Living it Out

Is it just me or is there a recent surge stressing the need for taking care of the poor? Is THE CHURCH really stepping it up like scripture commands us to do or is it now just cool to be about the poor? Was it because Bono made speeches asking 'Where is the Church?" Or is it because mega churches like Willow Creek and Saddleback are now pouring millions into missions and AIDS prevention and clean water efforts? Is that why it is cool-because the "big churches" are now involved?
I propose we need to be involved with fighting poverty and taking care of the poor first and foremost because we are commanded to do so, not because we are blindly following the efforts of another church or ministry. Fighting poverty is not a fad or passing church strategy that is quickly shelved when the next new concept of 'doing church' comes down the pike. If the Church is going to BE the Church, then, we that are the church, must stop just talking about it and begin to live it out.
We live it out by being among the poor, praying for the poor, sharing or giving of our possessions, supporting causes and ministries that impact the poor, and by making conscious choices in our own lifestyles. What do you do with your time? Where have you volunteered recently? Who do you support financially? Where do you send your checks? Who do you buy from?
With Christmas around the corner, everyone is shopping feverishly for that perfect gift. We rummage through all of the multiple choices we have at the mall, we battle for position in line at the register like a defensive lineman, we throw our plastic down-One Hundred, Two Hundred, Three Hundred... and worry about paying it later. We add more stuff to our living quarters, add more pounds to our waistlines, and count our blessings for how good we have it.
Meanwhile there is a man outside in the bushes trying to find refuge under his cardboard box to keep out of the cold rain. There is a family going to bed hungry because Dad still hasn't found work for the winter since budget cuts at the old job left him unemployed. There's an elderly person sitting by an open kitchen stove trying to keep warm because they can't pay their utility bill. Then of course there are the millions of orphans in 3rd world countries like Ethiopia and Haiti that I have visited that scrounge for 1 meal of rice today and walk miles to pour clean water into a container from a community well that was provided for by believers who sacrificed some money and lived out what the Bible commands.
It takes more than talk to make a dent in poverty. It takes sacrifice, planning, lots of prayer, commitment and living out what you say you really do believe. How strongly do you really believe? Your life will prove it.
As you prepare for Christmas and the hope that comes with the season, consider how you may provide hope for some 'of the least of these.'

With All Your Heart

A friend of mine recently gave us a scare with 70% blockage of an artery in his heart. After inserting a stent to keep the vessels open, he is now recovering at home. It caused me to think about my own heart and what it means when scripture says to seek the Lord with all your heart. Jer. 29:13 says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Jesus taught in Matt. 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." The writer of Hebrews in chapter 10:22, encourages us to "draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.."
To love God with all our heart, to serve Him with all our heart, we must stay very connected with God. Perhaps that's why Jesus told us that the branch must stay close to the Vine. For our heart to be healthy, we must hear the cry of His heart. We must bring our desires into alignment with His and submit our agenda to His.
We must live lifestyles that keep our heart in sync with the heart of God. We cannot live as we want and then think we can just burst into his presence in times of crisis and tragedy. We need to stay in close relationship with Him daily so that when the tough days come our hearts are still in tune with Him in a deep, intimate way.
I do not serve a Santa Claus Jesus in which I only call on Him a few times a year and submit a wish list that I expect Him to deliver on. I serve a Risen Lord that desires a relationship with me that is real and a heart that is sincere. He does not want some half-cooked allegiance that only calls on Him in times of need. He wants a disciple that follows Him with all of his heart, takes up his cross and walks the path He has in store for each of us.

Battleground or Playground?

It has been said, "You can tell a lot about a man by who his enemies are." This is definitely true when it comes to the Christian life. As a follower of Christ, we enter a battleground, not a playground. It is hardly a life of ease, wealth and prosperity as some may preach about.

Rather it is a life scarred by conflict, spiritual warfare and intense opposition. When we surrendered our life to Jesus Christ, we made Him our Commander in Chief. By doing so we also acquired a new enemy-one who heads up a vicious network that is bigger than the Verizon network.

