What Will We Do?

Here's a thought provoking post I found at Waving or Drowning. What will we do?

Too Close For ComfortI was struck by one of those thoughts the other day. You know the kind, where there's an audible "crack", and the ground beneath your feet shifts suddenly, throwing you off balance. I'll tell you about it, and you can let me know how it strikes you.

Pete and I were checking out laptopgiving.org, and discussing the whole One Laptop Per Child concept when the "incident" occurred. Admittedly, I was dead-set against the idea when it first came out. Nicholas Negroponte is brilliant, but this idea was crazy. I was bothered by all the energy going into the development of a $100 laptop when there are countless children still dying because of a lack of clean water, food, medicine worth pennies, or a mosquito bite. I'm still not sold on the concept , but I'm open to having my mind changed. It remains to be seen.

Regardless, there we were checking out the features of the XO laptop on the impressive web site. Heavy duty antennae, rotating screen, built-in camera and microphone - this thing has everything you need to get online. (Not much of a hard drive, but that's beside the point.)

Wait a minute...

Online?

Built-in camera and microphone?

And then it hit me like a ton of bricks.

I thought about all the people I met in Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya earlier this year. The adults. The children.

What if?

What if, by some miracle, one of these friends gets online?

What if my computer beeped one night?

What if I tapped the keyboard and saw one of those faces staring back at me?

"Hi Mike. I haven't eaten in two days. What should I do?"

"Hi Mike. My little sister has malaria and she'll be dead in a week if we don't get her medicine. We have no money. What should I do?"

What if my friend looks through her screen, over my shoulder, and sees my four walls and a roof, and my hardwood floors. What if she sees my dinner on the table. What if she sees my flat screen and multiple pairs of shoes by the door?

What if?

The world just got way too small.

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

He Is Risen!

He Is Risen by He Qi

Good Friday

Lamentation over the dead body of Christ by Sandro Botticelli, 1495

Maundy Thursday

The Servant by Susan Govatos

Let's Get Small

My life has gotten too full. Not just because of work commitments or church commitments or family commitments, although all of those contribute. I can only blame myself for the "too much to do" feeling because it's all related to my many "great" ideas that are okay in and of themselves but then turn out to be too much to manage.

Case in point: I've been trying to maintain four different blogs recently and feel guilty when I don't post regularly to each of them. Believe it or not, I've spent late nights and early mornings writing content just so I don't miss my self-imposed deadlines. Insane, I realize, but nonetheless real in my own mind, so everything is being brought back into Glory Rumours.

My other issue is with notebooks. I love them! I can't get enough of them! I have 5 different notebooks, each with their own special purpose, not to mention the note pages in the back of my daytimer to confuse the issue even more. Well, something has to give, so I've decided to condense everything into one "life book," a job which will be handed over to my trusty Moleskine. Now I'll have the deepest reflections of my spiritual journey right next to my list of movies to rent next time I'm in Blockbuster. It sounds crazy, but then again, such is life - crazy, muddled, and confused with occasional flashes of brilliance.

Not to spiritualize the whole thing too much, but God is really impressing me with the need to simplify and condense - less of me, more of Him - and get back to what matters rather than worrying whether or not I'll get my next book review posted in time. I'm tired...really tired, and I just need to let go of all of the "stuff" that keeps me distracted.

Top Ten Movies

It's a frequent topic of discussion around our office about what our favorite movies are. I always seem to draw a blank. You know, one of those "I can't think of anything on the spot" type moments. So without further adieu, I present for all the world to see my top ten favorite movies*:

Casablanca (1942)
Braveheart (1995)
In The Name Of The Father (1993)
Moulin Rouge (2001)
The Constant Gardener (2005)
Schindler's List (1993)
Cinema Paradiso (1988)
The Navigator (1988)
The Commitments (1991)
Amazing Grace (2006)

* Contents of this list may change at any time without notice, blah, blah, blah...

