Getting Tested

This morning I drove over to Wheaton College and picked up a good friend, one of my former students, and we headed over on a very cold Chicago morning to the DuPage County Health Department offices. We had both been there before to get shots before heading to Africa, but this visit was a little different. We were there to take an HIV test so we would know our status in relationship to having the presence of HIV antibodies on our body. Now to be honest, both of us admittedly felt a bit strange doing this at first. And even for many who might regularly read this blog you may very well think that it was an even stranger thing for us to do.

It was something that both of us wanted to do and felt like we needed to do as people who have been and continue to be deeply concerned about the issue of HIV/AIDS both in Africa and here in America. And yet to be honest, as an evangelical Christian it might seem to many of my friends like something unnecessary or perhaps even unthinkable due to the nature of the HIV virus being most often transmitted here in America through sexual contact or intravenous drug use involving needles due to most of the cases of mother to child transmission through birth or breast milk being prevented through medical care. (although not always the case) We both essentially had zero risk factors for testing positive because of our lack of drug use and choosing to abstain from sex till marriage and only having sex with a spouse for a lifetime up till this point. These decisions have come from our own decisions to seek to with the help of God's grace to pursue this lifestyle out of what we believe our faith as a Christ follower calls us to do. And yet these lifestyle choices are obviously not shared or embraced or acted out by many of our friends and fellow human beings who we love, care about, and want to be healthy...

We have both seen and heard about the incredible fear and stigma and even discrimination that takes place with those who are HIV positive, along with the very real physical impact and suffering that many living with HIV or AIDS are experiencing worldwide...more than anything else related to this disease, I long for the prevention of contracting AIDS and to stop its spread for people both in Africa and here in the USA and Chicago...and for those who are HIV positive but do not know it yet I want them to immediately get the medicines needed to help them stay healthy and be able to feel good about themselves and their role in society...and these critical things cannot happen if people do not feel free or comfortable to get tested and know their own status...and if people like me and you are willing to get tested, we can make it more normal, more accepted, and less scary for anyone who wants to know if they are HIV positive, and even more acceptable to talk about this disease so we can help reduce the infection rate of this life-changing disease...

Here is my experience this morning...even as we walked into the health department building, I found myself three times in a row having to tell different folks that I wanted to get an HIV test, and wondering just a bit what they were thinking about me...but to be honest, I didn't feel hesitant or ashamed because I knew it was a good thing for me to do...I was brought into a private room and was asked a series of questions concerning my risk factors and given basic information about HIV and what would happen if the result was positive...they even took down my address because sometimes people don't stay around to hear the results in the 20 minute period while you wait for your results...my counselor was a very nice young lady who seemed both surprised and pleased at how I answered the questions about my sexual experiences and needle use...I know she was actually quite overwhelmed when my 21 year old friend told her he was a virgin...after a finger poke I walked out to the waiting area where she would come find me with the results after the 20 minutes needed to do the analysis of my blood in a quick rapid test...(by the way, the test was free, I was treated very well, and I just walked in and was out in under an hour)

As I sat in the waiting room chair I thought and chatted with my friend about what these moments must feel like for those who were unsure or fearful about what the results might show...results that have life long implications...we thought about our Zambian friends who don't want to get tested if there are not medications available or the hidden lifestyle choices that might be revealed and disapproved of in DuPage County by people they are close to in their lives...it served as an experience producing empathy and understanding for those who may be dealing with the impact of this virus...and hopefully produces an opportunity to speak into the lives of those who may need to be tested and helps encourage all types of folks to get tested and know their status and reduce the stigma that still unfortunately is part of cultures all across the world...

My counselor motioned for me to go back into the room with her and she asked me to sit down and looked at my results one more time...there was a split second where I found myself wondering "WHAT IF" even on a personal level before she told me my result was that I was negative in terms of my HIV status...and despite the fact that I knew logically that would be the case, it again allowed me to experience a taste of what it feels like to be that person wondering in that moment...as I walked out of the office after thanking her for the service she had provided me there were a few things that stuck with me after getting tested:

1. It is powerful and meaningful to enter into positive shared experiences so we can build rapport and get on the same ground when we have opportunity to not stay at a distance from those who we care about but may have different life experiences...

2. Getting tested and discovering your status in terms of HIV is easy to do and is something everyone should consider doing, especially if you have any doubt about what your status might be, regardless of what you think others might think of your behavioral choices

3. Choosing to live by the vision God has set out in Scripture for relationships is an aid in maintaining health and peace in our own personal lives

4. AIDS is an issue that we must not ignore in Africa, in Washington DC, in our own neighborhood...it deserves our attention, education, compassion, and action...

5. You cannot live life based on the fears of what others might think about you when you know you should do the right thing regardless of their possible reaction and response...living in the light rather than the dark is always the best choice...

It was a morning I won't soon forget...and one I hope many others will soon count as a shared experience with me in the days to come...

FIGHTING POVERTY TO BUILD PEACE by POPE BENEDICT XVI

I don't think I've ever posted anything from the Pope on my blog before, but I found this very recent message he gave to be quite thought provoking...it comes from his annual message at the event FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE WORLD DAY OF PEACE...


1. Once again, as the new year begins, I want to extend good wishes for peace to people everywhere. With this Message I would like to propose a reflection on the theme: Fighting Poverty to Build Peace. Back in 1993, my venerable Predecessor Pope John Paul II, in his Message for the World Day of Peace that year, drew attention to the negative repercussions for peace when entire populations live in poverty. Poverty is often a contributory factor or a compounding element in conflicts, including armed ones. In turn, these conflicts fuel further tragic situations of poverty. “Our world”, he wrote, “shows increasing evidence of another grave threat to peace: many individuals and indeed whole peoples are living today in conditions of extreme poverty. The gap between rich and poor has become more marked, even in the most economically developed nations. This is a problem which the conscience of humanity cannot ignore, since the conditions in which a great number of people are living are an insult to their innate dignity and as a result are a threat to the authentic and harmonious progress of the world community” [1].

2. In this context, fighting poverty requires attentive consideration of the complex phenomenon of globalization. This is important from a methodological standpoint, because it suggests drawing upon the fruits of economic and sociological research into the many different aspects of poverty. Yet the reference to globalization should also alert us to the spiritual and moral implications of the question, urging us, in our dealings with the poor, to set out from the clear recognition that we all share in a single divine plan: we are called to form one family in which all – individuals, peoples and nations – model their behaviour according to the principles of fraternity and responsibility.

This perspective requires an understanding of poverty that is wide-ranging and well articulated. If it were a question of material poverty alone, then the social sciences, which enable us to measure phenomena on the basis of mainly quantitative data, would be sufficient to illustrate its principal characteristics. Yet we know that other, non-material forms of poverty exist which are not the direct and automatic consequence of material deprivation. For example, in advanced wealthy societies, there is evidence of marginalization, as well as affective, moral and spiritual poverty, seen in people whose interior lives are disoriented and who experience various forms of malaise despite their economic prosperity. On the one hand, I have in mind what is known as “moral underdevelopment”[2], and on the other hand the negative consequences of “superdevelopment”[3]. Nor can I forget that, in so-called “poor” societies, economic growth is often hampered by cultural impediments which lead to inefficient use of available resources. It remains true, however, that every form of externally imposed poverty has at its root a lack of respect for the transcendent dignity of the human person. When man is not considered within the total context of his vocation, and when the demands of a true “human ecology” [4] are not respected, the cruel forces of poverty are unleashed, as is evident in certain specific areas that I shall now consider briefly one by one.

Poverty and moral implications

3. Poverty is often considered a consequence of demographic change. For this reason, there are international campaigns afoot to reduce birth-rates, sometimes using methods that respect neither the dignity of the woman, nor the right of parents to choose responsibly how many children to have[5]; graver still, these methods often fail to respect even the right to life. The extermination of millions of unborn children, in the name of the fight against poverty, actually constitutes the destruction of the poorest of all human beings. And yet it remains the case that in 1981, around 40% of the world's population was below the threshold of absolute poverty, while today that percentage has been reduced by as much as a half, and whole peoples have escaped from poverty despite experiencing substantial demographic growth. This goes to show that resources to solve the problem of poverty do exist, even in the face of an increasing population. Nor must it be forgotten that, since the end of the Second World War, the world's population has grown by four billion, largely because of certain countries that have recently emerged on the international scene as new economic powers, and have experienced rapid development specifically because of the large number of their inhabitants. Moreover, among the most developed nations, those with higher birth-rates enjoy better opportunities for development. In other words, population is proving to be an asset, not a factor that contributes to poverty.

4. Another area of concern has to do with pandemic diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS. Insofar as they affect the wealth-producing sectors of the population, they are a significant factor in the overall deterioration of conditions in the country concerned. Efforts to rein in the consequences of these diseases on the population do not always achieve significant results. It also happens that countries afflicted by some of these pandemics find themselves held hostage, when they try to address them, by those who make economic aid conditional upon the implementation of anti-life policies. It is especially hard to combat AIDS, a major cause of poverty, unless the moral issues connected with the spread of the virus are also addressed. First and foremost, educational campaigns are needed, aimed especially at the young, to promote a sexual ethic that fully corresponds to the dignity of the person; initiatives of this kind have already borne important fruits, causing a reduction in the spread of AIDS. Then, too, the necessary medicines and treatment must be made available to poorer peoples as well. This presupposes a determined effort to promote medical research and innovative forms of treatment, as well as flexible application, when required, of the international rules protecting intellectual property, so as to guarantee necessary basic healthcare to all people.

