The Hole in our Gospel

A few weeks ago I was asked to complete a survey which had me rank 10 attributes, in order of priority, that would be important for the next co-director of World Renew to have.  As I read The Hole in our Gospel, by Richard Stearns, I discovered the top priority:  it's a heart that cries for those who are hurting.
As he explores what it is that God demands of us, Stearns traces his own call to become President of World Vision - a call he resisted vehemently.
We've been doing a series of messages at Ancaster CRC that ask the question, "what is salvation for?"  Stearns captures the For the Life of the World refrain when he says this:  "Worship is not enough. Personal morality is not enough. And Christian Community is not enough. God has always demanded more" (3). Stearns reminds us that being a follower of Jesus of Jesus requires much more than a personal relationship with God; we are called to a public and transforming relationship with the world.  (Wish I'd said it that succinctly from the pulpit!).
You don't have to be the director of World Vision or World Renew to move the mountain that is poverty.  Remember the old joke about "how do you eat an elephant? - one bite at a time."  Do you have faith that can move a mountain?  We CAN move mountains-- "What if Jesus meant for millions of his followers to each put their faith into action by grabbing a shovel -- and challenging the mountain one shovelful at a time? Any mountain can be moved -- even the one called Poverty, or Hunger, or Injustice-- if we have enough people 'shoveling'" (275).
God chose to use Stearns; he will use us.  He will also use the new director of World Renew to move a mountain.  [At one point in the book Stearns mentions a meeting with a man named "Andy" from an organization called World Relief.  I wonder if he is talking about CRWRC - Christian Reformed World Relief Committee - now World Renew, and our retiring co-director, Andy Ryskamp. I'll have to ask Andy about that!]