Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | December 24, 2012

The Best Job in the World

It’s Christmas and I am on the road once again — but, this time, in my own time zone. I am in Corpus Christi to visit with my wife’s family. This morning Cheryl and I got up early and headed to the local Wal-Mart to pick up a few last-minute items for tonight’s family gathering. Now, I am not accustomed to shopping at Christmas or any other time of the year. So, I just followed Cheryl up and down the aisles and thought of this excursion as something of an urban adventure. While I am not crazy about shopping, I do enjoy meeting people. Our cashier was a gregarious young lady filled with holiday cheer. She told us that although she is Jewish she enjoys the Christmas season. We also learned that her 100-year-old grandfather and 98-year-old grandmother are Holocaust survivors. You can learn a lot about others even if you just have a few minutes to engage them in conversation. Cheryl and I thanked her for her infectious cheer.

Salvation Army Bell RingerAs we walked out of the store with our stuffed plastic bags, we saw the Salvation Army bell-ringer dispensing Christmas cheer while standing next to the familiar red kettle. Cheryl and I exchanged glances and smiled the second we saw him. We both had the same thought. Years ago when our son Jonathan was in high school, he came home one afternoon during Christmas break and told us that he had just found the best job in the world. “I will get to talk to lots of people, tell them Merry Christmas, and raise money to help people in need!” And then he added, “And, I get to do all of this while ringing a bell!” Jonathan had been hired to be a Salvation Army bell-ringer during the holidays — and he was genuinely excited about it. So, every time Cheryl and I see a Salvation Army bell-ringer we can’t help but think of Jonathan.

I am not sure that being a Salvation Army bell-ringer is really the best job in the world, but I am convinced that doing any job with the right attitude can make it the best job in the world. It’s not the job but the person doing the job that makes the difference. The late motivational speaker Zig Ziglar said, “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.” He also said that “Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.” I agree. The Apostle Paul said, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” (Colossians 3:23). I appreciate that Jonathan saw opportunity in what many might consider a mundane part-time seasonal job and that he approached the task with a positive attitude. That made all the difference for him and for those he met on those cold days when he heartily rang a bell next to a red Salvation Army kettle outside of a Wal-Mart in north Texas. He made it the best job in the world!

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Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | December 22, 2012

Keep the Merry Campaign

It’s Christmas and, once again, atheists have launched their annual holiday evangelism initiative into high gear, hoping to attract like-minded folks into their fold. As in previous years, I have looked forward with interest to the unveiling of their annual anti-Christmas initiative. We live in a country in which people with differing world-views have the right to express those views. As a Christ-follower, I am neither offended nor threatened by their irreverent holiday slogans or rhetoric. Instead, I see these as providing opportunities for healthy dialogue about God and His existence.

My hope every year is that the atheist campaign will prompt both non-theists and theists alike to think a little deeper about their respective world-views. As a Christ-follower, I am called to love God with all of my mind, to own my beliefs, and to be “prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). We live in a post-modern age when we must be prepared to intelligently articulate what we believe and to do so in a respectful manner, even when we are prompted to make that defense by those who demonstrate little regard for what we believe.

In 2009, atheists in the United Kingdom promoted their “Probably No God” campaign by plastering their message on the sides of hundreds of buses. That same year, the American Humanist Association launched a similar campaign titled “No God? No Problem!” in which they appealed to people to just be good for goodness sake. In 2010 billboards in the northeast featured the words “You Know It’s A Myth” emblazoned above a tranquil manger scene. And last year, American atheists stepped up their Myth Campaign — a Sesame Street-esque looking campaign with images of Poseidon, Jesus, Santa, and a devil-like figure with the message “37 million Americans know Myths when they see them.”

Atheist 2012 CampaignThis year’s anti-Christmas campaign — “Keep the Merry. Dump the Myth.” — is less than imaginative. The ad features images of Santa and a crucified Christ (never mind that in last year’s campaign Santa was featured in the myth category). And, as in previous years, this slogan is painted with the broadest of strokes. Atheists claim that they are not trying to “convert” people to atheism but to draw out those who already think this way. And apparently, atheists have some sort of metric for measuring the success of their annual advertising initiative. They report that their membership grows in cities, especially smaller ones, where they run their billboard campaigns. These initiatives illustrate that atheists are very much interested in increasing their ranks. They too have their preachers, pulpits, sermons, and slogans.

