During the assembly a twelve-year-old boy from Grace Ministries named James was standing in the front row. He is a beautiful child with ears that could make him take flight at any moment. Before coming to Grace Ministries he lived in poverty and had few opportunities. What impressed me most about James that day was his courage. Each day the school community begins with a Buddhist prayer, as would be expected of a primarily Buddhist country. Students give respect to the spirits of the school by clasping their hands together in front of their faces in a gesture they call a wai.

As I watched the sea of students paying respect to the spirits, I saw this twelve-year-old Christian young man with his hands clearly at his side in respectful opposition to the beliefs of the majority. I was later told that in similar assemblies the student body kneels and bows in prayer while the Grace Ministries students remain standing.

How often are we challenged in our faith and daily lives to hold to a commitment with such conviction and courage as these young people? Matthew 5:10 states, “You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.”

Courage is about more than standing strong in the minority. It is also about pursuing Christ with everything in you and making the risky choices to do so. The pursuit of Christ can be painful and challenging, yet full of growth, joy and meaning.

Acts 4:13 says, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

Our courage as disciples does not come from our own skill or effort but from our association with Christ. It is through our unashamed pursuit of Him that we can have the courage of a twelve-year-old boy or a group of high schoolers from Lake Oswego Oregon.

I saw glimpses of this kind of courage over the past month as I spent time living in community with twenty-one students and six adults from Westside. Our trip was incredibly stretching for all of us. For three weeks every aspect of life was different. The experience was a complete assault on the senses, requiring courage just to function. The food, language, temperature, religion, economy, skin color, transportation, toilet, bathing, architecture, and community are all very different. It was beautiful to see our students adapt and respond to these challenges.

I saw in our students the courage to seek God openly, the courage to desire a more disciplined life, the courage to suffer with those who suffer, the courage to pursue purpose each day, the courage to risk vulnerability and honesty, and the courage to translate what they believe into how they really live.

C.S Lewis describes courage as “not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” Coming home from this testing and tremendous experience I am profoundly encouraged by the next generation of leaders, both American and Thai.

The spirit of Advent is one of expectation, anticipation, and longing for Christ to rescue us from the shackles of sin and evil in this world. Our yearning for deliverance from the evil and injustice of this world was first expressed by Israelite slaves in Egypt as they cried out from their bitter oppression. This cry for hope and deliverance continues today. God hears the cry of the poor and the oppressed and has a plan to bring rescue and relief.

There are approximately 27 million slaves in the world today and 53% of the world population struggles to live on less than $2.00 per day.

Those are some sobering statistics. But they should also inspire us to respond. It takes very little on our part to make a significant impact. We are part of the six percent of the population that owns 53% of the world’s wealth.

Rich Stearns, the President of World Vision wrote in a recent article that it would take between 40 and 70 billion dollars a year to end extreme poverty by the year 2025.

That seems like a huge number until you realize that Americans spend $450 billion dollars on Christmas. The average family spends between $300 and $1100 per year. Marta and I were challenged by a group of churches in Portland who have a vision to change the way they spend this money. They are challenging their congregations to give gifts this season in a way that will change lives.

They have identified some local and global initiatives they would like to support, like linking with a local public school to support the poorest families in Portland with housing, food, and clothing. Globally, they will be partnering with other organization to provide clean water to communities through digging wells, and provide micro loans to support entrepreneurs in the developing world. (Listen to the sermon at Imago Dei about this challenge)

If two-thirds of the people in these five churches participate minimally, then they believe they would generate close to a million dollars to support these initiatives.

In our Church body if every family were to make that same kind of commitment we could generate $130,000.

As I reflect on Christmases of the past I don’t remember many life changing gifts that I received or gave. The most meaningful gifts have been personal and relational, and normally did not cost much money, but were given from the heart.

I can’t think of a more powerful image of the message of Christmas than to mirror the redemptive gift that has been given to us. God the father rescued us with the gift of His Son Christ Jesus. And through our gift giving we could be used by God to rescue others this Christmas.

Injustice, violence and poverty are a reality for the majority of people in this world, but our God is the Prince of Peace. Our God is the light, the hope, and the solution, and He is inviting us to join Him in bringing peace and justice to the world he so deeply loves.

Two weeks later I found myself serving again with Bridgetown Ministries (invited by WCHS students). We were under the Burnside Bridge again and I saw Russell from a distance. He was sitting alone eating dinner. I took Marta to meet him and the three of us ate soup and talked together. He told us the story of how he came to live on the streets of Portland.

