Name Calling, Shame and Accusations

Within the span of a week, I spoke to 8 people who were distraught by the negative berating, extremely personal comments or accusations by a peer both online and in person. With the most destruction and impact to the individuals from online comments.

 



My own child came home crying over being called a name. She is the sensitive and gentle hearted one, always trying to make sure everyone is alright. She notices my facial expressions and is the first to ask, "Mom, are you OK?" If dinner is before Dad gets home, she is the one that always makes sure there is plenty left for Dad. She is the peacemaker and the one who crosses clique boundaries to talk to the kid sitting by themselves. When I saw her tears, I really wanted to go give the kid a piece of my mind but I realized this would not be the last time she would be called a name. Name calling, shaming and accusations are still a thing in the adult world. So as with the 8 people that sat in front of me in a mess of tears, anger and hurt and now my daughter, let's talk about how we can deal with words in a healthy way.

I took her by the hand and said, "You are who Christ says you are. You are a daughter of the Most High God, forgiven, loved and accepted by the King. He knew you before you were born. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, created for His purposes."  And then I gave my best words of wisdom from the great theologian Taylor Swift, "Haters gonna hate and fakers gonna fake," to which she finished, "But I'm gonna shake it off, shake it off."  Her spirit was lifted quickly but it's not always so simple.

Words can tear down and destroy and also can encourage and build up. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. Proverbs 18:21  Our words have power and the Bible has much to say about how we use our words.

Name calling, shaming and accusations have been around forever. Joseph was accused of raping the wife of his master. David was falsely accused by King Saul of trying to dethrone him. Job's friends told him he was guilty of great sin. Now in a world of anonymous posting apps like  Kik, Snapchat and Yik Yak, kids especially fall victim to unfiltered vicious words aimed at ripping a persons soul. Adults troll the internet making degrading and inflammatory comments sometimes in the name of defending Jesus. And good luck if you make a stupid decision. Remember that time you got drunk and passed out beside the toilet when you were 18?  Yeah, I don't either but now if that happens, someone could and probably will snap a picture and thousands of people will know about it before you wake up. A picture now public forever.

There has been much needed conversation lately about this issue. Check out this message from Matt Chandler and check out #CTShame on twitter for some great conversation addressing Christian involvement in online shaming.

What to do? How to respond to the explosiveness and viciousness of online or face to face shaming? Talk to your children, your grandchildren, your friends children, your children's friends. Educate them on social media skills. Educate them on the risks of the so called anonymous apps. If you don't know these apps, have your children teach you. Be in the know about the social lives of your children, both online and offline. Back in the day, if we dealt with a bully or mean kid at school, we could safely escape home each day. These days, kids take the bully home with them via their phone. Unlimited access day and night. Taunting words that can be seen by hundreds in permanent black and white. Use the blocking feature. Check the  phone. Consider gathering the phone when they come home. Teach kids to tell someone if they are being harassed online or face to face. Remind them always, their identity is rooted in Christ. Offer encouragement and empathy. Often, a word of encouragement at the right time can dispel the darkness of shame. Model online behavior and how to handle conflicts without resorting to name calling and online accusations. The Bible gives us a model to handle conflicts in Matthew 18.

The outside world is to know us by our love.

If your vocabulary is filled with accusations, name calling and shaming others, it may be time to check your heart. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Matthew 12:34  Toxic words will change into words that encourage and heal when our hearts are transformed. For harsh, unkind and hateful words to be replaced with ones that edify, our hearts must be overwhelmed by who Jesus is and who we are in Christ.

Jesus did some name calling Himself. He did, after all call the Pharisees "brood of vipers" "hypocrites" "blind  guides" "fools" "serpents." Even His name calling was done in perfect righteousness.  In calling out the religious leaders, His sharp words declared their character in hopes they would come face to face with the Truth. Jesus knows the character and heart of everyone. His name calling was done in love so that His kindness would bring them to repentance.

