Movies that Matter

As many of you know, we are currently in the adoption process. It has been both enjoyable, but very difficult as well. We have had opposition from people within our own family to the whole idea of adoption, and then we have also had a great deal of support from family and friends (some whom we did not expect).

With that said, sometimes we see movies that just impact us in such a great and profound way. Sally and I recently watched "Martian Child" with John and Joan Cusack. The movie's description is:

The romantic drama Martian Child stars John Cusack as a recently widowed science fiction writer who forms an unlikely family with a close friend (Amanda Peet) and a young boy he adopts that claims to be from Mars. The new couple ignores some sage parenting advice from the widower’s sister (Joan Cusack) and gets more than they bargained for when a series of strange occurrences lead them to believe that the child’s claim may be true.

While this description may appeal to the audiences across the land, it wasn't particularly stunning to either of us. It wasn't until we spoke to others from our adoption classes that gave the movie rave reviews. Boy were they right! More accurately, this is a story of a child who has lost everyone dear to him. He has created a world for himself so that no one can hurt him again; his claim/world is that he is from Mars. He is teased, ridiculed, deemed un-adoptable by the adoption agency until John Cusack's character enters the picture. From there, you'll have to see the movie.

What so many people don't seem to realize is that while this movie is based on a short story of science fiction, it really touches on an aspect of reality that many in this world don't want to face; there are children that are up for adoption that "nobody" wants. There are over 150,000 children in the foster care system in the United States alone right now; many of which are up for adoption. Each of these children have been through some traumatic experience that led them into the care of the foster system. It could be abandonment, neglect, physical or sexual abuse, drugs and/or alcohol, or a number of other things. These kids, much like the "Martian Child" cope in very different ways to what has happened and it takes a special person for each child. Sometimes it takes something a little alien to these kids to bring them out of their shell. The alien? Love.

From the biblical point of view, we are to take care of widows and orphans (James 1:27). Interestingly, many proclaiming Christians want nothing to do with these "Martian Children." We come up with excuses like, "what about our other children" or "now isn't a good time in our life" or "others have had problems with their adopted child, I don't want that" or the most absurd comment, "they are damaged goods." These "damaged goods" are just like this "Martian Child," little children - human beings - who have had to face more in fewer years than most people will in their lifetime. They are seeking love and approval and will create a world in which they can get it. Some may act out as even negative attention is attention. Some will over compensate by trying to do everything for you so that you will give them attention. And some will create a story so that they can deal with their past. That is the "Martian Child's" story.

Now, adoption isn't right for everyone, or so we've been told. But let me guide you to three things. First, read the Bible. For those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior, they have been adopted into God's family as children of God (Romans 8:15, 8:23, 9:4; Galatians 4:5, 5:10; Ephesians 1:5). God never has abandoned those whom He has adopted and commands us to care for the orphans (which many of these children are). Second, watch this movie. It will give you a new perspective on adoption and how these children really are human and not just "damaged goods" that "nobody wants." Another pretty good, although not as sentimental, movie is the newer Disney's "Tarzan" and "Meet the Robinsons." Yes, they are cartoons, but they are pretty good. Lastly, I want to point you to a book called "The One Factor: How One Changes Everything."

Are you that special person for that "Martian Child" and you don't know it? Ask in prayer, and consider how you can be "The One" to make the difference in life of a child.

Ministry in Kazakhstan

Many of you may know that my family on my mother's side originally came to the United States as refugees from Stalin's Kazakhstan. Of course then, it was part of the Soviet Union. They struggled through many obstacles to reach the United States; and with a sponsor, a job, and knowing the language, they entered into this great country in the early 1950's. They, as many of us who were born here, have felt blessed to be here.

I owe a great deal to my grandparents. They instilled in me values and respect, but most importantly, introduced me to who Jesus is. Little did my babushka (grandma) know that the seed that she planted in me would later grow, be harvested, and then help spread the Gospel just as she still does to this day.

With all of this said, our church helps support missionaries in Kazakhstan who have recently invited me on a missions trip to Astana, Kazakhstan in October of this year. What a wonderful opportunity! I will not only get to see the land that my grandparents came from, but even better, I will be able to spread the seeds of faith back to the lands from which they came.

