Did you ever think much about that phrase in the Lord's prayer, "Give us this day our daily bread?" For myself, I've been so blessed that I've never had to pray for my next meal. I can remember a few times in Africa when funds were very sparse and I had to plan very carefully to get through. I've never had to pray this way for my own needs, though.
The needs of my Big African family are another thing altogether. It seems we've had to continuously pray that God would provide enough to go around for those needs. Recently we became aware that the budget we could supply for Haven of Hope for one month met their food needs for only about one week. Of course we discussed with them every conservation method we could think of to stretch the food & the budget. We increased their budget the little bit that we could. We instructed our leaders there to make the need known to local churches in Ghana. And we began to pray and ask others to do the same.
We've received some very generous responses from American friends. We've learned of children planning to give their Vacation Bible School offerings this year toward food. We've had several Ghanaians also make generous donations. Today I learned that a local chicken farmer there donated significant quantities of eggs and promised to continue doing so on a regular basis. We are so very thankful to everyone, and especially to our great God who lays it on the hearts of His people to give. Thank you all.
Maybe God lets us experience need so that we will look to Him and depend on Him more fully. If so, it's working! So, Lord, give our Haven of Hope family their daily bread. And don't forget our faithful staff and volunteers and all the other children we are helping in every country. You know their daily needs. Please show Yourself faithful so that we may praise You together. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Transgender people problem in public bathrooms
This morning I received a notice about a transgender person the article called a "woman" who was pulled from a public restroom at a restaurant & beaten. They wanted me to blame the restaurant employees who stood by.
Hmm. Well, I would never condone the beating of a person. I know that however confused that poor person was, he/she was created in the image of God. Of course, that image did not include gender confusion. The Bible clearly states that "male and female created He them." We do live in a fallen world where our human tendency to choose our own way and to think we are smarter than our Creator has marred us all, myself included as well as that poor person who was confused about what gender he/she was and what bathroom he/she could use. I do not hate that person or wish that person evil. I would not wish to see that person harmed.
But the employees must have been just as confused. What were they to do? Were they to let a person use the women's bathroom whom others obviously recognized as not a woman? If so, how were they to protect the privacy of their other customers who entered that bathroom not expecting to find what they recognized as a man? The other customers did not attack the person in question when that person sought service at the counter. They only attacked that person when that person invaded the privacy of the women's bathroom. They were wrong in attacking her, but I can understand their outrage in finding no privacy in the bathroom of their own gender.
I would not want to say or do anything that would encourage attacking people who conceive of themselves as transgender. Probably I would have cleared my family members out of the bathroom and waited for the offending person to exit. That would have meant giving up our rights to use the bathroom freely, but it would have been preferable to the action that was taken. This incident, however, clearly shows the problems we face as a society when we decide to label ourselves as something other than what God created us to be. We all need the use of public bathrooms, so there is no way we can relabel ourselves without infringing on the rights of others. Yes, I do sympathize with the poor person who was beaten. I also sympathize with the customers who were offended to find what they perceived as a man invading the privacy of the women's bathroom. I also sympathize with the employees who in a split second had to decide whether or not to defend the person who was being beaten. When we leave God's ways behind, we always create confusion, not only for ourselves, but for all those around us.
Hmm. Well, I would never condone the beating of a person. I know that however confused that poor person was, he/she was created in the image of God. Of course, that image did not include gender confusion. The Bible clearly states that "male and female created He them." We do live in a fallen world where our human tendency to choose our own way and to think we are smarter than our Creator has marred us all, myself included as well as that poor person who was confused about what gender he/she was and what bathroom he/she could use. I do not hate that person or wish that person evil. I would not wish to see that person harmed.
But the employees must have been just as confused. What were they to do? Were they to let a person use the women's bathroom whom others obviously recognized as not a woman? If so, how were they to protect the privacy of their other customers who entered that bathroom not expecting to find what they recognized as a man? The other customers did not attack the person in question when that person sought service at the counter. They only attacked that person when that person invaded the privacy of the women's bathroom. They were wrong in attacking her, but I can understand their outrage in finding no privacy in the bathroom of their own gender.
