Sara Groves and Charlie Peacock on International Justice Mission

I have posted over on Inspired to Action the interview I did last week with Sara Groves and Charlie Peacock. Read it here.

Here's a little teaser, from Sara, on dealing with the hugeness of these problems:

. . . when she landed on the ground the very first thing she saw in South Africa was a little girl who had just been abused, had just been raped, and she was crying. Not because she had just been abused but because she’d been paid a dime by her abuser and some older boys had taken her dime. So this little girl, her perspective, her whole world – that she had been violated in that way – wasn’t even really . . . the point of her pain was that she had lost the dime. And I asked my aunt how do you not cry every single day?

Go read the interview and find out more about International Justice Mission. Once you do, tell me what you think about their work - what impacts you most, or what questions are you left with. I may be able to get some more answers from my contacts at IJM.

Dispense true justice . . .

Thus has the LORD of hosts said, "Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother; and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.
Zechariah 7:9-10

This passage has really been on my heart for some time, now. This pronouncement from Jehovah comes as He accuses His people of having hearts like flint - because they had ignored these very words.

Today, on Inspired to Action, I am leading thoughts, discussion, fasting, and prayer about a group I believe in greatly: International Justice Mission.

We've all heard that scripture tells us "'Vengeance is mine, I will repay' says the Lord." I've been thinking about this, as well. It is obvious that God wants us to practice justice - revenge is not justice, it is selfishness excused as justice. God takes that away from us; but is God a vengeful God? I think, with this pronouncement, that God is taking this away, and letting us know that He will dispense the justice that we try to seek in revenge.

What IJM does is, in no way, the actions of vigilantes.These are men of peace, working in peace to bring justice. That is one reason I believe so much in their work - that they do not have revenge in their hearts speaks highly for them.

Please, go over to I2A and find out a little about IJM and what they do. Consider if you can help them in their work. And, above all, pray for their work.

Tags: International Justice Mission, Inspired to Action

Reality Shifted

The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?
Psalm 27: 1

A wonderful passage, filling us with comfort and hope.

But how would you react to find this verse scrawled on the wall of a room six-feet by eight-feet, written by the hand of a fifteen year old girl, kidnapped by a family friend and sold into slavery in a foreign land? A girl sold to a brothel, where she was forced to accommodate ten men a day?

Does this shift your reality a little? Whom have I to fear, that this young girl has not faced, ten times over?

Elizabeth was rescued from that brothel. Noticed by an operative from International Justice Mission, a man of peace, who brought this before the local authorities, before another man of peace, who worked to save her.

Whom shall I fear? I fear myself. I fear my own ignorance. I fear my own apathy. I fear my own lack of concern; for that it my greatest enemy, as I sit in the comfort of my home.

Next Monday, at Inspired to Action, we will be hosting a day of fasting and prayer. The focus is the work of International Justice Mission. Go to their website and read stories of people like Elizabeth, whose lives have been changed by men of peace. Join us at I2A next Monday, and share what you have learned about IJM. Let your reality be shifted a little, for the better.

Tags: International Justice Mission, Inspired to Action

Lil'E wrote a rock song last night

So there I was last night, home alone with the kids, playing with my five-year old daughter while my 18-month old son wreaked havoc about the living room. Her chosen game, as usual, involved some sort of humanoid construction of plastic and cloth - in this case, they were the American Idol dolls from Happy Meal toys that came out in the recent past. You raise the arm holding a mike to their face and music plays. Rock on!

Also natural to this playtime, Lil'E decided we had to put on a show (by we I of course mean the toys whose persona's we had assumed). We had to put on a rock show and sing rock songs. Being the naïve parent, I knew no rock songs; but the world-wise kindergartener knows all. She bust out with an original offering that went something like this:

I am singing my rock song
And I've got my rock hair
And I'm wearing my rock clothes

Apparently, if one says the word "rock" enough times in a song then it is by definition a rock song. And it doesn't hurt to yell the words when you sing.

Read more . . .
Don't you love kids? Their ideas so simple, so straightforward, set out so that everyone can understand and join in - after all, the more the merrier when it comes to playtime, right? Maybe I should get her to set down these lyrics for Shaun so he can get back on the charts? (To be fair, he's already got the hair and clothes.)

Here's where I switch subjects on you, in a way. I can look at Lil'E's great effort at making a rock song and recognize it as simplistic, childish even, for insisting that it is the use of the word "rock" that makes it a "rock song". Can you guess where I'm going with this? Yep, I'm thinking about "Christian music".

I was recently reminded how, to many people, a song cannot be called "Christian" unless it uses (frequently) the name of God or Jesus. That's right, they're using the same definition as is my five-year old girl for how to classify a song. Funny how in one case it can seem like an inane, senseless definition but in the other it is deadly serious. Which is which in the last sentence? Which application is inane and which accurate? Both are in the eye of the beholder, so should both be taken seriously?

