"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

I'll try not to spend too many words or too much time on this, since I honestly don't think the topic deserves as much attention as it gets. However, some decisions I've heard recently sincerely trouble my heart to the point that I feel I must speak. I realize that in writing this, I will be challenging the positions held by some close friends who will likely read this, so please know two things before proceeding.

1. I fully respect your convictions, and if your decision is a matter of conscience such that you feel it would be violating God's command in Scripture to do otherwise, then I am definitely not telling you to violate your conscience.
2. As I analyze the choices available, please understand that I am not mocking or belittling anyone for the positions they hold. I simply desire to show logically where such decisions will lead.

Those points stated, the subject at hand is politics, specifically an analysis of the effects of voting for a candidate outside of the mainstream (Republican or Democratic) parties.

To anyone in the primary audience of this letter, I applaud your involvement in the political process. I am quite confident that you did not come to the decision to support an independent just because you woke up one morning and picked the first yard sign you passed. Rather, you are probably where you are because you have researched the options and feel deeply that the popular choices are no longer acceptable or in alignment with your beliefs. For taking a stand on your convictions, I salute you. At the same time, I also know that elections are strategic -- candidates cater to their constituents and others they hope to sway, and supporters do their best to appeal to people's hearts in order to get their man or woman in office. And they do all of this because they endeavor to make a difference in this country. I believe you wish to do the same thing.

That is where the quote, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend", enters. At the end of the day on November 4th, 2008, only the two mainstream presidential parties will have a chance at the White House -- the Republicans or the Democrats. Trust me, I am the utmost of romantics and idealists, but I am also a rationalist and a strategist and the reality is that those parties are effectively the only two options. Before you dismiss me, though, let me be quick to say that your vote for an independent party will make a difference. You'll most likely build up those you most oppose.

How, you ask? I'll tell you. Let's take the Libertarian party for example. People voting for the Libertarian candidate most likely would align closest to the Democratic party in regards to values and positions. If only the Democrats and Republicans were allowed to run for office, then those voting Libertarian would (begrudgingly, perhaps) vote as a Democrat. To make this clear, let's say that the election is somewhat close but that mainstream polls project that the voters will split 53% Democratic / 47% Republican. What happens if the Libertarian party garners an 8% vote, though? The election changes from a Democratic win to a Republican win, because the results change to 45% Democratic / 47% Republican / 8% Libertarian. Notice that the Libertarians didn't win and that those they strongly disagree with actually won. The same scenario applies conversely to the Republican alternatives.

Thus, in this election, all parties are facing off as "enemies". Republican vs. Democratic vs. Libertarian vs. Constitution vs.... Strategically, though, who are the allies in that list? Oddly enough, the Republicans actually hope that the Libertarians succeed some, while the Democrats are pulling for a "strong" Constitution party. Why? Because those who vote Constitution reduce the Republican (conservative) vote, and those who vote Libertarian undermine the Democratic (liberal) vote.

So the real question this election day, regardless of whether you go mainstream or stay independent is: Will you further the conservative or liberal cause? You will support one, but will it be the one you think you're voting for?

Empty But Able

Hey guys,

This is a call to anyone reading this who is empty but able -- busy with all the things in this life (work, school, etc), but willing by the grace of God to summon one more ounce of energy to do something of eternal value. We all dream of things we wish we were, wish we'd done, or wish we could do someday -- can we put those creative energies to a Kingdom purpose? Sometimes we get those sparks that want to ignite a mission larger than us, for God's glory, but I know for my part that the fire quickly fades because it's hard to do something alone, particularly when so much in life is going on. Perhaps that's why Christ created His church as a body. Feet get us places, but without eyes to give vision, the feet run without direction. Ears hear and discern, but without mouths, the ears cannot relay the message.

I'm not trying to be superspiritual in this pursuit of something "great". I read what Christians past and present thought and did, though, and know that all of us can do the same. Our sleep is precious, but do we treasure it more than time in God's Word? Those before us didn't, and we have testimonies of lives that shone brightly for God because of that.

Maybe this will fade like a word spoken into the wind, or maybe it will echo and resonate with someone. For the latter, is there anyone who wants to get together (online or off) and brainstorm on eternal ideas and then figure out how to make them reality? We all have different talents, but we have the same mind of Christ. So even if our ideas span the spectrum of fields or topics, we can encourage each other and constructively analyze the ideas discerningly and practically. Some thoughts along the pray-give-go framework (which applies to more than just missions)...

1. Pray

• Develop a daily prayer list, updated on a weekly basis. I don't know about everyone else, but for me the lists of requests that we receive from many places can be overwhelming and seem daunting and insurmountable. If a group could get together weekly (say a Saturday morning), combine lists, divide it by days and even by persons (depending on the number of requests), and then send it out to anyone who wants to join in, it could make a big difference on the number of people praying.
• Create a website with up-to-date requests organized by category. When requests have been answered, they could be updated and categorized accordingly to show a history of God's faithfulness. One more website might not get much traffic, but with some RSS feeds, it could be integrated into Firefox and other browsers and even Facebook for easy access.

