That's My King

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Appreciative of Podcasts

I know I am late, but I just recently discovered and started subscribing to podcasts. The last few weeks especially I have been listening to messages - at the gym, on the weekend, before I go to bed at night, etc. It really has been a blessing to "tune in" to these different podcasts. Here are some of my favorites...

Epiphany Fellowship
Pastor Eric Mason is the primary teaching pastor at this Philadelphia church plant. William "the Ambassador" Branch and Shai Linne also do some of the teaching. I have appreciated messages on being a missional Christian, the need for community, suffering in the life of the believer, and Biblical manhood.
www.epiphanyfellowship.org

Cornerstone - Simi Valley
Most of the messages on this podcast are by Pastor Francis Chan. I love his heart for the poor and his emphasis on living out Acts 2 community. I hope to visit his church during my California visit this spring.
www.cornerstonesimi.com

Desiring GodThis is John Piper's podcast. I appreciate his passion for the glory of God, his teaching on missions and the "war time" lifestyle (countering the culture of materialism and comfortable living).
www.desiringgod.org

Heartcry Missionary Society
This is Paul Washer's podcast. Although I don't necessarily agree with with all of his statements, I really enjoy his emphasis on laboring with people in the gospel, the doctrine of regeneration, and his teaching on Biblical manhood.
www.hcmissions.org


Do you have any podcasts that you recommend??

Pray for Kenya!

My last semester at Moody I had a brother named Paul in one of my urban ministry classes who had come from Kenya to attend Moody. I stayed in touch with him after graduation, and a couple of years after graduating he invited me to a celebration at his church - a Kenyan church plant on Chicago's northwest side. During the meal I met three young sisters from Kenya who were studying at Chicago State. All three of them are from the Maasai tribe in Kenya, and all three of them finished at Chicago State and are pursuing graduate studies here in Chicago with a vision to return to Kenya. Over the years, I have stayed in touch with the three of them via email. This morning, one of the sisters named Sitatian, sent me an email asking me (and others) to be praying for the people of Kenya. Here is what she sent...

Hello Friends and Well wishers:
I hope this finds you well. I am well. I am still living in Chicago. I am currently working for a few months after which I will go back to school for graduate studies. I have just been accepted at the University of Illinois School of public health to pursue a masters degree in Epidemiology with a concentration in Maternal Child Health. I am really excited about this opportunity and cannot wait to complete and go back to Kenya to help elevate the conditions of child health.

I am writing to ask for your prayer and support for the people of my community and family in Kenya who are suffering the effects of the severe famine that is facing Kenya and the bad economy world wide. Kenya and the Maasai community generally, depend on rains to sustain their animals and to grow crops. But during the last year, the rains were shorter than usual and this adversely affected the yield of crops which has led to the food shortage that is being experienced at the moment. Grass lands are very dry and cannot sustain the animals. Additionally, most streams have dried out and humans and animals have to walk more than 10 kilometers every other day to obtain water for drinking and house hold use.

I have just been informed that local schools at my village are closing because children are not attending school. The parents cannot afford to pay their school fees and in some house holds the children do not have food to eat so they are not allowed to go away from home. This is a very unfortunate situation that will affect the now and the future of these children. I know what they are feeling because I have lived it! I missed school so many days for lack of school fees and have gone hungry for a countless number of days. I am not there to share in their suffering but, I am hurting with them because I totally understand what it means for a young kid to go for a whole day or all night without food and actually not knowing whether they would get any on their next meal.

We are hoping that it rains in April as it usually does, but I am afraid that no animals will survive it till then. I hope the people do. Please remember them in prayer and any support will highly be appreciated. I am hopeful and wishing that one day they can get a borehole at the village that will, at least, provide drinking water.

PS: I have attached pictures of cattle that were recently sent to me. Notice how the grass land is dry! Just recently, some people received relief food from well wishers here in the USA but ,unfortunately it was not much to sustain them for long. The crowds you see on the pictures are women and children receiving the relief food.
Sincerely,

Sitatian Kaelo- for the Maasai community.
You may contact me at any time for ways that you could help.
Sitatian@gmail.com

Sitatian along with three nursing students(now registered nurses) came together to form a non for profit organisation(Emayian) in the Maasai land to help educate the people on nutrition and basic preventive measures. Its through this organisation that the people of her community are receiving some help in the form of relief as you have seen on the pictures.

