Crazy Love

I just finished reading a book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan, and I have to say, it's one of those unassuming books that packed more punch than I was expecting. The concept is simple; the ramifications are far from simple - they're crazy.

Here's what crazy means (dictionary.com):

• Mentally deranged, demented, insane
• Senseless, impractical, totally unsound
• Intensely enthusiastic, passionately excited
• Very enamored or infatuated
• Unusual, bizarre

I remember the moment at the Catalyst Conference last year when someone attempted to break the world record for highest dive into one foot of water. I watched, along with the more than 12,000 in attendance as Dana Kunze, who also held the world record for highest dive at 172 feet, prepared to make the head first plunge into 12 inches of water from 35 feet, right dead smack in the middle of the convention center.

I'm sure I can speak for just about everyone there that day - our stomachs were tightened, teeth clinched, all thinking the exact same thing - "This guy's crazy!".

Let's face it, no one was really expecting this experienced diver to fall to his death right in front of the main stage where worship was supposed to take place a half hour later. To his credit, it wasn't like this was the first time he had tried something so drastic, so crazy. He must have started practicing at 3 feet, 10 feet, 20 feet, 25 feet...and so on. No one decides one day, without any real experience that they're going to break such an insane record.

Yet there was still the thought - I'm sure everyone felt it - that said, "Oh my God, this guys about to die, right here, right now!". The thrill, the anticipation, the risk of failure...we were all clinched.

A world record was made that day. Dana Kunze was the first man in the world to dive head first from 35 feet into 12 inches of water. People cheered, and no doubt, some crazy person who witnessed the event or someone watching it on YouTube is going to try to do bigger and better.

That's why records are constantly being broken - every Olympics. It's in us, deep within us, to be great. It's in us, particularly in every man, to test the limits, to risk even our own personal safety just to see if we can do something that everyone else thought was, well crazy.

Yet, upon hearing Jesus words, "Whoever loses his life will gain it", "Sell everything you have and follow me", "Love your neighbor as yourself", most tend to respond in a similar fashion to the rich young ruler. Upon listening to Jesus tell him to sell all of his possessions and give everything to the poor and follow Him, the rich young ruler went away sad. He couldn't do it. There was too much to lose.

It's as if the drive in every human to be greater, to do more, to take risks and to challenge the status quo finds its end when it's no longer about achieving notoriety for oneself.

In his book, Francis Chan makes the following statement: "If one hundred people represented the world's population, fifty-three of those would live on less than $2 a day. Which is more messed up - that we have so much compared to everyone else, or that we don't think we're rich?"

Perhaps being born into the most powerful and wealthy superpower of all time has clouded our vision as to what's really normal and what's really not. For people around the world, what we spend at McDonald's on the dollar menu every week is crazy. And still, people starve, people die because of a lack of basic needs that we take for granted every day.

I remember sharing this story with a group of young people last year. There were about 500 of them and it was a cold December night. At the end of sharing the story of the rich young ruler I told them that I honestly believed that it was not the intention of any young person listening to my words to deny Jesus if He personally asked them to give up what they had in order to follow Him. I can't imagine anyone would think of themselves as walking in the shoes of the rich young ruler and not making the right decision.

Then, came the challenge. It was a test. I asked every one of the 500 plus young people to look down at their shoes and consider their value. I asked them to consider how much their shoes meant to them, how attached they were to something as trivial as their shoes, knowing full right that most of them probably had upwards of 10 or more pair sitting under their beds in their comfortably heated and fully furnished homes.

Then I asked them to do something that I knew would be gut-wrenching. And I hate to even acknowledge how gut-wrenching it actually is - but I asked them to take their shoes and socks off and leave them at the front of the stage so that we could give them to a homeless person in the community. For one night, all I asked was that this particular group of young people would go home cold and barefoot so that someone in the community who was without for 365 days a year could be blessed and walk in their shoes.

We had an overwhelming response - hundreds of shoes were heaped at the front of the stage. But after the night was over and I watched one after another leave the auditorium and head out into the cold, snow and ice covered parking lot, I noticed that though we had hundreds of shoes left for the homeless, there were still hundreds of shoes left on the feet of those who heard the message but failed to respond.

I talked with a few of them. Each had an answer. One young girl told me her parents would be angry. Come to think about it, I never got a call from an angry parent. If I had, I would have gladly bought their kid a new pair of shoes out of my own pocket. What's crazy? Me buying a kid a pair of shoes or parents complaining that their kid gave her shoes to a homeless person?

