It’s crazy, if you think about it. The God of the universe - the creator of nitrogen and pine needles, galaxies, and E-minor - loves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response? We go to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss. Whether you’ve verbalized it or not… we all know that something is wrong. -Francis Chan, from the back cover of Crazy Love
... which, by chance, just happens to be our next book study. We’ll start this Sunday, Jan 3 at 8:30PM, covering chapters 1 and 2. Hope to see you there. If you miss the first night, or need to play catch-up, please don’t let that deter you. I’d like to see our chat group grow. Site Guide link for On-line Chat Room Instructions
The following post was written by Todd Harrington, and published on his blog on November 2nd, 2009 (reference link to his blog and article). I met Todd on my trip to Swaziland. He is a pastor at a church in Birmingham, Alabama. Members of their church are supporting a carepoint in Swaziland in the Nsoko region. His article shares insightful perspectives about our role in doing good works Christ has planned for us.
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Haggai 2:21-22
“I am about to shake up everything, to turn everything upside down and start over from top to bottom——I will take you as a signet ring, the sign of my presence and authority. I’ve looked over the field and chosen you for this work.”
Ephesians 2:10
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
We have the responsibility and the privilege to be a part of a great shake up! We have the invitation to live and play in God’s kingdom which is a great shake up! This kingdom is topsy turvey and it is subversive. In this kingdom the first will be last! The weak will be strong! The wronged will forgive! People will pray for their enemies! What seems obvious is made unclear in this new shake up! You are and I are invited to join in the work of this kingdom. According to Ephesians, this is what we were created for. We were created to join in the work of God here and now in this world. We are created to care for the orphans, the widows, the poor, the disenfranchised, the marginalized, the lost, and the needy. If you and I are not, then we are not fulfilling our ultimate purpose. We are to be about a great shake up! This shake up is beyond us, greater than us, and one that we can not accomplish….we simply join in the work and serve well, serve thankfully, and serve until the end…...knowing that we have played our small role in this great shake up!
“A FUTURE NOT OUR OWN”
Poem by Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador;
He was assassinated for speaking
Up for God’s kingdom and justice in 1980
It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is another way of saying
that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection…..No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about:
We plant seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We
provide yeast that produces effects beyond
our capabilities.
We can not do everything and there is a sense of liberation in
realizing that. This enables us to Do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning
a step along the way
an opportunity for God’s Grace to enter and do
the rest.
We may never see the end results….
We are prophets of a future that is not our own.
“Khisimusi lomuhle” (sounds like: giseemoosee lahmoolah) is how to say “Merry Christmas” in the language of Swaziland, Siswati. On October 24, 2009 in Swaziland, our team traveled to Mahlabaneni Carepoint to participate in a Christmas party with nearly 200 kids. I want to share with you a group of young boys I met around the ages of 10-12 years old.
Several of them spoke English well enough to carry on conversation with me. I felt a real connection with them, and it seemed they had the same with me. I was able to encourage them with actions and words. They were so open and eager to allow me to do that.
In this picture, you can see my hand on one of the boy’s chest in a gesture of acknowledgment and reassurance that I think he is alright! At the same time, he is holding my hand in a gesture of acceptance and appreciation which touched me in return.
I met these boys as I was standing on the outer edge of the shade provided by the open shelter where the Discipleship team was giving a Christmas program for the children and adults in attendance. They came up to me with smiles and a chair which I accepted. Then they gathered around my chair, and we began to get to know each other. We shared about our families, and I learned about some of their needs and struggles.
The young man in the yellow shirt is named, Siyabonga. He seemed to be the leader of this group of boys, but also seemed to have the biggest needs. He did not have shoes like the others and his shirt has several holes and tears. He mentioned that he would like to have a pair of soccer shoes size 6. He also mentioned he would prefer to have shoes so he could go to school without feeling uncomfortable. He has to live with his grandmother during the week so he can walk to school. During the weekends he goes home to be with his father. I asked him if I could pray for him and his needs, and he agreed. We thanked God for the day, that He is the provider, and that He knows Siyabonga’s needs and requests. I told him I have seen God answer prayers, and I believe God answers his prayers. I hope I get to hear how this young boy’s needs and requests are met. I wanted to run and get him what he requested, but logistically could not get this done on the trip. On this Christmas Day, Siyabonga’s requests are still on my heart. I hope he has what he needs today, but I hope to find out his status through letters. And I just want to get to know him and his friends better.
