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For all Moms
To those who gave birth this year to their first child—we celebrate with you
To those who lost a child this year – we mourn with you
To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains – we appreciate you
To those who experienced loss this year through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away—we mourn with you
To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears, and disappointment – we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don’t mean to make this harder than it is.
To those who are foster moms, mentor moms, and spiritual moms – we need you
To those who have warm and close relationships with your children – we celebrate with you
To those who have disappointment, heart ache, and distance with your children – we sit with you
To those who lost their mothers this year – we grieve with you
To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own mother – we acknowledge your experience
To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests, and the overall testing of motherhood – we are better for having you in our midst
To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year – we grieve and rejoice with you
And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising –we anticipate with you
This Mother’s Day, we walk with you. Mothering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst. We remember you.
Transfiguration & The Cross
7 Questions
Recently, in Leadership Journal (Spring 2012, p60), I read about the 7 Questions for New Converts in an Asian Country:
“Asian Access (or A2), a Christian missions agency in South Asia, listed a series of questions that church planters must ask new believers who are considering baptism. (Due to safety concerns, Asian Access does not mention the country’s name.) The country is predominantly Hindu, but over the past few decades Christianity has grown in popularity—especially among poor and tribal peoples. These are the seven questions asked to help determine a new convert’s readiness to follow Christ:
Are you willing to leave home and lose the blessing of your father?
Are you willing to lose your job?
Are you willing to go to the village and those who persecute you, forgive them, and share the love of Christ with them?
Are you willing to give an offering to the Lord?
Are you willing to be beaten rather than deny your faith?
Are you willing to go to prison?
Are you willing to die for Jesus?If the new convert answers yes to all of these questions, then A2 leaders invite that person to sign on the bottom of the paper that of their own free will they have decided to follow Jesus. But here’s the risk: if a new convert signs the paper and is caught by the government, he or she will spend three years behind bars. The one who did the evangelizing faces six years in prison.”
These questions spell out the challenges that a Christian needs to be prepared for in that unnamed country. What questions come to mind for U.S. Christians? What are the challenges we face daily for which we need to be prepared?
Transfiguration: Prayer is Essential to Transformation
Homelessness To Hope
“It is estimated that an African child is orphaned every 2.2 seconds, leaving 2.5 million in Kenya alone. These children are the tragic legacy of the AIDS pandemic exacerbated by poverty, drought, and tribal warfare.”
Eunice Kariukie is doing something about this.
She now leads Tumaini (Swahili for “hope”). It’s a home, not an institution, devoted to preparing orphans to be productive citizens and future leaders in their own families and communities. Tumaini provides a home environment of love and hope for orphans in Kenya through the spirit of Christ.
Curveball
Transfiguration: Promise Precedes Transformation
Helpful Help
In difficult times we all need people to come around us for support. But here’s the question: “What happens when the people who come to help only hurt you more?
Job had this experience. After losing family and fortune he then had to endure the accusations of friends who gathered around him in the aftermath of his disaster.
Have you ever had this experience?
We all want help others but sometimes in our desires to do good we end up doing more harm.
Any stories or advice to share? How do you know what someone needs when they are in pain? Have you ever had to suffer through the unhelpful help of a friend?
How much $$$ are we supposed to give God?
Some say we should tithe. After all, doesn’t the Bible say, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse”? (Mal. 3.10) Yes it does but have you ever thought about what the “Whole Tithe” was? The word tithe means, “tenth part” and in Israel there were three tithes that together comprised the “whole tithe.”
The Levite Tithe: support for the priests (Num. 18)–10% every year
The Festival Tithe: support for sacred services/celebrations (Deut. 12)–10% every year
The Poor tithe: Support for the poor, orphans & widows (Deut. 14 & 26)–10% every 3 years
Average the three tithes together and God’s people gave approximately 23% every year!
In response to this some argue, “Tithing was for those living under law but we live under grace.” I agree. So here is the question: Does grace inspire more or less than law?” Law limits us. Grace sets us free! Thus we no longer are constrained by tithing…we can give more!
It has been widely reported that the average Christian in America gives 2.5% to God. Why do you think this is?
Randy Alcorn writes, “I will listen to the point of view of the Christian who says, ‘Tithing is not meant for today’–provided that he gives regularly and that his giving exceeds the tithe. But the person who argues against the tithe and proceeds to give less than a tithe is effectively saying God has lowered his standards of giving and that New Testament grace means reduced commitment.”
Amen!
I unpack the connection between grace and giving in this message on the Grace-Centered life. It comes down to this: How much do you want to give God? Does anyone want to only give God one out of every ten dollars?
Grace-Centered: Part 5 (Pastor Robert Gelinas) from Colorado Community Church on Vimeo.
