Jamaica :: Stories

Jamaica Missions Trip 2011 from Palm Valley Church on Vimeo.

Jamaica :: Friday Wrap-up

It's amazing what can happen in just one week. Over the past several days, we've seen God begin to do some tremendous things within the lives of the young people who gathered from around the community of Greenvale, just outside the city of Mandeville, Jamaica.

We finished up with about 150 people (not including helpers/leaders) ranging from 2-years-old to seventy-something. While the majority were under 20, there was a group of adults that showed up each day from the community to take part in the activities, as well as join in a class specifically for adults.

Today (Friday), as we wrapped up the week, each age-group came to the stage with a song, skit or summaries of what they have learned this week. This indeed was a special time.

Tonight, tears began to flow out of the eyes of many as we sat around worshiping, praying, reflecting and sharing about this week's experiences. Each of us is extremely grateful and honored to have been able to share the Gospel and our very lives with those we've encountered this week, not to mention getting to know some of the Rio Grand's very best...

Below are a few pictures from the past few days...

Palm Valley Team after ministering at Deaf Fellowship.

Jamaica :: Wednesday

Today was another great day of ministry. More and more chairs are added as children keep coming. The entire tent is now full of chairs - which I have to admit is a beautiful sight. We have two more days in the mornings with the children.

Continue to pray for hearts to open up to the powerful message of the love of Christ and what it means to follow Him.

Thursday night, we minister at Mandeville Deaf Fellowship. This is a gathering of Deaf adults from around the city of Mandeville and beyond. Pray for clarity of communication along with the Strength of God's Spirit to minister...

Here's a few Pict's from today...

Mari is amazing with these little ones...!

Jamaica :: Triple Tuesday

Triple-Tuesday... There were about 55 children and young adults who joined us Monday. Today (Tuesday), we had over 130. Nearly tripled the number of kids in 24-hours. Crazy! What’s so exciting is how many of these are not Christ-followers or even know what that means, much less “go to church.”


Tonight, the team experienced a powerful time worship, prayer and sharing together. We feel that tomorrow is going to be significant, especially for the ten-years and older folks. We are praying that many will experience a “moment” with God. After tomorrow morning’s teaching there is going to space for the older ones to reflect and pray. Pray with us that God will help us communicate clearly and powerful, and that the Holy Spirit will speak ever so specifically to each individual in a life transforming manner.

Sunday morning, Sylvia shared her story of discovering the reality of God in her everyday life after many years of devout religious rituals. She then talked about what walking by faith has looked like in her very recent life transitions. As she shared the remarkable ways God directed her paths for this coming fall, you could sense encouragement and hope being released into the hearts of those currently experiencing challenging and difficult times.

Ministry in Jamaica...

It was just before 8:30 this morning. 

Children begin trekking up dirt paths, crooked roads and step hills toward the site of this weeks Bible Camp in the small township of Greenvale (Jamaica). 

For some, this was their first time stepping foot on the property of where this church gathers. The church meets on a small plot of property under a tent.

 

Day 22 of Lent :: Unstoppable

“They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
(Revelation 12:11)

Many of us have never been ridiculed for our faith.  Some of us have been called holy-rollers or have been looked at as old-fashioned or have experienced the rolling of eyes by a co-worker.  This is a far cry from being abused and persecuted for the cause of Christ.  Many people enjoy the freedom of personal prayer in open places and enjoy public gatherings for the purpose of worship, but this is not the case in numerous places in the world.  In fact, an average of 171,000 Christians worldwide are martyred for their faith each year.1  For countless Christ-followers, taking up their cross means being disowned by family members, being discriminated for employment, and/or suffering violence.

From the beginning, the followers of Christ have suffered.  Around 34 A.D., one year after the crucifixion of Jesus, a young disciple named Stephen was stoned to death.  Martyrdom for Christ was prevalent in Jerusalem during this period.  Over the next several decades, all but one of the twelve Apostles were martyred for their faith. 

