the reluctant leader

When Life is Not Fair

I tweeted the following a few hours ago: While reading the book of Job this morning, I had this thought: MY LIFE IS GOOD. #thankful #fb

Yep, I'm reading the book of Job this week. Not my favorite book of the Bible, but I always gain new insight every time I read about Job's catastrophic struggles, his self-righteous friends and his amazing God. After reading Job, I always end up very thankful. If you feel that life is not fair, then I suggest a strong dose of Job.

Here are some thoughts I blogged after reading Job a few years ago, about the time that Typhoon Ondoy baptized Manila in flood waters, destroying homes, wiping out businesses and taking lives.

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1. Bad things happen to seemingly good and innocent people. Four times Job is described by God as "blameless and upright" yet he experienced horrible suffering.

2. The devil is real and he comes to "steal, kill and destroy." Chapter 1 makes it clear that all Job's pain and loss was an act of the devil, not an act of God.

3. People experiencing bad times need good friends. When you have friends who are suffering, try doing what Job's friends did in Job 2:13 "Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was."

4. Good friends often give bad counsel. Unfortunately, after that week of silence, Job's friends opened their mouths and stuck both feet in, nasty sandals and all.

5. Some things can't be explained and some "why" questions can't be answered. The book of Job never answers the "why" question. But it does paint a good picture of "how" - how to find God in our pain and how to respond to calamity in a way that honors God.

6. We can find God in our pain and loss, if we do what Job did when he realized the extent of his loss - "then he fell to the ground in worship..." (Job 1:20) Do we only worship God in the good times?

7. In the end, the blessing of God caught up with and overtook Job. Most people don't press through and read the whole book of Job. But if you endure til the end, you will find that "the Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the former." (Job 42:12) And if we endure past our pain, we will find God in the end.

Top 10 List: Martin Luther King Jr Quotes

There are enough MLK quotes to easily make a top 100 list. But, here are my current top 10 with my brief comments:

10. A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus. (That helps me.)

9. Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. (Reminds me of that Raiders of Lost Ark scene.)

8. Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness. (Easier said than done, but important to do.)

7. A man who won't die for something is not fit to live. (Reminds me of that Ninoy quote about Filipinos being worth dying for.)

6. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood. (This is what I love about Bethel.)

5. An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity. (Powerful!)

4. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. (Read that one again, slowly.)

3. I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear. (Simple, but profound.)

2. In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. (I never want to be a silent friend.)

1. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. (Character!)

Remember the Poor

Too busy to blog lately, but I'm re-posting another Christmas blog from the arcives. This was originally posted Dec 22, 2006.

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Last night I made a Christmas memory I hope I never forget. I went with my 18 and 16 year old sons to a Christmas party for about 400 "at risk youth" and their families. It was sponsored by Nashville's Youth Life Learning Center and included kids and staff from all five Life Centers in Nashville.

After the meal, it was gift time. Youth Life Learning Center director, Pastor James Lowe, was better than Santa in the gift giving department. I wish you could have seen the smiles on the faces of these kids when they were given brand new bicycles, skate boards and other gifts. One little boy even received a flat screen TV. When I asked James how he decided what gift to give to each child, James told me he gave them exactly what they asked for. When I asked how he paid for all these gifts, he pointed to the people serving the food and said, "Bethel church members."

These kids went home with much more than nice gifts and a great meal. Pastor James told them one of the best Christmas stories I have ever heard, with Jesus in His rightful place right in the center. I am so impressed with the Youth Life Learning Center staff and volunteers who selflessly serve "the least" as if they were serving Jesus Himself. The best part was knowing that this was not just a one-time-shot, but there is ongoing ministry to these kids, their families and their communities through the Life Center staff and Bethel volunteers.

Last night with the Life Center kids made me think of one my favorite Christmas traditions back in Manila. For as long as I can remember, our church, Victory, has received a Christmas Eve offering for the poor. In past years our Christmas Eve offering has helped orphans, typhoon victims, tsunami victims, and others in need. This year the whole offering will help students through our Life Scholarship fund. Please give as generously as you can this Christmas Eve. I am proud of the fact that the Christmas Eve offering is usually our largest offering of the year, and 100% goes to the needy.

Proverbs 28:27 He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.