Radical

Do not read this book. I repeat -- Do NOT read this book...unless you want your life turned upside down.

I read this entire book yesterday. And yes, I worked an eight-hour day as well. Someone call the Guiness World Record people because I think this may have been a personal record for me. I've never, EVER finished a book in a day. Unless it was Dr. Seuss or Berinstain Bears.

When you go to this book's website, you are immediate confronted with this question:

WHAT IS JESUS WORTH TO YOU?

Just like that. In big bold capital letters. And here is what follows:

"Do you believe that Jesus is worth abandoning everything for? Do you believe him enough to obey him and to follow him wherever he leads, even when the crowds in our culture -maybe even our churches- turn the other way?"

In Radical, David Platt invites you to encounter what Jesus actually said about being his disciple, and then obey what you have heard. He challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated a God-centered gospel to fit our human-centered preferences. With passionate storytelling and convicting biblical analysis, Platt calls into question a host of comfortable notions that are common among Christ's followers today. Then he proposes a radical response: live the gospel in ways that are true, filled with promise, and ultimately world changing.

That doesn't even begin to scratch the surface.

I'm going to tell you, I have a love-hate relationship with this book. Why? Because I love and hate every word of this book. It's doused with conviction. Every word stings hard and then wakes you up to the reality that fills our world today. It leaves your brain thinking, "Are you kidding? I can't do that!" And all the while, your hands and feet are set in motion to shake the world by a force that is too strong to resist.

What is that force? It's faith, conviction, the Holy Spirit. It's the incredible urgency that you feel when you truly understand what we are called to do and you truly see the physical and spiritual need around the world.

And this isn't the first time I've heard of this "Radical Experiment" thing. I've been hearing about it throughout the last year. Every Sunday from the pulpit. I've even participated in it. I leave worship with such a burden that I feel like I should sell my car right there and walk the 20 miles to home because what good is me having a car when there are people around the world that are dying, inside and out?

So don't read this book. I'm begging you. Don't.

You'll find none of the things that you think matter in this world - money, fame, success -- none of them matter when there are 4.5 billion people out there who haven't even heard the name of Jesus Christ.

None of them know the love of a Father who works everything out for the good of those who love him. A Savior who looks at us in our sin and calls us, "My beloved," because the eyes of Jesus see no sin. A Lord who rules over all, protects us from all and is just in all his ways. A God who desires to see his glory and his name be exalted above anything throughout the universe because to desire anything else would be to deny the very nature of who he is.

So just stay away from the book.

This book leaves you broken -- for yourself, your loves ones and people you don't even know. It lights a fire in your soul that urges you to give up everything -- for some, material possessions; for some, entire careers; for some, both -- for the cause of Christ.

We all, at some point in ourselves, walk around wondering what our purpose in life is. We read book after book, seek advice, rack our brains and still come up with no answer. This book says that everything you ever wanted to know about what your purpose in life is supposed to be is found in the Bible. Specifically in Matthew 28:19-20.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

So if you want your entire life flipped upside down, be my guest.

If not, don't read it.

I dare you.

Sometimes He Just Wants You To Say Yes

(I apologize that recently fun and usually sarcastic blog about my life has turned into a place where basically I preach. Not intended. It's just that God is working in my heart right now and he's given me things lately that I just can't NOT share with the world.)

I've been reading this precious girl's blog for a while and I'm sure I've shared about her before. I'm amazed everyday by her reckless abandon to obey God and be a part of his plan to accomplish his will in all nations. God, make me this passionate to see your glory and reknown across the world.

Today's post spoke to my heart and I just wanted to share it with whoever is out there reading. It paralleled what I've been studying in my daily reading of God's word. I recently read the story of Abraham and Isaac, when God asked Abraham to kill Isaac as a sacrifice to him (Genesis 22:1-19). If you don't know this story, please go read it.

We all know how it ends. God shows again his great plan for redemption when he provides a ram in the thicket to serve as a substitute for Isaac. I don't think God's ultimate plan was for Abraham to kill his son. I think he was just testing Abraham's faith, seeing if he was willing to go the whole way with this obedient faith thing.

After reading Katie's post today, I think, no, I know (as does she), that God was doing the same in her heart. He just wanted to see if she was willing to say yes.

I think I'm getting to the point where God is about to ask me to say yes. I'm a little afraid, but God's given me his Word to look to so that I know the ending of the story.

Please continue to pray for Katie as she ministers to those who need it most. And pray for me as I try to be obedient and muster up the faith to just say yes.

