Tuesday, August 25, 2009

DOUBLE WHAMMY!

Double whammy is like saying, when it rains it pours!

In talking with several orphanage directors in Tijuana it becomes obvious that they're hurting, and hurting bad. The pipeline of prayer and financial support from the U.S. has all but dried up. The romance and fun of U.S. groups from local churches coming down to Tijuana for a day interacting with these little Mexican kids seems to be over ... along with it, the joy it brought. One by one the orphanages are finding themselves forgotten.

Some are closing down while others are trimming down.

The long standing three way turf war between the drug cartels and police have taken a toll on tourism, compounding an already bad Tijuana economy. High prices and no work forcing good men to go bad. Stealing and robbery have become an ugly and growing reality.

Our bad economy in the States has hit the church and forced many churches to rearrange their priorities and regroup by dropping short term missions and outside ministries. Sadly these kids across the border have been one of the first to go.

These two hits, no groups and no income, are forcing orphanages to let many of their kids to drop school and return to dysfunctional single parent families or, more literally, the dangerous streets of Tijuana ... where a kid can sell himself for a few bucks.

It's hard to see our churches so close yet so far away!

Compassion? Is that word still in our Bible dictionary?

Thursday, August 20, 2009

OVERWEIGHT CHRISTIANS OR HEAVYWEIGHT CHRISTIANS?

Our nation is plagued with obesity, at least that's what "they" say and who of us can dispute it? It's 'apparent', we see obesity everywhere.

Obesity isn't new to the Christian world either; we've been plagued with it for centuries. Pink, plump, tender and pampered over-weight Christians. Overweight Christians are also 'apparent' especially on Sundays where they can be found feasting on the Word.

Today we have an abundance of great chefs, the seminaries are pumping them out every year. The goal of every good chef is to feed us what we want and make it delicious ... we need a different diet.

Obesity isn't a matter of genetics with Christians; it's a rather simple problem ... the same old problem; ingesting too much food with too little exercise.

Let me repeat: too much food and too little exercise.

Can there be too much of a good thing? 'Apparently' so!

It's much easier and more convenient to cook, eat and fellowship than to be outside working off those 'divine' calories.

Unfortunately, in our society there will always be the many who live to eat and the few who eat to live, which is the healthier way to go. Unfortunately too, in our spiritual parallel the same perversion exists.

Churches by the score producing and reproducing obese Christians. Christians born into Church families with a dietary predisposition to ... obesity.

Cheers for the chef? ... I don't think so.

Many Christians can quote "II Tim 2:15" "Study the Word to show yourself approved unto God ..." but few can find and quote "James 1:22"..." be doers of the Word, not just hearers, that's deception."

Hearers of the Word and not doers leads to obesity!

"Show me a fat cook and I'll show you a good cook!" or so the saying goes ... unfortunately; more of a truism than a saying. Good cooks love food; love to eat it and love to share it. Look at the great food found in churches, seminaries (Cooking schools.) and books today. Resulting in the too well fed, fat and contented Christians we see waddling around today.

God's Divine calories turned "selfish" make for unhealthy fat!

No need for diets, just more time outside the Church building using the energy from God's good food to reach a needy and hurting world.

Obvious conclusion: Let's be doers of His Word! ... not just hearers.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

ALONE

In the orphanage and after our evening talk the teenagers filed out and into bed, all except fourteen year old Fernando, we asked him to stay back. "Take a seat Fernando."

It was lonely time!

This young boy is a Mexican Indian, placed in the orphanage by the Government. He doesn't speak much Spanish. He sat uncomfortably straight and stiff in his chair; his eyes avoiding ours. I know Fernando, he's very quiet and not close to anyone. A loner in the true sense of the word.

The kids call him "Indian."

I was asked to tell him that his little brother was dead.

No one wanted to tell him, neither did I. Fernando had asked about his little brother from time to time but the subject was always avoided. The Mexican Government had separated the two of them several years back, placing them in different orphanages. I knew about the situation but was waiting for information to come in as to what happened and where the young boy was buried. We only knew Fernando had no mother or father or even a relative, only his little brother, whom he loved ... and now his brother was dead. The government stonewalled us in trying to get the details.

It was time to tell him.

As we sat there, I broke the news to him as gently as I could. He took the news like the Indian he was, stoic; emotionless, his black eyes staring straight ahead. If he felt pain or loss, it didn't show.

He had no questions ... I had no answers.

I broke the silence by asked him if he liked it there at the orphanage, he paused and then whispered "no".

"Fernando, if there was anything in the world I could do for you or give you, what would it be?" ... After a long pause he whispered, "I wish I had a family."

He walked from the room ... truly alone.

Saturday, August 01, 2009

COPS 'N ROBBERS

Once again America works against itself.

When I was younger I remember hearing that crime didn't pay. Does crime pay? Of course crime pays, if it didn't, there wouldn't be so many free and rich criminals. Common sense here. More and more young potential criminals are catching on. Crime pays and it's exciting. It's an accepted and 'honored' profession, for those lacking purpose.

Thank our indolent politicians for that.

Let's face another truth, if Cops didn't have criminals, they wouldn't be needed. A Cop without a criminal is like a soldier without an enemy ... it's a love hate relationship. Cops need criminals and criminals need cops, sort of a perverted symbiotic relationship. Police have their job to do and prison's have they're job to do.

They have one thing in common; they both love their job.

It seems no one in this equation is seriously interested on cutting crime down. The Mayors, Governors, politicians and media all talk about it, but let's get real ... who's really serious?

Cops and robbers will continue as they have for centuries.

Prison; 'Crime 100' or 'Gladiator Academies'! The police have their academy, and the criminal has his academy; prison. Isn't it interesting that our prisons have done nothing to really confront and solve this problem? Is there a reason? Maybe it's because the prison bureaucracy's lifeblood comes from the prison system it's self. Every bureaucracy has to grow ... and so the prison system grows!

Prison and jail are excellent places for educating and motivating the criminal. Excellent post-educational benefits.

It's well known that our prison system is motivating and educating Muslim extremists. U.S. paid training for future terrorists. Are we doing anything about it? Don't make me laugh!

America's gangs collect and motivate potential criminals while our prisons educate and act like a catalyst. In prison you locate your friends, learn to fight and fix your future direction.

Oh, and there is graduation!

When you graduate from prison, no one will hire you, so you are forced to continue on in crime. You get caught, and again sent on a free, government expense paid post-grad course of your choice.

The solution (And there is one.) is too humbling and costly for us to pursue.