Wonderings and Wanderings

Since Tuesday afternoon, our hearts and thoughts have been held captive by the aftermath of the 7.0 earthquake that rocked Haiti to its core. As stories are told and media is shared, we are seeing the awful reality of the death and destruction that is the reality now for the millions that call the area around Port au Prince home.

It is so heartbreaking to imagine what these men, women, and children are going through. It is unfathomable for most US citizens.

And it is just one more thing to happen to a country that has endured disaster after disaster and years of abject poverty.

Each evening as I head to bed  I think about the thousands that are still buried alive in the rubble and have yet to be found. People who, hurt or not, are in complete isolation and have been wondering for 50+ hours if anyone will find them or if they are slowly taking their last breaths in their personal tomb.

Each day I think of the family members who do not know what has happened to their loved ones. If they have perished or if they are still alive under the rubble.  I imagine someone who has received a miracle text from someone buried under levels of a building knowing that there is absolutely nothing they can do.

Each day I think of the humanitarian workers who have worked tirelessly in Haiti for years only to see everything devastated in a matter of minutes. I think of the Haitian, who against all odds, built themselves a life and a business and provided for their family and in mere seconds, they are back to ground zero.

In the days months ahead, may we continue our faithful and ceaseless prayers. May we be generous with our money.  And may we commit to staying the course with Haiti in the years of recovery to come.

Gracious, Emmanuel. Grant peace in the midst of the chaos and pain in Haiti. May Your light shine in all the darkness that covers this land.  Give miraculous strength to all relief workers, humanitarians, and volunteers.  Flood the Haitians with your love and comfort and may you soften our hearts and move us to action out of love for our brothers and sisters. Amen.

Being home sick today gave me a lot of time to think about what today was going to be like for my youth. I was praying last night and today for you. Praying especially about the ramifications of Elizabeth Olten’s murder, for the things that would be said about the accused, for the many rumors and harsh words that would be said.

That was before I even learned about the death this morning of Bill Currie, a teacher at JCHS.

I hurt that you have to face such difficult life issues ever – but especially at this age.

But I can’t protect you from things that happen because the world is made of people who make mistakes, people who hurt others, people who are selfish and hurt others when they are hurting.

God never promised that bad things wouldn’t happen. From the moment God made the choice to let us choose whether to love God or to love self, sin has been a heart-breaking problem. Not just for humans but for God as well. God grieves with those that are hurting. God was with Elizabeth during that horrible evening and was heartbroken for what she was going through but also because someone else that God created was the one causing the pain. No matter what you hear, God does not cause bad things to happen.

I believe God also grieves at the way people are reacting to this tragedy. I’ve not seen such hate and lynch-mob mentality in this area before. The things people have said and have written about the 15-year-old suspect are fueled by fear, anger and hate. They are not the voice or heart of God.

I want to challenge you not to join in on these behaviors. Don’t be one who makes vicious statements about what should happen to the person who killed Elizabeth. Don’t be the one who says at the cafeteria table that you hope she gets what she has coming. Don’t be the one who points and says mean things to those who befriended her. They have enough that they are dealing with during this time.

Instead, keep your eyes on Christ and model him in all your words and actions. Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. And don’t assume what that vengeance will look like. It isn’t ours to decide.

In the hallways of JCHS, we need to see Christ more than ever. That only happens when you, Christ’s ambassadors, commit to being the hands, feet, words, and heart of Jesus. When you are tempted to hate, pray. When you are tempted to say something disparaging about someone, say something kind instead. When people preach hate, preach peace.

“Confess your weaknesses to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. ” James 5:16

An event a couple of years ago that made a huge impact on many folks was the forgiveness given by an Amish community against a man who killed five innocent children. They also helped the killer’s widow and children. Their forgiveness was so different, so unique that it brought so much attention on that issue. By their forgiveness, not only were they able to heal over time, more importantly they were able to glorify GOD in all things. Read about it here.

