It's a Wonderful World (Jan 31, 2014)

3 Good Things That Happened This Week Around the World

Don't watch too much of the news. You will quickly become depressed. Regardless of your political perspective your side is always on the verge of loosing. Calamity abounds. People are killed. Fortunes are lost. War is just around the corner. All news is bad news.

In his book "What is Wrong with the World," G.K. Chesterton discusses the problem with only focusing on the evils of the world. 

  The only way to discuss the social evil is to get at once to the social ideal. We can all see the national madness; but what is national sanity? I have called this book "What Is Wrong with the World?" and the upshot of the title can be easily and clearly stated. What is wrong is that we do not ask what is right.

And there are a lot of things that are right with the world. Each Friday I will post 3 good things that happened in the world during the week, big and small along with links to articles about them. You may have heard of some of them already. Others might have gotten lost in the noise of all the bad news we are accustomed to hearing.

Take a moment to let the cares of impending war and financial meltdown fade away. Refocus on what is good in the world, following the advice of Paul the Messenger of Christ, "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (Phil 4:8)

1. Toilets.  Diarrhea is the number one killer worldwide. The two big ways to bring it down are clean drinking water and proper sanitation. UNICEF reported this week that 2 billion people have gained access to toilets since 1990.  As a result of this and other factors, child mortality in developing countries continues to fall. We're winning the war, one toilet at a time.

2. Snow. People came together across the ice covered south to help those stranded by the crippling storm. People provided food, shelter, and assistance to complete strangers. Businesses across the south such as a Chick-fil-a franchise near Birmingham also joined in to feed motorists stranded on the highway at no charge. One doctor even traveled six miles by foot to perform a life saving surgery. It turns out that there really are good people in the world. And even flawed people often do great things for others when the need arises.

3. Peanuts. For some people, exposure to peanuts can be life-threatening due to an extreme allergy to the protein in peanuts. This week, researchers in the UK announced that peanut allergies have successfully been treated with small doses of peanuts. Who would have thought? After six months of peanut therapy, 85% of participants were able to consume 5 peanuts without a reaction. Please note, this study was done under intense medical supervision. Don't try this at home!

The Story of 2013

Welcome to my written life. Look back at my posts over the last year and you get a bit of a story. This is the story of how I have tried to be more like Jesus in 2013.

I pondered a lot of theology this year. People or events raised my awareness to certain issues and I sought to not just be right about them, but to live right about them. I noticed injustices, sex trafficking, underpaid workers, even whole nations of people who are being oppressed and forgotten. and felt compelled to speak out on their behalf.  But I learned that the biggest injustices are the ones I perpetuate with my own excesses. So for much of the latter half of this year, I have set out to mark my life with simplicity and discipline. It has not been an easy path, but one well worth taking.

Here three of my favorite posts of the year. These each represent lessons God has been teaching me. They are personal. But they also represent the common condition of all who seek to follow Jesus in the real world. If you only have time to read three, these are the one's I'd suggest.

1. Let's Talk about Fasting - No one ever taught me how to fast, or even that I should fast. I set out to discover what it was all about, and at the end of my first seven day fast I came to this conclusion: we need to spend a lot more time on this.

2. Because We Can - This is about the time my seven year old daughter challenged me to step out of my comfort zone to help others. Sometimes the Holy Spirit sounds a lot like a second-grader.

3. Running to the Fire - Who was Ronnie Smith? Learn about his genuine life, his beautiful death, and how he isn't all that uncommon among Christ followers. "Ronnie ran to the fire. Ronnie fought the fire. And in the end, Ronnie wins."

There are a lot of things about me that I am still not happy with. I get caught up in a lot of the same old hangups I have struggled with for years. I can be kind of self-serving at times. It's not that I don't care about you, I just didn't notice that you exist. Sorry about that.

But when I look back at the last year, I can also see a lot of things I am happy about. God is not done with Zach Spiering. I am a different person than I was January 1, 2013. I have learned to be a more disciplined person (usually). I have a better perspective to view my money and possessions. I have learned a lot about being a better father. I have become more active in serving people.

This year I saw my readership expand. I am not a breakout success. None of my posts have gone viral. But more and more people are reading what I write. Maybe there's something to that.

I am not done changing. I am not done growing. As long as my journey can help and inspire yours, keep walking with me. Let's see how God leads us in 2014 as we seek to live like Jesus every day of the week.