Little More Jesus

It's always fun to sing Christmas carols with our kids but this year has been great to see little Addy learning the words and singing along this year.  By far, her favorite is Away in a Manger.  Here's her rendition of the classic tune...

...I love how she says "little MORE Jesus" because that's what our world really needs.  Merry Christmas!

Emmanuel, God With Us

Last Friday was a big day, I had the opportunity to share about the realities of human trafficking to 1800 high school students.  Doing so forced some of them to open their eyes to the evil that is in our world and, I hope, prepared them to protect themselves and their friends from being victimized by those who would want to harm them.  What I didn't know until I finished speaking was that evil had hit our nation's children in Connecticut in a way that would be impossible for anyone to overlook.

If we weren't already keenly aware of the brokenness of our world, the shocking evil of last Friday has brought it to the forefront of our minds.  I read many Facebook posts saying, "Jesus come soon!"  I join in that prayer.  I hurt for the families who have lost their dear little ones and can hardly imagine the pain they are going through - in fact, I don't want to empathize with them because it would hurt too much.  It was tough to let Aiden go to school this week.  The reality of my inability to be in control and protect my family every moment of every day is humbling.  It forces me to slow down and look up to the One who is always there and is truly in control - for my control is merely an illusion.

One thing, among many, that Friday taught us is that true evil exists in our world.  We may live in relative safety in a "good part of town" and sometimes this sense of safety causes us to forget the fallenness of the world we live in.  Any problem must be seen before it can be solved. We'll never make our world a better place with our heads stuck in the sand, avoiding the realities of its brokenness.  Jesus was our perfect example, He entered the mess with eyes wide open.  

He left the Father's side in Heaven, a place of perfect holiness and glory to come to our side on earth, a place of utter brokenness and pain.  As Philippians 2 states about Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 
 rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness. 
 And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!  

He gave it all up for us so that we might have it all.

I'm forever grateful for Jesus' willingness to leave the safety and security of Heaven to come down to this dark, evil world.  He could have chosen the easy route and continued to enjoy unbroken fellowship with the Father.  He could have said, "Oh, it's too terrible!" and chosen not to come.  However,  He stepped into the darkness to redeem and restore this broken world.

This redemption, this restoration is still His work; it's still His plan and He has entrusted it to His followers.  Jesus said, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21).  We are sent to  shine light into our dark world. 

Gary Haugen, the Founder and President of International Justice Mission said: 

"In God’s mission for this world, we are the plan. There is no Plan B. We carry out God’s mission be being salt and light in the world. This includes going to the suffering of this world. For people in the midst of suffering, when they receive meaningful help from a Christian, they are seeing the body of Christ show up on their doorstep."

As I think of Emmanuel, God with us, I am challenged to consider how I am following Jesus into the darkness of this broken world.  I am quite comfortable in the "safety" of my suburban life.  Where am I to shine His light?  What dark places might He be calling me?  Where is He calling you? 

Jesus showed up on our doorstep.  He lived among the suffering to bring healing and restoration physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  Who needs Jesus to bring healing and freedom in their lives?  What can you and I do to shine light into the darkness?  This is what happened at Christmas.  Love came down into the evil and shined His light into the darkness.  Let us do the same and enter into this beautiful mess. 

Our Partner in the News!

A few months back, we shared about one of our 100% Sent partners, Apartment Life.  They were recently highlighted in an article in Christianity Today!  The article begins with, "In order to love one's neighbors, one must first know who they are—a teaching that's much easier said than done...."  We all feel this difficulty, but as we shared in our newsletter Apartment Life is set up to train our graduates to do just that.  Take a look at the full article to see how God used our friends in ministry to help a Phoenix couple reach their neighbors with the love of Christ! 

Love God, Love People: Simple but Not Easy

And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” - Matthew 22:35-40

As a black and white thinker I have often read this passage and put 2 and 2 together and found they do, in fact equal 4.  If you love God and love people without ceasing, then you will fulfill God's law. It makes logical sense so that's where my analysis ended.   

