An educated, aware CHURCH

So often I think that many of the injustices that exist in our world are never spoken of in a church setting, from the pulpit, in Sunday school classes, in our weekly bible studies, or in our church bulletins. Why is that? I realize that the reality of our world and the truthful horrors that are the daily reality for millions is rather R rated but that shouldn't keep the church from being educated, aware, prayerful, motivated, and in action to do something about it.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1952335,00.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/201001u/haiti-trafficking

video on CNN - http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2010/01/27/amanpour.childtrafficking.haiti.cnn?iref=allsearch

Mexico's Human Trafficking problem -- http://gvnet.com/humantrafficking/Mexico.htm

Lately, I've been consumed with thoughts on what could God's response be to all the injustices that exist and permeate our planet. God's word is full of responses. Here is just one of many:

Micah 2:1-3, "Woe to those who plan iniquity, to those who plot evil on their beds! At morning's light they carry it out because it is in their power to do it. They covet fields and seize them, and houses and take them. They defraud a man of his home, a fellowman of his inheritance. Therefore, the LORD says: "I am planning disaster against this people, from which you cannot save yourselves. You will no longer walk proudly, for it will be a time of calamity."

We as the Church- the worldwide body of believers, are Christ's hands and feet down here on earth. I want to act like it. Yet I'm consumed with my own daily desires and convince myself that fighting injustice is not my job or responsibility or that I just can't do anything about it even if I wanted to. I'm pretty sure I just gave the perfect description of laziness.

An organization that uses the law to fight: http://www.ijm.org/

Martin Luther King once said, "We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people."

I'm not writing this to make anyone feel condemned or guilty but rather to begin a discussion of sorts on a massive topic that is often ignored in Christian settings. Do we, as those who claim to be Christ followers, have a responsibility here? Or no? What do you think God would say about it?

I find this next statement incredibly interesting and thought provoking: From Dallas Willard's book The Spirit of the Disciplines, "The world can no longer be left to mere diplomats, politicians and business leaders. They have done the best they could, no doubt. But this is an age for spiritual heroes - a time for men and women to be heroic in their faith in spiritual character and power. The greatest danger to the Christian church today is that of pitching its message too low."

Praise God!

Most things in my life do not usually go as I planned them in my head or in my dreams. This past Wednesday was no exception. Wednesday was the day that my family would learn of my mom's most recent medical status. For many of us, I'm pretty sure that it felt like perhaps one of the heaviest meetings of our lives - where the results signify more than I want to admit. I had tried to guard my heart and fully expect what was more statistically favorable -- to hear that her chemo is not working and that now she'd stop all treatments and just wait. But once again, I can't predict a thing and God surprised me, no shocked me with the results. The doctors believe that my mom's chemo is working. She now has a 70 to 80% chance that it'll continue to work and that it will actually kill all the cancer cells in her body. Unfortunately that means more chemo - 4 more rounds in the next 4 months and possibly some surgery in June. We all agree though - this is the BEST news we could have received.

Jehovah Rapha, which means, "I am the Lord, who heals you." from Exodus 15:26

Praise God!

Thank you all for your prayers, let's keep praying...

Filling up on Salt Water

The other day I listened to a Campus Crusade for Christ podcast by Rick James on The Holy Spirit: The Source of What's Missing. I'd like share my cliff notes.

At one point Rick says that he thinks the majority of Christians today try to fill up on the salt water of life. The opposite of living water is salt water. Living water is stuff that you can drink and live. Salt water looks just like regular water but if you drink it, the more you drink, the thirstier you get. What an excellent metaphor for sin. The apostle John in Revelation 21 talks about the new heaven and the new earth and how the sea was no more. There would be no more ocean- no more salt water. That's a lot of salt water.

So why are we as Christians not filled with the Holy Spirit most of the time? He suggests that we as believers drink as much "salt water" as non-believers. We all have a salt or thirst mechanism. What do we use to meet those thirsts? When you feel anxious do you call upon the Lord and ask Him to fill you or do you fill up on coffee or video games or business or texting? When you feel lonely do you turn to the Lord and say, "Lord meet my needs! help me!" or do you turn on the TV or go shopping or try to please people? What do you do to meet those thirsts? When you feel dissatisfied do you sleep? Do you eat?

He says that in our lives we are drinking salt water (sin) in ways that are socially acceptable. We drink gallons of it. We aren't drinking FRESH living water throughout our day. We use TV and food and our phones to get through our day. We rely on those things. We aren't relying on the Lord and the Holy Spirits' leading.

So what can we do to be more influenced by the Holy Spirit throughout our day?

There is no magic pill.

God only influences us to the degree that we say, "Go ahead God." God can't influence an area of our life that we refuse to turn over to him.

