By FRANK CAMPBELL

Too often when we think of examples of generosity we think of those who have given large sums of money or used their money to create charitable foundations in their names. There are so many opportunities to be generous beyond giving money, and many of those gifts have greater value than a check. There’s more than just one kind of generosity.

Think of every gift that has been given to you. Think beyond birthdays, anniversaries, and graduations. Once you get past those types of gifts in your life, I bet you will see gifts of forgiveness, patience, friendship, time, love and grace. I am reminded of family, friends, teachers, and coaches in my life who have been so generous to me. I am not self made. Not only has God given me my own unique gifts, but he has brought people into my life who have shared their gifts with me. Some gifts have helped me through a particular rough patch, and some have stayed with me and made a profound impact on the person I am to this day.

If I have humility, it was a gift I received from living and working with Marines. While you may not associate humility with the Marine Corps, I can assure you that the men and women who form the Corps are a great example of it. The Marines I know had strong minds, bodies and characters. They used these gifts to serve God, their families, and fellow Marines more than to fulfill their personal desires. In fact, the Marines I know that gave their lives in combat did so not to be heroes, but because they humbled themselves to the needs of those they were serving. Is there a greater form of humility or generosity?

God gives to people many different types of gifts. Some are given fortunes and others are given the ability to hear another’s heart. Some have the intellect to create great ideas, and others have the drive to bring those ideas to reality. Generosity is the use of the gifts you have been given for causes other than your self. In a world where the demands of our time and finances seem to always be closing in on us, it is sometimes hard to let go of the exact things our world tells us we should be storing up. Those who give freely of themselves, their time, and their money are a conduit of the gifts God has given to them. These are people who expect to receive nothing in return for their gifts. They attach no strings, no control and no contingencies on the gift they are giving. They are aware of what God has been gracious enough to give to them, and they feel commanded to share these gifts. Why store your gifts up to be used only for yourself when sharing your gifts may touch another’s heart to be generous with their own gifts? Mankind can multiply what God has given by sharing God’s gifts with others.

While examples of generosity are in the news everyday, each of us can be generous in a way God has intended specifically for us. We simply must know what gifts we have received and listen for the opportunities God presents to us to share them.

Editor’s Note: Tom Coburn, M.D. represented Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995-2001 and has served as the U.S. Senator for Oklahoma since 2004. In this piece, Senator Coburn writes on the difference between hope and optimism and speaks to the vast significance hope may play in our daily lives.

By TOM COBURN

I have been thinking a lot about what hope means. It is not merely a word but a life style that is based on the truth of who Jesus is.

We tend to think in our intellectual being that hope and optimism are the same, but in truth, they are miles apart. I can be optimistic about a situation, and it can turn out good, bad or neutral. It is a short-term intellectual assessment of our situation whereas hope, real hope, based on the grace and demonstrable love of Jesus is entirely long-term but perfected in the short-term. You may ask, “How is it perfected in the short-term?” We are constantly learning that we are loved, shielded, disciplined and even exposed so that God can make of us, do with us, example us both for us and those He would like to draw closer to Him.

We are on a journey that few of us really take advantage of in that we rarely look for the insight of God’s hand on our lives. It is when we look for that insight that hope becomes preeminent in that we recognize the magnitude of God’s love and direction of events. Each day I have started looking for the signs of His actions and my hope is made stronger as I see Him work around me. I get to see the perfection of his God ship, and it is made more clear each year I am on the earth. I see Him each day as a sweet harmony in the midst of chaos.

Contrast the above with the secular view of hope being a wish, not a state of knowing the future is cared for and the end has already been written.

My wish is just that; a structured thought about the future we wish to see and experience. This wish, however, misses the most important aspect of life. One can only possess true hope, a hope based on real experiences, after they have come from the initial step of faith.

We need each other to remind us to look around and see His antics at play and to listen as He communicates and signals His actions upon our lives. We are the much poorer when we miss His awesome workings among us. Because when we miss Him at work, we miss the chance for real hope.

By JOCK CAMERON

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:4~6

A good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children, but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous. Proverbs 13:22

Recently I picked up the latest copy of my old school magazine and flicked through the full-colour pages heralding the achievements of those boys currently at the school and the old boys who had long since left its hallowed halls. As I read, a vague sense of disquiet crept over me: it was as if an old, unhappy ghost had woken from its slumber and was making its way from the recesses of my mind to penetrate my consciousness.

I then had a very distinct memory of my first day at school. I can still remember where I was standing just inside the school grounds, gazing up in awe at the ivy covered main building. I was with my father.

