Sunday, May 29, 2011

I Think it is All Coming Back to Me Now

Do you ever meet a moment that you did not like? How about those days where every second is dragging and each breath becomes more akin to nails on a chalkboard, than refreshing, sustaining life? What about those times in life when everything seems ok but you are literally wanting to pull your skin off because something is just not right? What about in your relationship with Christ? Have you ever faced those times when life was supposed to be magically remade when you said Yes to Jesus, but fast-forward a few years and the supernatural is now humdrum?

I am going to admit that I am so there. When I “got saved”, I was alive as I had never been. Every day was a rush to start learning about Christ. I sat through bible studies and read piles of books, asked tons of questions and everyday fell deeper in love with my Savior. I am learning that the funny thing about Humans is that we are ever so forgetful. When was the last time you were speaking of Jesus and the reality of who He is and what He has done, overcame all thought and emotion bringing you to tears?

I forget.

The ability we have to push the beauty of Christ out of our daily lives is tragic, and consistent. Even those who study the word regularly can take out the cosmic beauty and insert a rather dry and crusty routine. How sad this is. However, this is our nature. I see a human pattern of forgetfulness, as we try to live in any other moment than the one we are in. We look so far into the future that we miss out of moments, days, months and even years of “right now”. Ever pressing into what is next, we miss the challenge of today, and with it the hardship and joy that right now brings. We are simply watching the second hand drive out reality so we can move on to a better time. We can also do the same by living in the past, the best years of our lives were come and gone, so we aim to make right now look just like the good old days.

I bet that the repetition of the book of Judges in the Bible is there for a reason. As one who notices rhythms and patterns, all I can see in that book is the vicious cycle that the Israelites maintained magnificently. How did they continue to forget? Then I remember my own life. How is it possible for me to forget? The redundancy of my own forgetfulness is humbling. I catch myself often trying to “get by”, without my Saviors lead.

I think that just as with the cycle of seasons in nature, we too have seasons that we go through in life. Sometimes we have moments of forgetfulness, but this makes the remembering all the sweeter. Sometimes we are ahead of our time, visions of what is to come permeating into today, and this is wonderful also as we get to imagine the undoing of all the sadness and brokenness that will be. We are allowed to remember. Remember who we were, and how we got here. This is redemption renewed. A sweet refreshing flood of memories reminding you of the person you are becoming.

I realize that as my human nature is to forget, God’s cosmic nature is to remind. He is a jealous lover, gazing on me as my mind is elsewhere; He will woo me as only He can. Gently and lovingly, he once again recaptures my attention and draws me into his fixed eyes that never wander. This moment is precious and restorative. This moment brings life and nourishes. I will never tire of this.  

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Beauty, Pornography, Clothing, and Jesus

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Recently a few ideas have caught my attention. I think that Mary Kassan encapsulates this thought process about the blogs and verbiage that have accompanied it well (I urge you to read her thoughts!). There is a conversation being walked out about the idea of women and beauty. I have heard from a number of male pastor’s and the idea that it is Biblical to “keep yourself up” for your husband. Although this is a very important topic and there is a lot to be said on both sides, this is not what I want to talk about.

A few years ago I wrote on the struggle, I had while dating a boy trapped inside of a man’s body. He was addicted to pornography and I knew this even before I had proof. I was not saved at the time so I responded as a girl outside of grace would; I tried to become the girl he had in his head. When I was saved, I was able to forgive him. I was able to see how I responded wrongly in the situation. I was able to repent. You can read about this in-depth here: Breakthrough. My response to his problem was very wrong, and I am wondering if women in Church are doing a similar thing?

As I survey the wide landscape that makes up the body of Christ, I see many responses to beauty. I walk into a church building at times and feel no different to the cocktail I used to be. Men’s hearts are dark. I also know that I have used my beauty to sinfully captivate attention. Women’s hearts are dark. Thus, we reach a conundrum. How do we as women, become the crown of creation, as God intended, without the nature of sin taking this gift and warping it?

We can’t.