5. A third area requiring attention in programmes for fighting poverty, which once again highlights its intrinsic moral dimension, is child poverty. When poverty strikes a family, the children prove to be the most vulnerable victims: almost half of those living in absolute poverty today are children. To take the side of children when considering poverty means giving priority to those objectives which concern them most directly, such as caring for mothers, commitment to education, access to vaccines, medical care and drinking water, safeguarding the environment, and above all, commitment to defence of the family and the stability of relations within it. When the family is weakened, it is inevitably children who suffer. If the dignity of women and mothers is not protected, it is the children who are affected most.

6. A fourth area needing particular attention from the moral standpoint is the relationship between disarmament and development. The current level of world military expenditure gives cause for concern. As I have pointed out before, it can happen that “immense military expenditure, involving material and human resources and arms, is in fact diverted from development projects for peoples, especially the poorest who are most in need of aid. This is contrary to what is stated in the Charter of the United Nations, which engages the international community and States in particular ‘to promote the establishment and maintenance of international peace and security with the least diversion for armaments of the world's human and economic resources' (art. 26)” [6].

This state of affairs does nothing to promote, and indeed seriously impedes, attainment of the ambitious development targets of the international community. What is more, an excessive increase in military expenditure risks accelerating the arms race, producing pockets of underdevelopment and desperation, so that it can paradoxically become a cause of instability, tension and conflict. As my venerable Predecessor Paul VI wisely observed, “the new name for peace is development”[7]. States are therefore invited to reflect seriously on the underlying reasons for conflicts, often provoked by injustice, and to practise courageous self-criticism. If relations can be improved, it should be possible to reduce expenditure on arms. The resources saved could then be earmarked for development projects to assist the poorest and most needy individuals and peoples: efforts expended in this way would be efforts for peace within the human family.

7. A fifth area connected with the fight against material poverty concerns the current food crisis, which places in jeopardy the fulfilment of basic needs. This crisis is characterized not so much by a shortage of food, as by difficulty in gaining access to it and by different forms of speculation: in other words, by a structural lack of political and economic institutions capable of addressing needs and emergencies. Malnutrition can also cause grave mental and physical damage to the population, depriving many people of the energy necessary to escape from poverty unaided. This contributes to the widening gap of inequality, and can provoke violent reactions. All the indicators of relative poverty in recent years point to an increased disparity between rich and poor. No doubt the principal reasons for this are, on the one hand, advances in technology, which mainly benefit the more affluent, and on the other hand, changes in the prices of industrial products, which rise much faster than those of agricultural products and raw materials in the possession of poorer countries. In this way, the majority of the population in the poorest countries suffers a double marginalization, through the adverse effects of lower incomes and higher prices.

Global solidarity and the fight against poverty

8. One of the most important ways of building peace is through a form of globalization directed towards the interests of the whole human family[8]. In order to govern globalization, however, there needs to be a strong sense of global solidarity [9] between rich and poor countries, as well as within individual countries, including affluent ones. A “common code of ethics”[10]

is also needed, consisting of norms based not upon mere consensus, but rooted in the natural law inscribed by the Creator on the conscience of every human being (cf. Rom 2:14-15). Does not every one of us sense deep within his or her conscience a call to make a personal contribution to the common good and to peace in society? Globalization eliminates certain barriers, but is still able to build new ones; it brings peoples together, but spatial and temporal proximity does not of itself create the conditions for true communion and authentic peace. Effective means to redress the marginalization of the world's poor through globalization will only be found if people everywhere feel personally outraged by the injustices in the world and by the concomitant violations of human rights. The Church, which is the “sign and instrument of communion with God and of the unity of the entire human race” [11] will continue to offer her contribution so that injustices and misunderstandings may be resolved, leading to a world of greater peace and solidarity.

9. In the field of international commerce and finance, there are processes at work today which permit a positive integration of economies, leading to an overall improvement in conditions, but there are also processes tending in the opposite direction, dividing and marginalizing peoples, and creating dangerous situations that can erupt into wars and conflicts. Since the Second World War, international trade in goods and services has grown extraordinarily fast, with a momentum unprecedented in history. Much of this global trade has involved countries that were industrialized early, with the significant addition of many newly- emerging countries which have now entered onto the world stage. Yet there are other low-income countries which are still seriously marginalized in terms of trade. Their growth has been negatively influenced by the rapid decline, seen in recent decades, in the prices of commodities, which constitute practically the whole of their exports. In these countries, which are mostly in Africa, dependence on the exportation of commodities continues to constitute a potent risk factor. Here I should like to renew an appeal for all countries to be given equal opportunities of access to the world market, without exclusion or marginalization.

10. A similar reflection may be made in the area of finance, which is a key aspect of the phenomenon of globalization, owing to the development of technology and policies of liberalization in the flow of capital between countries. Objectively, the most important function of finance is to sustain the possibility of long- term investment and hence of development. Today this appears extremely fragile: it is experiencing the negative repercussions of a system of financial dealings – both national and global – based upon very short-term thinking, which aims at increasing the value of financial operations and concentrates on the technical management of various forms of risk. The recent crisis demonstrates how financial activity can at times be completely turned in on itself, lacking any long-term consideration of the common good. This lowering of the objectives of global finance to the very short term reduces its capacity to function as a bridge between the present and the future, and as a stimulus to the creation of new opportunities for production and for work in the long term. Finance limited in this way to the short and very short term becomes dangerous for everyone, even for those who benefit when the markets perform well[12].

11. All of this would indicate that the fight against poverty requires cooperation both on the economic level and on the legal level, so as to allow the international community, and especially poorer countries, to identify and implement coordinated strategies to deal with the problems discussed above, thereby providing an effective legal framework for the economy. Incentives are needed for establishing efficient participatory institutions, and support is needed in fighting crime and fostering a culture of legality. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that policies which place too much emphasis on assistance underlie many of the failures in providing aid to poor countries. Investing in the formation of people and developing a specific and well-integrated culture of enterprise would seem at present to be the right approach in the medium and long term. If economic activities require a favourable context in order to develop, this must not distract attention from the need to generate revenue. While it has been rightly emphasized that increasing per capita income cannot be the ultimate goal of political and economic activity, it is still an important means of attaining the objective of the fight against hunger and absolute poverty. Hence, the illusion that a policy of mere redistribution of existing wealth can definitively resolve the problem must be set aside. In a modern economy, the value of assets is utterly dependent on the capacity to generate revenue in the present and the future. Wealth creation therefore becomes an inescapable duty, which must be kept in mind if the fight against material poverty is to be effective in the long term.

12. If the poor are to be given priority, then there has to be enough room for an ethical approach to economics on the part of those active in the international market, an ethical approach to politics on the part of those in public office, and an ethical approach to participation capable of harnessing the contributions of civil society at local and international levels. International agencies themselves have come to recognize the value and advantage of economic initiatives taken by civil society or local administrations to promote the emancipation and social inclusion of those sectors of the population that often fall below the threshold of extreme poverty and yet are not easily reached by official aid. The history of twentieth-century economic development teaches us that good development policies depend for their effectiveness on responsible implementation by human agents and on the creation of positive partnerships between markets, civil society and States. Civil society in particular plays a key part in every process of development, since development is essentially a cultural phenomenon, and culture is born and develops in the civil sphere[13].

13. As my venerable Predecessor Pope John Paul II had occasion to remark, globalization “is notably ambivalent”[14] and therefore needs to be managed with great prudence. This will include giving priority to the needs of the world's poor, and overcoming the scandal of the imbalance between the problems of poverty and the measures which have been adopted in order to address them. The imbalance lies both in the cultural and political order and in the spiritual and moral order. In fact we often consider only the superficial and instrumental causes of poverty without attending to those harboured within the human heart, like greed and narrow vision. The problems of development, aid and international cooperation are sometimes addressed without any real attention to the human element, but as merely technical questions – limited, that is, to establishing structures, setting up trade agreements, and allocating funding impersonally. What the fight against poverty really needs are men and women who live in a profoundly fraternal way and are able to accompany individuals, families and communities on journeys of authentic human development.

Conclusion

14. In the Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, John Paul II warned of the need to “abandon a mentality in which the poor – as individuals and as peoples – are considered a burden, as irksome intruders trying to consume what others have produced.” The poor, he wrote, “ask for the right to share in enjoying material goods and to make good use of their capacity for work, thus creating a world that is more just and prosperous for all” [15]. In today's globalized world, it is increasingly evident that peace can be built only if everyone is assured the possibility of reasonable growth: sooner or later, the distortions produced by unjust systems have to be paid for by everyone. It is utterly foolish to build a luxury home in the midst of desert or decay. Globalization on its own is incapable of building peace, and in many cases, it actually creates divisions and conflicts. If anything it points to a need: to be oriented towards a goal of profound solidarity that seeks the good of each and all. In this sense, globalization should be seen as a good opportunity to achieve something important in the fight against poverty, and to place at the disposal of justice and peace resources which were scarcely conceivable previously.

