When I lived in Afghanistan, I was not able to have a hot bath or shower for a year and a half! Although we had cold-water plumbing, the majority of Afghans did not. (And yes, I did bathe every day—we called it a ‘bucket’ bath!) Perhaps my abiding appreciation for hot & cold running water is compelling me to comment on today’s news story of the crippled Carnival Cruise ship. Due to a fire in the engines, the passengers endured two days without electricity, backed-up toilets, and worst of all, according to many of them, cold showers (and they had to eat canned food!). It will evermore be known as the ‘nightmare’ cruise.
As I read the article, I was reminded of the 3 billion people on our planet who live without access to proper sanitation, of the 2 billion people who have no electricity, of the 1.1 billion who do not have access to clean drinking water, and the 22,000 children who die each day of starvation and preventable diseases.
Something is really wrong when we think what happened on the Carnival Cruise ship is a nightmare. It was nothing more than an inconvenience (nobody was injured; no one died). As our American culture of consumerism and narcissism increases, can I ask you to join me today to remember and recommit ourselves to the attitude of Jesus (who lived his entire life without hot and cold running water, power or indoor plumbing) as expressed by the words of Paul: If we have food & clothing, let us be content (1 Tim. 6:8).
Showing posts with label cruise liner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cruise liner. Show all posts
Friday, November 12, 2010
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Born On a Battleship
I read in the paper this morning that the Taliban is flourishing despite opposition. This shouldn’t surprise any student of history. Opposition is the sure way of keeping a 'cause' alive. Christianity survived, thrived, and increased through 2,000 years of resistance and persecution.
Paul said the Christian’s mindset should be that of a soldier suffering hardship (2 Tim. 2:3). He frames the Christian’s struggle as warfare (2 Cor. 10:4), and declares that those who suffer with Christ will reign with Him (2 Tim.2:12).
Do you see yourself as a Passenger on a Cruise Liner or a Battleship?
I recently heard a Christian motivational speaker compare a Christian’s expectations to that of passenger on a cruise ship or a battleship. Unfortunately, too many Christians, he said, expect that being a Christian is like being a passenger on a cruise ship—fine dining, comfortable living quarters, sunny skies, easy living, etc. But such people are quickly disillusioned when they experience long lines at meals, noisy, inconsiderate cabin neighbors, and cloudy days. On the other hand, Christians who see themselves as passengers on a battleship have no such preconceptions to set them up for disappointment. Like sailors on a battleship, they know meals will be mediocre, and they expect inconveniences of confined living quarters: crowded bunk rooms and shared bathrooms.
The speaker’s point, of course, is that we should have a “battleship” mentality rather than cruise liner expectations.
I was very grieved when Joel Osteen answering Larry King’s question “is it hard to live the Christian life?” said “No, Larry: it’s fun.”
I fear many Christians are going to think they signed up for a cruise ship when they got born again, and, not knowing that they were “born” into a war zone, will, as Paul said, be “shipwrecked” in their faith.
What about you? Do you have a battleship or a cruise liner mindset?
[Hint: you can know the answer to this question by asking yourself how much you complain and grumble about your circumstances! Your disappointment is directly related to your expectations!]
Paul said the Christian’s mindset should be that of a soldier suffering hardship (2 Tim. 2:3). He frames the Christian’s struggle as warfare (2 Cor. 10:4), and declares that those who suffer with Christ will reign with Him (2 Tim.2:12).
Do you see yourself as a Passenger on a Cruise Liner or a Battleship?
I recently heard a Christian motivational speaker compare a Christian’s expectations to that of passenger on a cruise ship or a battleship. Unfortunately, too many Christians, he said, expect that being a Christian is like being a passenger on a cruise ship—fine dining, comfortable living quarters, sunny skies, easy living, etc. But such people are quickly disillusioned when they experience long lines at meals, noisy, inconsiderate cabin neighbors, and cloudy days. On the other hand, Christians who see themselves as passengers on a battleship have no such preconceptions to set them up for disappointment. Like sailors on a battleship, they know meals will be mediocre, and they expect inconveniences of confined living quarters: crowded bunk rooms and shared bathrooms.
The speaker’s point, of course, is that we should have a “battleship” mentality rather than cruise liner expectations.
I was very grieved when Joel Osteen answering Larry King’s question “is it hard to live the Christian life?” said “No, Larry: it’s fun.”
I fear many Christians are going to think they signed up for a cruise ship when they got born again, and, not knowing that they were “born” into a war zone, will, as Paul said, be “shipwrecked” in their faith.
What about you? Do you have a battleship or a cruise liner mindset?
[Hint: you can know the answer to this question by asking yourself how much you complain and grumble about your circumstances! Your disappointment is directly related to your expectations!]
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