I just finished reading Under the Overpass by Mike Yankoski. I was going to begin my review by saying that it is an easy read, but easy is not the right word. What I mean to say is that it is a relatively quick read at 224 pages. But easy? No way.

Under the Overpass is the story of 2 men, Mike Yankoski and Sam Purvis, who spent 5 months living as homeless men on the streets of 6 major U.S. cities. The idea for this journey began in the heart of Yankoski as he sat in church one Sunday and had something of an epiphany concerning the disconnect in his life between what Christ calls His disciples to be and to do and what he realized was his “comfortable upper-middle-class life.” Yankoski says, “I sat there in church struggling to remember a time when I’d actually needed to lean fully on Christ rather than on my own abilities. Not much came to mind.” Thankfully, Yankoski wasn’t content to ignore this disconnect or bury it in the depths of religious busyness. Instead, he says he “walked out of church that morning seized by a big idea, assaulted by dozens of questions, and sure that I had heard deep in my heart a still, small voice saying, ‘Follow Me.’”

This book will challenge your perceptions of homelessness and the homeless. It will force you to confront the hypocrisy and prejudice that may be lurking not so inconspicuously within your own church and heart. It will force you to reflect on what it really means to take up your cross and follow Christ.

I don’t think you can read this book and stay the same.  I hope that you can’t. Living this story changed Yankoski and Purvis for the better, I’m certain. Reading it did the same for me. If I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, then I must love the unlovely, embrace the repugnant, and serve those that the world has deemed unworthy but that Christ calls “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40).

Jesus said the harvest is abundant but there is a shortage of workers (Luke 10:2). It’s time to stop the busyness and be about the Father’s business. It’s time to repair the disconnect.

Bible teacher Kay Arthur with son David, CEO of Precept Ministries International

Recently, Precept Ministries International announced that Jack Arthur was stepping down as CEO of the ministry that he and his wife Kay founded over 40 years ago. Their son David Arthur was appointed CEO in his place. This was a natural passing of the baton. David is a gifted leader, teacher, and man of God who will guide the ministry with integrity and passion for many years. I am excited to see the direction in which he leads.

October 5-6, 2012, David and his mother, Kay Arthur, will be speaking at a conference in Columbia, SC, and trust me when I say, you really don’t want to miss it. Both Arthurs speak the Word of God with power and authority and explain it in a way that everyone can understand. The cost of the conference is VERY reasonable. The number of seats is limited and will most likely sell out way before October. So go ahead and click here to register and get your tickets now.

Second Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” King David is described in the Bible as being a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). What exactly does it mean to have a heart like God’s? Is it possible for me to have a heart like God’s? To find the answers to these questions, click here to download a free mp3 of well-known Bible teacher Kay Arthur teaching on this very subject.

During the time of the Apostle Paul, many worldly philosophies and traditions of men had crept into the church. Many of his epistles were written to churches to combat these false teachings with the truth of God’s Word. There is a philosophy just as dangerous and heretical that has crept into our churches today. It is called “The American Dream.” Practically speaking, the American dream is the belief that we not only have the right to but we deserve a nice home filled with nice things, a good stable job with a generous income, yearly family vacations to Disney World, new cars, a retirement plan, etc. As Americans, we believe that our Constitution grants us all of these things. However, as Christians, we need to realize that our citizenship is not of this world (Philippians 3:20). As the old hymn says, “This world is not my home; I’m just a passin’ through!” The American Dream has no biblical foundation and is fundamentally opposed to the great commission. It has made us complacent regarding eternal matters and oblivious to the needs of the body of Christ as a whole.

In 2011, these are some things that happened to Christians around the world:

- 300 were martyred in Nigeria.

- 50,000 to 70,000 were held in horrific prison camps in North Korea.

- Many of the 80 million Christians in China were denied the right to worship and their pastors were arrested and put in prison.

- And in January of 2012 in Uganda, the father of a 15 year old girl locked her in a closet for six months because she converted from Islam to Christianity. She lost the use of her legs but is slowly regaining strength and the ability to walk.

In their book The Privilege of Persecution, Dr. Carl Moeller and David Hegg explain the dichotomy of reality between American Christians and those Christians suffering for their faith. Our ways of thinking are so radically different that it is difficult for us to understand their lives. And it is just as difficult for them to understand ours. The authors say, “[Persecuted Christians] pray for things [American Christians] probably wouldn’t think to pray for, and never pray for many of the things we do…It can be difficult for someone who has been fully immersed in the culture of the persecuted church to relate to Western believers who think it’s a really tough day when their daughter doesn’t make the cheerleading squad.” Shallowness pervades our congregations. But the simple truth is that to whom much is given, much is required. God has given us political, spiritual, and material blessings and freedoms so that we can encourage and strengthen through prayer and advocacy those Christians who have no freedoms and no resources.

First Corinthians chapter 12 compares the church, the body of Christ, to a physical body, with each member having a different function. Verse 26 says that if one member suffers, then all the members suffer with it. Hebrews 13:3 says, “Remember the prisoners as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated since you yourselves are also in the body.” As Christians with religious freedom, we have the awesome privilege and responsibility of supporting and standing in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who share our faith but not our freedom.

