HANDS & FEET

I guess the horrific devastation and images of destruction and human misery have prompted many bloggers to express deep feelings of empathy towards our fellow human beings in Japan. We are mesmerised as the surreal images beamed across the world explode into our our cosy, safe cocoons...jolting us out of our daily apathy as we count our blessings...feelings of helplessness as we realise that we are powerless to help.
Like many, it is a time of introspection and self-assessment...how significant is my safe middle-class life really? What opportunities for involvement in needy communities closer to home do I conveniently ignore? Am I truly making a difference? Who is my neighbour...do I really care?

IF WE ARE THE BODY

The following song by "Casting Crowns" has always struck a deep chord within me...challenging and convicting! It is directed at Christians and questions the effectiveness of the "Church" (the "Body" of Christ) in making a difference in a desperate world:

It's crowded in worship today

As she slips in trying to fade into the faces
The girls teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know

But if we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
There is a way

A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat and quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgement glances
Tells him that his chances are better out on the road

Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the body of Christ

Jesus is the way

(James 2:1-9; 1 John 5:19-21)

A friend of mine, Chris Wienand, recently wrote an excellent post in his blog challenging us to use our hands and feet to get involved (Chris, I hope you don't mind me sharing this?): 

Japan - our response?

...I have been so impacted by the images as they have come out of Japan. None of us who have not gone through something like this, can know the sheer devastation that it has on the soul. To have experienced an earthquake of that magnitude is traumatic. It is difficult to describe for those not in an earthquake zone. The absolute sense of fear as the earth groans her own travail and you feel out of control, an initial sense of disbelief and then wondering if "this is it"...Then to see the ultimate but not virtual reality, as the wave powers its way to dominance destroying all in its wake. Watching it is like watching a deeply chilling horror movie - yet this time it is real... I just cannot get my mind around it. Sure, these are signs of the 'last of the last days'. Sure, they are ecological reminders of the earth writhing and groaning, waiting and watching for her creators return - the end of the age. Sure they are tragic reminders of the smallness of our humanity. But they are moments for the church to respond with deep humility not judgement. A nation is grieving and they need to know of our love. A nation is traumatized and they need to know of our prayers. A nation is limping and they need to know of our generosity. A nation is brought to her knees and she needs to know of our partnership in life - she is not alone. Christians our response can include:

Prayer for those in authority, for comfort, for the gospel to permeate these broken lives-with love, Financial gifts, to empower those who are working there to feed, clothe the hurting, Servants who will give of their time and labor to work shoulder to shoulder with the locals, Businesses to adopt a kingdom heartedness to help rebuild the economy of the areas affected, Pastors to go and minister to the hurting Cities that will adopt a Japanese city in partnership and hope.

Our gospel has hands to serve and feet to go. It has a heart to love and a mind to rebuild. It cannot simply be business as usual in our gatherings this morning - can it?

(http://chriswienand.blogspot.com)

We shy away from getting our hands dirty, we count the cost of involvement mumbling our excuses, some legitimate but many, quite frankly, weak. I, like many, initially respond to social challenges and needs with sincere heart-felt determination to get involved and make a difference...and yet all too often the daily cares and pressures of life dull the vision and I continue on the treadmill, same old same old!

The book I'm reading on the awful events in Rwanda in 1994 has a moving description of a young Belgian Red Cross worker sharing practical compassion and human kindness in the shocking conditions of a displaced persons camp:

We smelled the camp before we saw it, a toxic mixture of feces, urine, vomit and death. A forest of blue plastic tarps covered an entire hillside where 60 000 displaced persons from the demilitarised zone and the RPF sector were tightly packed into a few square kilometres. When we stopped and got out of our vehicles, we were swarmed by a thick cloud of flies, which stuck to our eyes and mouths and crawled into our ears and noses. It was hard not to gag with the smell, but breathing through the mouth was difficult with the flies. A young Belgian Red Cross worker spotted us and interrupted her rounds to guide us through the camp. The refugess huddled around small open fires, a silent ghost-like throng that followed us listlessly with their eyes as we picked our way gingerly through the filth of the camp. I was deeply impressed by the young Belgian woman's calm compassion as she gently administered what aid she could to these desperate souls? It was obvious that she could see through the dirt and despair to their humanity.
("Shake hand with the Devil": Lt Gen Romeo Dallaire)

Do I see the "humanity" in my neighbour? Am I truly God's hands, feet and words in my community? What cost is there in non involvement....what reward in involvement?

