glocal.dan

homecoming:

2012-02-17T11:22:00.002-05:00

My July 5th Sermon at Whitton: "If/Then"

2011-07-31T20:43:00.002-04:00

Friends, here is the rough text of a sermon I gave at my church, Whitton Ave Bible Church on Isaiah 58. Enjoy.

—

Thank you for being here at Whitton Avenue Bible Church this fine June morning. My name is Dan Hoffman and I have the distinct honor of sharing with you what God has put on my heart concerning the next chapter of our series on Isaiah, Chapter 58.

As I was reading through this chapter I couldn’t help but think back to a math class I had in college. Now, those who know me well are probably thinking, “Dan hates math, how could this possibly be a good thing?” Well, rest assured my friends. There was one thing in math that didn’t frustrate me to the nth degree and those things were the “if/then” statements in logic. I loved those. What is better is that they are appropriately called “Truth Functions”. Well, as I was reading Isaiah 58 these past few weeks I couldn’t help but recognize that in a sense God has a truth function for us to wrestle with today that will help us understand a truth about him, namely an important aspect of his character. This is a theme of the text, and it can be summed up like this: That IF we do justice THEN God will shine His light through our lives.

Ok, so throughout Isaiah we have seen the burgeoning call to “do justice” given by God through this firebrand prophet loudly proclaiming the reign of God across Israel and the whole world. As we have seen, God uses no uncertain terms as he addresses his people about what he expects of them. So in this section of Isaiah—56 through the end—we learned that God is now describing to us what trust and faith in Him looks like in real life. Rest assured brothers and sisters, what Isaiah said so long ago is painfully applicable today.

One of the central questions that Chris has raised in the last few weeks has been, “Do I view my resources as gifts to be shared or as earnings to be hoarded?” Basically, is what God has given me God’s or is it mine? Is my money mine? Are my talents mine? Is my time mine? Are my rights mine? Does any of this belong to me? Chris also noted that it is sin, particularly idolatry, in the hearts of men that creates injustice because as our vertical relationship with God is marred by idolatry our horizontal relationship with others is marred by injustice and so Chris asked, “which path are you on: the path of justice or injustice?”

So I find myself well positioned to dive into Chapter 58, a chapter where God asks some more questions and continues to reveal his requirement for keeping justice and doing righteousness.

So with no further ado, let us pray and dive into God’s word today.

[pray]

[read text; get assistance]

What an incredible text. You see, these folks that God was talking about enjoyed every religious ritual. They were pious people. They looked good from the outside. They fasted and looked like they were enjoying God, but they were not. They focused on the things that would make them self-justified, and this is what they enjoyed. They did not care about the Sabbath in what it really was, a day consecrated to God. They were concerned with their own selfish gain and that is all… And yet they cry out to God: “Why have we fasted, and you see it not? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you take no knowledge of it?” What they are saying is, “Look at me, God! I am humble! I am fasting!” And instead of doing right, they thought “IF we do these religious rituals, if we fast, THEN God will hear us.”

But this fast, this faux-humility is displeasing to the Lord. Their piety did not produce a passion for what God was passionate about: justice and righteousness and mercy.

Does anyone hear Jesus here? Matthew 23:23 says this, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Foryou tithe mint and dill andcumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law:justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.” Jesus is saying, “IF you understood the law, THEN you would have understood what it meant to do justice and mercy, and be faithful.”

So God’s people were in a sense tithing the finer things, yet neglecting the weightier matters of the law, a law God gave them because He loved them and because of His grace towards them. He didn’t have to give them the law; He could have let them remained under Pharaoh’s oppressive hand, but He chose to free them, give them the law, and in so doing, set them apart.

So in Isaiah 58 God comes against their self-righteousness because he is just. He says in v. 6,7, “Is this not the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share the your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?”

He could just as easily be saying, “IF you delight in me and my ways, THEN you will free the slave, share what you own, feed the hungry, advocate for the oppressed, offer the prostituted girl a way out the life, and love and not abuse your family.”

God is saying that his justice is both relational and social! He is saying that right living—What is acceptable—means doing what is right to all you come in contact with and all you have some power over! Do we appreciate the language here? The word for oppressed means literally to “crush”; in Judges it means the breaking of the skull. It conveys imagery of the powerless being utterly dominated. And yet our God of mercy associates himself with these broken, abused people. These “oppressed” in Isaiah 6 are sandwiched between these statements: undo the straps of the yoke and break every yoke. We are to undo those straps and then destroy the yoke so it may terrify, and enslave no more. This is what is required of us. This is a fast acceptable to the Lord.

Did you hear it?

IF we:

· Loose the bonds of wickedness

· Let the oppressed go free

· Break every yoke

· Share our bread with the hungry

· Bring the homeless into our houses (use princess lost example)

· Cover the naked

· Stop pointing fingers

· Stop speaking wickedness

· Pour ourselves out for the hungry

· Satisfy the desire of the afflicted

THEN:

· Our light will break forth like the dawn

· Our healing will spring up rapidly

· Our righteousness will “go before” us

· God’s glory will be our rear guard

· Our cries to the Lord will be heard and he will say, “Here I am.”

· Our light will rise from the darkness

· The Lord will guide us continually

· The Lord will satisfy our desires in scorched places

· The Lord will make our bones strong

This is God’s version of a truth function. The “If” and the “Then” have an extremely strong relationship. They are bound together. They are bound together because God is just and he desires for us to do justice. He is saying, IF we do justice THEN God will shine His light through our lives.

God is using no uncertain terms here. He is saying that by the very nature of breaking the yoke and freeing the oppressed something very profound will occur in the Kingdom. He is saying our light will “break forth”. This statement, “break forth” is not some benign “exposure” or “revealing.” It means to tear, rend, and burst. Its connotation gives off the idea that something is being held back that is under pressure. Imagine a dam collapsing and the waters filling the land. This is for us, Whitton Avenue. IF we break every yoke and advocate for the oppressed, THEN our witness, our light, will burst forth. Our healing will come quickly as we grow deep in communion with Him. And our God will also say, “here I am”, revealing himself to us.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to go to Congo with Mending the Soul. As many of you know the Democratic Republic of Congo is the rape capitol of the world and a place where over 5 million people have perished due to war-related deaths in the past decade or so. It is a place rife with injustice of every kind. Yet at the Christian university in Beni, where we at, justice work is being done. The Christians there, the church is engaging society and proclaiming the gospel to all. And justice is being done. Women are being freed from prostitution, men are repenting of their violence, women are being healed of their wounds, and pastors proclaiming boldly the reign of Christ in a land wrought with evil. And the story of each is a miracle. God is saying, “here I am” in the Congo as His church is doing justice and proclaiming the gospel in all its glory. IF we follow God in his commands, THEN God will say, “here I am”. IF we do justice THEN God will shine His light through our lives.

But what is this justice thing, really? I’m sure we’d all define it differently. But to God’s people Justice was essentially theological; it was not rooted in Greco-Roman thought or concepts of the rights of man, reason, etc; that came along later. This is important for us to note because we live in an era when all our political factions claim to champion justice and yet all fall utterly short of God’s radical and comprehensive vision for Kingdom-building justice.

To the God’s people the following was true:

· Justice is rooted in the character of God

· Justice flowed from his actions in history (justice is active)

· Justice was demanded by his covenant relationship with Israel

· Justice would ultimately be established on earth by God’s sovereign power

· Justice is universal, God’s love and justice are for all

This is vitally important to understand as we try to recapture our vision of justice from the enlightenment. As scholars note, this God-centered understanding of justice is borne out in the whole of scripture, especially the Old Testament. We see this when Abraham interceded for Sodom and Gomorrah asking God to spare the righteous because he knew that God was inherently, innately just and that for God to not do justice was contrary to His character. Furthermore, God’s concern for the suffering and the oppressed triggered God’s action on behalf of the Israelites. He saw, heard, cared, and went. God worked for the oppressed and against the oppressor. He had a side. And because the Israelites had experienced justice they were to do justice. Do you see how justice is active? God didn’t just talk to the Israelites in the plight in Egypt—He intervened! His justice was active and fully an extension of His character.

IF we can reengage God as a God of justice, THEN we will be able to view justice, as He desires us to view it…

Application:

Now! I’ve been asked to speak not because I can exposit well or because I’m a biblical scholar or because I’m a particularly good preacher. I can assure that I’m not. I’ve been asked to speak because this integral part of the gospel, this justice I am excited to share with you today, has utterly changed me… Or that’s what I’d like you to believe at least.

Now we’re going to go in a slightly different direction. You may call it a tangent; I’ll likely refer to it as “an opportunity to come full circle.” This is, in a way, the “application” part of the sermon, but truth be told, this sermon is only part sermon. It is also part prayer, part plea, and part confession.

A couple days ago Jakob asked me a question that spoke right to my heart. He asked, “Where is grace in this text?” To be completely honest, as I’ve been writing this sermon I’ve been wrestling we complex and painful feelings of shame and guilt. I saw my own inadequacy and was asking myself what Jakob had asked me, “Where is the grace in this text?”

How could I stand before fellow sinners and talk about God’s justice without realizing the own injustice of my ways? The reality is that I need grace to be in this text. It’s so hard to read this book, this Bible here, and not be refined, not be challenged, and not be moved. But it moves me, and I don’t always like where it tells me to go. It tells me that I must remove the plank from my eye before I can go after the speck in someone else’s.

So here is part of my plank: As I’ve been reading Isaiah 58, I feel a peculiar sense of familiarity with the dangerous false piety Isaiah is addressing in God’s people. I love justice, the experiences I’ve had and God’s call on my life have deeply impacted me to want to champion justice—and this is a good thing. But you see, I always have an agenda. I want you to believe what I believe because I want to be right and if not right, I want to be seen as right. Moreover, I want to be justified. I want to instruct others on the fallenness of their ways and feel unlike those other people. Part of what drives me to speak to others about justice is self-righteousness. I am equal parts passionate about justice and passionate about appearances.

Do I not, like the people being addressed in Isaiah 58, give off the air of religious piety and ritual in my life and yet neglect the needs of the most oppressed? What have I truly given up because of my incredible experience with God’s grace? Nothing really. I have still not oriented my life in a way that truly believes the gospel in its radical call to give all that I have—my time, my money, my connections, my resources, my gifts—to the poor, proclaiming the good news of a new Kingdom, a new economy, a new community, and a new King.

People will say, “But Dan, you serve the poor often.” It’s true, but how much of it is done for me? Plenty, if I’m honest. Some days I love well, and other days I do it because of guilt—not love. There is plenty of benefit in this world in doing right: people respect you, say good things about you, and speak highly of your humility and service. In the church we respect and honor religious piety, ritual, and action. But if you knew my heart you would hear the echo of Isaiah 58 where I ask God “why have I done these things and you’ve not seen it?” My appeal of good works are speaking for me, justifying myself before God when in all actuality he has seen my heart and nothing I do can justify me before Him. He asks the same thing of me that he is asking in Isaiah 58 to his people: “Do they truly delight in me and my precepts or are you doing what they are doing to look good in the my eyes?” Why do we fast? Why do we ask God for just decision when we still haven’t truly experienced the radical nature of the gospel? God sees our hearts, the ways we’ve forsaken justice, the ways we’ve hidden our sin or—worse yet—justified our sin with the veneer of righteousness.

Ultimately I had my own “Truth Statement” except mine was false. Mine was IF I do these good works, IF others believe my motives are pure, THEN God will accept and love me”

It is desperately important that we do not miss God’s call of justice and equally important that we do not miss His call to accept grace. So where is the grace in Isaiah 58? That is a great question. We were shown grace in the atoning sacrifice of Christ. It was unmerited and undeserved, but it was freely given. But what was the stipulation if there was one at all? IF we accept God’s grace and repent of our sins, THEN we will be saved. See Romans 10 if you have any questions. So is it so different here in Isaiah 58? IF, oh Israel, you seek justice and do what is right—if you REPENT—THEN I will be near, and I will hear your prayers, my Glory will shine through you. He is offering His people grace through the words of Isaiah. He didn’t have to give it to them. He didn’t have to give them the law and he didn’t have to offer them a chance to repent—but in His grace, He did. This is how it all comes together, brothers and sisters. God in his invitation into communion with him never meant for my life to look the same. It should be utterly transformed, should it not? Transformation starts with repentance.

So today I am repenting before you.

I have been silent as people who proclaim Christ dehumanize others

I have perpetuated idolatry and injustice with my lust of the flesh

I have hoarded my wealth with a litany of justifications

I have hoarded what was freely given to me yet never completely mine

I have looked spitefully at the weak

I have viewed the poor with contempt

I have been lazy when I have been afforded opportunities to enact change

I have spoken about justice, much more than I’ve done it

I have justified violence

I have consumed without conscience

I have subtly and unrepentantly enjoyed the privilege of being a White Male in America

I have believed, even if less so now than before, the great lie that is the American dream

Of these things, I repent. I repent in the context of community, this body of believers, the bride of Christ, who can hold me accountable and extend me more grace as is needed.

We start with repentance, brothers and sisters. We experience that sweet grace that reminds us of our position relative to God and we take a moment to revel in the scandal of it all. And then we go and do likewise. Remember, IF we do justice THEN God will shine His light through our lives.

So we go, seeking out the people and places where we can do justice. After all, God’s people are a people on the move. This world is defined by and engorged with evil and injustice. Recently a large group of migrants was executed by the cartel in northern Mexico not that far from here. Why? Because Satan is a liar and a murderer; because of injustice; because of a million reasons that should make the most hardy of us squirm. But the tragic murder of those Children of God isn’t the end of the story. When that news story broke you should have seen the comment section on the website (I won’t name names). One commenter said, “at least that is 60 less illegals coming across our border.” This, brothers and sisters, is the world we have been sent into to do justice; to speak truth to the fool who uttered those hateful, damning words; to speak truth to the systems of injustice that perpetuate the necessity of migration and the continued flourishing of the cartels. To humanize those who have been labeled. Jesus was sent to a world not so different than ours. IF we seek justice, THEN we will confront evil: Evil in humans and in complex human systems.

We will likely ask God, “How are we to be effective when the need is so great?!” I’m not a scholar, but I don’t remember the word “effective” being in the gospels. I do remember a word, faithfulness, however. Mother Teresa said, “We are called upon not to be effective, but to be faithful.” Amen. How often I’ve merely tried to be effective; how I’ve tried to think “correctly” about an issue so as to achieve the desired end. Most people would say that’s “wise”, yet I feel it to be foolishness. God didn’t call me to be effective. He called me to be faithful. Faithful to Christ.

And this brings us full circle into how we come to be people of justice, delighting in what God delights in.

