Tuesday, August 21, 2012
No Crayon Left behind
A few Sundays ago, my sister and I ran in "the happiest 5k on the planet!": the Color Run! Pretty sure it lived up to the hype! We made have invented a new church denomination, camp theme, and extreme sport of tae bo color running, plus the traditional running here and there and getting covered in color. Seems like a pretty productive morning. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...
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| All ready to go! |
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| The Lineup |
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| Mango Tango and Screaming Green are ready to go. |
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| We be fiercely colorfied! |
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| Yellow. This is where I learned it's a bad idea to yell with glee as people throw powdered paint at you. Just sayin... |
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| No Crayon Left Behind! |
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| Sisterly tree hug |
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| Drug! |
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| Color cloud time! |
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| Sisterly love |
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| Color fight! |
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| No fun was had here |
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| Advert for our new extreme sport |
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| Even Ezra got in on the color fun |
Sight
Yesterday I drove home from work, driving the same stretch
of highway that I always do, pulling off at my usual exit, pulling into the
left turn lane like always. Only this
time as I drew my car to a stop at the light, something was different. For as I looked up, my eyes were meet by a
pair of eyes with a story to tell, eyes that have seen too much, a life heavy
with experience. And below those eyes I
was greeted by a tender and gentle smile of a man living on the street, a
simple cardboard sign in his hand. I was
greeted by God’s baby.
As I looked into his gentle eyes, God gave me eyes to truly
see this man. This wasn’t a man who was
down on his luck or facing the just rewards of his actions. This was God’s baby, a child of the King of kings,
a masterpiece of the Creator of all things.
I searched my car for a small offering for a man of such stature,
rolling down my window and presenting him with a simple granola bar. More so, presenting him with the dignity of
someone looking him in the eye and sharing a conversation, treating Him as a
son of the King and God’s baby deserves.
And here’s the irony of the story: he wasn’t the one blessed
through the interaction. I was. In conversing with this man, God reminded me
of His great love for all of us, His great love for those society has deemed
the least of these. Seeing the glitter
in this man’s eye and experiencing his gentle demeanor, I couldn’t help but be
encouraged as I felt the pull of God’s unimaginable grace.
LORD, thank You for Your mercy, favor, and grace. Thank You for Your great love for us. Please empower us to show Your mercy, favor,
grace, and love, Your truth and justice, to the world. Papa, send us with fire to go love the world.
Yes Lord
Years ago I was in a musical depicting the Easter story. Among other things from the production, one scene sticks out in my mind:
I’ll never forget the line that followed: “Peter, do not say
‘No Lord’. For if you say no, do not
call me Lord. And if I am your Lord, do
not tell me no.”
Sunday at church I was reminded of this scene, reminded of
the dangers of saying no to God and the importance and meaning of letting Him
be Lord of my life. Letting Him be Lord
means surrendering EVERYTHING to Him, trusting Him with all that I have and who
I am, of always responding to His call with an obedient “Yes Lord!”
Where You lead, LORD, I will follow. Regardless of cost or fears or understanding,
may You empower me to answer Your call with a resounding, “Yes Lord!” May You truly be Lord of my life.
Warm Gifts
I wonder how often it is with God, how often He has gifts
for us so close yet just out of view. I
wonder how He longs for us to ask for these gifts, longs for us to seek His
favor. He is the Provider of all that we
need; every good and perfect gift comes from Him. So why do we seek these gifts from
another? And why do we hesitate to ask
our Papa for the things that we need?
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and
you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For
everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the
door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will
give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a
snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good
gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good
gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others
what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the
Prophets. Matthew 7:7-12
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Thursday, August 2, 2012
The Zambia Project
Some of my favorite quotes from a book by one of my favorite people (Chip Huber)God's miraculous, stupendous ways included making the impossible reality through the most unconventional of ways... Only a God who is in the business of supernatural, irrational, and brilliant workings could make prayers answered, schools appear, and lives changed through this most extraordinary example of what He is capable of and longs to do in our world with so many needs.
