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The Patriotic Gospel
Understood that we do not need conservatives/liberals in power as much as we need Jesus to make real change in our lives first, which leads to real change in our family, which leads to real change in our church, which leads to real change in our community, which leads to real change in our city, which leads to real change in our state, which leads to real change in our nation, which leads to real change in our world. -
Knowledge and Love
My prayer is that I would become the "build others up with love instead of eating the food" guy. That my love for GOD would outweigh my knowledge of Him. That my love for other people would be more important than me being "right." My prayer is that I can teach this to our kids at All Things New, my own children, and anyone else that GOD allows me to. Join me in praying that GOD changes our hearts so that we choose love over knowledge. -
Haiti Update: Employees Return, Kids in School, Tropical Storm
To say the past few in weeks for our kids in Haiti have been eventful would be an understatement. Things in America and in Haiti have been strange lately, and it certainly seems like "strange" will be the status quo for a while in both places. Here are some updates from Haiti -
1st World Vs. 3rd World Vacations
But I have to ask myself, what would I do if my brothers or sisters were starving? What if my friends did not know Jesus and were perishing apart from him? What if they were dying because of poor conditions or lack of healthcare? The answer to each of these questions is...
They Are!
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One of My Biggest Fears in Missions
One of my biggest fears about doing ministry in Haiti is that I am going to teach our kids and others with whom I have influence in that country that they can find joy and be content in things other than Jesus Christ. I am so conditioned to equate a person's possessions and position with blessing that I am afraid I will do the same thing to my children and to our kids in Haiti.
What if the very people to whom we minister would live a life passionately seeking Christ (albeit without money) if I had not come in and told them that their career and their possessions were more important. Of course I would not purposefully do this, but what if I do this with my life and with what I emphasize?
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Politics and Religion
Both of the countries that we love are at a crossroad. We can continue to move down that political divide that places party over people and tolerance over truth, or we can stand up for the people in our society who need it. Our job is to teach our children to stand for those who cannot stand and fight for those who cannot fight. How can I teach that to my children if I do not do that myself? -
What is Truth?
The problem with the messiness of truth is that the concept of truth is absolute and clear. Meaning something cannot be both true and untrue at the same time and that there are certain things that are true regardless of the situation. Unfortunately, our culture has turned "truth" into anything but an absolute concept. Here are some ways we have done that: -
Leadership and Olive Garden
For lack of a better term, I will call it the "Olive Garden Principle." The Olive Garden Principle can be defined as the idea that when a group of people (3 or more) get together to try and choose a place to eat, they always end up at the most average restaurant possible because it neither offends nor excites and because everyone can find at least one thing to eat there. -
The Dark Side of Haitian Orphanages Part 10
Most orphans do not have people fighting for them, pushing them, or loving them. This is the biggest travesty in our world. That we, as followers of Christ, would forget the very people for whom He came to save. The outcast, the downtrodden, the poor of this world. -
The Dark Side of Haitian Orphanages Part 8
For instance, our kids' schedule does not change just because a team comes down. They still have tutoring, meal time, etc. We do special things when teams come down, and we have fun hanging out with them, but we make sure that our kids do not grow an unhealthy attachment to their sponsors or to other Americans they may never see again.
If you have been to an unhealthy orphanage, the opposite is probably true. The kids probably run out to you when you first drive up, they probably latch on to you and sit in your lap or have you hold them constantly the entire time you are in the country. Our kids are attached to Madam Noucheka or Madam Oser, they are attached to Lener or Gina, and they get excited when Mackenson and Wisner come in the gate. These are the men and women that they are connected to and that they have a relationship with.
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The Dark Side of Haitian Orphanages Part 6
The dark side of really well-run orphanages that are backed by a lot of supporters and money is that many of these places do not prepare their kids for real life in Haiti (you can substitute any developing country for Haiti). The truth is, we have made a lot of "American" mistakes. But this is also the reason that we have Haitians in charge of every aspect of our ministry. People that we trust and listen to, and people that make sure our kids are raised in the country where they live rather than an American oasis that is nothing more than physically located in Haiti. -
The Dark Side of Haitian Orphanages Part 5
Most people who run orphanages make 1 of 2 mistakes. Many orphanages that are backed by foreign money will "pamper" a kid with things that they will never have again outside of the orphanage until they are 18 and then send them into a world they are neither prepared for nor equipped to handle (I will write more about this at a later date). Other orphanages, mostly those who do not have the same backing, use the kids in their orphanage for as long as they can in whatever way that they can until they are no longer useful and they send them out. Neither of these 2 mistakes are acceptable.
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