Tears for one - tears for millions

Picture from PentictonToday.com

Since the earthquake and resulting tsunami I’ve been spending time in prayer, seeking the Lord for answers to the emotions stirring within.

Surely I grieve for the lives shattered and lost in Japan; the ears of my heart are not deaf to their cries.

And yet I wonder why the outpouring of shock, tears and support is so evident around me in the middle of this crisis in a way different than when Haiti was struck, or when the tsunami devastated Indonesia. These already seem forgotten.

Japan is much like us, a first world nation. Is that why we are moved? If this could happen to them, it could happen to us.

In the middle of my pondering I recalled the following from Richard Stearns The Hole In Our Gospel:

I want you to imagine for a moment that you woke up this morning to the following headline: “One Hundred Jetliners Crash, Killing 26,500.” Think of the pandemonium this would create across the world as heads of state, parliaments, and congresses convened to grapple with the nature and causes of this tragedy.

Now imagine that the very next day, one hundred more planes crashed – and one hundred more the next, and the next, and the next. It is unimaginable that something this terrible could ever happen.

But it did – and it does.

It happened today, and it happened yesterday. It will happen again tomorrow. But there was no media coverage. No heads of state, parliaments, or congresses stopped what they were doing to address the crisis, and no investigations were launched. Yet more than 26,500 children died yesterday of preventable causes related to their poverty, and it will happen again today and tomorrow and the day after that. Almost 10 million children will be dead in the course of a year.  So why does the crash of a single plane dominate the front pages of newspapers across the world while the equivalent of one hundred planes filled with children crashing daily never reaches our ears?

Do we, can we allow the storm that rocked Japan to loom larger and take on more importance than any other losses?

I hear the voice of one
in the cries of millions.
My heart trembles
teeters, cracks
as it falls
all at once able
to leak fresh tears.
Sometimes
there are no answers.
My spirit weeps
with those who weep.
I hear the voice of millions
in the cries of one.

Check more Wednesday One Shots at One Stop Poetry

Dancing with my mustard seed

Image by New York Public Library via Flickr

We've reached the end of our time exploring Richard Stearn's The Hole In Our Gospel with Chapter 26, A Mountain of Mustard Seeds.

Have I the faith to believe that anything I could do might impact the lives of others in need?  Faith as small as a mustard seed?

Richard leaves us with the voice of the Lord, quiet, almost a whisper: 

You, Me, let's go.  We have work to do, and it's urgent.  Join Me...

And my heart says "yes"

my heart says "when?"

my heart says "where?"

but my heart does not say "how?"

because it knows

that anything that I can do

is only because of the One Who lives in me

It is time for my ears to hear

It is time for my eyes to see

and if you can't see my vision

if you can't hear my music

than dance to the tune He plays for you

I may do a slow waltz today

and a samba tomorrow

a jig or a mad break

to a funky beat

but know that I am listening

obedient

with eyes wide open

fixed on His glory.

Joining Sarah and Jason HERE for this final week of discussion and praying that we all have been changed.

God knew this weeks topic

I finished reading Richard Stearns Hole In Our Gospel quite a long while ago and wasn’t at all sure what chapter we would be discussing today nor had I looked at the book or posts from others who have joined in these discussions.

Imagine then, my delighted surprise to find that what God spoke this morning in my journaling time was on point, to the topic at hand. Glorious, amazing, all knowing God!

More and more I hear My people trying to discern the times and seasons. This is good, for even I told My followers to have open eyes and ears. But to what end?

Is it merely to show your ability to solve puzzles and answer riddles and sort events to match prophecy?

Or does it spur you on, compelling you to action?

You can not say you know Me and love Me if your thoughts are only of yourself, for My thoughts were always for the broken, the weak, the lost and despised.

I Am the answer to all of their needs –

In the way I touch their their spirits and heal their hearts by My Holy Spirit and ….

In the way I work through My people, moving them to care for the physical needs of those who cannot help themselves.

Don’t say to Me that you do not have enough, instead offer what you do have, recalling the loaves and fishes. For I can take what you give willingly to create the miracle of sufficiency.

