"Experts say that in order to provide water, basic health, and nutrition for everyone in the world, ... estimates say that it would take somewhere around 20 billion dollars, which is how much Americans spend in one year on ice cream."Friends of ours, Nathan and his wife A, from our Faith family moved across state earlier this year not for a job or hope for a better life for themselves physically. These friends felt called to work against human trafficking and left St. Louis to go where there is a major human trafficking hub ~ Kansas City. They left the familiar and the safe where there was a home and friends and a full-time job to go to a less familiar, unknown place to rent a house and look for any job that would bring them closer to those impacted by this real world atrocity. I think I speak for many when I say we thought in one way that these guys were nuts. At the same time, we knew they were exceedingly special. Yet, God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things. That is proven time and time again in history. But also, he doesn't call just some of us. He calls all of us.
In David Platt's book Radical, the author cautions against rationalizing Jesus' words in the Bible into safer contexts and meanings. He goes so far as to say that Americans are beginning to 'redefine Christianity' into a version that is more comfortable, one where we find "[a] nice, middle-class, American Jesus."
Another friend I've found through blogging shares her heart here. She and her husband have two daughters of their own and adopted a son from Guatemala. Feeling led to adopt again, Jami and Clint sought a domestic adoption. Through a number of trials and numerous times waiting for a 'yes' and receiving a 'no,' they felt their hearts being led to foster care. They now have their three children and are Home to three foster children, as well.
Yeah. I know. They are special, too, right?
I'm inclined to believe they don't think themselves any more special than you or me. The difference in my opinion is that they listened, just like Nathan and A, when God spoke.
God is speaking today. Let's take some time to listen together.
