Carolyn Custis James

Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

Maybe a good way to celebrate the freedoms we enjoy this July 4th holiday is to get behind our Christian sisters and brothers who are making freedom possible for others.  See the list of Strategic Resources to the right, and feel free to suggest more in your comments. 

Lucky me!  Sunday morning I’m bound for Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and InterVarsity’s beautiful Cedar Campus . . . for a week!

That’s not even the best part.

I’m going for InterVarsity’s Leadership Institute, where I’ll be speaking every evening to a gathering of young future leaders about their callings as God’s Image Bearers, ezer-warriors, and members of the Blessed Alliance, how these callings come to life in the lives of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz, and what are the implications for us today. I expect this will lead to some interesting discussions.

And while “camp” is not usually my cup of tea, if this week goes anything like the last time I went (in 2009), I’ll come home more encouraged than ever because of what God is doing in the lives of today’s young people and filled with fresh hope for the future!

Carolyn and I did not think we were going to be able to visit the boy’s home. We spent so much time with the girls that it was getting dark and we thought we were headed back to the hotel.

We had already met a number of the young men at the dessert for the visitors, where the young journalist we met, Yesid David, spoke to the assembled group. After telling his story and expressing his appreciation for Casa Roca, he made a quiet plea to us—“Please come to see the boys home.”

So we decided to make one more stop and were glad we did.

Our guide was the son of the house parents, and his pride was very evident. In American parlance he was “house proud.” He took us to his family quarters, the study room they created from the garage, and then to the boy’s bedrooms on the second and third floors. The third floor rooms had an exquisite view of the flickering lights of the town.

The boys are proud of their house and keep it spotless like this all the time.  Amazing!

They wanted us to see the “happy room” containing bicycles & anything else that puts a boy on wheels.

The parade continued outdoors to the back garden, where the boys were determined that we should see the “happy room.” Once we saw the contents of that room, no one need to explain to us why it was called the happy room. The room was stocked with bikes, athletic equipment, and toys.

But the best was saved for last. Our young guide took us to the great room where many of the boys were watching television. As we made our way to the great room, our guide turned to me and said: “I want you to meet Barak Obama.”

Initially I thought we were having a translation problem, but I turned the corner and there sat Barak Obama. Not Barak Obama, President of the United States, but Barak Obama of Bogotá. This Barak Obama was a 12-year-old boy from the Caribbean coast of Columbia who was sitting in a wheelchair. It was easy to see why—his legs were severely bent. But there he sat with a marvelous smile beaming from his dark face. He was always smiling we were told. His many brothers were clustered around as if forming a protective barrier. Our guide explained that Barak had undergone many surgeries, and that the latest would allow him to walk once he healed.

I was a bit perplexed. All the bedrooms were upstairs and there was no elevator. How did Barak get to his bedroom each night? Answer: his brothers carried him up and down the stairs on their backs. These young men, who had come from appallingly difficult circumstances, had learned how to love their neighbors as themselves. It is one thing to read this in the Bible; it is another to see it lived out in the lives of Barak Obama of Bogotá and the brothers of Casa Roca.

FJ

Can’t say they didn’t warn us. Still, we were not prepared for what we experienced when we visited two of Casa Roca‘s 11 Children’s Homes in Colombia. Esther Lucia de Silva-Silva, wife of Pastor Dario Silva-Silva, is the visionary and driving force behind these homes.

Little did we know we were about to enter a sacred place, where the gospel is being lavishly lived and young lives are being nourished with all that love can give and rising up to give back in many ways.

Esther told us “Our children are extraordinary,” that “We are family, and this is home—not an orphanage.”

The children come from rough backgrounds. Some were born to women who have been trafficked. Here they find the love of family and advocates who prize them and believe they are children of promise. Home parents are committed for the duration, and “The children can stay as long as they want.”

Esther was emphatic. “We don’t give second best to our children. We give them the best!” New clothes. New toys, and whatever they need to put their young lives on solid footing. Beyond the four walls of an orthodontist’s office, I’ve never seen so many teeth in braces (“brackets”) all in one place. The children receive the best education and, come summer, a fun vacation at the beach!

