Very Thin Ice

You asked for it...

Per request of readers, I have done some research and found clinics and individual healthcare professionals that provide affordable healthcare in the state of Georgia.

1. Georgia Free Clinic Network
2. St. Francis Hospital
3. Columbus Regional
   

There appear to be four clinics (see numero uno) in our area (Greater Columbus) that provide free healthcare or care on a sliding scale based on your income.

There are also various institutions that provide thousands of dollars of free healthcare through out the year. Keep an eye on your local news for events like the ones below.

1. United Concordia
2. Flagler County Free Health Clinic

Also, in addition to the fact that there are affordable healthcare options available if you look, there are also groups that work together to help each other pay for medical costs. My family has been apart of one of these groups for years. It is not insurance because no one is assuming financial liability. Instead, it sharing the gifts that God has given us. It's called Samaritan Ministries.

If you need more, just let me know and I will work on researching it some more.

**As a side note, in regards to the President's remark about car insurance, let me just point out that while it is the law to have car insurance, everyone has to provide it for themselves and the government has nothing to do with it. Just pointing that out...

What would Emily Post do?

I feel like I have a conversation about manners at least once a week. And if not manners, then we are talking about the proper protocol for a situation. I have always loved reading about manners and have worn thin the copy of Amy Vanderbilt's "The Guide to Gracious Living" which is sitting with me right now, but has a rather permanent home next to my bed (read=loveseat) at my parent's house. Needless to say, I know my manners. So, whenever there is a question of etiquette, the guys on the campaign usually come to me.

My mother made my morning when she handed me the newest edition of "Real Simple", my favorite, favorite, favorite magazine. Ever. I was thrilled to pieces when I saw that there was an article on manners and was doubly thrilled to see that it was written by the great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post. Her name is Anna and she has a blog! The excitement triples at this point. You can click here to get to it!

Oh the joy that will be mine today as I sip a cup of tea on this overcast day and read my copy of "Real Simple." Good Morning, simple joys!

Bring the Rain: The Story of Audrey Caroline

Over a month ago, my cousin, Peyton, introduced me to a blog written by a woman named Angie Smith. The blog is called "Bring the Rain: The Story of Audrey Caroline." Angie is wife to Todd and mom to Ellie, Kate, Abby, and sweet Audrey who has gone to be with the Lord. The whole blog is about Angie's grief over the loss of her daughter, Audrey. Angie and Todd were expecting Audrey and were told that she would not live long after birth, if she was even alive at that point. They were given the option to terminate the pregnancy or carry Audrey to full term, knowing that she would die shortly thereafter. Terminating the pregnancy was not an option for the Smith family. So for the next few months, Angie carried her sweet baby with the knowledge that she would never really know her Audrey.

Peyton and I have been reading this blog like it is a novel that we just can't put down. It's almost like my daily devotional. Angie's faith is stronger and more alive than I have ever experienced from any one person in my life. Her dependency upon our Lord and Savior is inspiring and humbling. I admire her boldness as she proclaims the name of Jesus Christ in a non-aggressive way. She is warm, inviting, and open when it comes to her beliefs. She is sincere and consistent. Her story is thought provoking and full of lessons. She doesn't portray herself or her family in a way that they are not. She is simply human and talks about life as it happens. She is quick to admit her faults and just as Paul wrote, Angie says that she is "the greatest of sinners."

Angie's words make me stand in shame as I realize that there are probably those around me who have no idea how devoutly committed I am to my faith. There are times when I sit silently as others mock the name of my heavenly Father or carry on conversations about religious and spiritual things. As someone who longs to serve the kingdom of God as a missionary here in the states and overseas, there should be no doubt in any one's mind where I stand, yet I daily fail the gospel message. I daily fail to express my faith is word and deed. I daily fail to boldly stand before the thrown of Christ as His daughter and I daily fail to bring others with me as I fall at His feet.

Our conversation in small group tonight revolved around our roll as Christ's ambassadors in the world around us. How do I effectively bring the gospel to those around me in a way soaked with humility and grace all the while being content with the knowledge that it is Christ at work and not me? How do I minister to those around me when my boldness is lacking? My life is not perfect and I am the least among my fellow believers. Yet, I long to serve the Lord, even as I fail to show that in my day to day life.