15. The Church's social teaching has always been concerned with the poor. At the time of the Encyclical Letter Rerum Novarum, the poor were identified mainly as the workers in the new industrial society; in the social Magisterium of Pius XI, Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI and John Paul II, new forms of poverty were gradually explored, as the scope of the social question widened to reach global proportions[16]. This expansion of the social question to the worldwide scale has to be considered not just as a quantitative extension, but also as a qualitative growth in the understanding of man and the needs of the human family. For this reason, while attentively following the current phenomena of globalization and their impact on human poverty, the Church points out the new aspects of the social question, not only in their breadth but also in their depth, insofar as they concern man's identity and his relationship with God. These principles of social teaching tend to clarify the links between poverty and globalization and they help to guide action towards the building of peace. Among these principles, it is timely to recall in particular the “preferential love for the poor”[17], in the light of the primacy of charity, which is attested throughout Christian tradition, beginning with that of the early Church (cf. Acts 4:32-36; 1 Cor 16:1; 2 Cor 8-9; Gal 2:10).

“Everyone should put his hand to the work which falls to his share, at once and immediately”, wrote Leo XIII in 1891, and he added: “In regard to the Church, her cooperation will never be wanting, be the time or the occasion what it may”[18]. It is in the same spirit that the Church to this day carries out her work for the poor, in whom she sees Christ[19], and she constantly hears echoing in her heart the command of the Prince of Peace to his Apostles: “Vos date illis manducare – Give them something to eat yourselves” (Lk 9:13). Faithful to this summons from the Lord, the Christian community will never fail, then, to assure the entire human family of her support through gestures of creative solidarity, not only by “giving from one's surplus”, but above all by “a change of life- styles, of models of production and consumption, and of the established structures of power which today govern societies” [20]. At the start of the New Year, then, I extend to every disciple of Christ and to every person of good will a warm invitation to expand their hearts to meet the needs of the poor and to take whatever practical steps are possible in order to help them. The truth of the axiom cannot be refuted: “to fight poverty is to build peace.”

From the Vatican, 8 December 2008.

BENEDICTUS PP. XVI

Needed: More 'Miracles' by Kay Warren in Christianity Today

When my daughter Olivia was born, my wife Ingrid was extremely sick and our pregnancy and delivery were very hard and complicated...to this day, I still remember the numbness of watching her blood pressure continue to spike, new medicines being given, and then a horde of doctors coming into the room as Olivia was born...I watched and prayed and felt helpless and almost despondent at my inability to do anything as I watched her condition worsen...on my very first visit to Zambia, I remember walking into a "delivery" room at a rural clinic and hearing that a baby and mom had died there the previous night while a birth attendant struggled to deliver the child by candlelight without any drugs...and I walked away from that room knowing that if our family lived in Zambia I would have been a widower without a child...and it is now my life's passion to see more Ingrid and Olivia's live in Africa so they can be the kind of moms and daughters that I watch and love and embrace every day...may Kay Warren's article inspire us to indeed help more miracles to happen around the world in the days to come as we celebrate the miracle of incarnation this season...

"Mom, Jaime's in labor!" My son's voice was full of excitement and fear as he told me our daughter-in-law's water had just broke and they were at the hospital. I tried to sound reassuring, but at 34 and a half weeks, I knew there could be real problems. Before heading to the hospital, I phoned a pediatric nurse and shared the details. My friend's words were far from positive: "My best advice is to prepare for a very sick baby. That way, if everything is fine, you will be thrilled. If it's not, you won't be caught unaware."

At the hospital, the situation changed by the moment. The baby was in a breech position, so a C-section was scheduled for later that evening. But as Jaime progressed into active labor, the time of the surgery was moved up. From there, things moved downhill—rapidly. My daughter-in-law has a blood clotting disorder, and the anesthesiologist informed her there would be a blood transfusion ready in the operating room in case they could not control her bleeding.

It suddenly became clear that the baby was in danger. His heart rate started dropping. The nurse's quiet but urgent voice calling for the doctor to come to the room—"Stat!"—set off alarm bells in our hearts. Our tiny doctor flew down the hall, stopping outside of Jaime's room so as not to cause panic. Seconds later, they wheeled Jaime through the corridors at a speed I didn't think was possible for a clunky gurney.

Josh could not bear to see his wife with a breathing tube down her throat. Dressed in paper garb, he sat outside the delivery room sobbing. I positioned myself outside the operating suite, peering at Josh through a tiny glass window. I had never felt so helpless in my life. My son was crying inconsolably. I couldn't comfort him. I couldn't protect Jaime, and I couldn't deliver my grandson whole and healthy into this world. All I could do was wait and pray.

After that stomach-wrenching wait, we heard a tiny cry. Josh grinned and gave us a thumbs-up. Jaime's mom and I held each other, crying, laughing, praising and thanking God for a safe delivery for Cole Trabue Warren and for protecting Jaime. We didn't know it then, but our fears turned out to be justified. Cole was not breathing when he was born. It took highly skilled medical personnel to coax him from death to life. A nurse in the delivery room told us that we needed to remind Cole every day that he is a "miracle." I felt relieved. For reasons completely unknown to me, God performed a miracle for both Cole and Jaime. For that, I will be eternally grateful.
When will North American Christians decide that what they consider essential for their families is essential for all?

But I couldn't stop my thoughts from wandering to the sub-par delivery rooms I have been in around the world. While my family was given an undeserved miracle, thousands of women in the same situation in Rwanda, Cambodia, Ukraine, or India would likely have died an agonizing death alongside their stillborn child. That's only if they actually make it to a hospital; many thousands more labor at home, trying futilely to deliver a baby in distress. Sometimes these women and babies both die; sometimes the mother survives but the difficult labor leaves a hole in her bladder or rectum called a fistula, causing her to leak urine or feces for the rest of her life. What makes the difference between moms and babies who survive and those who don't?

Access to quality health care, pure and simple.

My family has access to the best health care—my sisters around the world do not. Blood clotting disorders, premature labor, breech babies, low Apgar scores at birth, all medically challenging situations in the best hospitals, become tragedies for women and babies with little or no access to health care.

Health-care access isn't initially as riveting a cause as rescuing children from the sex trade or finding a vaccine for HIV. But when someone you love needs medical help fast, your perspective changes. Suddenly, your world is reduced to one objective: Help her survive. Let him live. Americans are used to hospitals minutes away, doctors and nurses on duty, lifesaving procedures, and the latest technology and medication available. When you live in a developing country, all bets are off.

When will this unconscionable disparity touch our hearts? When will it begin to dawn on us that the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots is a subject worthy of our passion? When will North American Christians decide that what they consider essential for their families is essential for all?

Our miracle baby is nearly a month old. Another miracle baby was born 2,000 years ago—a different situation, certainly. But the baby born in the manger grew up and showed us how much he values children, each one a precious miracle deserving a chance to live.

A World AIDS Day Prayer

This morning, I joined many other folks from our community for the annual World AIDS Day Prayer Breakfast hosted by my friends at the Mosaic Initiative...it was great to hear two of our WA alums who are now students at Wheaton College connect their Zambia trip experiences with the need to care for, promote prevention, and offer hope for those infected and affected by AIDS around the globe and in our own community...and I loved the prayer we said together asking God to be deeply involved in the AIDS issue...here it is and may it remind you to care for the millions affected by this disease on this day and the days and years to come...


We ask that you, whose nature it is to always have mercy, to forgive us for our failures in the fight against HIV/AIDS, for the negative things we have done and for the things we have left undone...Lord, hear us...

We pray for those afflicted with HIV. We ask for their healing and for their freedom from stigma. Grant them the courage to live each day anew...Lord, hear us...

Lord, we pray for those communities hit hardest by HIV, at home and abroad, especially those living with HIV who have no access to health care...Lord, hear us...

We pray for the millions of children who have lost parents to AIDS. Grant them protection, education, and people in their lives to love and support them...Lord, hear us...

We pray for our leaders--for those in Illinois, in Washington, and in the rest of the world. We ask that they would be more receptive to AIDS issues....Lord, hear us...

We pray for DuPage county, that we would not ignore our responsibility to those in the world suffering with AIDS, especially those in our midst. We pray for the grace and the humility to respond charitably and compassionately and the courage to respond boldly and quickly to do what it takes to stop the spread of AIDS...Lord, hear us...

The Zambia Project Book

I've been writing for the last month or so as I try to tell the story of our student community at WA's involvement and response to the needs of an AIDS ravaged community in Zambia over the past six years...so far I am liking the writing process most days and am excited to hopefully invite and inspire other student groups to build their student cultures around serving the poor and entering into relationship with the Least...

Here's the basic framework for the book below...I am excited to have several of my former students and colleagues contributing to this book as well...

The Vision and Framework for the Zambia Project Book

GOAL: To write a book that invites, inspires, and informs students and those who teach, disciple, and lead them about the transformational impact that takes place in the lives of students and their communities when you build a culture that is centered around and committed to serving and building relationships with the poor and least in our world.

METHOD: To use the narrative of the Zambia Project story God has written at Wheaton Academy to demonstrate the principles and experiences that have helped to shape the lives and values of two radically different communities in the suburbs of Chicago and the AIDS-ravaged nation of Zambia.

