This week we’re talking about what’s happening at GYC.

It was just a few days back when we were talking about spiritual gifts. Do you know yours when you see ‘em? Individuals touched with Divine gifts may often be found behind the stage’s curtain. So the more interesting question for me is not who is on the stage, but who’s missing?

We’d arrived and taken our seats when last year’s champ grasped the mic. The message on her lips hooked everyone in the audience, as she put to rest “Black Texan” so this night could go on. The angst – political & personal, the reemerging sexual focal point, & a passion for graphic short lettered vocabulary made me wonder more than once (for reasons other than my peculiar attire) if I should really be in this room. I believe what kept me in my seat, and eventually numbed my squeamish nerves was the simple fact that I came dressed. Fully clothed with a purpose, she was ready to expose what He gave her – just on paper.

Ditto that…Ephesians 5 says, “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”

We Christians seem to shun places not seeping with our kosher peers. Do you have friends? I mean, the un-churched kinds. Or do you have a problem connecting with those uneducated on the 28 fundamentals?

“F r o m t h e M i n d t o t h e M i c r o p h o n e” titled this Poetry Slam. I wasn’t worried about Kemi’s mind – God’s definitely gifted her with 2 extra cups of intellect and I had already read, ooo’d, and awww’d over her piece. She said she hadn’t completely memorized it though, and her nerves would get a bit edgy every now and then. So while waiting my only question on rerun was, how is she going to get the 10 pt font from her paper to the mic? Just then, “Up next, O..luwa, kemi?” and then she took the stage prepped by God. From that Spring night when she’d first keyed “Dear Human” to her blog, to the Autumn evening where she now stood facing a crowd of judges and students searching for something deep, real, wow.

It’s amazing how God shines so bright and so well when we let Him in, and then just show up with Him. In a dark room there’s no denying the light. Whether He wants to manifest Himself in spoken word, splattered paintings, interpretive dance, or publications by author anonymous – that’s up to Him. I just wonder how many times we either shy away from the dark, or simply forget to show up with the gifts ready for the Spirit to market His fruit. I’m chuckling, because it was just a few weeks back when a friend and I discussed how careful we must be with our gifts. We ought to use them to glorify God and not ourselves. The gift of effective speech comes with the liability of the affect your words have on those listening. “People listen when I speak,” she said “No really, people listen…”

2 scorecards with 10s and a standing ovation later, I think they got it. “Dear Human” hushed the noise, boos, and jeers to a point of simple Truth. I’ll bet there was someone in the audience who was waiting to hear “I love you.” Maybe this was their first time, or maybe someone just needed the memo one more time. Whatever, people listened and God spoke. He told them how He loved them, how He’d never leave them, how He already knew about their sin issues, and again how He loved them.  This time they responded favorably, and decided they wanted to send her on to regionals.  Of course we know, results may vary – but the point is in her obedience the Spirit showed up and exposed the Truth.

***

And then “Paper Ears” went up, “Paper listens when no one else will…” the last poet of the night opened the closing act which in turn made my ears perk up for the rest. Some of us have to write in coffee shops or mountain tops to express ourselves. We’ve all been there where it seems we just can get what’s in our mind to the microphone. The eloquence of expression is a gift from God, and sometimes it may come in forms unexpected. God gave Moses, Aaron. We just have to be ready for God to deliver what He wants to deliver
when and how He wants to deliver it.

“It said, “Son of man, stand up. I have something to say to you.” The moment I heard the voice, the Spirit entered me and put me on my feet. As he spoke to me, I listened. He said, “Son of man, I’m sending you to the family of Israel, a rebellious nation if there ever was one. They and their ancestors have fomented rebellion right up to the present. They’re a hard case, these people to whom I’m sending you—hardened in their sin. Tell them, ‘This is the Message of God, the Master.’ They are a defiant bunch. Whether or not they listen, at least they’ll know that a prophet’s been here. But don’t be afraid of them, son of man, and don’t be afraid of anything they say. Don’t be afraid when living among them is like stepping on thorns or finding scorpions in your bed. Don’t be afraid of their mean words or their hard looks. They’re a bunch of rebels. Your job is to speak to them. Whether they listen is not your concern. They’re hardened rebels.” – Ezekiel 2:1-7

Sometimes, paper ears must speak.

