The night is nearly over; the day is almost here...

One of the main reasons my heart hurts so much for our kids in foster care and other vulnerable children, and why I get so fired up about the Church stepping in as God calls us too, is because of the overall lack of HOPE. So many of our kids are just so, so hopeless. And it's heartbreaking. God has such a bigger plan, an amazing, exciting, beautiful story for each of us. The God of the universe became man and gave his life for us and overcame the darkest evil on our behalf, and now is at work in the world all around us. And he invites US to follow him, to know him, to join him as is making all things new. And one day when he returns and finishes that work and all is as it should be, we will get to stand in his presence and worship and see as he destroys all evil and injustice once and for all. Our lives have such a holy purpose - we are a part of his huge redemption story. And so many have no idea. So many of our kids have no hope, no dreams, no idea of the amazing life God has for them and bigger story he invites them into.

Let's tell them - let's invest in our kids in our schools and neighborhoods, and get involved in our county's foster care system, in whatever way God calls us. Let's share the joy and excitement and love and HOPE that we know. The truth that we are loved and known. The truth that Christ is on the move, making all things new, and WE get to be a part of it. The beautiful truth that:

"The night is nearly over; the day is almost here"

(Rom. 13:12)

A few thoughts on the tragedy of Trump

I'm pretty careful with the political things I post online - my intention is not to be partisan, endorse one person over another, belittle one side...my intention is instead to try to help the world see more of who Christ really is, and to share things that might help the Church think through what it looks like to follow Christ in this time and place. Obviously the things I post aren't the voice of God, so feel free to disagree :) But I do prayerfully think through everything I post before posting, and if I post it, it's because I feel strongly that I should, and I hope it's helpful and beneficial to the social media/blogging world. Hence the article below:

I have never before felt so strongly against a certain political candidate as I do against Trump. There are a lot of deeper cultural, political, racial and spiritual issues as to why Trump has been able to get this far, and I believe in the coming months and years, we as followers of Christ will have much opportunity to examine those reasons and help lead the way in loving our neighbors and bringing the truth, redemption and deeper change our country desperately needs. Right now though, I think this article does a tremendous job of addressing the immediate issue of the Trump candidacy, and why it is essential as followers of Christ to examine what it means if we vote for him. Let us look to Christ to help us see the type of leader we should follow. And if we don't see any Christ-like characteristics in either leading candidate, we can vote for a 3rd party candidate (this is one of the best ways we can use our voice in our democratic system to show our dissatisfaction with the current political climate). But we must think long and hard about what it means if we vote for Trump:

"Evangelical Christians are not merely choosing a certain political outcome. They are determining their public character — the way they are viewed by others and, ultimately, the way they view themselves. They are identifying with a man who has fed ethnic tension for political gain; who has proposed systemic religious discrimination; who has dramatically undermined the democratic values of civility and tolerance; who has advocated war crimes, including killing the families of terrorists; who holds a highly sexualized view of power as dominance, rather than seeing power as an instrument to advance moral ends...In legitimizing the presumptive Republican nominee, evangelicals are not merely accepting who he is; they are changing who they are. Trumpism, at its root, involves contempt for, and fear of, outsiders — refugees, undesirable migrants, Muslims, etc. By associating with this movement, evangelicals will bear, if not the mark of Cain, at least the mark of Trump....

In lowering the sights of Christian political involvement, they are no longer serving a faith where 'justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.' They are dishonoring that ideal before a watching nation."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/evangelicals-may-carry-the-mark-of-trump/2016/06/02/dc0f59b4-28eb-11e6-ae4a-3cdd5fe74204_story.html

Oh Church, come stand in the light

Oh death! Where is your sting?
Oh hell! Where is your victory?
Oh Church! Come stand in the light!
The glory of God has defeated the night!

I love these lyrics from Matt Maher's "Christ is Risen"...brings tears to my eyes every time I hear the song, because it reminds me of how real and powerful and awesome my God is. And it fuels my love for the Church and passion to see us be fully who God desires us to be. THIS is our purpose - to come stand in the light, so show the world that Christ is real and that his glory has defeated the darkness. No matter what pain we see around us, what brokenness, what famine or nakedness or sword, Christ has already won and is at work now pushing the darkness back. And WE are called to be a part of it - we get the humbling, undeserved privilege of joining with him in bringing the light into the darkness, in showing His glory to the world, his wild love and deep passion for us, his just heart and character, his kindness and fire. Before we post anything on facebook, before we decide to engage in conversation around current bathroom issues or declare our opinions on sexuality or politics or any number of things, THIS is the purpose we should have on our minds.

Personally, this is the test I try to run everything through before I open my mouth or put pen to paper. We have the incredible honor of walking with Christ and showing his glory to the world. We have the beautiful but heavy calling of showing the world his grace and salvation. We are meant to join with Christ in showing the reality of his power; the reality that he has defeated the night; that he is the answer we are all looking for. My prayer for the Church is that this would always be on the forefront of our minds, that we wouldn't get caught up focusing on issues or opinions that take away from the glory of Christ, from the beautiful truth of what he has done and the enormity of our calling to show this to the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IExdrZGQVeI