“Created To Be Hated”

I pulled up behind a black sports car with tinted windows at a stop light only to read this sticker in his back window.

I don’t know why I’m even shocked at a negative bumper sticker, or anything else, for that matter.  So much of our culture defines itself in the negative:  “Hate the haters,” “Don’t hate me cause you ain’t me.”

As Christians surrounded and immersed in this atmosphere, it is difficult not to join in…  share with the world only that which we hate, don’t believe in, or shun.  Forgetting the old song “They Will Know We are Christians by Our Love.”

Yet, even if we share ourselves in positive terms, the prejudice and intolerance of the world is not comfortable in the light of God’s love.  Christ warns us, “If the world hates you, keep in mind it hated me first.” John 15:18.

I don’t believe Christ used a negative statement to create a divide, but to show us love and encourage us to be merciful and gracious with a world of sinners that do not know or understand the unconditional love of Christ.

Not one of us was created to be hated; only once sin entered in did we become hated.  Only in choosing to walk with Christ am I willing to be hated in order that I might learn to love those who hate me.

Passive or Active?

Why is it easier to spend three hours on Facebook then to schedule and enjoy an hour with a friend over coffee or whatever?

My husband likes to say that no one calls him, it’s always him making the call so he gives up. “Dee” says when she wants to go out with a friend, they are always busy.  "Tom" says he gets invited to bars and doesn’t want to hang out at places like that.  I’ve used a few of these, myself, in the old days.

Life is busy, schedules don’t always match and sometimes kids and crisis cause us to fail to reach out for a stretch of time.  There is no sin in these.  Why do you think Facebook took off so well in the first place?

Passive interaction takes a lot less commitment, time and responsibility than an active relationship.  No one sees my dirty kitchen or living room online.

I mean, Jesus never used networking, yet I am learning from His example more every time I read about it.

He sought, even if it meant leaving home, work, even convenience.  He offered, He didn’t beg and if something was drawing the other person away, He let them go.  He made Himself available. In Luke 8:45, Jesus stopped on the way to His planned appointment to address a  divine one.

Christ has made me more sensitive.  As a missionary, there’s responsibilities I owe to my supporters, my volunteers, my teams, my boss and those I serve.  Add to that serving my family and my church as part of their prayer team and hosting a small group in my home.

I understand wanting to sit on the couch & veg. I also know the echo of feeling unseen, unknown, or just misunderstood.  The desire for a friend and then the reality of my schedule.

I came up with a name for it: Chaos Management.  I start the day with prayer and a plan.  If I get it even half done, that’s success.  Additionally, if I get none of it done, but fulfilled a divine appointment, that’s success.

Christ has used ministry in my life to teach me the value and worth of living in the moment.  Continual prayer for each next task or person that God brings to me, or to my mind.  Serving Him actively makes me available and interruptible, more by far, than just watching TV.  Even if the moment is still, I want to be  abiding in Him and waiting expectantly.

PR for Christ?

 “You’re Public Relations Director? I thought you said you’re a missionary?”

Everyone has their own image of what PR is and rarely do they think of ministry in conjunction.  It was much easier to raise support as a missionary when my title was Youth Ministry Director. =)

Yet I love the relations part of my title.  I love to create relationships and community by breaking down fears and anger with awareness and collaboration.

Yes, getting the word out about our ministry & what we’re doing by website, newspaper, radio or whatever is part of what I do.  Yet, the real fun is in creating relationships that match God’s model & not the world’s.

Ministering to poverty and the marginalized looks very different in America than any where else in the world.  

The world is about the biggest bang for the buck.  Funding is about numbers and in dealing with this, I’m afraid a lot of churches and organizations are so protective of their “numbers of people served (saved)” that they are fearful or reluctant to partner with other groups or services.

This is very human but not very  biblical.  

The father of lies doesn’t want us to remember the loaves and fish, etc.

I show up at city meetings every month because the city & county programs are desperate to meet faith-based groups.  Now is the time God gave to connect.

I meet with anyone that serves our same community to generate partnerships that reach beyond numbers to real community development through relationships.

I use Twitter to promote other ministries even more than my own, to serve them.

I seek to understand the fears and share biblical solutions.  I teach by being willing to lose numbers, that people may find new life, new churches, new family resources, new avenues to self-sufficiency.

I desire to have a public faith and be relational for Christ. That's PR to me.  =)

It's About Faith in Action

For some reason, this keeps coming up recently, so I thought maybe it’s time to share again…    

I am a missionary that raises support.  I have never made my full support, though I have had fuller years and leaner years.  What does that mean? Is God not for me, am I faking my calling?

No.  I do not serve a God of disparity.  I believe all the money is God’s.  I tithe to support His kingdom.  (Numbers 18:26-29)  What does support look like to me?  More than money, which is a tool that God uses, (but is not confined to using).

The first thing that pops into my head when people ask me how I live on 1/3 of my support?  You, my ministry partners.  And a lot of other everyday Christians just like you.  The body of Christ. (I Corinthians 12:25-26)

"Nina" offering haircuts & spending the time in the chair catching up with the ministry, asking what to pray for & making sure I’d be back every two months.  "Caro" hearing that I was taking meetings with the city & offering me suits that didn’t fit after her weight loss.

