I’ve always believed that the things that make us angry, make us laugh or make us cry say a lot about our character.

This is our youngest daughter, Sara Ann. Injustice makes her angry. Puppies, small children and her mom’s senior moments make her laugh. Poverty and homelessness make her cry.

She gave this talk — and shed these tears — during this past weekend’s a youth retreat at Germantown United Methodist Church.

Sara Ann: Connected to Jesus from beth g sanders on Vimeo.

And, before you even ask, yeah, this made me cry. Big time.

Signs requesting help are a common sight

I just posted this on Memphis Connect:

The The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) has mobilized global relief efforts in Haiti. UMCOR been recognized by Charity Navigator as a four-star organization. From their Web site:

UMCOR honors cultural differences. We deliver aid to people without regard to race, religion, politics, or gender. We seek input from local communities in identifying needs.

More about their values here.

As UMCOR’s administrative costs are underwritten by the United Methodist Church, 100 percent of all donations go directly to aid.

How You Can Help

Read the rest on Memphis Connect >>

I don’t usually write posts like this, and I’ll probably make some people mad, but … here goes.

These words of love and compassion from Shane Claiborne still ring in my ears as I grieve over the tragedy in Haiti.

“God intends for the church to be the hands and feet of Jesus in today’s world and the Bible calls for believers to be the light of the world … when the next generation thinks of the church, they will think of compassion, justice, peace, reconciliation, gentleness and love and that Christians will be known not for who we are against, but for whom we love — everyone.”

Contrast Shane’s words of love and compassion with this statement from televangelist Pat Robertson (from CBS News):

As Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive said “well over” 100,000 people may have died in the national disaster, Robertson took to the airwaves Wednesday on his show and said that the country has been “cursed by one thing after another” since they “swore a pact to the devil.”

“Something happened a long time ago in Haiti and people might not want to talk about,” Robertson said Tuesday.

According to David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons, author of the book unChristian, Christians — and the church — have a less-than-stellar reputation. And statements like Robertson’s and this gem from author John Piper do little to represent Jesus’ unconditional love.

Christians are supposed to represent Christ to the world. But according to the latest report card, something has gone terribly wrong. Using descriptions like “hypocritical,” “insensitive,” and “judgmental,” young Americans share an impression of Christians that’s nothing short of … unChristian.

When a friend is diagnosed with a terminal illness, do we talk about the poor choices they have made?

Do we tell the bereaved family of a middle-aged heart attack victim that their loved one is gone because he was fat and sedentary?

Is it necessary to explain to the devastated parents of a teenager killed in a car accident that their child was a crappy driver?

Of course not. But I’m speaking the truth, you might say. Yeah. it might be the truth. Sometimes the truth hurts, but it must be spoken nonetheless. Those parents may have to deal with the fact that their child’s error caused the fatal accident. Sometimes family and friends have to intervene with harsh words in the life of an addict to bring them to the point of change. But sometimes, even true words just do not need to be spoken.

The difference is … love. In Ephesians 4:15 (The Message), the Bible tells us to tell the truth in love (emphasis mine).

God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do.

Of course there are times when tough words must be spoken, but it’s wrong to justify cruel words as truth when their aftermath is only pain. We must measure our words — both the sweet word and the hard ones — by Jesus’ example.

Please pray for the people of Haiti and donate what you can to support relief efforts.

Shane Claiborne doesn’t look — or live — like an average preacher. This author, Christian activist and sought-after speaker wears no tie, not even a blazer and jeans, but casual, comfortable clothes and has dreadlocks that hang past his shoulders. Raised in east Tennessee, he now lives and serves among the homeless in inner-city Philadelphia in community with others who share resources and live frugally on about $150 per person per month. He ministered in Iraq during the bombing of Baghdad in 2003 and spent one summer among the poor in Calcutta with Mother Theresa.

Claiborne recently spoke at Germantown United Methodist Church, at an event sponsored by the student ministry, which is led by Alison Bocking.

Here’s my video interview with Claiborne and with two of my favorite women, Mary Ann Gibson and her daughter, Maddie.

Read the full post on Memphis Connect.