When Helping Hurts

How do we react when we see people in extreme poverty, or when we are asked to help, or give something to a person or group of people in need?  What do we do when we pass someone on the street begging? Nine times out of ten, we respond with some form of relief – giving money or resources we believe will meet the need, and alleviate the pain.  Those of us who have seen firsthand the excruciating affects of poverty in Third World countries understand the sense of compassion and sincere desire to do something – anything, even if it’s wrong.

What we fail to realize is that in many situations this type of response might not really help.  In fact, it could actually hurt the very people we are trying to help, and although this response might make us feel better, in the end, it could actually hurt us as well. How then, can we help alleviate poverty without hurting the poor and ourselves in the process? This is the question Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert address in their book, When Helping Hurts:  How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor and Yourself, (Moody Publisher, Chicago, 2009).

First, we have to understand the many types of poverty. We first think of material poverty, and ignore the more devastating forms of poverty such as the poverty of self image, and the poverty of relationships with others, with God and with the rest of creation.

It is only when we understand the complicated nature of poverty that are able to see how our “band-aid approach” to alleviating material poverty often hurts the very people we are trying to help. Corbett and Fikkert do an outstanding job laying out a solid biblical and practical foundation for addressing the important issue of poverty.

This book is by far the most practical guide in print today addressing alleviating all types of poverty.  The authors walk you through the intricate and complicated issues surrounding poverty, with examples and stories that bring both clarity and conviction. The authors discuss the fundamental nature of poverty, and then identify three key issues that must be addressed in any poverty alleviation strategy: relief, rehabilitation and development. The last section of the book applies all these concepts to a set of strategies designed to alleviate material poverty through “economic development.”

Once we have determined whether relief, rehabilitation or development is our strategy, where do we start? Many times, we begin by asking, “What do you need?”  This needs-based approach, however can communicate the wrong message. Starting with a focus on needs, amounts to beginning a relationship with materially poor people by asking them, “What’s wrong with you? Or how can I fix you?”  This approach creates and confirms feelings of inferiority on their part, as well as superiority on our part.

The authors suggest an asset-based approach.  Why not begin with a focus on their strengths?  What resources do they have?  What are the assets they bring to the table?  This approach affirms people’s dignity and moves us away from our western god-complex.  It empowers them to participate in the solution, rather than being part of the problem, destined to receiving handouts.  This approach enlists and inspires local involvement, and it enhances local initiatives.  It creates a sense of self-worth, and is the basis for helping them discover, celebrate and develop God’s gifts to them.  From this position, we can better present the Gospel – God is in Christ reconciling the world to Himself – a reconciliation of relationships between the individual and God, self, others and the rest of creation.

In other words, the essence of alleviating poverty is reconciling these relationships.  Everything we do therefore must focus on building relationships – helping people discover how God designed them to relate to Him, to relate to themselves, to others and to all of creation.  Here is a powerful question to ask about our efforts to alleviate poverty:  ”At the end of the day, the ultimate question for our poverty-alleviation efforts is this:  Have we worked in such a way that both we and the materially poor are closer to fulfilling our highest calling of “glorifying God and enjoying Him forever?”

I wish I had read this book many years ago, before leading dozens of short-term mission trips to Majority World countries. This book would have been a tremendous help to me when, as a young pastor, I had to respond to requests from people coming by my church asking for gas money, for help to pay the rent, or buying groceries.

Every pastor, every person planning to participate in a short-term mission project, and every missionary simply must read this book.

Reviewed by:

Dr. Larry Doyle

Immigration Reform . . . The Next Step

In the face of growing ethnic diversity in our communities, as followers of Jesus, what should we do?  In my post last week, I made several suggestions based on biblical principles, about our attitudes toward immigrants. Is there something we should do beyond being loving and kind? If so, what is it?

While I share the concern many of our brothers and sisters in Christ are facing because of the terrible immigration policies of our country, I also believe we have an unprecedented opportunity to make disciples of the “ta ethnes” of the world.  Instead of labeling people as “illegal” and building barriers, I suggest we see everyone as precious souls for whom Christ died, and to whom we have the privilege of sharing the greatest message in human history – God’s eternal love revealed in Jesus and poured out on a cross.