AUTHOR/CONTRIBUTORS: Chip Huber, Zambia Project Coordinator; WA Students/Alumni who have led and experienced the project; World Vision staff in the USA and Zambia; Kakolo Village community members (piece of student writing will be in each chapter)

AUDIENCE: Christian school educators and administrators (HS and College); Church and Para-Church Youth Workers; Teachers; Generation of Today’s Students

INTRODUCTION: Our First Day in Zambia…the kind of day you will simply never forget

CHAPTER 1: Life as a Super-Duper Evangelical…my story and the WA community and our suburban world as adults and students before we started the Zambia Project

CHAPTER 2: Stepping Out in Faith to Chase a Vision…the Why behind how the Zambia Project started and the power of Faith in God’s Kingdom Wishes

CHAPTER 3: The Power of Student Leadership…granting permission to and releasing students to do something that seems improbable and difficult

CHAPTER 4: The Desperate Need for New and Authentic Community in West Chicago and Zambia

CHAPTER 5: Reading the Scriptures with New Eyes…the theological concepts of justice and compassion and caring for the poor jumping off the many pages of Scripture

CHAPTER 6: A Whole New World…the realities of the overwhelming physical and emotional needs present in Sub-Saharan Africa today that we couldn’t even imagine (one college student’s story of spending a summer living with the people of Kakolo Village)

CHAPTER 7: The Movement of the Holy Spirit…God orchestrating a student passions and response that couldn’t be created by programs or strategies…choosing to allow the Spirit to move us to new places rather than squelch its leadings and power in our dreams and lives

CHAPTER 8: Pain in the Process…the challenges and opposition and questions faced in responding long-term to the global AIDS pandemic in the heart of American evangelicalism

CHAPTER 9: Creating a Movement…how responding to the poor in Africa became a tradition and established piece of our school culture instead of a service initiative or spiritual life program

CHAPTER 10: Relationship Across the Ocean…the deep friendship between our communities that goes far beyond mission partner or giver and receiver (the power of a common love for soccer)

CHAPTER 11: How the Zambia Project and Jesus Wrecked my Life…how a high school student’s involvement may change forever how they see the world, God’s Kingdom, and their lifestyle (quotes and stories and testimonies of God’s work from the students who followed Jesus’ lead)

CHAPTER 12: Beyond Zambia…our school’s journey into the next project beyond our work in Zambia and the joy in seeing a community become self-sustaining and taking on a new dream

CONCLUSION: A Plea for the Release of this Student Generation…a final challenge to allow and empower this generation of students to respond to global need in powerful and meaningful ways as we multiply this model so there are hundreds of Zambia Projects taking place across the globe

Biblical Economic Principle: Ruled by Generosity

Here's a great piece from Rob Bell's new book Jesus Wants to Save Christians as we think about our own economic status, economic policies, and the economic future of our world and our church...

We see the economic dimensions of the new exodus again and again in the early church. On the heels of the story of the languages and the three thousand being added to their number, we're told that they "were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need" (Acts 2:44-45).

Instead of building towers and forcing others to make storehouses out of bricks so that some are stockpiling while others are slaves, this new movement is ruled by generosity. And compassion. And sharing. The gospel for these first Christians is an economic reality. It's holistic and affects all areas of their lives. It's an alternative to the greed and coercion of empire. It's a whole new order of things. And what does Paul do everywhere he goes? He takes an offering for the poor (Romans 15:26; 2 Corinthians 8:19; Galatians 2:10). He never stops reminding people of their responsibility to use their wealth and power purely and properly, for the benefit of those who need it the most.

EVERYTHING I NEEDED TO KNOW I LEARNED IN ZAMBIA

This piece of writing came out of my experiences in Zambia and was shaped by trying to answer the question posed by LEAST at Wheaton Academy this fall: How have you been changed by your relationships with the LEAST?

For me, my relationships have radically altered my life for good because of what I have received and learned and experienced in a culture and with people I never knew before...I closed LEAST this year with this piece...it is personal and a reflection of how God uses surprising folks to change us deeply in His Kingdom plan...ENJOY...


I am currently spending my days doing some writing about what God invited us to do as a student community over the last six years in response to the AIDS pandemic in Zambia…and as I retell the story in my typing of words each day, the stories invariably cause me to sneak a peek at many of the African faces I have gotten to know and love over that time frame…you see, my story of my own life and faith now is deeply intertwined with these faces and their stories…I’ve spent a good portion of my life trying to teach in such a way that it changes and transforms the lives of the students sitting in my classroom, soccer pitch, youth group room, mountain top vista, or retreat cabin…I’ve desperately wanted them to hear and embrace the things that truly matter, what they really need to learn to experience all the fullness of life Jesus has died and overcome death to bring into their lives today…

And in the midst of all that teaching, I have found myself still being taught about what is most important in this life as well…several years ago there was an extremely popular book by Robert Fulghum entitled All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten… and his list of findings included these kinds of phrases:

Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Take a nap every afternoon.

This book literally sold millions of copies and I remember getting a copy for my graduation from college from one of my relatives…

But if I were to write my own book around this very topic 20 years later after receiving these pearls of wisdom, my title would be very different:

And so tonight, I want to share with you a short list of my own entitled All I ever really needed to know I learned in Zambia…and here it goes:

*Living without a watch or clock is a rather freeing way to live
*You play a game simply because you love it
*Life must be celebrated with great passion
*Share freely even if you don’t have extras when you give it away
*Dance when the Spirit of God moves inside of you
*Sing with a voice not caring what people around you think
*Learn all you can because it is a privilege to receive an education
*When friends come to visit, you run out to greet them
*The church service ought to be a highlight of one’s week
*When your family member is sick, you drop everything and do anything to care for them and their needs
*Life is fragile
*You get to know someone when you do things together that you both love to do
*Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world
*Water and food are blessings from heaven
*A short life can still be a full life
*A gracious spirit attracts other people to you
*Telling and listening to stories is one of the most enjoyable things in life to do
*You can and should laugh often every day
*A blanket makes all the difference when you lay down to sleep
*Riding a bike enables you to get places you couldn’t go before
*Where you grow up shapes a good bit of what your life will become
*Hope sustains us thru experiences we never imagined we’d encounter along the way
*It’s OK to ask God for a miracle…because He’s a God who makes the impossible become reality

In the summer of 2004 on my first visit to Zambia I took a walk with my friend Fordson who would become the kind of friend who would drive from anywhere in the whole country to share a meal with me when he found out I was coming back to his country…and on our walk we dreamed together about what God might want to do in Kakolo Village…he had dreams that were way bigger than I could imagine…dreams that truly were God sized in the midst of completely overwhelming and devastating poverty…we pointed to an overgrown field of wild grass and imagined things like electricity, a huge schoolhouse addition, a new medical clinic, clean water wells, a ministry center…and God has seen fit to allow us to help make those dreams become reality…and the last thing Fordson talked about was something rather unusual…he turned to a an overgrown field spot a couple hundred yards away with trees and said that’s where the brand new soccer pitch must go…and you can come back and play on it with us someday…

In 2007, I made a very difficult decision and stepped down as the varsity boys soccer coach at WA…to be honest, I was left wondering if I had made the right decision…I loved coaching, loved my players, and wasn’t sure I had really fulfilled the goals I set out to achieve on the field…as the summer began and the season drew near, I was missing it and feeling so weird about not being part of a program I had poured my life into…and then we went back to Zambia for our third trip…I have loved soccer for most of my life, and the people of Zambia play the game every day even without grass, round balls, and nets on goals…it is easy to feel out of place when you first encounter the LEAST, but for me and many of my friends, a soccer ball and a dirt field made us feel very much at home…and as we reconnected with our brothers and sisters in Kakolo Village that summer, there was one beautiful brand new thing the community had built without resources from WA students…by hand over the course of many months the Kakolo community had built a gorgeous new soccer pitch, with a level dirt playing field, white pipe goals with nets, and skybox seats built on the top of 2 gigantic anthills overlooking the pitch…it was truly the most beautiful field I had seen in all of our travels throughout the nation…and it was a gift for us, a place where we could play the game together on a field built with love for people who played on perfect grass on the other side of the world…and on the side of the field was a rather large marker that had my name on it as the person who this field was dedicated to…it was a complete surprise and arguably the best gift I have ever received in my entire life…it was the completion of my dream, fordson’s dream, and god’s dream for this community and our relationship as two communities were brought together…as I stepped onto that field to play, I felt remarkably loved and affirmed…and much of the pain in leaving coaching melted away because of the reality that I would always have my field to play and coach on…because of my friends on the other side of the world who knew what I loved and whom I loved…and if you ask me what some of the best moments and days in my life have been and will continue to be, I would tell you about playing soccer with those called the Least and my students who I love dearly…for on that soccer pitch people in Chicago will never ever see I am at my second home, playing the game I love with people who have shown me the love of Jesus in a most personal and tangible and sacrificial way…and I am forever changed for the good, my life is obviously different in its richness and meaning, because of the faith, hope and love of the people of Zambia…may we continue to serve and be served, to love and be loved, to help build and create and dream dreams, to allow Jesus to be present in our lives through the relationships with those He cares most deeply about, those that Jesus called the LEAST…AMEN

Why I Am Hopeful by Andy Crouch

Here's a fantastic piece on the current economic crisis from Andy Crouch, one of my favorite thinkers/writers, and the author of a brilliant book called Culture Making we are using as a key text in my Senior level Bible classes at Wheaton Academy...Andy always causes me to think at a deep level and see more than what might be apparent at first glance in the things that happen in our world...

