Spicy Magnolia

Compassion by Command: A Start

God is trying to get my attention on something. How do I know that? Well, for the past few weeks, a common theme has been reoccurring in the things that I read, the things that I listen to, and conversations I’ve had with friends without any effort or intention on my part. We are taking a class called “Compassion by Command” at church, and we met together for the first time last Sunday. But the week prior to meeting and even into this past week, the theme of compassion for the poor and the unlovely has reverberated throughout my heart and mind. I can’t escape it. And it’s obvious the Lord doesn’t want me to. There is something that He wants me to know, to enter into experience with Him when it comes to compassion.

Ya’ll, I am not even going to begin to broach this subject with you. At least not yet. Because one of the reasons I was interested in the “Compassion by Command” class is because I run a deficit in compassion towards the poor. I see them. But I don’t. I want to do something. But I’m too scared too. Or don’t know where to begin. Or am afraid I'm going to mess up and make things worse. As I drive through town with Brennan in the back seat, my eyes and heart are awakened to the world on a whole new level. I hope we will teach him well how to love the poor. But do I? I pray he will give of himself to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked. But do I? It’s time for some shakin’ up, for some change in my heart, and it’s quite apparent that the Lord is the One initiating this in me.

Here's a place to start for me to start. I may not live in Nashville or L.A., but I can still watch the live stream. And I can still make the effort to not forget what happened:

Help Haiti February 27th - HelpHaitiLive.com from Compassion International on Vimeo.

You can buy tickets to an event in Nashville or L.A., or you can go here and watch the live stream on February 27th to see artists such as Amy Grant, LeAnn Rimes, Rebecca St. James, and Jars of Clay.

Moved in Compassion

While reading Mark 8 this morning, I was struck by the part where Jesus was followed by a large crowd who had nothing to eat, and He was so moved in compassion for the people that He couldn’t bear the thought of sending them away hungry, for they’d faint. In the Message version, it says Jesus’ heart was broken over seeing the hungry. His feelings toward those in need moved Him to action, the action of taking seven loaves of bread and a few fish to feed four thousand people until they were satisfied and full. Running undoubtedly to the forefront of my mind while reading this passage: the nation of Haiti.

I see pictures of the devastation, but I cannot grasp the effects of what one British geophysicist described as matching that of several nuclear bombs.

While I woke up to fresh, running water; electricity; a standing home; and a family for whom I could account, there were thousands upon thousands in Haiti who are experiencing just the opposite.

I haven’t known what action I can take to help or even how to pray. But throughout the past 24 hours, various opportunities have presented themselves that I thought I’d pass along to you in case you weren’t aware.

Two wonderful organizations that have set up disaster relief funds are Compassion and World Relief, both of which are monitored and rated by CharityNavigator.org. It also takes a quick moment to leave a comment on someone’s blog. Both Kelly and The Pioneer Woman are giving $1 and $.10 respectively for each comment you leave on their blogs. The Pioneer Woman is also doing a special giveaway of charitable donations through your comments. Just click on the links I provided you. And yes, pray. Pray.

I do not understand why these disasters happen and cannot fathom the magnitude of grief and despair that hovers over that nation right now. But there is One who will supply all of the needs of the people of Haiti. The same One who in the passage of Mark was broken hearted, moved to compassion over those He saw in need. And He provided. Tangibly. Until they were full.

In that same manner, may we give generously to those in need, and in His great mercy and compassion, may Jesus comfort all of the people affected by the earthquake in Haiti; nourish their souls with His strength; bring them peace; and in the midst of their anguish, shine rays of hope.

Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

 Matthew 25:34-36

My Eyes Have Seen

About six weeks ago, we had a doozy of a hail storm work its way through Austin.  It caused quite a lot of damage throughout the city.  Whether or not the shingles found in our front and back yards were from our house, or blown across the neighborhood during the storm from another poor chap’s home, was a mystery.  Since I am only allowed to ask Matt to face his fear of heights by getting on the extension ladder twice a year, which I reserve for Christmas and when there starts to be a collection of cob webs, dirt, and/or other unwelcomed matter high upon our foyer window that starts driving me mad, we opted to not get on the roof ourselves to check out the potential damage.  And like we would know what to look for anyway, right?  Instead, we called our trusty home insurance carrier who has proven themselves worthy to receive a small fortune of our monthly budget. 

