Pray for the Committee

Scripture tells us to pray for those in authority (1 Tim 2:1-2). Below is a list of the members of the Senate Judiciary committee that will be considering amendments to the Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) legislation, called the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act”. Please pray for them. If you’re at a loss, I recommend following God’s advice and praying, “Our Father in heaven, holy is your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matt 6:9-10)

Patrick J. Leahy
Chairman, D-Vermont
Biography

Dianne Feinstein
D-California
Biography

Chuck Grassley
Ranking Member, R-Iowa
Biography

Chuck Schumer
D-New York
Biography

Orrin G. Hatch
R-Utah
Biography

Dick Durbin
D-Illinois
Biography
Jeff Sessions
R-Alabama
Biography

Sheldon Whitehouse
D-Rhode Island
Biography

Lindsey Graham
R-South Carolina
Biography

Amy Klobuchar
D-Minnesota
Biography

John Cornyn
R-Texas
Biography

Al Franken
D-Minnesota
Biography

Michael S. Lee
R-Utah
Biography

Christopher A. Coons
D-Delaware
Biography

Ted Cruz
R-Texas
Biography

Richard Blumenthal
D-Connecticut
Biography

Jeff Flake
R-Arizona
Biography

Mazie Hirono
D-Hawaii
Biography

You have to worship and remember

Serving immigrants is a faith venture. It is a biblical commitment. It is an act of obedience and love to God, neighbor, and enemy. It is especially all of these things in the past few weeks.

In the past weeks there have been major rallies for Comprehensive Immigration Reform which was cool. I have been in Washington DC for the Evangelical Immigration Table Faith & Action Day which was emotionally mixed. The governor of Georgia, Nathan Deal, passed a hurtful, hateful anti-immigrant law, which spun me out.

Emblematic of it all was my time in DC. I went excited to meet with another Immigrant Hope person, Ben Johnson, others from Georgia and to talk with Congressmen and aides, and to pray and intercede for CIR. When I got there I found out I was the only one from Georgia. I was…deflated. But, I knew there was a whole day ahead, and this was no time to get down.

We went into the gathering to pray and worship and be encouraged by leaders in the Evangelical community – Bill Hybels, Noel Castellanos, and a host of others. My personal favorite was Gabriel Salguero of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition. The Cedarville University choir led worship. It was great.

In the afternoon I headed out to meet with different legislative aides from Georgia. Some went well, others were confusing. I left tired. When I got back to the church I just wanted to head to my hotel and go to sleep. But most of the crowd from the morning was gone and I felt bad for the choir and the event leaders, so I decided to be a body in the smaller crowd. I think everyone but me was doing their best to be positive and enthusiastic.

About fifteen minutes in things started to change. The energy in the room, and in me started to change. I notice people coming in who had left on a bus before the end-of-the -day events started. I looked around. What was sparse in the beginning was much more full. Turns out that people who had left suddenly realized that they needed to stay and – literally – turned the bus around to come back.

The music was Christ centered, and the speakers reminded us all of who we serve, what his priorities are, and what it costs to follow him. I thought about how much the people acting contrary to God’s word need to know the truth so they can adjust their positions so they’re not in opposition. I realized, again, that the real enemy here is fear, hate, and racism. Big giants that don’t fight fair. Yet, still just giants. Nothing compared to the Lord we serve. It was the medicine I needed after a not-so-great day. I let go. I worshipped. I smiled.

I have to confess that it didn’t last long because of the Georgia law that prohibits immigrants and refugees from getting driver’s licenses and services important to work and taking care of your family. But I still had the blueprint for climbing out of the hole: worship and remember. Focus on the One who can change things.

DACA Snapshot 3-2013

Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) does a performance and quality review for it’s various operations, and just published the data on Deferred Actions for Childhood Arrivals from 8/15/2012 to 03/14/2013. Here are some of the results for the seven months:

USCIS receives, on average, 3,261 DACA requests per day.  Of the total number of applications submitted (469,530) approximately 97% are accepted for review. There have been 245,493 approvals to date out of 453,589 applications that were accepted (54%). There are currently 100,060 still under review as of March, 2013.

The top 10 countries of origin of those applying are:
Mexico – 338,334 (72%)
El Salvador – 18,449 (4%)
Honduras – 12,183 (3%)
Guatemala – 11,395 (2%)
Peru – 6,495 (1%)
South Korea – 5,599 (1%)
Brazil – 5,487 (1%)
Colombia – 4,875 (1%)
Ecuador – 4,733 (1%)
Philippines – 3,241 (1%)

The top 10 States of Residence applications are coming from:
California – 128,412 (27%)
Texas – 73,258 (16%)
New York – 25,735 (6%)
Illinois – 23,602 (5%)
Florida – 20,245 (4%)
North Carolina – 16,554 (4%)
Arizona – 16,009 (3%)
Georgia – 14,861 (3%)
New Jersey – 14,050 (3%)
Colorado – 9,658 (2%)

Of all the applications submitted I have worked in some shape or form on approximately two dozen, or about 0.00003% of the total.  I’ll try working harder.  <grin>

2013 SED Con

The 2013 District Conference for the EFCA-Southeast was this week. It was a refreshing two days with great content, divine appointments, a central conviction, and definite action points.  Without a doubt here are some really talented speakers and presenters in the Southeast.