This is our perspective: a discipleship rooted in faithfulness to Christ. And that, brothers and sisters, is where we find our example. Our example is Christ. We needn’t reconcile our ideological beliefs, for they must submit themselves to the Lordship of Christ. We needn’t become overly occupied about our stances on complex issues in our world, because they must submit themselves to the Lordship of Christ. Christ is our example.

You see Christ exhibited the full character of God because He is God. His very actions and teaching were just. He didn’t have an ideology. He said, “Be like me.” That is our charge and desire as followers of Christ. The spirit of the Lord came upon Him, because the Father anointed him to proclaim good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to the captive, recover the sight of the blind, set at liberty those who are oppressed and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Sound familiar? If you’ve read ahead, you’ll see that Jesus is quoting from Isaiah 61. And quoting Isaiah is a heck of a way to do your inaugural speech. Being a prophet, after all, is destined to get you killed. But Jesus identified strongly with the tradition of the prophets, especially Isaiah. In fact, Jesus quoted Isaiah more than any other book. So we have a book, Isaiah, that prophetically asserts what is the content of a life consecrated to God—and a Savior who lives that out that consecrated life to God.

So what did our Savior, the Son of God, prophet, Messiah, King do? He made justice one of the central virtues of his teaching. He showed God’s people that justice is at the heart of God’s will—that it is woven into the righteous life. I’m going to get a little heady here, but bear with me: He showed that justice is crucial for relating love to a public ethic that reflects the sovereignty of God and the His lordship over all aspects of life. Seeing Christ’s relationship to justice is pivotal in present-day struggles for the soul of our society. I want to say that again. Seeing Christ’s relationship to justice is pivotal in present-day struggles for the soul of our society. The truth function returns, because IF we do justice THEN God will shine His light through our lives… and that display of glory will have a social impact—it will “go public.”

I confess there was a dark season of my life in which it was in my self-interest to not believe in God’s heart for justice. Likely, it’s still in my self-interest not to believe that… because if I believe what Christ’s example means for justice, I’ll have to “go public.” Just like we “go public” with our message of salvation, we “go public” with our life as the message about the justice and righteousness of our God. Justice, you see, has a relational and therefore public manifestation…

For example, Jesus confronted the representatives of the temple authority. In so doing he was confronting the public authorities of his time. Why? In Jesus’ time the state, church, and economic wealth were not separated but very much mixed together on the same hill and in the same temple in Jerusalem—the Romans, after all, let the Jewish authorities do most of the daily ruling. How sad it is then to steal Jesus power by making little of what he said by saying “he only taught on love! He had nothing to say about the political and economic powers and authorities!” I once believed a version of that lie. Another thing I repent of. David Gushee, a prominent scholar on the subject, notes that in Jesus “justice is not presented merely as an ideal for good that guides individuals in their private life but is a righteous demand that has the power to confront those who have power.” IF we do justice THEN God will shine His light through our lives.

And we have many examples:

· Jesus told the rich young ruler, “Go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven”.

· His parable of the unforgiving slave (Matthew 18) confronts those who do not forgive debts. If we’ll remember, God likes the releasing of debts as He instructed His people to do so during Jubilee.

· Jesus confronted the Pharisees about “devouring widow’s houses” while, as Gushee says, “maintaining a façade of piety with their long prayers.”

· He protected the adulterous woman from those who simply hid their sin better. He healed those who were socially relegated because of infirmity.

· He criticized the domination of the system, saying “they love to lord it over you, but it is not so among you”.

· In the parable of the tenants confronted those in authority for doing violence against the Lord’s servants.

· Jesus also taught about the exclusion from community. His parable of the Samaritan directly confronted those who excluded or hated the Samaritans.

· He healed the crippled man at Bethesda, restoring him to community.

These examples are directly applicable today. We have a climate where the religious authorities collude with the powers of the state and oppress the poor, both in our countries and in others. We as a society have an unwillingness to release debts, an unwillingness to commit our lives to the healing and restoration of others, an unwillingness to see peace as a viable option, an unwillingness to humanize the “other”, and an unwillingness to protect the most vulnerable from the abuses of power.

Who are the Vulnerable, the Poor, the Oppressed, and the Outcast today?

· Prisoners

· Those on welfare

· Those with infirmities

· The homeless

· Those who live down the street

· “illegal” immigrants

· Single mothers & most of the mothers who have had abortions

· Children who have been abused

· The fatherless

· Victims of war

· Prostitutes, young and old

· Refugees

· Street children

· The Dalit, “untouchable” class in India

· Slaves

· A widow in Uganda whose home has been stolen by relatives

· The displaced people in Iraq, Afghanistan, Mexico, Sudan, elsewhere

Granted, it’s easy to feel compassion for most of these groups of people, but do we have what it takes to give of our resources—our time, our connections, our money, our gifts—regardless of how they use them, in an expression of love and unmerited grace? Do we have what it takes to stand between them and their oppressors and champion their dignity and cause possibly at the cost of our life? If the prospect of either makes you feel overwhelmed with the enormity that is appropriate. After all, we’re likely not going to be able to impact every one of those people’s lives. But I have good news for you: It’s not our job to save the world. That’s God’s job. It’s our job to be faithful, love our neighbors, and to fight off the insidious desire to be comfortable and removed from the suffering around us.

As people approach justice, as the breadth of God’s instruction on the subject enters our heart, we often want to know where to start, what “issue” to champion. Should I care more about poverty or modern-day slavery? I urge you brother and sisters, to just go out into the world and love people. The “issues” will find you. If you love a family in the throes of poverty you will inevitably ask, “why are they poor?” The “issue” will simply be a person and a face—someone God loves. Injustice, after all, happens to people. So I encourage you brothers and sisters to go into the world to love people and not be afraid of the injustice you will find in the lives of the forgotten, the oppressed, and the abused. You can count on it being there and God has invited you to be a part of the solution. Remember, God can use me and he can use you. He used a number of murderers and prostitutes (namely Moses, King David, Paul, Rahab) to do some of His greatest work.

This is the good part, folks. We’ve seen that IF we delight in God and His ways, and do justice, THEN God’s glory will shine through us for all to see. Ok, so where does that put you and I? “How can I be like Christ in his justice work?” That’s a great question; I’m so glad you’ve asked:

As I go on, I’m going to have some of my friends here hand out some cards that I want you to have. I only printed 80… I hope that is enough. On this card is Micah 6:8—

What does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and towalk humbly with your God? [MICAH 6:8]

I want you to write down some of the people or people groups that you yourself want to get to know, that you want to move closer to relationally, that you want to share the fullness of the gospel with. All people need Jesus, but think specifically about the poor, the oppressed, and the forgotten right now. I want you to write on the front or back about this person or people and be honest with your ignorance about their experience, your not being sure about how to love them…. and your plan to rectify that. I am challenging you.

I’ll share with you what I would write. For me, one of my goals for the next year is to get to know some male prostitutes and love them and encourage them towards freedom and healing. Sure, I care about the “issue”, but at the end of the day an issue is only an issue because people are being treated unjustly.

So as those go out I will share just some small examples of what all this looks like in real life.

I have this friend Lana who met a group of refugees from Rwanda and Burundi here in the US and her heart just broke for them. They’ve come from a land that experienced terrible genocide and now they’re struggling to get by here in America. So Lana goes to them, she meets with them, provides for them, gives them here time, and connections. If you get the Church’s email, you’ve probably seen Chris’ email about her and her needs. That’s her using me as a connection, and me using the Church as a connection. Lana is doing a justice and mercy work. Also—If, for example, the police were to start harassing her Burundi friends—they are not, of course—and it became a justice issue of that kind, would she not intervene? Of course she would, because these people matter to her. This is where it all begins, by pouring ourselves out for the afflicted.

I have another friend here in the Valley who spent years in South America as a lawyer with International Justice Mission prosecuting cases of child rape. Now he’s here in Phoenix and he fights for the rights of undocumented migrants. He speaks truth to power and champions the cause of those with no power. It’s all justice work. It’s very different than Lana’s experience, but it’s all done out of an adherence to a fuller gospel.

And there are people in our church who have started ministries for the homeless and have catalyzed movement among the youth to pray for and serve the homeless right where they are—on the streets. Others in this church have done MTS groups for men & women who have experienced abuse. Others serve girls who have been prostituted on the streets of our city. Others give generously of what they have to the poor.

Plus we have classic examples in people like Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King, Jr. There are a million ways to pursue justice in our world. And “pursue” is a good word to use because justice is active. Giving extravagantly to the poor is fine; moreover it is expected of us and Chris talked about just generosity in the past couple of weeks. But no matter what, we should meet the poor and oppressed where they are. It make you to Van Buren, it may take you to Washington DC, or it may take you to a war zone.

I hope you’ve all been able to write something down.

Remember, IF we do justice THEN God will shine His light, His glory, through our lives.

- CLOSING

As we move into the final stretch I want to recap what God has shown us today:

· The fast that he desires is to do justice

· And IF we do Justice, His Glory will shine before us and we will experience God and His healing

· Also, if we have not done justice, as we should, then we should repent and accept God’s grace

· As a response to that grace we go into the world to extend God’s grace and His justice

· Finally, we have an awesome example in Christ and those who follow Him, of how to do these things faithfully.

Now, I will wrap this up with a story of how justice can look in our current context, right here, right now:

In Luke 14 Jesus tells us how to throw a party and his teaching on this party has something to say about justice. “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind and you will be blessed.” Doing so is a picture of justice, of viewing others as God views them and inviting them into healing, restorative community. To see an example of this, I will tell a story that Shane Claiborne tells about an experience he and his community, The Simple Way, had in Philadelphia: “Philly had begun to pass anti-homeless legislation, making it illegal to sleep in the parks, illegal to ask for money, illegal to lie down on the sidewalks. Ironically, the reason for many of these laws was Love Park, which was a place where homeless folks hung out because it was visible, safe, and central. Folks knew you could go there to give out food or clothing to people on the street. One of the city’s boldest moves was passing an ordinance that banned all food from the park, reading specifically ‘All persons must cease and desist from distributing food.’ and they began fining those who shared food with the homeless. We started to wonder what in the world it meant to love our neighbors as ourselves when they were being jailed for sleeping and eating. As St. Augustine said, “an unjust law is no law at all.” What did it mean to submit to authority and yet uphold God’s law of love? Either we had to invite them into our homes, which had reached capacity, or we wanted to be out with them in solidarity. So we threw a party in Love Park. About a hundred of us gathered in Love Park with homeless friends. We worshiped, sang, and prayed. Then we served communion, which was illegal. We continued the “breaking of the bread” by bringing in pizzas. It was a love feast and then we slept overnight with our homeless friends. We did that week after week. Then one night the police surrounded us and arrested us.” He recounts how at the court hearing—where he was wearing a “Jesus was Homeless” t-shirt— he and his friends were represented by a homeless friend they had because while the Simple Way folks have been offered legal representation, they recognized that the poor wouldn’t have been afforded it so they forwent legal representation in solidarity with the homeless. Ultimately the judge sided with them and exonerated them. That sounds like quite an end to the party Jesus is talking about, but what else can we expect from a world who does not view justice like God does. Shane later says, “There are cooler ways to live than by trying to follow the gospel. But look on the bright side; if you end up in jail, historically, you will be in very good company. Jail has always been an important place for Christians. In eras of injustice it becomes the Christian’s home.”

The question before me is: “Would I do that?” I mean, would I, like Paul, go to prison for preaching the gospel or living the gospel? Would you do that? Do I believe in God’s call for justice enough to suffer for it? In the meantime, while I’m not doing justice and not seeking to break the yoke of oppression, I am doing meaningless religious actions in expectance that it is a “fast pleasing to the Lord”. Of this I must repent. Remember, Jesus was crucified—in the most literal sense—because he spoke truth to power in his advocacy for the powerless. He was deeply concerned about justice in his context, how can we not be concerned about justice in ours? Can we not repent and follow him?

Let us pray.

Dan's 2010 update

2010-02-02T00:55:00.001-05:00

Friends and Family,

In light of numerous people over the past little while wondering how I’m doing and my inability to truly get on top of communication with the many people I love, I believe it is time for a nice little mass update via your favorite social networking site, facebook! Thanks Mark Zuckerberg!

So what has Dan been up to? That is a great question. The answer? A lot. This past week my mom and dad and Penny (our pug) came out here to see my sister and I and enjoy Phoenix’s unbeatable weather… this is when Phoenicians literally mock the rest of Western society and all their four seasons and cold weather, haha! Here in the desert we have beautiful and HOT. Since it was beautiful this past weekend, Kevin and I had a delightful time moving our new and very awesome roommate, Brant, into the house. You have no idea just how incredible our new bachelor pad, which we’re calling “Legitistan”, already is. We’re all really good friends and there are a lot of weapons at our house. Any questions? Brant and I also have motorcycles and as soon as Kevin mans up and gets one we’ll be so embedded in the quintessential bachelor house (minus the usually ubiquitous MAXIM magazines and beer kegs) that it might get pretty dangerous/interesting…. Of course this is happening at a time when Dan realizes that eventually he needs to be “responsible” and sell his efficient and reliable Yamaha for a used car that will break down often as opposed to never and get 20 miles to the gallon instead of 60…. such is the irony of life I suppose…

Our house here in downtown Phoenix is pretty amazing, it’s such a blessing to live within walking distance of about a dozen outstanding Mexican restaurants. Just under a mile away is my favorite restaurant, Carly’s, where my favorite server, Kelly always keeps my friends and I entertained. I love living downtown; there are some great coffee shops, really great music (including the talented Tobie Milford!), and a number of simply stellar restaurants. Plus the YMCA and ASU Downtown are there as well, making life so much more convenient! I really can’t complain… and I take the light rail to school! So with new roommates and a great living situation, I feel pretty blessed. Living where we live too makes us so thankful for the many blessings we have since we live in a lower income area that is primarily Hispanic, and it is easy to see just how many material possessions we have (and don’t need). Our neighbors are awesome (our next door neighbor is a Burt Reynolds impersonator--seriously) and there is a sense of community here that is often lost in other living situations. I hope and pray that Kevin, Brant, and I can really engage our local community in the future too and use our small house to foster healthy community for the youth that we know. Wow, I just said community four times in three sentences!