Changing our attitude toward immigrants is however, only the first step toward participating in God’s plan. For some, this first step may be the hardest one. In order to discover and follow God’s plan, we have to first accept those who do not look like us, or talk like us. Then, we need to be His messengers and agents of reconciliation to all the “nations” or people groups in our world. His purpose and plan go beyond being charitable toward the “sojourners” or “aliens” who live next door.

Therefore, the next step of this “immigration reform” is embracing the “Great Commission,” What is the Great Commission? It is found in several places in the New Testament, and it consists of the words Jesus spoke to His followers after His resurrection, and just before His return to the Heavenly Father.  Matthew’s record is the most well known.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19, 20 ESV)

Mark and John also have similar versions, but Luke gave us the most detailed of the four. He begins with two disciples as they were headed home from Jerusalem after the Passover, and the horrible experience of Jesus’ crucifixion. They were despondent and discouraged because nothing made sense. They could not understand how Jesus death on a cross could bring about God’s Kingdom. Perhaps, they were still looking for an earthly king. The resurrected Jesus appears to them, and then to the entire group, leaving them with this command,

“And said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.“(Luke 24:46-48 ESV)

After giving them this command, He explained they would become His witnesses in “Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the world.” (Acts 1:8) And, then Luke puts a huge exclamation point on everything in the second chapter of Acts where he recorded what happened after the Holy Spirit came and empowered these believers to proclaim the good news of Jesus:

“And they were amazed and astonished, saying, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?‘”(Acts 2:7, 8 ESV)

This is the heart of the gospel. God, through Jesus’ death and resurrection, made reconciliation possible for everyone. He wants everyone to come to know His Son Jesus and ultimately to experience this reconciliation.  His plan is for us to share the news of reconciliation to all those around us, regardless of their ethnicity or race. We are the ministers and messengers of God’s reconciliation!

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:18, 19 ESV)

I believe it is God’s plan for us to connect with our neighbors, and to engage them with the gospel, so that they too may become followers of Jesus. As we go, we are to “make disciples of all people” wherever we find them. This is our “Great Commission.”

I have a question for each of us. Will we accept our new neighbors, love them, and share the gospel with them as Jesus commanded? Will we be the ministers and messengers of reconciliation to all the “ta enthes” of our world?

ke disciples of all the “ta ethnes” or people groups God has placed in our path.  If we follow Jesus as we say, we must be about fulfilling the great commission.

 

Immigration Reform

This might surprise you, but I am a strong advocate for immigration reform, but not in the way you might think.

Since 1970, the United States has experienced the greatest period of immigration in its 227 year history. Some estimates say over 35 million people immigrated into this nation between 1970 and 2005. The number of immigrants in this short, thirty five-year span equals or surpasses the great immigration that occurred from 1800 to 1924.  How our churches respond to immigration will define the shape of our ministry in the coming years.  As our nation becomes more ethnically diverse, being the Body of Christ becomes more challenging than ever before.

The 35 million legal immigrants coming into the United States since 1970 have literally broken the melting pot, and created an incredible mosaic in almost every city and state in this nation.  Adjusting to these changes is not easy.  Nevertheless, as followers of Jesus, the words of the Great Commission should determine both our attitudes and our actions toward our new neighbors.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)

The Greek phrase translated “all nations” (panta ta ethne) is better understood as “all people groups.”  The concept of “nations” as a geo-political theory did not exist until after the 19th century.  Jesus’ command is to make disciples of all the people groups, and to do this “as we go” into the entire world.  Today, we live in a time when the “nations” or “people groups” literally have come to us, and live next door.  We no longer have to cross over geographical or national boundaries to make disciples of all “nations.”  They are here, next door!  This is why our attitude is so critical.  How we view immigrants and how we feel about them will affect how we share Christ with them.

I am an advocate for immigration reform (a reformation of our hearts) because how we feel about our new neighbors will determine how we share Christ’s love with them, and whether or not we fulfill the Great Commission in our lifetime.

We must look deep our hearts and ask God to shed the light of His Word on those attitudes that foster fear, resentment and animosity. Instead of pontificating and judging those who look and speak differently, we should listen carefully to what God said to His people centuries ago.