However, first we must realize that we will never love God or people perfectly, so we will never fulfill the law of God in this way.  That's why we must have Jesus' redemptive work on the cross, he did this perfectly and took the penalty I deserve so I don’t have to. 

Jesus did this so that we might have eternal life with him and so that his Spirit might live through us to make a difference on this earth.  As we love God more deeply and truly love people more genuinely, God's Kingdom will come and His will will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.  I believe that Jesus taught us to pray this so that we, the church, might be the answers to our prayers.

Recently I have been wrestling with these truths and my revelations aren't that surprising; Jesus actually meant what He said!  But this isn't about obedience in a legalistic sense as I first thought.  It's about the embodiment of the gospel in our daily lives.  2 Corinthians 5:14 says, "For the love of Christ controls us."  Christ's love for us so compels us to the degree that we are controlled by it.  We experience His love as the greatest thing in our lives, not to be outdone by our desire for power, control, or comfort. 

This great love for God is demonstrated through a life of love for others.  This is what James meant when he said that "faith apart from works is dead" (James 2:26).  We don't earn God's grace by our works; however, we prove that we love God and have been rescued by Him through our loving acts of kindness towards others. 

Can you truly love someone and watch them be abused without stepping in?  Imagine seeing a child you love, possibly your own, being physically assaulted.  You would intervene, right?  Of course, because you love the child.  

Along the same lines, can you care deeply for the well being of a friend who is addicted to drugs and not confront them?  Of course not. 

Now what about people we don't know?  Would you feel uncomfortable and look the other way when you pass a homeless beggar if you actually loved them?  If you really loved your neighbor, would you continue to smile and wave to them like you've done the past 3 years without ever having a real conversation with them?   Would your life to go unchanged with the knowledge that people live in slavery in your city if you really loved each an every one of them the way God does?  Would it be loving to never bring up your faith in a conversation with your friend just because you think it might be uncomfortable because they're not a Christian? 

When I say "you" in these questions, I mean "I/me."  The answer is humbling.  I don't love others the way they God does.  Why not?  The answer is simple: I don't love God the way I should.  For who He is and what He's done for me, He should be second to none but often He is second to my desire for control or comfort.  These same idols cause me not to love others well either.  It's difficult to step into the messiness of people's lives and to love them well.  It's not comfortable.  It's risky.  But God didn't say our lives would be comfortable, but He did tell us that if we lose our lives for His sake, we'll find true life and that life will be abundant.  I don’t know about you, but I'm tired of living a legalistic life, trying to manufacture a relationship with God by my actions.  I'm ready for the real life, a real relationship with God, risks and all, so that my life will truly be abundant. Join me.

Nov. Prayer Update: Setting Captives Free!

This month we'd like to share about a new ministry venture that we're working on in addition to our responsibilities with 100% Sent.  We're really excited about partnering with International Justice Mission to launch justice chapters on our campuses.  Learn more about what that looks like in our letter.  We also give a little adoption update as well.  Click here to check it out!  Thanks for your prayers!

Thousands of Miles to Bring Back 2 Feet

We are extremely excited to share our big news with you! You guessed it, the Lord is growing our family through adopting a child from China.  We have mentioned this briefly in our blog but this is our official announcement.  For many years, we have desired to expand our family through adoption and God has made it clear that now is the time, and China is the place.

The Lord has blessed us with 2 wonderful children and we are eager to extend our love to one more. With Sarah’s diabetes and our past miscarriages, it is risky to attempt another pregnancy, and we have always loved adoption. As Christians, we are adopted into God’s family. What better way to more deeply experience God’s love for us than by joining Him as adoptive parents?

Over the years, we have gotten to know many Chinese international students and, through these relationships, learned a lot about the country. You may be aware that due to Chinese culture and the one child policy, many families prefer to have a son. As a result, families will abandon their daughters simply because they are female or if they have special needs. Currently, thousands of children fill the orphanages of China, many of them girls. We desire to give one of these children a Christian home where they will be loved and cared for.