The conditions are very bad right now and she is trying to create awareness through churches/organisations and individuals. So feel free to share this need and opportunity with people who may want to get involved and support the Maasai. You can freely do so through EMAYIAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.

Musical Opportunity

Recently a good friend of mine, Asher Harris aka Point Ash, told me that he wanted me to be on his album (he is soon releasing a Christian hip hop album). He explained that he wanted me to do a "Dave Clark voicemail style" album intro. I like to be creative with the voicemail messages on my phone, so I am changing it every few months or so with silly songs and catchy little "ditties." I was a little nervous about it at first. When I create a voicemail song no one has to like it, and it's just supposed to be silly. However, since this was for his album I felt the pressure to come up with something unique. I took one of my voicemail tunes and changed the lyrics to reflect his album title. I just tried to be corny and silly and creative and I think it worked (at least Ash was pleased with it). It was really cool to be in the studio with him and to see how much work goes into each song. It was intense work they were doing, but at the same time we laughed till our faces hurt.


His album is really going to be nice. You can check out his music at www.pointash.com or www.myspace.com/pointash He is a good brother in the Lord. He is real authentic, desires to grow, and loves to encourage and build with other brothers.

I wanted to somehow link the audio of the intro to this site, but I am still trying to figure out how to do that. I really feel like this intro could open up other doors for me:) I want to give a shout out to my mom for the gift of writing silly poems and songs...What up Colin?!! (love you mom)

What's in a name?

I can't remember when the first time was that someone, after I had introduced myself as Dave Clark, responded with a question and/or a joke about the Dave Clark 5 (rock group from the 60s). I know at some point my parents explained to me what they (older adults) were referring to. I still get it to this day. Most recently, I was at a youth event in the suburbs as a guest judge for a speech competition. When I introduced myself to the woman coordinating the event, she smiled did a little "shimmy" and asked me about the band. I usually smile and say something like, "we retired" or "I'm not doing music anymore."

Here is a tribute clip to the Dave Clark 5. Consider it a "fun pass" for the weekend. I dare you to try and watch this video and not smile.

The Fab 5 Influence

Nuff said.

The Fab 5

I watched some more tournament games tonight. After this weekend the field will be down to 8. I spoke with my brother on the phone today and we were reminiscing about previous tournaments and Michigan players. I am convinced there will never be another Fab 5. They left their mark on college basketball, time out or not time out. As freshman and sophomores on the Paw Paw High School freshman and jv basketball team, we shaved our heads and wore black socks. The baggier shorts were hard to come by.

From Bondage To Liberation

Galatians 1:10
An I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

I read this verse a few times last week, and it really got me thinking. I am a bridge-builder/peacemaker type (in many ways we are all called to be this in Christ). God has made me this way, I believe for His good. I don't like to see conflict. I like to see people getting along, living harmoniously. I am disturbed by divisions in the church - across racial lines, economic/class lines, political lines, etc. This type of division and conflict and strife erks me (my Holy Discontent - probably another blog forthcoming). In many ways this is a great trait. I know that God can use this (and has by His grace). However, on the flip slide there can be some weaknesses in being a bridge builder/peacemaker type. It can lead to people pleasing. It can lead to not rocking the boat, even though the boat needs to be rocked. It can also lead to a type of bondage. People pleasing can be an exhausting game of futility. Pleasing everyone is just not possible (nor should it be desired). The danger in this is that the farther I have gone in ministry the more people I have built relationships with(supporters, churches, co-workers, peers, students, teachers, etc.) - and the more people to potentially "please." If the Lord gives me a family someday, I realize I will never be able to please everyone.

Paul says, "If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." He seems to be stating that you can't be a "man pleaser" and be a servant of Christ. The two don't mesh. Although that might seem almost too challenging, there is great hope in those words. Serving Christ and seeking to please Him can provide liberation from the bondage of people pleasing. By God's grace He has grown me in this area in my life, and I trust that He will continue to grow me (to liberate me).

I was reminded of Jason Eskridge's song "Liberator." It is a powerful song. Here are some of the lyrics.

Your hand of freedom
Reached into my situation
Breaking my binding chains and granting me liberation
I once was bound to myself, the worst of penalties
Couldn't escape from my sin, until You rescued me
But now...