My wife and I love this video. Please listen to this young man of 11 years (in the olive green collar shirt) sing verses from the well known 23rd Psalm. He wanted to show me he could sing well, and chose this song. Of course some of his friends joined in and added some great supporting musical lines. I feel these words have significant meaning considering the poverty in Swaziland in this region near Big Bend.
I would like to say “Khisimusi lomuhle” to you young men. I know you can’t hear me or most likely read this post, but I really enjoyed meeting all of you. You have a place in my heart, and I pray for you. I know life is too hard for you, and I hope to see conditions improve. It was a special time for me to hang out, shake hands, put arms around each others shoulders, share troubles, pray, sing and have fun together. I hope I can see you on my next trip.
The David Platt video I posted raised some good questions… questions I have been trying to work out for some time. I’m going to post my thoughts here. Please understand that I am not making myself out as having a solid grasp of this. I just think we will benefit from trying to figure this out. We might just do it, and if we don’t… I still think we’ll grow from the effort.
The question is: In the video I posted last week, David Platt emphasizes the important place our actions, specifically caring for the poor, have in our salvation. He also emphasized that his message was not one of salvation by works, but that a true faith in God will transform our hearts such that our works are evidence of our faith.
So… how does that work? Here are some seemingly conflicting scriptures:
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. - Ephesians 2:4-10
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. -James 2:20-24
If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the Law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. –Hebrews 10:26-31
Here’s my perspective: God’s word does not contradict itself. So both have to be accurate and fit together – probably with a synergy that makes them even more meaningful together than alone. The error that so many fall into is “taking sides” and rejecting one concept in favor of another when the truth is in both… it has to be, right?
So, how do these fit together? Here’s what I think. Salvation is 100%, completely by grace through faith and 0% by works… or else the Ephesians passage above (and many others) are false. But faith that does not transform us (or at least begin a process of transformation in us) into the image of Jesus and thus result in works as evidence of that transformation is, as James said, useless. That does not mean the works earn the salvation. It means that if there is no evidence of a real love and desire to please God that changes our lives and actions, that there was never any real faith to begin with.
But how much “works” are needed? If we ask that, I think we’ve missed the point. To put a measure on works is to imply that we can earn salvation by those works. What about the thief on the cross? Some of us don’t have the chance, for a variety of reasons, to give a lot of evidence of our transformation. But the point David Platt was trying to make (again my opinion only) is that his audience (and for my part, I’ll add myself to that group) does not have that excuse. We have means similar to the rich man in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, and there must be evidence of transformation (works) in our lives or our faith is useless - I know… faith and useless used together will make me some enemies. But just as the Ephesians passage above must be accurate and true, so must the James passage.
Finally, what about Dr. Platt’s insistence on giving to the poor as THE type of works that are required as evidence of transformation? It seems to me that as the wealthiest nation on earth, and given God’s explicit instructions throughout His word about supporting the poor, and the second of what Jesus said are the two most important commandments – loving our neighbors as ourselves – it seems that, for most of us, that sacrificing material things to provide basic needs for orphans, widows, and the poor should be a big part of the evidence or our transformation.
What do you think? I really do want to know if you think I’ve got it all wrong… and why. Even if I don’t come around to agreement (but I might), I will thoughtfully consider and read scriptural support for other perspectives and I am confident that process alone will be of great benefit to me. I ask that you do the same if what I write does not sit right with you.
Posted by Jim at 09:31 PM.
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Scripture •
Don is downloading the profiles now. We will be preparing them and getting them out to you! More details to come.
The children range in age from 2-16 years. We cannot wait to meet them on paper (and in person).
Speaking of that, REMINDER, we will have a Swaziland travel meeting Tuesday night December 22nd at First Christian Church from 6:30-8:00pm near the Play Area. Please come if you would like to hear more about travel to Swaziland anytime in the future! A trip is being planned for fall 2010. Plus, we just might have some of these profiles prepared by tomorrow night’s meeting.
