Portugal 2009

September 1st, 2009. Pam and I spent the day getting to know a little more about Portugal and a lot more about the city of Lisbon. Pastor Paulo Pascoal was our guide as we visited the historic downtown area with a special visit to a monastery that was built in the 1600s. The great explorer Vasco de Gama is buried in the church.

We also stood on the river where the Portuguese ships set sale to discover new lands around the world. Our teaching and retreats get underway soon. It was good to have these two days to see this wonderful city.

Historic Moment

August 26th, 2009 marked the beginning a new phase in the Abide Brazil ministry. We officially became what is called in Portuguese a "Pessoa Juridica" which is a 501c3 non-profit entity. This means we have an official identity before the Brazilian government and, more importantly, we have a very Brazilian identity.

It has always been our goal to see the Abide ministry in Brazil become sustainable and more and more led by Brazilians who have a passion for the abiding life and message. God has given us a governing council of 9 and we could not be happier or more motivated.

For all of you who are dreaming this dream with us, rejoice with us over this new phase.

Enjoy these pictures until you can come and meet these incredible people personally.

Bud and Pam

Food For Love

Sin feeds on Law. Love feeds on Grace.

Romans 7:8 "But sin taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead."

It is an enormous mistake to think telling people what is right will slow sin and feed love. It will not. Sin feeds on law. As much as we might like to think that the Ten Commandments will slow or stop sin, they cannot. The problem is much deeper than clearly seeing what is right by the law.

Romans 5: 20-21 "Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Grace is God giving to us what he demands of us. God demands the perfect fulfillment of the law which would be continuous love for God and for all mankind. Jesus is this grace fulfilled and given to us. Jesus is this living grace and reality in every believer. If I would truly love--fulfill the true intent of God's law--I must feed on grace not law. The table of grace is set within us in Jesus moment by moment. Will we eat and be strengthened by His grace to continuously love?

This is why Jesus said in John 6:35 “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." We must feed on grace in order to have the strength to love.

Sin feeds on law. Love feeds on grace. Notice where in the world law is made to be the ultimate solution and you will find brutality and suffering on the rise. Sin increases when it is well fed. Notice where the grace of God in Christ is known as the only solution and you will find that brutality and suffering are in decline. Now look at your own life and ask which food is yours. You, too, will see that your brutality and the suffering you cause others are declining when your food is grace not law.

Legalism of any kind may be built on a proper view of reality, but as food the law in and of itself brings no power to the human soul to overcome sin by love. Only Jesus sets the table within us for love to eat and grow strong through us.

The speed of sin and speed of faith

It is easy to follow our thoughts into the darkness. Before we realize it we are back in that old darkness where we once lived and sought relief from pain and our dissatisfaction.

We stay in the darkness for awhile. We know we should leave but we do not want to. We know we have left the light. His voice has followed us into the darkness but we ignore it. If we listen to His voice even for a moment, we know the darkness will lose its grip on us and we will have to go back into the light. Strangely, we want to stay at least for awhile in the darkness even though we know it is no longer our place.

Finally the darkness grows tiring as it always does and our spirit begins to sense that this is no longer our true home. The taste of the darkness is growing sour in our soul and we turn back toward the light as we hear His voice again.

We leave the darkness and Jesus is there. We are embarrassed. What do we say?

Do we confess what we did in the darkness? Is that enough? Is that the real issue?

Perhaps it is good to say what we did but it is not enough to say only that. We need to say that our faith was on hold as we entered the darkness. What led us into the darkness was when we stopped believing Him and hearing His voice. It was that other voice from the darkness that we wanted to hear instead.

Our confession should be deeper than the deeds. Our confession needs to get to the root. The root for us as humans is always faith.

"Jesus, I left you." " Jesus, I stopped hearing you." "Jesus, I didn't want to hear you." "Jesus, I deliberately ignored your presence" "I stopped abiding and I went into the darkness again." "Jesus, I am so sorry."

Yes, it is easy and fast to enter the darkness. We enter at the speed of sin. It is even easier and faster to leave. We enter by the speed of sin but we leave at the speed of faith-the speed of light. When you are in the dark, just say "Jesus, I need you" as a cry for help and you are already back to Him in the light. The light is always just a name away. That name is Jesus when called in faith.

Speaking His name in faith brings the light to you and you to the light. This coming back by faith is the victory that will eventually lead to not going in the darkness at all.

"For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." I John 5:4 "... for whatever is not from faith is sin." Romans 14:23b

Sin stops love. Let us weep.

Sin stops love.

This is why sin is so horrible. Sin is not horrible because it is the breaking of a law. Sin is horrible because every law of God exists to show us when and where human love stops. Love stopping is what is horrible. Laws cannot keep love flowing because sin in us stops love from flowing from us. Read Romans 7 and you will see that all attempts to keep love flowing through law are destined to failure. Law informs, but law cannot inspire and sustain love because of sin. Only Christ in us can keep love flowing. Sin stops love but Jesus' love stops sin.

I read this morning that the a major american denomination voted to approve homosexuals as leaders and pastors. The reactions on the blog where this news appeared are pretty consistent. Those against say " Homosexuality is not Biblical." Anyone who knows and believes the Bible can see this Biblical truth as clearly as the noon day sun. Homosexuality is truly sin.
To redefine homosexuality as not being sin does not change it. Sin stops love. Homosexuality will mean less Divine love delivered not more love delivered.

What is interesting is the fact those who voted in favor of approving homosexual leadership did so in the name of increasing love in their group. They went on record voting for homosexuality in the name of more love not less. Their vote said "Love is more important than sexual orientation." Love is more important than sexual orientation. That is why true love must say what sin is. Changing standards of sexual orientation to fit our culture diminishes love. Diminishing love is why the Bible says homosexuality is sin. Homosexuality stops God's love from being properly delivered. All sin does the same.

This entire debate is profoundly tragic not because this vote is simply unbiblical. This is profoundly tragic because homosexuality is clearly the stopping of love as God designed love to be delivered. Marriage between a man and woman for life is God's delivery system of love for humans. Whenever we alter this system in any way, we stop the effective delivery of love to humans. The Bible makes this clear. Whether the Bible had said this or not, time would show that homosexual behavior stops the true flow of God's love among humans. The fact that the Bible says it so clearly simply allows us to know in advance where this decision is headed. Sin stops love. This vote for more love will actually produce less love. This is a Biblical fact, but it is a fact that exists where Bibles or denominations don't even exist.

It is one thing to weep and be angry that this denomination disobeyed the Bible. I think the real reason to be angry and weep is because we know in advance that they did not advance love as they intended. They are contributing to less love not more. That is truly a tragedy for them and all they lead. Don't be angry at them because they are Biblically wrong. Be angry and weep because love will be less among them not more. "Be angry and sin not". Don't let their Biblical error become the stopping of love in you toward them. If you do, you, too, break God's law.

