My Snapshot of the Zabbaleen: A Tribute to Cairo's Garbage Collectors

"They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces were not ashamed."

- Psalm 34: 5

I want to share with you one of my most precious memories. It is the day I learned heaven rejoices at the sound of a child’s laughter.

It was during my first trip to the Middle East.  We were in Egypt for 10 days, mainly visiting friends in Alexandria, but we decided to tag a couple of days in Cairo to the end of our trip. On this particular day, we made plans to visit Cairo’s Garbage City.  I wasn’t feeling well, but this place had captured my interest more strongly than the pyramids, so I gathered my strength and joined my friends for what would prove to be a memorable day. 

Although our goal was to hang out with the locals, we started our day as tourists. A friend took us to the Cave Church that Garbage City is known for, Sama’ans Church, which lies at the base of a mountain said to have been moved by faith in the 10^th century.  The mountain came first, then the Zabbaleen (Garbage Collectors).  While it was nice to visit the Sama’ans Church and learn the history of the mountain, our purpose in going was to meet the people, but we were running out of time. And yet, we soon discovered time wasn’t an issue at all.

Earlier that day, our friend offered to spend the morning showing us Garbage City, after which he would return to work for the day.  Morning quickly became afternoon and we headed back through the village and into the heart of Cairo, but we weren’t finished. As we drove past the Zabbaleen, we knew we had to stop. We convinced our friend to give us 5 minutes and then climbed out the car, 1 Egyptian and 5 foreigners. We were a sight to behold for more reasons than one. We drew a crowd, not simply because we were a group of foreigners, but also because we began to pray for the sick and injured and they were healed. People came from their houses dragging their kids and other family members to receive prayer. Some were sick and others just wanted a blessing. The faith of the Zabbaleen to receive a gift from God was strong, and it was evident that they wanted the good gifts our Heavenly Father had to offer.

As I stood among the crowd, I felt a tug at my shirt. Looking down, there was a small boy with a pained expression on his face. I knew he needed prayer, but I wasn’t sure what for. He didn’t speak English and I didn’t have a translator, but he pointed to his finger. So I prayed and asked the Holy Spirit to heal the need though I was ignorant of the exact condition. After a few seconds, I understood that his finger was broken and he was unable to bend it. I gently rubbed my finger across his and prayed for healing. Seconds later, I made a bending motion with my hand to encourage him to try to bend his finger. He shook his head. I prayed a little while longer and repeated the gesture. Again, he shook his head. I prayed again and waited for direction from the Holy Spirit. Then once again, I opened and closed my hand and gestured for him to do the same. This time, he repeated the motion with no problem.  When he saw that his finger was healed, his face lit up. Following each miracle, we pointed to the sky and said Jesus in Arabic, then praised Him. Before I could do this, the little boy took off running after a truck. As he ran, the sound of his laughter flowed to my ears and filled my heart. I watched him jump on the back of the truck and foolishly warned him to be careful. He was a boy, and his joy had returned.

In that moment, as his laughter filled the air, I noticed something shift around us. The day was brighter and light seemed to fill the village. I lost awareness of the garbage piled up in the streets and turned my gaze from the sky to the faces of the people. It was like the heavens had opened and the Father was smiling down on us, and in response, hoped filled all of our hearts as we stood in the streets. Our countenances changed, and I felt heaven rejoice.

As we left that day, I was amazed, not just at God’s awesome power, but at the hearts of the people. The city was founded on a miracle, and the faith of the Zabbaleen is an example of how faith begets faith. They are a people familiar with miracles, but still hungry for a touch of God. When I think of the Zabbaleen, I remember the joy among the garbage; I remember how they welcomed us into their homes; I remember the beauty of their hearts and that they are precious in the Father’s eyes. They live among the garbage and God is restoring their hope for something more. And as their hope is being restored, I pray that their hunger would continue to grow as their eyes shift from God’s hand to His heart.

Musings in Uncertainty

I was running, and I hit a wall.

Then, when the shock lifted and the dust settled, I found myself at a crossroads. 

Questions swirl through my mind: “Do I? Should I? What if I?”

All telling of the conundrum I find myself in

Between choosing a life I once knew and loved,

A life I could easily settle back into,

Or… staying and waiting for something to give so I can enter into a new place

The place I had hoped I’d be by now.

Do I stay or do I go?

Should I work or should I wait?

What if I…

How do you rest in a whirlwind of unknowns?

When all of your best laid plans get caught in an upward drift

And remain suspended in mid air,

Do you continue on the path of uncertainty

Or lay knew plans with your own machinations?

Oh, but the echo of His Word:

“Be still and know that I am God."[1]

That should be enough to defy the temptations.