Review: The End

I have a general tendency to avoid end-times books because they are often alarming or extremist or worse and they usually try to set dates for the return of Christ. The End by Mark Hatch intrigued me though because he is a futurist (what a cool business card) who is a member of the World Future Society. He has been quoted in Wired magazine, worked with MIT, and has an MBA from the Drucker Center. Sounds like someone who should know what he's talking about.

Hatch takes a different approach than many end-timers out there in that he looks not only at Biblical prophecy but also at what current scientific thinking has to say about the future of our planet. I like this approach because much of what I am reading in newspapers and magazines would seem to support what Hatch is saying - that our planet probably has no more than another 40 or 50 years left before we reach the point of unsustainability. Hatch provides a summary:

"What are we currently facing? If you examine Biblical prophesy, secular predictions and general observations about today's global climate, here's the state of the world: The state of Israel exists, the gospel is preached around the globe, and we wander all over the globe in search of knowledge. Iran is on the path to joining the nuclear club, despots are pursuing genetic weapons, and nature is kicking back with AIDS, avian flu and super bugs.

Scientists believe that we will transcend the limitations of our species, merge with robots, radically evolve ourselves with genetic upgrades and live forever. Defense departments fret over asymmetric biotech assaults, regional nuclear war and the dissemination of more and more powerful weapons of mass destruction. NASA worries about asteroid impacts. Geophysicists are concerned about super-volcanoes and environmentalists are concerned about massive global climate shift.

Conclusion: Add them up and you have a persuasive case for these days truly being the last days. As I have shown in this book, it isn’t just Bible scholars who are saying it. This growing contingent of secular scientists, from the most respected universities and institutions are beginning to make the same type of statements."

I am still not convinced that dispensational premillennialism is the one and only correct view of Bible prophesy (a la Tim LaHaye, Billy Graham, and a host of other prominent evangelicals), however the scientific and social evidence alone suggests that we are in serious danger of reaching a crisis point sometime in the middle of this century beyond which we are unable to recover. That being said, I still fall back on the belief that God will keep us here as long as He wants us here. That's not an excuse for not caring about the environment, or trying to eradicate poverty, or working for peace, or being kind to your neighbour. It is simply trusting in the sovereignty of God to work it all out.

The End is not the most scholarly of reads but it is certainly worth investing an evening to read this short book. It will give you a good understanding of the dangers the world faces and will hopefully prompt you to pursue more information about some of the topics discussed. 3/5

CBA Advance

For those of you not familiar with the Christian book industry, there are two major trade shows each year: CBA Advance in January and the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS) in July. Advance is considerably smaller than ICRS but is still a good opportunity to make connections and see what products are coming out in the next 3-4 months.

I had several meetings scheduled this year that took up most of my time on the show floor, but there were still opportunities to do some wandering and check out some of the vendors that we don't deal with directly. In fact, we had a bit of a contest to see who could come up with the wackiest product being displayed. Now, you have to understand that, while most companies are on the level, there are still a fair number of people out there that are either trying to make a quick buck or even worse, have no clue that what they are selling is downright wrong.

Case in point: Fisherman. This is a company making Jesus figurines playing soccer, surfing, riding a Harley, bull riding, etc. I kid you not! Check out their website! While I understand the concept - Jesus is with you no matter where you are or what you're doing - there is something unseemly (if not outright sacrilegious) about the creator of the universe wearing a football jersey, fading back into the pocket to throw a screen pass 15 yards downfield. By the way, I won the contest.

I often come away from these shows with a general sense of uneasiness but this time I actually felt dirty after having spent the better part of three days looking at this stuff. There are some wonderful book publishers out there who have real hearts for ministry (many of whom I have the privilege of working with) but all of the Jesus junk vendors make me want to run away and never look back in case I turn into a pillar of salt.

Review: Ships of Mercy

Ships of Mercy by Don Stephens is a difficult book to review in that, while this isn't exactly the most literary effort I've read, the stories that are conveyed about the amazing work of Mercy Ships will stir your heart and bring tears to your eyes.

Don Stephens is the founder of Mercy Ships International who passionately followed up on an idea he had at the age of 19 while on a missions trip to the Caribbean. After weathering a hurricane that hit the Bahamas, Stephens heard one local survivor ask, "Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a ship with doctors and nurses that could come in after such a disaster?" That is how the kernel of a dream was planted.