We can get all fired up about this because we are Biblically right--and we are-- or we can say "This means we will need to deliver more love than ever since this decision will stop this group from truly delivering love as God intended."

We need to remember that when things were at their very worst for mankind, God sent Jesus as His delivery system of eternal love. God didn't send a written law to stop sin. He sent the law fulfilled as love in Jesus. Now He is sending us. Will we love or just be right? There are Biblical commands about love, you know. Will we obey these words or find a reason not to like this group so tragically did?

Matthew 5: 43-44 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,"

Sin stops love until love stops sin. Jesus stopped sin for us and now He must stop sin in us and through us. This is Biblical and it is real. I weep not because a law has been broken by this group. I weep because love will be less not more. I weep when I see this in me and I weep when I see it in them. Less love is a loss for all of us and for the glory of God.

Let My People Go

Men have a tendency to use other men to sustain their own comfort and advantages. Men enslave other men. Usually religion is used to justify the slavery. God steps into such distortions and injustice and says "Let my people go."

Who are the people of God? They are the ones He has chosen for His purposes. His purpose is sustained love not slavery. God releases slaves of men to become slaves of God--slaves of love. As Augustine said "Slavery to God is perfect freedom."

God's true people see their only choice as being the choice to love. Men, even religious men, see enslaving other men as one of their choices. God's people should never see another human being as existing to create or sustain comfort and advantage.

Many modern religious systems exist to sustain the comfort and advantage of the leaders of those systems. These leaders have created a "pyramid scheme" that protects those at the top from the reality of those at the bottom. These leaders promise those at the bottom that they, too, can climb to the top but they must help those at the top stay there. Pyramid builders always promise freedom that never really comes.

The Egyptians invented the original pyramid scheme and it was a place of death. Pyramids of any kind are tombs or places where others were sacrificed to false gods.

We would do well to remember that according to Jesus we are called to build vineyards not pyramids of comfort and advantage for a few. At this very moment there are millions upon millions of people being used to build pyramids for the few. This is done in the name of dozens of religious leaders and religions. It is done in the name of God.

Even so, the voice of God continues to say "Let my people go." We would be wise to exit pyramids and enter the vineyard.

Abide Retreat August 2009

The most effective way of communicating the joy of Abiding in Christ has been our weekend retreats. When a group of believers is focused on the perfect presence of Christ for three days, the results are amazing.

We are completing our third year of retreats and we have learned much about spending this time with people from all walks of life. In our August retreat we had visitors with us from Memphis, Tenn. (Dale Shows), from Senegal, Africa (Missionary Ivonete) and Angola, Africa (Zorobabel-a university student).

During the first 9 months of 2008 we had hosted 80 people in our retreat center in the mountains near our home here in Brazil. During the first 9 months of 2009 we have received over 160. Our goal for 2009 is to host 300.

We will host an English only abide retreat Nov. 6-8, 2009. Book your flight now! We will pick you up in São Paulo! No kidding!

(Click on photos to enlarge)

Patience

Luke 21:19
By your patience possess your souls.

We possess our souls by patience. The soul is a marvelous creation of God. The soul is where we think, feel and resolve to do. It is from this invisible place that love must be received and released. A disturbed soul is terrible to live with and is useless for sustaining love. A soul at rest in God is a marvelous tool for love.

According to Jesus, the duty to possess our souls is ours. Our soul is our responsibility. That is, we must be sure that what takes possession of our soul is what we truly want to be. Patience is our personal grip on our own soul. Our soul can get away from us.

Possessing the soul goes back to the idea that "whatever gets your attention gets you." When something gets your attention that something gets some level of possession of you soul. The may be for a brief moment or it may be for a prolonged time.
Even demonic possession of a soul is real and the effect of demon possession is the total stopping of love and the delivery of evil in its place.
The thing that gets our attention turns our soul where that thing wants to go and we can literally lose possession of our soul when we focus on things that do not synchronize with God's good intentions.

Imagine that you are in a traffic jam and you are getting upset. What is at stake? You soul is at stake and so are other drivers because upset drivers do very stupid things. Imagine that you go to a town hall meeting on healthcare and you think President Obama's plan is terrible. Be careful. More than healthcare is at stake. Your soul is at stake, too.

How many people sit in prisons today because they gave the possession of their soul to something other than God for just a moment? How many families have been ripped apart because dad gave his soul to another woman for just a moment?

Patience is a virtue that comes from God in Christ. The source of patience lives in you right now. In Him you have the perfect patience to possess your soul for love. Turn your attention to Jesus the moment you feel impatience rising in you. Your soul is at stake and so is your ability to love.

To do this, use a simple phrase like "Thine only" or "Jesus, your will be done". This gives you back the possession of your soul as you give yourself back to Him.

James 1:4
But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

The Narrow Path

Imagine that you are awakening for a deep sleep to welcome a new day. You know that there is a purpose for this day in the plans of God. You know that there is a path that God has for you. How do you find this path?

Do you make a list of things to do and people to see? Do you awaken your common sense and lean on all the past wisdom you have attained? Do you call for some anointed Christian leader to give you your path?

I believe the path is not a set of tasks, common sense or following the anointed leaders of the day. The path is a Person. Find this Person and you find the perfect path for you. Miss this Person and you miss the path.

Paul tells us to understand what the will of God is. The will of God is explained in the scriptures and the scriptures point to the Person of Jesus. The will of God is Jesus.

When I awaken each day I find the path. Author Mike Wells taught me to awaken each day with the words "Jesus, you are welcome here!" This is finding the path that few find. The path waits within you each morning. Truly we live from the inside-out. We must be renewed day by day. When we set our foot on the path that is Jesus, we are renewed by His presence.

This path is narrow because the purposes of God in Christ are narrow. Imagine that you are beginning your day shoulder to shoulder with Jesus at the beginning of the path. Look carefully into His eyes. Do His eyes look like those of man with singleness of purpose or those of man wondering what comes next? Look carefully at the language of His body. Is He nervous, anxious, tired or lacking direction. Take your cue from Him. He is your perfect path.

This path is difficult because the entire world is walking thousands of individual paths that go nowhere. The confusion is so great and the competition so fierce that the path that is a person seems crazy and foolish. To walk this path is to confront the other paths and this always causes a negative reaction because men are proud of their paths.

My only hope must be to learn to narrow my purpose to one Person not many. When my focus narrows to Jesus as my path, then I will love as I should. When my focus narrows to Jesus alone, I see the path to love others in the most effective way for God's glory. When nothing matters to me but Jesus, then everyone else will matter as they should today. This is my path.

Your perfect path waits for you every day no matter where you are as you awaken. Begin from within with Him.