It all began nearly twenty years ago on his wedding night. Some of his friends brought some heroin to his wedding reception and Russell shot up for the first time. He told us this was the worst decision of his life. Since that time he has cleaned himself up nine times, but always relapsed and ended up alone and homeless on the street. He has three children, the oldest in high school. We listened to Russell discuss encounters with God and a desire to be a part of a church. But it was one of the last statements he made that revealed to me the condition of his soul, and I have been processing how I should respond since. He said, “After you’ve gotten up and fallen down again so many times, you just decide to stay down.” This was one hurting and hopeless man. After our talk Marta washed his feet and we gave him a fresh pair of socks.

In some ways I felt hopeless for Russell. Honestly, I wanted to just walk away and shut his story out of my mind. Part of me wishes I had just kept my distance and never heard his story, because by hearing it, I felt the Holy Spirit asking me to have compassion. On the other hand, there was a connection made over those two brief encounters and Marta and I felt honored to be invited into Russell’s painful story. We feel compelled to seek Russell out in the future when we go downtown with Bridgetown Ministries.

I believe that at the core of significant connecting is a compassionate response to others. I heard Brennan Manning say, “How can we say we love someone, if we don’t know what hurts them.” This week I asked student in my school to write down the name of the teacher who has had the greatest impact on them and why. As I read the responses, it confirmed my suspicions. In most cases they chose teachers who knew their hurts and demonstrated compassion. When we are willing to jump in and join in the chaos of another’s pain and hurt then we are trusted and invited to teach beyond the curriculum.

I believe that in order for us to create extraordinary communities that live on purpose we must be centered in Christ and connected with each other. Jesus tells us to love God and love our neighbor.

“Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it.
Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.
Laugh with your happy friends when they’re happy; share tears when they’re down.
Make friends with nobodies; don’t be the great somebody.
Don’t hit back; discover beauty in everyone.”
(Selected passages from the Message – Romans 12: 9-19)

According to Wikipedia an iceberg is a large piece of ice that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water. Since the density of pure water ice is ca. 920 kg/m3, and that of sea water ca. 1025 kg/m3, typically, around 90% of the volume of an iceberg is under water, and that portion’s shape can be difficult to surmise from looking at what is visible above the surface.

From what you see on the surface, you’d assume that the part below water is about the same size. But when you look below the surface you realize that ninety percent of the iceberg is under water and is serving as a ballast – providing stability, depth, and substance to the visible portion.

It is the same way with our lives. It is the substance of our center, or core, that provides stability and strength to what is visible. For this reason we are committed to nurturing our community and focusing on that which draws us to Christ as our source and center.

What is the ballast in my life that provides meaning, stability and depth to everything I feel, think, and do? Is it a set of rules? Is it me and my own thinking? Is it other people and their ideas?

Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God,
turn your back on the world’s sure thing, ignore what the world worships.

Doing something for You, bringing something to You that’s not what You’re after.
Being religious, acting pious that’s not what You’re asking for.
You’ve opened my ears so I can listen.

So, I answered, I’m coming.
I read in your letter what you wrote about me,
And I’m coming to the party
you’re throwing for me.That’ss when God’s Word entered my life, became part of my very being. (Psalm 40:4, 6-8 MSG)

Colossians three states, Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.

If we are seeking to be an extraordinary community of purpose then we must be clear about what fuels our community. The Tuesday before students came back, our faculty and staff spent the day discussing what we see as the center of our community. After some great discussion we agreed that a purposeful community is developed from the inside out, and that above all, we desire that Jesus Christ be the source and center of our learning community.

What would a truly Christ-centered community of depth and purpose look like?

I imagine that the people involved would be whole-heartedly committed to spending time with Jesus. I imagine they would take in scripture regularly, allowing it to penetrate their hearts and change them. I imagine they would be where the action is, following Jesus to dark and dirty places. Like icebergs, I imagine these folks would have a depth of humility, passion, and courage that is far greater than anything visible from the surface.

May we be such people. May we be such a community.

Element 1 – Centering – The depth of community
A purposeful community of depth must seek Christ as its source of strength. It must be intentional about taking time to care for the soul.

Over the past year I have developed a deep friendship with a man who truly lives a life with Christ at the center. He spends two hours a day in prayer and reading God’s word. He says that he is captivated by Christ. This man is truly humble and sacrificial, which is so attractive and counter cultural. His response to spending time with Jesus is a passion to take on Christ’s mission to love others, glorify God and further His kingdom. He could not be as effective in loving and caring for others if he did not spend so much time with Jesus growing in the Spirit and discerning God’s will.