I've only recently come to hear of Mercy Ships but I have come to respect this organization as much as any other out there. The concept of a ship full of people, from line cooks right up to some of the world's top surgeons, volunteering their time to help those who have no access to proper medical care is astounding. In 2004 Mercy Ships celebrated their 25th year serving the world's poor from their floating hospitals that travel the globe. They have performed more than two million services with a value of over $250 million while not asking for a penny in return from those they have helped.

This book provides the reader with the history of Mercy Ships from the man who has been there right from the beginning. It was Don Stephens' dream to share the love of Christ in a practical way and Mercy Ships remains true to its original mission to this day. Check out their website for more information and for some remarkable photos of people who have regained their lives and their dignity after Mercy Ships came to town. You can also check out the blog of photographer Scott Harrison who is volunteering on board the Mercy Ship Anastasis as well as some of his photographs that have traveling the U.S. as part of the Mercy exhibition. A warning though...some of these images are very disturbing.

Pick up this book if you have an interest in aid & justice issues, an interest in medicine, or just a good read about the power of following your dreams. 5/5

Also posted to Amazon.ca

Review: Squat

I used to read a ton of fiction when I was younger, but I've found lately that not a lot of fiction really grabs my interest unless it has a really unique story line or is written from an interesting, almost quirky perspective. I picked up Squat for that very reason...A story written from the perspective of a group of homeless friends that takes place over a 24-hour period.

All I can say is WOW, am I ever glad I picked this up! Yes it's unique. Yes it's quirky. But more than that, it will give you an entirely new perspective of life on the streets that will make you look differently at the next person you meet on the sidewalk begging for your loose change.

Author Taylor Field works with the homeless at Graffiti Community Ministries in New York City and has previously published a non-fiction book called Mercy Streets that won Outreach magazine's best outreach resource of 2003 award in the Biography category. This guy knows what he is talking about and he knows his subject matter personally. Field's intimate knowledge of street life helps us see life from a street person's perspective. It takes us through a day in the life...To walk in their shoes, and to understand that, while it is not a choice that has been made willingly, those on the street have emotions, friendships, and concerns just like the rest of us. I highly recommend this book! 5/5

Check out the Squat website for a podcast, chapter samples, and author information.

Also posted to Amazon.ca

Sea Monkeys

I was cleaning out some old files the other day when I came across this collection of old church bulletins that two of my very funny friends decided to "enhance" during a church service one day. I can still recall desperately trying to stifle my laughter as these were passed back and forth. We all would have been in our late teens or early twenties when these were circulated, but our subversive sense of humour was evident even back then. You may not find them all that funny, but I laughed out loud when I found them. Here's most of the series for your viewing pleasure...

Book Review: Beyond Cheap Grace

This collected series of lectures originally presented at Fuller Theological Seminary in 2004 provides, as the sub-title suggests, a call to radical discipleship by way of incarnational ministry amongst the poor and marginalized. While not a difficult book by any means, the arguments that author Eldin Villafane puts forth may be a bit overwhelming if you are exploring concepts of justice for the first time. If, on the other hand, this is an area you have been exploring for some time, Beyond Cheap Grace offers some truly "get all fired up" quotes that will have you running for the nearest homeless shelter or getting on the next flight to Africa. From the first lecture: "The need of the hour is not for a soft, fragile, or fastidious Christianity, but for a rigorous, vigorous, concrete, and incarnational Christianity - a muscular Christianity, if you please - one that has the marks of the cross in its hands!"

Of particular interest is the lecture on the prophet Amos who put forth a call for justice to both Israel and the surrounding nations in the Old Testament. Amos 5:24 says, "Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream." While I sometimes worry that Christians are becoming so involved in justice issues that we are forgetting personal holiness, Villafane states, "There is a seamless relationship between ethical behavior and true worship, between justice and piety." Amos seems to be making this same connection. The call of God is not simply to live a holy life but to do a holy life. This is a great little volume to get us moving in that direction.

Also posted to Amazon.ca