Nothing Compares

Count your blessings, my mother used to say. She has been gone nine years today, and I still miss her so much. I miss everything about her, and it hits hard on a day like this. But this happens to be a day where this one lesson of hers shines. And it shines through the Christmas story.

Count your blessings. I have so many. Do I dare start listing them? No, I would surely leave off something or someone important. The list is as close to infinite as something created in a finite time can be. Can I at least list categories? Maybe. Family. Friends. Church. Career. Mission. Wow, just to start to list them would be daunting.

But it is a finite number. And I guess I could count them.

So there is this song from our Christmas musical that we sang tonight. And there is this line:

I could count all the ways that my heart has been blessed. But nothing compares to this.

What is "this"? What could there possible be that would dwarf all orther blessings? Take a few minutes to listen:




The gospel of Jesus the Messiah. There is nothing - nothing - that compares to it. The incarnation - God taking on flesh as a baby. The cross - God taking the punishment I deserve on himself and defeating evil. The resurrection - Jesus conquering death, so that one day I will see him face to face.

Truly, it's a story without compare. And it's my story.

There is another song, one that was a favorite of my mother:

This is my story, this is my song.

Praising my Savior all the day long.

It's a story without compare. No, nothing compares with this.

Thank you, Father.

Ethiopia 2015 - looking back

Well, we've been home for a few days. It's always a challenge getting adjusted, and this year is no exception. It's my prayer for our team that they would carry the spirit of our time in Ethiopia into their daily lives, and find ways to serve him and others like never before.

Speaking of our team...what a group!

Every single member of this team was amazing. During the time leading up to the trip, we went through a book to help us prepare. It talked about things like teamwork, flexibility, unselfishness, love for the group, being submitted to God's will and many more. I've got to say, these friends of mine got it. Everything they did was about God's glory, loving the children, respecting the culture, and loving each other. It was a joy to work with them. Here they are, in action:

Danny

Trisha

Clark

Kendra

Caroline

Scott

Sarah

Rachel

And then, there was our team member who supported us in prayer all week. Steve really wanted to be with us but circumstances prevented him boarding the plane. But through prayer and encouragement, he was with us all the way:

Steve, 2013

And so we are home. There is still work to do. There are our families and friends who need to see Christ in us every day. There are people in need right here in our hometowns. There are things we can do to support the work in Ethiopia from afar. And then, God willing, there is the opportunity to go back.

Whatever we do, I pray that for each team member, God will use the experience to bring them closer to him, so their lives can be an expression of his glory every day.

Ethiopia 2015 - last night in Addis

An empty living room. Our team has retired for the evening, and all that is left is one more day in Addis - a day that will end with us boarding a plane. I can't believe the time has passed by so quickly. It seems like a day or two ago that I was seeing old friends and meeting new ones in Dulles International Airport. We qucikly meshed into a team, but more than a team, a body of Christ-followers who have grown to love each other.  I am staying up a little while longer, savoring the glow of God's love that has filled this place throughout the week.

The last day is always a hard one in the field too. You spend time with kids, share the gospel, visit some of their homes, and see them every day for four days - it's not easy to leave. Thankfully, we still have tomorrow morning with one group of children. But that will be over soon too. I expect to be back soon, God willing. But that doesn't make it easy.

I will write more about the team after we get back - that is after the 43-hour jouney that begins tomorrow night. But I'd like the focus of this post to be on the ones who make this kind of ministry possible. I want to thank all those who have supported our team from back home. I mean:

- The spouses, parents, and other family and friends who will have gone 10 days without seeing their loved one(s).

- Those who have provided financial support for team members.

- Everyone who has been praying for our time here.  

- The staff of Visiting Orphans, Out of the Ashes, Mercy Ministries, and Holy Savior Guest Home.

All of you have made a difference in the lives of chidlren and adults here in Ethiopia. Your support has allowed children to know that God loves them enough to send us halfway around the world to see them. And you have been part of spreading the glory of God to the ends of the earth.

God's richest blessings on each of you. God said, "Go!" And you made it possible.

So let me finish with a few more pictures of what we have been doing here:

Thanks again from the bottom of our hearts. God bless you. See you all soon!

Ethiopia 2015 - Wednesday

Today was another awesome day in Addis Ababa. It had everything we've come to expect: time playing with the children, opportunities to talk about Jesus, meeting some needs by bringing needed materials. And serving lunch to But more than anything else, it has been fun watching our team pour out their hearts to children. Here are a few shots of that...

Hard to really see from pictures - but an amazing day!

We also got to spend some time with the local workers from Out of the Ashes. These dedicated men and women spend their lives year round making sure that the children have their physical needs met while hearing about the One who loves them more than they can imagine. It was an honor for us to get to know them better.

This is a special place. We love being here. Another great day in store tomorrow. We appreciate your prayers.

