harvest of generosity
In East Africa, I’ve found that a little goes a long way. For example, my colleagues and I are able to help feed 20 children in Uganda for far less than it would cost to feed 20 children in the US.
put to, put on
Though it’s my job to be an actor, I have given my life to God. I am very comfortable and firm in that, but I still have to be on this [TV] show. It’s the number one [rated] comedy, but it’s very inappropriate and the themes are very inappropriate. I have to be this person I am not.”
Christmas kindness
My son spent his first decade of life in a warm East Africa climate. For his 10th birthday, I used frequent flier miles and took him to the western part of the US to experience snow.
proven by patience
While dining with friends at a restaurant in Uganda, my 9-year-old son and I requested refills of our iced tea. Because friends own the restaurant and it’s a relaxed environment, when I saw our waiter was busy serving others, I picked up our glasses and started toward the kitchen. That’s when my son quietly said to me, “Mommy, it’s OK if it takes them a little while to bring us our tea. Please be patient.”
friends & enemies
A made-for-TV miniseries chronicled the experiences of the US 1st Marine Division in the Pacific Theater during World War II. The episode of the Marines storming the beaches of Iwo Jima was emotionally difficult to watch. Of the young Marines who survived the barrage of bullets and mortar fire, many froze on the beach in utter terror, not knowing what to do next.
trapped
There was a time, deep into my walk with Jesus, when life became extremely difficult. I told a friend that I felt like a mouse, batted back and forth between the paws of a cat that was toying with his victim before making the final blow.
backslap back?
When I lived in China, I had an American friend who was radically committed to bringing the gospel to that nation. He mastered the Chinese language until even the Chinese thought he spoke exactly like them, with no foreign accent; and he aggressively shared Jesus at every opportunity. Once he was attacked by thugs, and rather than use his larger size to fight back he obeyed Jesus’ command to turn the other cheek. His pummeling increased my admiration for him, though I also think he missed Jesus’ point.
transforming grace
At the start of the 1998 film Les Miserables, recently released convict Jean Valjean staggers into a small village. Cold, starving, and out of options, Valjean receives a meal and lodging from a local bishop. During the night, however, Valjean repays the bishop’s kindness by running off with his host’s expensive silverware. He’s caught the next morning, but the bishop graciously saves him from being sent back to prison by claiming that the stolen silverware was a “gift.”
human chameleon
Chinese performance artist Liu Bolin is known as “the invisible man” or “the human chameleon” because he blends himself into his surroundings. To do this, he covers his entire body in paint which perfectly matches his chosen backdrop. Liu has painted himself into real-life scenes which include graphitized walls, supermarket shelves, and even telephone booths.
freely given
At the end of a long day, I took a quick moment to get a jumpstart on my work email—striving to preempt any surprises I might face at 8 o’clock the next morning. Frustration ebbed throughout my tired mind as I read an email that contained complaints and feelings of entitlement from a student known to be immature in his responses to life’s challenges. I wanted to send back a veiled sting of reproach, but instead I crawled into bed to think through my response. Getting to the root of my frustrations, I nixed my first inclinations and seized the opportunity to model grace.
slow boil
It’s ironic that superstar chef Gordon Ramsay doesn’t take long to reach full boil. If he deems someone isn’t taking his sage advice on how to use sage or cilantro, he goes ballistic. His meltdowns on the show Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares are legendary. Gordon could definitely use some of the “seasoning” that the apostle Paul wrote about in Colossians 3.
love in action
During the US civil rights struggle, lovingkindness required the demolishing of unjust laws, but it also required that individuals take deliberate action. It was not enough for whites to take down the “Whites Only” signs or allow blacks to vote. True welcome and relationship required whites to move toward friendship; and it also required blacks to embrace (again and again) the risk of stepping into friendships within contexts where they had been wronged and excluded. It required love in action.
go, reveal Him
If you didn’t grow up in a Christian home, chances are that you didn’t come to faith through a message heard on radio or TV, read in a magazine article, or heard in a debate. No, it’s likely a believer in Jesus entered your life and provided spiritual illumination beyond this world.
perfect harmony
Amy Chua’s 7-year-old daughter Lulu was struggling to master a difficult piece of classical piano music. When she gave up, her mother ordered her back to the piano, threatening to dispose of the little girl’s dolls’ house if the piece wasn’t perfect by the next day. The threats continued: no lunch, dinner, or holiday presents—and no birthday parties for several…
