What did we do before Smart Phones came along?

If we ask this question, "What did we do before the age of smart phones?" the most likely answer is a dulling of the eyes and an inability to remember life before the technological revolution. And the smart phone, for most people, is only a 25 year, a quarter of a century, old phenomenon.

I ride the subway and watch more than half the people sliding their thumbs up and down on a mobile device. The first computer was the size of a small apartment block. Today's smart phones are many times more powerful than the equipment used to get men to the moon and back. Technology has us wound around it's fingers! How easy it is to get addicted to our friends texting us, or the stock market, or the latest news from some company, country or institution.

Technological innovation constantly reduced the time between the necessary pauses in our lives. At first there was 2 G, and phones. Then came 3 G and 4 G which brought about endless innovation; you phone for a taxi, a pizza, or the cheapest hotel in the world for your holiday, always at the cheapest price. 5 G is going to transform all that beyond recognition. So will (someday) self driving cars and trucks.

The urgent pushes out the important. Overloaded circuits prevent quality sleep. Relationships called "friends" are simply a click on the "Like" button. We have thousands of friends through the internet but how many "real" friends? Why?

We need recuperative, constructive and mindful thinking. Our personal freedom depends upon taking control of our own mind, not having someone else providing us with constant excuses to wander away into their "mind space".

Gaining personal time is not "lost time". We need to ask questions such as, "What can I let go of in my schedule? In my cupboards? in my storage locker?" and "What deserves my attention?"

Our spiritual health depends upon our being able to have "quiet, reflective, listening, meditative" time. The outside world may desire to control our "success". But taking time to pause, to let our soul and spirit catch up to our present experiences; taking a day off once a week to let our relationship with the Lord grow and renew our relationship with parents, children, grandchildren and friends; taking the initiative to reflect on the goodness of the Lord: all these will mean we are taking time to pause, grow and put down roots that will reflect justice and righteousness, love and contentment.  

Effectively Preaching to Younger Folk

Most preachers admit this. It's hard to preach to today's younger people. Even harder to keep their attention. And most difficult of all, have them coming back, over and over again, to hear more. But that's not true of Andy Stanley. He communicates in a conversational style to transmit the Gospel.

He began his ministry about 25 years ago and founded North Point Ministries. Today, NPM is bound together by seven churches in the Atlanta, Georgia area and another 25 or so churches around the globe. Together, they serve between 70-75,000 persons a week, and more on TV and other forms of communication. He has authored more than 20 books and has a gift of being truly original.

"Why?" is the question he often asks, where many others are still stuck in the "How?"  The "Why?" questions get attention. "Why?" questions deal with deep-seated life issues. "How?" questions don't engage nearly as much. He asks, "Is this unique?" "What would make this unique?" The drift of his conversations show him to be a student, ready to receive criticism, ready to recognize better ways to engage deeply with young persons' deep questions of life. Asking someone, "Why do you do this, or Why do you think that?" helps establish deep-reaching dialogues.

His mission is to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ and engage with unchurched people who love to come back to hear more.

Thanks, Andy, and thousands of other men and women who patiently listen to the deepest questions of youth and ask the "Why?" questions to learn what is going on in their hearts and minds. And then in turn ask the  "Why?" questions that get beneath the buzz of popularity, temporary blitz, broken relationships and all the subtle ways we cover over our brokenness and waywardness. 

Faithful African Leaders

As I write this blog, African leadership is grabbing headlines. For example, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is the Director General of the World Health Organization. (did you see the word "Jesus" at the end of his name?). Right now he has his hands full with the corona virus.

Tedros' fellow Ethiopian, Abiy Ahmed Ali is Prime Minister of Ethiopia. I'm sure you've heard that he received the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for ending the 20 year war between Ethiopia and Eritrea. (Have you heard of the impact of evangelicals upon Abiy Ahmed Ali's life? Read more about him on Wikipedia.)

Another African leader, not so well-known, is Sam Adeyemi, a pastor in Nigeria who founded Daystar Christian Center in Oregun Ikeja, Lagos. Attendance at the church is more than 25,000 weekly. Sam managed to reach deeply into the psyche of Nigerians who are tired of corruption, empty promises and poverty.