2. Give ($$)

• Personally, those who wanted to work on this could get together and in an accountability-format, think through our own finances and see if we might be able to manage them differently to be able to dedicate more to ministries and missions. A Compassion child only costs $32 a month, so if a group of 4 people could find a way to save $8 a month each (i.e. cut out two Starbucks drinks), they could sponsor another child. The same applies to church and missionary support. Even carpooling to church could save $5 a week with gas prices these days.
• Brainstorm on ways to generate side income that could be dedicated wholly to a ministry or ministries. A couple computer guys could do some PC support on the side and send all the income to a missionary. Or a creative techie person could design websites or graphics and contribute to the new children's building fund. College or high school tutoring? I bet most of us could help out in one subject area or another. Babysitting? I'm sure there are other ideas -- but that's where other people come into play :).

3. Go

• Serve in local ministries: volunteering at homeless shelters like Union Gospel Mission in Dallas; answering phones and sharing the Gospel at Need Him (888-NEED-HIM), children's ministries at church, etc. Even if we can only serve sporadically in one of those places, we can encourage one another, share our experiences, and pull each other along when we need that boost to keep going.
• Step out in short-term missions: We all take a two week vacation from time to time (maybe every summer) -- could the next one be to Costa Rica or Germany or East Asia? No doubt, it's a big step into the "uncomfortable zone", but it's amazing to see what the Lord does when you follow His lead there. And you can serve in a variety of ways on a short-term trip. Vacation Bible School with kids, construction on a church building, door-to-door evangelism, teaching English or another skill and answering the "why are you here?" question as it comes up -- so many ways!
• And of course, long-term missions or ministry work: This takes us back to the Pray and Give sections. Those serving locally full-time can be involved in all of these with us, but those who serve in distant places need our prayer and financial support.

I realize that's a lot to ponder, but isn't it possible? Can't we gather like the early church and dedicate ourselves to the service of the Lord, even while work, school, and the rest of this world tries to sap all of our time from us? We can't do it alone, but we have a great God and He's given us each other to "encourage one another more and more as [we] see the day approaching" (Hebrews 10:24-25). So if anyone wants to commit to something like this, let me know.

~Chris

Stronger Against The Wind

What is this fire that grows stronger against the wind?

What kind of flame can this be?

There is no greater love than this

There is no greater gift that can ever be given

To be willing to die so another might live

There is no greater love than this

That love is the love that God has given us through Christ Jesus, and it is a love I have undeservedly experienced in the weeks since my last entry. The Lord is most overtly powerful in our lives when we are openly weak. October and the end of September have been one unending sprint of class projects, work emergencies, and the blessed straw on top of it all of petitioning the body of Christ for support on my upcoming mission trip to India (78 days from now). And I didn't misuse "sprint", though I spoke of more than three weeks -- God's grace has sustained me through very little sleep and the stresses of group projects, etc. It's all been Him, because I've been here before and fallen flat on my face by self-reliance.

This month has seen many manifestations of God working, but four specifically that I'll mention here. First, this trip to India is a totally new and challenging experience for me. By nature, I am independent and happy to feel depended upon and to support others, but I shy away from having to depend myself on other people. Of course that's not at all the model God set forth in the church, but that's my fleshly default. "Sending" has been a safe haven of that independency (new word), but "going" will have nothing of it. I have been humbled by the way the Lord has crossed my path with others, some I didn't even know were believers (at work). And the readiness with which He has stirred up hearts in prayer and giving sweeps the footing out from under my pride and independence. Of course, as another missionary currently in field told me today in an e-mail, God doesn't need me to go in order to accomplish His will and purpose, but He graciously chooses to involve me in the generation of His glory, for which I am eternally grateful.

Second, last Friday night, I was working late and took a break to run and grab some take-out from Panda Express. When I arrived, they were out of Orange Chicken, so I stepped aside to wait the obligatory eight minutes for it to cook. A few minutes into that queue, a middle-aged African-American guy walks into the restaurant. He looked pretty poor, such that I wasn't sure whether he was homeless or something close. Anyways, he was having trouble understanding what he was allowed to get in a 2-Entree dinner and I overheard him ask what he could get for six dollars, because that was all he had. The problem with "six dollars" is that a 2-Entree dinner costs $6.22 with tax. So I pulled a dollar out and walked up to him to explain that it would cost more than what he had to get a decent meal and handed him the dollar. Being a veteran Panda Express patron, I also let him know what he could get in the dinner, since he was getting frustrated trying to figure it out. Long story short, the Lord opened up a solid ten minute conversation about the reason for helping him out, etc. Pope (the man's name) claimed to be a Christian and had pretty good grasp on the Scriptures, so hopefully he is a brother as he claimed. Otherwise, I pray the Lord would continue to work in his life to save him. Nothing happens without God's orchestration and this was simply another unexpected example of His hand moving.

