A thoughtful and thought – provoking good read from Q Ideas:

“I’m from San Francisco,” he said. “I like it here, but I think I’ll go back there.”

He sat across from me at the out-of-the-way table I’d chosen in the hope he wouldn’t spot me. He’d followed me through the downtown library as I’d looked through the catalog, hunted for the books I wanted, and picked them from the shelves. And now he’d found me again and put his dirty backpack on the table next to my notebook and the library’s copy of Stephen Crane’s Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, which smelled like some other girl’s perfume. As I tried to read and take notes, he told me a story that was at least half delusion, spun through strands of what sounded like reality.

He was a teenager, about my age, homeless and obviously mentally ill. I was there to do homework and wait for a ride home after school, as I often did. He was there for shelter and perhaps a bit of human connection, while he made plans to get back on the bus and follow the impulses that had brought him there in the first place. I was seeking my own kind of refuge from the schizophrenia that had invaded our home and taken my mother.

I’ve forgotten his name, but I remember his backpack and his restless, persistent chatter. He stood out from the usual congregation of homeless people I saw at the library because he talked to me like a peer. He seemed to want my friendship. And he was so much younger than most of them.

Social Crisis
But he was not alone. In the second half of the twentieth century, the massive deinstitutionalization of mental-health care charged local communities, rather than state agencies, with providing services for people with mental illness. These local communities largely failed to provide what people needed, and many fell through wide gaps in the social safety net. Thousands made their homes on the streets. In the 1980s, cuts to social programs and housing services drove a further increase in homelessness.

With the homeless population growing then and in the decades since, buildings with public access—particularly in urban areas—have become de facto shelters. Among them are public libraries. They offer warmth, quiet, bathrooms and comfortable furniture, and they’re open to the public all day.

As libraries have come to recognize their role as informal daytime homeless shelters, many have accepted their responsibility to the people seeking refuge within their walls. Some now follow the lead of pioneers like the San Francisco Public Library. The SFPL engages counselors and a social worker to help homeless patrons gain access to services they need and take steps toward stable living situations. The library’s social worker “estimates that the library has helped more than 60 patrons find permanent housing and hundreds of others find social services.”

Public libraries who decide to help are addressing not only a housing or poverty crisis. They’re also addressing a serious mental-health crisis. Most reliable sources report that about 40 percent of homeless people have some kind of mental health problem, and 20 to 25 percent of homeless people have serious mental illness (compared to 6 percent of the general adult population). Among the most basic services many homeless people need is mental-health care.

The Church’s Responsibility
Like libraries, churches are common points of contact for people in need, including those with mental illness—homeless or not.

So how are churches responding?

According to my research, experience, and conversations with other people affected by mental illness as my own family was, many churches fail to recognize their responsibility to suffering people. They blame people for their illnesses; ask people to go get their problems “fixed” and come back when they’re ready to “contribute”; tell people their problems are exclusively spiritual in nature and solution; pretend mental-health problems don’t exist (or at least aren’t worth discussing publicly); vilify mental-health professionals and interventions; or refer people for professional help and walk away, thinking their job is done.

Ignoring or marginalizing afflicted people does not make mental illness go away; it exacerbates the problem by encouraging silence and leaving spiritual crisis in the wake of abandonment.

The church must acknowledge the challenge of mental illness and our responsibility to vulnerable people. We must provide not only spiritual solutions but also practical help. And we must show our theology is deep and wide enough to accommodate the reality of great psychological and emotional pain.

This is where the church can and should follow the libraries’ example. Here are 6 lessons we can learn:

1. Be places of refuge and safety. If they can find it at the library, people with mental illness certainly should find peace and acceptance within the walls of the church. Basic kindness is a great place to start.

2. Treat people with dignity and respect. Back in 1990, the American Library Association created a guideline for its members: “Similar to a bill of rights, the policy encouraged all libraries to ‘recognize their role in enabling poor people to participate fully in a democratic society by utilizing a wide variety of available resources and strategies.’ ” Can the church do any less?

3. Be friendly. One homeless library patron said, “Nobody acts like I don’t belong here.” How many would say the same about your church? When you interact with someone affected by mental illness, recognize you have come into contact with another human being, made in God’s image, and your interaction with him or her leaves a mark.

4. Know your limits. The head librarian probably doesn’t feel obligated to offer counseling services at the reference desk. But some pastors feel they should offer counseling beyond their skill set. In a mental-health crisis, refer people to professionals. But don’t walk away—they still need your friendship and spiritual guidance.

5. Hire and/or collaborate with professionals. If your church is not in a position to hire them, work with local Christian counselors. They can advise you on general strategies and, if clients consent, work closely with church staff to set up support systems in the church for people who need structured and loving community.

6. Set boundaries. Libraries set policies regarding sleeping and how their bathrooms can be used. What is your community willing to tolerate? How much time can you spend with a person in need? What do you need to do to reasonably ensure safety? What do you expect from people who join your congregation? Set loving and prayerful boundaries, based on the common good rather than irrational fears and prejudice—then lovingly and consistently stick to them.

