Wow. It was another fabulous day at Catalyst.
The highlight of the day for me was when a graduate from the Compassion program shared his story with the 13,000 people in attendance. He talked about living in extreme poverty in Kenya from the ages of 4-7, including a time in his life when his mother left him with relatives (to be the 8th child at an already meager table) to try and find some hope for him. When she finally returned, she took him on a long train ride to a city with a Compassion project in a local baptist church. At age 8, he was sponsored. Not long after that he received a letter from his sponsor that, as he put it, "altered the course of his life." A letter he had kept for 19 years.
The letter was a simple one. His then 20-year-old sponsor told him that he was glad to have a friend in Kenya, but even more important was the Friend they shared in Jesus. This young man told the 8-year-old boy about how Christ had changed his life. And in doing so, changed someone else's.
After sharing for a bit, the emcee asked the now grown Kenyan man if he had ever met his sponsor. When he said he had not, the next question made us all hold our breath: "Would you like to now?"
Sure enough, a man walked on stage and the audience erupted in applause. What happened next is a blur of tears of joy. It was one of the most moving things I've ever experienced. I've been involved with Compassion for more than 5 years no, but I've never witnessed a sponsor and child meeting for the first time. It was amazing.
We did what Compassion calls a "Packet Pass" where we walk through the crowd handing child packets to anyone interested in sponsoring. In my section I ran out of packets and ran to get more. After the session ended, I went to the Compassion booth to help the (wonderful) mob of people sign up to change a child's life. It was wonderful to be a part of something like this.
I have to e-mail the marketing guy from the event to find out the exact numbers, but for right now I can tell you that somewhere between 500 and 600 children were sponsored at this event. God is good! And God's people show God's goodness and love when they give themselves to the "least of these."
Check out the Compassion widget below for more information about getting involved with this amazing ministry. If you're already a sponsor, you can find out how to help at events or become a Child Advocate to support Compassion even further.
A few other awesome ministries were mentioned today. I'll try to share about them in some upcoming posts.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Catalyst Conference, day 1
Today was the first day of the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta. It is an almost overwhelming gathering of leaders in the church, in an effort to inspire, equip and unite us to better impact the world for Christ.
The line-up of speakers today was amazing. We heard from Andy Stanley, Jessica Jackson (founder of Kiva, an on-line micro-financing site), Malcolm Gladwell, Shane Hipps, Rob Bell, Tony Dungy, Matt Chandler and Francis Chan.
We also had some great worship, and I've visited a lot of vendor booths with lots of resources (and freebies) to offer. Compassion has a few booths here, and I am exited to help with them a sponsorship plea tomorrow. More on that (I hope) to come.
It is an almost exhausting schedule with very little time to eat or get to the restroom, let alone digest or pray over what we've heard. I'll still be thinking about a lot of things for a few weeks afterward! Good thing I've taken some good notes. Here are a few of the most memorable quotes from today:
"Incompetence irritates me. Overconfidence scares me."
"In times of crisis, we think we need daring and bold decision makers, but we don't. What we need are leaders with humility."
~Malcolm Gladwell (I hope I quoted that correctly, I was fiercely scribbling to keep up!)
"Every bit of hesitancy in obedience is God beckoning you to deeper waters"
~Matt Chandler
"Sometimes its easy to get so consumed with what your building that you forget what you're becoming."
~Reggie Joiner, reflecting on a message by Rob Bell
"Grace makes everyone say, "I wish I had your dad."
~Francis Chan
Oh yeah, and I'm supposed to tell you to go to this site to try to get one of the conference Emcees, Lanny Donaho, onto the Jay Leno show. This guy is one of the most ridiculous, creative people I've ever seen. If anyone could come up with his own successful campaign to be on Leno, it's Lanny.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
I'm a weaner...
... and not a terrible speller, as you might assume.
I'm not talking about Oscar Mayer.
Or Mr. Bean in Rat Race. (Please, oh please, tell me you get this... "Eet's a race! I'm weening!")
