Have a party, bake a cake, make a banner, write a letter...

Just do something.

Scripture tells us in Romans 12:9,10, “Let love be genuine….Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”

What are we waiting for? What am I waiting for?

It's the question I ask in my Tuesday post at Dan King's Bible-Dude. Hop on over to Dan's, leave a comment {pretty please?} Then ask God who He wants you to show honor today - this week and how He wants you to do it. Then come back over here and tell me about it. I'm praying the same thing this morning.

Father, who do you want me to honor this day?

To be deceived by beauty...

I'm all about beauty - looking for it, thanking God for it - but sometimes beauty can be deceptive. I shared those thoughts with a few photos at Dan King's Bible-Dude yesterday. Won't you join me over there today?

When you want to make a difference...

For we are his workmanship,
created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand,
that we should walk in them..
Ephesians 2.10

Long before I surrendered my life to Christ, my heart was tender to the needs of others. My earliest memories include a desire to find a cure for leukemia {a lofty goal, I know - especially considering my less than stellar academic accomplishments} and the hope of traveling to Africa to care for sick and hungry babies. The closest I came to either of these childhood longings was when I became a registered nurse and years later when I watched my daughter board a plane on a mission trip to Rwanda.

Though I never realize those early ideals, I'm convinced that the goals of my youth were evidence of God's sovereignty in my life - that He fashioned me with extra measures of compassion and mercy, preparing me to walk in the works for which I was created - just not exactly in the way I had envisioned.

My career in professional nursing ended when I chose to stay home with our children, but the opportunities to show compassion have only increased. We've been able to sponsor several children through Compassion and World Vision and other child sponsorship ministries. We've also had the opportunity to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and several other local agencies and ministries, but I know that we can do more.

As followers of Jesus, we are compelled - both by scripture and our love for Jesus - to do something to alleviate the suffering of others and share the love of Jesus. Our salvation is the gift of grace by faith alone and not our works, but we were created for the works that bring glory to God (Ephesians 2.8-10), and our faith is manifested in those works (James 2.14-26). 

There is a direct relationship between a person’s grasp and experience of God’s grace, and his or her heart for justice and the poor.  Tim Keller

We do long for justice and to make a difference, that's not the problem - it's knowing what to do when the social justice issues we're confronted with daily can seem overwhelming and insurmountable. The needs and concerns are so great that we don't know where to begin or if there's anything we are capable of doing that could or would make a difference.

Activist Faith: From Him and For Him, by authors Dillon Burroughs, Daniel Darling, and Dan King, perfectly answers many of those questions about what we can do and provides information and links to resources so we can begin doing something now.

Activist Faith: From Him and For Him covers 12 social justice issues of our day: slavery, immigration, poverty, environmentalism, disaster relief, homelessness, abortion, war/terror/genocide, religious freedom, family/sexuality, crime/punishment, and orphans - with a chapter dedicated to each one.  

Each chapter contains detailed and factual information, describes obstacles and difficulties that have been encountered in the past, real-life stories and examples of successful interventions, scriptural support for action, reflection questions for individuals or groups, and a list of tools and resources for research and action. 

Most importantly, each chapter includes a variety of answers to the question, "What can I possibly do to make a difference?" by offering multiple proven, practical and winsome ways each of us can begin to make a difference in how we live as disciples of Jesus.

Activist Faith: From Him and For Him, is an excellent resource for individual, family, and group study. I'm thrilled to have this book in our home. 

There has been a huge need for a book to give the theological background for why Christians should engage in social justice. Activist Faith fits that need perfectly. It provides solid biblical reasons we should care about the poor, immigrants, and modern-day slaves as well as practical steps for how to take action. Sean McDowell, educator; speaker; author of Apologetics for a New Generation

A fragrant offering...

I don’t believe this was a coincidence. I believe that God sometimes orchestrates even the smallest details that manifest His presence in ways that can sometimes be difficult to articulate, but are powerful faith builders for those who experience it none-the-less. That day was one of those experiences.

I'm over at Dan King's Bible Dude this morning where you can read the rest. I do hope you'll click on over and let me know you were there.

When I least deserve them...

For one whole week, I worked on an article that I could never make work. One whole week.

I took my laptop with me everywhere. I wrote through the blues, medical tests, the cat throwing up on top of the refrigerator, a cell phone {our only phone} that most of the time won't work inside the house, the return of warm and muggy weather, and half the lights on the Christmas tree going out. 

