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If ever the human race needs intervention the time is now. I purposely avoid watching and reading the news. It more resembles something out of a Kindergarten playroom - grown adults fighting over which toys should be avoided by certain members of the classroom - than grown-up people discussing real-life values. As I'm sure every generation from the time of Adam surmised and contemplated, I do wonder into what world I'm leaving my children.

I recently posted on Facebook what I thought to be a harmless post regarding race relations. The author wrote an educated prose on his feelings of equality, compromise and hope for the future. It was met with accusations of being Trump propaganda (to which Trump was never mentioned), bigotry, and unfair to black Americans. It was written by ... a black American. I was dumbfounded.

I'm not disturbed by demonstrations against the government. I'm not disturbed by judgments on Presidents. I'm not disturbed by heated debates on controversial topics. However, I am disturbed by the ones who are making them that call themselves Christians.

Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. 1 Peter 3:11

I get it. We want our voices to be heard. Heck, I'm writing a blog exposing my worldview. But what disturbs me the most is all the "crazy" that has become blasted on the media, Facebook, and Twitter. Those who would call themselves "Christian" are not keeping themselves away from worldly desires. Ok, let's make this simple. What are today's "worldly desires"?

the temptation to engage in the crazy and raise your voice higher than the guy next to you
the militant attitude that opposes your thinking
the language that praises what God has done for you one second and damns your neighbor for putting up a sign discrediting your opinion the next
the rants you post about the ills of your country while never doing a thing to change it
the inequality you claim does/does not exist without doing your part to better the lives of those around you

And perhaps the very fact that I'm ranting now makes my own point.

I have no answer. I do know that I can not engage the world with the tactics of the world. I'm speaking as a Christian. I'm not speaking as a church-goer. I'm not speaking as a Bible reader. I'm not speaking as a Republican. I'm not speaking as an American. I'm speaking as someone whose life has been radically changed by the person of Jesus Christ. I'm speaking as someone who has been transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. I'm speaking as someone who wants to live as light in the middle of the dark. Playing by the same rules isn't going to cut it. There's got to be a different way of dealing with the crazy to effect real change.

During WWII, Corrie Tin Boon voluntarily hid Jews in her home risking imprisonment and death. She didn't follow the rules set out by the Nazi government to turn in those bearing the Jewish Star of David. She showed grace and equality to humans she recognized to be made in the image of the God she followed. Her religion was not a separater. Her relationship with God was her motivator. The advice of her Mother could be seen in the values Corrie lived out:

“Happiness isn’t something that depends on our surroundings, Corrie. It’s something we make inside ourselves.”

In 1975, frustrated by the academic apathy of her Garfield Park school district in Chicago, Marva Delores Collins chose to make a difference. She fought back by establishing a college preparatory school and pouring her life DNA into school children who would upset a stagnant system. She didn't follow the rules of "the system" that accepted lower than average test scores and the inevitability of a cycle of poverty. She taught her kids that character counted, excellence is a habit and it's not about black and white but about being yourself.

I don't believe I am alone in my assessment of what we - Christians - have become. There are so few wearing the sign of the fish that are agents of positive change in an increasingly negative world stage. The best way to quiet a large crowd is by a whisper. I do believe there is power in one making a difference. I do believe we can affect change in respectful, non-doormat kinds of ways that will attract dialogue and not repel bystanders. Below, Francis Chan sums up what is in my heart.

“The light of the American church is flickering and nearly extinguished, having largely sold out to the kingdoms and values of this world. Shouldn’t there be a huge difference between the person who has the Spirit of God living inside of him or her and the person who does not?”

Where, O People of God, is our flicker?
Where, O People of God, are the ones willing to live as foreigners and fight with weapons different from the world?
Where, O People of God, are the ones that will combat the crazy?

Asking the same questions of myself,
Christina

While I was in the good ol' USA this past November, I walked into a Starbucks. They had red cups. It triggered a partial conversation I heard regarding "red cups" and I asked the Barista what the Hoopla was all about. She rolled her eyes. She then began to give me a rather spirited and impassioned speech about her take on the stance against "red cups". Then, she delivered her closing argument that has stuck with me all these months: "The way these people carry on is saying a whole lot more about what they believe Jesus is like than their actual doctrine."

