Many Christians are still unsure about Civil Disobedience. That's why this Christmas season we need to learn wisdom and discernment from some of the first people who sought to worship Jesus: a trio of spiritual gurus from Asia.
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Its easier than you might realize to gauge whether the charity you support is likely to change the world.
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I wrote about some of the problems that arise when consumerism undermines the work of charities amongst the poor earlier this year. I got a lot of push-back as well as some folks saying, YES!
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The story of Jesus feeding the 5000 takes aim at some of our favorite ways of engaging the poor... and offers a powerful alternative.
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Zacchaeus is NOT my favorite character in scripture. The guy is a stumpy conman, wheedling his way through life. Corrupt. Unlikable. Nasty.
Too bad he's my grandfather.
And he might be yours too.
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For most of my life, I've been inspired by the story of the boy with 5 loaves and 2 fish. Jesus takes his meager offering and feeds 5000 people. Inspiring story! And it's all about me: I have little to offer, but Jesus takes my pathetic offering and multiplies it. Yay!
But tonight I was forced to rethink my identification with that boy.
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I swing on my hammock.
She perches on our wooden-crates-for-seats. Fidgets. Bounces. Twirls her hair. Chats and giggles.
At 9 years old, she is the same age as my daughter.
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Because of where we live, and how we invest our lives, my kids ask me some really curly questions. They drop some real shockers! - leaving me awkwardly grasping for an explanation that will be age appropriate.
For example, the other day, a guy we know was sharing about his work investigating sex trafficking here in Cambodia...
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The other day, my regular coconut-seller lady thrust a dollar into my hand as I was getting ready to pay her. With a smile she told me I had overpaid last time. Knowing she is poor, and every dollar counts, I was touched by her honesty, goodness and self-control.
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I looked around the room and, quoting from Luke 4, shared how Jesus, filled with the Spirit came out of the desert to announce the beginning of his ministry. His mission statement. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to bring good news....to who?"
I was teaching last week at a cell group of affluent young Christians in their 20's and 30's.They looked at each other. One reached for his Bible to look it up. Another searched his phone.
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