Night Of Nets
Mary Davis who is on youth staff has been working with World Vision as we partnered with them for our Poverty Revolution weekend. Through Mary’s contact with World Vision we ended up on their website. You can check out the site here or you can read the story below.
On April 25, around 20 high school and middle school students from Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, PA watched the documentary, When the Night Comes. Mary Davis, a volunteer youth leader at the church, coordinated this screening as a preparation for their Night of Nets event that will take place on June 6.
After watching the film, Mary had the students brainstorm ways to get more students involved for Night of Nets. They decided to show the film during their larger youth group night. It will be a relaxed event, and students will be encouraged to donate $6 (the cost of a bed net). They hope that students will desire to get further involved in the fight against malaria after watching the documentary.
Mary has a great deal of passion for getting students involved with social justice work and missions. She has been in youth ministry for 10 years and explains, “I’ve seen how when kids are exposed to what’s happening in the world, we watch them grow up and choose career paths and live lives that desire to make a difference.”
In March, the youth group at Fellowship church held an event known as Poverty Revolution. Part of this event included participating in the Broken Bread poverty meal to raise awareness about hunger. Through this event, students raised $3600 to go towards items in the World Vision gift catalog.
Mary loves teenagers and college students and has seen first-hand the impact they can have, “I love watching their faces when they recognize what’s going on in the world and the role they can play. There is hope in this realization and that’s what the gospel is all about!”
Mary will continue to engage students at this youth group for years to come with help from World Vision ACT:S. She explains, “World Vision ACT:S makes it very easy to connect these issues to students by having quality products and videos. We are able to take what you give us and adapt it to what will work for our group. Your resources allow us to engage students on different issues, and we are very grateful for this. We will keep coming back to you guys.”
Constructive Or Destructive
I got angry this morning. I know those of you who know me are extremely surprised but guess what I got angry yesterday as well. Most likely you got angry within the last two days. Sometimes our anger is justified and sometimes it is silly and stupid. I think for me yesterday it was justified when a rock hit my windshield and cracked it because it can’t be repaired. So there was anger that I would have to spend more money to take care of a vehicle. Today it was because the Mercedes parked right in front of Starbucks and the lady that parked there couldn’t walk ten more feet and park in a spot. That anger or frustration or pet-peeve was not constructive.
There are times when our anger is justified and sometimes needed but we have to be careful that we don’t take our anger too far. I get angry when I see natural disasters take out a population because they don’t deserve that and most of the time I can’t do anything about it. I get angry when I see social justice issues. I get angry when I see people being hurt or taken advantage of and they can’t stand up for themselves. I believe those are constructive angers because hopefully it will compel me to do something. It evokes a passion in me to do something. Our anger can be destructive when we use it to hurt others or to tear down. When our anger gets out of control or when it is over things that are silly that don’t really make a difference.
So the question for you today: Is your anger constructive or destructive. Does your anger improve the situation or make it worse?
E:60 Haiti Soccer
I saw this last night on ESPN and there were parts in this video that I teared up in because it touched me. There is no reason people should even have to live like this. Breaks my heart for what I take for granted when they have nothing. They have lost everything and for them there appears to be no hope. It is an 11 minute video but it is worth watching every second of it. Below is the link to the video because it is not able to be embedded on my blog.
E:60 tells the story of the Haitian under-17 girls’ team, from the welcoming arms of the Dominican Republic and Panama for training, then Costa Rica for the CONCACAF tournament and back home to Haiti.
Would love to hear your thoughts on this.
One Day’s Wages
I am really impressed with this concept. Do you ever see or hear something and go, why didn’t I think of that? It’s so simple and yet it is life changing and revolutionizing. I love passing on the ideas of others. Passing on their dream and vision. One day you or I may have a God sized vision and who will pass it on for us? One Day’s Wages has blown me away with what they are able to accomplish. Here is what they are about:
In one word: Movement.
In two words: Compassionate Justice.
In a phrase: A Movement of People, Stories and Actions of Compassionate Justice to Fight Extreme Global Poverty.
In one paragraph: One Day’s Wages (ODW) is an international grassroots movement dedicated to ending extreme global poverty. ODW promotes awareness, invites giving, and supports sustainable relief through partnerships, especially with smaller organizations in developing regions.
Our vision is to change global issues of injustice affecting millions of people, regardless of race, culture, sex, age, or religion.
Our vision is to inspire people around the world to simply donate one day’s wages and to renew that pledge monthly, quarterly or yearly on their birthdays to the cause of ending extreme global poverty.
If your wages for a single day cannot save the world, they can dramatically impact another person’s life; consider, then, what millions of you giving your daily wages and renewing the gift at least annually on your birthdays will accomplish!
One Day’s Wages is you, me, us, them: giving, dreaming, and working together to end extreme global poverty. Join the movement.
What an incredible concept. This is not meant to get you to jump all over this but become aware of issues and causes and those who are working to make a difference.
Change Conflict Healthcare?
I love politics and I love to debate and argue about politics or anything for that matter. It really doesn’t even matter if I’m right because I want to convince you and we will both be wrong. I think I have always been that way. Even when I was on a jury I convinced all the other jurors to change their vote and vote not guilty because there was a conflict in the prosecutors case. Just enough so that he did not follow the law to a T. So I love to argue and debate. This blog post is not going to be that. Today I am simply making an observation about what I see.