Why the exhaustion? I used to be invigorated by politics, and maybe to a certain extent still am. But either something fundamentally in me or in the system has changed. It’s probably both. One of the major factors is the sheer amount of anger and intolerance seen during this election. It wouldn’t be so troubling if such things were coming from the candidates, but it’s coming from the people. Whether it’s angry anti-Obama rallies, equally incendiary anti-McCain protestors, effigies of candidates being hung on a noose, or assassination plots, sheer hatred is spewing out of both ends of this country. Even beyond the “crazies” on both sides, there seems to be an utter lack of respect and unwillingness to grant legitimacy to another’s perspective, especially here at HLS. Just listening to people here and elsewhere, it would seem that either “Obama can do nothing wrong and McCain nothing right” or “Obama would run the country into the ground and McCain would keep it afloat.” In short, the one word that one cannot use to describe feelings and actions between the sides is “love.” You would think the election was between Satan and Jesus.

But that would seem to be the stakes in this election. Liberals are on the verge of hailing, either implicitly or explicitly, Obama as a Messiah and conservatives are just shy of pronouncing him Osama Bin Stalin. While this statement may seem very obvious, let me make it abundantly clear so that it sinks in: as Christians, our Hope does not lie in any of the candidates, it lies solely in Jesus Christ and His Gospel. Obama will not make everything right, McCain will not save us from disaster. As Derek Webb aptly put it in his short and pointed song, “We’ll never have a savior on Capitol Hill.” Sheer dollars and cents should indicate where the candidates priorities lie: during this campaign, McCain has raised $360 million while Obama has raised $640 million. This, of course, adds up to $1 billion, a first in campaign history, anytime, anywhere. This money could have been used to fight global poverty, saving, in a conservative estimate, about 20,000 lives. But both candidates prefer their deaths over foregoing their own TV attack ads. Remember though, it was We, the People, who gave them the money.

Even if neither candidate is perfect, surely we can at least support the better of the two, you might say. The trouble with this is, how do you know who is better? To start, any given issue is so complicated, with pros and cons and unintended consequences that muck up what might seem simple, that the average person could not possibly make an informed decision on more than one or two of issues, much less an entire set. I have a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Policy Studies and I go to Harvard Law School, and I barely have the time or capacity to truly understand more than a few of these issues. How can we expect a working man with a wife and three kids, or a single mother looking for a job, to understand who’s economic policy would better address the current financial crisis? Does anybody even really understand this crisis?

Even if we had the capacity to decide on these issues, to do so would presume we know the facts. I’m sorry, but I also have no idea where we would get those. Certainly listening to the candidates would not be an option: the John McCain of 2000 doesn’t seem to be the same John McCain of 2008, and the Barack Obama campaigning against Hillary Clinton in San Francisco sounds like a drastically different Obama than the one campaigning against McCain in Ohio. Which version of the man will they be when elected? The media, of course, is the alternative. They will keep us informed and the candidates accountable! If you already aren’t laughing at those statements, you should be. If the American public had any trust in the media prior to this campaign cycle, surely it is now completely eroded, with the likes of MSNBC and FOX News being only the prime examples. Taking a look at society today; it seems well described by the prophet Jeremiah:

Let everyone be on guard against his neighbor,
And do not trust any brother;
Because every brother deals craftily,
And every neighbor goes about as a slanderer

Everyone deceives his neighbor
And does not speak the truth,
They have taught their tongue to speak lies…
Your dwelling is in the midst of deceit…” — Jeremiah 9:4-6

If you don’t know anything about the book of Jeremiah, here’s a plot spoiler: it doesn’t end well for this society.

The extremity of this election—the lies, the anger, the fear, the hope, the unrestrained passion—is probably centered on one fact: people think it’s very important. Indeed, the candidates, the media, and the people around me insist that it is. Pat pointed out that Joseph Levenson, a New York Republican leader, announced, “I look upon the coming election as the most important in the history of this country since the Civil War.” He was speaking of that momentous election we all remember, the election of 1924. What a doozie.

There was a time, when I was a bright-eyed Freshman in college, that I thought public policy was extremely important. I don’t want to downplay the global effects of American politics but…in reality, it’s not that important, especially given the limited spectrum of choice we have in this country (Obama and McCain are very similar given the wider world of possible choices).