We began the process a couple months ago, and it will probably take about 18 months until we bring home our new little one. Aiden and Addy are both very excited to have a new little brother or sister. Right now, we are on the paper trail working to obtain all of the legal documents needed in our dossier to send to China. Please pray for us as it is quite an extensive (and stressful) task! The estimated cost of the adoption is $30,000. We also would appreciate your prayers for God to provide the finances we need.

Thank you for your partnership in our ministry as we trust God to use us to change lives of college students as well as to change the life of a child from the other side of the world!

Salt Life: Living It

 Living in Florida, I often see "Salt Life" t-shirts and car stickers.  In case you're not familiar with it, Salt Life is a popular surf shop and company that sells products for all kinds of ocean-related things from scuba diving to surfing to just hanging at the beach.  The salt life is nothing new.  Jesus talked about how we should all be living it but it has nothing to do with salt water.  In the Sermon on the Mount these are His words:

"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?  It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet." - Mt. 5:13
 
Thrown out?  Trampled?  Ouch!  With these strong words, it is obviously important to remain "salty." So what does it mean to live the Salt Life?  This comes right after the Beatitudes, so from this we learn that being "salty" requires things like hungering and thirsting for righteousness, meekness, and mercy to name a few. 

Immediately following is another illustration where the church is described as "the light of the world. A city set on a hill...."  This illustration is clear that God intends for us to be seen in the world and that our faith should not be hidden but lived out among others. 

As believers, God is calling us to step into the world and be seen making a difference - adding salt, shining light.  In a world full of sin and the consequences of greedy, selfish, power-hungry people,  the Lord has called His church to be the ones to shine light into the dark places and to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom.  According to Eph 2:10, God has prepared good works for us to walk in.  God could have chosen to preach the gospel to the world through a giant megaphone, but He has chosen to use us - "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"

Similarly, He could have chosen to feed the poor with manna from Heaven, protect the oppressed with legions of angels, and wipe away every tear from every eye with His own physical hand.  Instead, He wants to use us to bring mercy, justice, and compassion to this world - to make it salty. 

I want to live the Salt Life.  I want to make a tangible difference in our world through the power of God's Spirit.  If it means taking risks and getting my hands dirty, then so be it.  Jesus was willing to leave Heaven and become one of us and even suffer and die by the hands of those He was dying to save.  The least I can do is hang out with non-Christians and engage in the world to help the needy and defend the oppressed.  In doing so, maybe, just maybe, God will use me to make our world a little saltier. 

Prayer Update: Why We Do What We Do

This month we wanted to share with you the motivation behind our ministry with 100% Sent and give you a glimpse of some of the important work we are doing.  It is a large change initiative in our ministry and it is only possible by God's Spirit, so please join us in praying for the Lord to send laborers from our ministries into the fields that are ripe for harvest!  THANKS!!!  You can read our update here.

Meeting God in Banana Republic

It's been a normal summer, and by normal I mean the kind where you think it's going to be slow and laid back, but it's actually crazy.  Because of the craziness and the taking care/keeping alive/entertaining 2 kids all day, I needed a break!  Plus, my mind has been very full because we are starting to enter into the adoption process again, so I've been worrying, uh, I mean thinking about that a lot . . . So, my friend, Kristina, and I decided to take a trip to the mall to shop around and have dinner.

It was almost time to go home, but we made a last stop in Banana Republic where I love to go and look, never buy things full price/if I buy something, it comes from the sale section (preferably if there's an additional 40% off).  As we walked into the store, an hour before closing, Geoff (sales associate) has 5 cards in his hand; he tells us that 1 of them is a $500 shopping spree.  I said, "bummer Blair isn't here because he always wins things."  Kristina opened her card, and I put 1 finger on each card to see if I could get a vibe from it.  The one in the middle had the vibe, but I thought - no, that's too obvious.  It's never the one in the middle, but nevertheless, I went with my gut.  I opened it up and I saw "$500 shopping spree."  I thought it had to be a joke.  I felt certain I was part of a psychological experiment where they tell you, you won something and then tell you it's a joke just to see how you'll respond.  Well, it wasn't a joke.  I won a $500 shopping spree . . .