Yes, I feed the hungry, house the homeless and clothe the cold and naked – through you!

Yes, time is short. What are you doing?

I am left then, with this question – will I be the hands and feet of Jesus? Can I set aside fears of my own inadequacy and offer myself, trusting that He will provide whatever I might need to finish the work He requires?

Stop by Jason’s Connecting to Impact where this weeks discussion is Chapter 24 How Many Loaves Do You Have?

What will we do about it?

The Lord says "go" and the echo vibrates in our sprits.
Our very short term in Africa cemented our desire for more.
He says "listen to My heart" and I hear a cry for justice, compassion, freedom.

Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world. James 1:27 The Message

Yes, we hear and our hearts tremble.  We hear and eyes grow damp.  We hear and we know and we can't deny His call.  Can we?

We read missions, we talk missions, we dream, we plan, we pray and we wait.  It is not yet time to travel far from family needs.

Yet in that waiting for the "big plan" do we have the right to turn away from the day to day that surround us shutting our eyes to obvious needs?

We can't claim ignorance.  We can't say we don't know the will of the Father for He has made it plain.

No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.  Isaiah 58:6-7 NLT

Today I am asking myself the very same question I ask of you.  We have heard of the hunger, the homelessness, the sorrow and pain.  Now, what will we do?

Father God, here I am, Your servant, yes, Your slave.  I am sorry for my indifference to the things that grieve You, Lord.  I  repent for looking so hard at the big picture that I have lost sight of the needs and opportunities You may be placing before me.  Today I ask that You show me where You would like me to be Your hands, Your feet, and the extension of Your love.  Lead me, Lord and grant me the courage to follow.

Finally joining the discussion again with Sarah and Jason - this week at Sarah's Living Between the Lines

Keep my eyes open, Lord

Cover via Amazon

One hundred jetliners crashing every day, day after day after day. Hundreds of thousands of lives lost. That would surely make the media and the world take notice, right?

That many lives and more are lost each day to illness, starvation, the ravages of poverty. Lives ended one at a time, so silently that our comfortable lives do not feel the whisper of their passing.

Richard Stearns discusses this in Chapter 9 of The Hole in Our Gospel, leaving my heart broken again, gasping for air, on my knees asking the Lord how I can keep myself attentive to things my flesh would rather turn away from.

I may not be able to help the millions, but show me how to bring comfort, provision, life, to one at a time. Help me see the faces in the big picture, and to see the big picture in the eyes of each one.

This chapter makes me dislike myself, and for that I say "Thank you, Mr. Stearns. Thank you."

Come join the discussion this week at Sarah M. Salter's Living Between the Lines.

Word Filled Wednesday - His simple commandments

At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Matthew 11:25 NIV

Help me Lord I pray to have the childlike faith You require of me, that I would hear, see and recognize the simplicity of Your call:

Love God: Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. Matthew 22:37-38 NKJV

Love others: And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:39-40 NKJV

Go. Share the good news and make disciples so that others will do the same: Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 NIV

Stop by for more Word Filled Images at Internet Cafe Devotions

I am also linking up with Sarah, Jason and others discussing Chapter 5 of Richard Stearns The Hole In Our Gospel. To read the thoughts of others, visit Jason's place.

Sheep or Goat?

Cover via Amazon

This week Sarah, Jason and more of us are reading Chapter 4 of The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns.

Stearns discusses one of my favourite and also most sobering scenes of Jesus:

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Matthew 25:31-46 NIV

My prayer has always been that I would draw close enough to my Lord to feel the beating of His heart and in so doing, my heart would be moved and broken by anything that stirs Him. I have wondered what would the least of these look like? Would I walk right past a hungry Jesus because I did not recognize Him?

Born, raised and still living in North America, I know that even those of us in the worst situations are rich beyond measure compared to third world nations, yet we still have those who are the least of these. Help us Lord to seek what You would have us do.

Then Richard Stearns proceeds to paint a picture of one of his own encounters with the least of these, young men that had been kidnapped and turned into rebel soldiers by the LRA in Northern Uganda. I could hardly read through my tears, for my heart had been likewise torn when I was right there in Gulu in 2007, visiting a similar rehabilitation centre.