Ethiopia 2015 - what a start

Hello friends and family! I just wanted to write a short blog post to let you know thigs are going very well here in Addis Ababa. I have not had the internet connectivity I would have liked so this is my first post. And since the clock just struck midnight, it will be short. But I did want to let you know the wonderful things the Lord is doing.

First, our team is meshing and has already become an amazing group. Their selflessness, love for Jesus, love for the people of Ethiopia, and joy is evident. They are fun to be with, which helps to fill the work with enthusiasm. I can already tell this week will be way too short.

One way that spirit showed up today was when the OA staff asked for our help in moving some beds. They are moving some of the children from one location to another and today it was bed moving time. So without hesitation, our team jumped right in and carried these beds a fairly good distance. All with an attitude of wanteing to do whatber they could to serve the local workers - the ones who are with the children all year. God is working through these friends.

So here they are moving the beds:

And just a few more pictures from our first couple of days. Hope you can sense the joy:

Well, that's about enough - gotta get some sleep. Thank you for all your prayers. It's an awesome privilege.

Good night!

Hope

Yesterday at noon, I was privileged to be part of something that can only be described as transcendent. In the aftermath of the unspeakable tragedy in Charleston this week, Christians from across our city gathered to pray. To pray, to sing, to worship, and to join out hearts together. Citizens of Montgomery from across multiple churches, in a rich mixture of black and white, gathered to come before God as one. There was no message being sent. And that's what makes the message so powerful. If you are in God's kingdom - part of God's family - nothing else matters.

Over the course of an hour, we were led in prayers by ministers from across our city:

• A prayer for the nation by Rev. Lawson Bryan of First United Methodist Church
• A prayer for our state by Rev. Claude Shuford of Mount Zion AMEZ Church
• A prayer for forgiveness by Rev. James Turner of the Victory Through Faith Worship Center
• A prayer for the Church by Rev. Farrell Duncomb of St. Paul AME Church
• A prayer for reconciliation by Rev. Emmanuel Williams of Resurrection Catholic Church
• A prayer for the family by Rev. Brian Miller of Aldersgate United Methodist Church 
• And a prayer for unity by Rev. E. Baxter Morris of First Baptist, Ripley Street

And then our mayor shared some remarks leading into the singing of Amazing Grace.

You should have heard it!

The focus of the day was of course the victims of the Charleston shooting. It was not about us, not about our city, not about our problems. But I have to admit that I could not help thinking about those things. I saw hope, springing from the only place hope comes from.

From the the only answer to the madness around us - the gospel of Jesus the Messiah.

We have seen it in the way the victims' families have responded to their loss. (If you've ever read a link from my page, read this one!) And I saw it yesterday in the prayers of my fellow believers.

Love. In the face of hate. That's what we saw in Jesus at the cross, and it's a big part of what makes the Gospel different from religion.

And it's why evil will not win.

For that I'm thankful.

And hopeful.

Taking care of business

Judge not, so that you will not be judged.

- Jesus, in Matthew 7:1 (NASB)

To listen to some talk recently, one would think this isolated quote was the gospel. What is the greatest commandment, Jesus? Apparently not his answer, to love God with all your being. No, it must be this, right?

The rest of Scripture? Take it with a grain of salt, or at least interpret in the light of this one.

Until there's something we really want to judge.
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There's a really popular term these days. It's hypocrite. Anytime the world sees a Christian fail to live up to the standards of our message, it prompts one reaction: hypocrisy! See? They must not really believe what they say. They don't practice it.

Of course, this is absurd. The absolute beauty of the gospel, the absolutely most marvelous thing about what Jesus did for us, is that he knows we are flawed, messy, broken, at times disgusting - and he loves us anyway. "But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8, NASB, emphasis mine)

You know who wrote that verse? A guy named Paul, who wrote several letters making up most of the New Testament. Paul's background? He spent much of his early adult life traveling about putting Christians to death. Murder. Cold-blooded murder. Grace was enough to cover him, and he never forgot it.

Now at this point, what you're thinking about depends on when you read this. If you're reading it near the date I wrote it, you're thinking about Josh Duggar. But I'm sure if you're reading it six months from now there will be another issue, another follower of Christ in the spotlight for some way in which their actions did not match up with what they believe. It has happened since the beginning, and it will happen until the end. So I'm going to try to keep these thoughts at a more general level, and not make it about one situation. Does it apply? Sure, but enough about that.
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So followers of Christ fail. It does not invalidate our message, and in some ways it highlights the true message. Christ came in the world to save sinners. But we do have to acknowledge this: when those hostile to our cause see those failings, it does cause some to stumble. We should always take sin seriously, for many reasons. One of those reasons is that some will use it as an excuse to reject the Savior. And the more excuses we can remove, the better. Which brings me to 1 Corinthians 5, and the real point of this post.

Please use the link above to read it yourself; I'm going to assume you have done so from here on.

This is a passage we don't talk too much about, at least in my church. There are probably several reasons for this, all of which are reasons we need to talk about it:

• It talks about a perverse sexual situation - even for our desensitized culture.
• It proposes that the church discipline the person for the behavior.
• It criticizes the church for standing by and letting it happen.
• It says we should hold believers accountable for their behavior.