Haiti

I've been having trouble getting to sleep lately. Having trouble turning my mind off.

Night before last I couldn't go to sleep until I could remember who had won the World Series in the last ten years. The night before that my mind wouldn't rest until I remembered who was Homecoming Queen and Prom Queen all four years of high school.

WHO. IS THAT. WEIRD?!?! I mean, c'mon!

I try to drown out the thoughts with TV but that doesn't seem to help.

I think my mind has been racing because I've been reading a lot lately. Thoughts are provoked. Values are challenged.

I read a book in two days this past weekend. TWO. DAYS. I know to some of you that may not seem like a big deal. Some of you read books in one sitting in one day. For me, that's never really been a reality. I get distracted and usually get sleepy after one chapter. Ask me how many books I actually finished on my summer reading lists in middle school and high school. I can probably count them on one (and maybe half a) hand.

I read Same Kind Of Different As Me this past weekend. And boy, if it didn't completely turn my world upside down.

And then this Haiti Earthquake thing now. I sat in bed last night watching Anderson Cooper (I don't care what you say, he is precious and I love him) report live from Haiti. And I cried. And cried.

And I know those were just more little steps in the plan that God has to completely destroy the life that I have now and for me to never find anything to be happy about ever again.

I hope you detected a large amount of sarcasm lathered over that last statement because I couldn't been more fueled and excited while also completely scared out of my wits about the transformation that God is doing in my heart right now. It's scary. And real. And fun.

I started asking my dad questions last night about the Haitian kids that he's encountered over the years that he's been in the Jackson Public School District. Not only has he had Haitian kids, he's had Somalians and Kenyans and Sudanese. And he's had to play bodyguard a few times as well. But that's enough about my dad (I could go on for days).

He told me about how the Catholic Charities get these kids from refugee camps, take them from having almost nothing and place them in a home where there are given more than they could have ever imagined. They don't know when their birthdays are so they are all basically given the same birthday. A 24-year old Sudanese kid could be given a birthday that states that he is 16, just so that he has the opportunity to get an education and play sports.

How heart breaking is it to not even know your real birthday.

I hear that and my heart breaks. I look at the TV and my heart breaks. I look around my apartment and feel guilty for what I have. I had a hamburger for lunch and it's not even settling right in my stomach because not so far in the back of my mind, I know the desperation there is almost 1400 miles away from me. And all I can do is send money.

I can't get on a plane and fly there. I can't go and lift up stones and bandage wounds and wipe tears away. I can't take a plate of food to that woman that is sitting on a pile of rubble. I can't hug that little boy tight who just watched four members of his family die and share with him the hurt that I would feel if my family had been ripped out from under me.

All I can do is just sit and ask God why it's happening.

I read last night the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. (Don't worry. I'm not going to get all Pat Roberston on you.) Abraham pleaded with God on behalf of those people. He knew their sin but he pleaded anyway. He said, "God, how can you, such a loving, compassionate God, look at a place like that and completely destroy it knowing that there might be righteous people there?" He pleaded and pleaded until God finally told him that if even there were a few righteous found, that he would spare the whole place.

Now we know that Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed but God spared Lot, because he remembered Abraham's compassion.

There's your hope.

Not matter what happens, not matter how horrible this all looks, not matter how many people die, God's got good in it.

Yes. It's very heartbreaking that most of the people who died in this catastrophe died without ever hearing the gospel. But the fact is that God doesn't allow things to happen without a purpose. And He will make Himself known no matter what. God doesn't just destroy cities and cause bad things to happen because it's fun. It's not fun. He allowed his own son to die for you and me. I'm sure that was not fun at all.

But there was a purpose. The purpose of salvation. The purpose of allowing someone perfect to come in a take all of my imperfection on himself, look the devil in the face, and say, "YOU LOSE. THIS ONE IS MINE." All for the purpose of freeing me from my imperfection so that I can be free to live a perfect life in Jesus Christ. And the hope (undoubtful knowledge) that I will one day sit with Him in the place that he has prepared for me.

"The Lord gives, and the Lord takes. May the name of the Lord be praised." Job 1:21

Please join with me, and the rest of the world, in prayer for the Haitian people. Pray also for the rescue workers and people there working around the clock to supply aid. Pray those who are literally dragging people out of the rubble and pray for those they are rescuing. This is not an easy thing for any part involved.