Here is what history records:
James the brother of John was killed with a sword during a persecution initiated by King Herod. (44 AD)
Andrew was hanged on the branch of an olive tree. (circa 70 AD)
Doubting Thomas was thrust through with pine spears, tortured with red-hot plates, and burned alive. (Circa 70 AD)
Philip went to Phrygia where he was tortured and crucified. (54 AD)
Matthew was beheaded. (Sometime after 60 AD)
Bartholomew was flayed (skin stripped from his body) for refusing to deny Jesus.  When that did not kill him, he was crucified. (70 AD)
James the lesser was taken to the top of the Temple, and refusing to deny Jesus, he was thrown from the roof.  He survived the fall, so a mob beat him with clubs until he died. (63 AD)
Simon the Zealot was crucified by orders of the governor of Syria. (74 AD)
Judas Thaddeus ministered in Mesopotamia where he was beaten to death with sticks. (72 AD)
Matthias, who replaced Judas Iscariot, went to Ethiopia and was stoned to death while hanging on a cross. (70 AD)
Peter (according to Eusebius, a third-century historian) thought himself unworthy to die in the manner in which Jesus was crucified, so he requested that he be crucified upside-down.  (Circa 67 AD)
John the beloved is the only disciple who died a natural death, but that does not mean he was exempt from persecution.  According to historian, Tertullian, John was plunged into boiling oil in a Roman coliseum, yet suffered no effects from it.  He was then banished to the Isle of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of the Revelation, and died an old man. (Circa 100 AD)

Persecution did not slow the growth of the Church during the first few centuries after Christ died.  As its early leaders suffered horrible deaths, Christianity flourished throughout the Roman Empire.  It is estimated that 70 million people have been martyred because of their faith in Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Spend time throughout the day praying for our brothers and sisters around the globe who are suffering as a result of their faith in Jesus Christ. 

 The following are a few things to pray for them:

To have physical protection and deliverance
To speak the right words to fearlessly make Christ known
To know God’s grace as sufficient and God’s power is perfected in their weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
To love Christ’s appearing
To rejoice in sharing the sufferings of Jesus
To faithfully endure by more completely trusting in God
To choose ill-treatment and the reproach for Christ’s sake, rather than the pleasures of sin
To overcome sin
To love Christ far more than life itself
To love their enemies
To not enter into temptation, even under the stress of      persecution
To rejoice that they are considered worthy to suffer for His Name
To demonstrate the joy of the Lord before their persecutors
To focus on their future glory
To rejoice that they bear in their bodies the “brand marks of Christ.”

Action: To learn more about the persecution of Christians around the globe visit: www.persecution.com, www.persecution.net, and www.idop.org. 

1 Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (2006).

Day 20 of Lent :: Accepting the Cross

“A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, 

was passing by on his way in from the country, 

and they forced him to carry the cross.” 


(Mark 15:21)

We can only imagine the awful weight of the cross Jesus carried.  It was not just the weight of beams of wood that pressed down upon Him. It was also the weight of the burden He carried for those whom He loved.  He came to offer them life, and they returned death.

Jesus fell from the crushing weight of pain and grief; how many times He fell, we do not know.  We do know His physical strength was failing because the soldiers recognized it and forced a man from the crowd to help Him carry the cross to the place where He would be crucified.  Perhaps the soldiers were afraid that He would die before reaching the top of the hill.  Simon, the man of Cyrene who picked up Jesus’ cross, was just a bystander who paused on his way into town, but without hesitation, he took the weight of the cross to save Christ’s strength.

Reflection: I would like to think that had I been there, I would have rushed from the crowd and volunteered to carry that cross for You.  But, would I have had the courage to face the Roman soldiers and risk being forced to join You on a cross?   Would I have really been so eager to share Your cross if it meant that I might have to die on one as well?  

Would I have been willing to risk everything to ease Your suffering for a few moments, letting You know that You were not alone?  Or would I stayed away because “I have my own crosses already.  I have as much as I can bear without taking on the added burdens of others.”  Too, what would people think of me, if I were seen consorting with criminals and enemies of Rome in such a public spectacle? 
So instead of offering to help, would I have tried to become invisible in the crowd?  When the soldiers were looking around for someone to press into service, would I have looked away and pretended not to notice what was happening?

It is easy to pretend not to see the needs, the grief, and the suffering around me every day.  It is easy to pretend not to hear the cries for help that come in many forms from those among whom I walk every day.   It is easy to convince myself that I am too busy, too tired, or have too much on my plate already to get involved in the lives of others.  There are simply too many who need too much.

