A Great Exploit

“…but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do great exploits.” Daniel 11:32 (KJV)

I have been thinking a lot lately about big goals, big dreams---achieving God’s purposes for my life. I have been thinking about big challenges and getting big enough courage to face them and spend my life giving my best to beat them. To be specific, over the last couple of years God has been stirring a great dream in me. The issue is BIG, overwhelming, seemingly insurmountable. The church family of which I am a part is right in the middle of Coventry Township, and we are surrounded by a curious mixture of wealth and poverty. Our mission statement here is that we help people find the Father, a Family, and a Fulfilling Future. We do great at the first part, pretty good at the second part, but at the third part—helping people have a fulfilling future—we have a long ways to go. We try, and we do many good things. But there's no place to rest and check it off our list when so many people lack so much of what makes life fulfilling. It's a cop-out when we say that of course a person gets a fulfilling future when he or she accepts Christ as Savior—they get heaven! That is true, but the future God wants for His children begins much earlier than that.

Poverty is not part of God’s plan for his beloved creation. No—I do NOT believe in the prosperity gospel. I do not believe that when a person follows Christ fully, he or she will becomes rich. I do not believe that poverty is a sign of disobedience or disfavor. What I DO believe is that God’s perfect plan for his world has been broken by sin, and that currently we reside in a world that is entrenched in evil and self-centeredness. Poverty, it has been said, is often punishment for a crime you didn’t commit. Because of the brokenness and sin of our world for generations and generations, some nations, communities, and families are reaping harvests they didn’t plant. They may need special assistance over time to ever break out of the negative legacy. Believers have a special responsibility to step in and do whatever it takes to interrupt the cycle and help start people in a new direction. Matthew 25 records the words of Jesus showing that at the final judgment, how we invested in the least and last of these broken will be significant.

Proverbs 13:22 says, “A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children.” How do “good people “, caught in the cycle of despair and poverty, ever hit that kind of a target, something they would desire to do ? An inheritance is out of the question—barely eeking by with the basic necessities is the daily consuming goal. How does it ever change? Are some just blessed and others just disadvantaged? “As it was, is now and ever shall be?” Is it ok just to do what we can? Give when we find extra, share a hand-out here and there, charity at holidays?

No. NO. NO. That’s not an acceptable response for a Christ-follower. We follow One who was so consumed by OUR poverty that He willingly put aside His unimaginable wealth and power that we might become rich (II Corinthians 8:9) Give-aways and charities are reasonable and good starting places, but that’s all. I can do that in bits and pieces and make some momentary happiness for someone without making a true investment. I NEED to do that. It's the basic call.

But as a Christ-follower, I am challenged to really consider what God is saying to me as an individual and us as a church in the face of a problem so massive, so entrenched, and so complicated that we feel helpless to confront it. To make a difference, to give opportunities for others to have a fulfilling future, means that I must make, we must make significant sacrifice. Sharing whatever I have with those in need is the response of a grateful, thinking heart, and it gives opportunity for a new cycle to begin. We have resources of more than money--we can teach skills, help find jobs, stand against injustice, mentor, help build relationships. I heard a Brazilian pastor say that the greatest thing a person in povertyu needs is friends--friends with resources and contacts, and a willingness to aggressively share.

It's a MASSIVE challenge...poverty has all kinds of evil surrounding it that cause it, fuel it, encourage it. But we can make a difference. When the prophet Daniel prophesied that trouble would come and mammoth enemies would abound, he responded with a great counter-attack: “…but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do great exploits.” Daniel 11:32

Poverty in Coventry Township is a great enemy, a massive and entrenched evil. It would be a great exploit to attack and conquer it. Sounds like just the job for people who do know their God.

I'm up for it...

Pray for me. Pray with me. Let's go!

Precious Memories

Jerricho's name means "walls come down." He sure could make that happen. With his sly smile and infectious personality, he was hard to resist, even if you WANTED to keep your distance. He provided me a one of a kind experience. A couple of years ago after he gave his heart to Jesus and began following Him to the best of his ability, Jerricho wanted to be baptized. Pastor Jim, who was baptizing with me, is "vertically challenged" like me. We have a hard time not getting completely soaked on a normal baptismal night. But THIS night when Jerricho gave his public witness, boy, what a witness! To congregational applause and laughter, he cannon-balled right into the pool! The water splashed well past our faces, and my hair was nearly as wet as at my own baptismal :-) Every year after that, Jerricho wanted a repeat performance. It's hard for me to believe Jerricho is face-to-face with Jesus now. His impulsive immaturity was captivating--but it took him from us far too soon. I am so glad for God's promises. Some day, Heaven. Till then, God's presence, and precious memories.

AMAZING GOD! AMAZING PEOPLE!

The LEAP is an incredible time here at Cornerstone-- (Check out the LEAP button on our website at cornerstonefmc.org)we try to outdo ourselves in serving our community in the name of Christ, and wow! We aren't even at the culmination of the week, and we have far outpaced anything we have ever done already! And all of this on the heels of giving over $30,000 for clean, safe water around the world through CLEAR BLUE WATER PROJECT, adopted a couple of dozen international children through International Child Care Ministries, and supported SEEDS ministry to villages around the world by over $1000 in just the month of June. You'll be wowed when we finally publish the results of our Summer Serve.

A couple of Sundays we took our WHEATIES BOXES home and determined to be true champions by eating the breakfgast of champions--having a time each morning where we remind ourselves and the Fatherm "Here I am--I have come to do your will, O God." The stories I am hearing of what has been happening as you surrender yourselves to God to do that is NOTHING short of miraculous!!!

But it hasn't been without struggle. These are not just easy days. For instance, one of our volunteers yesterday was working in a woman's yard when the lady died. This morning, another faithful gal who has been working many hours in the clothes give-away woke up with the re-occurence of a very troubling health situation, and she had to leave for an immediate doctor's appointment. In the middle of serving, there are always difficulties. But it's how we respond in the middle of those situations that ultimately determine the long-term good of our service. Just this morning, I read this from Joe Beckler at VOLUNTER CENTRAL:
Church leadership for me is a fun opportunity to walk alongside other believers as they learn and experience God. This requires a sense of being present and serving. I realize, as a leader, that eyes are on me. What I do does count. If I can’t lead in the tough situations, I certainly can’t expect others to follow.
I once asked a respected mentor to give me advice on leadership models. He responded with a brief but profound statement. I should follow Jesus’ leadership style, he explained. Not thinking it through on a serious level at the time, I felt like saying, “Duh!” But he was right. While on earth, Jesus, the servant-leader, reflected an in-the-trenches style of leading. Jesus explained, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). I think we underestimate what Jesus meant. He is telling us that God’s style is to serve. Instead of saying, “Sorry, I don’t do sick people” or “Nope, washing feet doesn’t work for me, I’m above that,” Jesus said, “I came to serve.” He was ready to walk alongside humanity. He got His hands dirty.
The power and mystery of Christ is found in His willingness to walk with us in the midst of everything! In the same way, as we lead, our only model is the servant-leader model of Jesus. Why did Jesus choose to live and lead as a servant? He was showing us something brilliant about His kingdom, as well as how He envisioned leadership within His church. We are to serve one another and to walk with each other through thick and thin.
We're doing that for each other--we're all going to be blessed, and in it, bless the world. What an amazing God! What amazing people!