School (I attend ASU for those who don’t know) has also started recently and I’m taking twelve credit hours with classes like persuasive writing, law & media, and criminal justice. I’m also doing an independent study through ASU with Dr. Steve Tracy at Phoenix Seminary on pimps and prostitution; it is a really fascinating and devastating subject matter to be honest. This puts me at graduating in December after finishing six credit hours next semester. I’ve taken some great advice to end my college career a little bit slower than I initially intended, especially as I move forward with the different opportunities that are before me. What are those? Great question. I know that when I graduate with my bachelor’s degree in IAS/Social Justice I want to eventually go on to grad school hopefully at an amazing school like UC Berkeley, Boston College, or Georgetown. As for now I’m just focusing on getting excellent grades so that schools like that actually are feasible choices. Until then there is always the Harvard lectures on iTunes University…

Kevin and I still do outreach to homeless youth through Homebase Youth Services in the Phoenix area and it’s still amazing and hard. The stories of these kids are difficult to hear, especially the young girls who live on the streets (bringing home the research I’m doing on pimps). The violence and abuse that children on the street suffer is incalculable. This is merely another backdrop to my life, which has come in close proximity with the broken and abused, both here and overseas. It has shown deep wounds in myself and has opened up a whole new understanding about the world. I often find myself at odds with myself over what I actually believe about many things. I find that nuance is often my conviction and that the things I believe most have only gotten stronger (an unseen pen has etched them on my heart) but with that, the many things have become more gray, and for that I am thankful. This, for me, is the journey to a truthful and honest faith and worldview based as solely as possible on the Christian ethic and life of Christ above every other ideology and ideal that vies for my attention. I hope someday to be inspired to write again about this journey and struggle to know God as He is and not as He is continually sold to be. Pray for me in this.

As for the next season of life there is much to be excited about, and I’m not just talking about my next tattoo, although that too is going to be rockin’. I’m more excited about some key friendships in my life that are coming into fruition and seeing the hand of God in those. To see the path He has kept me on is a privilege and I’m striving to trust Him with the details… to include my return to Africa this summer. As many of you know, last summer was spent working in Washington, DC at International Justice Mission (www.ijm.org) as a human rights intern. I adore that organization and look forward to being reunited with my amazing friends and colleagues there this April as I return to DC for IJM’s Global Prayer Gathering! What a blessing IJM is! This summer, however, I’m going back to Africa. It has increasingly been on my mind and the need to return to a land which has half of my heart has become palpable. This summer I’ll be heading to Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo to be a part of some conferences for church leaders, soldiers, prostituted women, and others. It’s through a ministry I work for here in the valley called Mending the Soul/Global Hope Resources and while I don’t have time to tell you all about it here, I’m sure many of you will hear more about it, and to be honest, many of you I’ll probably ask for your financial and spiritual support from! Haha! It’s going to be an incredible trip and I’m so glad that two of my best friends, Ryan & Stephanie Anglin will be going with us! So expect to hear more about Uganda and Congo in the future!

As for a more contemporary future I’m just focusing on said friendships, getting ready for Africa, perhaps being a part of a missional community at my church, and doing some much-needed soulcare. In the meantime I hope to declutter my life a little bit and do a better job at being a better friend to many of you! I’m stoked to hit up Adam and Adriana’s wedding in Ontario this June and hike Zion in Utah this fall with my friends! Don’t worry folks, this year Dan won’t be able to die, twice, in the Grand Canyon.

Finally, the most important part of any update: What has Dan been listening to and reading?? Well my friends, here is the answer: I’ve been listening to the greatest band of all time, mewithoutYou quite often. When I’m not doing that I’m feasting on Brand New’s album, “Daisy”, and when it is gym time, August Burns Red’s “Constellations”. Sometimes City & Colour as well. There is a lot of Queen in my life, too… I’m not going to lie. As far as reading goes I’ve actually recently read a number of great books including Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre”, Lewis’ “The Four Loves”, and Philip Newell’s “Echo of the Soul”. “Les Miserables” is on my radar, despite its breadth, as are books 2 and 3 of Lewis’ space trilogy. The issue right now is that I must be reading a lot about rape and pimps because that’s the backbone of my independent study…. Ugh.

At any rate, that’s a little update on Dan circa 2010. Thanks for reading!

It's Not Someone Else

2009-10-18T23:36:00.001-04:00

Dan Hoffman

Whitton Avenue Bible

October 18^th, 2009

Sermon: "It's Not Someone Else"

Good morning,

I've set a rather high expectation for myself this morning: I hope to preach half as well as Chris does on any given Sunday. So thanks for joining me in seeing just how well that works out.

This morning is yet another installment of Mission & Mercy month, where we, as a church look at exactly that: Missions and Mercy. I'm not entirely sure who thought it would be a good idea to have the guy whose first "mission work" was in Iraq, preach, but I do appreciate the honor. I guess being in Africa a few times after later rectified that.

We'll be starting in Luke chapter 10, verse 25. All you bible scholars out there will recognize that as the parable of the Good Samaritan. You would be correct. But first I want to let you know that I'll be incorporating a number of texts today because you get to do that in a topical message, so I'll let know when I go elsewhere. Today's message is titled "It's not someone else" and we'll be exploring the radical and personal call of proclaiming the Kingdom, and doing the Kingdom.

We'll get to Luke in a second but first I'm going to read Matthew 4:17, where Jesus has just come back after a rather exhausting time in the desert with Satan. The verses before started off stating that Jesus is fulfilling a prophesy in Isaiah, and then Jesus just gets to what he really wants to say to those he was speaking to: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand". We could stop there. That's an incredible way to start a ministry. He gives the Jewish people an imperative: "Repent" and then exciting news… good news…"the gospel": The kingdom of heaven is at hand." Amen.

One could preach for years on the implications of this statement alone, but I want to go a little further into Matthew. Jesus' first sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, explores more the vertigo that is this "Kingdom of Heaven". In 5:3 He starts with one of the most, in my opinion, profound statements in scripture, "blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." There, he just said it. He just cleanly rejected the idea that we could earn heaven, that we could work to gain heaven, that the powerful have an upper hand in gaining heaven, or that the weak and oppressed couldn't gain heaven. And that's only the first verse. He goes on to give us what we call the Beatitudes, some of you probably have them memorized.

Hmmm… what does all this talk of the "Kingdom of Heaven" really mean?

Well… Jesus modeled it every day. He embodied what He was ushering in, and in doing so gave us glimpses into the radical nature of the world that is to come…

So to bring this new radical Kingdom reality to our level we'll look at Luke 10:25-37:

25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

26"What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

27He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

28"You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

30In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'

36"Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?"

37The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him."  

Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

What we have here, ladies and gentlemen, is the Kingdom of God.

Notice that after the lawyer, in true lawyer fashion, states the facts about the laws he has kept, that Jesus tells him that he will "live". Now I'm not going to lie, I don't know the Greek, but he doesn't really seem to say it as if by live he meant "add a couple more years to your life" because when the lawyer asks him about his neighbor Jesus is ready with a story about how to truly LIVE and it's called "Go and do likewise". This, my friends, is the invitation we've all been waiting for. An invitation to truly live.

I think sometimes we're like the lawyer, keeping the rules and knowing with the precision of logic and reason the general outcomes of our decisions. I spent a lot of time with lawyers this past summer, and they're some of my favorite people ever, but what was crazy about this group of lawyers is that they're lawyers for International Justice Mission. They make a living by living for the Kingdom of Heaven. They are all about ushering it in. Granted, they're not the average crew of lawyers. These guys, and the rest of the staff at IJM, work tirelessly to Seek Justice, Encourage the Oppressed, Defend the cause of the Fatherless, and Plead the case of the widow. And every brothel shut down is a reflection of the Kingdom of Heaven and every slave freed is a reflection of the Kingdom of Heaven. Oh my friends, in this hell we call earth there are more than mere traces of the Kingdom of Heaven….

You see, Jesus lived the Kingdom of Heaven. He modeled it for us. He ate with prostituted women; he hung out with tax collectors, and skipped out on spending too much time with the infamous Pharisees, the power elite of the day. He had no use for their concept of "the Kingdom". So He, in doing all of these things, modeled the Kingdom of Heaven.

As Christians, we're to be like Christ. A pretty basic definition for Christian: "One who is like or emulating Christ"; big shoes to fill, no doubt. However, there is good news: It comes back in Matthew, back to chapter 5, verses 14 & 16. He says "You are the light of the world… let your light so shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven."

Jesus just said "You". When He did, everything changed… When he did he opened up the biggest invitation to life and life more abundantly that had ever crossed His listener's ears. It didn't matter if they were poor, in fact, in a manner of speaking it was to their benefit that they were poor, for in our weakness He is strong. When Jesus said "You", He meant it.

The Apostle Paul says something amazing in 2 Corinthians 5: "God is making his appeal to the world through us."

What an incredible invitation: That you & I would be emissaries of God's truth and Kingdom – telling and showing the world of the great goodness of God.

So this is exciting, freeing news! We, all of us, are his emissaries, perhaps his "missionaries" to a broken world because there is no fine print to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it's us he has sent to "Go, and do likewise"

We here at Whitton Avenue Bible can think of a number of quintessential cases of "Go and do likewise". The one I will mention today is our very own Abby Tracy. Abby heard the call to Africa a long time ago although at the time I don't think she knew what it would end up "costing" her. Many of you know that Abby now lives in Uganda where she lives among the most despised and invisible of the world: street children.

According to the United Nations there are 120 million children living on the streets. That's roughly the equivalent of the whole US west of the continental divide living and sleeping on concrete and in squalor. These aren't aliens from outer space, nor are they dogs….

They are humans…. I want you to look to the person on your left and right… Imagine them beaten, raped, kicked, forgotten, and dead before they turned 21. That's Abby's daily reality.

Abby went to Africa in a response to the gospel of Jesus Christ. She stays there, however, in a life-giving surrender to Christ and the Kingdom. You see when many people look at Abby they put it into terms of what she has lost, but she would put it into terms of what she has gained. She did lose a lot of things, but all of them well worth losing. She has gained something incredible, something magnificent: She has witnessed the Kingdom of Heaven and its joy.

This is an excerpt from one of her latest blog posts: "Here I have the joy of working with street children, of watching their lives change, of earning their trust. Whenever my heart is broken for street children by something that happens here, it is also filled by the knowledge that I am here doing something about it, that God is using me to change the lives of street children in Kampala."

Anyone who has ever read her blog knows that she has countless stories of pain, redemption, and God's providence.

Just last month when the riots in Kampala were happening, Abby and her coworkers were able to get many of the street children they worked with to relative safety in homes and other places of refuge. The police and society in general, who blame street children for every evil, were looking, during that chaotic time, to kill and destroy. Due to the interventions of those committed to the well being of those children, none of the children, that they know of, were hurt during the riots. This is but one story, among many. God is surely moving in the darkest and hardest places.

Abby and her coworkers daily are on the frontlines for the Lord, they stand against the unjust Ugandan government and their treatment of the least of these, they stand against the kids going to sleep at night thinking that no one cares about them, that they could die alone and no one would miss them. They stand against Satan's onslaught against those he despises: the beautiful creation of God, children.

Did you know that in the two homes Abby has been a part of creating, Ssenge home and Kivulu home, there are over 30 children who no longer have to lay their heads on the street at night? Did you know that by creating strategic partnerships with churches, the body of Christ, which she's been able to mobilize a group of Christians to care passionately about the least of these? Through their collective work there is a school and medical clinic for street kids…. This is more than a mere rumor of another world…

This is Justice & Mercy ministry. For in Micah 6:8 says: "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." I want to say that again. It's so, so good. "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

But to be perfectly honest, however, Abby is not a special case. She's not…. She's sold out for God, but God never, when we boil it down, asked from Abby anything He isn't asking of us. He asks all of us for everything…. Derek Webb, one of my favorite songwriters, says of Jesus (quote) "he says, more than just your cash and coin, I want your time, I want your voice, I want the things you just can't give me"

But this, my friends, is actually really good news. It destroys, again, our pesky default to think that the adventure and risk in radically living for Christ is for someone else. It's not. It's for you and me. It costs all of us everything. We, as we learned earlier, are God's solution for the world. There is no plan B. It is not someone else; it's you and I.

So in a world like Solomon's, as we live in today, in which he looked out across the land and said in Ecclesiastes 4, "I saw the tears of the oppressed and they had no one to comfort them, but on the side of the oppressor was power", we are the ones who are supposed to do something about it. So in a world in which conservatively one-third of women will be sexually abused or raped, we are God's plan to counter it. We are God's plan to "Go and do likewise". What an invitation!

But we often say: "I'm not a missionary!" But who are missionaries? I mean, what does a missionary do? The dictionary says a missionary is "a person sent by a church into an area to carry on evangelism or other activities, as educational or hospital work." Paul seems to have a different definition…

But is it just vocally preaching the word of God? Or is it more? Don't they bring the Kingdom of God, in all its magnificent totality, as well? Don't they come to speak of a wondrous truth that God became man so that we might be set free?

· They are sent because large portions of our world have never heard of the freedom that is in Christ.

· They are sent because they are on a mission to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven.

· They are sent because those with power abuse those with out.

· They are sent because there is slavery of the body just as there is slavery of the soul.

· They are sent because almost half of the planet lives on less than 2 dollars a day.

· They are sent because AIDS is decimating entire populations of people.

· They are sent because there are more slaves today than there was at the height of the Atlantic slave trade.

· They are sent because tens of thousands of children die every day from malnutrition and curable diseases.

· They are sent because kids in certain cities simply don't get the education that folks in other cities get.

· They are sent because in some parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo you're the exception to the rule if you are female and have not been raped.

· They are sent because daily street kids all around the world are raped and murdered at a staggering rate.

· They are sent because a group of 13 year-old girls in a brothel IS an unreached people group.

They are also sent because others… wouldn't go.

They have to come to terms with many things, but first and foremost that pesky little fact that demands EVERYTHING. That God, our Father in Heaven, weeps when one is lost anywhere; that a soul in Canada is worth just as much as a soul in Algeria, that a soul in Mumbai is worth just as much as a soul in Phoenix.

It's like God's own establishment clause: he respects no nation state, no racial lines, no cultural mores, or the establishment of any human-constructed demarcation between His people. In His justice He calls us to reject that part of our humanity that falsely causes us to create hierarchies based on race, socio-economic status, language, legal status. We simply haven't the luxury to see anyone other than how He sees them, as His children. He just calls His people to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven by taking the Gospel, in all its immensity, to every person on the globe, whether next-door or in Russia.

