CARMEN'S PICTURE

While deep in the Peruvian Andes last week our medical missions team experienced the majestic handiwork of God. We slept at about 11,000 feet in the mountain town of San Marcos, but made daily trips to villages as high as 14,000 feet. The mountainous terrain, complete with snow capped peaks and glaciers, was awesome to behold.

The most beautiful work of God, however, was seen in the faces of the precious Peruvians we were there to serve. Most of these dear people are of direct Inca descent and have inhabited the Andes for millennium. Although many live in significant poverty, it is stunning to witness their ability to raise crops on the sides of steep mountains through the ancient practice of terraced farming. These little lots dot the mountain sides like postage stamps with soft colors of yellow, green, and light brown.

Carmen is a little girl that lives in the local orphanage in San Marcos. She is probably nine or ten years old, but because of the language barrier, I know little of her story. What I do know is Carmen did something that has forever changed my view of short-term mission journeys.

Our team had visited this orphanage one year earlier. We played games, gave gifts, replaced around 50 mattresses, and took lots of pictures of the children. I lost my camera on that trip and all my pictures with it. Which makes what Carmen did last week even more incredible. She walked up to me and pulled what looked like an old frayed piece of paper from her pocket. It was folded in quarters. As she opened it, the picture inside was revealed. Unbelievably it was a picture someone had taken the year before of this sweet child sitting on a bench next to me. She had kept it with her for an entire year!

The tears flowed. I swept her up and gave her a big hug, then walked her to several other team members to show them the picture. They all cried too (which made me feel a little less wimpy).

The little time we spent with Carmen meant enough to her to hang on to a picture for over a year! She said it was her way of "remembering" us. Sometimes it feels like spending a week or two in some foreign land, fighting cultural and linguistic barriers, in an attempt to take Christ's love to people is low impact at best. Honestly, what difference can a few days make to someone who is in desperate need? Carmen proved to me that this investment of time and energy does make a difference! Jesus can indeed work through us to touch hearts and lives like Carmen's!

Every day Carmen wakes up she sees the awsome peaks of the Andes Mountains surrounding San Marcos. I'm not sure how the natural beauty of those mountains impact her. But now I know that the beauty of Christ goes beyond the mountains of that place and even beyond the dear faces of that place. At least one little girl saw the beauty of Christ in the faces of a few Gringos who loved her and her fellow orphans enough to go to that place and share God's love with them.

How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!

Romans 10:14b

THE QUARRY YOU CAME FROM

"Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry

from which you were hewn..." (Isaiah 51:1)

This week I'm preaching for a "Revival" at a great little country church in Corinth, KY called Antioch Church of Christ. A cemetery surrounds the small brick church building which stretches all the way back to the early 1800's. My dad, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-great-great grandfather are all buried there. One day I'll be buried there as well.

It's meaningful at a deeply personal level to stand among the dear people at Antioch, encompassed by such hallowed ground, and preach the gospel of Christ. It's even emotional at times. It certainly takes me to that passage in Isaiah in which God says, "Look to the roch from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn."

Have you touched your "roots" lately? There's something about "looking to the rock from which you were cut" that is intensely challenging. It can be humbling and inspiring, sobering and stimulating all at the same time.

God had a reason for telling His people in Israel to do this. He wanted them to look back to their forefather Abraham and remember that though he had a humble beginning, God ultimately blessed him greatly. Isaiah 51:2 says, "look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was but one, and I blessed him and made him many."

The Lord wanted the remnant in Israel to be reminded that even though they felt small and alone, that God could bless them if they stayed faithful to Him. When I look back to the "quarry from which I was hewn" it certainly reminds me of God's faithfulness through hard, lean, troublesome times. How about you?

The "rock" I'm cut from is made up of a lot of farmers and soldiers. So when I look back to my "quarry" it reminds me of Paul's challenge to Timothy to serve Christ like a "good soldier" and a "hardworking farmer" (2 Tim. 2:3-7).

So, this week what encouragement and insight can you take away from looking back to the rock from which you were cut and the quarry from which you were hewn?

GOD & GOVERNMENT

As we celebrate America's 234th birthday this weekend, let's remember to give God thanks for His provision of the land, resources, and freedom we enjoy. Freedom does not come free, it has cost many thousands of brave men and women their lives. Thank a defender of freedom this weekend, whether they serve on the battle field or in government, in city halls or in voting booths, or do battle on their knees in prayer.