Lately I've been reading endless Face Book feeds about restrooms, gender identity, creepers in the bathroom, boycotts and Target. I get the same impression that this is another hot topic like my beloved "red cups". I have a few thoughts.

Starbucks and Target are not Christian companies. Why should they promote Christian values? I don't expect McDonalds to care about my cholesterol. So, why do I expect Target or any other company to care about my religious or moral values?

There are a lot of reasons why I could boycott any number of institutions. I personally would like to boycott the doctors' office banal ritual of weighing me every time I come to have my ears checked. It makes me feel bad, uncomfortable, less of a person, ostracized, and plain ol' fat. Yet, I keep going. The doctor is not responsible to make me feel good about myself. He's there to provide a medical service.

If we want to jump on a bandwagon, let's band together in righteous anger about those who came before us - even our own generation - who lived in cultural Christian bubbles never getting involved to protect Christian morals and rights that founding Father's died to establish. Complacency has led to an "everything goes" culture. Now, feeling overwhelmed by all that is wrong, we pick and choose what to boycott because it just strikes us that this one thing has just pushed too many boundaries. We select those that are most offensive and then go on the defense. Our target is unholy actions. But, what would happen if there was a revolution of those who wanted to have pure hearts, love as God commanded, and desired to see the Holy Spirit permeate cultures that would be turned upside down for the better because of love? We can love like God loves and still not tolerate sin. But, hating sin is not hating a person.

And - then there's Jesus. He came to rub shoulders with those who didn't fit into religious categories. He was a rebellious thinker, shaking boundaries and testing tradition. Many years ago, WWJD became a widely popular identifier for those who wanted to consider what Jesus would do in any given situation. What would He do now - in Target? - in Starbucks?

"Healthy people don't need a doctor - sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners." - Jesus

There is a principle at play here - one Jesus, Himself, put into action. He chose to be an influence to those who needed salvation. But, he choose to be with those that the religious had labeled as outcasts because they didn't fit into their (the religious') "culture" of piety. He didn't boycott the tax collectors den - he visited it. He didn't avoid hanging around the docks where the lowly fishermen hung out - he frequented them and called them to be a part of His movement.

I'm just totally convinced that I can bring change because of the power of the Holy Spirit that resides in me. Don't like going to the bathroom with a transgender person? Don't go. However, don't ban the transgender. Don't close eyes and heart to a person that God has a purpose for and needs to quite possibly experience true love from a loving Father. We fear what we don't understand. Yet, Jesus imposed himself right in the middle of that which was most feared. The outcome brought tax collectors returning stolen money and fishermen changing lives of men. Would we do wise to do the same??

Looking for the sick,
Christina

My Dear Precious Girls,

You are unique. You've all been given opportunities that aren't normal. Most girls can't say they've been to six different countries in one year, walked roads that allowed one foot in Austria and another in Slovenia, spent the night with an African, eaten dinner with an Asian family who makes their own Kimchi, ridden the subway by yourself way too many times to count, know how to navigate any major international city, walked the Acropolis, served the poor in Bosnia, and maintained "Friday Night in the Big Town" nacho and movie night in Vienna. You, my dears, are odd.

Most girls can't say they know how it feels to spend Christmas in another country - without their Father - and among strangers, cried over saying a final goodbye to a Grandfather in your own way thousands of miles away, wished they could sit at their Grandmothers' breakfast table eating canned biscuits and weak coffee, given away most everything they owned, said goodbye to everything that identifies you with being American, lost the normal rituals that make you a teenager, or forfeited celebrating Thanksgiving with real green bean casserole. You, my dears, are "different".

These things have shaped who you are, but don't let them define you. Every human that walks planet earth will kick up dust. Their dust may come from experiences that seem very limited to you, but it's their dust. Your dust may come from soil strange and unfamiliar to those around you, but it's your dust. Either way, all dust settles. When it settles, you are left with the imprint of where it came from ... just like those around you. You are not better or worse, just different.

Live your life well, nonjudgemental, and passionate to find where others' dust comes from. Be eager to share your dust yet realize many may not understand or be interested. That's OK. You've been trusted with an experience that has been designed for you by a Perfect Author. This is all His plan for Your life ... Your Unique Life!

I am proud to be called Mom ... and watch your lives unfold.

Go kick up dust ... and watch it settle ... and tell the stories well.