I invite you to share and explore Angie's journey with me. I promise that you will not be disappointed. God is surely using her in ways that are far beyond my own understanding.

I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
Psalms 116:1-2

The Homemakers vs. The Businesswomen

In today's society, there are two basic types of women. There is the Homemaker and the Working Woman. Now, within these two types of women there are the women that have children and the women who do not. Both types of women are hardworking, strong, and independent women. Both types of women represent the American Woman in all forms. Yet, society has varying views on the value of both the Homemakers and the Businesswomen.

The Homemaker is viewed in two different ways. The first is admiration. Her family takes top priority with nothing else vying for her attention. She cooks, cleans, does laundry, carpools children, and is a lover, all the while being a wife and mother. (Ooo. I rhymed. Extra credit right here.) The second is view is scorn. She does all of these things, yet is she content? Doesn't she have dreams? Doesn't she want more?

The Businesswoman is also viewed in two different ways. The views are the same as the Homemaker. The first is Admiration. She works in the corporate world and has a family. She is able to take care of her family and have a career. The second view is scorn. Is she able to give both priorities enough time and effort to make them both successful? Are her children getting enough “mommy” time? Is her relationship with her husband as a wife and lover able to grow and flourish? Is her job taken care of in a way that is productive to the company?

The answers to all of these questions are yes. There are women who are content being homemakers. There are women who want something different. A woman can succeed in the business world while succeeding as a wife and mother. Children with working mothers grow up to be normal human beings, just like those children whose mothers stayed home with them. Husbands whose wives work outside the home are loved and nurtured just like those whose wives stay at home. The two family types may function differently, but both can be happy, “normal”, loving families. Yet, with all this said, there are still parts of society that looks at the woman who works outside the home and says “ Tisk, tisk. That woman is neglecting her family.” On the other hand the Homemaker is looked at in the same way only on a more personal level, with worry focused on the person and not so much on the activities with which she is involved. Well, at least both sides are talking about the other and no one is being singled out.

Let's look at the Homemaker. Her job is not an easy one. She is constantly being pulled in several different directions. She has a full time job cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, raising children, and being a wife. The question “Does she want more?” still arises. It depends on the woman. Some women are perfectly happy being a Homemaker. They love their job as a wife and mother and need nothing else to fulfill them. They take time out for themselves when needed, but taking care of others is what keeps them going. Yet there is the Homemaker who wants more and is not content with “just being at home”. If she is not truly happy, how can she effectively take care of her family? There are women who do long for more than the role of homemaking and that is where we meet the Working Mother.

The Working Mother is not so different from the Homemaker. She also cooks, cleans, does laundry, has children, and a husband, but has a corporate job as well. She is a wife and mother and businesswoman all at the same time. She carpools children, goes to soccer games, little league games, sits on the PTA board, and takes care of her husband. Whether she is a doctor in the E.R., a lawyer, a CEO of a multi-million dollar corporation, or a politician on Capitol Hill, it does not change the fact that she loves her family. While it is true that it is not always a fairy tale life, the vast majority of women prioritize well (since that is what women do) and work hard at putting their families come first.

The Working Mother is a fairly new phenomenon. Only since the Second World War have women truly begun to work outside the home for any reason other than a financial one. Women have begun to work outside the home because they enjoy it. Whereas, during WWII, when they were forced to take up the jobs the husbands, sons, brothers, and fathers had had before the war, now women were realizing they enjoyed the idea of working outside the home. They wanted to be a part of the world in a new way. They had only recently acquired the right to vote and now they wanted to be a part of the work force that was truly affected by their vote.

I believe whole-heartedly that women can choose what they want to do. That women can be successful at whatever they put their minds too. I grew up in a home where my mom stayed home with us. I have friends who had moms working outside of the home. And we all went to college, are emotionally stable people, and are working towards our dreams. I work for a family where the mom works outside the home and I have full faith that little Luke will also go to college, be emotionally stable, and go on to be a successful adult who will make his parents proud.