Sometimes calling out is necessary, even required of us as Christians. Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness; let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it. Psalm 141:5   There are times when a rebuke or a corrective word is the most kind and loving thing to do. Faithful are the wounds of a friend. Proverbs 27:6  When we approach a brother or sister to call them out personally, whether online or in person it should be done with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  Without love, our words are a noisy gong or a clanging symbol. The intent of calling out a brother or sister in Christ should always be to bring them closer to Christ. Redemption is the goal.

I have been on both sides, both the one falsely spoken of and the one who falsely speaks. I have been betrayed and have betrayed. If you live long enough, you will too. There are times to go to friends or family and ask forgiveness, there are times to offer mercy and forgiveness.

If you are the subject of online or face to face shaming, name calling or accusations that is not done in loving humility, give it little consideration before it sinks into your soul. Nothing is wasted for a follower of Christ. Even if the words are false and unfair, there still may be lessons to learn.  For a child or teenager, it could be learning  skills to handle unkind words or to help them have compassion to not use degrading and negative words on others. For an adult, perhaps it is to abide securely in Christ, dependent on  His great grace. If you are wounded by false words, let Christ cover you in His healing through your standing as a Child of the King. Redemption is always found in Him. If the words spoken to you are in loving humility, take them to the Cross. Seek Godly counsel and let Jesus reveal all truth and sift your heart. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11

If you are shaming, name calling or accusing out of malice, contempt, insecurity or jealousy, if words are spoken or typed to wound someone, to make yourself feel better or to one up someone, stop, repent, and be restored. Meditate on the Truth of God's Word and let the love, mercy and grace of Jesus Christ reign in your heart.

There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18  

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29

Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. Proverbs 17:27-28

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

People Of The Cross

21 of our Egyptian Christian brothers were beheaded on Sunday, just because they were Christians. The images released by ISIS are powerful as they are mocked by the terrorist calling them "people of the Cross." The Cross, "foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who  are being saved it is the power of God." (1Cor 1:18)  And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. (Rev 12:11)


Here are the names of these saints who now reign with Christ. Let us pray that their families receive sufficient grace to help them to hold onto their faith and stand in this time of need.





We declare our commitment by going to church on Sunday, putting a tattoo on our wrist, going to a Christian conference and quoting some verses on social media and yet God knows the commitment of our heart beyond our behavior. Have we really surrendered all, every part of our lives to the Lordship of Jesus?  Yes, most of us won't be imprisoned, violently persecuted or killed for our faith, but we all should be ready.

Jesus said, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters- yes even their own life- such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:26-27

"Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." 2Timothy 3:12

"I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God...they came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years." Rev 20:4

"Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God." John 16:2

"If you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name." 1Peter 4:16

"There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword..-the world was not worthy of them." Hebrews 11:35-38

This is the Truth of God's Word.

Early Christians were bold and brave, loved sacrificially and lived with purpose empowered by the Holy Spirit, because they knew that Jesus was who He said He was and did what He said He would do. They trusted in the finished work of Jesus. They knew that "to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Phil 1:21) Their eyes were turned to Jesus as the things of this earth grew strangely dim. They were fueled by the  eternal hope of life with Christ. They were not seeking comfort, approval or security. They lived to bring God glory. They expected suffering.

ISIS meant to cause fear that causes hearts and feet to fail. Yet, God is victorious even when evil seems to cover the earth and darkness is widespread. He "does not desire that any should perish, but everyone come to repentance." (2Peter 3:9) God can make persecution serve the Great Commission. Look at the book of Acts. When persecution comes because of faithfulness to God, God is honored and the gospel spreads.


And yet, how long, O Lord?