Matthew 7: 13-14
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Spiritual warfare

Exactly what can the devil do to me?

Revelation 2:10 "Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. "

This shocking verse says the devil can throw me into bondage that is a spiritual test. A test of what? A test of what it is that truly stimulates me to live as I live.

How far can this test go? It can go all the way to "death", which is the end of physical stimulation for our body. To not fight to defend my "right" to continuing stimulus for my body, is to say I have another source that is more important to me.

Why would God allow me to experience such a "throwing" into bondage if He truly loves me? Because He knows that His Son in us is capable of inspiring life in such bondage. This satanic "throwing" is a test of "Christ in us the hope of glory." This is not a test based upon what God thinks we can do. It is a test of what God knows Christ in us can inspire us to do.

I often ask Christians if they think God loved His Son. They always say "yes." Then I repeat the question with a little more force.
"Do you really think God really loved His Son?" They hesitate and say "yes." Then I ask them "Do you want God to love you like He loved Jesus?" They grow quiet as they remember how Jesus was treated while being loved by His Father.

We need to know that right now we have brothers and sisters in prison because the devil threw them there using human hands. We need to pray for them. We, too, may find ourselves in a some satanic prison where we are being tested. Jesus is enough--"do not fear any of these things which you are about to suffer."

All I can say to this is "Jesus, increase my faith in you!"

Spiritual warfare is the test of who and what inspires us to live as we live. "For to me to live is Christ" is more than a statement of a contemplative monk hidden away in a mountain retreat. It is the battle cry of one who knows what it is to be thrown by the devil into prison.

There is a war going on. Expect your inspiration to be tested. Do not be afraid.

Inspiration-Spiritual warfare

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.' John 15:5

Here is how I hear these words of Jesus speaking to me today. "Bud, as My follower everything you want to do that is worthy to be My fruit, I must inspire you and give it to you or it will not happen."

I might like to think I am independent and autonomous, but I am not. I am a creation of God that was designed to be inspired. I cannot even control the sources of inspiration that are competing for my attention. What I can do is choose which source is getting my attention. Faith is choosing which source will inspire me. The fruit of being like Jesus is the proof I choose Jesus.

Abiding in Christ is to be inspired by Christ in order to produce the fruit that He is and He wants. Abiding is true spiritual warfare. Abiding is the only weapon I have against the other sources that want to use me for their ends. My abiding in Jesus is the only thing the enemy of my soul fears.

We are continuously in a war of competing inspirations. Everyone is inspired from some source other than themselves even if they think they are independent and autonomous. Satan's chief way of inspiring us to evil is to convince us we are our own inspiration.

"Whatever gets your attention gets you." Author Mike Wells gave me this wonderful statement about inspiration. It is absolutely the truth. We are held and used for good or for evil by the source that inspires us. We could also say "Whatever inspires you, becomes your life." Paul put it like this "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." Galatians 2:20


Even depressed people are being inspired. They are being inspired to quit, to stop, to devalue themselves. Behind the symptoms lies a source of inspiration that must be located, refused and replaced with the inspiration that frees which is Jesus.

Jesus said that we would be free when we abide in His words. Jesus said we would move mountains when we have faith.
Freedom and power depend on the right inspiration. In spiritual warfare the army that wins is the army that is best inspired.
Jesus is the inspiration that equips and overcomes the world, the flesh and the devil.

Do not underestimate your dependence on Jesus. Remember “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." With Him you can do all things. It is always a question of inspiration and the Spirit of Christ is that inspiration for living moment by moment like Jesus.

If you find your inspiration in this world, you have lost your life. If you find your inspiration in Jesus, you have found eternal life.

Forgiveness-Don't hold your breath

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matthew 6: 14-15

These words have always been tough for me to understand and tough to live. For years these words seemed to be at odds with God's grace. Not any more because I can now see through nature what Jesus meant.

By the way, anyone who thinks hearing the voice of Jesus and following it is easy is in for a surprise. Jesus asks for everything because He is everything. Resisting Jesus is like trying to resist nature. That is why nature does speak of Jesus.

One thing that nature demands of us is that we never hold our breath permanently. One thing Jesus asks of us is that we never hold our relational breath permanently. Here is what I mean.

To live as we were meant to live physically we need to breathe and never stop breathing. To make this constant activity work God has given us all a set of lungs and the physical mechanisms to take in and release air. God created nature in such a way that nature keeps continuously producing oxygen for us to breathe. This system depends on our participation in that we get to choose when to breathe in and when to breathe out. Bad things automatically happen if we make a choice to stop receiving or releasing air. So, how long can you function without receiving new air? How long can you hold your breath?

God created humans with the capacity to love and deliver grace into relationships. This was meant to be our nature. To God this releasing love and grace is more important than anything humans do. One of the things we need to receive and release in order to be alive spiritually is God's grace. We need to breath in the grace and love of God constantly and release it as grace and love to others. Humans were meant to be the source of God's grace and love on earth just like nature is the source of oxygen.

God is the source of grace and love that should flow through humans just like God is the creator of the oxygen that nature so generously releases . There is no shortage of oxygen--thank God! There is no shortage of grace and love in God's kingdom either and there can be no shortage of grace and love on earth if humans will receive it and release it as they were created to do. That is what "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" means.

If I insist on holding my last breath (oxygen), nature will not give me another breath. This is not punishment. This is the reality of the system that keeps me alive. We must release what we have received to receive what we need to keep living physically. We are oxygen dependent creatures moment by moment and forever.

In the same way spiritually, If I insist on holding the forgiveness and grace I am constantly receiving from God, then God will not give me more forgiveness and grace until I stop holding my spiritual breath. This is not punishment. This is the reality of the spiritual system that keeps me and every other human spiritually alive. We are love and grace dependent creatures moment by moment and forever.

Bad things happen to those who hold their breath in nature. They faint and then they breathe again. To voluntarilly hold our breath is not physically deadly for humans. God designed us to faint so we will breathe again. This, too, is grace.

Bad things happen to Christians who hold the breath of God's grace and love and fail to release it as forgiveness. They faint and then they breathe again. To fail to forgive is not eternally deadly for Christians. Not forgiving others will not stop God's love for us in Christ. Even so, God makes Christians who fail to forgive faint so they will breathe again. This is grace, too.

How long have you been holding your spiritual breath? How long can you remain truly alive spiritually while withholding forgiveness? Do you feel faint yet? That is God's grace coming to rescue you and help you breathe again.

Don't faint. When you fall you might hurt yourself or others. Release and Receive. Breathe!

First Love and First Works

Read carefully one of the most sobering warnings in the New Testament and notice that the "first love" we have for Jesus must be maintained for our light of love to shine on.

Revelation 2:4-5
Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

What then is "first love?" It is the connecting of two lives in such a way that their attention toward each other is constant and their desire is that they would remain so forever.

