 80% - 90% of my life to give away the other 10% - 20%. I want to give my whole life away. 100%. I do not want to just live a good life and die well remembered. I want more, and I think that it is from God. I think that we all should want our lives to be so much more. I know that the answer to this is to follow God.

When John and Andrew began to follow Jesus in John 1 after he had been baptized, Jesus asked them what they were seeking. They called him Rabbi or Teacher and asked him where he was staying. In essence, they responded that they were seeking truth and seeking to be taught and follow Him. Of course, Jesus does not respond in a straight forward manner. He did not tell them where He was going or what He was doing. Jesus told them to follow him and they would see where he was staying. He did not tell them where they were going. He only bid them come, and come they did. Obedience. Immediate.

That is what I want. When Jesus says come, I want to go immediately. When He calls, I want to answer. That is what gets me going.