God is in the slums, in teh cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them (Bono).
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. An what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humble with your God (Micah 6:8)
One of the most compelling and longest-lasting lessons of our involvement in Zambia is the simple reality that our work there isn't something radical, but in fact it is actually what God designed us to be doing all along.
God longs to connect us as a gloabl church when we respond to injustices. All those in need don't just need our help, but instead they deserve it, and we have the power to help them, even more so as we join together with others who have been blessed to be a blessing.
Og this we can be sure, that poverty... mars the image of God within humanity; it mars the image of God in the poor, the sick, the oppressed, the leaset as it deprives them of opportunities for abundant life. IT mars the image of God within those of us who have more than enough, but who through greed, complacency, or even ignorance fail to do the justice to embrace the loving kindness that our God asks of us (Njongonkulu Ndungane)
The real danger in our wold may not be people failing to read the Bible- it may be what happens when people actually do read it- especially the over 2000 verses on God's heart fo the poor and oppressed. Be warned... the pages of Scripture can change everything (The Poverty and Justice Bible).
globalrichlist.com
God, I was a nobody, and still am. But use me anyway! (Laura Finch)
Obedience is better than sacrifice... In other words, recognizing where God is working and then joining Him in that work is always better than conjuring up another great-sounding committee or ministry arm out of my own imagination (Laura Finch)
There is no better word to describe people giving to development work that the word investment. The truth is that opposed to a donation, an investmetn almost always brings returned while a donation can mean anything.. An investment brings transformation and often can be seen by all (Fordson Kafweku)
Jesus' love for mankind is contagious. When people genuinely avail themsevles for service, He does not look at who they are but what He can do to make them a challenl of blessings. He looks at their availability and commitment. He sees only the condition of their hearts and their willingness to serve (Fordson Kafweku).
The complexity of our world can lead to a sort of paralysis where we choose inactivity and do nothing to change that which we know cannot be right because it just seems like it won't truly accomplish much in the end.
The brokenness of our relationships and our world is undeniable in every rural village and every wealthy major metropolitan area.. Jesus calls us into the mess and empowers us to be HIs hand of touch and love, His feet bringing medicines and medical care, and His heart of love that knows no boundaries, no statuses when it comes to seeking to take that which is broken and try to put it back together. None of us deserve the matchless grace and mercy found at teh Cross, and yet God gives out this incredible grace and mercy without finding fault to all who allow it to come into their lives.
It's not really about Africa: it's about allowing ourselves to pursue the calling of God on our lives to love our neighbors.
I've learned that there is a danger in entering deeply into the issues and pain of those you know and care about. And I am sure that sharing in the suffering of other people is exactly what God designed us to do in following our compassionate Savior who was regularly broken and distraught at what He saw happening to people in the days He spent living on earth.
Matthew 5:3-10
We can see something beyond where we are now, and we long to first of all live, and then to live the life we feel called to pursue (Zambian children)
We believe that the heart of God expressed in Scripture is to be an advocate for justice and compassion and mercy in a world where competition and self-reliance wants to rule the day.
If you step out in faith and take some risks in dreaming and them following through with taking on the biggest problems and issues in our world today, God will show up and multiply the bread and fish you gather to feed and heal more than you can ever believe.
Isaiah 58:6-7. 10
Identity
Last night I posed my plea for our daughters to my sister. While she has no daughter of her own, she's interacted with enough young girls in the church to join in my plea. Here's her proposed solution: Differentiating one's identity from one's surroundings, including one's parents, is a normal and healthy part of development. However, in the church too often we point our adolescents in the wrong place in this question. We make it about them when, strangely enough, it isn't ultimately about them. Before our students can know who they are, they must first understand who Christ is. Once they fully grasp the character of Jesus, there's no room to doubt who they are, for He is the one who perfectly defines them.Further thoughts to mull over. Where, You lead, LORD, as you teach us who You are and who we are in You, where You lead, we will follow.
The Droge Family
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; Your rod and your staff they comfort me." Psalm 23:4
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