Saturday, January 28, 2012

Something Worth Doing

"Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; 
therefore we must be saved by hope. 
Nothing which is true or beautiful or good 
makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; 
therefore we must be saved by faith. 
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; 
therefore we must be saved by love.
-Reinhold Niebuhr

Friday, January 27, 2012

A Childless Existence

     Anyone who's seen the movie Children of Men can agree with me that a world without children would be a joyless desolate place---one that I would not want to live in. Yet there are over 50 million children missing from the world today due to abortion, and that's not accounting for the millions more who were aborted illegally and, therefore, didn't make it into this already overwhelming statistic.
     This week is nationally recognized as Pro-Life Week in America, a time to speak out on behalf of the unborn...but we should, we must, be advocating on behalf of the unborn year round. Again, I encourage you to watch the 30-minute film "180" and to share it with everyone you know. You can also read my thoughts on the topic of abortion here. Lastly, I'll leave you will some very wise, very practical steps for how to proactively live out what you believe as a "Pro-Lifer" from a recent sermon by John Piper (below).

©LakenChapman2010  This is a collage piece I did two years ago to speak out against child abuse. I've since come 
to recognize abortion as the most overt, horrifying, and tragic form of child abuse. Every child is worthy of a childhood. 
Words from John Piper:
Because of the amazing mercy of God described in Psalm 106 we can cry out with hope, “O Lord, help me when you save your people” (verse 4). And what does he help us do? Obtain the fullest blessing of God: “Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times!” (verse 3).  
So what acts of justice and righteousness in the cause of Christ-exalting life can we do? 
(5 Steps Toward Justice...after the jump) 

Monday, January 16, 2012

Enough




"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love 
will have the final word in reality. This is why right,
temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant."
--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Thoughts From The Waiting Line


I've grown to love my trans-atlantic journeys between America and my home in Europe. I remember that in the beginning they were painstakingly long, stressful, and generally exhausting, but over time I've learned my way around the various airports, figured out how to manage my time a little better, and picked up tips and tricks along the way that have made for smooth sailing from one continent to the other. The reality is that life on either end of my flight is so incredibly busy that 9 hours on a plane has truly begun to feel like a haven for rest and relaxation. The Lord blessed me with short legs, so I qualify as “travel size,” and confined to those tiny chairs I'm quite at my leisure as I watch back-to-back feature films that I either couldn't afford to watch in Europe (the going rate in Norway is $24 per flick) or didn't have time to watch in the US. The flight attendants become my favourite people as they bring me food and/or drinks every two hours (not unlike an infant...) and occasionally offer me a warm towel for reasons unbeknownst to me. Then I have the privilege of perusing the duty free shops on my way out, freshening up with million dollar make-up samples and spritzing myself with something that smells both expensive and pleasant. What more could you ask of your travel experience?

Something I've also grown to love is the “people watching” my cheap-flight-extensive-layovers provide. It's so interesting to observe the melting pot of cultures you see in the international transfer wing of an airport, to recognize the common threads that run through every corner of the world, and to speculate about the stories of passersby. Standing in line at the security check point tonight I recognized nearly a dozen different languages within earshot. This is a game I like to play with myself...seeing how many different nationalities and/or languages I can accurately distinguish between (it makes the lines go faster, at least in my mind). This night in particular it got me thinking about heaven, actually. It made me wonder at the promise that every tribe, tongue, and nation will be represented there. I had the revelation that in a very subtle, very bizarre way, I get to experience a little taste of heaven every time I get “stuck” in one of those long lines in these noisy, dirty airports. There are very few places you see the nations come together like that. It really got me excited for the Olympics this summer in the UK. That's another one of those “heavenly” meeting points, so to speak---a place where maybe not all, but at least a lot, of the the tribes, tongues, and nations come together for a united purpose. I'm so excited to see what God will do as we flood the place with literally thousands of YWAMers who are passionate to see God's kingdom come in the nations. 2012 holds so much promise! So buckle up, and enjoy the ride...