Light on a hill.

I lift my eyes From the depths of despair,

To a light on a hill that casts oppressing shadows and glares.

Where are your hands? Where is your heart?

Your thumbs are in your pockets, and your mind is a whore.

Your deeds amount to little, but your faith is apparently, transparently strong.

And when you finally wake to find me, I'll be gone

Yes... in your Great Awakening, in your greatest charity, you'll find me gone.

What are your prayers but pledges... what is your love but law--

You'll see these chains won't bend for pride, and your status quo won't change me.

Yes, dirt can breath and dirt has life, and this dirt is my soul you see.

And if you can't work the dirt and sow the seed, your labor is in vain to me.

Because this dirt can breath and this dirt has life, and this dirt that you see- it bleeds.

Oh Righteous is the crown you wear, you placed it there yourself,

And if higher ground is what you're after, your ladder will not get you there.

Buildings made by man's due strength can fall and tumble to the ground,

As do hills by salty seas.

So if you dim the fluorescents of your marquee and open a window to my plight,

Lift your body through the window sill and run with all your might,

Place your toes in the mud of my poverty and be a more radient Light.

*Just something I've been working on since this morning. Still a work in progress. It's inspire by Vincent Van Gogh's The Church at Auvers.

In his painting, the church is bleak, and there seems to be no doors. No way for some to find refuge within it's walls, and no way for believers to go out and

be a refuge for others. A true picture of what many have experienced.

"The foreground of The Church at Auvers is brightly lit by the sun, but the church itself sits in its own shadow, and "neither reflects nor emanates any light of its own."

There are many motivations to do ministry and/or missions, but I believe that the main motivation for missions or ministry (and I almost think that these two words can be used interchangeably) should be Love. Because pure love abides in Christ... and 1 John tells us that God is love, and where there is love... there is God (1John 4:16).

Now, for some, the only example of love is what is seen on TV sitcoms or read in a Nicolas Sparks novels... or the Twilight series. Oh, how those examples pale in light of the Love of God. We, humans, try to portray Love the best we can... we want to be captivated and allured. We crave either crave the pursuit or or the act of being pursued, and since the beginning, God has pursued us. Throughout history, we have played the role of ‘hard to get’ while seeking love ‘in all the wrong places’. But- God not only pursues us, but He beckons us to pursue Him- knowing that He is our fulfillment, and we will find peace, joy, love, and forgiveness in HIM alone.

But unfortunately, daily we read stories and see media segments on people who claim they are ‘christians’. They pervert scripture to justify murder, sexual/mental/physical abuse, theft, selfish ambition, and gain of power. Unfortunately, this is what most of the world knows of ‘Christianity’. If your skepticism of the Bible and those who claim to follow Jesus is built on such accounts, I beg you to search out the Truth for yourself. Pick up the Bible (preferably, a translation that suits you; I recommend the English Standard Version) and read it. The Bible is not only living and relevant and divinely inspired, but it’s also a work of literature and deserves to be read in context like anything else in print. Not only that, research the culture and time period that the events take place... it will help put much into perspective.

My point, skepticism should cause us to search out Truth- not dismiss something on the account of being burned by ignorance. Those who have done the inexcusable (misusing scripture by adding or taking away) only proves the validity of scripture itself (Mt. 24:9-24; 2 Pt. 2:1; 1 John 4:1-- Jesus said there would be people who would do this).

Don’t be lazy and just write christianity off as tainted and corrupt... pursue God. What do you have to loose? I promise that you would only gain the greatest Love you’ve ever known.

Back to motivation, it’s always good to keep the things that motivate us in check, so that we don’t become blinded by ourselves. In terms of ministry, Love should always be a motivation (it’s awesome to have several things that motivate us to do good i.e. poverty, injustice, ect., but Love should always be one of the motives). Even better-- Love should be a motivation in everything we do: our work, our family, our friendships, and our time/money spent. While I type this, I realize certain situations where I have absolutely failed at this just over the past month. And we all will, so don’t get cheeky and think you’ve got this Love thing down. It’s constant re-examining. Sure, we can be nice and kind and selfless and think we are in the clear by thinking that our good deeds will outweigh the bad, but then your motive is not out of Love. It is out of self satisfaction and guilt. Don’t be fooled. Being motivated by pure Love is saying “I’m going to look into the eyes of the the most rotten and detestable person I know and see that it is me staring back. And I will give my life for that person to live even if it’s just for a day. I love them that much.” That kind of Love is only the precursor of the Father’s Love for us. And that kind of Love is a great motivation!

“How deep the Father’s love for us, How vast beyond all measure, That He should give his only son, And make a wretch His treasure, How great the pain of searing loss, The Father turns His face away, As wounds which mar the Chosen One, Bring many sons to glory...” Stuart Townend