My Interview with Nelson Mandela (What I would have liked to ask)

You know those hypothetical conversations? Those moments when you imagine what you would say, how you would feel, and how you might interact? I imagine myself having the distinct honor of interviewing Nelson Mandela, Madiba himself. Yesterday he passed away at the age of 95. Twenty seven of those years he lived in prison because of his stand against apartheid.

I imagine myself being able to sit down with this great and humble man and just taking in his presence. You know how that is? When you are in the room with a person who is famous and you just don’t have the right words to express how much they have meant to you, how they have impacted your life, and you are better for having known just a little bit about them…yeah that’s the emotion I have as I enter the room where Nelson Mandela is sitting. He looks out the window as I find my seat. Light catches his irises and there is a deep sense of knowing, a deep sense of wisdom. I’m not placing Madiba on a pedestal here, I just have a deep respect for this man who brokered freedom for the majority of South Africa. He had his flaws, the ANC party certainly wasn’t above death threats and bombings, but the man, not the party sits before me.

I have some notes scribbled down on a small spiraled note book in my hand. I have to clear my throat in order to work up the strength to ask my first round of questions. I feel immensely intimidated. Despite his humility, I feel as if I am unworthy to have this opportunity to talk with him. How does one act in the presence of greatness? Again, one who has endured so much and accomplished much more, how does one find the adequate words to speak to such a person? He smiles a reassuring smile, one that encourages me and without words says “It is alright, I understand.”

In my mind we have a conversation, he is gentle and soft spoken, yet behind his words he is as strong as a lion in the veld. We laugh together as the tension breaks…and I shed some tears in his re-telling of history. In my mind this interview reshapes my understanding of South Africa. In my mind my childhood as a missionary kid in South Africa is altered. I didn’t fathom the severity of apartheid rule until just now…I knew it to be horrific and wrong as a child yet never understood its severity.

But now as unity is prayed for, as we all mourn in Madiba’s passing…a great man has passed from the shadow of this earth and in his wake we are left hoping that tomorrow will be better because of his impact on our yesterdays. Sleep well Madiba, I pray one day to be able to sit down with you in Eternity and finally have that interview that I have rehearsed in my mind. Words cannot express how deeply you have impacted me, nor the vacancy your passing has left in the lives of South Africa and others around the world.

“I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.” ― Nelson Mandela

December 6, 2013 0

I’ll Fight!

In the years that I have lived, loved and groaned

I have never known the hunger pangs of children

I have never witnessed a child dying from the curable

because resources and money was lacking.

I have never found pleasure in a single morsel of rice

because this was all I would eat in a week.

I have never been witness to the slaughter of my parents

because they believed in Jesus.

I have never had to watch as my brothers and sisters

were sold into slavery on the human trafficking market,

loaded up in boxed trucks by the dozens like animals

heading to market…

Yet I know it exists.

I know that many still today find grace in one ray of sunshine

in the midst of hell and fury of hate.

I know children go hungry as militant leaders steal

their wealth and resources and make child soldiers out of them.

I know Aids has killed and will kill entire generations in Africa

leaving orphans in its wake.

I know human slavery hasn’t been eradicated

but is extricating the innocent still to a shortened life of horror.

I know.

But how can we end this?

How can we bring food to the hungry,

safety to the threatened

and cures to the dying?

My heart yearns to help.

My heart groans to give aid.

I want to fight this.

I want to stand in the gap for those who cannon for themselves.

I want to bring the light of Christ into darkened places.

To be a place of safe harbor to the lives clinging to death.

Lord how?

How can we fight this?

How can we go?

How can we soldier on?

How do we shine when all we want to do cry and weep over

the evils of man?

This fight must begin and end with You!

Your strength.

Your peace.

Your discernment.

Your empowering arms of love.

Father, we cry out to You in a world

sin sick and broken.

Be our salve.

Be our shield.

Our fortress.

Our deliverance.

Our Victory.

I’ll fight!

I’ll fight on!

I’ll fight on into your victory!

