Thankfully, I think t-shirt Christianity is starting to die off - at least I hope so. This is such a great song by Derek Webb, whom I consider a modern-day prophet. Watch this video then go check out his website. You can even get some free music while you're there.
They'll know us by the t-shirts that we wear
They'll know us by the way we point and stare
At anyone whose sin looks worse than ours
Who cannot hide the scars of this curse that we all bare
They’ll know us by our picket lines and signs
They’ll know us by the pride we hide behind
Like anyone on earth is living right
And isn’t that why Jesus died
Not to make us think we’re right
Chorus:
When love, love, love
Is what we should be known for
Love, love, love
It’s the how and it’s the why
We live and breathe and we die
They’ll know us by reasons we divide
And how we can’t seem to unify
Because we’ve gotta sing songs a certain style
Or we’ll walk right down that aisle
And just leave ‘em all behind
They’ll know us by the billboards that we make
Just turning God’s words to cheap clichés
Says “what part of murder don’t you understand?”
But we hate our fellow man
And point a finger at his grave
Chorus:
They'll know us by the t-shirts that we wear
They'll know us by the way we point and stare
Telling ‘em their sins are worse than ours
Thinking we can hide our scars
Beneath these t-shirts that we wear
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Hollow Apologies
It strikes me as incredibly ironic and sad that on the very day Canada's Governor General was in Rwanda apologizing for our failure to act on the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, our parliament is debating whether or not we should be sending peacekeepers into the Democratic Republic of Congo to deal with the rising levels of violence in that country.
Said Michaelle Jean today: “The world's failure to respond adequately to the genocide is a failure in which Canada – as part of the international community – readily acknowledges its fair share of responsibility." My fear is that the same lack of response Canada and the international community displayed sixteen years ago is about to rear its ugly head again in Congo.
Apologies aside, did we learn nothing from the Rwandan debacle? Are we willing once again to Shake Hands With the Devil as retired general Romeo Delaire so poignantly described the situation in Rwanda? We're not talking about stepping into the middle of another country's civil war or military conflict. No, this is an attempt to pursue peace between warring factions who use rape, mutilation, and murder against civilians - mostly women and children - in an effort to gain control of a terrorized citizenry who mostly just want the violence to end.
I've read a lot of comments on the Globe & Mail website saying in effect, that if all the Africans just want to kill each other off, we should let them. Tell that to the woman who has had her life threatened and her daughter raped simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. These types of conflicts always take their greatest toll on the innocent, on those who simply want to live their lives in peace away from the evils of war and violence. I spoke with a wonderful woman from Kenya yesterday who was the victim of this kind of violence. I dare anyone to say, "I don't care", after hearing her story. It's easy to say we shouldn't get involved from the comfort of our living rooms in Canada but not so easy when you realize a nine or ten year old has had her innocence taken forever in the name of the revolution.
We can't abandon people and countries simply because the situation looks bleak. The situation in Ireland looked equally bleak until the Good Friday Accord put an end to decades of sectarian violence. Is there any reason why that can't happen in Congo as well? Be it mortars or machetes, there is always reason to work for peace, even if that peace requires a external nudge forward every once in a while.
Said Michaelle Jean today: “The world's failure to respond adequately to the genocide is a failure in which Canada – as part of the international community – readily acknowledges its fair share of responsibility." My fear is that the same lack of response Canada and the international community displayed sixteen years ago is about to rear its ugly head again in Congo.
Apologies aside, did we learn nothing from the Rwandan debacle? Are we willing once again to Shake Hands With the Devil as retired general Romeo Delaire so poignantly described the situation in Rwanda? We're not talking about stepping into the middle of another country's civil war or military conflict. No, this is an attempt to pursue peace between warring factions who use rape, mutilation, and murder against civilians - mostly women and children - in an effort to gain control of a terrorized citizenry who mostly just want the violence to end.
I've read a lot of comments on the Globe & Mail website saying in effect, that if all the Africans just want to kill each other off, we should let them. Tell that to the woman who has had her life threatened and her daughter raped simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. These types of conflicts always take their greatest toll on the innocent, on those who simply want to live their lives in peace away from the evils of war and violence. I spoke with a wonderful woman from Kenya yesterday who was the victim of this kind of violence. I dare anyone to say, "I don't care", after hearing her story. It's easy to say we shouldn't get involved from the comfort of our living rooms in Canada but not so easy when you realize a nine or ten year old has had her innocence taken forever in the name of the revolution.
We can't abandon people and countries simply because the situation looks bleak. The situation in Ireland looked equally bleak until the Good Friday Accord put an end to decades of sectarian violence. Is there any reason why that can't happen in Congo as well? Be it mortars or machetes, there is always reason to work for peace, even if that peace requires a external nudge forward every once in a while.