Franklin D. Roosevelt offered a prayer on a national radio on June 6, 1944, as our troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, France. He prayed, "Almighty God... with Thy blessing we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogance. Lead us to the saving of our country. Thy will be done, Almighty God. Amen."

May God once again lead us to the "saving of our country." Our primary enemy is the notion that "separation of church and state" (whatever you may think of this statement found not in the Constitution but in a letter from Thomas Jefferson) means "seperation of God and government." The downfall of mankind (and government) will come whenever we choose not to "think it worthwhile to retain God in our knowledge." (Romans 1:28).

Whatever one may believe about the interpretation of Jefferson's statement about the "separation of church and state" no one can argue with the overwhelming evidence that neither our founding fathers wanted to remove the reverence and awe of God from our government. Even presidents from the last century communicated this unequivocally.

President Gerald Ford once quoted a 1955 speech by Dwight D. Eisenhower which articulates the belief of our founding fathers: "Without God there could be no American form of government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first - the most basic - expression of Americanism. Thus the founding fathers of America saw it, and thus with God’s help, it will continue to be." And Ronald Reagan captured this reality by saying, "If we ever forget that we are ’One nation, under God’, then we will be one nation gone under."

May Almighty God always be the Primary Influencer on every government leader's heart! And may the followers of Christ pray fervently for their leaders, their nation, and the work of Christ to permeate this world!

PRAYER WALKERS

I'm really excited about First Church's PRAYER WALK throughout the Tri-State tomorrow (Sunday)! We will gather at the church campus at 4pm, then hit the streets, gathering beneath the famous "Florence Ya'll" water tower in the Mall parking lot at 5:45pm for a closing prayer.

We'll have prayer teams walking through shopping malls and casinos asking God to show people what matters most in life. Some prayer teams will walk around government centers to pray for our leaders, for those in our jails, and for people bound by addictions. Others will walk around schools to pray for teachers and students. There are teams that will walk through hospitals praying for the sick and local parks praying for families. We even have prayer teams that will walk the city streets praying for people in need.

The cool thing is that no one esle will know what we're up to! Prayer walking is a type of intercession for others in which we pray silently to God on behalf of those around us. Since you are on location, your prayers are intensified as you see, hear, smell, taste, and touch the needs you are there to pray about. It's the heart of what the great prayer warrior E.M. Bounds talked about when he said, "Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still."

We don’t want this to be a one-and-done thing. We hope people will make Prayer-Walking a regular part of their week. Every time I go for a run, I pray for people I know that are sick or who need Jesus in the neighborhoods I pass. You can do that! When you are walking, running, shopping, working, even when you are driving! If we had more “Drive By Prayers" we might have fewer "Drive By Shootings!”

Would you commit to cover your community in prayer as you walk, run, drive and fly throughout the course of your weeks? I believe this is of one of God’s elite special forces – the Prayer-Walkers! These men and women are literally covering the whole earth in prayer.

Ready, Set, Walk! And change your world through prayer!

TURN or BURN

I've heard of the POWER TEAM for years, but until we hosted the team this week have never seen them in action. These guys are huge and come from various athletic backgrounds. Their feats of strength are fun to watch and they're great at putting on a show.

The thing I've been most pleased with the positive message and influence these guys carry to students through school assemblies. This week around 15,000 students in our community have not only been entertained by the strength of these men in their school assemblies, but have also been challenged to make the best choices...to stay away from drugs, alcohol, junk food and cheating. To choose respect, abstinence, hard work and study. I've been amazed at how the team communicates and connects in different ways with elementary, middle and high school students. They really shine in these settings.

The same day the Power Team was at my daughter's High School a news story broke about one of that school's students who had been found dead outside her mother's apartment several weeks prior. The news confirmed that this high school junior was legally drunk when she died due to hypothermia. Can there be any doubt how desperately our kids need to hear the challenge the Power Team is giving?

Another thing that has blown me away has been Power Team President Todd Keene's message each evening. It's real, even raw at times, but right on when it comes choosing Jesus. It's sort of the "Turn or Burn" style of preaching. And, wow, has it been effective. Over 300 people have made professions of faith in just three nights.

I did a little study of the Gospel of Mark this morning and found that Mark only documents Jesus using the "Turn or Burn" style once - Mark 9:42-48. The Power Team has a unique way of gaining people's interest and opening hearts and minds to hear a message like this. They can say it in a way that wouldn't work for those of us preaching from week to week. And, I'm glad they're doing it. It's an important part of the overall effort of Christ's church to reach a culture that is increasingly turning it's back on God.