It had to be spent right then!  I felt frantic.  I was shaking, sweating profusely, and disoriented.  Kristina was helping me and all the sales associates seemed really happy for me and they were helping too.  They pulled things they thought would look good.  I felt like someone featured on "What Not to Wear."  This sweet guy, Louis, pulled out the nice jewelry that I would never in a million years look at because it's so expensive.  He talked about complementary colors on the color wheel, and I was thinking - Sarah, you need to take this all in because it's a once in a lifetime experience.  The store did close, but they let us stay because they were all staying until midnight anyway, so it felt extra behind the scenes and VIP.

It was seriously a dream come true – literally.  I would never in a million years have expected that to happen.  It was truly amazing, fun, memorable, special.  I kept searching for the right word to describe the whole experience, and the word I came up with was "lavish." It's one of my favorite words.  I've always loved in Ephesians where it talks about how God has lavished His love on us.  I always think of lavishing as . . . to go completely and utterly above and beyond to show love.  The dictionary says it’s “bestowing profusely.”  It felt like love and care was being "bestowed profusely" on me.  I felt seen by God and desired and special to Him.  I struggle with feeling unworthy a lot.  I always have.  In that moment, that day, I felt worthy of love and lavishing.  I will never forget it. 

The other great aspect of it all is you know how I mentioned before that I've been worrying, uh, I mean thinking about adoption lately.  A lot of it is about the money.  I don't know about you, but we don’t have $30,000 laying around.  When I got home, I felt like God was saying, “I can provide you a $500 shopping spree out of thin air.  I can also provide the money you need to bring your 3rd child into your family . . .”

Just for fun - here are a couple of pics.  This one is me as we were leaving.  I couldn't take the card with me, so here I am in all my glory with the card i.e., this is what someone with curly hair looks like after trying on clothes all day . . .

 

 Here is  my biggest splurge.  I would never have otherwise bought it, but when do you get $500 for free at one of your favorite stores???

I Am Sending You

The first thing Jesus told the disciples after He resurrected was, "Peace be with you."  After He showed them His scars, He said, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you" (John 20:21).  I can only imagine their need for peace in that moment.  Their Lord has just been killed, they were hiding in fear of their lives, then Jesus appears in a room with the doors bolted shut.  I could have used a double-dose of peace in that moment as well!  But Jesus doesn't leave them there, he tells them what is next in His plan - He is sending them.  They will need His peace for this mission even more.  But this message wasn't only intended for the 11 disciples in the room.  It was a commissioning for all who love Jesus, an invitation to  follow Him. 

So what was Jesus sent to do?  He tells us very early in His ministry.  He enters the synagogue in Nazareth and reads from Isaiah 61:1-2, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Then he says, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:21).  It couldn't get any clearer.  This is Jesus' mission.  It is what He has been sent to do and it is what He is sending us to do as well.

This begs the question, what does it mean to proclaim liberty to the captives and proclaim the year of the Lord's favor?  I can't give the blind their sight so what does this mean for me?

This passage speaks to us on two levels - the vertical and the horizontal.  Vertically, it is about our relationship with God.  It is spiritual.  We are the poor, the captives, the blind, the oppressed.  We need to be set free from our sin, and Jesus did just that when He paid the penalty for our sin on the cross.  Now, we are sent to proclaim the message of the Gospel to those around us who need to hear the good news that Jesus wants to set them free as well.  But this is not all.  If we watch His earthly ministry, we see this passage lived out horizontally to the people around Him as He demonstrated the good news in their lives.