This trip is being arranged by the International Missions Board through Bob Hartman International Ministries. This particular mission trip is being designed to expose pastors and church leaders to the possibilities of being on mission in Kazakhstan. During the trip, I will...

• Prayerwalk strategic locations across the city of Astana (the facts about Astana: almost 1 million people - only 1 Baptist church).
• Be given the opportunity to preach in a local Baptist church in Astana or in a church in another city or rural village.
• Discover how we could develop a one on one prayer partnership with the pastor and local church where I will preach.
• Meet with unchurched nationals who speak "some" English and interact with them and share your testimony with them as God allows.
• Sow Gospel seed with SlipDiscs (frisbees) that have the gospel printed on the bottom in two local languages in local parks and near campuses. Learning to throw a frisbee is still very much a novelty in Kazakhstan and we can easily engage locals in wanting to learn how. We will give them the SlipDisc as a free gift. This will give access to the gospel to all who live in their home!
• Experience what it's like to be a missionary arriving in a new place without any language skills and limited cultural knowledge. One afternoon, our group will shop and purchase items at the bazaar - on our own - and then come back and fix a meal - all from scratch!
• View the wonderful beauty of the Kazakh Steppe (the flat, grassy, semiarid plains of central Kazakhstan) and the modern new capital city of Astana.

To be able to do all of this, I need your help.

First, please pray for our group that is going, the missionaries that are currently there, the local churches, and that the people's hearts will be open to the Gospel. The Lord answering your prayers for this trip will make this trip a success.

Second, if you are financially able, please prayerfully consider sponsoring me on this missions trip. I will need to raise a total of $3,200 by the end of August to be able to go on the trip. Your sponsorship of any amount (and I mean any amount - $5 to $500 or whatever you can) helps make this ministry trip possible. Your donation, if sponsoring by check, is tax deductible. If you are interested in sponsoring me, please email me and I can give you more details on the trip, who to make the check out to, and where to send it.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post. Please be in prayer. God bless!

Smog of more than the air

Have you ever driven from the country into a large metropolitan area? You will notice this gloomy brown cloud that engulfs the entire city. As you drive into it, you notice it less and less, but once out of it, you can see it again.

I was driving into Kansas City today and saw that ‘wonderful’ brown cloud hovering above and throughout the city and thought, “this smog is more than just air pollution.” What do I mean? If you notice, large cities are often full of crime ranging from theft and prostitution to murder. Kansas City is no oasis from these crimes, but seems to serve as an oasis for these crimes. What if the smog was more than just pollution? What if that haze of brown above and throughout the city represented the sin from God’s perspective of the city?

Think of Sodom and Gomorrah. Their sin was so great that God destroyed them. Is our city much different? In Kansas City, you can see a murder reported on the nightly news almost daily. The Liberty Memorial has become a homosexual hang out where they “hook up.” Theft is all around you, and to walk the streets at night in many areas of the down town would be asking for trouble. The sin of the city reeks.

Ironically, much like the smog, we enter the city daily without thought to the sin around us. Before we know it, when someone uses an acronym for a swear word like the one I heard yesterday in a meeting while discussing the interview process and the notes that some write; “NFW,” how soon before we fill in what the F stands for? Just like the smog that fills our lungs with each breath, the sin of the city permeates our conscience and we don’t even realize the impact that it has on us.

Now, small towns are not immune to sin or are free from it, but the smog of the small town is not as noticeable. Hmm…maybe that is even more dangerous. As for the smog of Kansas City or any city, may we enter into it with the heart of compassion, the courage of the Lion, and gentleness of a dove as we boldly witness to the lost among us. If we focus on Christ rather than the culture, His strength and His shield will keep the sin from permeating us.

Is the smog just pollution of the air, or is it pollution of our minds as well?