I would not want to say or do anything that would encourage attacking people who conceive of themselves as transgender. Probably I would have cleared my family members out of the bathroom and waited for the offending person to exit. That would have meant giving up our rights to use the bathroom freely, but it would have been preferable to the action that was taken. This incident, however, clearly shows the problems we face as a society when we decide to label ourselves as something other than what God created us to be. We all need the use of public bathrooms, so there is no way we can relabel ourselves without infringing on the rights of others. Yes, I do sympathize with the poor person who was beaten. I also sympathize with the customers who were offended to find what they perceived as a man invading the privacy of the women's bathroom. I also sympathize with the employees who in a split second had to decide whether or not to defend the person who was being beaten. When we leave God's ways behind, we always create confusion, not only for ourselves, but for all those around us.
Monday, April 18, 2011
How & Why We Celebrate Earth Day
When I first noticed that earth day fell on Good Friday this year, it seemed almost sacreligious to consider it. How could Earth Day possibly compare to the remembrance of the sacrifice Jesus made for me, His death on the cross that we celebrate in a special way on Good Friday? As one of our supporters recently wrote to us, when were we going to declare a “Celebrate Jesus the Lord of Creation” Day?
Our celebration of Earth Day is limited. It’s a time when we can reaffirm our desire to be good stewards of the earth God has made, and which He has entrusted to us. It’s a time when we can remember that we are creatures, and God is our Almighty Creator.
I know many people go far beyond that. I know that in some schools they sing songs of worship to the earth, using the names of ancient Greek goddesses. I know that some people consider the earth almost like their god. I know that to some, people are no more special than striped toads or slugs or centipedes. I know that to some, everything that lives is considered divine. As Christians, we at ECM stop long short of any of that. The earth is not our mother, our divine goddess; it is an object which God created to provide a home and to give a proper environment for sustaining all the various forms of life He created. We do not care for it because we think the soil is as valuable our eternal souls; we care for it because God gave us the responsibility to do so and in doing so we honor Him. We do not care for other forms of life—rare or not, protected or not, vanishing or multiplying—because we think we are a part of them or they are of as much value as we. We care for animal and plant life because it is part of God’s creation for which He gave us responsibility.
I think we care for the earth and all its inhabitants best when we see God as our loving Creator and us as His creatures. God has no beginning and no end, no antecedent and no equal.
The one correlation between Earth Day and Good Friday is that God the Almighty Creator came down to this earth to become our Saviour. On Good Friday, we remember the day the Son of God paid the most awful price for our sins, so that we could go free.
So this Friday I will remember the earth that God gave us, and I will remember that Jesus left His eternal home with the Father to come down here and become our Saviour. Because of sin, the whole creation groans, the Scripture says. When Jesus comes again, He will fully restore creation as God intended it to be and as He originally made it. The effects of our sin will be put in reverse and the earth will once again, even more fully than now, show the glory of the Lord.
Our celebration of Earth Day is limited. It’s a time when we can reaffirm our desire to be good stewards of the earth God has made, and which He has entrusted to us. It’s a time when we can remember that we are creatures, and God is our Almighty Creator.
I know many people go far beyond that. I know that in some schools they sing songs of worship to the earth, using the names of ancient Greek goddesses. I know that some people consider the earth almost like their god. I know that to some, people are no more special than striped toads or slugs or centipedes. I know that to some, everything that lives is considered divine. As Christians, we at ECM stop long short of any of that. The earth is not our mother, our divine goddess; it is an object which God created to provide a home and to give a proper environment for sustaining all the various forms of life He created. We do not care for it because we think the soil is as valuable our eternal souls; we care for it because God gave us the responsibility to do so and in doing so we honor Him. We do not care for other forms of life—rare or not, protected or not, vanishing or multiplying—because we think we are a part of them or they are of as much value as we. We care for animal and plant life because it is part of God’s creation for which He gave us responsibility.
