Chains be broken...

Last January (2009), I headed down town Tijuana with the rest of the staff. It was a day to spend in the culture. One of our tasks was to take pictures with the different statues. We found a statue of Abraham Lincoln, which we all thought was rather odd that it would be in Mexico. However, all agreeing it was the coolest statue we'd seen of him.

Now a year later, it clicked. I still am not sure why it is in Mexico but neither do I care particularly as to the exact reason but rather now, it is more than just a statue to me.

I just finished watching the film Amazing Grace which is about William Wilberforce and his fight against slavery. By the end of the movie I had a headache from the scowling and the grinding of my teeth. I was so exasperated by the injustice. My emotions rose and fell with Wilberforce as if I were there fighting with him. When everyone and even health became more and more a hindrance telling Wilberforce to stop he kept going until finally, years later, slavery was abolished.

Tears began to stream down my face but not because of joy but sadness...because people believe that slavery is completely abolished.
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 has a two-tier definition of severe forms of trafficking:

• Sex Trafficking: "A commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age;" and,
• Labor Trafficking: "the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud , or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.

http://sstream.org/WhatisTrafficking.aspx
27 million – Number of people in modern-day slavery across the world.
800,000 – Number of people trafficked across international borders every year.
1 million – Number of children exploited by the global commercial sex trade, every year.
161 – Countries identified as affected by human trafficking:
127 countries of origin; 98 transit countries; 137 destination countries.
Note: Countries may be counted multiple times and categories are not mutually exclusive.
32 billion – Total yearly profits generated by the human trafficking industry.
http://nhtrc.polarisproject.org/materials/Human-Trafficking-Statistics.pdf

14,500-17,500 people are trafficked into the United States each year (Trafficking in Persons Report, U.S. Dept. of State, 2009)People are trafficked into every single state, including Michigan (Polaris Project, www.polarisproject.org)

http://vimeo.com/11055871
http://vimeo.com/10881423


In the film, Wilberforce's friend William Pitt (prime minister) is trying to convince him to be active in ending slavery Pitt says, "Surely Christianity is more than just meditation but also leads to action." (paraphrase) But due to Wilberforce's new faith he feels as though he most choose one or the other. At a dinner party Pitt pulls together many other abolitionists and one of them states Wilberforce's predicament of choices and says, "We are here to say you can do both." (paraphrase)
Since when did the gospel become separate of justice. Is not God a God of justice? Is He not THE Judge? Did He not read, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor." (Luke 4:18-19)? Jesus proclaimed the good news and set the captives free. Why does it seem to be one or the other in this day? If we are following Christ Jesus we do as He did and He was about both - saying He is the way, truth, and life and setting the captives free.
"Surely Christianity is more than just meditation but also leads to action."......Brothers and sisters it does...We are not saved by our works but because of Christ's love we are compelled to do so. and as we seek Him and delight in His law (Ps. 37:4) our passions and desires will be as His. He is about redeeming His people back to Him - that's what He's been about since the rebellion in Genesis. Therefore now what....slavery is still happening...

"The church has to lead the way. I get so frustrated when anyone else leads the way because if we are followers of Jesus Christ, 1 John 3 - it talkes about how Christ laid down His life for us so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers...we've got to start getting practical and asking what does that look like? - Francis Chan (http://vimeo.com/11056867)

Chains be broken, Lives be healed, eyes be opened, Christ is revealed.
it's not because of Abraham but because of Christ!

A note shared with Friends

God has been breaking and molding my heart in so many ways recently and its been hard but so good. With breaking and molding I'm not sure where He's leading me - instantly my head goes "so is this where you want me (future)?" but as I mentioned several times He just wants me to wait upon Him and to obey Him and what He has commanded in His Word. When you leave or even when you are there, we get so focused on future future future when I'm on the field etc. etc. but we (generalizing) always said if you stay you better be living so intentionally - reaching out to those around you and seeking Him - yet I think we have a tendency (or maybe its just me) to say well someday I'm going to be doing this so now I'm just going to focus on school(or whatever it may be)...hypocrite. I need to be reaching out to those around including those outside my home walls (dorm for me) and to those which Christ cared for - the fatherless, needy, weak, etc. There are so many people like that here and I need to go there. Since I've realized that the places others(believers) don't want to go that's where I want go because those people are yearning for something just like those in India, Saudi, Yemen, Bhutan, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Cambodia etc. because they have this in common - they don't have Christ. And I'm here therefore I better be all here and be living and proclaiming the gospel right where I am.

This has been one of the overwhelming thoughts that Christ has been teaching me lately.

Going to have to admit that I'm having a hard time being completely focused where I am right now. Not so much in the sense I don't want to be here but rather school is "getting in the way." God is pulling my heart in all different directions breaking me in the way He breaks over things. I praise Him for that. But what of the things He is breaking my heart? If I think back on certain days they feel a waste as I attended classes and completed my homework...I long for more than academia. I know life is about worship and worship is done through every aspect of life including homework and class but I miss the constant conversations of real life not just the chattering of grades and the weather. It's in those times that relationships can be built and you can meet needs but I miss the depth. I see Jesus so vividly in lives of others and listening to them share or in the places "normal" people wouldn't want to live - I love those places. The need and love of Jesus is so evident. But God has me in a place right now where people want to live, going to classes, completing homework, and having those conversations about grades and weather...therefore Papa help me be all here.