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Easter Eloquence
We just arrived back home after an awesome easter service that involved all of our youth who went on a missions trip to Ecuador over spring break. One of them was asked to close the service in prayer, which he did, wrapping up by saying, "Thank you Jesus for dying for us 'cause if it weren't for you we'd be screwed. Amen."
Perhaps not quite as eloquent as N.T. Wright, but pretty good theology nonetheless. He is risen indeed!
Perhaps not quite as eloquent as N.T. Wright, but pretty good theology nonetheless. He is risen indeed!
The Love of the Lamb
"Without Easter, Calvary was just another political execution of a failed Messiah. Without Easter, the world is trapped between the shoulder shrug of the cynic, the fantasy of the escapist, and the tanks of the tyrant. Without Easter, there is no reason to suppose that good will triumph over evil, that love will win over hatred, that life will win over death. But with Easter we have hope; because hope depends on love; and love has become human and has died, and is now alive for evermore, and holds the keys of Death and Hades. It is because of him that we know - we don't just hope, we know - that God will wipe away all tears from all eyes. And in that knowledge we find ourselves to be Sunday people, called to live in a world of Fridays. In that knowledge we know ourselves to be Easter people, called to minister to a world full of Calvarys. In that knowledge we find that the hand that dries our tears passes the cloth on to us, and bids us follow him, to go to dry one another's tears. The Lamb calls us to follow him wherever he goes; into the dark places of the world, the dark places of our own hearts, the places where tears blot out the sunlight, the places where tyrants pave the grass with concrete; and he bids us shine his morning light into the darkness, and share his ministry of wiping away the tears."
N.T Wright, Following Jesus, pgs 61-62.
Artwork by Stushie.
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
My Mission
I came across this statement in World Vision International's magazine Global Future. For me, it summarizes all that is right about our mission as well as clearly identifying the key issues at the root of global poverty. I resonate with this so deeply that I could very easily co-opt it as my own personal mission statement and let it serve as a daily reminder of how I need to live my life in light of the great need around the world:
World Vision recognizes that poverty is not inevitable. Our Mission Statement calls us to challenge those unjust structures that constrain the poor in a world of false priorities, gross inequalities, and distorted values. World Vision desires that all people be able to reach their God-given potential, and thus works for a world that no longer tolerates poverty.
From: Global Future, Number 2, 2008, pg. 25.
World Vision recognizes that poverty is not inevitable. Our Mission Statement calls us to challenge those unjust structures that constrain the poor in a world of false priorities, gross inequalities, and distorted values. World Vision desires that all people be able to reach their God-given potential, and thus works for a world that no longer tolerates poverty.
From: Global Future, Number 2, 2008, pg. 25.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Apple Says No To Sex
I came across this article from an Apple news feed this morning. The author, Craig Grannell, takes offense that Apple has decided to remove all sexually themed applications from its app store (except Playboy...hmmmm...too hard on the bottom line I guess.)
You can see my brief response (and all of the fallout since) if you visit the site, but let me just say that this kind of thing makes me sick, especially after the presentation I saw yesterday by Brett Ullman about media, faith, and culture (an excellent presentation by the way and not extremist in any way.) Perhaps Brett's presentation has left me a little more sensitive to some of these issues or perhaps it's just the result of how I've been led personally over the last few months, but I'm really getting sick of sex and violence being stuck up in my face at every turn. It seems like most of the best TV comedies have about two years of good material before they start slipping into sex jokes. And what about movies? Isn't real life filled with enough murder and mayhem for you? "Yeah, lets watch Saw IV so we can see her body cut up in slow motion! Cool!"
And finally, have you noticed it's almost always men who are responding to this stuff? And who is primarily responsible for most of the rapes, murders, wars, riots, etc. in our world? Men. I'm not going to over-spiritualize it, but lets just say I've been gaining a new respect for women. A respect that I realize didn't exist not so long ago that makes me angry when I see them being exploited, be they little girls or grown women.
I recognize too that I'm over-simplifying things and that every social ill can't be explained away by blaming it all on video games or movies, but there has to be a correlation somewhere. It is irresponsible to suggest that if we ban all violent movies, TV shows, and video games and we won't have a violent society anymore. Violence is in the heart - everyone's heart, including mine. But let's stop feeding that violence quite so much and see if it doesn't have an effect.
You can see my brief response (and all of the fallout since) if you visit the site, but let me just say that this kind of thing makes me sick, especially after the presentation I saw yesterday by Brett Ullman about media, faith, and culture (an excellent presentation by the way and not extremist in any way.) Perhaps Brett's presentation has left me a little more sensitive to some of these issues or perhaps it's just the result of how I've been led personally over the last few months, but I'm really getting sick of sex and violence being stuck up in my face at every turn. It seems like most of the best TV comedies have about two years of good material before they start slipping into sex jokes. And what about movies? Isn't real life filled with enough murder and mayhem for you? "Yeah, lets watch Saw IV so we can see her body cut up in slow motion! Cool!"