"D" & "J" who returned for a time to help me make a difference.  Joining with others to give special monetary gifts and those that just faithfully give each month.  I share a special memory and experience with every one of my missionary team.  You are my partners, cheerleaders, and champions.

Every time I give it to God first and faithfully share my needs with you, without   expectation or shame, He is faithful to your prayers, in-kind gifts, donations, and service along side me.  

I have had my times of doubt.  When my focus is on Caesar’s money and not God’s provision.  Knowing I can make more in the corporate world to share with my family, I ask Him to reveal to me where He really wants me.  (Proverbs 30:8-9)  I don’t want to be a missionary because of my passion, but because of His will.

Every time, within a day, hours or even minutes.  A note, card, call, even an unexpected new donor, even multiple ones, flood in to renew His call on my life.  A cloud of witnesses to His truth.

I lead a simple life of faith.  I want to live in my heart the songs, “I Give Myself Away;” along with  “I Surrender All.”

I always want to see support raising as an opportunity to meet people that desire to serve & wish to share in the journey that draws us closer to Christ.

April ~ National Volunteer Month

The cornerstones of my missionary calling are relational ministry and asset based community development (ABCD).  I committed to the belief that community development starts with passionate everyday people.  Where I work we keep our staff numbers small and look to our community of churches and neighbors to come together to find or make solutions that fit our neighborhood.

We can think of nothing so important then that we honor the people who dedicate themselves to taking action and solving problems.  So, on April 26th, ROP will hold our annual Volunteer Dinner to celebrate and honor those that make our ministry and God’s kingdom alive and growing to meet the needs of so many.

I have been a witness to many of your gifts of few hours, once a week to bless our kids, parents and neighborhood.  These acts all deserve to be applauded, and as a faith based ministry that cannot do its work without them, I say thank you to every one of you who are serving God by giving back to His kingdom and community in your own way. 

So as we celebrate, let's recognize those who give themselves to help others. Let's motivate others to join the effort. And let’s give God all the glory for the great things He has done!  =)

Do we offer Liberty or Libel?

Moving so much, I became fascinated with sociology long before I knew it’s name.

It’s definition:  The science of society, social institutions, and social relationships;  specifically :  the systematic study of the development, structure, interaction, and collective behavior of      organized groups of human beings.

So this is what  I’ve learned of the development of my East Colfax community:

Currently we are 37% Nepal refugees, 30% Hispanic & it shakes down from there into tribes from Burma, Rep of Congo, Sudanese, etc.  The 15% black community is only 3% African American. The rest are natives of Africa where English is not their 1st language. Three years before now our highest  percents were Hispanic; before that Katrina survivors; before that Korean immigrants; before that…  how far should I go back?

Growing up moving around a lot, I knew early on, people are the same and very different all at the same time.  Regions, cultures & history created ebbs & flows, yet there is always a desire for health, work, a mate, children...

Now I live in an international community in an America that welcomed over31  million immigrants since 1994, (one year before Prodigal opened it’s doors), 75% of which are legal & documented.  It’s that last 25% that can harden our hearts, if we’re not careful.

www.tolerance.org/immigration-myths

Living as a gypsy with my family moving so much, it paid to pick up things fast and put prejudice aside to make friends.  Kids are just better at this than anyone.

Despite the labels we adults may use, our kids start out wanting to know more without fear.  Maybe because bonding with someone is more fun then isolation, in their eyes?

All I know? I was a stranger in a strange land most all my life.  God is very specific about every tribe & every nation, even in my backyard. And I find meeting someone and learning something new, fascinating.

Karma vs Grace

Humanity is in love with the idea of Karma.  Do bad things, pay the price.  Do good things and good things will come to you.  Except there isn’t much of that that I see in the real world outside of Hollywood movies.  I think it’s our hunger for justice that gets corrupted by our flesh, where it all breaks down and falls apart.

Karma says:  Good intent and good deeds contribute to good karma and future happiness, while bad intent and bad deeds contribute to bad karma and future suffering.

Yet it stops at the water’s edge when someone’s bad karma ends up killing you, whatever your good karma.  In my flesh, I’ve even used new testament scripture to sooth my anger over an abusive parent by quoting: “better a mill stone be put around your neck if you should cause even one of my children to fall.”

But that abusive parent is a child of God, too.  He wants to redeem her life.  I should rejoice if He allows me even a small part in loving her as she learns to break her cycle of sin through Christ.

When I look at my own sin, I don’t want to be bound by the dictates of Karma.  What if I had to pay the cost for all I have damaged or even destroyed?

What of the loving, encouraging, quiet spoken Hindu man that shared with me his story?  His father who died when he was 3, his mother who died when he was 6.  The woman he fell in love with that died of cancer while he was far away with relatives.  The wife he married and the 3 miscarriages that their marriage didn’t survive; and on and on and on.  What did he do to warrant this?

Whether Buddhist or Hindu flavored, our refugees were not the first to bring these beliefs. Sharing with them why I don’t believe in Karma has created deep relationships.  Sharing that the closer I draw to Christ, the more I am in awe of the debt He paid, so that salvation and grace are, not only possible, but crucial.

I recently read an old book review from 2005 on “Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas.”  Take a moment to stretch your mind and share a chuckle.

www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/augustweb-only/bono-0805.html