This was a big day for my Dad. Sending his boys to this Scottish Presbyterian enclave was in his mind a symbol of great significance. It represented a milestone in his life-long quest to make something of his life – and I was his first-born. I sensed the weightiness of the moment.

I will never forget what my Dad said to me as we stood there. Confronted with the grandeur of this moment, when long held invisible dreams became manifest in the our physical presence there – me with new boater on my head and crisp felt blazer – panic rose up in Dad’s heart.

“I don’t know what we think we’re doing here. We don’t belong here. Anyway, just try and fit in and hopefully no one will notice.”

Looking back, I realize what power those words had: “we don’t belong here.” Thus began the unhappiest six years of my life: six years of failing everyone’s expectations and retreating into a practiced laissez-faire carelessness that masked my own deep sense of inadequacy. To this day these memories cause me pain: I still feel a dark disquiet each time I drive past the old school.

In those years I was very angry with my father. I felt I would never be able to please him, and much of my behaviour was defined as a reaction to him. I told myself I would never be like him and that I didn’t care what he thought. If only it were true.

In my first year of university I discovered the love of God, and it changed my life. I had an experience of the Holy Ghost coming upon me, and I knew my life would never be the same. In the ensuing years God began to heal so many of those broken places in my life and giving me a new set of eyes through which to see myself and others – including Dad.

Being a father now myself I see how easy it is to make a mess of it. I have less conviction of my own righteousness and more grace toward his memory. A number of years ago I actually became interested in my father’s story. I realized that he grew up with a father who took very little interest in him, in spite of Dad’s craving for him to do so. Like me, Dad grew up telling himself that he would never be like his father.

When Dad was about 30 he committed his life to Christ out of an intellectual conviction that his years of atheism had been misguided and that there must, after all, be a God who held the universe in His hands. When I think of this now I realize that this was the miraculous intervention of God in the life of a man who had grown up with no spiritual heritage. It was God not only reaching into his life but also beginning a work that would continue generationally.

Jesus makes it clear in the Gospels that all of our lives will be judged: that we will all have to give an account for ourselves. But the way Jesus judges is not the same as the way my old school magazine judges. He does not look at us all through the same lens and exult the strong: he judges us according to what we have been given.

My Dad did pretty well with what he had been given. Growing up with no encouragement from his working class father, with no spiritual heritage, and with a weak heart, he had an amazing life. He managed to raise six children, educating them at some of the best schools in the country. He kept his family together (though some would attribute this more to the saintliness of his wife!). Unlike his own father he took a very active interest in the lives of his kids at the same time as having a successful career in public life where he stood as an advocate for Christ.

Don’t get me wrong; he had plenty of faults, many of which inflicted a lot of damage on his family. But I have come to see that God was at work in him nonetheless. He began something in Dad and the most important question is whether I will let Him finish it in me. My father gave me a lot more than his father ever gave him. Can I do the same for my children? This is a much better basis of judgment than the one I historically used with Dad.

God is working in our lives generationally. Salvation is a personal, individual experience, but the fruit of it should be passed on through family lines. God will expect more of me than He did of my father, because I have been given more. In some ways this is a fearful thought: in other ways an exciting one. Imagine what my kids might be able to pass on to their children if I can do the same as my Dad – give them more than I received. The “X factor” in this equation is the power of God. He is working to redeem and restore his people and will do so powerfully, if we are willing to take Him at His word.

Next year I am sending my second son back to the ivy-covered old school – I could not stomach the idea with my first! But I hope I can send him with a word of hope. “Son, live boldly! You belong here! There are those who have gone before you who have paved a way — including your grandfather.”

Many of us live with the pain of what our parents could not be for us. But we must remember that our Father in heaven is perfect in all His ways. He knows what we need, and desires to give it to us. We can find in Him a Father who can heal all our brokenness and set us free from a life of reaction so we can pass on something new and wonderful to those who come after us. God’s Kingdom is coming generationally.

jocko@bigpoind.net.au

“The greatest defeat the ego can suffer is to allow oneself to be loved without thinking and believing that one has earned that love.” — Richard Rohr

We live in a day of global competition. Our leaders rally for a “war on terror” or a war on “climate change.” Their words depict a world in flux, and we fear this uncertain world of wars and competition — and a sense of imminent danger lurks inside us. Perhaps we sense the danger that the sheer speed of history will throw us into the wayside.

Perhaps our names won’t be forgotten, if we are just spectacular enough. Or if we are relevant enough, we will make enough money to survive the rat race. Or if we are powerful enough, just maybe, we can control the dangers that lurk around the corner in the 21st Century.