Also if you would like to donate to aid, check out the following ways:

• Compassion International
• Worldvision
• American Red Cross
• Hope For Haiti
• Anyone with a mobile phone and an account with a major wireless carrier can text the phrase “Haiti” to the number 90999 and donate $10 to the Red Cross. Amount is charged to the donor’s cellphone bill.
• Wyclef Jean's Yele Haiti Fund
• Text "Yele" to 501501 to donate $5 to Yele Haiti.
• Samaritan's Purse

A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes

I dreamed (dreamt?) last night that I went on a special blogger mission trip with Tim Tebow (score!). For some reason, I think it was Nicaragua (sp?).

And we raced lawnmowers.

And I won.

Take that, Timmy T! You may be number one on the football field with a ball in your hand but you have no idea as to the skillz I have behind the wheel of a lawnmower. I mean I've only run into a tree once in my many years of grass-cutting experience.

Anyhoo, so Tim, if you're reading this and planning your next mission adventure for Spring Break, give me a call. I can make myself available.

What is your field of play?

I know people are so sick of my love fest with Tim Tebow; well actually, I know people are probably sick of the world's love fest with Tim Tebow. But when you've got stories like this one that appear every time you turn around, it's hard to ignore it. This isn't just some kid who is an extraordinary quarterback. This is a guy who knows what his purpose is in life and lives it out daily, no matter what people say about him. He's using the talent that God has given him to spread the gospel and he's pointing all the glory back to the Giver. How can you not love that? To me, that's a subject worth wearing out.

The Gospel on Offense - The Faith of Tim Tebow
by Mark Earley

America 's largest church has a capacity to hold 16,000. But while Tim Tebow may not be a preacher, when he runs into the University of Florida 's football Stadium-affectionately known as "The Swamp" -his congregation numbers just over 90,000. And you can bet they're hearing Tim's message.

It's not just that this University of Florida quarterback wears Bible verses etched into his "eye-black" on game days. Tim Tebow has been making headlines for more than simply his Heisman Trophy win as a sophomore and his two national championships. This summer the New York Times, GQ, and Sports Illustrated, all covered the quarterback's strong Christian faith.

Last year, when the Florida Gators won the national championship, the pre-game show followed Tim into a local Florida prison where he can regularly be found sharing his testimony and preaching the Gospel.

And this top-notch athlete, who spends his spring breaks and summers ministering to orphans in the Philippines has actually helped change the culture of the University of Florida . According to Sports Illustrated , "Since Tebow's arrival on campus, and in large part because of him, the University has launched a series of community-service initiatives." Even coach Urban Meyer has taken his family on a "Tebow-inspired mission trip to the Dominican Republic ."

The press seems to be fascinated with outspoken Christian quarterbacks like Tim Tebow; Sam Bradford, the 2008 Heisman winner; and now USC's Matt Barkley. Only a few decades ago, it would have been taken for granted that these would be the kinds of fellows any father would want his daughter to marry. Now they are put under the microscope as some kind of curious anomaly-well-known athletes who actually exhibit character.

In our doped-up, mug-shot celebrity culture, sadly these young men do look a little out of step. And that's to our culture's shame. Perhaps that is why last year when the press asked Tim Tebow a rather impertinent question-they were more embarrassed by the response than he was. It was at a Southeastern Conference news media event where one reporter asked in front of the crowded room, "Are you a virgin?" Tim answered with an unequivocal yes and had yet another platform to explain how his faith impacts every area of his life.

That platform for sharing the Gospel is exactly what Tim's parents prayed for before he was born. Tim's father, Bob, a missionary in the Philippines, had been weeping over the millions of babies aborted in America . It was then that he prayed, "God, if you give me a son, if you give me Timmy, I'll raise him to be a preacher."

Soon after, when Pam Tebow learned she was expecting, the parents' faith was put to the test. After a series of grave complications, doctors encouraged them to abort the child. They refused. Born small and weak, Timmy struggled from the beginning. But his dad continued to tell him, "God's got a purpose for you, and at some point, He's going to call you to preach."

Dad was right. God's message would come through the roar of the crowd, beamed to millions via satellite. But little did they know, Tim would don a jersey, not robes, and use a stadium for his pulpit.

Tim's a great example of an opportunity every believer has-to put our faith to work on the field of play where God has gifted us and called us.

NYC!

Day One

Day Two

Day Three and Four

Day Five

Travel Day Part One

What is REALLY going on in Honduras?

If you've read this or this or this, or seen this or this, you know I've been to Honduras and what a life-changing event it was for me. And how much I love Honduras and the people there now.

Recently, Honduras has been getting a lot of media coverage lately with the craziness that is going on with the president. If you don't know, read here. The article will tell you that it was a military coup. As you will read below, this is not so. President Obama even came out saying that the "coup" was illegal and that President Manuel Zelaya should remain the president. He had no clue what he was talking about.