Third and less certain, I tried to go to Dunkin Donuts last night on the way home from class, because on Mondays this month, they are giving away a free medium coffee. I'd gone to this particular Dunkin Donuts at 11pm before and saw that it was open 24 hours, so I didn't think anything of going at 10pm. When I pulled up to the driveway, no one answered immediately so I perused the menu. Then I heard a knocking on car hood and looked up to see a man standing there. My first reaction was to lock the doors, because I wasn't exactly in a safe spot and no one was around. The man went to my passenger window and pleaded for a few dollars to buy a gas can [reason/story omitted]. I think I had seen him on his cell phone walking around the Jack-In-The-Box parking lot next door, but I was skeptical -- how could I know whether it was a scam? But I gave him what he asked for anyways. Unfortunately I wasn't prepared as I should have been and Lord-willing will be next time, so all I was able to tell him was that I was a Christian. He replied that he was, too (again, God knows...), but perhaps even if it was a scam, the Lord will use what to me was a wrong place, wrong time situation for His glory. After the man left, I pulled around to drive-thru window to read that the hours were now 5am to 10pm (it was 10:05pm), so the only transaction that occurred was between me and that man. Lord, please use it for Your glory.

Fourth and most simply, today was simply beautiful. I was off from work in order to do class project work, so I was able to drive around and bask in the Lord's creation. How marvelous is His work! "The heavens declare the glory of God..." (Psalm 19).

All of this has been written to exalt God. If any of it pointed to me (as I'm afraid my feeble words may have), then I failed, because it was all Him. Only His love "grows stronger against the wind".

(Lead italics and concluding quote from Steven Curtis Chapman's "No Greater Love")

Declaration of Dependence

The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth.

He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of His understanding.

He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.

Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion.

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles.

They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

~Isaiah 40:28-31 (NLT)

Lord, I am but a youth, and I am weak and tired. Without You, I will fall in exhaustion. Help me to trust in You with all that I am, holding nothing back, that I might find Your strength. Your power is perfected in weakness; let me accept that I am weak and cannot bring You glory on my own. Then, Lord, let me run hard for You and not grow weary on the journey. Let me walk patiently where You lead and not grow faint. You are trustworthy, Father, and You are good. Even when You lay down crimson dots for me to follow where I have not been before, still I know You are sovereign and You will not fail to make Your Name known among the nations.

My heart is restless as I wander through this jungle

The trees above refuse to let the sunlight through

And somewhere deep inside I hear the whispered longings

That tell me I was made for more than this

A blinding flash of light falls down into the darkness

Slowly I notice strange new markings on the trail

The crimson drops are calling out to me, "Come and follow"

"I am the God who made you, let Me show you how to live"

And I cry...

I want to be a God follower / I want to go wherever He leads

I want to be a God follower / I want to walk the trail He's marked for me

And be a God follower (1)

"Wherever He leads..." Those are serious words. They mean that I am surrendering control (which I never really had) and that I am confessing and acknowledging that You alone, Lord, are setting the course of my life. You may send me across the world in a few months. You may intend for me to die for Your Name's sake. Or You may have me live out a long life as a perpetual offering to You. All are heavy callings. But by Your strength, I can overcome.

Chorus: Bring it on / Let the lightning flash, let the thunder roll, let the storm winds blow

Bring it on / Let the trouble come, let the hard rain fall, let it make me strong / Bring it on

Now, maybe you’re thinkin’ I’m crazy / And maybe I need to explain some things

‘Cause I know I’ve got an enemy waiting / Who wants to bring me pain

But what he never seems to remember / What he means for evil God works for good

So I will not retreat or surrender (chorus)

Now, I don’t want to sound like some hero / ‘Cause it’s God alone that my hope is in

But I’m not gonna run from the very things / That would drive me closer to Him

So bring it on (2)

At the end of it all, my longing is to know Christ, to love Him as He deserves, and to make Him known. I have always wanted a higher purpose, a cause to fight for and change the world. Yet I have realized that nothing temporal will ever satisfy this longing. It is chasing down the wind. Still You are patient and You do not fail to draw me back to You time and again.

Lord, You know how much / I want to know so much

In the way of answers and explanations

I have cried and prayed / And still I seem to stay

In the middle of life’s complications

All this pursuing leaves me feeling / like I’m chasing down the wind

But now it’s brought me back to You / And I can see again

This is everything I want / This is everything I need

I want this to be my one consuming passion

Everything my heart desires, Lord, I want it all to be for You, Jesus

Be my magnificent obsession

So capture my heart again / Take me to depths I’ve never been

Into the riches of Your grace and Your mercy

Return me to the cross / And let me be completely lost

In the wonder of the love that You’ve shown me

Cut through these chains that tie me down / to so many lesser things

Let all my dreams fall to the ground / Until this one remains (3)

(1) "God Follower", by Steven Curtis Chapman

(2) "Bring It On", by Steven Curtis Chapman

(3) "Magnificent Obsession", by Steven Curtis Chapman