(Chorus)
You are my liberator
Your love set me free
You are my emancipator
With Your blood You bought me
Now I am free

Not going back to that place again
Where my mind and my body are enslaved to sin
Through Your life and Your death and Your life again
Taking this dead man and making me breathe again

(Chorus)

I'm set free, I'm set free



Does anybody else struggle with this? Chime in.

Be Careful Of Turning Aside

I recently read through the book of Judges. It is definitely an interesting book. There is some crazy stuff in the book of Judges. One of the more familiar stories from this book is the story of Samson. This is a story that is told in many Sunday school classrooms and is even preached from occasionally. Some things jumped out at me this time, that hadn't jumped out at me before. Let me share some of my observations. First of all, Samson had made a Nazirite vow. In a nutshell, Samson was set apart (or his life was set apart) for the Lord and His purposes. However, Samson had some character weaknesses that were exposed. It begins in chapter 14 where Samson "turns aside" to look at a lion's carcass. He scooped some honey out of the carcass because it looked sweet. He discovered that it tasted sweet too. However, this "secret" act was a violation of the laws that he was to live according to. This initial "turning aside," I believe opened him up to further "slippage." In chapter 16 it says that "he saw" a prostitute and then went after her and got with her. Three verses later he meets and "falls in love" with Delilah. Most of us know the rest of the story...destruction for Samson.

I see a connectedness between these acts in the life of Samson. Samson's life was set apart for the purposes of God until a simple act of "turning aside" for something that looked and tasted sweet led him down a slippery slope of destruction. He became easily distracted from the things of God, and from God's purpose for his life. As my roommate Paul's grandmother used to tell him growing up, "Sin always takes you further than you want to go."

I was reminded of times in my life when an "innocent" turning aside led to additional turning asides. I also asked God to reveal any areas where I might currently be turning aside. Psalm 139:23-24. We are all in need of God's grace to keep us following after Him, and looking to Him and not elsewhere.

March Madness

The first NCAA tournament that I remember watching was in 1987. I was nine years old at the time, and I remember the final game in which Indiana beat Syracuse on a clutch shot by Keith Smart. The following year I remember watching Danny Manning and the Kansas Jayhawks defeat Stacey King and Mookie Blaylock and the Oklahoma Sooners. 1989 was probably my favorite year, as the Michigan Wolverines led by Glen Rice and Rumeal Robinson beat the Seton Hall Pirates (featuring Ramon Ramos and Andrew Gaze) in the final game (I have been a Michigan basketball fan ever since).

Each year I looked forward to selection Sunday. My brother John and I sometimes would even map out the bracket onto a large poster board. We would fill it in as we watched the selection show, and then post it prominently on the wall next to the television. Then the first weekend of the NCAA tournament (this weekend) all we would to is watch the games, eat, and possibly head outside to our basketball court (no matter how cold it was) for some inspired shooting.

I haven't been able to follow college basketball like I used to (I don't have cable at my house.), but I still love March Madness. I have attached a video of the "One Shining Moment" song and highlight video that they play each year after the conclusion. I look forward to watching it every year.

What is your favorite tournament moment? Which games do you remember? Players?

The Impact of A Life of Service

Last night, one of my supporters, Paul Merrill, went home to be with the Lord. He had been battling various health issues for the past two years or so. My memory of Mr. Merrill goes back a long ways. He was one of my "children's church" teachers when I was in my early elementary years. I remember him teaching us Bible stories and using his various magic tricks as illustrations. As I got a little bit older, I remember he and his wife Judy working with me at AWANA club to memorize verses (many of which I still remember today). When I graduated high school I remember them writing a note to me in my graduation card, encouraging me in the Lord, even though at the time I wasn't walking with the Lord. When I first raised support to do a summer internship with Sunshine during the summer of 2002, Paul & Judy were some of my first financial supporters. They were crucial supporters during my early years with Sunshine because not only did they give financially, and not only were they faithful in prayer, but I always knew they believed in me and in the work that God had called me to. During the last several months, Paul's health difficulties have kept him away from church at Lawton EMC. However, when I preached there on Sunday February 8th, he was there with Judy. He looked very frail, and was in a wheel chair, but it was great to see him as I canned the faces in the sanctuary as I preached.

