Restless and Ready

Merry Christmas! I hope your holiday was excellent, spent with your family and friends. We definitely had a good one. It was a sweet time of remembering Jesus' Incarnation, sharing gifts, playing games, watching movies, and of course, a lot of food and general revelry.

I listened to a talk recently by Gary Haugen, President of International Justice Mission (IJM). This dynamic talk led to some great conversations and ultimately, my dad sharing Gary's book, Just Courage, with me. This book focuses on our role in God's "Plan" (in fact, asserting that we are God's Plan) and especially our work in promoting justice for the oppressed and enslaved.

Just Courage brought a refreshingly encouraging message about justice, an often overwhelming topic to consider. Haugen empowers the Christian in pursuing this work and cites examples of how he and IJM have seen victory against corruption and injustice still active in our world. IJM focuses largely on helping young children out of the sex trade and loosing the shackles of people bound in slavery through their group of private investigators, lawyers, criminal justice workers, and staff both in Washington, DC and internationally. Find out more about IJM here.

Below are some excerpts from Just Courage along with some Scripture that Haugen highlights:

"I sense among many Christians today a subtle but deep discontent". The tagline for Haugen's book is "God's Great Expedition for the Restless Christian." Reading this title brought tears to my eyes because this is where I am and what I desire so deeply. I suspect some of you may be in the same camp. Read on...

"God has called us into a battle with violence and aggressive evil that, every day, my colleagues and I know we cannot win without the specific intervention of God...We need to believe that the Father really does know where the joy is, and that it's safe to follow him in our own weakness up the mountain. Perhaps then we can know the joy of going on the trip without missing the adventure."

"At IJM, we begin every working day with thirty minutes of silence and prayerful preparation for the day, and then we all gather again for prayer at 11 a.m.. We don't do this so much as a matter of discipline but out of desperation. We don't think we can do the mission God has called us to or love each other the way we ought to without spiritual resources accessed through prayer."

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16)

"You may say, 'Well, that's great that God wants to rescue the oppressed. But what is his actual plan for doing it?' Again, the answer to this question is clear in God's Word, and yet the answer is also surprising. It turns out that we are the plan."

"...seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow" (Isaiah 1:17)

"God desires to shine light into the dark places of injustice, and he does that through us. For those who take the Bible seriously there can be no doubt that God has given to us the work of justice in the world. Justice is not optional for Christians. It is central to God's heart and thus critical to our relationship with God."

(Quoting Dallas Willard) "We don't believe something by merely saying we believe it, or even when we believe that we believe it. We believe something when we act as if it were true."

"When it comes to the power of God's love in the world, the greatest witness frequently comes in the story of one."

"Courage - the power to do the right thing even when it is scary and hard - resonates deeply with the original shape of our soul."

"If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden
like a spring whose waters never fail." (Isaiah 58:10-11)

"...And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8)


I highly recommend this book to anyone who cares about God's Mission in the world and who desires to take an active part. God bless you.


Haugen recently spoke at Willow Creek Christian Church near Chicago. You can listen to his message here under the message entitled, "Prepare: Impact your World."