Jesus fed the poor with real food, not just spiritual food.  He healed people's physical ailments - blindness, leprosy, even death.  Jesus met people where they were and met their needs.  This drew others to Him because they saw what He offered was tangible and real, not some mystical, hyper spiritual dialogue.  Jesus was a God who they could touch and now as His ambassadors, He is sending us as God sent Him so we also need to demonstrate the good news of the Gospel in addition to proclaiming it.  We need to meet the needs of others around us.  Does your neighbor need help with a project on his house?  Help him out.  Do you have a friend struggling emotionally?  Listen to them.  Is there an organization in town that helps serve those in need?  The poor, widows, orphans, victims of domestic violence or human trafficking?  What time, abilities, and money could you give to an organization who is carrying out Jesus' loving work of proclaiming the year of the Lord's favor to people in your community? 

I believe that this is the abundant life that Jesus spoke of.  Going to church is wonderful, but if the love of God does not move you to follow Jesus in doing what He did - both demonstrating and proclaiming His message of love - then we're missing out.  As we demonstrate the gospel through acts of love, it opens the door for us to discuss the message of the gospel with those we are loving.  Will it be easy?  No.  Will it be worth it? Absolutely.

So you're probably thinking, "Enough preaching Blair, what does this look like in your life? Do you practice what you preach?"  The simple answer is, I'm learning to.  Since we work at Cru headquarters, all our co-workers are Christians, so we have to meet people who don't know Christ in other places.  We're getting to know our neighbors, although not doing a great job at that.  Why?  Because it's hard and it takes time.  But God is opening up some relationships for us with people in the community in other ways.  So we're trusting God will continue to lead us to the people we should invest in and taking the opportunities He gives us.  We're also both very passionate about the issue of modern-day slavery so I volunteer with Florida Abolitionist, a local group who is raising awareness and facilitating victim services here in Orlando.  (If you're in Orlando and want to check it out, please let me know!) We don't pretend to be perfect but are just trying to be real and follow after Jesus.  It's a Beautiful Mess... 

To dig into this more, grab a group of friends and read The Tangible Kingdom by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay.  After you finish that read Barefoot Church by Brandon Hatmaker.  Both of these books have rocked my world and have opened my eyes to living a 'sent' life by following Jesus.  Put into practice just some of the things they write about and you will begin to experience the Gospel more fully in your own life and in the lives of those around you.

July Prayer Update - Looking Back and Praising God

This month, we are taking some time to look back on all the things the Lord has done in our ministry over the years.  We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary so it seemed appropriate to celebrate our ministry anniversary as well.  Please join us in praising the Lord for these memories, but also leave a comment to let us know your favorite memories so we can join with you in praising God as well!  If you want to see the printable version, go here, otherwise the body of the letter is below:

Anniversary

12 years ago, two kids from SW VA met, fell in love, and followed God in the great adventure of serving Him in vocational ministry.  We’d like to invite you to join with us in reflecting back on all the Lord has done in our midst since then.  Here are just a few memories.  You may have your own as you’ve walked with us along the way.  If so, please send us a message or give us a call so that we can praise the Lord together for all He has done in your lives and ours through the years!

 

In the Fall of 2000 Sarah began her internship with Cru at Virginia Tech and joined staff the following year.  Then, in the Summer of 2002, we got married and I joined staff as well.  We reported to VT in the fall excited to reach students for Christ, build them up in their faith, and send them out to reach others.
 

We helped launch the first Bridges International student ministry at VT and shared the gospel with many who had never heard it from around the world.  Anderson (middle) was one student who received Jesus as Savior through this ministry.
 

We spent the summer of 2003 in Australia leading the first summer project to the University of Melbourne where we helped start the ministry on that campus that continues today.  
 

Sarah gave overall leadership to the women’s ministry and was the co-director of the movement for a few years. One fun memory was the powder-puff football league she started in order to give women a place to build relationships with their non-believing friends.
 

On May 10, 2006 Aiden was born!
 

Blair led a group of students from VT to East Asia for Spring Break in 2007.  It was an incredible experience to share God’s love with many who have never heard it and open American students’ eyes to God’s heart for the world!
 