“When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong.   The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt; I am the LORD your God.“ Leviticus 19:33-34 (NASB)

Instead of speculating and passing judgment on why they are here, I suggest we give thanks for the opportunity God has given us to demonstrate His love to our new neighbors.  Rather than demand they look, cook and live as we live, why not celebrate our differences and appreciate the diversity they bring to our communities?

I confess this kind of immigration reform is difficult, especially if we have lived most of our lives in a some-what, homogeneous world.  This kind of reform takes place in the heart, and you cannot legislate a change of heart or compassion toward others.  Only God can work in our hearts to bring about change, and only a miracle of His grace and love can root out our deep-seated fear and prejudice.

When I was growing up in south central Kentucky, diversity was a black and white issue. That is no longer the case.  In city where I live today, Greensboro, NC, there are 142 different nationalities represented in our county school system.  According to the US Census report, approximately one out of every ten people in our county is foreign-born.

In light of these demographic changes, we have a choice.  We can choose to be angry because things are not like they used to be, or we can celebrate the opportunity and privilege God has given us to introduce our new neighbors to our Savior. The foreign mission field has come to us!

This is the “immigration reform” I advocate – a prayer that God will give us compassionate hearts for the “strangers” who have come to live in our midst, and to enable us to love them unconditionally as Christ loves us.

Jesus Nut

What, or who, is your Jesus nut?

 

In many helicopters, there is a rotor-retaining nut that holds the main rotor to the mast. If that nut comes loose during flight, the rotors would detach from the mast and the aircraft would plunge quickly to the earth. This nut is affectionately called “the Jesus nut.”

American soldiers may have coined the term during the Vietnam War. It was the first war where large numbers of soldiers were transported by helicopters to and from battle zones. Others suggest Igor Sikorsky, a pioneer of rotor wing aircraft, and a deeply religious man, coined the term.

Regardless of the source, if the nut (more accurately a pin) were to fail in flight, the fate of the helicopter crew would be sealed.  The crew therefore, must have faith in the Jesus nut to do its intended job without failing. Real examples of Jesus nut failures are rare, because the pin is checked before every flight.

In the systems-engineering world, the phrase “Jesus nut” has come to mean any single component of a system whose failure would cause catastrophic failure of the entire system.

In life, everyone has a “Jesus nut” – something or someone, if suddenly taken away, would cause our life to crash and burn.  What holds your life together? What or who is your Jesus nut?

In Colossians 1:15-17, the Apostle Paul describes the “Jesus nut” for the universe. Speaking of Jesus Christ he says:

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (NIV)

The bottom line is Jesus Christ holds all things together. Without Him, the universe would be unsustainable. Without Him, the world would not know love, compassion, forgiveness or hope. Without Him, there would be no chance for peace in the present, or any hope for the future. He is what defines creation, eternity, peace and love.

Without Jesus, the entire system would crash. According to this passage, He is not only the creator of the universe; He is also the One who sustains it. On a personal level, the writer of Hebrews says Jesus Christ is “the author and finisher of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2 NASB)

While you and I may assent to this as a theological truth, do we know it as a personal reality? Do we look to Him as the One who sustains us, and more importantly do we live in total dependence on Him? Is Jesus the lynchpin, the One around whom and for whom we define our very existence? Is He the One who you rely on to keep your life together instead of spinning out of control and crashing?

If not, I urge you to turn to Him today, and make Him the center and foundation of your life – your “Jesus nut.”  More than anything else, He desires to have such a relationship with you. He is the only One who will never fail you. He has never failed and will never fail.

Is your worship a service, or service your worship?

What is the difference between a “worship service” and a “service of worship?”  The answer to this question is critical to the future of the Church.  It represents what I believe to be the heart and core of what it means to be the Church, the Body of Christ.

For many years, churches of all types and denominations have spent the bulk of their attention, time and resources on what takes place in their church facilities on Sunday mornings, calling these events worship services.  Connecting worship to an event and calling it a “worship service” has contributed to a distortion of the true meaning of Christian worship. The confusion becomes dangerous when these Sunday gatherings, some complete with state-of-the-art sound systems, and audiovisual equipment, become the primary focal point of our Christian life, and the centerpiece of our church’s image before the community.  As an example, news reporters often refer to our church building as “houses of worship.”