And yet I remember something You said, something about taking up my cross and following You.  You said something about becoming a servant of all and putting myself last and others first. 
Is this what it means to be a servant?  Jesus, are You showing me what it means to be that kind of servant?  Is this man from Cyrene modeling for me the path of discipleship?

Must Jesus bear the cross alone,

And all the world go free?

No, there's a cross for everyone,



And there's a cross for me.


(Sam Cooke)

Prayer: “Lord, forgive me for becoming so preoccupied with myself that I have become deaf and blind to the grief and suffering of those around me.  Forgive me for my indifference.  Forgive me for covering my eyes and looking away from the needs of others.  Heal my callousness that has caused me to become numb to others’ pain and hurts.

“Constantly remind me, Lord, that I cannot love You without loving others as well.  Help me always remember that to be a follower of Yours means that I share in the burdens of others.  Help me see these burdens and begin to extend my hands to help.  Lord, show me someone whose cross I can help carry.”

Day 18 of Lent :: A Different Kind of King

“They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt in front of Him and mocked Him.
‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ they said.”
(Matthew 27:28-29)

Reflection: Jesus, I cringe at the pain of the thorns, but I am wounded far more deeply by the humiliation and degradation You suffered.  The very thing You came to offer us as a gift, Your Kingship, became a thing of ridicule by the Roman soldiers.  The crowds thought of a King in terms of power.  You came to be a King Who shepherds His people, Who takes responsibility for their well-being, Whose principles are faithfulness, justice, and righteousness.  And yet, people are not always ready for that kind of King.

I would like to think that I am ready to follow You, Who offer a Kingdom of peace and love.  But am I?  Am I willing to yield my ideas of what the Kingdom should be and accept the role of a servant?  Am I willing to give up my human preoccupation with power and control, and then accept a crown that is different from what I was expecting?

You accepted the Cross in the midst of mockery; You could have refused it.  What more could they have done to You?  You began this journey knowing full well where it would lead, yet I hear no words of complaint, no protestations of innocence, no cursing the injustice.    You accepted Your cross without self-pity.[i] 

In contrast, I am so prone to complain and whine about the most trivial things.  Other times, the things I face in my life are more than trivial; troubles bear down upon me, and I easily slip into self-pity.  Too often, I assume that I am the only one who bears a cross, or that my cross is larger and heavier than any others.  This is not true.  People around me often bear far more than I must bear.

Prayer: “Lord, forgive me for forgetting that in my weakness I am driven to trust You, and in that trust I become strong: ‘Your power is made perfect in my weakness.’ (2 Corinthians 12:9) Forgive my attitude of self-pity that makes me more repulsive than lovable.  I do not ask for crosses to bear, but when they come, give me the strength to bear them as I follow Your example.”

---

[i] The devotional thought for Day 18 & 20 were inspired by Dr. Dennis Bratcher. http://www.crivoice.org/stations.html.

Day 15 of Lent :: Helping the Helpless

“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
(Psalm 34:18)

Today, may our attention be drawn to some of those in the world who could use a voice speaking on their behalf.  May our awareness first turn us to prayer, and then, perhaps, to action.  There are many in the world who need a voice. Let us consider one large population that often goes unnoticed.

According to the United Nations, twenty-seven million individuals are held as slaves throughout the world.  Of those who are trafficked across international borders, it is estimated that seventy-percent of them are women and young girls who are being sold into prostitution.  One million of these are children who are brutally exploited by the global sex trade.  This is not a new reality.  According[i] to the organization, Unite for Children (UNICEF), these numbers have been consistent for the past thirty years.  This means that two children have been sold, raped, and resold, every minute of every day for the past thirty years.  Thirty million children lost to the villainy of injustice is no small number to ignore, nor is the thirty-two billion dollars accumulated annually from human trafficking.

"If we respect the image of God in other persons,” writes Ron Sider, “we must give them what is their due.”[ii] If we are truly "ambassadors" for God, then the Gospel should, in some way, compel us toward prayer and action. (2 Corinthians 5:14-21)

Prayer: The realties of injustice in the world are astounding, and God’s heart breaks for such atrocities.  Christ died to bring healing to the broken, and the Church has a responsibility to extend this healing to the world.  Spend time praying for those who have no voice raised in their defense.

Learn more: Visit the website of International Justice Mission (www.ijm.org) to learn more about what is happening in the world and what others are doing to become voices for justice.

