The Journey

Sometimes, All you Have To Do Is Cry Out

I was in the middle of Matthew 20 today, and found this...

 As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"

 The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"

 Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.

 "Lord," they answered, "we want our sight."

 Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

(Matthew 20:29:-34)

Are you sitting on the side of the road today?

Are you looking for some answer to your faith?

Maybe sometimes we need to defy the cultural norms, and just humble ourselves enough to cry out to the 

Healer of our Faith. 
He's into Redeeming. 
He's into Reconciling. 
He's full of compassion. 

He's willing and faithful. 

Want To Be Great In God's Kingdom?

Here I am in Enid Oklahoma, thinking about what God wants from me today.  I'm praying for His will to be done.  I'm seeking His face this morning.  And I came to Matthew 20. 

Then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to Jesus with her sons and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him.

 "What is it you want?" he asked.
      She said, "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom."

 "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said to them. "Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?"
      "We can," they answered.

 Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father."

 When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. Jesus called them together and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:20-28)

Isn't it strange, sometimes we ask "God what do you want me to do for you today?" in some sort of 'Hey God, Look at Me' way.  As believers in the pool of faith, we wish so dearly that our heavenly Father would look down on us and give approval for whatever we choose to do with our lives.

But I think today, God is whispering a simple, sweet message to my soul.

It isn't about how much you do for me.
It isn't all about how many boxes you can check off in the religious circles.
No, this Kingdom is all about servant hood.

It's not about serving to be noticed.
Or serving to be great.
It's about serving people because the King of Kings decided to come down to earth and serve mankind. 

And, if I want my life to be about being closer to Jesus; then I need to allow my life to model what He modeled. 

For if God can come and live life WITH us and not AT us, surely I can live a life WITH others.  

I'm off to a Men's Bible study here in Enid.
I'm excited to serve those guys this morning, for no other reason, that I want to know about their lives.
I want to know what makes them do what they do.
I want to live life WITH people.

God bless you today!!

It happens here

I've been traveling quite a bit this semester.  Denver, Phoenix, Orlando, Dallas, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Jacksonville, they've all been on the list of cities I've visited since the end of our teenage camping season at KIVU.

We're putting the finishing touches on a gap year that has been in the works for three years now, and one of the most horrific things I've heard over the last few months from urban leaders, right here in the U.S.,  is the unexpected rise of the underground human trafficking going on during the recession.  

Interestingly enough, this morning's CNN story detailed just how severe this issue is all over the world.  (just click on CNN to have the story open in another browser window.)

When I talk about it, people ask, "So what exactly is human trafficking?  And how does it work?"

Well, it's simple.

There's a ring leader.
He/She promise the victims a good job in a high paying part of the world.
When the employees finally get to where they're going, the ring leader takes away all they're travel papers.
They usually take them to a place where they don't know the language or the culture, so there's a bit of culture shock and an inability to just run.
They're often abused.
They're told they have to work off their travel fees, and earn their passports and travel documents back (which is made nearly impossible on purpose.)
They end up being prostitutes, or slave labor for corporations keen enough to keep them off the official labor books.
And so you wind up with someone that is trapped. 
Often times the ring leaders will threaten to hurt their families back home.
Force them into some sort of physical disadvantage, and in the end

There are people far away from home
Who've been lied to
Mentally abused
Physically abused
And all the while the ring leader acts like a pimp, collecting the lion's share of the money coming into the industry.

It's REAL!
If you live in a major metropolitan area, it's most likely happening, right in your back yard.  (especially if it's easy to travel in and out of your town.)

I guess I'm writing about this, because it just makes my heart sad.

It's sad, that in 2009, this kind of stuff is still going on.
Humans treating each other like property, rather than like humans
People continuing to run illegal activity, and use other people to do the dirty work
It's sad there are women and children who will never see their families again
They're lost in a sea of mis understanding
Like the movie says....

They're Taken.