It won't be easy for us—and that's good.

Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett reiterated his best-known investing principle in the New York Times last Thursday: "Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful." It's a vivid way of saying that the best investors are, to borrow a phrase from macroeconomics, counter-cyclical. Their investing sentiments are set by simply observing the prevailing mood in the marketplace, and doing the opposite.

Something like this maxim applies to the work of any Christian who wants to discern the times and speak truthfully about our culture. Reinhold Niebuhr famously said he wanted his preaching to "comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable"—strangely akin to Buffett's guideline. The whole record of the Hebrew prophets is counter-cyclical, seen most vividly in the transition from Isaiah 1–39 to Isaiah 40–66. The first half of the canonical book contains searing denunciations of a complacent, compromised people at the height of their comfort. The second half, its sights trained on a decimated population in exile, begins, "Comfort my people." And Isaiah has his own version of Buffett-style counter-cyclicality: "Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill made low."

Well, our culture is pretty afflicted right now. Which is why I am more hopeful than I've been in a long time.

I am not hopeful because I envision an easy way out of the current economic mess. We are entering into the Great Deleveraging, where an entire country of consumers will have to pare back their reliance on cheap mortgages and abundant credit cards. (Remember when your mailbox was stuffed with credit card offers? Seen any lately?) The national savings rate might even rise above 0%—yes, that is zero percent, the proportion Americans have been collectively saving for several years now. But that means that consumption, a major engine of our economy, will have to decline dramatically.

I am not hopeful because I have confidence in whoever will be elected president in 15 days. I have grave concerns, as a Christian and as a citizen, about both candidates and will in all likelihood vote for neither. (Not for the first time—in 2004 I wrote in Colin Powell.)

I am not hopeful because I think we are well prepared for what is ahead of us. We are not. We are a terrifyingly unserious people, our heads buzzing with trivia and noise. This is more true, if anything, of American Christians than the rest of our country. The stark contrast between what I experience among Christians anywhere else in the world—and not just the "Third World," because Canada and Germany and Britain and Singapore come to mind as quickly as Uganda and India—and American Christians is astonishing. We are preoccupied with fads intellectual, theological, technological, and sartorial. Vanishingly few of us have any serious discipline of silence, solitude, study, and fasting. We have, in the short run, very little to offer our culture, because we live in the short run.

I am not hopeful because I think life is going to get easier in America. I am hopeful because I think it is going to get harder, and in a very good way. And I am hopeful because I think this means my children and grandchildren will live in a deeply and truly better world than I would have thought possible a few years ago.

I want to differentiate this hope from a kind of declinism among some of my "progressive" Christian friends, who frankly seem to salivate over the prospect that our capitalist culture may be teetering on the brink of collapse. I don't share their sense of satisfaction, and I don't share their analysis. At the analytical level, I believe liberal democracy and free markets are resilient and beneficial systems of human governance (granted that they are also, as Churchill said, the least bad of the alternatives). They have powerful self-correcting capacities. There is a reason that the American stock market has fallen the least of all the major world exchanges in the past few weeks. We have an impressively transparent economic system that, while certainly not preventing corruption and greed, does reveal it and punish it sooner than any comparable system, and frequently, though not always, rewards effort and innovation more effectively. Our political system is less robust, to be kind, but outside the depressing morass of electoral politics there are public servants of incredible intelligence and character—among whom I would certainly include Ben Bernanke, Henry Paulson, and Sheila Bair, along with many of the prospective leaders in an Obama administration. Precisely at times of crisis, as we've seen, the idiocy of politics can still be overcome by credible leadership from civil servants like these. I am deeply proud to live in a country where someone as fantastically wealthy as Paulson spends his days, nights, and weekends doing the largely thankless task of public service. Our markets and our system of government, for all their flaws, are an amazing renewable resource handed on to us by our forebears.

And this is why I can't share the sense of satisfaction I sense in some of my "prophetic" friends. I believe the first step in culture making is not creating (let alone condemning, critiquing, or consuming) but cultivating: keeping what is already good in culture, good. American Christians, on the right and the left, have been painfully bad at cultivating. We want to jump to "transformation" and "impact" (words generally used on the right) or to "resistance" and "revolution" (favored words of the left). We often seem incapable of seeing ourselves first as gardeners: people whose first cultural calling is to keep good what is, by the common grace of God, already good. A gardener does not pull out weeds because she hates weeds; she pulls out weeds because she loves the garden, and because (hopefully) there are more vegetables or flowers in it than weeds. This kind of love of the garden—loving our broken, beautiful cultures for what they are at their best—is the precondition, I am coming to believe, for any serious cultural creativity or influence. When weeds infest the garden, the gardener does not take the opportunity to decry the corruption of the garden as a whole. She gets patiently, discerningly, to work keeping the garden good.

So why am I hopeful? Because I believe the coming years are going to reveal some pernicious weeds in our culture for what they are. One of the characteristics of weeds is that they suck up resources from other plants. They are quick-growing, quick-spreading, invasive. They do not coexist with the other plants in the garden, they overtake them. Kudzu is a weed not because it is unattractive in its own way or even has no rightful place in the ecosystem, but because it grows over and chokes out other valuable and beautiful things. Weeds are, as every gardener knows, the easiest thing to grow.

And I believe the fundamental weed in the American garden is, in fact, ease. Easy-ness. Effortlessness. Along with the incredible benefits of the rise of technology has been this terrible weed: the idea that things should be easy. The Staples office-supply chain has profited handsomely selling the ultimate symbol of our times: a plastic button that does absolutely nothing but is great fun to push, labeled "easy."

The quest for technological ease has invaded and distorted not just, metaphorically, our culture, but also, literally, our agriculture. When we start to treat cattle as meat-producing devices, it makes sense to corral them in feedlots, where they start to make one another very sick. No problem—we will dose them with huge amounts of antibiotics. Antibiotics are a fantastically useful button to push when your child is sick. But when they are used as all-purpose coveralls for situations driven by fundamentally flawed assumptions—that cattle should be efficient devices, not creatures worthy of respect and patient care; that children with the slightest discomfort should have every possible button pushed on their behalf, even when (as with almost all ear infections) the button will do nothing—they turn on their users. It is very possible that our great-grandchildren will look back with nostalgia on the 20th century as the Antibiotic Century. Singular. I am hopeful that medicine will deliver a new way to ward off the worst that bacteria can do—but it is very likely that fighting bacteria will never again in human history be as easy as it was forty years ago. We have pushed the antibiotic button so hard, so often, that it may very soon cease to work altogether.

Examples could be multiplied. I spent a few days last week in Gwinnett County, Georgia, which for the past twenty years has been one of the fastest-growing counties in America. I was struck by the amazing, beautiful collector roads—Sugarloaf Parkway, Satellite Boulevard—their median strips, wide lanes, and turning radiuses tuned and trimmed to the needs of a huge volume of fast-moving vehicles. There is no better place in the world to be a car, especially a somewhat oversized, top-heavy sport utility vehicle, than the recently developed portions of Gwinnett County. If you are an SUV, it was designed for you: no curves too sharp, no lanes too narrow, no hills too steep. If there weren't so many other people flooding the roads, it would be a place of perfect driving ease.

At the same time, those roads are a very unpleasant place to be a human being doing what human beings do so beautifully most places in the world: walking. Walking is simply not an option. Nor are there any other viable options—no trains, few buses, and no accommodation for bicycles. The beautiful ease of a car is the only choice. As long as you have a car, of course, that's perfectly fine.

This is in stark contrast to the part of the world where I live, an early 20th-century suburb designed before single-purpose ease became the de facto principle of urban planning. In my town, it is certainly possible to drive, but it is not exactly easy. The streets are narrow, forcing drivers to slow down and occasionally wait for other cars to pass. But this is actually a good thing, because cars are not the only mode of transportation. An eleven-year-old can happily and safely ride a bike almost anywhere in town (the two major through streets are a bit too busy for this parent's comfort, though I ride on them myself all the time). There are sidewalks everywhere. The train that runs directly through our town to Philadelphia gets you downtown faster than a car at almost any time of day. I am sure that most journeys that begin in my town are still taken by car, but bicycle, foot, and train are all options, and often good ones. None of these options are perfectly easy—cars have to wait for the train at grade crossings, pedestrians have to watch out for eleven-year-old bicyclists—but the reduction in single-purpose ease is more than made up for by the abundance of choice, and the human scale of the choices available.

I couldn't help asking myself: where would I rather live if gasoline cost $8 per gallon? Or, perhaps a more immediate and realistic question as the oil bubble deflates along with the whole economy, where would I rather lose my job, and with it the ability to pay for insurance and endless gas? Where would a person with suddenly limited economic resources have a richer, fuller human life? The answer, of course, is not Gwinnett County. A paradise for big vehicles and capacious houses is only a paradise as long as you have money. My town, cramped streets and all, is where you want to be when the bubble bursts.

So, to wrap up this way-too-long-for-Web-attention-spans essay, here is the good news in our very real and sobering predicament: Easy is not going to be easy any longer. Our culture's addiction to ease is unsustainable. A core Christian conviction—one that informed much of the best of Western civilization—is that the good life is not easy. It requires discipline. It invites us into pain. It makes of us ascetics—not people who shun all earthly joys, but people who choose to limit our appetite for ease so that we might actually know true joy.

