Friday, May 14, 2010

The Sojourner Among Us

Just got back from a World Relief Dupage/Aurora Benefit Dinner. What a meaningful time of remembering what first drew me to this ministry in the first place. It was even more invigorating to have my wife exposed to the life-changing and kingdom-expressing work that World Relief does. We heard the testimony of a Congolese couple who were resettled by World Relief to Chicago and then settled in the Western Suburbs by a local church. It's a beautiful picture of the church and a community coming together to advance the kingdom.

If you've never taken time to think about the church's responsibility towards the 'sojourner in our midst', World Relief is a great place to get a primer. It can feel so overwhelming thinking about where to begin to tackle the issues of global poverty, horrific crimes against humanity, human trafficking, etc., but we can't let that paralyze us. The truth is that the Lord is bringing the victims of these atrocities to our doorstep - maybe in a way that exposes our inaction for what it really is - an excuse to continue in our consumeristic lives. World Relief is directly involved in this work with an unapologetically faith-based, Christ-exalting platform.

I for one realized tonight that I've spent so much time casting a vision and mobilizing our church to partner with World Relief, that I've stopped getting my hands 'dirty'. Sarah and I both came home with the impression that it's time to get more involved - to lead, to serve, and to befriend in the name of Jesus. What will you do?

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