Did He or Didn't He?

Today some friends and I were discussing the parable of the rich young ruler. You know, its the one where Jesus says to the rich young ruler, "Don't steal" "Don't lie" ect. and you will find the kingdom of God.

The rich young ruler replies that he has already done all that. Then Jesus says, "Well then sell all of your posessions and give them to the poor." At this point, in my understanding the rich young ruler went away sad because in my understanding it was the one thing that he couldn't give.

But in all three versions of the story all it says is that the rich young ruler went away sad. Now somebody may comment that the Greek says this or that...I don't know...

But I realized, thanks to my friend Bernie, that maybe, just maybe the rich young ruler did give away all his possessions. Perhaps this is more a commentary on the sacrifice it takes to follow Jesus and the emotions of sadness that we may sometimes have to feel when we are holy and set apart for him.

And of course I don't think that sadness lasts always. I don't think that the rich young ruler remained sad (if he did give away all his things). I think that eventually he became a content middle aged pauper or something...full of joy, living in the kingdom.

Kind of gets me thinking about living in the kingdom myself.

God is so good

This spoke to me tonight...

God Is So Good
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. God is so good, God is so good,
God is so good, God's so good to me.

2. God cares for me, God cares for me,
God cares for me, God's so good to me.

3. God loves me so, God loves me so,
God loves me so, God's so good to me.

4. God is so good, God is so good,
God is so good, God's so good to me.

Making it my home

Home is where we feel comfortable or as the overused phrase goes, "where the heart is."

My wife and I recently moved into a new house (may 2005). Following the examples of some courageous salvationist, Major John and Marty Needham, Captains Geoff and Sandra Ryan, Captains Stephen Court and Danielle Strickland we were inspired to move into the heart of the city.

Frankly, I was scared to death. My perception of the inner city was that it was hostile to people like me. People like me? What do I mean? Middle class, white, suburban, best schools all my life, low crime...ect. I thought my mere presence in this area would provoke violence against me and my family.

Things were quiet for the summer and I started to feel a little comfortable there. I thought, "It may just not be that bad." Then in August, a new neighbor moved into our block. It was obvious by the foot traffick and gun shots that came with the new neighbor that this was a bad element in the neighborhood. It took three months but the police eventually caught on and the Highly trained drug task force officers arrested my new neighbor. We had a visitor in the middle of the night the night of the arrests that blocked my car in and came knocking on my back door.

I had taken a self defense class once and the instructor had told us that nothing good ever comes from behind. The guy was arrested on my property when he didn't have a good reason for being there.

All of my past fears kicked back up again. For two weeks we stayed out of the house. I read on Carole's web site that when she went to Eastern Europe she started praying, "Lord, Make this my home."

That thought has stayed with me. I began praying that prayer. I had been living in a house but I wanted it to be my home.

The other day my next door neighbor, a recent transfer from New Orleans came over and asked for prayer because her husband, an alchoholic had disappeared two days before with her truck. We prayed with her and a couple of days later he showed back up. She has taken him to the hospital for help (again). Then the next night my neighbor across the street, a single mom with five children who works outside the city, had her car repossessed at 4 am. She came and asked for a ride to the grocery store the next day. My dad was over and we were happy to take her.

And over the course of time I have begun to have a different perspective about the place where I sleep at night. I may not be an outsider. I am just one of them. My home is in a dangerous place. But it isn't just my house that is there. It is my heart and my neighbors. And I am thankful for the models of courage that have led me here.

February

Found this on the web somewhere:

Whatever storms we have weathered,
whatever difficulties we have endured these
past few weeks,
We are at least grateful now for a noticeable
lengthening of days:
For more abundant sunlight glancing off icicles,
resplendent upon snowy fields.
We have reached a turning point in winter, and
though remote, Spring seems possible now.
Nevertheless, February spreads out before us,
a short but often frigid month – winter’s
doldrums, we would say.
Holiday gaiety is already half-forgotten; daf-
fodils, those harbingers of Spring, still are
deeply dormant.
And what consolations has February to offer?
What does it promise besides four weeks of
cold, Lenten discipline and lessons in self-
denial?
It is, thank heaven, a month restricted in most
years to twenty-eight days. Who would
wish it more?
And yet, this can be a precious time; an oppor-
tunity for making and renewing connections,
for forging bonds of community.
A dearth of distractions is the hidden blessing
of February:
No World Series, Kris Kringle or Cows on the
Concourse.
It is free of graduations; weddings and vaca-
tions are also few.
What good, then, is February?
Of all the months of the year, it is the one
during which we can be most present for
one another –
At home, in the workplace and in our spiritual
community. If this unpraised and underap-
preciated month is in may ways a test of
our endurance, may it also be a test of our
affections.
And may we remember that when we hold
onto each other and skate through it
together,
February can be warm, and it can be quite
lovely. (MAS, 2002)

