Into the Flip Side

The situation in Zimbabwe has gotten worse over the weekend.

On Sunday: the oppostion leader pulled out of the race against Mugabe This is heart breaking. Although I understand Tsvangirai's reasoning for dropping out. I just can't imagine what this will do to the people who are currently faced with such oppression. Mugabe has already cut off aid, and per the article "85 people have died and tens of thousands have been displaced from their homes, most of them opposition supporters."

This morning Foxnews.com also has the following article: Police raid Zimbabwe Opposition Headquarters, taking away 60 . There is a common thread in what Mugabe is doing, dishonesty. He is lying and then his police are using the lies to violently overthrow their opposition.

Here us a good article by Bridget Johnson at Pajamasmedia.com: Help the Zimbabwe Opposition Now! couldn't have said it better myself. Men, women, and children are starving because Mugabe refuses to give up power.

a thought:

as a believer in Christ, when I read articles of events like this that are taking place around the world as we speak, it focuses me. It brings my attention back to reality. I find myself less concerned about the minor aspects of comfort, that appear so important in western civilization, to the crucial truth of life. We are living in a time in history that desperately needs Christians to stand together. to care for the hurting, to sacrifice, to devout our lives to meeting needs and declaring the kingdom of God.

When I was a youngster and full of zeal everything seemed so meaningless. It seemed like something bigger was out there. I think others can relate to that. The thing is, I thought I would outgrow that or that I had outgrown that. I am finding though, that it is becoming a stronger calling, a pressure.

I am not unrealistic, I understand the need for us to work, to be dedicated to things, to be obedient in the small stuff. The Christian life is all encompassing. I guess my concern is, should it stop there? Should we stop at working a full time job, taking care of the fam, going to church, giving money, or should that just be the beginning? What if we started looking at that as just the starting line? What if we start really being radical in our faith? I don't mean in a cult like way... I mean truly pushing the bounds of faith. Trusting God to take care of us, as we sacrificially give all we have for the needs of others.

James McDonald says something to the affect of: "I should be living my life in such faith in God that if He does not exists I will fall flat on my face" I think I messed that saying up, but the point is, I need to be out there in my faith, I need to give up some comforts physically and emotionally so that I am truly relying on God. Not because of how great I would be, but because of how great God is, and because God's creation needs us.

This is meant to convict myself by the way. I am not writing to you from a jungle or something. I do not live in a hut somewhere. I just feel God stirring.

To borrower from Ecclesiastes; all is futile.

the only thing that matters at the end of the day is Christ. The onlything we can rely on is Christ.