Element 2 – Connecting -The width of community
Recently, while in flight from Los Angeles to Portland, I spent time journaling and seeking God, asking Him to reveal areas of weakness in my life. This is not a pleasant prayer, but I have found that with an honest confession of brokenness comes the opportunity for growth. It became clear to me that I needed to be more intentional about connecting with people.

My personality does not lend itself quickly to small talk, but I enjoy talking about things I consider meaningful. It is not that small talk is bad; I am just bad at it. When I got home I told Marta that I felt I needed to be more intentional in making connections with people. We both agreed that we want our home to be a safe and comfortable place; we want to open our home and ourselves to others. Marta and I want to befriend and love others as Christ does. This requires face time and a willingness to open up one’s heart to others. God is beginning to answer this prayer. Over the summer we have had a steady stream of connects. It has been a rich summer of connecting..

Element 3 – Challenging -The height of community
The last element of an extraordinary community is to have a purposeful vision and the courage to live it out. This includes the development of a personal vision and sense of purpose within God’s kingdom, but also a community-wide vision.

As we all know, life is lived in community in one form or another. To be able to navigate and contribute to the growth of a healthy community is a powerful learning objective in itself. Within my school we have the opportunity to model healthy Christian community to the next generation, which we pray inspires them to develop communities of extraordinary purpose and influence throughout their lives.

We are doing the same thing in our home. Every time our kids are in their play room they are forced to wade through the McDonald’s happy meal toys to get to the real stuff. When it comes time to pick up the mess we swim through the room for twenty minutes in order to put things back in their “proper place.” The other day I just about screamed and said to myself, “We must simplify and refocus on the essential items”… or something like that. The same goes for our garage. It is filled with plastic riding toys. Most of these were gifts that have now accumulated into a plastic mass in the middle of our garage. Forget parking real cars in the garage we only have room for the twenty plastic ones. It makes me spin when I attempt to navigate from one side of the garage to the other, getting tangled and thrown to the ground by scooters, plastic fire engines and a blow up dinosaur swimming pool. Before I blow my top we must change things!

When we were in Thailand we put all of our essential items into a backpack that could fit into the overhead bin of an airplane. We survived for 14 days with only four outfits and a few personal items. We visited homes in Thailand that had no furniture except a straw mat in the middle of the floor. We took cold showers and ate food that had been collected fresh that morning from the market. I realize there are amazing benefits that come with being born in a fully developed country, but I must admit that I am wondering if my life is over developed. I need to learn some lessons from my Thai friends. I have made choices that add stress, confusion, anxiety, and distraction to my life.

It does not end with stuff. I wish it were that simple. In the same way that all the stuff can complicate and distract us from the core things that matter, I believe that I have complicated my inner life. I observed a deep, yet simple faith in Thailand that was very attractive. Its primary focus was on seeking to obtain a deep relationship with Jesus Christ. Does my leisure, pleasure, comfort and ease distract me (like the McDonald’s toys) from the things that are truly core.

Am I captivated by Him?

Am I willing to sacrifice for Him?

Am I numb from the privilege in my life, not willing to respond with a Christ-like response to the hurts in this world.

Am I self absorbed?

Am I average?

If Jesus is who he said he was, and I believe He is, then who should I be?

If Jesus did what the Bible says He did, and I believe He did, then what should I be doing?

If Jesus is so captivated by, and willing to sacrifice for, you and me, and I believe He is, then…

Lord, help me to peal away that which is not essential.

We say that we exist to equip servant leaders in God’s kingdom for the next generation by educating and developing the whole person for the glory of God. We desire to fulfill our mission in the context of relationship and a family environment, while promoting and striving for excellence, and showing value to others through embracing God’s grace.

I believe the school is at a strategic point where God is calling us to continue to carry out that mission in new ways that could improve our school and better equip our students. In order to properly respond to God’s leading we hired a consultant to help us. He will walk us through a process of prayerfully formulating and documenting a shared vision for the school. The leadership teams, faculty, staff, parents and students will all have a voice into the visioning process. We have covered this process in prayer for months and we are expecting an amazing result from God. I believe that the outcome of this process will compel people to get involved. We are planning two opportunities for our entire school community to enter into this discussion.

Some may ask why it is important that we formulate a vision for the future. On Friday our consultant told a great personal story that served to illustrate the importance of casting vision, whether personally or corporately.

