My home schooled kids have some of the coolest books in their Sonlight Curriculum.  Yeah, the oldest one is only in 5th grade but hey, sometimes the explanations of historical figures in a young readers book are better than the goofy jargon we as adults get fed.  (check out Youth With a Mission’s series on Christian Heroes…way cool)

One of the most recent ones is a book on William Wilberforce, one of the leading men to morally oppose slavery at a time when everybody else thought it was fine and dandy; even a blessing to the slaves because slavery acutally helped them.  Gheez…see the idiocy of the day?

As I read… I was reminded of a quote by Sir Francis Drake that Craig Groeschel brought up at Cataylst Conference 07.  Interestingly Drake laid the foundation for some of the slave trade!  He obviously struggled adhering to some of his own insights.  Sure, I’d love to point fingers and say he didn’t live what he said but I’d find the reflection in the mirror pointing at my own heart…

Disturb us, O Lord, when
We are too pleased with ourselves;
When our dreams have come true,
Because we dreamed too little.

We arrived safely,
Because we sailed too close to shore.

Wilberforce and others in our history were disturbed by what they saw and did something about it.  You?  get absorbed…n

So…we’re just about to get in the car after playing in the park, when my son informs me that he has lost his boomerang.

Of course after my initial laugh at the irony of that statement:) I then realized that it could be anywhere in this 20 plus acre park.  Great.  So my wife and I set out to find the proverbial boomerang in a haystack knowing we would receive a hero’s welcome upon recovery of the elusive item.

I took the high road, the hilly side to the left and my wife began scanning the lower side on the right about 200 yards away from me.  The grass was tall and this thing could be anywhere, so i wandered around like a lost puppy, scanning to and fro while my wife wandered aimlessly below.  Lotsa clover, no boomerang.

Then suddenly my wife began to change posture and assume the gait of one who is intent and purposeful.  You see, I was hundreds of yards away but i could tell JUST BY HOW SHE WALKED that she had found the object of her pursuit.  I couldn’t see the boomerang because of the trees but I knew SHE COULD.  I actually stopped looking and started heading in her direction.  Sure enough, she recovered the boomerang.  Hero’s once again…

How do you walk?  Purposeful or aimless?  It’s a great question and one I’m taking time to wrestle with.  Believe me…other people can see if you’re intent and focused on a purpose or lost and meandering in this thing called life.  It’s all in the walk…get absorbed…n

Last night, my three children and I were discussing ways to stop injustice.

This discussion came on the heels of a devotion we were reading about ways to serve and honor God.  We talked through prayer, giving etc.  However, the real conversation was primarily centered on what IS injustice.  What does it mean Daddy and what do you do about it?

Well, for your mother and I, I explained, there is a place in the Philippines that rescues orphans off the street, primarily little girls that are used to being hurt by bad people.

“Why don’t their parents help them?” asked my 6-year-old son.  Well that’s just it, I said, they don’t have parents.  Either their parents died or left or didn’t care for them and basically threw them away.  Some parents even sold their kids as slaves for money.  There are millions of kids that tonight their bed is a sidewalk and their food comes from a garbage can.

At that, my daughter threw her hands up over her ears and said, “Daddy, please stop!  i don’t want to hear about this!”

I think that’s a lot of my own answer to the ills of the world.  That’s usually my response.  I just don’t want to hear about them and everybody knows if you cover your ears or close your eyes, everything will go away…right?…get absorbed…n

He breaks my heart when He bares His soul…if you can sit through this and not be moved, you’re probably a typical American church-goer more concerned with arranging pictures in a burning house than a follower of Christ…prove me wrong..watch and get absorbed…n 

Recently I had the opportunity to attend Catalyst, a conference for young leaders held in Atlanta. The 2 day event was a plethora of dynamic speakers, vertical worship and well, just plain old silly stuff thrown in for giggles. I was challenged by everybody and everything. From Rick Warren to Andy Stanley to Dave Ramsey… to the coffee from Rwanda to the social justice issues to the church planting movement…to the mere fact that the message was the same: UNTO WHAT END? This faith we profess, this experience we have in His Presence…UNTO WHAT END? If He’s not filling your heart with love and compassion for the world around us then I got money says your not cuddling up to the right King…get absorbed…n

JOIN ME and Mission of Mercy to save the lives of children caught in sex trafficking.  GET ABSORBED!