Essentially, in following libraries’ example, churches can become more like, well, the church. As Paul described it, “God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad” (1 Corinthians 12:23-26).

Does this describe your church?

I’ve just begun reading Romans again. I made it to sentence 2. (The first sentence of the Apostle consumes our first 7 verses – and I would recommend spending time thinking on the wonderful truths he proclaims in his greeting to the Roman Church). Verse 8 says:

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. (Rom 1:8 ESV)

Thanksgiving

I love reading how thankful and grateful Paul is in his letters. It has challenged me to be more expressive of my gratitude. For instance, I’ve recently begun a new job where I am uncertain of the spiritual journeys of my co-employees. I can guess and surmise from conversations and observations, but I remain uncertain. I do know for certain that I want to be a light to these new friends I have. They already know that I was a pastor and that I am moving my family to Cambodia, (although they still can’t grasp why), so they are a bit leery that I may grow a second head or something. One of the methods of showing Christ’s love to them, I’ve decided, is to verbally express gratitude for anything that is shared or done that benefits me in my learning curve on the job. It is amazing how quickly walls are coming down and levels of friendship are going up. Unexpressed gratitude is an opportunity wasted. Let people know that you are a thankful person.

Proclamation

This last half of the verse really caught my eye this a.m. Now, I love that I live in a world where I can check the weather in Phnom Penh at this very moment, and at the same time, read a newspaper from Jerusalem, all the while listening to a preacher in Ireland, while I read excerpts from the late John Stott‘s works.

The Church is in a unique time of history where the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and how it has impacted us, can exponentially spread across the globe. Yet there remains over 6000 unreached people groups and many millions of people dying without exposure to Jesus Christ in their life.

Was Paul exaggerating? Did the Church in Rome really have such a vital faith that it was being proclaimed in “all the world”? Well, first, I don’t think he was lying or exaggerating. So, what was he trying to communicate? I think that I have come down to the understanding that the Roman Church had such a living, vibrant faith, that in that time of history where Rome was expanding and delving into “unknown” areas of the world, that the news of Jesus Christ was spreading as well. I am certain that probably not every single citizen of the world knew about the Roman Church at the time of Paul’s writing, but overall the influence of the Church was felt globally.

And without the use of the internet.

This challenged me, and I hope you as well, to think about the influence of my local assembly. If my church was to be taken out of its community immediately, would there be an empty void? Would the neighbors wonder who would be caring for their spiritual journey, their practical concerns, and the children of their community? Would efforts to be Christ in the county not be as effective if my church were to disappear? We have so many resources at our disposal. We have so many opportunities to be Christ to those around us. We only need to walk across the street, call up our neighbor, invite them for dinner, and just be Christ to them. I believe that if every attendee of my church did this, our faith, (not something focused on us, but the fact that Christ lives through us), would be proclaimed in all the world.

So I think the focuses of this one sentence really demand the individual’s attention:

• Be grateful to others
• Be Christ to others

Chance to Interact: What thoughts do you have on this second sentence in Romans 1? How can the Church make its faith known around the world? If gratefulness is a sign of a heart changed by Christ’s love, why do we struggle so much to express our gratitude? How can we correct that? 

After arriving back in the States from our recent trip to Southeast Asia, I began sorting through the stacks of mail on our kitchen counter. In one package was a book entitled Learning to Love: Passion, Compassion and the Essence of the Gospel. I’ve just started reading it, and came across this passage that I would like to share with you:

Loving God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength will take you to the end of yourself and you will find yourself looking out over a precipice. You know you are in the place God wants you when only He can keep you from falling.

Only faith working through love counts. Let’s never leave behind the simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus. All we can know when the pressure becomes great is Jesus and Him crucified. We exist by the power of the cross, safe and secure there. From our position at the foot of the cross we warn and persuade to the limit of our ability the multitudes that pass by. Those who turn and follow us into the heart of Jesus will be our joy forever.

I have been meditating on a passage in 1 Chronicles 28. God is really using it to confirm some of the things my family and I will be doing in the near future. And, interestingly enough, our love for Him, and those whom He loves, will put us exactly in a place where only He can keep us from falling. I desperately want a faith that feels “alive”. I won’t settle for mediocrity. I think I am finally understanding the depth of knowing that in my surrender to Jesus, I lose nothing but gain everything.

This video, produced by Trafficking Hope, is about the most powerful video I’ve seen making a direct correlation of pornography to sex trafficking and sex slavery. It is highly uncomfortable to watch. What makes it uncomfortable is the truth it represents. I’ve blogged recently about how pornography fuels the human and sex trafficking industry. In that post I also give resources for those enslaved to pornography.

I hope you watch this video. I pray the discomfort drives you to action.

HOPE:

“…I will give You as a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness…”

Last Sunday our worship leader chose to lead us in this older worship song, and it really spoke to me personally. I think it’s applicable here as well: Jesus is the Answer

I remember when the author of this post was born. It is a real treat to see how God is working in and through him and his family in Moldova. He posted these “top ten” leadership principles from the life of Moses recently:

While our nephew was visiting us last year, we studied the life of Moses.  More specifically, we studied the principles of leadership that are evident in Moses’ life.  Each night, we read a passage and jotted down the leadership principles we saw.  Then, we would review the principles we had seen that night as well as the previous one.