Sam Adeyemi believes in honesty in leadership. He encourages his African congregation to think about leadership in all they do. "What we believe, we become," he says. He encourages his flock to deal with the self-limiting beliefs that bind poor people, keeping them down. People in Nigeria have a mind set of poverty, he says. He emphasizes healing in their lives that comes primarily from a relationship with Jesus Christ. He sees a close relationship between what we see, hear and feel, and our ability to lead a family. He urges every family to build up the self-esteem of their children. Speaking often about redemption, he especially encourages men in his congregation to repeat over and over the personal vision they imagine for their children. (Look up his ministry and messages on the internet.)

This is key to his training system and leadership development. He believes that transformation of our lives is part and parcel of the Gospel. Risk taking and self sacrifice become part and parcel of community transformation, lifting people out of poverty, helping poor, blind, sick and those burdened by disabilities. His communication constantly goes in and out of scripture passages.

Thanks you, Sam, for being an instrument used by the Lord in Lagos, Nigeria.

Amazing African Witness

Immaculee Ilibagiza is a hero for all of us. She is living proof that love overcomes evil.

She not only survived the 1994 Rwandan genocide. She went through unimaginable suffering and then committed herself to live differently. She did this by projecting hope, peace and forgiveness towards the people who initiated the slaughter of over one million people.

In her best-selling book, Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust (2006) she describes the ordeal of staying safe when the killers came to her house. All her family members were slaughtered by Hutu men. Only she was left alive and she was taken to the home of a friendly Hutu pastor. He protected her by pushing her and seven other women into the small bathroom of his house. The bathroom was concealed behind a clothes closet.

For 91 days, the terror continued. Non stop. People being dragged out of their houses. Chopped and cut open. Immaculee and the others stayed in the bathroom. At one point, a large group of men burst into the pastor's home, having been told that too much food was going into that house for only the pastor's family. Standing at the bathroom door, he said, "Of course, you know that I would never be so stupid as to hide people in there. But if you want to look, you can." God's hovering angels kept Immaculee safe that day, and each day afterwards.

Eventually, things became safe enough for the women to leave their three foot by four foot prison and she was accepted to go as a refugee to New York city. Before being even able to speak English, the conviction came upon her that she needed to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Raised in a Roman Catholic home, she knew Jesus said, "Love your enemies."

Her second book, Led by Faith: Rising from the Ashes of the Rwandan Holocaust (2008) deals with reconciliation which became the theme of her life.She talks about taking a relationship audit. Anger and bitterness corrode the soul. Forgiveness restores and brings back life. Compassion for the killers' families and orphans left in Rwanda after the tragedy became her life's calling. 

Within three months of being in the USA, millions of people learned about her amazing rescue. Her book shot to the top of the Best Seller's List. People continue to be touched by a woman who dared to be a faithful witness in the presence of evil. Perhaps after hearing her story, you also will pray her prayers: "Lord, increase my capacity to love."

When It's Uncomfortable to Lead

Bryan Stevenson has dedicated his live and energy to helping the poor, the incarcerated and the condemned. He is the leader of a group called Equal Justice, an initiative that especially focuses on underprivileged youth. He has successfully argued several cases in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. His TED talk has been viewed more than three million times.

Bryan's best selling book, Just Mercy reveals much about the conundrum of young black men living in urban areas in America. I highly recommend this book. He was named to Fortune's "2016 World's Greatest Leaders" list.

He delves deep into the issues of why young black youth are so often incarcerated. Millions of youth have spent time behind bars. One in three is expected to go to prison sometime in his life. Without going further into the causes and symptoms of criminality and flaws within the justice system right here, Bryan Stevenson urges Christian volunteers to befriend young men.

He talks about "power in proximity". The answers to problematic behavior can best be solved with relationships. Yes, there needs to be a change in some policies, and yes, fear and anger beset the neighborhood. A legacy of imbalance and wounded pride, a legacy of slavery and violence and racial divides: these are all part of the problem.