Anyone who has fallen in love knows how powerful this level of connection and attention is. Anyone who has fallen in love began immediately to practice the "first works" of "first love."

What then is "first works"? These are the natural behaviors that always emerge when one is experiencing first love. These are human capabilities that are consistently manifested as this first love connection continues.

I have identified in my own life and in observing people at least 8 "first works" that emerge when a "first love" connection occurs.

1. Listening
2. Appreciating or valuing.
3. Thanking
4. Confessing faults
5. Affirming the relationship
6. Desiring the full success of the one loved and the relationship with them.
7. Seeking benefits for the one loved
8. Acting together in harmony

The eight habits of "first love" are also a list of what are called "Spiritual disciplines". Spiritual mentors always lead new believers into these spiritual habits for full spiritual formation.

1. Listening to the word of God and the voice of God.
2. Worship
3. Thanksgiving
4. Confession
5. Affirming our identity in Christ
6. Intercession
7. Petition
8. Acting as one.

The next time you are listening to a love song on the radio, listen for these habits being described. Those of us who are older may find the music so passionate we think it is comical. There is, however, a lot of truth about "first love" in those songs. Our first love may lose some of its exclamations and youthful euphoria, but to remain "first love" it must always grow deeper even if it grows quieter.

When was the last time you felt the signs of "first love" between you and Jesus? It may be time for you to repent and listen to Him, praise Him, thank Him, confess to Him, affirm your relationship to Him, desire His success, seek benefits for Him and act as one with Him. If not, the light of your relationship will be of no use in this world.

Do these works of the "first love" sound strange or hard? Remember, He is the bridegroom and we are the bride. Every human being knows how to feel and do these eight things just as surely as ever person who falls in love automatically does them. The key to "first love" is to see Jesus every day like you saw Him the first day.

When you begin each day, pay attention to Jesus because he is your "first love". This love will determine how every other love goes in your life.

If you need a reason to begin your day with Jesus it is "first love."

Made for Love

"We are created by love, to live in love, for the sake of love." Gerald May

Imagine that you awaken each morning and at the foot of your bed is a backpack with your name on it. Next to the backpack is a note that reads "Deliver everything in this backpack that is for the people I have arranged for you to meet today. I love you, Father."

As you lift the backpack and put it on you find that it is not a burden, but It settles onto your shoulders and back with a weight of deep seriousness. The feeling of this weight causes you to lift your head and look toward heaven asking for the power to deliver all the contents during the day.

As the day progresses you meet dozens of people and you find that there is something special and precious for each one of them. You reach into the backpack and simply give to each person asking nothing in return. As you do, you sense a connection with them, with life and with your Father. There is a pain associated with the delivery, but the joy is greater.

By the end of the day you are weary but with a joy that is new and different. You fall into a deep sleep and awaken the next morning with the same backpack filled again and with an identical note lying next to the backpack. Off you go again to deliver what the Father has given to you for others.

Gerald May would be very proud of you. I am proud of you. Jesus is proud of you, too.

You exist to deliver the Father's love. Have a great day delivering. Don't forget the backpack!

Heaven Enough

"May Christ be heaven enough for you." David Teems

These are profound words spoken from many, many years of quiet reflection in the presence of God in Christ.
These words stopped me cold and warmed my heart this morning.

What if during this day, Jesus truly were "heaven enough" for me to continue my journey? What if this day, Jesus were "heaven enough" for me to release only love? No, not "what if..." Yes, He is.

I needed to be reminded this morning that heaven abides in me right now. The kingdom of God is within. I am not leaving my apartment in a few minutes disarmed and unaccompanied. I am carrying all that heaven is in me today and forever.

For all of my Christian life I have been taught to long for heaven. David Teems reminded me that the heaven I long for is already in me. Truly, my life is hid with Christ in God. Truly, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Truly, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.
Truly, Christ is all and is in all.

Heaven is enough. All Christians agree on this hope and truth. Can Jesus be enough here an now? He is heaven enough right now to overcome this world, my flesh and my enemy.

Jesus you are heaven enough for me. Help me live a life of complete satisfaction in you today. Starting from such abundance is the right place to start every day.

Dependent on Grace

Just how dependent are we as humans? Are we mostly dependent, somewhat dependent or totally dependent? That depends on how human you want to be. To be the most human one can possibly be, one must be 100% dependent. Independent humans are less human--less alive. Jesus was 100% dependent and it showed in the depth of humanity and love. Jesus was fully alive.

I love to think of God's grace in this way. Grace is God giving to me what He demands of me and what He wants for me.

Take a minute to read the following verses found in Ezekiel 36:26-27

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them."

Look at what is given by God to equip them to be fully human-fully alive.

How human do you really want to be? Increase your dependence on God in Jesus and the very best you will emerge out of the abundance of God's grace. What he demands of us, he gives to us. Choose to receive as your first human act of every day and every moment.

Awaken each day and say "Jesus, you are welcome here! I receive all you are."

Ignoring a fever

Some habits I do not want to break. One habit I treasure is reading Oswald Chamber's daily devotional My Utmost for His Highest.
What an incredible source of light and comfort this reading has been. Today was no exception.

The reading is entitled "The Inevitable Penalty". This is a typical Chambers title. He loved words like "Inevitable". He leaves no doubt that this will happen. More than 30 years testing these words of Chambers which he crafted from careful Bible study and life observation have convinced me to take his carefully chosen words seriously.

Chambers quotes Jesus' words in Matt. 5:26 "Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny." Jesus is warning his followers that unresolved conflicts are not ever allowed in the Kingdom of God's love. In other words, we must never think a conflict is going away on its own. We must see the conflict as serious and unavoidable until it is resolved.

Chambers goes on to say that this human tendency to think conflicts are no big deal is rooted in "the disposition of your right to yourself." I am used to Chamber's language but I still need to look for a more modern way to say what he is saying. This "disposition of your right to yourself" means to me "the illusion of human autonomy." Humans are not autonomous. We are derivative and dependent. We must begin at zero before God. Zero before God is the 98.6 temperature of spiritual normality and health in the kingdom of God. "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" This is 98.6 for spirituality.

To ignore a conflict and refuse to actively seek its end is to ignore a fever that will kill you and infect others. God will seek out the cause of the fever--human autonomy--and bring it to zero. The world is sick to death with this fever and God will bring it to an end and he begins in his own.

Right now there are millions of Christians with high and low grade conflict fevers. God's cure is "inevitable". He will bring the fever down. Ignoring the fever is a waste of the precious little time we have for glorifying God here and now. Go to zero before God and seek peace with all.

Why Abide?

I have been repeatedly asked when I am going to "move on" from the Abide emphasis that has taken root in my life. When I was first asked this question I was a little offended. Today I just smile when asked.