When a Church Ceases to Want to be a Church

Church today is very different from the days of the past. The “glory days,” so to speak, of when the church was on fire for Christ, evangelistic crusades were common, and the hearts and souls of the world were at the forefront of the church’s collective mind. Salvation was the most important thing to the church; salvation, that is, of the lost, the weary, and the heavy laden. Ah, but times have changed, and not for the better. Church in America has fallen from the fiery hearts of compassion for the lost to the comfort and complacency that is unfortunately plaguing the nation.

I recently asked my congregation how many of them had received a knock on the door by a Jehovah’s Witness or a Mormon. The answer, unsurprisingly, was 100%. Everyone had had that knock on the door that so many dread. Then the question came of how many received a knock on the door by a Christian (evangelical or other), and the answer was an astounding zero. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Not a single person in the church had ever had a Christian knock on their door. Those with the wrong message, one of works to get to heaven and not of the true God, had managed to canvas the entire area. And why shouldn’t they? No one else was going to. Yet, every Christian who has read through the end of Matthew knows that we have a commission; a Great Commission from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. That is to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all I [Jesus] have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20, HCSB)

But Jesus didn’t stop there. Knowing that we would be hesitant to put our reputations in jeopardy for Him, despite His sacrifice for us; He re-emphasized the message for us. “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by His own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8, HCSB) Evangelism, then, becomes a large component of our mission on earth. Had we not had a duty, a job, a divine calling of some sort, the moment we were saved; poof, God would have taken us up to heaven right then and there. But He did not. He chose to give us the privilege of serving Him; of doing or continuing the work that He started many years ago. Don't get me wrong, door to door evangelism is not the only means that I am talking about, just one method. Go to a grocery store and talk to people, to the mall, anywhere; the point is, spread the message!

The apostle Paul gives great warning as to why we should continue this work and ground ourselves in the faith. In II Timothy 4, Paul writes,

Before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and he dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom, I solemnly charge you: proclaim the message; persist in it whether convenient or not; rebuke, correct, and encourage with great patience and teaching. For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will accumulate teachers for themselves because the have and itch to hear something new. They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths. (II Timothy 4:1-4, HCSB)

The time will come when the wolves in sheep’s clothing will try to distort, reword, or simply remove the mission that has been set forth since the dawn of creation. That message is to share the Gospel with all who have ears.

So when does a church cease to want to be a church? It is when the time that Paul has warned comes upon that church. The time when the Sunday morning “Christian” fulfills their so-called duty to be in the church building once a week (remember, the church is the people not the building); and having fulfilled their weekly obligation to God, they go about living their lives as if Christ is not important. It is when the church is more focused on their social standing and non-Christ focused activities in the community than they are about heeding the message of Jesus Himself, and the entire message of the Bible as a whole, to spread the name of the one and true God. It is when the focus of the church is no longer Christ, but rather that Christ has become a nuisance to the direction of the will of that church. It is when the children of the church are considered a hindrance more than a help. When the future generations are looked down upon rather than lifted up. It is at this point when a church no longer wants to be a church.

It is in this desperate time of the church when the parable the talents rings ever so true (Matthew 25:13-40). God will give the talents, and the church that chooses to burry those talents in the ground rather than to spread them to those around them for the glory of God; it is that church that God will one day remove the talent and place them with another church. When a church ceases to desire to function as a place where God is King and Jesus is the center of every activity; it is at this time that the talent has been buried, and only a matter of time until God will take the talent back and redistribute it.

This is a sad commentary on the life of many churches across this nation, but also a warning. A church is not dead until the last ounce of the will to serve has been drained. Until that point, a church can become a church once more. How to do it? Start with prayer that leads to action. Become the laborer that you have been praying for. Develop an action plan that has not only the verbal support of the congregation (that is easy), but the bodies to back it up. Go out and make the Great Commission living and active. “But as for you, keep a clear head about everything, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” (II Timothy 4:5, HCSB) It is at this time, when the church works towards its mission to fulfill the Great Commission, that God will one day look you eye to eye and say, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord.” (Matthew 25:23, NKJV)

Don’t let your church fall into the Devil’s snare by becoming ineffective and unconcerned. Be the church that God has called you to be; a church that will spread the Gospel of Jesus despite the praise of man. God bless you.