The venue at Two River’s Church in Knoxville was beautiful, not just in the facilities but in the heart of the staff and congregants that served generously and well.  I really enjoyed the times of worship.

My talk went well, I was asked some great questions, and I had good conversations at the booth.  Ed Kaylor, the associate District Superintendent, and I talked about ways to identify and assist more churches where the ministry of Immigrant Hope would be beneficial.  I had several people ask about ways to find out what types of groups were close to their areas of ministry.

While the topics ranged far and wide including generosity,  Divine guidance,  disciple-making, licensing preparation, disaster preparedness, church planting, and reconciliation; there was a remarkable cohesion among the central points of each topic that felt Holy Spirit led.  The cohesiveness of the central points were around Presence, Prayer, and a commitment to making disciple-makers.

All (or at least most) of the speakers discussed the absolute centrality of the presence of the living God as an essential game-changer.  The walk we are called to, and the tasks we undertake in that call necessitate more than a theoretical assent the Lordship of Christ.  They require the presence and enabling of the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, we need relationships, prayer lives, and small groups that focus on meeting with him not just talking about him.

Disciple-making in all it’s forms was definitely front and center this year.  I was a message and admonition I needed to hear,  I have been praying about it for several weeks so the timing was perfect.  While there were many practical aspects to the presentations, it was the conviction to be active and intentional that had the biggest impact on me.  To paraphrase one of the speakers, “A heart for disciple-making comes from an over-flow of a heart filled with the love for Christ.”  This love is a central motivation without which the joy and importance of disciple-making becomes mere duty.  Content (usually facts and knowledge) takes the place of relationship and loving joy so the tasks and sacrifices it takes to follow Jesus’ example in disciple-making quickly give way to easier, more convenient activities.

Probably the most consistent central theme was prayer.  I was particularly convicted with the speakers’ emphasis on prayer in relation to knowing who to enter into a disciple-making relationship with, what you were actually discipling them to do, and what it takes to nurture people into maturity.  I will throw up the occasional prayer to ask the Lord who I should be pouring time, effort, and energy into; but nothing that resembles sustained intentionality.  Because I don’t focus on making disciple-makers, I stop the process short of where it is intended to go.  While good and beneficial things happen, they are not the best when it comes to leading to maturity.  I was given a lot to think about.

Finally, I had some wonderful Divine appointments to both bless others and be blessed by them.  The most significant time for someone speaking into my heart was by Jackie Redmond, the wife of the district church planting director Bruce Redmond.  I’m not sure how we got from where we started to the point of blessing; but I definitely felt the weight of emphasis in her admonition to take thought’s captive, wait and rest before the Lord with burdens until they’re lifted, and to take advantage of other’s gifts to speak into my life (prayer ministries, counseling, and the like).

If I were to sum it up, I would say that I felt like the Lord was stitching together themes from different stages of my past back into my present.  Times when Presence and prayer were central with times when disciple-making ans small groups were the dominant paradigm to times when justice and service were priorities.   Wow, just reading what I just wrote is kinda overwhelming and exciting.  I think I need to pray.  <smile>

Remain Here and Watch with Me

Matthew 26:38…Gethsemane. Jesus is sorrowful and fully aware of what is before him. He prays. Three times he prays some version of “not my will but your’s be done.” Not just words for the moment, but Jesus’ primary motivation for all that he does and says in his incarnation. Just as it is for Jesus, so it should be for all his followers.

What hits me today is our role in Jesus’ work – “remain here, and watch with me.” Be present to love and encourage – to be part of his life – but in circumstances thoroughly above our ability to enter in, to influence directly. Not that we don’t want to, but the flesh is weak regardless of the spirit (26:41).

I look around at so much that matters to me – people knowing the Lord’s love, grace, and mercy. And while I can be an example and share when asked, I can’t make people see or respond to that grace. I can’t save. I look around at a world that is so full of pain, stupidity, and corruption, and I would change it. I would much rather have what I can see is possible – a just, righteous, honorable society. But it isn’t.

This is Jesus work. I remain with Him and watch. Not passively but prayerfully. I speak and vote and make decisions about money and time…but I can’t make the fundamental, lasting changes that are needed. I don’t even know what those would be.

The question for me is, “Am I sleeping or supportive of Jesus’ agenda?”

Lord, am I awake and aware to follow where you lead, love who you put in front of me, questions those in power, be a prophetic voice to question what is and what could be? I pray for wakefulness, for being present with you in your agenda. To be prayerful about what you are prayerful about, “The Father’s will being done.” This day, all day, and every day.

Amen

Reflecting Forward

I am excited about 50. My big goals for 50 are to not take myself so seriously, take other people seriously, and be a delight to my Lord.  It’s fun to write this because it’s a relatively recent development to say it.