This is what the "missionary" has had to accept: that the kingdom of Heaven is radical and that it is for everyone… "Go, and do likewise"

This is not a new concept, to be sure. But I wonder what Christianity would look like if we all believed it as if it's truth of falsehood were a matter of life and death, as C.S. Lewis would say…

So we know that Jesus modeled the Kingdom, and then sent us all out to proclaim it and to live it, but are our passions the same as Jesus passions? In Luke 4:18-19 Jesus let's us in on why he's come to earth. He says, "The Spirit of the Lordis upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives andrecovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

At the end of Luke 4:18-19 He almost could have said "Go, and do likewise". I remember Abby's Dad, Steve, telling me once that people often ask him, "how could you let your daughter go to someplace so dangerous?" to which he could only reply "how could I not? What is more dangerous for her to go to the place God has put on her heart to serve, or for her to stay here in disobedience?"…. in saying that he almost echoes Shane Claiborne, the founder of Philadelphia's "Simply Way", who says "the most dangerous place to be for Christians is in safety and comfort" This was said while he was in Iraq during the US invasion. I tell you, "Go, and do likewise."

The body of Christ is a body of "missionaries" of the Kingdom to people who haven't audibly heard or haven't "heard" through Christians living out their faith. Gary Haugen, founder of International Justice Mission, used to tell us: "how will they know that God is real and that he is good if we don't show them?" A group of girls in a brothel is an un-reached people group.

We are all to join Christ in His ushering in of the Kingdom of Heaven: Reaching up, reaching in, and reaching out. That pithy old adage that "outside these doors is the mission field" doesn't even take it far enough. There are deeply hurt people in the pews next to you. Many of the people who you go to church with have experienced all kinds of evil and abuse. Satan knows no quarter, and neither do we. It's not even only others that have been hurt and abused and need ministered to. You are hurt, you have suffered, and your beautiful soul, a creation of God, has blight because of sin. You, like everyone else, require some grace, some love, some justice and mercy. We haven't the luxury to draw a line between those who deserve grace, love, a "hand out", or a shoulder to cry on.

I know what I needed, in my own life, was the Gospel to create in me a profound paradigm shift that threw off of the seductive vice of hyper-nationalism, of apathy, of putting my responsibility on someone else. Because God won't ask me one day what I did with other's lives, He'll ask me what we did with mine. Said differently: "God won't ask you one day what you did with other's lives, He'll ask us what you did with yours". And that's not a threat in the least… it's an invitation to respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to let it infect every inch or our being so that we risk everything so that we might know Him more: That we risk our time so that we can disciple and be discipled, that we risk our lives to save lives, that we risk our treasure to gain treasure…

This is not an invitation to merely be reckless and decide that becoming an expert in the art of bungee-jumping is a great way to pass a mid-life crisis. It's an invitation to lose everything so that we might gain everything. His call has always been that way, but we need not digress to lofty words because surely, if we know anything, it is that he doesn't call us all to cross-cultural ministry in Africa, or Croatia, or the ghettos in Philadelphia. To be sure he calls many more than are responding to the call, but we aren't here to crunch numbers. We're a diverse group of people with different loves, passions, skills, and spiritual gifts. It would be peculiar if we all came to the same conclusions about politics, mission work, theology, or even reality. The way we were uniquely created gives us license to not only disagree but to experience God's call on our life in different ways.

Josh Sazdanoff left this church to pursue a calling to preach the gospel vocally and through his lifestyle to a certain crowd in SoCal. Abby left the church to minister and live with the street children of Kampala, Uganda. Stavo left the church to preach the good news to those who haven't heard in Croatia…. But just as important is Chris' answering the call of Christ to lead this flock. Just as important is the Tracy's answering the call to bring healing through Christ to the abused. Just as important is Peggy Bilsten's answering the call to not let the rape of women go unanswered for in our city through Streetlight. Just as important is Aaron's answering the call to lead the youth. Just as important is the church member who facilitates a Mending the Soul group for the healings of their brothers and sisters. We are all "missionaries". To be sure, we all can't get paid to do "full-time" ministry. But we all can live intentionally for the Kingdom. We cannot, and shall not, make a hierarchy based off of what is the coolest, or most risky, call of Christ. There are no "senders" and "goers". We all have a lot asked of us so we should live in a way that postures our heart to be used daily as emissaries of the gospel to a fallen world who needs to see Christ in us.

For we don't "do" ministry; our very lives are ministry.

So how do we here, in the pews of a comfortable church, create in us the paradigm shift necessary to view ourselves as missionaries for the Kingdom? How do we shift from the Lawyer to the Samaritan and "Go and Do Likewise?"

This, as I'm sure you've guessed isn't really the easy part. Being so diverse, it's hard to speak to what each of us should "do", but despite my repetition of that word throughout the sermon, "doing" in and of itself isn't really what gives us that paradigm shift to move towards living for the Kingdom. Remember, this costs us everything. It requires a number of things: your prayers, voice, time, courage, resources, and your open hands.

He wants your prayers:

· We can start by praying that famous prayer the founder of WorldVision, Bob Pierce, gave a long time ago "Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God"

· We must live in humble expectation for God to reveal his individual call in your life all the while prayerfully considering what small commitments we can do in preparation for the big opportunities that may come. Prayer gives us a proper heart position.

· James 5:16 says, and I love the King James here "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much". Our prayers matter. After going to Congo in 2007 and meeting a woman named Naama who was catatonic after a horrendous rape, the team prayed daily for her. In 2008 when I went back with them, Naama not only had healed, but was leading others in their healing. Prayer is effective. It's a big God we serve.

He wants your voice:

· We have been given much, my friends. Everyone in this room lives in what is commonly called a "democracy" meaning we all have, to some degree, especially those of us in a community of believers, a voice.

· As those radically transformed by the gospel we must speak truth into people's lives so that they might be free. But it also means speaking truth to power so that they can set people free. Our ability to advocate and petition on behalf of the forgotten and despised is one of the greatest privileges we have. To whom much is given, much is expected. For example, we may not all agree on how to best "deal" with "illegal immigration" but what we surely can't do is let those who aren't transformed by love command the discussion when the lives of human beings are held in the balance. Our voice is a reflection of our heart's posture. It matters.

· Martin Luther King Jr, who I affectionately call "the man" once said "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter"

He wants your time:

· God wants our time because it's something that is most precious to us. He wants it because our actions and kingdom pursuits happen in "Time".

· Time is something we all think we don't have much of. But if we truly believe that ministry is not something we do but that our very lives are ministry, we can truly begin to prioritize our lives around Kingdom living, not saying "this is time for God, this is time for me". That is absolutely not to say that we spend every waking moment in a rush to do, do, do. That's the opposite of what I mean. I mean using our time as Henri Nouwen once talked about: "the ministry of presence". Being present with people IS ministry if we've got the Kingdom mindset.

He wants your courage:

· Sometimes to live for the Kingdom means that we ignore the State Department's travel warnings. Sometimes it may mean talking to someone we would never otherwise talk to. It may mean ostracizing ourselves amongst those who don't see the world as we do. A paradigm shift to the Kingdom takes courage…. And we've all got it. It just takes God and a decision to embrace it.

· It takes courage to "Go and do likewise", but he really didn't request that's what we do. He said it was essential. Courage doesn't necessarily imply bodily danger. It implies a willingness to trust God and to have faith that he is big enough for the task. It's not about us and He's a big God.

He wants your resources:

· This is much more than your money, this is your influence, skills, profession, networks, and education. Money is a given. But what probably has even more efficacy for the Kingdom of Heaven is the more intangible things. If you're a business man are you using your business to enlarge the Kingdom? Are you paying your workers fairly and using your voice to influence others to do so as well? If you're a lawyer are you using your considerable skills for those who otherwise wouldn't have access to law, the poor? If you've got a great education, what is your end goal? Wealth and security or freedom and life through surrender? Who do YOU know that can get involved in what God is doing in your neighborhood, community, city, country and world? Yes… money is but one of the many God-given resources we have at our disposal.

He wants your open hands:

· This is one of the most important:

· The ability and willingness to hold lightly our worldview, and all its inherent failures and half-truth, loosely, so that we will not be hindered in our passion for God's world.

· Our ideological pursuits have to measure up to the reality that they are subject to the truth of the Gospel and that a radical transformation of our hearts and minds is necessary.

We must ask ourselves, "Why wouldn't I use my voice to help the voiceless? What is hindering me in living radically for the kingdom of Heaven? Why do I hold tightly to my resources and to ideologies that are inconsistent with the gospel?"

He wants everything from you and I. Christ embodied the Kingdom, now He's sent us to continue in what He has started. He is with us when he says "God and do likewise"

What do I know of this?

2009-07-28T17:26:00.003-04:00

Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side or hand?
I hear Thee sung as mighty in the land,
I hear them hail Thy bright ascendant star
Hast thou no scar?

Hast thou no wound?
Yet I was wounded byt the archers, spent,
Leaned me against a tree to die; and rent
By ravening beasts that encompassed me, I swooned;
Hast thou no wound?

No wound? No Scar?
Yet, as the master shall the servant be
and pierced are the feet that follow me;
But think are whole: can he have followed far
Who has not wound or scar?

-Amy Charmichael

A consistant ethic on human dignity...

2009-07-23T09:37:00.002-04:00

Taken from Chi Huang's "When Invisible Children Sing"

On pondering what happens to street children

What happens to street children when they grow up? Obviously some of them do not grow up. Some die on the street, their spirits going, we hope, to a better place. Some of them survive. Which is better, dying or living? An argument can be made for either side. Little is known about what happen when street children grow up. Researchers do not follow individual street children over the years of their lives. Researchers take collective "snapshots" of the population of street children. They interview them about their past sometimes. They watch them over a period of a few days, a few months even. But the world really does not want to know how many of them are killed by the elements, by disease, by other street people, by adult perpetrators; how many commit suicide; how many become street adults; how few survive and find a home and a sustainable role in the world.

In reference to a girl met on the streets in Bolivia

You expect to be treated like garbage so you're never disappointed. You cauterize your heart. No one can hurt a dead girl. And yet who am I to tell you that you are alive? What good will it do if you believe you're a human being and one else does? Can you survive on the streets if you insist on being treated with dignity? Can a street child afford self-worth? All God's children are created equal. But who really lives as if they believe this? One first world baby stuck at the bottom of a well generates more heartfelt anxiety than the 100 million children trapped on the streets of the developing world ever will.

Aren't We Beautiful?

2009-07-17T00:14:00.003-04:00

Aren’t we courageous to deny what is before our eyes?

Aren’t we proud as we watch our loved one march off to “defend”?

Aren’t we winsome to laugh at the blindness?

Aren’t we superior to put them against a wall?

Aren’t we fragrant as we hear the screams?

Aren’t we loving to teach and admonish in our way?

Aren’t we humane to realize separation?

Aren’t we wise when we have attained the truth of “moral equivalency”?

Aren’t we progressive when we deny barbarity?

Aren’t we powerful to choose what is right?

Aren’t we charming to mock what isn’t us?

Aren’t we necessary when those around can’t…?

Aren’t we comfortable when we have our embrace?

Aren’t we right when we have broken every mirror?

Aren’t we God when we deny them humanity?

Aren’t they as animals?

Aren’t we beautiful?

IJM's VP of Justice Operations' Sharon Cohn Wu at Urbana 06

2009-07-12T00:42:00.001-04:00

Please watch it here, it's amazing!

(click on Testimony: International Justice Mission):
http://www.urbana.org/archives/2006/session-info?session=5

July 4th in Washington D.C.

2009-07-04T01:47:00.001-04:00

It's going to be crazy....

The day the Lord has made.

2009-07-03T23:03:00.004-04:00

July 3^rd, 2009

Washington, District of Columbia—Today was a fantastic day. It’s almost a life-in-a-day for my time here in the District, which has been rife with laughter, walking, people, learning, and spectacle. I love this city.

Laura, my housemate, woke me up this morning to ask if I still planned to go biking down on the mall with her uncle Angus and two sisters, Julie and Betsy. “Heck yes!” I responded in a half-asleep stupor. I don’t get to sleep in much. You understand. I eventually was able to jump on Ben’s, Laura’s husband’s, bike and fly down to the mall. This was my first time riding a bike in the District. It was one of the best experiences of my being here. The weather was pristine, a few clouds, perfect humidity, wind rushing through my hair, avoiding wayward drivers. Only so close to death does one touch life.

I made it down to the Washington monument in record time (for me) and found Laura and Julie and then Uncle Angus and Betsy, who had ridden down earlier. We stood in the shadow of America’s own pire to its greatest leader. Flags fluttered and the flurry of humanity was all around us as the nation’s capital prepared for the insanity that is July 4^th weekend. Uncle Angus, Betsty, and I ended up riding up and down the Potomac on what has been the most beautiful day I’ve seen since being here. I was, for one of the first times, reminded, as I crossed over the Potomac, “This is the day that the Lord has made”. I remembered and thanked Him genuinely and deeply for the oxygen in my lungs and the privilege of being in this city serving at International Justice Mission. We stopped underneath the flight path of National Airport watching Airbuses and Boeings roar over us nice and low. We soon left to preserve our hearing, back on the narrow path being passed by those more serious at biking than us. It was awesome to just ride slow through the lush grass and willow trees that line the Potomac. I couldn’t help but marvel at what a great job the designer of D.C., L’Enfant, did. The city is truly stunning at many angles and has a peculiar feel to it. It almost never ceases to surprise.

The ride back to the Lincoln Memorial, where we were meeting up was made even better by the President’s helicopters (CH-53 variants) flying fast and low over the memorial bridge. This was continual all morning, and added a powerful backdrop to the serene beauty of the green space of the District. I remember riding in those quite often over the mountains of California, once taking off from the USS Tarawa to do an “embassy reinforcement” exercise in Orange County, California. I wonder if President Obama gets the same thrill as Marine One lifts off the White House lawn taking him to Andrews Air Force Base to board Air Force One headed to wherever he goes. It has to be exciting and empowering. I wonder if anything ever humbles those displays of power. I hope so.

We then met up with Julie and Laura, and after multiple failed attempts to carry them on the back of our road bikes (kids, don’t try this at home), we “settled down” near the Jefferson Memorial for a lunch of cold burritos and power bars. The funny jokes, quotes, stories, and handstand competitions quickly ensued. Above the fray, I merely photographed. Not really. No matter, from there Betsy and I rode to the National Gallery of Art, meeting Julie and Laura there. The NGA was simply fantastic. I sometimes forget there is art that’s 600 years old and that I can get 1 ft away from it. I saw a Salvador Dali painting. A real Dali. Dali once said “The only difference between me and a madman is that I’m not mad.” which is one of my favorite quotes He’s awesome. There was some really amazing installation art including a piece titled “Light Emitting Diodes, Mac Mini, and Aluminum Slats”. Mac, represent. After that amazing experience, Betsy and I rode back home where I learned why it is called Columbia “Heights”. You just don’t get the same speed going uphill. Betsy is a fantastic tour guide though and she explained some different parts of the dynamic city in which we live. Once home I made spaghetti with vodka sauce, we talked about patriarchy and global women’s issues (great lunch conversation). Then I took a nap. Now, I’m writing this…

All in all the day has been extremely satisfying (Laura, you knew it was coming ;-), much like this whole time in D.C. has been. I’m learning, slowly, to balance movement and repose. Ryan understands. I’m learning to take time for people again. I’ve lost that. I’m learning I have plenty to learn and plenty to be humble about. I’m learning what I’m good at and what I’m terrible at. I’m learning, again, how wonderful my family and friends are and how blessed I am to have them. I love people.