I'm talking about nursing. (Or not nursing, to be technical. So if that makes you uncomfortable, click on one of the other blogs on the list to the right. Kevin has finally put up some new photos of the day...)
I think last night was the last time I will ever nurse Little Sister. And if we really are finished with baby-ness, the last time period. I say "I think" because the hubs and I are out of town for a conference and my parents are staying with the girls (and dogs, lucky them). Because we were already down to one feeding a day, I am expecting my supply to go way down by the time I get back. Plus, it's a good time for her to get used to going to bed without nursing, because I won't be anywhere nearby to frustrate the efforts.
A part of me is relieved to have my body back to myself. To be able to be away from her for 24 hours and let someone else handle bedtime. To finally put away the ugly nursing bras. (TMI? I warned you...)
But the other part of me is sad. I'll miss the late night feedings, or the early morning cuddle sessions when we would both fall back asleep. I'll miss stroking her little curls or feeling her pat my shoulder while she drifted off to sleep.
It's not like this is unexpected. Big Sister stopped nursing at almost this exact same age. With Little Sis I was going to try to go 18 months, but this just seems like the right time. Still, I can't help but wonder: where did my tiny baby go? I remember feeding her for the first time in the hospital. How has the time gone by so fast?!
I liked nursing. I never had to make a bottle in the middle of the night. I only packed a few bottles when she went to the nursery, and even then she didn't take them so I stopped doing that, too. I saved hundreds of dollars on formula. I had an excuse to go off "alone" when the babe or I needed some down time. I lost pregnancy weight. I had quality time with my babies, from day one. And I had a surefire way to soothe & comfort them when they were hurt or scared or sleepy. I wouldn't know how to mother without nursing. Which frightens me when I think about our future hopes of fostering/adopting. It also saddens me to think that I may not ever nurse again.
Of course, weaning does make me start thinking about how big my girls have gotten, and how fast they've grown. And then it's easy to start having those "I do miss having a little baby" thoughts...
Quick! Time to pull out all of those insurance bills from 16 months ago. Someone send me a link about c-sections. And kidney stones. And temper tantrums. And teenage girls...
I'm not talking about Oscar Mayer.
Or Mr. Bean in Rat Race. (Please, oh please, tell me you get this... "Eet's a race! I'm weening!")
I'm talking about nursing. (Or not nursing, to be technical. So if that makes you uncomfortable, click on one of the other blogs on the list to the right. Kevin has finally put up some new photos of the day...)
I think last night was the last time I will ever nurse Little Sister. And if we really are finished with baby-ness, the last time period. I say "I think" because the hubs and I are out of town for a conference and my parents are staying with the girls (and dogs, lucky them). Because we were already down to one feeding a day, I am expecting my supply to go way down by the time I get back. Plus, it's a good time for her to get used to going to bed without nursing, because I won't be anywhere nearby to frustrate the efforts.
A part of me is relieved to have my body back to myself. To be able to be away from her for 24 hours and let someone else handle bedtime. To finally put away the ugly nursing bras. (TMI? I warned you...)
But the other part of me is sad. I'll miss the late night feedings, or the early morning cuddle sessions when we would both fall back asleep. I'll miss stroking her little curls or feeling her pat my shoulder while she drifted off to sleep.
It's not like this is unexpected. Big Sister stopped nursing at almost this exact same age. With Little Sis I was going to try to go 18 months, but this just seems like the right time. Still, I can't help but wonder: where did my tiny baby go? I remember feeding her for the first time in the hospital. How has the time gone by so fast?!
I liked nursing. I never had to make a bottle in the middle of the night. I only packed a few bottles when she went to the nursery, and even then she didn't take them so I stopped doing that, too. I saved hundreds of dollars on formula. I had an excuse to go off "alone" when the babe or I needed some down time. I lost pregnancy weight. I had quality time with my babies, from day one. And I had a surefire way to soothe & comfort them when they were hurt or scared or sleepy. I wouldn't know how to mother without nursing. Which frightens me when I think about our future hopes of fostering/adopting. It also saddens me to think that I may not ever nurse again.
