A New Question...

In reading through the book of 2 Timothy, I keep coming back to the verse found in chapter 1 - verse 9.

"...who has saved us and called us to a holy life - not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.  This grace was given us in Christ Jesus..."

In thinking about salvation we must not only think about what Christ has saved us from but what Christ has saved us to.  We must be holy, because this is the goal of our salvation - our redemption. While it is good to celebrate that Christ has saved us from selfishness, from godless chatter; from addictions, from idolatry - we must celebrate what Christ has saved us to.  This is the new question to ask ourselves.  What has Christ saved me to?  He has saved me to do good works (Ephesians 2:10); He has saved me to preach Good News to the poor (Luke 4:18); He has saved me to do justice & show compassion (Zechariah 7:9); He has saved me to love my neighbor (Mark 12:31); He has saved me to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:19); He has saved me to love God with all of my heart (Luke 10:27)!

Begin celebrating what Christ has saved you to. Holiness cannot be reduced to a little ethical refurbishment. The Holy life requires sacrifice.  It requires generosity. It requires that we live like Jesus.  Holiness is not just mere rule keeping; it is not just middle class family values; it is not generic spirituality.

Read God's word and ask yourself a new question:  What has Christ saved me to?

Your Prayers Have Saved Us

La Carpio is a dear place to my heart.  It was the first place I visited when I began my journey to Costa Rica in 2007.  I have watched many of the kids grow and develop into young men and women. I can't express my sincere gratitude to Missionary Steve Edwards who makes our time in La Carpio possible.

This was an amazing year. We had the blessing of working in the community with the children and with the new Skate Church in La Carpio.  Even though La Carpio is considered one of the most dangerous barrios in Costa Rica, I have seen transformation. The community is beginning to come alive through a local non-profit who is offering educational experiences as well as hosting a music school on Saturday mornings.

In addition to this local non-profit, Lalo has begun Skate Church Costa Rica in La Carpio.  Over 30 teenagers gathered for the first time while we were there to skate and hear a message from God's word. We had the privilege of handing out Skate Church t-shirts and sharing God's love and encouragement with them.

I'm still gathering all of my thoughts and feelings but there is one statement I can't get out of my mind. As we were leaving La Carpio, one of the teenagers told our group - "Your prayers have saved us."  He was referring to the many times he had been saved from gunfire. Just after he told us that our prayers had saved him, another youth said "I can't pray with your group because God can't save me from this place."   May we continue to sacrificially serve so that this young man's desperation can be turned into hope.

Each time we go to La Carpio, we bring the hope of Christ - we bring encouragement to stay in school - we bring encouragement to stay away from drugs - we bring the unconditional love of Jesus Christ.

May our prayers continue to save those in La Carpio!  This is Lapiz - "Your prayers have saved us!"

Please Don't Forget Us

The VBS Carnival had just ended.  Kids were smiling and laughing. The children had made necklaces and "masks." Boys had played soccer. Moms and grandparents had played Bingo.  Children had discussed how Jesus Christ helps them be a "survivor."  The Pinatas had fallen and children had bags of candy.  New friendships rooted in Christ had been born. Before you knew it, it was time to go. Goodbyes are hard.  It took me 30 minutes to get us all in the van but once we were in - we began waving bye.  Victoria, Argentina, Yoanci, Ernesto (to name just a few) stood at the doors of Iglesia Cristiana waving at us with big tears in their eyes.  As we drove away with tears in our eyes - Argentina's words kept ringing in my ears..."Tomara, please don't forget us."  I can barely type now without shedding tears.

This was my 8th journey to Costa Rica.  It never gets old and God always speaks in fresh ways.  The words that are now ringing in my ear is "compassion permanence."  Compassion permanence is the ability to stay focused on the specific needs of others to work until we make a difference.  Compassion permanence can involve acts of mercy, verbal outreach to people suffering from hopelessness, financial response to crises or diligent prayer.  It means long term relationships and cooperative efforts toward long term solutions. Compassion permanence is love demonstrated over the long term to our global family of faith.

Please, don't forget us!

May God continue to give me big dreams for Costa Rica!

For those of you that prayed for us while we were on this trip - thank you! For those of you who handed me a check before we left to bless those in Costa Rica - thank you!

This is Ernesto...our brother in Christ...works hard for his family and loves Jesus!  He stood in the kitchen outside of the church and told our team that he loved us and was so thankful that we returned each year.

Gracias a Dios!

My prayer this morning...

Creator God, we have glimpsed your beauty in the setting sun, in the mountain tops, in the faces of children, in the embrace of the poor, in the faith of missionaries, in the smiles of new friends and in the clouds that bring rain for refreshment.

Gracias a Dios!

Almighty Creator, we have sensed your power in the voices of those who advocate for the vulnerable.  We have seen your strength in one another and in young boys and girls who are called upon to care for their families.

Gracias a Dios!

Jesus, we see your love stretched out among nations.  We stand in awe of your sacrifice so that we can have eternal life and participate in your work around the world.

Gracias a Dios!

Holy Spirit, we have seen your power in lives transformed and hearts on fire.  We will continue to listen for your still, small voice - comforting, guiding and calling.

Gracias a Dios!