November 8, 2013 0

In need of a Savior

In just a few days another installment of Marvel’s Thor will hit theaters (Thor 2 The Dark World) . It will undoubtedly be #1 at the box office over the weekend. This time Thor returns to Earth to help save mankind from an evil force not of this earth. It will be an action packed movie with lots of special effects, some romance and the underlined theme that the World is in need of a savior. I find it interesting that Thor is the son of a god (Odin). Thor comes to Earth to save mankind from evil and death. To me there is a deep underlining parallel here to Christ.

Last year the Avengers was a world wide success and financial money maker. The entire Marvel franchise is well over a Billion dollar industry. Why has their movies received such international success and acclaim? Naturally people of all ages enjoy a good action film, but beyond that I believe there is this underlining innate longing to be saved and to have find a savior from life’s worries, fears and heartaches. Every person on earth can most likely relate to such a longing. There is something remarkably missing in our hearts that cannot be rectified from the inside alone. We need an external force to save us.

Jesus came to this earth seeking to save the lost (Luke 19:10). Why did He come? Because we could not, in our own power and strength, save ourselves from the trappings of sin and death. We needed an external force to grasp us by the hand and pull us to safety. Since the fall of our first parents, Adam and Eve, we have lived with sin in our world. We have all fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and we are in dire need of one who can save us from certain death. This is why, I believe, we respond so passionately to superhero movies like Thor(2) and others before it. We crave saving. We long for deliverance. We look around us in our world and we see evil and hatred, sickness and death, and we pray for those life ending threats to end. We turn on the news and witness another violent shooting in a mall or another systematic genocide taking place on this planet and we wish such stories would end. We long for a savior to come and save us!

This life isn’t easy, sin is still very present and real, hatred and sickness at times still prevails; and yet there is hope. The hope of the world entered earth some two thousand years ago and with Him, brought deliverance, salvation and the promise of new life for all who sought after Him. God’s one and only Son, Jesus Christ still says to us today “I am the way the truth and the LIFE, no one comes to the Father except through me .” (John 14:6)

We are all in need of a Savior. Though we enjoy a good flick about Superheroes now and then, we can recognize that we have already been saved and that new life can start today with our love and devotion towards God and His image reflected towards those around us.

-Just a thought for today.

November 5, 2013 0

My Life = Christ’s Broken Bread

Think of it. A life completely devoted to the cause of Christ. Not a divided life, where half is devoted to Christ and half is devoted to self…but completely and utterly surrendered to the cause of Christ.

For some, dare I say most, being Christ’s broken bread sounds great on paper. It even sounds romantic to some degree, but truly living a broken life before God and man is an extremely daunting task indeed.

Galatians 2:20 the Apostle Paul tells us; “I have been Crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and have himself for me.”

There is a very disturbing image for us here. The suffering and death of Christ for the world becomes the very image we too take on as we become Christ’s broken bread to the world around us. It transforms us into what Christ said would happen to His disciples: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26)

Our borrowed time, our pooled financial resources, our hobbies and precious treasures…they mean nothing if they are not subjected to the filter of Christ on the cross. Everything will eventually pass away. Everything will eventually disappear from us. But one thing will remain: God’s love for us, His people.

In return, our duty, our purpose for living ought to transform our thoughts, our passions, our perceptions of the stuff we own…all of it in the spectrum of grace and redemption.

Why do we need to become Christ’s broken bread?

Because there are countless souls in our world who need salvation! There are many lives who are still lost in the darkness of sin and certain death! Without willing servants of Christ giving their all in His services, they will perish! Some might utter the excuses like “the Holy Spirit can save them”, and rightly so but Christ has sent US to be His ambassadors into this world. The Holy Spirit is with us in this venture! Without the willing hands and feet of Christ, who have been broken and humbles before His love and grace, the great commission cannot be fulfilled.

We are called people. Set apart for His holy purpose in this world wrought with sin! People in our own neighborhoods are lost and in need of anyone who is willing to love them and show them this amazing Christ whom we serve! There are countless souls caught up in addictions of all kinds who are in need of the extension of grace that Christ has given to us.

