Less Sacrifice Than We Think

Dollar figures can be overwhelming, especially in hard economic times. Many non-profit organizations struggle in these days, as Americans tighten their discretionary giving. Against things like skyrocketing fuel costs and a deflated housing market, people battle to maintain their lifestyle. It makes be thankful to be a part of church of so many people who have been heroic in giving to the mission field and the cause of leading people in new life with Jesus in the midst of economic uncertainty.

Still, dollar figures make us gasp. Think of $100,ooo. To the average person, especially the person teetering on the edge of the lower middle class/poverty line, that's a staggering amount. Or is it...

Several Jesus-followers in our area have accepted the radical challenge to sacrifice money, over and above what we already give to the cause of Jesus Christ, to put toward life-changing mission and ministry. My first thought was to fast one meal a week, call that a $10 expense I am foregoing, and set aside that money as my "over-and-above" what I already commit. If just 200 of us did this throughout 2012, that would be over $100,000 extra to be put into the mission field. And suddenly that number doesn't seem so big! In fact, in these first few weeks of fasting a meal a week, I'm starting to think, "This isn't that big a sacrifice at all. What else might Jesus being inviting me to sacrifice so lives will be changed?"

Maybe these aren't the scarcity days we seem to believe they are. What if God has placed in us all the resources needed to do God-sized things for people in need in 2012? Maybe there is really no lid on what God can do.

I'll see you around the next bend in the river.

Pray for the Whole World

Many followers of Jesus in our particular congregation have accepted the challenge to pray for the whole world in 2012. We are encouraged to pick a particular global region each week and focus our prayers of what God is doing and what the needs are in that area. We seek to gain the heart of God for the entire world.

I recommend that praying people simply start with a particular continent, aiming at specific regions in that continent. Do a "Google" search or use some kind of search engine to find out about the nations and peoples of that area. What is life like for them? What has been their story? Where are their successes; what do they celebrate? Where is there pain and need in their midst. What does God want us to know about that area, and how does God want us to participate in what God is doing in that area?

For example, take a look at the west African coast. One of the nations there is Mozambique. Mozambique, whose capital is Maputo, has a long and rich history. For much of the nation's history it was a colonial territory controlled by Portugal. Mozambique gained independence in 1975. However, the nation was plunged into a fierce and bloody civil war from 1977-1992, fueled largely by the politics of nations surrounding Mozambique. Over 1.5 million Mozambique residents fled to neighboring areas during that time. Most of those who have survived have returned. In the years since the civil war, much of the region has been ravaged by floods and famine from time to time. Many of the people of Mozambique are desperately poor and hounded by diseases often brought on by limited access to safe drinking water. Still, the followers of Jesus in this nation are strong and growing.

Begin today to work through a global map, praying for the whole world through 2012. I'll see you around the next bend in the river.

Old Man River

On Monday I took my monthly day apart for prayer and time away with God, at an area retreat center. At noontime on those days I treat myself to lunch at a favorite restaurant of mine that has a second story overlooking the Mississippi River. I spend a good bit of the noon hour watching the river, then usually go stroll along the levee before I return to the retreat center. As I did so, I was reminded powerfully again how much a river evokes truth about God.

Standing alongside this great North American flow I realize how powerful it really is. From a distance it might seem slow, but up close you realize how much resolute force is in Old Man River. I have no clue how this massive movement originates, and I cannot wrap my mind around the vastness of how it ends. Its level might rise or it might fall, but it never stops. It might be blocked or re-routed, but it will not be denied in reaching its destination. You can see the river in front of you, and you can see as far upstream or downstream as you're able, but your eyes can't take in all of it. Sometimes it may seem raging and dangerous; other times it might seem calm, cooling, and inviting. All of it is the same river, with the same determination and focus. If you fight its flow, you're in for a battle. If you get in the mainstream of its flow, it will carry you all the way.

A lot of those characteristics describe God as I have experienced God and as God reveals God's own self to me. I wish you good travels on the river which is your life. I'll see you around the next bend.