A Psalm for Today

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Fred

I hear it in the news,
from the Internet,
in the neighborhoods,
and in the city streets.
I try to cover my ears,
but the groaning is all around us.

The pain.
The cries.
The violence.
The sighs.
The sickness.
The screams.
The hunger pains.
The disease.
The groaning is all around us.

Then I am reminded of a blood stained cross and an empty grave,
through Scripture,
through faith,
in the neighborhoods and in the city streets.
I lift my eyes and believe,
there’s a Savior that surrounds us.

His steadfast love.
His grace.
His mercy.
His holy face.
His compassion.
His faithfulness.
His sovereignty.
His holy justice.
There is a Savior that surrounds us.

He will deliver us.

May His Kingdom come.  May His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

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“Foreigners like these”

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Fred

He was only 31 years old. For those of us who are U.S. citizens by birth, he was just like our grandparents in the 18th century. He was a “foreigner.” He was an immigrant from Guatemala. And he was homeless and living in the streets of New York City. His name was Hugo Alfredo Tale-Yax. He was only 31 years old.

According to police, they believe Hugo was casually walking behind a man and woman when he witnessed them get into a fight. Hugo stepped in to intervene on the woman’s behalf and was stabbed several times. He attempted to pursue the man, but he collapsed. There this Guatemalan immigrant lay in his own blood. There this homeless Guatemalan immigrant lay face down on American concrete outside of an apartment building complex in a working-class neighborhood with his blood slowly flowing from his body, stabbed by an American as he was intervening to save an American woman from getting beat up. It happened early in the morning. Video cameras show at least seven people walking passed him. Some looked down and walked by with out a second glance, probably assuming that he was just another old drunk homeless man passed out on the street. Some looked down, apparently stopped, and stared at him in disgust and moved on. One person tipped him over, exposing the pool of blood, laid him back down, and walked away. By the time emergency workers arrived within the hour, Hugo was dead. A young 31 year old human being who lived alone on the streets. Though people passed him by and we all around him, he died alone on the streets.

This story is hard for me to understand. It bothers me. The woman he risked his life to save bothers me. The man who murdered him bothers me. The seven that passed him by bothers me. But what bothers me more is when I heard some people say, “well if this foreigner wouldn’t have migrated into our country in the first place, he wouldn’t have been homeless.” Our country?

If it would have been the 18th century and one of our grandparents lay face first on a dirt road dying because they tried to save a native American woman from getting beat up, would we make the same statement? After all, our grandparents (whether great or great-great) were once foreigners like Hugo. It wasn’t their land or their country. It belonged to the native Americans. History says we took possession of their land and displaced them. I don’t think Hugo was forcibly trying to take “our” country from us. Actually, he was trying to save one of “us.” Now over two hundred years and a few generations later, and because we think this is “our” country, many of us feel as though we have a right to scoff at “foreigners like these ?”

But what I am afraid this story really demonstrates is that we are failing to see the intrinsic value of every human being. You want to know how we can believe that God sees intrinsic value in all human beings? He became one.

So may we remember. May we all remember where we’ve come from and how we got here.

May those of us who are Christ-followers remember that before Jesus Christ, we were all foreigners before God who laid dying outside of His eternal Kingdom borders. May those of us who are Christ-followers remember that because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, anyone, from any country, can be called a son or daughter of GOD. May those of us who are Christ-followers remember that we are citizens of the Kingdom of GOD first, and citizens of this good country second. And may those of us who are Christ-followers remember that this country in which we live is not ours to call “our own,” but is where He has placed us so that we may participate in His mission of redemption for all people as we learn how to love all of those who walk its streets.

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Good News in a Bad News Oriented Kind of World, Part 3

Posted on July 27, 2011 by Fred

Author Steven James is a great story teller. He wrote a book called Story: Recapture the Mystery. Tucked away in this little book is a poem that I feel cleverly captures one of the greatest reasons as to why this world is often filled with such bad news. The poem is entitled boxing god and is

Come here, god. I’d like to keep you in this little shoe box. I’d like to pull you out whenever I need you and put you away whenever I don’t. Come on. Climb in.