Please read the below emails that I receive from a friend, Emily, who is currently teaching in Honduras. Obviously, there is a lot of confusion going on down there but clearly the Honduran people know more than we will ever know.

Please pray for Honduras and do anything you can to help in this situation.

Please:
If you are receiving this email it is because we need your help.

There has NOT been a coupe in Honduras , The country is NOT in crisis. This all started over a year ago when our president Mel Zelaya with the help of Hugo Chavez and Daniel Ortega began shredding the Honduran Constitution and setting the stage for him to become dictator of Honduras . As we neared the November elections that would seat a new president Mel Zelaya became more ruthless. Zelaya was informed more than once that his actions were outside the bounds of the Honduran Constitution. Zelaya earlier this year denounced democracy and announced he would seed an Venezuelan style of government, he then began receiving large sums of cash from Hugo Chavez.

This last week tensions mounted as the National Congress after a ruling from the Honduran SUPREME COURT that Mel Zelaya has committed crimes against the Constitution. As Chavez and Ortega offered Military assistance the National Congress of Honduras, The people of Honduras and the Courts of Honduras did not flinch, They stood beside their Constitution and detained by order of the National Congress Mel Zelaya for crimes against the Constitution.

President Zelaya and a small portion of the population tried to highjack the country and destroy democracy in favor of a Chavez-style government. Zelaya was shredding the constitution he swore to protect in order to stay in power past constitutional limits and firmly align Honduras with Venezuela .

President Zelaya was clearly, and more than once, informed officially that his actions were outside of the constitution and law. Given his obedience to Hugo Chavez and Chavez’s money, Zelaya was a traitor to this country in the truest sense of the word. I am writing to you as an American investor living in Honduras to express my admiration and respect for this country and how its government handled this crisis. They were faced with a difficult situation that was only growing worse. This was NOT a coup, but a criminal arrest. Hondurans should be applauded for how they handled this! They used their Constitution and stood firmly in the face of Chavez, Ortega, Morales, and Castro and said no to this form of Government. You would think the US would be applauding the situation. The US will if not careful give Chavez and Ortega the fuel they need to invade Honduras and remove our democratic form of Government. We can not believe the news reports and the statements by our representatives. We need your help. All Americans and Hondurans are franticly emailing and sending information to the US . We need you to forward this email to your local news station, CNN, contacts that you may have at any level of government. Email your senator, congressman, etc. Please pass this along. If the US ushers Zelaya back into power they are condemning this country to a communist regime.

Has a deal been struck between the US and Chavez for Honduras ??????
Written by Kent Burns

-----------------------------------------------------------

No big surprise, but the media is getting it ALL WRONG on what is going on in Honduras. This is NOT a coup. A coup is when the military or others take over the government without regard for law and constitution. This is not what has happened in Honduras at all.

In fact, the military did not initiate any of what happened yesterday. The Supreme Court--constitutional civilian authority--ordered that the military arrest the president because of his illegal orders and activities. The military followed the civilian orders but took no control of the government nor took any unconstitutional authority. The Congress voted unanimously--and that includes the majority of the Congress which is from the Liberal Party (Zelaya's own party)--to remove him from office and to swear in Roberto Micheletti, the next in the constitutional line of succession for the presidency. Micheletti has been the president of the senateand is a member of the Liberal Party. It is clear that this was not a coup but was a clear commitment to the constitution and to the checks and balances that are there for just such a time as this. Gen. Vásquez, the chief of staff who was fired by Zelaya for refusing to carry out an illegal order, showed great courage and commitment to his country, as did all the members of the military, in standing for law and justice rather than doing the "politically correct" thing according to Zelaya.

We are really encouraged about what has happened in Honduras in these days--signs of political maturity, not a return to the days of the banana republic. They are actually showing the rest of Latin America how to stand up to would-be dictators and power brokers. Good for Honduras!

Most sincerely,

Karin Thomas

God Of This City

If you've heard of Chris Tomlin, the you've heard of the song "God Of This City". And if you've heard of this song, lately you've heard of Bluetree, the band that actually wrote this song that Chris Tomlin made so famous. Now Bluetree has come out with their version of the song.

My brother-in-law used this song in his church's worship service Sunday and told us the story of how it was written at lunch. He told us about a video in which the lead singer of Bluetree tells the story of this song's inception in his own words.

So much goodness, I needed share.

And because I love Kris (with a K) Allen, I wanted to show you this video that I found of the American Idol singing this song, giving God all the glory and honor and praise with the talent that He gifted him with.

