Window In The Skies

Two music groups comprise the greatest percentage of my iTunes playlist: U2 & Third Day.

U2 is one of those groups that the more you listen to them the better they get...it's kind of strange. Anyway there is this song, "Window In The Skies" which really resonates in my heart. Here are some of the lyrics.

The shackles are undone
The bullets quit the gun
The heat thats in the sun
Will keep us when there's none

The rule has been disproved
The stone has been moved
The grain is now a groove

All debts are removed, ooh

Oh can't you see what our love has done
Oh can't you see what our love has done
Oh can't you see what our love has done

What it's doing to me

Anyway, I just thought I would share that with you today. It's amazing what love can do, but it shouldn't surprise us. Remember this?

"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." ~ Jesus

The War On Terror

I have been thinking a lot about the war on terror recently. It has been a fairly popular topic as of late, what with the increase in troops being planned and all. Most people are thinking about it and talking about. Plus, it doesn't help that the new "24" season has started and once again Muslim extremists are the focus (of course with the bizarre twists of "24" it will probably turn out to be a twisted, evil scheme from a group of disgruntled wheat farmers in Canada).

But what got me thinking wasn't so much what our country is doing and whether it is wrong or right, it had more to do with what I am to do about the war on terror. As a follower of Christ what is my role? The reason I ask this is because this is unlike any kind of war our country has faced, maybe unlike any war in the history of the world (something to think about). This is as much a spiritual war as much as it is a physical war. So how are Christians supposed to engage?

Jesus said, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."

So here are some questions to ponder:

"What is my responsibility as a Christ follower in responding to the war on terror?"

"What is the church's responsibility in responding to the war on terror?"

The Barbarian Way

I am re-reading a book I received last year for Christmas. It's called "The Barbarian" by Erwin McManus. It is really a great read, I highly recommend it. Here is an excerpt I read this evening that is more true then I care to admit. McManus writes:

"I used to serve on the Board of Intercultural Studies at Biola University, mostly because a friend of mine asked me if I would. One afternoon I happened to be there when the counseling department enthusiastically presented a plan for serving missionary personnel around the world. They were going to provide counseling and mental health to all those working overseas. Even while I was listening, I knew I should remain silent. I kept telling myself to keep my mouth shut. But I just couldn't help myself. Before I knew it I was blurting out, "Don't do it. Please don't do it."

They all looked at me with the strangest expressions of confusion.

Well, it was too late for me to hide in obscurity, so I knew I needed to explain. I went on, "Don't go around the world and make our missionaries mentally healthy. You'll ruin everything. You'll totally mess up the cause. I mean you have, let's say, a husband and a wife from Kentucky and they have four kids and they believe God has called them to an obscure city in Central Asia. Suddenly they find themselves in the middle of two million people who don't speak a word of English, and they don' speak a word of Mandarin or Cantonese or any form of tribal dialect. And each morning they wake up excited and confident that somehow they're going to bring that entire city to faith in Jesus Christ. You go and make them normal, and they'll be on a plane back home the next day."

The board member making the presentation graciously responded, "Erwin clearly has a different view of professional counseling than we do."

If you are a follower of Christ and you have allowed yourself to be domesticated, you have lost the power of who you are and who God intends for you to be. You were not created to be normal." ~Erwin McManus

So the question needs to be asked: "What crazy thing are you doing for Jesus?"