Season of Giving

There is snow somewhere with our name on it.  That's right, folks - meteorologists say that by Christmas night, there might be little tiny flakes of snow delicately falling down from our Texas skies, drifting fleetingly upon a our winter-neglected lone star lands. Wouldn't it be amazing?  Maybe if we're all good for the next few days, our gift will be a winter wonderland.  But hold your icy breath . . . its a big maybe.

But even while Texas might might match up to all those iconic songs about sleigh bells and snow, we still understand the real meaning of Christmas - giving:  how God gave us the birth of His son, Jesus, and how we in turn should be giving to others.  Isn't this what is meant by the saying  "peace on Earth and good will towards men?"  Perhaps this is never needed more than now.

In the wake of the  New Town massacre, the senseless violence towards those that we hold most dear has hit all of us hard.  And with new issues that we'll have to deal with coming up on the horizon, like the overwhelming availability of high-powered weapons and our deficiency as a nation in addressing mental illness, we know that we will have some major challenges ahead.  America will have to change.  And one of the first steps we can take is to make 'peace on Earth and good will towards men' a real thing - to actually do something in the lives of those that we love, and even in the lives of strangers, realizing that we are all connected to and responsible for our brothers.  One kind word, act or deed.    

This Christmas season, I encourage you to do some good deeds for the people in your life, even those you have never met. Below is a link to 26 Acts - a challenge brought forth by Ann Curry of ABC news do 26 acts of kindness for strangers to honor the memory of the 26 victims in the Sandy Hook shooting.  

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/17/15972814-inspired-to-act-26acts-of-kindness-to-honor-those-lost-in-newtown-conn?lite

To all of your families from ours, we wish you blessings and happiness this season - have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year,

Brandon 

LINC North Texas 

Isaiah 61

One of the most powerful realities expressed in Isaiah 61:1-7 is that the poor are the ones who become the new leaders in society.  It is easy to read through the passage and forget that the pronouns later in the passage still refer to the poor and brokenhearted described in the first few verses.  It is not the wealthy or powerful who become oaks of righteousness, rebuilders of ruins, priests, ministers, and joyful owners of land and sheep.  God has chosen the poor and marginalized as His leaders.  Transformational development, like what LINC NT is trying to do in communities in North Texas, helps the poor recover their identity and vocation and empowers them to live it out.  Once people are restored by both the Gospel and community development, they rise up and act.  They begin to reform their societies with ideals of justice and peace in accordance with God’s Word.

As Christians, we must therefore acknowledge that the poor are ultimately the leaders and that they must be allowed to step up to lead the efforts and define the outcomes.  While the non-poor clearly have many of the resources necessary to change the future for the poor, they must carefully live within the boundaries of their roles.  Ultimately, the non-poor must have the humility to set themselves at the feet of the poor to listen and follow.  The poor already have many of the resources they need to accomplish great things, but they are, as Isaiah 61 shows, in captivity and ruined by their shame and disgrace.  The role of the non-poor is to proclaim freedom from captivity and offer the Gospel.  Then the poor will lead.

According to Isaiah 61, proper holistic Christian development seeks out the marginalized, proclaims the good news of the Gospel, and restores marred identity.  Development brings total release from poverty, addresses the systems that contribute to poverty, sees evangelism and social action jointly, transforms people holistically on all levels, and allows the poor to lead.  This passage has been instrumental for us at LINC NT as we allow God's word to guide us!