And finally, have you noticed it's almost always men who are responding to this stuff? And who is primarily responsible for most of the rapes, murders, wars, riots, etc. in our world? Men. I'm not going to over-spiritualize it, but lets just say I've been gaining a new respect for women. A respect that I realize didn't exist not so long ago that makes me angry when I see them being exploited, be they little girls or grown women.
I recognize too that I'm over-simplifying things and that every social ill can't be explained away by blaming it all on video games or movies, but there has to be a correlation somewhere. It is irresponsible to suggest that if we ban all violent movies, TV shows, and video games and we won't have a violent society anymore. Violence is in the heart - everyone's heart, including mine. But let's stop feeding that violence quite so much and see if it doesn't have an effect.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
For Lent I'm giving up telling people what I'm giving up for Lent
So today is the first day of Lent, which for me, is a fairly recent event to consider. I didn’t grow up in a tradition that recognized Lent as a significant part of the Christian calendar so until the past few years I’ve more or less ignored it as a religious tradition that I needed to participate in - especially because I tend to avoid hollow religious traditions like the plague. But I’ve come to the realization that Lent is a significant time to reflect and to spend forty days, in Eugene Peterson’s words, “recovering the rhythms of grace.” Unfortunately, I’ve also come to realize that Lent can be every bit as “commercial” as the other big (formerly) religious holidays.
Although there are no fat men in red suits or chocolate bunnies laying candy coated eggs, Lent has nevertheless joined the ranks of the “let’s make this all about me” events we celebrate each year. How many people do you know who publicly make pronouncements about what they are giving up for Lent? It’s one of the top trending topics on Twitter today for cryin’ out loud! Need some ideas of what to give up? Try out one of these:
• “I think I’ll just try to swear less and use my computer less.”
• “Bye bye fast food…anywhere with a drive-through menu.”
• “No buying purses.”
• "I’m givin up cussin for Lent.”
• “Negativity. I hearby give up giving up for 40 days.”
And my favorite of all…
”Giving up refined sugar for Lent in an attempt to finally reach my goal weight. And, you know, for Jesus.”
I’m pretty sure the author of this post was trying to make a joke and a bit of a biting comment at the same time (I love satire!) but she pretty much hit the nail on the head. We all want the world to know that we are making a supreme sacrifice by giving up chocolate or coffee or swearing…for forty days anyway… but just like Christmas and Easter the focus of Lent has shifted from Jesus to ourselves.
I’ve also heard of some folks who are using Lent as way of sacrificing something they love to raise money for those who are in need. “Add up the money you would have spent on coffee each day and give it to the relief efforts in Haiti.” Now, I’m all for supporting the relief and development work around the world (I work for World Vision!) but despite these good intentions, turning Lent into a fundraiser is just another way of putting the focus back on us instead of Jesus.
I’m reminded here of Jesus’ words during the Sermon on the Mount:
“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting except your Father (God) who knows what you do in private. And your Father who sees everything will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16-17 NLT)
Jesus talked a lot about doing things in private so as not to put the spotlight on ourselves but keep it on God the Father where it belongs: “Don’t do your good deeds publicly…” (Matt 6:1), “Give you gifts in private…” (Matt 6:4), “Pray to your Father in private…” (Matt 6:6), etc.
And why did Jesus tell us to do this? To avoid being hypocrites.
And what great sin the church is always accused of? Being hypocritical.
So to those of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus, who are participating in Lent this year, please…keep it quiet. Lent is between you and God. Your sacrifice is important but it is also meant to be a reminder of Jesus’ sacrifice for all humanity. Keep the focus on Jesus’ sacrifice of his life and his resurrection and not on the extra-hot, half-sweet, grande cinnamon dolce latte with whip that you’ll so desperately be missing. Let’s not add fuel to the fire of those who already consider us hypocrites.
I’m off to my closet now…
FOLLOW-UP:
I received a thoughtful comment from James who pointed out an unintended error in what I had written above. I did not mean to imply that you shouldn't give to worthy charitable organizations as a way of expressing concern for others during Lent, but simply to keep that between you and God. Thanks James!
Although there are no fat men in red suits or chocolate bunnies laying candy coated eggs, Lent has nevertheless joined the ranks of the “let’s make this all about me” events we celebrate each year. How many people do you know who publicly make pronouncements about what they are giving up for Lent? It’s one of the top trending topics on Twitter today for cryin’ out loud! Need some ideas of what to give up? Try out one of these:
• “I think I’ll just try to swear less and use my computer less.”
• “Bye bye fast food…anywhere with a drive-through menu.”
• “No buying purses.”
• "I’m givin up cussin for Lent.”
• “Negativity. I hearby give up giving up for 40 days.”
And my favorite of all…
”Giving up refined sugar for Lent in an attempt to finally reach my goal weight. And, you know, for Jesus.”
