LOVE MUSHROOM

“All you need is love”, so sang the Beatles. And a study of1 John chapter 4 appears to give confirmation to that pop culture call forpeace. A quick read finds this simple line hidden inside verse 16: God is love.Groundbreaking thought, isn’t it? Especially for those of us who have heard ita million times in church. It’s the underlying theme of almost every messageever preached in Christendom. God loves us; we are to love one another. Amen,Hallelujah, pass the plate and lets pray. But what if we really stop toconsider the meaning behind that simple sentence?

God is love. The arrangement of those few words issignificant. God IS love. Now, I hate to invoke a former president’s paper-thinargument about what the definition of is IS, but I have to say: it IS veryimportant here. The Word says that God IS love. It doesn’t say that God loves,although we read that elsewhere. Love is WHO God is. It is His very existence.Love is what makes Him up. I venture to say that true love does not exist apartfrom Him. After all, if God is love itself, mustn’t he be the source of thatlove which is pure and undefiled?

Early on in verse 16 I am challenged by the truth that “…weknow and rely on the love God has for us.” There is so much there. First andforemost, as Christians we KNOW that God has love for us. It is inescapable. Itis undeniable. A crucified and risen Savior is all the evidence I need. Butthen comes the word RELY. Wow. Do I really? Do I rely on the love that God hasfor me? Not always. Truthfully, rarely. What does that even mean? Carefulthought leads me to the conclusion that my life would be radically altered. Ino longer rely on myself—my talents and abilities. I am no longer responsiblefor the outcome of situations but my participation in the process. Myself-reliance becomes complete dependence on He who is Love.

And what do we know about love? According to the apostlePaul, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, itis not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is noteasily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil butrejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes,always perseveres.” Wow. Love is who God is. He ispatient and kind. He takes pleasure in us. The Lord of all Creation is humble.God honors those He created, is selfless, patient, and forgiving. He is theway, the Truth, and the life. He protects us, trusts us, hopes for us, and perseveresin His pursuit of us. Love is so much more than what He does; it IS who He is.

Early in the 4^th chapter of 1 John, verse 12 reads:“…if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”I love that! God’s love requires our participation to be “made complete”. This reminds of a song lyric by MichaelW. Smith in which he sings: “Love isn’t love/Until you give it away”. For God’slove to exist in the way He intended it, we must spend it on one another. Inthat we experience love in its totality. It is not lacking in any way. We getthe full effect. Love Himself is inviting us to let love explode from withinus, leaving no one surrounding us untouched by who He is. It’s kind of like amushroom cloud from a volcano (like the one pictured) or an atomic bomb. Here is how it works according toWikipedia: “Themass of gas rises rapidly, resulting in turbulent vortices curling downwardaround its edges, forming a vortex ring and drawing up a column of additional smoke and debris in the center to formits "stem". The mass of gas eventually reaches an altitude where itis no longer of lower density than the surrounding air and disperses, thedebris drawn upward from the ground scattering and drifting back down.”In short, the fallout is widespread. That’s how our love is to be madecomplete. Be the blast that lasts!

“Let love explode and bring the dead to life/A love sobold/To see a revolution some how” [from ‘Like a Lion/My God’s Not Dead’]

Anti-Slacktivists Unite: Answer The CALL

The #stopkony and #kony2012 campaign took the world-wide-web by storm recently. People posted, re-posted, tweeted, shared, linked, forwarded and every other internet-related verb possible to rally millions of people around a worthy cause. After all, who wouldn’t want to stop evil? Especially an evil that destroys children. The problem is that once the emotional high of the compelling half-hour documentary wore off, few people did more than make a simple click of their mouse, a fleeting touch of their iPhone, or have a brief albeit serious chat around the water cooler or with their co-worker in the adjacent cubicle. Many have labeled (perhaps unfairly) those impacted by the Kony campaign “slacktivists”. So what is a slacktivist?

According to the Urban Dictionary, slacktivism is defined as “the search for the ultimate feel-good that derives from having come to society's rescue without having had to actually gets one's hands dirty or open one's wallet.” Basically, you cry at the Sara McLachlan SPCA End Animal Cruelty PSA but do nothing to stop animal abuse. There’s something about those black and white photos of animals set to the “Arms of an Angel” song. It gets you every time. The problem is it doesn’t actually get you to do anything.

We want to help you avoid the same fate. You see the need in foster care here in Arkansas. You are moved in your spirit to do something. The problem may be that you don’t know how you can help. The good news is we can help you with that! At The CALL we are passionate about connecting you with where you can best serve. We encourage volunteers to find your place in this fight! The James 1:27 mission doesn’t call us all to foster; however it does command us all to care. Here’s how you can best do that: (Please read through the entire list to find your perfect fit.)

CHURCH REP – Believe it or not, one of The CALL’s greatest obstacles is getting into new churches. We need people who are passionate about the James 1:27 mission to be our champions at their churches and with their pastors and leaders. We need you to volunteer to be the liaison between your church and The CALL. It’s a simple job that opens the doors for us to come in and reach potential foster parents. (This person serves in support of The CALL)

FOSTER FAMILY SUPPORT SYSTEM (FFSS) – These married couples and singles are qualified to care for children in foster care for up to 72 hours in their home. Often times they support a foster family in their church. While you may be able to drop your biological children off at Grandma and Grandpa’s, children in care must be in a DCFS approved home. That means many families need the support of others so they can enjoy date night, take care of an emergency, or just get a much-needed break. (These volunteers serve in support of DCFS)

TRANSPORTER – The Division of Children and Family Services is in need of volunteers who can transport children in foster care. Basically, you let them know when you are available and you drive kids to their dr.’s appointments, family visits, or wherever DCFS needs them to go. It requires filling out a transporter packet that includes a background check. The packets are available through The CALL. (These volunteers serve in support of DCFS)

MENTOR – So many of the children who come into care age-out without every being adopted into a “forever family”. These young adults are essentially out on their own when they turn 18 with some supervision and assistance from DCFS. However, there are many things they may not have learned to do. Mentoring a young adult means that you not only help them learn to handle their money, you also invite them to church with you, visit their home and invite them to yours. You build a relationship with them. (These volunteers serve in support of DCFS)

FUNDRAISER – Until now, The CALL has been able to operate on a relatively shoe-string budget. While we continue to be as conservative as possible, we have added a part-time paid staff member. It is imperative that we have operating funds to continue recruiting, training, and supporting foster families. We are looking for a volunteer with either a background in fundraising or who is good with money and passionate about caring for children in foster care. This person will lead a team of volunteers to create a plan for the year and implement it. (This person/team serves in support of The CALL)

SOCIAL WORKERS (MSW OR LCSW) Could you donate your time to conduct one or more home studies per month for CALL families? This is a crucial way to help families become certified more quickly so they can be ready to take in children. (This person serves in support of The CALL)

Questions? We thought so! Learn more by calling our county coordinator, Jared Broyles at (479) 274-9505 or emailing us at sebastiancounty@thecallinarkansas.org or crawfordcounty@thecallinarkansas.org