The Power Team is bringing more power to our community this week than what it takes to bust blocks, rip phone books, lift telephone poles, and break out of handcuffs...they are bringing the power of Jesus Christ to make an eternal difference in our lives!

POST-EASTER SOUNDS OF LIFE

The Sounds of the Passion series we wrapped up yesterday made me in think about nuances of Christ's last week that I've never really considered before. In that series we tuned into sounds like:

The Sound of My Failure: The Clanging of Coins on the stone floor of the Temple as Judas returns the 30 pieces of silver he'd been paid to betray Jesus (Judas' failure), and the Rooster's Crow as Peter denied knowing Jesus three times, just as Jesus predicted he would before the cock crowed (Peter's failure).

The Sound of God's Love: The Crack of the Whip that lacerated our Lord's back, the Thud of the Hamer that drove the nails through His hands and feet, the Tearing of the Temple Veil symbolizing God's love bursting out upon humanity. All the sounds of the agony that Jesus went through on the cross remind us that everything He endured there He did because of His love for us.

The Sound of Life: The Rolling of the Stone from Christ's tomb which demonstrated Christ had conquered the grave through His resurrection and the Sound of My Name which is exemplified as the Risen Lord calls Mary Magdalene's name just after rising from the dead.

I've been thinking of all of these sounds, and many more that the Gospels allude to, in a very "micro" kind of way. But today, as we begin the week after Easter, I began to think of those sounds at a higher level, a more "macro" perspective.

The sounds of Christ's last week preceding Easter are sounds that point to sorrow, the sin for which He died, anxiety, the agony Jesus endured at the cross. But the sounds AFTER the resurrection are sounds of joy, restoration, relief, and life!

The week before Easter we call Holy Week, but the week after Easter is holy as well. Because this week we celebrate that all the sounds of Christ's passion before His resurrection lead us to all the sounds of praise afterward!

This week enjoy the SOUNDS OF LIFE! Because Jesus has risen, every sound we hear points to the reality that there is abundant life for His followers here, and eternal life to come!

THE WAY OF THE CROSS

A couple of years ago, while on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, I walked the "Way of the Cross" via the streets of Jerusalem. It's the likely path Jesus took on that first GOOD FRIDAY as He made His way to be crucified. As I re-read my journal entry from that day the memories flooded back.

Today that sacred path is lined with the hard, wall-to-wall stone roads of Jerusalem. The streets are tight and lined with shops; a few churches and apartments along the way. It's no small feat to maintain your focus with all the distractions around you. Rather than trying to ignore all the activity, I decided to embrace it.

I wondered if what I was seeing and hearing was anything like Jesus would have seen and heard. After all, it was early in the morning on that Friday, people would have been beginning their day in busy preparation for the Passover. On the way to the place of crucifixion, this is what I witnessed:

Children playing soccer in the streets. Their soccer ball was well-worn, their faces were tinged with dust, their black hair dishoveled, but their laughter contagious. Did Jesus walk past children playing, laughing, oblivious to the sacrifice He was making for them?

Shop-keepers calling for us to check out their wares. Some were persistent, one even angry as I walked by trying to remain prayerful in spirit. The shops must have been bustling on that Friday as Jesus carried our cross. Retailers interested in making a buck on the Passover, as He makes His way to pay the price for their sin.

Armed Israeli soldiers standing guard. They added to the tension one feels in Jerusalem due to the discord between Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Did tension fill the air as Jesus walked this way? Roman soldiers bearing swords, militant Hebrews plotting rebellion, His own followers...they all pressed around Jesus as He walked the path. How did the tension of Roman swords, lust for religious control, and women weeping affect Him? Could the never-ceasing tension in Jerusalem have made His cross that much heavier?

Masses crowding the streets, mainly tourists. It must have been crowded in Jerusalem as Jesus made His way to die. People from far and wide had come for the holy days. As Jesus carried the cross through the crowds, were they simply crowds to Him, or were they individual faces and names for whom He was about to die?

The thing that amazed me as I completed the "Way of the Cross" was how Jesus kept His focus. As children played, shop-keepers bartered, soldiers patrolled, and the masses moved through the streets, Jesus maintained focus on His mission. So much so that He could pray as He finally arrived at the place of crucifixion, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." He was not distracted, but determined to finish what He came to do...to save us from sin!

"Lord Jesus, on this Friday I praise You for that Friday on which you suffered step by step along the sacred way to Your crucifixion...all for my sin and the sin of the world!"