Who will be Christ’s broken bread to them? Will you? Will I? This isn’t some part-time calling. It’s full-time within our occupations and our passions! We are called to be His broken bread to the world, and that starts with our family’s, neighbors, friends and even enemies. It will not be easy! There will be days in which we will utterly fail along the way. Other days when we will be scorned and mocked. Yet this humbled state of servants of Christ brings upon our lives such a richness of mercy, grace and love!

-Just a thought.

“My life must be Christ’s broken bread,

My love his outpoured wine,

A cup o’erfilled, a table spread

beneath his name and sign,

that other souls, refreshed and fed,

may share his life through mine.“

(Albert Orsborn SASB 512)

July 30, 2013 1

Poem of Death and Life, Darkness and Light.

July 19, 2013 0

The Blood of Christ (Poem)

Gentle, like silk between the fingers

fragile like egg shells underfoot

broken and splayed out before us

this is the blood of Christ.

Crimson, the deep reds of fabric

clothing our nakedness,

warming us beneath a violent flood

this is the blood of Christ.

Flowing freely from His side

His hands and feet as well

beneath a cross of wicked death

the source of life for all.

This is the blood of Christ.

July 9, 2013 0

Breaking The Stone Altar

It started out as a random conversation about our favorite books. Each person told us what was their all time favorite novel and why. Some were books we all knew and loved, while others were books somewhat foreign to us. As the conversation wound back around to the originator, someone hit upon a truth. We all were in agreement that we really loved the C.S. Lewis books, “The Chronicles of Narnia”. Someone indicated that they really fell in love with the Narnia world. Another lauded the characters of Peter, Susan, Edmond and Lucy, giving particular moments in the books that really struck them as ‘wonderful’ or ‘brilliant’ through these characters. Again we all went around the room and shared specifics of the books that we thought we memorable and epic.

Then, someone said it. I’m not sure who it was, but once the words were loosed it hung in the air like a lingering fog in the early morning hours. The lights went on in all of us as we all nodded in agreement.

The Epiphany: Aslan giving up his life resembled that of what Christ had done for us. Aslan was sacrificed by the White Witch on a stone altar.

For a moment no one spoke. Each person recalled the scene.

Then, it hit me. Aslan died for all of Narnia (which represented our world). He willingly laid down his life before the evil White Witch. Then, Aslan died. As a kid I remember hearing this story, my father reading it to me, and I wept. Still a lump forms in my throat even now as I remember it. Though, the story didn’t end in the death of the mightiest lion. As a matter of fact while Lucy and Susan wept bitterly over Aslan, something miraculous and completely unthinkable takes place. As the sun begins to rise from the darkness of night the stone altar that Aslan’s body is still resting on breaks in half and the great lion is resurrected.

How awesome is that?

Like Christ, Aslan dies for all the world. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Aslan is killed in the darkness surrounded by every evil thing in the world. But as soon as the sun crested the horizon that morning, resurrection takes place.

Jesus, God’s one and only Son arose. Aslan arose.

When Jesus died an earthquake shook the ground. The curtain in the temple, which separated the holy of holies, was completely torn from top to bottom.

Significance: God’s presence was said to dwell in the temple within this sacred space called the ‘Holy of Holies’. Only High Priests who were clean could enter this place. It was not accessible to common people. But when the curtain was torn it signified that God’s presence was accessible to everyone, and that He was not bound by four walls. He was omnipresent and and omniscient.

The Stone Altar Broke:

At sun rise, Aslan is resurrected. He comes back to life and at the same time the stone altar on which he was slain breaks in two. What could be significant about this? Could it be that the power and ‘creature made’ order was broken? Could it be that Aslan couldn’t be bound by evil? Could it be that Aslan couldn’t be bound by any creature? Could it be that the old ways were now destroyed while original intent was now restored?

YES TO ALL OF IT!

Do you see the significance of the breaking altar?

Man’s order of things, man’s fall, man’s rituals are broken. They are not paramount to the redemption that Christ offers! Christ came, He died, the curtain was torn, He was dead no longer and God’s original intent for the world was now restored!