For Lil'E, when I started singing a song and didn't say the word "rock" within ten seconds I got buzzed and corrected. The same standard applies for the person who believes that only in through explicitly evoking the name of God can you be talking about God. Do a web search and I'm sure you can find a host of people who talk about Christian artists like MercyMe and Michael W. Smith (or fill in the blank) being of the devil because they don't say "Jesus" enough (or a host of other reasons). As if intoning a word or phrase distinguishes between carnal and holy. I think Jesus actually said something about that, along the lines of calling on His name does not guarantee salvation. But we still insist on the trappings, the formula, as though it will lead to salvation in and of itself.

Of course, there are nice examples in the bible that would fail the "does he say Jesus enough" test. Take the classic Psalm 1, beautiful and well known, often quoted, and only gets around to mentioning the Lord at the very end. Were that a modern worship song it would find criticism for only putting in God's name as an afterthought; but as it is a Psalm (capital "P") it is accepted. Or, of course, there's the whole book of Song of Songs with nary a mention of God in it - but it is considered canonical. We could even talk about Paul and Philippians 4:13 - "I can do everything through him who gives me strength." You may be thinking you remember it as "through Christ who gives me strength" but this is the KJV, and the early manuscripts do not have Paul saying "Christ" but "him". His intent is unmistakable, nevertheless, and we know that it is Jehovah who gives us that strength, be it through His word, the Spirit, Christ, or even through His body on earth. Paul did not narrow his definition, likely for a reason, but we do to seek comfort in formula.

Anyway, I'm not too sure why I got off on this topic. Maybe Lil'E's song got me to thinking about simplistic definitions and the vitriolic websites I've seen passing judgment (in flashing, multi-colored, 128-pt font) on others for things such as this. The song Lil'E sang was nice, though - I really liked it.

Tags: Christian Music, CCM, Rock Music, American Idol Toys, Playtime, Judgment, Overly Simple Definitions

Did you ever stop to think . . .

Did you ever stop to think about the fact that the worship of Yahweh predates any codified forms of worship of Him?

Let it sink in.

Good. Now that you've thought about it for a second, you're probably saying "Well, yeah, cause Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were all worshiping God before Mosaic Law was put down in writing." And to that I would say that's true; but there's more. Given a little more thought you would probably come up with Melchizedek, the king of Salem talked about in Genesis 14 and Hebrews 7, who was called a priest of God and to whom Abraham presented a tithe as tribute to God. So, Melchizedek was obviously also a worshiper of Yahweh before a written religion existed. You might also think about Job: if you didn't know, Job (by scholars best estimates) was a contemporary of the patriarchs. This means he, too, worshiped God without a written prescription to follow. And, it also means that he did a good enough job of worshiping and loving God that He chose to allow Job to be tried by Satan while He was off forming the nation of Israel through the patriarchs.

So, what on the face of God's green earth is Euphrony getting at?

Good question. I was thinking about this this week, and my thoughts turned to wondering this: what did worship of Yahweh look like before a canonical set of scriptures existed, over which we could argue the meaning, ad nauseam? (I'm not trying to say that scripture is bad - far from it, I cherish the words God has passed on to us. It's just that I'm trying really hard to not make my religion worship of that scripture rather than worship of God. So I think about questions like how Job or Abraham or Adam or Enos worshiped Yahweh.)

Me, I cannot help but think that the worship of someone like Job was characterized by compassion, love and generosity, conversation with God, care for mankind, and humility (like the denial of the importance of my own plans in favor of whatever God brings to my life). Sure, I bet there were "traditions" even then, but somehow I like to believe that it was less fractious than it is these days.

I was also thinking that this is what we have been talking about for the last 40 days, with the 40 Day Fast. And it is what we try to talk about all the time on Inspired to Action. Setting aside myself to save the life - temporal and eternal - of God's children in need of Him. It's been a great 40 days, and I hope that everyone reading this on my goofy blog has also been following along, at least some, with the great things that the 78+ people have had to talk about - talking about the work of God, the worship of God, and the needs of His children here on earth.

What do you think? Have you ever considered these questions? What do you think worship was like pre-Bible? What have been your impressions of the 40 Day Fast - have you been inspired to do something?

Hey, Ma, I'm on that radio thingy over yonder!