Since being here I’ve had more amazing experiences than I know what to do with. I’ve had an amazing burger at Five Guys and Tonic, I’ve walked to the Pentagon, I’ve met Gary Haugen, I’ve had a BBQ in the hills of Maryland, I’ve sent my resume to the State Dept, I’ve stayed a couple of nights at Keeferton Cabin, staying up late to talk of godly and manly things, eating meat for multiple days. I’ve seen lightning storms wreck the sky from the wraparound porch of our 1870’s home in Mt. Pleasant. I’ve met the #2 guy at Amnesty International, heard a book reading by Chimamanda Adichie of her book “The Thing Around Your Neck”, I’ve hit up the night scene on U Street with the other interns, I’ve had beautiful conversations with my boys here: Jonathan, Grant, and Brent (intern at the State Dept). I’ve walked late at night through Foggy Bottom listening to VNV Nation, I’ve seen deer at Rock Creek National Park in the city, I’ve met my friend and former professor Albert Celoza, attending church at Christ our Shepard, hearing one of the best sermons I’ve ever heard. I’ve been to Falls Church for an IJM prayer retreat where I learned much about joy, God, and the wonderful organization I work at, I’ve been thinking about what my next tattoo will be since I have to get one in D.C., I’ve talked with men much wiser than I about the mystery and wonder of God, I’ve been able to meet a houseless man who is truly an amazing soul, I’ve found out that an old friend lives like a block away. I’ve stood in silence at the necessary soul devastation that is Holocaust Museum. I’ve talked with Ben about the most random things, I’ve seen old battlefields where the North fought the South, I’ve waited for far too long for a Metro, I’ve stood without falling as the train car barrels down the tunnel just a bit shorter amount of time than Brent. I’ve talked with old diplomats and spies and those the CIA is actively trying to recruit who have seen the world through different eyes come to where it is now, I’ve walked around the city at night, sitting with Jonathan in front of the White House just taking it all in. I’ve stayed up late watching hilarious videos with my housemates of our computers quoting things that, in retrospect, are completely inappropriate. I’ve seen the Secret Service protecting an upscale café on Pennsylvania Avenue. I’ve traveled back to Phoenix, gotten sick, seen some close friends, and attended a wonderful wedding. I’ve even met, super-randomly, the girl who I replaced as Human Rights intern at IJM. I’ve had more coincidences here than I care to share. I’ve talked about Africa, and love, and loss. I’ve cooked and been cooked for. I’ve been in prayers where I hear of dozens of people being freed from slavery. I’ve met dozens of people who have done extraordinary things for the Lord at every corner of this earth, from Kazakhstan to Argentina to Congo. I’ve been riveted to the Iranian election crisis, and been able to talk to some wise people about it, I’ve been able to talk to people in India and Zambia. I’ve heard of miracles as people have returned from Africa. I’ve memorized mewithoutYou lyrics and found a fellow fan at IJM (super exciting!), I’ve eaten Filet Minon that cost way too much, I’ve hung out quite a bit with my housemates, I’ve enjoyed an Anglican church, I’ve pretended I’m a local when on the Metro, I’ve done a million things at IJM that I’ll simply have to talk about at a later time. I’m making plans to go to NY and Boston. I’ve done a lot.

More than anything I’ve been loved. Thank you God for the blessing of living here and getting to do all that I’ve done and getting a break from the desert, which I also love. I wish I would have been able to keep a better journal going on here, but it’s been busy as you’ve seen. I’ll get more on here about my work at IJM later J

I love you all,

~Dan~

Also, notable albums that have come out recently you should definitely consider picking up:

--mewithoutYou, “It’s all Crazy! It’s all False! It’s all a Dream! It’s Alright.”

--VNV Nation, “Of Faith, Power, and Glory”

--Emery, “…In Shallow Seas We Sail”

IJM DC Summer Interns

2009-06-16T23:14:00.004-04:00

Dan, Jake, Grant, & Jonathan

The Male Interns.

Katie, Jonathan, Jordan, Dan, Jake, Monica, Kyrsten, & Tania

at the Healing's BBQ in N. Virginia

Click HERE for a link to all my Washington D.C. photos!

... more stories about my time here coming soon :)

_

photos from DC/IJM

2009-06-10T01:06:00.004-04:00

photo1, my house here in D.C. It's actually a historic place and titled "The Oakwood House"
photo2, my metro stop, Columbia Heights, on the Green/Yellow line
photo3, the gallery at the International Justice Mission HQ
photo4, Brent (US Dept of State), Ally (IJM Zambia Legal Intern), Grant (IJM HQ Intern)

Washington D.C.

2009-05-30T08:56:00.000-04:00

Washington D.C.

The past two weeks since the end of school have been crazy. The end of school was crazy. My life is crazy. That’s why all of today I’ve been sitting in my Lincoln-era house listening to mewithoutYou, reading “My name is Asher Lev”, and ironing clothes. I need to relax. But all the craziness has paid off: I made it to Washington D.C. And, it paid off in other ways too. I now have a 4.0 GPA which will help me get into law/grad school, and the craziness paid off because the past two weeks I’ve been able to spend a lot of quality time with a lot of my friends that I haven’t seen in a while.

A couple of days after school got out I was in a wedding for my friends Jake and Kelsey, which was awesome. It was a rich time with a lot of old friends like Bill, Rick, Tom and others. The next day I jumped on my bike and drove to San Diego through the beautiful mountains of southern California. There I saw Seth & Q at there place in North Park San Diego. We had fun doing stuff in the city, driving Q’s Fiat, and heading out to Jamul to hang out with Q’s Mom, Martha, and Robert Vavra, a famous photographer that is friends with the family. It was a beautiful time of talking about Africa, and traveling, and relationships, and life…. I cherished it deeply and was blessed to receive, as a gift, a signed copy of one of Robert’s books. He’s a truly kind and thoughtful man. While in SD I was able to hang out with Stacy and do a short ride with him as well. From there I headed up the coast and kicked it at E Street Café in Encinitas, one of my favorite places in the world (I have so many fond memories there of Jesse Hake rockin’ out during open mic night. Everyone would be there, Stacy, Ryan, Adam, Rusty, Justin, even my family once). Then I headed up to see my friend Oksana, whom I haven’t seen in years. She lives in Santa Monica now… although she misses SD, where I knew her from. We, along with her boyfriend, David, had a wonderful time catching up driving through the beautiful mountains of Malibu and eating fresh strawberries from a local market. I ended up staying at there place that night, and the next morning I got up early and headed to Santa Barbara, another beautiful drive up the coast, to see Dave Hassan, an old friend from the USMC. We had a cool time chillin’ in his city, and exploring UCSB, where he goes to school. I was able to experience Dave in his element at the physics lab too which was really awesome. I used to say “Dave, I don’t understand you” when he’s speak in Arabic to me, but now I say “Dave, I really don’t understand you” when he speaks in theoretical physics terms… I was blessed to stay at his apartment that night and we had a great time talking about life and everything while I was there. He truly is a dear friend. From there I took one of the most beautiful drives ever through the mountain highway __ through Santa Barbara and then all the way to Bakersfield, another gorgeous drive. While in Bakersfield I saw Josh Miller, always amazing, and caught up with him. I love that brother too! I wanted to make is somewhere that night so I drove that evening from Bakersfield to Boron (where I once spent a week doing an exercise in the mountains) to my final destination for the night, the famous Barstow California… It was the only night I had to pay for a place to stay. The next morning I was off! I drove down route 66 to Amboy (another place I did an exercise, it was like a trip down memory lane!) and through the beautiful desert as the temperature quickly rose. Eventually I was riding without a jacket… then without a shirt. It was insanely hot by the time I reached Blythe, California on the border with Arizona. The ride from Blythe to my house in Phoenix was one of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life. I had dirt embedded into my wind-dried skin. It was disgusting. Don’t ever ride a motorcycle through the desert in the middle of the day. It’s like living in a blast furnace. That evening I had my going away party at the Tracy’s which was awesome. I was able to hang out with some of my favorite people in one place and get prayer from those same people. Dr. Simmons, Peggy Bilsten, Steve & Celestia Tracy, David Creech, Kevin Gage, Abby Tracy, Annalise Sanders, Mandy Finley, and my sister all showed up. It was awesome. I am so blessed to have friends like that!

The next day was crazy, filled with packing… and then, I was off… taking a flight to Detroit. Ryan and Stephanie Anglin picked me up and we drove through the sad, despairing city that is Detroit on our way to Port Huron where we would cross into Canada. Crossing the border was hilarious because the Canadian border agents were taking their job so seriously that it was comical. Here three super-clean-nosed 20-somethings were crossing into Canada and we were getting the full treatment, a million questions: “do the people you know in Canada know you’re coming? , “have you ever smoked marijuana?” , “why haven’t you bought you tickets out of Detroit to D.C. yet?” among others. The answers to those were yes, no, and ‘because I don’t have to’. We finally got in, after the cuddly drug dog found nothing in our car. We laughed for some time about funny questions we could have asked them or funny responses we could have given. We knew we were going to get in, and if we didn’t we could have swam into the country… so it was all good. At least the border police were kind and professional and not cold and calculated like American border police usually are. I am usually appalled by the treatment I receive upon reentering my own country. Canada was not that way, they just took their job of protecting Canada seriously. Anyways… we headed to London, Ontario and met up with Adam and his fiancée Adriana. Ryan and I met Adam back in the day in San Diego as he headed back to Canada after going to school in Sydney Australia. He’s a phenomenal guy and his fiancée is awesome as well.
To keep a long story short we had a wonderful time in Canada, went to Toronto, saw Terminator: Salvation, the Americans made fun of Canada, the Canadians made fun of America, went to the lake, went to a horse show, explored London, talked about coffee shops and life, and had a wonderful picnic. Canada is so much like America it was scary. I never felt like a foreigner there, which was almost sad to me…. But it’s all good. I like that country a lot. The people are great, they are very multicultural, and it’s beautiful. Interesting “fact”: by my calculations Canadians drive a higher percentage of American cars than American’s do. Interesting… We had a wonderful time there! Thanks Adam and Adriana for housing us and being our amazing friends… we love you! Can’t wait for you guys to move to the states so we can hang out more!
Getting back into the US was a piece of cake and from there we drove, all night, to Mentone, Indiana, where Ryan and Steph are from. I slept over at Stephanie’s family’s house. I was able to meet a large portion of Ryan and Steph’s families, which was really cool. It was good to spend some time in the Midwest. It just has a different feel. It’s one I know very well. Ryan and I had a wonderful drive over to Huntington where he is starting his coffee shop with Adam when he (Ryan) gets out of the Navy. It’s a really rad place in a good location. The details I will keep on the DL as they are being fleshed out even now. But trust me. The name is tight and the concept for the whole coffee shop is music to my ears! That night we headed to the hotel in Indianapolis and the next morning I said goodbye and headed to Baltimore. It was time to start the summer. For real this time.

I have returned to the land of the halls of power for the first time in seven years. It seems like an entirely different place now compared to when I was here just after 9-11. Trust me, that’s a good thing. Housing is pretty much worked out. I live in a house built in 1861 that is awesome. It is built so much more interestingly than those things they build today. It has character, that’s for sure. Currently I’m sleeping on the couch as the family I’m replacing is moving out this weekend… and I’m taking their room. I live 20 seconds from Rocky Creek National Park (where there are dozens of miles of hiking/running trails) and a 10-minute walk from the Columbia Heights Metro. I love it. D.C. is a rad place and I’ve been exploring the city quite a bit the past couple of days. I went to the White House at night, which was awesome, and have walked all over this historic place. I’m excited to meet everyone at IJM on Sunday (casual!! Flip flops!!!) when the long process of training to be an IJM employee/volunteer/intern, begins. Thank you all for your prayers and support to get me to this place. new photos, stories, tattoos, friends, are coming… stand by. I love you all.

a cool thing I read online

2009-05-30T08:53:00.001-04:00

Welcome to a bold new era of American automobile fuel-efficiency standards which will, by the year 2030, cause our great nation to achieve the fuel-efficiency most European countries already enjoyed in the 1990s.

“And that could mean danger for many Americans,” according to Jerome Corsi’s Red Alert, an online newsletter which publishes articles with headlines like “Obamamobiles may kill Americans ‘faster than Iraqi war’: Dangers of tiny vehicles required for CAFÉ standards cited” (you can subscribe for just $99 a year!!!

Some blogs have lit up with fears that car safety may be undermined by a push for energy efficiency. In fact, fears about safety and security figure pretty prominently in public debate. In that vein, I’d like to propose a tax on the words “safety” and “security.” Any time a Christian (for starters) uses the words “safety” or “security” on TV or in the blogosphere, they would pay a fee of, say $1000 (or $2000 if it turns out that the speaker is a fan of Fox’s TV drama “24”). It might make us think twice about having safety and security as our pre-eminent values.

If that works out, we could think about using the money to subsidize words like “justice” and “mercy.” This way, we could harness market forces to better align our public discourse with Scriptural values. It’s just a thought.

Rusty Pritchard

my send off at the Tracy's house!

2009-05-20T03:07:00.002-04:00

Steve and Celestia Tracy held a little send off party for me tonight that was a wonderful time of food, friends, fellowship and prayer. Thank you Peggy, Celestia, Steve, Abby, Lisa, Kevin, David, Bill, Mandy, and Anna for all coming! I love you all so much!

photos from my cali road trip!

2009-05-20T02:59:00.005-04:00

for about 5 days I drove my motorcycle all around SoCal seeing friends and spending some time alone, just me, God, & the road.

water bullets

2009-05-20T02:39:00.003-04:00

"what is your worth?" they whisper to me
the outward voices are so much more profound,
but it's the inner i seek.
my worth, i no longer know.
she held it long ago,
but frail hearts collapse under the weight of respite
oh, but despite our longings, separation.
come, now, sleep...
I must now find who I am, who I will be,
whatever love, passion, befall me.

The continuing story of Grace...