The only thing that stands in our way from restoration then is OUR CHOICE.

We can choose to be restored and be made clean through His blood, or we can choose to reject Him. Either way it boils down to a choice we all have been given and we have to make. But the really amazing thing is that God has made Himself available to us…everywhere! Man’s order doesn’t bind God. Man’s rituals don’t impress Him.

The Stone Altar has been broken for all of us. Each of us are free to receive His presence…but we have to choose to received Him! We have been set free, what we do with this freedom and redemption is now up to us…I hope you choose Him!

“None of the children knew who Aslan was any more than you do; but the moment the Beaver had spoken these words everyone felt quite different. Perhaps it has sometimes happened to you in a dream that someone says something which you don’t understand but in the dream it feels as if it had some enormous meaning–either a terrifying one which turns the whole dream into a nightmare or else a lovely meaning too lovely to put into words, which makes the dream so beautiful that you remember it all your life and are always wishing you could get into that dream again. It was like that now. At the name of Aslan each one of the children felt something jump in it’s inside. Edmund felt a sensation of mysterious horror. Peter felt suddenly brave and adventurous. Susan felt as if some delicious smell or some delightful strain of music had just floated by her. And Lucy got the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning and realize that it is the beginning of the holidays or the beginning of Summer.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

“If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most, or else just silly.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

July 4, 2013 3

Not a part of the Holy Eucharist?

I had an interesting conversation today. It took place in the parking lot on my way to see someone in the hospital. There in the hospital parking lot this gentleman spotted my uniform and inquired if I was a member of The Salvation Army. I indicated I was indeed and he proceeded to tell me that we did great work for people in need…I could almost hear the ‘BUT’ coming a mile away. Finally after a few additional compliments he came to his ‘but’, when he said, “But you guys are not completely a part of God’s family because you don’t have His holy Eucharist inside you.”

Wow, what do you say to a complete stranger in a parking lot after only a few pleasantries have just been exchanged? There really wasn’t time to delve into it right then and there, I was on a mission of sorts to visit a parishioner. I found it interesting that in a parking lot I was engaged in a theological conversation…I didn’t have the time to engage.

So since I didn’t then, let me tell you what I would have said.

His argument: We (The Salvation Army & most Protestants) Are not completely a part of the body of Christ because we don’t have the holy Eucharist in us.

I couldn’t disagree more with his pompous take on theology! What he essentially struck me as proud and even elitism. Does God desire practice over faith? Often times religious conflict comes from theological misunderstandings or staunch stubborn persuasions. His assertion was that because we do not practice Communion or partake in Eucharist we are not a part of Christ. Hmm…was it the work of bread and wine that spurred the disciples into converting many at the day of Pentecost? Was it bread and wine that brought the Apostle Paul to the knowledge of Christ?

No! In fact I would contend that the Holy Spirit is an element that many high churches miss out on in their practice of Eucharist. Sure the practice can become ritualistic and lose its meaning, but His Holy Spirit is not mentioned enough within their church practices. How can one participate in Communion/Eucharist and completely miss the point of such a ceremony?

Is the practice of such a ceremony an act of Salvation? I would contend again that it is not! In fact, there are still many churches who say that if people do not partake in Eucharist they aren’t saved. How can this be? Did Jesus say ” Do this in remembrance of me to be saved?” No! He simply said, “Do this in remembrance of me”. What is ‘this’ that Jesus refers to? Was it solely the breaking of the bread and drinking of the wine? I do not believe it to be so. When Jesus later prayed to the Father that his disciples be One just has He and the Father were One, I believe there is significance there. Jesus wanted unity, peace amongst his followers. When they were to fellowship over a meal together, whether it was the Passover or even a simple shared meal the remembrance, I believed was conveyed in their meeting, not just the elements of Eucharist.

Secondly what makes the Eucharist holy? What is holy anyway? I’m sure there will be those who may disagree with me and that’s fine but where does Holiness come from? The only true source of Holiness is God himself. Who is able to bless something in order to make it holy then? Man? Are we ever worthy enough to make something holy in and of our own selves? I’m not denying that His Holy Spirit can’t indwell within us and work through us, but to claim that something is always holy just because of practice is foolish.