Now, there's a word for what Paul is asking the church to do. He uses it four times in the passage. It's not a popular one. It's the one in our opening passage:

Judge.

So, if you read this passage carefully, it's pretty clear we have misinterpreted what Jesus meant. But that's a topic for another day. The topic for today is this: If we are going to be lights in the world, we have to take care of our own business. The time to say that anything goes in the church because we want to be loving and accepting is...well, it's not gone - it never was here. Yes, we have to speak the truth in love. But when we see our brother or sister doing things clearly against God's word, we need to react. If they claim the name of Jesus, they are by definition submitted themselves to the correction of the church. And we must start exercising it.

 As Paul says in verse 10, he doesn't mean that we should expect nonbelievers to behave like us. That is not the gospel. We should show them Jesus, let therm know God loves them despite their sin, and let him change their hearts. But once they are one of his, the world is watching. The world is looking to see whether belonging to Christ really changes anything. So it's critical that we help each other to show them that it does.

True followers of Jesus will grow in love for God and their neighbors. They will increasingly want to do good, and find themselves desiring evil things less and less. And it's our job to help each other do that.

So how about it, church? Can we commit to helping each other? How? Well, look at the passage. Watch each other's back. When we see things that need to be addressed, stop turning away - do whatever is necessary to get each other back on track. And when we do, forgive and forget the past. Welcome the straying brother/sister back into fellowship, without reservation. 

Do this, and the world will see that Jesus makes a difference. They may not like it - darkness has never done well around ther light. But maybe a few more of them will be attracted to a fellowship where people really love each other, love each other enough to keep them on track.

That's the church. And it is awesome.

Wasted?

Wanna see a good example of what makes the gospel of Jesus different from the world...different from what everyone around us thinks it takes to live a good life? Check out this meme, which I saw on Instagram last night:

A good, solid Christian message, right?

Not really.

The first part, okay. We definitely should not waste our lives on things that don't matter. The focus of life should be on people, relationships, and loving God. Those are things that matter.

But the second part? Well, it sounds good. Who wants to to waste time on people that don't appreciate it? What a waste.

Except that is exactly what Jesus did, and it's what separates true discipleship from a feel-good, me-first, get-me-to-heaven, meet-my-material-needs gospel.

This meme says, Love those who love you. Those who can and will return your affection.

Jesus said, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

The meme says, If they mistreat you, don't give them the time of day.

Jesus said, If they strike on one cheek, turn the other. If they ask you (unfairly) to carry their stuff one mile, volunteer to carry it two.

The meme is saying, You can only take so much. If they treat you as worthless, give up on them.

Jesus said, Forgive them over and over and over and.....(70 x 7).

And most importantly, Jesus put his words into action. He went to a cross and died for everyone, including millions and millions who reject him and say with their lives, You don't matter, Jesus. He died from them, and still pursues them desperately urging them to change their hearts and minds.

A waste? No, it's what God designed us for. And the way we can tell someone who is really captured by the Spirit of God is when they do "waste" their life on those who think they don't matter. That is not natural. Or more precisely, it's supernatural. Nobody would do that on their own; it takes the resurrection power of the Messiah living in them.

When is something wasted? Here's the perspective of a woman whom Jesus encountered:



What did you think of the meme?

The diversion

It was a trying time in the history of our country. One like no other.

I remember when I was middle school (or, as we called it then, junior high school) and I heard about Watergate. Are you too young to have experienced it? If so, surely you studied it in history classes. Over the course of about two years, we went from a back page story about a simple hotel burglary to a full-blown conspiracy that infected the top levels of our government. There were Congressional hearings. Special prosecutors. Resignations left and right. And finally, in an unprecedented scene, the President of the United States admitted his role and resigned.

Here's the thing about that period from June 17, 1972 to August 9, 1974: Our government could not focus on anything else. Every white house briefing was dominated by Watergate questions. No matter how much officials would try to talk about the economy or national security, the questions came back to Watergate. No other topics could compete.
______________________

This is the dilemma we see in the little book of Jude, the next to last book of the Bible. It's a short letter, only 25 verses. When we think of the New Testament, the gospel, and Jesus, we think of love mercy and grace. And like other New Testament writers, Jude really wanted to focus on those things. But alas, the church was facing its own little Watergate...and it had to be addressed.

Beloved, even though I was very anxious to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were destined for condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

  - Jude 3-4, ESV; emphasis mine

See what I mean? He really wanted to write an upbeat letter. But there were things that needed to be said. Things that were corrupting the good. Two things in particular:

• The idea that grace allows people to do whatever they want, turning it into a license for sexual immorality, and 
• The idea that Jesus was just a good teacher, one way among many to God.

It's right there in the passage. This passage from the New Testament, which so many want to turn into a one note song: "Judge not."

