Good Faith Estimate

I was playing Bible roulette the other day, just flipping through the Bible scanning and reading anything that jumped out at me, when I hit Luke 14:28-30. I know I've read this before, but this time these few verses really speak to me. I love that no matter how many times I read the Bible there is always something "new" for me! With the help of my mad copy and paste skills here are the verses...

28 "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.' "

Maybe the fact that I've been through the building process since last reading these verses is why they spoke so loudly this time or perhaps I'm just at a point where God felt I was ready to grow a little more. I really don't know why but these verses have been playing around in my head for several days now, and I would like to share a few thoughts I've had.

We don't allow people the time to estimate the cost. We've all been taught that our goal is to get them to say that "prayer" for their heaven ticket. Once they get that ticket everything else is gravy! Not only do we not allow time for the estimation, we go into salesman mode and pitch all the great things that have happened in our lives since we were saved. In the beginning we seldom mention that there is a cost at all. Once we've made the sale we turn them over to the professionals who can begin assisting with the foundation and help them through when they learn about the cost. You know, a debt consolidation strategy to get through the hard times. To allow someone the time to estimate the cost would require us to personally invest in them. That cost may be to great for us. For someone to truly estimate the cost requires all the information and usually a lot of assistance from those that know the cost. In other words...OUR TIME! Another debt of selflessness that we are not always willing to pay. Of course when they see and feel the love that is required for us to be able to help them as they estimate the cost, the burden seems a little more bearable. And on the flip side when we actually invest ourselves into someone for the cause of Jesus we learn that the cost really isn't much after all. There is usually a return on our investment. It may be just the satisfaction of knowing you are doing what we are all called to do or it may be a life long friend. Jesus dealt with people on a personal level...as His disciples we are to follow his example.

There is a very visible side effect to the fact that people are not allowed to estimate the cost. Week after week in churches around this country, preachers and pastors are going over the same basic information again and again. The foundation is complete, but people were not allowed to estimate the cost and the cost seems to great because no time was invested initially to show the return. The world watches and laughs at all the people who are unwilling to pay the cost for completion and find it harder and harder to believe. Then we try to convince more people more quickly to follow Jesus before all is lost. It's a vicious cycle to say the least. Let's break it! Find someone and make a little investment. I can't make any promises on the initial return, but I promise it will be worth it in the end!

Mind Numbing Poverty

I'm sitting in my living room which is literally the size of 2 of the homes of the kids we met in Lima, Peru and I can't process this information. Should I feel blessed or guilty? One room out of 9 or so, not including bathrooms or closets, in my home is twice the size of their entire home! Does everyone in Lima live this way? No, but there are literally thousands that do just in Lima not to mention around the world. Even here at home...not on the same scale but there are people living here in very similar conditions. Why do I feel so concerned for the people of Lima and not my neighbors here? That bothers me a little. All my day to day concerns seem so trivial compared to whether or not they will have just one meal a day. I've noticed several people blogging about green living and our environmental footprint. Not to down play our responsibility of being good stewards, but it's laughable to me that we live in a society of such excess that are main concern is what to do with our trash and other waste while these people are using the rocks off the ground to hold the tin down on their roofs and whatever scrap material they can find to patch holes in their homes. At the end of our trip we were given 3 different scenarios that we would find ourselves in once we returned home. 1) We would return and be so disgusted with our society that we would withdraw from it. I must admit I could easily do this. I have loner type tendencies anyway. 2) We would return and merge right back into society completely unchanged. I don't think this is me, and pray that it won't be me... ever! 3) We would return and take what we had experienced and use it to better our home and the world for Christ. This is what I want to do, but like I said I'm still struggling with processing it all right now. I've said a lot to not say much but I'm just trying to get my mind around it all and though this might help. Any thoughts, words of encouragement, or suggestions would be appreciated.

Peru...just a peek

We got to tell her about Jesus!