God's Heart For People
When I was in college, I took a class at my church called Perspectives. It was all about teaching Christians about God’s heart for all people and letting followers of Jesus know that they have been invited to participate with God in spreading the Gospel. The class emphasizes how Christians have been blessed to be a blessing (Genesis 12:1-3). God used Perspectives to change my whole view of what it means to be a follower of Jesus and to show me that God truly has a heart for everyone, not just people who look or talk like me.
After college, I really didn’t want to come back to Dallas. I tried so hard to end up in a different city, but God kept closing doors and providing opportunities in Dallas. One of the ways He did that was by showing me that Dallas, the city I thought I knew so well, is home to many vibrant and thriving refugee communities. God is bringing the Nations to our very doorstep! Once I got my feet underneath me, I got involved with Reading Circle and haven’t looked back. I’m so glad that God knows better than I do and brought me back to Dallas despite my desires.
Over the course of my 3.5 years with Reading Circle, I have been immensely blessed to spend time with two young men named Rain and San Khin. We have had a blast playing pick-up soccer, discovering the joy of a double cheeseburger from McDonalds and Whataburger, talking NBA basketball, and being goofballs together. It really has been such an honor to get to call myself friends with these guys.
Besides all of that, we have gotten to spend every Tuesday evening for the past 3.5 years spending time reading together. Although part of Reading Circle is getting to work on the mentee’s reading, I find that my favorite time of the evening is studying the Bible and praying together. I know that San Khin has learned a great deal about God through our time in Scripture together, but I have also learned so much. Reading the Bible with the intention of teaching it to a young man who is unfamiliar with the Bible has helped me see Scripture through fresh eyes. It really has taken on a new meaning to me!
The past few months we have been reading through the Old Testament together. We have learned about the original sin of man and the sacrificial system that the Israelites lived under, but we have also learned how Jesus came as the ultimate sacrifice and to save us from our sins. It has been such a blessing to watch as San Khin has started to understand the Gospel.
Reading Circle has been a huge blessing to me. I am so thankful for my friendships with Rain and San Khin, for the consistency of weekly classes, and for getting to experience communities and cultures that are so different from what I am used to. It is also a great weekly reminder that God is at work in ways that are much bigger than I see in my daily life.
Written by: Chase Chandler