Auhor Mike Wells tells the story of an old man sitting in a park in a poor country. The old man sits there day after day guitar in hand. Whenever a person draws close to him he offers to play any song they name. When they name the song he plays it.
What is unusual is that he plays every song with his hand on the guitar frets always in the exact same position.

When he is asked why he never moves the position of his fingers on the frets, he says, "Why should I move them? I found what everyone else is looking for?"

To me, abiding is finding what everyone else (including me) is looking for in spiritual formation.

Abiding is the perfect picture of spiritual formation for every disciple.
Abiding is the perfect moment by moment process for glorifying God.
Abiding the perfect power for overcoming sin and loving continuously.
Abiding is the perfect Person in me--Jesus.

I won't be moving my hand off the abiding frets any time soon. I like this music and I would love to hear how you play the music of abiding in Jesus moment by moment.

Rio--Protected by sustained love

Rio, the marvelous city as the Brazilians call it, is a city of enormous contrasts, conflicts and challenges. In this city much has changed and much as stayed the same.
The city is home to over 200 slums called "favelas". Some of these "favelas" are over 60 years old. They are home to millions and they are now so entrenched into the fabric of Rio's day to day life that they will always be part of this complex social fabric.
On June 1st and 2nd I was invited by the Evangelical Assembly of God church of Bom Successo to help them celebrate their 50th anniversary. It was an honor.
The abide ministry is rooted in the First Baptist Church of São José dos Campos. Even so, I have been given an opportunity to minister in many Brazilian denominations. Why? Because I have determined to know only Christ and Christ crucified. In other words, I believe I have been called to help all Christian rediscover their first and only love--Jesus.
While in Rio with the church Pastor Jaime Suarez took me to see six of their 50 congregations. Most of these congregations are in the slums. Some of these congregations are as old as the slums. Some have memberships of over 500.
We had to enter the slums in the church van. Pastor Jaime instructed me to look straight ahead and not make eye contact the with young men standing guard at the entrances to slums. They were armed with rifles, handguns and machine guns. They are drug gangs that literally control the slums. We could only enter, because the church is welcome but the police are not.
It was like going into a war zone.
Once inside the "favela" we visited the beautiful, clean and happy congregations. For over 50 years these churches have served their community with Jesus' love. Inside the slum it didn't seem important to me that I was with Pentecostal brothers even though I am not pentecostal. I was protected by their sustained love for Jesus and for the people of the slum. I was safe in their sustained love for these incredibly poor but precious people.
I have deep respect for doctrine, but I have greater respect for doctrine that is turned in to sustained love.
Enjoy a few pictures from Rio. Be proud of the love of your brother's in Christ. Jesus is so very proud of them!

(The tiny shack pictured is home to mom, dad and 7 kids. Mom is pregnant again. The church is helping them as they are new arrivals in the slum. Click on pictures to enlarge.)

Crops and Barns

In Luke 12 we have recorded one of Jesus' parables. A rich man is doing so well at accumulating crops, that he says..."What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?" On the surface this seems to be a great problem to have and a completely normal question to ask. In reality this question reveals the sad state of this man's heart. He actually thinks he is blessed by the earth and the Creator of the earth to bless himself and in so doing find rest for his soul.

What could he have done with the abundance that had come into his hands from God's earth? He could have asked God why he had more than he needed. He could have asked God who needed what he had received. He could have seen the abundance as a sign that His ability to bless others had increased. He could have asked God, but he chose to ask himself. Big mistake.

Getting the answer from his own fearful mind, he tears down his existing barns and builds new ones to calm his soul. Then he dies and his soul is judged for its behavior on earth. He loses his soul. This is what will happen to every human being sooner or later. Our souls will be required of us and we will have no argument other than what we did with our soul--our mind, emotions and will.

The human soul was originally designed to receive and deliver love's abundance. When we have in our possession the means to bless others and we decide to build new barns instead, we offend the very nature of our souls and the nature of the universe.

In this parable, even the earth is smarter than this man. The earth that produced the crops for this man was generous with what it produced. The earth delivers what it produces over and over again into this man's hands. The man who produced nothing and received everything should have said "Who can I love with this?" Since he did not see the crops as being received by grace, he concluded that he had produced the wealth himself and could do with it whatever he pleased.

If he had asked about who should be loved with this, certainly God would have led him to care for his most intimate relationships first just as the earth is generous with all who live from its wealth and lets those who work the land eat first. Beyond caring well for his family, this man would have then been led into a life of generosity and love toward others. His soul would have been resting as he delivered what he received. Receiving much and delivering well allows the soul to rest

When you are blessed be careful not to seek rest for your soul through the building of bigger barns. Build bigger relationships through delivering love. Trust that the Creator will be contiinuously generous to you as you continue to be generous to others. If we can trust the earth to keep producing crops, we can certainly trust the Creator to keep taking care of us.

Worth the Effort

The trip to China was a major effort in so many ways. At times such an effort can leave one wondering about the cost and about the effort. It only takes some word from those to whom we ministered to make the effort seem worthwhile.

Here is a word I got this morning. I am not going to correct the english errors. The person writing is a very, very sharp business leader who leads a major company and a person who has paid a great price for living their faith. This is from a believer who knows Jesus deeply and knows her way around the corporate world.

As you read her words rejoice with us that the book The Satisfying Life has found a place in the hearts of those who need it.
The e-mail was addressed to the Chinese friend who was my guide in China and also responsible for the translation of the book into Chinese.

Dear brother Shu Su Yee;

RE: THE SATISFYING LIFE

I NEED SPEND LOTS TIME TO READ IT DUE TO ALL THE MESSAGE FOR ME REALLY IS GOD SPEAK TO ME

LOTS THINKING ----THE TRANSLATION OF THE BOOK IN CHINESES IT'S REALLY WONDERFUL COULDN;T BELIEVE IS FIRST TIME

YOU USED THIS MATERIAL IN CHINESES

THIS BOOK CAN HELP LOTS PEOPLE I AM GOING TO ASK ALL MY BIBBLE STUDY READ SLOWLY AND DISCUSSING THIS BOOK SLOWLY TOO ( THIS IS SO IMPORTANT FOR ALL THE CHRIST LOTS FAITH AND LOTS OF TEARS)

MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL YOUR WORK IN CHINA I WILL REPORT AGAIN DUE TO I AM READ IS NOT BOOK IS GOD WORDS TALK TO ME AND TOUCH MY HEART I NEED TIME ABSORB ALL THE WORDS

THANK YOU FOR YOU COMING OUR BIBBLE STUDY

BEST REGARDS

BECKY


Trying to communicate across a language barrier is exactly what makes these efforts so difficult. Even so, a letter like this one makes it all worth the effort.