Early on, John started calling our review the “Top ___ Moses Leadership Principles.”  (For those of you who don’t know- he was taking it from ESPN’s Sportscenter program, when they show the top 10 plays of the day.)  His repetition of that each night led us to consider making our own top 10 list once we got through everything.

We have whittled and whittled down to just our top 10.  We are not saying they are the most important, just the ones that stood out the most to us.  Here they are:

10. A good leader is not jealous nor insecure in his position. Numbers 11:29
- When other men were prophesying in the camp, Joshua thought Moses should tell them to stop.  Moses replied, “Would God that all the LORD’s people were prophets.”

9. A good leader will listen to his followers’ explanation. Numbers 32:20-22
- When Moses first heard of the two and a half tribes’ desire to stay on the east of Jordan, he did not like it.  However, he remained calm and listened to the reasoning behind their request.

8. A good leader will clearly and thoroughly communicate with his coworkers. Exodus 4:28
- When God paired Aaron up with Moses, Moses shared the instructions and signs God had already told him.

7. A good leader is not afraid to delegate responsibility. Deuteronomy 1:17
- Moses appointed leaders to help him in judgment.  If the matters were too difficult for them, they could come for help.  Otherwise, he let them use their abilities.

6. A good leader praises his followers when they do right. Exodus 39:43
- After the workers finished making the tabernacle and everything for it, Moses saw their work was as God had commanded, and he blessed the workers.

5. A good leader will make decisions and choices based on faith. Hebrews 11:24,27
- This passage reveals to us that Moses’ leaving the royal household of Egypt was an act of faith.

4. A good leader is not responsible to force others into decisions. Exodus 10:6
- When Pharoh would not listen, Moses delivered God’s message, turned and walked out of the great leader’s presence.  He allowed Pharoh the responsibility to make his own decision- good or bad.

3. Though he may have opportunities to benefit himself, a good leader will put the interests of his followers first. Numbers 14:12-20
- After Israel’s sin, God offered to wipe out the nation and start over with Moses and his descendants.  Moses pleaded with God for the same people that had complained to him many times.

2. A good leader does not compromise God’s way. Exodus 10:9,25-26
- As the plagues troubled Egypt, Pharoh offered to let Israel go if only certain of them went.  Each time, Moses refused to compromise.  He was only going to do it God’s way.

1. A good leader does not try to instill loyalty to himself but to God. Deuteronomy 13:3-4
- As Israel prepared to cross into the promised land, Moses challenged the people to obey the Lord.  That was Moses’ practice: calling people not to follow him, but to follow the Lord.

Which one of our top 10 do you find the most challenging?

original post

(ht: 22words)

I will have to start thinking twice before complaining about the condition of some of Indiana’s winter-ravaged roads. I don’t think my current vehicles could survive a week in the Ukraine!

Original article at Shared Hope.

• Myth: Child Sex Trafficking is not happening in the United States.
  • Fact: Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST), which is the commercial sexual exploitation of children through buying, selling, or trading their sexual services, is happening in the United States. Forms of DMST include prostitution, pornography, stripping and other sexual acts.[1]
  • Fact: At least 100,000 American children are being exploited through pornography or prostitution every year.[2]
  • Fact: Pimps (traffickers) commonly sell minor girls for $400 an hour or more on America’s streets.
• Myth: Women and girls choose a life of prostitution.
  • Fact: Traffickers and pimps use physical, emotional and psychological abuse to coerce young women and girls into a life in sex trafficking. They often use “lover-boys” to recruit girls from middle schools and high schools.[3]
  • Fact: The average age a child is first exploited through prostitution is 13 years old. If the child is a minor, they cannot legally consent to having sex.[4]
• Myth: Only a small percentage of people view child pornography or purchase kids for sex.
  • Fact: 1 out of every 5 pornographic images is of a child; and 55% of child pornography comes from the United States.[5]
  • Fact: The sale of child pornography in the United States has become more than a $3 billion annual industry.[6]
• Myth: Pornography isn’t harmful to me or anyone else
  • Fact: In a study of 932 sex addicts, 90% of the men, and 77% of the women indicated that looking at pornography “played a significant role in their addiction”.[7]
  • Fact: According to the Journal of Adolescent Health, pornography use leads to: diminished trust between intimate couples, belief that promiscuity is the natural state, belief that marriage is sexually confining, and lack of attraction to family and child-raising.[8]

Statistics of Pornography | Children | Sex-Trafficking:

• At colleges, 62% of men and 17% of women spend time online every week for sex-related amusement
• 72% of kids have been exposed to pornography on the internet
• 1 out of every 5 pornographic images is of a child*
• 55% of all child pornography originates in the United States*
• Sale of child pornography in the United States has become more than a $3 billion annual industry*
• A study of 932 sex addicts, (90% of the men, 77% of the women), admit that looking at pornography “played a significant role in their addiction”*
• There are an estimated 100,000 children (minors) trafficked into the sex trade in the United States annually**
• The average entry age into the sex industry in the United States is 12-14 years**
• Recent ratio of convicted sex offenders to victims is 8.5 to 100. (less than 10% of offenders are convicted of the offense)**
• How Domestic Networks of Sex-Trafficking work:**
  • Victims have, on average, a nightly quota of $200-$1000
  • The victims are sexually abused, sexually assaulted, raped by 7-15 men per 24 hour period
  • All money is turned over to the pimps / traffickers

*Raise Your Grade
**Polaris Project | National Human Trafficking Resource Center

One Group of People Can Stop Sex Trafficking – Op Ed article:

Let me tell you a true story—Brianna’s story.