2009-05-16T11:37:00.005-04:00

after:

before:

From Christine Stephenson to all the Summer 2008 Congo Team:

Dear Congo 2008 Team:

Last year in Beni Steve, Celestia, Dan, Jeff and I visited CEPIMA – the mental health clinic in Beni and we met a young 15 year old girl there called Naama. Her name means Grace. She had been ganged raped by rebels when she 12 years old and for the past three years had been raped by man after man who took advantage of her – she felt the only way she could relate to men was to have sex with them. When we saw her in the clinic she was virtually catatonic, she rocked back and forth, had horribly physical evidence of her abuse on her body and was in a very bad state. Naama was the face that came back with us to the US for those of us who met her. I and others have prayed for this young girl day in day out since we met her. I heard yesterday from Honore in Beni. He said two weeks ago Christine from CEPIMA in Beni had visited him and brought a photo of Naama so that he could share with us what has since happened to Naama. In the words of the people at the clinic Naama “is completely healed”. I have attached two of the photos I took at the clinic and the third is a photo taken a couple of weeks ago of Naama. She is a beautiful, young lady. While I still see the pain in her eyes and know she still has a difficult road ahead of her, I see an amazing transformation. I see how God has brought about healing in her life and it is incredible to see her standing and not rocking back and forth. Our God is so good to answer our prayers for little Naama. Please continue to pray for her whenever you think of her.

God continues to perform wonderful miracles of healing in the DRC amidst all that is happening there. God is just awesome.

Blessings to you all. I do hope you are all well.

Christine

___________________________

God, in the darkest places, shows the most light. He is redeeming all things! He is worthy to be praised!

Jake & Kelsey's Wedding

2009-05-10T19:32:00.003-04:00

Google even changed their logo for them...

how nice..

gnashing of teeth

2009-05-08T03:11:00.003-04:00

Disturbing. The following is from Greg Boyd's blog concerning this new "bible". It can be found here

The Patriot’s Bible consists of hundreds of commentaries on various patriotic themes, ranging in length from one sentence to four pages, inserted at various points (and quite randomly) throughout the New King James Version of the Bible. It is, quite honestly, one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever witnessed coming from a Christian publishing house.

One of the more unsettling aspects of the Patriot’s Bible is the way it unashamedly glorifies nationalistic violence. Almost every nation and tribe throughout history has shared the idolatrous assumption that its military victories were evidence of divine favor. This has been a staple of pagan religion from the start. From its earliest days this same assumption has permeated American culture, it’s just that our tribal warrior god was called “Jesus” or “Jehovah.” In the Patriot’s Bible, this idolatrous mythology is given the appearance of divine authority by being interwoven into the biblical narrative.

From cover to cover, and in a wide variety of ways, the Patriot’s Bible is filled with glorified nationalistic violence. A good portion of its commentaries focus on America’s victorious wars (Vietnam, not so much) and on war heroes. Moreover, the introduction of every book of the Bible is accompanied with a montage of national monuments, symbols, stars and stripes, etc…that include, with few exceptions, images of armed soldiers, bombers and battleships. Most remarkably, each Gospel (The Good News ofJesus Christ!) opens with a picture that includes soldiers struggling to raise a flag under the words “In God We Trust.” All the subsequent books of the New Testament open with a montage that includes a flag waving behind the Statue of Liberty on one side and armed marching troops on the other.

When you consider the uniform and emphatic teaching of Christ and the New Testament authors that followers of Jesus are called to love and do good to our enemies, laying down our lives for them if necessary, this overt celebration of America’s violent victories over our national enemies is absolutely stunning. When you consider that Jesus explicitly repudiated Jewish nationalism (despite the fact that Israel, unlike America, actually had a special status with God) and that the New Testament consistently teaches that Gods’ Kingdom transcends national boundaries, the Patriot’s Bible celebration of American violence becomes more shocking still.

It testifies to how thoroughly the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been subverted by the Gospel of America among many Christians.

I really do love BMW.

2009-05-02T02:59:00.002-04:00

so good...

Google, circa April 27th (of course) 2009

2009-04-27T12:33:00.003-04:00

It says "Dan is awesome" in morse, I promise.

.-.. .. . ...

on quoting the greats...

2009-04-17T21:43:00.004-04:00

Last night was just what I needed. I got to hang out with my friend David Creech (featured below, center) and just have some much needed man-time. If you don't know David, he is one of the most thoughtful and insightful and peaceful people one could hope to be around. His honesty, good nature, and commitment to the friendship relationship are truly amazing. I've had the pleasure of getting to know David more as he has returned from his cross-country adventure, and now I look forward to him heading to the Democratic Republic of Congo this summer to love the people there. I love you bro. Thanks again for being awesome.

(David is center)

home sweet home

2009-04-17T21:26:00.000-04:00

(not my photo)

know.

2009-04-17T21:22:00.002-04:00

We shall not cease from exploration.

And the end of all our exploring

Will be to arrive where we started

And know the place for the first time.

--T.S. Eliot

_____________________

2009-03-30T20:37:00.000-04:00

Jess' blog

2009-03-30T19:32:00.000-04:00

.
Check this out:

http://ti-blan.livejournal.com

2009-03-25T18:45:00.003-04:00

It’s true folks. I was accepted to be a Human Rights Intern at International Justice Mission ( www.ijm.org ) for this summer! It was a long and unique vetting/selection process before I was finally offered a final position, but it came. I want to thank all of you who encouraged me to pursue this endeavor, I really wouldn’t have done it without you, and I already am so thankful for people who support me so whole-heartedly even if I’m not so sure why they believe in me so much! Why the crazy language of an acceptance speech? Well, mostly it is because in their field, Justice for the oppressed, IJM is second to none. Started by a man named Gary Haugen, a former attorney with the US Justice Department, who went on to become the UN investigator for the Rwandan Genocide, IJM seeks to bring justice to places and people who would otherwise not see it. This, to them, and rightfully so, is seen as the carrying out of a biblical mandate to enact justice on behalf of the poor, the orphan, the widow. I, again, could speak for some time about these things, but I’ll just let them explain it….

International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local governments to ensure victim rescue, to prosecute perpetrators and to strengthen the community and civic factors that promote functioning public justice systems.IJM's justice professionals work in their communities in 12 countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America to secure tangible and sustainable protection of national laws through local court systems.

So what will I be doing? That’s a good question as I don’t know exactly, but the information I’ve received thus far says….

Human Rights interns assist IJM's attorneys with tasks related to IJM’s casework and the management of offices around the world. Although tasks vary depending on the nature of the work in progress during the internship, interns can expect their tasks to include:
1. Researching country-specific issues, current events, administrative procedures and culture;
2. Preparing support materials for presentations and reports;
3. Compiling country or topic-related briefing binders, including background research, internal reports, relevant travel information, and contact data; and
4. Participating in departmental and general IJM clerical support (approximately 25 percent of work load).

So, in short, I’ll be living in downtown Washington DC from May 31st to August 13th, taking the metro to work, wearing a suit every day, spending time with the Lord with my colleagues, and working amongst the best and the brightest for the cause of biblical justice. It sounds trite, but I’m truly humbled by the opportunity to serve there. Honestly… it’s such an honor and a privilege that I don’t always feel I deserve it. But, I, again, thank you all for your support, and would love to send out a special thanks to those who were so very instrumental in praying and encouraging me, my mom & dad, Chris, Kevin, Amanda, Opal, Sarah, Peggy, Janice, Steve & Celestia, Abby, David, Ryan, and everyone at our “house church without a name….” Thank you. I will keep you all updated as time goes on.

But for the real, and much funnier, reason I accept this internship click HERE, you won’t be disappointed! : )

God Bless, Dan

Athiest take on God and Africa, amazing...

2009-03-24T17:57:00.000-04:00

PLEASE READ!

As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God

Missionaries, not aid money, are the solution to Africa's biggest problem - the crushing passivity of the people's mindset

Matthew Parris

Before Christmas I returned, after 45 years, to the country that as a boy I knew as Nyasaland. Today it's Malawi, and The Times Christmas Appeal includes a small British charity working there. Pump Aid helps rural communities to install a simple pump, letting people keep their village wells sealed and clean. I went to see this work.
It inspired me, renewing my flagging faith in development charities. But travelling in Malawi refreshed another belief, too: one I've been trying to banish all my life, but an observation I've been unable to avoid since my African childhood. It confounds my ideological beliefs, stubbornly refuses to fit my world view, and has embarrassed my growing belief that there is no God.
Now a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people's hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.
I used to avoid this truth by applauding - as you can - the practical work of mission churches in Africa. It's a pity, I would say, that salvation is part of the package, but Christians black and white, working in Africa, do heal the sick, do teach people to read and write; and only the severest kind of secularist could see a mission hospital or school and say the world would be better without it. I would allow that if faith was needed to motivate missionaries to help, then, fine: but what counted was the help, not the faith.
But this doesn't fit the facts. Faith does more than support the missionary; it is also transferred to his flock. This is the effect that matters so immensely, and which I cannot help observing.
First, then, the observation. We had friends who were missionaries, and as a child I stayed often with them; I also stayed, alone with my little brother, in a traditional rural African village. In the city we had working for us Africans who had converted and were strong believers. The Christians were always different. Far from having cowed or confined its converts, their faith appeared to have liberated and relaxed them. There was a liveliness, a curiosity, an engagement with the world - a directness in their dealings with others - that seemed to be missing in traditional African life. They stood tall.
At 24, travelling by land across the continent reinforced this impression. From Algiers to Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon and the Central African Republic, then right through the Congo to Rwanda, Tanzania and Kenya, four student friends and I drove our old Land Rover to Nairobi.
We slept under the stars, so it was important as we reached the more populated and lawless parts of the sub-Sahara that every day we find somewhere safe by nightfall. Often near a mission.
Whenever we entered a territory worked by missionaries, we had to acknowledge that something changed in the faces of the people we passed and spoke to: something in their eyes, the way they approached you direct, man-to-man, without looking down or away. They had not become more deferential towards strangers - in some ways less so - but more open.
This time in Malawi it was the same. I met no missionaries. You do not encounter missionaries in the lobbies of expensive hotels discussing development strategy documents, as you do with the big NGOs. But instead I noticed that a handful of the most impressive African members of the Pump Aid team (largely from Zimbabwe) were, privately, strong Christians. “Privately” because the charity is entirely secular and I never heard any of its team so much as mention religion while working in the villages. But I picked up the Christian references in our conversations. One, I saw, was studying a devotional textbook in the car. One, on Sunday, went off to church at dawn for a two-hour service.
It would suit me to believe that their honesty, diligence and optimism in their work was unconnected with personal faith. Their work was secular, but surely affected by what they were. What they were was, in turn, influenced by a conception of man's place in the Universe that Christianity had taught.
There's long been a fashion among Western academic sociologists for placing tribal value systems within a ring fence, beyond critiques founded in our own culture: “theirs” and therefore best for “them”; authentic and of intrinsically equal worth to ours.
I don't follow this. I observe that tribal belief is no more peaceable than ours; and that it suppresses individuality. People think collectively; first in terms of the community, extended family and tribe. This rural-traditional mindset feeds into the “big man” and gangster politics of the African city: the exaggerated respect for a swaggering leader, and the (literal) inability to understand the whole idea of loyal opposition.
Anxiety - fear of evil spirits, of ancestors, of nature and the wild, of a tribal hierarchy, of quite everyday things - strikes deep into the whole structure of rural African thought. Every man has his place and, call it fear or respect, a great weight grinds down the individual spirit, stunting curiosity. People won't take the initiative, won't take things into their own hands or on their own shoulders.
How can I, as someone with a foot in both camps, explain? When the philosophical tourist moves from one world view to another he finds - at the very moment of passing into the new - that he loses the language to describe the landscape to the old. But let me try an example: the answer given by Sir Edmund Hillary to the question: Why climb the mountain? “Because it's there,” he said.
To the rural African mind, this is an explanation of why one would not climb the mountain. It's... well, there. Just there. Why interfere? Nothing to be done about it, or with it. Hillary's further explanation - that nobody else had climbed it - would stand as a second reason for passivity.
Christianity, post-Reformation and post-Luther, with its teaching of a direct, personal, two-way link between the individual and God, unmediated by the collective, and unsubordinate to any other human being, smashes straight through the philosphical/spiritual framework I've just described. It offers something to hold on to to those anxious to cast off a crushing tribal groupthink. That is why and how it liberates.
Those who want Africa to walk tall amid 21st-century global competition must not kid themselves that providing the material means or even the knowhow that accompanies what we call development will make the change. A whole belief system must first be supplanted.
And I'm afraid it has to be supplanted by another. Removing Christian evangelism from the African equation may leave the continent at the mercy of a malign fusion of Nike, the witch doctor, the mobile phone and the machete.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/matthew_parris/article5400568.ece

Spring Break 2009: To Bear Witness...

2009-03-19T05:53:00.004-04:00

Spring Break 2009: To bear witness…

Many people have wondered what my “alternative” spring break was all about… so I will tell you.

I went to the Alicar Valley in southern Arizona to learn and bear witness to what is happening on our border.

Discussions of our border and those who cross it “illegally” are rife with rhetoric that is framing the conversation quite ineffectively and erroneously. This is a major injustice both to us and to the people that cross our borders in search of a better life every day. It’s too easy to say they (the “others”, those not like “us”, “those Mexicans”) are illegal, want nothing more than to take out money/jobs, bring drugs over, and should be removed from the United States if they enter illegally. I used to draw that in as black and white as I could, allowing a perverse and over-zealous sense of nationalism to help me see past the glaring hypocrisy in my own framework of thinking. I used to, some time ago, draw that line in the sand in solidarity with the majority of the American people, who, driven by fear, in one form or the other, don’t what the “others” to be here.