1. Reliance - Choosing to rely on the Lord instead of salt water.

For example, cigarette smokers light up whenever they feel the need for a hit. As christians, we should be lighting up several packs of the Lord per day. All throughout our day.

2. Confession - keeping a close account of sin

When we don't confess our sin, they begin to accumulate and we start to think that God doesn't like us or we try to stop doing it with our own power.

3. Yieldedness to God.

How can you be more influenced by God? Give God more areas of your life. In cop or detective TV shows, when the cops show up to the door- what are they trying to hide? If Jesus showed up at your house, what would you be running to try to flush down the toilet? What are you holding onto? Relationships, future, career? The extent to which you control them, you limit the Spirit's influence.

4. Praise and Thanksgiving

This is an atmosphere in your heart. Each day you have to just give God thanks and praise till you actually mean it in your heart so that you carry this attitude throughout the day. You cultivate it all day long.

5. Service.

As you start to meet other people's needs, you realize that you are being empowered by God to meet needs you didn't know you could.

6. Reading God's Word and prayer.

Each day.

7. Humbling one's self in a variety of forms and looking for opportunities to humble one's self in faith.

I think that he brings up a good point. We won't be filled with the Spirit if we don't allow it. And I won't be filled up on the Spirit throughout my day when I constantly turn to other things to try and fill me. I've been doing this A LOT lately and I feel incredibly drained, tired, frustrated, annoyed and uninspired. Watching TV shows, movies, listening to music and eating half baked brownies and Diet Dr. Pepper can only go so far to "fill" me up. At the end of the day, they fail. They always do. But God doesn't. And I know that. It's a matter of discipline to find a balance to be filled with the Spirit instead of splenda and Starbucks and Sonny's BBQ. All those things are well and FANTASTIC but not if I'm trying to find my fulfillment in them.

Might as well put this on here too

This is the family Christmas photo that was mailed out this year with my mom's Christmas cards:

printed on the photos was: "Wishing you bad hair greetings, from our house to yours!"

So with that I'd like to say Merry Christmas to everyone and I hope that you thoroughly enjoyed your Christmas season this year. Mine was good. I spent a lot of time with my family. I got to see my niece Olivia a bunch who is now 14 months old and says fun stuff like "elmo" and "bird." She also does and dance and chants, "No, no, no!" Olivia is in the photo below with me looking at manatees on my dock. Owen and I got to take my cousins Ethan and William ice skating for their first time. William (4 years old) refused to even put on his skates but Ethan really worked hard at it.

And this year, all my life's hopes and dreams came true with this...

I have always wanted a huge gummy bear like in the original Willy Wonka movie but this one was bigger than i could have ever imagined. It was blue raspberry flavored and weighed 5 lbs.

And so now I'm back in Monterrey, actually I have been for a little over a week now-- jumped right back into working with groups and going to the children's homes. My heart is pretty heavy these days with everything going on and with prayer requests for the homes that I spend the most time at. I'm begging God to just come in and save the day - to right a bunch of wrongs and to show up and show off like I know He wants to. He's God. He can do that sort of thing.

Seemed Blog-Worthy

Below is an email that my mom sent to her Sunday School class this past week. It describes how she feels about all those praying for her so I thought I'd share it (mom- hope you don't mind).

Hi, friends. I am coming up for air and inspiration again. I got out of the hospital Saturday night at 10:30 p.m. (Remember, I don't get charged for the 4th day until midnight!) I managed my nausea meds better this time, but slept a LOT every day since. And today when I went in for blood work the lab tech (whom I love) said, "Hey, it's not rocket science; you're DEHYDRATED!" so she hustled me into the friendly chemo room and they made me feel 50 times better. It's funny; I'm now looking around at the birds flying out back, and checking emails, and thinking, "Now that I'm waking up again, I will look for inspiration!" How blind of me to not focus right away my thanks and my gratitude for the holy spirit and the angels and the family members and all forces seen and unseen which did battle for me for the last 10 days when I couldn't do much for myself or see beyond the little cloud of my ailments. I could not do one day of this
treatment without the supernatural help you and I have prayed for, and which has been delivered daily, hourly, quietly, steadily. I did not even know or care who I was some of those days, but how could I have kept going without knowing God's unstinting, unlimited love for me, and his plan for me. If YOU feel a movement in your own heart and mind right now -- a conviction that he's been doing this for you too, maybe for years and years!-- then get on your knees and
pray your thanks for such love -- love that carries us through darkness and our own blindness. A spirit that prays for us when we have no words. A healer that heals our bodies, but knows even more intimately what deeper healings we need, and friends BELIEVE that he is working even now on healing your deepest hearts and souls.
So I just woke up to say I love you. I think God wanted me to remind you of how much He loves you. AMEN.

Isn't my mom cool?