Brianna was a normal teenage girl. She was an all-star athlete and a waitress at a local mom and pop café in a small town in Washington. She dreamed of moving to a big city, and going to college to study nursing.

It was almost her 18th birthday, and Brianna was working late, when a few college guys came into the diner. One guy, Nick, was a college football player. He was tall, blond and handsome, and Brianna was instantly drawn to him. That night, Brianna called Nick and they talked for hours.

Nick invited Brianna to Seattle to hang out. As their relationship grew, he asked her to move in with him. When she asked how she would pay for college, he suggested she work as a dancer at a strip club. Brianna was uncomfortable about going to a strip club, but Nick convinced her. The club was filthy and smelled like old socks. She spent only two nights dancing at the club, but during that time many men tried to buy sex with her.

Nick asked Brianna to go to Arizona with him to visit his parents for Christmas. Knowing she needed to return her father’s car, which she borrowed to meet Nick in Seattle, she headed for home. On her way she called Evan, an old high-school friend, to help her pack and return to Seattle. As she and Evan were talking, Evan realized that Brianna was in a very dangerous situation. He contacted the authorities.

To end sex trafficking, we need to hit the root cause: Men purchasing women and girls for sex. It’s simple economics. If men demand paid sex with children, traffickers will aggressively seek to supply it.

It was through Evan’s report that police uncovered that Nick was connected to a trafficking ring active in multiple states around the nation. Brianna was saved, but only in the nick of time. The night she first met Nick in the small café, Brianna never suspected that a pimp had chosen her.

I fight sex trafficking. I’m not a cop. I’m not a courtroom attorney. I’m not a legislator. I’m just a regular guy. Read the rest of the article here

How to Fight Your Porn Problem and Battle Sex-Trafficking in the Process:

I am no stranger to the fight with lust and pornography. It had its claws in my soul for almost 25 years. I know the cycle, the anger, the disgust, the infatuation, the exhilaration and the deceit that accompanies lust & pornography. However, it is something that you can be liberated from. But it won’t come with just being disgusted with the consequences of feeding your addiction. It will come with an ever deepening sense of treasuring Christ above all else.

Take hope: Grace is found in Jesus Christ for the individual struggling with pornography.

I have come to utilize John Piper’s ANTHEM strategy in fighting lust and pornography:

• A – Avoid all sights and situations that arouse unfitting desire
• N – Say No! to every lustful thought within 5 seconds of the initial temptation. Say it with the authority of Jesus Christ
• T – Turn the mind forcefully to Jesus Christ as a superior satisfaction to the sexual temptation
• H – Hold the promise and pleasure of Jesus Christ firmly in your mind until it pushes out every other lustful thought
• E – Enjoy a superior satisfaction in a vibrant walk with Jesus Christ
• M – Move to a useful activity and away from idleness and other vulnerable behaviors

Resources for those struggling with porn:

• Internet accountability: Covenant Eyes accountability software; Safe Eyes accountability software; X3watch accountability software
• Free e-books on freedom and recovery; Minister’s handbook (free e-book)
• Sexual Detox – book available in various forms (electronic, hard copy, etc)
• Building a Pure Life workbook for accountability partners
• Pure Life Ministries – residential and online ministry help

I’m in a love / hate relationship with McDonalds drive-thru. I love the convenience. I hate the time I waste there. I don’t enjoy McDonalds food, but I do enjoy their sweet tea. Often if I am on the road inbetween office and home, or even when traveling, I will swing into a local McDonalds and order up a large sweet tea. However, I do get frustrated with the amount of time I spend in the drive-thru line. (typical Amercian, eh?)

As of late I have been really impressed by the Spirit to be “redeeming my time”…I’m sure my recent birthday had nothing to do with it. As I have been moving throughout the day, the Spirit seems to impress upon me in various ways, items that I should really be focusing on. Prayer is often a subject that comes to mind as I’m commuting to work or home.

As I sat several cars back from the first of two drive-thru menus, my eyes were drawn to a stack of 3×5 cards lying next to me. Atop the stack were two cards with The Apostles Creed printed on them. At that point, I finally acted upon a suggestion from this blog post that I had read at the beginning of this year. Scripture memory has always been an obvious spiritual discipline to me, but never a creed. I grew up largely unaware of creeds or their importance to the Church. Lately I’ve picked up a copy of Carl Trueman’s The Creedal Imperative and plan on reading it on our upcoming flights to South Korea & Cambodia. What was encouraging to me was that I had the Creed memorized by time I slammed that straw into my Styrofoam cup of golden nectar! It really didn’t take long to get my mind around, although it was weird having Rich Mullins voice in my head for that entire period of time.