So, if you haven't been following, your's truly will be on the radio "live" this afternoon. Charley, the nice guy at Cross Driven Radio talked to me a few nights ago and will be playing his interview with me on this afternoon's broadcast next Thursday's show (schedule change). Go on over to his website, and notice on the right-hand side where he tells you how to listen live over to the webcast from 2-3 eastern time on WEBR. This week you can hear Charley talking to Brody and Amy. Sharing the show with me next week will be Kristin, also from Inspired to Action. We both talk about blogging, I2A, the 40 Day Fast, and other things. If you miss the show, he'll have the podcast up on his site in a few days.

Here's the thing. I can't listen in. You see, I'll be at a rheology conference all next week, and when the show runs I be sitting in on some great talks about rheology. Even if I were at work, like on a normal Thursday, I couldn't listen; my work blocks all streaming media, so no chance. So, if you listen, please tell me I don't sound goofy and that I didn't make a fool of myself. I'll even pretend that you're right when I finally hear the podcast. Thanks.

Oh, and speaking of the 40 Day Fast, tomorrow's the last day. It has been a phenomenal 40 days, with some great posts. For my money, if you have missed a lot of posts and don't feel you can catch up with all of them, then just try reading Nancy's post from yesterday. She's not the best writer in the world, but she wrote with passion about a subject that too many of us are ignorant of or choose to ignore - the trafficking of children into sex slavery. As the father of a little girl, the simple thought of such things occurring - even in the "civilized and safe" U.S.A. - brings me to my knees with gratitude that she is safe today and in prayer for those who cry out to be rescued.

Tomorrow, we are inviting everyone to join in the fast. If you missed out, or if you want to spend one extra day in dedication, the join in tomorrow as we collectively fast. Blog about how this fast has been moving you - what have you done to join in? A big part of the idea is to move people to action. What action are you taking? Lets talk about that tomorrow. There will be a link tool up on Inspired to Action where you can link to your blog as you talk about why you are fasting.

Tags: Radio, Interview, Inspired to Action, 40 Day Fast

Doing just a little something . . . Impact Houston

Sometimes, you just have the perfect opportunity. Sometimes, you can do the right thing and it is so easy. Sometimes, well, sometimes it is so easy to serve and worship God by following His call to care for those in need. We had one of those chances last night, and it was a great time. But these opportunities don't usually occur without having a helping hand, that third party that makes things so easy. For Positive Post Tuesday, I want to talk about what we got to to, and who made it so easy.

Last night our church took in 300 kids - elementary and Junior High age - from inner city Houston. We took them in ones and two and threes, we fed them (CiCi's pizza is quite popular with these kids), and we took them to Wal-Mart for school supplies. We bought them the pens, pencils, and paper they need in class, a backpack to carry them in, and some clothes to start off the school year in a few weeks. The picture on the right is of Mrs. E with the girls we were able to help out - one going into 9^th grade and one into the 7^th grade. I talked about when we did this last year and I'm glad we were able to participate again this year.

The people who helped make this all possible, who bussed 300 kids from downtown to our neck of the woods, who interact with this kids every day, are the people at Impact Church of Christ. I've been down to help them out, seen the neighborhood they are in the middle of - one that most people try to avoid for their "safety" and seen the people they help firsthand. A couple of years ago I helped paint a kids classroom in their building, and saw the kids and teachers go crazy for just having something that wasn't a plain, empty wall. I've seen their food distribution, the hungry people waiting for help, and the huge lunches they have every Sunday after worship for anyone who would come. In college, the group I was active with worked with them to bring new underwear to the homeless in the area. Underwear, which we hardly think about; but I also heard the stories of people crying to have new, clean underwear - something they had not had in years.

Impact does some awesome work, and they touch more lives everyday than I may touch in my lifetime. A good friend of mine works as a youth minister their, but feels that he has a different call in his life right now. Mrs. E passed on to me that the older girl in the picture up there is very sad to know he will be leaving. She told Mrs. E that he is the only person she trusts! Please join with me in applauding some people who can make such a difference in the lives of people. I thank God for the people of Impact.

Tags: Impact Houston, Back to School, Inner City, Children

Follow-up: 40 Day Fast

I've not seen many people from the 40 Day Fast giving follow-ups on how their day went, but I think I will. As we fast together, as a community, I think it good to share in the joys and trials of that fast - not in a way to brag or to say woe-is-me, but to build each other up. Feel free to share some of your experiences from fasting in the comments.

So, how did my day of fasting and praying go? I must say that yesterday was by far the hardest fast I've ever undertaken. I have fasted for longer periods and had an easier, more spiritually uplifting time. This wasn't an issue of hunger - sure, I felt some rumbles early in the day, but those settled down and I really didn't feel hunger pangs most of the day.

The hard part came from two areas - temptation and physical. Naturally on the day that I am fasting they have bookoos of food around. Temptation is definitely there when you walk by a platter filled with hugondoid muffins all day long. But then, there was also the temptation of a different sort - the feelings of uselessness and aloneness. I have to admit that I struggled heavily with these feelings all day yesterday, and toyed with the notion of ending the fast early more than once.