I think we care for the earth and all its inhabitants best when we see God as our loving Creator and us as His creatures. God has no beginning and no end, no antecedent and no equal.
The one correlation between Earth Day and Good Friday is that God the Almighty Creator came down to this earth to become our Saviour. On Good Friday, we remember the day the Son of God paid the most awful price for our sins, so that we could go free.
So this Friday I will remember the earth that God gave us, and I will remember that Jesus left His eternal home with the Father to come down here and become our Saviour. Because of sin, the whole creation groans, the Scripture says. When Jesus comes again, He will fully restore creation as God intended it to be and as He originally made it. The effects of our sin will be put in reverse and the earth will once again, even more fully than now, show the glory of the Lord.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
New Missionaries for Uganda--Yea God!
It takes a big team to do a big job, they say. That's why I was so thrilled with the decision of our Board Friday evening to accept Mark and Stacy Luckey and family as missionaries to Uganda. Yea, God! They will be working alongside Russ and Marcia Baugh who are there now getting started with a project called "The Way Home". It's an effort to help orphans find "forever families", preferably through in-country adoption. Encouraging foster parenting and helping grandmothers who are raising orphans will also be a part of their job. The Baughs and the Luckeys hope to help raise awareness in African churches regarding the responsibility of the church toward orphans, hope to arouse in African Christians a desire to help orphans, hope to help guide those efforts.
Uganda's orphans come from the ravages of AIDS and from the devastation left behind by LRA's long guerilla war in the north. Like us, both the Baughs and the Luckey's have adopted African orphans into their own homes, and now God has laid on their hearts the wider need of millions. Thank you, God, for adding missionaries to the team. Send us more long term, career or lifetime missions oriented people, we pray in Jesus' name. And take care of the orphans today, You who called Yourself Father of the Fatherless. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Uganda's orphans come from the ravages of AIDS and from the devastation left behind by LRA's long guerilla war in the north. Like us, both the Baughs and the Luckey's have adopted African orphans into their own homes, and now God has laid on their hearts the wider need of millions. Thank you, God, for adding missionaries to the team. Send us more long term, career or lifetime missions oriented people, we pray in Jesus' name. And take care of the orphans today, You who called Yourself Father of the Fatherless. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Monday, September 13, 2010
How can a six year old understand rejection?
How can a six-year old understand rejection? Today I wrote the story of Emmanuel in Congo. I'm hoping that someone reading his story will be moved to sponsor him for $30 a month.
Emmanuel's mother was a prostitute who had little time for him. Especially when she began to get sick. Emmanuel watched her waste away and die before he was four years old.
Still sick with grief, he was taken in by an uncle. But the family did not understand AIDS. They looked for a different cause for the mother's death. When they visited a traditional diviner, he was happy to provide an acceptable reason. It must be that little Emmanuel had "eaten" his mother's soul through witchcraft. He had only been with the uncle a short time when the whole family began to hate him. Blaming him for his mother's death and fearing he may do the same to them, no one could treat him decently, let alone show him love. Soon he was chased away from the home and ended up alone on the streets to fend for himself.
Emmanuel is now eight years old. He's finally had a break in life. He was found by one of the caring associates of Every Child Ministries, who arranged for care with a loving family. They need help, however. They are struggling to support their own family, and if Emmanuel proves to be the burden that breaks the fragile support system for their own, he may again find himself despised and cast out. Lord, please lay Emmanuel on the heart of someone who is able to sponsor him for $30 a month. Give strength to his foster family so that they may love and accept him as their very own. Provide for their needs and those of their whole family.
Your heart breaks for Emmanuel specifically and for all the Emmanuels of this world. Send them help in Jesus' name.
Emmanuel's mother was a prostitute who had little time for him. Especially when she began to get sick. Emmanuel watched her waste away and die before he was four years old.