IT is your whole life

Joel stole our hearts. His eyes were big and brown and he had the moves that would make Michael Jackson jealous. He cried big tears when it was time for our team visiting Agape Home to say goodbye. Joel was always smiling, laughing, kicking a soccer ball or helping with the younger children. After a celebration lunch on Sunday afternoon, we picked on Joel on how much he ate and his stomach looked like he was hiding a soccer ball in there. But this wasn't always the case for Joel. He has known hunger, disease, and the despair of deep poverty.  He was rescued off the streets where he lived after his parents died of AIDS. His bed was a sidewalk. All he knew was the street life of begging for food and finding a way to survive anyway he could. He has found new life at Agape. Not only are his physical needs met but his spiritual needs. Joel came to know Christ and has begun to grow in Him. He is being supported, encouraged and equipped to become a man who will follow Christ into whatever he has planned for him to be a part of the mission of God. Now, Joel has hope.

When darkness surrounds us and circumstances seem hopeless, God is still at work turning death into life. This is the hope we have as Christians. We believe not only in a God who brings Hope in hopeless situations, but He also asks us to do the same.

Our God is a God who went to the cross and died for the least and the lost If we get real with ourselves, we understand that you and I are the "losers" God sent His Son to die for. When we hear stories such as Joel's, instead of perhaps judging his family or feeling overwhelmed for his circumstances, we should be reminded of our own neediness and poverty and the life saving and life changing Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I once was lost but now I am found, I once was blind, but now I see!

But, how easy it is to get caught up in well meaning religious acts like studying scripture and going to church while failing to live out God's Truths. Full of head Christianity, we forget that we also worship God with our heart, our hands and our feet.

In our zeal for "good Christian living" we sometimes forget about God's passion for the fatherless and the widow. "Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself  unstained by the world." James 1:27

 

 

In our love for bible studies and program checklists we forget that God told us to "Open your mouth, judge righteously, And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy." Prov 31:9



It is not as simple as writing a check or a well-meaning gesture of justice. God looks upon our heart. He's not after our money or efforts, He is after us. When our heart is surrendered to Jesus' call to "follow me." our hearts change to compassion and our actions follow as a grateful response to the love of Christ and the Gospel transforming our lives.

I have been caught up in religious effort and  comfortable Christianity and thought I was doing just fine. Thank you Jesus for an awakening and how He continues to clear the fog from my eyes to see things more clearly.  How many years I wasted just doing the church thing while giving no thought to God's Kingdom in the here and now. This life and its comforts are temporary, the most important thing is taking the Gospel into the world. How can we receive the free gift of Salvation and not share it with others?  Following Christ calls us into something greater than Sunday services and moral living. Response to the Gospel calls us to say, "Here is my life, God. Take it. It's Yours."

It is not enough to be simply a decider; Jesus wants disciples."-Richard Stearns
 

Being a disciple of Jesus is not a one time decision, a day of playing Jesus, or a discipleship program.

 It is your whole life.

 Discipleship is 1,000 moments every single day, choosing to walk in the ways of Jesus." -Jen
 Hatmaker

I don't know what that will look like for each of you. For many, it may be as simple as picking up a phone, sending an email, driving down the road, sponsoring a child, adopting a child or buying a plane ticket. If we are His disciples, we act, speak, live as Jesus did. And if we look at His life to imitate, who did He spend time with and care for? -Children, women, poor, diseased, sinners, the marginalized of society.  Then what are we to do in response to our lives being made alive in Christ?

We must prayerfully consider what God is calling our families to do to care for the poor and afflicted.  We cannot help everyone, but we can help someone. You find your ONE. God will place situations, opportunities, people in your life to share Jesus with and to care for those society has  marginalized.  One thing is certain, Heaven and hell are real, the Great Commission is urgent and we all have a part to play.

Jesus speaks strongly and clearly to those who call themselves followers but refuse to care about the hurting and needy.

"Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick and in prison, and you did not visit Me....truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' Mat. 25:41-43,45

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life.

St. Francis of Assisi



*Photos by Elizabeth Woodson





The End of Undone and the Middle of Broken

Each one of us has been exposed to it on some level. There is no escape. Suffering is no respecter of persons. It's part of living. Whether it's unmet dreams, loneliness, crumbled marriages, death or illness. It's always an unwanted intruder. But all is not lost. It is often in walking through deep suffering that creates an emptiness that can only be filled by God and we find fullness of joy through receiving His grace. At the end of undone and in the middle of broken is forever changed. Nothing is wasted.