One young man told me that he didn't want to give out of obligation and because he felt pressured and his heart wasn't really in it, he concluded to keep his shoes until God spoke to him directly.

That explanation particularly angered me. Hasn't God already spoken? How much more clearly does he need to speak? How far from the truth have we gone? How blind are we? How deaf are we? How conditioned have we become toward the need and preservation of our great wealth.

The reality is, whether we acknowledge our wealth or not, being rich is a serious disadvantage spiritually. Jesus said that it would be as hard for a rich man to enter heaven as it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. Not because the rich are bad people, but because it is so much easier for the rich to gain comfort in their wealth, to consider ways of preserving their wealth instead of ways of caring for the less fortunate, which is the message of Jesus. We are, in fact, the less fortunate, for which Jesus himself gave the most valuable and precious gift one could ever give - his very life. How much more then, can we willingly sacrifice for those who are without - without faith, without hope, without love, without the freedom of salvation in Christ?

Consider the priests of Malachi's day who thought that just because they were giving God something, it would be pleasing to Him. God rejected their offering. Why do we think it's okay to hand God our leftovers and feel no shame? We assume that God will be pleased because we give him something, yet we keep the best for our own personal gain.

Jesus doesn't say, "Come follow me and just do what you can"...No...

He tells us to dive in, head first, into seemingly 12 inches of water from a world record breaking height. He tells us to give him our best. Take risks, test Him, be crazy about it. Be intensely enthusiastic and passionately excited in what we give our lives to, what we spend our time and money on - holding nothing back.

There needs an awakening of Christianity in America. It's not going to come from people who just do what everyone else is doing. It's going to come through crazy people, people willing to challenge the status quo, take risks, dream big and follow Jesus with everything...

People with Crazy Love.

Stories from the Short North

We spent a few days in Columbus this week - Steve, Stephen, myself and a few friends and potential ministry partners...

We set up shop in the Polaris area at a really cool new hotel called Cambria Suites. If you're visiting Columbus, I'd recommend this place.

Anyway, we focused a lot of our time in the Short North arts district. It's situated between downtown Columbus and OSU. Just passing through, it's easy to overlook its glamor and appeal, but after parking our car and trekking through the snow we found it to be everything it's cracked up to be, and then some...

The Short North is overflowing with young, creative and innovative artistic types. Trendy and diverse dining opportunities, impressive art galleries, sweet coffee shops, local boutiques like What the Rock and Milk Bar...Let's just say, Stephen fell in love with the place and was wishing he had worn his blue mo-hawk! It's definitely the kind of place that's thriving with potential - a seemingly untapped market if you will.

As we walked along the street, appreciating the rich, dynamic culture that was oozing from everywhere, a friend of mine said, "Intelligent and creative people just don't like church - Church is just not smart and it's most definitely not creative".

It got me thinking. How can we, as a church, tap into the creativity and artistic passion of a place like the Short North? How can we engage the artistic community and provide outlets for them to use their talent within the church? How can the church partner with these people, these shops and support their creative passion? Maybe it's a lost cause. Maybe they're just not interested in church. Maybe it's like my friend said, church is just not smart or creative enough.

Then we met two guys that ran a sweet fashion boutique right in the heart of the district. As we combed through their unique selection and carried on a semi-casual conversation with the two owners, the question finally came up -

"So what are you all doing in Columbus?"

"We're starting a church", I said.
"What kind of church?", they asked.
"A different kind of church", I added.
"How's it going to be different?", they inquired.

We just kept it rolling. They were intrigued, interested, maybe even a bit inspired.

After a few minutes, one of the owners told us about a very prominent church in the area. He said at least 8 or 9 of his friends went there and that they all played instruments and were apart of bands and stuff in the church. I asked him if he ever went with them. His response -

"They never ask me."

"It's weird", he said. "They go to church all the time. And they're never like, yo, you doing anything tonight? You want to come to church with us? I'm always doing stuff, hanging out. Honestly, I'd go if they asked me to, but they don't. So I don't have any idea what that church has going on."

"We'll, I'm officially and personally inviting you to our church", I said.

I couldn't believe it. We left, I got their business cards. And I was at a loss for words.