Yesterday morning I had a meeting with a colleague of mine focusing on leadership development curriculum. We spoke about how crucial it is for elementary/grade school students to have role model figures in their lives, who encourage them and cast vision for them and believe in them. As I reflected on that in my own life, I have been blessed to have several people who have come alongside me at different stages growing up and been that person for me. Mr. Merrill was one of "those people" for me when I was a very shy and timid elementary school student. On Saturday we will celebrate his life. He faithfully served in children's ministry for many years. Even as his health began to fail in his latter years, he served faithfully in his ministry of interceding for others. As her persevered through various procedures and treatments, and through much discomfort, he faithfully served the Lord till the end.

Sufficient for Today

Proverbs 30:7-9
Two things I ask of you O Lord
Do not refuse me before I die
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches
but give me only my daily bread
Otherwise I may have too much and disown You and say, "who is the LORD?"
Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.


Matthew 6:9-11
This then is how you should pray
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name
Your Kingdom come, Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us today our daily bread

Pressing In

I'm in a weird place right now so to speak. I am doing a lot of self-reflection and self examination. I am reflecting on where I'm at in life, where I'm at in ministry, where I'm at in my walk with the Lord. In some ways this is a scary and uncomfortable process. At the same time it is a purifying and good process.

I remember when my good friend Aaron told me that a pastor in Chattanooga TN told him that when things are cloudy or when things seem uncertain to "press in" meaning to press into the Lord, to cling to Him, to trust Him. That is what I am seeking the grace to do right now. I recently memorized Psalm 139:23-24 which says, "Search me O God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

In this process, I am asking God for the grace to more fully trust Him.

Celebrating God At Work

First of all, thanks to Kevin Gwin www.kevingwin.blogspot.com for putting me on to this video.

As I have spoke with people about how God is using the art form of Christian hip hop, especially when speaking to those who don't have "an ear for it," I have told them how much theological depth and content can be placed in each song. The format of the music allows for this. It is also ideal for testimonial type songs, again because of the format of the music.

This video is a perfect example of that. This is Dwayne Tryumf, a rapper from the UK, who I saw for the first time at the Legacy Conference last year. God is doing amazing things within the sub-culture of hip hop! Whether we have "an ear" for hip hop or not, and whether or not we appreciate the art form or not, we need to celebrate the way God is using it to reveal Himself and to strengthen His followers.

The Impact Of A Humble Servant

During my time at the Moody Graduate School I learned about a minister of the gospel who has profoundly impacted my life and philosophy of ministry. His name is John Perkins. We read two of his books in my urban ministry classes at Moody. We also took trips to the CCDA conference each year (Pasadena 2002, New Orleans 2003, Atlanta 2004). John Perkins is known as the father or founder of the Christian Community Development Association. He has founded and served at ministries in under-resourced communities in Mendenhall MS, Pasadena CA, and Jackson MS. He is now in his late 70s and is based in Jackson MS. He still travels and speaks and teaches and trains and loves on people. He is still passionate about the gospel, passionate about God's heart for the poor, and passionate for racial reconciliation. He exudes the love of Christ in a grandfatherly way.

He grew up in Mississippi during the era of sharecropping. His older brother was killed by a racist sheriff. During the civil rights years he was nearly beaten to death in a jail cell for his participation in the movement. However, the power of the gospel transformed his bitterness into love and forgiveness. He has faithfully lived out the gospel in under-resourced communities for the last 4-5 decades. He has passionately pursued reconciliation in racialized contexts. He has prophetically challenged the Church to move into places where most people try to move out of. He has challenged people with what it means to truly love your neighbor.

I have never met John Perkins personally. However, I have read his books, I have heard him speak, and I have observed his interactions with others. He is one of my heroes of the faith. In the book of Acts, it says that when the people saw Peter and John (who were ordinary, uneducated men) - it was evident that they had been with Jesus. John Perkins is one of those people who after hearing him or observing him, it is evident that he has been with Jesus.