There you go…now, let me just slide this lid over the top and…okay, now, I’ll just set you here in the closet and keep you handy for a rainy day…

Hmmm…I have to say, I didn’t think you’d fit so easily. I actually thought I might have to really pound on you to squeeze you in there.

Imagine that. Pounding on you to make you fit! Ha. How funny is that?

The tragedy is that many people do not know what to “do” with God or any notion of Him. I suppose there are many reasons, many of which I would imagine have less to do with Jesus Himself and more to do with His followers. Either way I think that James is on to something in this poem. And what he is on to, I believe is quite subtle.

It isn’t God we are boxing in. It is the good news of a redemptive and restorative love that we are putting away. But if in our hearts and minds we allow God to simply be Himself (no matter how disorienting), it is the good news of a redemptive and restorative love that we receive. And when we receive it, we can enjoy it. And if we enjoy it, we will unleash it by demonstrating tangible acts of love, mercy, and hope to others in the name of the One, the Lord Jesus, who made it all happen through a blood stained cross and an empty tomb. Now that is good news in a bad news oriented kind of world.

Let God be God.

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Good News in A Bad News Oriented Kind of World

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Fred

The following is a blog written by one of my dearest friends and mentors.  I love this man. I believe if you knew him like I do, you would too.  He lives in Texas.  You have probably heard it said that everything is bigger in Texas.  I agree because Milton Jones lives there.  His desire for the marginalized of this world to know the redemptive and restorative love of Jesus is bigger than any one I have ever known.  Milt is the President and CEO of an amazing compassion relief organization called Christian Relief Fund (CRF).

CRF is different from other compassion relief organizations.  With CRF you can personally touch the life of the child or family you sponsor.  You can sponsor a school or even contribute to the building a medical clinic.  And if by chance you want to one day visit your child, family, school or clinic and see exactly what kind of shape they are in, guess what?  You can.  In many ways, that is how Milt began his ministry with CRF.  Years ago, he paid a visit to some children in Africa who were orphaned because of AIDS.  It has wrecked his soul ever since.  People who meet Milt and his wife Barbie often ask me why they continue to give their lives away for the ones Jesus called, “the least of these.”  I usually offer, two reasons.  One, they saw what real poverty and hopelessness looks like all over the world.  And two, it is exactly what their Savior did.

You can join Milt on his journey at miltonjonesblog.com.  I hope you enjoy Milt’s post.  May it offer you good news in a bad news oriented kind of world.

Rhinos and giraffes. It’s one of the craziest things I’ve ever heard. It makes sense that they would be in Africa, but you will never guess where.

Sudan is one of the poorest places in the world. They have been in the midst of a civil war. Part of the country is trying to commit genocide against the other. They are divided religiously with all kinds of hostility. Famines are all over the place. Child slavery has been rampant. What’s the solution? Shape their towns so they look like animals from the air.

Seriously. Sudan is making plans to reshape cities where they look like animals when you fly over them. The southern government’s own 2010 budget was only $1.9 billion, and the U.N. says more than 90 percent of Southern Sudan’s population lives on less than $1 a day. And this animal project is going to cost a whopping $10 billion dollars. Why would they be doing this?

I don’t know for sure. But here’s my thought—they want to be noticed. It is like a little kid doing all kinds of things for attention. Why? So she can be seen. Everyone wants to be seen. And by the way, where is this? Southern Sudan is the very place Joseph Konye and the Lord’s Resistance Army have been terrorizing people creating what the world has called “Invisible Children.”

All of us when we are marginalized and invisible do things to be seen. It is a part of human nature. If you want to solve the problem of Sudan—it will take more than food, money, and a cessation of war. Because even if you can create peace and produce a better economy, people want to be noticed. People want to be seen. And deeper than that—people want to be loved.

