The Return Of The Mysterious Bump

The mysterious bump has returned, however, it has moved locations. It has even changed kids! The most recent appearance is on Silas' left eyelid. Lawrence and I thought his eye would be swollen shut by this morning, but the bump disappeared as mysteriously as it had come. These kids are sensitive to mosquito bites. So we chalk it up to some random mosquito or bug bite.

Caleb is turning 8 tomorrow!! I remember being 8. We had a party for him on Saturday and took no pictures. How sad is that. I do have to say, it was a fun and mellow party, so low stress, but no pictures.

Lawrence and I have been reading Revolution in World Missions by K.P. Yohannan. This book has been taking us to the next level in what God is putting on our hearts. Truly a life-changing book. If you want a copy, either get one, http://www.gfa.org/ (gospel for Asia) or ask me, I will give you mine. If I share mine with you, I can get another one for free, fabulous way of spreading this information.

Food for thought: What are the non essentials we have in our lives? What are the basics we need to live, sure, in the society we're in. Post a comment with your thoughts on this. We certainly lead complex financial lives.

1. Computer, Internet access, hardware and software associated with using a computer
2. house, electricity, water, garbage
3. microwave, oven, fridge, dishwasher
4. phone service- do we really need 2 lines home and cell? perhaps, We just ordered Magic Jack, I'll let you know if it's as good as advertised. 39.95 plus s/h and 20 a year
5. car/gas/insurance/maintenance
6. life insurance / 401k / future planning
7. food- groceries (we have typically spent a lot eating out, a luxury, NOT necessity)
8. Digital camera
9. I'm sure there's more but this is what I came up with on the fly

I'm interested in hearing your comments on the necessities. Where can we cut to give more generously to those who have nothing. I'm not talking about guilt here. Take it as you will though. In the new Testament, the wealthy believers in Christ sold their properties and provided for those who had nothing. Did they sell their homes they were living in? I haven't studied specifics here, but I think they sold their extra properties.

Those of us who are Christians, we have brothers and sisters not eating daily. It is so far removed from our reality, we can ignore it, until this moment, not realize it, or any number of reasons not deal with it. Went through the drive through and spend roughly 13 dollars on myself and family. According to K.P., founder of Gospel for Asia, $30 can feed and provide living needs of a local missionary for a month. The concept of local missionaries is new for me too. But think of it. A western missionary from anywhere in the US going to anywhere in the undeveloped world is not going to live like the natives. Sure, there will be concessions, they will feel they are lowering their standard of living in extreme ways, and likely they are, but our standards are just so much higher, therefore costlier. To support a western missionary couple or family abroad comes with such a high overhead. To add to the daily living costs, they must go through cultural training, probably basic language training. And after all these costs, they are still foreigners bringing a foreign religion. There are Christians excited to share the gospel of hope through Jesus Christ to their countrymen in many of the 3rd world nations already.

Some excerpts from Revolution in World Missions: "Many native missionaries and their families experience days without food - not because they are fasting voluntarily but because they have no money to buy rice. This occurs especially when they start new work in villages where there are no Christians."..........."Many North American Christians live isolated from reality - not only from the needs of the poor overseas, but even from the poor in their own cities..........I have found that believers are ready to get involved in almost any activity that looks spiritual but allows them to escape their responsibility to the Gospel...........Often when I spoke at a church, the people would appear moved as I told of the suffering and needs of the native evangelists. They usually took an offering and presented me with a check for what seemed like a great amount of money. then with their usual hospitality, they invited me to eat with the leaders following the meeting. To my horror, the food and 'fellowship; frequently cost m ore than the money they had just given to missions. And I was amazed to find that American families routinely eat enough meat at one meal to feed an Asian family for a week. No one ever seemed to notice this but me, and slowly I realized they just had not heard the meaning of my message. They were simply incapable of understanding the enormous needs overseas."

OK, I think that is enough to blow any ones mind. I confess, I'm the American he's referring to. It has been easy to be touched when seeing a presentation of the needs of any impoverished group of people. Easier to forget after doing what it takes to alleviate the sense of responsibility. I cannot live in ignorance any longer.

I grew up with a sense of not having what others had. A sense of being less than, based on having less than. Disenfranchised. If you have running water in your home, heat in the winter, flush toilets, drinkable water from the faucet, you are blessed. Don't believe otherwise. Electricity on demand. That is wealth. A hospital a phone call away, and they'll pick you up! I've been blessed with that ride a couple of times.

Lest you think I am advocating throwing out all our conveniences and living as if in a third world, I am not. Rather, exposing you to this truth, bringing it to the forefront. Our brothers and sisters deserve our prayers and thoughts and our money, if you can share it. Many of us are enslaved to our employers because we have created a lifestyle which confines our lives. We are enslaved to creditors. Freedom is not where some live. But to aspire to free ourselves by re-thinking the essentials in live. Be dramatic in cut backs to get out of slavery. We are ensured freedom by our Constitution, and yet, most Americans have chosen the bonds of slavery. Something to think about.

If our freedoms were ever taken away, I wouldn't want to look back at the wealth I had at my fingertips and regret the way I squandered it. Rather, I would have it be my servant, working for me, for people, for blessing, not just serving myself, and ultimately causing my own enslavement.