"Run For Their Lives"

8 of us are leaving today to run from Dallas to Houston. Yes, run. That's about 240 miles of paved bliss. Why in the world would we do this? Because there are 7,000 kids in Ghana who are in slavery. Some of them as young as 5 or 6 years old. And these kids, these babies, are forced to work up to 100 hours a week.

So we are running for 40 straight hours so that we can raise money and awareness for the plight of the children in Ghana. We are running because this is the sort of thing we think God's people should be doing. Speaking on behalf of those who have no voice, standing for those who can't stand on their own, preaching good news to the poor, and bringing freedom for the oppressed.

So we will run, and run, and run. For the 7,000 who can't. In the hope that one day they will all be free. So that they can be children again.

Learn more about our fundraising project here.

Overflowing with Compassion

There's a great story in Luke 7 where Jesus performs an incredible miracle. Jesus and his followers come to the gates of a village at the same time that a funeral procession is leaving the village. The deceased is a young man, the only son of a widow. Don't overlook that last part. The mother in this story has not just lost a husband but now also her only son. And since a widow would depend on her sons to help provide for her needs, this leaves her in pretty bad shape.

Jesus notices this woman and is moved to compassion. There's a couple of cool things about the Greek word used here for compassion:

1) It literally means "moved to one's bowels." Whoa, that's a feeling you can't deny. A feeling that goes all the way to one's core, that reaches to your very depths.

2) This word is only used 3 times in Luke's gospel. First in this story, later to describe the feeling of the Good Samaritan when he offered his help, and finally in regard to the way the father felt in the story of the Prodigal Son. What's the theme here? This kind of compassion is immediately followed by action. First to help the woman, then to offer aid to the hurting, and finally to run and greet the wayward child.

The good news of this story is that God feels this same kind of compassion towards us. A compassion that would compel him to action. To catapult him into wrapping a piece of himself in flesh and blood and moving into our neighborhood.

So what will we do? Are we willing to share the compassion we been have given? To move into our own neighborhoods with this kind of love? Will we allow ourselves to overflow with this kind of compassion?

We are surrounded by hurting and broken people. The next move is ours.

Desperate

I was reading the two healing stories from Luke 5 this week, and one thing really stuck out to me. The two guys are desperate. One has an advanced skin disease and throws himself on his face at the feet of Jesus. The other is being carried around by some buddies because he can't walk. Both men are not just struggling physically but are viewed as outcasts of society. They need something major to happen. And so they take the chance of their lives.

And in comes Jesus Christ. The master of messiness. The king of chaos. The emperor of impossibility. The dasher of desperation. And Jesus heals them. And we really shouldn't be surprised. Because God is not just the great physician of the body but also the heart and soul. He heals from the inside out.

Do you need to be healed? I do.

But are we willing to be desperate? That's the harder question.

Being Called

We had a great morning at church on Sunday as we reflected together on what it means to be called. We were in Luke 5 where Simon Peter and Matthew are both invited by Jesus to follow him. Amazingly, they both left everything and followed. I know, I know, we've all heard this story before. So much so that we can miss some of what is going on here. Peter and Matthew were entrenched in their normal lives. They had their rhythms and routines, their favorite places to shop, and the friends they looked forward to hanging out with. They both probably had families, too. So it's not like they were looking for someone to come along and call them to a new, different, and radically changed life. But there must have been something about the way Jesus looked at them. Something about his body language. Enough of something that when he called they left all of those familiarities to follow him.

It makes me wonder what I need to leave behind to truly follow Jesus. If he showed up today and asked for me to come with him, would I be willing to do it? I know the Sunday school answer. But my heart is still working out the truth. God, help us love you more than our comfortable lives.

Fall Picnic

We had a great Fall Picnic tonight at an apartment complex down the road from the church. About 20 of us from church were able to serve about 60 of our neighbors from this government subsidized apartment complex. It was amazing to watch people meet, interact, and spend time getting to know one another. I am more and more convinced that the more we focus on loving God and loving neighbor then the better off we will be. It has been such a joy for me to work with a congregation that is willing to "get its hands dirty" and "leave the church building." By God's grace, missional is becoming our way of life and not just a fancy word we toss around. Thank you Jesus!

Unto You A Child Is Born

An excerpt from my sermon this Sunday. The story of Jesus' birth, now THAT will preach!

Luke’s lack of detail here really makes it seem like a much safer and more sterile story than it really is. It makes it too easy for us to forget how dangerous and difficult and painful this night must have really been for Mary and Joseph. There will be no epidural, no IV, no plethora of fully attentive medical staff on this night. Just a mother, a father, and soon the son of God. And eventually, after great anguish and difficulty and messiness, Mary gives birth to a boy, her first son, and they name him Jesus. But there is no expectant family to announce this to in the waiting room. There are no “it’s a boy!” bubble gum cigars to pass out to friends and co-workers and no cute little "baby’s first" onesie to fit over this newborn child. Instead, they wrap him up tight in torn pieces of spare cloth and lay him in the only place available--a spare feeding trough. The son of God is laid to sleep on a bed of hay. The most humble beginnings imaginable. It would be impossible to construct a less noteworthy arrival to the world.

Well it's been a while...

I'm sorry for those who have been checking in only to find that I haven't been blogging very regularly.  But, I will try to do a better job from here on out.  I hope you'll keep checking in and maybe even join the conversation.

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About three weeks ago, I had the incredible privilege of spending 8 days in Ghana, Africa.  The trip was absolutely incredible and honestly just beyond words.  I was working with an organization called Touch A Life which is actively working to rescue child slaves in Ghana.  I spent part of my week at an orphanage where some of the rescued children now live and the other part of the week out on Lake Volta where we were working to rescue children.  By the grace of God, we were able to rescue 3 young boys who had been trafficked and were working as child slaves on the lake.  They fished, mended nets, and scooped water out of leaky boats.  For 100 hours a week this was their life.  But not anymore.  It was thrilling to see them change almost instantly when we told them they would now be able to attend school and have their own set of clothes.  Overall, my first experience in Africa was all positive, and I am already counting the days until we will return next summer.

A week after I returned from Ghana, I loaded another plane and headed to Detroit, Michigan.  I was beginning a new masters program at Rochester College, and we had a retreat and week of intensive class scheduled.  The masters degree is in Missional Leadership, and it is right up my alley.  All week I couldn't stop thinking how wonderful it was to be in a room full of people who were all talking my language.  I strongly believe the future of the church is outside the four walls, and I anticipate learning more and more in the next two years to help me and our church make that transition.  I'm excited to see what God is up to in our world.

Finally, my wife and I are expecting our first child and have almost exactly 3 months to go.  We now have less than 100 days until we get to meet our sweet baby girl, (name to be announced at her birth) and we just cannot wait.  Every day we remind each other that God is working a million miracles to shape and form her into His image.  What a gift!

Blessings my friends.