The adjusters came out last week.  Thankfully, we did not have to shell out another 2% of the value of our home for the second time in 5 months.  There was no damage to our roof at all.  Instead, we heard the words, “You have a roof that can withstand 10 minutes of pounding from quarter-sized hail.  Your roof will last you 30 years.”  Thirty years.  Folks, that’s a long time.  I know nothing about roofing.  But thirty years…that’s a sturdy, solid, high quality roof to me!

And yet, my eyes have seen:

 

  

   

Tin.  Plastic.  Cardboard.  Straw.  Cement.  Roofs made out of such elements that don’t stand a chance at lasting through the monsoon season that displaces thousands upon thousands, or worse yet, kills them.  Roofs that don’t offer protection from the scorching and depleting sun with a heat index of 130 degrees.  And still, there are those with no roof at all.  Sometimes I forget, or choose to simply let the fact that most of the world lives under such unsound and hazardous structures slide by.  Most of the world.  Even growing up in El Paso, we’d drive by cardboard homes set up by the Rio Grande River in neighboring Mexico nearly every single day.  But as for me, I am living day in, day out, under a roof that will supposedly last 30 years.  A roof that keeps in the cool air from our air conditioning, no less.  And, we would have the ability to quickly get a new roof, if need be. 

I can’t forget.  I can’t let this simply slide by.  My eyes have seen.  My feet have stepped into homes with such roofs, and I’ve been graciously served meals that probably were a month’s worth of food to my generous hosts.  My ears have heard their voices with tons of questions of what life is like in America, while others have a shy quietness about them.  My eyes have gazed into the eyes of my hosts, precious faces that they are. 

I am going to sleep tonight, deeply thankful, under a strong, sturdy roof…a stark contrast to what most of the world will sleep under.  My eyes may have seen, but may my arms be open to the poor with hands extended to the needy (Proverbs 31:20).

The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and exalts.  He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor.  For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; upon them he has set the world. 

1 Samuel 2:7-8

A Christmas Bazaar

Dear Internet peeps, thank you so much for your kind words and prayers for the two prayer requests I brought before you on Wednesday. The memorial service for my Momma's friend is tomorrow.  For those of you who didn't see it, this was a comment of gratefulness left by Momma to you all:

From my broken heart thank you to each of you for praying for this dear family and wonderful, God-given gift of a friend. She taught me with encouragement the ropes of what I do and truly believed that I could do anything. How much I miss her!

And thank you also for your encouragement and prayers for my other friend who tragically lost her brother and whom I spent time with yesterday.  I truly hope my time of listening to her and praying with her was an encouragement.  Over the past year, I've come to realize how simple responses to emails or blog posts asking for prayer mean so much.  Again, thank you for your gentle, kind words and prayers; they are greatly appreciated!   

Today is a perfect day to cozy up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate (that I need my sister-in-law Julie to come make for me because she makes it oh-so-tasty!) and a book, only to be read for a little bit before drifting into a nice nap.  It's cold and windy here today...finally!  I pine for days like this all year long. 

For those of you in the Austin area who are interested in doing some Christmas shopping, with an extra blessing of giving to others, let me tell you about a wonderful event taking place tonight and tomorrow at First Evangelical Free Church:  The International Christmas Bazaar!

Starting at 4 p.m. this afternoon and 9 a.m. tomorrow morning, you're welcome to stop by and peruse the items shipped mostly from Bangladesh and others from Central America.  Most of the items were handmade by impoverished women as a means to raise money for their families.  All of the proceeds will go back to the women.  I was there yesterday helping set up and not only does it look like it's going to be so much fun, it's incredible to walk by each of the tables and realize the love and care that went into making the items by these precious women.  I've seen some of their faces personally.  Can picture where they live.  Can envision them pouring over these projects with passion and zeal on behalf of their families.  May this be a means to physically help them and let them know that they are cared for, even by strangers.  So go check it out!

I hope you all have a wonderful Friday, dear Internet peeps!  You are a blessing to me!