To be sure, worship does take place every Sunday morning in church facilities across this nation and the world.  Calling these gatherings “worship services” obscures the Biblical definition of worship.  You do not find the term worship service anywhere in the New Testament. On the other hand, you do find the phrase “service of worship.”  In Romans 12:1 (NASB), Paul wrote, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”  Our “service of worship” according to this passage refers to giving our bodies as a living sacrifice to God.  Worship therefore, is not a service to attend, but rather a sacrifice to render to God.

There is great value in gathering together for worship services on Sunday.  Hebrews 10:24-25 says we should “consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some.”  In this passage, the “assembling together” is for mutual edification and encouragement, not for worship.

Worship therefore, is much more than a gathering of believers.  In the most basic sense of the word it means to bring God honor, praise and glory, an attitude of the heart lived out in daily actions that glorify God.  Jesus said it like this, “let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)

Yes, gathering with other followers of Jesus is important. However, we must guard against reducing worship to an event, a song, a feeling, or a gathering of people.   Genuine, biblical worship starts in our hearts and finds expression through our service to God each day, not just in a “worship service” on Sunday.

I believe churches would have a greater impact on their communities if they spent as much of their resources helping members discover how to worship God through daily service, as they do helping them attend and enjoy worship services on Sunday.

What does worship look like for us?  Is it a weekly worship service we attend or is it a daily service of worship we give?

The Light of Our Legacy

When you look at the stars in the night sky, are you aware how long the light from each of these stars has traveled to reach the earth? Light travels at the speed of 186,282 miles per second. The nearest star to our galaxy is 4.5 light years away. The light from the stars we see in the night sky began its journey thousands of years ago!  Because it takes so many years for their light to reach us, it is very possible many of these stars no longer exist.

Just as the light from a distant star continues to shine long after its life span, so it is with us. Long after we are gone, the light from our lives will shine on through many generations.  What kind of light shines from our lives?  Is it the kind of light Jesus spoke about in Matthew 5:16?  He said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.”

I reflected about light and the legacy of light during a memorial service a couple of weeks ago. I was reminded death is not the end, but rather the beginning. The memorial service was actually a celebration of the life of Mrs. Sara Kanoy Parker, the widow of Dr. Leroy Parker, a well known Baptist pastor in our area.

Her legacy will live on for years through her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, through endowments created in her name, and the life-changing influence she had in the lives of hundreds and thousands of women and children through her work in the Women’s Missionary Union and the local churches she served. Her 91 years here on earth was just the beginning!

Many of you can perhaps think of people in your family history, from whom the light of their legacy continues to shine.  My great-great grandfather, Richard G. Doyle, pastor, church planter, and supporter of missions, is someone I treasure as a light from the past.  His love for sharing the message of Christ led him to take an unpopular stand for missions, a stand that cost him the support of his home church.  They accused him of, “having fraternized with missionary preachers, and allowed them to preach in his church.” (A History of Kentucky Baptists from 1769 to 1885).

I think of A. B. Lamastus, my great grandfather on my mother’s side.  I remember attending his funeral in1965, and I recall my mother telling me about this dear man, a deacon, and charter member of the Walnut Grove Baptist Church in Dickson, TN, who felt called to take young pastors under his wing and teach them the “art of soul winning.”  Before “Pap” Lamastus died at 95, he held the record for attendance at the annual association meetings – in 59 years he only missed one meeting of the Judson Baptist Association.

Forgive the personal references, but they go to show how our lives will influence others far beyond the limits of our lifetime on earth.  This is a fact we cannot ignore.

Another example of a light from the past that continues to shine, is the great revivalist and preacher of two centuries ago, Jonathan Edwards.  The legacy left by the Edwards family demonstrates the effect of a gospel-centered home.  Of the four hundred known descendants of Jonathan and Sara Edwards, fourteen became college presidents; roughly, one hundred became professors, another one hundred ministers, and about the same number became lawyers or judges. Nearly sixty became doctors, and others were authors or editors. The Edwards family pictures Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

Paul wrote to the Philippians about the fact that our lives as followers of Christ should shine as luminaries or stars in a dark world. (Philippians 2).

What legacy will be left behind by the light shining from your life today?  Perhaps, a better question is, how and where is your light shining today?  Because, the light you shine today will impact others for generations to come.

