Jiggers

Tunga penetrans, also known as the jigger, is a type of flea that is found in warm, dry climates. The female jigger burrows its way into the skin, causing lesions, infections and pain, and feeds on the host's blood. The jigger leaves an opening in the skin and releases over 100 eggs during the next couple of weeks. These eggs fall to the ground through the opening and within the next three to four weeks the eggs hatch and are ready for hosts. Because the jigger lives in the dirt and is not a good jumper, most lesions occur on the feet. (This is also true because most people living in the area of jiggers do not have shoes!) Heavy infestations can be debilitating - causing loss of toenails, loss of toes, tetanus and even death. However, in most cases the jigger causes pain, inability to walk or carry out daily duties, alienation from neighbors, low self esteem and, oh yes, the spreading of HIV/AIDS. The jigger itself does not spread this disease, however, when an infected individual tries to dig the jiggers out with a pin and then that pin is used to dig out jiggers from someone else blood is transferred.
And to think a jigger infestation can be curred with hydrogen peroxide and a pair of shoes. So many people are hurting and the cure seems so simple. Can't we/shouldn't we help them?

photo courtesy google image search

Grace

I couldn't do it. The music was playing and the words were up on the wall but I just couldn't sing the chorus. It went something like this - Your grace is enough - Your grace is enough - Your grace is enough for me. At that moment my mind had flashed to North Korea, to the estimated 70,000 fellow followers of Christ who are suffering through unimaginable torture in North Korea's notorious labor camps. And to the over 400,000 believers living in fear because even owning a Bible in North Korea could get them executed or imprisoned for life with their whole family. As the congregation was singing I simply wondered if those words were true for me - is His grace enough for me? Theologically speaking, I believe Ephesians 2:8&9, so, yes, I believe His grace is enough to save me. And maybe I was over thinking things but the question was, is His grace enough for me. If everything else was stripped away, everything, do I believe His grace is enough? Could His grace be enough to get me through slavery in a labor camp or imprisonment or foreclosure or job loss or separation from family or heartache or .... And the answer is yes it could be enough - but would I accept it as enough? Would I be ok losing everything as long as I had His grace? Would you??

Divided

Our children sit through church. In fact, they always have. They were never sent to the nursery so we could 'do church;' they have always been included. Yes, at times it was difficult for them to sit quietly (especially one of them!) but the expectations were clear from the beginning. Our children now have a great respect for the church - for the community of believers of all ages. The Bible does not separate the church into ages - church for children, church for adults, church for teens, church for retirees. All followers of Christ are the church - collectively - together.
A couple of months ago I watched the film Divided. And I must say, the Leclerc brothers did an outstanding job of tackling the questions surrounding the rapid exodus of Christian youth from church and faith. The documentary follows Philip Leclerc as he travels around the country asking questions and interviewing people. It is not an opinionated piece showing one view point. The Leclercs simply ask questions, search out the answers and present the facts. And they measure everything with Scripture. The documentary shows us that age segregated church programs do not seem to be working. Could it be because they do not embrace the Biblical model of discipleship - the model God designed?
Whatever your opinion of age-segregation in churches, Divided will get you thinking. It will test what you know and what you think you know. It will help you understand why you believe what you believe. I highly recommend watching it! At the end you will be able to answer the following question for yourself: "Is modern youth ministry multiplying or dividing the church?"

Success

To laugh often and love much

To win the respect of intelligent people

and the affection of children

To earn the appreciation of honest critics

endure the betrayal of false friends

To appreciate beauty

To find the best in others

To leave the world a bit better

whether by a healthy child,

a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition

To know even one life has breathed easier

because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded.

This poem is often attributed to Elisabeth-Anne Anderson Stanley and it was Providence that brought it to my attention. I was recently talking to someone about success - what is it, when do you know you have it, and such. This person was raised with the self-made-man mentality; success is for those at the top of the ladder - those who work 70 plus hours a week. Work is where worth comes from and Jesus, family or others, well, they don't matter. Achieving at work is success. So what does God say? He definitely doesn't say work is where worth comes from! Solomon, the wisest man ever, says that the world's view of success is like chasing the wind - it is pointless. And it leaves us empty. We, followers of Christ, need to have a paradigm shift in terms of how we view success. The above poem might not be a completely accurate representation of success but notice it doesn't talk about money, status or work.

So, how do you define success? May we look to the Scriptures to find our definition.