You know, at the end of my wedding vows that I wrote to Ang, I said, “Angela Marie, you are a masterpiece, and together, we will bring peace to the Master.” – We are pushing forward with that mission. . . . it will not be easy. . . but it WILL BE WORTH IT! - we can’t wait for the adventure that God has in store for us in the next 9 years!!!!

Here are a few things that I really love about this video:

1. chiseling is painful

2. “most of My children just want to talk”

3. “Can you just chisel where I want?” – “that is control”

4. Who do you see in the mirror in the morning?, at noon?, at night?

5. “Can we take a time-out?” . . . . “control or chisel?”

6. “you go to these empty wells whenever you are _______, but they do not work!”

7. “I made you good”

8. My favorite . . .at 4:50

9. “you have listened to so many voices for too long that are not of ME.”

10. “It’s more than a name. . . . it’s a name above all names.”

11. “you bought into the lie thinking that everything was going to be easy when you said yes to ME. . . that’s not how it works”

I know that I will not ever fully understand how God can love us all so much, even though we mess up over and over again. . . . but I accept that grace – and I am determined to live in that renewal today.

Click on the pictures to see it bigger

These first two are videos

[flickr]photo:3368651025[/flickr]

I ran across this video that is a tribute to Ruth Graham (Billy Graham’s wife), but I wanted to show it as a tribute to all of the women, wives, and mothers out there that CHOOSE to do amazing things in their relationships and circles of influence. Those who CHOOSE to put others’ first, love well, have patience, model integrity, persevere through double standards, forgive your loved ones, and give – though you are rarely thanked for it. . .

Though I shouldn’t speak for all the men. . . I will anyways, and say – THANK YOU!!!!

These words and song by Brandon Heath really have come alive to me these past two weeks as I have thought/experienced a few things:

- a valentines weekend with three little miracles, and my wonderful bride

- the pain of revisiting the tragedies of bonded slave labor, infanticide, and seti in India as I prepared and gave a Colloquium on my Justice trip to India with Jack Magruder (more of that coming BTW – later post)

- as I contemplate the value of greenLockers to impoverished people here. . . and around the world

- hearing about the trajedgy of a family member’s death in my student’s prayer requests this week. . . in 3 different families

- that God truly loving others through me - requires my sacrifice . . . of something – time, money, resources, convenience, comfort, etc…. but, it is worth it!

- as thousands of people lose their jobs

- watching the ultrasound of my next child. . . Dane Justice. . . and being so proud of my wife!

- as I revisit the revolutionary idea of loving other people first. . . before judging them

God’s love NEVER fails. . . it is a promise. . . and one that I desperately need to be reminded of sometimes.

Here are the words by Brandon Heath:

Love is not proud
Love does not boast
Love after all
Matters the most

Love does not run
Love does not hide
Love does not keep
Locked inside

Love is the river that flows through
Love never fails you

Love will sustain
Love will provide
Love will not cease
At the end of time

Love will protect
Love always hopes
Love still believes
When you don’t

Love is the arms that are holding you
Love never fails you

When my heart won’t make a sound
When I can’t turn back around
When the sky is falling down
Nothing is greater than this
Greater than this

Love is right here
Love is alive
Love is the way
The truth the life

Love is the river than flows through
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love is the place you will fly to
Love never fails you

Here is him singing it

There are many other ways to instill these principles. . . . my point is. . . . it IS worth it to do these things. . . to rehearse these statements to your children, . . .  and to yourself.

I have a former adult student/friend of mine that I have such respect for because of how genuinely he engaged not only my class, but his ownfaith journey. He commented to me one time that through my class he was finding his way back to church. . . .something he had not diligently considered for years – - I never told him, but that might have been one of the best compliments I have EVER received. . . . well, he sent me this video yesterday, and I just think his timing is great . . . . I personally. . . . . can NEVER be reminded enough. . . . .

It truly is amazing what Love can accomplish. . . . . be open, willing, patient enough, and ready to be used by God today to love someone else. . . . . . .there is plenty of suffering right now. . . . . and not nearly enough care, compassion, encouragement, selflessness, and empathy. . . .

- as we go into another CRAZY holiday season. . . . . let us not forget to LOVE FIRST. . . . . it truly is better than any other gift you could ever buy. . .