The gospel is a wonderful thing, the best news ever. All of us who follow Jesus want to spend all out time proclaiming the love, mercy and grace that God has shown us through the cross. But there comes a time when we have to contend for the faith. So let me ask: do these two poisons sound familiar to you? Are they not the essence of some of the biggest hot buttons in our country right now?

The book of Jude reminds us that there are times that call for a firm response. Love is not waving cheerfully to our friends as they head toward a cliff. Jude says that sometimes love means having to take a stand. As he says in verses 22-23a: "Have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire."

Friends, you do not know how much I wish we could just talk about the gospel. But the metaphorical reporters keep asking about Watergate. So we've got to tell the truth.

That's love...which is so much greater than tolerance.

Which leads Jude back to where he wanted to go...

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24-25, ESV)

Taking attendance?

Do you remember your school days? Calling roll...it's one of the most consistent aspects of being an elementary school child. Day after day, waiting for the teacher to call out my name so I could say one word.

"Here."

I also remember one Sunday morning when I was in Junior High (now known as Middle) School. I had registered for a chess tournament, with five rounds. That Sunday, I figured I could beat my opponent in short order and get to church, no problem. Only I didn't. And when I failed to put the game away and realized I was not going to make church, my eyes started to well up. I hated to miss church, and I got so distraught that my chess game fell apart. I did not win that tournament.

Taking attendance. Does God take attendance? Is there some sort of scorecard tracking our Sundays?

I don't object to the concept of a deity, but I'm baffled by the notion of one that takes attendance.

- Amy Farrah Fowler, The Big Bang Theory 

Now, while Amy and I are miles apart in our understanding of God, in my opinion the character makes a good point here. When I was at that chess tournament, there was a part of me that thought of God sitting up there like my elementary school teacher. Calling out my name, but getting only silence. No answer from Donnie, he's playing hooky.

So if God is not taking attendance, does that mean church and corporate worship are unimportant. Far from it!

The Scriptures are very clear that the Christian life is not meant to be a solo endeavor. Jesus came to call a people to himself, not a collection of individuals. Jesus told Peter that he would build his church upon the rock of Peter's declaration. Peter in turn wrote that followers of Jesus are "a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession." The writer of Hebrews wrote that God's people should stir one another to love and good deeds and not give up the habit of meeting together. Habit - something that happens only by repetition. And the church - not individuals, but the church - is called the body of Christ.

The fact is that our relationship with God is corporate, not just individual. We need each other. when we come together to worship, several important things happen. We give God glory through our praise. We encourage one another to stand strong. We hear words of wisdom from leaders and from each other. We participate in the Lord's Supper, remember Christ's death through the bread and wine as he commanded.

In short, we love God and love each other at the same time. And then we go out into the world to express that love and build his kingdom.

If you are a follower of Jesus, it is your lifeblood. It is as if you breathe in by gathering to worship, and breathe out by scattering to share his love. Breathe in, breathe out. Gather, scatter.

So no, Amy, I don't think there's any attendance book. That's not the point. But there is a world that needs the Gospel, and there is a soul inside me that needs to be fed.

For that, I need the body of Christ.

See you Sunday.

It was a great year...

...thanks for being a part of it.

Yes, it seems everyone on Facebook is sharing about their 2014, mainly because Facebook has written code that compiles pictures and makes it really easy. In some cases, it has even caused some unintended heartache. But it's definitely the thing to do.

Well, while I'm not going to click the button for one of those automatic slideshows, there is some value in looking back over the last year. Life is short, and what happens to each of us in a given year has incredible significance. Sometimes good, sometimes bad...but definitely loaded with significance. So, as we come to the end of this year, what stands out about 2014 for me?

There were definitely events and activities that I will remember, both fondly and otherwise. Trips to other parts of the world, exciting sports events, a few days skiing, and a short trip to my favorite big city in the USA. Those were awesome, and they are are the kind of things we usually use to "bookmark" years. ("2014 - It was the year that I.......")

But there are four things about 2014 that make it a remarkable year for me. Two of them are events, and the other two were more of a pattern:

• The graduation of my niece Brooke from nursing school at the University of Alabama. As watched her walk across the floor of Coleman Coliseum, I was so proud of her. It may be the moment from 2014 that stands out.
• The engagement of another niece Macy, and watching her go through the preparations for the wedding. In a way it's hard to realize that these young adults whom I've loved for about 25 years are moving so fast into the world of work, marriage, and building of their own families. But any melancholy is overshadowed by happiness for them. Macy's wedding will certainly be on this list for 2015.