Of course, weaning does make me start thinking about how big my girls have gotten, and how fast they've grown. And then it's easy to start having those "I do miss having a little baby" thoughts...
Quick! Time to pull out all of those insurance bills from 16 months ago. Someone send me a link about c-sections. And kidney stones. And temper tantrums. And teenage girls...
Monday, October 5, 2009
"Spiritual Abortion?"
Yes, I did put that particular phrase up there to get your attention. Did it work?
I was looking for a particular Keith Green song for Sunday, when I ran across a blog with an interesting passage from a publication he had written, called "What's Wrong with the Gospel?" I checked out the LDM website and found several written messages from Green about the church, missions, and heaven.
A few weeks ago, I watched as great conflicts erupted on a discussion forum as Christians and non-Christians all discussed salvation, evangelism, heaven and hell. Many hearts were shared, and many toes were stepped on. Some good for the Kingdom was (surely?) accomplished, as was (unfortunately) some not-so-good. The same can be said for recent discussions (and national news coverage) regarding a high school in our area and their scripture signs at football games. (That is a post forthcoming, as well...)
As someone who was raised in a fairly conservative Southern Baptist Church, attended a Baptist college, married a ministry student and is now an active church member and minister's wife, I have had my fair share of discussions about evangelism. I've definitely developed my own opinions about it all, some of which I will share more in depth another time.
In general, I am one of those people who thinks actions speak louder than words. I'm not a big fan of gospel tracts, drive-by witnessing, or guerrilla (spiritual) warfare. I've shared before about my passion for reconciliation, which includes trying to show Christ to people who have been hurt by the Church. This includes those who feel they are continually being targeted to be another "notch in the belt" of well-meaning Christians seeking to save them from themselves.
Let me be clear- I believe we all need Christ. But I also know there are many people who need to see more than another "Do you know for certain that you have eternal life?" pamphlet or hear more than another recitation of the ABC's of becoming a Christian or the Romans Road. (Let me say, though, that the ABCs and certainly the book of Romans are valuable tools- just perhaps sometimes over- or misused.) They have heard that they are going to hell so often, they start to believe that it couldn't possibly be any worse than attending church. They know what we have to say about their final destination, but they don't see us living in a way that proves ours.
What does this have to do with Keith Green? Well, for starters, he was passionate about missions. And he was someone who read the New Testament as a teen but still searched for truth, until he found what he was looking for at 21 and never looked back.
But his writing, "What's wrong with the gospel?" is very thought-provoking. There are some things that he says that sound very harsh. (He is as my husband says, very hard-core in his convictions.) There are some things he says that make a lot of sense, and some that make me react,"yeah, but..." Of course, God's redemptive work in a person's life is, in my opinion, completely, divinely unique, so none of the criticisms or suggestions he offers can apply to every situation or person. But this one, in particular, struck a chord with me. Especially after those recent discussions. And especially with such shocking terminology. See for yourself:
As you can see, when we try to picture Jesus Himself using our modern methods of evangelism, it seems completely foolish. I think this is a very good test for any method. "Could I see Jesus doing this?" or "Could I see Jesus preaching or teaching this?" Since the Bible tells us, "Walk in the manner that He walked" (I John 2:6), we should always try to compare our actions and message to the Master's.
It is obvious that there is no "set" sinner's prayer. There are many variations, with different lengths, different wordings, different endings, etc., but the contents are usually the same. The prayer usually includes phrases like, "Dear Jesus," "Come into my heart," "I admit I have sinned" (at least the better ones contain this last statement - there are some who do not even like to mention sin in their "sinner's prayer"), "Fill me with Your Spirit," "In Jesus' name. Amen." Extremely harmless . . . nothing wrong with a prayer like that, right? Wrong! It isn't the wording that's important, it's the state of heart of the one saying it.