Leadership is taught in this context, in a highly dangerous and competitive world of limited resources. We are trained in schools, in athletics, through media, and by government leaders — very much like the Romans of Jesus’ day: To lead is to dominate and to be self-sufficient. To need is weakness. To not have the answers brings an automatic disqualification. To have any visible failings handicaps us.

Think of corporate power structures: Enron, WorldCom, Hewlett-Packard. One person alone at the top — isn’t that the way it is? Even in the world of government: despite “checks and balances,” there’s a lack of intimacy, vulnerability and accountability. Men and women become un-tethered from their ethical and relational anchors. Even in religious circles: leaders can become overly concerned about building organizational empires and having power, or at least access to the ear of power.

These structures are dangerous, because they leave the leader alone at the top, without real friends to ask the hard questions. Most leaders surround themselves with timid yes-men whose stomachs churn with unspoken criticisms and insight. These leaders quickly develop an empty inner life, left alone in isolation. The reality of the “soul vacuum” bears witness in the secret lives of many leaders: President Bill Clinton, Pastor Ted Haggard and others. And why shouldn’t it? This is how we’ve trained our leaders, and this is the logical outcome of living life alone.

Jesus had a different approach, a different way of leading. His power came from his relationship with his Father, the sincerity of his words, and his vulnerability. Living in this secure identity as the Son of the God of the universe, he could reach out in freedom to others as brothers and sisters. Not only did he give, but he also received love, asking them to pray with him, to be with him in his darkest moments, looking into their hearts and sharing his.

In John 13, when Jesus hands over leadership to his disciples, he takes off his outer clothing and washes their feet: an extremely vulnerable move. He served them, calling them “friends.” And he instructed them to do likewise: not just to serve but to remove the outer garments of self-protection.

Knowing this, we have a tendency to think Jesus was passive. In reality, he was an initiator with paupers, kings, the sick, soldiers, anyone he met along the road. It takes intentionality and risk to let people into your life, to open yourself up to pain. Jesus spent three intimate years with an enemy who would later betray him. Jesus ate with Judas, sharing his cup and his most important truths with a man he knew would turn on him. And moments before the betrayal, Jesus washed Judas’ feet.

Because of this risk, Jesus knew that vulnerability takes wisdom and discernment. Throughout the gospels, Jesus was in tune with the Father about when to be vulnerable with his heart and his message. Jesus promised his followers that he would send his Holy Spirit to guide them each through of these decisions.

Love, truth, relationships: these will last beyond the crumbling empires founded on greed, fear and perfectionism. Jesus’ vulnerability created the ultimate opportunity for this eternal love. The disciples experienced this and then lived out of it. This same opportunity exists for us today.

What does it look like to lead by being vulnerable?
How does perfectionism prevent vulnerability and cause darker struggles to develop in leaders?
What would it look like if we as followers of Jesus built communities based on love and trust instead of empires based on power?
How is Jesus leading you to be more vulnerable in relationships?

By BRAD OLSEN

“Do not judge…”

Jesus, in his true form, addresses the issue clearly and concisely.

Our problem with Jesus here is not clarity, but application.

“Joe is arrogant.”

“Mary is self-centered.”

“That guy is fat.”

“What a jerk.”

“Wow, is that guy ever a nerd.”

Scene after scene evokes our judgment.

Yet we are all created in God’s image. We are his children.

So whom do we really insult?

The antonym of judgment is to show mercy and forgiveness.

“For in the same way you judge others, you shall be judged.” (Matthew 7:2)

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” (Matthew 6:14).

United Extraordinary Prayer

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” ( 1 Timothy 2:1-3, NIV)
__________________________

Washington DC
Monday, September 22nd, 2008

Dear Friends,
We are a small group of friends who love Jesus and our country, and beginning this week, following the lead of our good friend, Georgina Dufoix in France, we are launching a large movement of prayer for the Candidates in the upcoming Presidential election (November 4th).

The objective of this movement is to uphold in prayer all those who are candidates in this election. Above and beyond their platforms and programs, these people are, first and foremost, human beings, possessed of courage, generosity, and a desire to serve their country, but also with human frailties, weaknesses, and are subject to the discouragement and fatigue common to us all.