There is no way that we can walk in who we were created to be without the restorative nature of Christ redeeming us daily. Without redemption, we only have the ability to use our form for evil. I emphatically believe that there is a physical response to an inward reality, and women who are struggling with worth, self-esteem and the idea of love are always responding outwardly. This outward expression is one I stumbled into not in a healthy discussion surrounded by fellow believers, but at beauty school. A radical phenomenon happens when a woman has a fight with her significant other, instead dealing with her relationship, she would overhaul her hair. This was always so illogical to me, it made no sense to fight an inward battle with an outside appeal to beauty.

I think that this is similar to what the Church has done to the idea of beauty. Instead of dealing with the real issue, we are making women who are down, inside and out, only feel worse. This is not love, this is shame. I grew up in a “church” where it was never ok, to be beautiful on the outside. We were taught that outward beauty caused a man to stumble and it was our responsibility to dress “appropriately”. There is a huge off-kilter message among churches. The idea that we as women want to be dumpy, or that we are trying to be “loose” is absurd. I would say that there is a perfectly good reason that women have responded in the ways they have. No matter what we wear, there is a judgment that goes with it. If we are trying to be conservative, we are deemed “let go”, if we are dressing modernly, we are now sluts.

The only way I see any remedy to this situation is a cry for grace. Gentlemen, you have asked us that we give you grace in your journey, so I beg that you do the same. As we seek to worship the One who gave us our form, we ask that you pray for us along this journey. Instead of telling us what we should or should not wear, how about you help us work out our salvation with fear and trembling? Ladies, I think that this discussion should continue, I think that your motives should be questioned and I think that our hearts are never pure, so would you do the same? Seek to worship and honor Christ in all that you do, including what you wear.

Friday, May 27, 2011

too many words will ruin this moment

I took myself on a date this evening. I went to Chipotle and got my grub on, then proceeded to get Ice Cream at Josh and John's. On the way home I ran into a co-worker who caught me ogling the sky. I was so inside of the moment of breathtaking beauty forming right before my eyes that I almost missed him! By the time I made it home this is what the sky looked like:

I knew that this sky was about to burst with glory so I set out to find a place where I could see this unfold. I found my niche after a short walk, and in the overpowering midst of the smell of spring I oohed and awwed at the explosive radiant celebration of the end of day that was happening before me.

I can say no more as my breath escapes me. Unbelievable.

Cimg0085

My favorite shot of the escapade.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Questions Sometimes Need No Answer

Quote post

I ended my first book with the words, no answer. I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice? Only words, words; to be led out to battle against other words. Long did I hate you, long did I fear you. I might—

— Till We Have Faces, C.S. Lewis

Monday, May 9, 2011

The Rhythm of the Absolute

Defining the way you see the world is indeed like going to an eye doctor. To understand what type of prescription you need to see the world clearly, you must first determine the parameters with which you view it in the first place. My goal is first to communicate how I see the world, secondly why I came to see the world that way, and thirdly how it affects my daily life. This is a proverbial worldview check-up if you will. An untangling of the way I perceive this world, and how causes me to engage in the reality around me,

When learning how to communicate the fundamentals, I think it best to keep it as simple, yet as poignant as possible. I believe the Nicene Creed captures the essence of this best:

We BELIEVE in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.

Amen. (Society of Archbishop Justus, 2007)

Continuing along the same vein of simple speak, to unpack this a bit, I believe that God “the infinite and personal (triune), transcendent and immanent, omniscient, sovereign, and good being who created the universe” (Sire, 2004 p 83), desires the very thing that we cannot do, live in communion with Him. God is completely good and we are on our best days (although created to be image bearers of God’s glory) are melded with sin; because of this we are unable to even stand in His presence. To right this, God sent His son Jesus to live as man, perfectly and then to die as a sacrifice for humankind’s sin nature. The beauty of this story is that after three days of death, He came to life again, giving us the hope of redemption.

Throughout the timeline of the bible there was woven into the tapestry of the story the specific tale of restoration and regeneration. Jesus was foretold and shown to us before he ever stepped into humanity. This makes every piece of History integral to our understanding of who God is and what truth is. I believe that God is Truth and taking him out of the framework of linear history or truth makes no sense.