DAY BY DAY

Life right now is a daily test of faith, perseverance, routine, keeping hope alive. It's been almost 6 months of unemployment and the daily grind of job hunting...applications...marketing business ideas...interviews...waiting! It's a time of small steps, some forwards and at times a step or two backwards. It is difficult to find the "fun" in life and it is all too easy to succumb to depression and dark thoughts! The strength and comfort of my wife, friends, my God and His Word which breathes new life into a weary spirit has been priceless. Keeping one's focus and remaining positive and optimistic in thought, words and actions is a challenge and test which I confess I have failed all too often. After each visit to the dust bowel of despair, the hands of faith and hope reach out and I stand strong again, ready to enter the battle again and press on towards the goal and the hope which we have within us. The elusive "open door" IS there, waiting for me to enter...of that I am certain. The closed doors thus far serve only to bring me ever closer to God's moment of opportunity, in His timing. I pray that I do not miss it and that I am able to discern and recognise His open door when it beckons before me!

The following devotion by Oswald Chambers from his timeless classic, "My Utmost for His Highest" is so pertinent and I share this with you in the hope that it will also speak powerfully to someone going through similar challenges:

"...in much patience, in tribulation, in needs, in distresses" (2 Corinthians 6:4)

When you have no vision from God, no enthusiasm left in your life, and no one watching and encouraging you, it requires the grace of Almighty God to take the next step in your devotion to Him, in the reading and studying of His Word, in your family life, or in your duty to Him. It takes much more of the grace of God, and a much greater awareness of drawing upon Him, to take that next step, than it does to preach the gospel.
Every Christian must experience the essence of the incarnation by bringing the next step down into flesh-and-blood reality and by working it out with his hands. We lose interest and give up when we have no vision, no encouragement and no improvement, but only experience our everyday life with its trivial tasks. The thing that really testifies for God and for the people of God in the long run is steady perseverance, even when the work cannot be seen by others. And the only way to live an undefeated life is to live looking to God. Ask God to keep the eyes of your spirit open to the risen Christ, and it will be impossible for drudgery to discourage you. Never allow yourself to think that some tasks are beneath your dignity or too insignificant for you to do, and remind yourself of the example of Christ in John 13:1-7   

THE DEAFENING SILENCE

“Rwanda, 1994…a story of betrayal, failure, naïveté, indifference, hatred, genocide, war, inhumanity and evil…one of the fastest, most efficient, most evident genocides in recent history. In just one hundred days over 800 000 innocent Rwandan men, women and children were brutally murdered while the developed world, impassive and apparently unperturbed, sat back and watched the unfolding apocalypse or simply changed channels. Almost fifty years to the day when the extermination camps in Europe were uncovered and when, in one voice, humanity said, “Never again” – we once again sat back and permitted this unspeakable horror to occur. We could not find the political will nor the resources to stop it. Since then, much has been written, discussed, debated, argued and filmed on the subject of Rwanda, yet it is my feeling that this recent catastrophe is being forgotten and its lessons submerged in ignorance and apathy. The genocide in Rwanda was a failure of humanity that could easily happen again.

After one of my many presentations following my return from Rwanda, a Canadian Forces padre asked me how, after all I had seen and experienced, I could still believe in God. I answered that I know there is a God because in Rwanda I shook hands with the devil. I have seen him, I have smelled him and I have touched him. I know the devil exists, and therefore I know there is a God.” (Lt. Gen. Romeo Dallaire, July 2003 in his book “Shake Hands with the Devil”)

South Africa, 1994…the euphoria of democratic elections and the swearing in of Nelson Mandela as president of the “rainbow nation”. Thinking back now to this momentous and historic event, it is inconceivable to me that at the same time that our nation rejoiced and celebrated in unity, unspeakable horrors and atrocities were being played out north of our borders as another nation tore its guts out in an orgy of violence and evil. How could the world simply stand by and watch this awful tragedy unfold? How could world leaders fail to intervene and fail humanity once again?

Rhodesia, 1978…A Viscount passenger jet belonging to Air Rhodesia is shot down by guerilla forces near Kariba Dam. Forty-eight innocent people die and of the 18 survivors, 10 including women and children are brutally machine gunned as they wait for their rescuers to arrive. Days later, a sermon preached by the Dean, The Very Revd. J.R. da Costa, and entitled “The Deafening Silence” is every bit as relevant today as it was then. The message reverberates  across time pleading in anguish for answers and action from world leaders:

“Nobody who holds sacred the dignity of human life can be anything but sickened at the events attending the crash of the Viscount 'Hunyani'. Survivors have the greatest call on the sympathy and assistance of every other human being. The horror of the crash was bad enough but that this should have been compounded by murder of the most savage and treacherous sort leaves us stunned with disbelief and brings revulsion in the minds of anyone deserving the name 'Human'. This bestiality, worse than anything in recent history stinks in the nostrils of heaven.

