“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” – Jesus

About a year ago, we had a guest speaker come to a staff chapel where I work.  The speaker is actively involved in ministry and outreach in Africa. He told us a few stories, one of which particularly resonated with me.  He explained how he had been in Tanzania with a group of nuns that were a part of Mother Teresa’s “Sisters of Charity.”  He had brought some men from his church, along with his teenage daughter and a few other ministry partners.  They were there to observe the situation in Tanzania, as well as to serve in the orphanages.  

While there, one of the men noticed a group of Muslim men standing off in the distance at the location they were at, and asked one of the Sisters what they were doing there. She replied, “Oooohhh, they just had a big prayer festival/celebration last week! We got the ceremonial hats, learned the dances and found out how to make the dishes they eat during the festival.” Even more puzzled than when he asked who they were, the man just stood there scratching his head.

She apparently noticed that the wheels were turning and said to him, “It is an honor and privilege to serve the Jesus that I see in my Muslim brothers and sisters.” (more…)

I’ve grown weary of all of the negative media. I know you’re thinking, “hey man, where have you been?”  I know, I know.  But you see, my wife and I just got cable for the first time in our marriage (6 yrs) about six months ago.  So, we’re all sorts of exposed to things we had no idea about.  It seems like every channel is chocked full of negativity, death, infidelity, horror, injustice and manipulation.

It reminds me of two truths:  (1) Food Network is quite possibly from Jesus, and (2) this world is messed up, y’all.  It seems as if there’s a better chance of Paula Dean not using butter in a dish over something good actually happening in the world these days.
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So, I came across an article last week that really irked me.  And, a week later, I’m more and more bothered as I think about it.  It also literally hits home with me, as it all takes place about 25 miles from my home in Arizona.

Click over to Read the entire article.  Essentially, a judge ruled that feeding the homeless at a place of worship can be banned by city ordinance.  That ruling means that CrossRoads United Methodist Church in Phoenix can no longer feed the poor on its campus.  The judge stated that the church had a long history of feeding the “poor in poor neighborhoods” but the use of this property to feed the poor bused in from another place was different. The church was classified as a charity dining hall, and a charity dining hall cannot feed the poor in a residential area.   (more…)

I just got around to uploading some pictures from various events over the past few months, and I came across some from last month’s trip to the Grand Canyon.  It was our fourth trip since moving to Arizona over three years ago.  This was the first time we’ve been when the shadows were heavily cast….beautiful.  I sat on the edge of the rim for a while, looking out at the shear size of the canyon.  The GC reminds me of two things every time I go:  (1) God is huge, and (2) I am small.  It’s funny, because usually in my life I change that list around.  I’m a huge deal and I make God small enough for me to understand.

Read more, por favor… (more…)

The brainchild of celebrity photographer Jeremy Cowart, Help-Portrait is a movement of photographers, coming together in every major city, to use their photography skills to give back to the community.

On December 12th, photographers around the world will be grabbing their cameras, finding people in need, and taking their picture.  When the prints are ready, the photographs get delivered.

more after the jump… (more…)