For those who supported this effort--It was worth it! For those who are supporting the same effort in Brazil, Portugal. Angola and other places--it is worth the effort.

Lost in Translation

I visited a 1000 year old Pagoda today in China. The thing I will long remember about the Pagoda was the translation on the wall that was trying to tell all English speakers not to drop things from the open windows and not to smoke. If you don't think trying to learn another language is a challenge, take a look at the translations.
The pagoda is old China. The bullet train is the new China.

Obvious

I should have known. I should have known that Christians are designed by their new birth to live and thrive anywhere in the world. Governments don't make Christians thrive. Why am I surprised?

I think my early childhood in the USA with daily prayer and Bible reading in the public schools made me believe that Christianity was supported and expanded by the USA public culture and government. Actually the USA culture and government was supported and blessed by so many Christians in the land. Governments do not support or sustain Christianity, God does through Christ. I should have known.

Being in a place where there is 0% support for the Christian or Christianity makes one clearly see that God's branches truly only need the Vine to thrive. I should have known!

What Christians need is the peace to be who they are in Jesus wherever they live. Vineyards need peaceful environments to thrive and bless. Whenever any government is wise enough to encourage Christians just to be who they are, that culture will be blessed by the Christians who call that country home.

I should have known what I would see as I travel the world. Christians are designed to bear fruit in every country. Thank God they do!

New Abide Materials

One of the most gratifying accomplishments of the past 4 years has been the development of discipleship resources in the Portuguese language. Each project has been a labor of love and a lot of work. Each project has been a team effort involving contributors, translators, artists and volunteers.

Rejoice with us that we could present these materials in our own space at a recent pastor's conference. They were well received and will impact many, many lives for years to come.

Thanks for your part in this!

Bud

Twitter

I began "twittering" because my son Kevin encouraged me to join this newest communication tool. I am glad I did. I am resisting being old and out of touch. It is a challenge!

I am mostly enjoying the immediate connection to people I love that twitter affords. On the other hand, I am becoming increasingly concerned about some people I follow. Having been at this thing called life for a while, I can see patterns of thought and activity in the comments I read. I almost feel like I am the proverbial "fly on the wall". At times it is almost embarrassing to know so much about a person's moment by moment world. In some cases twitter posts seem like an ongoing Oprah show.

Here is what I am noticing that concerns me most. Many married men I follow seem to be focused almost exclusively on their work, hobbies and outside the home relationships. That may be only because they don't use twitter as a place to talk about family.
I am not sure. I certainly hope I am wrong.

If what I read on their "tweets" is the true picture of what they find most stimulating, their marriages and homes may be in trouble and I almost want to intervene with a comment or two.

If I did talk, here is what I would probably say.

1. Since you talk constantly about food, take your wife to lunch with you once in a while and be excited about it. Mention her.
2. Get as excited about your kids as you do about the latest Apple product or film you just saw.
3. Share a thought about your life that shows some depth of thought beyond "I am eating at..." or "I just saw..."
4. Don't be ashamed to tweet your faith if it provides you with joy.

Do I sound old and out of touch? Go ahead. Send a "tweet" or a facebook comment. I am connected.
By the way.... Happy Mother's day to my beautiful wife Pam. Let's do lunch when I get back from China. Ate at Pizza Hut in Shanghai today. I love all my "Kids."
Bud

Marriage Seminar-Recife

Many times the very first opportunity we have for Abide International ministries to become known in a new city is through our Marriage seminar "Six Metaphors of a Happy Marriage". I accept nearly every invitation to help couples build marriages that reveal God's presence in the world.

An invitation from Recife in northern Brazil came from an evangelical Anglican Church. For me this was a first. I found the people of the Holy Spirit Parish of Recife to be deeply in love with Jesus and reaching their community. They also produced a seminar attendance with over 200 couples present for the six hour study.

They have now asked me to come to Recife twice a year to train their people in abiding discipleship. This church is amazing in so many ways. God keeps surprising me and blessing me as I find Him at work everywhere.

I have learned that different Christian groups do not have the same doctrines on every subject but they have the same problems I have seen my entire life in Baptist churches. I believe abiding is what we all are missing.

These pictures show just a little of joy I found among these dear Brazilian believers.

A Day Off

Missionaries do take days off. They should! Then they can see the beauty of the country where God has led them to share His love.

Pam and I spent a wonderful day with Tom and Diana Turley in an area of Brazilian natural beauty. To me a day off is a day when one makes no decisions and simply enjoys God and the good things of God. That includes good friends and great natural beauty.

Yesterday we enjoyed both.

It Doesn't work

Jesus said "Do not resist and evil person." Why? Because it doesn't work. Resistance is not a cure for evil.
Governments exist to punish evil and reward good. (see Romans 13) Punishing evil is appropriate when one has this power from God to do so. Resisting evil in the name of Jesus is not my job. Overcoming evil with good is.

Of almost all the teachings of Jesus this one about resisting an evil man is the one with which I struggle most. I guess I just don't want to admit that evil is beyond the reach of my powers of persuasion. Evil is overcome by love. Love is not resistance. Love is a cooperation with God's character.

God will judge but He is not resisting. He gives mankind up to follow their evil to its horrible ends. When man is finally exhausted He offers rest in Christ.

Later on in His teachings Jesus says to Peter "They that live by sword die by the sword." The sword is the symbol of the belief that evil can overcome by force. It cannot. I pray that Jesus will remove my sword more each day.

The Power of Culture

Every missionary is familiar with the term "culture shock". Culture shock is the sudden, shocking realization that one is now living in an environment that one cannot change. One must adapt or try to live in cultural enclave of made up of others who refuse to adapt. Ethnic neighborhoods in major cities are efforts to avoid culture shock and maintain what one finds most comfortable.

I was born and raised in Miami in the 1950's. Miami in the 1950's was a quiet southern city. In the early 1960's the Cuban exodus from Cuba to Miami began and so did the the exodus out of Miami of many southern Americans like my parents who refused to adapt to the changing culture in order to stay in the downtown Miami area. Many Cubans also refused to adapt to their new American home and they created "Little Havana" which now shares space with "Little Haiti". No one likes culture shock and many avoid it all costs.

Culture shock is no fun if one prefers one culture above another. We almost always prefer the culture of our childhood and youth to any new culture. Once we get used to a culture we would rather not see it change.

The entire world is experiencing a kind of culture shock and resistant groups are busily building ethnic, religious and social enclaves to protect themselves from the cultural changes. Radical Islam's insistence on isolation and control is a case in point.

From my experience as a child growing up in Miami and as a missionary, I believe the answer to culture shock lies in building an inner life that is fully rooted in the culture of God's kingdom. There is little hope of preserving the culture of one's earthly childhood in today's rapidly changing world. There is hope of preserving the inner culture of one's new birth in Jesus.