Don't have faith in your prayers, have faith in God

It was just last week that I entered the surgery center at Baptist East to pray with a dear church member who was about to have a procedure done to relieve her back pain.  As I entered the room, the nurse was  explaining that the surgery could not take place that day because her sodium levels were too low.  I could sense frustration and sadness filling the room.  "I just want to be relieved of pain. Isn't there anything you can do?" she asked.  The nurse replied that she would consult with the doctor but she was pretty confident that the surgery would not be able to take place that day. Laying there in the hospital bed, Ms Debbie (let's call her Ms Debbie) looked at me and explained with sadness how difficult it had been for her to even get there that morning and she shared that she was pretty hungry too.  I listened a little more and then I offered a prayer.  I prayed for a miracle and that her sodium levels would rise and that she would be able to have the surgery.  I left after offering a prayer and walked back to my car.  Within minutes I had received a text message from her daughter that said "Your prayer worked. The sodium levels are up enough for surgery, and they just took her back. Thanks for being here."

I sat in my car before driving away and I looked up to heaven and asked God, "Did my prayer really work?"  God spoke back to me with a verse of scripture from James 5:16 - the earnest prayer of a righteous person has power and produces wonderful results.  "Wait, God. I don't consider myself righteous.  I try my best to obey you but I definitely fall short."

I've struggled with this verse.  Me, righteous?  I grew up with an understanding that praying was for making a difference in me.  But something clicked that day for me.  The truth is - our prayers do produce wonderful results.  This scripture says that our prayers are powerful and effective when we are "right" with God.  To come to God in effective prayer, you must first come to Jesus by faith.  You must continually confess your sins and receive the righteousness of Christ that we have by faith.  1 John 3:22 says "And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight."

I hesitated to write this blog because this verse can be intimidating.  Many times when we pray, we have faith in our prayers instead of having faith in an almighty God.  I realize that this still doesn't address the age old question of why God allows bad things to happen to good people.  I don't understand that but trust that God knows best.  In the meantime, however, my not understanding will not prevent me from fervently praying for the needs of my family and those around me.  I must trust this promise and know that if I strive to live a life of obedience, God does transform my prayers into wonderful results.

Make "it" happen

I am just loving the World Cup this year.  My youngest has developed a passion for playing soccer and we've tried to tune into almost every game thus far in the World Cup. Let's Go USA!  & Vamos Costa Rica! The World Cup reminds me that athletes understand the power of making it happen! 

Don't you want to be a capable leader that makes "it" happen?  What is your "it?"  My "it" is change - joining in the movement of God so that lives are transformed.  I want to care about the "its" that God cares about. Whether it concerns challenges with racism, education, heroine addiction or Louisville's homeless teenage population , I want to make "change" happen.

Our college connection ministry continues to be challenged in the ways we exhibit leadership and how we make a difference in our world! We as Christ followers should constantly be reminded of Luke 16:10 - those who are faithful with a little should also faithful with much!  

Those who are faithful with much rank high on my list of people I want to imitate! Yes, ultimately I want my life to imitate Christ but I also need leaders in my life who are constantly challenging me and raising the bar!

I'm thankful that I do have those leaders in my life! I also want to be a leader that constantly challenges others to raise the bar - to be faithful with little and to be faithful with much!

How have you been faithful with your little and your much?

Let Colossians 3:23 encourage you....Whatever you do - work at it with all of your heart! Be excellent in all that you do! Make "it" happen - whatever "it" is - make "it" happen!

Our College Connection will be talking about what it means to be a Capable Leader next week! The Catalyst Leader reveals 10 essentials for being a Capable Leader...

1.  Capable Leaders constantly push forward...

2.  Capable Leaders are team players...

3.  Capable Leaders own their mistakes...

4.  Capable Leaders take risks...

5.  Capable Leaders are constant learners...

6. Capable Leaders aren't entitled

7.  Capable Leaders are anticipators...

8.  Capable Leaders are persistent...

9.  Capable Leaders are trustworthy...

10.  Capable Leaders deliver

So....make "it" happen!

Commit to the Lord

Last night, I had the privilege of hosting a great group of college kids from Middletown Christian Church. We ate pizza, laughed, played volleyball and began our Tuesday summer discussions on what it means to be a Catalyst Leader in the world.

As we sat closely in our living room, I asked each person to write down 3 issues on a notecard that they would like to see changed in our society.  Then one student asked "do you mean our pet peeves?"  And I said, "no."  I further explained that I wanted them to think about society - to think about our world - to think about how people live and interact and to write 3 things down that have the potential to keep them up at night.  So, they started writing and so did I.  Then we gathered in small groups to discuss what was on our lists.  Here are a few that made the top of the lists:
1.  Education locally and globally
2. Environmental Issues
3.  Racism
4.  Criminal Justice System - Those falsely accused
5.  Food prices/Gas prices
6.  Child Abuse
7.  Treatment of Special Needs Children
8.  War/Veterans
9.  Affordable Housing
10.  Poverty
11. Homelessness/Hunger
12. Politics - Why can't the republicans and democrats come together?
13. Discrimination
14. Suicide
15. The Negative Impact of Social Media
16.  Distribution of Resources

Wow.  I was so impressed that our young college students care so deeply about people, society and the world.  I'm convinced that my group could have talked about education the entire night.

You see, we can't just keep talking about the things that bother us - we must begin to be the solution to some of these issues.  I know they are big issues but we must begin somewhere.  So, over the summer - we'll be looking deep into our hearts to discuss how we can become the catalyst leaders God desires for us to be in the world.  I closed the night with Proverbs 16:3 - Commit to the Lord whatever you do and all of your plans with succeed.

Commit to studying hard in college.  If you want to be a teacher, be the best teacher you can be.

Commit to meeting with God daily. Seek your happiness in the Lord and he will give you your heart's desire. Psalm 37:4

Commit to making a difference in the area that will keep you up at night. Ask God to give you a vision of how you can begin to be a "change" maker!

I look forward to our summer together!