I believe that a true "sinner's prayer" will gush out of anyone who is truly seeking God and is tired of being enslaved to sin. (Matt. 5:6) The very act of "leading someone in a prayer" is utterly ridiculous. You will find nothing even remotely like it in the Bible, or among the writings and biographies of those in Church history. It completely savors of crowd and peer pressure tactics, and (please forgive me) brainwashing techniques. I do not believe that Jesus wants to have His disciples "repeat after Me," I believe He wants them to follow after Him!4
The greatest reason I believe that God can be grieved with the current use of such tools as the "altar call" and "sinner's prayer" is because they can take away the conviction of the Holy Spirit prematurely, before the Spirit has time to work repentance leading to salvation. With an emotional splash that usually doesn't last more than a few weeks, we believe we're leading people into the Kingdom, when really we're leading many to hell - by interfering with what the Spirit of God is trying to do in a person's life. Do you hear? Do you understand that this constitutes "spiritual abortion"? Can't you see the eternal consequences of jumping the gun, trying to bring to birth a baby that isn't ready?
We are so afraid that we'll see a "big one that got away," that we'd rather rush someone into a shallow decision, and get the personal gratification of seeing him "go down the aisle," than take the time to fully explain things to him, even if it takes long hours and nights of travailing prayer for his soul. We just don't "have the time" to do things God's way anymore.5
But God would rather see one true convert than an ocean full of "decisions." Oh, can't you see what a mess we're in? What we've done to the Gospel? And when those "converts" no longer want to fellowship with us, when they want to go back to their old friends and their old way of life, we have the nerve to call it "backsliding," when we stood in the very way of them ever "front-sliding" toward the cross! Oh, it breaks my heart to think of that awsome day when God will judge those who have "stumbled one of these little ones." (Mark 9:42)
Well, what do you think? Interesting idea, isn't it? There are many other thought-provoking points made in this publication, but I think it is best summed up with this:
Maybe I've gone a little too far to make a point, but I think the world is completely sick to its stomach with our sayings and "witnessing tools." It's time for us to be expressing the truth with our lives, and then the whole truth of God with our lips!
Amen.
I was looking for a particular Keith Green song for Sunday, when I ran across a blog with an interesting passage from a publication he had written, called "What's Wrong with the Gospel?" I checked out the LDM website and found several written messages from Green about the church, missions, and heaven.
A few weeks ago, I watched as great conflicts erupted on a discussion forum as Christians and non-Christians all discussed salvation, evangelism, heaven and hell. Many hearts were shared, and many toes were stepped on. Some good for the Kingdom was (surely?) accomplished, as was (unfortunately) some not-so-good. The same can be said for recent discussions (and national news coverage) regarding a high school in our area and their scripture signs at football games. (That is a post forthcoming, as well...)
As someone who was raised in a fairly conservative Southern Baptist Church, attended a Baptist college, married a ministry student and is now an active church member and minister's wife, I have had my fair share of discussions about evangelism. I've definitely developed my own opinions about it all, some of which I will share more in depth another time.
In general, I am one of those people who thinks actions speak louder than words. I'm not a big fan of gospel tracts, drive-by witnessing, or guerrilla (spiritual) warfare. I've shared before about my passion for reconciliation, which includes trying to show Christ to people who have been hurt by the Church. This includes those who feel they are continually being targeted to be another "notch in the belt" of well-meaning Christians seeking to save them from themselves.
Let me be clear- I believe we all need Christ. But I also know there are many people who need to see more than another "Do you know for certain that you have eternal life?" pamphlet or hear more than another recitation of the ABC's of becoming a Christian or the Romans Road. (Let me say, though, that the ABCs and certainly the book of Romans are valuable tools- just perhaps sometimes over- or misused.) They have heard that they are going to hell so often, they start to believe that it couldn't possibly be any worse than attending church. They know what we have to say about their final destination, but they don't see us living in a way that proves ours.
What does this have to do with Keith Green? Well, for starters, he was passionate about missions. And he was someone who read the New Testament as a teen but still searched for truth, until he found what he was looking for at 21 and never looked back.
