Voices Crying

I have been thinking of the brothers and sisters whom I have never met.

People who, despite great odds, heard the good news of the Gospel, and accepted it with joy. Those who, even to the death, boldly preach the salvation of Jesus Christ to their persecutors. Their lives, and deaths, are a constant witness to the world.

Living in a country where freedom to worship is taken for granted, we can be removed from the very real martyrdom that is taking place right now…right now, in our time.

Would you take time right now…right now – to pray for our brothers and sisters who are persecuted for the cause of Christ? Who risk their lives daily to smuggle Bibles, whisper hymns of praise in secret churches, and bravely witness to hostile neighbors?

To pray with perspective for these persecuted believers, I suggest two things:

1 – Read this passage for perspective, and rejoice in the fulfillment of God’s word, the joy set before us, and the exhortation to "strengthen [our] listless hands":

Hebrews 11:36-12:13
36 And others experienced mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, sawed apart, murdered with the sword; they went about in sheepskins and goatskins; they were destitute, afflicted, ill-treated 38 (the world was not worthy of them); they wandered in deserts and mountains and caves and openings in the earth. 39 And these all were commended for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised. 40 For God had provided something better for us, so that they would be made perfect together with us. 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us, 2 keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up. 4 You have not yet resisted to the point of bloodshed in your struggle against sin. 5 And have you forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons? “My son, do not scorn the Lord’s discipline or give up when he corrects you. 6 “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves and chastises every son he accepts.” 7 Endure your suffering as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is there that a father does not discipline? 8 But if you do not experience discipline, something all sons have shared in, then you are illegitimate and are not sons. 9 Besides, we have experienced discipline from our earthly fathers and we respected them; shall we not submit ourselves all the more to the Father of spirits and receive life? 10 For they disciplined us for a little while as seemed good to them, but he does so for our benefit, that we may share his holiness. 11 Now all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful. But later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness for those trained by it. 12 Therefore, strengthen your listless hands and your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but be healed. Context (NET)

2 – Go to the Voice of the Martyrs website.

Then, please pray. Pray for our brothers and sisters.

One

We're thinking about having a baby. We're not nursery-painting or buying monogrammed burp cloths or anything. We did rescue a friendly, abandoned puppy as a first step in practicing consistent responsibility.

Thinking about having a baby made us all reflective and philosophical about the world in which we would bring the baby. Will our baby thrive where we are? What are the ideal surroundings for raising our boy or girl? How can we make sure our child grows up to be a multi-lingual, multi-millionaire, model/singer/astrophysicist/Nobel prize/Grammy winner who loves the Lord and cares for us in our old age?

We started thinking about how the community would treat our baby, who would be biracial.

Then we grew wistful and sad and just started to talk about what to have for dinner, because we wondered where we belonged in this world.

Did I disappoint you?
Or leave a bad taste in your mouth?
You act like you never had love
And you want me to go without

Well it's too late
Tonight
To drag the past out
Into the light
We're one
But we're not the same
We get to carry each other
Carry each other
One

When I came to Dallas from New York City, I went looking for a church, and quickly realized that I would have to choose whether I'd go to a predominantly white church or a predominantly black church. My heart aches when I think about how downright congenial and squeaky-clean segregation can appear at times in our evangelical communities, whether inside or outside of church.

Having to choose which part of me (skin or soul) should be reflected in the church that I attended just seemed to sell everyone short.

To add insult to injury, I have also been to churches with brothers and sisters who have given me such a cold reception because of the color of my skin that I doubt I'd ever visit again. At times, I have seen more loving unity in my "heathen" hometown than in the buckle of the Bible belt.

You say
Love is a temple
Love the higher law...
You ask me to enter
But then you make me crawl
And I cant be holding on
To what you got
When all you got is hurt

John 17:20-23 says:

John 17:20-23
20 “I am not praying only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their testimony, 21 that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me. 22 The glory you gave to me I have given to them, that they may be one just as we are one – 23 I in them and you in me – that they may be completely one, so that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me. Context (NET)

I love to reflect on the concept of Jesus praying that prayer not only for the disciples that were present with him, but also for believers today. Our oneness bears witness to the truth that Jesus was sent by the Father. Our unity is a real-life example that God loves us. We make the gospel illegitimate when we choose comfort over the practicing the presence of the entire spectrum of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Dallas has a rich heritage of Christian education and ethics, megachurches and megaministries, but is the Christian community of Dallas one?

Can I raise my baby here?

By God's unifying power, and the love of our community, yes.

One love
One blood
One life
You got to do what you should

One life
With each other
Sisters
Brothers

One life
But were not the same
We get to carry each other
Carry each other

One

One.

(Italicized lyrics from U2's One)