Rescue Iraq

A Collective Sigh

Saturday evening as the sun drifted beneath the horizon, the Muslim call to prayer sounded signifying the end of yet another Ramadan – month of fasting (food and water) during daylight hours – which seemed to spark a collective sigh of relief throughout the city.

Supermarkets were invaded and sweets, in particular, were bought in abundance to prepare for the next 3 to 4 days of holiday celebrations, which in Turkey is called, the “Sugar Holiday”.

The average abiding Muslim will actually gain weight during this month of fasting, where each evening meal is crafted to serve a king and a heavy breakfast before dawn is expected. One could even say that if you are not gulping down the ‘iftar’ meal, that you’d be suspect of not having kept the fast during the day.

Rather than teaching self-control and penance, I feel the fasting then gorging during the night hours bespeak of something quite unnatural, if not downright unhealthy.

Proper fasting, I believe, ought to include water as a primary cleansing agent; without it, excessive strain on the entire system, especially in areas of world with as extreme heat as the Middle East can easily lead to pre-mature aging of the body. Talk about a heavy yoke.

But, hey, they didn’t ask me.

While traveling between Mardin, Turkey and the border of Iraq this past summer, my taxi driver and I struck up a conversation. We went on to talk about our families, our children, and finally stumbled upon that age old, ‘how old are you?” question.

[After living in the Middle East for 7 years or so, I’ve come to expect folks to underestimate how old I am, but this time it seemed to mean something more.]

When it finally dawned on the ‘old’ leathery skinned man, looking all of 50 years that he was in fact 3 years younger than me, his jaw just dropped. He instantly asked about my wife, seated in the back seat, and stood awestruck that she was just one year younger than him.

His mind began to work over everything we’d talked about; then whether spoken or unspoken it became clear to me he was asking me why?

I was able to share a bit of the Gospel with him, and how we followed Jesus. How He carries our burdens, that we literally cast our burdens upon Him because He cares for us.

I don’t know what else to say, but following Jesus Christ is just plain smart. It’s the most healthy thing you could ever do for your mind, body, soul, and spirit. Of course, He does demand a lot, like everything, but what is that to trying to “own” a soul we can’t keep anyway?

He takes the brunt of life and breaks it in two. Not that we won’t face difficulties, but the difficulties somehow don't seem to show on our faces. He is our Prince of Peace, after all, and all His subjects are marked with His sign upon their foreheads. It would almost appear to some that His followers hardly age at all.

Thank you, Jesus, for taking all my burdens, giving me your light and easy yoke, making me care-free like a child and able to walk into Your Kingdom with no merits of my own, but simply because you said for all time: “For God so loved the world…”

You have become and remain today the collective sigh of relief for all the universe, for all time.

“Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives … You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of sea.” Micah 7:18,19

How to strengthen your prayer life in just 15 hours

Well, yesterday ranks in the Ray travel itinerary as one of the least productive trips in our lives averaging something like 15 miles per hour (someone help me with my math) over a distance of 250 miles. Praise the Lord we weren't in a car that whole time. No, it was 7 hours of driving and 8 hours of waiting. The above sign couldn't have been more a sight for sore eyes than we've ever seen.

Here's a bit of how it transpired... read on.

He Restores My Soul, Part 2

Well, the trip wasn’t quite over. Friday morning I sped over with a friend to a function put on by ROCK International to hear an inspiring speaker share not only the vision and heart behind reaching street children but how to do it as well. An estimated 2.5 million street children in Egypt have spurred the church to take some action over this epidemic. It was an encouraging but sobering analysis of the plight of the orphan in that land.

After a quick lunch it was off to the airport as I embarked from Africa, to Europe, then to Asia in a span of just 12 hours. 3 continents in 10 hours brought me home at 4:00am Saturday ready to hang my traveling hat up for a time and embrace my family again.

One event though on the return voyage I want to highlight and perhaps bring home the importance of praying a prayer like I prayed above: “Father restore my soul.”

While I was waiting for my plane in Istanbul at about 10:30pm, a man sat down next to me at the airport café and we began talking. He was from Tel Aviv on business. We exchanged pleasantries, then before I knew it he was off to catch his plane.