I’m pretty sure the author of this post was trying to make a joke and a bit of a biting comment at the same time (I love satire!) but she pretty much hit the nail on the head. We all want the world to know that we are making a supreme sacrifice by giving up chocolate or coffee or swearing…for forty days anyway… but just like Christmas and Easter the focus of Lent has shifted from Jesus to ourselves.
I’ve also heard of some folks who are using Lent as way of sacrificing something they love to raise money for those who are in need. “Add up the money you would have spent on coffee each day and give it to the relief efforts in Haiti.” Now, I’m all for supporting the relief and development work around the world (I work for World Vision!) but despite these good intentions, turning Lent into a fundraiser is just another way of putting the focus back on us instead of Jesus.
I’m reminded here of Jesus’ words during the Sermon on the Mount:
“And when you fast, don’t make it obvious as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face. Then no one will notice that you are fasting except your Father (God) who knows what you do in private. And your Father who sees everything will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16-17 NLT)
Jesus talked a lot about doing things in private so as not to put the spotlight on ourselves but keep it on God the Father where it belongs: “Don’t do your good deeds publicly…” (Matt 6:1), “Give you gifts in private…” (Matt 6:4), “Pray to your Father in private…” (Matt 6:6), etc.
And why did Jesus tell us to do this? To avoid being hypocrites.
And what great sin the church is always accused of? Being hypocritical.
So to those of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus, who are participating in Lent this year, please…keep it quiet. Lent is between you and God. Your sacrifice is important but it is also meant to be a reminder of Jesus’ sacrifice for all humanity. Keep the focus on Jesus’ sacrifice of his life and his resurrection and not on the extra-hot, half-sweet, grande cinnamon dolce latte with whip that you’ll so desperately be missing. Let’s not add fuel to the fire of those who already consider us hypocrites.
I’m off to my closet now…
FOLLOW-UP:
I received a thoughtful comment from James who pointed out an unintended error in what I had written above. I did not mean to imply that you shouldn't give to worthy charitable organizations as a way of expressing concern for others during Lent, but simply to keep that between you and God. Thanks James!
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Tears
6:30 AM. Mercifully, the alarm goes off and I climb out of bed more weary than when I got in last night. I saw the time at least every other hour throughout the night…12:30…2:30…4:30. Ever since the earthquake in Haiti a week ago I’ve been having trouble sleeping. The images of broken bodies, broken buildings, and broken people circulate through my mind as I lie in bed reviewing all of the media coverage of the disaster. And now added to the images are the stories – stories of those who lived and those who died. Stories of people I know…and knew.
Yesterday I heard the story of Willard Metzger, our Director of Church Relations, who was in Haiti with a small team when the earthquake struck. Like so many of the other survivors, Willard talks about the incredible noise that accompanied the quake, likening it to a freight train in the room or an explosion just outside the hotel. The team was in Petionville and were in their rooms waiting for their orientation meeting when the ground started shaking. They had discussed meeting earlier since they were a bit ahead of schedule but decided to stick with the plan as originally laid out. That decision, made on the spur of the moment, may have been the difference between life and death.
Also yesterday, I attended the memorial service for Yvonne Martin. As has been well documented, Yvonne was the first Canadian killed in the earthquake. I didn’t know Yvonne well but we were in the same study group together last spring and she struck me as a humble, thoughtful follower of Jesus who sincerely took her faith to heart. As our pastor said yesterday, “The stirrings in Yvonne’s heart were the same stirrings of Jesus’ heart…that’s what led her to Haiti.” After arriving at their guesthouse 90 minutes prior to the earthquake, Yvonne had decided to go for a swim in the pool to cool off. As suppertime approached she went up to her room to get changed. Again, that small, seemingly innocuous decision made on the spur of the moment was the difference between life and death. Unlike the team from World Vision, this decision ended in Yvonne’s death in the rubble of a collapsed building in a country she loved and had come to serve.
Two stories. Two simple decisions. Two remarkably different outcomes. Yes, our lives really are that fragile.
I hadn’t shed a lot of tears over the situation in Haiti, which is fairly uncharacteristic for me. Perhaps it’s because I’d been so wrapped up in my work connecting with groups to assist them in their fundraising. Or maybe it’s the result of following the incoming news of the quake so soon after it took place (see my previous post) and going immediately into response mode. Whatever the reason, that changed yesterday as the tears began flowing in the morning and didn’t stop until we went to watch my nephew play soccer last night (a welcome reprieve from the heaviness of the last seven days.)
I’ve wrestled with a lot of emotions and thoughts this week…guilt at not doing more to help…wanting so badly to be “on the ground.” camera in hand, to document what was happening…longing to hold those terrified children and help them find their parents…anger at not seeing a change of heart in my local community (shouldn’t we all stop shopping and ordering our grande extra-hot cinnamon dolce lattes-at least for a couple of days?)…and horror at the sight of bodies stacked on top of each other waiting to be dumped into a mass grave never to be identified or reunited with their families again.
