Beautiful Feet

To those who do not like feet, despite their utility and necessity in life, the title may make you cringe a bit. However, after this post, you may see feet in a new light. Personally, I am a foot guy. By no means do I have a fetish or obsession with our ankles' neighbors, but I like them, think they are useful (obviously), and appreciate them. In the words of Lieutenant Dan, there are "Two standing orders in this platoon: One, take good care of your feet; Two, try not to do anything stupid, like getting yourself killed." Feet deserve attention, respect, and care. Imagine walking, marching, and running miles with bad feet. Imagine climbing the stairs with bad feet. If you are like me, it makes your feet tighten a bit at the thought of those things. Most of us have experienced foot pain, whether it be through surgery, bunions, bad shoes, high heels- thankfully I do not know this feeling and never will-, a nail through the foot, ants having a go through your socks and shoes, etc. It is no fun and really affects the rest of your body as well. Not walking, or not walking well prevents people from doing all sorts of things. Take a moment and think about all your feet enable you to do...It is a whole lot.

The Bible mentions feet a good bit, or at least more than one would think. John describes in his gospel Jesus washing the feet of His disciples; what an amazing showing of service, love, and appreciation. It is shown in 1st Samuel how this is not an esteemed service by any means: "

"And she arose, and bowed herself on [her] face to the earth, and said, Behold, [let] thine handmaid [be] a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord."

It does show how necessary feet are to a person, how disgusting it must be to clean them (just think of that guy who always wheres sandals and his/her feet always smell ferociously nasty), and how humbling it is to be the one who cleans others feet. Isaiah gives a reference to feet as well equating the licking of ones feet to the ruling of kings and queens:

"And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me."

If anyone is a student of American History, specifically the views of founding fathers on the intertwining of religion and politics, you will recognize the nursing fathers phrase as a key theme in early debates on the role of government in society. David also describes feet as being guided by the Word of God: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." ~Psalm 119:105

So, there are a good bit of references to feet in the Bible, these only being a handful, and all have key similarities. One, feet are shown to be gross as one is constantly walking in sandals over dirt, rocks, and mud. They are drenched in sweat, stale, stagnant water, and covered in callouses, bruises, cuts, etc. Two, despite all of that, they are conveyed as very necessary for everyday life, as we all know as well. Three, those who deal with feet are low, humble, and either in service to or subservient to another.

In light of this project to the Middle East, one verse in particular has stood out to me, namely Isaiah 52:7: "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” Wow! Feet are beautiful. What an odd way to express someone bringing good news. Imagine, someone knocks on your door and gives you a check for 100 dollars and the first thing you think is, "oh, how beautiful your feet are!" Or, you drop your phone in line to pay for your groceries and do not notice. Low and behold someone runs after you as you begin to place the bought items in your trunk and says "I believe this is yours." Certainly you would say "oh thank you and your beautiful feet!" Right? Heck no, their feet is the last thing we consider. Isaiah, you must be crazy. Or is he?

Looking at this reference I cannot help but to see how meaningful it is. How beautiful are the feet of one who brings good news. Take a peek back at Isaiah 52:7. The person's face is not mentioned. That particular human did not necessarily have a good voice. It is not known whether or not he was a well framed man. Whether or not he was tall or short is not referenced. Only the man's feet. How interesting, and I add, how brilliant! Isaiah's man, for lack of a better term, mentioned here brought good news, spoke and published peace, spoke happiness, and published salvation, all in declaration that God reigns. How did this man get here? His feet. What enabled this man to stand upon the mountain? Not his will, or someone holding him up, but his own feet. By what means did this man get back to whence he came? His feet.

Today we have cars, planes, trains, bicycles, and so many more modes of transportation to where feet are used less and less. That is okay, and not necessarily a bad thing. We have neglected out feet though. Our shoes get more padding in them each time another pair is produced. They also cover up ones feet as do socks which also prevent the smell of one's feet. Doctors are now telling patients to stand more for good health, as seen on Dr. Oz this past Friday, because we spend so much time off our feet. On the same lines we have begun a virtual foot revolution. Shoes are most recently made to mimic one's natural movement as seen with those new weird looking toe shoes and other lightweight running shoes. We have foot baths which massage and help heal our aching feet. I am sure you can think of many more examples of ways we both neglect and recognize our feet today.