As I finished my coffee, I thought, “Goodness, I want to talk with that guy again.” I quickly packed my things and set off for my gate wondering if I might see him. Sure enough, he was heading to the same set of gates as I was. We picked up the conversation again, and thanks to a long walk were able to talk a little bit about Yahweh.

Witnessing to God’s chosen people is never an easy sell, but somehow God gave me words that pierced his heart. He turned to me and said, “Well, then, what do you think the truth is?”

The opportunities that God puts in our ways are perhaps more than we could ever begin to dream of. Now and again, we flow with His spirit so closely that His words fall from our lips in ways we would never have imagined. But, without a residing peace and joy in our lives, our testimonies hardly contain convincing power.

Allowing the Father to literally restore our soul each and every day – no matter what kind of day we are facing or have faced in the past – enables us to walk in that abiding peace and joy that makes our testimonys not only something that are convincing but that are something that we actually believe in and want to share.

By asking God to rub the harsh edges off our souls, and woo us to himself again, we are not only allowing Him to bring more joy and refreshing into our lives, but allowing His kingdom to flow through us with ever increasing power and praise.

Why would the world ever want to listen to our words if our lives don’t reflect true joy? What is more real than finding true peace in this life?

Even at the end of a tri-continental business trip God offers us that very thing if we’ll simply ask: “Father restore my soul.” Then, watch out, the doors of heaven may just rush in and sweep you away.

He Restores My Soul, Part 1

On the morning of my last full day in Cairo, day 14 of an adventure beginning in Iraq, taking me close to the Iranian border, abroad to Jordan, all throughout Israel, hopping through Istanbul for a few days, and finally to the pyramids of Egypt, I faced a day on my own in a foreign country – the leaders of WO having left early that morning.

Harkening back to a sermon I shared with a Moldavian fellowship on the previous Sunday, I recalled to mind these words of the Psalmist, “He restores my soul.”

Now, if there is a time to receive a restoration of the soul, it is definitely after 2 weeks on the road in 4 different countries on 3 different continents traveling with the likes of Mike, Paul, and Scott. No really, time with them was a blessing, but the road still has it’s bumps and I’d been on it for 2 weeks straight. I was ready for a break.

So, last Thursday morning in my hotel room overlooking the Nile I prayed, “Father, you promised you’d restore my soul. I need it today. Would you restore my soul and refresh me that I might return to my family tomorrow ready to give, not just ready to go on a vacation.”

Can you believe that God answered my prayer? Well, of course He did, even in the heart of the Muslim world. Let me tell you what God had in store for me.

That morning I coasted downstairs for a quick breakfast then back to my room to work on my blogs, the previous 4 which I wrote that day. With a faster connection then I’ve ever had whilst in Iraq, I was able to quickly update everyone on the trip before the trip was even over including uploading many photos that we had taken along the way.

In our line of work, the job never quite feels done until we’ve reported back to folks what’s been going on. So, it was definitely a blessing to get everyone updated on our progress so that I wouldn’t have to be doing it once I returned -- concentrating more fully on getting time with my family and being with them.

A local believer picked me up for lunch and then took me to his house on the outskirts of Cairo. He had some meetings to attend to, so he left me there by myself. I had been hoping to go visit the notorious ‘Garbage City’ that everyone has talked about – and we did drive right by it – but, it was closed due to the swine flu of all things.

In 8 years of marriage, 6 of which have been with children, I could probably count on one hand the days that I’ve spent all alone, and who would have guessed I would have found even one spot of sanctuary in a city of 23 million people, but I did.

The rest of the day was spent in idle bliss. You’d think I was the only one in the neighborhood as quiet as it was. Though he had internet, I wasn’t able to log in somehow so my work had to stop. I was basically forced to just sit and read, watch some t.v., relax, pray, journal, and just be. My friend never did return so I just hit the hay after a small dinner.

The next morning I awoke with a revived spirit, but even more importantly washed and dried clothes. Yes, my friend had a washing machine, so I was able to get all my clothes cleaned at the end of my trip giving Dawn a further break from my dirty laundry.

Wish all my trips could end in such a way. Yes, for sure, “He restores my soul.”

Dreary Me

We've all had those days, when we wake up to a cold, rainy winter morning 7,000 miles away from home in a war-torn country without electricity for the 'nth' time.