But his writing, "What's wrong with the gospel?" is very thought-provoking. There are some things that he says that sound very harsh. (He is as my husband says, very hard-core in his convictions.) There are some things he says that make a lot of sense, and some that make me react,"yeah, but..." Of course, God's redemptive work in a person's life is, in my opinion, completely, divinely unique, so none of the criticisms or suggestions he offers can apply to every situation or person. But this one, in particular, struck a chord with me. Especially after those recent discussions. And especially with such shocking terminology. See for yourself:
As you can see, when we try to picture Jesus Himself using our modern methods of evangelism, it seems completely foolish. I think this is a very good test for any method. "Could I see Jesus doing this?" or "Could I see Jesus preaching or teaching this?" Since the Bible tells us, "Walk in the manner that He walked" (I John 2:6), we should always try to compare our actions and message to the Master's.
It is obvious that there is no "set" sinner's prayer. There are many variations, with different lengths, different wordings, different endings, etc., but the contents are usually the same. The prayer usually includes phrases like, "Dear Jesus," "Come into my heart," "I admit I have sinned" (at least the better ones contain this last statement - there are some who do not even like to mention sin in their "sinner's prayer"), "Fill me with Your Spirit," "In Jesus' name. Amen." Extremely harmless . . . nothing wrong with a prayer like that, right? Wrong! It isn't the wording that's important, it's the state of heart of the one saying it.
I believe that a true "sinner's prayer" will gush out of anyone who is truly seeking God and is tired of being enslaved to sin. (Matt. 5:6) The very act of "leading someone in a prayer" is utterly ridiculous. You will find nothing even remotely like it in the Bible, or among the writings and biographies of those in Church history. It completely savors of crowd and peer pressure tactics, and (please forgive me) brainwashing techniques. I do not believe that Jesus wants to have His disciples "repeat after Me," I believe He wants them to follow after Him!4
Premature Birth
As with the altar call, the practice of having someone repeat a prayer with the minister probably originated from the best of intentions. And no doubt, there are those who have "followed through," continuing to pray and walk with God, entering into the path of righteousness through God's infinite grace. But also, like the altar call, the so-called "sinner's prayer" is one of those tools that make it alarmingly easy for someone to consider himself a Christian, when he has absolutely no understanding of what "counting the cost" (Luke 14:28) really means.The greatest reason I believe that God can be grieved with the current use of such tools as the "altar call" and "sinner's prayer" is because they can take away the conviction of the Holy Spirit prematurely, before the Spirit has time to work repentance leading to salvation. With an emotional splash that usually doesn't last more than a few weeks, we believe we're leading people into the Kingdom, when really we're leading many to hell - by interfering with what the Spirit of God is trying to do in a person's life. Do you hear? Do you understand that this constitutes "spiritual abortion"? Can't you see the eternal consequences of jumping the gun, trying to bring to birth a baby that isn't ready?
We are so afraid that we'll see a "big one that got away," that we'd rather rush someone into a shallow decision, and get the personal gratification of seeing him "go down the aisle," than take the time to fully explain things to him, even if it takes long hours and nights of travailing prayer for his soul. We just don't "have the time" to do things God's way anymore.5
But God would rather see one true convert than an ocean full of "decisions." Oh, can't you see what a mess we're in? What we've done to the Gospel? And when those "converts" no longer want to fellowship with us, when they want to go back to their old friends and their old way of life, we have the nerve to call it "backsliding," when we stood in the very way of them ever "front-sliding" toward the cross! Oh, it breaks my heart to think of that awsome day when God will judge those who have "stumbled one of these little ones." (Mark 9:42)
Well, what do you think? Interesting idea, isn't it? There are many other thought-provoking points made in this publication, but I think it is best summed up with this:
Maybe I've gone a little too far to make a point, but I think the world is completely sick to its stomach with our sayings and "witnessing tools." It's time for us to be expressing the truth with our lives, and then the whole truth of God with our lips!
Amen.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Song for Sunday: Do we love Jesus?