A Perfect Weekend

If I may, I'm going to take off from Amanda's post entitled, "A Perfect Friday Night" for this entry because it truly has been nothing less than a perfect, three-day long weekend.  Happy Labor Day to you, by the way!  Hope all you Internet peeps are doing well, particularly those of you in the Louisiana area.  You're in our thoughts and prayers.

I know I'm usually quite wordy, so I'll try to limit my verbose tendencies and keep things in simple list form for ya <grin>.  First, you must understand the main reasons why this weekend has been so amazing:  1) Matt and I are actually home together!  After a summer of week after week of traveling and being apart from each other for quite awhile, we welcomed this time of being together 24-7 with open arms; 2) college football started--oh, baby!; and 3) today is September 1st, the official start to fall in my mind, and a season I've been anticipating all summer long...seriously, I've been longing for it all summer long. 

Friday

• I cleaned house (it was VERY much needed), and one of the things that makes me the happiest is having a clean home!  I was quite content afterward.  Matt came home a little early to mow and get that chore done (Molly was glad to have the jungle removed from her yard), and then we officially began our relaxing weekend.  Hubby brought home a Buddy & Al's Take N' Bake pepperoni and pineapple pizza that we popped in the oven and ate while watching Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.  I even got to read through my latest Cooking Light magazine, a wonderfully relaxing thing to do curled up in a chair.

Saturday

• Yeah for sleeping in (something we know will become rare in 4 more months)!  I enjoyed a walk with Molly and then we got ready for the day.  I wore some new maternity clothes that I found last weekend in San Antonio with my Momma and so I felt spiffy.  Nothin' like new clothes to put a smile on a gal's face, huh?
• After picking up Matt's Nike + Human Race packet and t-shirt (it's a really cool mesh t-shirt), we headed over to Central Market for the Hatch Green Chile Festival.  Roasted Hatch green chiles are a staple in our household (more for me than for Matt).  We're able to bring pounds of green chiles back from New Mexico instead of buying the more pricey ones at Central Market, but we manage to buy a few green chile products at Central Market in honor of the Festival.  We also were scoping out the gluten free products.  Right before we found out we were pregnant, I discovered that I need to go on a gluten free diet, not as strict of a diet as those with celiac disease, but anything with wheat, spelt, barley, rye and oats in the top five ingredients are now a no-no for me.  Between morning sickness with crackers being the only edible food to me, and our travels where we had limited control over our food choices, I have avoided officially starting going gluten free...until now.  Three of the last four days I've been a good girl!  Let's face it, breads and pastas are this foodie's top favorites, and it's painful to switch to breads and pastas that are less appealing to the sense of taste (at least starting out).  But now is the time, and my hubby is doing an excellent job cheering me on and reminding me of the importance of making this change to my physical health.  So far, the things we've found and tried have been pretty good.  We picked up some to-go lunches at Central Market and enjoyed tasty gelato as well!  So far, this weekend has been one big date! 
• We headed home to watch some college football (so sad that TX A&M lost...argh!).  I was like a giddy little girl sitting on the couch working on some projects with football playing in the background.  Matt and I were very productive and made great headway with a baby budget and other financial reports we needed to get ready; it already felt like a huge weight off my shoulders.