I picked up a book I was reading about the Jewish holocaust, but it strangely didn't change my mood. So, I scanned the internet and stumbled upon the Audio Daily Bible.

I clicked on the first link I saw to hear, Brian Hardin, the host of the daily program, say that he was veering from his normal routine to describe an incident that occurred just days ago where his brother had to tackle a good friend of his (recently divorced) on the edge of the freeway to keep him from walking into the path of an 18-wheeler to end his life.

Perhaps, I should just go for a walk, I thought.

Walking down to the local grocery store Dawn told me to get some yohgurt, but alas, there was none to be found. As I made my way back, I noticed a friend's car was parked outside his house (a irregularity because he generally works in a city for a week on end a couple hours from here). So, I knocked on his gate.

His boys immediately recognized me and ushered me in with well practiced greetings of "Welcome" in English.

The father soon appeared. He's a veterinarian here but is getting a degree in genetics at the university down the road. A respected scientist, he left Islam and any respect for religion years ago.

After the normal small talk, we sat down to eat some pomegranates and eventually pulled out the backgammon board. Now, you guys in the States might not be that familiar with backgammon. But let me tell you it's a serious game around here, and I must say I sort of perfected my skills whilst in Turkey.

Once the die is cast, it will be an hour or so before the players clamp shut the board with the first one to 5 declared the winner.

Well, after just 35 minutes, the game was soundly over. I lost 5-0 with two skunks, the vet had crushed me in just 3 quick games. Ouch! Yes, it was one of those dreary days.

We continued to talk and the conversation led me to ask him a question that I knew he needed to hear... over an hour later, I had effectively shared the good news with this English speaking, Kurdish Vet in a number of different ways and proceeded to pray for him right there in his living room.

I told him that God is knocking on the door of his heart. He won't break the door down, but that he had to let Him in. That He desires to show Himself to him in a way that answers all his questions.

Odd how sharing 'Good News' can really quickly dispel a dreary day.

Through a Prism of Dust (Part 2)

Arriving towards the end of July, we got the opportunity to experience the brutal summer of Iraq just at its apex. The heat was remarkable, unlike anything that I had experienced before outside of a sauna. Just walking down the street people would hold up anything (a piece of paper, a notebook, a bag, or just their hand) over their heads to shield themselves from the onslaught. And with the heat came the glaring rays of the sun.

It doesn’t rain in the summer months. In fact, they say it doesn’t rain from around May to November, so you can imagine the dust that a heat that intense creates. As I said before, it’s everywhere.

So, what purpose could dust really have besides just being annoying? Well, we quickly noticed that whenever a dust storm rolled in, the direct sunlight would briefly subside allowing a reprieve from the sun’s harsh rays. Also, I noticed after a random occurrence of rain in early October, that the landscape around suddenly sprung alive in sharp detail.

It’s astounding really, to go for weeks without seeing the jagged peaks and then, all of a sudden there they are. But you know, the sharpness, the vividness hurt. If we had such rains in the summer, when we are always squinting wherever we go, even with a cloud of dust hanging in the air, imagine how sore our eyes would be if all that dust suddenly disappeared.

So, I can see that the dust, though murder on one’s contact lenses, actually, probably prevents some early vision loss by keeping the sights within manageable limits. Though the beauty of the mountains is many times thwarted by the dust, I see its purpose in reflecting many of the direct rays of the sun back into our atmosphere and in the process, protecting our eyes from overexposure.

Though the beauty of the horizon is impeded many times by the volumes of dust in the air here in Iraq, it does actually make some sights all the more visible and beautiful. Another thing that we have noticed since we’ve been here is that the sunsets are all the more magnificent the day after a dust storm rolls through.

All that dust filters up into the lower levels of our atmosphere causing the suns rays to be seen by us on earth as if through a prism of dust bending the suns rays into the more beautiful colors of orange and even red transforming the sky into a virtual oil painting of vivid colors. Without dust it would just be a yellow ball of flame sinking once again below the horizon, but with the dust, though impeding the direct light, actually reveals more of its characteristics – more of the sun’s glory if you will.

You know, I believe that God’s glory can be explained partly through this analogy with the sun. Were we to cast our eyes upon the sun and focus intently on its radiance, we would surely go blind. Our physical eyes could not handle it. Similarly, if God were to reveal in the same sense the full shining glory of His radiance and divinity, we would surely perish. As He, in fact, said to Moses, “No one may see me and live.”