We've been singing this at my church for a while now and every time I sing it, it hits a different part of my heart.

Of course whenever we sing it, it is my prayer over Birmingham. Although we in the heart of the "Bible Belt", I know there are so many souls here in Birmingham that crave the unfailing love of Jesus Christ. Souls that I come in contact with everyday but I'm not tuned in enough to what God is doing around me to be aware of it. It's my prayer everyday that God makes me aware of those people and those opportunities to be his hands and feet and his voice to those around me in a way that only He gets the glory.

Lately when I hear this song though, I think of New York City. I've got the opportunity to with my parents' church/choir to the Big Apple in mid-July for a concert tour/mission trip.

As most people know, I love all things New York City. It's such a big place with a small world feel. I love Broadway. I love the sights. I love the sounds. I even love the subway. It's' just such a neat place.

I've had to check myself several times, though, since I committed to going on this trip. I find myself getting caught up in the touristy distractions of this trip, wondering what shows we will go to and if I'll have time to find the Cash Cab.

But God whispers gently in my ear with a reminder that I'm not going for me. I'm going for His people. For His glory. Not for me.

In the next month and a half, my prayer is that God will show NYC through every person on that trip that they are His children too. I may be cursing myself when I say this, but I'm just going to go ahead and put it out there. Even if everything else fades away, even if all of my plans get flushed down the preverbial toilet, my prayer is that God is glorified in it all and my reminder is that God has a purpose in everything.

And his purpose for me is to love his people.

Honduras Video

This is a video that I made from pictures from my Honduras trip. Enjoy!

My Honduras Blog is up and running

That's right folks! I have posted my day journal from my trip to Honduras on this blog. I've also included some pictures and some of my favorite verses from that week and soon I'll be putting up a video that I made with some pictures. I wish that I could post our video that was made for our group by the church but it's not a compatible video file and I'm not that advance in transferring files. Maybe I'll try to get some help one day. Go check it out. Next stop -- South Africa in July! Hopefully.

Sleepless in Homewood

Ok, so it's 3 in the a.m., I can't sleep, and feel like total crap. This crud that I got in Honduras is really taking it's toll on me. I can't stop coughing, blowing my nose, and my head hurts now...I'm quite sure it's from the coughing and the blowing of the nose.

That's not the only reason, though, why I can't seem to get some z's. My thoughts are still in Honduras and the amazing people that I met down there. However, there is one person who has truly been on my heart for the past few days.

Her name is Ariana. She's 12 years old and she is a stud. Seriously, this girl has an amazing heart, and in that heart is a true passion for God and his people. This rock star Christian served as one of our translators for a couple of the days that we were there. (There was also another 12-year-old, Elisa, that worked with us for one day, but I didn't get to know her as well as I did Ariana so I can't say much about her.) Anyway, Ariana, at the ripe old age of 12, is bilingual, a leader in her chruch (in my opinion anyway), and is third in her grade at school.

In Honduras they attend school year-round, but the week we were there was a rest week for the middle school and high school kids. Ariana gave up her week of rest -- when most of her friends were out having fun and playing around, doing things that normal teenagers do -- she was out with us, sharing the gospel and showing the love of Christ to her people.

Everyday, we were able to go out into the community and pray for the people in the community, but there was one particular day that Ariana joined us in that. She ended up being the translator for my group on the third day that we went out and I would venture to say that everyone in my group had no reservations about praying with these people. However, there was one point during our door-to-door trek where Ariana just took over. She spoke to the people and asked them what their needs were and if we could pray for them. Of course, she let us do the praying but instead of just serving as our translator the whole time, she actually worked as part of the group and joined in the serving.

I am completely blown away by the devotion of this young girl's heart to God. I can only pray that she will continue to surrender to God's will for her life daily and that God will continue to use her for his glory. Well, I don't have to pray for that because I know that He already will but I can pray for continual blessings on her and her family.

I can tell you for a fact that when I was 12 I was definitely not even thinking about going door-to-door, asking people what needs I could pray for them about. I mean, I was a Christian, I had been for five years, but the thought never entered my mind, nor had the opportunity even been presented to me or explained to me, that you could even do that. I can only hope that if I ever have a son or daughter that they will turn out to be half the stud at 12 that Ariana is.

Praise the Lord for placing her in a home of believers who care enough to teach her how to be a disciple of Christ and how to disciple and serve others!

As my friend Issy (who is also 12 years old) said the other night, "I guess a 12-year-old girl really can impact the world!"

Amen!