Larry, our consultant, is the oldest of nine children. His father was a CPA and worked very hard to provide for his family. It was not uncommon that his Dad would come to the table at the beginning of a meal to make an announcement. On this particular evening the family was seated at the table and Larry’s father exclaimed, “I have an announcement!” Larry said that all of the children groaned thinking this meant another child would be added to the dinner table in nine months. Larry’s father continued, “Your mother and I have decided that we are going to take you to Disneyland…” – the table erupted with loud cheers and shouts of celebration – “… in two years.”

“What you must be kidding?” Larry said out loud.

At first it was shocking and disappointing that they could not realize the dream right now, but it didn’t take long for the children to begin dreaming two years out. They began to imagine and anticipate how wonderful the trip would be. They began to plan and save money in order to make the experience everything they were dreaming. They arrived and had their wonder-full week at Disney. When it was over, Larry thought, Now what? It was time for a new vision.

That’s what is so exciting about the Christian life; there are always new visions that God calls us to fulfill with him. It is exciting to imagine what God could be doing through our students, staff, and parents three years from now.

Marta is also an amazing mother. She is intentional, purposeful, committed, persevering, honest, playful, and loving. It brings me pleasure to see our children develop under her prayerful and thoughtful leading. Marta is concerned for the hearts of our children, not just that they perform well in public. She wants them to develop into kingdom minded people with a heart of compassion for others.

Today I was searching the web on motherhood and found a section written by a mother that spoke to me.

This parenting task is not easy. It can be overwhelming, monotonous, tiring, and discouraging. It is work that does not result in instant gratification or produce accolades. Marta is committed still. Parenting is nonstop and is more about perseverance than getting it right every time.

My wife is a masterful mother.

We serve a just God, who grieves deeply for the exploited and oppressed. Our God loves children and values them intensely.

Those priorities are vividly clear in scripture and in the example of Christ.

Matthew 18: 5-6 says:
And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Isaiah 1:15-17 says:
Learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.

I would like to summarize for you our journey over the past year that has led my wife Marta and I into uncharted spiritual territory.

While we were on vacation last summer, Marta and I stumbled upon an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show. Ricky Martin was her guest and child trafficking was the subject. We were stunned and horrified to hear that over a million children around the world are being enslaved and forced into prostitution. UNICEF reports that worldwide, an estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked each year. As these statistics sank in, our hearts began to break for these children who are being exploited for profit. That night we got on the internet and began researching to find out what Christians were doing about this. We initially found only a few organizations including one ministry called International Justice Mission. They are a human rights organization made up of Christian lawyers, law enforcement, and social workers. They work with local governments in the developing world to rescue slaves, and to protect the weak, oppressed and exploited.

Soon after that trip we talked to our small group about this horrible practice. Come to find out, another couple from the group had seen the same show and had a similar reaction. They also searched the internet and discovered through a Barclay Press article an organization called Remember Nhu, founded by Carl Ralston. Josh called Carl and the next thing we know he’s flying out to meet with us and speak at our church.

At the same time, in my role as the administrator of a Christian High school, I had been working with a team of teachers and staff to find an organization that we could partner with to provide missions opportunities for our students. Partnering with Carl was beginning to seem like it could be a good fit.

A few months passed and in one of our small group meetings Josh told us that he was going to Thailand with Carl in January. I immediately felt moved that I should go as well.

Three months later Josh and I, along with a member of my staff from school (Steve), were headed for a visioning experience in Thailand. We spent time visiting and learning about various ministries that are serving children at risk of exploitation. In the Northern Thailand hill tribes area it was estimated that between twenty to forty percent of the children will be trafficked into exploitive forced labor.

One day on our trip, as we arrived at an orphanage home, the children were singing praise songs. One girl captured my attention as she sang with an incredibly worshipful spirit. Her eyes were closed, and she looked so present with God in that moment. After the singing, while the children began to play some of the games we brought for them, I walked around looking for the opportunity to meet this little girl. I found her and gave her a hug, and she asked to be picked up. Through an interpreter I asked her what her name was and she said it was “Mae.” We walked into the open air dining hall made of grass and bamboo and found some coloring books. We picked a picture and began coloring it together.

I asked the orphanage director Tutu to tell me Mae’s story. She said that Mae’s father was a drug dealer and was killed by police in a raid. Her mother has a birth defect and cannot earn enough to support Mae and her brother. This puts them at risk of being tricked into exploitive labor. Thankfully for Mae, Tutu was able to take her in and will provide her with a high school education and possibly college. This is a very typical situation and reason for a child to move into one of these homes.