So where is God and what is He doing when all hell breaks loose. When bombs go off and babies die and churches build aquariums?

He is making all things new.

He sent Jesus to live on this earth, die and rise again to conquer sin and death. One day He will return and complete what He started to reconcile the world to Himself and if you are in Christ, you will reign with Him forever. We know how this is going to end. Jesus Christ will reign forever.

"To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever." Rev. 5:13

 Forever. That is longer than any pain I may experience on this earth.

Jesus showed up and walked right into the mess and met people there. He touched our wounds and shared in our suffering. "He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." Isa 53:3 He is doing the same today. We don't cry alone. When we are trying to just hold on, He is holding us.

"For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ." 2 Cor. 1:5

"God is good even in the bleeding."-Matt Chandler

Lean in and look up, knowing that following Christ means to follow Him into suffering.

"Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him." Rom. 8:17

When someone is suffering, we want to walk circles around it in avoidance. There is someone you know right now. The neighbour down the street, the girl that serves you coffee, the boy in the pew across from you, the child across the globe, the girl on the corner. Closing our eyes to it because it makes us uncomfortable doesn't make it go away. And the person who is wounded cannot heal by staying numb to the pain, hiding behind walls and making pain invisible.

The heaviness of suffering wasn't meant to be carried alone.

The Body of Christ is never more beautiful than when it walks through suffering beside someone and meets people in the mess. Acknowledging the pain and encouraging them to keep moving, keep walking toward the finish line. To "press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Phil 3:14 The Body should be a safe place to wrestle and hurt. None of us are without broken and broken breaks us to our need to extend our arms to the world and point people to Jesus Christ, the healer of hurts and One who gives life.

The enemy tries to destroy our faith but pain, when brought to the feet of Jesus, can ignite a passion for Christ and clinging to the cross.

Many times we are searching for answers in the middle of pain when what we are really searching for is Someone. We want to know answers and God just wants us to know Him.

 I can't be anyone's savior, but I can hold someone's hand and point them to Jesus. I would rather have my hair singed from trying to  "snatch someone from the fire" and arrive in Heaven breathless than to hunker down in my own bubble wrapped world with an illusion of safety.

"We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us." Rom 5:3-5

My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus' blood and rightousness. Though every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil. Keep walking toward Jesus my friends.  Victory is ours.

"Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children." Rev. 21:7

Worlds Collide

Arriving in the states from the Agape Mission Team's trip to Uganda, every one's phone suddenly woke up and chiming sounds filled the air. Our lives came rushing back as one team member received 350 email notifications. I think of the moment the team prayed on the hill when the world faded away and Jesus rushed in.  As the phones continued to receive all the data, we got off the plane to notice how sterile the environment looked compared to what we had just left. Neatly dressed American business men and women rushed through the airport and I thought of the woman sitting on the sidewalk by the busy streets of Kampala in tattered clothing with her two babies sleeping beside her, one in a card board box and one on a piece of cloth that was laid on the cement. We hit the highway and my mind went back to the rutted out mud roads we covered through the villages of Uganda.

We pass school children getting out of school with parents lining the streets in their cars and I remember the many children roaming the streets and villages of Kampala, not able to go to school because it cost money they don't have. I think of Agape Home kids who are able to attend school because of help from sponsors. They count it a joy and privilege to put on their school uniforms to walk through a muddy path to be able to attend school where  the day begins at 7 and ends at 5. I call and make a doctor's appointment on the way home and I think of the baby who's head was covered in parasites. She lived with her siblings in a mud shack and her mom had found out that very week she had AIDS and she nor the baby had anyway to receive medical care.  

We drive past a church and I think of Sunday morning in Kampala where people rush to worship despite a waiting line because armed guards check cars, people and bags for explosives and weapons before they can enter the church campus. I think of Joseph, the director of Agape home who heard the Gospel from church planting missionaries from Singapore and was rescued and redeemed and now disciples and has rescued  children and I wonder if many in the American church understand the importance and eternal value of global missions and sharing the Good News. I hug my children and they hand me their welcome home letters and play their piano recital piece. I think of Whitney, the quiet girl who lost her family to AIDS, passionately and loudly leads worship of the living God.