Let me illustrate. Ask yourself, in the past eight years, who has had a greater impact on your life, George W. Bush or your best friend? For the eight before that, was it your parents or Bill Clinton? You, as an individual, unelected with no political power, can make a bigger difference in a dozen people’s lives than McCain or Obama ever will. Imagine if we, as a society, put the immense amount of passion, thought, and effort we use in politics to impact those within arms reach. If we loved with the relentlessness with which we campaigned. Public policy is really good for building bridges, but it does a really poor job of building societies.

In fact, public policy is a lazy alternative for improving society. It’s much simpler and easier to go out and vote and hope that your candidate does well in the oval office. The hard alternative, the effective alternative, is you going out to change society yourself. Instead of voting for welfare, sell your possessions and give to the poor. Try ministering to the gay community as opposed just voting against them getting married. Practice the peace of love and calmness in your own life instead of protesting against the war in a way that expresses same anger and misunderstanding that is the root of war. Let’s stop trying to substitute the Holy Spirit with public policy. Let’s work actively and passionately to change people’s hearts with love and the Spirit rather than forcing what we think is right with taxes and laws.

I don’t mean to say that attempting to use policy for good is a negative thing—I’m just saying it’s ineffective and lazy. Neither do I mean to say that we shouldn’t be involved in politics—I just know that we should not place our greatest hope in it, and we should never let it become an idol. Politics is idolatry when we vest our hope in it to redeem us, when we let it occupy our time and passions beyond the things of God, and when it becomes a barrier to us spreading the Gospel. I must admit worshiping at the idol of politics at times.

It really hit home this past year when two scandals broke out. The first was when Senator Larry Craig (R) was accused of propositioning another man for sex in an airport restroom. As someone who at the time typically identified as conservative, I was embarrassed by the incident, tried to dismiss it as much as possible, and a little angry at the Senator for bringing such shame on the party. Then, about a year later, I think, two-time presidential candidate Senator John Edwards (D) admitted to having an affair while his wife was undergoing treatment for cancer. I felt almost vindicated, glad for the boost in Republican poll numbers, and jeered along with the late-night TV hosts. Then, all of a sudden, I took a step back. The Gospel calls me to mourn for the pain of the wives and children—indeed of the men themselves—caused by these incidents, but politics had me too caught up in a game of public opinion. Who knows? Maybe both of these men have had intense struggles with sin—as I certainly have—and when they fall and are publicly humiliated, my only reaction is political. There was no compassion. I sickened myself.

When it comes down to it, my allegiance should be to a King and a Kingdom (again, props to Derek Webb). Peter called his fellow brothers “aliens and strangers in the world” (1 Peter 2:11). Paul knew where to put his priorities:

“Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel….” — 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

I’m sure Paul would have become a Democrat to the Democrats, and a Republican to the Republicans. We should never—never—let political divides impede the Gospel. We should never let our partisan feelings force us to love someone even just a little less than perfect love. If politics causes divisiveness within the Church or divides you from others, pluck it out and cast it to the flames. I would love to renounce politics, but it’s a struggle that I fight that is harder than I thought. But I’m still fighting. As we head to the day where we choose our new leader, let us remember the warning given when Israel decided they needed another leader besides the Lord, and demanded a new king:

But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. And the LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.”

Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day.”

But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. The LORD answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.” — 1 Samuel 8:6-21

It was advertised in one of our large cities that a great violinist would play on a violin worth $1,000. The theater was packed. Many were curious and wanted to hear such an expensive instrument being played. The violinist went on stage and played very beautifully.

Suddenly, he threw the violin on the floor and then began to stomp on it, crushing it to pieces, and then walked off the stage. The people were shocked. But then the manager came on stage and said that the violinist did not really use the $1,000 violin but a $20 one. He would now play on the $1,000 one. And so he did. But few people could tell the difference. He simply wanted to show that it was the violinist rather than the violin that makes the music.

In the Master’s hands, even a $20 fiddle would make good music.

Friends, I came across this story recently and it really opened my eyes to look at certain things in a whole different way.