So, why the Apostles Creed?

I feel that the Apostles Creed lays out for us major, non-negotiables of orthodox Christian faith.  If you’re not familiar with the Creed or need a refresher, as I did, I’ll reproduce it below:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Maker of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived of the Holy Ghost,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead and buried;

He descended into Hell.

The third day he rose again from the dead;

He ascended into Heaven,
where he sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
from there he will come to judge both the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost;
the holy catholic church;
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting.

Amen.

I have memorized this in a mix of archaic and modern language: keeping the “Holy Ghost” but changing “thence” to “there“, and so on. I think the Early Church Fathers would be okay with that. The point of the Creed is to succinctly communicate what you hold dear to the Faith. I am learning, perhaps to others concern and chagrin, that the doctrines farthest away from the non-negoitables of the Apostles Creed are the ones that I hold most loosely in my hand. The closer you come to the Creed, the tighter my grip and my insistence on having them be a part of my faith journey. For instance: hair touching the ears of men vs. biblical soul care. One, (hair length) is so far away from the Creed that I basically could care less if you taper, block or braid and the other (soul care) is closer to the Creed so that I feel it should be a priority of the saints.

The problem lies when men determine that what is truly minor (hair length for instance) should actually be a major doctrine and allowing for separation of fellowship. I cannot explain to you the freedom I am finding in the grace that I am coming to understand in brighter & deeper hues while I walk with Jesus Christ. I certainly was not raised this way, but am quickly, and continually, enjoying this journey.

This simple act of taking advantage of “down time” has led to a personally edifying experience and deeper journey with my Christ.

Chance to Interact:

How do you take advantage of “down time” (such as sitting in drive-thru lines) to deepen your walk with our Savior?

What, besides Scripture, would you feel is important to commit to memory for every believer?

Just to put all concerns to rest: what bible passages are you memorizing? I’m working on Psalm 4, Philippians 1 and reviewing Revelation 5 (and yes, I’ve been working on them a very long time…but that’s okay, I’ve got time to kill in the drive-thru)

Get more information here about the International Justice Mission and how you can become more involved in battling the human slavery & trafficking industry.

Hope is one of the theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave this present world as it is. If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this.

I find the quote condemning and, yet, reassuring. It is condemning in that I see myself, in the past, so apathetic about the “next life” that little was done in this present life; and I find it reassuring because as I begin to focus more often on the ‘next life’ I become more passionate about doing something that truly matters in this life.

One person, full of Hope, will always have enough to share.

In an effort to combat the rampant sex trafficking that authorities say has historically accompanied the Super Bowl, a multi-agency task force arrested 85 people during the week leading up to Sunday’s game in New Orleans. Those arrests represented just “the tip of the iceberg” of a growing problem, State Police Superintendent Col. Mike Edmonson said at a news conference Thursday.

Operation Innocence Lost, carried out by the New Orleans Police Department, State Police, FBI and Department of Homeland Security, among others, netted arrests on charges of human trafficking, prostitution, pandering, narcotics and weapons charges, authorities said. Fifty-three people were arrested in the New Orleans area, while 32 were nabbed in the Baton Rouge area.

“Any time you have a large influx of tourists in town and they’re spending a lot of money, there’s a criminal element that moves in to take advantage of that,” said Capt. Doug Cain, a State Police spokesman.

read the rest of the article here…

At least five victims of the sex trafficking were rescued by this increase law enforcement effort. The youngest age given were of two victims (10 yrs and 11 yrs). Two men were arrested for bringing these victims into New Orleans from other states: Oklahoma and Georgia.

Put a face on sex trafficking:

Powerful pictures of victims of sex trafficking and the places they live.

More pictures here.

Excerpt: Statistics for human trafficking are virtually impossible to track, but law enforcement officials and trafficking experts say the transport and exploitation of children, men and women for labor or sex work is one of the world’s largest and fastest growing criminal enterprises, claiming millions of victims and billions of dollars for traffickers.

From SFGate:

THE HISTORY:

Black History Month had its beginnings in 1926 in the United States, when historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History announced the second week of February to be “Negro History Week”. This week was chosen because it marked the birthday of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Woodson created the holiday with the hope that it eventually be eliminated when black history became fundamental to American history. Negro History Week was met with enthusiastic response; it prompted the creation of black history clubs, an increase in interest among teachers, and interest from progressive whites. Negro History Week grew in popularity throughout the following decades, with mayors across the United States endorsing it as a holiday.