Jesus was in the world but not of the world. He was here to love but he was not here to join any ethnic or religious group in their special enclave. He was invited to join, but he refused.

Jesus was here to invite the world to join the eternal culture he describes in His teaching as the Kingdom of God. Have you joined Jesus' Kingdom of God culture?

If not, I predict you are going to experience culture shock on a global scale in the coming years. Moving away from this coming culture shock like my parents did will not be possible in the coming years. Jesus' offer of a new birth and kingdom culture is still the very best option because they equip us for living anywhere and living well.

When Jesus said he had overcome the world, He meant it. Be at peace in your inner world with Him and you will find the ability to love in any culture.

He is at the Movies

I have been mentoring a young man for the past three years. I have never known a person with a greater capacity to disappear into his mind for weeks on end. It is amazing to watch him come and go.

One minute he is in touch with reality and he is learning to abide and walk in the light. Suddenly, something happens and he literally disappears into a world of imagination. When he emerges from this inner world of fiction, he seeks me out and we work while he is still among the visible.

I am certain God has gifted this young man with an imagination that is beyond the norm. He can create in his mind a realm that could produce great novels or movies. Even so, he suffers with this imagination because one cannot live from fiction and effectively deliver God's love. He knows this.

He said to me with true sorrow. "I didn't even give my dog a bath for the past month! I was so lost in mind that i forgot. When i finally realized I had been gone, I gave the dog some attention."

When he said this, I said "It is time for you to come out of the movie theater. People need you and God misses you while you are in there."

It was as if a light went on. He could see for the first time that he was disappearing into his mind like people go to the movies for distraction from reality. What he had not realized is that while we sit in the movie theater of our mind and imagination, love is often put on hold. If love is on hold for too long, the fleas can kill the dog.

Jesus is the truth. He is the light in which the fiction we build our lives upon is challenged and destroyed.

I remember reading about missionaries going overseas in the 1800's. The debate back then was about whether a good Christian missionary should be reading novels. When I was a teen, the debate was about T.V. and movies. Today it is about the internet, video games and the cell phone. The real issue in any generation is how long do you disappear from reality and leave love on hold?

I am a dedicated reader and I love a great film. I have found, however, that my rule for reading and watching must be delivering love.
If my imagination gets in the way of delivering love, I need to drop the book and leave the movie. God misses me and so does someone else.

How much of your life is immersed in fiction? Bring every thought to Christ to be sure what is and is not fiction. I am not against imagination. I am against letting others suffer while I disappear.

Pray for my young friend that his imagination will be God's tool and not an escape. He is a wonderfully gifted young man.

April Retreat-Campos do Jordão

The heart of the abide ministry in Brazil is our retreat center in the mountains between Rio and São Paulo. There truly is a connection between mountains and clearer thinking.

When we can gather 30 to 40 people at our retreat center from a Friday night until a Sunday afternoon, amazing things happen.
By spending eight hours focused on Jesus as our life, identity, satisfaction, ability and opportunity, we experience what it is to be one with the intentions of God in Christ. We learn better what it means to abide. It is powerful and paradigm changing.

Admittedly, it is easier to abide when one is in a retreat designed to keep the focus on Jesus. The valley of "dailyness" awaits us all at the end of the retreat but Christ in us is greater than the valley and its repetitive challenges.

Our April abide retreat was truly wonderful. Our four volunteers, the leaders of the camp and the great cooks were all at their best.
The teacher did O.K., too!

Enjoy these photos of the April retreat and remember that this is possible because of our abide partners who support this ministry every month.

A special thanks to every church and every abide partner for making this possible. If you are not an abide partner yet, join this fantastic team as we are believing God for 300 retreat participants in 2009 in addition to all the other efforts that go into Abide international.

E-mail me at bud@abideinternational.org to let us know you are on the team or for more information. Donations can be sent to our sending church in Miami through our website www.abideinternational.org.

Why not plan a retreat near your church? We would love to come even if there are no mountains.

The Human Soul

I have come to understand that the human soul (mind, emotions and will) was originally designed for one holy purpose. That holy purpose is the Glory of God. The Glory of God was originally meant to be revealed in this world by human souls and bodies.
Only one man ever possessed and used his soul 100% for the glory of God. That man never sinned by using His soul for any other purpose except love. That man is named Jesus.

The human soul exists in the universe as the living tool for delivering God's love. The human soul as originally created had no other reason for its existence except the delivery of God's love. This continues to be its true reason for existence.

This noble purpose of the human soul explains why Jesus said the true and final purpose of a human existence is to love God and love one's neighbor. To sin is to use any part of the human soul (mind, emotion or will) l for any other purpose other than delivering God's love. When one sees the soul in this holy and singular light, it is easy to see why Scripture says "For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God". Romans 3:23 Who among us could truly say "I have only used my soul for love."?

When a person is "born again" the very Spirit of God and God's glory enters the human spirit and this Spirit to spirit connection recreates the possibility of a human soul being constantly connected to pure love. This constant connection to pure love allows the soul to deliver God's love once again. This is what is called the "fruit of the Spirit."

The human soul without the very presence of God is incapable of delivering love that God finds acceptable and He could call HIs own love. Paul tried to deliver such love by His love of the law of God as he describes in Romans 7. He concluded that he could not deliver sustained love because sin dwelled in Him and stopped the proper use of the soul.

In Romans 8 Paul describes a new life because the believer is now inhabited by Christ. The soul can love again in a way that God finds acceptable because it is God who produces and sustains the love by His grace which now abides in the human spirit and stimulates and enables the human soul to love again.

Jesus described in John 15 this remaking of the human ability to love as abiding and bearing fruit. Each person in whom Christ abides has the potential to have their soul restored to its original holy purpose. Even so, it is a voluntary relationship which allows the soul to become the divine tool of love once again. "If" we will abide then our souls will be restored to love's delivery and God's glory. Only "if" we abide will this happen.

Read the sermon on the mount in the light of the soul's true purpose and you will see that the human soul will have to undergo a complete restoration in Christ until it becomes "salt" and "light" in a very dark world. As hard as it might be to believe, our souls can be restored to love in this world. As Mike Wells says "There is nothing the presence of Christ cannot cure."

The thought of millions and millions of restored human souls delivering God's love as Jesus did is the true essence of making disciples and spiritual formation. When we set the discipleship "bar" lower than soul restoration for Divine glory, we weaken the witness of the church and we fail our Lord who commanded us to make disciples.

Our souls can be restored to delivering God's love if we will abide in the love of God in Christ. This is the truth which Jesus revealed by His own presence in the world. Rise to the vision of sustained love and God's glory. Be truly human again. Abide.

The Ordinary Man or Woman

Here is Thomas Kelly's description of the ordinary man.

