Open My Eyes

Thought about Haiti lately? With the earthquake over; our news has become focused on other things. So have I. It’s hard to feel compassion for all the hurt and wrong and suffering you hear about in the average day. You can’t pray for, or give to, or alleviate it all - so our compassion eyes go blind, and we feel nothing. What little we do is out of guilt, not compassion.

I was reading the story of the triumphal entry of Jesus coming into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (Mt. 21:1-11). Wondering what the context was, I turned to the end of Mt. 20. On his way to Jerusalem from Jericho Jesus is stopped by two blind guys who keep yelling “Have mercy on us Son of David, we want to see!” Who has been bombarded by more news of suffering than the great healer, Jesus?

The passage says that Jesus was “deeply moved.” My interlinear says it means “he felt compassion.” It’s defined as “a deep awareness of and sympathy for their suffering.” Jesus never let his compassion eyes go blind.

One thing I like about this story is it reminds me that Jesus didn’t heal everyone. Everyone blind didn’t get sight. Everyone who was deaf didn’t hear. Everyone who died didn’t come back to life. But some did. As a human (Divine, yet human), he did what he could with what he had. Jesus never let his brain go blind.

Have mercy on us Son of David, we want to see!

Ps 119:18 (NIV) Open my eyes that I may see...

Fearless Prayer

The picture is of Fearless Mike. Meanwhile we all started praying...

Actually, we needed some tunes at one of the houses we were working at during our New Orleans missions trip, and Mike and I found a cassette karoke radio for 10 bucks at a thrift store. Such a deal. And such is the stuff of missions trips.

We first came to New Orleans Christmas 06 to help those who lost their homes after Hurricane Katrina. Since then NOAH, the Southern Baptist relief organization we work with, has helped out over 1600 families and homes. When we were taken to our first house to work in on Monday we arrived at... the same house we helped to clean out in '06. This was not organized by NOAH, just by God. And such is the stuff of missions trips.

Deborah, the owners daughter came out to see us yesterday. That was the most cool part of this missions trip. She told us that after we helped to strip the house down to the studs over three years ago, she and her mom hired a contractor to do the rebuild. He started the work, then took off with their savings (over $20,000). This became a common practice, as most of the people doing the hiring had little experience with contracts or contractors. Now NOAH is back helping them rebuild their house.

The way the rebuild works is this: NOAH through folks like us provides free labor. The homeowner has to provide the supplies. This makes for a slow process, but also it also keeps it from being a handout. The result has been between 400-500 people accepting Christ. And such is the stuff of missions trips.

I wonder if we prayed fearlessly all the time, like we do before and during missions trips, if this would be the stuff of life.

Dan

"Devote yourselves to prayer." Col 4:2

Fearless Love

At church last week we talked about husbands loving their wives as Christ loves the church. In the service we brainstormed how Jesus shows His love for us. This becomes our definition of love in action – and a job description for all us husbands out there. Hmmm, may have some work to do. Click on the blog and add your thoughts to the list. Lets see how many actions of love we can come up with.

Jesus…

1. covers our sins.
2. cares about our loneliness
3. desires to help us.
4. clothes us when we are “naked and ashamed.”
5. seeks us out when we are afraid and “hiding ourselves.”
6. come down from heaven to be with us.
7. makes us promises and keeps them.
8. humbled himself and become human for us.
9. died for us; he sacrifices himself for us.
10. suffers for our sake.
11. conquered sin, death, and the grave to rise again for us.
12. denies himself, his wants, and his desires for our sake.
13. always listens to us;
14. doesn't interrupt or act rude in any way.
15. loves us no matter what.
16. is faithful and consistent.
17. prays for us.
18. gives good sound Biblical advice.
19. serves us
20. heals us.
21. gives us hope; he is encouraging.
22. guides us
23. teaches us.
24. provides, protects, and cares for us.
25. wrote us letters
26. takes our pain,
27. takes our shame
28. takes our place
29. takes our wrong
30. gives joy (grace)
31. gives confidence
32. gives comfort
33. is slow to get angry

Fearless at Home

My favorite church name (other than Cottonwood of course), is Counterculture. The name, I think, is cool, accurate, and frightening in practice.

The passage for our study this week is countercultural. It’s Col. 3:18-21, which says, “Wives, submit to your husbands… Husbands, love your wives…. Children, obey your parents.”

That’s hard to do. It always has been. It’s hard to submit when your husband is selfish rather than loving; or when your wife is overbearing rather than respectful; or when your parents are singing The Bohemian Rhapsody out the car window as they drop you off for school.

It’s even harder to follow when culture thinks you are an idiot.

One of Dr. Phil's favorite questions is, "How's that workin’ for you?" How’s not applying Col. 3:18-21 working for the rest of culture?

In the late 1800’s 1 in ever 34 marriages ended in divorce. Now that we ignore scripture, it’s 1 in 2. Half of all USA children will witness the breakup of their parent’s marriage (and we’re told the death of a parent is less devastating to a child than is divorce). In fact, divorce is so painful that children who come from broken homes are almost twice as likely to attempt suicide. Prison population illustrates the strength of a solid home in that over 70% of long-term inmates grew up in broken homes. With more broken homes, we have more broken lives. Perhaps this is why our prison population recently topped 2 million for the first time in history. More laws and cops can fight the symptoms. Only Jesus gives us a cure for the cause. (Stats from www.marriage-success-secrets.com.)

I have an idea, “Wives, submit to your husbands… Husbands, love your wives…. Children, obey your parents.” No, it’s not rocket science. We do this because we love Jesus and it is the right thing to do - not because it guarantees perfect kids. Everyone has a free will, and anyone can screw up the process. But, when we let Christ live in us through submission, love and obedience, the home is solid. Satan loses. We win. The world is shocked. It’s counter-cultural for sure. That’s why you have to be fearless. How are God’s promises workin’ for you? Put them to the test. Come join the fun.

Dan