And on top of all of this came the question that so many people have asked: Why? Why does one of the poorest nations in the world, who was just beginning to see some positive signs of recovery, have to suffer like this? Why should those who are already so poor be subjected to such a greater tragedy? Where is God in all of this?
I’ve never asked that question before.
Like the cracked walls of an earthquake-ravaged building, for the first time in my life I've felt my faith shaken. Nowhere close to the point of doubt or disbelief, but to the point of questioning God’s motives, God’s concern. I understand the theology of natural evil and how the falleness of mankind has caused all of creation to fall into disarray, but still, why does this need to happen?
I don’t have an easy answer to that question. As a matter of fact I don’t have any answer to that question. But a story Willard shared yesterday about the immediate Haitian response at least provides some insight, some comfort at the difficult implications. You see, as Willard and the rest of the team were treating the wounded that were streaming into their hotel, which had transformed into a makeshift medical clinic (and would later become a morgue), a wail could be heard rising up in the middle of the night from the Haitian people in the valley below. A wail that was in fact a prayer:
"God forgive us...God we forgive you."
That prayer is so deep and so rich and so filled with the petition of the suffering. Despite the fact they have lost everything, they still cry out to God. But it’s not a cry of rejection, it’s a cry of forgiveness, yes, even forgiveness of God, which is more than most of our North American minds with our theological boxes, can even comprehend.
If I’ve learned anything from this ordeal, it’s that we who are rich (by the rest of the world’s standards) tend to turn away from God at a time like this. ”Where is God?” we ask. People will even turn away from their faith claiming that there can be no God if tragedies like this can occur. But the poor…oh we have so much to learn from the poor…the poor will turn to God as their only hope.
St. John Chrysostom, one of the early church fathers wrote, “The rich exist for the sake of the poor. The poor exist for the salvation of the rich.” Would you cry out to God in a similar situation to what Haiti is experiencing right now? Would you turn TO Him instead of AWAY from Him if faced with total devastation? I like to think I would, but until that time comes, I can only fall on my face before God asking Him to continue showing me the way of salvation so that when my own world shakes I can cry out the words of Psalm 121:1-2,
I lift my eyes up to the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD
The Maker of heaven and earth.
From Yvonne’s funeral to Willard’s stories to opening an envelope yesterday with the handwriting of a little girl named Rebecca who had donated $5 to the relief efforts, I cried and I’m crying still. I can’t quite put a name to what I’m feeling and surely it is nowhere near the suffering of the Haitian people, but in some miniscule way, I feel like I’m sharing in their pain. Perhaps that is the very best thing I can do for them. To feel, to share, and to pray to the God of the universe who is weeping too.
Yesterday I heard the story of Willard Metzger, our Director of Church Relations, who was in Haiti with a small team when the earthquake struck. Like so many of the other survivors, Willard talks about the incredible noise that accompanied the quake, likening it to a freight train in the room or an explosion just outside the hotel. The team was in Petionville and were in their rooms waiting for their orientation meeting when the ground started shaking. They had discussed meeting earlier since they were a bit ahead of schedule but decided to stick with the plan as originally laid out. That decision, made on the spur of the moment, may have been the difference between life and death.
Also yesterday, I attended the memorial service for Yvonne Martin. As has been well documented, Yvonne was the first Canadian killed in the earthquake. I didn’t know Yvonne well but we were in the same study group together last spring and she struck me as a humble, thoughtful follower of Jesus who sincerely took her faith to heart. As our pastor said yesterday, “The stirrings in Yvonne’s heart were the same stirrings of Jesus’ heart…that’s what led her to Haiti.” After arriving at their guesthouse 90 minutes prior to the earthquake, Yvonne had decided to go for a swim in the pool to cool off. As suppertime approached she went up to her room to get changed. Again, that small, seemingly innocuous decision made on the spur of the moment was the difference between life and death. Unlike the team from World Vision, this decision ended in Yvonne’s death in the rubble of a collapsed building in a country she loved and had come to serve.
Two stories. Two simple decisions. Two remarkably different outcomes. Yes, our lives really are that fragile.
I hadn’t shed a lot of tears over the situation in Haiti, which is fairly uncharacteristic for me. Perhaps it’s because I’d been so wrapped up in my work connecting with groups to assist them in their fundraising. Or maybe it’s the result of following the incoming news of the quake so soon after it took place (see my previous post) and going immediately into response mode. Whatever the reason, that changed yesterday as the tears began flowing in the morning and didn’t stop until we went to watch my nephew play soccer last night (a welcome reprieve from the heaviness of the last seven days.)
I’ve wrestled with a lot of emotions and thoughts this week…guilt at not doing more to help…wanting so badly to be “on the ground.” camera in hand, to document what was happening…longing to hold those terrified children and help them find their parents…anger at not seeing a change of heart in my local community (shouldn’t we all stop shopping and ordering our grande extra-hot cinnamon dolce lattes-at least for a couple of days?)…and horror at the sight of bodies stacked on top of each other waiting to be dumped into a mass grave never to be identified or reunited with their families again.
