If It´s July, I am in Mexico!

It’s July so if you know me, you know I am in Mexico. With all of the news of violence in Mexico, the still sour economy in the United States, and a run of Swine Flu, there are less people serving alongside me this year. This has given me more time to read, something I love to do, but which gets put off too often when I am in the states. Between family, television, work, and whatever else, some days it is just too difficult to steal away a couple of hours to relax, think and read. Anyways, I thought I would share with you what I am working through. First up is “The Irresistible Revolution” by Shane Claiborne. This is Claiborne’s story of his life as he tries to live out Jesus’ command to love your neighbor and his call to “be the church” through his ministry The Simple Way in Philadelphia. It is a compelling read that calls us to action and real change in our faith walks as we consider what God has for us. Next up is “Fundamentalism and American Culture” by George M. Marsden, former Professor of History of Christianity in America at Duke Divinity School. This award-winning book traces the rise of Christian fundamentalism in America from before the civil war up to about 1925. It is a good, balanced work that does a good job of not casting stones, but rather presenting the facts and allowing the reader the come to their own conclusions. Perhaps most interesting for me are the parallels between the religious arguments of the period Marsden has chronicled and today. Many of the same issues, intellectualism, whether we should be a “Christian Nation”, and the place of science and common sense in society, were present then as they are today. I am also wading into David Livermore’s “Serving with Eyes Wide Open…Doing Short-Term Mission With Cultural Intelligence”. This book is brutal in its critique of short-term mission [STM] in general and the response of the "Church of America" in dealing with some horrible realities around the world. If you are involved in short-term mission, have kids that participate with your church in short-term mission, or are getting ready to go on a mission yourself, this book is a must read. Let me give you a couple of statistics that Livermore cites. 20% of the world lives on one dollar a day. 20% of the world lives on two dollars a day. The combined income of the 450 wealthiest people in the world is equal to that of 50% of the world’s population, or about 3.25 billion people. The numbers he cites, and the way he thinks about STM are not to be pushed aside by those of us who work and serve in this important area of the Christian church. Finally, if you are the type that prays, please remember me, and my ministry, Adventures in Life, the next couple of months. I am currently in Ensenada and will be heading to Oaxaca, Mexico in a couple of weeks. Until I return in September, I’ll leave all of the sports, political, and cultural stuff to all of you. Blessings!