Senior Coffees and Redeeming the Edges

My friend Jacob laughs at me when I get charged the senior coffee price at McDonald's.  It doesn't happen often -- I am, after all, a very young-looking 46 if I do say so myself.  A lady who I had not seen in some years looked at me yesterday and said, "You're in your 30's, right?"  But I digress.  But not before adding: If you think I look young, you should see my wife!  (That's just good home training right there...)

Back to the senior coffees.  I have been charged the senior coffee price four or five times, including today.  The cashier told me she knew I wasn't "gettin' on up there"; she just wanted to save me some money.  Typically, my coffee in $1.10, but the senior coffee price is only $.76.  I'll take the savings, and I appreciate her looking out for me; however, I really don't mind breaking the other dollar.  

Even if I buy several items throughout the day, I never spend the change.  At the end of the day, my pocket full of change will land in the peanut jar where the rest of my change resides. I look at my change as the "edges" of my income.  Let me explain through this passage in Leviticus, which speaks "for the voiceless":

"When you reap the harvest of your land, you are not to reap to the very edge of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. You must not strip your vineyard bare or gather its fallen grapes. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident;  I am Yahweh your God."  

(Leviticus 19:9-10, HCSB)

The Lord made provision for the voiceless, those who had fewer rights under the law and were easily taken advantage of, through this command in Leviticus 19.  The poor and the foreigner were often included with the widow and the orphan in Bible lists of the disenfranchised.  I believe this is a principle that honors the Lord even today.  It allows us to redeem the edges of our fields.

Now, I don't have any fields or vineyards (other than a few raised garden beds and fruit trees and vines), but I do have an income.  I see my change and some of my one-dollar bills as my edges, so I set them aside.  That was the motivation behind our small groups' Change It Now offering that I wrote about here.  That money is collected as an act of worship each week in our CHC small groups until the group moves it toward some redemptive cause of their choosing.  I use my change as my personal Change It Now.  It doesn't add up to much, but once or twice a year, I am able to redeem my coins to help with a project, sponsor a child at Christmas, help someone with a mission trip, or something similar.  And I never miss the coins and dollars.  

What are you doing with the edges of your income?  The edges of your time?  The edges of your skills and experiences?  Consider how you could set aside some of your edges for the poor, the foreigner, the widow, and the orphan -- the voiceless.  I encourage you to redeem the edges of your fields.  

That's 90 cents on a regular coffee and 24 cents on a senior coffee.  Hmmmm . . . I think I'll add a dollar to my peanut jar today.

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

House of Abraham Update in 9 Photos

Almost four months ago, Jacob Walley and I joined up with a team mainly from Charleston, Illinois, on an unforgettable mission trip to Jacmel, Haiti, to serve the House of Abraham.  Part of our team's mission was to help in building the new home for the 13 children that HoA serves.  Click here to see where construction stood when we returned home in early November.

Earlier this week, I received some photos (courtesy of Fenel Bruna via Dusty Cooper with IsleGo) showing progress on the new home.  You can view them below.  Three weeks from now, a team from Colonial Hills will view the home in person and serve these wonderful children and those who love and care for them on a daily basis.  Pray for us, please.

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

3 Tough Questions

As I wrote on the blog last week, I am previewing a copy of Johnny Carr's Orphan Justice, which is set to be released March 1.  In it, he tackles some very tough aspects of caring for orphans.

Using his book as a springboard, let me help get your brain stirring today with three tough questions about orphans.  Consider these first through the filter of your own family and then through the filter of your church.

Question #1

How would you respond to a child of a different race?  I know that many of you have already wrestled with this issue and that some of you have already adopted children of another race.  Many of you have children in your churches of a different race already.  Many more, especially here in the South, have not yet wrestled with the issue of race, continuing to propagate stereotypes (if not downright racism) without really considering why.  It is a issue that should be wrestled with, using the Word of God as a guide.  It has much to say about racism. Perhaps start with Luke 10:25-37 and a study of the intensity of the Jews' hatred for the Samaritans.

Question #2

How would you respond to an orphan with AIDS?  This disease carries a stigma within the Christian community because of its origins, so we have largely ignored that HIV/AIDS is the largest cause of orphans in the world.  Orphan Justice tells Carr's personal journey through this tough question.  Would you bring a child with HIV/AIDS into your family?  Would you celebrate a family in your church adopting such a child?  How would you teach your child to interact with that child?

Question #3

What if abortion were made illegal today?  Those of us who say that we value life would certainly celebrate.  But how far does that value of life really go?  If the women who would have aborted their babies -- even a small percentage of them -- still did not want their babies and gave them up for adoption, would you adopt one or more of them?  How would your church respond to that sudden need?

These are not easy questions, and they do not come with easy answers.  Consider that James 1:27 says, "Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world." (emphasis added)

I choose to remember the condition God found me in: lost, guilty, bound for hell.  He rescued me from that.  I can do no less than to join Him in whatever he calls me to do to rescue others.  After all, when Jesus calls disciples to follow Him, he doesn't tell us where we are going, just what we will be doing.   “Follow Me,” He told them, “and I will make you fish for people!” (Matthew 4:19, HCSB)

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

Stuck on a Cruise Ship: First and Third World Problems

Is your biggest gripe a legitimate life issue or a first world problem?  There are a number of Twitter accounts dedicated to bringing first world problems to light, problems such as:

• I need to go to the bathroom, but I cant find my phone. (from @F1rstWrldPrblms)
• There are so many remixes of the song I want that I can't find the original on YouTube. (from @FiWoProblems)
• It was 30 degrees on Monday, 60 today. my sinuses do not appreciate this change in the weather. (from @frstworldprobs)
• Had trouble finding a parking spot at McDonald's this morning.  Too many people parking outside and using the free wifi.  (from . . . well, that's not important).

The recent Carnival Triumph power failure and resulting deplorable conditions has gotten much press in recent days.  I can only imagine the treasure trove of #firstworldprobs flying around that ship!  Having been on a cruise myself and also having at least seen third world living conditions up close, I wonder how I would have responded if I had been on that ship. 

I have a bottom-line reaction to what happened to all the first-worlders on that cruise, but I'll save it for later in the conversation.  I would like to know how you think you would have responded.  That conversation is taking place here.  Join in!


Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

Check out posts from the last week or so on what seems to be a continuing trend on hope and hopelessness.

Hopelessness: A Powerful Motivator

I have looked forward to reading Orphan Justice since I met Johnny Carr and his co-author, Laura Captari, at the Together for Adoption conference in Atlanta.  I am privileged to be reading a copy in advance of its March 1 release date.

 “…I have developed a new understanding of the desperation that hopelessness brings.”

         --Johnny Carr, from the forthcoming book Orphan Justice

I wrote last week on this blog about the power of hope.  Then, last night I read the above quote that put hope – in this case, the lack of it – squarely in the context of orphan care.  In the context of human trafficking.  In the context of AIDS.  In the context of abandonment.  In the context of disease, poverty, abuse, and a myriad of other “social ills and stigmas.”

Just in the first couple of chapters of Orphan Justice, I have found myself nodding in agreement with Johnny Carr’s journey to advocating for orphans.  Like Johnny and so many others I have talked to in the last couple of years, I have been a Christ-follower for many years, but the Bible’s clear call to care for the orphan (and others who are “voiceless”) was somehow hidden to me until the Lord opened my mind to their hopelessness and to my responsibility.

God has begun a movement toward caring the the world’s orphans.  It’s not a new movement but a return to a clear biblical mandate.  Thus far, it is a movement largely unpolluted by denominational lines.  But it is also a movement that is far too small.  As Johnny Carr has consistently taught, there are things that everyone can do, things many can do, and things few will do.

Hope is a powerful motivator.  But so is hopelessness, in a negative way.  Can you put yourself in the place of a hopeless child?  What will you do as a result?  At the very least, will you commit to educating yourself on the needs of at-risk children?  And to pray for God to show you what you should do?  Click on a few of the links in this blog to get started.

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

“Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed.”  Proverbs 31:8 (HCSB)

6 Sources of Inspiration for You Today

Think about the things that inspire you.  Some we search out; some just cross our paths.  What inspires you?  I've included six categories and some personal inspirations to get your mind moving today.  Certainly there are more that I could have included; use these as a conversation starter today, and be inspired to do more than you thought you could!

Songs

I first heard Phil Wickham's "You're Beautiful" as the background for 2012's Orphan Sunday video.  It paints a beautiful portrait of how God has revealed Himself since creation and especially through Jesus Christ.  I used the song with a photo slideshow of my last trip to Haiti, too, so it inspires me on several different levels.

Books

I have read many books that have inspired me.  Radical inspired me to the point of change.  Just ask me about Psalm 67:7 sometime.

Movies

The ten most inspiring words in the history of moviedom (one man's opinion):  "To my big brother George, the richest man in town."  The bar scene prayer  in It's a Wonderful Life is also as real as it gets in the movies.

Stories

I was just telling someone this morning about the story I saw on the news a couple of months ago about a group of retirees in a small town in Iowa.  They volunteer their time and skills to make hand-cranked off-road wheelchairs that are sent to third-world countries all over the world. 

