Amazing Grace - Lessons for today

I love the movie Amazing Grace. And recently when watching it again I noticed a couple things I want to emulate about William Wilberforce.

1. His good friend spurred him on. Willam Pitt became Prime Minister during the period Wilbeforce was up against slave traders in Parliament. His friend indulged his thoughts and ideas. He brainstormed along side him and even did some work while Wilberforce was out sick for a period of time. Without his friend's help in soliciting votes, the law might not have passed. His friend was instrumental in his success and in his life as a freedom fighter. Pitt believed in Wilberforce's call to this mission and sought to propel and help him as much as he could.

2. He had a mentor. John Newton provided wisdom, guidance, and the needed push to keep Wilberforce going in a life of politics. Wilberforce wavered with pursuing a religious life rather than a political one and needed supporters who had his back throughout the tumult of getting the motion to law.

3. His spouse challenged him. While he didn't marry until in his late 30's, he did so to a woman who was already behind his cause. She encouraged his persistence and reminded him what he'd accomplished thus far.

4. He persevered through physical  illness and carried the burdens of many he'd never met.It's believed that William Wilberforce suffered from ulcerative colitis which was only treated back then with opium. It was stress-induced and with him most of his life. In addition, he was plagued by nightmares of slaves in their slave quarters on ships.

These choices and relationships were critical to him fulfilling the mission God gave him. He was surrounded by God's love in the form of these people who provided challenge and support at just the right moments. I recently heard the president of International Justice Mission at the Justice Conference. Gary Haugen spoke about how the work of justice "is long and boring" and the great persistence of the people who work with his organization. It's not a glamorous thing to do, but it's a worthy thing to do. I think about that phrase often - the work of justice is long and boring - it is reflected in the life of William Wilberforce, Lincoln and many others who allow the work of justice to sink deep into their souls. Thank God for them. May we all learn from their work and grow in our ability to persevere as God seeks to use our lives for His glory and to love a world that doesn't acknowledge him.

Passion 2013

Passion as defined by Dictionary.com - any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate 

 Passion as defined by the 268 Generation - "for your name and renown are the desire of our souls" from Isaiah 26:8

This New Year's I went to Passion at the Georgia Dome with 60,000 other people, 90% who are between the ages of 18-25.  I attended along with students from my local church's college ministry. There we gathered together in worship and heard teaching from authors and pastors including Francis Chan, John Piper and Beth Moore. It was Biblical training with some of the leaders in this nation. 

We worshiped with Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, and Kristian Stanfill. It was candy to the ears for all worship leaders, a glimpse of heaven (albeit a white, college-aged heaven), and a time to boldly declare the truths of God. The first night we were requested to yell as loud as possible in order to get those in neighboring Atlanta to wonder what's going on and listen in. Then we continued praising God and declaring his Truths for anyone who could hear. The worship was a sweet gift to God's people and I pray God smiled as he heard it. 

In addition to the worship and teaching Passion presented an opportunity for students to get involved in fighting injustice. This was my favorite part of the conference. I was older than the target audience, and tired quickly of being herded like cattle everywhere I went. But I was a sponge when they spoke of justice. As I've grown and experienced more in my Christian life I am convinced that we are compelled to fight injustice. So as we heard from the president of International Justice Mission, a girl rescued from a life of forced prostitution and  a man who requested we demand products not made by slaves, indentured servants or child laborers - I was all ears! 