For all of you chatters, the topic this Sunday at 8:30 in our chat room is the David Platt video I posted Wednesday. I’m not sure where it will lead us, but we’ll just dive in and talk about it. If you’ve not yet joined one of our chats and would like to, please do not hesitate. Log in as a member (become a member first if not yet a member), and you’ll see the chat room on the drop-down menu under “Member” on the right. You may need to adjust your browser’s security settings so try it ahead of time an contact one of us if you have any problems.
This site is drawing lots of views and I am very encouraged that people care about these things, but we really desire more participation. That doesn’t mean you have to give money or fit any specific mold. We’d just like to get to know you and what you are thinking. Here’s an informal survey to start the process:
What are we doing that is of value to you?
How have we disappointed you, and how can we “fix” anything that brings disappointment or offense?
What are we not doing that you would like to see us do?
Is there anything specific you would like to do to get more involved? (Off-the-wall ideas are encouraged, doesn’t have to be the things we are already doing.)
This video is over an hour long, and you really need to listen to the whole thing, including the closing minutes, to get the full message. This is powerful and (in my opinion) critically important for all to hear. Christians, non-believers, whatever the category… crtical stuff here that I beleive we really, really, can not afford to miss. Please make the time to watch it.
It may take 10-20 second after clicking the play button for the video to start. If it freezes off and on during the video, it can be viewed more easliy at this link:
Challenging stuff… but as David Platt says in the video, “Jesus’ words are our authority… Jesus’ glory is our goal”. I only ask you to consider what he has to say in light of looking at Jesus and His words in that light.
Posted by Jim at 09:20 PM.
Filed under:
Scripture •
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. James 1:27
Visiting orphans and widows in their distress. What must a visit be like for those orphans and at-risk children? For me, the only thing that I can think of that could possibly compare is my memories of summer time visits of my California cousins. Our mundane summer days were exchanged for full days of cousin fun. So refreshing. This was my experience as a child who was never alone, never at-risk. Imagine what a visit could mean to a child who is alone and very much at-risk in her society. Could it be the joy of what visitors mean that causes the squeals of delight from the kids when a team arrives at the established care points in Swaziland?
If you have watched the kids approach the Ludlati carepoint,
you can see that these kids aren’t all together certain what these kind of visits are like. The more established care points are the places where the kids know the joy of interacting with new friends. The Ludlati kids have yet to experience the days of games and loving attention. None of them have received letters and pictures from someone far away who cares about them, followed by the chance to meet them face to face at last. Do not underestimate the value of hope and self worth this communicates to the kids! What a change is in store for all of us! What hope will be realized in this community here and there! If you are interested in supporting a child, please click here for the application instructions.
In the fall of 2010, a trip is being planned to visit our Ludlati neighbor kids! We will get to spend time with our Ludlati kids, possibly do some home visits in their area, and visit some other care points as well. Depending upon the timing of the trip, there could be other projects for us as well. This is the first of what we hope to be semi-annual or at the very least annual trips. I am not sure we are going to be able to keep Don away from Swaziland any longer than that! Warning to all who travel. You may want to go more than once!! The kids will definitely want you to come back!
Let’s get together and talk about travel. Tuesday, December 22 from 6:30 - 8:00 pm at First Christian Church (in the Playground area) we will have an important planning meeting about the fall trip and travel in general. We will share information, discuss plans and answer questions. While we have yet to have our official launch of the Ludlati Carepoint, it is never too soon to discuss the upcoming trip. If you want to know more about the trip, are considering travel this year or another year, or want to support others travels, this meeting is for you.
We want the meeting to be as efficient as possible so we encourage you to send any questions you already have ahead of time. Click here to go to the forum thread available for posting questions for the trip meeting (you must be a KTM member to post in the forum) or you can post them in the comments section after this post. You can also send them to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
“My Favorite Things” 2009 “My Favorite Things” is a Christmas song that a) isn’t about Christmas, and b) makes no sense. “White-collared ponies that melt in the spring…”—whatever. I don’t get it. “Doorbells and sleighbells and whiskers on strudel” or whatever. It’s gross, even.