Walking with God . . . Imaginary Friend or Eternal God

A recent TV commercial shows a young girl at the dinner table with her older brother. The girl asks her mother for an extra helping of food for her “imaginary friend.”  Her brother objects, saying it is not fair for her to get two servings while he only gets one. The mom says to her son, “Now remember, you also had an imaginary friend once.” When the mother turns away the little girl rakes the extra helping on to her own plate saying, “She’s finished.”

This commercial reminded me of how from time to time, my granddaughters created imaginary playmates. During our visits to see them in Atlanta, we often have a tea party with the girls.  The youngest, Emma-Kate loved to invite her imaginary friend to join us for those special occasions. I was always amazed at the different names she would create for her friends. Like the tea party, the imaginary friend is part of her make-believe world.

Who is God to you? Is He some kind of imaginary friend a person creates? Is belief in God something you grow out of when you get older like a childhood fantasy? How do you view God, and most importantly how do you relate to Him?

Do you wrestle with the question about what it means to pray and talk to God?  I do. Defining and explaining the experience of prayer has been difficult for me. This may sound strange coming from someone who prays daily, and has given several sermons and Bible studies on the subject.  During my formative years growing up in Kentucky, we sang an old gospel song entitled, “Just a Little Talk with Jesus.”  According to the words of this song, regardless of the problems you are experiencing, just a little talk with Jesus “makes it right.”  I always felt the theology behind this song trivialized our relationship with God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.  Prayer and conversation with the Heavenly Father for me is much more than “just a little talk with Jesus.”  However, what is it exactly? What does it mean to “pray without ceasing?” (1 Thes. 5:17)

Recently someone gave me a book that helped me define and explain what it means to live a life in constant conversation with God.  More Than Ordinary:  Enjoying Life with God, by Doug Sherman, paints a picture of what it means to “walk with God,” and enjoy life with Him.  His simple yet powerful insights about prayer and daily conversation with God are both informative and inspirational.

This is one of those books you’ll read over and over because it makes you examine and re-examine what you believe about God, and how that belief translates into daily actions and choices that honor and exalt the name of Jesus.

Many say they are followers of Jesus, but live stale, lackluster lives, moving through their daily routines, never experiencing what Jesus said in John 10:10 – “I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance.”  There are also many who live in such a way that “knowing God” looks more like a child’s imaginary friend.  In other words, their talk about God, does not match how they live. Their attitudes, choices, relationships and moral values do not match what Jesus taught and lived. God is there to make them feel good, but has no claim on their lives.

One of the main reasons I recommend this book is because of its practical suggestions and insights on walking with God. After taking the first six chapters to describe what an intimate, personal relationship with God looks like, in the final three chapters, the author explores specific ways to walk by faith, worship and praise God, surrender to His leadership, and ultimately enjoy an exciting and fulfilling relationship with Him. In other words, this is a book about how to make life an adventure through a daily, intimate, relationship with God.

In the final analysis, I can say with absolute confidence, God is not my imaginary friend; He is the amazing God of glory and majesty. He is the Eternal Creator and Sustainer of the universe who is “relentless in revealing His greatness and goodness to us throughout every day.” (p. 99) He is the One who guides my life each day, with whom I enjoy an amazing friendship, and through whom life is an extraordinary adventure.

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

One of the few reality TV shows I actually enjoy watching is ABC’s Extreme Makeover:  Home Edition.  Now in its ninth season, the show is built around the idea of building or remodeling a home for deserving people.  Projects that would normally span several months are completed in seven days by bringing together a team of designers, contractors, hundreds of workers and local volunteers!  The lucky homeowners always have a heart-warming story: heroes, community leaders, and a plethora of inspirational families are truly the heart and soul of the show.  My wife Becky usually has a box of tissue handy when Ty yells out that familiar line, “Move that bus!”

The reason this program is so popular is, at least in part, because we believe everyone deserves a place to call his or her own – a home, a place where family dreams are made, and futures are built.  Having a house or a home is more than just a luxury in our culture. It’s a place for security, protection and building life-long relationships.

Building someone a house, especially if that someone is a very deserving individual, is something that attracts attention.  Habitat for Humanity is one of the most respected non-profit organizations today.  They have built homes from literally thousands of people and inspired volunteers worldwide.

