[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":84},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fnot-too-safe":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fnot-too-safe-surround":73},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":11,"columnName":55,"date":56,"description":17,"extension":57,"image":58,"meta":59,"minRead":60,"navigation":61,"path":62,"postType":63,"publication":64,"publicationUrl":58,"seo":65,"stem":66,"topics":67,"__hash__":72},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fnot-too-safe.md","Not Too Safe",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10],"Proverbs","Psalms",{"type":12,"value":13,"toc":51},"minimark",[14,18,21,24,27,30,33,36,39,42,45,48],[15,16,17],"p",{},"How safe does God want you to be? That may be a tougher question than it sounds.",[15,19,20],{},"No doubt about it, God is our guardian and protector, our refuge in times of trouble. \"The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe,\" says Proverbs 18:10. \"He who trusts in himself is a fool,\" another proverb warns, \"but he who walks in wisdom is kept safe\" (Proverbs 28:26).",[15,22,23],{},"In a sinful world filled with physical, emotional, and spiritual danger, Christians need to be street-wise as serpents and harmless as doves. A good shepherd protects his flock from wolves. Parents must protect our children from sexual predators and drug dealers. Church leaders should protect our congregations from false teachers and divisive critics. Neighbors need to do whatever we can to keep our streets and schools secure. It's simply good stewardship for Christians to take reasonable precautions to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our property.",[15,25,26],{},"But how safe is safe enough? When does valid caution disintegrate into cowardice? Excessive concern for personal safety is a barrier to vibrant faith.",[15,28,29],{},"Will you dare to be identified as a Christian at work or school, or will you keep your commitment to Christ safely anonymous?",[15,31,32],{},"Will you cross the barriers of skin color and cultural differences and venture into the scary but exciting world of personal evangelism?",[15,34,35],{},"Will you confront your estranged brother and seek to reconcile your differences, or play it safe and settle for prolonged and unresolved bitterness?",[15,37,38],{},"Will you give more money to the Lord's work than you've ever given before, or remain satisfied with the comfortable giving level you already have attained?",[15,40,41],{},"Will you reach for deeper relationships with others and risk being authentic and vulnerable, even though it feels safer to remain guarded?",[15,43,44],{},"Will you venture into a new season of life—your retirement years, perhaps—with boldness and vigor? Will you attempt to reach challenging new goals for the glory of God, or will you settle for familiarity and self-indulgence?",[15,46,47],{},"A safety-bubble of self-interest is a dangerous place to live. If everyone played it safe, no one would dare to explore the mountain peaks, the ocean depths, or the mysteries of outer space. No one would become a missionary, plant a new church, or minister in the inner city. No one would go where it's dark or give till it hurts. No doctors and nurses would care for patients afflicted with contagious diseases. No one would minister to prisoners. No police officer would put himself in harm's way to protect his fellow citizens. No soldier would step onto the battlefield to defend his countrymen. If everyone played it safe, no one would speak out against injustice or stand up for the mistreated. We can't keep the lifeboat to ourselves and allow everyone else to drown.",[15,49,50],{},"It's risky to believe and to love, but Christ calls us to bold faith and self-sacrifice, realizing that our ultimate security comes from him alone. When the time was right and the Father's plan required it, Jesus left the security of Heaven and went to the most dangerous place of all: the cross. Let's never forget that he calls us to go there too.",{"title":52,"searchDepth":53,"depth":53,"links":54},"",2,[],"First Look","2008-01-13","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fnot-too-safe","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":17},"articles\u002Fnot-too-safe",[68,69,70,71],"Biblical Theology","Church Leadership","Intergenerational Ministry","Christian Unity","BgHAxeNeXVIyttdc0o2BAUL8smaI7CoEYEUD8idxUcY",[74,79],{"title":75,"path":76,"stem":77,"description":78,"children":-1},"‘Not So With You’","\u002Farticles\u002Fnot-so-with-you","articles\u002Fnot-so-with-you","“It’s what Italians do,” he says when you dine at his home and he stuffs you with stuffed clams, pasta, and chicken cacciatore. His name is Modesto Sarno, but friends call him by his nickname, “Buddy.” He’s known to hundreds as simply “Uncle Buddy.” Buddy met Evelyn, the girl who eventually became his wife, while they were children growing up in Brooklyn, New York. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. After the war ended, he and Evelyn married in 1946, then moved to Long Island and became members of Nesconset Christian Church, a new congregation planted by the Orchard Group (then known as Go Ye Chapel Mission). Evelyn was a seamstress and Buddy made his living working for the Long Island Lighting Company, but their main goal was serving the Lord through their family and their church. At home they brought up a son, John, and a daughter Lisa, and they cared for five foster children, including a deaf child and another with cerebral palsy. In the church Buddy served as an elder and Evelyn served alongside him, often opening up their home to others in hospitality. (One evening they invited a young Long Island boy and his mom for dinner, and took them to church afterward. The boy grew up to be the famous musician, Billy Joel.) Buddy participated in an amateur drama group on Long Island that performed original plays, raising money to support Catskill Christian Assembly, a church camp in upstate New York where the Sarnos frequently volunteered. On several occasions the Sarnos traveled to Mexico to serve in a children’s home. Buddy served on the Go Ye Chapel Mission board, and over the years he helped to plant 18 new churches in the New York area.",{"title":80,"path":81,"stem":82,"description":83,"children":-1},"Not Worthy of Them","\u002Farticles\u002Fnot-worthy-of-them","articles\u002Fnot-worthy-of-them","I don't like looking at the cover of today's issue. I'd prefer to think about new church buildings, hot burned ones, cheerful Christians, not suffering ones; prosperity, not pain. But as much as we'd like to avoid the uncomfortable topic of persecution, God's Word won't allow us that luxury.",1790466168134]