And on top of all of this came the question that so many people have asked: Why? Why does one of the poorest nations in the world, who was just beginning to see some positive signs of recovery, have to suffer like this? Why should those who are already so poor be subjected to such a greater tragedy? Where is God in all of this?
I’ve never asked that question before.
Like the cracked walls of an earthquake-ravaged building, for the first time in my life I've felt my faith shaken. Nowhere close to the point of doubt or disbelief, but to the point of questioning God’s motives, God’s concern. I understand the theology of natural evil and how the falleness of mankind has caused all of creation to fall into disarray, but still, why does this need to happen?
I don’t have an easy answer to that question. As a matter of fact I don’t have any answer to that question. But a story Willard shared yesterday about the immediate Haitian response at least provides some insight, some comfort at the difficult implications. You see, as Willard and the rest of the team were treating the wounded that were streaming into their hotel, which had transformed into a makeshift medical clinic (and would later become a morgue), a wail could be heard rising up in the middle of the night from the Haitian people in the valley below. A wail that was in fact a prayer:
"God forgive us...God we forgive you."
That prayer is so deep and so rich and so filled with the petition of the suffering. Despite the fact they have lost everything, they still cry out to God. But it’s not a cry of rejection, it’s a cry of forgiveness, yes, even forgiveness of God, which is more than most of our North American minds with our theological boxes, can even comprehend.
If I’ve learned anything from this ordeal, it’s that we who are rich (by the rest of the world’s standards) tend to turn away from God at a time like this. ”Where is God?” we ask. People will even turn away from their faith claiming that there can be no God if tragedies like this can occur. But the poor…oh we have so much to learn from the poor…the poor will turn to God as their only hope.
St. John Chrysostom, one of the early church fathers wrote, “The rich exist for the sake of the poor. The poor exist for the salvation of the rich.” Would you cry out to God in a similar situation to what Haiti is experiencing right now? Would you turn TO Him instead of AWAY from Him if faced with total devastation? I like to think I would, but until that time comes, I can only fall on my face before God asking Him to continue showing me the way of salvation so that when my own world shakes I can cry out the words of Psalm 121:1-2,
I lift my eyes up to the hills
Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD
The Maker of heaven and earth.
From Yvonne’s funeral to Willard’s stories to opening an envelope yesterday with the handwriting of a little girl named Rebecca who had donated $5 to the relief efforts, I cried and I’m crying still. I can’t quite put a name to what I’m feeling and surely it is nowhere near the suffering of the Haitian people, but in some miniscule way, I feel like I’m sharing in their pain. Perhaps that is the very best thing I can do for them. To feel, to share, and to pray to the God of the universe who is weeping too.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Timeline of a Tragedy
This has been a very difficult week. Last Tuesday we found out about the devastation in Haiti as a result of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake, the largest in the region in 200 years. Our televisions ever since have been filled with images of death and destruction and the ongoing attempts to pull people out of the rubble that has been left behind. Then on Wednesday we learned about the death of Yvonne Martin, a wonderful lady from my church community who was in Haiti serving God and serving the people she loved. And of course, working for World Vision, it has been a non-stop attempt to motivate as many people as possible to donate to our relief efforts.
One aspect that I have found fascinating about the media coverage of the tragedy is the prevalence of "social media" in the reporting and dissemination of information regarding rescue attempts, relief efforts, and fundraising activities of the various humanitarian organizations. If you weren't convinced of the value of social media prior to last Tuesday, you should be now.
The following timeline is an account of how Twitter and Facebook played a significant role in the immediate aftermath of the news of the earthquake both personally and professionally:
4:53 PM - Earthquake takes place in Haiti.
5:24 PM - Twitter message received: Haiti hit by 7.0 earthquake. The word is out only 30 minutes after the quake has taken place. This was the first post I saw about it. I'm sure it was out there even earlier.
5:27 PM - Knowing that Yvonne had left for the Haiti that morning, I informed my wife (who is on staff at Waterloo MB Church) of the earthquake and immediately turned on CNN. They had just begun their coverage of a "potential tragedy unfolding in Haiti."
5:38 PM - My wife calls our Director of Global Outreach (who hadn't yet heard about the earthquake) raising immediate concerns about Yvonne's safety. Sarah begins making calls to parties within the church who need to be aware of the situation.
5:58 PM – Tweet: Massive 7.0 earthquake just hit Haiti. This was my first tweet about the situation.
6:40 PM – Retweeted @hadleypaul: #Haiti live audio and chat reporting. This was live streaming audio of a radio station in Port-Au-Prince attempting to broadcast what was happening and taking early calls from hysterical survivors trying to find family members. At this point, CNN had virtually no live information of what was happening. Power was out and phone lines where down making it almost impossible to transmit images from Port-Au-Prince.