So what can you do to help? You can pray! Brother Andrew, author of God’s Smuggler and founder of Open Doors, says, “Prayer is not preparation for the battle; prayer IS the battle!” The World Watch List comes out every year and ranks the top 50 countries according to the intensity of persecution Christians face for their faith. I’d like to invite you to pray for each country on the World Watch List in 2012 by taking the 5 Minute Challenge. Click here for more information on how you can sign up to receive an email once a week highlighting a country for whom you can pray. Take just 5 minutes a day to strengthen and encourage those who share our faith but not our freedom!

If you have ever taken a Precept Upon Precept Bible Study course before, then you know that each class has two parts. First, there is the class discussion. This is where everyone who is taking the class meets together to discuss the previous week’s lesson. This discussion can take place in person, in a chat room, or through any number of technology options available today. For those who meet weekly in person, the second part of the class is spent watching a teaching dvd taught by Kay Arthur or another Precept Ministries staff member. The dvd’s are an excellent addition to the class discussions. They provide a well-rounded study.

The dvd’s are available for purchase at a reasonable price from Precept Ministries. So are audio cd’s of the same teaching found on the dvd’s. However, a great new option is now available. The audio teaching can now be downloaded in mp3 format. Go here to check it out in Precept Ministries’ online store.

Watch the news on any given day and chances are it won’t improve your mood. It’s a downer, man. The truth is – life can be a downer. Srsly. I’m talking big-time downer.

Now I know that as a believer in Jesus Christ, I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. I know that with God NOTHING is impossible. I know that greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world. I do. I really do. And I claim each one of those promises and cling to it like there’s no tomorrow.

But sometimes, just sometimes, even the most spiritual of us gets down. I’ll bet even Billy Graham needs a good laugh every now and then. I’m no Billy Graham but I definitely need a good laugh every now and then. And, boy, did I get one today. I stumbled across this blog while I was surfing the net at work. (Don’t get all bent out. It’s part of my job to surf the net and stay connected to my peeps.) I laughed. I laughed much. Then I came across this post on said blog. And I laughed even more.

Jon Acuff, by his own admission, has had many jobs. But he has finally found his dream job working with financial planning expert Dave Ramsey. In addition to writing the blog Stuff Christians Like, he authored a book by the same name. If the two posts mentioned above are any indication, this book has to be hilarious. I can’t wait to read it!

For the past several months, Precept Camden has been studying the book of Revelation in our weekly Bible study. One of the things we are going to do on our last day of class is develop a timeline of events based on the things that we have learned in our study. A very interesting and helpful resource is Charting the End Times by Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice. The cover of the book describes itself as “a visual guide to understanding Bible prophecy.” It has easy to understand explanations of things such as Bible prophecy, the feasts of Israel, the millennial reign of Christ, the book of Daniel, as well as a host of other interesting biblical topics. The colorful illustrations and charts are not only beautiful but are also easy to read. This book is a wonderful accompaniment to any study on the books of Revelation, Daniel, Ezekiel, or a survey of eschatology. You can click here to order a copy.

Each year Open Doors releases the World Watch List, a detailed analysis of Christian persecution worldwide. Countries are evaluated and ranked according to the severity of persecution that occurred in the past year. The World Watch List is a ranking of 50 countries where persecution of Christians for religious reasons is worst. The list covers persecution of Christians of all denominations in the entire country. The focus is on persecution for their faith, not persecution for political, economic, social, ethnic or accidental reasons. The World Watch List is part of the mission at Open Doors to inform and inspire others with the message of the persecuted. Join the cause of the persecuted and share the World Watch List with your friends and family. Go here to get a free pdf  download that details each country on the list. (This information was taken from various materials supplied by Open Doors.)

The 12th chapter of the book 1 Corinthians tells us that individual Christians are like the individual members of a body. We make up the body of Christ. And when one member of that body suffers, we should all suffer with it. We have brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering acutely all over the world simply because they are Christians. We have not just the responsibility but also the deep privilege of upholding them in prayer, giving them encouragement, and bringing their situation to light through whatever means we can.

Use the 2012 World Watch List to make yourself and others aware of what is happening around the globe as well as to take action on behalf of those who are suffering.

As a new year begins, I think this is a good time to encourage you to read a book that I love. What better goal to have for 2012 than to find the purpose for your life and begin living out that purpose? 

(Originally posted April 2011)

Today I was reminded how much I love this book - The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. About seven years ago, a friend lent me his copy and said, “I think you’ll like this book.” The copy he gave me came with a journal. Not being the journaling type, he said I could keep the journal but he wanted his book back when I was done. So I read the book, worked through the journal, and I did, indeed, like it. I liked it very much.

The reasons I like this book are myriad. However, most of what I love about this book can be expressed in just one word: simple. Its simple, easy-to-understand theology does not take a Doctorate of Divinity to understand. Just the word “theology” conjures up all sorts of connotations, some of which may be negative. A simple definition of theology is a study of God and God’s relation to the world. Sometimes theology is expressed by theologians in words and thoughts that are difficult for everyday people to understand. But in The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren presents the teachings of the Bible and ideas about God in ways that everyone can understand. He simplifies the message of the Bible without sacrificing the truth found there.

The Purpose Driven Life is a wonderful book for people new to the Christian faith as well as people who are seeking meaning and purpose in their lives. It is written in simple, down to earth language and explains basic doctrines of the Bible in a way that anyone can understand. I recommend this book to anyone who has ever asked the question, “What on earth am I here for?” However, I also recommend it to those who may not struggle with this question but who are interested in helping others find a meaningful answer to it.