In 1976, the federal government acknowledged the expansion of Black History Week to Black History Month by the leaders of the Black United Students at Kent State University in February of 1969. The first celebration of Black History Month occurred at Kent State in February of 1970. Six years later during the bicentennial, the expansion of Negro History Week to Black History Month was recognized by the U.S. government. Gerald Ford spoke in regards to this, urging Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” ~from Wikipedia

THE BOOK:

To join in the celebration of Black History Month, I am giving away a copy of Bob Kellemen‘s Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction. You can read a sample from Beyond the Suffering here. Even if you don’t “win” the giveaway, you can purchase it at this link for 40% off the regular price. Below is a the books video trailer:

THE FORWORD:

Here is the foreword of Beyond the Suffering, written by Tony Evans:

A number of historians have asked the question: What can we learn from the African American experience inAmerica? I believe that this is a critical question because one of my longstanding convictions has been that one of the most representative pictures of New Testament Christianity since the early church is the African church inAmericaduring its slavery experience.

Co-authors Bob Kellemen and Karole Edwards have provided the Christian community creatively-written documentation of the powerful lessons the contemporary church can learn from the African American church during slavery and from the lives of people birthed from the womb of that era. They artfully equip us to see in a new light the past family album of a people as they uncover the buried treasure hidden to most who don’t know the history of this special group of God’s family members.

Most students of history focus on the pain of the African American experience inAmerica. There was a lot of pain! And we should not minimize that pain.

However, as the title suggests, Beyond the Suffering goes further. It shows us how the pain experienced by people from the African American culture can be redeemed to give life to people from any race or culture that values truth born out of biblically-informed experience.

The captivating true stories and first-hand narratives have a therapeutic and healing quality for the reader and those they serve. After you read Beyond the Suffering, you will have a deeper understanding of how God forged character in people through their suffering and be able to apply many valuable insights to your personal life and future ministry.

Beyond the Suffering also models how two people, from different races, committed to understanding and validating the significance of past human experience through the lens of Scripture, can enrich our ministry to others. Without a doubt, this book makes a vital contribution to pastors, counselors, and lay people serving those from the African American tradition. But, its greatest contribution will be helping the church of Jesus Christ redeem priceless lessons from a painful past so that we can bring healing to people from all races.

THE GIVEAWAY:

To register for an opportunity to win a copy of Beyond the Suffering, just leave a comment below and you are entered! Winner will be notified via email. Please note that this is my personal copy of Kellemen’s work and as such, has my name written in the front flyleaf. However, the book is in pristine and ‘like new’ condition. I have no doubt that you will be encouraged by this great resource!

Entry deadline will be Sunday, February 24 at 12:00 noon EST

Reblogged from Martinis Optional:

The class starts filing out of their classroom and some of the kids, recognizing me, begin to say, “Hey, your Brian’s (not his real name) lunch buddy!” or “Are you a big brother?” or “You’re too big to be in our class!“, etc. And then Brian walks out. He always is looking for me and always breaks into a huge smile when he sees me. Most days he gives me a big hug, or holds my hand all the way to the bathroom and on to the lunch room.

I have to say that most days I don’t eat the school lunch. I’m just not into yogurt or Uncrustables (I love the crust on my bread!). Today’s lunch wasn’t too bad, it was Salisbury steak, potatoes, corn, a roll and grapes. I made sure to buy a lunch today. Most of our lunch time is catching up from last week and finding out what Brian’s schoolwork load is like. I’ve helped him with his reading, and now we’re working on a “book” he is writing. We have a routine worked out in the lunch line: he reads the jokes off his milk carton, and I try and guess the answer. I must say, my joke repertoire has really expanded.

Brian is diagnosed as ADHD and so some times has difficulty concentrating. But I have noticed his intense concentration in his reading, our playing a game or with puzzles and even in building with Lincoln logs. He is a really sweet kid. I never leave without him giving me a huge hug and affirming that I will be back the following week.

Some of the comments he has made have been, “Are you a grandpa?” (must be because of the gray in my beard), “Have a great January!” (after the first visit upon returning from Christmas Break), and today’s, “When are you going to bring me a present?” I often find myself chuckling at what Brian has to say.

Brian’s life isn’t perfect. His family situation isn’t like my family situation. Some times he talks about it, but most times he doesn’t. He’s the same age as my youngest son and I think that it was keeps me going back. I’d want someone to care for my little boy if I wasn’t able to. I always think about little ways I can make Brian’s day special, and I always leave having had my day become a little brighter than it was before I met with Brian. I’d encourage you to check out Big Brothers / Big Sisters and the opportunities they have for you to invest in the life of a child. It’s one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.

Today Brian wrote me a note. It simply said, “I love you.”

To find out how you can become more involved:

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Indiana
• Volunteer Kosciusko! Be a Lunch Buddy! (like me)
• Big Brothers Big Sisters
• BBBSA (twitter)

Today I would like to share with you a list of reviews, compiled by Cross-Focused Reviews, of this work which is produced by Matthias Media. You can enjoy a list of reviews all linked and located on one webpage. You can access that page here.

Finally, I would like to direct you to an interview that Paul Grimmond gave with Shaun Tabatt on Bible Geek Gone Wild. In the interview Grimmond shares how he came to Christ and how he eventually came to write this book on suffering. Take some time and listen to what he has to say…his accent will draw you in, I guarantee it.