The judgment and guilt put on women who work outside the home with a family in tow is unfair and wrong. And it is wrong for the working woman to look down with superiority on the homemaker. There are always going to be reasons behind the decision of each woman to stay at home or work outside the home. And we will never know all of those reasons. So where does the right to judge come from?

Press Conferences, Health Care, and all 60 states of America.

It was only 65 days ago that I wrote a post about the Inauguration of the first African-American President of our great nation, Barack Obama. In this post, I suggested keeping various criticisms suppressed until later, allowing for the enjoyment of the historical nature of the day. And in the past 65 days, I have done a fairly good job of watching and waiting, more than willing and really quite eager to be able to sing the praises of our newest Commander in Chief. However, after 65 days -and yes, I realize that it has only been 65 days- I have some criticisms.

While I am more than willing to admit that President Obama was handed an economical mess, I am failing to see much improvement, if any, now or in the near future. With our financial debt reaching the trillions and no end in sight to the spending, my faith is waning. And, in light of last night's press conference, I don't see my confidence returning at extreme rates of speed.

In the first question posed last night by Jennifer Loven of the Associated Press, Obama was asked about government regulation of big, complex financial structures and why he thought the American people would "sign on for another new sweeping authority for the government to take over companies..." given the failure experienced thus far with banks refusing to release spending reports and AIG's bonuses. To this Obama responds that these issues happened because there was no authority to begin with and to keep in mind that AIG is an insurance firm and not a bank, because if it was, it would have been privatized by this point. Comforting, I'm sure. When Loven then asked why should the public trust the government to handle that authority well, Obama skirted around the question by saying that the FDIC handles these situations well, and given the right tools, so could the government. Sorry, what? The comparison seems faulty.

I have a difficult time wrapping my mind around more government authority and the President's round-about reasoning is not helping convince me that it is a good idea. By placing what Obama calls "common sense" regulations on these institutions, the government is then controlling the people that you have chosen to place in control of your money. No matter how you slice it, it is government control over yet another aspect of your life and how is that a good idea?

When asked by NBC's Chuck Todd about the lack of sacrifices asked of the American People, given the financial crisis that we find ourselves in, Obama responded that the American people sacrifice enough; parents cutting back so kids can go to college, folks cutting out a whole day's work so that others won't be laid off, etc. And in this regard, I totally agree. The American people are sacrificing. However, I think it is important for their Commander in Chief to set an example of responsible spending and cutting back, both in national affairs and more "low-key" affairs. I am referring to the numerous parties and cocktail hours held by the White House. In a recession like ours, how is it appropriate for the President to have a continuous string of parties? Someone suggested that it was because it was the only way for both sides to actually get together and talk. So what do we need with congressional and senate meetings? Obviously, they are of no use since we bribe our country's leaders to actually talk to one another with free alcohol and eats. This same person suggested that there is so much anger on both sides of the aisle that this is the only way to get them to put aside their differences. Well, if this is the case, when did we start letting fraternities and sororities run the country? Seriously, these grown men and women, who all want to continue living in the greatest nation on this earth-preferably as senators and congressmen/women- can't seem to come together and work on this crisis without being bribed by cocktails and a live band? Surely there is a better answer. Certainly our high-ranking political figures are more mature than that. If not, maybe we should reconsider their positions in upcoming elections.

CBS's Chip Reid jumped in after Todd, quoting comments made by the President during his town hall meetings in California last week where he said "I didn't run for president to pass on our problems to the next generation." Reid then questioned Obama's budget that will increase the national debt by a reported $7 trillion over the next ten years (The Congressional Budget's Office says $9.3 trillion) and it has been said that with health care, education, and environmental spending, this will be the most irresponsible budget in American history. Obama's one word answer was: Yes. Upon further prompting from Reid, Obama stated that he was handed a $1.3 trillion deficit (I should have known that it was all Bush's fault, which obviously excuses the $7.3 trillion that we will incur because of Obama's budget) and that since no one else had a better plan, his would have to do. Oh, and he is cutting out wasteful spending on Medicare and adding the necessary funds for wooden arrows for children, pig odor control, new cars for the federal government, and according to an article in the WallStreet Journal, $7 billion will go towards modernizing federal buildings. When asked why the deficit would be cut in half over the next four to five years and then continue to go up after that, all the while making long term structural cuts and our debt still rising in the out years, the President responded saying, "Well, look, it is going to take a whole host of adjustments, and we couldn't reflect all of those adjustments in this budget." Really? Is that the response that the American people want to hear right now? Our President and his advisers are putting together a plan that they haven't fully reflected upon? I feel better now.