What do we do?

For one thing, I believe it's within our faith that we want all men and women to live in freedom. 

Jesus came to "set the captives free" and that wasn't just some euphoric claim that is supposed to happen when the end of the world comes. 

I believe Jesus came that all men would be free here in the kingdom on earth, AND in the kingdom to come. 

Get involved.
Talk with your local urban ministry.
Be aware

May we be a people who reach out to those trapped in modern slavery, and give them the opportunity to understand the freedom God came to give.

My heart is sad.

Just Heard Word from Jamie Jo in Africa

Hey I just got a voice mail from Jamie Jo, she's in Africa picking up our new adopted 6 year old son. 

She met him for the first time, and he jumped up in her arms and said, "MOMMA!!"

Oh, I wish I was there to see that.

She says he's really fun, really strong (welcome to the Braner family), and a whole lot of fun. 

Oh well, off to traveling.

I'll be in Tulsa for the weekend, specifically at Kirk of the Hills tomorrow morning.  Would love to see you there.

God bless.

Today I'm at Men at the Cross in Jacksonville

Today I'm in Jacksonville Florida teaching teenage boys about the Christian Worldview.  I'm hanging with the guys at Men at the Cross, an organization trying to reach deep in the hearts of men around the country.

Please pray for the hearts and minds of the teenagers today. 

I'm looking forward to watching God move in a major way!

For the Love of Money

The latest story in our saga following Matthew 19 is that of the Rich Young Ruler.  You know the story right?

A rich man came to Jesus while he was teaching, and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to inherit eternal life?"  

Jesus told him to keep the commandments.

The man said, "I've done all these, what still do I lack?"

Jesus told the man, "Go and sell all that you have, give it to the poor, and come to follow me."

You can read the story word for word, Matthew 19:16-24.

I've heard this story preached thousands of times.  And to be honest, most of the time pastors tell the congregation how the love of money wasn't the man's problem.  They use the story as an analogy, and ask the congregation to reach down deep in their hearts to identify whatever it is that is keeping them from God.  

Some need to rid themselves of cars.
Some need to drop their addiction to television.
Others need to make sure sports, relationships, family, or even church isn't getting in the way of their relationship with God. 

All those things are true.

But Jesus said, "Go and sell all you have."

So as we examine the text, just for the text sake, could it be that Jesus meant what He said?
Could it mean that we must give up everything we own to follow Him?

Of course leaders in ministry don't want to preach this, or else they'd have a congregation unable to support the local ministry. 
Of course congregations don't want to hear this, because we are Americans.  We are achieving the American dream with a house, two cars, 2.5 kids, a dog, and a picket fence.  We're trying to accumulate wealth, and the last thing we want to do is vacate our 401K's for some kind of extremist fundamental religion.  Right?

But what if that's what He meant?

I've been confused about this passage since I was a little kid.

Does God want us to just give up our earthly possessions?

What do you think?

Let's re-imagine the way we've heard this story for so many years, and ask that God teach us the value here.

May we follow Him with all we are.
May we be brave enough to sell it all.

Beauty Will Rise: An honest look at a man who struggles.

We got the call almost a year and a half ago.  Emily on the other line, "PLEASE PRAY FOR MARIA!!" she screamed and hung up almost as fast as I could say hello. 

We had no idea what was going on, but we gathered our staff together, and began to pray.  "God, whatever is going on, please be with the Chapman family.  We don't know how to pray, but we know you're watching."

The next call from Emily "Maria is dead." and the silent sobbing began.

You know when tragedy strikes, and you don't know what to say, or how to comfort?  All we knew to do was buy a plane ticket to Nashville, and hug a lot of people. 

So Jamie Jo and I did what any other friend would do, we traveled all the way across the country, un-prepared for the darkness hanging over the church, the family, and all the friends who came to give their final respects to a little girl adopted from China, with so much life yet to live.

