what will you say?

have you ever read a book that you want to underline everything? you hang onto every word? want to write down phrases and reminders on little sheets of paper and post them everywhere in your home?? well for me, right now, it is *hole in our gospel* by Richard Stearns (president of World Vision)...let me tell you, it is amazing..it will rock you. this coupled with *crazy love* (Francis Chan) is a dangerous combo. next is *radical* (David Platt)...i'm in for it. and i can't wait!

if you want to be challenged, convicted and changed - read them.

they will change your life.

there are so many things that i could talk about but one thing that has struck me deeply is how Richard Stearns talks about sin and the difference between commission and omission. he writes about how we as christians come across as intolerant and judgemental because often times we focus on the sin of commission..."when we do something to violate God's commands" so lying, cheating, stealing, sexu@l promi$cuity, etc are all sins of commission.

well, what about the sin of omission??

there are over 2000 verses in the bible about the poor and oppressed. God clearly cares about this but do we?? are we so caught up with other *hot topics* that we are missing the point? i think that we are missing it big time and neglecting God's greatest commandments..."love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself."(Matthew 22:37-40).

***love your neighbor as yourself*** i don't think He just meant those living next to us.

what would happen in this world if we truly loved our neighbor {near & FAR} as ourselves. we might just change this world. it just might be "on earth as it is in heaven" -- imagine that?!?!?

the masses may see christians for the love of christ and for nothing else. not for judging. not for hatred. and certainly not for idleness.

i don't know exactly know how this looks for me and my family and i will be the first to tell you that we have got a lot of changes to make in the days, weeks, months and years ahead. but we are changing slowly. we are praying and listening and trying to figure out what this means for our family.

in 20-40 years down the road when our kids and grandkids ask us what we did to eradicate slavery in the year 2010 (because you know there are more slaves now, than there ever has been at any given time)...what will we say??

when they ask us what we did to bring *clean* water to the almost billion people without access (can you believe that many people don't have clean water?!?! seriously? my friend was just telling me about a horse that had $10,000 spent on medical bills...a horse!? REALLY?? i do love animals, but really people, a horse? i just read on charitywater that $20 can give a (ONE) person clean water for 20 years. there is something seriously wrong with this picture.) oh . my . goodness .

and when they ask us what we did to love and care for the 147 million orphans .... what will we say?

honestly, i hope and pray that my husband and i are not asked this... not because we won't have an answer but because if our loved ones have to ask us these questions then that means that we did not do enough. that we did not takes God's word to heart and that we are not living the way we are called to live.

i hope our kids and grandkids will not ask us these questions because they have seen and experienced for themselves what we did during these years to live out the gospel..

..and not just the easy parts.

but all of it.