I'm wondering if the best and easiest thing to do with the tree is to take all the ornaments off and start over. That's exactly what I did with that article.

I deleted the whole thing and started from scratch. 

It's pathetic whining - all of it, I know. On a scale of 1-10, my complaints rate a big fat 0, and I'm embarrassed to admit them. 

Yesterday I left the comforts of my air-conditioned house {still whining} and stood outside in the hot and muggy backyard to talk on the phone when out of the corner of my eye I saw something big land next to the pond. 

By the time the phone conversation was over and I could get my camera {which took several trips back inside because first I realized the battery wasn't in it and then I noticed I'd left the memory card in the computer}, the something big flew away. 

Whatever it was seemed to land near the creek, and though I was still in my PJ's, I decided to venture in that direction. I suspected a hawk and knew it would likely fly further away if I got too close - they always do - but hoped I could get a shot from a distance before it saw me. 

As soon as I spotted him perched on the branch of one of the tall pines at the edge of the creek, I stopped moving. From where I was standing, he was partially hidden by a clump of long pine needles, but I could see enough to tell that he was a red shouldered hawk. 

I took a few photos and began inching closer...stopping every few seconds to take more photos. I was sure he'd quickly take off. It was impossible for me to hide in the clearing between our backyard and the creek, and even if I wasn't wearing pink PJ's, his keen vision would make him aware of my every move. 

I continued to inch closer - past the dog pen, through the gap in the fence, to the edge of the creek until I was right under the branch where this beautiful creature stood.  

I'll spare you the hundreds of photos I snapped from a distance when I didn't expect to get this close. 

When I get discouraged and choose to camp there - for whatever reasons, however petty and insignificant - pessimism sneaks in and I cease to expect anything good. I should know better. Eyes I've cultivated to find and capture mercies become veiled to the evidences of God's grace. 

And when I least deserve them the most, they fly in on the wings of a red shouldered hawk.

I'm honored to be guest blogging at Dan King's {Bible Dude} today - filling in for Sandra King who is in Haiti. I'd love to have you visit me there...and then click on over to Sandra's and read how God is at work through her in Haiti.

From Pew-Warmer to Poverty-Fighter...{a book review}

"I saw a group of people who had the same dreams that I did."

Dan King, The Unlikely Missionary 

When Dan King, a self-described "guy with a regular job and a regular family who sits in the regular church pews", began blogging, he could not have envisioned where God was going to take him or how God would use him to inspire others to fulfill God's purposes for their lives.

In his recently released e-book, The Unlikely Missionary: From Pew-Warmer to Poverty-Fighter*, Dan describes his transformation from "an ordinary Christian trying not to be lukewarm" to a man of great compassion for the least of these and desire to help them succeed in overcoming poverty. He tells that story through his journey to Africa with Five Talents International, an organization that fights poverty by providing business training and spiritual development to the poor in developing third world countries.

Dan humbly states that he's not a "powerhouse writer", but his authentic and conversational style makes The Unlikely Missionary a delightful, inspiring and easy read.  Each of the nine short chapters includes interesting stories with samples from his trip journal, and concludes with questions for reflection, further study and writing prompts, making it a valuable resource for bloggers and small group or individual study.

As I read, I underlined and annotated nearly every page. His concluding paragraph in chapter six is one that spoke directly to me as I work to write and edit my photography...

"...we should never think too much of our own creative efforts. Our part is to simply highlight the creativity of the Master Creator."

Dan's book is not a "how to be a missionary" manual. It's the story of a "normal dude" who wants to be used however God chooses, and in the telling of his story, his readers are encouraged to be open to God, as well. 

"You may not end up in Africa like I did. You may end up finding more purpose right at home in your own backyard or your office or your neighborhood or your school district. The location isn't as important as doing the things that will allow God to use you to the fullest." 

The Unlikely Missionary: From Pew-Warmer to Poverty-Fighter can be downloaded for only $4.99 here. 

About Dan King: Christ-follower. Husband. Father. Corporate training development guru. School of ministry and missions instructor. Social media editor for thehighcalling.org. Blogger at bibledude.net. Co-founder and media director for the activistfaith.org movement. Social media director for help end local poverty.

{*Dan King graciously provided a free copy for my review, but the opinions expressed here are my own. All quotes above are attributed to Dan King from The Unlikely Missionary: From Pew-Warmer to Poverty-Fighter}

{Photo} sunlight warming pews in the Belmont University bell tower chapel, 2009, and a small country church in rural south Florida, 2011