Sunday

• Again, I got to wear some new clothes to church (yippee skippee); although, I was probably maybe a little too excited/prideful about what I was wearing because I dropped egg on my shirt on the way to church.  Argh.  I guess my tummy just looks chubby instead of "with child" because I got more hesitant questions of, "Is that a baby?", with many surprised but enthusiastic congrats at my answer of, "Yes".  I was even given the suggestion that I need to lean back more so I make it more obvious I'm carrying a child.  I think I'd rather have people think I'm chubby. 
• Matt and I had to work a booth before and after the two services to hand out this year's 30 Days Muslim Prayer Guides, a helpful resource to use to pray for Muslims world-wide during their holy month of prayer and fasting (which begins today and lasts through the 30th).  We hadn't been to church much all summer because of traveling, so it was so fun to see a bunch of faces of dear friends we hadn't seen in awhile.  We attended the first service but then during the second, we slipped into the prayer chapel and spent some time praying.  It was a precious time and maybe something we'll try to do more often.
• Since we stayed later to hand out the prayer guides, we were starving, so we grabbed some lunch at Potbelly (ain't that a funny name?).  Again, I wanted a sandwich with the yummy bread, but hubby was so good and encouraged me to get a salad, and he got one along with me.  I'm glad I did; the "Chicken Salad Salad" was quite tasty! 
• Home for a nap before the big race!!
• At 4:40 p.m., we headed downtown for the 10k Nike + Human Race that Matt was running in.  We met our dear friends, Chris and Jill, down there.  Matt and Chris ran the Capitol 10k together as well, and Jillie and I are their cheerleading squad.  It's another fun tradition we share as friends.  But next spring or summer, I'm bound and determined that I'll be back to running as well! The fellas headed to the starting line and Jill and I scoped out a spot on the sidelines, which happened to be at the start/finish line.  We didn't know it at the time, but it ended up being the prime location, and I mean prime location!  It was right next to the speakers' box and the first guests they brought on stage were University of Texas alumni and 2008 Olympic gold medalists in swimming:  Aaron Peirsol and Brendan Hansen.   Then we were greeted by former WNBA player Cynthia Cooper.   Ten minutes before the race, Mr. Lance Armstrong himself came out of the VIP section to the start of the race.  I mean folks, Jillie and I were right there!  We could have reached out and touched the guy!  We couldn't get our cameras going fast enough.  But that ain't all!  Five minutes before the race began, we were then witnesses to Matthew McConaughey lining up at the start line right next to Lance Armstrong.  Jill and I held our ground as people wanted to pry their way into our territory.  We just couldn't believe where we were; I never have celebrity sightings!  Sadly, we didn't spot our fellas starting, but we spotted them finishing!  They did AMAZING!  I am so proud of hubby!! Austin followed Tapei as the city with the second fastest average running time at 54 minutes and 51 seconds (for more world-wide race results, click here).  The two of us celebrated afterward by grabbing a bite to eat at Rudy's and headed home, where we started briefly looking at the list of baby names we've each come up with.  They will remain a secret until Polka's day of birth, but I think we nearly have a girl's name nailed down!  A boy's name is going to take a little more work.  <grin>  Our heads then welcomed hitting our comfy, soft pillows to get some sleepy-sleep.

Here are some pics I know you're dying to see!  You can click on the image for a larger view.

Before the race: 
Our two runners and a non-sweaty couple pose

Celebrity sightings before and after the race:

Peirsol and Hansen


Cynthia Cooper

 

McConaughey & Armstrong before the race

 

Armstrong finishing the race in 6th place

 

One more shot of the guy

Our guys having finished well!!

A REALLY sweaty pose

MONDAY

• Today has been a low-key day, but we've already played with Molly out front with the hose and Matt made me some gluten-free pancakes from a mix he found.  They were quite yummy!   And one of the most exciting things I did:  I hung a fall wreath on my door to usher in this grand season!  This isn't just any wreath either.  It's a wreath that was hand-made by Gaga and it now has a special place on our door to welcome visitors, just as it did on her door.  The rest of the day will remain low-key doing laundry, working again on the baby-budget, a nap, another walk with Moos, and enjoying each other's company.  

Hope you all have a great Labor Day, too!

You have until tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. (CST) to leave a comment on the Bloggy Giveaway post.  I'm absolutely LOVING your all's comments!!

Needin' Some Help From My Internet Peeps

Hopefully this fall, Matt and I will help lead a class called Bridges, a 6-session course published by Crescent Project.  Prayer, discussion, video content, group response, and Action Assignments are all components of the curriculum meant to develop a better understanding of the religion of I*lam and are tools that the Lord can use to give participants a heart of love and compassion towards M*slims.  It provides biblical teaching about I*lam and what M*slims believe; helps participants overcome fear and see M*slims the way Jesus sees them; and helps bring understanding of the similarities between Christianity and I*lam that can build bridges to the Gospel.

Why are we doing this?  For the past two years, we have been involved in a ministry whose purpose is to 1) share the love of Jesus Christ to a specific M*slim people group in South Asia (for security reasons, I cannot disclose more information than that, and it is why the * is used for search engine purposes); and 2) educate and bring awareness about this people group in the hope that it fosters understanding and love toward this South Asian M*slim people group.