“All knowledge forms one whole, because its subject matter is one; for the universe in its length and breadth is so intimately knit together that we cannot separate off portion from portion, and operation from operation, except by mental abstraction.” (Sire. p.55)

Thus, the way to understand life is to understand God. This long-term goal and lifetime adventure enables truth to be understood and attained. Because we are in right relationship with God, we now are able to understand right from left, up from down, right from wrong. The understanding that comes from the cognitive reality of God allows us to agree that there is absolute truth.

The framework that I believe as truth, was not always my own. There are many “reasons” why I came to this understanding, but only one that matters here. James Sire relates John Calvin’s view of this idea:

There exists in the human mind, and indeed by natural instinct, some sense of Deity, we hold to be beyond dispute, since God himself, to prevent any man from pretending ignorance, has endued all men with some idea of his Godhead, the memory of which he constantly renews and occasionally enlarges, that all to a man being aware that there is a God, and that he is their Maker, may be condemned by their own conscience when they neither worship him nor consecrate their lives to his service. (Sire, 2004 p. 80)

 

God made man in his image and inside of us, there is a void that we cannot fill. We were made for God and because of this, our world is not right until we respond to that reality. There are three distinct ways of interacting with the idea of God: accept it, ignore it, or refuse it. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” Psalm 19:1 ESV, 2010). This reality haunts us throughout our life. Every glory filled sunset, every thunderous cascading waterfall, every star filled night sky speaks of the glory of God. It fills a piece of this void and causes us to desire the full version. We yearn for God and He like a veracious lover woos us completely. “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end” (Ecclesiastes 3:9:11, ESV, 2010).

Through a journey of adventure in nature, I found an adoration that I could not contain. Why was I drawn to these things? Why did they well up emotion inside of me with no notice? What language of magnificence was this that spoke directly to my soul? These questions could not be answered by the atheist mindset that I had come to rest in. There was no answer for the divine stirrings inside of me. The only thing that fit was the vision of a Lover calling my need for Him to my direct attention. My eyes were opened and for the first time Jesus was more than a crude crucifix. Jesus stepped into my life with a weight of Truth that is still sending vibrations through my reality. This beautiful enactment of the most precious love story that we have ever encountered is offered to us all. I believe emphatically in this reality, this love was irresistible; my soul had no other response than to say yes.

I could not live without this truth as my own epicenter. This “yes” interacts with every facet of my life. When I found this love story I was a base and vile creature, yet when one is met with irrefutable love, the understanding of life’s value begins to unfold. “Once we capture even a partial understanding of the true character of God, the response is a mixture of awe, fear, joy, and delight” (Philips, Brown, Stonestreet, 2008 p.211). I had no other response than to let my entire life become worship. Every breath I take speaks the name of God, thus there is a holistic response to the reality of God. The food I choose to eat, the money I get to spend, the people I have the honor of interacting with and even the classes I take in school are all challenged by the nature of God welling up inside of me. I am an image bearer in the process of restoration. All that I do begins to reflect this.

Life is rhythmic, everywhere we look we see this in action: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter; Birth, Life, Death; the beat of our hearts; the rhythm in our breath; everything speaks of this cosmic rhythm. We first find it in Genesis, in the story of creation. God speaks to life the rhythm of our souls. I define my life before I met Christ as chaos at best. There was no rhythm, no sense of established tempo, and truthfully no reason to try to attain one. After the Lord brought me to life, I finally felt the beat of my heart move in tempo with this cosmic cadence.  Eugene Peterson speaks of this reality and it begs us all to take thought:

These Genesis work-rhythms are reproduced in our lives and brought to focus in the Sabbath-rest command that enables our participation. When we walk out of the place of worship, we walk with fresh recognizing eyes and a re-created obedient heart into the world in which we are God’s image participation in God’s creation work. Everything we see, touch, feel, and taste carries within it the rhythms of “And God said…and it was so…and it was good…” We are more deeply in and at home in the creation than ever. (Peterson, 2005 p.71)

We are called to life. I am now like a moth fighting to get closer to the flame and I will do whatever I can to ensure this happens. My thoughts, my actions, my friendships, my work ethics all revolve around this magnificence. This light drives me and nothing will stop me from reaching it. With forceful resolve and intentional direction, I aim for Christ. There is nothing in my own life that is not shaped by this.