May we also have such a witness.

I love you.  And I’m praying for you and our community.

I saw a man die on Oprah yesterday.    It wasn’t of embarrassment.  It wasn’t a character in a movie.

It was a real man. A young man.  A man who had a name I do not know.  A man who had a family and dreams,  I suppose.   Maybe both of these had died long before.

I was watching her show because she was telling stories of women in the world.  Women who have made a difference.  Women whose lives had been changed.  An African woman who dreamed great dreams and made them all come true. An Indian woman who had taken a loan and built a business that bought her freedom and respect.  A Congolese woman who spoke with courage about being raped in a culture where you don’t speak of being raped.

Then, in the midst of footage from the DR of Congo, where they recorded the woman’s courageous telling of her rape, there it was. Maybe ten seconds in a montage of other footage.

Two rebels in fatigues holding a young man in ragged clothes at the edge of a bridge.  One solider had his feet.  The other his hands.  As the man twisted and cried out with desperate pleas, they threw him over the side of the bridge.

This wasn’t a movie clip.  There wasn’t a mattress or inflatable waiting at the bottom to break his fall.

And then to make sure they had ended his life, they slid their guns from their shoulders and fired repeatedly into the water below.

Ten seconds over.  On to another scene.

But this scene replays over and over in my mind.  I was and am physically sick.

I’m not oblivious to what is happening in the world.  I’m removed but not oblivious.  I read books by survivors of unspeakable atrocities. I follow news reports and organizations like Invisible Children and Falling Whistles that fight to end these wars in central Africa. I write my government leaders telling them it must be a priority to end these wars. I show movies that tell the stories of Night Commuters, Glue Boys, and young men like Sunday to my youth and challenge them to get involved.  I’ve been to Kenya twice, will return two more times this year, and have talked with people who have scars from machetes or family members that only exist in memories and stories because their lives were stolen.

But this. This ten second clip cut through all those and went straight to the heart.

His horrific murder was captured on video and that intimate moment was shown to 7 million plus individuals in the world.

As a f—— passing clip.

Oh God, how could you possibly forgive us for sitting by while this is happening.

I saw a man die on Oprah yesterday.  Today many, many more die in silence from our silence.

Please, please help me make some noise.

1.  Learn about what is happening in the Congo.

2. Sign a petition to get President Obama’s attention that this must stop.  Arrest Joseph Kony, end the war, and help restore the regions of conflict and rehabilitate the people that live there.

3.  Call, email or write your members of Congress.

4.  Share this with your friends and family members.

I’ve had some late nights recently. That happens during seasons of my life when I have a lot on my mind. Why the brain doesn’t choose to work in the daytime, I have no clue. Perhaps there is just too much noise and only in the silence of the night can my mind get my attention. The silence grabs my face in its hands and forces me to look.

Part of it is the incessant “to-do” list – a barrage of reminders of tasks that have to get done in the fleeting days I have remaining until the summer hits and I’m gone nearly as much as I am home. I keep getting surprised by something that pops up that I had forgotten. This leaves me a little unsettled regarding what else I may be forgetting that just hasn’t “popped up”.

I’m also torn between the irrelevance of some (many) of the tasks in light of the realities for so many around the world. Extreme famine and drought in parts of Eastern Africa. Continued abduction and slaughter of children in Uganda, Sudan, and the Congo. Innocent civilians who suffer from the power struggles of leaders. Young girls – some as young as 6 or 7 – who are sold for sexual acts with men who get off on evil that is unspeakable.

There is so much that breaks the heart of God. We are taught to keep it at a distance, to bury it, to hide the ugliness.

Because when you see it for yourself, feel it for yourself, taste it for yourself … you can never forget.

Or can you.

Speaking from experience, I confess you can.

Set aside 36 minutes and watch this video.

You must watch it.

They cannot wait any longer.