Still sick with grief, he was taken in by an uncle. But the family did not understand AIDS. They looked for a different cause for the mother's death. When they visited a traditional diviner, he was happy to provide an acceptable reason. It must be that little Emmanuel had "eaten" his mother's soul through witchcraft. He had only been with the uncle a short time when the whole family began to hate him. Blaming him for his mother's death and fearing he may do the same to them, no one could treat him decently, let alone show him love. Soon he was chased away from the home and ended up alone on the streets to fend for himself.
Emmanuel is now eight years old. He's finally had a break in life. He was found by one of the caring associates of Every Child Ministries, who arranged for care with a loving family. They need help, however. They are struggling to support their own family, and if Emmanuel proves to be the burden that breaks the fragile support system for their own, he may again find himself despised and cast out. Lord, please lay Emmanuel on the heart of someone who is able to sponsor him for $30 a month. Give strength to his foster family so that they may love and accept him as their very own. Provide for their needs and those of their whole family.
Your heart breaks for Emmanuel specifically and for all the Emmanuels of this world. Send them help in Jesus' name.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
How foolish I was -- The Days of Genesis 1
It’s so hard to clear our minds of preconceptions!
I admit I’ve been pretty critical of friends who, although they love the Lord, have accepted ideas about early earth history that seem to me to be incompatible with a serious, straight reading of the Biblical text. It’s seemed apparent to me that they think too much of the supposed “facts” of science, assuming the current thinking of the majority of scientists to be “proven fact”. And if an idea is regarded as proven fact, it’s obvious that when it conflicts with our understanding of Scripture, it must be our understanding of Scripture or the Scripture itself that is wrong. That’s been very easy to see—in others.
Recently I found, though, that the same kind of presuppositions had invaded my own thinking, too. I didn’t throw out the plain teaching of Scripture in favor of some other view, but I did have an area I could not understand. It always seemed problematic to me. That point was, since God measured the days of creation as morning and evening from Day 1, and since He did not create the sun, moon and stars until Day 4, how could days be measured as day and evening from Day 1? I didn’t think it in a way to reject or deny Scripture; I was just trying to figure it out. I hoped no one would ever ask me that question because I felt I didn’t have a very good answer.
I know, God made light and darkness on Day 1. I had read someplace that now scientists know that light can exist apart from the sun. But I have to admit, it was pretty hard for me to envision light without the sun, because the light I know is that which is related to the sun in one way or another.
I thought of measuring time on earth in terms of the movement of our solar system. Without the sun, it was hard for me to envision any measurement of time.
Then recently I read an article by a scientist who opened up my mind on this issue in one single statement. He pointed out that what measures days, light and dark, morning and evening, is not the revolution of the earth around the sun, but rather the rotation of the earth on its axis. Like duh! I knew that. Yes, of course, I knew that, yet my thinking about time was so connected to the solar system that I couldn’t see what that meant. Every time I envisioned measurement of time, I pulled up in my imagination my preconceived idea—the earth as a part of the solar system. I knew the difference between the earth’s revolution around the sun (one earth year) and its rotation on its axis (one earth day). But the two were so connected in my mind, that the idea of day and night without the sun still seemed problematic, or at least, difficult to imagine. Days in my mind were connected to months and years and those were connected to the solar system.
The scientist went on to discuss the idea of sidereal time. I wondered at first if he made up some esoteric word, but no, it’s described on Wikipedia in the same way he described it. Sidereal time is the kind of time commonly used in astronomy, used to adjust the clocks that move telescopes to keep certain objects in sight. Unlike solar time, sidereal time ignores the position of the sun. In order to keep heavenly bodies in view in their telescopes, astronomers have to put the sun out of the picture. Amazing! A mind-blowing concept!
I could only laugh at myself. How foolish I had been! While criticizing others, I had made the very same mistake. I had found it hard to understand the Scriptures simply because my own preconceptions had blocked my view.
Well, I don’t pretend to have it all right, even yet. I can only say, “Lord, open my mind. Let me not be blinded by my own preconceived ideas. Open me increasingly to the truth of Your Word.”