House building, an important metaphor in the writings of the Apostle Paul, describes what believers are supposed to do for each other.   The word is translated “build up” or “edify” and is used at least six times in the letter to the Ephesians.

It was a common term used to describe the actual building of a house.  Paul used it to talk about what we should do for each other.  To “build up” a brother or sister in the faith means to use words and actions that encourage, uplift and strengthen them.  Literally, we are to “build a house” for them with our love and kindness.

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”  (Ephesians 4:16 KJV)

Just as a carpenter plans well for the construction of a home by selecting the right materials, we must carefully choose our words and reactions to those around us.  In a sense, we are building houses in the way we treat each other, houses that will provide safety, security and hope. We “minister grace” through our words.

This spiritual house-building is not optional.  It is critically important for the entire body of Christ.  In Ephesians 4:12, Paul talks about the “perfecting” of the saints and the “building up” of the body of Christ.   The word “perfecting” is a rare medical term also translated as “mending.”  The building up of the church comes from the healthy mending of each member.  Later in the same chapter (v. 16), the Apostle suggests that only as every member “supplies” what they are designed to give, can the body of Christ build itself up in love and grow into the “full measure of the stature of Christ.”

What are you building through your words, and through the way you treat others? Are you building them up or tearing them down?  Do your words build healthy relationship or do they contribute to broken relationships?

Amazed and Humbled

At first, I didn’t recognize the teenage boy standing in front of the registration table at Camp Bethel Medical Clinic, just outside of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Scores of people came to the clinic that morning, and we were very busy trying to register them so they could be treated. “What’s your name?” I asked the young boy standing in front of me. “Brian, Brian Josue,” he said. “And, how old are you?” was my second question as I worked through completing the form in Spanish. “Sixteen,” he answered. “Why have you come to the clinic this morning?” I asked. “I had surgery on my heart last month, and I’d like a doctor to look at it.”

Suddenly, all the dots connected in my mind, and to say the least, I was overwhelmed. This wasn’t just another patient. I remembered, ten years ago, when a medical team I was on, stopped to look at a six-year-old boy standing beside the road going up to Camp Bethel. I recalled the slim figure of this little boy, much smaller than the other children. He was lethargic, and didn’t run and jump like the other children around him. I remembered it like it was yesterday, putting my hand on his chest, and actually feeling the swishing of the blood moving back and forth from one side of his heart to the other. His congenital heart defect should have been repaired soon after birth, but he wasn’t born in a hospital, and his family lived in abject poverty. We all thought there was no hope he’d ever get the surgery he so desperately needed.

Other memories came flooding back. I remember the team’s commitment to do everything possible to get this little guy back to the United States for his surgery. I recall the physician on our team telling us if Brian didn’t get the surgery, he would not live past his fifteenth birthday. I remember the months and months of prayers, and the futileattempts to get paperwork signed, doctor’s permissions, visas and such. Nothing worked. Then, after two years of unsuccessfulattempts to get this child to the United States to have his surgery, he and his mother suddenly disappeared. They moved to a different part of Honduras, and we lost contact with them. I often wondered what happened to him, and indeed, if he was still alive.

Now, ten years later, that same little boy stood before me. Through joyful tears, I asked him how he got the surgery. He couldn’t tell me exactly how it came about, but a medical team from the United States came to Honduras last month and repaired his heart defect. He came by the clinic that day to thank us for our prayers. He and his mother had moved from Tegucigalpa to a place near the U.S. military base where someone from the hospital near the base discovered Brian, and took an interest in his condition.

Although he didn’t know the details of how and who, what he did know was many people had prayed for him, and God has answered those prayers. He knew ten years ago his grandmother and other relatives were not followers of Jesus. He knew growing up that a lot of badthings took place in the house where five to ten families lived. He knew some of his uncles and cousins were still in prison because of the things that had happened then. And, most importantly, he knew Christ had transformed his family. He came to the clinic that day to say thank you, and to give God the praise for what He had done.

He couldn’t explain why, but he knows God spared his life – something even more difficult for him to understand when he thinks about his nine year-old cousin, Christian, who is dying of cancer in the same house.