I would encourage you to read one of his books...
Let Justice Roll Down (his biography)
Beyond Charity
A Quiet Revolution
With Justice For All
Restoring At Risk Communities (the CCDA handbook)

A Bridge Builder Experience

In the spring of 2001 I went on a two week trip to Memphis, TN with one of my closest friends Ben. His boss at the time had connected us with a pastor in Memphis who was planting a church in some housing projects called the Lemar Terrace housing projects. His boss had also put us up in a hotel not too far from where we would be serving. The pastor who we served with, Lemar Walker, was our host for those two weeks. Going into the trip, neither of us (Ben and I) really knew what to expect, but I would say that we definitely had expectations of the trip. Personally, I thought that we would be working with kids those two weeks - maybe doing some VBS type stuff, maybe some sidewalk evangelism. I also pictured us doing some work projects: cleaning up trash, painting buildings, doing rehab, etc. I expected to bless the "poor and needy" and to really impact the lives of others in a short period of time. Pastor Lemar had a different set of expectations for the trip. He had grown up in Memphis. He had experienced poverty. He had felt the racial polarization. He had seen black and white churches attempt to work together (some successfully and some not so successfully). He had experienced urban/suburban partnerships and church/parachurch collaborations. When we arrived that spring, he was planting a church in an economically and racially isolated community with a core group made up of kids (primarily), single moms, and a few single men. He was also taking classes at a local Christian college, and busy with family duties - with a wife and 2 young daughters.

For those 2 weeks he was our teacher and we were his students. He drove us around the city, introduced us to people, took us to local restaurants, and gave us a Memphis history lesson. We visited church and parachurch ministries, community organizations, and one wealthy suburban church. We spent a day at the Civil Rights museum at the old Lorraine Motel. It seemed as if each time we arrived at a destination, he would turn off the car, but we wouldn't get out of the car. When he turned off that key, school was in session. He spoke to us about race and how it has impacted life and ministry in Memphis historically and presently. He shared insight about urban/suburban church partnerships. He emphasized the importance of indigenous leadership development. At the time, I didn't fully appreciate what was happening. However, as I look back on that experience I am so grateful for it.

We did work with the kids, but only on two of the evenings. He taught us that the kids in those projects had seen plenty of people come and go. He did allow us to do some physical labor, but only because we insisted. What happened on that trip was unexpected. I had anticipated impacting the lives of others and blessing others. Pastor Lemar impacted my life. The city of Memphis opened my eyes. The families of the Lemar Terrace housing projects blessed me. It was a complete paradigm shift for me, and God used it mightily in my life. It was a Kingdom experience.

During the month of March we will be hosting approximately 150 college students at Sunshine. We are praying that a similar paradigm shift will happen in the lives of these college students. I have seen it happen. I have seen college students well up with tears after an experience amongst the homeless, after an immersion night outreach in the homosexual community, and after being impressed by the faith of a 9 year old. Scriptures rarely taught on in most evangelical pulpits come alive during the Bible study times. We are praying that these students will return to their cities and campuses with a renewed sense of compassion, viewing people through Kingdom lenses.

God is good.

Baby Got Book

This really resonates with me...

Celebrating Black History

At church this Sunday our bulletins had a picture and short bio of George Washington Carver on it. All this month, the bulletins are going to feature biographies of various Christian African Americans as a way to celebrate their lives, and to celebrate what Christ did in and through their lives. So often as I continue to learn about African American history, I think to myself, "why haven't I heard of him/her?" Although I have heard of George Washington Carver, I only had a surface knowledge of who he was. I am highlighting him tomorrow to the 2nd through 5th graders in our tutoring program, at our World Changers Station. Here is some of what I have gleaned about his life...

Dr. George Washington Carver was the first African American student accepted at Iowa State University. He was a man of deep faith who believed God had given him abilities - not for himself, not to become rich and famous - but to help people. He developed more than 300 uses for peanuts, over 100 uses for sweet potatoes and taught southern farmers the benefits of crop rotation, composing, fertilization and pest control.

He was born in January about 1864 on the Moses Carver farm near Diamond Grove, Missouri. When he was still just a baby, Confederate slave raiders came and kidnapped him, his brother, and his mother. After the Civil War, his former master was able to ransom him back, but his mother could not be found. Mr. Carver raised George and his brother as part of his own family. As he grew up on the farm, George learned to love plants and nature and earned the nickname "The Plant Doctor."

When George was 12 years old, he was ready to start his formal education, but there were no schools for black children where he lived. He left home and found a town in southern Missouri where there was a school for black children. He went to school and worked as a farm hand to earn his keep. After graduating, he became the first African American student to attend Simpson College in Iowa. He then transferred to Iowa Agricultural College and worked as the school janitor to help pay for classes.