All 60,000 of us were challenged with raising money to help established social justice organizations to further what they do and to bring an end to slavery worldwide. According to the State Department there are approximately 27 million slaves in the world today. See what CNN said about this conference here. See tweet below to see how we did :)

 
As I attended, absorbed and contemplated all that happened at Passion I felt the need to pray. As someone who has been in multiple ministries, churches, etc. and seen conferences (I did help plan them for a year) of many kinds, I felt several times at Passion a criticism and judgement sneaking into my attitude. Do we need laser lights? Do we have to scream every time a song ends? Do I have to keep standing? Does it mean I love God less because I want to sit? I don't think so, but I do think I've aged out of the target audience and that I need to do a heart-check on my pride in having "been there and done that." It happens often that a mountain-top awe-inspiring kind of atmosphere like Passion causes people to come back and make changes to their lives, but it fades soon after the excitement and feelings they experienced are buffered with everyday life. So my prayer is that Passion really be the movement it calls itself (rather than a conference), and that the Dictionary.com definition not be what it was to these students - a fleeting emotion but rather a new positioning for their lives.

Dear Father,

Thank you for the students' energy and youthful excitement. Let it be a reminder to all of us. Jesus, thank you for igniting them ablaze in a desire to pursue justice and love mercy. Thank you for their passion. Now Jesus, as Passion (the conference) ends,

Take their energy and excitement >>>> Give them endurance

Take the spark of unity and the flame of worship >>>>Give them an all-consuming fire that leads to worship as a lifestyle

Take the 4 days of intense and in-your-face reminders of Jesus >>>> Give them a lifetime of worship in their decisions, actions and words

 give them endurance, turn that small flame into a sustaining all-consuming fire. 

Take their glimpse into the united church >>>> Give them a deep desire to seek unity in all believers and a hope deferred to heaven.  

God pour out your spirit on those students, all 60,000 of them and give them dedication to the causes that break your heart. Give them motivation from Your perfect love for them to change this world for the better. Let their enthusiasm and passion raise the bar for the rest of us as "adult" life can steal our joy.

In Jesus holy and precious name, Amen.

Injustice Shuts Its Mouth.

I attended a gala last week. When I first heard it was a gala, I thought, how lovely! I'd been reading a lot of old English literature and I pictured a Pride and Prejudice type event. I invited my friend Tara and we planned to attend.

We arrived at Castle McCullough after a full day of work and enjoyed the sites and sounds as we bid on silent auction items (Tara won a painting) and listened to musicians. The program was a fundraiser for World Relief and to increase efforts to fight human trafficking. I honestly can't remember how I first found out about this event, I've just been telling people I follow a lot of "this kind of stuff" on twitter and like it on Facebook. The "kind of stuff" I am referring to are social justice issues and causes I care about.

The tone of the evening was hard to describe. But here is my attempt.

Maybe intense? - A survivor of trafficking courageously shared her story including more than a decade of forced prostitution, coercion by her pimp and drug addiction. I think everyone had tears in their eyes.

Maybe  inspiring? - We heard Spoken Word and a lament which point us back to God's faithfulness and love for His people.

Maybe hopeful? - The CEO of World Relief, Stephan Bauman shared his vision for a world free from slavery and reminded us of Wilberforce and the things we've accomplished thus far. 

Maybe igniting? - I spent a couple hours in a room full of people who care about making a difference in our world today. I ended up at a table with the former president and a regional director of World Relief. I signed up for a taskforce and found this other event I may attend soon. 

I've shared with several friends that one day I'd like to run or create a nonprofit and thus far have been looking for those clues God has so graciously revealed over the past several years. I think this even was perhaps a clue. I'm excited for this catalyst and want to keep seeking God's face for what He may be leading me toward. 

Stephan Bauman shared Job 5:16 as part of his vision and as our call to action. Let us pursue God and his love for all people so that injustice shuts its mouth!

