BUT, if we as WHITE men and women want to quote the essence of what Dr King wrote and spoke that applies to US, and what OUR thoughts and actions should be, I think we should focus on some other quotes like:

“History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”

Or  “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy”.

Or “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” –Letter from Birmingham Jail

Or “I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.” –Letter from Birmingham Jail

Dr. King wrote the “Letter from Birmingham Jail” on April 16, 1963 after being jailed for non-violent demonstration against hundreds of years of unspeakable injustice that had boiled over in the 60s. While legislation and reforms have ended segregation and improved civil rights and injustices dramatically since the 60s, I believe many of the underlying thoughts of racism, while they seem to fade some with each passing generation, they are still very much a part of recognizable and more subtle racial bias. And unfortunately, in some places and some people there is still an outright hatred for people with black skin and we cannot continue to act as though these things don’t exist today in our country and communities.

So to those of us who are white, I think we should pause and try to move ourselves in empathy and compassion toward our black brothers and sisters. To try hard to understand and admit and be grieved over and ask forgiveness for the cruelty and bigotry and racism (both in words and actions) that has gone on for generations and still goes on today. To do a deep searching in our hearts and minds to see if there is any hint of bias or prejudice in ourselves and to call it out when we see it in others.

Please know this is not written in any way to point to or accuse any police officers of any wrongdoing or racism. I have family and close friends who are police officers – I was raised by a father who was a police officer. I love and support our police officers who stand in harms way every day to protect us. This is written to challenge each of us to stand up against racism, bigotry and hatred as it exists around us everyday. To start to make a change in ourselves, our families, our friends, our churches, our schools, our workplaces, our communities. It starts with each of us.

John 15:12-13 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

(M. L. King, Letter from Birmingham Jail, with an introduction by Paul Chaim Schenck [no place, no date].  You can read the letter in full by doing an internet search for Letter from Birmingham Jail.

In the busyness of Christmas, might we pause to glorify God and rejoice in our Savior and remember all God has done for us.

And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
…for the Mighty One has done great things for me—  holy is his name!
His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”

Thanksgiving was and SHOULD always be about giving thanks to our creator, provider, savior and king. To the One who does not need us or anything from us, but who loves us and desires us.  The One who is holy, majestic, righteous, pure and true.  The One whose glory, strength and power is beyond all compare, all description, all worth and all understanding. To this One I give thanks.

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good:
His love endures forever – Psalm 136
His steadfast love never ends; His mercies never fail; They are new every morning; Great is His faithfulness  Lamentations 3:22-23
His faithfulness reaches to the skies (Psalm 57:10) and endures forever (Psalm 117:2)
His purposes are great and mighty – Jeremiah 32:19
His righteousness is like the mighty mountains – Psalm 36:6
His joy is my strength – Nehemiah 8:10
His word is right and true – Psalm 33:4

If I were to go on forever to write of His glory, righteousness, holiness, purity, majesty, strength, power, justice, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, joy, hope, wisdom, understanding, grace, mercy, love and all other things that you are, I could never even begin to capture the essence of the great and awesome, one and only true God.

But today, I give to you my God, all glory and honor and praise and thanks for who you are.
You are the Father of our only savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who you sent as a perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world – even for me and my sins.
You are the strength and power that raised Jesus from the dead.
You are the righteous, sovereign, just, perfect and true judge of the earth.
You are the powerful creator of the universe, who spoke the words and created every living thing.
You are the eternal one – the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end.
You are the giver of every good and perfect gift.
You are the one who brings the sun up each day and send water upon the earth, and gives us life each day.
You are the only Jehovah Jira – the provider of everything – our daily bread, the water we drink, clothing, shelter and even the air we breathe.
You are the God who gives us even the ability to produce wealth – the mind to think, the strength to work, the job we have.
You are the king of the earth – the whole earth and all who live on it belong to you (Psalm 24:1; 47:2)
You are our forgiver and healer.
You are the one true God and eternal life – 1 John 5:20 & John 17:3
You are everything to me, and I love you. You are my daddy – my Father in heaven who I long to be with for eternity worshipping you.

