Please help a wonderful cause by submitting your favorite recipes. See the message below from our friend, Mark Dungan, founder of the Neuroblastoma Foundation (NBF) and Lunch for a Cure.
Very, very little of any money donated to most well-known cancer causes actually go to eradicate children's cancers. As you can imagine, breast cancer, colon cancer, and many of the more common adult cancers receive the bulk of the money raised.
However, the NBF funds research exclusively targeted for Neuroblastoma.
Here's a note from Mark about how to be involved:
********************************************************************************************************************
The Neuroblastoma Foundation has officially begun collecting recipes for its 2010 edition of its Lunch for a Cure Cookbook. The proceeds from the sale of this cookbook go to fund important neuroblastoma research. But first, we need to collect some incredible recipes.
I am asking you to donate a recipe in the name of your child, grandchild, or friend that has neuroblastoma.
It is simple:
Go to http://lunchforacure.org/recipe
Follow the directions.
Your recipe will be included in the 2010 Lunch for a Cure Cookbook. The funds from the sale of that cookbook will go towards funding an incredibly important clinical trial for children with high risk neuroblastoma.
Additionally, every recipe given in honor or memory of a child with neuroblastoma will register that child (or family) with a chance to win a brand new Apple iPad. The drawing will be held on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 2010.
Please hurry, we only have a short time to collect the recipes.
Please, donate a recipe to Lunch for a Cure and ask everyone you know to do the same.
With hope,
Mark - father to Sydney (stage 4 neuroblastoma)
October 29, 2010
October 27, 2010
Landowner, part 4
He didn't make assumptions: Now, I've already acknowledged this guy's persistence. He goes back to the market FIVE times to find those in need of a job. The fifth time he goes, there's only an hour left in the workday. Surely, he's surprised that there are STILL folks standing around without a job for the day.
Me... I would've looked at those men, judged them to be lazy and assumed they didn't want to work. I know that's what I would do because I've done it so many times. Homeless folks, folks begging on the street... these people CHOOSE to beg. That's why I can avoid eye contact with them and pass them by with only a twinge of guilt.
The truth is that I've actually met and gotten to know some of these same people. And, yes, SOME of them do indeed choose to beg on the street, some of them are actually lazy, and some of them will steal from you if given any opportunity. But not ALL of them. Some of them have been looking for a job for months, some of them are embarrassed to be accepting a handout, some of them have horrible health issues that prevent them from keeping a job. And some of them actually have a job - or two - but still can't afford to feed and clothe their family because minimum wage can't possibly provide all they need.
The Landowner didn't assume that the needy were lazy. You know what he did? He ASKED. There were people standing around without work, and he didn't know why, so he asked. He simply struck up a conversation and asked. Genius. He didn't ask with judgment in his tone or skepticism in his voice. He asked out of a genuine desire to know the answer and to do something about it if he could.
Asking instead of assuming.... hmmm. Maybe I'll be brave enough to give that a try...
Me... I would've looked at those men, judged them to be lazy and assumed they didn't want to work. I know that's what I would do because I've done it so many times. Homeless folks, folks begging on the street... these people CHOOSE to beg. That's why I can avoid eye contact with them and pass them by with only a twinge of guilt.
The truth is that I've actually met and gotten to know some of these same people. And, yes, SOME of them do indeed choose to beg on the street, some of them are actually lazy, and some of them will steal from you if given any opportunity. But not ALL of them. Some of them have been looking for a job for months, some of them are embarrassed to be accepting a handout, some of them have horrible health issues that prevent them from keeping a job. And some of them actually have a job - or two - but still can't afford to feed and clothe their family because minimum wage can't possibly provide all they need.
The Landowner didn't assume that the needy were lazy. You know what he did? He ASKED. There were people standing around without work, and he didn't know why, so he asked. He simply struck up a conversation and asked. Genius. He didn't ask with judgment in his tone or skepticism in his voice. He asked out of a genuine desire to know the answer and to do something about it if he could.
Asking instead of assuming.... hmmm. Maybe I'll be brave enough to give that a try...
October 25, 2010
The Landowner, part 3
He was involved: According to verse 8, the Landowner had a foreman. Why didn't he send him to hire his laborers? Why did he go himself? Maybe he wanted to be involved, to have a conversation, to look his laborers in the eye, make a deal and shake hands. It was almost as if he was raising them up to a level higher than societal norms placed them. By going himself to make a labor deal with these folks, he was showing them some level of decency and respect. Maybe he wanted to show those he was about to hire dignity by treating them the way he would want to be treated. When he could've sent someone else to do the work, he chose to become involved.