New Appreciation

I'm a morning person so as any day I left my dorm around 7 o'clock a.m. for breakfast, only this morning I stepped on to the cold wet concrete with my bare feet. While the past couple of weeks have been gorgeous and highly "unMichigan" today was more of a typical Michigan spring day, cold and wet. Instantly my feet were tingling and burning. With each step I took my feet cringed with pain. Since yesterday it had rained there were puddles to walk through and worms to walk around. Even the door mats where cold and wet as I tried to warm my feet up when I entered one of the buildings on Campus.

Today I participated in "A Day without Shoes" sponsored by TOMS. It was an invention to anyone to goes shoeless for a day (or even a couple minutes whatever they could) to experience what so many people around the world deal with every single day.

As I walked back to my dorm after breakfast, the thought crossed my mind to give in. I had the experience and "understood." But then as I began to journal I realized, I was no where near understanding and those who I am trying to relate to, no matter the weather they have no option of putting on shoes. Therefore, I continued and decided not to complain anymore despite the drop of the temperature.

It was cool to see the different students throughout the day who joined TOMS in a day without shoes, I thank God it wasn't a nice day and therefore easy for people to not wear shoes. Hopefully to them it was more then just a fad and it brought awareness and it moves us to action.


I have a new appreciation for shoes.

My heart is being beaten

There was a time when I would have used to say, "I hate cities." I am a nature girl. I love walking through the canopied pathways on a cool fall day as the leaves crunch under my feet and the trees are vibrant with color, however; there has been a change. I still love those walks and nature makes my fall on my face before our Father but there was a day almost two years ago I found myself in a dirty poverty stricken city in Mexico. Where I went into homes in which eight people would live in a twelve by sixteen home constructed of plywood and two by fours. My heart fell in love with those people but still I would adamantly hold to hating cities except that one. This weekend I found myself in another dirty poverty stricken city. It is a city I have been to many times only I never saw its real heart. I served along side whose home was called, the streets. I talked with those who yearned for love but were so neglected. I was hugged by people who came to that establishment to receive food for their families. I drove over gang lines and heard stories from thirteen year old boys who live in what they call Vietnam. I talked with a woman who though had no home but loved our Father so dearly. I saw a man neglected as a couple walked by not even acknowledging his presence. I saw deals made. My mind is spinning with all the things I saw, experienced, and the people I came in contact with. I left all that today and fought tears as we pulled away from that city.

It's been a few weeks now that the issues of poverty have really loomed over me. It's been a few weeks now that my heart has been beaten. This weekend, my heart was obliterated. Even now as I sit here trying to figure out how to convey the pain I feel, I'm at loss for words. This isn't right. People shouldn't be neglected. People shouldn't be sold. People shouldn't have to live on the streets or structures that are barely a step up. People shouldn't have join gangs for family. People shouldn't sell themselves for security. It's not right. I have always ask that my Father would break my heart for the things that break His - He's doing it. Continue Father continue. I cry out and praise You for the Cross for You have defeated all of the disgusting list above and every other disgusting list out there.

All too Forgotten

Prayer.



James 5:16

Isn't it amazing that Christ's church would do anything without prayer?

Ephesian 6:10-20// how are we to put on the Armor? by prayer...why? God IS the armor

Our true aim must not be to work a great deal and pray just enough to keep the work right. We should pray a great deal and then work enough for the power and blessing obtained in prayer to fin its way through us to men.
_Andrew Murray


Luke 18:1-8 // which is crazier? one women who continues to go to the judge who won't give it or God's chosen ones not coming back to God to ask when God promises to grant it?


A calm hour with God is worth a whole lifetime with man...the work of God would flourish by us, if it flourished more in us.
_Murray McCheyne

Matthew 6:9-15

Why is it hard to pray?
we don't believe we are really doing anything when we pray
we rarely see prayer as the solution but more so as preparation for the solution

My life is one long, daily,hourly record of answered prayer. For physical health, for mental overstrain, for guidance given marvelously, for enmity to the gospel subdued, for food provided at the exact hour needed, for everything that goes to make up life and my poo service...I can testify with a full and often wonder-stricken awe that I...know God answers prayer. I have proved during the long decades alone, as far as man's help is concerned, that God answers prayer...It is the very atmosphere in which I live and breathe and have my being, and it makes life grand and free and a million times worth living. I can give no other testimony...Good is scarce just now. We life from hand to mouth. We have not more than will be our breakfast today, but I know we shall be fed, for God answers prayer...Prayer is the greatest power God has put into our hands for service. Praying is harder work than doing...but the dynamic lies that way to advance the kingdom.
_ Mary Slessor

Not Through my Eyes

Earlier this week as I was reading and praying some things stuck out to me. First off in Psalm 16 the last verse says:
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

So often I'm on the side of things that I only see what He hasn't shown me and forget to praise Him for what He has shown me for He does make the path of life known to me, in His timing. mmm :] Praise God! And if the fullness of joy is in His presence why am I so stupid to leave it? Oh a life marked by the curse of sin yet covered and redeemed by salvation. Last year during the spring season at Caravan (jan-may) there was something I used to say constantly, "We have salvation so how does that affect my life?" Man, if I were to wake up every day with that though process realizing the depth of my sin and the great extent of salvation my life would be so drastically different. Which I think lead me to pray from Brandon Heath's song this morning. To pray that our Father would give me His eyes to see everything as He does so that I may love as He does and therefore proclaim and glorify His name!