Christmas will never be what it was when I was a kid — that wonderful time of the year when the world slowed down enough to acknowledge that God had given mankind an indescribable gift in the person of Jesus Christ. Today, both the Gift and the Giver are objects of doubt and derision. It’s up to those of us who follow Christ to imitate His example and live out the reason why He came, not only at Christmas but throughout the year. And we must remember that the angel announced “a great joy” for all people and not “a great Merry.” So, I am not too concerned about keeping the Merry. I am more interested in keeping the joy, something that I have found in abundance in the Christ of Christmas.

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Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | December 20, 2012

The Mayan Apocalypse

December 21, 2012 is perhaps the most highly anticipated date on this year’s calendar — not because it is the date of the Winter Solstice, but because many believe it will be the day when the world as we know it will end. According to the Mayan long count calendar, December 21 is the end date of a 5125-year-long cycle. Some folks believe that according to Mayan eschatology, all sorts of cataclysmic things will happen that will make it difficult for most of humanity to survive. Much of the paranoia about what might happen can likely be traced to the 2009 Hollywood blockbuster “2012” — an epic adventure about surviving the global cataclysm.

2012 Weather Forecast

Doomsday preppers have been scurrying about in preparation for the end of the world. According to news reports, sales of survival shelters and supplies, weapons, and one-way tickets to regions where some believe that aliens will come to their rescue are at an all-time high. In Sichuan province in China, people are buying candles in big quantities because they believe that there will be three days of darkness when the apocalypse arrives. However, for Mexico, where the ancient Mayan civilization flourished, the prospects of the end of the world have created opportunities. The tourism industry has used the global curiosity about the Mayan Apocalypse to draw tourists to Mexico to visit Mayan ruins and to participate in Mayan-themed events. Tourism to Mexico doubled this year!

All of this talk about the end of the world on Friday is reminiscent of the Y2K scare as midnight on December 31, 1999 approached. The world braced for chaos because of the fear that computers would crash when the calendar switched to 2000. The impending disaster seemed real but never materialized. We entered the new millennium without incident. And now, we find ourselves once again on the brink of an anticipated global disaster on a scale far greater than anyone could have imagined in the Y2K days. A computer crash is much preferred to mega-meteor showers and all sorts of hard-to-escape stuff like that.

According to one poll, as many as 25 million Americans believe that the world will end tomorrow. One NASA scientist who disagrees is concerned not because of the Mayan Apocalypse, but because of the number of emails he has received from people who are frightened and feel that suicide is a better option than facing the much-hyped cataclysmic events. In Argentina, authorities will cut off access to Uritorco, the highest mountain in the country, due to an appeal on social networking sites asking people to attend a “mass spiritual suicide” there on the eve of the predicted apocalypse.

As for the Mayans, indications are that they reject the notion that the world will end on Friday. One Mayan man said, “The 21st is for giving thanks and gratitude and the 22nd welcomes the new cycle, a new dawn.” I am not Mayan but I do like this guy’s outlook. And I do not believe that the world will end on Friday. I do wish that those who go to such great lengths to prepare for the worst-case scenario would be as intentional about doing the things that can make our world a better place. In reality, every day the world ends for many people. We don’t know when we will breathe our last and the world will end for us. But we can determine to live each day with purpose. Anne Frank wrote, “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” That is what I intend to do today and on December 21, 2012.

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Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | December 19, 2012

Wordless Wednesday

Mending fishing nets. | 2006 | Sandwip Island, Bay of Bengal

Mending fishing nets. | 2006 | Sandwip Island, Bay of Bengal

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Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | December 17, 2012

Funerals in Newtown

Sandy Hook First FuneralOver the coming days, twelve girls, eight boys, and seven adults will be laid to rest in Newtown, Connecticut — all victims of Adam Lanza’s shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The first two funerals are scheduled for today for six-year old boys Noah Ponzer, whose twin sister escaped the shooting, and Jack Pinto. Over the past couple of days the tragedy has taken on a deeper and more painful turn as the names and photographs of the dead have been released. It’s one thing to hear that twenty-seven people were killed by a deranged gunman and quite another to look into the faces of each of the victims and to learn their stories.

It’s unlikely that we will ever know the reasons why Adam Lanza killed his own mother and then took the lives of so many innocent and defenseless people. His mother, perhaps the only individual capable of shedding any significant light on her son’s disposition was the first to be silenced. Speculation about her son’s violent behavior will yield inconclusive results at best. Minus the details, we are left only with broad-stroked conjecture and the families of the victims are left with unanswered questions and a lifetime of painful memories. It is likely that not a single day will pass without the parents of these children feeling the pangs of lingering grief.