So, how does God reveal Himself to man without killing him in the process? He shows us through what He has made. And even, what He has made has to be tempered by annoying, dirty, earthly dust, to reveal the many facets of His glory.

It says that God created man in His own image using of all the components that He could have used: the dust of the earth.

God made us especially, above all creation, to reflect His glory upon this earth.

Right now, you and I, and every believer on this planet are revealing the glory of God as if through a prism of dust to all the world. The bold rays of the noon sun are too much for earthly man to gaze upon. But through the prism of dust all mankind stops, looks, and appreciates, as if for the first time the glory of the one and only Son blazing in multi-colors for all the world to see.

Sometimes rain is not a blessing. Sometimes the harsh realities of this world shock our senses, numb us, and we forget the beauty of our God. But be thankful for dust today. Be thankful for you and for me – a little speck of earth that God uses to declare His glory to a world that cannot bear the direct voice of the Heavenlies.

Isn’t it incredible that His glory can be seen even in the dust of the earth?

For the glory of God I remain respectively a little particle of dust to act as a prism for the world to see the fullness of His glory.

Thank you, Lord, for desert, for dust, and for man.

Through a Prism of Dust (Part 1)

“The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7

Life in Iraq means becoming closely acquainted with dust. It’s everywhere. Each day we wipe down the counter tops and tables of a film of dust that blew in the day before. It’s become our constant companion.

Ever so often a fresh gust of wind blows all day long tilling up more dust, dumping it upon our small city turning the landscape into a freakish brown terrain, bringing visibility to a mere 100 yards. It’s eerie really, to hardly see a block down the street because of its density as it completely blocks out the sun, making the windows of our home nearly opaque with its thickness.

And along with the dust have come what are known as dust flies. We experienced a mini plague of these tiny bugs in the latter part of September and the first few weeks of October. They are hardly noticeable about the size of a gnat, but are almost as quick as a fly biting as bad as the worst mosquitoes again and again and again. Dawn counted over 40 bites just on one arm.

Eventually, with the change of seasons they moved on or just died.

The dust also does crazy things to your sinuses constantly clogging up your nose with who knows what, the dryness making the experience just that much worse. It’s really not uncommon to blow your nose and see just black goop in your tissue. Yuck.

And God made man out of this?

These are just some of the effects of setting up home on the edge of the desert in a cyclical dust bowl.

I used to think of deserts as a sign of God’s judgment upon the soil as He holds back the rain for some divine purpose ravaging the landscape and in the process, hopefully, bringing the occupants of the land to their knees in repentance once again.

And, of course, there are cases of that occurring throughout the world. Even in the water rich United States it has not become unfamiliar to hear of government leaders calling people to fast and to pray for rain to replenish the dry and dusty earth.

I mean, what profit does a deserted, dry and dusty land have to anyone? Surely, in the days before the flood there weren’t such places on the earth. Were there?

I am not sure that I’m equipped to answer this question, but one thing that I would like to do is to show how my perspective on dust has changed since we moved here just over 3 months ago. I’ve learned that dust too has its special purpose.

Our First Church Service in Iraq

So, what is it that you feel after preparing for months on end, finally getting on the plane, flying for way too long, then, being dropped into a new culture with a new language accompanied by a plethora of other ‘new’ things?

Exhausted? Yes.

Confused? Yes.

Wary? Yes.

“Oh! My gosh, what have I done?” Yes.

“I’m not the man for this.” Of course.

and finally…

“How am I going to make it and be successful in this project?” Definitely.

It’s all natural, of course, to be feeling these things after traveling for 3 days and uprooting family and everything ‘normal’ for a new culture and people, but the important question is how do you deal with it. I mean, we’ve got to get up and get going here, right.

After a couple weeks in the country we hopped into a local friend’s SUV, picked up a few friends along the way (did I mention everyone was carrying hand guns?), and rode the hour long drive to the big city to join in worship with our main partner church in the region.

Stepping into the building I half expected to see a sign saying, “Leave your guns at the door”, but I didn’t see one. My senses were already on maximum overload meeting folks with different names, languages, even smells as we slumped down in the back of the church and waited for the service to begin.

