Jesus asked, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?" 49 Then he pointed to his disciples and said, "These are my mother and brothers. 50 Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!"

For the brothers and sisters who aren't sure if their actions matter or not:

Sheep:
'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? 38 And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' 39 40 Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me - you did it to me.' 41 "

Goats:
'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?' 45 "He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me - you failed to do it to me.' 46 "Then those 'goats' will be herded to their eternal doom, but the 'sheep' to their eternal reward."

The bold and strong are nonviolent...they fight oppression and injustice through their active nonparticipation in acts of evil...it is by no means passive! -Gandhi

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a beautiful bride prepared for her husband. 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, "Look, the home of God is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever." 5 And the one sitting on the throne said, "Look, I am making all things new!" And then he said to me, "Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true." 6 And he also said, "It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega – the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give the springs of the water of life without charge! 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. 8 But cowards who turn away from me, and unbelievers, and the corrupt, and murderers, and the immoral, and those who practice witchcraft, and idol worshipers, and all liars – their doom is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death."
-Revelations 21:1-8

12 I am writing to you, my dear children, because your sins have been forgiven because of Jesus. 13 I am writing to you who are mature because you know Christ, the one who is from the beginning. I am writing to you who are young because you have won your battle with Satan. 14 I have written to you, children, because you have known the Father. I have written to you who are mature because you know Christ, the one who is from the beginning. I have written to you who are young because you are strong with God's word living in your hearts, and you have won your battle with Satan. 15 Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions. These are not from the Father. They are from this evil world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything it craves. But if you do the will of God, you will live forever. (1 John 2:12-17)

Anyone want a van?

A good friend of mine once said, "Most of us live one paycheck or one addiction away from poverty." I really agree with him. As many know, our friend Chris rolls around in a wheelchair and for a substantial time was living homeless. He now has a place down the street from us and is being partially subsidized by a church, but who knows how long that will last.

Anyways, a friend of a friend of a friend decided he really wants Chris to have this old van, fully set-up with handicap driving equipment. When he asked our opinion we said, "No, Chris has some other more pertinent needs right now." For example a job, more rent money, nice clothes so he can get an interview for a job, etc. Oh, and by the way, Chris doesn't have his driver's license (which would cost time and money to get) nor can he make his rent fully (so how will he pay for insurance or repairs?). But our brother is really adamant about this van getting into Chris's hands.

He called today to get Chris's number and see how he is doing. He asked if Chris needed anything. Another bro said, "Yeah, a friend."

"Why, is there something wrong?" the other brother shot back.

"No, it's just the holidays and he doesn't have any family, so he needs a friend."

I think this whole van situation is a great example of something we see fairly often amongst Christians. I genuinely believe this bro has a good heart and really wants to help, just as I believe many followers of Christ do. But if I were to offer any amount of advice, I think I would ask for a bit more humility. I say humility because many of those who want to help end up thinking they know exactly what the needs are without ever actually going to find out if they are correct or not. So gifts or donations are given, but the givers still end up far away from the receivers and really important needs may not be met (such as the need for love, affection, human proximity...sometimes people need people more than things). Or perhaps people do know what to give, but it is simply too much and they choose a road less difficult. The latter possibility is far more dangerous than the prior.

We as a community still have a lot of growing to do in this department, just as any would. But one thing I can say is we have at least reprioritized our lives to come near those we want to help. We are constantly being humbled by our neighbors and friends as we discover just how little we know and how we need to change. But through it all, we are now beginning to see what some of the truly important and crucial needs are.

And here's the greatest part: we who thought we were the sacrificial givers (and to a large extent we are) are actually the receivers. We are receiving great blessings, insights, and love from our neighbors and each other as we risk it all and humbly "find out what pleases the Lord" (Ephesians 5:10).

So get in there and ask. Let the voice of Jesus through those in need change us and show us how to affectionately care for each other. And Lord please keep all of us, especially me, from ever resorting to self-gratifying charity over denying ourselves and giving our lives as a sacrifice.

I haven't been converted yet...not totally at least. As this life unfolds daily before my very eyes I am becoming more and more aware that I am still changing...and I'm not really the one behind it. And the author behind this change has scandalized my heart, knowingly ripped it away from all my prior loves and ruined me for anything remotely near a normal life on this planet all out of an unquenchable burning love for me.

Oscar Romero, a bishop from El Salvador, based many of his homilies and sermons on conversion. Although he went down in history as a human-rights activist and martyr for the cause of equality, I believe his mission was much deeper. He wasn't just calling for rights or for a cause...he was calling for a change, an earth-shaking kind of change. Romero called the people who heard him (both victims and oppressors) to convert, to leave the old ways of the world (fear, violence, retaliation, revenge) behind and pursue the values of Christ's kingdom (love, compassion, humility, affection, forgiveness). Note, is dramatically different from the message of many other activists throughout time specifically because Romero provides the why of activism: Christ. Because God has created every human being, because Jesus has provided a different way of life, of dealing with the pain and conflict of the world, and because we as his children have a different sort of hope, we can protest the injustices and cruelties of this world and unashamedly say why we protest.

So this same conversion Romero called all his listeners to is the conversion experience I am experimenting with. Nope, I'm not there yet. And yes, it is oftentimes confusing, frustrating, painful....and liberating. Let's be changed. Let's let the gospel convert us.