Love until you forget yourself.

A great article by Will Braun from Geez Magazine covers some of the points I have been pondering of late. I often wondered - in light of recent political debates, activist acts, and mega-church programs - what happened to "love thy neighbor as thyself?"
Braun makes a very good point, "If my involvement in a conflict makes me a more bitter and caustic person – rather than a more humble and creative person – my approach is probably askew. As another test, I like to consider whether the way I treat my adversaries would make them likely to feel comfortable approaching me if they were ever to jump ship."
How often are we keen to note that about ourselves?And we wonder why there aren't more Christians.
As Brennan Manning said, "The Greatest single cause of Atheism in the world today are Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and walk out the door and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is simply what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable."
Are we loving our neighbor? Are we loving our enemy? We say hi to the Jones next to us and ask them to tea and thats it? Of course not.
I'm writing this, not because I think Christians don't know it, but because we may need encouragement to get out and do it. Let us truly fear the Lord!
Visit the inmate, feed the hungry, clothe the poor. *
By the way, if there is a comfortable distance between you and "the poor," or you and your rainforest-cutting-fossil-fuel-burning-arch-nemesis, then lose it. Either saddle up right next to them or get off your high-horse and wallow in the mud together (its great for your complexion) - And I gotta practice what I preach, myself!
Let us be Christians or die trying.

*We are accepting donations for Myanmar cyclone victims - boxes of clothes and (food if we can get it in the country) and any other supplies the Lord puts on your heart. Please email me if you have anything.

Taking Christ at His Word

I was chatting with Drew over lunch, which we should all do more of (with each other, and with Drew - he's full of gems that come out over a spread at TGIFs) and the convo went something like, "I prayed for God to open my eyes and show me my sins," says I. "Yeah, didn't think that one through did you? God is faithful to give, remember? Bet He wholloped you one, didn't He?" Oooh, yes, indeedy He did.

The more we talked about it, it kind of occurred to us that seeing our own sins so we can repent of them is good, but staring them down is not repentance. Repentance means turning away and not looking back.
I was getting down because I saw my own filth and realized, I'm still looking at myself and not at the Light!
Jesus came to make us free of our sins, not just to show us better what they were! He opens our eyes not so that we would be more afraid once we knew the bog we were wallowing in, but so that we might see and thank the Man dragging us to safety.
Now I realize its time to stick my hand out to others wallowing as well.

Shane Claiborne said once, "Pastors were telling me to lay my life at the foot of the cross, but not giving me anything to pick up."
So, my big question. How can a man, married with children (brum da daa dum, brum da daa dum (hum along)) like myself give his life up for Christ and yet still take care of his family? My wife sure won't go for moving to Calcutta and living in a shanty with Meg on a dirt floor while we feed the poor. There must be a way for us men to live for Jesus - and take the things He said seriously - and to make a difference here in Tokyo, one of the bigger cities of the world. There is much to do here, the harvest is ripe!