So I updated it. (Editor’s note - the updated audio is on Brant’s blog)
You’re welcome.
Jim’s Favorite Things: Christmas Edition (I’m going to cheat and pick more than one in many categories)
Traditional Carols - O Come, O Come Emanuel / What Child is This
Modern Christmas Music - Christmas Eve/Sarajevo by Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Instrumental Christmas Music - Phil Keaggy and London Philharmonic Orchestra
Slap-You-In-Your-Face Challenging Christmas Song - The Rebel Jesus by Jackson Browne, especially as sung by Bebo Norman on his Christmas CD (Can you tell, I like music?)
Movie - A Christmas Carol (George C Scott version - from the 80s I think), although Miracle on 34th is a close second
Memory - All of my other categories tie in to memories, that’s why they are my favorites. As a child, there was such wonder, mystery, and majesty in Christmas eve, especially night-time Christmas eve mass with the incense, the starry night, the organ, and the songs… in particular O Come, O Come Emanuel which was sung every year. I’m recovering that sense of wonder and mystery in a new way now, and this memory is emotional for me.
Quote - “Charlie, Christmas Eve may not be “gun day”. Christmas may be “gun day”“ Spoken by my wife to our 3 year-old while driving to my parents on Christmas Eve. Charlie, however, was certian that Christmas Eve should be “gun day” and we had a resulting bout of heartbroken tears and some rearranged presents after a U-turn to pick up some forgotten “food or something” at our house to take to my parents.
Treats - Shrimp dip, peanut butter bars… ooh, ooh… I know… those bacon-wrapped water chestnuts. An aside: My wife once was preparing a recipe that said bacon was optional. Get this… she was not planning to use the bacon. Can you believe that? I informed her that bacon is ALWAYS optional, even if it is not listed on the recipe at all. If even hinted at in the recipe, it is mandatory.
Anything else? Lets just talk about what is special to us this time of year and why. See you in the chat room Sunday at 8:30pm.
If you can’t make it Sunday, let’s hear from you in the comments here: what is special to you about this season?
When my daughter Jennifer, grandson Charlie, and I traveled to Ethiopia in July I traveled with a sense that the Lord wanted to show me something special. Indeed the excitement of bringing Nati and Feven home after so many months was very special, but there was something else I couldn’t put my finger on.
On our third night in Africa I found myself awake in the middle of the night. The dogs really do sleep all day and bark all night! As I lay there on my bed I asked, “Lord, what is it you brought me here to see?” “I wanted you to see the face of the least of these,” was the reply in my spirit. By this time we had seen many faces of “the least of these” and had been profoundly affected by them. I accepted this explanation and went back to sleep satisfied with His answer.
The next morning while riding in a window van we were stopped in traffic in a particularly congested area of Addis Ababa. I saw a man walking between the cars of the traffic jam, heading straight toward our van. Like the others in the van I was taken aback by his appearance. His face was a mass of scar tissue, barely recognizable as a face at all. He walked directly up to our van, but didn’t say a word. He did not ask us for anything nor did he extend a hand in any type of gesture of solicitation. He merely fixed us with his gaze and slowly side stepped his way along the windows of the van then turned and walked away through the stopped vehicles.
You could have heard a pin drop in that van. I said, “That was Jesus who just walked by our van.” I then related what the Spirit had revealed to me in the night. It was clear that the Lord had in mind a particular face to represent, for me, the, “least of these.” Everyone in the van was profoundly affected by this encounter and no one who saw him will ever forget that face.
I had been home from Ethiopia for about one week when the Lord spoke to me again about this experience. I was walking and praying near my home when the Spirit said, “The man you saw in Ethiopia was not just figuratively Jesus, but it was Jesus Himself!” I said, “Wait a minute, I do not want to make of this something that it was not.” I was already completely blessed by this encounter that was to help me put a face on “the least of these” in a way I had never been able to before. The Spirit, however, was quite convincing about this being a manifestation of Jesus Himself. As I embraced the wonder of what He was saying to me I said, “Lord, if I had known that it really was you, I would have pursued you through the traffic and embraced you!” He said, “That is the point of it all, I want you to embrace “the least of these my brothers” with the same enthusiasm you would have shown had you known it was me!”