April 16, 2007 is a sad day we will never forget.  The massacre at Virginia Tech is far from a highlight, but we want to thank you for all the support and prayers that flooded in for us and our students during the days and weeks that followed.
 

In the Fall of 2007 we moved to Orlando.  The Lake Hart Stint was a wonderful time of growth in the Lord.  The next year we began working to help develop our leaders around the nation and reach students from around the world at Disney.  
 

On April 29, 2009 Addy was born!
 

We joined the 100% Sent national team in the Fall of 2010 and that is where we continue to serve.  It has  been a privilege to give leadership to one of the most important initiatives in the campus ministry ever.  As we equip our students more effectively to impact the world around them upon graduation, our world will truly be changed by these followers of Jesus.  Thank you for your partnership in the journey!

May Prayer Letter - Celebrations & Transitions

This month, thousands of students will graduate and start the next phase of their lives.  We pray that those who have been in our Cru movements will transition well to a lifetime of fruitfulness.  This month, hear about how one graduate, Mike, has worked to help his class of grads be better prepared for the transition.  You can read our prayer update here.  Thanks for your prayers!

Following our God-Given Passions

While preparing for a student conference in November, I was looking through some resources that our 100% Sent team created to help students with their transition.  One document is designed to help them identify their passions in order to steer them towards their God-given calling with these questions:

• If you were asked to create a TV special about something that moves you, what would it be about?
• What magazines intrigue you most at a newsstand? What sections or articles most catch your attention?
• If you started a business or organization to solve a need, what would it be? 
• What issue would you like to see someone write a bestselling book about? 
• What biblical passages has God used deeply in your life? 
• How have the passages shaped your view of life and the world?
• What ignites the passion of your life and excites you when you think about doing it for a vocation?
• What rewarding experiences has God given you that may have been preparation for your future?
• How has God used you significantly in the past? 
• What are the things that make you feel the most alive when you participate in them? 
• In what ways do you most enjoy giving yourself away to others? 
• Who are the people you find yourself voluntarily getting together with, again and again, for
  deeper discussions? What are your deepest discussions about? 
• How would you use a gift of a million dollars if it had to be given away to a cause that moves
  you? 
• Is there any need or problem you believe in so strongly that you’d love to work at it full-time?

As you read these questions, you probably noticed some themes.  These may point to some passions in your life.  For me, the recurring theme was modern-day slavery.  At that moment, I felt the Lord say, "What are you doing about it?"  My answer was, "Not much."  A few years ago we had become aware of this atrocity and began supporting International Justice Mission (IJM) financially to help them fight this injustice.  I felt the Lord saying that He had put this passion on my heart and I needed to act on it, so I began praying about how I could practically get involved.

About a week later, a local organization, Florida Abolitionist (FA), held a movie screening about sex slavery called Nefarious.  I learned even more about the evil that is modern-day slavery and met the founder of FA.  I told him about my passion to get involved right away so he invited me to join him on a "street outreach" the next day.  We went to an area of town that is known for prostitution and talked with hotel managers to raise their awareness of the situation and gave them information about who to contact if they saw anything suspicious.  I was diving in head first, it was overwhelming but great and I learned a lot that day.

Since then, I have been able to remain involved with FA and have been working to launch a justice movement at our church.  In the fall, I'm also going to begin working with the partnership Cru has with IJM to help launch justice movements on campuses and incorporate 100% Sent by helping graduates with this passion connect to local opportunities.

Through the process, the Lord has opened my eyes greatly to His heart.  I see His desire for justice and mercy as he displayed both when Jesus took the penalty of our sin and set us free from our captivity on the cross.  I see His love for the "least of these" as we follow Jesus' lead in not only proclaiming the gospel but demonstrating it through acts of love to those in need.  The good news is more than a message, it is tangible as God's Kingdom comes to earth.  Jesus has set me free and is calling me to set others free, both physically and spiritually.

Maybe the same questions that have uncovered this passion in my life will help you.  What are you passionate about???