Then there was the physical. I had a headache, of course. That's only normal when we who are accustomed to regular meals goes without. There was the lightheadedness, too. But then I also started feel extremely weak, no energy by the end of the day. I pretty much collapsed into bed once Lil'er E was finally down for the count (Mrs. E and Lil'E went to a show downtown) and slept fitfully. Waking up this morning I wasn't sure I could make it out of bed - shaky, weak, lightheaded, pounding headache. I ate a granola bar and drank a bunch of water, to try and get something in me. I finally made it out of the house and headed to work. About half a mile from the house I pulled over into the parking lot of a Mormon church and puked my guts up (which was mostly water). Sorry, Mormon neighbors, but it had to happen. After that I started feeling a bit better.

Once I made it in to work, and partook of the Friday omelet bar in the cafe (made to order for only $1.99!) I really started feeling better. At this point, I pretty much fine, physically. I still have those lingering doubts, but I feel strongly that is simply Satan on my case.

I do want to thank everyone who commented and everyone who was praying for me yesterday. It was only through prayers and God's hand that I made it through my commitment. I don't know if anyone else has felt similarly in their fasting, but I can say that I wrestled with this all day. I know that Jehovah came out victorious, even if I feel like a train wreck.

The 40 Day Fast: My Turn - The Face of Death

This is my day to participate in the 40 Day Fast. Be sure to check out Dan, the other blogger for today, and read his post here.

I preface my thoughts by telling you the group I talk about today is not one with which I am intimately familiar. I am passionate about and work with several groups, both local and international. Many of these are being covered by other people in the 40 Day Fast. Moreover, though, I have felt the call of God to pray for and talk about this group and their work for a little while now. It was thus a natural selection for me, despite my lack of previous involvement.

There is so much wrong with this world, a fallen and broken place. And yet, there is so much that is good, too. Jehovah created us with the intention that we know life and peace, but our sin and pride changed that for ever. Pain crept into this world, and death with it; we live hand in hand with both today. Some instances are more shocking, more disturbing to our sensibilities, while others are more commonplace. But one fact remains.

We are all mortal, and we all must face death one day.

This knowledge has placed something of an instinctive fear, or at least trepidation, in us all. Contemplating our own mortality is beyond the ability of some. Many of us find it exceedingly difficult to sit with one to whom the face of death is a constant companion - our nervousness, our uncertain words, they are something to which most all can relate. All of this in the midst of what is often the greatest trial in a person's life. In times like this I often think about the opening lines of Sara Groves' song "What Do I Know":

I have a friend who just turned eighty-eight
and she just shared with me that she's afraid of dying.
I sit here years from her experience and try to bring her comfort.
I try to bring her comfort.
But what do I know? What do I know?

That is why today I am praying for Houston Hospice. I'm sure there are Hospice organizations in your area, but I will focus on Houston Hospice, as it is local and I have sat with friends in their care before and seen firsthand their work. Their mission statement says it all: "Houston Hospice provides uncompromising, compassionate end-of-life care to patients and families in our community." And that's exactly what they do.

While so many of us stumble with words, fumble awkwardly as we edge for the exit of a terminal patient's room, Hospice is by their side. They care for the person, not the illness, and do everything they can to help them and their families face what is no longer and abstraction of the future but an imminent certainty. And I am so grateful that they are there to do what I at times cannot (or, to my shame, will not) do.

There are many ways that we can help Hospice in their work. As with any group, money helps. Donations to Houston Hospice provide for patient care and for unfunded programs and community education. Hospice also needs volunteers, both trained at the level for indirect patient assistance and for interaction with the patients. Consider if this might be something God wants for your life.

But there are other ways you can help, some very simple and some very personal. Houston Hospice maintains a patient care center for those who cannot be at home but need an alternative to a hospital room. This facility provides for the families to maintain their personal hygiene. How nice would it be to personally donate some simple toiletries so the families have one less tedious detail to consider at the hour of a loved one's death?

Another, very simple, way you can help is to search the internet. Yes, search the internet. Let me introduce you to GoodSearch.

GoodSearch is power by Yahoo! Search, so it is one of the top out there. Ads on Yahoo! and Google make billions of dollars every year, GoodSearch decided that they could take a portion of that and do something good with it. Half of their ad revenue goes to charities (over 62,000 to choose from) - that comes out to about a penny a search. Sure, a penny isn't much, but it adds up over time.

Join with me in praying for Houston Hospice, for the people they help and for the people who work with them to do so well what I fail at.