Victor Hugo was quoted as saying, "A good general must penetrate the brain of his enemy." To win a war, one must know the strategies and tactics of the adversary. He is the master of deceit and disguise. He is a liar and he wants nothing more than to bring misery to your household.

The choice of whether we win this war or not is up to us. To fight off the enemy's temptations, we must use the weapons we have been given. What good is training and equipping the soldier if he leaves his weapons and his know-how in the barricks?

If you want to make a difference with your life in this dark world, you will meet the enemy head on. So strap on your gear, prepare for the battle and follow your Commander in Chief. You are on the winning side. Get off of the playground and march onto the battlefield!

A VOICE FOR THE POOR

So I am back from yet another mission trip to a third world country-this time it was Haiti. It's always amazing to me the different reactions we get as we share stories and pictures of our adventure in a poverty-stricken country. Many are very supportive, some are relieved they didn't go, then the there are the ones who just don't quite get it yet. That's OK I was there one time myself, until I put myself in the midst of the poor.

For the ones who say things like "africa's just not my thing..." or "what about the poor here in our own country?", I would like to address that. Allow me to be a voice for the poor for you. Maybe 'Africa isn't your thing'. To that I simply ask 'What is your thing then?' Instead of shooting holes in my calling and telling me what you aren't about, how about living out what you are for?

To those who say 'what about the poor here in our country', I say this. Poverty is poverty, though there are different extremes of it. And I say there is no longer any excuse that children should die for lack of food, clean water or medicine regardless of whether the child is in Africa, Appalachia, or down your street.

There are no excuses for keeping blinders on either. The facts have been gathered. The government continues to sleep on the issue. The Church is finally catching on to the idea after a rock star kicked them in the butt.

If it is ignorance because of lack of knowledge on the matter I give one grace. I was once there also. But when you are presented with the facts of poverty and one still turns away from the problem with complacency then I have this to say.

The next time you and the boys stay home from church to watch Jr. run his Nascar machine around the track, make sure you invite the one you know who just lost his job and pass him one of your cold ones. Maybe that's a start for you. Make sure you give him one of those fine sandwiches you whipped up too.

The next time you plop your potbelly in the recliner to watch the big NFL game, and you reach for the 2nd helping of buffalo wings, remember the homeless guy you passed or the single mom struggling to meet her bills. Hey maybe call them up and invite them over...oh that's right they can't afford a cell phone. Well at least you thought about them...

Well, maybe Africa or Haiti is not your thing, but at least you are giving your tithe at church, right? I mean you are doing that right? So maybe some money is getting in the hands to help someone.

Oh and while I am going off, for those that can afford the skyboxes this year, don't forget to tip the guys that park your Escalade. And hey here's an idea, maybe throw the Vietnam vet on the street corner a quarter-that will make you feel so good.

So I'll keep travelling to the countries you don't want to go to or are not interested in helping. I'll hold the naked babies, preach through a translator to the ones that churches have turned away, and pray for the ones who will die barring a miracle because there is no doctor in their village. And you help take care of things back in good old USA and we both win. Because together we end up stamping out poverty.

I know what the bible says about the poor. I know what God has asked me to do concerning the poor. My question is what has God asked you to do? Have you even asked Him?