When Hagar was fleeing Abraham and Sarah thinking there was no hope or future for her and her son, one of God’s greatest names was revealed to her, El Roi. It means “the God who sees.” It is one of God’s greatest names and attributes. He sees you. You don’t have to reshape yourself. You don’t even have to change. He sees you even in your present shape. With God, there are no invisible people. It is so true He wears it as His name

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Yeah, Frank Could’ve Done That

Posted on February 28, 2011 by Fred

Almost six months ago Frank’s life was set and planned. He had a beautiful wife and exciting plans to begin a family. Within a year or so they would have been expecting their first child. He was so familiar with his life and just loved his place in it. They were active in their church. They lived in a cute house that was becoming a home and shared everything. Frank even had a great extended family. He had two mothers and fathers-in-law, and a sister-in-law he adored. His life was on course for a happy ending. All that was left was to grow old with his wife and God willing, have a few grandchildren. But one day everything changed.

It seemed as though Frank just woke up one morning to discover that all of his hopes and dreams were swept right out from underneath his feet. Gone. Everything he knew. Gone. Everything he had been for five years of his life including three years of marriage. Gone. The only hand he had held. Gone. No longer would he be able to say, “Have you met my wife?” Everything changed. That life was over now.

Frank could just move away. He could run from it all. He could put it all behind him for a change of scene. New York could be his new address. Frank “the single guy” could become his new identity. It sure beats Frank “the divorced guy.” Surely Frank could find work somewhere else. Fresh beginnings, new start, new people and a new life. Yeah, Frank could’ve done that.

He could blame someone. He could blame her. He could even blamed her new “friend.” Or he could blame satan because he is the one behind all of the evil in this world, right? Better yet, he could blame God. After all, God is the One who has allowed Satan to run wild on this earth. And since He has allowed this to happen, He must be somewhat responsible, right? God could have forced it all to work out. In His unlimited power He could have limited her free will just a little so that she would have stayed and then Frank would have had his life back. Certainly there is blame to be placed at someone’s feet. Yeah, Frank could’ve done that.

Frank could become angry. He could rage. In the eyes of the world that would be justified. After all she left him for another man. He could talk bad about her. He could place a few phone calls to some of their mutual friends and tell them the truth of all that has happened. The lies, deceit, and refusal of marital counseling. He could save a little bit of face and not looke like some loser ex-husband who wasn’t good enough for his wife. Yeah, Frank could’ve done that.

Frank could become bitter at relationships in general. He could lose all hope in love.  Surely the world could use another cynical, ex-spouse turned proclaimer of the futility of love and marriage. Maybe Frank could join some sort of female-bashing support group that claim all women to be evil. Certainly if these types of clubs exist for women, they do for men. Yeah, Frank could’ve done that.

Frank could become overrun by guilt. He could blame himself for past mistakes. Lord knows he’s made more than he could ever count. Maybe he should have said “I love you” more. Or showed “I love you” more. Maybe he didn’t thank her enough or send enough flowers. He should have been more open minded, especially when it came to his principles. Perhaps he should have taken more walks with her around the neighborhood. She often asked but he was always “too tired.” He should have been less tired and less moody. He didn’t really love her like Christ loved the church. He could have tried harder. He should have tried harder. Maybe Frank is just too hard to love. Or maybe he is unworthy of love. Why would anyone ever want to love someone like Frank? Selfish, prideful, now divorced at the age of twenty-five Frank. Instead of facing these feelings head on, maybe he should just wallow and resign himself to a life of loneliness. Yeah, Frank could’ve done that. Actually, he did do that.

But many years ago Frank learned about a God who stands ready to offer second chances. He is the God who revealed Himself to the world through this God-man named Jesus, whose love, grace, and forgiveness has no limits. Frank knew that Jesus could have made different choices too, but instead he chose a death on a cross, a burial in a tomb and was resurrected by God’s power three days later. Why? Because long before the world as we know it even began, Jesus chose Frank. And Jesus wanted to prove it.

Many years ago Frank believed God and chose Jesus. For Frank, Jesus was still the best choice He could make.  And that made all the difference. It still does. And it can for you.

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