Bryan urges a key ingredient in leaders: hope. "Stay hopeful" he says. Leadership can only be successful if words of hope are spoken and understood. Hopelessness is the enemy of justice. Restoring and redemption are powerful words. Don't be afraid to say what others are cautious about speaking.

One of the things that makes him noteworthy is his emphasis on "doing unusual things, uncomfortable things". It takes courage to step out of our comfortable lives and enter the life of another person. We are broken human beings, but we know the power of redemption. Oppose poverty. See scars as models of honor. Thanks Bryan for being a leader in one of the toughest areas of life.  

Faithful Witness is Hospitality

A family with school aged children wished to serve the Lord in Asia, but complications arose and instead they found themselves in a city in North America. On one side of their house were immigrants from Asia; and on the other side were immigrants from different Asian country. These were just the people they were hoping to minister to overseas! Strong Muslim backgrounds of all their neighbors meant they were living in the global village, the world arrived at their door.

Then began an incredible journey of hospitality, of opening doors. Food, laughter, tears, celebrations, food, parties, conversations, more food, meeting new people, coffee, trips to the doctor, more coffee, opening the Bible, meeting more families, welcoming a new baby, praying for a sick family member, learning about Jesus Christ. Lots happened when this family opened their door.  And those hinges on the door are getting very good use.

Everything that immigrants need when coming to live in that city provided them with opportunities: to listen when people feel lonely; to take them to government offices; to tutor children in the neighborhood, all the way from First Grade through to graduating students going to university; to sharing conversations about health and finding a family physician.

Hospitality given means hospitality being offered. Summer picnics, soccer games, fruit picking at a local farm in the fall, celebrations at the end of each school year, Christmas parties, New Year parties, and endless phone calls. Explaining why Easter is important. Explaining that Christmas is about God's ancient promises being fulfilled.

For most of us, we don't have to go far to experience what God is doing in His great big world. Just opening the front door and showing hospitality will offer the one thing that immigrants long for above all else:

"Someone to listen to me and to really understand what is going on inside of me and my family. We are very lonely in this new country."

Compassion for the Unborn

I love the story of Hagar.
She had an encounter with the Living God in the desert. She found herself expecting a baby and at the same time receiving bitter opposition in the home where she lived. The story is well-known, and found in Genesis 16:1-15.

God met her at the point where she had given up in desperation, ready to die, so great was her thirst. "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?" The Angel of the Lord came to her and promised a son, Ishmael- he would be a "donkey of a man", with his hand against everyone and everyone's hand against him, living in hostility toward all his brothers. Then she gave a unique name to the Lord, El Shaddai, "The Lord who sees me, for I have seen the One who sees me." (I believe this was an appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ in a pre-incarnation moment. Think about the nature of her words!)

Ecuador has a very high percentage of teen aged girls who are expecting a child. Teen pregnancy according to the government is above 20%. Christians in various cities provide medical care, basic resources and counseling for girls 12 to 18. Some as young as 11. The cycle of poverty facing these young girls is a huge threat. Poverty, ignorance, poor health, violence in the home, and reduced opportunities for both the mother and the child: these are some of the sad situations ahead for one in five girls in Ecuador.

The situation in other South American countries is also serious. Young lives are deeply affected. The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ makes a huge difference to individuals. May thousands of young girls and women be able to say, El Shaddai, "The Lord who sees me, for I have seen the One who sees me." - and not only find water in the desert of their experiences, but love, care and a nurturing home.

Recognizing this, you might want to make this your focus for loving people this year. In Ecuador or any other Latin American country. If so, get in touch with your church, or mission agency. Pray, give and get involved.

  

Precious Jewels

"The most precious jewels you'll ever have around your neck are the arms of your grandchildren."

Protecting those who have suffered.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Long-term faithfulness (Commitment)

"God's magnificent love for people propelled me
to the foreign mission field.
His intimate love for me
sustained me once I got there." Jonathan Trotter

Greatness with Humility

A world record and hardly anyone knows about it. More than that, the top goal scorer in "Futebol", or soccer doesn't brag about it. She just goes about her next game with love for the sport and is the champion of her fellow team mates. This is, in the sports world, true greatness, marked by humility.

