what does easter mean to you?

Easter is THE defining event in Christianity. Without Easter, Jesus was just another great teacher. But apparently some recent Barna research shows that many CHRISTIANS don’t fully understand the meaning or reason for this celebration. Uh… what?

• So, what does Easter mean to you?
• How do you celebrate it?
• How does your celebration of Easter connect with the ‘reason for the season’?

Share your thoughts on these questions and/or the Barna research in the comments below, and you will be automatically entered to win one of seven copies of N.T. Wright’s book The Challenge of Easter (courtesy of InterVarsity Press).

the strongest boy i know

Every day he endures pains and discomforts that I cannot comprehend. Well, maybe a little bit… but I can only relate in the short-term. He has to endure this stuff with no end or relief. I’ve often wondered why so many give up simply because they’re tired of the rigors involved, but when I humbly put myself in their shoes I begin to understand.

It just never ends…

He’s only seven years old, and he’s already taught me a lot (see also broken). Specifically, he’s taught me more about strength than I’ve been able to learn in my entire life.

His name is Samuel, and he is my son. He was diagnosed with Type 1 (a.k.a. Juvenile) Diabetes when he was 17-months old. Since that earth-shattering (at least for us) day in the children’s hospital, our most important responsibility is to manage his blood sugar levels. That requires…

• 6-8 finger pricks every day to check his blood sugar levels
• counting of every carbohydrate that enters his mouth
• wearing an insulin pump (about the size of a pager/cell phone) 24/7
• changing the insulin pump’s infusion set (with a big needle) every 2-3 days

The scars on his body are a constant reminder to me that this is something that he will never grow out of. No change in his diet will ever cure him of this. This is his routine for the rest of his life.

I see the marks from the pricks on his fingers and wonder if he lives with constant pain in his hands. How does it feel to have to pick up a pencil at school with sore fingers? Or a knife and fork at dinner time?

I have a tough time fully comprehending what his life must be like. But I do know that he does it anyway without any end in sight.

That makes him the strongest boy that I know.

Until we can find a cure for this disease that destroys his precious little body inside and out, it is my job to minimize the damage as much as possible by keeping his blood sugar levels under control. And it’s this very work that causes the external scars that remind me that I must do something.

YouTube Video :: 2010 Walk for Samuel

Every year, we join the Walk to Cure Diabetes in our area. If you would like to sponsor me in the 2010 Walk, you can do so here.

You can also watch our videos from previous years on the Walk for Samuel channel on YouTube.

[real-time connections] project wordle

One great book + ten amazing bloggers + one website with a mission = group blogging project awesomeness. Over 10,000 words written (not counting the comments), and we’ve generated some amazing conversation. About what? This project wordle is a sort of visual representation of what this conversation is all about. One thing that I love about these wordles is that you can easily see what the major themes are…  pretty cool! Go God!

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[real-time connections] author’s closing thoughts

I’m really excited about Realtime Connections for several reasons:

First, it’s for everyday disciples – not just preachers.  My other books have been geared primarily to pastors and church leaders, but many everyday disciples wound up reading them and wanted something more practical. Also, when the Great Commission is fulfilled it will take the whole body of Christ – not just preachers.

Second, I was able to tell lots of stories of how everyday disciples are making a difference from a stay-at-home mom with an autistic child to a policeman, to an NGO leader, from the Global President of Disney theme parks to a young computer geek – and to get to tell parts of my story as well.  The stories are the power in this thing.

Third, at the end of each chapter I was able to give action steps so that if a person will read the book and finish each action step – by the time they’re finished with the book, they’ll have a life plan for engagement. 

Realtime Connections IS NOT an idea, a theory, a concept we should try – it is something we have already done as a church in Vietnam.  It is something our members are doing on their own.  It is an approach that I am helping other churches engage in in other parts of the world.  It have been proven time and time again.  It is the present future.

I LOVE the forwards – those are two people I love a lot.  Rick has mentored me since we first started NorthWood.  He’s taken my calls and even checked on me for no reason over the years.   Eboo is the one who helped me understand the concept of multi-faith and to have a Muslim do the forward for a book on the Great Commission – well – that’s just too wild – thanks Eboo. 

In the book I also begin to try to shift the conversation on global issues.  All religions are all places and how we speak of faith and how we serve others must go through some transformation to bring us out of a 17^th century response to the Great Commission to the 21^st century.  Issues like dealing with Muslims, Religious freedom, how we link with the global church beyond “missions” and “denominationalism,” and moving from society as a social contract to a moral covenant.  Another challenge when we think of the Great Commission is how do we justify doing things far away when things are so broken here – but in Chapter 7 I explain how our members are more involved in our inner-city than they ever would have been – because they’ve seen the world and know what they need to do here.   

I’m always asked by people – if I can read only one book – which one should I read – my answer will be simple now  – Realtime.

Bob Roberts Jr.

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