Several years ago, in fact when I went into ministry and became a senior pastor, I noticed something particular to Christian leaders. Around this age some kind of crisis comes. It is something that is both outside of them and firmly anchored in their particular character, scars, and demons. I noticed that some – those that let themselves be broken and remade – get a second wind and find the next stage of life fulfilling. Others, however – those who fight it or blame or victimize themselves – get stuck in a slow slog to irrelevancy and bitterness. But it’s one thing to see things in others. It’s another to live it.

I have to confess that up until a few weeks ago I think it was a bit up in the air for me. The past two years have been quite a transition. All good, but with considerable amount of inner-demon hunting. To be honest, there were times when I knew I was lost in it all. I think on certain days I even manifested clinical symptoms. But in it all were faith (even if I was fighting it) and family/friends. In particular kids who just wanted their dad around, and a wife who prayed and gave space and encouragement. It also helped that she makes laugh…a lot. These kept me walking forward not taking myself too seriously. Then in the last two weeks (on Jan 10 and 12 to be specific) came the “ah-ha” moments.

First was a prayer walk on a retreat at Red Top state park.  I found myself longing for the type of faith walk I had a long time ago as a young Christian when everything seemed so vital and important.  As I continued to pray what I found were more shadows, my shadow – a lifetime of regrets, failures, broken relationships, character flaws, inadequacies, fears, abandonment… I asked the Lord about it, and as I did it suddenly occurred to me that this shadow was MY shadow.  I was looking at this shadowy outline of myself and saw…myself.  But I wasn’t afraid or morose or overwhelmed.  It wasn’t all of me, but it definitely was me.  Instead of spending so much emotional energy in regret, I needed to find acceptance for what was and what is – with who I am.  As I did there was peace.  A profound peace that led to thanksgiving, and more prayer, and worship.

Two days later, still thankful for this new sense of peace, I was preparing a lesson for the youth group and I remembered a time with my oldest son.  He was maybe five years old, and I was taking him a glass of water before bed.  He was on the top bunk and I raised up two glasses, one big and one considerably smaller.  I knew he would reach for the big one and as he did I said, “Do you trust me, buddy?”  He looked down at me with those big eyes and a creased, questioning forehead.  ”I want you to trust me because I love you and want the best for you.  You are free to take whichever cup you want, but I think you’ll be happier with the smaller cup.  Which one would you like?”  He took the big cup.  And got maybe a sip of water.  There was barely any in it.  I then took the cup back and poured the almost completely full little cup into it and handed it back.  I said, “I love you with all my heart, C.  Even if it doesn’t look like it to you, know that the decisions I make and the things I want to give you are for the best, OK?”  He nodded, jumped out of bed and went to pee.

I remembered that story, and thought about all that the Lord has asked of me over the years.  All the ups and downs, career changes, salary changes, location changes – the downward trajectory my wife and I joke about, and I laughed at the small cup I was holding.  But this cup was plenty full.  Because this cup had names and faces, births, marriages, funerals, tears, laughter, deep thoughts and stupid ones. Decisions made for one reason only – following Jesus.  Later that same week one of the girls we have known since the very first day of our ministry in the new part of town that is now my neighborhood received her Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals petition that we had worked on.  With that news my little cup starting pouring over the sides. Every decision, sacrifice, regret, and fear was worth this moment, this opportunity, in her life and – Lord willing – others like her.

Me, my shadow, and the cup that has been handed to me are pretty happy right now.  There is still a lot of life in front, and I am excited to live it all.  Not because I have anything figured out really, but because I’m starting 50 with a renewed sense of faith and intimacy with the Lord that I haven’t known in a long time.  A Lord whose grace and mercy and faithfulness – even when you have to take the small cup – are all for the best.  It’s not the size of the cup, but it fullness.  So thank you to everyone who has filled it up and allowed me by pouring a little into yours.  Life is good.

MKL Day Prayer 2013

Dear Lord, I pray on this day for myself, my family, my church, my friends, and my enemies. I pray that we would reflect on the state of our own hearts and minds, of our church, our community and nation in how we relate to one another. I pray against the racism, elitism, fear, and privilege that make us think one group is better than another. I pray against the violence that always manifests itself in the face of fear and hate. At least it does in my heart.

I pray, heavenly Father, against the silent complacency that fills my mouth and mind when the issues come up. For the retreat into individualism that makes me the exception to sociological and political realities that apply to all other aspects of life but this one.

I pray for the “imago dei”, the image of God, in every human being to be visible and obvious to all others. That we will value what you value. That we will see in the other the gift that you created them to be. Expel the pollution of fear and separation and violence in our hearts. Help us to embrace your path of learning, loving, confessing, and repenting. Give us, I humbly pray, the creativity to imagine a better world and a better way, then grant us the will and strength to bring it to life.

I pray for my wife and sons. I pray for my church. Make OTC a kingdom place full of “others” in true unity of respect and appreciation. Where different is a gift to be opened. Where new is a delightful curiosity to be explored. Where each person takes it upon themselves to approach those most different from them to build bridges that will lead to relationship and life.  Guide David, the leaders, staff, and congregants in all wisdom and Holy Spirit understanding that we might know your word and have opportunities to learn, to grow, and to make OTC a visible expression of diversity in unity and love.

Amen