Moving...

Move us with compassion.

Have you ever thought about all the decisions you make in a day? Let's think about this..

Decisions to make in the morning:

--Regular or flavored coffee or for some Caribou, Starbucks or Dunn Brothers

--Toast or oatmeal

--Green shirt, blue shirt, pink shirt...

Have you ever thought about decisions that other people in the world make in a day? Let's take one woman in Africa...

--Blue shirt or blue shirt

--8 hour trip to get water or two 4 hour trips

--Bread or bread

There is a stark contrast between the two. I picked up the book "Hope in the Dark" this week with photography and reflections about Africa. The comparison above was in the book as well as many other striking photos and comments.

"In this world, God has given us the gift of choice. Injustice threatens to take it away. They can drink the filthy, bacteria ridden pond water or drink nothing. Clearly, that is no choice at all."

So how do we respond to the problems in Africa? What should we do?

This week I traveled to Atlanta to Proskuneo Worship Institute (PWI). Proskuneo's mission is to bring nations together in worship and PWI was an opportunity to create, practice, worship, learn, and spend time with the LORD. It was an amazing week. Here are a few reflections:

Discussion on Compassion:

Compassion means to have a deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it. The Biblical word compassion means to be moved in one's bowels. Take this passage:

Matthew 9

³⁵Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. ³⁶When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.³⁷Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ³⁸Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

Do I have a heart like Jesus to move when I see people in distress? Do I respond with tenderness and hope? Do I want to relieve other people's pain? Do I see people as Jesus sees people? Am I gripped by what is happening in the world?

Sermon video by Crawford Loritts:

The church should be a noble place that represents the priorities of the Kingdom. Develop relationships with people who are not like you. Minister to those who are not like you and allow them to minister to you.

What are the Kingdom priorities? What does it mean for the church to be a noble place? How can I minister to those who aren't like me?

Theology of Worship Session:

No one sees humanity for what it is more than God.

When we truly encounter God, we will see a need and respond to it.

There are many needs. What needs should I respond to?

Kari and I are running this marathon in order to help meet a need for the kids in Africa. We want to help provide clean water for people there. We want to be compassionate towards them, and we want to pray for them. We see them as brothers and sisters in Christ. Will you join us in our efforts?

For more information about Proskuneo Ministries, visit their website: www.proskuneo.info

For more information about the book: www.hopeinthedark.com

Twenty-five years ago, AIDS was unknown in sub-Saharan Africa. Today it's overwhelmingly the continent's biggest killer. In Hope in the Dark, photojournalist Jeremy Cowart documents the hope and pain of Africa's AIDS generation - a generation beset by poverty and fear, a generation in which children in some countries are more likely to die of AIDS than not. But despite the sickening odds, Cowart captures brief glimpses of beauty, optimism and joy as he makes his way across the continent. Through this collection of startling, remarkable images, his lens uncovers not just the magnitude of the problem, but also the places where God is undeniably present in the midst of it.