More questions ensued and the round- about answers continued. CNN's Ed Henry stated that while President Obama continued to criticize and blame the Bush administration, his own plan would double that debt. When asked if he was concerned about an even bigger fiscal disaster should the spending continue, Obama said, "Yes, of course!" Silly Ed. Don't you know that health care is the answer to all of our nation's problems? Socialize America's health care and we won't be in debt anymore. Right? Of course, the other option is to "stand pat" and do nothing and not invest in our health care at all. Wasn't aware that there was an issue with health care other than the government wanting to control something else.

Henry also asked why it took so long for Obama to come out with his outrage and admonition towards AIG. The President said that it was because he likes to know what he is talking about before he speaks. Which leads us to a lighter note.

Everyone misspeaks. It's a natural, human thing to do. While George W. Bush was constantly mocked for his, sometimes outlandish, remarks and mis-usage of words, let us note that Barack Obama is not without some thoughtless moments of his own.

On March 17th, 2009-St. Patrick's Day-President Obama appeared, along side Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen and proceeded to read the wrong speech, one meant for the Prime Minister, and thank himself for the party that was being given...by him. Then, this past week, during the first ever late night T.V. appearance made by a President, Obama proceeded to remark that his bowling average was on par with the "Special Olympics." Ouch. Really?

Obama's blunders do not stop there. From THE bomb that fell on Pearl Harbor to his uncle being among the first American troops that freed Auschwitz concentration camp, as well as honoring dead troops that he SAW while making a speech on Memorial Day, Obama's bloopers are numerous over the past months. His mixed up dates and events and disorientation on the campaign trail make for several laughs. Oh, and I guess my education was lacking since I had no idea that America consisted of 60 states.

Overall, impressed is not the word I would use when President Obama's first couple of months in office come to mind. However, I am committed to continuing my following of our new leader and staying open to what comes out of the White House, hopeful for the American people and our President.

Back to the Basics

While watching "West Wing" the other morning, a commercial caught my attention. It was the newest Allstate Insurance advertisement.



I really love this ad and the truth in it. As we face an economic crisis that is the worst our generation has seen, the basics- as Allstate put it- are becoming exceedingly important to our society. I find this to be true for myself. Learning to do without and make do with what I have, putting off something new and savoring what is already in my possession, treasuring consistency and what I know will always be, these are the lessons that are very real in our world right now.

Christmas seems like a good example to share. The Garcia family as a whole enjoys tradition. If we do something one time then we "have always done it this way" or we have to forever do it that way until the day we die. Well, this past Christmas we bought our tree from a different tree farm and the kids about had a cow. The reasoning behind going somewhere else was that the trees were cheaper, but the kids were not having it. It only got worse when Mom mentioned not putting up ALL of our Christmas decorations, making less work for her when the holiday was over. Mary Lou fell apart. The change with the tree was enough, not carrying on the traditions that didn't cost anything financially was too much for her. I could understand her thought process. Why change what doesn't cost anything? With the world around us changing and purses tightening, it seems only natural to hold close that which is dear.

With our floundering economy things such as Sunday afternoons with the family, giggling with sisters, Ultimate Frisbee in the park, long runs, family dinners, good books, and other timeless activities are beautiful and basic. And I for one appreciate the opportunity to experience and enjoy the basics.

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, "I will never fail you nor forsake you." -Hebrews 13:5

The Queen of Facebook speaks out.

I have a love hate relationship with Facebook. It's been going on since early 2006. I got on because the guy I was dating was on and I wanted to be able to...be on there too...lame. I know. And it just gets crazier. I am known as the "Queen of Facebook." Seriously. Want to know why?

I have:

1. 1, 342 friends
2. 865 pictures of me (that have been tagged)
3. 70 photo albums
4. 130 Profile Picture. This means that is how many times I have changed my profile picture since 2006. AND I know that I have deleted one or two.