According to the UNODC, Human Trafficking is a crime against humanity. It involves an act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring or receiving a person through a use of force, coercion or other means, for the purpose of exploiting them. If you're wondering what World Relief (in High Point NC) does, check out Human Trafficking Advocacy

And to end things well, check out one of the performances Micah Bournes did at the event:

Coffee Lovers? Drink Coffee that does Good :)

I drink coffee every morning. Usually my roommate gets to the kitchen first and brews our coffee. I add creamer in my travel mug and head into my daily commute with a hot cup that helps me ease into my day.
When I buy coffee, I usually go for one that's fairly traded and organic. This is a recent development in the last couple years, as I've grown in my awareness of the kind of consumer I want to be. My roommate usually shops at Whole Foods, so that's the kind of coffee we drink daily.
I ran across this blog post and wanted to pass it on to anyone else whose day isn't complete without some coffee and a cool way to give back without changing much :)
Global Hope Network International - Drink Good Coffee? - this month and next if you buy coffee from Coffee Without Borders, $2 will go back to this great organization to give more access to clean water to people in rural India. I'm going to order mine today and would encourage you to try it out too!
 Order here: http://www.coffeewithoutborders.com/

Finding Hope

Proverbs 31:8: Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.

I ran across this verse this evening as I was further investigating organizations that already exist to fight human trafficking and pursue justice. When I re-read it, I was reminded of these women who have the opportunity to actively pursue justice around the world. Check out what they are up to!

Kate Hughes Around the world in 11 months
Jess Marchand Geneva Switzerland
Kristen Paulick Cambodia
Anna Linhart Uganda

Their stories inspire me. They are a sign of hope much like a flower pushing through the dirt.

I am full of earth
You are heaven’s worth
I am stained with dirt, prone to depravity
You are everything that is bright and clean
The antonym of me
You are divinity
But a certain sign of grace is this
From the broken earth flowers come up
Pushing through the dirt

You are holy, holy, holy
All heaven cries “Holy, holy God”
You are holy, holy, holy
I want to be holy like You are

You are everything that is bright and clean
And You’re covering me with Your majesty
And the truest sign of grace was this
From wounded hands redemption fell down
Liberating man
But the harder I try the more clearly can I feel
The depth of our fall and the weight of it all
And so this might could be the most impossible thing
Your grandness in me making me clean 
-David Crowder Band "Wholly Yours"

my new thing

A brief timeline:

• June 2011 - Getting used to my job and remember the employee "perk" of up to 6 credit hours of class for free for employees. I look through the UNCG course bulletin. 
• August 2011 - I decide to enroll in Global Human Rights, an online graduate level course. Feeling good about my decision and excited to create time and space to look into this more fully.
• September 2011 - I get an email from some list serve and decide to read it. A concert invitation and someone is taking donations for Water Hope, a nonprofit that raises money to provide more people with access to clean drinking water. 
• October 8, 2011 - My friend MaryHil and I travel to Carborro to hear Boyce Avenue play at Cat's Cradle. The opening act is a stellar band called  Green River Ordinance (GRO). I hear a song they wrote for Water Hope and tear up a little. I speak with the lead singer afterwards and find out he simply met one of their people at a benefit and decided to collaborate in this artistic and awesome way. 
• October 17, 2011 - My online course begins and the professor doesn't assign reading. He just suggests using our graduate level brains to filter through 2 textbooks, numerous online resources, articles and PDFs of many pages, videos and government documents. I feel overwhelmed because, per usual, I also have something planned socially every night. 
• October 31, 2011 - I made it through the first 2 assignments and this week is all about human trafficking and the sex trade in Thailand. I have watched numerous videos and am starting to put some ideas together. I tear up at least once during each video. 
• November 2, 2011 - I sort through my old CDs to remember I purchased a "Freedom" CD to benefit International Justice Mission and it included a DVD documentary narrated by Danny Glover. I watch it for the first time. The end concludes with a song by GRO! I cry at the sadness of slavery, the realness of it...but also the hope for an end and a sense of responsibility. This is heavy stuff. 

Take Aways: 

1. I'll be sharing more about what I'm learning in this class. I've told friends, even before it started, "this class might change my life" 
2. Everyone should buy this song to support Water Hope: http://amzn.to/sbGLGq OR this CD to benefit International Justice Mission http://amzn.to/t0tkZl
3. I like finding patterns in my normal life. I want to change the world. 
4. The song from the DVD: