Did you notice the yellow jerry can embellished on the back fender of the truck above?

That’s hope.

The great people at charity: water are celebrating their fifth birthday this September by raising money  to purchase a compressor truck, support truck, pipes, tools and a host of spare parts. [...]]]>

Did you notice the yellow jerry can embellished on the back fender of the truck above?

That’s hope.

The great people at charity: water are celebrating their fifth birthday this September by raising money  to purchase a compressor truck, support truck, pipes, tools and a host of spare parts. And why? Because 1 out of every 8 people worldwide still lacks access to clean water. And that’s inexcusable.

Together we can make a difference. For insanely small amounts of money we can provide clean water to people all over the world. And when we roll our money together we can buy something like what you see above. $1.2 million gets us a rig, crew and parts for 80 wells every year. That’s 40,000 people that now have a chance at life because they no longer drink water that will kill them. 

Will you join my family in this? Find out more and get involved here.

If we really believe the central message of Scripture is the restoration of all things, then our action should lead us to intercede in our world. To take up the cause [...]]]> Earth Day and Good Friday occupy the same space tomorrow – and as a follower of Jesus that should be nothing short of normal.

If we really believe the central message of Scripture is the restoration of all things, then our action should lead us to intercede in our world. To take up the cause of those who are hurt, broken or oppressed in any form – especially the innocent who lack simply because of where on the planet they were born.

I’m so thankful for charity: water and the work they are doing. The movement to bring clean water to those who lack access to it re-humanizes entire villages, breathing life into every sector of society.

To find out more about the water crises and how you can get involved, visit charity: water.

Not sure I can put it into words… the quote – speaks to me about painting a picture that captures the imagination. the pic – picture of what was once imagined being realized and it being [...]]]> Late last night, I got an email from a pastor friend about the header here at EchoesOfRedemption.com:

Not sure I can put it into words… the quote – speaks to me about painting a picture that captures the imagination. the pic – picture of what was once imagined being realized and it being even better than once thought.

I wake up in the middle of the night dreaming of what God is doing. I want others to do the same. We are not there yet.

Everyone views that image differently, but here’s the ethos behind the picture to me (and my reply to my friend):

“Missions is less about the transportation of God from one place to another and more about the identification of a God who is already there. You see God where others don’t And then you point him out.” – Rob Bell.

So, yes, we’re painting a picture – and it’s a picture of what we see God already doing. Jonathan Edwards believed that no man can, of himself, come to God. That by the time a man makes a decision for God, the Holy Spirit is deeply at work in his life (for what sinful man would willfully choose God?). The choice itself is an act of grace.

There are so many implications to this belief – chief of which, is that God is working in the “non-believer’s” life as much as he is in the “believer’s” life. And that maybe those terms are entirely too small to encapsulate all God is doing.

And maybe the Spirit is at work all around us and maybe our job as pastors is to be tour-guides for our cities to see and experience this God that is larger than any of us could ever imagine.

God always hears the cry of the oppressed. And we see lack of access to clean water as fundamentally oppressive.

So when water bursts forth, redemption comes with every drop. And God is at work.

60% of the world is in danger of water shortages or contamination.

And here’s why:

You can also learn more  here. And do something about it here:

60% of the world is in danger of water shortages or contamination.

And here’s why:

You can also learn more  here. And do something about it here:

This is Caroline. Beautiful smile, right? She’s smiling because she’s drinking clean water for the first time. She used to walk three hours every day to fetch dirty water. But not anymore. Her village just got a well. Clean water will change everything for Caroline [...]]]> Start making a difference today, by myCharityWater.org

This is Caroline. Beautiful smile, right? She’s smiling because she’s drinking clean water for the first time. She used to walk three hours every day to fetch dirty water. But not anymore. Her village just got a well. Clean water will change everything for Caroline and her community. For every Caroline, there are millions more children hoping to smile like that. Almost a billion people on the planet don’t have clean water right now. Who knows how many people you will impact. This is where it begins. Start a campaign, create a group, invite your friends. Give up your birthday, climb a mountain and run a marathon. And smile. Because what you do here changes lives. 

-mycharity: water team.

He was nearly illiterate at the time and used the inspiration of a picture in a book, and what he could glean from electrical diagrams [...]]]> I watched a video last night about William Kamkwamba, a young man who at age 14 figured out how to build a windmill in his famine-ravished African village.

He was nearly illiterate at the time and used the inspiration of a picture in a book, and what he could glean from electrical diagrams to wire, circuit break and construct a fully operational windmill.

Because bringing hope to his part of the world is less about money or training and more about intestinal fortitude.

Jon Stewart juxtaposed William’s interview with a rapper who was depressed the recession had forced him to cut down on “video hoes” (his term for women in rap videos) and upset because he could only afford a Bentley rather than the Rolls he had wanted.

The Daily Show producers also dropped in Brian Williams’ announcement that the US would be bombing the moon this morning.

So people are dying all over the world while we complain about our cars.

And you can build a well for $2000 to help the 1 in 6 people in this world that are drinking disease contaminated filth for water, but the US is spending $76,000,000 to shoot bombs at the moon to see if there was water on its surface millions of years ago.

And that makes me mad as hell.

Because we could made a difference.

We could change someone’s life.

But we have to do everything fundamentally different – collectively and personally. It can’t just be about us and our story. Checking for water on the moon isn’t categorically wrong. But ignoring a toddler who is drinking water filled with cow piss is.

It has to be about embracing this world, carrying the burdens of those who are distant, marginalized and oppressed.

It has to be about something bigger than ourselves.

And that’s the kind of people we want to be.

And when we talk about starting a church in New York City, that’s the kind of church we want to be.

Right now we’re preparing to hand out a book to people and churches interested in partnering with us in ministry. But this thing is not just about us. Which is why we’re looking for sponsors for each individual book. Because our story is about changing the story of people’s lives.

So for every book we hand out we’re donating a decade of clean water to someone who doesn’t have it. (You can find out more about that here.)

Because together we can make a difference.

Because our blessing should lead us to a lifestyle of generosity.

Because the church exists to pour itself out for the benefit of those lost, distant and hurting all over this planet.

As we think about what our church will look like, we don’t dream of buildings, lighting kits or music styles.

We dream of water.

We dream of water because there are over 1 billion people in our world that don’t have access to clean water. And we find that completely unacceptable.

We dream of [...]]]>

As we think about what our church will look like, we don’t dream of buildings, lighting kits or music styles.

We dream of water.

We dream of water because there are over 1 billion people in our world that don’t have access to clean water. And we find that completely unacceptable.

We dream of water because four people will die of a preventable water-related illness in the time it takes to read this post.

We dream of water because creating measurable change among the oppressed is central to what it means to follow God and live as his image on earth.

So when we think about our church, we can’t help but think about water. Providing sustainable water access and sanitation solutions is central to the vision of what we want to do and how we want to interact with the world.

We believe one person can make a difference.

That you and I, by making simple changes in our lifestyle, can impact the global water problem. That we can slow the effects of environmental destruction and support solutions that bring the essential elements of life to people.

And we believe that the combined energy and resources of the church can change the world.

This is one of the biggest reasons we get excited when we think about starting a church. Our combined energy and resources can make massive difference for people that have no hope.

My prayer is that our biggest celebrations as a church would be directly related to brining hope to people who do not have it. That people would walk into a worship service and see the picture of a well that our church built – because we are completely captivated by it.

Will water be the sole cause our community embraces? Probably not. I hope we grow to a point where we can begin to make changes in the human trafficking industry as well. But for the first season of the church, we are embracing the water crises as our targeted area of impacting our world.

My prayer is that our community would find its identity wrapped up in the stories of oppressed people.

That we would see a church service as a place to gather to celebrate what God is doing, but recognize that the real action is somewhere else.

That we would engage the world as God’s image.