So, yes, the Queen of Facebook is speaking to you right now. Feel honored.

Over the past (almost) four years, Facebook has kept me entertained, enabled my nosy-ness, helped me waste time, spawned many a political debate, and arguments with my mother. In short, I love Facebook while hating it with a fiery passion of hell. However, I keep my account and am logged in most of the day. Why? I have no idea. It's addicting. Plus, at this point, what's the use in deleting it? The geniuses behind this site have changed their privacy policies and are keeping everything you have ever posted and claim to own it all now, so again...what's the point in deleting my account? I don't see one.

So, without further comment, here are 25 more reasons why I love/hate Facebook.

Guest Blogger

I am getting ready to leave for Sharptop in a bit and don't really have time to think about what to blog. I am giving you a guest blogger today. I think this is a great post and relates well to what I am doing this weekend.


Enjoy!

T.U.L.I.P.

I read several blogs on a regular basis. I have a list on the right-hand side of my own blog. One of the sites that I visit regularly is Desiring God. It is "God-centered resources from the ministry of John Piper." John Piper is the senior pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He wrote of my favorite books (and one that I am re-reading this year) called "Desiring God." Great book.

John Piper adheres closely to the mindset of John Calvin. You can read about John Calvin here. Calvin believed the following:

Total Depravity (also known as Total Inability and Original Sin)
Unconditional Election
Limited Atonement (also known as Particular Atonement)
Irresistible Grace
Perseverance of the Saints (also known as Once Saved Always Saved)

These five categories do not comprise Calvinism in totality. They simply represent some of its main points. You can read more about Calvinism here. I personally believe that Mr. Calvin would roll over in his grave of he knew that people called themselves "Calvinist," but that is just me.

My original point was this, I was reading the DG blog this morning and on the left-hand side there is a list of articles from the blog that the author calls "Best of DG blog." I was intrigued by the title of one of the articles; "Be a kinder Calvinist." As someone who also considers themselves to be of John Calvin's mindset, I was a little more than interested. The article was written in in response to this letter.

Basically, the writer of the letter is unsure of how to deal with some members of his congregation who are what he calls "hyper-Calvinists." He goes on to describe this particular group as "very vocal and self-righteous." He doesn't understand why a) they cannot agree to disagree, b) why it isn't good enough to be a solid evangelical who really loves Jesus and wants to serve him, and c) why the tool that he had leaned on for so many years in youth ministry, namely loving relationships, failed him.

I can totally understand where this pastor is coming from. I have been in situations where legalism and an air of self-righteousness were extremely prevalent. As someone who grew up in the "Reformed Faith", I see the (and totally had the same mindset) this condescending, self-righteous act. On the other hand, since I believe, as John Calvin did, that a) I have nothing to do with my salvation, b) nothing I do will ever warrant the grace and mercy of God, and c) that God, in His sovereignty and infinite wisdom and mercy, chose me before the beginning of time to be a part of His family, where the heck do I get off thinking that I am better than anyone else? As I have matured in my faith, I now see Christ and His work on the cross as an extremely humbling thought/act on my part. I need Christ just as much as anyone else. Being a child of God is my saving grace but does not negate my need for Him. Yes, my sins have been forgiven, but I continue to fall short of His glory. How is this any different than anyone else?

As a Young Life leader, I have come to a much better understanding of the simplicity of the Gospel message. Inasmuch as I recognize and believe the "Five Points of Calvinism" and believe it because of scriptural support, I am convinced that "reformed theology is a good trip, but remember, it is a means to the end, not the end itself." (Thank you, Micah, for that little quote.)

Through Young Life, I have become convicted of the power of Christ and his message alone. When I am sharing the message of the Gospel with these kids, it has little to do with theology. It has everything to do with His love and the power of His dying on the cross for our sins. How do you talk with anyone about the person of Christ if you do not first have a personal relationship with them and how do you get to a point where you can talk about theology with anyone unless they first know the person of Christ?

I am not opposed to theology or the discussion of theology at all. We choose which church or denomination we are going to be a part of based on the theology embraced by any one congregation. I hold very dear my own theology. I chose my church because of the doctrine upon which it stands. My problem with theology is when it gets in the way of sharing the Gospel message. My problem is when we lord our theology over others in order to feel better about ourselves, prove a point, or make ourselves look better than everyone else. That is when it becomes a hindrance rather than a way to better explain or understand God's word. Being "reformed", or a "Calvinist", or an "Arminan" does not pave the way to heaven for any of us.

I will leave you with this last thought from my good friend, Micah:

"There are far too many pastors and congregants, in all faith traditions, who are more interested in dogma than the Gospel. A lot of us have opinions about doctrinal things (e.g. infant baptism, predestination, eschatology), but realize that they aren't determining factors for or against salvation. That said, I knew plenty of students at ******* (and even two or three at **) that truly believed they, in their infinite wisdom, had figured out the entirety of the Bible based on their reading of Luther, Calvin, and Rushdoony. You could not have a discussion with these kids, because there was nothing to discuss. It's the same with evangelical fundamentalists. Every issue is cut and dry. There is no room for interpretation or a viewpoint that does not match their's (or Bill Gothard's/James Dobson's/John Hagee's) exactly. In both cases, the very thing that unites believers (the saving work of Christ) is thrown out the window in order to feel smarter or better than someone else who just doesn't understand the Bible/Catechism/Westminster Confession. Crazy."

Another steal...

I have some fantastic friends who love me well. They send me great articles and other types of literature to read and learn from. The following article was sent to me a few weeks ago. The message hits home for me and also sheds a great deal of light on the subject of race. Enjoy!

Did Moses Marry a Black Woman?

By John Piper

A biblical view of interracial marriage and why it matters for the local church to take a stand.

Moses, a Jew, apparently married a black African and was approved by God.

We learn in Numbers that "Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman" (Num. 12:1). A Cushite is from Cush, a region south of Ethiopia, where the people are known for their black skin. We know this because of Jeremiah 13:23: "Can the Ethiopian [the same Hebrew word translated "Cushite" in Numbers 12:1] change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil." Attention is drawn to the difference of the skin of the Cushite people.

In his book From Every People and Nation: A Biblical Theology of Race, Daniel Hays writes that Cush "is used regularly to refer to the area south of Egypt, and above the cataracts on the Nile, where a Black African civilization flourished for over two thousand years. Thus it is quite clear that Moses marries a Black African woman" (71).

In response to Miriam’s criticism, God does not get angry at Moses; he gets angry at Miriam. The criticism has to do with Moses’ marriage and Moses’ authority. The most explicit statement relates to the marriage: "Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman." Then God strikes Miriam with leprosy. Why? Consider this possibility. In God’s anger at Miriam, Moses’ sister, God says in effect, "You like being light-skinned Miriam? I’ll make you light-skinned." So we read, "When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow" (Num. 12:10)

God says not a critical word against Moses for marrying a black Cushite woman. But when Miriam criticizes God’s chosen leader for this marriage God strikes her skin with white leprosy. If you ever thought black was a biblical symbol for uncleanness, be careful; a worse white uncleanness could come upon you.

MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

To the opposing views on interracial marriage, I would add my own experience. I was a southern teenage racist (by almost any definition). Since I am a sinner still, I do not doubt that elements of it remain in me—to my dismay. For these lingering attitudes and actions I repent.

Racism is a very difficult reality to define. Our pastoral staff has been working on it for years. Presently, we are most closely committed to the definition given several summers ago at the Presbyterian Church in America annual meeting: "Racism is an explicit or implicit belief or practice that qualitatively distinguishes or values one race over other races." That is what I mean when I say I was a racist growing up in Greenville, South Carolina. My attitudes and actions were demeaning and disrespectful toward non-whites. And right at the heart of those attitudes was opposition to interracial marriage.

My mother, who washed my mouth out with soap once for saying, "Shut up!" to my sister, would have washed my mouth out with gasoline if she knew how foul my mouth was racially. She was, under God, the seed of my salvation in more ways than one. When our church voted in 1963 not to admit blacks, when I was seventeen, my mother ushered the black guests at my sister’s wedding right into the main sanctuary herself because the ushers wouldn’t do it. I was on my way to redemption.