I’d been to this church before on previous visits to Iraq, but not with my family and not in the mode of, “man, I’m here now, for good.”

After some enlivening worship, though I couldn’t understand a word, the first pastor got up. I say the first pastor, because the services in Iraq – at least at this church – run for 3-4 hours, and different pastors take a turn.

The question that was so keenly on my mind at this moment was, “Why, Lord, did you choose me for this work?” Or perhaps more honestly, “God, you’ve got the wrong guy for this.”

Pastor #1 began his sermon on the life of Moses. He preached about how his prior life as a convicted murderer did not disqualify him for God’s service, nor did his lack of ability – remember, Moses said he couldn’t speak – but God used him anyway. God chose him and that was enough overcoming all his past failures and his present inabilities.

Feeling a little encouraged that if God could use a murderer, I suppose He could use me, my worrisome heart cried out, “But God, how am I going to be successful in this project?”

Pastor #2 got up and spoke for the next half hour on the importance of the word of God in our lives. That we must mediate upon the scripture day and night as Moses commanded Joshua.

Perking up a bit more, actually beginning to feel ‘set up’ by God for the day’s sermons to answer my hardest questions, peace rushed into my heart speaking, “Now, you know ‘why’, and you know ‘how’…” when pastor number 3 stepped up to take his turn.

Have you ever gone to church with a heaviness on your heart and God just speaks right to your point of need, picking you back on your feet again? That was what that first Sunday morning was like to me. And if you’re like me, now that you’ve shook the discouragements off, got a little instruction to go on, you’re ready to go to it. But there was still one more pastor ready to speak.

Pastor #3 was the head pastor, and his sermon came down like a crashing finale to the morning’s worship. What was his message? What was it that I felt too full to hear having had my fill so to speak?

The head pastor spoke passionately about our duty to God to share the hope of Jesus with a lost and dying world.

As he was finishing his sermon a family came up to share their testimony. They were being newly accepted into the fellowship and was baptized later that day.

The mother and father were from mixed backgrounds. One was an Arab, the other a Kurd. They were from the culturally torn city of Mosul, in the North, that has seen an increase in violence these past months, particularly against Christians.

They shared how they had come to Christ and were subsequently persecuted for their faith. The daughter of the couple pulled up her sleeves to show terrible burns inflicted upon her by raging fanatics.

They had asked to join and be baptized in the Catholic Church in the city, but they were turned away. Fleeing to Turkey where they thought they might find greater freedom to worship as they desired, the family found much of the same reaction from the Catholic Church there.

Returning once again to Mosul, they pleaded with the Catholic Church to accept them and allow them to be baptized. Finally, they agreed, but only to baptize their two children. The church, fearing the societal fallout of baptizing previously Muslim adults, considered baptizing the Arab/Kurdish children the extent of their Heavenly duty.

Eventually, they heard about a Protestant church in another city not too far away. As they made one last attempt to find the body of Christ in Iraq, this church met them, and there they were sharing their testimony right before me.

Living in America sometimes we can define suffering as trite as sitting through a lengthy sermon, but here before me was a family that took their lives in their own hands to reach the body of Christ, be baptized together as a family, and finally plunge their lives in to the full benefits of the family and fellowship of God.

Now, that’s what I call a worship service: Encouragement, Instruction, Exhortation, testimonies of faith, and baptism. Awesome! It was a nice way to begin our ministry here… and a testimony that the church is alive and well in Iraq.

“Thank You, Lord, that You’ve chosen me to be a part of Your game plan in the Middle East. Thank You that You given me Your word to guide me and make my path clear. And thank you that there are purposes to our lives that go beyond whatever agenda we have or project that we want to finish. You put everything on the line for us and have called us to do the same.

Thank you, Father, for the sacrifice of Your Son for us all."  

Why the Orphan?

Scripture says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Proverbs 31:8-9

In college I read this passage and took it to heart. I determined that I was going to be a lawyer like my grandfather before me and use my skills and talents to defend the rights of the poor and downtrodden in America.

Little did I know that the Lord had a slightly different plan and was preparing me for work with orphans throughout the Middle East and the world.

The Scriptures are strewn with examples of God coming to the defense of orphans and widows, I was reading this morning in Deuteronomy 22:22-24

“Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.”