When we understand the source of Holiness, then how much weight should we then place of ritual? Is Communion in and of itself a source of Salvation? No. Who does provide Salvation and Redemption from our sins? Jesus himself, through His sacrifice…and “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) Did Paul indicated anything in there about breaking bread and drinking wine to save your soul? Is that how we gain access to ‘the body’? No. Confession, belief and faith are the ingredients, if you will, for our salvation!

So what is Eucharist then?

Don’t get me wrong, I am not condemning its practice here by any means. What I am condemning is the ingrained denominational notion that if one does not practice Eucharist regularly they aren’t a part of the body of Christ. That is simply foolishness and a slant to the scriptures that was never meant to be. Should we participate in Communion in church? I think that there is a time and place for it. I think that some very sacred moments can come from it, but do I think that it ought to be practiced every Sunday? No, and here’s why. It loses significance and symbolism, and instead of something sacred can become monotonous and mundane.

Lastly, to the churches who teach that Eucharist is mandated and lack of practice is detrimental to our salvation…think again. Stop dividing the body of Christ! We become elitist when practice replaces holiness, and judgement is measured out by the hands of man. Salvation belongs to Christ, and those who call upon His name will be saved.

There is no perfect church here on earth, just imperfect people striving to be like Christ. When we allow His indwelling to be evident in the outpouring of our faith then, perhaps we have the authority to speak on such things.

May 30, 2013 0

Bury your head in the sand?

Contrary to the notion that Ostriches burying their heads in the sand…this is simply not true. When faced with fear, their first instinct is to run. And since an Ostrich can run at a sustained speed of up to 40 miles an hour/ 65 km their first instinct is probably their best instinct.

So where did this fallacy of buried heads in the sand come from? Traditionally Ostriches do not make nests like a traditional bird, since they are so big and most trees couldn’t hold them they will bury their eggs in the sand. From a distance it can appear that an Ostrich is putting its head in the sand when in fact they are simply checking or turning their eggs.

So what they do in fear is actually out of necessity for the survival of their young. If they didn’t run very fast and distract other predators from their nests, the Ostrich would cease to exist and suffer extinction.

Isn’t it interest that what we thought was cowardice is really a parent protecting their young? Perhaps there is something to learn from this huge, fast birds…are we protective of our youth today? Instead of being fearful of the world around us are we protecting our youth by nurturing them and not really caring how it would appear from the outside world?

Our youth needs us! They need people of God who will instruct them and protect them from the predators in our world. Perhaps there is something to learn from the Ostrich, perhaps we might even reconsider what it means to bury our heads in the sand.

May 28, 2013 0

Picking up the pieces

The heart ache of this past week is evident in the state of Oklahoma…children were lost, families ripped apart, sorrow and pain have been an un-welcomed, uninvited guest. How do we pick up the pieces when life seemingly sweeps away any remnants of normality?

Throughout our world people today are facing this very same situation. It might not present itself in the form of a mile wide twister but rather a car accident, a bout with cancer, a loss of a loved one. People find themselves at the brink of total despair and their lives in ruin shattered before their very eyes.

David knew a thing or two about a shattered life…more than once. He was in flight for his life, the king wanted him dead, later when he became king he committed adultery, plotted to kill the husband and lost a child in the process… his life was shattered. In one of his most famous psalms 23 he wrote; “even though I travel through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.”

We at times, as human beings, walk through valleys within the shadows of death on all sides. And because of these valleys,we find the pieces of our lives scattered in all directions.

Have you been there? Are you there right now? Do you fear the evil that lurks in your life right now? What was David’s hope? How did he overcome his valleys and collecting the broken pieces of his life? He knew that he wasn’t alone…the Lord was his shepherd and even in the midst of deep despair and trouble he knew One who could sustain, protect and provide.

Are you picking up the pieces today? Know that you aren’t alone and that the good shepherd will walk beside you and give the the strength to make it through this chapter of your life.

May 24, 2013 0

Tag: death