First stop was the girls home.The facilities were charming! The children were loving and friendly. You couldn’t walk far without a small hand slipping into yours, defying any language barrier.

Frank & CCJ with the girls’ parents.

Sarah (our translator) often volunteers at the girls’ home, and they adore her!

School House for the little girls.

The eye-opener for me was realizing that, just like any healthy family, the Casa Roca family is launching theit children. Loved and nurtured, they are flourishing spiritually, intellectually, professionally, and personally. They are becoming serious Christians and Colombia’s future leaders. Which exposes the fact that to think of investing in the lives of forgotten, at risk children as rescue or charity completely misses the point. Completely! The potential that lies buried in these precious young lives—that can so easily be squandered by neglect and lack of opportunity—can bless the world. Instead of benefactors, those with resources are beneficiaries of the gifts and contributions these young people are capable of offering. We heard the stories of three great examples.

L to R:  CCJ, Eli Johana Henao, Yesid David Bernal, Kelly Santamaria, FJ

Eli Johana Henao (also with Frank on the right) joined the family as a young girl after early years of terrible suffering. The stubborn love of family, Esther Lucia de Silva-Silva’s relentless pursuit, and the power of the gospel softened her heart and changed her life. She is a glorious miracle. Having graduated from university, she has a career in media as a photographer and a producer of the Dario Silva-Silva’s television ministry. Eli is soon to be married to a young pastor.

Yesid David Bernal is a rising star in the world of Colombia journalism. A university graduate with a degree in journalism, David writes for La República, Colombia’s version of the Wall Street Journal. While we were there, Pastor Dario handed us a recent issue containing an article David wrote on a Microsoft Research Faculty Summit.

Kelly Santamaria, along with Eli, attended the women’s conference where I spoke. This high schooler was drawn to teaching on the ezer, embraced it for herself, and spoke with incredible warmth of how Esther is an ezer for her and the other children in the homes.

The original plan was for us to visit the girls’ home only and for the boys to come over to meet us and have cake and hot chocolate mixed with melted cheese, which they did. But the boys wanted us to see their house too. So before heading back to the hotel, we made a second stop at the boys’ home where they gave us a tour of their home. I’ll let Frank tell you about our visit there.

Hot Chocolate & Cheese?

Football anyone?

One of the highlights for me during our time in Colombia (and there were many) was hearing Frank preach on Psalm 146 in two services Sunday morning to a warmly receptive Casa Roca congregation. 

This particular psalm became even more meaningful for Frank as he entered the difficult journey of grief after the death of his younger brother, Kelly James, in a mountain climbing tragedy on Mount Hood back in 2006. 

My historian husband pointed out the connection between this psalm and Martin Luther’s own struggles to trust God and the powerful hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is our God,” that resulted from Luther’s pondering the psalmist’s words.  Speaking as much to himself as to his Colombian hearers, Frank called us all to:

• Remember what God has done in the past,
• Remember who God is,
• Remember God is with us in our troubles.

He later described that Sunday morning as “one of the most extraordinary preaching experiences of his life”—a remarkable statement given the fact that he was speaking through a translator. But, as you will see from the video, Diana Jalube is no ordinary translator. It was incredible to watch the two of them in action. They raised the roof!

And, of course, the amazing group of believers in the Casa Roca congregation were eager to extend greetings to their American brothers and sisters in Christ.

Frank and I had an unforgettable time in Bogotá, Colombia. You could call it perfect, except I got the flu the night before we came home, which meant staying an extra day and getting some rest we both needed anyway. But the memories of the people and of the way the gospel is taking hold in so many lives will stay with us for a long, long time.

I loved the women’s retreat and meeting so many of the 1,200 women who gathered from all around Colombia on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Clearly the weather was powerless to stop the women from coming or to dampen their spirits that day.

Pastor Dario had the video I filmed (above) shown during the 4 worship services at church on Sunday.

Diana Jalube (left) interpreted my messages and also Frank’s on Sunday. Watching her in action alone was worth the trip. It is gratifying when a translator pours herself heart and soul into the message like Diana does. Watching the two of them . . .  well, you’ll just have to see for yourself when I post the video. 

When I returned home, I received this message from one of the women, which makes me thankful for the good news I have to offer women.

“Gracias….. tus palabras penetraron a los más profundo de mi corazón, de nuevo gracias por hacerme entender que soy una Gerrera Ezer para Dios.”

In English: 

“Thanks ….. Your words penetrated to the bottom of my heart, again thanks for making me understand that I am an ezer-warrior for God.”

The next morning at church, I met a beaming little 7-year-old who had learned from her mother who attended the retreat that she is an ezer too.

Check out my FaceBook page for more photos.

Below is a hearty Colombian “hola!” to you from the ezers in Colombia.

Tune in Wednesday for the final segment of Midday Connection’s 8-week series on Half the Church.

I have loved doing this series with Anita Lustrea and Melinda Schmidt and have been looking forward to this final broadcast. Anita and Melinda have done an amazing job of getting to the heart of my book, which isn’t always the case in radio interviews. But instead of being in a plane today, heading home from Bogotá, I have been sick in a hotel bed all day with 24hr flu and praying Frank won’t get sick too.

To wrap up the series, Anita will be playing interviews she conducted at Synergy2011 in Orlando this past March. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear some of the great things Synergy women are doing to respond to what Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas Kristof describe as “the greatest moral challenge of our time.”  Anita and Melinda will also be taking calls from listeners to see how they are engaging in ministry and/or how the series on Half the Church has impacted them.

The final chapter of Half the Church—“Waking the Sleeping Giantess”—brings us to the unavoidable conclusion that we must act. I am personally heartened by growing numbers of women and girls who are stepping up to address this crisis. I pray their numbers will increase.

Midday Connection airs daily at 1:00 ET/noon CT. You can listen online or check their website for local listings.  If you missed a previous broadcast, they’re filed by date, and you can listen here to catch up.

• April 6:     Introduction—Seeing Beyond Ourselves
• April 13:   Chapter 1—Going Global  (I was in the Moody Radio studio for this session and got caught on video, which Midday has posted on FaceBook.) 
• April 20:   Chapter 2—Identity Theft 
• April 27:   Chapter 3—Bearing God’s Image in a Broken World  
• May 4:      Chapter 4—The Shaping of a Leader’s Soul 
• May 11:    Chapter 5—The Ezer Unbound 
• May 18:    Chapter 6—Here Comes the Bride! 
• May 25:    Chapter 7—The Blessed Alliance
• June 1:      Chapter 8—The Great Debate
• June 8:     Conclusion—Waking the Sleeping Giantess 

Frank and I are wrapping up a mind-boggling time with the people of Casa Sobre la Roca in Bogotá, Colombia who have warmly welcomed and welcomed us as members of the Body of Christ in Colombia.  We have been blessed by the friendship of our hosts, Ricardo and Diana Jalube, who lead Casa Sobre la Roca in South Florida. Diana is a gifted and energetic translator who invests herself in every word. She belongs to the Synergy Women’s Network.

This Colombian network of 30 churches (so far), including several in the U.S., gives solid evidence of how the gospel is surging in the Global South.

The Casa Roca movement was founded by the former leading Colombian political television journalist, Darío Silva-Silva, with a Bible study group that met in his garage. That Bible study group has mushroomed into a congregation of 15,000 in Bogotá.  Pastor Darío is a leading advocate for evangelicalism in Colombia and a deeply beloved pastor/father figure for the Colombian church. His wife Esther’s heart beats for the poor and the homeless, and she is an unstoppable ezer-warrior for forgotten children.

Saturday, Frank addressed a men’s retreat of 800 men and a gathering of academics, while I spoke to a throng of 1200 exuberant-shouting-joyous-clapping-jumping women who arrived from all over Colombia for a one-day women’s retreat. (Those of you who know me will smile to learn that I was lovingly described as “muy stoica” compared to my Colombian sisters.) Despite my lack of rhythm, the ezer message has arrived in Colombia and been passionately received!