Quotes

"If we will be naive enough to believe that God can do anything, perhaps He will."  (Steven Furtick)

People

So many to choose from.  So many that I know personally.  But for today, I choose this guy.

What About You? 

 I'd love to know who and what inspires you to do more than you ever thought you could.  Keep the conversation going on the 4theVoiceless Facebook page.

Hope Is Work; Hope Is Real

Hope is such a powerful word.  

hope

[hohp]  noun

1. the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best: to give up hope.

2. a particular instance of this feeling: the hope of winning.

3. grounds for this feeling in a particular instance: There is little or no hope of his recovery.

4. a person or thing in which expectations are centered: The medicine was her last hope.

5. something that is hoped for: Her forgiveness is my constant hope.

 

The dictionary definition of hope comes across somewhat bland in light of its potential.  It's one of those words whose use in the common vernacular has watered down its more potent meaning.  (Compare to awesome and epic in the world of sports.)  The Bible offers in Romans 5:1-5 a stronger context of what hope is and how it is obtained:

 

¹ Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ² We have also obtained access through Him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, ⁴ endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. ⁵ This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts 
through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.  Romans 5:1-5 (HCSB)

That sounds like a more difficult hope than "I hope we're having spaghetti for dinner tonight" or "I hope the Cardinals win the World Series this year" or "I hope I get the job."  It actually sounds like work!  We associate endurance with work over time; we associate proven character with consistency over time.  True hope is on the other side of endurance and proven character, not just some feel-good emotion.

Hope Is Not a Given

Having been to Haiti last fall and counting down the days (38) until my return there, I have been looking for books to educate myself on Haiti's history.  Unfortunately, our local libraries are woefully short on resources about Haiti.  Amazon offers more hope, and I have been researching books in which to invest.

I came across author Amy Wilentz, whose relationship with Haiti goes back more than 25 years.  She has published two books on Haiti, The Rainy Season: Haiti Since Duvalier and her latest, Farewell, Fred Voodoo.  I have not yet read these books, and, therefore, I cannot yet endorse them, but I did run across an interesting review of Farewell, Fred Voodoo that ties in to the topic of today's blog.

In "A World of Its Own," New York Times book reviewer Ben Fountain makes this statement near the end of his review of Fred Voodoo:  "Hope’s not a given, not in a place as hard as Haiti.  Hope is a grind.  Hope is a work in progress, emphasis on work.  For hope to be real, for it to be more than a feel-good cliché, it has to be earned."

Hope in Haiti is indeed hard work.  Too many shortcuts by people in power have kept opportunities out of reach of most of the populace.  Neither does hope seem to be within reach of the majority of Haiti's people. 

Lasting hope -- whether in Haiti, the world's poorest nation, or in the wealthiest nations in the world -- is not found in political or business systems but in Jesus Christ, the hope of glory.  Hope is work.  Sharing that hope is work. It takes endurance.  It takes proven character.  The difficulty of the work required for hope is nothing in comparison to the work of Christ on the cross, however. 

Hope is work.  But hope is real.  Even in Haiti.

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al




 

 

Prepping to Run for Orphans

EmilyFaith speaking to Southaven Middle School FCS

I introduced you to Orphan Run Mississippi a couple of weeks ago.  This 5K run/1-mile fun run will take place on April 20 at Longview Pointe Baptist Church in Hernando and will assist in the building of homes and a hospital for orphans in Uganda.  A similar run in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last year netted over $150,000 and resulted in six new homes for orphans who, for the most part, were sleeping in the bush during all types of weather.

EmilyFaith Abbott, the race director of Orphan Run MS, has spoken to numerous groups in the last few weeks.  She has stood before church Disciple Now events, school clubs, and more than 30 local businesses.  I joined her as she spoke to students at Southaven Middle School this morning.  

And she turned 15 earlier this week...happy birthday, EmilyFaith!

Make plans to be a part of this run.  You can sign up here for as little as $11.24.  Several people that I know are making this a family event; what a great way to expose your kids (and perhaps yourself) to a world and a way of life they may not even realize exists...and have a great time in the process!  Early sign-ups are very beneficial in paying some of the up front expenses of the race.

One of the cool aspects of Orphan Run MS is that a bus is coming from Tulsa (EmilyFaith's hometown and home to the first Orphan Run) to bring some Oklahomans to run with us.  Mid-Southerners, let's greet them en masse with our running community and run together for a great cause!

Keep up with Orphan Run MS via Twitter, Facebook, and through their web site.

Thanks for reading and getting involved in moving toward the voiceless -- Proverbs 31:8, James 1:27.

4theVoiceless,
Al