So, what's the point? Well, feet, which we established to be dirty, grimy, pretty gross most often, and linked to service and humility, are now seen as beautiful. That is a big change. I see the change connected to something so deep that it changes one's whole outlook. Who cares about dirt and grime when they have or hear good news? Who gives a rip about sweat and mud when they hear of happiness. Why would someone dwell on stench when salvation is right in front of them? It would not happen. How beautiful are the feet of him who brings the good news of happiness and salvation!

In less than a month I will be joining ten others in going to the Middle East to bring good news. In no way do I dwell on my feet or pray for them, but instead I recognize the beauty and majesty in bringing someone else good news. My team and me are going to present a broken, violent, confused, hating nation with hope, love, peace, and truth. That is a beautiful task despite the danger. It is a beautiful task despite the probability that not many will want to listen. Everything cast aside it is an honor and privilege to be him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to... [the Muslim World] Christ reigns!"

I pray you rejoice with me in this task. Please pray for my team and me. Please give in any way that you can. Please join me. Be one who bears good news and whose feet are beautiful.

Bittersweet

Hey everybody, (from a note sent to the other members of the project to the Middle East)

Lately, like many of you, I have been keeping up with news pertaining to Lighthouse (this is the name of our project to the Middle East) while pursuing more support options. Also like many of you, I am working most of the week and do not have much spare time. With a lot going on there is often a couple of reactions to news updates. One, stories of violence can be very frightening. The fact is, what is going on in ***** is serious and we need to take it serious. However, that is the human nature reaction; it is not bad, but not the feeling we should settle with. I have been praying for strength in these times for our team, particularly the strength spiritually to see beyond the tension, uncertainty, and hate, in order to allow headlines, like the ones below, to fan a flame of compassion, justice- according to the word of God instead of worldly political ideologies- and spiritual power.

Compassion is a term and concept I personally feel Campus Crusade does well in communicating, probably due to its healthy obsession with spiritual multiplication.May we be thankful for this teaching, continuing to meditate on God's word regarding this concept, and work under grace to develop compassion in our character.

• "As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes."" Luke 19:41-42
• "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." 1 Peter 3:8
• "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2

Justice is not a concept I feel Crusade, at least in my region and subregion, conveys hardly at all. It is a term I am not so sure I understand to the degree we should as Christians, and may we again seek to be people of faith sanctified by the Holy Spirit step by step, from glory to glory. May we be people who speek and implement justice in an unjust world.

Isaiah 30:18

“Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!” (NIV)

Psalm 33:5

“The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.” (NIV)

Isaiah 51:4-5

“Listen to me, my people; hear me, my nation: The law will go out from me; my justice will become a light to the nations. My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look to me and wait in hope for my arm.” (NIV)

Isaiah 61:8

“For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity. In my faithfulness I will reward them and make an everlasting covenant with them.”

Ezekiel 34:15-16

“I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.”

Zechariah 7:9

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.”

Matthew 12:18

“Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.”

Deuteronomy 16:20

“Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the LORD your God is giving you.”

Proverbs 28:5

“Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand it fully.”

Spiritual power is most certainly a topic, with my experience, is shunned away from quite a bit in Crusade. It is truly considered taboo. Yet the Bible is full of teaching on the gospel not being one of words but of power. God enabled Moses's staff to turn into a snake in order to give authority and proof to what Moses said. God spoke through a donkey to communicate to Balaam. And on, and on and on. May we seek the Lord in prayer and worship, ask for forgiveness from the Holy Spirit for neglecting the power He wants to show through us, and seek true humility, for out of humility will come compassion, justice, and the obedience needed to yield power.

• 1 Corinthians 1:17 "For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."
• "Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy." 1 Corinthians 14:1
• "26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. 27 If any speak in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. 28 But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said.30 If a revelation is made to another sitting there, let the first be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, 32 and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. 33 For God is not a God of confusion but of peace. As in all the churches of the saints, 34 the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but should be in submission, as the Law also says. 35 If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church. 36 Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? 37 If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord.38 If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. 39 So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But all things should be done decently and in order." 1 Corinthians 14:26-40
• “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father." John 14:12

There are people praying for us, who do not know where we are going or what exactly we are doing, and more than we probably think (or at least I hope :) ). I urge you to pray and meditate on these verses that we may be a people of great compassion in a region that needs others who take upon their burdens and needs. May we be a people of justice, that we would be more like our Father and lay claim to what He has ordained for us. May we speak justice with authority; true justice uncorrupted by politics, ideology, and false doctrines or religions. May we love justice and hate sin. May we care for the Christians and Muslims in Lighthouse alike, with love and compassion. Let us be humble servants who yield great power for the same power who rose Christ from the dead lives in us (Romans 8:11). In light of all this, check out the news headlines below ( they are not posted here since they give away the specific location of the project). They carry a bitter message, but what a sweet opportunity we have to be the light in the darkness, hope to the hopeless, and rest for the restless and weiry.

