God at Work

Our culture today is seemingly a disaster.  It seems messy.  And it is.  And it would be easy, in the midst of the real problems we are experiencing today, to think that Christianity is dying.  That secular lifestyles or radical Islam is winning.  But the t.r.u.t.h. is, well, we know the ending.  

"God exalted him [Jesus] to the highest place, and gave him the name that is above every name.  That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord."  (Phil. 2:9-10)  

That's the end.  Everyone will bow and confess that Jesus is Lord.  Whether we want to or not.

BUT... sometimes, we look around and feel discouraged.  A sickness in the family, a relational problem, a job we don't like, lonliness, hurt, on and on.  And those things are real.  And then, there are the hot-button social issues: gay rights, abortion, religious freedom, on and on and on.

And, so here we are.  Wondering if, in fact, Christianity is dying, because sometimes we don't see the results.   

I would argue that Christianity is spreading like never before.  

Real Christianity where Jesus is Savior and He changes lives.
When we who were once lost, become found. 
And we can see it if we choose to. 
Or we can jump on the woe-to-this-generation-it-all-sucks train. 
We can choose to get involved and be part of the spreading. 

Or we can hide inside our basements and hope that we make it to the end.  

God is at work.  Like never before. Can you see it...


...In Anaheim, California (and around the U.S.)

...In India

...In the son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, one of the founding members of Hamas.  (You should read this book.  No, seriously.)

In the Middle East.

  

...in Suburban Chicago  (gotta click for that one)

and in my new home, Lincoln, Nebraska

Find ways God is at work in your community and around the world.  Then, join.  Jump in.  Find a way to be a part of His Work.  Right where you are.  That has been God's challenge to me lately.  So, here we go....

Observations about Lincoln

We've lived in Lincoln for 12 days.  I've made some observations and comparisons between Lincoln and Chicago.

1.  Drivers do not treat bikes like cars (like in Chicago).  In fact, mostly, drivers don't notice bikers. 
2.  When you are turning out of a business driveway on to a busy street, people wave you to cut in front of them with a smile (as opposed to speeding up and glaring at you for even thinking about entering the road.)
3.  There is no Marshall's.  Sigh.
4.  Strangers ask personal questions.  For example, checking out at the cash register, "what is that rash?" (regarding a burn on my hand that looks gross and disgusting.)
5.  We've met all our neighbors.
6.  I was in and out of Lincoln Public Schools HR in about 30 minutes tops.  CPS HR was NEVER even close to that efficient.  And LPS is recovering from a fire that burnt down their district offices...
7.  There are lots of local businesses

more to come.