I hear you Lord. Give me the grace to embrace “the least of these” as I would you.
This is a poem, written by Renee, a friend and previsouly “unpublished” member of KTM… at least unpublished here, I don’t know about anywhere else. Interesting story about Renee. As I understand it, she and her husband were instrumental in leading Jen and Barbra’s parents to the Lord. So, in a very real way, Renee and Tom are the founders of KTM. Isn’t it neat how God can make things grow over time?
Knocking On My Door
If you knocked on my door today I would see the longing in your eyes
I would see your body emaciated with ribs protruding and I would take you in
Yes if my doorbell rang and you stood before me you beautiful starving child
I would say, “Come in by my fire and let me feed you, I’ll fill out those cheeks so thin…
If you knocked on my door today…
If you were my neighbor, a mother, my friend and came knocking on my door today
I would stop wrapping the dozens of presents I am busily wrapping to place beneath the tree
Yes if you came with your child in hand and pleaded with me for your baby to feed
I would stop my Holiday baking and feed you and give all I could to remove the pain I see
If you knocked on my door today…
If you knocked on my door today so I heard your pleas for a home, a bed, and someone to care
I would cancel my plans for caroling, partying, and all the rest and devote myself to you
I would hold you and comfort you and say how sorry I am and that you are not alone!
But I am so totally wrapped up in wrapping and all the holiday fun I did not hear the knocking
For there was a knocking on my heart’s door today…
‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door,
I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me.’
You sweet Jesus who are no longer a Babe in the manger have come again…. and again and again
Knocking on the door of my heart and saying “Is there room in the Inn for Jesus to be born?”
Can I make my home in your heart, will you take in with me the “least of these, My friends?”
Yes, there WAS a knocking on my door today! Can you hear the knocking too?
We wrapped up our Red Letters book study last week, and decided to keep the 8:30pm Sunday chat going with weekly topics until January when we start a new book. This is a great chance for some of you who could not commit to the weekly chats to join us. Our topics will be new every week since many of us have holiday obligations that will mean missing a week here and there. So please, join us - even if only for a week. This week’s topic will stand alone so you won’t be behind when you start and you won’t be left hanging if you can’t make it next week. I really want to get to know more of you. The chats are a fun way to do that.
Since no one else has stepped up with a topic, I guess I have to. Hmmm… lets see… Oh, I know. A Pensee by Blaise Pascal. This one is very short and sweet, but will challenge you in many ways if you really think about it. Here it is:
Wretchedness: Job and Solomon
That’s it. But it speaks volumes. Advance reading in your bible to remember these guys, while not required, may be helpful. Consider Job in his misery. Consider Solomon in his glory… but also in his corruption and emptiness (Eclesiates, anyone?). The topics:
Compare and contrast the wretchedness of these two men.
Which was more wretched? Why?
Who knew God more closely, who was more faithful?
Now, the biggee: what does your reflection on the relative wretchedness of Job and Solomon make you think/realize about the relative wretchedness of the Africa some of us have seen in person relative to the wretchedness of America?
This is one of my favorite Pensees. Many have written entire books and not said as much as Pascal did with four words. When I first read this, I put down my book of Pensees and did not pick it up again for several weeks because these four words gave me so much to think about. If you can’t make the chat, please comment here with your thoughts. Please… I want to get to know you. There is one area in Known to me that I feel like I/we are at risk of failing at - that is, building real friendships and commuinity among EVERYONE here. Chime in or join the chat, even if just to humor me at first. I think it will grow on you.
Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins. For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them.
‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’ “Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD ?
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter - when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness [a] will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
Isaiah 58:1-11 (NIV)
We closed our book study of Red Letters last week with several in our book study group agreeing to fast on Fridays (from sunrise to sunset, or between breakfast and dinner as each of us sees fit). I read Red Letters for the first time about 8 months ago. I had already read Fields of the Fatherless by Tom Davis, Dangerous Surrender by Kay Warren, and a few other books that turned my heart toward scripture in a new effort to follow Christ’s instructions regarding “the least of these”. I was feeling a need to do more to engage in the fight against extreme poverty and to seek the Lord’s specific plan for the action that I was to take. I began fasting on Fridays. I had fasted before, but I always came away from it feeling like I had made a sacrifice, but didn’t really feel I had grown as a result of it. I didn’t even realize that my focus was on what fasting would produce in my own life instead of a focus on love and obedience to my Lord.