For too many churches, community has become the mission. A bunch of people from this church or that church all get together and hang out, in community. They do things with each other, in community. When community becomes the mission, its easy to forget the people who are on the outside of your [church] community.

When community becomes the mission, we lose. They lose too.
We all lose.

Rather, community is a result of mission.

Mission is what drives community. Mission is what creates community. Community isn't then, a bunch of people who just want to hang out. Community is driven by people on a mission, the same mission, which brings them together, in community.

So what kind of church will we be?

Our mission is what drives us - to be a church for God, the city & the world.

Our mission is to see the lost and the hurting, the hopeless and the oppressed, the seeking and spiritually restless meet Jesus. That's our mission. And we should always be doing our mission.

The moment we just want to start hanging out together because its fun and safe, we need to hang it up, close the doors and not pretend to be a church.

A church is a community driven by mission, a mission to seek and save the lost. And the more we do the mission, the more our community will grow!

The Hills Run Red

"The Hills Run Red". No, this isn't a movie review. No, I haven't seen this movie. But if you're like me, you've roamed the isles of your local movie rental store so many times over the years, covers like this barely catch your eye. We glance past the half-naked National Lampoon College Break cover positioned right next to Madagascar 2 and then move on down the row until we find a movie fit to take home.

The other night, I decided it would be fun to take Morgan with me to the movie store. Morgan is my 2 1/2 year old daughter, and some times a little road trip is my way of getting a little quality alone time with her. Sometimes it's the book store. Sometimes it's the animal store. And sometimes it's the movie store. I thought I'd let her pick out a movie from the kids section before I picked out something for her mom and I to watch later that night. She picked out her movie in like 5 seconds flat, "The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning", or something like that.

I walked through most of the new release section. Morgan was holding my hand. Then she said the line that gets me every time, "Daddy, hold you." I hope she never stops saying that. Kids grow up so fast. I picked her up and continued walking through the new release section. I stopped in a corner and proceeded to pick up a cover that looked like a real possibility. I stood there for a few minutes reading the back of the box and trying to ask all the good questions husbands should ask when renting a movie without their wives present. Is this something she will like? When is the last time I threw in the towel and rented a chick flick? That's usually something I do once or twice a year! She's always very appreciative.

As I stood reading the cover, holding my daughter and debating my rental I noticed Morgan was zoned out, head turned almost 180 degrees. As I turned to look at what had grabbed her attention I found myself face to face with Babyface. Not a cute baby face, but that Babyface. The one on the cover of that atrocious-looking movie.

I quickly turned around, telling her not to look, but to my surprise, the faster I turned and tried to shield her eyes the faster she turned the opposite way keeping her gaze fixed on that scary cover. She was frozen. She couldn't turn away. Maybe she thought if she turned away Babyface would jump off the shelf and bite her. I don't know. I kind of thought that myself to be honest. I walked around the corner, this time glancing in every direction possible to make sure my daughter was protected from the terrible covers plaguing the entire store (never really noticed them before).

I knelt down to have a daddy talk but before I could say anything she said, "Daddy, is that guy scary? Is that guy scary daddy?" I told her that that guy wasn't real and couldn't scare her and that daddy doesn't like to see her scared. I asked her what I always ask her when she shows a little fear, "Has daddy ever let you fall? Has daddy ever hurt you?" "No", I say. "And daddy won't ever let you fall or get hurt, okay?"

We walked out of the store and for the next few days she's asked about the scary man. When I was taking her from Red Robin to the book store she asked me if the scary man was going to be there. She's mentioned him a few times and usually every time she mentions him she says, "But he's not real daddy, he's fake." I can tell though, that she's still a little worried about the scary guy on the cover showing up somewhere while she's playing or taking a nap.

I saw the loss of innocence that day. I saw evil present itself to my precious little girl. I saw fear sting her through her eyes. And I've watched the effect of that one small, seemingly insignificant moment over and over as her mind continues to hit rewind and those images continue to surface. And I can't do anything to stop it.

Then I had to wonder, is that what Jesus feels?
It must be.

Jesus was there in the beginning when evil presented itself to his perfect and innocent creation. He watched his spotless creation become tainted and dirty, shameful and painfully aware of their nakedness.

The love He must feel for us, and yet the horror.