~Alex

Isaiah 43

But now thus says the Lord,

he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
4 Because you are precious in my eyes,
and honored, and I love you,
I give men in return for you,
peoples in exchange for your life.
5 Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you.
6 I will say to the north, Give up,
and to the south, Do not withhold;
bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the end of the earth,
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”

8 Bring out the people who are blind, yet have eyes,
who are deaf, yet have ears!
9 All the nations gather together,
and the peoples assemble.
Who among them can declare this,
and show us the former things?
Let them bring their witnesses to prove them right,
and let them hear and say, It is true.
10 “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord,
“and my servant whom I have chosen,
that you may know and believe me
and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
nor shall there be any after me.
11 I, I am the Lord,
and besides me there is no savior.
12 I declared and saved and proclaimed,
when there was no strange god among you;
and you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and I am God.
13 Also henceforth I am he;
there is none who can deliver from my hand;
I work, and who can turn it back?”

14 Thus says the Lord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
“For your sake I send to Babylon
and bring them all down as fugitives,
even the Chaldeans, in the ships in which they rejoice.
15 I am the Lord, your Holy One,
the Creator of Israel, your King.”

16 Thus says the Lord,
who makes a way in the sea,
a path in the mighty waters,
17 who brings forth chariot and horse,
army and warrior;
they lie down, they cannot rise,
they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:
18 “Remember not the former things,
nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I am doing a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
20 The wild beasts will honor me,
the jackals and the ostriches,
for I give water in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
21 the people whom I formed for myself
that they might declare my praise.

22 “Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob;
but you have been weary of me, O Israel!
23 You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings,
or honored me with your sacrifices.
I have not burdened you with offerings,
or wearied you with frankincense.
24 You have not bought me sweet cane with money,
or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins;
you have wearied me with your iniquities.

25 “I, I am he
who blots out your transgressions for my own sake,
and I will not remember your sins.
26 Put me in remembrance; let us argue together;
set forth your case, that you may be proved right.
27 Your first father sinned,
and your mediators transgressed against me.
28 Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary,
and deliver Jacob to utter destruction
and Israel to reviling.

The Naughty Word

Hello everybody,

First off, thanks so much for following. I trust this blog will inspire you, challenge you, and provide a place to talk about the Christian life in light of Charleston, South Carolina and the College of Charleston. Second, please feel welcome to comment, challenge something posted, etc. All asked is that if you make a claim, do your best to back it up, and be respectful.

As many or all of you know, I will be in the Middle East this summer. If you have found out, or been told the locations, please keep it quiet. Quite honestly, we just do not know the exact security risk posed. We do know, however, that the message we come to bring is not welcome, to say the least, in many or most of the Middle East region. So, please refer to the location as "The Middle East."

Okay, enough with the disclaimers! It is time to talk about the "naughty word." When it comes to ministry, church life, and "Christianity" there are numerous cliches (sorry I don't know how to do the e with an accent), judgements, and taboos. Try now to think of at least five; I am sure it will not take too long. Try these out: "Jesus loves you," "You need God," "Poor lost souls," "Bless his heart,"or even Biblical words used often and out of context..."Amen," "glory be to God," etc. Certainly there are handfuls more. The most taboo of them all, I would argue in view of both people inside and out of the body of Christ, is the naughty word finance. The moment a pastor mentions tithe, giving, or dare he give a message on the topic, church goers cringe, tune out, make excuses, and by some miracle are more hungry than ever and need to get to lunch. It is a sad phenomenon, but a true one. Surely it is predominantly a Western issue as second and third world countries do not show the same attitude, response to, and love for money we Americans do.

Finance is not mentioned though simply as a discussion point, although I hope this sparks a good discourse, but more specifically in light of this endeavor to share Hope, Love, and Truth to the Middle East. This project in particular costs a minimum of $6200 which does not cover the necessary flight to LA, costs of letters, postage, thank you cards, etc. It is a really daunting task to gather all of this cash. This whole process of raising funds is also very new to me. I am one who saves his money, does not spend it frivolously or with and sense of liberality, and knows the value of a dollar. On the same lines, I am one who hates asking for money or even receiving it if it is not worked for, earned, or a holiday when giving is seen as culturally mandated and appropriate. Needless to say, asking for others who I do not normally converse with, have not seen in years, or do not even know, is ridiculously uncomfortable and disconcerting. I am sure some of you reading, especially you Colin, have been through a time like this. For you, here are a couple of questions for you to answer, if you feel so inclined to do so: how did you overcome the fear to raise support, namely asking for someone to give to you? How did you think outside the box? How did you talk to others when soliciting funds?