But are we deafened with the voice of protest from nations which call themselves 'civilised'? We are not! Like men, in the story of the Good Samaritan, they 'pass by on the other side'. One listens for loud condemnation by Dr. David Owen, himself a medical doctor, trained to extend mercy and help to all in need. One listens and the silence is deafening.

One listens for loud condemnation by the President of the United States, himself a man from the Bible Baptist belt and again the silence is deafening.

One listens for loud condemnation by the Pope, by the Chief Rabbi, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, by all who love the name of God. Again the silence is deafening.

I do not believe in white supremacy. I do not believe in black supremacy either. I do not believe that anyone is better than another, until he has proved himself to be so. I believe that those who govern or who seek to govern must prove themselves worthy of the trust that will be placed in them. One looks for real leadership: one finds little in the Western world; how much less in Africa!

Who is to be blamed for this ghastly episode? Like Pontius Pilate, the world may ask 'What is truth'? What is to be believed? That depends on what your prejudices will allow you to believe, for then no evidence will convince you otherwise.

So who is to be blamed? First, those who fired the guns. Who were they? Youths and men who, as likely as not, were until recently in Church Schools. This is the first terrible fact. Men who went over to the other side and in a few months were so indoctrinated that all they had previously learned was obliterated. How could this happen if they had been given a truly Christian education?

Secondly, it is common knowledge that in large parts of the world violence is paraded on T.V. and Cinema Screens as entertainment. Films about war, murder, violence, rape, devil possession, and the like are 'good box office'. Peak viewing time is set aside for murderers from Belfast, Palestine, Europe, Africa and the rest, to speak before an audience of tens of millions. Thugs are given full treatment, as if deserving of respect. Not so their victims' relations.

Who else is to be blamed? I am sure that the United Nations and their Church equivalent, the W.C.C. both bear blame in this. Each parades a pseudo morality which, like all half truths, is more dangerous than the lie direct. From the safety and comfort of New York and Geneva, high moral attitudes can safely be struck. For us in the sweat, the blood, the suffering, it is somewhat different.

Who else? The Churches? Oh yes, I fear so! For too long, too many people have been allowed to call themselves 'believers' when they have been nothing of the kind. Those who believe must act. If you believe the car is going to crash, you attempt to get out. If you believe the house is on fire. you try to get help and move things quickly. If you believe a child has drunk poison, you rush him to the doctor. Belief must bring about action. If you believe in God you must do something about it! Yet churches, even in our own dangerous times are more than half empty all the time. We are surrounded by respectable heathens who equate belief in God with the Western way of life.

In many war areas, Africans are told to 'burn their Bibles'. If this call was made to us, what sort of Bibles would be handed in? Would they be dog eared from constant use; well thumbed and marked? Or would they be pristine in their virgin loveliness in the same box in which they were first received?

There are tons of millions of all races who call themselves believers who never enter any house of prayer and praise. Many are folk who scream loudest against Communism, yet do not themselves help to defeat these Satanic forces, by means of prayer, and praise, and religious witness. For make no mistake, if our witness were as it ought to be, men would flock to join our ranks. As it is, we are by passed by the world as if irrelevant.

Is anyone else to be blamed for this ghastly episode near Kariba? I think so. Politicians throughout the world have made opportunistic speeches from time to time. These add to the heap of blameworthiness for a speech can cause wounds which may take years to heal. The ghastliness of this ill fated Flight from Kariba will be burned upon our memories for years to come. For others, far from our borders it is an intellectual matter, not one which affects them deeply. Here is the tragedy! The especial danger of Marxism is its teaching that human life is cheap, expendable, of less importance than the well being of the State.

But there are men who call themselves Christians who have the same contempt for other human beings, and who treat them as being 'expendable'. Had we who claim to love God shown more real love and understanding in the past, more patience, more trust of others, the Churches would not be vilified as they are today.

I have nothing but sympathy with those who are here today, and whose grief we share. I have nothing but revulsion for the less than human act of murder which has so horrified us all. I have nothing but amazement at the silence of so many of the political leaders of the world. I have nothing but sadness that our Churches have failed so badly to practise what we preach. May God forgive us all and may He bring all those who died so suddenly and unprepared, into the light of his glorious Presence. AMEN.”