Watching,
Mom

The longer I live the more I find Jesus ... uncomplicated.

Last week I attended a baptism service. It wasn't held at a church and those being dunked weren't clad in white robes. It was simple. It was outside, by a river, with those coming to watch sitting on beach towels, lawn chairs and straw mats. Each person who wanted to be baptized stood up and told us, the spectators, why they were making this commitment.

Reasons varied as did the candidates. One, a woman in her 70's, spoke of the peace she had found during the death of her husband. Because of the continuous witness of a neighbor who spoke about Jesus as a friend, she wanted this same friendship. In 2008 she took her first step toward knowing God. In 2013, she was making it a public event.

One young man, in his twenties, looked like a hippy. With his shaggy hair and pitiful beard, he articulated his lifes' journey. His struggles with pornography, drinking too much, and feelings of living an empty life drove him to examine what Jesus Christ was all about. In the end, he became convinced that a life surrendered to God was the answer. His baptism was a final commitment to start his journey in a public way.

The thing that struck me was the bystanders who watched. Joggers, Nordic walkers, Mom and Dads pushing strollers ... they all stopped and stared as they witnessed strange words about a personal relationship with Jesus filling the air. As those who desired to be baptized walked into the river, were dunked and emerged hearing cheers and shouts from us, the spectators, I can only imagine their thoughts.

I think the thing I want to express is most captured by a recent article by Bono. lead singer of U2:
My understanding of the Scriptures has been made simple by the person of Christ. Christ teaches that God is love. What does that mean? What it means for me: a study of the life of Christ. Love here describes itself as a child born in straw poverty, the most vulnerable situation of all, without honor. I don’t let my religious world get too complicated. I just kind of go: Well, I think I know what God is. God is love, and as much as I respond [sighs] in allowing myself to be transformed by that love and acting in that love, that’s my religion. - See more at: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/frankviola/bono-on-jesus/#sthash.vIcCT5Vk.dpuf

I am currently taking a German class. I am experiencing deeper depths of my second language with other students from Ukraine, Nigeria, Italy, Japan, China and Afghanistan. Our Austrian teacher is engaging and motivating, spurring us all toward new heights and cheering us on as we let the harsh Germanic sounds drip off the tips of our tongues.

We entered this class as international strangers. We end this class as international comrades. We all speak different languages, come from varied cultures, earn different amounts of money, travel by different forms of transportation, and pledge our allegiances to different kinds of governments. However, one thing remains the same: we are all human at our core.

At this point, I must admit my ignorance. I have discovered my world view is so isolated to my own experience. Let me give you a few examples. In a conversation with my classmate from China, I was asking her if she had brothers or sisters. She gave me a polite, yet weird look and replied: “It is forbidden in my country to have more than one child.” While talking with my classmate from Ukraine, she told me that she and her husband would make Vienna their home because they can earn more money here than in their homeland.

Story after story points to one main theme: living in Vienna means a better life. My classmates are learning the language to become fluent so they can remain in this country at a stab of a better life than what they could live back home.

I don’t know what it means to sacrifice. Yes. I live in a different country. I can’t run to Wal-Mart or buy over the counter medicines without a prescription. I have to make my own cream of mushroom soup. If I want brownies I make them from scratch. I live far, far away from friends and family … yet have the ability to Skype or call or email to reconnect. Sacrifice?

Passing this fluency course for most of my classmates means a ticket to stay in a country where they will earn minimum wages, live in small flats, and join the ranks of Austrians to live their dream. Most will continue to be judged by the color of their skin, be racially profiled during random visa checks, and be spoken rudely to by bakery clerks because they are “foreigners”. This is their “good life”. You know what? They are happy as little clams. They are thrilled that they live in this country. For them, they are the success stories of their countrymen. They have reached a level of achievement others dream of and long for. For me, it’s just everyday life.

I don’t know if I have a good conclusion to my ramblings this morning. It’s just an opportunity to shine light on a new world perspective. Maybe for you, it’s just an brief moment to realize that your supermarket not having the lime Jello you needed is really not that big of a deal. Perhaps our country (I’m speaking to my fellow Americans) is declining by moral, economic or other perils, but no one has issued a decree that we cannot have as many children as we want. I know gas prices are high, but you have a car. I know that Bank teller was rude, but you earn a regular paycheck and I doubt if any of us are sending most of it back home to support other family members.