Tags: Houston Hospice, End-of-life care, Compassion

Moving hearts

Yesterday, Brody told us about UNICEF. We hear about the UN programs through the news, but thanks to Brody we have a better idea what UNICEF is doing to help save children around the world.

Lori also blogged yesterday, very much from her heart. She talked about how she feels her own inadequacies, even as her family struggles with her husbands terminal cancer. If only we all felt so strongly about doing more.

Today, Natalie Grant talks about the domestic problem of human trafficking and sex slavery. It's hard to swallow, but this is not a problem for other, less refined countries; it's our problem, as well.

Also, Kjaere blogs about the persecuted church. It still happens, even today. Pray for the persecuted.

Finally, Charley has been so moved by the fast that he feels compelled to talk about it. He's been interviewing the people at Inspired to Action and some of the bloggers for the 40 Day Fast and playing it on his weekly radio show and putting it on his blog as podcasts. I talked to him for a while last night. Thanks, Charley, for do so much to talk about I2A and the 40 Day Fast.

God is moving hearts!

Dentistry of a different kind

I got this picture this morning from my friend Ellen, who is a medical missionary in Uganda. This is from a recent trip to Namawojjolo. How does this compare to your usual visit to a dentist? Let's count the differences: open air, walls are see-through, no soothing muzak over the speakers, I don't see anywhere but the ground to spit, and those chairs sure don't look as comfy as the dentist chair I usually sit in. Oh, I forgot to mention that these people do not have the opportunity for checkups every six months like most of us enjoy.


I've mentioned Ellen before here on my blog and I interviewed her for Inspired to Action a few months ago. We were even able to help her in collecting some books for a burgeoning library they are working on in Kampala. She and her group are doing some great work over there. Pray for them and thank God for people like her who choose to leave the comfort of home (and potential wealth as a doctor in the USA) to help people with their physical and spiritual needs.

The 40 Day Fast: Catching Up

Have you been keeping up with the people involved in the 40 Day Fast? I hope so, I really do. There have been some great posts over the last 18 days, and we're looking forward to some more great stuff. I regret not having given a blurb about each one, but I've been so swamped that I have not had much of a chance (especially with the long vacation). I have taken the time to read what each of these people have had to say, where God has been leading their hearts to action. Here's a few highlights:

• Licia is a nurse who works in Haiti. Don't read her post, or any of her blog, without being prepared to weep for the conditions that we in the USA find deplorable but people around the world call "normal".
• Gene and Crystal have written about the Dalit people of India. Don't know about the Dalit? Read how the caste system has declared them "untouchable" and how groups are working to change their lives.
• Tim told us how by simply talking about how we do the things we take for granted (how to use a bank/ATM, how to manage money, paying taxes) SIFE has helped to put refugees in Tennessee on the road to economic independence.
• Several people have talked about the importance of clean water, highlighting groups like Blood:Water Mission, LifeStraw, and Charity: Water.
• Mama's Boy and Kat have highlighted how we can care for the needs of the elderly.

The point is simple - there are so many things that we can do, very easily, that will change the world. We can plead God to save someone half a world away, or we can implore Him to save the person a block away from our house. We just need to do something.

Have you been following along with the 40 Day Fast? I know many of my normal readers are also the people who I've worked with to organize this or are people who are passionate about what it is all about. But there others who come through this rambling mess of a blog, and I want to take this special moment to draw your attention to this. Changing the world is all about small steps, with God making the ripple we make into a tsunami of hope and love.

Look at that calendar-thingy I put on the left sidebar - you can't miss it, it's huge. Click through to the bloggers on Team #1 and Team #2 for every day, and you'll see people who want to fulfill the proclamation the "the kingdom of heaven is at hand". Read their thoughts, and encourage them if you can in their fasting for heaven's sake, for God's name. Pray that you may know God's urging in your own lives.

40 Day Fast: Day 2

Man of sorrows
Well acquainted with grief
Drug down to the city dump
Spread eagle on a cross beam
Propped up like a scarecrow
Nailed like a thief
There for all the world to see
You wore the chains so I could be free
Yeah, yeah
Oh Lord, you did that for me

from "You Did That For Me" on Sara Groves' All Right Here (written by Pierce Pettis)

We're on Day 2 of the 40 Day Fast. Thus far, we've had Brant remind us that God is already in the places and with the people we see as hopeless and abandoned, Amy tell us how freedom can be found through the little-considered ability to read, and April tell us the $7 can save lives. That is truly beautiful. I'm grateful for the love and passion that these three have put into their stories - please continue to pray for Amy and April today in their fasting and for everyone coming up.