JESUS
When we love the least
When we love the weak
When we love these
We love Jesus
Jesus brings a meal for tips
Jesus trying hard to quit
Jesus raising two alone
Jesus drives a heavy load
Chorus
When we love the least
When we love the weak
When we love these
We love Jesus
Jesus with worn wrinkled hands
Jesus sows a patch of land
Jesus hides a tattooed arm
Jesus keeping dinner warm
Chorus
Jesus waves a foreign flag
Jesus wrings a washing rag
Jesus leans on prison bars
Jesus swinging in my yard
Chorus
When we love the least
When we love the weak
When we love these
We love Jesus
Jesus brings a meal for tips
Jesus trying hard to quit
Jesus raising two alone
Jesus drives a heavy load
Chorus
When we love the least
When we love the weak
When we love these
We love Jesus
Jesus with worn wrinkled hands
Jesus sows a patch of land
Jesus hides a tattooed arm
Jesus keeping dinner warm
Chorus
Jesus waves a foreign flag
Jesus wrings a washing rag
Jesus leans on prison bars
Jesus swinging in my yard
Chorus
Friday, October 2, 2009
Sing it loud, sing it strong...
"It's better when you sing a song..."
I absolutely love when they play this song on Sesame Street. It couldn't have come at a better time on this dreary, cranky morning at our house. I hope John Legend and Hoots brighten your day, too!
I absolutely love when they play this song on Sesame Street. It couldn't have come at a better time on this dreary, cranky morning at our house. I hope John Legend and Hoots brighten your day, too!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
A list...
Thirty things to do in my next thirty years
1. learn to ski, surf & scuba
2. own a kayak (or a canoe)
3. grow my own veggies
4. be a foster mommy
5. travel the world
6. write a children's book
7. watch both (all?) of my children graduate from high school and college
8. get a bike (bicycle, not motorcycle. ha!)
9. learn a new language
10. be known for one (or more) special recipe
11. conquer clutter
12. learn to (really) dance
13. fall more in love with my husband and watch him grow
14. live someplace where I can walk to the store, the post office, the bank...
15. knit
16. watch my girls grow into their own beautiful, vibrant people.
17. read all of the books in the Barnes & Noble "Classics Library"
18. keep a beautiful garden escape
19. see my husband give away his girls and then officiate at their weddings
20. spoil grandchildren
21. treasure family traditions and lost loved ones
22. send more "real" mail
23. be a voice for those who can't speak up for themselves- children, animals, elderly, disabled
24. paint a Bob Ross picture with happy little trees
25. publish some of my devotions
26. be able to identify constellations, birds, trees, plants & flowers by sight
27. find the niche calling for me, and pursue it with all of my heart
28. hike the AT with my husband
29. accentuate the positive. eliminate the negative. Less drama, more living.
30. try every day to be more like Christ, and revel in His grace when I still don't measure up...
1. learn to ski, surf & scuba
2. own a kayak (or a canoe)
3. grow my own veggies
4. be a foster mommy
5. travel the world
6. write a children's book
7. watch both (all?) of my children graduate from high school and college
8. get a bike (bicycle, not motorcycle. ha!)
9. learn a new language
10. be known for one (or more) special recipe
11. conquer clutter
12. learn to (really) dance
13. fall more in love with my husband and watch him grow
14. live someplace where I can walk to the store, the post office, the bank...
15. knit
16. watch my girls grow into their own beautiful, vibrant people.
17. read all of the books in the Barnes & Noble "Classics Library"
18. keep a beautiful garden escape
19. see my husband give away his girls and then officiate at their weddings
20. spoil grandchildren
21. treasure family traditions and lost loved ones
22. send more "real" mail
23. be a voice for those who can't speak up for themselves- children, animals, elderly, disabled
24. paint a Bob Ross picture with happy little trees
25. publish some of my devotions
26. be able to identify constellations, birds, trees, plants & flowers by sight
27. find the niche calling for me, and pursue it with all of my heart
28. hike the AT with my husband
29. accentuate the positive. eliminate the negative. Less drama, more living.
30. try every day to be more like Christ, and revel in His grace when I still don't measure up...
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