Jesus is there every time the thought of lust rises up within me. It must pain him so deeply. Jesus is there when we are led down the dark paths temptation often takes us. Paths of addiction, paths of selling ourselves short in order to feel accepted, paths of risky behavior, paths of binging to quench our feelings of insignificance, paths so shameful we could never utter the words, paths so lonely nobody must understand.

But like a father, Jesus doesn't stop loving us. If anything, He loves us more. Like a father thrust into protection mode to shield a little girl from the things he knows will hurt her, Jesus must be moved to do the same.

Ultimately, we sin because we choose to sin. But truly, we were born into this mess. Truly, we were made innocent and sinless. Truly, our Creator has a perfect and painless plan for us. And though we choose to sin, and though we often make it harder on ourselves than we have to, rather than feeling condemnation and judgment, rather than feeling unworthy of God's love and mercy and forgiveness, we need to find a way to trust that God's love is beyond our ability to fully understand.

If we could just picture Him like a father in a movie store trying to shield the eyes of his child; if we could just picture Him as a father who, rather than moved to anger is moved to a deeper and more passionate love for his children; if we could just picture Him as a father who hurts so deeply because of the pain He watches His children endure and inflict upon themselves...

I imagine that when Morgan is a mommy with children of her own, I'm not going to see an independent and imperfect 30-something year old. I'm going to forever see that 2 1/2 year old beautiful and perfect little girl saying with innocent eyes, "Daddy, hold you."

I imagine that's how Jesus sees us.

I'm not loved because of my perfection. I'm loved, because in my imperfection, I find freedom and wholeness, forgiveness and safety in a Savior who never stops loving me but whose love continues to grow deeper and deeper, until I am fully rescued and forever free from the evil and sin and imperfection of where I now stand.

God Speaks Through Screen Savers

It was Monday night. I was sitting in a small apartment with 10 friends. We were talking about our up-and-coming move to Columbus. We've committed to each other to follow the call of God and plant a church there this year. We've seemed to have found a nice routine for our Monday nights. After having fasted the whole day, we meet together at six and share a meal to break the fast and celebrate God. We talk about our day, share exciting stories and spend a lot of time dreaming about what "could be" upon our move to C-town.

There's always a book we're reading as a group to help us develop as leaders and think outside the box, and every Monday night we spend a significant amount of time sharing what we learned. Then, we usually take a bit of time and talk about the pressing needs that each person has and pray for those needs. There are homes that need sold, jobs to be found, weddings to be had, money to be raised; it's quite overwhelming actually.

Then it hit me. Toward the end of an extended time of prayer, while listening to an itunes playlist I created full of The Glorious Unseen and Desperation Band's best worship choruses, my macbook's screensaver turned on. The song, "Overcome" by Desperation Band was playing and images of creation were slowing fading and zooming in and out. I gazed at the beautiful images and absorbed the words being sung.

"Seated above, enthroned in the Father's love. Destined to die, poured out for all mankind. God's only Son, perfect and spotless One. He never sinned but suffered as if He did. ALL authority, EVERY victory is Yours!"

I was taken back to the first night I had sung this particular song at Epic. I remember the power, the presence. I remember the hundreds of young people flooding the altar area, crying out to God for deliverance, to overcome their addictions. I remember feeling like I was in heaven, like God was right there, like we had somehow tapped into something divine.

Then I began to think about the road ahead. Columbus. A new Church. A vision to re-claim a lost generation. A City with 100,000 college students. One of the youngest cities in America. One of the best cities in America for singles. A Church that breaks the mold. A Church that ROCKS the city. A Church for God, the City & the World!

"Power in hand, speaking the Father's plan. You're sending us out, light in this broken land."

It amazed me, as I gazed at the pictures. God is so BIG. Where is Columbus in these pictures? Where is the earth when you zoom out and compare it to the rest of the universe? Even our great planet seems insignificant and small. How much more are our needs insignificant to God? The things we fear, the things that hold us back, the things that keep us from moving forward. What do they look like to God Who made all of this?

Yet, we are not insignificant to God. What we do is important. What God has called us to is great. Yet, our needs? The things we fear? If God can put all of this into place and make it work flawlessly, He can surely put us where He wants us and take care of all of our great, insignificant needs!

"Savior, worthy of honor and glory. Worthy of all of our praise, You overcame! Jesus, awesome in power forever. Awesome and great is Your name! You overcame!"

It's done. Fear of failure, fear of losing what you have, fear of the unknown; Jesus gave it all. All we have to do is trust and obey. Everything else will fall into place, just like the cosmos of creation.

