So,
I don't know how many people are actually reading this thing, but I have a favor to ask of you...
One of the guys that I have been mentoring since December is looking at 20-120 years in prison. It's probably best not to say why, but I know he could use your prayers right now.
There is a possibility that his case will be thrown out of court for some things the D.A. did, and he is going to court on May 2nd for a hearing to have his charges dismissed. He is fully aware that he has made many mistakes and done many horrible things, but he has made a 180 turn in his life.
Last Friday he was told that he needed $7-10K to be prepared for his trial this week. He doesn't have that much money, and had resigned himself to going to prison.
Just before he was told this by his lawyer, he went and spoke to a private school for at risk and homeless kids about how Jesus was/is working in his life. The kids stayed and talked to him for 2.5 hours, and he was really convicted that he needed to continue conversations with them.
This morning he received a phone call from a family friend that they were going to give him $8K for lawyer fees. Praise God!
The prayer request, then, is that God would continue to work in him. He wants to stay out of prison so that he might impact people before they get there and help them turn their lives around. We have both submitted my friend's future to God, who is all-knowing and sovereign. Pray that God would continue to sustain my friend in this process as God reveals to him what is in store for the future.
Blessings.
j
Monday, April 28, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Compassion
"Jesus in his solidarity with the marginalized ones is moved to compassion. Compassion constitutes a radical form of criticism, for it announces that the hurt is to be taken seriously, that the hurt is not to be accepted as normal and natural but is an abnormal and unacceptable condition for humanness."
--Walter Brueggerman
Oh, that we could live in a world defined by compassion. The beauty that comes when we seek the well-being of others before ourselves. Paul reminds us in Philippians that we are to consider others more than we consider ourselves. And as we do so, we look more like Christ.
May this day be one where we long for the redemption of our neighbors AND our enemies. May we commune with Christ in His compassion for them and for us.
--Walter Brueggerman
Oh, that we could live in a world defined by compassion. The beauty that comes when we seek the well-being of others before ourselves. Paul reminds us in Philippians that we are to consider others more than we consider ourselves. And as we do so, we look more like Christ.
May this day be one where we long for the redemption of our neighbors AND our enemies. May we commune with Christ in His compassion for them and for us.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
the breakup
So, as you may have heard, Rachel and I broke up.
I don't know. It was hard/is hard. Sometimes the best things in life are also difficult (not always, but it seems to be a running gag in my life anyway).
Just so you know, the official reason is poor communication. We just seemed to keep missing each other when we talked. And we seemed to communicate things with our actions that didn't line up with our words. And we heard things that were not the intention of the other.
The truth is this: I always wanted the best for Rachel. Throughout our time together, several people told me that I needed to stick it out, and that of course touched on my own fears of lack of commitment, but I trust that this really was in her best interest. I desire for her to be more like Christ, and feel that the best place to do that might not be in this relationship.
Sunday night I preached on suffering. It's never a fun topic, but seems to be one that I preach regularly. In the midst of it, I began to see how sometimes the most loving thing to do in the midst of suffering, the most redemptive and compassionate thing, is to leave a situation. The key to that is, it cannot be about us when we do. We cannot demand our rights, pound our fists, and throw a temper tantrum. I pray that my intentions were pure in this. Who knows besides Jesus.
And I see how many times in my life, Jesus has allowed me to wander so that I might be closer to Him. He has taken a step back and allowed me to enter into the painful places of my own demise so that I might be redeemed. He has been gracious enough to allow me to learn.
And I hope that for Rachel and myself...that through this pain, we might learn.
I don't know. It was hard/is hard. Sometimes the best things in life are also difficult (not always, but it seems to be a running gag in my life anyway).
Just so you know, the official reason is poor communication. We just seemed to keep missing each other when we talked. And we seemed to communicate things with our actions that didn't line up with our words. And we heard things that were not the intention of the other.
The truth is this: I always wanted the best for Rachel. Throughout our time together, several people told me that I needed to stick it out, and that of course touched on my own fears of lack of commitment, but I trust that this really was in her best interest. I desire for her to be more like Christ, and feel that the best place to do that might not be in this relationship.
Sunday night I preached on suffering. It's never a fun topic, but seems to be one that I preach regularly. In the midst of it, I began to see how sometimes the most loving thing to do in the midst of suffering, the most redemptive and compassionate thing, is to leave a situation. The key to that is, it cannot be about us when we do. We cannot demand our rights, pound our fists, and throw a temper tantrum. I pray that my intentions were pure in this. Who knows besides Jesus.
And I see how many times in my life, Jesus has allowed me to wander so that I might be closer to Him. He has taken a step back and allowed me to enter into the painful places of my own demise so that I might be redeemed. He has been gracious enough to allow me to learn.