Sometimes or most of the time we take things for granted, specially the blessings and the gifts that we are blessed by God. We often times get carried away with the world’s praises and compliments that we tend to forget who the real master is and who really helped us to get to the place where we are today, or sometimes it is the other way round too, that we get so depressed, sad and disappointed because of the pressures that we face from the world. People recognize us based on things that don’t make any sense and treat us in a whole different way, that most of the times it ends up hurting us.

The world may look at us based on our physical appearance, our characteristic features, our family background, our race etc. and treat us accordingly. But I want to assure you all about a truth that is found in the word of God in the book of Galatians, which goes on to say “For you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus” – Galatians 3:26.

Like the story mentioned above, regardless of how the world values us, if we all decide to take Jesus as the master of our life and let Him steer our lives according to His will, the music that will be played through us will sound as sweet as God’s own voice. At the same time, never should we forget the blessings and mercies of Jesus Christ all through our life.

So, back at church…my cell phone keeps vibrating and I finally give in and text a message back to find out what’s going on. I receive word via text that the Cruz family has not shown up. Immediately I have to break the 11th commandment by sending an additional text to Dorlly (Abel’s sister) to find out what’s going on. She sends a message back that says “bad news” some where in the middle of it, and that’s when I go on to break the 12th commandment by walking out of church in the middle of Pastor Cork’s sermon. Ouch (especially when I heard that he referenced me in his sermon and my seat was empty, and yes we traveled all the way to College Station just to hear our own pastor preach).

Abel’s dad wasn’t able to make it in from Mexico, and the remainder of the family was still in Corpus Christi. “WHY? God, really? Why?” I still don’t know why, but starting from Friday issues kept rolling in and I was getting sicker and sicker. Feeling a little faint on Thursday evening I went to bed, and woke up on Friday to a long day without food or water (unintentionally). Things were hectic, seriously hectic and now Abel’s dad wasn’t showing up? Houston International SDA Church (HISDA) had planned an entire service especially for the family and they missed it. The devil was acting up to very last minute.

Moving on, Kemi and I packed up and left our escape to College Station right after lunch. Back at HISDA in what seemed like no time we regrouped with Dwight & York. The plan was to meet the family that evening near the Galleria at this huge waterfall tower. Just pass 7PM we met the family and took nice evening stroll down Westheimer & Post Oak to meet up with other young adults. After several photographs we sang songs in English and Spanish, read some scripture, & prayed. The family was smiling and at peace. It was beautiful and the rushing water symbolic of the vibrant hope The He’s Abel Project has been throughout the course of this summer.

Saturday night preparations were made at the wonder Houston Club downtown, and then we returned on Sunday for the Grand Finale Benefit Dinner & Silent Auction. Well attended, this event was an upscale special evening to honor the Cruz family and celebrate the blessings God has bestowed upon all those involved in the project. So imagine climbing an elaborate staircase up to a traditional foyer and being greeted by beautiful warm smiles, flowers, and chocolate. Then you enter the Texas Room where the stage is set, crisp speakers play serenading music, every one is looking fabulous, and the candlelit dinner service is exquisite. That’s was us last night.

Our very own Selected Voices, Mark Williams, and Salvator Floridia performed musical selections. Pastor Gordon Jones swept the crowd with an invigorating keynote address. Flowers by Nino impressed us with a gorgeous $350 arrangement donated free of charge and later auctioned off. Our co-hosts, Kemi Ola & Art Villarreal kept us rolling in laughter all night. After special recognition was presented to key volunteers, we presented the family with all the bibles collected on Sabbath at church, and finally…a huge check for drum roll…$8,006.62. PRAISE GOD!

Mrs. Cruz spoke between tears and touched us all, even the cranky lady started balling. Then a huge surprise came, as Mr. Cruz appeared on the screen – LIVE broadcast. The power of the internet people! Dorlly translated her fathers words of appreciation and testimony as he reached us all the way from Reynosa, Mexico. This family is absolutely amazing and we were so blessed to help them. It was truly beautiful. An evening of fellowship, praise, and giving.

And so The He’s Abel Project went.

I could barely sleep from all the anticipation before the event, but tonight I’ll rest easy knowing that God asked us to do something – we did it, and He blessed it. Should an opportunity arise like this again, don’t pass it up. How could you watch something like this unfold from the sidelines? Get involved. Visit: www.hesabel.com, it’s not too late to give.