If we are not dualists, we will see that what is true for souls is true for societies as well—because both souls and societies are subjects of God's creative intent. No society can build itself on ease. Most everything that is good about our society was forged by people who took discipline and work seriously, who built their lives around risk and enjoyed their leisure precisely because it was the fruit of discipline, the Sabbath after a week of concerted work. Most everything that is worst about our society—not least the very worst thing about America, the ongoing legacy of the Atlantic slave trade—was the product of an idolatrous desire to exploit human beings and the created world, extracting labor and resources with no regard for discipline, dignity, and God-given limits.

Our attention spans are indeed very short in America, but the evaporation of wealth in recent weeks has caused us to dimly recall the spectre of the Great Depression. Less often noted is that the Great Depression was preceded by a previous era of ease and abundance. The fruit of the (seeming) abundance of the Roaring Twenties was an economic crisis of shattering proportions.

But the irony is that the fruit of the Great Depression was not only dramatically improved systems of economic governance and ultimately even greater prosperity, but people of a fundamentally different character. They suffered tremendous hardship and lived for the rest of their lives with astonishing thrift, even as the post-war economic expansion delivered them real wealth. (The terrible experience of combat in World War II had a similar effect on many of their children.) A friend recently told me that the highest average household net worth in his Midwestern city is found in neighborhoods filled with modest, $100,000-dollar homes. Most of the inhabitants are older. They have lived below their means, with discipline and integrity, their whole lives. Many of them, I suspect, are very much like my grandmother Ann Bennett, "Mimama" to us grandchildren, who died several years ago leaving not just substantial savings for her children, but a heritage of living abundantly within the constraints of a life that was never especially easy. If they are anything like Mimama, they will tell you that life has not been easy, but it has been good. Very, very good.

And this is why I am hopeful in the face of both the greed and the fear of the present moment: After the Great Deleveraging is past, with any luck and by God's grace, a lot more of us will be more like them.

The Simplicity of Justice by Jeff Goins from NEUE

I love this story illustrating from Scripture what it means to live out justice in our everyday lives...turning right vs left is so true for the very city I live in and for so many of us who live in isolation despite being so near needs and people right around the corner who we can choose to turn towards or away from...may we have the courage to look and see and go right...

I turned right instead of left. That’s all I did, and it made all the difference. I don’t know why I did it exactly. My wife had sent me out to pick up some groceries, and it was habit to turn the steering wheel left when pulling out of our apartment complex. Yet, something inside compelled me to go right, driving past the lower income housing in Southeast Nashville, where every sign quickly goes from English to Spanish to Arabic.

Although Nashville isn’t New York, it’s still a formidable city, and the largest one I have ever lived in for more than a year. When I moved here from the Midwest, it was culture shock on a lot of levels: sweet tea, deep drawls, cowboy boots, belt buckles, Christian music, SUVs, guys with haircuts styled after Jan Brady, and visible poverty. With the exception of the one guy who lived in the local park, I never really saw a lot of poor people when I was growing up or attending college. So, when I moved here, I didn’t really know what to do. These people that approached me on the streets asking for money frightened me. Did I give out of fear, point them to the nearest shelter, or just blow them off like everyone else did? In my two years of living in Nashville, I’ve done all three; however, I’m beginning to learn a deeper truth regarding the homeless and urban poor: their lifestyles will change when mine does.

I live between two worlds. If you go a mile in one direction, you can pick out a new towel set at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, get fresh sushi at Kroger, and swing by the Smoothie King hut for a nutritious snack. If you go a mile in the other direction, you find people who survive off of the public transit system, don’t know much English, and live with their brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents all in the same apartment.

Left is the direction of suburbia. Right is where the poor live. Sometimes, those two worlds are that close. Left is where I get stopped by Mormons with backpacks in the parking lot. Right is where graffiti colors the sides of buildings. Two worlds, right next door to each other–and I, much to my own shame, rarely turn right.

Usually, when I leave my apartment building to go pick up some groceries, rent a video, or buy a random household item like Krazy Glue, I turn left. After all, that’s where Wal-Mart is. That’s where the white people are. That’s where “safety” is.

But for some reason, I went right that day and picked up my glue at the superstore where the Hispanics do their shopping. Now, I know that sounds potentially racist, but you don’t live where I live. It is racist. It’s that segregated. Half the people in my apartment complex go where the white suburbanites shop, and the other half go where there are signs intentionally written in Spanish, so that they know what they’re purchasing. Granted, pockets of cultural concentration exist in every city, but we need to learn to occasionally cross those borders and learn from those whom we so often avoid.

Once a month, my church delivers groceries to needy families. I meet another guy around 8am on a Saturday morning, and we drive around the city dropping off boxes full of dry goods to people who lack the finances to buy groceries and the transportation to go out and get the food.

One weekend, we dropped off a box at a townhouse near Belmont University in Nashville. It was interesting, because often when we do this, someone gives us a sob story, or we see something questionable happening in the back room. But this time, none of that happened. She just cried.

Her name was Michelle, she was unemployed, living at home with her two kids and the third on the way. The dad was out of the picture. When we brought the groceries in, she couldn’t stop thanking us through teary eyes. When we offered to pray for her, she wept the whole time, repeating, “Thank you, Jesus…” We hugged her, and said goodbye, as she was still crying.

I couldn’t get that out of my mind–the sound of her sobbing, the tears. It kept me up at night, haunted me in my dreams. I thought about her for two weeks. I prayed for her, told my friends about her, shared the story with my church. And just then, when my life threatened to move on, when Michelle was about to become just another sermon illustration or a character in an article somewhere, I turned right.

My fiancée and I visited her. We brought more groceries. Other friends came to visit. We talked, laughed, and watched TV together. Once, they were out of toilet paper, so we picked up some double-ply for them. Another time, we baked cookies for the whole family. We even took her kids to the zoo. We invited Michelle and her family to church, and to my surprise, she accepted. For Thanksgiving, they joined us for a huge potluck dinner where the church embraced them. I got to know them the best that I could; we became friends.

One winter evening, two days before December 25, I showed up at their door with a Buick Century full of Christmas presents. And hope was restored. All because I made a choice to go back, to turn right, to not move on.

It’s hard not to paint stories like this without making them sound like they’re about us, the great protagonists of these stories of hope. They’re not, of course, about you or me, but we have to recognize how much is riding on us when it comes to justice. Admittedly, not every issue is as simple as turning right instead of left, but in my experience, a lot of Micah 6:8 can be fulfilled in simple, everyday choices. There are other stories, as well. I could tell you about Pat, a woman I met who had breast cancer. All I did was give her my business card. One day, she called me to say that she was about to be evicted; two weeks later, I had raised enough money to keep her from returning to homelessness. Then there’s Eugene, a “bum” who needed $11 to catch the Greyhound to Memphis, where a job was waiting for him. These stories all around us, if we will take the time to listen.

There’s a story in Scripture that goes like this:

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. (Acts)

For the longest time, I thought that the story was about healing. Maybe it wasn’t until I moved to Nashville that I was able to recognize what was really happening with Peter, John, and that lame guy. It wasn’t until I walked city streets and saw people in wheelchairs waiting outside of churches, begging. It wasn’t until I felt an inner voice telling me to just ignore them, to avert my eyes, and somehow they’d disappear from my conscience. And that’s when I saw a sentence that I had missed before: “Peter looked straight at him, as did John.” They didn’t look away. And neither should we. Sometimes, justice is just that simple. Looking into the eyes of another human being when we’d rather pretend that we didn’t see him. Choosing to schedule your life around those who are hurting and losing hope. Turning right instead of left.

From the Mission Field: Our AC Addiction by Rick Burnette

Here's a really interesting take on climate issues and our need for comfort from a missionary dealing with air conditioning from a very different perspective...

These days you don’t have to drive too long before coming across a hybrid car. High gasoline prices are finally having an effect. SUVs are out and hybrids, as well as other high mileage vehicles, are suddenly very much in demand. We simply can’t afford the gas.

What about homes? Families are beginning to feel the pain of electric bills. Many, particularly lower income households in colder climes, are quite worried about how they’ll be able to pay the heating bill this winter.

But, from what I’ve observed in the South, folk haven’t yet reached the point of cutting back on their beloved air conditioning. To recommend as much would be tantamount to suggesting that Southerners stop drinking sweet tea.

Let’s face it. Americans in the Sun Belt are absolutely addicted to AC. From the first warm day in April through the last gasp of Indian summer in October we’re going to have the air on.

During my childhood, 30-40 years ago, in North Carolina’s mountains, hardly anyone had air conditioners. Summers weren’t very long and we could put up with 85 degree summer afternoons as long as nighttime temps dropped below 65.

On the other hand, my bride from sultry Alabama grew up with air. After all, electricity rates of TVA and other southern utilities were cheap.

And guess who has the highest residential energy consumption in the US? According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the current electricity hogs are Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina.

But by the time we were married, I too had grown to expect air conditioning six months out of the year. After all, it’s vital that we Southerners remain ensconced in houses, cars, offices, churches, malls and other air-conditioned life support systems for protection from temperatures of 75 degrees and above.

Then, in 1994, we moved to Thailand.