I opened with those lines from "You Did That For Me" because they are a great reminder. I don't have to cry anymore, I don't have to be afraid, I don't have to know it all - all I need has been given to me already, in Jesus degradation and humiliation on the tree. As I've heard Shaun say many times, it's time for us to remember that for which we have been saved.

Do something . . .

from Whittaker Woman

from Ethos

from Shaun

from BooMama

from David Kuo

Do something . . . for $32

Do something . . . for $1

Do something . . . for $35

Do something . . . for $7

A pebble can start a rock slide. A straw breaks the camel's back. A dollar - a bottle of coke - provides drinking water to one man in Africa for a year. $1! Don't change the world - change a life.

Please, do something!

Tags: Compassion International, Blood:Water Mission, World Vision, Mocha Club, Uganda, Photos, Blogging

Humility (and a quote)

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I am teaching a class on Sunday morning at our church. It has been interesting, thus far. If anything, the class has grown slightly over the last six weeks, leaving me amazed that anyone would voluntarily stay in a class I teach that long.

This last Sunday the subject was humility. One of the points I raised was the subtle difference between seeking to learn humility in our lives and being forced to learn humility through our arrogance. I also questioned them on Moses, the most humble man on earth at the time, and how a person of humility could be a good leader.

I shared this quote, from G.K. Chesterton, and I'll leave you with it:

What we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place. Modesty has moved from the organ of ambition. Modesty has settled upon the organ of conviction; where it was never meant to be. A man was meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth; this has been exactly reversed.

What do you think of Chesterton's thought's on humility misplaced?

Tags: Chesterton, Humility, Quote, Teaching

Smackdown! OT vs NT

So, this is what I considered naming the class I began teaching on Sunday mornings at church. I was struggling to come up with a nice title, and that one struck a cord with me. Alas, knowing the class I would be teaching would not find it amusing (nor most other people, I suspect) I went with something different. A little more blasé, perhaps, but "From Old to New - God's Unchanging Word" goes a little better in the class schedule under Adult Class #4.

So, what I'm actually teaching about is this: God is eternal, He is the same. Though how He has interacted with His creation has changed, His word is the same throughout. We often refer to ourselves as New Testament Christians - this is a self-affirming statement, as Christ is the new testimony of Jehovah. Jesus' words and actions only exemplify and explain the same things that Jehovah tried to get people to understand for centuries before Jesus ever walked the earth. I will be leading the class through a study of several topics (probably one a week) and how our understanding of this topic from the New Testament (where, by in large, most Christians focus their study) is older by far. We will talk about how Christ's and the disciples teaching echo and clarify what we read in the Old Testament.

So, I hope it will be interesting. They're stuck with me until May. Poor people, don't know what their in for. I'm sure it wont be long until them discover my teaching skills a fraud.

Yesterday I centered the discussion around the ideas of social justice in the bible. From Jesus' distillation of the law, summed up as love God, love your neighbor (echoed by Paul in Romans 13) to His example of the saved and condemned in Matthew 25, it all points to being involved in the lives of others. When proclaiming His ministry (Luke 4:18-19), Jesus reads from Isaiah:

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

It seems pretty clear what Jesus intent for how God's people should live was (and is). And it is old, old. The simple fact that Jesus reads this from Isaiah, written some 600 years beforehand, says that. Read Isaiah 58:1-12, or Zechariah 7-8, and you will see just how fed up Jehovah was (and is) with self-centered worship. Don't fast for yourselves, He tells them over and over, but deal with people with truth, with justice, with compassion and mercy, with food and shelter, with hope for the oppressed.

This topic, of course, is easy for me to talk about; it has been so heavy on my heart for such a long time that the words flow. Further topics should prove interesting: grace and mercy, hope, peace/violence, . . . I'll probably post some of the more interesting discussions here.

One thing was raised in conversation after the class: a lady told me about a friend who married a Muslim man and converted to Islam. Talking with her friend, she was told that Ramadan ends up being a contentious period in the Muslim year. She was told that the daily fasting for six weeks ends up making people a tad grumpy and tempers more easily flare. Sitting in my class yesterday morning, she wondered if their practice of fasting is not comparable to the selfish fasts found in Isaiah 58: and Zechariah 7. I think that's a good question, and one not just applicable to Muslims, either. The fasting comparison is very direct, yes, but we Christians have many cherished practices that are at least as equally self-centered.

more . . .
One thing I told the class (stolen from Andrew Peterson) was that I did not want to spend time in there toasting marshmallows on the burning bush. I don't want to rehash the same conclusions we've reached a million times before, not learning anything new. Nor do I want to treat the words of God as old hat. It's not, and if I can't learn at least a little something new every time I hear His word then I've had blinders on and only saw what I wanted to see. This is a big struggle, for me and many others, because we don't like to challenge our beliefs and "knowledge". Anyway, I don't want to approach God and His word to us so lightly that it's like I'm ignoring something profoundly holy. Yeah, and I guess that was another reason to not go with the above title - a little too WWE for what I'm really trying to do.