Sometimes I think we just need to calm down, take a deep breath, and get a different perspective. That’s what I’m doing this month in my class. As I conjugate verbs with my little Chinese friend, and discuss the “N deklanation” with my buddy from Italy … I am gaining much more than German language acquisition. I am gaining a broader world perspective.

How about you?

P.S. You don't have to answer that out loud. It's a rhetorical question!

This past weekend we took a trip and used, for the first time, a GPS. I am a ~~good~~ great map navigator, have an excellent sense of direction, and tend to be a little anti-modern technology. However, let me just say: I LOVE THE GPS!

We knew our destination, a nature park outside a small community called Klosterneuberg. However, on the way back we powered up “Daniel” (the name of the voice that is telling us where to go) and entered in all of the details he asked for … home address, language preference, keyboard language etc. (On a side note … "Daniel" is being replaced by an unknown female German speaker. "Daniel", being from the UK doesn’t know how to pronounce German street names and thus is a lousy navigator! So, we are using our unknown female German speaker from now on! Despite the fact that she will have to be given a proper Austrian name, we love her accent and are already finding her a pleasure to listen to and to learn new vocabulary words from!)

After spending a few hours at our nature park, we decided to see what “Daniel" had to offer. One of the features, Points of Interest, allows you to choose from a host of … points of interest. I selected Park/Gardens, picked a location, pressed “Go“ and we followed "Daniel” up a hill, through rather rough terrain, and down lonesome paths until we reached the black and white racing flag on the screen that told us we had arrived at our destination.

I made an observation. As we were following the path “Daniel” laid before us, we did so blindly.

Now, here is a peak into what is typically our reality. I print out Google map directions. I get a feel of the map, location, surrounding areas and try to get a handle on where we are going. Chris drives according to the directions I am reading, giving, translating from the Google map. He usually questions, doubts, wonders, and disbelieves my instructions, causing me to question, doubt, wonder and disbelieve myself and Google.

None of that was a part of our experience yesterday with “Daniel”. Chris put his confidence in “Daniel”. I put my confidence in Chris … following “Daniel”. All was well with the world, despite the twists and turns up the mountain. We knew “Daniel” had a plan and knew where the path was taking us.

Always seeing life through the lens of a writer, I commented to Chris about this situation and the ironic parallels to spiritual things. Why can’t most of my life be lived as carefree as we were in that moment following “Daniel”? What if we trusted God and put absolute confidence in His plan like we were doing with “Daniel”?

Instead, I find myself questioning, doubting, wondering and disbelieving not only myself, but God, other people … everything! I want to know the plan. I want to know where I am going. I want to know when I’m going to reach my destination. I want to hear the voice that leads me. I want to see the path before me, knowing when the road bends what comes afterward! Agh! All the while, I lose sight of what I’ve probably read 1,000 times … He will never leave me or forsake me … He guards what is mine … He uses all things for my good … He knows every hair on my head … He cares for me … He hears me. All the things that seem so hard to believe while traveling the journey of life.

I make no promises. However, I’m keeping this little visual of my GPS in my head. I’m gonna remind myself to put my confidence in the One who knows the way … and try to relax … and know He is able! Come on, "Daniel" ... lead me on!

As I sat at the table of a fine historical flat in the first district, eating my Wiener Schnitzel under the watchful eyes of a late 17^th century family portrait, I kept hearing the inner-writer in me saying,

“Pay attention to every detail. This is a sacred moment.”

It was. Now, 4 days later, I find myself recalling the evening, playing and replaying the events making them my new favorite playlist in the imaginary iPod in my brain.

To give you a better picture of what I’m trying to paint, let’s back up. Perhaps we need to back up all the way to the day we first stepped feet on this continent. We had pictures, snapshots really, of meals being shared, conversations being unveiled and hearts being born among Austrians … sacred moments.

We are the most unlikely of candidates for a friendship with our hosts. We are middle-aged Americans of average education and have very little social grooming. Our hosts are eloquently aged with superior education and have extreme social grooming. They spoke of ancestors who contributed artifacts to museums, trips to explore ancient roman architecture and glamorous experiences of attending balls and operas. He greeted us at the door suited in a traditional Austrian jacket. She waltzed in, just in from the gym, dressed in a simple linen dress which flattered her very fit figure highlighted by silky red lipstick, the only makeup she wore … or needed.