This is very important to me, because by my teaching and training I am not only influencing my own family, although that certainly is important enough! God has called me to teach and train leaders for the youth of the vast African continent. I have to get the Scriptures right. It scares me to realize how easily I was influenced by my preconceptions on this point. Lord, help me! Guide me by Your Spirit so that I can overlook my own preconceptions just as astronomers overlook the position of the sun when they set the timing of their telescopes.
I admit I’ve been pretty critical of friends who, although they love the Lord, have accepted ideas about early earth history that seem to me to be incompatible with a serious, straight reading of the Biblical text. It’s seemed apparent to me that they think too much of the supposed “facts” of science, assuming the current thinking of the majority of scientists to be “proven fact”. And if an idea is regarded as proven fact, it’s obvious that when it conflicts with our understanding of Scripture, it must be our understanding of Scripture or the Scripture itself that is wrong. That’s been very easy to see—in others.
Recently I found, though, that the same kind of presuppositions had invaded my own thinking, too. I didn’t throw out the plain teaching of Scripture in favor of some other view, but I did have an area I could not understand. It always seemed problematic to me. That point was, since God measured the days of creation as morning and evening from Day 1, and since He did not create the sun, moon and stars until Day 4, how could days be measured as day and evening from Day 1? I didn’t think it in a way to reject or deny Scripture; I was just trying to figure it out. I hoped no one would ever ask me that question because I felt I didn’t have a very good answer.
I know, God made light and darkness on Day 1. I had read someplace that now scientists know that light can exist apart from the sun. But I have to admit, it was pretty hard for me to envision light without the sun, because the light I know is that which is related to the sun in one way or another.
I thought of measuring time on earth in terms of the movement of our solar system. Without the sun, it was hard for me to envision any measurement of time.
Then recently I read an article by a scientist who opened up my mind on this issue in one single statement. He pointed out that what measures days, light and dark, morning and evening, is not the revolution of the earth around the sun, but rather the rotation of the earth on its axis. Like duh! I knew that. Yes, of course, I knew that, yet my thinking about time was so connected to the solar system that I couldn’t see what that meant. Every time I envisioned measurement of time, I pulled up in my imagination my preconceived idea—the earth as a part of the solar system. I knew the difference between the earth’s revolution around the sun (one earth year) and its rotation on its axis (one earth day). But the two were so connected in my mind, that the idea of day and night without the sun still seemed problematic, or at least, difficult to imagine. Days in my mind were connected to months and years and those were connected to the solar system.
The scientist went on to discuss the idea of sidereal time. I wondered at first if he made up some esoteric word, but no, it’s described on Wikipedia in the same way he described it. Sidereal time is the kind of time commonly used in astronomy, used to adjust the clocks that move telescopes to keep certain objects in sight. Unlike solar time, sidereal time ignores the position of the sun. In order to keep heavenly bodies in view in their telescopes, astronomers have to put the sun out of the picture. Amazing! A mind-blowing concept!
I could only laugh at myself. How foolish I had been! While criticizing others, I had made the very same mistake. I had found it hard to understand the Scriptures simply because my own preconceptions had blocked my view.
Well, I don’t pretend to have it all right, even yet. I can only say, “Lord, open my mind. Let me not be blinded by my own preconceived ideas. Open me increasingly to the truth of Your Word.”
This is very important to me, because by my teaching and training I am not only influencing my own family, although that certainly is important enough! God has called me to teach and train leaders for the youth of the vast African continent. I have to get the Scriptures right. It scares me to realize how easily I was influenced by my preconceptions on this point. Lord, help me! Guide me by Your Spirit so that I can overlook my own preconceptions just as astronomers overlook the position of the sun when they set the timing of their telescopes.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
I am sick and tired of prosperity teaching
I have to admit it. I am sick to my stomach and tired beyond description of the so-called Prosperity Teaching that has captured so much of the African church. I know, I know, I gave some lessons on "Prosperity Principles from Proverbs" myself a few years back, but my goal was to try to bring some Biblical balance to the topic, not to center minds and lives around getting rich as their main goal in life.
