Love is the Movement

The name of my blog is "Love is the Movement," but I've never taken the time to explain what that means for me.


I stole it from a Switchfoot song of the same name.


Here's what I know about religion: it gives us rules to live by, based on the beliefs dictated by said religion.


Christianity isn't really a religion. Because all of Christianity comes down to love:


"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 
Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:36-40)


And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)


And love "is bigger than cold religion. It's bigger than life. Love is a movement. Love is a revolution."


We are called to love. That's how the world will know we are Christ's disciples. It's like we bear his mark. And his mark is love. 


And when we start giving love in the same measure we have received it, IT IS A MOVEMENT. It's contagious. It can't be stopped.


I have had kind of an internal debate going on since I got to Peru. During our orientation before coming to Peru, our director Brian said, "The most compassionate thing you can do for a person is lead them the the foot of the cross." I was the only person who argued this point, simply by saying that the gospel is holistic, so we must take care of physical needs as well as spiritual needs. But he maintained that the MOST compassionate thing anyone can do is to bring someone to know Jesus Christ.


So for me, I have still debated in my head this point, going back and forth.


But if I really loved people and really believed in a place called hell, how could I do anything else but introduce them to my friend and savior Jesus Christ?


At the same time, if I really loved people, how could I do anything but help situations like this: 

because this is real, and it breaks God's heart, because Nabakoza is a daughter of God, who at the age of 23 might  die because of neglect and malnutrition. She weighs 37 pounds. How can I love my neighbor as myself and not want to do something about this? 


I feel like I'm getting off on a rant, and that is not what I want, but I do want to make a point: the love that we have received from the Cosmic God of the universe should move us into action. It should move us to tell others about this incredible love we have undeservingly received. And it should move us into caring for our neighbors. 


It should break our hearts to know this is happening. 


We should have a holy anguish to know that people are perishing separated from God. 


Love is a movement that changes things. 


It changes us. 


It moves us.


*(For more information about Nabakoza in Uganda, visit The Journey or Be "The Hands and Feet")


--Since I wrote this blog post about Nabakoza about 4 days ago, and before I got the chance to post it, she passed away.--