For true rest isn’t found in the knowing,

It’s found in the only constant that always existed:

Jesus is Lord.

Long before the world we know was created

And far after it ceases to be,

He will be… and remains Lord. 

He is the only constant we can lean on,

The only truth there is to know.

Unknowns fall away when our eyes are set on Him,

And the path becomes clear.

After all, the light of all life is found in Him,

And with Him, darkness is no longer darkness. 

My questions are misplaced,

Because that miserable “I” has been their focal point.

The best focal point is Jesus,

And I’ve decided that my questions should follow the way of the answers.

Let them begin and end with Him.

---

[1] Proverbs 46:10

Heart of Compassion

My brothers often joke that I run towards danger, saying, "If a country is in war, she's on her way there." This is somewhat accurate, although the purpose behind my desire to visit these war-torn places is often overlooked.  Truthfully, I love adventure and I am a thrill seeker, but I don't see thrills in war. I see broken people. I see people who are losing loved ones, homes, and hope.  I see people in need of compassion and love. That's what's most important, not the place nor the conditions, but the people. My eagerness in going to these countries is not the thrill of danger, but a love for the people being affected by the turmoil around them. Most of them can't get away, so why not go to them?

In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus tells his disciples to pray for laborers to be sent into His harvest. This verse is often quoted with little regard to the context. Indeed, there is a need for laborers, but there is an even greater need for laborers with compassion.  Verse 35 and 36 say,

"Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitude, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd."

Did you get it? "He was moved with compassion for them." Then comes verses 37 and 38:

"Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."

I am convinced that we need more laborers in the harvest, but I am even more convinced that it is detrimental to send laborers who lack compassion. For too long, nations have been wounded by Christians who chose to judge them rather than love them. It was this type of judgment that the religious leaders of Jesus' time slung at the multitude. The people had judgmental leaders, but no shepherd, no voice of compassion, no voice of love. Jesus was that voice for them. In John 12:47, Jesus explains that He did not come to judge the world but to save it. I believe that salvation ultimately comes from love. Love is the driving force that sent our Savior to the cross. If judgment had been His purpose, we all would be condemned and none would be saved. So, let's remember that love drew us to the cross and into the arms of the blameless One who took our judgment upon Himself. Then, let's turn around and offer that love to those around us. And finally, as we pray for the salvation of the nations, let's pray for the laborers to be sent and that these sent laborers would carry a heart of compassion as Jesus did.

Getting Back to Purity

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” –Matthew 5:8

This is a beautiful promise that has captured my heart the last few days. The pure in heart shall see God. How exciting! As I pondered this, I wondered what it looks like to be pure. It’s not just the chastity model so many of us have learned, nor is it all about abstinence or determining how far is too far sexually. Purity of heart goes deeper than sexual purity, and while sexual purity starts in the heart, true purity encompasses much more than this. Jesus teaches that what one speaks comes from his heart and defiles a man (Matt 15:18), and Paul admonishes us not to allow unwholesome talk to escape our mouths since this violates purity. At another time, Jesus compares harboring unjust anger towards one’s brother to the Old Testament command about murder saying, both will lead to “danger of the judgment” (Matt 5:21-22).  This, too, violates purity, and there are many other violations of purity noted throughout the Scriptures. With each of these issues, purity is not necessarily about abstinence or pushing boundaries. Purity ultimately is a condition of the heart. 

I believe that the secret of living with a pure heart is found in Matt. 6:1-4. In these verses, Jesus warns the multitude of doing good deeds before an audience as many of the religious people did at the time. He encourages them that the Father will reward a good deed done in secret, and it’s a far better reward than the momentary praise of men.  This passage speaks of motives.  Ask yourself: what is the motive of your heart in pursuing purity? Is it to please your family, significant other, or pastor? Is it to follow the “rules” to ensure you have a place in heaven? Are you trying to put on a good show for those around you? Or are you honestly living to please God? How you answer the motive question will determine whether you are truly pursuing purity or living for a fleeting reward. If you are truly living to please the Father, then purity will no longer be a matter of what you can or can’t do. You won’t even want to go near those things if you think for a second that you could bring displeasure to His heart by engaging in them. Walking with a pure heart is seeking to please the Father in whatever you do.  This leads to the fulfilled promise of seeing His face. 

Psalm 24 speaks of a generation that will seek the face of the LORD, a generation who has clean hands and a pure heart, the generation of Jacob.  This generation will be pursuers and lovers of purity made up of those who have counted the cost and still find Him worthy. When we pursue purity, we pursue the heart of Jesus for He is the only one truly undefiled. Jesus lived to please the Father, and in doing so, He walked untainted within this world. He didn’t compromise for the sake of relevance, but, in staying true to the call of the Father, He walked in obedience and stood out as one man among the nations of the known world.  Like Jesus, we all have a unique calling and destiny, and our walks of purity are going to be unique to how we are created by God, which is why it’s important for us to understand that purity doesn’t look one way. The Bible does point us on the same path towards purity with the stipulations and warnings it notes, and, along with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we should seriously consider and apply the prescriptions found in the Bible. Even so, the application may not look the same for everyone, and that’s where the understanding of purity draws us back to our motives.  Purity looks like seeking to please God within the realm and community He has placed you. You express one aspect of God that no other person can, and you are beautiful in your uniqueness. Be that expression of God within that community without being afraid to stand out. Seek to please Him among whatever people He has placed you.
  
There is a line being drawn in the sand, and the people of God will have to choose where we will stand. We can no longer compromise, but, like Jesus, we can still remain relevant. He wasn’t relevant in the way the people desired, but He was still relevant through His obedience, and it changed the history of the world. Let’s follow the example of Jesus, and get back to true purity. 

The Deep

An ache, a groan, a cry, a sob
and then, the rushing of the depths
'All Your waves and billows wash over me'
An inner cleansing from the wells of God
Let the depths open up and the rivers overflow
The waters arising from the core of His heart
O Heart of God, draw me in
Into the deep, where darkness becomes light
and death becomes life
Where deserts give way to fruit
And truth is the only word known
He speaks and it is
There is no other way in reality
And yet, in this altered world
We must see to believe
In betrayal of our true nature
Sons of God arise in the power of His word
Speak by the faithfulness of His name
Call that which is not into being
Empowered by the Creator
We have chosen to be free of
And so, we are powerless and enslaved
By a false identity, a foreign nature
We are too quick to embrace
But where is life and by Whom does it come?
There is only one
The Messiah gives life and freedom to the enslaved
He empowers the powerless and restores identity to the nameless
He is the Christ of God
Rise from the depths of despair and oppression
and go into the depths of the Heart of God
Seek Him and find Him
He is waiting for you

Pray for the Syrians

The world sits in silence as a people mourn their mounting loss. Homes, possessions, dignity, and yet even worse, lives. They fall day and night at the sound of the rockets, bombs, and consistent gunfire. Where does the world stand as Syria falls in bloodshed? Our economies are failing, another protest for another dollar, but what about the people? What about fighting for something that's lasting, something that's eternal? The hearts and souls of men.

God have mercy. Lift Your eyes upon the Syrians and save their souls from destruction. Raise a cry among the nations for the bloodshed to end. Damascus will fall, yet there will be a remnant. Lord, rescue your people. God have mercy.

Many of the Christian Syrians are being targeted by the rebels who are extremist, and the Christian communities are being used as human shields. In addition to this, they lack food, water, and medical treatment. There are some who are trying to help them escape Syria, although the rebel forces are trying to prevent their escape. If you'd like to make a donation to help the persecuted church in Syria, please visit: https://barnabasfund.org/donations/?id=00-1032&appealCode=SYR%2012/12

Pray for the Syrians: the displaced and persecuted. Whether Muslim or Christian, they need our prayers.

But You Are Holy

I melt in His eyes.
"But You Are Holy," I protest. How can One as holy as He even consider drawing near to me?
With eyes so tender, He softly touches my cheek.
"You are Mine," comes His reply so meek.
How is it that the God of the Universe, the King of all Glory, the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth can love me?

In humility, He came.
In compassion, He walked.
In meekness, He died.
In power, He rose.
In passion, He lives.
By fire, He loves. Me.
By fire, He loves me.

When He looks at me, my heart begins to melt, and I become undone.
"But You Are Holy," I protest. How can One as holy as He even consider drawing near to me?
With eyes so tender, He draws me into His arms.
"You are Mine," comes His reply so calm.
How is it that the King of Kings, the Everlasting God, the Holy One of Israel, the One who has no beginning and no end can love me?

In passion, He'll come.
In glory, He'll reign.
In righteousness, He'll judge. 
In truth, He'll rejoice.
In holiness, He'll marry.
Through eternity, He'll love. Me.
Through eternity, He'll love me. 

His eyes see right through me, and my all is exposed. 
"But You Are Holy," I protest. How can One as holy as He even consider drawing near to me?
With eyes so tender, He tilts up my head. Then I see His dancing eyes and joyous smile, and I know, even in the fullness of His holiness, He loves me. 
"You are holy, because you are mine," He says.
I am His, and through Him, I am holy.