What's required

God talks to me in the strangest places.

Here I am, sitting on the side of my tub, shaving my legs quickly so I can wear capris to church tonight. I don't know why, but I was thinking about a book I read a couple of weeks ago called The Same Kind of Different As Me, by Ron Taylor and Denver Moore. It's a must read and a great tale that is based for the majority in Fort Worth. The story is about two men who are opposites in race, status, upbringing, etc that end up being best friends through the call of a special woman in their lives. One of the men is homeless on the streets of Fort Worth at the time the two meet and the journey that this obstical leads them both on is both compelling and inspiring.

Curious about more information on the authors, I searched the website dedicated to the book. Under the FAQ's page, I found that a number of people were curious to know if Oprah knew about the book and if so, why hasn't she approached them about sharing their story on her show. Mr. Taylor answered that he can only assume that Oprah does know about the book as more than 500 people have told him that they have either written her about it or sent it to her personally. He said that he had not been approached by her about it as of yet.

So, I thought about that concept while I was shaving and the thought led me here: The running theme throughout the book is Christ and how He teaches us and pushes us beyond ourselves to see others in need. The main author is a very wealthy man and at the height of that wealth, felt the call to serve humbly in a homeless shelter. That's just the start though and what he finds is that when you pour out your life to others, you find who you were truly created to be. My take on it is that although Oprah is committed to the "Big Give" and creating a "New Earth", she has the wrong motives. And I am sure that the reason she is not jumping at the chance to tell her millions about this book is because it shows that conservative, right-wing, evangelicals can and are stepping up to do normally left-wing charity like taking care of our neighbors. For too long, we have become comfortable with taking care of "our own", but it is time to step up and practice what God calls "pure and genuine religion" in James 1:27. He speaks of widows and orphans here, but I am sure the word orphan can extend to those without a home as well. I personally am committed to the cause of adoption, not just for my home, but the cause as a whole. What would politics and the world look like if we, the called of Christ, stood up and did what He has commanded us? Love Him above everything and love our neighbor as ourselves. We would shock this country and the world and the tide would turn and we would not be dependant on Oprah any longer to tell the stories to inspire the nation, but the love of Christ Himself radiated through us would reach this nation without a word.

Pray with me and ask God what He requires of us. This is the time...like Esther, we were born for such a time as this.

Here is an interview with the writers of this book on Life Today with James Robinson.
Interview