What I enjoyed:

Grimmond does a wonderful job of developing and communicating a theology of suffering in book that contains less than 200 pages. His method of revealing how a believer in Christ Jesus ought to understand and approach suffering in their life is simple, but profound. He uses scripture through out this resource, which is what one would expect from a product offered through Matthias Media. He uses truth in a way that encourages and enlightens his readers. The reader easily can follow Grimmond on his ever-tightening focus on what God is doing in the lives of His children. The author discusses how our culture affects the way we view suffering, common questions in regard to suffering and thoughts on persecution and the “Western Church”. In and through it all, the reader is confronted gently, instructed clearly and forced to reconcile their own thoughts in light of God’s Word. I would think that this book would be a good addition to a pastor’s library, a church library, or any counselor’s resource list.

What I didn’t expect:

I picked up this book thinking that I would be reading an author’s encouragement to those who are suffering only as a result of living in a fallen world: sickness, disease, hunger, broken relationships, etc. What I read was broader in scope than this. Grimmond identifies three areas of suffering for the Christian:

• Suffering as a result of living in the fallen world
• Suffering as a result of living faithfully for Jesus in an evil world
• Suffering sorrowfully as a result of seeing this world through God’s eyes

While unexpected, this was a tremendous encouragement! It encompasses everything that a theology of suffering should cover. Any perspective readers should be aware of this and embrace it. Suffering is multi-faceted and Scripture deals with it in like manner.

Would I recommend this book?

I think from the tenor of my post that you would surmise that I would recommend this resource. And I do. It is a book that can be easily read in a short period of time. However, the brevity of reading time and ease of reading do not detract from the solid message in this book, that God is in control, loves His children and brings them through a variety of suffering for His glory.

The Deeps

Lord Jesus,
give me a deeper repentance,
a horror of sin,
a dread of its approach;
Help me chastely to flee it,
and jealously resolve that my heart shall be thine alone.

Give me a deeper trust,
that I may lose myself to find myself in thee,
the ground of my rest,
the spring of my being.

Give me a deeper knowledge of Thyself
as Saviour, Master, Lord, and King.

Give me a deeper power in private prayer,
more sweetness in Thy Word,
more steadfast grip on its truth.

Give me deeper holiness in speech, thought, action,
and let me not seek moral virtue apart from Thee.

Plough deep in me, great Lord, heavenly Husbandman,
that my being may be a tilled field,
the roots of grace spreading far and wide,
until Thou alone art seen in me,
Thy beauty golden like summer harvest,
Thy fruitfulness as autumn plenty.

I have no Master but Thee,
no law but Thy will,
no delight but Thyself,
no wealth but that Thou givest,
no good but that Thou blessest,
no peace but that Thou bestowest.

I am nothing but that Thou makest me,
I have nothing but that I receive from Thee,
I can be nothing but that grace adorns me.

Quarry me deep, dear Lord,
and then fill me to overflowing with Living Water.

Recently I’ve read two articles posted by Seth Barnes that helped me begin to understand what it must be like to be one of the 1.2 million children who are enslaved in the sexual trafficking industry. I have quoted these articles together below in the order that I read them. I pray that they move you to action.

Angels Fought for Me:

Liz Ogletree is a member of our L squad. She told me the story of how she almost lost her life when she was in El Salvador and how God miraculously saved her.

She was enjoying a day off with her friends swimming. She saw her friends entering a dark tunnel ahead and decided to follow them, but followed the wrong channel and felt herself being swept away, unable to slow herself. The current swept her in complete darkness. Here’s the story in her own words.

I slammed into some kind of concrete wall. My nose was still under water. I couldn’t breathe. All I wanted to do was breathe.

My heart was pounding. I was choking on water. I flipped onto my back to float so I could breathe. Terror seized me. I began to yell. I screamed the names of the friends I thought were with me. No response.

Once I realized I was the only one in the tunnel, I knew it was a bad, bad situation. I realized I was apparently supposed to have turned somewhere and I didn’t. The pressure of the current was too strong for me to swim back.

I thought my only hope was praying for another waterfall ahead.

After a bit of a struggle, I saw a pinpoint of light in the distance.  I thanked God there was another waterfall and I couldn’t swim there fast enough.  I just wanted out.  Out of this nightmare.

As I swam up to the light, I realized it was not a waterfall; it was an iron grate about 20 ft above me that the sun was shining in.

In front of me was a metal wall. The tunnel had ended and I was trapped.  I felt like a victim in a horror movie.  I was scared. I began to cry. I realized it was probably my last day on earth.

I yelled. I yelled again “HELP ME. SOMEBODY HELP ME.” I knew I had no human help.  God was the only help I had.

I started praying out loud, “GOD I NEED YOU. GOD PLEASE BE HERE. GOD SHOW ME YOU ARE REAL.”

He said back “Liz, you know I am real. Don’t question me now.”

I started fighting the current and it pushed back at me.  I prayed again. I tried again. It pushed me back into the wall.

I prayed again. I told God, “You are good. God, if this is your plan for my life then okay, you know the plans.” I asked “Was giving my testimony that one time my purpose in life?” I prayed “Please don’t do this to my parents. Please don’t do this to my family. Please God.”