The events that led up to this dinner are … inspired. Chris has been attending monthly business men’s breakfasts. Seeing this as a language help and an opportunity for building relationships, he has been faithfully attending. On one of the first meeting he met A and H (I don’t want to reveal their names until they give me their permission.). She was gracious. He was friendly. Chris asked A why he attended these meetings. A was matter-of-fact and replied with this simple statement:

I am a Christian and I have a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Chris left the meeting with a business card and a prayer that he might befriend them.

Now, let me interject a personal observation here. Austria’s statistics tell you that less than 1% of the population is evangelical/Bible believing Christians. In language I can understand, that’s the number of people who say they have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. According to an April 18, 2004 Gallop poll, it would appear that in America 42% of the population are evangelical Christians.

However, when taking a different approach and analyzing respondents' answers to three questions that most evangelical leaders would say are core evangelical doctrine, only 22% fit into this category. http://www.gallup.com/poll/16519/us-evangelicals-how-many-walk-walk.aspx

So, let’s play it safe and say that if you attended any meeting, function, party in America it would not be hard to rub shoulders with someone who would say “I am a Christian”. Perhaps it would be harder, yet not impossible, to find someone as bold as A and say “I believe in Jesus Christ”. That just has not been our experience here.

A and H are a breath of fresh air. Monday morning, a random phone call followed by a spontaneous dinner invitation for that same evening brought Chris and I into their home. We were witnessing one of those “snap shots” of ours coming to fruition.

A is a natural and skilled story teller. On several occasions he told stories about his journeys in life. What I mostly appreciated and noticed was the ease in which he spoke of his relationship with Christ. It was as natural and non-threatening as speaking about the weather. There were 3 other dinner guests. I had no idea what their opinions about God consisted of … although some clues were given. I don’t know if they had a faith in Jesus. I don’t know if they aligned themselves under the 1% statistics that would put them in the same category as A. What I do know is that A drew me into … and others at the table … a journey. As he told of his experiences with God, I wanted to hear more and live better.

I have to tell you one of his stories. Many years ago, he and his daughter were on a hike. The clouds began to look threatening. As any little girl would, his daughter began to fret. A then began to remind his daughter of who controlled those clouds. He told her that they were going to pray to Jesus Christ. They were going to offer their concerns, make a request for dry weather, and then continue to hike. After they prayed, he told his daughter that the weather was no longer their concern. Jesus had heard their prayer and whatever he wanted to do was not their concern, it was in Jesus’ hands.

As they hiked further, the clouds grew darker. They came upon a little hut but it was broken down and could not offer any shelter for what looked like a future storm. They hiked on. Soon they approached another hut … excellently preserved and the perfect shelter. A ushered his young daughter through the wooden doors. As he stepped completely into the hut, the rains came … and then hail. They, however, were safe inside. The weather was not their concern.

As I am getting older, I am seeing God in a different light. As a young convert and believer in Jesus Christ, I wanted to wave my banner. I wanted to hold up my beliefs and demand that those who did not align themselves with me repent and follow. I now see those who don’t share my faith in Jesus not as outsiders but as members of the same club … the human race. Yes. I do believe what the Bible says about God. There is only one way to know Him. It’s not a mysterious path with many roads. It’s one heart acknowledging the need for a savior, a need that has been fully met through Jesus Christ. However, what if the 1% of Austrians and 42% (or 22%) of Americans lived with the same ease in their faith in Jesus Christ as A? What if we spoke as naturally and powerfully of a relationship that enhanced our lives rather than a religion that needs to be followed? Jesus spoke and people listened. He wasn’t shouting out commands … or waving a “turn or burn” sign followed by protestors. He loved on the unlovely. He lived where most normal people lived and brought his truth into lives that would never step foot into synagogues or rub shoulders with the religious.

I’m still pondering my dinner with A and H. I’m still finding lessons in the evening … what a great way to leave someone. This may be my new goal. Perhaps my journey as a follower of Christ is to speak with such ease and conviction that others will leave my presence … wanting more. Not more of me … but more of God.

I think this is the next “snap shot” I’m gonna strive for …

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