It was amazing to me that in this city of millions of people, some 10,000 miles from my home, I would “happen” to run into 6 different people, including 3 Americans, that I have met in various different places in the past 2 years.  It made me think of the multitude of people I will one day be reunited with for eternity together.

Revelation 7:9-12

⁹After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.

Last year we struggled with the decision of re-enrolling the four kids – torn by the cost and whether we should be spending that money on a Christian education when it could go so far to help those in need across the world. It’s that continual balance we fight to find between our needs and wants (and what we feel is important for our kids) and helping others.

Well, two weeks after school started last fall we found out that Luke and Beza qualified for a $6,000 scholarship, reducing our total tuition by half. We were also blessed with friends who used the Arizona Christian School Tuition tax credit which further reduced our costs.

God knew the desire of our hearts (Christian education AND helping others) and provided.

While we originally thought the scholarship was a one year only thing we have been blessed to apply for and receive the scholarship for this year as well.

Because of God’s blessing we want to pay it forward and one of the ways we’re doing that is to help these beautiful kids at one of World Orphans projects in Uganda go to school. Education is a VITAL piece in breaking the cycle of orphaning and abandonment.

There are 20 kids. School fees are $62 each.

So here’s the challenge…  – (NOTE – With your help we met the goal in 1 day and now have the school fees for these 20 kids!  Thanks.  More opportunities to come :)

You pay half, we pay half!

We’ll match every dollar you guys donate on our campaign page
until we reach the goal ($1193) and all these kids school fees are paid.

If you donate $36, we’ll donate $36 and that’s one child educated.

We’ll match any amount $1, $5, $100.

Because no challenge is any fun without a deadline we’re going to give you ONE WEEK!

How to Give:

1. Go to our campaign page.
2. There’s buttons for $5 and $40 donations or you can click “other” and enter any amount you want.
3. You can pay by debit, credit or echeck.

Here are some thoughts/quotes from some of the team members on our trip:

“We visited a place so dirty, crowded, unsanitary, chaotic and forgotten that no human should ever have to call that home an yet hundreds of thousands do.

We had the privilege of sitting in peoples homes and listening to them tell their stories, share their fears, explore their dreams, recount their joys and rejoice in the name of Jesus.

“I stared into a young child’s eyes and searched for hope. For the promise of a bright future, a future filled with the certainty of a better life than this… But I don’t know that I found it.” – alisha

We saw families being torn apart by disease and realized how important good health is to the survival of a family in the slums

“A young boy tackled the back of my leg and a bit of drool dribbled down his chin falling onto my pants. He looked up at me with huge searching eyes almost pleading for rescue… But I had to keep walking” -jared

“I felt an overwhelming sense of injustice and hopelessness for both them and myself.” -jeremy

“everyday theses people are working to simply fill their stomachs” -pastor Gideon

“I cannot be satisfied if I am the only one who is prospering”

We heard a woman tell of her difficult decision each month as she chose between paying rent and keeping a roof over their heads or paying the school fees and investing in her children’s future.

We were encouraged by the community and support seen among the families we visited. Despite the poverty and hopelessness of their circumstances there still was an attitude of love and plans for the future. Finding the positive in the rubble of destruction, where the local church is alive and active, and the Hope of Jesus is making a real impact in the lives of people.

Later in the day the women in our group got to speak to a group of teen moms who are going to be part of a new ministry at Fountain of Life church. They will be learning skills and working to make jewelry and clothing to earn an income to support their family, while also being brought together in discipleship and encouraged by each other and God’s word. Many dropped out of school when they got pregnant, were abandoned by their families and do not have an education.

“Praise be to the Lord, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. The Lord is the strength of his people.”  Psalm 28:6-8

1. We faced many trials and speed bumps from the moment we began our trip, but despite Satan’s attempts the team has not missed a beat. God has been faithful in providing and sustaining our team and the people we are serving.

2. Successful kids camp at Woliso Church despite last minute changes. Pure joy written on children’s faces. God’s word being shared.

