Bono challenges me. I've been a U2 fan since . . . well, let's just say that I remember when the kid on the cover of the album "War" was really that age. But beyond the music of U2, which I still dig, Bono as Christ-follower, thinker, activist, philosopher, humanitarian, husband and father really pushes me. He is challenging me to stretch and grow. Both of those things can be painful, because I'm more set in my ways than I care to admit. But I realize that in so many ways, even though I've been committed to Christ for almost 20 years now, I for the most part have taken baby steps on His path. I find myself simply trying to yield my remaining years, whether few or many, to Christ and all that He would have in store for me. Bono is teaching me that.
I also support ONE.org, which Bono is basically the front-man for. If you've been to my blog before, I hope you've noticed the revolving banner ad in the corner - give it a click and check the work out that those folks are doing - it's literally saving lives. On the ONE.org site, they quote Bono from last year's National Prayer Breakfast. That profound talk has now been made into a book, called On the Move, the sale proceeds of which will go to ONE.
To get a glimpse of how Bono challenged everyone that day, consider this:
"God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them."
For me, a big question is, "Where am I?" How am I "with them?" Am I "with them" at all? Am I working with God, or trying to hang on to Him just to sneak into heaven on his coat-tails? If it's true that parents leave a legacy for their kids (and I believe that), am I leaving a legacy as someone deeply concerned "with the least of these" to the point that I am really, truly concerned about the poor, about justice, and about making lives better now. Am I helping to bring "Kingdom come?"
In all of this, and more, Bono challenges me. At the end of the day, he points me to Christ. Am I following?
I also support ONE.org, which Bono is basically the front-man for. If you've been to my blog before, I hope you've noticed the revolving banner ad in the corner - give it a click and check the work out that those folks are doing - it's literally saving lives. On the ONE.org site, they quote Bono from last year's National Prayer Breakfast. That profound talk has now been made into a book, called On the Move, the sale proceeds of which will go to ONE.
To get a glimpse of how Bono challenged everyone that day, consider this:
"God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them."
For me, a big question is, "Where am I?" How am I "with them?" Am I "with them" at all? Am I working with God, or trying to hang on to Him just to sneak into heaven on his coat-tails? If it's true that parents leave a legacy for their kids (and I believe that), am I leaving a legacy as someone deeply concerned "with the least of these" to the point that I am really, truly concerned about the poor, about justice, and about making lives better now. Am I helping to bring "Kingdom come?"
In all of this, and more, Bono challenges me. At the end of the day, he points me to Christ. Am I following?
1 comment:
i saw him on the american idol "gives back" show. the one.org is truly a huge thing and his heart is where ours should be!
tguth
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