In 1967, Noël and I attended the Urbana Missions Conference. I was a senior at Wheaton. There we heard Warren Webster, a former missionary to Pakistan, answer a student’s question: what if your daughter falls in love with a Pakistani while you’re on the mission field and wants to marry him? With great forcefulness he said, "The Bible would say, Better a Christian Pakistani than a godless white American!" The impact on us was profound.

Four years later, I wrote a paper for Lewis Smedes in an ethics class at seminary called "The Ethics of Interracial Marriage." For me that was a biblical settling of the matter, and I have not gone back from what I saw there. The Bible does not oppose or forbid interracial marriages. And there are circumstances which, together with biblical principles, make interracial marriage in many cases a positive good.

Now I am a pastor. One quick walk through my church’s pictorial directory gives me a rough count of over two hundred non-Anglos. I am sure I missed some. And I am sure the definition of Anglo is so vague that someone will be bothered that I even tried to count. But the point is this: dozens and dozens of them are children and teenagers and single young men and women. This means very simply that my church needs a clear place to stand on interracial marriage. Church is the most natural and proper place to find a spouse. And they will find each other across racial lines.

THE CHALLENGES AND BLESSINGS OF INTERRACIAL MARRIAGE

Opposition to interracial marriage is one of the deepest roots of racial distance, disrespect, and hostility. Show me one place in the world where interracial or interethnic marriage is frowned upon and yet the two groups still have equal respect and honor and opportunity. I don’t think it exists. It won’t happen. Why? Because the supposed specter of interracial marriage demands that barrier after barrier must be put up to keep young people from knowing each other and falling in love. They can’t fellowship in church youth groups. They can’t go to the same schools. They can’t belong to the same clubs. They can't live in the same neighborhoods. Everybody knows deep down what is at stake here. Intermarriage is at stake.

And as long as we disapprove of it, we will be pushing our children, and therefore ourselves, away from each other. The effect of that is not harmony, not respect, and not equality of opportunity. Where racial intermarriage is disapproved, the culture with money and power will always dominate and always oppress. They will see to it that those who will not make desirable spouses stay in their place and do not have access to what they have access to. If your kids don’t make desirable spouses, you don’t make desirable neighbors.

And here is a great and sad irony. The very situation of separation and suspicion and distrust and dislike that is brought about (among other things) by the fear of intermarriage, is used to justify the opposition to intermarriage. "It will make life hard for the couple and hard for the kids." "They’ll be called half-breeds." It’s a catch 22. It’s like the army being defeated because there aren’t enough troops, and the troops won’t sign up because the army’s being defeated. Oppose interracial marriage, and you will help create a situation of racial disrespect. And then, since there is a situation of disrespect, it will be prudent to oppose interracial marriage.

Here is where Christ makes the difference. Christ does not call us to a prudent life, but to a God-centered, Christ-exalting, justice-advancing, counter-cultural, risk-taking life of love and courage. Will it be harder to be married to another race, and will it be harder for the kids? Maybe. Maybe not. But since when is that the way a Christian thinks? Life is hard. And the more you love the harder it gets.

It’s hard to take a child to the mission field. The risks are huge. It’s hard to take a child and move into a mixed neighborhood where he may be teased or ridiculed. It’s hard to help a child be a Christian in a secular world where his beliefs are mocked. It’s hard to bring children up with standards: "you will not dress like that, and you will not be out that late." It’s hard to raise children when dad or mom dies or divorces. And that’s a real risk in any marriage. Whoever said that marrying and having children was to be trouble free? It’s one of the hardest things in the world. It just happens to be right and rewarding.

Christians are people who move toward need and truth and justice, not toward comfort and security. Life is hard. But God is good. And Christ is strong to help.

There is so much more to say about the challenges and blessings of interracial marriage. Suffice it to say now by way of practical conclusion: At my church, we will not underestimate the challenges of interracial marriage or transracial adoption (they go closely together). We will celebrate the beauty, and we will embrace the burden. Both will be good for us and good for the world and good for the glory of God.

John Piper is the pastor for preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the author of many books. Go to www.desiringgod.org to learn more.