Since being involved in this ministry, our hearts have been deeply moved by the Spirit of God for this people group and M*slims in general, for these millions and millions of people who try to earn their way to heaven by doing good works, who are caught up in a system of rituals and deeds to hopefully get into heaven, something that is not even guaranteed to them through their good works.  In interacting with this special South Asian population, we have come to realize that they are people just like us:  women who long to raise their children with love and to know right values; men who work diligently, and often difficult hard labor jobs, to provide for their families; people who laugh and celebrate at joyous events; people who are broken hearted over the loss of a child; people who have needs and desires.  In this day and age, I know firsthand (from my own heart) that it's quite easy to let fear, judgment and stereotypical thoughts about M*slims rule in our hearts because of obvious historical events and a lack of understanding about the culture and religion of I*lam. 

So we hope that the class, Bridges, will help be a starting place for its participants to better understand and grow in compassion towards M*slims.  And that's where you all come in, Internet peeps.  I would love your feedback and thoughts about the following questions.  If you'd rather not leave a comment on the site, you may also contact me via email.  But if you have a moment, I'd love to know your thoughts to help us better prepare for the class, to understand what participants may want to get out of the class or overcome through it.  So here ya go and a big "thank you" in advance!

Would you be interested in taking the class?  Why or why not?
What are questions you have about the religion of I*lam? 
If you were going to take the class, what would you want to learn? 
What would you want to take away from the class?
What keeps you from loving, wanting to understand, or getting to know M*slims?
What stereotypes do you have of M*slims?
Anything else you want to share or want me to know about this topic?

Want Some Good Reads and Willing to Learn?

One of the things I hope to blog about more frequently is something that has become near and dear to my heart over the past few years:  a desire to better understand and love Muslims with the love of Jesus.  That statement expressing my yearning may have even stirred something in you already.  Fear?  Confusion?  Passion?  A desire to know more?  Anger? 

In future posts, this is a topic I would love to discuss further with my Internet peep friends, as it is an important one, especially in this day and age.  And frankly, it begins with searching our own hearts to see what in our own attitudes, thoughts and actions toward Muslims is accurate, respectful, biased, off-base, compassionate or angry.  And I know full well these posts might stimulate some interesting comments, but it's worth it to me to strike up a conversation and help bring understanding about a people group I care about deeply.  I also fully admit that I am no expert...far from it!  This is an area of my life that has developed over time through my own experiences, education, personal relationships with Muslims, and letting my own attitudes be shaped and changed by the God who wants to bring all people to Himself (1 Timothy 2:3-4).

So I'm always learning more about this topic, and I hope my own heart is continually open to transformation.  If you're up for learning with me, I would be so honored!  To start, I'd like to post a list of resources that you might be interested in reading at some point.  A few I've read, some are currently on my reading list, but eventually, I hope to read them all.  The resources listed below cover historical, personal, sociological, and theological information on Islam and Muslim ministry, most of which have been written by people who have been personally involved in Muslim ministry for a number of years.  In addition, they are resources recommended by a number of organizations and teams whose goal is to love, understand and respect Muslims, with the desire to see them follow Jesus.  Are you willing to join with me on this journey?

Building Bridges: Christianity and Islam, Fouad E. Accad
Muslim Evangelism, Phil Parshall
Mini-skirts, Mothers and Muslims, Christine Mallouhi
Muslims, Magic, and the Kingdom of God, Rick Love
The Cross and the Crescent, Phil Parshall
Encountering the World of Islam, edited by Keith E. Swartley
The Unseen Face of Islam, Bill Musk
Bridges to Islam, Phil Parshall
Planting Churches in Muslim Cities:  A Team Approach, Greg Livingstone
Waging Peace On Islam, Christine Malhoui
Touching the Soul of Islam, Bill Musk
A Muslim and a Christian in Dialogue, Badru D. Kateregga & David W. Shenk
Muslim and Christian Reflections on Peace: Divine and Human Dimensions, Koylu Mustafa
Daughters of Islam: Building Bridges with Muslim Women, Miriam Adeney
Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women, Geraldine Brooks
Guests of the Sheik: An Ethnography of an Iraqi Village, Elizabeth Warnock Fernea
Price of Honor: Muslim Women Lift the Veil of Silence on the Islamic World, Jan Goodwin
Women in the Qur'an, Traditions, and Interpretation, Barbara F. Stowasser