For more on this amazing duo – go HERE

This is a video that we used in our identity series last year or so at Lifeline (GSM now). . . . and it is a wonderful reminder to me today that God loves you and me so much. . . . . enough that. . . . we don’t have to play the comparison game anymore. . . . that your worth is NOT CONNECTED to others’ dissaproval or. . .  conditional love. . . . .The truth of God’s grace has set you free from those chains of being obsessed with other’s approval. . . . Praise God for that freedom. . . . and live like you are free. . . . because you are!

I think this song has had such an impact on me because I have always thought that I was so good at keeping my eyes open to what God has around me. . . . instead, my pride has blinded me to a whole different level of compassion that I was not aware of. . . . a new vision of pain and suffering around me. . . I earnestly seek to be aware of this. . . to be able to genuinely enter into their pain with hope – 3Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering (Hebrews 13:3) . . .though I know this will cost more of my heart. . .

Hebrews 13:11 says
11The high priest carries the blood of animals into the Most Holy Place as a sin offering, but the bodies are burned outside the camp. 12And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. 13Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.

So, right now. . . I am wanting to go “outside the city gates” – and so I am going to India in 37 days – where in one city yesterday 60,000 Christians were forced out of their homes to refugee camps, with many dying. . . being burned alive, buried alive, shot, hung, beheaded. . . horrible persecution. . . . . . . . . . pray for them please. . . . . . . . . . .

but what is often more difficult for me . . . is going down my street . . . to those that I risk losing face to . . . where I really risk “bearing disgrace” . . . I pray that God will give me the eyes to see it . . . and the heart to care enough . . . . . . that I ACTUALLY do something about it. . . . . please Father. . .

Brandon Heath – Give Me Your Eyes from Brandon Heath on Vimeo.

• I saw the love, courage, and passion of engaged couples as my wife and I taught the pre-marital workshop at our Church
• I was at a funeral luncheon in honor of my neighbor who passed away during election night. . . this world’s loss
• God allowed me to help someone come to know Christ through a 40 minute facebook chat. . . and a prayer with a friend afterwards
• Through advising some of my students – I have heard some of their dreams coming to fruition, but. . . others . . . are completely lost in the mystery of their life’s vocation
• I have had the joy of tossing my kids high up into the autumn air, . . . hearing their joyous screams. . . and then. . . . . . More Daddy. . .
• I witnessed History meeting its match . . . in the wonderful reactions of my brother’s and sister’s as their dream came true on election night
• A friend had a baby. . . 1-month early. . . . and everything is ok:)
• I received news of a student’s life suddenly brought to a screeching halt as she desperately holds onto life. . .
• I felt . . . for the first time. . . my fourth gift from God kick. . . and I smiled.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-3 (New International Version)

 3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
       a time to tear down and a time to build,

We really have no idea. . . . . about the adventure that this life will bring. . . . . I for one. . . . want to commit to being fully alive, fully present, and fully grateful for each and every season:. . . . . join me. . . .

Talk to me. . . . what is your reaction to this?

2 things:

God already knows. . . . and. . . . He loves you 100%. . . . seriously. . . it almost makes me sick to think of how carelessly and outrageously God loves us – - it makes NO sense to me, but I believe it to be true – - I will boast in nothing. . . but Him! . . . . . . and I will live today in Freedom,. . . I refuse to be be held back by what God has already taken away from me. . . that is the truth. . . and that is setting me free . . . . right now!

Here are snipets of responses from those that allowed me to publish them:

We all watch these videos and feel bad, and then go on with our lives and do nothing about it. We have people here in America that need help too and we don’t help them

The American culture is so blind to the neccesities of poverty and sickness, why aren’t we doing anything. . . . Are we helping?

I feel guilty for not being an active part� . . am I supposed to feel this way because it is God’s calling, or because I live in a wealthy society?

If we could fast, so to speak, of extra entertainment, food, and clothing, we could literally, as a nation, feed and clothe all of our people

It is so easy to forget about the needs of the world. . . to get so caught up in my world that I miss the bigger picture

Seriously. . . how much did I spend eating out this week?

There is far too much “me” and not enough “us“

Isn’t enough . . . enough?? If you have what you need to take care of your family isn’t that enough?

How about caring more about a human being than how much money your company makes?

Alot of us assume someone else is going to do it, but I ask. . . . if not me, who?  . . . if not now, when?. . .

I feel so guilty that I don’t have more of a heart for poverty and pain across our world

We’ve all seen videos similar to this one we just watched, but rarely have they spurred us into action. What will it take for us to step up and take that first step?

What I noticed the most in this video. . . the people who have nothing – NOTHING- are still smiling. . . here even the richest of the rich cannot grasp that genuine love for .  . . just life. . . how much longer can we go without true happiness