Darfur, Sudan, present day…Since 2003, the genocidal conflict in Darfur has devastated millions of civilians and resulted in the death of at least 200,000 people. As of 2010, Sudan continues to direct its troops and proxy militias to systematically destroy the livelihoods of Darfuris by bombing and burning villages, looting economic resources, and murdering, raping, and torturing non-combatant civilians.

A proliferation of rebel groups in Darfur is also complicit in the recruitment of child soldiers and acts of violence against civilians.

The Darfur conflict has displaced over 2.7 million people within Sudan, with an additional 250,000 crossing the border into Chad. The actions of the Sudanese government, particularly the expulsion of 13 international aid groups in March 2009, continue to affect those who have sought safety in towns and displaced persons camps.

The hypocrisy of Western powers is sickening. While billions of dollars are wasted in waging highly questionable wars to safeguard the supply of oil and other resources, the cries of the oppressed in poorer nations are largely ignored. The selective morality and lack of conscience by all economic and political decision makers on the world stage today and in recent times is nothing less than despicable! The political posturing and hollow expressions of sympathy…the repeated and weak ineffective threats of action…the toothless display of force by peacekeepers on the ground, tightly reined in by politicians out of touch with reality….the cries of the butchered innocents over the years plead for answers and action, but the silence is deafening!

MUD HUT GALLERY

FAITH LIVING

With acknowledgement: Boyd Bailey's "Wisdom Hunters" 

Faith living is focused on God living. It is the road less traveled. Even for believers in Jesus Christ, faith living is not always predominant. Why settle for anything less? If we limit ourselves to our efforts, our logic, and what we can see, then we only tip God with our faith. He is calling us beyond the honeymoon stage of our faith to mature faith. A faith that only thinks of the past is anemic and stunted. Faith alive is focused on God's vision for the future. It is caught up in the possibilities of today with no fear of tomorrow.

Faith living enjoys God's ability to create. For example, He can create resourceful relational opportunities, as He is the connector par excellent. By faith He can be trusted to lead you to just the right people. People whom you can serve and people who can join you to accomplish God's will. Determine ways to bring value to the other person. It is not about what you can get from them. It is all about how you can serve them.

 Moreover, faith living is not irresponsible living. This is not some blind excursion that ignores the needs of your spouse and children. It is wrought with prayer and godly advice. This implies that faith living is not lived in a vacuum. It is living in concert with those around you. Abraham went by faith to a new country and cared for his family.

Yes, it requires sacrifice and service, but not in the guise of unwise decision-making. Faith living trusts God's timing. It does not rush into battle without weapons or a plan. You trust God to prepare you and provide for you the needed resources to carry out his will. You are no match for Satan without the weapons of spiritual warfare.

Furthermore, trust the Lord with how He has gifted you. Your part is to become more self aware of your strengths and weaknesses. Allow God and others to leverage your strengths and shore up your weaknesses. Be who God created you to be and come alive in Christ. Pursue Him, live by faith and execute His will. Live by faith and not by sight. Faith living is the only way to live for God. You are not really alive until you live by faith in Jesus!

How can I better position my life to live by faith and not by sight?

FAMILY

Over the past few months we have been particularly overwhelmed by the care, concern and amazing generosity of the wonderful individuals we are blessed to call "family". This also extends to close friends who, while not blood relatives, are in many respects as close as "family". How do we ever express sufficient gratitude for the unselfish acts of love by these remarkable people in our lives? Surely the love of Christ...the godly model of family in its broadest sense, has been so tangible to us during challenging times.

I am saddened by the many examples, everyday displayed in the media and in society, of the antithesis of "family". The painful absence of solid, godly values which were always intended to be nurtured within the family unit in preparation for responsible outworkings of "ubuntu" (an amazing Zulu word meaning "community"...loving, caring, unselfish relationships) can be directly attributed to the breakup of marriages and the family unit. One would have to be blind to disagree, such is the overwhelming evidence all around us...in schools, society, media and tv, politics, government institutions etc.

I am honoured and so blessed to be surrounded by the strength of family! I am deeply humbled by the reflections of God's grace and mercy towards me displayed in the lives of those I am privileged to call family and friends. Jesus said that no greater love is there than the love of someone who would lay down his life for his friends. I have such friends and family, and I know that I in turn would lay down my life for such as these.

I am so blessed! Thank you!