He received his degree in 1894 and two years later received his master's degree. He was the first African American to serve on that school's faculty. It was not long before his fame spread,and Booker T. Washington offered him a teaching job at the Tuskegee Institute. At Tuskegee Carver developed his crop rotation method, which revolutionized southern agriculture. He educated the farmers to alternate the soil-depleting cotton crops with soil-enriching crops such as: peanuts, soybeans, peas, sweet potatoes, and pecans. America's economy was heavily dependent upon agriculture during this era making Carver's achievements very significant.

George Washington Carver was about 79 when he died on January 5, 1943. On his tombstone are these words: "He could have added fortune to fame, but caring for neither, he found happiness and honor in being helpful to the world."

I continue to enjoy my ongoing study of African American history. Some books that I have greatly enjoyed reading are...
Before The Mayflower by Lerone Bennett
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley
Malcolm & Martin & America by James Cone
Let Justice Roll Down by John Perkins
The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr by Clayborne Carson


What are books that you have read and enjoyed? Biographies?

James 1:22
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Thinking on Jesus...

This past Sunday I had the opportunity to preach at my parent's church, and my home church - the Lawton Evangelical Mennonite Church - www.lawtonemc.com The church has begun the new year going through a series on the unity of the Scriptures, looking at "God's passionate pursuit of a prodigal people" throughout the Bible. They had just completed their journey through the OT, so my assignment was to speak on the life and ministry of Jesus. I was really challenged as I thought of all of the "material" I could choose from to preach just one message. I had ended 2008 and begun 2009 reading through the gospels. I had also been reading through "The Cost of Discipleship" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer and "The Jesus I Never Knew" by Philip Yancey. The one thing that I have been struck with afresh is the paradox of the King of kings and Lord of lords coming down to us, living among us, and loving people who His society deemed as "unlovable." On Sunday,I took a look at His Majesty, His Humility, & His Saving Work.

When looking at the humility of His incarnation, consider the facts that when Jesus came to earth, He...
-was born in a manger – Luke 2:6-7
-was a refugee in Africa – Matthew 2:13-14
-grew up in a poor family – Luke 2:22
-grew up in Nazareth – John 1:46 = Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?
-was not a home owner – Matthew 8:20 = Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.

You see the heart of our Savior, when you consider...

(1) His Credentials
When John the Baptist was in prison (Luke 7), he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question, "Are you the One who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"
Jesus lays it out to them, "Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and good news is preached to the poor."
-Luke 4:16-19; Luke 7:20-21; Isaiah 61:1-2

(2) His Company
Jesus ate, spent time with, and even invited a "tax collector" to be one of his disciples. Tax collectors were bitterly hated by their own countrymen and regarded as little more than traitors. In the eyes of the Jewish community, their disgrace extended even to their families.
-Matthew 9:9-12; Luke 19

Jesus ate with, spent time with, and even touched lepers. Lepers were classified as "undesirable." They were unclean, cast aside, looked down upon, pitied.
-Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45; Mark 14:3-9

Jesus had an intentional conversation with a Samaritan woman - during which he offered her forgiveness and eternal life. Jews would not even travel through Samaria. They despised Samaritans. Samaritan women were deemed unclean from birth. The prejudices of the day prohibited conversations between men and women and Jews and Samaritans.
-John 4:4-26

Jesus chose twelve perfectly ordinary men to be His disciples. They were Galileans. Galileans were deemed low-class, rural, uneducated people. They were fishermen, tax collectors, and one political extremist. These are the men He chose to "be with Him" that He might send them out to spread the gospel and establish His church.
-Mark 3:13-14

Philip Yancey has a powerful quote in his book "The Jesus I Never Knew." He states, "Normally in this world we look up to the rich, the beautiful, the successful. Grace, however introduces a new world of logic. Because God loves the poor, the suffering, the persecuted, so should we. Because God sees no undesirables, neither should we. By His own example, Jesus challenged us to look at the world through what Irenaeus would call "grace-healed eyes."

(3) His CallThroughout the gospels you see two simple words repeated by Jesus as an invitation to others, "follow me." Follow me in a lifestyle of repentance and faith. Follow me in a lifestyle of humility and compassion. Follow me amongst the lost and the least of these.
-Matthew 4:18-20

I concluded the message thinking on how God, assumed a different identity to identify with hurt and sick people, and gave His life so that we might truly live. I am challenged by Jesus - challenged by His words, challenged by His life, challenged by His act of love...