I started fighting the current again. I pushed my body against the concrete hoping the current wouldn’t push so hard if it was just pushing against my backside.  I ran my hand over the concrete above my head and found a crevice for 2 of my fingers to go in.  I pulled my body against the current.

I prayed for help. I asked for strength and endurance.  I knew this was a long tunnel. I prayed for more crevices. I felt another crevice an arm’s length away.

I prayed aloud for strength and endurance as the current pushed against my body in the dark tunnel. After 15 or so minutes of finding crevices and pulling my body with God’s strength, I stopped to rest.  I just wanted to catch my breath.

My legs got swept out from under me and I found myself holding on by my fingers.  I was exhausted but I knew I had to fight. I was fighting for my life. 

I prayed. I knew the reason we pray from the passage I read in Matthew right before the falls. We pray because our spirit is willing, but our flesh is weak.  My flesh was ready to give up.

My arms were shaking and I was exhausted. I felt like I was going nowhere. But my spirit wanted to fight.  My spirit knew God’s strength and goodness. My spirit knew that it wasn’t going to be the last day of my life.

So I continued there in that pitch black tunnel feeling my way around while begging God for direction. 

For more than an hour I fought on like this.

And then about 100 yards ahead, I saw light .

I knew I was closing in on the waterfall. I started praising God and asking for more strength.

As I got closer I started yelling for help, but all I could hear was the rushing of the falls.  I knew God had given me the strength thus far; He could give me the strength to endure until the end.

I started fighting harder, pulling my body weight with my fingers faster and faster.

And then – I made it! I was exhausted spiritually and physically.

Once outside, I sat on the rocks, overcome. And when I caught my breath again, I told my friends the story. To have been able to pull myself along like that over what must have been at least 300 yards seemed impossible. I shook my head in wonder at how God had given me strength.

On the way home, God gave me a vision of what had happened. He showed me a picture – there I was, slowly pulling myself along in the darkness, but this time I saw in the vision that I wasn’t alone!

Now I could see that there were three angels with me. One was behind me pushing me. Another was in front pulling me. And in front of that angel, another wielding a sword was leading the way and fighting for me.

The vision overwhelmed me. I always knew God loved me. But at a point when my life hung in the balance, he sent his angels to fight for me and save me.

Having been given my life back, I know, I can never be the same.

In a Tunnel of Darkness With No Escape

In the last post, Liz Ogletree describes her experience of escaping death in a dark tunnel. She and her team went from Central America to Thailand where they ministered to women caught in the sex trade. While there, Liz asked God to help her understand what they go through. In response, God took her back to her experience being trapped and feeling like she was going to die.

After I asked God to show me what it felt like to be trapped in the sex trade, He took me back to the day I got trapped in the tunnel in El Salvador. He brought all the emotions flooding back.  He then told me the feelings I felt that day in the tunnel are the exact feeling many of these prostitutes feel. TRAPPED. As I pictured myself back in that dark tunnel, I started to cry.  I didn’t want to be there.  I wanted all of the feelings to go away.  I was overwhelmed with fear; overwhelmed with a loss of hope; overwhelmed with the feeling of death.  I was scared.  I felt there was no way out.Although I know the ending, today I was put back in that place and experienced all the emotions once again.  I was able to feel exactly how many of these girls feel. LOST. HOPELESS. SCARED. DEAD.As my mind left me sitting in the tunnel, I got nauseated.  Literally, I felt like I was going to throw up.  My mind kept replaying it in my head.I started remembering how difficult it was to fight the current.  How every time I would pull, I had to use every ounce of strength in me and the water current still fought me.  It tried to force me back into the trap. Back into the darkness.Even if these girls decide they want out of prostitution it seems hopeless.  They have to fight the world.  They have to fight everything the world says they are.  They have to use all of their strength not to get drug back to the same dark spot at the end of a tunnel.

The thing is, I didn’t do that with my own strength.  As my mind kept wandering today, I could feel the tiredness in my arms.  I could feel the exhaustion from fighting the current.

I realized how there was truly no hope in my own strength that day.  There was no way I was coming out of the darkness on my own.  If I would have tried, right now I would be dead in the back of that dark tunnel.

The same goes for these women trapped in the sex trade.  They can’t do this in their own strength.  They can’t fight the world on their own.  They need Jesus Christ.

He wants to send angels to save them and pull them from the darkness they are trapped in, just as He sent angels to save me from the dark tunnel I was trapped in.

It is crazy that as the Lord has taken me back to that day, each time He reveals something new. The first thing He showed me was how much He loves me.

Now as I process this again, He is teaching me that He is trustworthy.  I can depend on him. I don’t have to worry about my future.  Finding a job, having enough money to support myself, etc.  As my mind goes back in the tunnel, I know I don’t have to fear.

I should be dead, but I am His child and He loves me and rescued me.

Just as God delights in me (Psalm 18:19), so He also delights in these women.  He loves them.  They are His children and He wants to rescue them from their darkness.