I don’t know about you, but I haven’t read many passages in the Bible that are more explicit than that. It makes a nice Sunday School lesson doesn’t it, “I will kill you…”

You’ve got to admit that God is serious about this, but are we?

And in Matthew 18:6 & 10-11 & 14 we read:

“But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believes in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea…

See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in Heaven always see the face of my Father in Heaven…

…your Father in Heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.”

And, of course in James 1:27 we read:

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and undefiled is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

When we take steps to encounter and meet the needs of the orphans, we can be sure that God’s heart is already there waiting for us to join with Him and empower us in His work.

He hears their cry, and as King David himself said, “Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.” Psalm 27:10

Of course, I think that we would all agree that God’s heart is to defend the cause of the orphan, but I wonder if there is another reason that God calls us to stand up for them.

Anyone that has had even a minimal exposure to orphans in their abject need – longing for real love and affection, a sense of belonging – cannot help but be affected.

Same for the parents of their own natural children or those who have adopted, as Senator John McCain recently said in an interview speaking of his adopted Bangladesh daughter, "There is nothing in life like a child that you can nurture and love. The reciprocation of that love and nurturing is a thousand times more beneficial to you than it is to the child."

At a time in our history where activities take precedent over real communion with one another, here is perhaps one of the busier men in our country saying that there is nothing in life like caring for and looking after the needs of his adopted daughter – it fills him up and benefits him more than it could possibly benefit her.

I like that.

And what is it that Senator McCain is referring to when he says that he derives more benefit from his daughter then he could possibly give to her?

What is it that the orphan gives to us? And why, perhaps, does God say to the church, “You cannot walk a true path of faith without the help of orphans and widows.”

Why do we need them in order to become pure and undefiled in our faith in God’s sight?

Knowledge, we have been taught, is something we learn through books and with enough study nothing can be hidden from our grasp. Still, there is some knowledge that simply cannot be learned from books or from far off meditative thoughts.

There are just some things that can only be acquired by experience, and experience in the Kingdom of God only comes through obedience.

It’s a fact worth noting that in the end, obedience is the final measuring stick for all our lives, not knowledge, as Jesus himself said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven.” Matt. 7:21

One could even go so far as to say that one does not know the full character of God without lending a hand to the orphan and widows around us as He commands.

For the scriptures say, “…whatever you did not do for one of the least of these you did not do for me.” Matt. 25:45b

In all these verses, I hope you can see that our love for God demands a subsequent action, if it is truly love as God defines it.

When Peter was questioned about his love for Christ, Jesus responded three times, “Feed my sheep.”

It’s as if Jesus is saying, “You can show me you love me best by taking care of those I love.”

I’m continually wrought with conviction when I consider God’s measuring stick: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your mind, all your strength, and all your soul. And love your neighbor as yourself.”

It’s a subjective measurement, really, so how is our love measured? Well, He shows us in His word...

He demands that we care for widows and orphans, for those hungry and needing shelter, for the naked and the prisoner. That is how we prove our love for Him. Not that we’re doing these things in our own strength or for His approval – trying to earn grace. [that’s an entirely different topic I won’t get into here.] These are all natural responses to a heart touched by the presence of God.

As I mentioned at the beginning, we can always be confident that any attempt on our part to care for orphans or those in need is preceded by God’s abundant love and care for them. So, when we step out we’ll find Him there. He’s waiting on us to get involved, to show the world that though He is great, He abides with the weak.

I encourage you to evaluate your own life and observe how God’s love shown to you is expressed towards others, especially the types of people that Christ mentions in Matt. 25: 31-46.

Does obedience mark your life? Then, caring for orphans and widows, for the sick, the naked, the prisoner, the stranger, the hungry, and the thirsty ought to be regular rhythms in your life. Not just with a check, lest we think we can outsource our devotion to God to others, but you personally getting your hands in the muck and mire of this downtrodden world – just as Jesus left the glories of Heaven to be with us and perform a mission characterized at every turn by complete self-denial and the raising up of the standard of obedience above all else.

Have you denied yourself for the benefit of others?

Jesus said, “…the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.” John 14:31a

What is it that we say the world must learn? Democracy? The 4 Spiritual Laws? To stop encroaching on our Christian cul-de-sacs?