My worlds collide.

The ache comes in the worlds colliding. Not that one world is preferred over the other but it is a longing for all worlds to be connected. A world where it is simply all Jesus. There is pure joy but also great ache in the day after an incredible revelation of Jesus.

What are those of us to do in the longing, the feelings of low in the space in between the there and here?  Between the that and the this.

How do you answer the questions or understand the passivity of the responses to having seen Heaven peel back? How do you navigate that with grace, seasoned with salt?

The answer is in, allowing the worlds to collide. You love with all your being wherever you are. You give more generously and more willingly. You open your eyes to see what Jesus sees. Whether its the needs of your sponsored child from Agape Home living among the deepest poverty or your very own baby. You love both with all your energies and efforts. Because as you love both with all your being, somehow, the worlds collide. Because the Spirit of the Lord is among those that love and give so generously. There is no variation in giving here or giving there....you are simply giving...and in turn receiving Jesus.

The "let down" sometimes felt after such an incredible experience is natural, normal. We were warned of them. However, they should only propel us harder and faster to the things of God and a desperate dependence on Him. Release of the ache found in the day after should come as we raise our hands in thanksgiving for each breath we take.  As we take notice  every little moment that  occupies our time. We can do all things in Christ and allow space for Him to invade our world in every moment of every day, wherever we are. Each moment has the potential to be the greatest moment we have ever seen Jesus.

It is in the going- Being sent to a place such as Uganda and doing something that more than exceeds my  knowledge or ability, Jesus' Spirit is very palpable. The Jesus I was able to encounter this week was more than I can put into a blog post...but it is also in the coming back. Jesus is just as much on display in the cards from my children and in their laughter and hugs.  The worlds collide as I hear about their week and I seek after their hearts and reach into their world so they will know Jesus more just as we sought after Joel's heart of Agape Home, that he would know that he is loved by us and Jesus.

The first world is harder to navigate to find a thick and uninterrupted display of Jesus, but He is  there AND here. We just need to lean in tighter and allow what happened there to motivate how we live here.

Allow the worlds to collide.

If you have had a transformational experience with Jesus, and if you know Him, you have, don't shrink back. Let it change you forever. Share by allowing it to change the way you live. Share how to become involved in those things where your passion lies and Jesus has broke your heart for. Share by pointing to the reason we live and why we live life the way we do...JESUS. Allow God to prove faithful as you walk in the path He has laid out for you. You were created by God and for God for His purpose.

Where the Spirt of the Lord is, there is freedom. The freedom felt in His presence should be in the there and the here. Don't ever let the flame of passion you felt to reach into others and draw out Jesus disappear...be it there are here.

Allow the worlds to collide.

"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" Isa. 52:7

Believer, Be Moved

I've sponsored  a child here. I've put pictures on my refrigerator, cried a few tears and spent sleepless nights over her.

But to really be in Uganda. In her land with her people. It has left me breathless and created a consuming fire in me that could only be explained as Divine. The people are now seared in my soul.

Uganda has been touched by God with beauty. The countryside is green with rolling hills, tea fields, sugar cane and banana trees. The Nile flows peacefully and then rages violently. There are beautiful creatures that are only found In it's borders. There are many beautiful, architecturally  magnificent buildings constructed many years ago with arches and detailing but given no care since their construction and now stand crumbling.

War in the country wiped out families, jobs and resources. Corruption, murder and disease escalated. Thousands of Ugandans die from AIDS and Malaria each year . Sewage flows like streams, water shortages, dismal living conditions and lack of health care and food cripple the great country. The tales of children of their innocence lost to violence and dignity lost to despair made my blood boil and heart break.

Then...