The Decade From Hell

No doubt, my favorite time of year is the Christmas season. But perhaps even more exciting than that is what follows. I am addicted to those “year in rewind” shows, and every channel’s got them!

The Top 10 Political Scandals of 09, The Top 10 Most Influential People of the year on Oprah, The Top 10 Music Videos on VH1, MTV and CMT, The Recap of Jon & Kate Plus 8 on TLC, The Weather Channel’s Worst Disasters of 09…and the list goes on.

So it seems natural that, at the dawn of a brand new decade, we look back at the previous one, if for nothing else but for a little reflection.

The new millennium was ushered in with every soul on planet earth crossing their fingers. Y2K was coming, or was it? Scary right? We had no idea what scary really was! It wouldn’t take long though to figure out; the most obvious, of course, was the September 11th terrorist attacks, no doubt the most pivotal moment of the last decade, and probably in American history.

I remember that day clearly. I had just finished a college class and decided I’d run to my car and zip to Taco Bell to grab some lunch before my next class. When I got to the parking lot it was so flooded with cars I couldn’t get out of my parking space. My first concern, of course, was the Taco Bell I most likely wouldn’t get to eat in time. Then, someone yelled out of their car window for me to turn on the radio. “America was just attacked”, they shouted. I turned on my radio and like everyone else, sat in disbelief. Could it really be? Needless to say, I forgot about the Taco Bell.

I had just joined the Air National Guard a few months earlier. I never saw this one coming. I didn’t answer my phone for a week. I was afraid of the inevitable, and the inevitable did finally come for me just a few weeks before Christmas. The dreaded orders had arrived. I was going to Afghanistan, by request of the President himself.

To reflect on the rest of the last decade makes my head hurt. No wonder Time Magazine titled their December 7, 2009 issue, “The Decade From Hell”. There was the first Wall Street crash from failing tech stocks in 2000-2001. The September 11th attacks led us into a global war on terror, including Iraq and Afghanistan. We had Anthrax letters, the D.C. snipers, the Wall Street scandals of Enron and WorldCom. Then right smack in the middle of last decade, in 2005 was the worst natural disaster in American history, Hurricane Katrina, which killed 1,500 and cost more than $100 billion in damages. The slow response and chaos that followed was nothing short of disastrous.

The housing bubble is something Katie and I are personally paying for. Come to think of it, you are too. We all are. I read that the bailouts cost every American nearly $45,000 each. Yeah, you’re paying for it too. Our house has depreciated so much in value in the last 6 years from when we bought it that to sell it will equate to significant loss for us. Any renters out there? We're moving...

Wages are dropping, unemployment is soaring and Americans living below the poverty line increased to 13.3% in 2008. And our financial trouble is affecting the entire world. But it’s not just financial problems we’ve faced the last 10 years…

There were more mass shootings and school shootings like the Virginia Tech murders (32) and the recent attack on Fort Hood, than in any other decade. There were more large-scale terrorist bombings around the world in this decade than in any other. There were the never-ending Political Sex Scandals, Drug and Steroid Scandals by some of our favorite Athletes and Olympians, the Crash of the Auto Industry, soaring Gas Prices, Color-Coded Threat Levels, Abu Ghraib, Scott Peterson, Bird flu, Swine flu, (My flu, Your flu), Global Warming, Larry Craig, Bernie Madoff, Ahmadinejad, a $1.75 trillion deficit for 2009 alone, H1N1, Ted Haggard…shall I go on?

Of course, we as Christians are immune to this stuff right? After all, we live under the blessing of God. We are set apart. Aren’t we? Quite the contrary. We are set apart, but we are not immune nor should we act like we are.

To whom much is given, much is required.

As Christians, we stand at the brink of incredible opportunity. Are we outward focused, concerned and consumed with bringing light and hope into a dark and desperately lost world? Or are we inward focused, concerned about the effects of the world reaching its’ cold ugly hands into our families and homes?

What has the message of the church been this last decade? “The American Church is in DECLINE”. “Only 4% of this generation are Bible-Believing Christians”. “The American Church is following in close step with Post-Christian Europe”. “The American Church is dying”.

These messages may be true, but let’s not miss the moment. Yes, the Christian church is in decline. Yes, it’s been one hell of a decade (pardon my expression). Yes, we are definitely feeling the effects, in our churches, in our homes, in our families, in our wallets.