The way in which I see the world begs a sense of trust in the Unseen. I have faith in something bigger than I could ever imagine. Absolute Truth holds sway to what I believe and why and how this affects life, as I understand it. There is a sense of a deep and substantial foundation that is set for the rest of my time here on earth. A solid reminder of a bigger story that I have the honor of gracing the pages of. What a phenomenal tale of regeneration, hope, and ultimate restoration. I am humbled and awestruck that I get to see through this lens of reality and live out a life in response to it.

References
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version: the ESV study Bible. (2010). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
Peterson, E. H. . (2005). Christ plays in tne thousand places: a conversation in spritiual theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Phillips, W. G., Brown, W., & Stonestreet, J. (2008). Making sense of your world: A biblical worldview (2nd ed.). Salem, WI: Sheffield Publishing Company.
Sire, J. W. (2004). Naming the elephant: worldview as a concept. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.
Society of Archbishop Justus (2007, April 15). The nicene creed. Retrieved from http://anglicansonline.org/basics/nicene.html

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Freedom Is In Our Hands: An Academic Plea for Help

A voiceless cry is being let out daily; it is the silent scream of the stolen. Millions of people each year simply vanish and are fed into an underground industry called Human Trafficking. Human Trafficking is simply a fancy word for slavery and today, “there are more people held in slavery than at the height of the transatlantic slave trade” (Polaris Project, 2010). The harsh reality is that slavery is reaching into every aspect of American life, yet we simply are unaware, or unwilling to face the problem. To combat this we must make information more readily available, take action by using our buying power, and make micro-economic and micro-finance opportunities a reality for the poorest of the poor.

Human lives are being sold and used; precious people are worth more than being turned into a commodity. Currently the rough estimate is that, “Twenty-seven million slaves exist in our world today” (Batstone, 2007, p1). The average price that is paid for these lives is approximately ninety American Dollars (Free the Slaves, 2011). The notion that slavery ended in America with the ratification of the 13th amendment is a naive one at best. Today people are actively involved in a black market business: people are turned into products and traffickers profit millions of dollars from them.

Michelle Rickert an active abolitionist, wrote a magnificent paper entitled: Through the Looking Glass: Finding and Freeing Modern Slaves at the State Level for Liberty University. She shares a speech former President George W. Bush gave to the United Nations about this travesty that defines the scope of this issue:

Each year, an estimated 800,000 to 900,000 human beings are bought, sold or forced across the world’s borders. Among them are hundreds of thousands of teenage girls, and others as young as five, who fall victim to the sex trade. This commerce in human life generates billions of dollars each year— much of which is used to finance organized crime.
There’s a special evil in the abuse and exploitation of the most innocent and vulnerable. The victims of sex trade see little of life before they see the very worst of life—an underground of brutality and lonely fear. Those who create these victims and profit from their suffering must be severely punished. Those who patronize this industry debase themselves and deepen the misery of others. And governments that tolerate this trade are tolerating a form of slavery. (Rickert, 2010)

As stated, by Bush, another way people are used is in the sex trafficking industry; mainly women and children are taken to other countries and used as sex toys to feed humanities growing addictions to prostitution and pornography. This is a daily occurrence in America, with heightened activity happening during major sporting events. Amy Sullivan reports that “In Miami last year, police estimated that as many as 10,000 prostitutes from outside the area arrived for Super Bowl week” (Sullivan, 2011). The reality that these girls are most likely there by force and some are even underage is hard to accept.