Now, the more subtle:

• I have had such a good year of learning and growing in my knowledge of God and his purposes for the world. I read several outstanding books that expanded my view of salvation, the nature of the universe, and just how big and awesome God is. There has been a growing appreciation in the areas of the work of creation, God's ultimate plan for his kingdom, and my role in it. I am not looking up at the night sky the way I did a year ago. Books, videos, and long talks with friends have opened my eyes to a new sense of wonder.
• And I have had a wonderful year of experiencing the sense of community that God has blessed us with. Regular time with family and close friends, visits to close friends who don't live so close, and developing deep friendships while serving in Ethiopia - I can't even put into words how much these things mean in my life. It's like they are sacraments - means of grace where God speaks to me and draws me closer to himself. I don't mean to put this on a level with the Eucharist. But it does seem to have a similar effect. Every time I get to bask in the glow of people who I know love me with the love of Christ, I am renewed. Even when I go through the struggles of life alongside others - helping and being helped, praying and being prayed for - I am renewed. There is no doubt, I have been blessed with a lot of renewal this year. Thankful.

Yes, to quote the Facebook phrase, it was a great year. One great year - just one. May God grant that I will sense his purpose in 2015, as I did this year.

Happy New Year!

Candlelight 2014

Christmas Eve candlelight services have become very popular, and for good reason. On Christmas, those of us who follow Jesus actively look for ways we can worship. I think most of us, regardless of how close we feel to God on a daily basis, want to take some time for worship. In the midst of the bustle of Christmas, we want to remember the holy birth. And lighting candles in a dark auditorium to a song like Silent Night has a reverent tone that moves us.

So tonight there I was, singing in the choir at our church's service. It was awesome. As we sang about coming to worship the king (O Come All Ye Faithful) and what God was doing that night (Silent Night, O Holy Night), it was easy to overflow with thankfulness and love.

And then, the message took on a deeper meaning. For some reason, as the gospel story of Jesus' birth was being read (Luke 2:1-20), I looked around the sanctuary. There were well over 1500 faces looking up at me in the choir loft, and they all looked so similar. They were listening, nodding, smiling at times, and all seemed to be glad they were where they were. But I realized they were not similar. Every face was a unique individual, with their own story, with their own reason why the gospel resonates with them.

With that many people there, I know that almost any life situation you could imagine (at least in our American culture) was represented, although we all hide them very well. I looked around and imagined...

• That one has cancer, and he's scared to death.
• This one in front just lost his job, and doesn't know how he will support his family.
• Over there...she just wants someone to listen to her but nobody pays any attention.
• See him? He just went through a divorce, and it's killing him.
• This one is going to the hospital after the service to see her husband.
• The one to the right has children who won't speak to him anymore.
• That one thinks he has everything he needs, but his life is empty.

On and on and on and on...1500 people, and all of us are broken in some way. You don't even want to get me started on my brokenness. Are we just whistling in the dark? Are we going to church, pretending that everyone is alright, when we are dying inside?

Well, the fact that we are not identical, that we are all broken in our own ways, is why the good news of Christmas is so powerful. The Creator of the universe knows everything about our world, about the broken societies we've built, and the struggles of each one of us. But instead of holding his nose and walking away, he decided to mix it up with us. To come down into the middle of it, suffer through the mess of being human, and bring us healing by his own suffering.

 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11, ESV)

And so we gather. And light candles. And sing. Not just to God, but to each other. To remind ourselves that while we are broken, God loved us anyway. So much that the Son entered time and space to live among us, serve us, suffer, die, and rise from the dead.

It's not surface. It's as deep as it gets. Have you experienced this healing, the healing that God sent us at Christmas? That's my prayer for you...and for me. Have a blessed Christmas!

Congratulations, Brooke!

Today my youngest niece graduated from the University of Alabama. I cannot even begin to tell you how proud I am of her. As of today, Brooke is a nurse. She has decided to spend her life working with very sick children, which is to say that she will be the hand of God to them at the time of their greatest need. What an awesome thing.

I must say I am not surprised; I have seen the heart that led her down this path her whole life. As a child, she talked about getting into medicine because of how she could help people. When she graduated from high school, she asked me to take her on a mission trip instead of a vacation, and led me into the heart of Africa. Everything you see in this blog about my love for the children of Ethiopia started with that trip. I never ever would have set foot in Africa without her nudge - a nudge that I'm convinced was directly from the Lord.

That two weeks in Africa will always be special. It was a time when I got to know her more deeply, because it was the two of us and a bunch of new friends we had just met. We talked about a lot of stuff, and I'm richer for it.

The last 22 years have flown by. And especially the last five. During that time I have admired Brooke's study habits and her dedication to the profession she was working toward.

But we've also had a lot of fun. Trips, family outings...you name it. It has been awesome.

And so, we now turn Brooke Hansen loose on the world. Look out world - you're going to be changed. And like me, for the better...



Love you, Brooke! And congratulations!

Summing it up

It's easy to bow reverently at a nativity scene, and feel wonder at the mystery of the Incarnation. But what does it mean for how I live?

This month, we celebrate the coming of the Messiah Jesus to the earth he created. A little over thirty years after God took on flesh, he found himself in the Temple, chasing out the money changers and declaring that it had become a total distortion of what his Father had intended it to be.