6:50 PM - Tweet: Helpful #Haiti earthquake exposure map from the USGS. This was a link to an exposure map posted by the United States Geological Survey explaining where the quake had been felt the strongest and what area would likely suffer the greatest amount of damage.
6:56 PM – Facebook: Haiti Is Going To Need Our help…watch for more details. I posted this to my World Vision Southwestern Ontario fan page. As far as I am aware, this was the first public posting by a World Vision employee in Canada.
8:56 PM – Facebook: World Vision’s website open for donations. Another post to the fan page. Again, I believe this was the first posting to let people know our website was ready to accept donations.
8:59 PM – Twitter: World Vision's emergency response to Haiti is now accepting donations. A real testament to our staff in the National Office that they had this web page functional within such a short time from the first news of the quake.
9:42 PM – Twitter: Please visit World Vision Canada's website to aid us in our emergency response to the earthquake in Haiti. Recognizing by this point we were looking at major devastation to an already impoverished country, I began reposting the donation message repeatedly over the next couple of hours and again throughout the following day.
In the meantime, Chris, our Regional Team Leader in Central Canada was in process of starting a $10 Challenge fundraising page on Facebook that as of this moment has 1,534 members with more than 19,000 people invited to join. That's a TON of word of mouth and just shows the power of social media to get the word out without costing World Vision a dime.
If there has been one star throughout the coverage of the Haitian earthquake it has been social media. Twitter and Facebook allowed me to notify key people within our church of a potential (soon to be all too real) tragedy as well as to get the early word out about fundraising opportunities for World Vision's relief efforts. Much has been done online by World Vision staffers since last Tuesday which I have had no part in, but I'm pleased to say that my "addiction" to Twitter allowed me to be an early voice in the unfolding coverage of the devastation that we have been seeing for the past week. I hope and pray that people will continue to donate long after the mainstream media has moved on to the next big news story. There will be no quick fixes in Haiti. They are going to need our help for years to even begin to recover their lives again.
Please text the word WORLD to 45678 to make a $5 donation via your cell phone or visit the World Vision Canada website for images, video, resources for teachers and church leaders, exclusive journals of staff who were in Haiti at the time of the quake, or to make an online donation. Thank you.
One aspect that I have found fascinating about the media coverage of the tragedy is the prevalence of "social media" in the reporting and dissemination of information regarding rescue attempts, relief efforts, and fundraising activities of the various humanitarian organizations. If you weren't convinced of the value of social media prior to last Tuesday, you should be now.
The following timeline is an account of how Twitter and Facebook played a significant role in the immediate aftermath of the news of the earthquake both personally and professionally:
4:53 PM - Earthquake takes place in Haiti.
5:24 PM - Twitter message received: Haiti hit by 7.0 earthquake. The word is out only 30 minutes after the quake has taken place. This was the first post I saw about it. I'm sure it was out there even earlier.
5:27 PM - Knowing that Yvonne had left for the Haiti that morning, I informed my wife (who is on staff at Waterloo MB Church) of the earthquake and immediately turned on CNN. They had just begun their coverage of a "potential tragedy unfolding in Haiti."
5:38 PM - My wife calls our Director of Global Outreach (who hadn't yet heard about the earthquake) raising immediate concerns about Yvonne's safety. Sarah begins making calls to parties within the church who need to be aware of the situation.
5:58 PM – Tweet: Massive 7.0 earthquake just hit Haiti. This was my first tweet about the situation.
6:40 PM – Retweeted @hadleypaul: #Haiti live audio and chat reporting. This was live streaming audio of a radio station in Port-Au-Prince attempting to broadcast what was happening and taking early calls from hysterical survivors trying to find family members. At this point, CNN had virtually no live information of what was happening. Power was out and phone lines where down making it almost impossible to transmit images from Port-Au-Prince.
6:50 PM - Tweet: Helpful #Haiti earthquake exposure map from the USGS. This was a link to an exposure map posted by the United States Geological Survey explaining where the quake had been felt the strongest and what area would likely suffer the greatest amount of damage.
6:56 PM – Facebook: Haiti Is Going To Need Our help…watch for more details. I posted this to my World Vision Southwestern Ontario fan page. As far as I am aware, this was the first public posting by a World Vision employee in Canada.
8:56 PM – Facebook: World Vision’s website open for donations. Another post to the fan page. Again, I believe this was the first posting to let people know our website was ready to accept donations.
8:59 PM – Twitter: World Vision's emergency response to Haiti is now accepting donations. A real testament to our staff in the National Office that they had this web page functional within such a short time from the first news of the quake.
9:42 PM – Twitter: Please visit World Vision Canada's website to aid us in our emergency response to the earthquake in Haiti. Recognizing by this point we were looking at major devastation to an already impoverished country, I began reposting the donation message repeatedly over the next couple of hours and again throughout the following day.
In the meantime, Chris, our Regional Team Leader in Central Canada was in process of starting a $10 Challenge fundraising page on Facebook that as of this moment has 1,534 members with more than 19,000 people invited to join. That's a TON of word of mouth and just shows the power of social media to get the word out without costing World Vision a dime.