Jesus sets the standard, “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant will also be. My Father honors the one who serves me.” John 12:26

If Jesus said he needed to prove His love to the Father by being obedient to everything that the Father commanded Him to do, is it no less demanded of us to prove our love to Him (and not just to Him but to the world) in the same way – by being obedient to His every command?

Perhaps that’s why the church in America doesn’t appear as effective as it could be. Because we’ve stopped seeking to prove to the world that we love the Father above all else and will do everything that He has commanded us to do. It seems today that it is no longer a 'must' but a 'well, it would be nice, maybe, you know...'

“Jesus replied, ‘If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.’” John 14:23a

Wow! God, Himself, will make His home with us.

This is the joy and benefit of caring for the orphan. It enables us to walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands demonstrating our love to Him and to the world, and thus, drawing ever more of the presence of God into our lives.

But, we don’t just receive a deeper and more profound understanding of God’s love as He makes His dwelling with us, we also get the benefit – the rapturous joy – of putting a smile on a child’s face who hasn’t known what hope is.

To be a part of filling the void of love in an orphan’s life we take part in the character and mission of Jesus Christ to seek and to save that which is lost, to destroy the works of Satan, and to adopt us as His children becoming a part of the family of God.

We need the orphan, because we need to be like Jesus. We must prove to the world our love for God by our faithful obedience to everything that He has commanded us to do… “look after orphans… in their distress," among other things. We're not complete in our expression of love to Him without reaching the orphan.

Perhaps, when we take this step we’ll realize that the love we offer the least of these is by far outweighed by the experience of laboring with God in mighty power and love, with all His angels in attendance, standing beside the orphans of the world.

I can assure you if you are looking to experience more of the heart of God, you’ll experience it there, and you’ll never be the same.

• Orphans enable us an outlet, an opportunity if you will, to tell the whole world of our love for our Father as we’re obedient to look after them in their distress.
• The process of reaching out to them, seeing them in their pain, changes us pealing us away from the petty, the temporary, and the non-essential.
• And as life and hope are imparted to the orphan, we receive immeasurably more in return as our lives commingle with God’s hands and feet in this world leading our hearts to look up to Heaven and say, “Thank you, God, for using me for such a mission as this.”

In the end, honestly, we’ll exclaim, “Thank you, God, for the orphan. I’m changed because of them. You’ve rent my heart, and at the same time poured more of your love deep inside me. I’ll never be the same again, and for that I am eternally grateful.”

And that’s my take on why “We need the orphan as much as the orphan needs us.”

This is just one perspective, of course. It’s how the above statement hits me. How would you respond? Why do we need the orphan as much as the orphan needs us? I invite you to share your comments and insights to this important question.

"They have entered in Peace & Security"

In 24hrs, we take off for a land that many would describe as war-torn, the last place on earth anyone would want to be. But not only are we going, we plan on living there for 3 years or more.

Generally, folks first response when we share with them 'what we're doing this weekend' is shock and disbelief. But when we tell them why, a sense of astonishment comes over their faces, and many have just plain said, "Wow!"

It's one thing to do your tour of duty in the sands of Iraq, it's quite another to take your family along with you -- 3 little boys to boot.

Fortunately, our work isn't in the midst of the fighting requiring the normal fare of weapons of war, we're fighting a different battle, a battle that would be pretty much impossible had America not set foot on that land over 5 years ago.

The Lord has given us the privilege of reaching out hands of love to the innocent poor and abandoned orphans of Iraq -- the casualties of many a physical as well as spiritual war continuing every day throughout the world.

I wanted to share one of the ways that God helped encourage us in the path we have set out on.

We were sharing our brochure with my sister's husband's family just a few weeks ago.

On the face of the brochure is the photo of the main mosque in the city we will be moving to. Little did we know that on the brocade of the entrance to the mosque was a 'message' from God and represented to us His heart for our family as we enter Iraq.

Not knowing Arabic yet, we weren't able to read the inscription, but with my brother-in-law's family's help they uncovered the words that greet the Muslim faithful each day.

As you can see in this copy of our brochure underneath the archway is a series of Arabic letters. Their message, only revealed to us in the past couple of weeks, stunned us.

It states, "They have entered in Peace and Security."

It is confirmations like this one that have helped boost our faith and been like God's gentle leading hand in our course to move to Iraq.