Came across a neat twitter today called @Tweetvo.  Every day you get a devo in 140 characters or less that you can text or tweeter to others.  It’s a great tool for youth ministry.  Here is just one sample from Feb. 27th.  Love what it says:

Christian convictions vary & thatz OK*B Tru 2 wut God convix U about & let God convict others*Your job is 2 luv & let th Spirit convict

Wish more people would follow this – including myself.  So easy to take your own convictions and impose them on others but that is not what God instructs us to do.

Headed to Springfield, Missouri, tonight for an event.  Last year I read a great book by Ron Hall and Denver Moore titled Same Kind of Different As Me. Outstanding book about the deep friendship that developed between Ron and Denver.  Denver was a homeless man who met Ron when Ron and his wife began volunteering at the local homeless shelter.  It was his wife’s idea and passion but it truly changed Ron’s life.   Tonight they are speaking in Springfield, Missouri, at an event to support the local homeless shelter in Springfield, Victory Mission.  I’m so looking forward to hearing them in person.

On Thursday, March 5th, find a local theatre to see A Powerful Noise.  Take part in this exclusive International Women’s Day event on March 5, 2009, featuring the acclaimed documentary film, A Powerful Noise, followed by a live town hall discussion to 450 movie theatres. This event begins at 7:30pmET/ 6:30pmCT/ 5:30pmMT/ 8pmPT. Panelists include: Madeline Albright, Natalie Portman, Nicholas Kristof, Christy Turlington Burns, and Dr. Helen Gayle.  I’m taking a group to the film in Columbia, MO.  If you want to go, let me know.  Cost is $15.  We leave at 5:30 pm and will be back around 9 pm.

Maybe you’ve heard by now or have seen this in stores recently but Lifeway Christian Stores have done it again in their quest to play the role of Holy Spirit in the lives of readers.  In January, they put this disclaimer on their website and began placing “Please Read with Discernment™.” stickers on select books by select authors.  (Please note the trademark on that phrase.)

Shouldn’t everything be read with discernment?  If not, then we could save a lot of money by returning to a few select religious leaders having the only copies of the Scripture and just telling us what it says.  (Hmmm.. wait a minute… that sounds familiar.) Of course, that would impact sales as well so perhaps not. To their credit, Lifeway does state that:

While we recognize that almost every title requires some measure of discernment, certain titles should clearly be read with extra discernment.

Who has earned this sacred sticker indicating the need for extra discernment?  Well, so far, the lucky winners (in no particular order) are Rob Bell, Donald Miller, and Brian McLaren.  Bell is most known for Velvet Elvis, Miller for Blue Like Jazz and McLaren for … well, several heretical works that encourage loving God, loving others, and kingdom living this side of death.  The nerve…..

I only wish that these stickers had been on these books when I first discovered them.  Perhaps I wouldn’t have bought every book currently published by each of these authors.   I would have saved money and an entire row on my bookshelf for safe, Lifeway-Spirit endorsed books that can teach me that God wants to bless me with money and stuff; that I was destined by God to buy that book by that author on that day; that I’m not fulfilling my purpose in life by staying single and childless; and that I want to be like Kirk Cameron and not be left behind.

Unfortunately, there were no stickers available at the time I saw those flashy titles calling to me from the various displays.  I love Jazz and the Smurfs.  How could I not pick up a copy of Blue Like Jazz? Jazzy Smurf was one of my favorites.  Imagine my surprise when I started reading.  And don’t get me started on Bell and McLaren.

Without the aid of the discernment labels, I was exposed to such unsound theology as:

• God is love.
• God is mysterious.
• It isn’t about me.
• Jesus wasn’t joking when he said “Love God with everything and love your neighbor. Everything hinges on these two commandments.”
• The Kingdom of God is the here and now, not just the everafter.
• The grace of God shows no partiality and has no limits.
• Penguins have good sex.

Thanks a lot, Lifeway.  It’s too late now.  I’m obviously screwed up.