They say that any decision a leader makes it will inevitably have supporters and haters. Perry Noble said, “If everybody likes you or your idea then you’ve spent way too much time kissing rear ends instead of being faithful to who God has called you to be and what He has called you to do!” I love that and the truth is everything rises and falls on leadership. At the end of the day the leader has to be able to make the decision and then stand behind that decision regardless of where the support or lack of support is coming.
As of today President Obama has been in office 451 days. For the last six months I have heard people complain about where is the change? That was the platform that he ran on, CHANGE…Yes we can. I have seen several changes that I think are important that people are either missing or don’t want to see. The fact that we have an African-American in office holding the most coveted position in the world is change. The fact that there is an African-American making decisions when 55 years ago Rosa Parks did not have a choice where she could even sit on a bus, shows that this is change. It gives me hope that in the years to come modern day slavery such as human trafficking and sex trafficking may come to and end as well. Sometimes change comes in the still small steps that lay the foundation for future change.
With health care changing there are some that are for it and some who are against it. Now change has occurred and the same people who complained the last 451 days about where is the change, have it and don’t like it. I would venture to guess these same people would have complained no matter what policy took effect. These were the same people who probably would have argued about the Emancipation Proclamation, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The truth is there are people who are never looking for resolve but rather are looking for a fight.
In any decision…there is Change, Conflict, Growth. The growth may mean that what you see now doesn’t work and needs to be tweaked, overhauled or dropped completely. It may mean that this was exactly what we needed. I love the fact that he made A decision. How this will work out we may not know for years. Perry Noble posted on his blog the other day ““Christians” will scream that God is “Jehovah Rafa,” (the God who heals) in our services…but then rely on our government for healing more than Him!” I believe God is bigger than Barack Obama and everyone who sits in a position of leadership in this country and that God is not surprised about the change. What that looks like I have no idea. But I know that nothing great has ever gotten done in this country by simply doing nothing.
The government of the United States has been around since July 4, 1776. That is 234 years. The church has been around for over 2,000 years. Spend your time investing in what matters and what will last instead of wasting it in things that won’t matter. Control what you can control and pray and leave the rest up to God. Change-Conflict-Growth.
Thoughts?
Mercedes & Bruce
What would you be willing to give up? I mean if you clearly felt God say to you that it is time to give it up to move along, what would you be willing to give up? How about give up your E-Class Mercedes for a conversion van named “Bruce”? Sounds crazy right? It did to me as well as I had a chance to drive that Mercedes this weekend. People treat you different in a Mercedes. People give you more respect and to be honest you feel differently driving it and getting out of it.
I have watched some friends of mine get messed up by God in a really good way over the last couple years. They keep listening to God no matter how crazy it sounds and He keeps blessing them and increasing their influence. I have watched them have little faith to incredible faith. I have watched them go from materialistic to some of the most generous people I have ever met. How did this happen? They believe in this passionate crazy idea that God loves them and has a plan for their life and that everything they have is His. Let me type that again. They believe in this passionate crazy idea that God loves them and has a plan for their life and that everything they have is His. That’s it. No secret formula. No recipe for success. They simply are living to the best of their ability how Christ lived. Serving everybody they can because at the end of the day its not about building the church but about building the kingdom. It’s about seeing God take those who have and bless those who have not. It’s about watching God do something extraordinary through the ordinary. Its about being willing.
I pray for my friends as they continue to change their lifestyle from being about them to being about others and most importantly Him. I pray for them as they turn in their Mercedes today to drive a van called “Bruce” so they can help those who do not have get to church and hear about Jesus and become those who truly have. You can check out their ministry here to see how you can get involved in radical sacrifice.
Dark History
I watched this on Outside The Lines this morning on ESPN and I was blown away. I had never heard of this before. I love history, I study history and I even taught history for two years and never have I seen this in a text book. I have no idea how I could have missed this but I am so glad I was able to watch this and know a little bit more about American history.
In 1942, in the midst of World War II, nearly 20,000 Japanese-Americans were taken to Santa Anita Park and held there as threats to American security because of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The West Coast was thought to be a potential target or battle area.
It amazes me that this happened and it amazes me that throughout the world things like this still happen and products and freedoms of some are built on the backs of others. Awareness of Social Justice is crucial, but it is not enough to just know about something it is our responsibility to do something about them.
Radiohead-All I Need Anti Trafficking
One Voice
Proud of our students this weekend who participated in our Poverty Revolution weekend. They learned that because they have a voice it is critical for them to speak up for those who don’t. To make people aware of social justice issues and to actually try to do something about it. Our students over the last 40 days have worked to raise funds and awareness for such causes as: AIDS, Clean Water, Human Trafficking, Homelessness, Hunger and Fair Trade. During the last 40 days they raised $4200 which last night was donated to World Vision as they selected items that were important to them. Here is what they were able to do.
- They built a traditional well that will help 150 get clean and safe drinking water.
- They provided mosquito nets for 25 families to help keep them safe from Malaria.
- They micro financed 3 woman to help them start a better life dependent on no one.
- They provided $2100 worth of medicine for a clinic in desperate need.
- They provided education for 2 orphans to give them a chance to get out.
- They provided a farmer with a foot pump to irrigate his farm.
- They provided safety to two girls who will escape sex trade.
It’s amazing when you think that one person can do something but when everyone works together you can do something amazing.
Charity Water
charity: water promo featuring “Time Bomb” by Beck from charity: water on Vimeo.