Supporting, encouraging, and protecting through prayers in the name of Jesus Christ, those who today have the courage to be candidates in this election is the duty of all believers, as Paul explains in 1 Timothy 2: “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority; that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” (v. 1-3). Sometimes it is difficult to pray for men and women for whom we may never vote, but we believe that it is our responsibility as “disciples/followers” of Jesus Christ to surround in prayer their persons, their families, and their staff, so that “we may live peaceful and quiet lives” in our country, America. As citizens, we will vote for the platform that we think is the best one, but as believers, we pray for all the candidates in order to change the political climate of our country in a way that will touch and benefit all our countrymen.

As a practical matter, this movement is open to everyone, so feel free to pass along this message to those of your friends who would be interested in this initiative. If you would like to receive the letter we will write each week during the final 6 weeks of the campaign, you can e-mail us back at: foery@me.com The goal is to unify the way in which we pray, because “if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in Heaven” (Matt. 18:19, NIV).

Godspeed in serving our country, the United States of America,

With kindest regards

Anne & Butler Bennett Annabel & Donald Foery Loren &Marge Lottis

Editor’s Note: Casper Zublin acts as the chief executive officer for
DynTek, Inc., a leading provider of professional technology services
based in Irvine, California. Living a few miles from Hollywood, Casper
reflects on the effects of greed on man.

By CASPER ZUBLIN

Hollywood has given me easy pictures of greed. And for the most part,
I have a hard time seeing myself or my friends in these pictures. In
my picture of greed, I see a man shouting “Mine! Mine! All Mine!”
with his arms wrapped around a pile of gold coins. But, when I gain a
little distance from that picture, the most striking part is that in
fact he is alone. I don’t see others sharing in his moment of glory.

Despite not seeing myself in this picture, there are moments in which I
can hear the voice of “more is better” and see in mirror the look of
“better me, than them.” These are the subtle, yet powerful arguments
of greed embedded in my head by the world’s logic.

I know that I need to question these arguments. What path will “more
is better” lead me down? When I deny others, and place myself first,
what fruits will come?

Jesus challenged the world’s logic. He had this wonderful way of
walking with his disciples. It’s the undercurrent in most all of the
stories captured about him. He was present with them and placed them
first. His focus was on their hearts and not their wallets. His
concern was their relationships with God and each other. He sometimes
shouted angrily, other times he begged, and still other moments spoke
beautiful words remembered by half the world’s population 2000 years
later.

How would our lives begin to change, or those relationships around us,
if we accepted Jesus’ thoughts and passed on the worlds’ logic?

What if more is just more? What if it no longer connoted in our mind
success or status or position?

And what if we thought: “Better them, than I?” Would our world be a better place?
Would our relationships be stronger?

Would our paths be made straight?

Editor’s Note: McKittrick Simmons, Vice President of Development at Seven Oaks Company, a commercial real estate firm in Atlanta, GA, agreed to share some of his reflections concerning the current economic crisis affecting his business and our nation. Please read his thoughts and feel free to add to the discussion.

By MCKITTRICK SIMMONS

The current economic crisis reminds me that people have a hard time with uncertainty and an especially hard time with financial uncertainty. The more money we have, the more financial uncertainty will interfere with your peace of mind because it feels like we have so much to lose. The prevailing sentiment in times like this is Fear. There are a thousand reasons we get scared when money begins to disappear, but it is clear that we get scared.

I confess that my thought life can become lazy and start to view “Life” and “Lifestyle” as one and the same. Besides being an obviously anemic vision for any person’s life, it will inevitably ruin many of our days and probably more like years of our life. Fundamentally none of us can seem to shake our love of money or this world. And on the other side of coin, we love it when the world loves us back. It remains a personal and complicated relationship. It is also the relationship that Jesus interferes with the most, given His desire to have our undivided attention.

One very important reminder that I give to myself frequently in recent days is that the teachings of Jesus are recession proof. In other words, the Lord’s intense focus on my life and His desire for me to become more like Him every day is not contingent in any way on how the markets are behaving.

The Lord wants us to think like Him, and Jesus’ great interest in all of history has been people. If you think like Jesus, you see people. The inspiration and call of a follower of Jesus is not intended to diminish when economic or political winds blow hard against us. Likewise, the “mind of Christ” is not an interesting subject to read about or maybe take a class on. Jesus has offered us his thoughts out of love for our survival.

There is a real spiritual risk in any time of worldly crisis that we will stop loving God and others and that our thoughts will be dulled and blurred under the stress, fear and worry that can easily take over. The troubles of this world cannot be disregarded, but they cannot occupy the throne of our life. In complex times it is wise to go back to the basics and remember the choice we have each day to believe and manifest love or submit to fear and slowly perish.

“But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved” (Hebrews 10:39).