"The ordinary man is busy earning a living, exercises care, caution, foresight. He calculates probabilities. He studies the past in order to predict and control the future. Then when he has weighed all his factors and plotted the outcome, with energy and industry he wills himself into persistent activity along the lines of calculated wisdom. The now is merely an incidental dividing point, unstable, non-important, except as by its unstaying migration we move ahead into the richer meadows..."

Ordinary men and women get a lot done, but at too great an expense. They sacrifice all the "nows" in order to arrive at some "then". The "then" finally arrives and the ordinary man or woman suddenly realizes that "then" is really always "now". "Then" is always beyond our reach. Now is not.

Learn to enjoy now. Learn that now is as rich as it gets. Learn to sit still and be filled with God's presence right now.

Now is limitlessly enjoyable and it is always now. Right now close your eyes and say "Jesus, you are welcome here." Don't rush away to earn a living, exercise care, caution or foresight. Don't calculate probabilities. Don't study the past or the future.
Enjoy now.

Don't be ordinary. Enjoy now with Him.

When you learn to enjoy now, your life will be anything but ordinary.


For further reading on now get a copy of Thomas Kelly's A Testament to Devotion

The "haves" and the "have nots"

I recently spent a weekend in the wealthiest neighborhood of São Paulo. From my hotel window I could see some of the city's finest neighborhoods where some of Brazil's wealthiest citizens live in mansions and huge apartments.

I could also see from my window one of São Paulo's largest slums. The slum is home to 80,000 people crammed onto a hillside right in the middle of the luxury apartment complexes. Anyone who has been to Brazil has seen this shocking contrast of the "haves" and the "have nots".

The pastor who was my host for the weekend described the slum as an unsolvable social problem. Begun by people immigrating from grinding poverty in northern Brazil, this slum was first built by people just looking for a chance to work. That is no longer the case.

As we looked out on this unbelievable scene I suddenly saw something else. I saw the last 500 years of Brazilian history and a vision of the direction our world seems to be heading. For the last 500 years Brazil has been a land of the "haves" and the "have nots".

It seems that our world is now heading into a time where socialism is seen as the great hope for the world. For me in particular this is not a happy thought. I remember how proud my father was of not needing the government to take care of him. All he wanted was a chance for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. His example burned deeply into my heart and soul and so did my USA 1950s childhood, I have never wanted the government to take care of me. I just wanted a fair chance. I got that fair chance in my 1950s America even though millions of black Americans around me did not.

In my view, socialism is a a willingness of people to see and accept government as their solution. In a very real sense socialism is the greater mass of humanity believing that the government should take care of them because the government has what they do not have. Since they, the governing class, have so much they should take care of those who don't have. My father would have choked on the idea that the government has what he needs. He did not want the government to take care of him. He wanted the government to guarantee his safety and opportunity not take care of him.

The slums in Brazil are a scream for help and also a terrible form of dependence. Rich neighborhoods and the slums that surround them live in a very strained and uneasy relationship. There is a very real sense that the two worlds could explode at any second. They often do.

In the Brazilian slums most things are free. Water, electricity, internet, cable, etc. are free in most slums. In reality they are stolen and everyone has to go along with this or the 80,000 people on the hill might get out of control. There is a very real sense of guilt that is felt by the "haves." The "have nots" know this and have become a powerful political force which now threatens to take control of all the wealth by force if there is not a transfer of the wealth to a new governing class called a socialist government.

If socialism wins the day, I predict the slums will not disappear. The slums will surround the neighborhoods where the government leaders live instead of surrounding the capitalist leaders neighborhoods. Nothing will really change except who composes the rich class and lives in the best neighborhoods.

As bad as the slums are, most people who live in them resist being relocated unless all the "Free" benefits are guaranteed in the new place. It is complicated! If you ever visit the city of Rio, the best views of the beaches are from the slums. It is almost too strange to describe. One has to see it to believe it. Who would want to give up such a view for a tiny apartment away from the beach and an two hour bus ride to work?

Here is my point. I reject the socialist theory simply because I don't believe any human beings were meant to live with a "please someone take care of me!" mentality. This mentality kills the human soul in every way. I believe the right mentality is "please guarantee my opportunity to find my space to live and love."

What does this have to do with Christians? I believe that much of what passes for Christianity today is also becoming a form of "slum" Christianity.
The spiritual "haves" let the spiritual "have nots" live close to them in church because they are so permanently needy. The "haves" tolerate the "have nots" because they realize they will always be needy. They also need the cheap help to keep the spiritual gated communities running. That may sound harsh, but I have seen firsthand the deadening effects of the rich Christians and the poor Christians in what I call "pyramid" churches.

This uneasy "haves" and "have nots" relationship is not good for anyone-especially the leaders. I believe we need communities of equals in Jesus. We need vineyards not luxury apartment buildings overlooking the pitiful poor. We need communities where we are one with God and one with each other. By abiding I believe we have hope for this in our churches. I believe this problem does have a solution. That solution is called "oneness".

I don't know if there can ever be "oneness" in Brazil. There wasn't "oneness" for everyone in South Florida when I grew up but there was a spirit of healthy independence from the "haves". That was a start!

There can and must be oneness in the church. I believe we must resist every kind of spiritual environment that exalts some and makes others the permanently dependent ones. We are all branches and there is only one Vine.

Brazil may need to head for socialism in order to avoid a bloodbath, but the church needs to head to oneness because the blood of One was already shed. I have hope for the church. The world? That is another question.

What Should Christians be Good At?

I continue to be amazed at the Christian community's desire to appear better at things than non-believers. Is being better at baseball, music, politics or anything else a sign of Christian life? I don't think so.

What we should be good at is being loved and loving. We should be the world's best at uninterrupted love.

I remember this thought coming home to me the first time through the writings of Francis Schaeffer in his book The Mark of the Christian. He was the first that showed me that the Christian's credibility is found in sustained love just like Jesus said it was.

What if we focused on this one ability as our societal calling and the true basis our our witness? Would we lose all the abilities we engage in while focusing on being really good at love? No. Love needs a context. Any skill taken seriously is a context for sustained love.

I have been on this Christian journey for quite a while. I have seen every kind of ability celebrated when a Christian is involved.
I have also noticed that we don't quite know how to celebrate the same ability displayed by an unbeliever. Perhaps we don't want them to be so good at baseball, music, politics or anything else. Why? We are basing our hope on Christians being better at things because they are Christians. Should we focus on being better at these things or focus on being really good at uninterrupted love while doing these things?

I have come to the conclusion that Jesus was perfect at uninterrupted love. As far as I know, he never tried to be good at anything else to prove His point. Let's be good at love as we do our sports, music and politics. That makes a great combination and it protects what really matters which is great relationships.