After meeting the children I was compelled that I must do something. I was committed, whether my school would be able to commit or not. This kind of intense passion typically finds a way of disappearing from one’s mind as time passes, but this time, that was not the case.

Gary Haugen, president of International Justice Mission addresses why we, as followers of Christ, many times do not act even when we have knowledge of the oppression and poverty of others? Haugen’s response is that it is because of our own poverty. It is because of our own poverty of compassion, poverty of hope, and poverty of purpose.

Compassion:

On this journey I have learned that compassion is about humbly and honestly suffering with others. On the train ride back from Northern Thailand toward Bangkok I felt a tremendous burden for the people I met. People like little Mae and Tutu, the home director. They would be staying while I would be leaving and eventually make my way back to a very comfortable life. But the burden has not left me and I pray that it will not. It is from that burden that I am compelled to act.

Purpose:

God has a plan to demonstrate his goodness to the world. He could send a spiritual vibe from the sky, but his solution is you and me. He is not asking much, but just that we take that first step. One step at a time in obedience and faithfulness toward the things and people God cares about.

Hope:

Our hope is not in what solutions we think we can offer. He is the director of this orchestra and we have a small part to play. Scripture is clear that he cares for children and the oppressed greatly. If we are faithful to our little part he will multiply our efforts as he did when the little boy gave his lunch to feed the 5000. If it were my daughter, I would want someone to do something for her. There is hope in saving just one child from this sort of life.

After much prayer and discernment, my school has committed to partner in Thailand. Our desire is to have an ongoing relationship with the children and staff of a home for children and to take ownership of the responsibility and blessing that comes from funding and support its work. We plan to take a group of students, staff and parents there at least annually. Our first trip back is this summer. Our team is going to develop relationships, capture vision, and begin making plans to implement the orphanage home. We expect to be stretched, challenged, and changed by God during this trip, and we are committed to pass on the vision to our community when we come back.

I have recently been challenged to closely examine the things that Christ cares about. I have asked myself if I care about the same things. It is hard to wrap my mind around the fact that Christ is aware of all the suffering in the world. He knows of every child in forced prostitution, every lonely widow, and every hopeless soul. In fact, he not only knows about them, but also is suffering along with them. He is seeking redemption for every last one of them. If only my heart were able to feel that kind of compassion for just a few.

Gary Haugen writes, “Perhaps a next step in our development as children of God is a capacity for compassion permanence- a courage and generous capacity to remember the needs of an unjust world even when they are out of our immediate sight.”

This is the kind of compassion and courage I humbly pray for.

After a long, emotional, and tiring day Marta called me on my cell to say we were meeting some friends and their children at Safari Sam’s for dinner and play. This sounded like a great way to end our week.

As you walk into the place they stamp you and your children with matching serial numbers. As you leave they make sure each child is matched with the right adult. They always check Marta for this, dads don’t seem to be as credible when it comes to keeping track of their children, I guess. This process gives parents a sense of security and children some independence.

So, my daughter and her friend were running around the place like free spirits, having a merry time. They were checking in periodically, but were enjoying their freedom. After we finished dinner and they had been playing for awhile my daughter came up to me and did something she has never done before.

She asked me for money.

I guess this is something Marta and I need to get use to, but this was a first for me. I asked what it was for, and she acted like I should just trust her. She said she wanted to buy some ice cream for her friend and herself, so I gave her the two dollars and was intrigued along with the other adults to see what would happen next.

They walked up to the counter. Many times I have tried to encourage her to have the courage to purchase things on her own. It is in moments like this in the past that I have seen her freeze and just stare at the person on the other side with a sad weepy face. This time was different. She handed the man the two dollars and requested a sherbet ice cream and two spoons. It was at this moment that my world spun for a split second.

My daughter turned and looked at me with a proud smile and gave me a thumbs up. It was as though she was saying to me, “I can do this Dad, I’m okay.” It was very cute, but at the same time made my heart skip. At that moment a scene from the future played in my mind of us walking down the aisle at her wedding. I turn to my seat looking back and my daughter turns toward me with a proud and loving smile, flashing the thumbs up. “I can do this Dad, I’m okay.”

It is a great thing to experience growth. It can be hard and scary, yet exhilarating. It brings me joy to see my daughter developing. I look forward to flashing my heavenly Father the thumbs up as I begin to understand more the workings of his kingdom.