If there has been one star throughout the coverage of the Haitian earthquake it has been social media. Twitter and Facebook allowed me to notify key people within our church of a potential (soon to be all too real) tragedy as well as to get the early word out about fundraising opportunities for World Vision's relief efforts. Much has been done online by World Vision staffers since last Tuesday which I have had no part in, but I'm pleased to say that my "addiction" to Twitter allowed me to be an early voice in the unfolding coverage of the devastation that we have been seeing for the past week. I hope and pray that people will continue to donate long after the mainstream media has moved on to the next big news story. There will be no quick fixes in Haiti. They are going to need our help for years to even begin to recover their lives again.
Please text the word WORLD to 45678 to make a $5 donation via your cell phone or visit the World Vision Canada website for images, video, resources for teachers and church leaders, exclusive journals of staff who were in Haiti at the time of the quake, or to make an online donation. Thank you.
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Let Your Heart Be Broken
I came across this beautiful hymn while on vacation, Such meaningful lyrics...
Let Your Heart Be Broken
Let your heart be broken for a world in need:
Feed the mouths that hunger,
Soothe the wounds that bleed.
Give the cup of water, and the loaf of bread.
Be the hands of Jesus, serving in his stead.
Here on earth applying principles of love.
Visible expression, God still rules above.
Living illustration of the living word,
To the minds of all who've never seen or heard.
Blest to be a blessing, privileged to care,
Challenged be the need, apparent everywhere.
Where mankind is wanting, fill the vacant place.
Be the means through which
The Lord reveals His grace.
Add to your believing deeds that prove it true,
Knowing Christ as Savior, Make Him Master too.
Follow in His footsteps, go where he has trod;
In the worlds great trouble risk yourself for God.
Let your heart be tender and your vision clear;
See mankind as God sees, serve Him far and near.
Let your heart be broken by a brother's pain;
Share your rich resources, give and give again.
Words & music - Bryan Jeffery Leech
Let Your Heart Be Broken
Let your heart be broken for a world in need:
Feed the mouths that hunger,
Soothe the wounds that bleed.
Give the cup of water, and the loaf of bread.
Be the hands of Jesus, serving in his stead.
Here on earth applying principles of love.
Visible expression, God still rules above.
Living illustration of the living word,
To the minds of all who've never seen or heard.
Blest to be a blessing, privileged to care,
Challenged be the need, apparent everywhere.
Where mankind is wanting, fill the vacant place.
Be the means through which
The Lord reveals His grace.
Add to your believing deeds that prove it true,
Knowing Christ as Savior, Make Him Master too.
Follow in His footsteps, go where he has trod;
In the worlds great trouble risk yourself for God.
Let your heart be tender and your vision clear;
See mankind as God sees, serve Him far and near.
Let your heart be broken by a brother's pain;
Share your rich resources, give and give again.
Words & music - Bryan Jeffery Leech
Saturday, November 21, 2009
The Hole In Our Gospel
I just finished reading The Hole In Our Gospel by Richard Steans, president of World Vision U.S. I have to say first off that this is a remarkable book - challenging, enlightening, motivating. If you had any doubts whatsoever about God's call to serve the poor, they will be swept aside as Stearns shows us again and again what God expects of those of us who call ourselves Christ followers. You and I have a mountain called poverty set before us but with each of using our 'faith of a mustard seed' we can dig away at that mountain until it is removed.
Stearns makes it very clear that he is no superhero, he is simply someone who responded to God's call to do something, to make a difference, in the lives of those who suffer from poverty and injustice. After reading The Hole In Our Gospel you cannot remain the same, and do not read this book unless you are willing to be changed. That's not marketing hype, it's reality. You will have to respond, either by ignoring the call to get involved or by asking God what you can can offer so that His kingdom comes and His will is done on earth as it is in heaven.
The best summary comes from the introduction to the book itself:
"The idea behind The Hole In Our Gospel is quite simple. It's basically the belief that being a Christian, or follower of Jesus Christ, requires more than just having a personal and transforming relationship with God. It also entails a public and transforming relationship with the world." (pg 2)
Stearns makes it very clear that he is no superhero, he is simply someone who responded to God's call to do something, to make a difference, in the lives of those who suffer from poverty and injustice. After reading The Hole In Our Gospel you cannot remain the same, and do not read this book unless you are willing to be changed. That's not marketing hype, it's reality. You will have to respond, either by ignoring the call to get involved or by asking God what you can can offer so that His kingdom comes and His will is done on earth as it is in heaven.
The best summary comes from the introduction to the book itself:
"The idea behind The Hole In Our Gospel is quite simple. It's basically the belief that being a Christian, or follower of Jesus Christ, requires more than just having a personal and transforming relationship with God. It also entails a public and transforming relationship with the world." (pg 2)
Monday, September 07, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)