Did He REALLY mean what he said??

First off, thanks for all of those you have been praying for Favre, the guy on my floor with the mom with cancer. She went to Mayo last week to begin surgeries/chemo...etc. When the doctors did another test to locate the exact location (of the cancer that had been found in Sioux Falls), they were surprised to find out that there was NO cancer in her liver...or anywhere for that matter, just a fatty growth. Praise God! For miracles such as this, I am forever praising the creator of the universe for his power, his love, and willingness to answer his people's cries for help! Man, this fires me up...no matter the crap that comes our way in life...God NEVER leaves our sides...he is always listening and caring for us....wow! Great stuff!

Today, Shane Claiborne, author of Irrestible Revolution and Jesus for President, came to speak at our chapel service. I was floored...what a great talk and a great example of Christ in our generation. Because of men like this I believe there is hope for the future of our world. Claiborne is a man who has taken to living in the inner city of Philadelphia...living with the poor and living simply.

The question that stuck out most to me was "What if Jesus actually meant what he said in the Bible". What if the last shall be first, what if we should give to the poor above all else...what if we should love others as ourselves." Such thinking contradicts our culture. Claiborne and his friends have taken this literally, they have traveled the world, even working with Mother Teresa in India...but more importantly they live it out everyday of their lives. Such a lifestyle can be dangerous, but remember Jesus was a dangerous man. He never was about keeping the status quo. I loved how Claiborne pointed out the fact that the Bible has led to more people getting in trouble than any other book. How true... what the Bible demands of us goes against the grain... it begs us to make Christ and his cross the priority of our lives.

Now, I don't plan on dropping out of school tomorrow and moving into a cardboard box, but Claiborne's talk challenged me deeply. God has put a passion for those in dire straights, those living in poverty. My challenge now is to pray earnestly, seeking God's will for my life. Does it involve medicine like I think?...does it involve working with the poor? Regardless, I put my trust in Him that he will lead me to where I need to go. I also put faith in him that he means what he says!

Live Dangerously!