But that's so... messy. What if you give them a fair wage, and then they want more? What if you have to listen to their story about their sick mother who lives in Padukah, Kentucky and desperately needs a liver transplant? What if they want to come into your house to borrow the phone?.... messy.
It's also dangerous. The landowner didn't know these people he was hiring, and yet he brought them to his land and let them see all that he owned. What if they collaborated together to beat him up and rob him? What if they took the day's wage, but came back in the middle of the night to steal from him?.... dangerous.
Definitely messy. Absolutely dangerous. And yet this is our example of the Kingdom of Heaven.
But that's so... messy. What if you give them a fair wage, and then they want more? What if you have to listen to their story about their sick mother who lives in Padukah, Kentucky and desperately needs a liver transplant? What if they want to come into your house to borrow the phone?.... messy.
It's also dangerous. The landowner didn't know these people he was hiring, and yet he brought them to his land and let them see all that he owned. What if they collaborated together to beat him up and rob him? What if they took the day's wage, but came back in the middle of the night to steal from him?.... dangerous.
Definitely messy. Absolutely dangerous. And yet this is our example of the Kingdom of Heaven.
October 20, 2010
Landowner, part 2
He continued seeking out the needy: I bet he had plenty of laborers after his initial 6 am "round up," yet the Landowner went back to the marketplace looking for those in need of a job. He went back at 9 am, noon, 3pm and then at the "11th hour", 5 pm.
Wow. This guy is persistent. I would've patted myself on the back for gettin' up at the crack a' dawn and making the first haul. But the Landowner is obviously not just in this for his own need of laborers. He is seeking out those in need and providing them with a job at a fair wage. Again and again and again.
At Christmastime, our SS class always gives to a family in need. This is a wonderful gesture (and one in which we were very gratefully on the receiving end of when Paul was in the hospital). I've participated in this - I'm pretty sure - every year. But I've discovered that if this is where my philanthropy ends, if this is what I consider "doing my part," I'm not following the example of the Landowner. A shoe box or Angel Tree gift at Christmas is a very nice thing to do, but needy people are in need ALL YEAR LONG.
In fact, I think I can admit that my generosity at Christmastime is steeped in selfishness. If I tip my hat to a worthy cause, then I don't have to feel guilty about the gluttonous indulgence under my Christmas tree. This is how I've discovered that I use needy people: I use them to feel better about my own situation (Thank you, Lord, that Terrill has a job. Thank you that we have health insurance and thank you that we have a home). And I use them to feel better about myself by giving to them out of my abundance.
Now, don't get me wrong... I'm not saying that being thankful for what the Lord has blessed us with is wrong. Absolutely not! And I'm not saying that giving out of our excess is wrong. No way!
But what I AM saying is that if that's where it ends.... if seeing people in need compels me no further than those two things... then I am a whitewashed tomb (Matt 23:27). Woe to me.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others." (emphasis mine)
Matthew 23:23
Wow. This guy is persistent. I would've patted myself on the back for gettin' up at the crack a' dawn and making the first haul. But the Landowner is obviously not just in this for his own need of laborers. He is seeking out those in need and providing them with a job at a fair wage. Again and again and again.
At Christmastime, our SS class always gives to a family in need. This is a wonderful gesture (and one in which we were very gratefully on the receiving end of when Paul was in the hospital). I've participated in this - I'm pretty sure - every year. But I've discovered that if this is where my philanthropy ends, if this is what I consider "doing my part," I'm not following the example of the Landowner. A shoe box or Angel Tree gift at Christmas is a very nice thing to do, but needy people are in need ALL YEAR LONG.
In fact, I think I can admit that my generosity at Christmastime is steeped in selfishness. If I tip my hat to a worthy cause, then I don't have to feel guilty about the gluttonous indulgence under my Christmas tree. This is how I've discovered that I use needy people: I use them to feel better about my own situation (Thank you, Lord, that Terrill has a job. Thank you that we have health insurance and thank you that we have a home). And I use them to feel better about myself by giving to them out of my abundance.
Now, don't get me wrong... I'm not saying that being thankful for what the Lord has blessed us with is wrong. Absolutely not! And I'm not saying that giving out of our excess is wrong. No way!
But what I AM saying is that if that's where it ends.... if seeing people in need compels me no further than those two things... then I am a whitewashed tomb (Matt 23:27). Woe to me.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others." (emphasis mine)
Matthew 23:23
October 19, 2010
Landowner, part 1
So, I've been hangin' out in Matthew lately. Thanks to my SS teacher, I've seen the Gospels in a way I never have before (Thanks, Brett!). Recently, I've been stuck in chapter 20, verses 1-16. This is the parable of the landowner who hires a bunch of people at different hours of the day, but ends up paying them all the same. Remember that one? Well, Jesus begins by saying, "The Kingdom of heaven is like a landowner..." In the past, I've always assumed the kingdom of heaven to be in the future, and the landowner to be God. I still think this is a very proper way to interpret this story. However, I've missed something all these years by not thinking about how this story applies to me TODAY. As a follower of Jesus, I am to bring about His kingdom... here... on earth... right now. And if the landowner is God, then isn't that an example I should emulate in my life today?
So I began to study exactly what the landowner did in this parable. Here are a few things I came up with:
He got up early (ugh!) and he went looking for laborers: He needed people who needed work, and he went out to find them. He didn't sit at home and tell himself that these people didn't exist or must not want to work because he couldn't see them out his front door. He went to where he knew they would be.
Just because I can live my life in a 10-mile radius of white-collar suburbia and go weeks without seeing anyone any different from me, doesn't mean that people in need don't exist. They're out there, and I know where they are. They're somewhere around 15th street, but I just don't go there. It makes me uncomfortable.
He didn't just give those in need a handout; he gave them dignity: Now I'm not just being critical of giving handouts. Sometimes, a handout is exactly the appropriate response. However, most of the time, what a person really needs is a JOB. I don't own a business or have a vineyard to employ people, but I can look at how my actions and attitudes strip people of their dignity and fuel the flame of their worthlessness. How many times have I handed someone a dollar just to get rid of them quickly? How many times have I avoided eye contact, jumped in my car, locked the doors and sped away? Not exactly the example of the landowner.
Now, I know what you're thinking: But the people in the parable WANTED to work; most people these days are lazy and just want a handout. Yeah, there may be some truth to that. But I finally had to admit to myself that I don't KNOW that, I just make assumptions and judgments about people so that I don't have to feel guilty about turning a blind eye. But what if it is 100% true? There's no Biblical model for us to turn away someone in need simply because we judge them to be unworthy. Praise God He didn't do that to me.
So I began to study exactly what the landowner did in this parable. Here are a few things I came up with:
He got up early (ugh!) and he went looking for laborers: He needed people who needed work, and he went out to find them. He didn't sit at home and tell himself that these people didn't exist or must not want to work because he couldn't see them out his front door. He went to where he knew they would be.
Just because I can live my life in a 10-mile radius of white-collar suburbia and go weeks without seeing anyone any different from me, doesn't mean that people in need don't exist. They're out there, and I know where they are. They're somewhere around 15th street, but I just don't go there. It makes me uncomfortable.
He didn't just give those in need a handout; he gave them dignity: Now I'm not just being critical of giving handouts. Sometimes, a handout is exactly the appropriate response. However, most of the time, what a person really needs is a JOB. I don't own a business or have a vineyard to employ people, but I can look at how my actions and attitudes strip people of their dignity and fuel the flame of their worthlessness. How many times have I handed someone a dollar just to get rid of them quickly? How many times have I avoided eye contact, jumped in my car, locked the doors and sped away? Not exactly the example of the landowner.
Now, I know what you're thinking: But the people in the parable WANTED to work; most people these days are lazy and just want a handout. Yeah, there may be some truth to that. But I finally had to admit to myself that I don't KNOW that, I just make assumptions and judgments about people so that I don't have to feel guilty about turning a blind eye. But what if it is 100% true? There's no Biblical model for us to turn away someone in need simply because we judge them to be unworthy. Praise God He didn't do that to me.
October 8, 2010
September 13, 2010
You may know that my friends in Iraq at PLC have recently completed "Remedy Mission," a project where they partnered with doctors and technicians from around the world to work for 2 weeks in order to perform heart surgeries on about 25 kids in their hometown.
To put this in perspective, it would take PLC almost a year to save that many kids "the old fashioned way" (by sending them out of the country to Turkey to have the surgery). In addition, the local doctors are being trained. The hope and goal is that Kurdish/Iraq doctors will be self-sufficient in heart surgery in 5 years.
The wonderful news is that, due to a lot of hard work and a lot of generous people, the project was a huge success and many families are now celebrating a life that was previously considered lost.
However, not all stories have happy endings. Click here for a challenging glimpse into the world of PLC.
To put this in perspective, it would take PLC almost a year to save that many kids "the old fashioned way" (by sending them out of the country to Turkey to have the surgery). In addition, the local doctors are being trained. The hope and goal is that Kurdish/Iraq doctors will be self-sufficient in heart surgery in 5 years.
The wonderful news is that, due to a lot of hard work and a lot of generous people, the project was a huge success and many families are now celebrating a life that was previously considered lost.
However, not all stories have happy endings. Click here for a challenging glimpse into the world of PLC.
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