Generosity Is A Paradox

I am absolutely thrilled and grateful that Middletown Christian Church has given over $40,000 to help complete phase 2 of El Camino Bi-lingual School- a ministry of the mission hospital Loma de Luz. www.crstone.org  I have witnessed firsthand that many at Middletown are embracing a lifestyle of generosity!


Generosity is a paradox, in that we gain by giving! But paradox is a common feature of our faith:  Jesus gave his life that we might gain life forever; a person who saves his life will lose it, while someone who loses his life for Christ's sake will find it; and the first will be last, but the last will be first.  So it's no surprise that the paradox holds for Middletown's spirit of generosity.

I believe that Christ followers who are pursuing generous lives (with time and money) provide the clearest picture of God to others.  The church is God's plan to carry forward the gospel until Christ returns and makes all things new.

Whether it is giving sacrificially to fund a Christian Bi-lingual school in one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere or making a huge pot of Chili to hand out to the homeless in downtown Louisville, we must seize the opportunity to share our faith & resources with others.

The book Contagious Generosity reminds us that our willingness to share our resources with others without restraint speaks volumes about the extent to which we've been embraced and been changed by the gospel.

Good Night, Mom. I Love You.

What has happened to my teenager?  Almost every night since he has begun high school, he walks into our bedroom and says "Good Night, Mom.  Good Night, Dad.  Love you!"  We tell Elliott that we love him too. Then, we look at each other with surprise.  Is this our child? What happened to him?

Philippians 1:6 - God who began a good work in you will bring it to completion....

Now that Elliott is in high school, he is often up later doing homework or watching TV.  Usually Wally and I are hanging out in our sitting room talking about our day.  It's 11 or 11:30 p.m.  We've said our prayers with Max (our youngest son), we've eaten dinner and we've usually played either soccer or ping pong with the boys.  And then, Elliott will barge in our room and just hang out with us. We enjoy the moment.  Then, we look at each other with surprise.  Is this our child?  What happened to him?

Philippians 1:6 - God who began a good work in you will bring it to completion....

Each morning I get up at 5:30 a.m.  I make Elliott's lunch, read a little and then I cook his breakfast.  I sit his breakfast on the kitchen table and I walk up stairs to let him know it is on the table and ESPN is on the TV!  I either work out at that point or I get in the shower.  Then, I wake my younger son up and I make his lunch and cook him breakfast.  This morning I made waffles and bacon for the boys.  As I walked down to the kitchen for the second time to make Max's lunch and breakfast, I couldn't believe my eyes.  Was this really happening?  I looked at the kitchen table and there was nothing on it.  There was not a glass, or plate or silverware or napkins.  Did the dog eat all of it?  Then I noticed that all of the dishes were in the sink.  They weren't just in the sink but they were rinsed.  Yes, rinsed.  No sticky syrup.  My son had actually put his dishes in the sink as I ask him to do every morning. However, this was the first morning that I can remember that he actually did it. So, yes I praised him.  I told him as he left for school "I really appreciate you cleaning up after yourself.  He smiled.  And I said my usual - make great choices today."

And then God brought the verse to my mind...Philippians 1:6 - God who began a good work in the heart of Elliott as a 9 year old will bring that work to completion....

Amen with JOY!

Effective Love

LET EVERY DEED WE DO TODAY : 
RISE UP AS A PRAYER OF LOVE

Vincent de Paul said, "We must love God, but let it be in the work of our bodies, in the sweat of our brows. For very often many acts of love for God, of kindness, of good will, and other similar inclinations and interior practices of a tender heart, although good and very desirable, are yet very suspect when they do not lead to the practice of effective love."

What makes our love effective?

John 13:35 - "Everyone will know that you are my disciples because of your love for each other."

Our love is ultimately effective when people know that we are disciples of Jesus Christ because of the radical love we have shown. The word "disciple" comes from the Latin "Discipulus"  meaning "pupil."  A disciple of Jesus is a student who learns how to live his/her life according to the way of Jesus.  And, we find that way as we study the life of Jesus in scripture.

Is your love being effective today?

Prayer:  Lord God, you have shown us what love looks like through sending your son Jesus to this world.  He was the word made flesh and he dwelt among us.  May Jesus continue to dwell among us through our love that we show to others.  Help us through acts of forgiveness and reconciliation to so love one another that our neighbors know we are your disciples and know that to be good news! Amen!

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!