Recklessness.

Have you taken time lately to hear whats going on in the world?

In my communication class this week we learning the importance of listening - one of the points in the book was that more times than not, we listen to what other people say so we can respond to them with our thoughts and opinions on whatever the issue is. We listen to respond. Instead of listening to hear. When's the last time you listened to someone, just hear them? I had to get myself in check on this one - I usually listen to respond. I think more of us are guilty of it than we would like to admit.

hear this:

Chile's mining minister expressed optimism Thursday that the 33 miners trapped since early last month 2,300 feet (701 meters) below ground here will be rescued in early November and maybe sooner.

The Census Bureau has released its annual poverty report showing more people are living at or below the poverty threshold. This means many are finding themselves there for the first time.“Maria,” who was too embarrassed to give us her true name or allow us to photograph her face, says she and her husband have had to sell their most cherished possessions.“We sold our wedding rings, our furniture, everything,” said Maria.

Sheryl WuDunn says, "Before long, we will consider sex slavery, honor killings and acid attacks as unfathomable as foot-binding. The question is how long that transformation will take and how many girls will be kidnapped into brothels before it is complete -- and whether each of us will be part of that historical movement, or a bystander."

Guatemalan police on Thursday were searching for a drug trafficker who initiated a shootout with police at a shopping mall the day before.

These things are going on in the world, and we don't even think twice about them... is it because they seem to be across the globe, and have no effect on us? Or is it because we have "other" things to worry about... more important things...

I got in a 'debate' with a friend today about the idea of having a female president - I understand that we all have different opinions about this, which is fine - but I think through this talk that we were having, i discovered that there was really an underlying issue. In multiple places throughout the bible, it talks about men being the head of the house hold - Paul tells us that men should love their wives the way Christ loves the church - even giving His life for her; and in return wives are to submit to their husbands. (Eph.5) I completely agree with this - and will do it gladly.

But what if we took gender out of the equation? what if we were submissive and loved each other in the greatest form, that we would even lay down our lives for eachother if it came to that?

The underlying issue is not the gender of our president - the issue is that we get more upset with each other about issues like this instead of getting angry over what's really wrong in the world.

when i asked him if he would vote for a godly woman over an ungodly man to lead this nation, which he would pick... the answer was somewhere along the lines of "the woman- but that choice would only happen because this country isn't full of christians"

I feel like it doesn't take much to realize that the body of christ is lacking in doing its job around here - I mean, the two greatest commandments are to Love God and to Love People... right? So if we are legitimately following Jesus than we would be more worried about taking care of the orphans and the widows and the poverty stricken than we are. Jesus said "What you do to the least of these, you're doing to me" (Matt 25) I think we should take that seriously. Its time we get angry about the things are wrong in this world - we waste our time and our breath with arguing about things that are so controversial that we will probably never agree on, and then we get mad at each other for having opposing ideas...

Hear this:

"What is, therefore, our task today? Shall I answer: "Faith, hope, and love"? That sounds beautiful. But I would say - courage. No, even that is not challenging enough to be the whole truth. Our task today is recklessness. For what we Christians lack today is not psychology or literature...what we lack is a holy rage - the recklessness which comes from the knowledge of God and humanity. The ability to rage when justice lies prostrate on the streets, and when the lie rages across the face of the earth...a holy anger about the things that are wrong in the world. To rage against the ravaging of God's earth, and the destruction of God's world. To rage when little children must die of hunger, when the tables of the rich are sagging with food. To rage at the senseless killing of so many, and against the madness of militaries. To rage at the lie that calls the threat of death and the strategy of destruction peace. To rage against complacency. To restlessly seek that recklessness that will challenge and seek to change human history until it conforms to the norms of the Kingdom of God. And remember the signs of the Christian Church have been the Lion, the Lamb, the Dove, and the Fish... but never the chameleon." - Kaj Munk

Will people know who we are by the things that make us angry?

I once heard that if only seven percent of professing christians in the world adopted an orphan, there would be no more orphans...

What is making you angry? We must get a grip on a Holy rage - the world is watching our every move... a world that is searching for something stable, something true, something that lasts... we hold the answer - it replinishes itself. We can never get rid of it - when we empty our cups, they get filled back up. We have to stand up for something that matters.

It's time we run hard and fast after something that can rock human history until it conforms to the norm of the Kingdom of God... He wont relent until he has it all. Get angry about something.