Scientia potentia est or “Knowledge is power” as the popular idiom would go, causes us to ask ourselves when affronted with this information, “why have I never heard about these realities before?” The information void about slavery is astonishing, There are many grassroots movements putting together small informative meetings, non-profit organizations that are writing books and sending e-mails, and hometown abolitionists are putting up flyers in their neighborhoods, all attempting to spread the word quickly and effectively.

The problem with trying to bring information to the frontlines is that people are mainly occupied with trendy issues. If you do not have the impressive ability to engage the attention of the masses, the story will be ignored. Currently the average American is a consumer of information. Not only do people have full control over what TV shows they watch with the introduction of recorded TV, but also with social networking the ability to filter what you see has taken over. RSS feeders capture a massive amount of information, but only when you subscribe to the feed do you get wind of the information. The urge for people to cut out negative information has reached an all time high in this post 9/11 world. This poses a problem for small organizations trying to inform the masses. If people do not want to hear the negative, they are easily able to filter it out. Small movements trying to uproot large issues have to overcome the reality that revolutions necessitate strategy to overcome these obstacles.

With the uprising of simple, inexpensive ways to spread the word, like Facebook and Twitter, there seems to be a new surge of enlightenment and discovery. These social networks have become tools of refuge for the activist, enabling them to rapidly spread information and needs.  David Batsone President and Co-Founder of Not For Sale, recently did an interview with Jack Dorsey, the creator of Twitter and communicates why he believes this is a tool that will bring change:

“I think because there is transparency. That is what social media allows you to do. We can tell the stories of people. Its not then, a rather ideological argument that you have to somehow convince people that you are right and they are wrong or vice versa. But its about actually exposing people to the truth and individual people’s stories. Its also communicating that you create a community of credibility” (Not For Sale Campaign, 2010).

Media outlets of all kinds are entering the fight for life. Recently CNN has added The CNN Freedom Project to their online database, highlighting stories and trying to put and end to slavery, by informative reporting and individual stories. They see the need to initiate a global informative approach: “This year CNN will join the fight to end modern-day slavery and shine a spotlight on the horrors of modern-day slavery, amplify the voices of the victims, highlight success stories and help unravel the complicated tangle of criminal enterprises trading in human life” (CNN, 2011). Information is only one facet of this plight; once educated how can we then effect change?

People of all shapes and size, race and color, either sex, are being stolen, and forced into situations that most of us would shudder at the thought of. As consumers, we are buying products that are farmed by little boys and girls who are bought for a price, and forced to work the rest of their lives for our commodities. The coffee and chocolate industry specifically feed into this and there is not much accountability being implemented to keep this from happening. Children are easy prey and once taken are moved with ease across borders, just like that the child is permanently enslaved. The borders across countries are frequently porous and the agents patrolling are deftly bribed. Governments, although initiating laws against such practices, are not able or willing to implement them.  
The abolitionists and human-rights activist step in to mandate change through purchasing power and ardent campaigning for the value of human life. Places like Free2Work.org, give people practical information and reasons to choose products that do not support slavery. This organization has gone to great lengths in researching the level of commitment a company has to ensure that their products are not being made by slaves. They have created a very large database in which you can look up a brand and check their level of responsibility, putting the power of choice back into the hands of the consumer:

The complexities of the global slave trade and limited insight into product supply chains make it difficult for the average consumer to grasp how they are connected to labor abuses occurring within the global production cycle. Today, companies are working with a wide range of initiatives- such as monitoring, certification and labeling programs - to assure their consumers that their products do not violate worker rights. And then there are companies that choose to do nothing. This plethora of approaches is extremely confusing for the average consumer who seeks an answer to the simple question: what’s the story behind my products?


            After extensive research, Free2Work grades companies on a scale of “A” to “F” based on supply chain transparency, code of conduct, response to child and forced labor, and overall efforts to empower workers. A broad range of certification programs also exist that attempt to protect worker rights. The volume and variety of these systems and product labels can be confusing to consumers. Free2Work helps to reduce the confusion and demonstrate to consumers how each program differs by rating these certifications. (Not For Sale, n.d.)