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.
~James 1:27

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[i] www.unicef.org

[ii] Ronald Sider, Justice, Human rights, and Government, 164

Day 14 of Lent :: Becoming a Voice

“What is that to us?”
(Matthew 27:4)

Silently Jesus stood before Pilate, choosing not to speak or offer a defense for Himself.  Although Pilate could find no fault in Him, no one rushed to offer testimony on Jesus’ behalf.  None defended Him. 

There have been times in our own lives, when things did not go our way.  We have known the unfairness of life.  We too, have had situations where we wished someone had spoken up when we were being treated unfairly.  

Reflection: Perhaps I, too, have treated others unfairly.  Have there been times when I should have spoken up for others when they needed a voice?  When people around me have been treated unjustly, have I had the courage to come to their defense?  When people around me have felt alone and abandoned, have I been there for them? 

Lord, forgive me for not always being who I should be.

It is easy for me to condemn the moral cowardice of Pilate.  But have I ever given into pressure from others to take the easy path rather than the right path?  Have I ever deliberately chosen the easy path over the right path?

Prayer: “Jesus, in Your silence there is a quiet strength that reveals a peace and a resolve.  God, help me deal with the unfairness of life without becoming critical of others.  Help me be sensitive to the pain and feelings of others.  Give me the courage to do what is right without being swayed by the demands of others.  Give me eyes to see those in need.  Give me a voice to speak up on their behalf.  Let me be Your Voice.”

Headed towards the Farm...

"An African Christian described it to me this way: “You Americans think of Christianity as a farm with a fence. Your question is, ‘Are you inside the fence or outside of it?’ We Africans think differently. We think of Christianity as a farm with no fence. Our question is, ‘Are you heading towards the farm, or away from it?’ “The church’s identity is not defined primarily by its edges, but by its center: focused on Christ, the sole source of our identity, no intruder poses a threat." ~Almost Christian, 65.

Free Audio Book :: Ministries of Mercy: The Call of the Jericho Road

Why would someone risk his safety, destroy his schedule, and become dirty and bloody to help a needy person of another race and social class? And why would Jesus tell us "Go and do likewise"? Like the wounded man on the Jericho road, there are needy people in our path- the widow next door, the family strapped with medical bills, the homeless man outside our place of worship. God call us to be ministers of mercy to people in need of shelter, assistance, medical care, or just friendship.

This month, christian audio's free e-book is Ministries of Mercy: The Call of the Jericho Road by Tim Keller.

Keller uses Luke 10, the parable of the Good Samaritan, as the paradigm for the church’s understanding of mercy. He seeks throughout the book to answer the question the expert in the law asked to Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”, by explaining the parable and bringing the rest of Scripture to bear on the question.

Some of the questions Keller addresses in the book include:

• Is everyone called to mercy, or only those who are gifted in mercy?
• Should I show mercy to my neighbor even if I don’t feel like it?
• Didn’t the poor just get themselves into the mess they’re in? Do they really deserve my help?
• Is it ever merciful to withhold giving to someone?
• How do sharing the gospel verbally and living out the Christian life balance?

The first half of the book deals with the principles of mercy ministry, and the second half gives some practical ways you can start putting the principles into action at the church level.

Free Book :: The Hole in the Gospel

This month, christianaudio.com is offering the book "The Hole in Our Gospel" by Richard Stearns as a free audio download.

In a Christian world represented by private individual relationships with Jesus, altar calls, and personal holiness, Richard Stearns asks, "Is there a hole in our gospel?' Stearns states, "If your personal faith in Christ has no positive outward expression, then your faith – and mine – has a hole in it."

How Christianity Transformed Civilization :: part 3

Imprints of Education

“These commandments that I give you
today are to be upon your hearts.

Impress them on your children.
Talk about them when you sit at home
and when you walk along the road,
when you lie down and when you get up.”
(Deuteronomy 6:6-7 NIV)

“The fear of the LORD
is the beginning of knowledge.”
(Proverbs 1:7 NIV)

“Every school you see – public or private, religious or secular – is a visible reminder of the religion of Jesus Christ. So is every college and university,”[i] writes Dr. James Kennedy in his book What if Jesus had Never Been Born?. He continues,

“This is not to say that every school is Christian. Often the exact opposite is true. But the fact is that the phenomenon of education for the masses has its roots in Christianity. Nor is this to say that there wasn’t education before Christianity, but it was for the elite only. Christianity gave rise to the concept of education for everyone.