Republic of Georgia

I have been to the Republic of Georgia on three different mission trips. Whenever I tell people this they generally look at me with a blank stare as if to say, "you live in Georgia." Then I go on to explain to them that it is a country in the former soviet union.

The first trip that I took to Georgia was in 1995. It was just a couple of years after the soviet union fell so the air of democracy was still fresh at the time. We spent ten weeks there running camps for refugee children, doing open airs, preaching in church, teaching in Sunday School and visiting corps members homes. It was the most intensive soldier training I have ever seen. It changed my heart and life. From that point on I knew that I wanted to be involved with life changing ministry.

The Second trip that I took to Georgia was in 1999. My fried Curtis was working there at the time as the Divisional Youth Officer. A group of friends and I had put together a band to play some songs at our youth councils here in Georgia, USA. I started to think about the kids in Georgia. Our youth councils could drop thousands of dollars on a weekend event. Our brass bands take trips each year which cost thousands of dollars. Why could we not spend some money to send this band over to georgia so their kids could enjoy what our kids take for granted? Well, I put together a proposal, and I began to realize how political things can get in a headquarters city. But I knew that this would be a good thing so I stuck with it. And God opened the doors and the trip happened.

We spent a month there ministering through our music but also through relationships. I saw my friends find they same love for Georgia that I had. I saw kids ministered to through out music. I saw a vision accomplished.

My third trip I went back to Georgia by myself upon the request of Gia and Eka Salarishvilli. They were corps officers of the Rustavi corps and they wanted me to come up with ideas for them in their teen ministry. What I saw on this trip broke my heart. Water was only on from 6am-8am each day. The School systems were inefficient and corrupt. Unemployment rates were extremely high. Hopelessness was prevalent.

On this trip I met three boys who were around 12, had never been to school, begged for money all day and then used the money to buy bags of glue to sniff. They were filthy dirty. As a shower every day american, it was difficult for me to love them. But I heard God saying, "Touch their poverty!" It was his voice that broke my heart. I reached out and have never been the same since.

Short term mission trips can change people's lives. They can add a depth of perspective and character not achievable in the states. I have heard some say why do we spend so much time sending our youth off on these "adventures?" It is because "God loves the world so much that He sent His only son that whosoever (this means the dirty street kids on drugs who don't have an ounce of hope to hang their hat on are as eligible as the businessman down the street) will may be saved."

Run Away to Join the Circus

I took my wife to Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey last night for V-day. It was great. As I was sitting there watching the clowns, the trapeze artists, the lion tamers and the ladies riding the elephants the circus master said,"raise your hand if you have ever wondered what it would be like to run away and join the circus." Then he pointed to everyone and said, "well...these people DID!"

Being and imaginative, literallist, ADD, Daydreamer I of course drifted off into my thoughts about what it would be like to run away and join the circus. These people were tremendous performers. My mind first went to the economic possibilities. Maybe this is a way into show business? But then I thought that is probably not it. And then I wondered about there salaries. Maybe they make really good money. I checked with my wife. I am sure she was startled when about ten minutes after the announcement had been made I blurted out of no where, "Do you think they get paid very well."

Her laugh brought me back to reality. Stupid question. She graciously responded, "I don't think so." I went back to my dreaming. So could it be the lure of the bright colors, the wonder of making people laugh and the joy of living in a community of people that are all set on one purpose? Could it be an alternate lifestyle than the one offered in the current culture? Could these people actually be searching for something that transcends the every day?

No that couldn't be it either! That would be more absurd than them making huge salaries. People in this world these days just don't think like that anymore, do they? I mean people think goals, money, success. I was shocked out of my norm and spent the rest of the time wondering what it would be like to be on the road with them.

Gettin the Word Out

I saw this car the other day driving through my neighborhood. Feel free to give him a call if you disagree...