A moving story from a follower of Jesus...

This weekend I was in the central market with some friends. It's always a busy, over crowded place... and I imagine it's similar to some places Jesus walked. Bujumbura's lame, crippled and diseased are placed there to beg for money and I just want to walk around and pray for everyone. But this time one particular scene caught me. At my feet sat a little girl, probably 7 or 8, but she was hardly a girl... more like a creature. Her arms were amputated and she had one foot. She sat in the dirt with a box by her feet begging for money. As my friends and I walked by I thought "no, not this one..." I had to stop and give her the dignity of a human being. So I bent down and stroked her cheek and told her she was beautiful. I had to touch the one no one else would. And I think that moment will be forever ingrained in my memory. She smiled and for two seconds we were just two people looking at each other. And in that moment I just saw what Jesus saw, a person in need of love. My moment was disturbed by a voice from above saying in English "give her money." Without out thinking I stood up, looked him in the eye and said, "you giver her money and I'll match whatever you put in." Everything in me was thinking "she is Your person too... don't make this the white-man's problem to deal with." Suddenly it was a market show down and everyone stopped to watch. Sure enough he pulled some money out of his wallet and dropped it into her box. So I did the same.

I really think Jesus wants us to be creative in how we give. It's not about tossing money into a box... and then quickly moving on so we can forget about the problems in this world. I think he wants us to love people, and engage with others as humans... and out of that place do what comes next. It might be a meal, it might be a glass of water, or it could just be a hug. Maybe it is giving to an organization you know is doing what you're not able to. But if we separate ourselves too far from our giving it is so easy for the heart to miss what the head just did.

I want to remain spiritually, emotionally, physically, economically, whatever... available to the needs of people. And never be too busy or rush pass an opportunity to love a person in front of me.

From http://www.burundipearls.blogspot.com/

Mondo 09

This past weekend myself and a bus of students, leaders, and gear headed down to Sea Brooke Island to a middle school retreat called Mondo. Here are a few thoughts form the weekend.

• It was great to focus on a verse. The whole weekend was geared around Ephesians 3:20-21. This made my job as the keynote speaker to be more like a surgical laser then a light show. Plus it gave the students (theologically) something to lock onto and memorize.

• It highlighted students. In each session worship was led by a team of high school students. Each talk incorporated the stories of how Jesus has moved in the lives of teenagers told by those students.
  

• It was big but small. I've been to this camp a hand full of times for more events then i can remember. This was the first time I've seen camp at capacity. There were a bunch of students and a bunch that were on the wait list. Numbers ended up somewhere around 300 6th through 8th graders. This said we were divided up into youth groups and into cabins. So despite the big feel I believe that the time we spent as youth groups made the weekend real. This leads me to my final thought (for now)
  

• We have some of the greatest youth leaders on the planet. With my duties as speaker and Liz, who normally facilitates trips like this, being in charge of room setup and prayer stations our leaders kicked it up and went above and beyond. Like I said they are the best.
  

For our group the weekend held some really touchstone moments of young students drawing close to their savior and being commissioned to be his hands and feet out in the world. I'm sure I'll post some more pics or videos once they surface here.

Mondo

My prayer for the retreat weekend we will be leaving on this evening with our middle school community...

"Herein is wonder of wonders; he came below to raise me above
was born like me that I might become like him.
Herein is love; when I cannot rise to him he draws near on wings of
grace, to raise me to himself.
Herein is power; when Deity and humanity were infinitely apart
he united them in indissoluble unity, the uncreated and created.
Here in is wisdom; when I was undone, with no will to return to him,
and no intellect to devise recovery, he came God-incarnate,
to save me to the uttermost, as a man to die my death,
to shed satisfying blood on my behalf, to work out a perfect righteousness for me... Amen"

from The Valley of Vision

Liz's Big Announcement

For more information click here.

ebook reader

So who am I in this conversation. Nobody that's who. Just a 28 year old with some thoughts. Today Barnes and Nobel released information on it's new ereader "Nook" to run head to head with Amazon.com's "Kindle".

I'm a reader
I just can't wrap my brain around staring at a screen reading a whole book.

I'm a underliner
Have really looked into this with an ereader but have heard that kindle allows you to highlight. Not sure that will do it for me but i'm willing to try.

I'm a specific reader
Not sure how many theology books, or youth culture books will be available electronically right now.

I'm an RSS fiend
Rss stands for "really simple syndication" as far as i can see neither devises pull in any RSS feed i want. There are special ones like from the NY Times or other major papers but not from say the coming events section of www.BasicImpact.cc or a friends blog. If this is going to give me readable materials let me choose the articles i want.

I'm a sucker for free stuff
Just noticed that BN's Nook has "Thousands of free titles" many are classics. Things i feel guilty for not having read yet.

I don't care about wireless.
As apple has revealed in my life. It's really not a big deal to plug my ipod into my computer to download songs. Or even just a wifi hotspot. I can't think of a time i'd be in the middle of nowhere and need to get a book to read. (assuming "middle of nowhere" has cell service)

I'm on a budget
It would need to be cheaper for me to bite.

I'm a sucker for gadgets.
I really like the idea of being able to carry a bookshelf worth of books with me anywhere. This would be really great if i used mass transportation on a long commute.

Impact: Proverbs

proverbs3, originally uploaded by dlibbon.

As the semester continues we've rolled into some heavy stuff at youth group. Thought we'd take a break and maybe focus on some real practical wisdom. See you Sunday as we look at life reoriented.

idiscipleship

Great post over at stuffthathappens.com Got me thinking about how we frame discipleship. I was reminded again yesterday along these lines.

"
Props to Kem Myer If you don't follower her blog you lose.

Where I've been...

