Headlines for the Week

As I was thinking about what to write about I kept thinking of little headlines for this coming week  . . . 

Jeff Whitaker begins his radio show Monday evening on WOND between 6pm - 7pm. Tune in to hear the latest discussions, political updates and local news. I'm proud of you, Jeff -  "Make a Difference!" 

Dianne Lombardo turns 44 on April 1st. Some of you may know that Dianne and I have been friends now for over 30 years - She always passes into the next age group 2 months before me! 

Happy Birthday Dianne ! 

Prioritizing Projects - over the weekend I was receiving e-mails in reference to so many projects I am working on in the next year - I became a little overwhelmed but also feel extremely grateful for so many wonderful projects to be involved in at this point in my life. 

A few of these projects that you will read about in the future are:

UNiquip, a staff training seminar for YWAM - there is one in Hawaii in August and one in Amsterdam in January. 

Hope Campaign - an initiative in New York City to inspire, inform and mobilize people regarding women and children at risk, including poverty, HIV/AIDS, trafficking, and more.

Ambassador Club - a club in the local junior high helping  students to understand children in other parts of the world, their needs and how they can reach out locally and internationally

University of the Nations seminar course - I am working on creating a 2 week seminar course that will take place on location in the Middle East summer 2009.

African Hope Crafts - A micro-business for those impacted with HIV/AIDS in a township close to Cape Town, South Africa. The jewelry that these crafters make is so beautiful and displays the creativity of God. 

Teaching - I have several opportunities to teach both here and overseas in the coming months, so there is lots to prepare.

Justice Study - This week I will continue my study on the justice of God. I am beginning to go through scripture and look at various stories that deal with justice. I'm already in deep as I looked at Cain and Abel this morning and then onto Noah! More on those thoughts later this week. 

So, a few headlines and quick synopsis of all I am thinking about this week and preparing for in the coming months ! 

Confronted With Injustice

The first time I traveled to Bosnia and Herzegovina was in 1998. I was on a prayer trip with a group of students from our Discipleship Training School in what was then Yugoslavia(now Serbia). For our week on prayer we decided to take a field trip to Bosnia and not just teach about prayer in the classroom, but go and pray in this neighboring nation where war had just ceased. I was not prepared for what I encountered on that trip. War to me was something you read about in books, saw in movies- but always an emotionally detached subject. At one point in our journey we were driving along a stretch of road that weaved through one bombed out village after another. On both sides of the road there were houses charred and destroyed with remnants of a former life strewn on the front lawn. Many of the houses had "war graffiti" sprayed on the rubble - a calling card so to speak from those who had "cleansed" the village. I was numb. Trying to process what I saw with my own eyes was a struggle, let alone trying to help the students I was leading make sense of it all. I can say that something changed in me on that trip - an innocence and naivety left me forever. So this is what humankind is capable of? This is what I am capable of if left to my fallen, sinful state? I just realized while writing this that that revelation took place exactly 10 years ago. I think it has taken me 10 years of processing that experience along with a hoard of other face-to-face encounters with injustice to now so deeply and seriously ask God questions about justice and injustice. Don't get me wrong, I've asked those questions before - but it seems at this juncture in my life - I not only am asking, but am at a place where I want to know the truth of God's justice.  

I am reminded of a scene from the movie A Few Good Men, where Tom Cruise's character is questioning Jack Nicholson's character - pushing him to tell the truth . . . Jack Nicholson so brilliantly played the part and lashed out with the now famous lines . . . "You want the truth? You want the truth? You can't handle the truth . . . " He then goes onto explain the harsh realities of the decisions he has to make everyday that others never even know about or contemplate.

Truth is sometimes different than what we expect and almost certainly cuts deeper and reveals things which we never could have imagined. I can't say if I am ready to handle the truth of God's justice, I am sure it is much more complex than what my "cut and dry" / "black and white" little heart is expecting. I can say that I want to know my God deeper, and an aspect of His character is justice. Knowing someone means delving into the scary parts too, even when you're not sure what you will find - so I trust God to allow me to know an aspect of Him that is misunderstood, confusing to many, yet good and true and coherent with all of Who He Is. 

Any thoughts?????? 

Learning Curves!

I am on a huge learning curve right now in the area of justice issues and the justice of God. I think it has been sparked in part by some personal questions I have had this last year concerning right decisions gone wrong. When does God intervene and when doesn’t He - how much is left to our choices and how much does He supernaturally intervene???? I know, these are age old questions and ones that are much more complicated than what can be expressed in mere words. Coinciding with my personal journey has been a growing awareness and hands-on confrontation with issues such as HIV/AIDS, poverty and human trafficking. My “tent” is being expanded, as referenced in Isaiah 54:2. It seems the Lord is expanding areas of influence and service. Because of all of this I am currently entrenched in books, conversations and thoughts on the justice of God and what His justice looks like in a fallen, broken, hurting world. What is my role in responding to the injustices I see, feel and live among? I invite you to join me in conversation as I write about this and share some of the things God is revealing to me about Himself and what I, you, we can do. Stay tuned . . .