God never promised that we would know the reasons why bad and terrible things happen on this side of heaven. Try as we do, we will not fully understand the reasons why dark threads are as needful as the threads of gold and silver in the tapestry of our lives until we are able to see it all from heaven’s side. That’s just one of the lessons of the Old Testament book of Job, the story of a good man whose whole world caved in around him when he suffered the loss of all of his children (Job 1:18-19). In the wake of this unspeakable tragedy, Job prostrated himself before God in complete and humble submission. Although his heart was broken and throbbing with pain, Job humbly accepted all that had touched his life.

I have thought much about Job and what it must have been like for him to lose all of his children in a single day. Here are a few lessons we can glean from his story of loss.

God is sovereign. | Satan could do no more to Job than God allowed. Regardless of what may touch our lives, God is in control. Regardless of appearances to the contrary, God is in control. Never doubt that, even if you don’t understand how!

God’s ways are beyond ours. | God’s wisdom is infinite and His vantage point is eternal. He is moved by considerations far beyond the scope of our comprehension. Trying to pour His wisdom into our minds would be like trying to pour the ocean into a Dixie cup. Whenever we do not understand, we must trust Him fully and give Him the benefit of the doubt!

God understands tears. | The Bible never instructs us to be stoic when our lives are touched by afflictions. We can grieve when our lives are touched by tragic circumstances. We can and should weep. God understands tears.

Ask God for the wisdom to filter the advice others give you. | Job’s friends were eager to give him theological advice. In the process, they misrepresented God and injured the very person they were trying to help. Be careful lest the advice others are eager to give you serve to demoralize you and weaken your faith.

Don’t allow circumstances to obscure your view of God. | It is easy to allow the clouds of trouble and affliction to obscure our view of God. It is also easy to believe what we “feel” about God rather than what we “know” about God when our lives are torn apart by things or happenings that we do not understand.

Look to God for wisdom. | Look to God for wisdom in times of difficulty. Human wisdom fails. God’s wisdom, contained in His Word, can give us the hope and perspective that we need in order to hang in, hang on, and come through.

Remember that God is able. | There is absolutely nothing that can touch our lives apart from God’s knowledge. God is not surprised or baffled by anything that touches our lives. We must always remember that He is bigger than anything that touches our lives, is better equipped to deal with whatever touches our lives, and knows exactly what to do with everything that touches our lives.

We will understand it better by and by. | We will not always understand why bad things happen to us. However, one day God will make it all clear. “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part,” wrote Paul, “but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). In the words of the old Gospel song, “We will understand it better by and by.”

We should love and serve God, anyway! | Satan’s assertion in the book of Job was that man serves God only because of the personal benefits he receives. “Remove those blessings,” said Satan, “and a man’s fabric of devotion will quickly unravel.” The book of Job teaches us that God is worthy of our love and devotion, even apart from His blessings to us.

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Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | December 14, 2012

Shooting at Sandy Hook

Sandy Hook ElementaryThis morning while you and I were brushing our teeth and getting ready to face a new day, a young man named Adam Lanza was preparing to face his last day. For still unknown reasons, Lanza shot and killed his own mother and then left his family home dressed in black, wearing a bullet-proof vest, and armed with three weapons. Lanza then drove to Sandy Hook Elementary School and did the unimaginable. He killed twenty innocent and defenseless children and six adults, including the school’s principal. This senseless act of violence prompted Connecticut Governor Dan Malloy to lament, “Evil visited this community today.” President Obama noted, “We’ve endured too many of these tragedies in the past few years.” And, indeed we have, even in the past few weeks. The shooting at Sandy Hook is now on record as the second deadliest shooting of any kind in US history.

It is hard to make sense of a tragedy like this. Even as more details unfold in the coming days, this information will do little to lessen the pain that so many families are experiencing today and will continue to feel for a lifetime. I was working in my garage when a friend called to tell me about the shooting and asked what we could do to help. I then spent the next several hours listening to news reports about this tragedy. There is no way to make sense of something like this but there are things we can do.

Pray | As Christ-followers we should pray for those who suffered unimaginable loss today. We should also pray for the survivors and for the first-responders who walked in to the school to deal with the aftermath of the shooting.

Weep | The Scriptures admonish believers to “weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15). This is a national tragedy that has both stirred the outrage and concern of each of us. Weeping with those who weep is a way for us to identify with and to express our concern for those who have suffered loss.

Care | My friend Kristen Dry, who had called earlier to alert me about the tragedy, later texted to tell me what she and her daughter Grace were going to do to support the families. Kristen explained things to her young daughter in age-appropriate terms and this, in turn, prompted a conversation about practical ways to express concern.