Is this helping though? If the people with the buying power actually made a simple decision to change the way they purchased, then yes this would make a difference. The reality is this grassroots movement has little support, and many though disgusted by the idea of child slavery are not willing to give up their novelties such as chocolate and coffee or buy fair trade to save lives.

            So if what we are doing is not working, what is the next action? We must go into the places where the poorest of the poor live and give them opportunities to grow. Microeconomics change the way small villages exist. Unfathomably poor is where most of the world lives daily. The idea we have as Americans of the term “poor” is comparatively wealthy in the minds of those in ravaged third world countries. The decision to give up a child is not that far outside understanding if it comes down to exchanging one life for betterment of the rest. Those in the trafficking business will also lie about the child. They go to poor villages and tell parents that if they let this child go to work, they will send money back. Once convincing them of this lie, they take the child never to return.

            If we go into communities that have nothing and teach them a simple trade or give them an animal that can be bred or offers a product (like eggs or milk), the entire community will be changed. By giving them a commodity other than children, you are in effect increasing the worth of life. Trades like making jewelry and the investment of animals like goats or chickens are among the most popular ways to bring small economics into tiny communities that will gradually improve the overall state of life. Organizations such as Heifer International are firm in their stance to provide long-term solutions instead of a quickly digestible free lunch. This comprehensive way of giving achieves much more than a gift, it increases the worth of life, as those who are impacted have gained the dignity of sustainability.

First, Heifer helps a community group analyze their situation. They ask: What do we need? What are our resources? What would we like to see happen in five years? Then, they plan specific activities to achieve their goals.
            At this point, the Heifer “living loan” becomes reality. Farmers prepare for their animals by participating in training sessions, building sheds, and sometimes planting trees and grasses.
Then the livestock arrives – bringing with it the benefits of milk, wool, draft power, eggs and offspring to pass on to another farmer.
Finally, the group evaluates its progress, and the cycle repeats as the group moves to more and more ambitious goals, each time visioning, deciding, implementing and reflecting.
Every family and community that receives assistance promises to repay their living loan by donating one or more of their animal’s offspring to another family in need. This practice of “Passing on the Gift” ensures project sustainability, develops community and enhances self-esteem by allowing project partners to become donors.
            This is Heifer’s sustainable approach to ending hunger and poverty – one family, one animal at a time. It’s not temporary relief. It’s not a handout. It’s securing a future with generations of people who have hope, health and dignity. (Heifer International, n.d.)

            There are also ways that Americans with a surplus in their budget can equally impact the movement. Microfinance institutions are blooming in many communities. Someone wanting to help can offer loans in small amounts through institutions like Kiva, “a non-profit organization with a mission to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. Leveraging the Internet and a worldwide network of microfinance institutions, Kiva lets individuals lend as little as $25 to help create opportunity around the world” (2005-2011). Microeconomics and microfinance organizations are trying to infuse poverty not only with hope, but also money, which supports real change.

The reality of trafficking and slavery is daunting, and it would only make sense that the ways we are trying to stop it must be just as big. If we do not take action to end Modern Slavery completely, we will see the worth of human life continue to decline. The statement given by the Congress of the United States when enacting the Trafficking Victims and Protection Act speaks to this resolve:

One of the founding documents of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, recognizes the inherent dignity and worth of all people. It states that all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. The right to be free from slavery and involuntary servitude is among those unalienable rights. Acknowledging this fact, the United States outlawed slavery and involuntary servitude in 1865, recognizing them as evil institutions that must be abolished. Current practices of sexual slavery and trafficking of women and children are similarly abhorrent to the principles upon which the United States was founded. (Rickert, 2010)

The idea that human life is more precious than our comfort, and freedom is worth fighting for, must be adopted on a global scale before we will see much improvement in this perversion of life. As a whole, we must create a community that is willing to take simple steps in making this happen. Humanity has enabled this evil to make a mockery of our most precious and valuable commodity: freedom. The scales are tipping in a chaotic and demeaning direction and this must stop. It is time to bring about worth that rises above the consumerist mindset of momentary bliss and engages ideas of lasting value.