3. Visit to the HIV/AIDS ministry. Got to hug, pray, listen and love on these families as well as present them a gift and pray with them.

4. Home visits – heard the stories of broken people but found hope in God’s word and promise of love and grace.

5. Witnessed a church taking Christ’s call to go and spread his church so literally that they keep planting with a passion and haste to ensure everyone has a place to worship.

6. Prayed over new churches and saw the promise of great things God has planned for that place. “Greater things have yet to come, greater things are still to be done in this city.”

7. Bought jewelry from HIV+ women who have found work and physical and spiritual healing through an incredible ministry for that community.

8. Entered Woliso only greeted with timid smiles and hand shakes, but left in a flurry of hugs, kisses and tears.

9. Four people came to Christ after Dave got to preach on Sunday at church.

10. Worshiped, prayed, evangelized, loved and found hope in a place that could seem hopeless at first glance, but is full of a people who have no limits to their generosity and love unconditionally, taking in the widows and orphans as commanded of us in James 1.

New church plant near Wolisso Ethiopia

Would we show up to these churches walking through and standing in several inches of water in the middle of a field, with no chairs to sit in and listen to our pastor preach and sing praises to God with just our voices for 2+ hours?

The people of these churches in Ethiopia REALLY believe that the church is not about a building…  I have the mud covering my shoes and pants, and the memory of hugs and tears of joy to prove it  :)

Let us continue to strive to be a faithful church that displays good deeds and is dependent on God to provide as we use our resources to help meet the needs of those who are really in need like the early church did.  Let us not be a lukewarm church that is rich and not in need of a thing.

Revelation 3:14-22

¹⁴“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:  These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. ¹⁵I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! ¹⁶So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. ¹⁷You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. ¹⁸I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. ¹⁹Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. ²⁰Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. ²¹To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. ²²He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

My last trip to Ethiopia in April he introduced me to an Ethiopian pastor who is a good friend of his.  I had a wonderful time with Pastor Fekadu and came to find out that his boyhood friend from Ethiopia now lives in Phoenix.  So upon returning to Phoenix, I met his friend of many years and enjoyed sharing about the ministry and personal life of his best friend. While having coffee with him, I learned that I had met him before when we attended a service for Ethiopian adoptive families in Phoenix, and he is an elder at the Ethiopian church in Phoenix that started the orphanage in Ethiopia that Julie I and served at for a week before picking up Wendemagegn and Beza in Dec 2008.  (If you are still tracking with this web of intricate coincidences its a miracle).

All of this to say, I was very saddened and actually feeling guilty as I came back to Ethiopia, that while leading a team of 16 people out to the country in Wolisso, we would not be in Addis to see my new Pastor friend.  So as I stood in the airport waiting to pick up the team, I am left utterly amazed at God’s sovereignty yet again as I found myself in a city of 5 million+ people standing in a crazy mob at the airport next to my long lost friend, Pastor Fekadu.  He was waiting to pick up a good friend who had just lost their son.  I had a chance to pray with him, and I know that God orchestrated this meeting if for no other reason than for two brothers, separated by oceans and continents, languages and skin color, to pray together united as we all will be one day as all nations, tribes and tounges become one before an all-knowing, all-powerful sovereign God.

We embraced in a hug of joy and amazement that said it all – It’s not just a small world, but with God there are no such thing as coincidences.

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Psalm 37:4

Later in the day we visited a unique ministry of a local Ethiopian church that empowers/equips and employs over 120 HIV positive women making jewelry and coffee to sell to both local and international buyers.  They not only provide them with jobs to feed them and their children, but also help restore them to community when they have been ostracized and shunned by even their own families.  Most importantly they are introduced to what the love of Jesus Christ is all about and hope not only for today, but for eternity.    This was a bright shining example of what the local church can do to reach out and make a difference in the lives of people in their community in practical ways while sharing the good news of true eternal hope.

Let your light shine before men that they might see your good works and praise your father in heaven. – Matthew 5:16

The apostle Peter wrote about this same hope these women are experiencing in 1 Peter 1:3-12 – read it today.