Acknowledge | It is at times like these that we are forced to acknowledge anew the value of human life. The destruction of life grieves God and it should also grieve us and prompt us to protect it. I am sure that those in the highest circles of government will talk much about issues like gun control in the coming days. However, beyond gun control, at the core of this tragedy is a disregard for the sanctity of human life.

Remember | Tragedies like the shooting at Sandy Hook should prompt Christ-followers to remember that we have a sympathetic Savior who understands hostility because He experienced it at the hands of those who crucified Him.

Trust | At times like this we should also trust in the promises and assurances that we find in God’s Word. According to verses like Psalm 34:18, we are assured that He “is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” And although we cannot possibly imagine how, we should still trust that God will work to accomplish His purposes through this tragedy.

Assurance | The Sandy Hook shooting is also a reminder that evil is real and that Satan’s agenda is still the same: “to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10b). However, we can be assured that evil will not triumph. And, those who do evil will ultimately stand before the court of the King of the universe. Martin Luther King Jr. rightly observed, “The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

We will learn more in the days to come. In the meantime, may we intentionally cherish each moment we have with loved ones and friends.

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Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | December 13, 2012

The Tweeting Pope

Pope TweetsYesterday was a historic day, of sorts. Pope Benedict XVI sent out his first Tweet. The pontiff has a personal Twitter account and will use it to send out messages of inspiration and to answer questions using only the 140-characters-or-less text limits. He began his new Twitter adventure with a simple blessing: Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart. As of this writing, the Pope already has about one-million Twitter followers and will probably have tons more in the coming days.

The Pope has also said that he will answer questions from both seekers and the faithful. Yesterday he answered the first question, one from among thousands submitted by his Twitter followers. Someone from America asked, “How can we celebrate the Year of Faith better in our daily lives?” The Year of Faith (Oct. 2012—Nov. 2013) is an initiative by the Catholic church designed to draw Catholics into a deeper walk with Jesus Christ and a call to renew their commitment to the church. Although I am not Catholic, I do like the Pope’s answer because it is good advice for any Christ-follower. He Tweeted this reply: By speaking with Jesus in prayer, listening to what He tells you in the Gospel and looking for Him in those in need.

Matt Archbold, a writer for the National Catholic Register, had a bit of fun with the Pope’s new Twitter venture. In the Washington Post’s “On Faith” section, Archbold wrote: “If you don’t retweet the pope, is that a sin of omission? … If you get blocked by the pope, is that a 21st century form of excommunication? Are we really about to see the birth of the excommunitweet?” Archbold added that “Jesus may have been the greatest tweeter ever” because all of the Beatitudes are 140-characters or less. Interesting observation. I am inclined to agree. When you think about it, Jesus dispensed lots of wisdom in memorable ways, including in brief and though-provoking ways.

A friend recently told me that we are living in days when we must give God more than our time, talents, and treasure. “We must also give Him our technology,” he added. Technology has opened the doors for the good news to reach more people more quickly than ever before. Catholic blogger Rocco Palmo said that instead of Catholic bishops being issued a ring, a tall hat, and a shepherd’s crook when they are ordained, they should get a ring, a hat, and a smartphone. “You have to be in the places where you can reach people and they can reach you,” he said. A smartphone can certainly help the clergy to multiply their presence and influence.

I admire the Pope for finding a new way to connect with his flock but also for making himself more accessible to his flock. If a shepherd is not easily and readily accessible to his sheep, then what kind of shepherd is he? Sometimes it seems like half the people on the planet have my cell number and e-mail address. But, that’s ok. It’s all a part of shepherding and I would rather err on the side of being accessible. So, kudos to Pope Benedict XVI for his efforts to utilize technology to reach out to his flock and to answer questions posed by the global digital community. That is an example that all good shepherds should follow.

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Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | December 12, 2012

Wordless Wednesday

Bangla 2003 Old Man Hand

Old man along the Brahmaputra River. | 2003 | Bangladesh

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Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | December 10, 2012

The Hope Center

Hope is in short supply among the poor who live in Poipet, a once sleepy little town located along the border between Cambodia and Thailand. Poipet is fast-becoming the new gateway between these two Southeast Asian nations. The border crossing between Cambodia and Thailand is a no-man’s land that has become a gambling mecca — and a magnet for drug dealers and human traffickers. In recent years, the population of Poipet has exploded. Tens of thousands of poor people have settled there in hope of finding work to support their families. Unfortunately, the infrastructure of the town cannot support the burgeoning population, so the poor live as squatters in a muddy slum littered with garbage and raw sewage.