The information we are producing, the decisions we are using with our purchasing power in addition to the active role we are taking by infusing the poor with real tools to step out of poverty are all a step in the right direction. In fighting this, we must continue to utilize information and make it accessible to all, actively participate in choosing to wield our buying power, and help those who are impoverished by investing in micro-economic opportunities. These need to be implemented on a vast scale before we will see any signs of authentic radical alteration in the attempts to combat slavery.

References
Batstone, D. B. (2007). Not for sale: the return of the global slave trade-- and how we can fight it. New York: Harper, San Francisco.
CNN, (2011). The CNN freedom project. Retrieved from http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/
Free The Slaves. (2011). Free the Slaves - Slavery Today. Free the Slaves - home. Retrieved March 13, 2011, from http://www.freetheslaves.net/Page.aspx?pid=301
Heifer International, . (n.d.). Offering sustainable futures: long term solutions. Retrieved from http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.201547/
Kiva (2005-20011). Kiva-about us. Retrieved from http://www.kiva.org/about
Not For Sale, . (n.d.). About us - free2work. Retrieved from http://www.free2work.org/aboutus
Not For Sale Campaign. (Producer). (2010 ). Abolition conversations: social media & social change. [Web]. Retrieved from
Polaris Project. (2010). Human Trafficking Overview. Http://www.polarisproject.org/human-trafficking/overview. Retrieved March 13, 2011.
Rickert, Michelle L., Through the looking glass: finding and freeing modern-day slaves at the
State level (2010, July 12). Faculty Publications and Presentations. Paper 319. http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/gov_fac_pubs/319
Sullivan, A. (2011, February 26). Super Bowl Sex Trade: Religious Groups Try to Crack Down - TIME. Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. Retrieved February 27, 2011, from http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2046568,00.html

Saturday, May 7, 2011

The Tale of Two Stories

Over the past few weeks I have been taking a break from all the noise.
I have a fantastic ability of filling every silent moment with an
asinine amount of white noise. There is no depth to it, there is no
significance to it and there is absolutely no eternal value in it.

To remind myself of these facts, I have to shut everything off for a
bit and readjust where my head is at.

Thank you all for your respect of my silence. It has been heavenly
(literally! A cosmic reminder of heaven on earth) and much needed.

Tonight, I submitted the last two finals that are due tomorrow of this
semester. These papers have literally kicked my butt. Not that they
are magnificent or that they were even very long. It was the
information that I was required to put into them that has kept my mind
abuzz.

The first was a research class, where I spent ten weeks learning
everything I could about one topic of my choice. This topic was Modern
Slavery. This topic has ruined my life. I cannot unlearn the stories I
have read. I cannot take out the ideas of human worth and freedom. If
over the next few months you hear a lot about this issue it is because
it has become ingrained in my heartbeat. I ache for the freedom of
all.

The second paper I wrote was for my worldviews class. I had the
opportunity to write out what I believe, why I believe it to be true
and how this affects my day to day life. This sounds simple enough,
until you actually begin. Its one thing to say you believe something,
its a completely different one when you have to say if you live it
out. The complexities of life are knit into humanity and it was such a
gift to tackle this class so that I can understand the inner workings
of other peoples point of views. Mind boggling and such a deep well I
will continue to pursue academically.

These two classes although completely different have shaped the
direction I am heading in. The story of freedom of body and of mind is
where I aim. I believe that the reason we are in a state of selling
other humans is because of the way in which we view the world. In
America this directly plays out in the priorities we have in our
lives. "Living the American Dream" means exploiting another to attain
a step on the ladder.

As Christians we have two things that others do not: Worth and Freedom
through Christ. We are not bound to the things of this earth, so maybe
it is time for a check-up in the way you are living versus the Truth
you say you believe in. Mind you, this is not easy. It may require
that you step away from the noise and remember where your worth
actually lies.

My life is going to look a lot different now and I may share some of
the changes with you. I do know that freedom is my aim not only for my
own life, but for the billions bound to slavery of all sorts. My
vision just expanded two thousand fold. Direction has new meaning.