And I hope that for Rachel and myself...that through this pain, we might learn.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Evangelism [cont]
So, again from my readings today...found it HIGHLY encouraging
In any case, when I think of the act by which I should enter the Church as something concrete, which might happen quite soon, nothing gives me more pain than the idea of separating myself from the immense and unfortunate multitude of unbelievers. I have the essential need, and I think I can say vocation, to move among men of every class and complexion, mixing with them and sharing their life and outlook, so far that is to say as conscience allows, merging into the crowd and disappearing among them, so that they show themselves as they are, putting off all disguises with me. It is because I long to know them so as to love them just as they are. For if I do not love them as they are, it will not be they whom I love, and my love will be unreal. I do not speak of helping them, because as far as that goes I am unfortunately quite incapable of doing anything as yet.
How much truth is there in the statement, "For if I do not love them as they are..." The beauty of the love of Christ should overflow from me, and people should be seen as they are, made in the image of God.
We must learn to acknowledge the faith that IS present, as opposed to challenging any absence of faith. God is present in everyone, and is present everywhere. It is our job, then, as partners WITH Him to reveal His presence in the places where He already resides. And this is done only through genuine love for another.
go forth into the activity of this day as companion of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen
In any case, when I think of the act by which I should enter the Church as something concrete, which might happen quite soon, nothing gives me more pain than the idea of separating myself from the immense and unfortunate multitude of unbelievers. I have the essential need, and I think I can say vocation, to move among men of every class and complexion, mixing with them and sharing their life and outlook, so far that is to say as conscience allows, merging into the crowd and disappearing among them, so that they show themselves as they are, putting off all disguises with me. It is because I long to know them so as to love them just as they are. For if I do not love them as they are, it will not be they whom I love, and my love will be unreal. I do not speak of helping them, because as far as that goes I am unfortunately quite incapable of doing anything as yet.
How much truth is there in the statement, "For if I do not love them as they are..." The beauty of the love of Christ should overflow from me, and people should be seen as they are, made in the image of God.
We must learn to acknowledge the faith that IS present, as opposed to challenging any absence of faith. God is present in everyone, and is present everywhere. It is our job, then, as partners WITH Him to reveal His presence in the places where He already resides. And this is done only through genuine love for another.
go forth into the activity of this day as companion of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen
Monday, April 21, 2008
Evangelism
So I preached last night. You can download it here
In the midst of the sermon, I realized that I have done a disservice to people around me who don't know Jesus, and that sucks. I have presented a truth claim to them without presenting Jesus; a way of thought without Jesus. It has been about being right, and not about the way of reconciliation.
In that process, I have begun to realize this morning that what has been missing is love. Do I truly care about those around me who are hurting and desperately need Jesus, or am I more concerned about adherence to a thought system?
It is my hope to show people the love that Christ has for me. And to be filled with compassion.
So, here is my aim: to live in such a way that my encounter with the love of Jesus is evident to all. I must sacrifice my ideology for love. And I must sacrifice my feelings of comfort for the reconciliation of others.
I must publicly live out the love of Christ for me.
"Another picture that our Lord loves to use is that of the shepherd who goes out to look for the sheep that is lost (Mt. 18:12). So long as we imagine that it is we who have to look for God, then we must often lose heart. But it is the other way about: he is looking for us. And so we can afford to recognise that very often we are not looking for God; far from it, we are in full flight from him, in high rebellion against him. And he knows that and ahs taken it into account. He has followed us into our own darkness; there where we thought finally to escape him, we run straight into his arms."
In the midst of the sermon, I realized that I have done a disservice to people around me who don't know Jesus, and that sucks. I have presented a truth claim to them without presenting Jesus; a way of thought without Jesus. It has been about being right, and not about the way of reconciliation.
In that process, I have begun to realize this morning that what has been missing is love. Do I truly care about those around me who are hurting and desperately need Jesus, or am I more concerned about adherence to a thought system?
It is my hope to show people the love that Christ has for me. And to be filled with compassion.
So, here is my aim: to live in such a way that my encounter with the love of Jesus is evident to all. I must sacrifice my ideology for love. And I must sacrifice my feelings of comfort for the reconciliation of others.
I must publicly live out the love of Christ for me.
"Another picture that our Lord loves to use is that of the shepherd who goes out to look for the sheep that is lost (Mt. 18:12). So long as we imagine that it is we who have to look for God, then we must often lose heart. But it is the other way about: he is looking for us. And so we can afford to recognise that very often we are not looking for God; far from it, we are in full flight from him, in high rebellion against him. And he knows that and ahs taken it into account. He has followed us into our own darkness; there where we thought finally to escape him, we run straight into his arms."
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