Thursday, March 24, 2011

a husband like mine

The Lord is doing an awesome work in my husband. I hope and pray and wish that each of my female friends has a husband who loves Jesus as much as mine does. There is no greater gift in the world. Words cannot express the joy that fills my heart when I look across the bed in the morning and see my sleepy-eyed husband with his bible in his hands and a dog on his lap; the peace I have when we gather at the table each night for supper and he puts out his hand, his non-verbal request that I bow with him in prayer before we eat; the excitement (and, okay, if I'm being honest, the fear) that I feel when he gets passionate about sacrificing what we think we need so that we can do more for those with much, much less.

Since you always hear my rambling opinions and spiritual rantings, I thought you might enjoy a word from from the precious heart of my sweet husband. Here's what's on his mind today:
These quotes/scripture/thought have been on my heart today and I wanted to share them with you:

"I believe that this could very well be looked back on as the sin of our generation. I look at my parents and ask, where were they during the civil rights movement? I look at my grandparents and ask, what were they doing when the holocaust in Europe was occurring with regard to the Jews, and why didn't they speak up? And when we think of our great, great, great-grandparents, we think how could they have sat by and allowed slavery to exist? And I believe that our children and their children, 40 or 50 years from now, are going to ask me, what did you do while 40 million children became orphans in Africa?"
--Rich Stearns, President of World Vision

I read 6 chapters of Stearns' book The Hole In Our Gospel last night. I highly recommend it to all of you.

"I have three things I'd like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don't give a shit. What's worse is that you're more upset with the fact that I said shit than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night."
-- Tony Campolo, speaker, author, sociologist, pastor, social activist, and passionate follower of Jesus!

I heard this guy speak last year. I love what he stands for -- righting the wrongs of injustice and aiding the poor. I recommend that you read some of his stuff or listen to some of his sermons.

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'
"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
-- Jesus, the gospel of Matthew (25:31-46)
Stearns puts this scripture in a modern tone:

"For I was hungry, while you had all you needed. I was thirsty, but you drank bottled water. I was a stranger, and you wanted me deported. I needed clothes, but you needed more clothes. I was sick, and you pointed out the behaviors that led to my sickness. I was in prison, and you said I was getting what I deserved."

This isn't meant to guilt -- though that's how I took it at first -- but to inspire to do that which we are all called to do:
Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV) 19 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, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

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