Howard Zinn once said, "Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world." Max Lucado firmly believes that, and in a new book calls on all of us to part of that transformation. Lucado, a bestselling Christian author, has been writing for 25 years and has sold 65 million books. To celebrate his silver anniversary, Thomas Nelson is publishing Outlive Your Life: You Were Made to Make a Difference ($24.99, 9780849920691/0849920698) on September 14, 2010.
Lucado says ours is the wealthiest generation ever,
and we have ample resources (there is enough food on the planet to offer every
person 2,500 calories a day; from a purely statistical standpoint, American
Christians by themselves could house the 145 million orphans in the world): "The
storehouse is stocked. The problem is not in the supply; the problem is in the
distribution. God has given this generation, our generation, everything we need to alter the course of human
suffering." But can an ordinary person make difference? Lucado says we can; it doesn't have to be a
major undertaking, although it will probably involve getting outside our
comfort zone, but if we remember that while no one can do everything, everyone
can do something: "Save one
life. Save the world."
Marilyn Dahl talked with Max Lucado as he was preparing to tour for Outlive Your Life.
You are an author with a vast Christian audience, but your book can speak to everyone. How would you convince secular bookstores, especially independents, to carry Outlive Your Life? How would it appeal to all readers?
I think compassion is a universal emotion regardless of our background or heritage; it's appealing, it makes the world a better place. But compassion is hard to stir up; the need is great, but we get cynical. But I do think the desire is there in every person.
That's what this book discusses--I write from a Christian perspective but the principles are universal.
1.75 billion people are poor, one billion are hungry. Here, people are
homeless in every town. It's overwhelming. Most of us think we can't do
anything.
It can be a failure of imagination. I tell stories of very ordinary people, like the woman in Florida who put together a group of women who stitch together disposable pads for cancer patients. Or the nine-year old boy who took his $20 savings and challenged the staff of his church's children's ministry to match it, which resulted in enough money to dig two wells in El Salvador. Or the London taxi driver who started microlending with just $55 and transformed the life of a Brazilian pharmacist in a Rio de Janeiro slum, which in turn helped the favela dwellers. I think stories like these can be replicated. Sometimes teaming up with an organization can get you started.
How do people find the right organization?
That's such an important question. I've had many occasions to meet with different organizations that say they do good works, but some of them strike me as being definitely shady--no accountability, no board of directors, no transparency. I try to vet by accountability and track record. World Vision has been at this for over 50 years, and they score highly on both.
I picked World Vision to receive the royalties from my book for those reasons, and also because I first went to them with my idea of giving them the proceeds from my book, but asked them what they'd do with the money. If they didn't have good ideas, then I'd try someplace else. They decided to use it in northern Uganda, which has been decimated by the Lord's Liberation Army. They have already used the advance to drill water wells. They know what to do and how to do it.
Organizations like World Vision are needed to tackle poverty because simple solutions just don't exist. As Rich Stearns, president of World Vision, says, "Poverty is rocket science."
How do we overcome disaster or compassion fatigue? How do we move out of our comfort zone?
It's a unique challenge for our generation because we get crisis details 24/7, which can be overwhelming. There's a lot of wisdom in the thought that everyone can do something, you just have to figure out your assignment. Identify what calls to you--something overseas, something in your neighborhood. Something with a group, something one-to-one.
For missions, or church outreach programs, the question that often arises can be summed up by asking, "Salvation or water?" Which thirst do you quench first, spiritual or physical?
The big danger is to tend toward extremes. I do think it's hard to explain the Gospel if someone has physical needs. I do believe you have to feed the belly. Maybe your job is to provide the hot meal and the next person's job is the spiritual message. World Vision balances this very well.
People mistrust organized religion, often with good reason, and our best response to that is compassion--compassion is the best apologetic. In my book, I write about the early church in Jerusalem, and the way they made sure the Greek widows were not neglected. A cold drink of water is the first step. We can all provide that.