Give me Your eyes....

This chorus from Brandon Heath's song kind of says it all....I need eyes to see people the way the Lord does...Lord, give me your eyes....

Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me your heart for the once forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see

Why "Run For the Nations"?

You may be asking at this point, why is this blog called "Run For the Nations"? Should it not be "Run to the Nations"? "Run for the Nations" was born out of a passion for every part of my life to be an action of knowing God more and making Him known. One of the activities that I have enjoyed over the past several years is running. It has been a great time to connect with the LORD and along the way the LORD has brought along others that I have been able to connect with through running as well.

Each year I also run a half-marathon in Nashville and after fininshing the race this past April I felt very strongly the desire to run this race to know God more and make Him known. The question was, "how do I do that?". I began this blog out of the prompting that my running should be to benefit the nations. Both in the US and overseas, this blog was created to bring attention to the dire need of those around me and those that I do not come face to face with on a daily basis.

I also sensed the urge to actually raise money, as many do for other organizations, in my training and completion of the Nashville half. Therefore, I have decided to "Run for the Nations". This will most likely look different each year but for this year, the LORD has called me to run for Shaohannah's Hope, an organization that raises money for adoption. Also known as Show Hope, this organization donates money to families each year in order to equip those families monetarily to imitate the gospel through the picture of adoption. We have been adopted into the family of God as co-heirs with Christ and the adoption of orphans here on earth displays that picture and obeys the command of Christ to care for the orphans (James 1:27).

I want this blog to be a way for you and I to keep our hands on the pulse of the nations so that we are not lulled to sleep by our comfort and ease here in the United States. We have to see our brothers and sisters around the world who are hurting and in need. Stay tuned and we will see where the LORD takes this!

When did I see you Lord?

This week I was sitting at a table eating lunch with my boss when a homeless man walked up rather briskly, pulled out a chair next to my boss and had a seat.  He turned to her quickly and started talking in a manner that neither of us could exactly understand but it became clear that he wanted money or food.  Apparently he had been wandering around in the food court trying to grab stuff and our security guards had escorted him out.  

Looking at him I wasn't quite sure what to do.  We had just had a safety seminar telling us to beware of people like this and to seek help.  I still wasn't quite sure what to do but as I looked around there were several security guards who had gathered around us standing about 10 feet away in each direction.  One of them caught my attention and asked if we needed him and I motioned for him to come over.  Suddenly there were about 5 who surrounded us and coaxed the guy away.  

As he walked away, I was pretty certain I had done the wrong thing.  This guy was more than likely harmless.  He may have wanted money for alcohol but he also may have just been hungry.  Either way there was really no question that he was spiritually hungry and could have used someone who would see him as a person and at least meet his basic needs.

I am pretty certain that I did just as those in Matthew 25 looking over the face of God sitting in front of me and turned him over to the authorities.  

Please be careful today but not the way the world would tell you to be careful.  Be careful to watch out for the face of the Lord and to meet His need.  LORD, let me love your people and you through them.  Let me meet their needs and forget my comfort and safety knowing that my safety lies in you!

Where is all the money going?

Yesterday I heard about a man in the state of Alabama who pays approximately $400 to attend each home game for his favorite college football team. After calculating up the gas to travel to the game, the price of a ticket for he and his wife, and the cost of food before, after, and during the game it totalled $400. This did not surprise me and as a math lover I was happy to see someone taking into account ALL of the costs and not just the ticket price.

This got me thinking though. Could that $400 have been used better? Are there really causes out there that are more important than college football, more important even then spending a Saturday with friends? Of course the answer is yes.

That same money could have easily fed 400 people for one day or 1 or 2 people for 1 year and 35 days assuming it cost $1 per day to feed someone like this little man pictured below. (keep in mind these are rough estimates)

Now, I know many of you will think I am a spoil sport but allow me to make my case. I love spending time with friends, I like watching college football. These things are fun and the enjoyment of them is not inheritantly evil. These are just examples to show how entertainment and self-satisfying endeavors have taken the place of our love for others. In our very comfortable world where we wake up, choose and outfit from our full closets, choose our breakfast from our multiplicity of choices, spend time in climates that are adjusted just right to keep out the summer's heat and winter's cold, and slide into plush, posturepedic beds at night in relatively safe neighborhoods we forget that there is a world that is STARVING for food and for the gospel. People are literally dying or losing abilities such as sight because they have no substantial food or no food at all.

All I am asking is that you consider it. I have had to consider myself how my budget is applied each month. As a single woman with a good job, no house payment, no car payment, and no dependents, I have money to spare each month. The question is.....has this money been given to me for my accumulation of things or for my sister in Africa, in Asia, in Alabaster? Lord, let us see our wealth and GIVE IT!

K.P. Yohannan on giving to missions:

...a word of caution.  Do not look for a reason for not giving to the work of God.  Remember, we must give all we can, keeping only enough to meet our needs so the Gospel can be preached before "...the night cometh, when no man can work" (John 9:4).  The problem for most is not that we give too much, but that we give too little.  We live selfishly and store up treasures on this earth that will be destroyed soon, while precious souls die and go to hell.

Sleep in September.....

I am constantly reminded that our time on earth is short and that there is work to do here for the kingdom. I worked at a Christian ranch for a couple of summers and the ranch owner and leader affectionately reminded the staff that we had work to do, and that we could, "Sleep in September" (when we all returned to college). He was right, this life is not meant to be lived preserving ourselves and seeking as much comfort and rest as possible, this is not our home, but we are going home. This is the time to help others go with us and more importantly help them understand their deepest need and original purpose in creation: to know and love their Savior Jesus Christ and realize they were created for relationship with Him.

I think Carrie McDonnell, a middle east missionary who was attacked in Northern Iraq, losing her husband and three other friends in the incident, said it best at the end of her book Facing Terror:

"The world is not our place of rest; it is a time to work and follow hard after Jesus. When we get home, we can rest. But for now, God is calling His children to share the gospel of the cross, the power of our Holy Father; it's time we obediently follow Him. May we all live our lives in a manner worthy of the calling we have received in Christ Jesus. May we live lives we will never regret."

Go, Send, or Disobey...