Except for a marvelous three-month “winter” reprieve during which temps range closely to what we called summer in Western Northern Carolina, it’s either hot and dry or hot and humid.

For most Thais, air conditioned homes are way out of reach. In contrast, every house we’ve rented in Thailand has had AC units. Yes, we’re wimps.

However, it didn’t take long for us to realize that we couldn’t afford to run the air 24/7. So, we decided to save it at least for sleeping. But several years ago, when energy prices started to climb and the value of the dollar began to drop, our budget would only allow air conditioning during the hottest of hot nights.

Our Thailand threshold is now 88 degrees in the bedroom at bedtime; thankfully, which isn’t that often. But we’re not complaining. Whereas we have at least some access to this luxury, the vast majority in the developing world do not. Still, my hot flash prone wife is grateful for the occasional relief offered by AC (by the way, she gave me permission to say that).

That said, we’re proof positive that Americans, even Southerners, can adjust to fewer creature comforts. And with open windows (screened of course), we can appreciate the morning song of birds, a pleasant breeze and marvel at the cooling power of strategically placed electric fans.

With regard to energy consumption and our American lifestyle, I’m afraid the day of reckoning is coming for everyone. Rising energy costs are putting upward pressure on electric bills, even in TVA-land. The poor are already feeling it.

And like those who’ve begun to park their SUVs, it may be necessary for many to give up their McMansions just to afford heating and cooling bills.

Realistically, though, we can begin weaning ourselves off of high residential energy consumption. We can lessen our energy footprints by installing compact fluorescent bulbs, switching off unnecessary lights and by moderating thermostats.

And many of us can start treating our homes a bit like hybrid cars. Whereas a Toyota Prius alternates between gasoline power and self-generated electricity, we might try cutting the AC and opening windows, especially when outside temps range between 55 and 75 degrees.

Reducing consumption, whether electricity, gasoline or water, isn’t just financially prudent, it’s a spiritual act. It means denying the flesh after a long binge of seeking extreme comfort and convenience. It means showing solidarity and Christian concern for those with less; those whose consumption footprints are far smaller than ours. And it means honoring both creation and the Creator by using resources wisely.

By the way, scientists are now reporting that Arctic ice is on the verge of an all time low. If we don’t begin moderating our high-carbon lifestyles soon, we’re likely in store for some very drastic and nasty changes.

BONO ON THE BAILOUT

"It's extraordinary to me that the United States can find $700 billion to save Wall Street and the entire G8 can't find $25 billion dollars to save 25,000 children who die every day from preventable diseases."

Does the ONE Campaign Make a Difference?

A great article from a fantastic new website called NEUE.com...

We had worked for months to raise awareness, sign people up, get them educated and excited about doing something concrete about poverty, AIDS, and advocacy. And finally we were there, in a packed soccer arena on the outskirts of Edinburgh, raising our collective voice. It was July 2005 and I was among a crowd of thousands that had descended on that bit of Scottish earth for the G8 Summit taking place in Gleneagles.

On that day, eight men would make critical decisions about the future of the planet. Quite literally. They would decide whether to ignore or help alleviate global poverty for billions of people. And they would do it, because people like us stood up and demanded it. But the question in all of our minds was, would they? Would they listen to us, for real? No matter how many celebrities were present, or how many ordinary people, the reins that would lead us into the future were in the hands of eight powerful men.

But we hoped. We knew anything was possible. In front of us, artists lined up, ready to perform. Bono was in the wings with two iron-clad briefcases carrying nearly one million signatures that carried a strong message: “Don’t just sit there, do something - you represent us and we demand it.” This was an event to celebrate how far we had come - everyday people, not policy wonks, were finally talking about global poverty in concrete terms - and to galvanize future action.

It felt different to watch the videos we had seen many times before. All of our work had finally brought us there, across the globe, within spitting distance of the leaders of the free world, not to mention Bono, George Clooney, and Claudia Schiffer. We watched the screen behind the stage like we had never seen the ad before.

Gwyneth Paltrow… snap…. Brad Pitt…. snap…. Salma Hayak…. snap…. Jamie Foxx… snap.

”Every three seconds, a child dies of extreme poverty.” Four children since the video started. Twelve seconds ago.

“We’re not asking for your money - we’re asking for your voice.”

It seemed that we should have been somber, but people cheered. We were at a rock concert, after all. And though I found it hard at first, I knew that the ONE campaign needed celebrity, needed to be cool, because global poverty is not glamorous, is not cool, and we needed something else to turn our attention to as we heard the devastating statistics.

”Unless we do something today, there will be 25 million children orphaned by AIDS by 2010.”

”30,000 children die every day of preventable causes.”

”Many poor countries still spend more each year on debt than on health care or education.”

”One in seven people goes to bed hungry every night. Many of them are children, and will not survive past the age of 5.”

A week earlier, at Live8 in Philadelphia, only a fraction of the people who signed up for the ONE campaign had any idea that global poverty and advocacy was the reason for the gathering. Oh how different Scotland was. That stony town on the top of the world was sending a message that couldn’t be ignored any longer: “Make Poverty History.” Finally, the scandal was on everyone’s lips, in the headlines, on talk shows. Everywhere, ordinary citizens demanded of their government: cancel the debt, deal with trade inequities, and increase aid to the developing world.

And I sat there in a bit of disbelief: It’s actually happening? People are actually making a big deal out of this? Yes, they were. Finally! But that was three years ago, and enthusiasm for things like global poverty eradication dies fast. It’s not even a good acronym.

Despite the rally, despite the unprecedented media coverage of life cut short all over the word, things look much the same three years later. According to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, the rise in grain and food prices of the past two years has set back development progress by seven years. Life goes on, it appears, as normal.

Or does it?

In the US, PEPFAR was signed into law in 2003 and reauthorized in July of this year, allowing up to $48 billion to combat global HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria treatment. This will provide funds for HIV/AIDS treatment for at least three million people; prevention of 12 million new infections; and care for 12 million people, including five million orphans and vulnerable children.

The Roll Back Malaria Partnership is working hard to raise awareness of malaria at the global, regional, national, and community levels, keeping malaria high on the development agenda and mobilizing resources for malaria control and for research.

2.4 million Americans have signed up for the ONE campaign, an advocacy group that was instrumental in canceling the debt of 18 of the world’s poorest countries, and that continues to secure legislative and global institutional victories for the poorest of the poor.

And no wonder. People all over the world want to do and be more than disconnected consumers; they want to serve and fight for the cause of the least among us. Young people in churches around this country want to know how they can help serve their communities and their world. It is admirable and encouraging. The next question on our agenda is harder, though: do we have the desire and the will to do so when it means we must put aside our privilege for the benefit of the least?

This is the crux: to deal with worldwide poverty we have to deal with structural imbalances in the world that benefit us. We must tackle trade injustice (we can’t force countries like Zambia to open up to cotton imports, restrict subsidies, and cut services like health and education while at the same time paying our own cotton farmers $3.9 billion [in 2000/2001] so we can dump cheap cotton on their market), debt (who wants to be responsible for the faulty loans often given to dictators?), and aid (it does work, in the right circumstances). And that means we contend with our own habits and expectations, because these issues are inextricably linked. So, what must we do?

We need to give up having more and more at cheap and cheaper.

We must not accept falling wages for workers and windfall profits for executives.

We must not replace the power of walking alongside those who suffer for the ease of writing a check. And,

We need to let go of our belief that to be more we need to have more.

And we can do it, because all across the country, in the blogosphere and on city streets, there is a palpable desire to be a blessing and make a difference, to change the world we live in for the better.

We can believe in the power of our collective voice because we believe in the power of the one who calls us to be his hands and feet, to stand in the gap for those who cannot access the reigns of power; we can do it because we have the weight and power of a God who blesses humility over grandiosity, service over selfishness, and mercy over sacrifice. He may use celebrity to achieve his purposes, but he beckons us, ordinary us, to the grand story of the redemptive power of love.

God is working - let’s join Him.

This Is Who God Is

Here's a vision statement to consider from Rob Bell and Don Golden's new book Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile...

God is looking for a body, flesh and blood to show the world a proper marriage of the divine and human. What happens when your body looks nothing like you? What happens when your people become the embodiment of everything you are against? What happens when you're being given a bad name? What happens when your people are unfaithful to the vow they made to you? What happens when your people "go back that way again," the way you rescued them from?

The Hebrew Scriptures have a very simple and direct message: God always hears the cry of the oppressed; God cares about human suffering and the conditions that cause it. God is searching for a body, a community of people to care for the things God cares about. God gives power and blessing so that justice and righteousness will be upheld for those who are denied them. This is what God is like. This is what God is about. This is who God is.

Following God in the throes of leadership by Margaret Feinberg

I love Margaret Feinberg's words here about the Sacred Echo of God's voice...I have often heard that echo and been stopped dead in my tracks as I realized God was getting after me about one thing in a major way...

As a leader, more and more, I’m finding that I need the sacred echo – the persistent voice of God – almost as if my life depended on it.


As leaders, we desperately need to be able to recognize God’s voice and leading not only in our daily lives, but as we serve in our churches and community. Though God’s Word is our only source of indisputable truth, many passages of the Bible illustrate the colorful ways God speaks to his people. In the Bible God speaks through kings and queens, princes and prophets, poets and pilgrims. He speaks through weather patterns, barnyard animals, and even the stars in the sky. God is not only creative, but he is persistent in getting our attention and communicating with us. That’s encouraging news for us as leaders!