I’ve preached these messages. I've preached these messages with passion! I believe them. I believe that the church is in decline as much as I believe all of the other stuff I've posted in this blog.

But I also believe that the message isn’t that the church is in decline.

The message is really, “The Church is About to Dominate”.

Everyone likes to root for the underdog. Why? It’s exciting. Everyone likes a challenge. Everyone likes to see someone or something that looks like a lost cause come from behind and win. Thing is, we only look like the underdogs at the moment. Let's stop believing Christian America is a lost cause. It just looks that way right now.

So, as we look back at the last decade, and we look ahead to the start of a brand new decade, we stand at the brink of the greatest opportunity the church has ever seen.

In the midst of uncertainty, in the midst of a global war against fundamentalist terrorists and evil dictators, in the midst of a financial meltdown, in the midst of a church in decline,

Our finest hour awaits.

Join the movement.
Seize the moment.
Let’s not rewrite history; let’s create history.

What's it going to take from you? Where's the urgency? Where's the passion? Where's the selfless sacrifice? We are called to be a light to the world, a city on a hill that cannot be hidden or shaken. We are called to be catalysts of change, movers and shakers.

In the darkness is where the light shines the brightest.

This is the finest hour the church has ever lived.

We will rise.

We will dominate.

We will win!

Bald Little Black Girl

Her name is Anabell Nayelly Palma Mera.

She's a 6 year old little girl who lives with her mom in a small costal fishing village on the northeastern part of Ecuador. We've never met.

The information on the card is minimal. She likes dolls, going to church and is considered an average student in her kindergarden class.

But then what? What else? What else is there to know about the little girl in this picture?

This card was just one of many cards buried beneath thousands of others in a worn out cardboard box at the Catalyst Conference I attended a few months ago in Atlanta. There were no hecklers. There were no extravagant pleas for sponsorship. There was just a small table where all of the other tables were, all of the other tables that gave away free t-shirts and materials to get gullible people like me to buy their product. After all, that's why we go to conferences right? To hear speakers talk about interesting topics and then leave with a bunch of products that we don't need and that we'll never use.

At this table though, there was no product. There were no free samples to take home. Just card after card after card after card. Story after story. Picture after picture.

I have to admit, Compassion International is no stranger to me. I've been to at least a dozen conferences, concerts and events where Compassion set up the same small table. I even hosted a Worship Together Seminar at a church once. And guess who was there, with that same table covered in cards? Compassion International.

I remember spending a lot of time at their table talking to the representative. After all, he was setting up in my church, at my conference. He was nice. He had full sleeves (tattoos covering both arms for those who need to know the definition of sleeves) and gigantic spacers (earrings that stretch out the earlobes to near catastrophic extremes) and a fohawk that put mine to shame (think Ryan Seacrest). Not to mention he could definitely pull off the skinnies a lot better than I could (super tight jeans), which is much of the reason I've shelved the skinnies, at least for the winter until I can manage to shed a few pounds.

But back to the table, with the Compassion guy. He talked about how much he loved his job, traveling and supporting the cause of Compassion's kids. And what else, he didn't try to sell me or guilt me into sponsorship. Maybe he figured the pictures spoke for themselves. I mean, how anyone can stand by a Compassion table and stare at the faces of those precious children living in the most unfortunate and godless conditions and not feel the urge, the urgency, the overwhelming conviction and compassion to open up their wallet and bring one of these beautiful children into their lives is, I dunno, dead?

But who am I to judge right? I mean, dozens of opportunities passed me by. Maybe I wasn't compelled because I didn't take the time to really look, to listen, to obey. Interestingly enough, as I passed the booth at Catalyst, having just signed up for an annual subscription to the mighty Catalyst Filter, a resource for church leaders that includes being shipped the Aqua Box 4 times a year, I felt the urge, a conviction really. Here I was, spending a hundred dollars on an Aqua box that will ship me books and CD's I probably either already have or don't really need anyway, and there are pictures of children covering this table, desperate children, each with a story, a need, waiting for me to respond. So I stopped.

I asked the representative to find me a little girl, knowing that my 2 1/2 year old daughter would relate best to sponsoring a little girl closest to her own age. They began searching through a vast pile of cards and handed me two, both of which had big red letters stamped across the front, "Urgent Care Needed". That meant, I was told, that these two little girls had been to many conferences and concerts and events where many Christians had walked past the table and failed to stop.

