World Vision Wednesday

There are many ways to give to help the poor around the world. Read this story about how medication donated through World Vision saved a child's life in Zambia.

Who Gets In?

Yesterday, we were discussing the Beatitudes in our gathering. When I was growing up, I was taught that the Beatitudes were characteristics of people during the future millennial kingdom. Later, the idea that they were traits that would make us blessed if we cultivated them. In the last couple of years, I've come to believe that neither of these ways of seeing the Beatitudes hits the mark. The first way essentially ignores the teachings of Jesus, or relegates some of them to a time far off in the future, missing the point of the Gospels. The second way turns the Beatitudes into "9 Steps to a Blessed Life," making them another thing we have to do.

In The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard makes the point that if we look at the context of Jesus' ministry and the context of the passage, we see that what Jesus is doing is announcing the availability of the Kingdom of God to those were seen as having no chance to enter. The prevailing opinion in first century Judea was that wealth and status were signs of God's favor, and poverty was a sign of sin and disfavor. Sounds like our culture today, doesn't it? Jesus traveled the length and breadth of the land announcing that the Kingdom of God was at hand, and then taught that this kingdom was open to everyone who would follow him, whether or not they fit the image of a righteous person.

Look at the folks who flocked to Jesus. Those on the bottom rung of the ladder, even those who couldn't reach the ladder. The very ones who were called sinners by the religious leaders were the ones Jesus ate and drank with. It was these people who were invited into the Kingdom, and the only requirement was that they follow Jesus and learn his way. In 1 Corinthians, Paul reminds his readers that it is not those on the top of the heap who have been called. It is those who are not the best and brightest.

Jesus time on earth turned the entire established religious order upside down. Those who thought they had their kingdom membership card already validated were told that they were wrong, and those who thought that they were hopeless were told that the Kingdom was open to them. Even after Jesus told the people that their righteousness had to exceed that of the Pharisees, they continued to follow him because they recognized his authority.

When we stand before the Father at the restoration of all things, how surprised will we be at who is there? How many will be surprised that we are there? We should not presume to think we know who is a follower of Jesus. He is still in the business of turning expectations upside down.

TGIF

The first week of summer vacation is in the books. The World Cup has started, and it will be interesting to see how the U.S. team does. They have been somewhat inconsistent in the games leading up to the tournament, but they hopefully will set a good tone in their first match against England. The greatest basketball coach of all time died this week. John Wooden was an inspiration to coaches and fans alike.

My blog reading has been a bit spotty this week, but here are some of the good ones:

My daughter Jennie talks about a really cool camera rig.
Lessons in communication.
Sailing in deep waters.
A sign of the apocalypse?

Spiritual, but not religious.
Another spill.
Another viewpoint on mission trips.
Christian bait and switch.

Wandering prayer.
What Jesus cares about.
The myth of the consumerist God.
Do you know your Bible? Part 2.

Thanks for reading my blog. Have a great weekend.

World Vision Wednesday

Looking for a gift for Father's Day that goes beyond the ordinary? Check out the World Vision gift catalog, for gifts from goats to free trade coffee.

TGIF

Today is the first Friday of summer vacation. School is out, and things have slowed down quite a bit. This morning Jan and I continued a tradition began when our kids were young, and went out for breakfast to celebrate the end of the school year. There is a possibility that the summer will bring some more changes, but we'll have to wait and see.

Here is the good stuff:

Catharsis.
Turning charity upside down.
Perhaps.
Avoiding Scary Mary.

Time management fail.
Alan Knox on change.
Reimagining the slippery slope.
I agree with this.

The silence of God.
On being a stumbling block.
"We fail at life."
David Sessions on the American cause.

The ethical gut.
This is pretty funny.
Lut'ran Airlines.
Chasing the wind.

Thanks for reading my blog. Have a great weekend.

Sad Cafe

A few years ago the Eagles sang a song titled "The Sad Cafe". Here are some of the lyrics:

It seemed like a holy place,

protected by amazing grace.

We would sing right out loud

the things we could not say.

We thought we could change the world,

with words like love and freedom.

Part of the lonely crowd inside the Sad Cafe.

I think this is a good picture of what the church should be. A holy place, protected by God's amazing grace. A place where people are free to share their needs and struggles without fear of condemnation. A place where the people go out to change the world with the love of Christ and the freedom that is found in Him. A place where the lonely can come and find community.What would this world be if the church was really the place it should be.

World Vision Wednesday

Here is another success story from the World Vision Micro Loan program.