where are the Jesus-loving Feeney's?

this is something that has been burning on my mind lately. i just read an article about Chuck Feeney who has given away over $4 billion in his lifetime. please read at least some of the background first:

NBC Article

Interview with Chuck Feeney

"The Billionaire Who Wasn't"

The Atlantic Philanthropies : Chuck Feeney's Foundation

I just recently finished reading Money, Possessions and Eternity by Randy Alcorn, in the book he talks about using resources that the LORD has given us now in the light of an eternal perspective. It struck me how few people that love and follow Jesus have caught on to this idea. how amazing is it that people have filled in the gaps where we, who follow Jesus, have lacked? this man, Chuck Feeney, has let over $4 billion dollars slip through his grasp over his lifetime in order to impact the lives of countless other people. all for the sake of humanity

"We were inspired to do this by our founder, Charles Feeney, who believes that 'giving while living' is the best approach to achieve an impact on the urgent social inequities and injustices of our time." - Gara LaMarche, CEO, Atlantic Philanthropies

Yet, the impact is one that will fade. Where are those that love Jesus who are "giving while living" in order to not only serve the injustices but also administer the love of Jesus? We have failed. I have failed. When will we, as people who love Jesus, put down our $100 shoes and $400 cell phones and begin to live simply so that others can simply live? This isn't a call to asceticism but to look at what we "own" in the light of eternity and asking Jesus whether or not He wants us to get joy from having or get joy from giving.

The one thing that has struck me from Alcorn's book is what he says about how we are such a blessed people. Parphrase: Could it be that we are blessed and others are not so that we can not simply be blessed and others not but so that we can show practically the love of Jesus to those that do not have.

"Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: 'He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.'" - 2 Corinthians 8:13-15

Believe me, I don't have it down, but I want to try. We can all start somewhere, maybe not in the same place, but at least we can start.

I would love your thoughts.

what's it got to do with anything?

Love. What is it? And why do we crave it so much? It is like we were made with something inside of us that has an insatiable desire to be loved. But, not only to be loved, but TO love. We try and fill it with lots of stuff. People. Any. Thing.

Why?

I have become very cautious of how I use the word love lately. Yeah, I go to Starbucks but do I really LOVE it? Can you really love some thing? Love must be received. Held onto. So can a kids hot chocolate really receive my LOVE? (Yes, that is one of my regular drinks) Sure, I can thoroughly enjoy the way that it satisfies a certain desire but can it really be the object of my love and in return fulfill my desire to be loved? I'm trying to catch myself when I use the word 'love'. There aren't many people that I actually love. I try and show lots of people acts of love but to say that I actually love them would be a lie.

Is that wrong?

I could count on maybe 3 fingers the number of people I actually love outside of my mom, dad and two brothers. Yet, I throw the word around in casual conversation. "I love this" or "Love you man". But do we really? Sometimes, I wish there were another word with the meaning "I really enjoy you and am on my way to loving you but there are still uncertainties that haven't been worked out yet". All we have in the English is the word "like" which usually isn't strong enough and the word "love" which we have devalued and really is too strong for what we use it for.

Sometimes, when I'm talking to people, I will tell them "I really like you" and to me, in my mind, that is one of the strongest emotions I can c0nvey to a person. I don't like having to do that but I use more my tone than my words. Because I don't know of a word that would fit.

Please, if you have thoughts, leave them. I really would like to hear them and know what others are thinking.

with this ring

So, I guess I should tell everyone. I'm officially getting married! Isn't that great! I'm so excited and I can't wait. Haha, just kidding. I did, however, attend a wedding this past weekend of one of my really close friends while I was at Baylor. I read a poem by Robert Browning. During the wedding I got to thinking about the last marriage between Jesus and His bride, the church. Me. And I couldn't help but sit and take notes during the ceremony because there was so much coursing through my mind. Here are my thoughts:

It was amazing how, all the way up to the wedding we could be joking around but when it finally started there was this hush that fell over the room. You could almost sense that God Himself was watching. He was there. It was such a holy and sacred moment, two lives becoming one. Leaving their own selves and becoming stitched together in the supernatural. Then the bride's maids enter. How beautiful. You could see the groom standing there thinking that if these girls, who have been attending to the bride and have been helping her get ready, looked this magnificent, then how awestruck would he be when his bride finally entered. I could only imagine Jesus as He waits for us, His bride, to finally enter on that eternal day. How excited He would be as He sees angels, who have been sent to minister to us, enter the room preparing the way for us to enter. What a glorious day. I was overwhelmed as I watched and thought of the final day. The day that Jesus returns from preparing a place for us to enter with Him.

One thing I know is that I'm not ready for that day to come. My make-up is all a wreck and my dress is still at the cleaners. Only by the grace of Jesus will I make it on time because He is coming whether I'm ready or not. But the greatest thing is that I don't have to wait until I enter to get to see Him. He readily makes Himself known each day I just have to choose to want to know Him.