Compassion is unique in that their cards aren't mass produced. Quite literally, each card is only produced one time, with one photo of one real child in need. What you see if what you get. If someone takes a card home, or worse yet, takes a card and tosses it in the trash, that one, real, special child in desperate need doesn't get sponsored. It can take months, even years for a child to reenter the system; time that many of these children just don't have.

So there I stood with two cards.

On one card, a bald little black girl from Africa; where exactly in Africa? I didn't look.

On the other card, a 6 year old hispanic girl from Ecuador, who looked a lot more like my own little daughter, with hair and all. So with little thought, I handed the other card back and signed up to sponsor Anabell. I wrote out my credit card information and checked the box for automatic withdraw so as to keep myself from not following through or keeping my pledge.

With my $35 dollars a month this little girl is going to be able to go to a Christian school and spend her entire childhood learning about Jesus. With my $35 dollars a month she's going to have access to medical treatment and other Christian-based programs for her and her family. And, she's going to be apart of our family. As I write this, we've begun preparing our special Christmas gift package that we're going to send her in just a few weeks. And, we'll correspond with each other. Her picture is posted on our refrigeration. I told my daughter Morgan that Anabell is her new big sister. Hopefully, in a few years I'll even be able to afford to take my family to Ecuador to meet Anabell and spend time with her and her family.

But there's something else. Something that's haunted me.

Something I haven't been able to get out of my mind.

It's that bald little black girl from somewhere in Africa.

I didn't even bother to read her card. I made a split-second judgment and chose Anabell, because she had hair. I passed on the bald little black girl because I thought my daughter would connect more with a little girl that looked more like her.

Before, having never sponsored a child, I felt okay about my life, like a good little Christian. After all, I've devoted my entire life to ministry, to helping people. The tricky thing about doing the right thing is that sometimes you suddenly realize how much of the wrong things you do. It's like, I had participated in something so pure, so honest, so heavenly that a light was illuminated inside of my heart.

It was as Isaiah 58 says, "Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon."

The motivation, the judgment, the inadequacy, the complacency; I could see it all.

And the little bald black girl from Africa; I couldn't get her out of my mind. Then I thought, what if Jesus had treated us the way I treated those two little girls?

What if, while on the cross, he looked down at me and said, "I don't relate with that guy - PASS". "That girl's gonna have an abortion - PASS". "He's going to abuse his wife and children and end up in prison for rape - PASS". "She's going to live her entire life and never realize the plans I have for her - PASS". "He's going to be selfish and ignore me - PASS".

Truth is, thank God he didn't. Jesus willingly gave his life for me, for you, for each insignificant one of us. He gave without judgement, without condition, without blinking an eye and without an ounce of second guessing. And Jesus' message for us, for Christians, for Christ-followers is not that we seek out life, but that we give out life; not that we seek out blessing but that we become the blessing; not that we demand sacrifice but that we become willing living sacrifices for the sake of his Kingdom and the good of others.

There's something illuminating, something pure, something heavenly about taking care of the needy. Jesus told the rich young ruler who had everything and had apparently kept all of the commandments since his youth that there was just one thing he was still missing, to sell his possessions and give to the poor.

A few weeks ago I received a gift from a friend. It was book and inside the front cover read, "For the guy who has everything". It's true. I have everything. And most of you do too.

I'll never know the name of that bald little black girl from Africa.

I'll never know if she was sponsored or not.

I'll never know if she grows up to know Jesus or if she dies of starvation or disease before she becomes a teenager.

But I'm only one person.

And Jesus' message to love the poor and lay down our lives wasn't just for me. It was for you too.

Jesus said in Matthew, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven."

It's more than hundred million dollar churches.

It's about loving the way Jesus loves.

It's about sacrifice and giving.

It's about meeting the needs of people.

It's about changing lives.

Maybe you're beginning to feel the urge, the conviction, the compassion to reach out this Christmas. There are children waiting. Perhaps, even the bald little black girl I passed by. I'm no representative for Compassion International, just a guy who feels the urgency to do what's right and ask others to do the same. There's always an excuse. There's always more time.

Try telling that to the 8-year-old Pakistani girl who was quoted in Newsweek as saying, "I want to have an easy job. A job where nobody hits us or hurts us."