Sunday, both of us gave greetings at all four worship services (total of 14,000 people), and Frank preached at two of the standing room only worship services of more than 3500 people each. We were struck by the fact that the congregation was predominately young people and as many men as women.

Under the leadership of Esther Silva-Silva, Casa Roca now has an outstanding network of homes for children—11 homes to date—where children who were formerly homeless and without hope are receiving the best care, education, loads of love, and a bright future. Frank and I were blown away to see how they are flourishing and to hear them tell their stories of how the gospel is taking root in their hearts and they are becoming solid contributors to Colombian society as university educated professionals.  

We have much to process, and I will be blogging more when we get home and I can hook my camera up to my computer. I have pictures to back up what I’m saying!

—CCJames from  Bogotá

We’re coming down the home stretch on the Midday Connection series about Half the Church—with only two more sessions to go. This week we’ve reached the chapter entitled “The Great Debate”—a major consideration for all of us, and yet …  Well you can either read the book and/or listen in to find out where this discussion will go. I hope you’ll do both.

Midday Connection, hosted by Anita Lustrea (left) and Melinda Schmidt airs daily at 1:00 ET/noon CT. You can listen online or check their website for local listings.  If you missed a previous broadcast, they’re filed by date, and you can listen here to catch up.

• April 6:     Introduction—Seeing Beyond Ourselves
• April 13:   Chapter 1—Going Global  (I was in the Moody Radio studio for this session and got caught on video, which Midday has posted on FaceBook.) 
• April 20:  Chapter 2—Identity Theft 
• April 27:  Chapter 3—Bearing God’s Image in a Broken World  
• May 4:      Chapter 4—The Shaping of a Leader’s Soul 
• May 11:    Chapter 5—The Ezer Unbound 
• May 18:    Chapter 6—Here Comes the Bride! 
• May 25:    Chapter 7—The Blessed Alliance
• June 1:     Chapter 8—The Great Debate 

I was born on Memorial Day. When I was old enough to understand, my father used to tell me people were flying flags on their houses because it was my birthday. To those whose loved ones have served in the military, this may sound like sacrilege, but for me it was better than Santa Claus. Seeing all those flags on my birthday always made me hold my head a little higher.

Then, in 1968 Congress passed a law that took effect in 1971 changing Washington’s Birthday, Veteran’s Day, and Memorial Day to Mondays to create 3-day holidays for everyone.  Veterans were not pleased because the change seemed to elevate long weekends over remembrance of those who have served our country.  I’m sure if Washington were alive, he’d have a thing or two to say about his birthday being moved.  You can be sure I was disappointed when flags stopped waving on my birthday except for that rare year when my birthday lands on the last Monday in May. 

Mother’s Day is the one day on the calendar when the church is (so to speak) waving flags for women.  Yet ironically, a day that brings enormous joy and much deserved gratitude and love to many women, is for many others a day of utter discomfort and grief. Maybe it’s the way FaceBook is changing things, but this year I received an unusual number of messages from women who were dreading church that day because of infertility, singleness, the loss of a child, or heartache over a prodigal.

Those emails reminded me of a blog I wrote on Mother’s Day in 2009 to wish everyone a Happy Ezer Day!  Afterwards Caryn Rivadeneira suggested we declare an International Ezer Day.  I loved the idea. But at the time, Frank and I were selling our house in Orlando and preparing to move north. So a great idea got lost somewhere between Florida and Massachusetts.   

This year, Memorial Day falls on May 30, and Old Glory is flying on houses again. Seeing those flags and recalling what my father used to say has me thinking we do need a day to celebrate ezers we love. It’s time we paid proper tribute to ezers who have impacted our lives and are moving the kingdom forward in great and small ways. It’s time we started cheering on the rising generation of young ezers. 

I’m ready to name the date and am open to your suggestions.  Propose a date (or vote “like” for someone else’s suggestion) on the Synergy Women’s Network FaceBook page (if you haven’t yet joined, it’s time you did) and start making your “Ezers I want to honor” list. I’ve already started mine.

Stay tuned for details!