Every day, as many as 40,000 of Poipet’s poor cross the border into Thailand searching for work. These day laborers leave their children unattended all day and, sometimes, for days. These vulnerable kids are targeted by traffickers. Many are kidnapped and taken to Thailand. Girls are sold to brothels and boys are sold to work at construction sites and brick factories. Some of these kids are used as mules to transport drugs. Those who control the lives of these kids treat them as disposable assets. Poipet is unquestionably one of the most dangerous places in the world for kids.

Our missions ministry is working with Steve Hyde, our ministry partner in Cambodia, and our friends at Life International to reach out to the poor in Poipet and the surrounding region. At the end of last year, through the kindness of Kingsland families, we provided funding for the purchase of 7.5 acres of land near Steve’s Imparting Smiles orphanage in Poipet. This land is the new home of The Hope Center, a campus that will provide medical and dental care for women and children, a feeding and education center for the children who live in the nearby slums, and extended care for children whose parents fail to return home.

The Hope Center will be staffed by Cambodians and will serve as a lighthouse in a region that is steeped in death and darkness. It will be the go-to place for those in need of medical care and who are seeking safety. The medical center, phase one, will be completed this Spring. Kingsland will underwrite the second phase, the feeding center for children, later in 2013. Once the feeding center is operational, Steve anticipates that as many as one-thousand children will receive a nourishing meal at least once every day. Please pray for this ongoing initiative to provide hope to the people of Poipet. And please pray that no worker is injured during the construction of the center. Our prayer is that God will be glorified and His name made famous throughout this region of Cambodia.

Construction continues on The Hope Center in Poipet, Cambodia.

Construction continues on The Hope Center in Poipet, Cambodia.

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Posted in Cambodia, Justice | Tags: , ,

Posted by: Omar C. Garcia | December 9, 2012

Churches Come And Go

There is something about old and abandoned buildings that stirs my imagination and excites my curiosity. On a recent two-day trek down Texas backroads, I photographed several old buildings, long abandoned and slowly being reclaimed by the elements. One structure in particular beckoned me to pull off the road just outside of Muldoon, a tiny community with a population of a little more than one-hundred. It was an old church building with only the vertical section of a cross remaining on the steeple. When it first came into view on the two-lane road, I slowed down and then pulled off the road. There was no way I was going to pass up the opportunity to explore this old building.

Old Church

Old Church Front Door
As I made my way through the dry overgrowth, I noticed that the front door of the building was open. I grew up in a small town in the days when church buildings remained open all day and, in some cases, all night. In fact, I never recall the door to my childhood home ever being locked when I was growing up. In all of the years I lived at home, I never had a house key. Either someone was always home or the door remained unlocked. At any rate, I was glad to find an open door when I approached the old church building.

Old Church Interior
Once inside the building, I noticed the few remaining pews on either side of the red-carpeted aisle. Everything in the building was covered with the dandruff of decay. I paused for a moment and tried to imagine what things must have looked like when the building was new and wondered how many brides had walked down the short distance to the altar. I had to remind myself that this was not the church, only the building where the church had once met for a season.

Old Church Quarterlies
The signs that this had once been a place where people studied the Scriptures were evident. Old Sunday School quarterlies littered the floor, some with the fading names of the members written on the covers. Once again, I could not help but wonder about those who had studied those lessons and perhaps made some life-changing decisions in this old country church building. In a way it did not matter so much that these old lesson books were strewn on the floor because what really matters is what the folks who studied here carried away in their hearts.

Old Church Pulpit View
Standing in the pulpit and looking toward the pews, I wondered about those who had stood in that same spot over the years. How many sermons and weddings and funerals had taken place there? What about special seasonal observances or musical presentations? The history of what happened in that building is lost to all but those who worshiped there. But, without question, so much must have happened in this humble little building throughout the years.

Old Church Exit
After lingering for a while I made my way slowly down the aisle toward the exit. Once again the open door beckoned me out toward the world at large, the place where we are to live out our faith. And again I wondered about how many people might have left this place a little different than when they walked in and more determined to love God and love people. That’s really the way we should always leave our places of worship — changed for the better, a little more in love with God, and always available to both share and demonstrate His love to others in practical and measurable ways.

My visit to the abandoned old church building reminded me that all churches have seasons. Churches come and churches go, but the kingdom of God always remains. It is the constant. That’s why every church — body of believers — should invest in the kingdom of God and in the kind of initiatives that will outlast them and their buildings. And that’s why every body of believers should equip its members to be the church beyond the confines of the buildings where they meet. What happens at the church building should never stay at the church building but should instead be shared and lived out among a world in need.

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Posted in Missions Musings | Tags: ,

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