I bet she could really use a friend. I bet she could really fall in love with a God who's sons and daughters opened their arms and wallets to her in a tangible expression of His love. And there are millions. What are you waiting for? Do something.

http://www.compassion.com

Hundred Million Dollar Churches

I just finished reading a great book with a group of friends. The book is called, “Jesus Wants to Save Christians” by Rob Bell. There are probably a thousand statements in the book that I could use for a blog topic, but I've picked just one that had significant impact on the way I view my faith and my responsibility as a Christ-follower. So here it is:

“Jesus wants to save [Christians] from shrinking the gospel down to a transaction about the removal of sin and not about every single particle of creation being reconciled to its maker.”

America makes up less than 5% of the world’s population yet controls 20% of the world’s wealth.

One billion people in the world do not have access to clean water, while the average American uses 400-600 liters of water a day.

Every 7 seconds, somewhere in the world a child under age five dies of hunger, while Americans throw away 14% of the food we purchase.

40% of people in the world lack basic sanitation, while 49 million diapers are used and thrown away in America every day.

Americans spend more annually on trash bags than nearly half of the world does on all goods.

Never before in all of human history has the world seen a superpower as wealthy and as powerful as The United States of America. We have more at our disposal than any people group anywhere at any time has ever had. So here’s the premise of the book (something that will make you think):

Empires accumulate.

Accumulation gives birth to Entitlement.

Entitlement demands preservation.

Preservation is self-serving.

Preservation is costly.

The US accounts for 48% of global military spending. Less than 5% of the world’s population purchases nearly half of the world’s weapons. If we can spend a trillion dollars on a war, what else we could spend a trillion dollars on?

Most of the bible is written history told by people living in lands occupied by the superpower empires of their day. So it’s very difficult then to fully grasp and understand the Bible when we read it as a people born into the most powerful and wealthy empire the world has ever seen. We’re reading it from the privileged side of power, the opposite side from which most of the writers of the Bible lived.

I heard a pastor this week talking to his church about the need for some of his people to move out of their most attended and crowded service which is no longer growing because there are just not enough seats, to a different service time of which they offer quite a few, so that their church could continue to grow and reach more unchurched people for Christ. Sounds like a simple request, but do you think people are really moving by the droves to give up their seat at their service for someone else? Why should they? After all, they were there first. Why can’t they just encourage the new people to attend one of the other services?

A few weeks ago, while Katie and I were traveling, we caught an interesting story on the national news. They were talking about a church, a Christian church that spent more than 100 million dollars (one hundred million, in case you thought that was a misprint) on their worship center. Who am I to judge what another church spends their money on? After all, they’re a much larger church than any I have ever attended which means they have more money coming in every week which means they have more money to spend which means they can throw 100 million dollars into a church building that looks pretty and makes the Christians who go there feel very privileged. The question I have to ask though is, if we can spend 100 million dollars on a church building, what else could we spend 100 million dollars on?

It’s complicated I know. We are privileged. And yes, God has blessed America. We should be grateful and continue to expand and grow and influence. The problem is, blessing can become a burden, a curse, if it’s not handled God's way. We are made a blessing not for accumulation and self-gain but to be a blessing to others.

Christianity is so much more than a simple transaction about the removal of sin.

“To cities filled with the homeless and impoverished, Christianity offered charity as well as hope. To cities filled with newcomers and strangers, Christianity offered an immediate basis for attachments. To cities filled with orphans and widows, Christianity provided a new and expanded sense of family. To cities torn by ethnic strife, Christianity offered a new basis for social solidarity.” –Rodney Stark, Historian

Christianity is living life as Christ lived life. Christianity is standing up for the weak. Christianity is taking care of the widow and the orphan. Christianity is remembering our redemption through Jesus on the cross, remembering our Exodus as people who were once in exile and separated from God brought back into relationship with God through Jesus’ selfless sacrifice.

Christianity is remembering, remembering where we came from, remembering that we, who were once dead in our transgressions, have been made alive in Christ.

Christianity is identifying with the hurting, the sick, the poor, the oppressed and the suffering, even if the suffering is happening in another world, another place far from the comforts of our own privileged homes.

Christianity is movement, action. Christianity is to be embraced and expressed through selfless sacrifice and sacrificial giving. Christianity is lived.

So there it is. What do you think?

I think Jesus wants to save Christians from the exile of irrelevance.