When I began fasting with a heart broken for the widow, the orphan, and those living in extreme poverty, and with a desire to know God’s heart in regard to them, everything changed. Suddenly, my fast days were filled with promptings to think about how things changed when I was hungry. I noticed that it was harder for me to be patient and loving toward my kids when I was hungry. How does hunger effect the families that live with it every day? It was also harder to have the energy to work. Fridays are also our heavy cleaning and cooking day in preparation for our Saturday rest day. How would it feel to be walking 3 miles for water on an empty stomach? I began to think about how hunger even effected my early bonding with Feven and Nati. How does hunger effect a mother and her newborn baby that her body can’t produce enough to satisfy? How would it feel to be hungry and know that it was not a matter of choice, and that no food was close at hand to end the hunger? These questions made me pray with a new emotion and fervency. I felt drawn to God’s heart and my desire to in some small way alleviate some of the suffering that His heart must feel. For the first time in my life the fast wasn’t about me at all, and for the first time I actually felt drawn in to Him on those days.
I welcome you to join me in fasting on Fridays, and I look forward to hearing your stories of drawing closer to God.
Posted by Jen at 08:33 PM.
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Scripture •
By now, many of you probably know that today is World Aids day. Three or more years ago, I would have skimmed right over that news morsel. You know, there is always some kind of day for this and that. Days for things that other people care about. That’s nice that someone cares about such and such, I would think.
Now, I feel like someone has grabbed me by the front of the shirt and forced me to look at the human face of this pandemic.
* 33,000,000 people are living with HIV and AIDS around the world
* Every 13 seconds a child is orphaned because of HIV and AIDS
And it matters. Why? Because it matters to God. I say this because I believe God is a compassionate Father. He longs to be gracious to us (all of us); He rises to show compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice.
Jesus came to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners. (Isaiah 61:1)
And How about Christ’s compassionate care of the leper (similar in many ways to an HIV infected person of today): “A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” FILLED WITH COMPASSION, Jesus reached out his hand and TOUCHED the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.” Mark 1:40-42 (NIV). I do realize that HIV can result from sinful behavior. But Jesus spent so much time with sinners that he was roundly criticized by the religious authority. His response (paraphrased): these are the people that really need Me. They are the people who really need us.
Nothing has put a face on HIV for us like the children Don met in Swaziland this past October. Were the children he held and played with infected with HIV? Almost certainly some of them were. In fact, in one area they visited, the rate found at a medical clinic there was actually 90%. What does this number mean to the kids there? It means parents dying. It means four year olds living alone. It means not knowing where the next meal will come from not to mention the next hug or loving touch. It means hope can be hard to come by.
So what is our response? What can we do? Kay Warren says it like this: HIV/AIDS offers us the opportunity to make the invisible God visible to a world that does not understand what He is like – a caring, compassionate Father. This is done by being filled with compassion and touching the man, woman or child infected and effected by HIV.
No more ignorance. No more shunning. No more excuses.
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. Proverbs 31:8
…Look after orphans and widows in their distress. James 1:27
Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. 1 Timothy 6:18
Practical ways to act this out are everywhere. How about start with $5.00? Children’s Hopechest has a program that takes your $5 and my $5 and brings hope for HIV + orphans. http://www.5for50.com/
Whether it is across town or across the ocean, compassion for those who are infected and effected by HIV must be part of the very fabric of who we are… if we want to act like (i.e. follow) Jesus.
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About - KnownToMe
We have begun to ask ourselves...What would we do if our neighbor was starving right before our eyes? Would we not help? Today, their plight is not hidden from us. It is known. We believe there is a clear mandate that we must care for societies most vulnerable members, the widow, the orphan, those in extreme poverty. If you are stirred to a similar belief, if you know there is more that you must do, Known To Me will make you aware of specific needs and opportunities to help.
