Today's links 21/12/2009

A Great Illustration of Incarnation (HT: Z)

From John Ortberg’s God Is Closer Than You Think:

Father Damien was a priest who became famous for his willingness to serve lepers. He moved to Kalawao – a village on the island of Molokai, in Hawaii, that had been quarantined to serve as a leper colony. For 16 years, he lived in their midst. He learned to speak their language. He bandaged their wounds, embraced the bodies no one else would touch, preached to hearts that would otherwise have been left alone. He organized schools, bands, and choirs. He built homes so that the lepers could have shelter. He built 2,000 coffins by hand so that, when they died, they could be buried with dignity. Slowly, it was said, Kalawao became a place to live rather than a place to die, for Father Damien offered hope.

Father Damien was not careful about keeping his distance. He did nothing to separate himself from his people. He dipped his fingers in the poi bowl along with the patients. He shared his pipe. He did not always wash his hands after bandaging open sores. He got close. For this, the people loved him.

Then one day he stood up and began his sermon with two words: “We lepers….”

Now he wasn’t just helping them. Now he was one of them. From this day forward, he wasn’t just on their island; he was in their skin. First he had chosen to live as they lived; now he would die as they died. Now they were in it together.

One day God came to Earth and began his message: “We lepers….” Now he wasn’t just helping us. Now he was one of us. Now he was in our skin. Now we were in it together.


So, how should a person respond when they find the pros and cons of their very existence being debated? (HT:Z)

Caleb Jones, who lives with cystic fibrosis, writes his thoughts on hearing that people feel pregnant mothers should undergo screening for cystic fibrosis, and abort babies if they are found to be affected. In this hard-hitting article, he writes:

Evil like this does not start spontaneously. It starts with an idea that sprouts and develops in the minds of men. In Weimar Germany, an idea of Jews as an annoyance came first. That was anti-Semitism. Then, Jews became a problem to be fixed. That was discrimination and oppression. Then, they were an enemy of the state to be eliminated. That was the holocaust. Presently, unwanted pregnancies of all stripes are considered annoyances. Taking root is the belief that these annoyances are problems to be fixed. With the health of the country becoming more and more a responsibility and an expenditure of government, how many intermediate steps are necessary for expensive populations (e.g. those with cystic fibrosis or Down’s syndrome) to become enemies of the state? I for one will not place my bets on stopping a slippery slope.

And finally some great quotes that had me thinking:

God Gives Us Grace for Wednesday, Not our Imagination of Thursday
(from another excellent article on worrying by Justin Buzzard. Do read the article.)

From Al Mohler's commencement address to the graduates of the Southern Seminary class of December 2009:
If you aim to finish what you start in ministry, you will aim too low or finish what is not Christ's........Start something you cannot finish and give yourself to it for the length of your days, with the strength of your life, to the glory of God.

And another provocative statement from John Piper above this great photo:



Risk is relative. And there is refuge where you least expect it.

So, what are we risking our lives for?