Not long after that, a religious scribe came to him and asked what might have seemed a strange question. He asked Jesus what the most important commandment is (Mark 12:28). How very odd. After all, if a commandment comes from God, doesn't that make it important by definition? How can one be greater than another?

But Jesus answers by quoting from the Hebrew Scriptures, first from Deuteronomy, then from Leviticus. And his answer is the basis for the philosophy you'll see the to the left of this page. First, love God with all your heart. Then, love your neighbor as yourself.

And then, the scribe who came to ask the question agrees...and expands. And the expansion is what's really interesting. He says, yep, good point. Those are the top commandments. But then he makes a comparison - he says that those commands are at the top because they are more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices. Why is that significant?

Because of what Jesus had just finished doing! He had gone into the Temple, overturned tables, driven merchants out, and basically declared by his words and actions that they were missing the whole point. They were all about sacrifices, but were totally missing the love of God and neighbor.  So Jesus used the opportunity to say, this is what's important. Not that...this! The kingdom of God was arriving and it was a matter of the heart.

And the scribe agreed. And thus was, in Jesus words (Mark 12:34), "not far from the kingdom of God."

What does it look like to experience this heart change? Listen to the words of theologian N.T. Wright, from his book Mark for Everyone:

(T)his comes as a considerable challenge for contemporary Christians. Would anyone looking at us - our churches, our lives, the societies that claim in some sense to be 'Christian' - ever have guessed that the man we claim to follow saw his followers as being people like this? Or to put it another way: when the crisis comes, what remains solid in your life and the life of your community? Wholehearted love of God and neighbour? Or the mad scramble of everyone trying to save their own skins?

Ouch! Wright is saying that the way we react when we are bumped tells whether we are taking seriously the words of our Lord. When someone pulls the fire alarm, so to speak, are we all about loving God and those around us? Or are we desperately trying to get out the building no matter who we might step over along the way?

So, as a Christian, what is my first thought when...

• When there are cutbacks at our place of work. "What will happen to me?" Or "How can I be servant to my coworkers as we go through this together?"
• When a tornado rips through my city? "That was close! But at least I'm alright." Or "Wow, people are hurting all around me...how can I show them the love of Christ?"
• When we hear of a deadly disease killing thousands overseas. "How can we keep it away from us so we'll be safe?" Or "My heart is broken for those affected...I need to pray for them and look for ministries to lift them out of it."

Don't misunderstand. I'm not saying that the self-preservation instinct is unnatural. It is of course the natural first thought of the human mind. But that is what's so powerful about the cross of Christ. Through his death and resurrection, he has brought about a new order where God can dwell in our hearts and make us think differently. So that, by his power, our hearts can become more and more inclined to think of his glory and the welfare of others first.

Love God. Love people. When that happens, the world will see that God has made his dwelling on earth through his people. 

And that is the good news of Christmas.

Being different

What makes someone stand out in a crowd?

Back in 2010, my nieces and I went the Alabama-Kentucky game in Lexington. Because we are all such big football fans, we decided to do something crazy. Our game ended at around 3:30, and we did the math. Auburn and Tennessee would be playing in Knoxville about 4 hours later, and there was time to make it. So we jumped in the car, drove south, and watched our second SEC football game in one day. It was awesome!

The interesting thing is that we did not pack for this plan. So there we were, walking into a stadium where the orange and white clad Volunteers were playing the orange and blue clad Tigers. Needless to say, we stood out in our crimson. And yeah, we got a lot of, um, feedback that I can't repeat.

So, as followers of Jesus in a culture where that isn't the norm, what is our crimson? What is it about us that marks us as part of the kingdom of God?

The post referenced below by Michael Kruger makes the case that for the early church, other than their refusal to worship other gods it was one thing: their sexual ethic. Please take the time to read it, as I will make just a couple of points afterwards:

One Trait That Set Apart the Earliest Christians

As Kruger mentions, this is quite an encouragement. As we lived in an oversexed culture that emphasizes freedom of choice and acceptance of all lifestyles, it is not the first time that has been the case. Do you get the feeling that our culture thinks we have suddenly discovered premarital sex, homosexuality, etc? Not true. As the article documents, these lifestyles were rampant in the Roman Empire during the days of the early church, and it was the difference in this area of life that marked disciples of Christ as being different from those around them.

So I don't mind getting ridiculed over the fact that with God's help I am reserving sex for the day if/when I get married. God has designed me for fellowship with him, and if marriage is not his plan for me, neither is the physical aspect that is designed for marriage. I don't mind that people think I'm narrow minded in my views on other forms of sexual expression - sex without a marriage covenant, homosexual behavior, etc. Jesus offers something different, and it's not always popular. It wasn't in the 2nd century (can you imagine if they had Facebook?), and it's not today.

If we are going to offer the world anything, it has to be something different from what they can experience outside of Christ. The fulfillment of a life that practices sex the way God intended is just such a difference-maker. The world tells us to treat other people as things to give us pleasure. Jesus offers us a life where sex is a gift to physically represent the union between Christ and his bride the church in the context of marriage. And he offers a full life of loving God and others for those who have not reached that stage of life.