So how do you know if God might be leading you in a new direction or a fresh initiative? Listen for what I call the “sacred echo.” What is a sacred echo? It’s the persistent voice of God in our lives.

You may find a particular passage on caring for the poor, the widows, the children, or the elderly following you throughout daily life. Several members of your congregation may keep raising this particular need to your attention. Then, during a chance luncheon the topic comes up again. Just maybe God is trying to get your attention! When this happens, take time to prayerfully consider this leading. Ask God to give you discernment if it truly is him. If it is, ask him to begin bringing people around you who share a similar passion and are ready to serve. And watch what happens.

As a leader, more and more, I’m finding that I need the sacred echo – the persistent voice of God – almost as if my life depended on it. The sacred echo reminds me he has not departed, he is steadfast, and he has not given up on me. If truth be told, as I grow older, I’m finding I need more certainty – not less – in responding to God’s prompting in my life.

So go ahead, begin responding prayerfully to the sacred echo. God is speaking to you.

The First Real Mission by Beth Guckenberger from RELEVANT MAGAZINE

When I read this book excerpt story, I was reminded of one of the moments when my life direction was similarly altered...when I handed a live chicken to an orphan girl named Maggie and her only living relative, her great grandmother, and they received it with incredible joy sitting in front of their one room hut that leaks during the rainy season and houses a few pounds of corn that is their only food source for the forseeable future...and I knew that Maggie, millions of kids like Maggie in Africa and elsewhere, needed me to advocate for them, to give to them, to love them beyond my own needs...and I've been back to Zambia 3 times with my 4th trip already planned...and a picture of Maggie is my reminder of the moment that redirected the trajectory of my life...may we all be moved to mission by a divine moment in our lives...


For the past few years Todd and I have sponsored our church’s youth mission trips to Queretaro, Mexico. In general, we know what to expect. A little paint here, a little polish there, some late-night tacos, an evangelistic drama—all in the name of the Lord.

The truth is, no one really cares. As I unpack the paints, I think, “Haven’t we painted this wall before?” We are frustrated, the students are uninspired and, worst of all, the nationals we have come to serve are unaffected.

One of the men from our group comes up to us and says, “About two more hours, and we can clean up here and head for dinner.”

“Two hours, huh?” I sigh.

I close my eyes and try to think how to fill that time, until Todd interrupts my thoughts: “Remember the orphanage we visited in Albania?” he asks, his back to me, bent over, cleaning some paintbrushes.

“Sure. Why?”

“You think there are any in this town?”

Even before he can stand up and turn around, I’m gone. I dash over to where our teens are talking to some of their Mexican counterparts.

“Orphanage-o? Orphanatorio? Orphanagorio?” I try every combination with my best Mexican accent to get a reaction. “Aquí?” (“Here?”)

“Sí. Sí.” They look at me, laughing, either because the answer is obvious or because of my funny words. I don’t know which.

I wish I could say that Todd and I sat down right then and made a plan, but we didn’t. The truth is, within 10 minutes of his question, we leave the students with the other adult sponsors, and we’re in a taxi trying to find an orphanage.

Looking back now, it seems foolish. We didn’t speak much Spanish, didn’t have much money if we got into trouble, and were in a city where we could have easily gotten lost. An hour later, we’re standing in front of a children’s home on a dusty road, knocking at the door as we wave goodbye to our taxi driver.

We hear a series of locks, bolts and chains being unlatched, and the door swings open. Have you ever heard the expression “his face is an open book”? Well, the title of the book on the face of the man who answers the door is Who the Heck Are You? Even though he’s sitting in a wheelchair, he seems eight feet tall. Seeing him makes us wonder if all those locks are to keep people out or keep children in. While he waits for us to explain ourselves, I catch a glimpse of a child over his shoulder.

We struggle with our bad Spanish for more than an hour but don’t get far. Finally, frustrated, Todd gives up and starts playing basketball with some of the boys, leaving me to continue the conversation. For a while we watch Todd in silence, our host with a blank expression on his face and me hoping we really are on a holy errand.

The thought crosses my mind, Has this man already asked us to leave in Spanish and we just didn’t understand? Or is this something that You planned, Lord?

Finally, the man turns to me and says, “I can understand you. I’m an American.”

I can’t believe it. Why did he pretend? I know I should be mad—but my first thought is gratitude that we can now communicate.

He continues, “I’m a Vietnam War vet. I came to work with abandoned children because I know what it means to be tossed aside. Like them, I’m trying to forget the people who failed me. I don’t always trust outsiders.”

I say nothing.

Todd, who has overheard everything, walks over from the court, with the ball under his arm, and says, “We have $200, 25 eager students and a whole day left in our trip. Is there anything we can do for you if we come back tomorrow?”

The man shifts his eyes and says softly, “The children haven’t had meat in a year, and that window up there is broken.”

Sometimes just talking can cost you. His admission costs him something, and our request costs us as well. We all overcome our fears and say things that are uncomfortable. But we do it. As we sit there on that bench, sipping our lemonade, I know what’s happened: Our first real mission has begun.

The next day, with a much clearer sense of purpose, we set out for the children’s home. On the way, we stop at a market to buy food and toys. When we get to the front door, the children are waiting, laughing and asking if “Michael Jordan” has come back.

We have 200 hamburgers, a new window, and our crew of teenagers.

The orphanage is built like a bullfighting arena, with a large open area in the middle. Steep stairs go up to the dorms on the top layer, which encircle the courtyard below. We set up the grill in the courtyard and begin serving the meal.

After all 40 of the kids receive their hamburgers and second helpings, we find ourselves still flipping burgers. From behind the grill, Todd whispers, “What’s going on? These kids can’t still be hungry; go see if you can figure out where all the food’s wandering off to.”

So I mingle with the kids, who are holding napkins full of hamburgers. Some are carrying them up to their rooms; I follow one little preschool girl up the stairs to the dormitory, and with each step, it’s almost as if I can feel her leading me, wanting me to see something. When we reach the top, she hesitates only slightly as she enters and leaves me standing in the doorway.

She’s hiding the hamburger patties under her mattress.

When I walk into the room, some of the other girls are startled and one of them starts to cry. Why? Do they think I’ll be mad? Yell at them? Hit them? Take the hamburgers back? I don’t know, but none of those things even occur to me. I simply help the little girl I followed lift her heavy mattress.

After we carefully hide the girl’s hamburger, I take her hand, and we head back out the door. Then I stop and send her down to get Todd. After he bounds up the stairs, we stand together in that doorway, and something happens to us, right there, that we don’t even realize at the time. But when I chart the events of my life that followed, they trace back to that moment in the doorway.

We walk slowly down the stairs, trying to think of how we might be able to buy more hamburgers. At the bottom, the director is watching us skeptically, waiting for our reaction, and he explains that the kids often save food for later. Even though we know the hamburgers won’t keep long, none of us has the heart to stop them.

That day Todd and I had a defining moment—an experience that impacted our thinking, touched our hearts and compelled us into a new course of action. It changed our lives. I used to be afraid of that word, change, as if it implied, somehow, that I need to be corrected. But now I have a different view of change. It is a shift in perspective, and not the Extreme Home Makeover kind of change we see on television. It is a shift in what we think we are capable of. In where we want to see our life heading. In how we are willing to spend our time, talents and resources.

When people tell me about how God “moved” them, it is that kind of shift, I believe, they are talking about. It’s a step in a new direction that we couldn’t have taken on our own. Sometimes defining moments result in immediate and complete life transformations, like it did for the apostle Paul on the road to Damascus; but more often, such moments are more subtle, things we can only see in hindsight.

For me, the hamburger incident was not a defining moment that lit up in neon lights. Not at all. I flew home the next day, went back to work, headed to the grocery store, called my friends—but there was a difference. I have since described it as being like a burr under my saddle. I knew I would never feel quite comfortable again. Something inside me had shifted, and after the supernatural pleasure of that “defining moment,” like an addict, I knew I wanted another hit.

Before that trip to Mexico, I was not a bad person. I wasn’t doing anything wrong that required major discipline in my life. But that trip was more like a big wooden marker in the shape of an arrow pointing to someplace I couldn’t see—a place I was nervous about, but excited to explore. Just a week before the trip, the path I was on in my life had seemed fine, but now, in light of that experience, I didn’t want fine anymore. For a year afterward, I moved around on that saddle trying to get comfortable again, but there was that silly burr, always reminding me that I had changed that afternoon in Mexico. That is what reckless faith does—it propels me faster and harder toward God’s true plan for my life.

Todd and I talked hundreds of hours in the following year about those hamburgers and about all the people we knew who could buy food for orphans if they only knew there was a need and how important they could be in meeting that need. It became clear that the arrow was pointing us back to Mexico, and so, without much guidance other than a vague sense of the rightness of the decision, we moved to Monterrey.

Today, when people look at our organization and ask about strategy, vision casting, projection and planning, we just smile. It would be tempting to spin it all so it seems more polished.

But the truth is, it started with a little girl hiding a hamburger under her mattress.

Taken from Reckless Faith © 2008 by Beth Guckenberger. Used by permission of Zondervan.