On January 29, 2020, Christine Sinclair scored twice in a game against St. Kitts and Nevis. The final score was 11 x 0. American Abby Wambach lost her record holding position as Sinclair booted in two lovely goals, numbers 184 and 185.

Thus, Christine Sinclair became the world's top all-time leading goal scorer. She calls Burnaby B.C. her home. She lives in Canada, a country where hockey largely commands the attention of sports columnists, never soccer. Those two goals made her a world champion came without much fanfare. Only a few headlines and interviews. Well, yes, the few in the almost empty soccer field in southern Texas may have grasped the significance. And about her goals delivering victories in 41 different countries? She almost shrugs off the accolades.

A week later, she added goal number 186 as Canada overcame Mexico: 2 x 0. She is heading for the Olympic Games, where she'll again challenge other teams.

What a wonderful character trait it is to find anywhere: true greatness combined with humility.

Compassion for Kids in Crisis

The Bible shows several examples of young people who went through extremely difficult days. We could name Joseph, Moses, Samuel, King Josiah, Daniel and his friends among others who lived at times of national crisis.

Throughout Latin America children carry a great burden in homes where family violence deeply affects their emotional and spiritual development.

When we lived in Brazil, the plight of young boys living on the streets of major cities captured the hearts of people around the world. It was common for single women, or divorced women, to take up a second relationship. The "new" man in the house often was hard on boys ages eight and up. Beatings were common. After a time, children left their homes and became "street boys".

We witnessed first hand the lives of many of these children and thankfully, Brazilian Christians reached out in love, in practical ways. I am reminded of the words of James 1:27. "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Pray for homeless children all over Latin America, from Mexico to Argentina. We can all put them in our prayer journals. We can sometimes give through our local churches or ministry groups. And sometimes, our personal involvement can make a permanent difference.  

Compassion in Nicaragua

Like many other countries in Central America, Nicaragua displays the ills suffered by decades of mistrust, polarized political opinions and violence. Underlying issues are complex and it takes a great deal of patience to try to understand why Nicaragua is the way it is.

One of the ills in Nicaragua revolves around families destroyed by dependence on alcohol. Other substance abuse also elevates the danger of violence in the home.

Jesus looked on the city of Jerusalem and felt compassion for it because the people there, and elsewhere, were like sheep without a shepherd. The good news is God is at work in incredible ways.

 One of the ways we can show we are faithful to the Lord's calling is to support ministries working with people who have suffered the devastation brought on by the misuse of alcohol, drugs or other substances. We can pray for ministries we know about; we can give financially through churches or trustworthy ministries, and we can go ourselves as God leads us. 

How many Commandments should we follow?

Jesus was stopped on one occasion and asked what a person had to do in order to inherit the Kingdom of God. Did that mean all carrying out all 613 commands and instructions in the Torah?

Jesus answered with the two that sum up all those extremely varied commandments. He said that only two sum them all up. "Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself." Luke 10:27.

So, in today's world, who is our "neighbor"? This blog will continually seek to bring news and views of who is our neighbor. This will open us up to news and views from around the globe.

In addition, I like to ask this question: "Who was 'the neighbor' in ages past?" That means this blog will talk about faithful people and how they lived out the Gospel during the history of the Church.

From the story of the first conflict recounted in Genesis, (between two brothers which resulted in a murder, Genesis 4:1-15), to the last book of the Bible, (which shows us incredible trials, tears and persecutions) we understand the need to fulfill  both commands.

All life long, we keep learning how God wants us to live. It means living with a fully developed theology. It also means making space in our individual lives for agape love, self-giving love. 

The Faithfulness of the Lord

I love to participate in worship, singing together with other believers.
Whatever their first language, English or any other idiom.
How wonderful is the grace of the Lord!

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
His mercies never come to an end;
They are new every morning, new every morning.
Great is thy faithfulness.
Great is thy faithfulness.

and ...

Great is thy faithfulness, oh God,
You wrestle with the sinner's heart.
You lead us by still waters,
And nothing can keep us apart.
So remember your people, remember your people,
Remember your promise.