(Note: This is never a ship that has already sailed. God's grace allows us to turn from our past and begin afresh, reflecting his image from today forward. What you've done in the past doesn't matter.)

If we go along with the culture, we don't have anything different to offer. As Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." (Matthew 5:13a, NASB)

Let's stay salty.

Just do it

There is so much good in the world.

And so much heartbreak.

It's easy to get paralyzed, isn't it? When I think about all ways in which diseases like ALS and cancer devastate lives, all the hurricanes and earthquakes that strike unsuspecting masses, all the wars, all the persecution...it's just overwhelming.

The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, "The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior." Then Gideon said to him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us?"

- Judges 6:12-13a (NASB)

And so yesterday I was reading the Scriptures and came to the account of Gideon. Most of us who grew up going to Sunday school remember Gideon for the fleece that he put out to test whether God was really talking to him. Or maybe for the way God kept trimming his army size until it was only 300 men, so that he would know it was God who gave him the victory.

But this time, I was struck by his first encounter with God, the moment when he realized the Lord wanted him to take action. I had never noticed this before. So a messenger (angel) of God appears from heaven and addresses him in a strange way. For one thing, he calls him a valiant warrior even though Gideon has likely never even been in a fight. But the thing that strikes Gideon in not that; it's that the angel says, "The LORD is with you."

And Gideon thinks, Huh???

He sees no evidence of that at all. Read Judges 6:1-14. God'e people Israel have not been experiencing the Lord's blessings for quite some time. Their land was being taken, their livestock was gone and they were barely surviving. So, in the Hebrew mindset, God could not possibly be with them. He was gone.

The angel tells Gideon, No, he is with you. And Gideon responds like the rest of us: If so, why are all these bad things happening and where are God's miracles we read about in the Scriptures?

So the angel answers all Gideon's questions and lays out a detailed theological treatise of the problem of evil and how God is present in suffering and we just have to.................

Ummmmm, no.

Instead, he just says, GO!

Go, do something about it. Haven't I sent you?
____________

It would be easy for me to sit around and main about all the evil and suffering in the world, in the live of those I love, and even at times in my own life.  Lord, why has this happened to us? Why do you allow your creation to be like this? But as I read this passage, I heard God's answer. The same way he answered Moses, and Gideon, and Isaiah...all the way up to Jesus' final words to his disciples:

Go!

No excuses, just do it.

I don't know why. I don't know how it fits into his plan for creation? I don't know a lot of things.

But I can go. I can do something about it. I can give...I can just be there for someone...I can listen...I can comfort...I can work...I can share the gospel...

I can go. I can be. I can love.

And God says, Just do it.

My piece of the pie

Sometimes it's just so overwhelming.

As I read this week about the persecution going on in Iraq, it makes me want to do something. I want to make it stop. All by myself.

And then I look around at all the needs in the world, and how desperately the earth's 7 billion people need hope. Hope that is found in the gospel of Jesus the Messiah.

Seven. Billion. People.

In this age of 24 hour news, social media, and rapid communication, it's hard to miss how great the need is. Children all over the world in need of basic necessities like food and clothing. War breaking out in Ukraine, Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan with millions of civilians in the crossfire. Disease that's killing thousands and threatening to break out to kill millions. Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, tsunamis.

There are so many people hurting...and I sometimes feel so helpless.

So this morning when our teaching pastor compared me to a piece of pie, it was a perspective I needed.

A piece of pie? Yes. The encouragement I got from him was this: God has given me a role in redeeming his creation. But it's just a small part. When I feel like I've got to solve it all, I've got to remember that I'm just one piece of the pie, and I need to surround myself with people who have the other pieces. This is a group project.

Group project. I got a picture of this Thursday when I was helping judge an MBA contest at the University of Alabama. In the morning session, I saw 12 students making speeches, showing their talents for analyzing business problems. They were impressive. But the afternoon session was so much more impressive. The students were placed in groups of four and given a problem to solve, a company that needed to be revitalized. The group dynamic was so much more powerful, and the solutions they came up with were cool.

So why should I be discouraged? God isn't asking me to solve the world's problems all by myself. He has been working to redeem the world with a plan that has been growing for over 4,000 years, starting with Abraham, culminating in the work of Jesus during his time on earth, and continuing in the hands of his people, the church. I am a small part of that plan, a small piece of the pie.

Small, yes. But definitely a piece.

So what should I do? I believe God asks me to be content in the role he has given me, and go about it with determination and much prayer. I don't need to be wishing I could be somewhere else doing something else. If I do, I will pine away my life and miss the chance to do his kingdom work right where he has me. There is so much to be done!