We wept a lot.
We hugged even more.
And our hearts were just so incredibly sad.

Maria Sue Chapman died at 6 years old, on a warm spring day in May, 2008.

I continue to watch a family deal with the loss of a child.  I can't even begin to imagine the waves of sadness that continue to pound at the heart of these wonderful people.  But one thing I know, Steven and Mary Beth are 100% committed to the faith they proclaim.  They're the real deal! 

They've traveled a road that you never find and end, at least on this side.
But they show the world their faith remains.
They ask hard questions about why, when, and what if.
But they continue to call God their rock and their refuge.
They profess a faith that challenges every day existence.
And, they live it, most notably by writing some of the best music I've heard from Steven in a long time.

I've been an SCC fan since I was in High School, but this album is the culmination of a desperate father, a husband longing to find answers, and the knowledge of a faith that will someday, on his journey,  rise to Beauty!

You won't be disappointed.
Get over to iTunes and download this wonderful masterpiece outlining the Journey of one man to find the answers to life's hardest answers. 

May we all be courageous enough to drill deep into the heart of our faith.
May we understand God's ultimate reconciliation of the world.
But for now...may we be a people who can mourn for our friends loss, celebrate with them in those times of triumph, and allow them the time to heal as God would heal.

We're praying for you guys today here at andybraner.com, and we believe, as you've recorded so well, BEAUTY WILL RISE!

Pay it Forward with Noah's Mugs

And the stories keep coming in of people PAYING IT FORWARD. 

My best buddy in college just sent me this link to his son's company, Noah's Mugs.  (http://www.wfaa.com/video/?nvid=411302&shu=1)

If you go to the link, you'll see the video of Noah (7 years old) who had a passion to start a business making coffee mugs.  Each coffee mug is sold for $16, and 100% of the revenue goes to provide drinking water to a ministry they work for in Africa.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is happening!!

There is a movement continuing to go forward as people see their contribution to this world is bigger than themselves.  Led by a 10 year old girl selling lemonade, and a 7 year old boy making coffee mugs, SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TODAY?

What are you going to do to Pay it Forward for someone in your community.

Maybe it's just going to buy a mug from Noah (http://www.noahsmugs.com), and maybe it's something that you can do, and be highlighted here.

It's kind of like that game back in grade school on the playground.  Let's keep it rolling.  Let's keep the ball up in the air.  Let's see how long we can go with stories from around the country, and around the world that keep us with the right mindset over the holidays. 

PAY IT FORWARD AND SEND ME YOUR STORY!!  

It's STARTING!!

Pay it forward for the holidays is already beginning.  I just got a message from a guy who told me about a little girl setting up a lemonade stand.  She saw a video at a church of a little orphan living in poverty.  She set up a lemonade stand for 25 cents a cup, and over the course of a weekend, she raised $1200.00. 

SHE IS 10 years old. 

So you can see.  It's already beginning.  Those who are interested, send your stories in to andy@campkivu.com.  I'd love to highlight how our communities are coming together. 

Pay it Forward: November and December

If you tuned into the radio station yesterday at castlerock radio, you heard Ryan and I talking about the concept of Pay it Forward.

The Story started when Ryan told of a person in line at a fast food drive through.  They decided they were going to pay for their meal, AND the meal of the car behind them.  The restaurant reported that the giving continued for the next 42 cars.  Isn't that awesome!!

So, here on andybraner.com, we're going to highlight some Pay it Forward stories. 

If you have an example of someone that is reaching out to someone in their community, on their own, then send it to me at andy@campkivu.com.

I'll highlight you and your story here on the blog, and we'll get you a spot LIVE on the radio show Thursdays, or Fridays, until Christmas. 

Let's get to it, and PAY IT FORWARD!!

(if you want to hear the archived radio show from today, be sure to check it out on iTunes under the KORKAST netowrk, Ryan Dobson, and CastleRock Radio.)