Photos By Turcios

When he said those words, it gave me pause and made me think about my own practice of evangelism with respect to, of course, the Gospel. So I began to think of the reasons why Dr. Stein might preach, and why I don’t as often:

1. He knows the danger. He is keenly aware of the consequences of people not wearing helmets, and earnestly believes them. How strongly do I believe in the consequences of rejecting the Gospel?

2. He knows the efficacy of the solution. He knows for a fact that helmets will prevent injury, and even death. How strongly do I believe in the efficacy of the Gospel in saving us both in this life and the next? How earnestly do I believe in its power?

3. He’s experienced its salvation. His life has been changed, and indeed still is, because he followed his gospel. Do I really know that I’ve been saved, and what I’ve been saved from? Have I really foreseen my alternate past, present, and future if it were not touched by blood of Christ?

4. He believes that his message can change people. He’s seen people change their ways because of his preaching, and he believes people will change their ways in the future. How honestly do I believe in the power of the Gospel to change people? To be honest, many times I don’t, and when it happens, I’m struck in disbelief. I remember conducting beach evangelism on Panama City Beach, FL, last Spring Break, and my friends and I, after a long day of talking and preaching, thinking to ourselves “this can’t quite possibly work,” only to be confronted with testimonies of 50 or so people telling of how they shared the Gospel and people were changed to the core.

5. The cost to those he cares about is too great for embarassment or annoyance to stop him. I know many of his students start to get pretty annoyed after hearing him talk about it for the 10th time (myself included), but it doesn’t matter, because his concern for his students is worth the embarrassment. Is it the same attitude towards embarrassment for me and the Gospel? Sometimes (most of the time), no. Also, do I truly care for those who I should share with?

A phrase that Paul likes to use in his epistles is “how much more!” If Dr. Bob Stein can unabashedly preach the bike-helmet gospel, how much more should I preach the Gospel of Christ!

“Independence - The very word by itself has a significant meaning which gives us a joyous feeling. The United States of America celebrates yet another independence day with all the wonderful fireworks in the sky, for those of us who work its a day off and its also a time of family reunion for everyone. This is just great time for all of us in this country, but as Christians, I believe we all are still struggling for that independence from sin.

We all have different struggles in regards to our spiritual walk, but the good news is that, freedom awaits for anyone who claims it. Jesus Christ has promised to resolve every single problem you and I face. In other words, all we need to do is let go and let God take control.

As we are celebrating the independence here in America, let us not forget that Jesus is here to take it all and give us that true independence we need.

Can I be real with you?

You sit there,
Now, your hands wrapped around that glass;
Now, tapping on the table and echoing the seconds as they tick by.
The rain outside delays your retreat,
But,
Somehow, I know you’ll stick around and listen.

Can I be real?

Yesterday, the pile that’s been growing
Up up up
For so many years began to wobble again.
I knew that if I even breathed funny,
If I stopped running, or jerked in a certain way,
The whole porcelain castle would implode.

Are you still listening?

The waitress left the check -
It’s fine, she’ll take care of us when we’re ready…
We don’t need to rush.
We can stay here all evening.
Do you want some more water or something?
Sorry, I can’t really form the words right now.
You’re sympathetic, but do you really hear me?
Or, are you just someone else who is obligingly optimistic,
Patting me on the back and telling me
“Everything’s gonna be all right”
While you check to see how many voice-mails you’ve missed?

Can. I. Be. Real?

This rat race is not for me.
This dance that I’ve been dancing?
Crazy tiresome charade, man.

(I’m so tired.)

Where is the hope you promised?
Or, did I read about that somewhere -
Maybe you didn’t even say it, I’m sorry.
Whatever, like I was saying,
I don’t know what’s going on with me
These days.
It’s like every little decision
Turns into a major thesis dissertation on
My life direction.
I’m freaking out here, but it’s like my brain
Is detached from the rest of my body
And I can’t even tell my feet where to go next.

Oh hey, did you see that new show on
T.V.
Last night? It was really good…
Sorry, what’s that? Oh, what was I saying?

I forgot…

Anyway…

…

Can I be real with you?

Photo: Kijana