From the beginning of Christianity, there has been an emphasis on the Word of God. This grows out of its strong Jewish roots, since Christianity is derived from Judaism. Christians have often been called the “people of the Book,” which implies a literate people. Dr. J. D. Douglas, general editor of The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church, writes: “From its beginning the religion of the Bible has gone hand in hand with teaching. . . Christianity is par excellence a teaching religion, and the story of it’s growth is largely an education one. . . as Christianity spread, patterns of more formal education developed.[ii]

Many of the world’s languages were first set to writing by Christian missionaries in order for people to read the Bible for themselves. Similarly, a monumental development in the field of human learning was the printing press. Johann Gutenberg (1398-1468), was the first to develop a movable type printing press that made it possible to mass produce books. Gutenberg is reported to have said, “I know what I want to do: I wish to manifold [print] the Bible.” To achieve this, he “converted a wine press, so it pressed pages onto the type blocks.”[iii]”

“While Christians were not the first to engage in formal teaching activities in school-like settings,” writes historian Alvin Schmidt in Under the Influence: How Christianity Transformed Civilization, “they appear to have been first to teach both sexes in the same setting.”[iv] Schmidt continues,

“Given that Christianity from its beginning accepted both men and women into its fold and required that both learn the rudiments of the Christian faith, both men and women were catechized before being baptized and received into church membership. Furthermore, catechetical instruction commonly continued after baptism.”

Instructing both men and women, as the early Christians did, was rather revolutionary. Although there is no unanimity among historians, many indicate that the Romans before the birth of Christ did not formally educate girls in literary skills. Their schools, says one educational historian, apparently only taught boys – and then only boys from the privileged class – in their gymnasia, while the girls were excluded.[v] In light of this ancient practice, Tatian, once a student in one of Justin Martyr’s catechetical schools, proclaimed that Christians taught everybody, including girls and women.[vi]

Formally educating both sexes was also largely a Christian innovation. W. M. Ramsay states that Christianity’s aim was “universal education, not education confined to the rich, as among the Greeks and Romans…and it [made] not distinction of sex.”[vii]

Christians taught individuals from all social classes and ethnic backgrounds, especially in preparation for church membership. There was no ethnic bias.

The most significant move in the direction of universal education occurred with the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century. Martin Luther and John Calvin both advocated for universal education. Calvin’s Geneva plan included “a system of elementary education in the vernacular for all, including reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar, and religion, and the establishment of secondary school for the purpose of training citizens for civil and ecclesiastical leadership.”[viii] Martin Luther, along with co-worker Philipp Melanchthon successfully persuaded the civic authorities to implement the first public school system in Germany, which was tax-supported.[ix]

Thus, the desire to have public tax-supported schools, whether wise or not, even in a society where Christian values predominate, has its roots in the thinking of prominent Christian reformers like Luther, Calvin, and Comenius. Although public schools have by now become totally secularized, especially in the United States, they originated with individuals who were motivated by the love of Jesus Christ, whom they wanted taught for people’s spiritual and material benefit.

In addition, it was Christian ministers who were responsible for bringing Sign Language to America and developing educational schools for the Deaf. It was also a Christian man by the name of Louis Braille, who by 1834, gave to the world of the blind six embossed dots, three high and two wide, for each letter of the alphabet. So that Braille’s accomplishments don’t seem divorced from any influence of Christianity, listen to what he said as he lay on his deathbed, “I am convinced that my mission is finished on earth; I tasted yesterday the supreme delight; God condescended to brighten my eyes with the splendor of eternal hope.”[x]”

Finally, let’s look at universities.

The best evidence indicates that universities grew out of the Christian monasteries. However, given the powerful influence that secularism now has on most Americans, they are probably not aware that “every collegiate institution founded in the colonies prior to the Revolutionary War – except the University of Pennsylvania – was established by some branch of the Christian church.”[xi] Nor are most Americans aware that in 1932, when Donald Tewksbury published The Founding of American Colleges and Universities Before the Civil War, 92 percent of the 182 colleges and universities were founded by Christian denominations.

Catechetical schools, cathedral schools, Episcopal schools, monasteries, and medieval universities, schools for the blind and deaf, Sunday schools, modern grade schools, secondary schools, modern colleges, universities, and universal education all have one thing in common: they are the products of Christianity. Individuals in Western societies spend many years in schools, colleges, or universities, but they have learned very little about the contributions Christianity has made to education, so highly treasured today. In the absence of this knowledge, it is not only Christianity that has been slighted, but Jesus Christ as well. Were it not for him and his teachings, who knows what stage of development education would be today?

Consider the following excerpt written by Dr. James Kennedy[xii]:

While more than 200 years of Christian education in this country produced a .04 percent illiteracy rate, what has public and increasingly secularized education succeeded in doing? In spite of the fact that more than a trillion dollars have been poured into the educational system, what has happened? The illiteracy rate has increased 32 times. Today, we have 40 million illiterates! In addition there are an estimated 30 million more functional illiterates in this country.

A report entitled A Nation at Risk, released by the U.S. Department of Education in the 1980’s, sums it up well: “If an unfriendly foreign power had attempted to impose on America the mediocre educational performance that exists today, we might well have viewed it as an act of war. . . we have, in effect, been committing an act of unthinking, unilateral educational disarmament.”[xiii]

Pray: Take a few moments and pray for our local school
system.

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[i] Kennedy, What if Jesus had Never Been Born?, 40.

[ii] Douglas, The New International Dictionary of the Christian Church, 330-331. Quoted by James Kennedy, What if Jesus had Never Been Born?, 41.

[iii] Hyatt Moore, ed., The Alphabet Makers: A Presentation from the Museum of the alphabet, Waxhaw, North Carolina, (Huntington Beach, CA: Summer Institute of Linguistics, 1990), 13. Quoted by James Kennedy, What if Jesus had Never Been Born?, 43.

[iv] Schmidt, Under the Influence, 172.

[v] Kenneth J. Freeman, Schools of Hellas, (London: Macmillan, 1922), 46. Quoted in Under the Influence, 172.

[vi] Titian, “Address of Tatian to the Greeks,” in The Ante-Nicene Fathers, 2:78. Quoted in Under the Influence, 172.

[vii] W. M. Ramsay, The Church in the Roman Empire Before A.D. 170, (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1893), 345. Quoted in Under the Influence, 172.

[viii] Lars P. Qualben, A History of the Christian Church, (New York: Thomas Nelson and Sons, 1958), 270. Quoted in Under the Influence, 176.

[ix] Douglas H. Shantz, “Philipp Melanchthon: The Church’s Teacher, Luther’s Colleague,” Christian Info News, (February 1997). Quoted in Under the Influence, 179.

[x] Etta DeGering, Seeing Fingers: The Story of Louis Braille, (New York: Julian Messner, 1951), 11. Quoted in Under the Influence, 183.

[xi] Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times, (Rockville, Md.: Assurance Publishers, 1984), 157. Quoted in Under the Influence, 190.

[xii] Kennedy, What if Jesus had Never Been Born?, 55.

[xiii] A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform, A Report to the Nation and the Secretary of Education, United States Department of Education by The National Commission on Excellence in Education, (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Eduation, 1983), 5

Martin Luther King Jr :: Inspiration for Injustice

Martin Luther King Jr was a phenomenal individual. Recently, I listened to a series of talks about his teachings and writings. King was far from perfect, and controversy still stirs regarding elements of his life. Yet, the reality of the message of injustice was and still remains to be seen as a powerful display of truth.

If we took these same truths, that lead to a reshaping of America and applied them to the far reaching regions of the world, we would find ourselves living in a different world indeed.

Here are a few of my favorite sayings by Martin Luther King Jr.

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.”

“In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”

“Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek.”

“Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon.
which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it.
It is a sword that heals.”

“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

The moral arc of the universe bends at the elbow of justice.”

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

“We must use time creatively.“

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

The Realities of Human Trafficketing

A friend of mine, Mike H., put this 7 minute video together. It is worth educating yourself on the disturbing reality of this subject. Maybe there is something you can do to help?



To learn more about modern-day slavery, you can download the audio book Not For Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade - And How We Can Fight It for free.

Just Courage: God's Great Expedition for the Restless Christian

As followers of Christ we invited to journey toward the call to live a life of adventure. Such an invitation moves us beyond a stationary position on the sidelines of life. We are invited to enter the adventure of bringing justice to this planet.

