the sorrow of lost lives in Japan

After watching more footage again this morning of the Tsunami that happened in Japan on March 11, 2011, I am in shock. In the age of technology and media, we are able to see so many different camera angles, and personal footage of what took place, and so it makes the magnitude of the destruction seem even more incredible (which it surely is). You hear stories of where parents who owned a nightclub wouldn't leave, but the son left the town, and now he's searching for the bodies of his parents. You hear where half of a city of 17000 people may be gone. Hear where a wave of over 30 feet came in wiped out the entire town. You see cars & trucks tossed around like little toys. My heart and prayers go out to the people of Japan. There are so many people who have been affected in one way or another, and how do we respond, as a people so far away?
I must find strength in God, and pray that others who are deeply troubled in Japan would do the same. Here are some words that I have called out to on behalf of the family & friends who are searching and have lost loved ones:
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." Psalm 46:1-3

Other options to help will be to donate funds through agencies like Mennonite Central Committee or the Red Cross.

Wow - really all we can do is be thankful for what we do have....go give your family members a hug and tell them you love them....and pray for the country of Japan as they try to piece their shattered lives together - one day at a time.

the radical call to love our neighbor

Do you ever wonder what it means to love your neighbor as yourself? In some ways, I hope we all wrestle with this command that Jesus gives....but where do we come at the end of our discussion?
Will we act like the expert in the law (in Luke 10:29) who tries to "justify himself" - which really means he is trying to make excuses for why he didn't love those in need around him?

As I preached yesterday on the passage of the Good Samaritan and loving your neighbor as yourself (you can listen to the sermon here), it was definitely tough. Because so often I have come up with excuses (I think really good ones) why I haven't shared with those in need. I am really good at justifying my behavior of why I need to keep my money and resources close to me. But then I read this passage and hear how Jesus used a story of a Samaritan (who is a person who was hated by the Jews - avoided at all costs) to help the man who was beaten on the side of the road.

And anytime I think that I can't trust those around me to use the resources I share, wow I will be reminded of this quote:

“Christ loved us, and was kind to us, and was willing to relieve us, though we were very hateful persons, of an evil disposition, not deserving of any good…..so we should be willing to be kind to those who are….very undeserving” ("The Charity to the Poor" by Jonathan Edwards 369)

This is a powerful quote that destroys the self-righteous attitude that I so easily hold onto.

So....it's time to daily listen to God to who might be in need, and how we can share the resources that he has given us!
Get ready for an adventure!