This process has been a good one though. I have been forced to truly submit the fundraising to the grace of God. To give another cliche, where God guides, He provides. Reckoning with the Word of God is a process as well, but a good one for it is a part of sanctification, a term really summing up how are lives should look; we are to live lives transformed by the Word of God (Romans 12:2) from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). So, all in all, please believe with me for the raising of $4400 more dollars in roughly 40 days. Also, pray about giving. Ask your friends and family if they would like to give. I have letters which explain, and an e-mail where one can ask questions (ak.kirbs@gmail.com) about, the project. Partner with me in prayer and financial support. I don't ask telling you that God will bless you if you give, or that if you give $100, you will receive a dvd or cd. I simply pray you will take seriously your Biblical duty to pray, intercede, and go to the nations (Matthew 28:19) by financially supporting the project God has called my team and me on. There are so many testimonies about the preparation for this project. I wish I could share them with you now, but many are specific as to naming people and locations. I can tell you that the teammates themselves have been handpicked and, I argue, anointed for this project . There are also people there at the location who are helping out with the project, something totally unexpected. I will give you more in the future as well, so please be excited with me.

God bless you. Thanks for reading. Feel more than free to comment. Pray about how to give and act according to the Word of God. Surely obedience is blessed and is your spiritual act of worship (Romans 12:1-2).

~Alex

Please Pray

If you take a look at the picture to the right, you undoubtedly begin to ask some major questions. One, what is going on? Two, where is this? Three, what are the details? Four, does this apply to me or deserve action on my part. Let's briefly look at those questions.

One, this is a photo of a fire at a major Coptic Christian church where fundamental Islamists set fire in order to get their point across. The link below is to an article done by CNN telling a little bit about what exactly is going on. I, myself, want to do more to research and get the whole story, and, until then, will not try to pretend like I know it all.

Two, this is in Cairo, Egypt. Months after many protesters and citizens across the country chanted in miraculous praise, as former President Mubarak left office following violent and persistent rebellions, believing for peace, freedom, and prosperity the citizens of Egypt still fight hatred, violence, and bigotry from within. They face the longest battle which has ever existed in history, namely Islam vs. Christianity. Many have their opinions, but few know the truth behind the ideology prompting these quarrels. I will not get into it, as many have written books upon books about the phenomenon, but I will say this: do not react unless it is on your knees. Do not speak unless it is truth and peace. Do not raise a hand unless it is to show love and honor God. The last thing needed in these situations is more hatred, more slurs, more condemnation, and more othering (a term encompassing how people create a concept of "me vs. them;" a polarization that takes place between groups when members of either side demean another; a casting down of another with an ensuing uplifting of the one doing the casting down). So, please, do not react out of anything but love, compassion, and broken heartedness no matter how hard it is.

Three, I urge you to look into it for yourself, but here are some details. Salafist Muslims attacked the Saint Mena Coptic church believing that their was a Muslim women being held inside. The thought was that the woman married a Christian man and was being kept inside the church. Groups like al-qaeda warned that all Christians in Egypt would be "legitimate targets" since the deadline to give up the alleged woman passed. Six were killed with 144 injured as gunfire rang out in the nation's capitol. The blaze seen above and in the article is of another church, Saint Virgin Mary's Coptic Church, to which was set fire as the attacks continued.

Four, at first glance this is just a bad story- nothing for you or anyone to care about. I urge you to think otherwise. The first reason is that I put this story up for a reason above all the other stories; I will let you connect the dots. The second is that these are brothers and sisters in Christ dying violent deaths, not even as martyrs but as witnesses of religious legalism and radical ideology nonsensical to sensible human beings. Please pray. Pray for safety, assurance in faith, peace, joy, strength, and love. Of all things pray for God's love to be shown their. Death is fine, for as Paul said “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”. How glorious it would be to die a true martyr's death, or even to die having fought the good fight and run the race! Pray Christians would be that strong though. Pray I would be that strong.

~Alex

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/05/07/egypt.clashes/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn