Unstained

Many people in the adoption community have a strong affection for the verse in James 1:27 which says “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep onself unstained from the world.” I have read this verse too many times to count but always focused on the "visit orphans and widows" part of it.

Today as I was checking out Shannon's blog, I was directed to a blog written by her husband...a site simply titled "unstained." Through his blog, David is sharing his family's desire to live for Christ and the daily practical decisions they make to bring reality to that desire.

Much of what David says has also been on my heart lately. I was recently reunited with a long, lost friend who lives in Mexico. Through our correspondence, I have been reminded yet again of the luxury that many Americans live in while others live in poverty. However, this time the "other" wasn't half-way around the world...or nameless to me...or someone I would never meet. The "other" was...is...my dear friend.

I encourage you to check out the "unstained" blog. In particular, watch the short video at the very bottom of the page under the "$8 hot dog" post. Interestingly, Rebecca also recently posted a similar topic which you can view here. The following statement by John Piper could have been pulled straight from my lips:

“I tremble at the prospect of living a trivial, self-serving, comfortable, middle-class, ordinary, untroubled American life.” (John Piper)

UPDATE: In case you couldn't find it, David added a new post which bumped the "$8 hot dog" post to a new page. You can watch the video HERE.