I have to admit it. Yes, I could be richer than I am. That will sound like heresy to many, I'm sure. They'll say I'm poor because my mindset is poor and I'm proclaiming myself into poverty and I refuse to be rich.
I could be richer than I am, I admit. You see, everyone has to choose what will be the priorities and goals of their life. If I chose to make being rich the goal and priority, the center of my life, then yes, of course, I could be richer than I am.
Would I want to do that? What would be the price?
The goal I have chosen is to be faithful to my Savior and to do all I can to show the love of Jesus in practical ways to as many African children as I can. (Sounds a little like the mission statement of Every Child Ministries. Hmmm.) Now God has entrusted to me, as He has to all of us, a limited measure of His infinite riches. (He knows I could not handle it all, and I'm thankful.) Every time He entrusts me with a dollar, or an hour of life, or with any other resource, He also gives me the choice of how to invest that resource. I could invest it all in myself. Then I'd surely be much richer than I am. Would I be happier? I don't think so.
I choose to invest my resources, after my own and my family's needs are met, in showing the love of Jesus to African children who have never known it.
Yesterday I wrote the story of an eight year old orphan boy in Congo. We'll use the story in his sponsorship packet, to try to get him a sponsor to help with schooling and other needs. Emmanuel was born to a prostitute, watched her die of AIDS before he was four, then was blamed for the death of his mother when his family visited a diviner who consulted the traditional gods and declared that the child had "eaten" his mother's soul through witchcraft. The family began to hate him and he was cast out on the street. Who will show him the love of Jesus? My brother Joseph began by finding emergency shelter for him. Oh, he lost resources in that transaction. Now Joseph will never be as rich as he could have been.
What good would it do me to be rich when I could rather invest my life in helping children like Emmanuel. I'm getting rich. all right. It's just a different kind of riches than the prosperity people talk about. It's the kind that is deeply satisfying, the kind that can never be taken from me.
Lord, would You let your people see that they could invest their lives in something so very much better than riches? Would you raise up a people who would invest their lives in the Emmanuel's of this world?
I have to admit it. Yes, I could be richer than I am. That will sound like heresy to many, I'm sure. They'll say I'm poor because my mindset is poor and I'm proclaiming myself into poverty and I refuse to be rich.
I could be richer than I am, I admit. You see, everyone has to choose what will be the priorities and goals of their life. If I chose to make being rich the goal and priority, the center of my life, then yes, of course, I could be richer than I am.
Would I want to do that? What would be the price?
The goal I have chosen is to be faithful to my Savior and to do all I can to show the love of Jesus in practical ways to as many African children as I can. (Sounds a little like the mission statement of Every Child Ministries. Hmmm.) Now God has entrusted to me, as He has to all of us, a limited measure of His infinite riches. (He knows I could not handle it all, and I'm thankful.) Every time He entrusts me with a dollar, or an hour of life, or with any other resource, He also gives me the choice of how to invest that resource. I could invest it all in myself. Then I'd surely be much richer than I am. Would I be happier? I don't think so.
I choose to invest my resources, after my own and my family's needs are met, in showing the love of Jesus to African children who have never known it.
Yesterday I wrote the story of an eight year old orphan boy in Congo. We'll use the story in his sponsorship packet, to try to get him a sponsor to help with schooling and other needs. Emmanuel was born to a prostitute, watched her die of AIDS before he was four, then was blamed for the death of his mother when his family visited a diviner who consulted the traditional gods and declared that the child had "eaten" his mother's soul through witchcraft. The family began to hate him and he was cast out on the street. Who will show him the love of Jesus? My brother Joseph began by finding emergency shelter for him. Oh, he lost resources in that transaction. Now Joseph will never be as rich as he could have been.
What good would it do me to be rich when I could rather invest my life in helping children like Emmanuel. I'm getting rich. all right. It's just a different kind of riches than the prosperity people talk about. It's the kind that is deeply satisfying, the kind that can never be taken from me.
Lord, would You let your people see that they could invest their lives in something so very much better than riches? Would you raise up a people who would invest their lives in the Emmanuel's of this world?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