"But God, being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses made us alive together with Christ." Eph. 2:4-5

There are bright brown eyes everywhere with laughter. Tiny little arms reaching for hugs and hands, stroking my hair and caressing my face. There is hope in the future of its children.

I look around and all I see is God's grace and mercy for Uganda. Hope is in the cross of Jesus and His work through God's servants  It's in the voice of Whitney, the 7 year old worship leader whose 

mom and dad died of AIDS. It's in the dancing of Joel who lived on the streets after his father died and acquired a fleah eating flea called a jigger. It's in the smile of Sarah who had an abusive family and lost her dad to drugs and alcohol. It's in the prayers of Ronnie who lost his parents to AIDS.

Their life is hard, but they are going to make it more beautiful.

It's in the service of Joseph of Agape Home who is a fierce advocate for Uganda, spending his life on
setting captives free and loosening chains of injustice. Hope is in the courageous people of Uganda declaring God's goodness and faithfulness.

Hope. I can't explain it but I can see it. It's literally everywhere. It's contagious.


Will you pray for us and the mission team's role in supporting Uganda? Will you pray for Uganda and the children of Agape Home? If you want a better place to invest your emotional energy than first world problems, pray with me to see God's Kingdom come. When we who recognize and receive mercy, we will show it to others and act justly for a country that has endured tremendous suffering.

 "Let His compassion make you weep. Let the remembrance of His Salvation  in your life bring you 
to your knees. Let your voice be lifted high as you sing the song of the redeemed. 
Believer, be moved." 

Grab my hand. Let's do this.

Mercy Said No

After a 25 hour journey to Kampala, Uganda, Joseph Roberts, the director of Agape Home picked us up at the airport. We piled into the van and Joseph prayed to begin our visit. He prayed that God be glorified and Christ be magnified and gave praise to God for sending His Son so those who believe in Him would no longer be separated from Him but would be washed white as snow through the blood of Christ. We who were far off could now be alive with Christ. As the name of Jesus was lifted up in prayer, in the background on the van's radio played "Mercy Said No." God's presence filled the van and entered our hearts and gave focus and clarity to the reason we are here. We want to know Jesus more and live our lives seeking Him and be with Him in whatever He is doing to bring His Kingdom on the earth.

A few hours later, the Gospel of Jesus Christ was evident in the faces of 25 children who just want to be loved and give love. Many have life stories that you and I could never comprehend, yet they sang with joy in their hearts, "I'll never know how much it cost to see my sin upon that Cross." A young girl who had been abandoned dropped to her knees to worship. How can this happen that children who have been through horrendous circumstances can worship Christ in abandon? It's Jesus, only Jesus, who took our place on the Cross and was raised to life so we may be adopted sons and daughters of the King.  As followers of Jesus Christ, we will reign with Him forever. The Gospel is the only thing that can give new life.

Whitney, a young girl at Agape grabbed my hand and taught me a new song.

It's OK, it's OK.

In Uganda, in Uganda.

It's OK

The World, it's OK.

In the land of Agape,

Where there is God 's love.

No sorrows,

No worries,

At All.

I cannot put into words or pictures of the beauty in a life rescued and the raw, real worship of ones who lives have been transformed because "Thank You, Jesus. Mercy Said No". I hope today that you spent time time in heart worship of the One who gave you life. No matter what you have done or haven't done or what circumstances life has given you, if you have life in Jesus Christ, we have reason to celebrate and give Him praise from the rising of the sun to its setting. 

For God so loved the world, that He sent His son to save 
 From the cross He built a bridge to set us free
Oh, but deep within our hearts, there is still a war that rages

And makes a sacrifice so hard to see
As midnight fell upon the crucifixion day
The light of hope seemed oh so far away

As evil tried to stop redemption's flow

Mercy said no

I'm not gonna let you go

I'm not gonna let you slip away
You don't have to be afraid

Mercy said no

Sin will never take control

Life and death stood face to face

Darkness tried to steal my heart away

Thank You Jesus, Mercy said no

* We couldn't get pictures uploaded. Check back another day.