Proud to be a Poppa

Ah yes-Father's Day. One of my favorite days. Not only do I get to honor an incredible father that I greatly respect and love, but I get to reflect on my time of being a Dad as well.
Make no bones about it I am proud to be a poppa of 3 fantastic sons. What joy it brings me to know that all 3 sons love the Lord and are serving Him in full-time ministry. As musicians and spokespersons for Food for the Hungry, they are able to minister to many youth, speak up for justice, and demonstrate the love and compassion that is so desparately needed for the orphans of this world. See www.willetonline.com.
I do not apologize nor second guess the decisions my wife and I have made in raising our children that allowed them to pursue their dreams and passions as God opened up doors for them to walk through. Decisions like sending them to public schools rather than private so they could be salt and light in the school hallways, ballfields, and classrooms. Decisions like allowing Justin to graduate early and get his GED, followed by allowing Jordan to homeschool on the road so he could graduate early and get his GED. This has allowed the brothers to tour together at a very young age. Decisions like foregoing college or "getting a real job" as some insensitives have called it so they could use their gifts now for God. Decisions like cutting back on luxuries and pleasures to be able to support, encourage, counsel, and help provide basic needs as they tour as an independant band.
And now as all 3 sons are adults, to not only love them as a father, but to enjoy our time together like best friends, to play hard and competetive with sports and to always be able to talk to any of my sons about anything that is happening in their life. I am truly blessed.
What a day it was to see Jeremy give his wedding vows to Kat. She has been a great addition to the family as well. Her love and support of Jeremy is exemplary and I love her like my own daughter.
What a joy it is to be WILLET's bandpastor and most recently to travel with them and do ministry with them in Ethiopia and later in August in Haiti.
Would I do it all over again? You bet! But I would do more of it knowing what I know now.
Thanks guys for making fatherhood an awesome experience and responsibility.

A Voice That Must Be Heard

Recently my son sent me 2 blog entries from Switchfoot's frontman Jon Foreman about our countries lack of response to genocide in Darfur. What he had to say just gets my blood boiling. There is a voice that must be heard and the truth must be shouted from the rooftops.
President Obama said before coming into office: "We can't ignore the genocide in Darfur... We have to do everything in our power to make it stop. We have to act. Now." what has been done...Nothing!!
Oh he has been busy undoing and reversing any moral principles from previous administrations. Making sure the gay agenda advances with same sex marriages, making sure the unborn baby who had no voice can be aborted because they are unwanted or because it will cramp the style of a young mother who is not ready for the responsibility. Let's not forget the $1.5 Billion emergency fund our President released to protect us from the 'swine flu' that has killed 3 people in the US. I feel much safer now-I could just hug a pig...To keep that in perspective, what would be needed to deal with a problem in Darfur that killed over 300,000 already? Yet we do nothing.
Today's hot news story was Socal Security going bankrupt by 2012, Yankees with the help of A-Roid still playing .500 ball, Dodgers Manny being Manny for failing drug test, and all yeah there is some airport in Denver that may have to close because of prairie dogs digging up their runway. Important stuff huh.
There is a voice that must be heard and the truth must be told. Jesus Saves is the eternal answer. But while we are still here how can we remain silent over the atrocities of human life?
Meanwhile, every couple of seconds another child dies, another child becomes an orphan because of genocide or AIDS, or from hunger. Tick, tock, tick, tock...another child is gone...tick, tock, tick, tock...another child dies...
Hello Mr. President-What time is it on your watch??!!

Whatever

I recently began reading a short book by Mike Breaux called Making Ripples. Breaux brings up the point that either we have a destiny and a purpose or our life is merely accidental.
If we are an accident, born with nothing, and for nothing, than we end up with nothing also. That means that anything in between also results in nothing.
Some have labeled this current generation as the 'whatever generation'. If there is no destiny or purpose, then there is no truth, and no rules, and no right or wrong-its just a big 'whatever'.
67% of students cheat on exams-whatever. 66% drink alcohol-whatever. 56% shoplift-whatever. Sex before marriage?-whatever. Walk doesn't match your talk?-whatever. Responsibility?-whatever. Suicidal thoughts?-whatever. Hunger, poverty, AIDS?-whatever.
But God is not a 'whatever' kind of God. He is a Destiny Maker who wants to pour out his love and leadership into your life. He said through the prophet Jeremiah, "For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." Jer. 29:11
That sure doesn't sound like a 'whatever' kind of existence to me. He will keep on changing us, molding us in order to create in us 'whatever' He desires of us or requires of us.
This generation CAN stop saying 'whatever' and begin to become 'whatever' God has created and designed you to become if you just submit and yield to Him.