This month Christian Audio is giving away a free audio book that lays out this awesome opportunity each of us have to join in and be a part of something much bigger than ourselves. The book is Just Courage: God's Great Expedition for the Restless Christian by Gary A. Haugen.

Go here to download the book for free through the end of October.

Changing the World One Shoe at a Time

Many aspire to do something worthwhile. Others pray for some sort of mission or purpose to make a mark on the world. And, many have simply given up on attempting to make a difference at all.

Sometimes all it takes for hope to emerge for one to think that they can actually make a difference is personal contact with the one's in need. Such contact often leads way to compassion. Compassion when cultivated with vision creates a momentum of change.

This is exactly what happened to Blake Mycoskie, a former contestant of "The Amazing Race." While competing in Argentina two things transpired. While walking through the local shops he was inspired by the simplicity of the low-cost shoe known as alpargatas (espadrille-type shoes). At the same time, he was struck by the overwhelming number of children who were running the streets shoeless.

Once compassion converged with inspiration a vision emerged to put shoes on these marginalized children. The idea of TOMS Shoes was born. The concept was simple, for every shoe TOMS sold to a customer, they would donate another pair to a child in need.

How cool is that? I buy a pair of shoes and I know I've also bought a pair for a child who doesn't have a pair of their own. In three short years, TOMS has put shoes on more than 200,000 children.

Talking about taking a step to make a difference... I think I found my next pair of new shoes...

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Free Audio Book: Not For Sale

Slavery isn't merely a black scare found in the history books of a bygone era. It's alive and thriving today. The miserable reality is that there are multitudes of modern slaves who cook, clean, sew and build our world. Unfortunately, in return many turn a blind eye to their situation or even their existence. David Batstone takes a stirring look at what's happening in our world today and how we can join in the abolishing of this reality.

An audio version of this book is available free through Christianaudio.com. Download.

Who can turn down free stuff? Below is a link to a description of the book.

Not For Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade - And How We Can Fight It.

The publisher notes that, award-winning journalist David Batstone reveals the story of a new generation of 21st century abolitionists and their heroic campaign to put an end to human bondage. In his accessible and inspiring book, Batstone carefully weaves the narratives of activists and those in bondage in a way that not only raises awareness of the modern-day slave trade, but also serves as a call to action.

With 2007 bringing the 200th anniversary of the climax of the 19th century abolitionist movement, the world pays tribute to great visionary figures such as William Wilberforce of the United Kingdom and American Frederick Douglass for their remarkable strides toward framing slavery as a moral issue that people of good conscience could not tolerate. This anniversary serves not only as a commemorative date for battles won against slavery, but also as a reminder that slavery and bondage still persist in the 21st century. An estimated 27 million people around the globe suffer in situations of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation from which they cannot free themselves. Trafficking in people has become increasingly transnational in scope and highly lucrative. After illegal drug sales and arms trafficking, human trafficking is today the third most profitable criminal activity in the world, generating $31 billion annually. As many as half of all those trafficked worldwide for sex and domestic slavery are children under 18 years of age.

The Gap between Christ and Culture

Recently as a staff, we've been dialoguing about God's intended design for the local church within the community it is located. We have envisioned, re-envisioned, brain stormed, mind-mapped, debated, disagreed, agreed, prayed and raked through passages of Scripture over this question. It continues to be a shaping influencer on the development of the church we believe God has called us to be.

Kary Oberbrunner in his soon to be released book The Fine Line: Re-envisioning the Gap between Christ and Culture, makes a thought provoking observation.

“Every generation
must answer the most basic ethical question of the Christian faith,
‘What does it mean to be in the world,
but not of it?’”

As the quote indicates, this isn't a new question, yet it is one that every generation not only has or should ask, but often one that many generations has struggled to answer.

This is The Fine Line. Kary explains,

“...Our difference from the world,
not our similarity to it sets us apart.
But even though Christ followers are called to be different,
we’re also called to transform the world.
Here lies the tension.
We can’t be so far removed from the world
that we lose contact,
and we can’t be so much like the world
that we’re no different from it...”

If you're interested in pursuing parts of this book before it is released, you can download and read a sample chapter here.

Interview with The Fine Line author Kary Oberbrunner

Pre-order The Fine Line