As I reflect on how God answers prayer, I am amazed, and humbled. I’m amazed at how God uses different people, from different places, at different times, to fulfill His sovereign purpose. I’m humbled that God in His sovereignty would allow us to participate in bringing about physical and spiritual healing to one single family, and one single person in a world filled with so many hurting and suffering people.

Yes, it’s just one boy, and one family in one small, country, Honduras. In some ways it seems like so little in the face of such overwhelming need around the globe. But, that’s how the world is transformed, one person at a time.

Jesus was always there for the least of society. Can we do less?

Then the righteous will answer Him, “Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?” The King will answer and say to them, “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”

Matthew 25:37-40 (NASB)

How’s The Soil Where You Live?

It happened again this year. The scorching summer heat effectively killed all the grass in my yard, leaving me to mow the remaining weeds. Regardless of how much I pay for grass seed, or what fertilizer I use, the lush green lawn I start out with in the spring, ends up as a patch of weeds and clover with very little grass by mid August. The problem isn’t the twenty-plus days of over-90 degree-heat, or the near-drought level of rainfall.

The problem is the soil. Jesus told a parable about a man sowing seed, and how the seed fell in four different types of soil: hard soil by the roadside, shallow, rocky soil, weed-contaminated soil, and good, fertile soil. Although it is known as the parable of the sower, in reality, it is a parable about soil. The soil represents the human heart, the place where God’s Word is sown daily. The yield of the crop is directly related to the condition of the soil. (Mark 4:1-20)

Parables are literary word pictures. They relate profound truths through common objects or stories. The focus of this parable is the condition of the soil where God’s Word falls. Some hearts, like the soil by the roadside, are hardened and unreceptive. When our hearts are hardened, Word of God doesn’t penetrate, and is swept away before it has a chance to produce fruit.

When our hearts are like the shallow, rocky soil, they may appear to produce good fruit, but the lack of strong roots makes them vulnerable to the blistering heat of persecution, and to the raging winds of tribulation, and the fruit does not last.

The most troublesome soil is the soil contaminated with weeds. You can’t see the weeds, but they are present. And, just like the weeds in my front yard, they don’t show up until it’s too late to stop them. According to this parable, they choke out what the seeds produce, and render the soil sterile and useless.

Then, there is the good soil. In the good soil, all things that are of God grow and flourish, because they are grounded in the Word of God, and fed daily by the Holy Spirit. Good soil is to be cherished.

This parable does not draw a line between unbelievers and believers. Actually, anyone of us could have one or more of these bad-soil conditions in our hearts at the same time. A lack of faith can make our heart hard just as it did the first followers of Jesus. (Mark 6:52 & 8:17). A lack of depth in our walk with God can make our hearts fickle and flighty, and our temporary joy turns to disappointing failure at the first sight of trouble or opposition. There may be a lot of emotion, but little depth. And emotion alone cannot withstand the storms of life. While a hardened heart, like soil by the roadside, is difficult to penetrate, and rocky soil is difficult to recognize, weed-contaminated soil is the most difficult to deal with. As Jesus described it, this soil is filled with the deception of riches, our love and desire for things for things, and the worries of life. (Mark 4:19) These “weeds” choke out God’s Word and render our lives sterile. Jesus had harsh words for fruitless branches. He said, “A branch that does not bear fruit is taken away . . . cut off and thrown into the fire.” (John 15:1-11) It is only in the good soil that we bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. But, good soil doesn’t come easily.

Do you ever wonder why we don’t see more fruitfulness in our churches? Could it be the condition of the soil . . . our hearts? Are our hearts are hardened, our commitments shallow, and our lives are full of weeds that choke out God’s Word? Bad soil can show up anywhere, at anytime! So, how’s the soil where you and I live today?

If our soil is bad, what we do about it? Here are a couple of remedies from God’s word:

• For hard soil, God says, “Break up your fallow ground . . .” (Jeremiah 4:3)
• For shallow soil, the Psalmist cried, “Search me, O God, and know my heart . . .” (Psalms 139:23)
• For contaminated soil, King David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart O God . . .” (Psalms 51:10)
• But when there is good soil, we can “hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop – thirty, sixty or even a hundred fold.” (Mark 4:20)

The condition of our heart (soil) is God’s biggest concern, and changing our heart is His greatest joy!