So, instead of focusing on what I can't do, I will focus on what I can:

• Go to work each and look for ways to show God's love to those at my company. I can do quality work that glorifies the Creator of work, demonstrate servant leadership to my team, and love those around me even when we don't agree on things.
• Love my family with all my heart, letting them see the light of Jesus by considering their needs above my own.
• Love my friends - fellow believers - by spending time with them and building community that reflects the prayer of Jesus in John 17.
• Love strangers, and even those who oppose me. Show them extraordinary kindness. Who does this?? Well, nobody wants to. And so when I do, people can see that the gospel does make a difference in how we live.
• Find a pocket of need and pour my life into others. This is where I have to avoid getting overwhelmed - I can't reach out to and/or visit every widow and orphan in the world or help lift up all the oppressed. But that's no excuse not to reach out to any. For me, at this point in my life, it's the children of Korah in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as well as keeping my eye out for local opportunities.
• Pray, pray, pray. This is how we can be involved where we can't reach. We have a big God.
• Share the resources that God has entrusted to me. He has done so not for my pleasure, but for his glory.

Tackling this list is  quite a challenge. But with God's help, it's something I can do. 

So thanks, Patrick, for reminding me. Instead of being frustrated about the things I want to do for God but can't, I need to do well those things God has placed right in front of me. 

Time to get to it.

A request and a reminder

Today I am asking a favor. Would you please pray from Dr. Kent Brantly and his family? You may have heard of his situation on the nightly news, twitter, or the news wires. While working as a medical missionary in Liberia, he has tested positive for the Ebola virus. And while it is prominently in the news, those who love him have appealed for our prayers on this blog post.

Please read it, and please pray for him and his family.

As I pray earnestly for his healing, I cannot help but be reminded of what it means to follow Jesus. Most of us want safe, happy lives. We want to be insulated from any risk or danger. We would prefer a god who offers a life of ease, health, wealth, and pleasure.

But the Scripture is very clear that this is not the life God has called us to. It uses phrases like "take up your cross (which was an instrument of death),", "whoever loses his life will find it," and "go into all the world." It talks of suffering as the path to discipleship, and tells us that we are blessed when we encounter hardship.

No, God is not calling us to safety. The expression, "The safest place to be is in the center of God's will" is only true if we consider safety in the context of our eternal destiny. As a C.S. Lewis character said of Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia, "Safe? Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good."

Or, in the words of my niece's favorite expression, "Ships are safe in the harbor. But that's not what ships are for."

God calls us to radical obedience, no matter where it takes us. It could be risking your job to stand for moral integrity. It could be risking your financial stability by giving generously to those in need. It could be volunteering to share God's love in a part of town you're not comfortable with. Or it could be serving him in another part of the world where the risks are completely different.

My heart is aching for what the Brantly family is going through. I am thankful for a family that, knowing the risks, followed Jesus in loving the people of west Africa. And I pray for his healing and for his family's comfort.

Would you join me in that?

After

Well, we've been home for a little over a week, and the memories of the children of Ethiopia are still fresh. Trips like this are bittersweet. For just a few days, you're immersed in the glow of obeying Jesus' call to go. Loving children, working side-by-side with friends old and new, sharing God's love, and supporting those who are "on the ground" year round.

But what happens when you come home? Well, there are several responses. I think it changes the way we view our own culture. It highlights the need to look out for the poor and oppressed at home, not just on the other side of the world. It can lead you to consider going for longer periods, or at least going back repeatedly to make a difference.

So many responses.

One of those responses is to share what God is doing with your friends, in hopes that some of them may be led to get involved.

That's what this post is about.

During our time in Ethiopia, we worked with four different ministries and then a local feeding program for the homeless of Addis Ababa. Three of those need support for what they are doing, and I am not ashamed to ask you, my friends, to consider that. These are not orphanages, but programs that are aggressively working at orphan prevention. It's a wonderful thing to reach out to orphans, and I think it's at least as wonderful to work to keep it from happening in the first place.

Embracing Hope (EH) is all about finding single parent families in the community surrounding the city trash dump, and helping the parent (usually the mother) find a way to work while EH takes care of the children and provides nourishment and education. They could tell you story after story of families who have been changed. They need sponsorships to fund and grow the ministry. To learn more, visit their website here.

Out of the Ashes (OA) is making a difference in one of the most poverty stricken areas of Africa. So many children in this community have spent their childhood trying to find food for their families in the trash dump. OA has done interviews and found families that would benefit the most from sponsorships to get the children out of that environment, into school (often way from the city), and prepared to break the cycle. Currently, they have about 45 children in need of sponsorships for the 2014-15 school year. Learn more at their website here.

And No Ordinary Love (NOL) is another orphan prevention ministry. At any given time, there are about 20 children living at the facility temporarily. These children have been taken from their families and exploited, and NOL is about rescuing them and returning them to their families. Their budget is definitely in need of more support. They have a very extensive website, and I encourage you to explore it. The home page is here.

One week. A drop in the bucket. But it can be more than that if it leads to action. I am committed to going back and staying involved. And I also want to help other believers know how they can help. Here it is. May God bless you in serving him, whether through one of these opportunities or others he has called you too.

I just had to share.