Here are words I journaled while in Uganda:

The other evening the shapes in the clouds looked to be God’s hands reaching down from the heavens, and surely God’s hand IS on this nation. There is a stirring, a shaking, a hope in the midst of desolation. When God is all there is then God is enough. If anything else is placed above Him, then nothing is enough. He is, as He says in His Word, a jealous God, and He will have no other gods before Him. I believe and I will declare that His favour will rest upon this place.

The heart of Uganda appears in the faces of the children; smiles in the midst of deprivation, laughter rising up from a belly never filled with food enough. Tears of need and tears of sorrow, but joy returning upon the simplest act of kindness.Can we learn to need so little? Our hope could be their hope – to find our strength and joy in Him alone. It is as if they already do so, even those that cannot tell you why.

Oh Uganda, release yourself into His hands. “Pearl of Africa” is what a local billboard called you. Shine with the luster of a pearl polished by the Master’s hand. Shine as a witness to the darkness. Shine in the light of His love that more would be drawn to the light. Blossom and prosper as a sign even to the “first world” nations – “Look what our God can do”

Here I find a stillness. Here I find a peace. Here perhaps I will find a pathway that leads me to the heart of God.

I pray that the scent, sound and sights of Uganda do not leave me until I return again to do whatever God calls me to.

Stop by Sarah's Living Between the Lines to read the thoughts other people share about Chapter 4.

Letting go

Cover via Amazon

This week Sarah, Jason and more of us are reading Chapter 3 of The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns. We get to meet the rich young ruler that questioned Jesus about His requirements.

Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"

Jesus said, "Why do you question me about what's good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you."

The man asked, "What in particular?"

Jesus said, "Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself."

The young man said, "I've done all that. What's left?"

"If you want to give it all you've got," Jesus replied, "go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me."

That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crest-fallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn't bear to let go. Matthew 19:16-22 The Message

I have to question how tight is my grip on the things of this world? Even as my spirit longs to fly free, unburdened by the weight of possessions, my flesh yet shouts to "hold on".

My husband and I have sought the Lord for His plans for our life and both feel committed to long term missions work. As we pray and plan and dream the conviction grows firmer.

And yet...

There is that nagging voice, whining voice, selfish and proud, that asks and asks again "Why would you want to walk away from all that you have? You love your house and surrounding land. You have a good and happy life, why mess with it?" The louder the words, the more I know this is the sound of my flesh, or the sound of the crowd or indeed the voice of the enemy himself, but it is not the Lord speaking.

And I answer "Because God asked, and I will obey."

And I can almost feel my fingers release their hold just a little bit more, knowing that the enemy has once again overplayed his hand, and I reach higher for the things of the Kingdom of God.

Come on over to Jason's place Connecting to Impact to read more and maybe even add to our discussion.

If need be, in dying also

I'm joining my friends Jason and Sarah as they study Richard Stearn's book The Hole In Our Gospel. I was blessed to win the book in Sarah's giveaway. When it arrived yesterday I read quickly so I could catch up through Chapter 2.

Richard, who is now the President of World Vision U.S. is telling the story of how God moved him from a safe and blessed comfort zone. He admits to kicking and screaming, crying and pleading. His struggle echos those of many of us: we claim Jesus as our Savior and as our Lord, we tell Him that we surrender and we choose to follow Him, and then almost without noticing, we stuff cotton in our spiritual ears so that we can't hear Him calling:

And He said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, [refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also]. Luke 9:23 Amplified

Richard was asked "Are you willing to be open to God's will for your life?"

We are often quick to answer "Yes, of course!" without counting the cost. I pray that as we continue to study we will allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to us where we have been holding on and holding out. I pray that we might be bold enough, strong enough and courageous enough to free fall into His plans and purposes. May we learn well that the richest blessings come from obedience.

Blessed by obedience I long to be
blessed by obedience to Thee
blessed to stand before Your throne
trusting You and You alone
to write Your laws upon my heart
to live for only Thee
abiding in Your presence
satisfied and free


Stop by Sarah's place Living Between the Lines for more of this week's study.