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“IT’S NO SECRET THAT A FRIEND IS SOMEONE WHO LETS YOU HELP.” That’s one of my favorite U2 lines. It’s from their song, “The Fly.” It’s the spirit in which I share this: Today is the first day of the rest of my life and my family’s life. For me and my wife, yesterday was our last day on staff at Harambee. It’s been a great 19 years for me and 17 years for my honey. We will start this next season in our lives with a family sabbatical. We’ll be living in Grand Rapids, Michigan for the coming year. In a few days we’ll take leave of Southern California and take hold of the upper Midwest with two hands. This is where you can come in.

ACTS Ministries website is now public. For Philadelphia volunteer ministry opportunities, articles, links, training, and more, go to http://www.activecompassionphilly.org.

“earth as it is in heaven” is my blog located on another site (http://mbway.blogspot.com).  I have set this up to post the titles of entries through an RSS feed.  Let me know what you think.

Last summer God blessed me with a fabulous internship at a leading Christian justice magazine and advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. Many Christian authors send their publications to our magazine for review and in the summer the un-reviewed books are put out for employees to take home. As an admitted book worm and broke intern this made my day! Is this a Christian book? I thought the book was more suitable for Cosmopolitan or an episode of Sex and the City than a faith and justice magazine. Didn’t Ethridge know we were in an election year? As a single woman I like to read about marriage in preparation for my own.

Since December 2008 when Bernie Madoff turned himself over to authorities for pulling a massive $65 billion ponzi scheme I like most of you have read the countless stories of victims and reporters trying to make sense of it all. In my reading of the Madoff story I have noticed a very disturbing trend of playing into anti-Semitic and class stereotypes implying that Madoff’s ethnic group and humble beginnings in Queens were the cause of his scheming.

"Racial/ ethnic prejudice was a definite factor in ancient life and thought. Relations among the ethnic groups in an ever expanding Roman empire was a problem to be constantly addressed. And for Christianity with its gospel for all peoples, the barriers of prejudice spawned by pride, fear, and the desire to dominate had to be broken through if the church was to be a faithful expression of the truths on which it was founded."

One pastor pointed out that merely because we had achieved diversity in the pews didn’t mean we had achieved integration. Segregation might still exist. It’s still easy to avoid people of another race. Many churches have a variety of races represented in the congregation, but they do not interact outside of church. Some have successfully mixed racially in a structured environment—small groups, ministry teams, outreach events. A few churches have held progressive dinners that have had families of various races meeting at each others' homes to eat.

THE LAW TRIUMPHS IN HONDURAS says John Fund in the Wall Street Journal:

Many foreign observers are condemning the ouster of Honduran President Mel Zelaya, a supporter of Hugo Chavez, as a “military coup.” But can it be a coup when the Honduran military acted on the orders of the nation’s Supreme Court, the step was backed by the nation’s attorney general, and the man replacing Mr. Zelaya and elected in emergency session by that nation’s Congress is a member of the former president’s own political party?

To my surprise and disapointment, a well meaning, mature sister in the Lord, approached me, a single Christian sister, with the infamous question, “Are you single? I have someone I would like you to meet.” To be straight, immediately the laser sensor was triggered, the steel doors dropped and obviously the silent alarm went off. I have heard this line before and know that it usually means trouble. Now she went on to explain to me that the unsaved man in question, was very nice and he’s looking for his “true love”.

Jesus said, “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. (John 4:23)
Worship is not just singing songs at meetings, or even the prayer and praise one does in ones own “prayer closet.” True worship involves service as well as celebration and supplication. Our service is not a duty, though it may become difficult at times. It is the fruit of our love of God and His love through us.