Worth reading

If you have not noticed the banner link on the right, go check out Inspired to Action this week and next. Over these two weeks the subject of abuse will be broached - something all to often swept under the rug in Christian communities. You can read about Becky's encounter with an abusive boyfriend (Part I and Part II)., and next week read about resources for the abused and abusive.

Also, I had a chance to ask some questions of Shaun Groves and his involvement with Compassion International. Go read his thoughtful responses as to why he is inspired to action.

What are you doing?

Coming October 24^th! Read more here.

(Side note: this is my 200^th post. I think it's a great thing to talk about for #200, don't you?)

Music Review: Tell Me What You Know from Sara Groves

Oh, tell me what you know
about God and the world and the human soul,
How so much can go wrong
and still there are songs.

In 2006, Sara Groves took a trip with Gary Haugen (of International Justice Mission) to Rwanda. What she saw there changed her – maybe not radically, but in an accumulation of subtle shifts. Her latest album, Tell Me What You Know, is in a way her conversation with us about what she experienced. Listening to Tell Me What You Know, I cannot help but believe she learned about hope; hope in the direst of circumstances, hope to endure and overcome.

At times stylistically a little different from her previous work, this album has an overall energy that pulls you from one song to the next as Sara explores this theme of hope. The album opens with "Song for My Sons" which is, as you would expect, for her sons (and daughter). As Sara liltingly sings her hope for her sons, you hear your own prayers for your children. But, to be honest, when I play the album I find myself wanting to skip through to the next song "In The Girl There’s A Room" – not because "Song for My Sons" is a bad song, but because I know what is coming up next. "In The Girl There's A Room", from which the above chorus and album title are taken, is a song that sticks in your head. Inspired by stories from IJM (and co-written with Charlie Peacock), Sara looks inside each of these people and finds hope in the face of sorrow and pain and horrors. "In our hearts and souls / an unstoppable refrain / hope stands in defiance". The chanted verses and catchy chorus pull you into the rhythm of the song and stay with you, and "In The Girl" is one of the highlights of the album.

Another highpoint on the album is found in "I Saw What I Saw". This was actually the first song I heard on the album, as a video of this song overlaid with clips of Sara in Rwanda was released on YouTube several weeks ago (the video can be viewed here). Sounding like the piano-driven work of Add To The Beauty, "I Saw What I Saw" recounts how her experience in Rwanda has changed her life.

your pain has changed me
your dream inspires
your face a memory
your hope a fire
your courage asks me what I'm afraid of
and what I know of love

Sara gives us a pair of songs serving as calls for action with "Love Is Still A Worthy Cause" and "When The Saints". In "Love Is Still A Worthy Cause", she addresses our frustration and desire to give up when things do not go as we would wish them; she implores us to press on in our work for God. "when you count the cost and all seems lost / love is still a worthy cause / when you're pressing on though your strength is gone / love is still a worthy cause." With "When The Saints", Sara takes a turn on the traditional song. Instead of focusing on the hope of marching into heaven to see old friends, though, she turns to marching into the battle we face every day to live for God. Beginning with a reference to Jeremiah 20:9 (which goes back to her song "Jeremiah" from The Other Side of Something), Sara talks about the passion to act in God's name and, again, the frustration of so much to be done. "I think of Paul and Silas in the prison yard / I hear their song of freedom rising to the stars." Dwelling on the courage and passion of those who have gone before, she calls us to join in step and join in the fight where we can. ("When The Saints" is already available as a single from iTunes and in retail stores.)

The songs "Honesty" and "Abstraction" look at just how well we know ourselves and how well we can know others. With the latter, Sara sings about how, no matter how well we think we know a person, there are depths that we cannot fathom. When we try to understand a person, even ourselves, there is too much for our limited humanity to take in and out of necessity we leave reality and enter the abstract, the simplified, to try to grasp the entirety of the person. In "Honesty", inspired by Dietrich Bonhoeffer's thoughts, she encourages honesty with ourselves as a step towards salvation "only the truth and truthfulness can save us now." Both are very compelling and deep songs requiring us to take a fresh look at our lives and our perceptions of those around us.