I stand in solidarity with the migrants. They are my heroes in fact. Their reality, by and large, is much more black and white than ours: if they don’t come, their families may starve or live in abject poverty. This is largely due to macro-level economic factors that they have no control over. They are not a homogenous group without their own agency, but they are victims of a larger system. For brevity’s sake I won’t get into NAFTA, Cartels, US subsidies, Maquilidoras, and how these all play into the plight of the average Mexican/Honduran/Guatemalan/El Salvadoran migrant. But they come… they come for their families because they love them and want to provide for them. There is wealth in America. That is their reality. That is their black & white. Most (honestly) don’t even want to come, but feel they must. That is why their community fronts the money to get these people to the US, seeing these journeyers as a hope for sustenance and furtherance of their dreams. They usually travel hundreds or thousands of miles to reach the border, especially those from Central America, and will face severe injustice along the way. In fact, for example, most of the women who travel from Central America take birth control before their journey because they know along the way to a “better life” coyotes will rape them because that’s the method of control for their smugglers. It’s worth that much for a “better life” of economic slavery and abuse in the states. It’s worth that much to come to America where they will be “illegal” and inherently viewed as lower because they are undocumented and no one can really go to bat for an illegal immigrant. The migrants we spoke to in Mexico that were about to cross into the US were very ignorant of how far they had to go, what they should bring, what they should wear, the difficulties they would face, and even where they were going… migration north is largely controlled by the cartels who provide the coyotes and charge exorbitant amounts of money to smuggle their human cargo to “freedom”. No, these migrants are not masters of their destinies. They are victims. We mustn’t forget this, for that is their reality. But to them, it might just be worth it. That should tell the citizens of the north something…

America’s black and white is actually a lot grayer… I do not seek to attack my country or question the reason people have strong beliefs about the border issue. They, like the migrants that seek a life in the United States, aren’t born in a vacuum, but are socialized products of their environments that fiercely want to defend their way of life and their families. This is not in and of itself a bad thing. It becomes bad when it is denied to the person on the other side off the ill-thought fence that draws a line between a people who have never been apart. Our language here in the United States’ media and government is designed to draw a distinction between the human on the south side of the border with the human on the north. Dehumanization is rampant. “Illegal” is commonly used, migrant is not. “They take our jobs”, when we, have in some ways, taken theirs. Are they not our brothers and sisters? I used to, a long time ago, feel like there was a difference between them and me… but is there? I’m the son of an Italian immigrant who grew up in the “land of opportunity”… am I so different because my father has always been here legally? I don’t think so. Is the “American dream” only for those who have achieved it already?

These questions post much deeper questions than I am fit to answer here, but it does lead me to why I chose to learn about border justice issues: Because human beings, regardless of their race, legal status, sex, religion, creed, or any other criteria, don’t deserve to die in the Sonoran desert because they have sought to enter the United States. That is why No More Deaths/No Mas Muertes exists… because humanitarian aid is never a crime and all people have rights.

No Mas Muertes was born out of the sanctuary movement (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctuary_movement) that started in Tucson’s Southside Presbyterian Church with pastor John Fife running the defiance. As that passed and time moved on more and more people died of exposure in the Arizona desert, the church knew it again had a job to do, and so began the Samaritans and No Mas Muertes. The rest, as they say, is history.

No Mas Muertes exists to provide humanitarian aid to migrants entering the United States. This includes, but is not limited to, medical care, water, food, and information on migrants rights. Volunteers, and everyone is a volunteer, patrol the desert for immigrants, leaving water and food on trails, to help in any way they can because hundreds if not thousands of migrants, men, women, and children of all ages, have died in our desert, and this should utterly appall us. I do not seek to appeal to emotion but to encourage everyone to construct their visuals accurately.

What No More Deaths/No Mas Muertes does is not civil disobedience. We are not sitting at the front of any buses or getting beaten by police and arrested (for the most part). You can legally provide care for migrants in any way as long as you’re not willfully furthering the journey of an “illegal migrant”. What it is then, is civil initiative. The last person found dead in the desert by NMD was a fourteen-year-old girl name Josalina . Her parent’s couldn’t even come to the memorial to see where she died because to return to the spot would be going through border patrol check points and they were, of course, undocumented. Fourteen. Did she willfully choose to make the 60+ mile trek to Tucson from Nogales? Did she want to die in our desert? No, what we at No More Deaths do is civil initiative, because regardless of what people think about border policy, a person, legal or “illegal”, in the United States has full constitutional protection and protection under multiple human rights treaties the US has signed and ratified (see article 6 of the constitution for the relevance). Our actions, then, are civil initiative because the government of our great country is turning a blind eye to the human rights catastrophe at our border. We cannot do the same. As US citizens, let alone those of us who serve a King (Hint: Son of God…) not a kingdom, it is our duty to carry out the work the government is failing to do. No More Deaths then, is doing the governments work. What a dubious distinction. The border patrol surely won’t do it. They are willfully blind to the nature of their culpability in the oppressive border system. The National Guard won’t do it (mostly because, no matter what Kid Rock says, they’re pretty worthless, I would know). The Sheriff’s office won’t do it, especially our racist and shameful excuse for an Arizonan, “Sheriff Joe”. No one will take care of the poor and oppressed (as is a biblical mandate, see Isaiah, Micah, the gospels)… so, miraculously, the church is… through the ministry, yes ministry, of No More Deaths.

A ministry? Yes, because I’ve never seen the church like I saw it there. There pastors and anarchists and hippies can dine and work together in one accord. The pastor doesn’t have to water down the truth he holds in his heart, but he doesn’t have to compromise the mission of the church either. Southside Presbyterian understands the Church; yes, the “big C” Church. I can’t even tell you what it was like to be amongst Christians who had committed their lives to justice, peace, and the gospel. Not the social gospel, but the work and life and message of our Lord Jesus Christ. They needed no platform to preach from, just a life of service and humility to lead. Mother Teresa knew something about that if I remember correctly… such men and women were there at our quaint camp in the desert. Others were there too. College students, hippies, “anarchists”, you name it. People committed to justice, even though we may not all agree on the details of such a statement…. But it was amongst these beautiful people created by the Lord that I learned of the community the church should have. I learned what disagreeing well was. People always say “Hippies just love people”… but it’s true. I was humbled by the caliber of people I was able to spend my week in the desert with. I count some of them as mentors almost. I may have a faith they claim to have never given two seconds of thought to, but we have more in common than we may believe. We, for the most part believe man is fallen and that the systems he created are inherently broken, that the world is built on injustice. This, my friends, is biblical! From there we can dialog. I didn’t walk away from that weekend believing in free love, drugs, or destroying capitalism and no one encouraged me to think those ways… but I did walk away with friendships, stories, and a witness to convictions that rivaled the most pious men of the cloth.

“They will be known by their fruit”… and real love was shown on behalf of these disparate people towards the migrants who wandered into our camp and those we found on the trails. That fruit was love, and it was plucked and served to all in camp whether American or not. Conversely what can be said about the fruit of our friends at CBP and Border Patrol? They mean well, but there are thousands of documented abuses of detained migrants at the hands of our very own US Border Patrol. Give any man power and a dehumanized victim and abuses will abound. Welcome to the reality of the migrant… who can be held for 72 hours without processing or a meal and if he happens to be the unlucky 70^th migrant of the day, he’ll face 6 months in jail with no real legal options! But the real fruit is borne by our friends at Wackenhut, the Danish-owned private security company contracted by the Border Patrol who carry out the processing and deportation of migrants once captured by the Border Patrol. Hmm… it’s like the infamous Black Water (who, I admit, I detest) just not as sexy. Wackenhut undoubtedly does a decent job of fulfilling their requirements for their contract, but the real telling issue is that they are there at all. Border Patrol agents, due to being found bribable, can’t stay at one location on the border for more than 6 months, which says a lot. So… for the rest of the behind the scenes work, pay someone else to do this work for you… oh, their fruit, their fruit… the privatization of the militarization of our border… nothing makes me lose hope in something faster than when it becomes about money, and folks, there is an element of that here. I truly don’t want to get into it all… but a BP agent’s motivation for the job isn’t money but believing in the mission… can the same be said for Wackenhut? Doubtful. The fruit, I’m afraid, is rotten.

What we attempted to do then, in the desert, was live in community together, as an alternative to the hedonistic spring break rituals our culture embraces, for a common purpose: serving our brothers and sisters to the south. A migrant once told John, a Christian peacemaker serving at No More Deaths’ camp, “We know what the wall says about us, but what does it say about you?” And what does it say about us? What do we, whatever primary identity we have, American, world citizen, Christian, Socialist, Conservative, want to be said about us? What do we want to be known for not for our own sake but because of the depth of our convictions and the content of our character? The wall speaks of a nation-state’s division, willful blindness, hidden racism, and fear. Our response to this wall should speak of love, service, solidarity, and most importantly, humility.

There is so much more to be said, and I am no expert on this issue, but this is what I witnessed.

God Bless, Dan

For more information check out www.nomoredeaths.org and ASU’s 2009 Border Justice event http://www.west.asu.edu/publicaffairs/public_events/?i=770

no More Deaths Spring Break 3

2009-03-19T05:44:00.002-04:00

No More Deaths Spring Break 2

2009-03-19T04:17:00.003-04:00

No More Deaths Spring Break 1

2009-03-17T16:26:00.001-04:00

Spring Break

2009-03-06T20:15:00.002-05:00

www.nomoredeaths.org/

my effective and efficient transportation

2009-03-02T10:15:00.002-05:00

Because my car bit it, i decided to go ahead and take the plunge and get a motorcycle, which is a much more exciting and gas efficient form of transportation. i was not going to buy a used car for $3,000 (how much I paid for this '04 Yamaha yzf-600r) that was a decade old and had a million problems. If this thing brings, it's like $70 to get fixed and there is a lot less to break...

Anyways, thus far I love it, and I just pray I can remain safe on it...

Lisa's Graduation!

2009-03-02T10:10:00.001-05:00

Thanks for the photos Dad!

must be asleep

2009-03-02T09:56:00.003-05:00

you know, I used to write.

and life is so overwhelming when no one hears your silent screams for something, anything
anything that would make you sleep sounder at night. i used to write, which meant i had the words... oh Lord, show us who we are!

who are we? what is this great love inside of me? and defeat....

are we worthy? for amidst denial, grace.... i haven't the time i say... but there is so much to be said.. but you know i used to write.

Contact...

2009-03-02T09:54:00.001-05:00

Written by As Cities Burn

Hearts aren't really our guides.
We are truly alone.
'Cause God ain't up in the sky,
Holding together our bones.

Remember we used to speak.
Now I'm starting to think,
Your voice was really my own,
Bouncing off the ceiling back to me.

God, this can't be.
God, this can't be,
God, could it be that all we see is it?

Come down, heaven.
Won't you come down?
Won't you cut through the clouds?
Won't you come down?

Oh, my heaven, why do you have doors to close?
Do you have clouds to stop his voice on the way down?

God, this can't be.
God, this can't be,
God, could it be that all we see is it?

God, does grace reach to this side of madness?
'Cause I know this can't be,
The great peace we all seek.

Come down, heaven.
Won't you come down?
Won't you cut through the clouds?
Won't you come down?

For Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T14:01:00.002-05:00

Si vic pacem, laborate justitiam: "if you want peace, work for justice"

the Alternative

2009-02-10T09:25:00.000-05:00

"For the Kingdom of God is God’s dynamic rule, breaking into human history through Jesus, confronting, combating, and overcoming evil, spreading the wholeness of personal and communal well-being, taking possession of his people in total blessing and total demand. The church is meant to be the Kingdom community, a model of what human community looks like when it comes under the rule of God, and a challenging alternative to secular society"

John Stott

Lessons From a white, Republican male.

2009-01-24T04:10:00.002-05:00

I found this article through Evangelicals for Social Action, ESA. It is located at:
http://www.geezmagazine.org/issue12/lessons-from-a-white-republican-male

It has a poignant message. I hope you can check it out!
dan

________________________________

I often tell people I’m from Kensington, a neighborhood in Philadelphia. It’s technically true, though in actuality, my relationship with this wrong-side-of-the-tracks corner of the city, one of the poorest and most violent parts of town, is complicated and tenuous.
I used to just tell people I was from Philadelphia. That was truer. But while attending Eastern University – a hotbed for Christian activists in my home city – I began to realize that roots in the poor part of town were considered by my peers to be a badge of honour. The Simple Way faith community had moved to Kensington and were generating buzz. Other evangelical activist friends were working fast and hard to place Kensington on their resumes – volunteering there for various projects. And so claiming my Kensington roots, shaky as they are, became an avenue toward upward mobility by embracing the exact opposite.

The place I am actually from is the transition zone between the suburbs and Kensington. Growing up, my connection to Kensington rarely amounted to more than an awkward Christmas gathering at my dysfunctional aunt’s place (three blocks from where The Simple Way is now located) or a glance out the window of the train on the way home from a Phillies game.

My father is the one who is actually from Kensington. B-Street to be exact. It is a history I know little about. It didn’t come up much. It was something in the past. Now, my dad is a middle class, Republican, suburban evangelical – a few of my not-so-favorite things.

While my university experience increased my interest in my dad’s past, it also increased my discomfort with his present. I became zealous in my quest to take down the American empire and restore global justice, and therefore conversations with my conservative dad never went that well.

So when my dad and I decided to meet in London on my way back from four months of “service” in Uganda in 2004, I felt a bit nervous about the conversations we would have during our time there. Ironically, we stayed in the “other” Kensington – one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in London. After a week of lecturing my father on the needs of Ugandan children, my father calmly told me some of his story of growing up in Kensington. It’s a story that’s not unique in Kensington. But it was my father’s story. And it was different than the reality I had known in my life. He told me about nights doing homework under bar stools and of not knowing his father’s name. He finished the story with the internalized and stoic understatement, “I’ve had a hard life.”

Back in university after my return, I resumed my empire toppling activities, frequently joining social justice and antipoverty demonstrations on the streets of Philadelphia. Often, after spending time downtown at a protest or handing out peanut butter sandwiches to homeless people, I would stop by my dad’s office at Philadelphia’s electric company, which is owned by
one of the largest energy companies in the world.

During these visits, we usually found ourselves disagreeing on a variety of predictable issues. And in the deep crevasses of these conversations I often had the nagging feeling that there was something wrong about a middle class, university- educated son telling his once-poor father what the poor need and don’t need.

I’ve moved away from Philly but I still go back to visit. On my most recent trip home, fresh back from Palestine (another activist badge), I met my father outside the train station. The bridge leading from the train station to my father’s office is home to many homeless folk, and as we approached bridge I reached in my pocket for change with the intention of being charitable and proving something (I’m not sure what) to my dad. But as we crossed the bridge, I noticed that each homeless person we passed greeted my father by name. He was a celebrity on the bridge. And not a single person asked him for money. He was simply a friend to his neighbours. It occurred to me
that he did something few activists do – walk the same path five days a week for 30 years.

We stopped and talked to one woman, Rona. My dad introduced me and she mentioned that she had heard all about my upcoming marriage and my work with the church. She was not particularly interested in my work with the poor, but instead told me how wonderful my father was.

I realized later that for all the times I had protested in support of the poor, not one poor person in Philadelphia knew me by name. I subsequently found out my father had refused the request of executives in his company who asked him to kick the homeless people off that bridge to make it “safer” for downtown residents. The story of a middle-class, white, male, evangelical Republican wouldn’t often be held up as an example for activists. But his example teaches me much.