Theologically speaking not actually physically. If you want to know physically check out the post. This however is in regards to what I've been processing spiritually. Lately God's been talking a lot to me about sanctification and how we are passive participants in the whole process. God's also been laying on my heart lately this verse and two paragraph devotional from The Resurgence.com

And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became captain over them. 1 Samuel 22:2

David attracted desperate men, men who were passionate for change, men who longed for a better future. The empowered and the privileged did not gather to him. They had too much to lose. But the distressed, the debtors and the fed-up rallied to him. And under his leadership, this rabble launched a new era in the history of God's people.

If your heart is at rest with the state of the world, the state of the church, you have little incentive for all-out commitment to Jesus. You will probably just get in the way. But if you are in distress, if you are in debt, if you are bitter in soul, there is a mighty Captain who is not ashamed to have you in his army. He turns no one away, no one who is desperate for change on his terms.

That last paragraph absolutely floored me. The kind of dumbfounding where you just sit and stare at the screen making sure the words which you've read many times before now flow together as the spirit moves your soul. It contains exactly what I love and struggle with in ministry. Specifically working with teenagers. It's beyond me, in this season of life, to see how anyone could be "at rest" with the state of this world. On the other hand looking back at the last several years in full time church work the students who have been etched on my memory are the ones who recognize the debt, who are in distress, who are bitter in soul.

1 Samuel 22:2

"Own your helplessness" Dr. Piper

Atlanta

Earlier this week the family packed up and headed to Atlanta Ga. to see U2 live at the Georgia Dome. It was a great trip Abbie's first time out of the state. We took with us our good friend Angela with us to hang out with the little lady while we were at the show. I'll post some pics from the actual concert later but here's some from our time downtown. We took the opportunity and got some time at the World of Coke museum on Tues. and the breathtaking Atlanta aquarium on Wed. Enjoy the pics (You'll have to click play)

Parents let your kids play video games...

From this article there's much to learn about personal finance.

"Most people either justify video games as “entertainment” or vilify them as “time-wasters.” With a few exceptions (the Wii can actually help you become physically fit) they are almost never thought of as a tool for learning useful life skills. And yet even in those games that are not labeled as educational, where the game play consists primarily of blowing your enemy to bits, it is possible to learn some things that are useful in personal finance, often without even realizing it. Plan well, conserve your resources, and form alliances — these things come up regularly and are just the start of what video games can teach you about personal finance

World of Warcraft

Beyond the fact that spending time at home playing WoW is more cost-effective than going out to bars, clubs and pubs, there are several legitimate lessons to be learned, applicable for both the business world and for personal finance. For one, players don’t level-up without paying their dues, much like in business, where it is also important to forge lasting relationships (alliances). Secondly, it teaches one the value of money (gold), how much time and hard work can go into earning it, and what it takes to manage it — purchase of X precludes or may limit the purchase of Y. Also, in WoW it becomes easier to earn gold as you progress; just as should be the case with the real world, the harder you work at something (play the game), the higher the return you receive.

What did we learn?

Staying-in is the new going-out. People are beating the recession by substituting their world of wasteful spending, with the World of Warcraft. A month long subscription to World of Warcraft can cost less than $0.50 cents per day, which otherwise wouldn’t even cover the cost of a parking meter during a night out on the town. Get creative with your free time. The potential savings are enormous.

The Oregon Trail

Although we probably didn’t realize it at the time, The Oregon Trail provided us one of our very first lessons in the importance of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This “educational computer game” was built to simulate the struggles of a 19th century family as they traveled vast distances in hopes of fulfilling their vision of Manifest Destiny. But the game was unusually difficult for some children to grasp. With very little room for error, The Oregon Trail took ill-prepared pioneers on a journey that would inevitably end in famine, infectious disease, and a long list of equally horrifying scenarios. Not only was The Oregon Trail a game, it was a harsh lesson in the unpredictable nature of life.

What did we learn?

When it comes to personal finances, always hope for the best but prepare for the worst. In a world filled with unexpected downsizings, enormous layoffs, and more competition for few jobs than ever before, preparing for the worst is no longer an option. It’s a responsibility. Create a budget, keep track of your expenses, look for unique ways to save, and do whatever it takes to reach your own financial (manifest) destiny.

Sonic the Hedgehog

At a time when the gaming world was in dire need of a new hero to lead them into the next era of consoles, Sonic the Hedgehog made his grand entrance onto the scene as a flagship title for the Sega Genesis. The Genesis console was SEGA’s first legitimate attempt at proving that they had a brand and a product that was worthy of stepping into the ring with the undisputed heavyweight champion of gaming, Nintendo. And just like that, one of the fiercest console wars in video game history was born. Almost immediately, the world was hooked on Sonic’s distinctive look and radically different spin on Nintendo’s weary approach. One of Sonic’s best tricks was also one of his most unique. Instead of dying like most other characters would, Sonic would first lose all of the golden rings you had collected up to that point. Although it worked out in Sonic’s advantage most of the time, it’s never nice to know that everything you’ve ever worked for is constantly at risk.

What did we learn?

Sometimes the best offense is a good defense. Protect your assets at all costs and don’t be afraid to pull out all the stops when it comes to securing your identity. There are services and agencies which specialize in protecting against cyber-related crimes, and many have developed a flawless reputation for doing so. And if that’s asking too much, at least do a quick search for easy ways to protect yourself from becoming another statistic of identity theft. And, at the very least, make sure you don’t carry all your rings around in your pockets — you could lose them..."

You really should read the rest.

Impact: Family

Tonight we start looking at one topic that touches everyone...

Being Sick is Not of the Lord

So I just want to go on record saying the being sick is absolutely not of the Lord. That is all.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrvjtod/ / CC BY-SA 2.0