With the song "Say A Prayer", Sara is remembering the trials of a childhood lost (or taken away) in the struggle to survive. It was inspired by the prayers of a teenage girl, kidnapped from her home in Southeast Asia and sold into slavery in a brothel in a foreign country. She endured eight months of forced prostitution - with the others mocking her faith in God to save her from this life - before being rescued by an operative of IJM (a scene recalled in a line in "When The Saints"). Sara brings her sorrow and hope to life in this song. "The Long Defeat" is a call for endurance and encouragement in our daily struggles with sin – we've already lost the battle for perfection, but as we continue to strive for this goal we must not shy away from the fight that seems impossible. She prays for inspiration and guidance and relief. With "It Might Be Hope", Sara nicely summarizes the overall theme of the album, how hope lingers on and can still be found in everyone. She closes the album with "You Are Wonderful", an offering of praise to her Savior and friend, Jesus. Given the normal stylistic models of modern praise and worship songs, you might expect this to sound flowing and somewhat grandiose – you'd be wrong. Sara sounds like a girl talking to her good friend in a simply presented, almost bouncy lyric.

How good is the album? Some of the songs don't work for me as well as I would have hoped, "You Are Wonderful" and "Song For My Sons" being examples of this. (Not to say they are bad songs - I actually like the beat of "Song For My Sons", but for some reason it still doesn't work as well as I would like.) There are other songs that keep running through my head as I hear the melody and ponder the words and meanings, such as "In The Girl There’s A Room", "I Saw What I Saw", and "When The Saints". The rest, though not the songs I am first drawn to, I find grow on me more every time I listen to them (it'll take me a while to unpack everything in "Honesty" and "Abstraction"). I would recommend this album to anyone who likes to hear well-written music sung with passion and vibrancy. Overall, it is a very good album and continues Sara's proclivity for producing thought-provoking and entertaining music well worth listening to.

Tell Me What You Know hits the stores on November 6^th. You can hear more song clips, read the lyrics, and pre-order a copy at Sara Groves' store.

(P.S. I would like to thank Christy at INO Records for providing this pre-release. She's such a nice gal!)

Tags: Sara Groves, Music Review, New Music, Tell Me What You Know, International Justice Mission, Rwanda, INO Records, Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Hypotheticals

Hypothetical Situation #1: You are driving down the road, when traffic slows to a stop at a red light. The person behind you, driving a truck and pulling a horse trailer, fails to slow down and rear-ends your car, doing non-negligible but non-critical damage to the read of your car. You proceed to do all the usuals, trading contact and insurance information, and only later find out that their insurance had lapsed. What do you do?

1. Talk to the person, and try to arrange for their reparations of your car.
2. Talk to the police and/or a lawyer and begin some form of legal action to recover damages.
3. Let it drop, since the damage is no-critical.

Hypothetical Situation #2: Same as the above case, with the exception that the person who rear-ended your car is not reachable (phones disconnected or unanswered, etc.). What do you do?

1. Talk to the police and/or a lawyer and begin some form of legal action to recover damages.
2. Let it drop, since the damage is no-critical.

Hypothetical Situation #3: You enter into a business relationship with a friend, investing a fair amount of money into the venture. As time goes by, you begin to realize that your friend was a poor choice as business partner and discover that bad management and actions of dubious legality are resulting in the total loss of your investment. What do you do?

1. Talk to your friend and either force him to straighten up or vacate the arrangement.
2. You cease your part in the business.
3. You begin legal action to possibly recover some or all of your lost investment.

Hypothetical Situation #4: Same as case #3, with the exception that the business partner is not a friend, but simply a partner. Same choices as above.

Hypothetical Situation #5: You discover, round about, that someone or someones at work have been talking badly about you - rumors, gossip, exaggerations, half-truths and outright lies which are both malicious and damaging to you personally and professionally. You quickly discover who has been doing this. What do you do?

1. Vocally denounce the rumors that have spread and try to clear your name.
2. Speak to the person/people who have initiated this to find out why they are doing this and try to get them to stop.
3. Quietly speak to your boss and/or their boss to clarify the matter and defend yourself.
4. Ignore the matter, though hurtful, and trust that your life will speak for itself.

Multiple answers for each question are allowed.

I propose these hypothetical situations as a continuation of the discussion begun in my previous post on Christianity and indemnification. "Defend" in the previous post seemed to be more narrowly defined by readers than I had intended. A good discussion was had on gun ownership, but I intended the topic to be a broad discussion of defense of self, possessions, honor, etc. What does it mean in our daily lives to turn the other cheek, to go the extra mile? (Luke 6:27-36, Matthew 5:39-41) As to the above questions, I don't know that I have good answers - even though several have not been "hypothetical" in my life. As before, I have to ask myself why pursuit of justice ends and vengeance begins. Where is my forgiveness? Where does the legal system that we have, and the protections it allows - which are, mind you, ordained and allowed by Jehovah - cross the boundary of righteous behavior?

Thoughts?

Tags: Punishment, Retribution, Forgiveness, Forgetfulness, Repentance, Justice, Vengeance, Indemnification