It teaches me to stay in one place. Transience is dead. Activism belongs to those who have committed their lives to people and who have learned to stay put. It is those people who, despite discovering that the poor are no more romantic or Godly then the rest of us, stick with them anyway. It is those people who can enter genuine relationships with the poor and speak with integrity.

The rest of us would probably do well to not speak for a while, to just hold our ideals close to our chests for a time. We need to learn to quiet down and slow down . . . to a halt. To stay still for a while – maybe even for 30 years.

Dan Leonard recently moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is a member of the Geez board.

My sis and I about to take out the bike, and, of course, my new "cami special" haircut. Rock N Roll.

2009-01-24T01:51:00.004-05:00

So this is the new year.

2009-01-24T01:51:00.001-05:00

and I don't feel any different.....

advance

2008-12-28T07:22:00.003-05:00

Days before it is all supposed to change
oh, and it has all been changing
but what i need is more than change
light.

tragedy and beauty

2008-11-18T02:15:00.005-05:00

unfurling paper, and bleeding onto the floor

one can't even feel anymore

the finality has come and lingers here like a shadow of death in the heart

so many things unspoken

frail words collapse under the weight

oh the weight, of tragedy and beauty

onlookers see and try to believe, saying they understand

pain is our own however

to believe otherwise is to have never stood where I stand

to have never held what I held

and nothing in me begs to explain...

yes, the pain is our own

and when we start to see God.

John Bunyan's great poem

2008-11-17T16:23:00.002-05:00

Chris Davis, our pastor at Whitton, has used this poem in a couple of sermon's lately and I thought I would share it with the world. It is an amazing little piece of food for thought showing the contrast between legalism and the Gospel's good news.

Run, John, run, the law commands
But gives us neither feet nor hands,
Far better news the gospel brings:
It bids us fly and gives us wings.

support wikipedia

2008-11-09T15:13:00.001-05:00

Post 100: Don't Fret

2008-11-08T10:55:00.002-05:00

From Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost For His Highest" concerning psalm 37:8 which says "Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret--it only causes harm."

"It is one thing to say 'Fret not,' but a very different thing to have such a disposition that you find yourself able not to fret. It sounds so easy to talk about resting in the Lord and 'waiting patiently for Him' until the nest is upset--until we live, as so many are doing, in tumult and anguish; is it possible the to rest in the Lord? If this 'don't' does not work there, it will work nowhere. This 'don't' must work in days of perplexity as well as in days of peace, or it never will work. And if it will not work in in your particular case, it will not work in anyone else's case. Resting in the Lord does not depend on external circumstances at all, but on your relationship to God Himself....

Fretting springs from a determination to get our own way. Our Lord never worried and He was never anxious, because He was not 'out' to realize His own ideas; He was 'out' to realize God's ideas. Fretting is a wicked if you are a child of God.

Have you been bolstering up that soul of yours with the idea that your circumstances are too much for God? Put all 'supposing' on one side and dwell in the shadow of the Almighty. Deliberately tell God that you will not fret about that thing. All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God. "

- Oswald Chambers

dreams

2008-11-05T01:32:00.004-05:00

Tonight my country elected the first black man to the office of President of the United States, the single most powerful position on the planet. For that I am proud. I am under no delusions that the sin of racism is dead, but it is yet another sign that we're moving in the right direction. I don't have to support the candidate himself (or the one who lost) to admit just how historic and beautiful the election of a non-white person to the highest office of the land is. I believe that in my lifetime I will see the first woman president too. The world is changing, and God is still in control, and I feel blessed to live in this time, even amidst the horrifying injustice that exists all over this world. I, and everyone reading this, was born in this era for a reason. May we make the best of it and be the change we want to see in the world.

simply put...

2008-11-04T02:10:00.001-05:00

today, Nov 3rd, was a good day. I was able to have some interesting conversations about God and feminism in class, able to see Emery totally rock out (even though the crowd was no good) at Martini Ranch, and spend time with Clint and Jake. I was able to read an amazing article for my Women, Societies, & Cultures class that really caused me to think, I was able to begin reading G.K Chesterton's Orthodoxy, which I already love. These are small gifts from God that remind me that it's good to be alive. I savor them more these days... today I was writing in my journal next to a beautiful desert thinking about the future and a peace that can only come from above came over me. My heart has suffered greatly in the past few months, but even now I can see the light cutting through the darkness...

Thank you Lord for my life.

Davis

2008-10-31T13:35:00.007-04:00

This is Davis, one of the boys at African Hearts in Kampala, Uganda. He's an incredible kid, one whom I adore so much. Right now, however, he is very sick with Malaria, a common disease in Africa. However, while most people have Malaria more times than they can count, there are different strains of the disease. Davis has caught one of the worst strains, and is currently hospitalized because of it. I'll update this post as I know more, but he's no longer on Oxygen although he still can't really talk. He's on heavy drugs right now in hopes that the parasites do not reach his brain. Please, please pray for this wonderful friend of mine. Thank you, Dan

I've just found out from Jessica who just visited him in the hospital that he's of oxygen, and can't really respond to people although he can hear and understand. It is probably cerebral malaria and they think they caught it just in time. Please continue to pray.

Nov 2nd: Yesterday I talked to Lutaaya and today I talked to Jessica, and from what they are saying Davis is improving very well. He's still "out of it" quite a bit, but he can move now, is able to speak at a whisper, and can respond to things. The doctors, from what i'm gathering, still don't know how much the malaria has affected him and are going to continue to monitor his blood but also want to take urine samples and do a spinal tap. Scary stuff, so please be in prayer for him. He's such an awesome kid... well, they all are! There have been so many visitors at Mengo Hospital that have come and seen him. Some distant family, all the people associated with African Hearts, etc. Tony told Jess that yesterday over 50 people came and saw him. He is definitely loved. He may not be able to read them right away, but at some point in time! On another note, Ronald, the four year old boy at African Hearts Ssenge house now has malaria as well. It's not as serious, but all malaria is bad so if you could pray for him and the rest of the boys at the house that'd be awesome. Thank you so much. God Bless. Dan

Nov. 8th: I talked with Lutaaya in Kampala a couple of days ago and he says that Davis is doing better and should be home in a couple of days (now) but that another boy is very sick and hospitalized as well... please just keep everyone at African Hearts in your prayers as sickness is pretty common there at this time. Thank you.

fully alive

2008-10-25T14:06:00.000-04:00

Life beckons with promises of failure and uncertainty, and yet to be a man fully alive, which is the glory of God, is the strongest call on my life. He who loses his life saves it Christ says, and I can’t imagine saving it here for the ‘pleasures’ of this life. One has to wonder what pleasure should really mean since man is not good, and life not fair, and suffering and pain the norm. Why then do we have pleasure? We needn’t have taste buds to eat, or to enjoy sex to reproduce. But they are good gifts from the Father. So then is our pain, which reminds us that we’re alive, and that this world is not all there is. And, if we hold anything to be true, it should be that the world should be much worse, as it holds the likes of you and I, broken people in desperate need of grace. And yet in this paradox of pleasure and pain I find myself longing to taste the freedom on being truly alive, and have that be God’s glory. This young, yet worn man, much prefers a simpler life to the distraction and abundance found here. The fondest memories I hold are not of things I’d consider fun, but of things I consider beautiful. Holding a small fatherless child in the biting, frigid wind. Praying with a dying woman in her small house. Sharing God’s word with people who have little hope. These are what have defined me, yet defied explanation, as is obvious by my relative silence about them. Yes, I have beheld amazing beauty; from the islands of Hong Kong to the hills of Uganda to the mountains of Hawaii I’ve seen it. Nothing compares to the profound beauty of love, the mastery of which I’ve yet to fathom. I’ve known love in its many forms at various times in my short love, and it defines me, and drives me to a place of pursuing it harder. I’ve received love as well, and for that I am grateful and blessed. True life beckons…. promising what could never be grasped apart from Christ, grace, love, truth, freedom, and hope. Lord, Make me fully alive.

take my life.

2008-10-23T11:25:00.001-04:00

take my life.

the past couple of days have been a culmination of something God has been doing in me for a number of years, specifically in the past three months. and praise God because He is good, and i will choose to praise Him amidst my deepest pain and greatest loss. what loss is that? the loss of something i loved in ways that will forever be unknown except to God and i. the (probable) loss of my job. the loss of a grade at school for a class i will probably fail. The loss of my identity as someone stole it. and it was that phone call from USAA reminding me that my identity was not my own anymore that it hit me that this is the story of the past few years of my life. everything has changed since i came back from overseas in 2005. everything. many things have been asked of me that i failed to deliver on. i started to see everything anew, experiencing radical change. every belief i used to have has been shattered. i prayed a prayer a long time ago desiring brokenness and this is where it has led me: to loss. i don't know if He is done and if this is really the culmination, but at the bottom all you can see is up. there are no romantic ideals attached to that concept, and no one's pity will make anything fair or easier. it was never about me, however, it is about Him. making me willing. making me available. making me understand the things i couldn't understand otherwise. i choose to love Him then. i put my heart, the broken, divided, and overused thing that it is, into my palm and offer it with a pained, whispered 'take my life'. He puts His nail-pierced palm out and lets life drip from it onto me saying tenderly 'Take My Life'. but Christ's life takes something i'm not sure i have, courage. i could die much easier for someone i love than to sacrifice my life for simply more pain and loss... but as G.K. Cheserton said "Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die." He goes on to say, referencing Matthew 10:39, "'He that will lose his life, the same shall save it', is not a piece of mysticism for saints and heroes." in me is such a strong desire to truly live... and to lose my life. do i have the courage now that i have little left to give up?

fierce. pt II

2008-10-21T01:17:00.000-04:00

Sometimes things change, but time is everything

Maquiladora, our murders

2008-10-20T20:02:00.003-04:00

The sand beneath her feet was harder than before, and the laughter behind her won't stop. Only part of the tragedy is her last screams will be heard only by her Diablos, the dozen or so men moments away from brutally raping her, cutting her up, and burning her "alive". The other part of the tragedy is the black-on-pink crosses painted around the city in her honor that no one with power will listen to. Justice costs too much. The Maquiladora will come, bringing the money and narcotics that will silence her death. The Maquiladora will leave, silencing the impoverished masses who will work for less. Her tears matter not then, as she's one of hundreds buried in the sands of Juarez. The numbers are our murder weapon of indifference.
Diablo come; Diablo take her away.

Aztlan Journal article by Alicia Gaspar de Alba on the Maquiladora Murders (click "open full text")

Why I'm voting for John Obama

2008-10-20T17:18:00.004-04:00

I'm voting for John Obama because I believe he's the right man for the job. He'll do what every politician before him has done; tell us what we want to hear rhetorically (formerly referred to as "lying"). He will use his "Christian" faith to get votes and pander to huge groups of supposedly discerning constituents. He'll raise and lower taxes depending on what is politically feasible. He will listen to anyone who pays enough to have an opinion. He will spend an inordinate amount on defense, and not enough for other things that matter. John Obama is my hero. John Obama will pretend that America (and by association, Americans) is/are superior to everyone else and that they all wish they could be us and if we sell Americanism to the world, they'll be rid of their issues, just like we (almost) are. John Obama loves America. He loves apple pie, high school football, and knows that America needs to enact some "green policies" but will fail to mention to his minions that it will cost their cushy way of life dearly and that our society of consumerism is the single biggest culprit in climate change… after all, it takes a lot of hydrocarbons to move all that junk around the planet! But John Obama believes, even more now than ever, that capitalism is still the miracle cure for our ills and multi-national corporations should do what they want in the world because the only really bad poverty and exploitation is of Americans. John Obama will help restore balance in the universe while blindly supporting Israel, even though Israelis are not Israelites (but shhhh, people don't know that!), much to the chagrin of the millions of Arabs who get their news not from unbiased Western news outlets like CNN but from public terrorist networks like "the Island", Al-Jazeera. Oh yes, John Obama is the man for the job to run the most powerful nation on earth. He'll bring new jobs to America. He'll tell people in Michigan that Toyotas are not better vehicles and that labor union greed and corporate greed are not to blame for sales slumps, after all, who would drive a Lexus over a Lincoln? He'll try and fix healthcare, he's just not really sure he knows how to afford it no matter which route he chooses. He, along with his running mate, Joe Palin, will move quickly to enact many needed changes in American policy like keeping the death penalty even though real 'progressive' and equality-minded societies have long since banned it. He'll also keep the suppression of the metric system at the forefront on his domestic policy, after all, counting by 10's is just too easy and who actually wants to look at the small numbers on their speedometer? John Obama will finally make a decision this country has needed for some time. He will once and for all destroy the evil socialists of Bit Torrent, the P2P file-sharing network, which is the gravest threat to "intellectual property rights" since the iron curtain of communism. Speaking of Communism, John Obama will continue to chastise our brothers to the south. After all, they need to fix themselves, get rid of corruption, deal with the cartels, and convince millions of American addicts to buy American narcotics. John Obama hasn't yet decided on "The Fence", but he's decided on a slogan: "there's enough of you here already". That's why John Obama has developed the 'American Bypass Highway', which will stretch from Juarez to Toronto, is stocked with clean bathrooms and Taco Bells and NO off-ramps. He expects unanimous congressional support. Last but not least, John Obama will never look at the Constitution for guidance, because it's old and brown…. But Wait! Look over there!… a shiny Internet blog written by someone from Bakersfield saying they know something about "Constitutional Freedom!". John Obama will listen to him, the average Joe American. (notice how not a single woman is mentioned in this entire post? That's how John Obama would want it.)

This note is not written to support or tear down either presidential candidate whether it is John McCain or Barack Obama, as there are things about both of them I like and dislike. Rather it is simple satire at the expense of American politics as a whole and has the subtle intent of showing the candidate's similarities over their differences and that maybe the real issues get overlooked in the heat of partisan battle. This election cycle has been rife with doomsday predictions, xenophobia, and saviorizing the candidates ("God, save us from that other guy!") on both sides of the spectrum and I think I was sick of the proselytizing done by believers in the American political faith system who, in my opinion, need to cool it a bit. This isn't 'fair' and sure to upset some people, but I sure feel better.

FYI

2008-10-19T22:13:00.003-04:00

Don't believe the hype: To vote or not to vote is not necessarily a moral choice.
:)

friend wheel (pretty cool huh?)

2008-10-19T21:17:00.000-04:00

eQuality

2008-10-19T10:55:00.001-04:00

"Men of quality are not threatened be women's equality."

nivek.

2008-10-19T00:57:00.004-04:00

I love my roommate Kevin. He's always keen on when I'm hurting or need something or have something on my mind. He will encourage and pray for you often. He's still trying to adjust to life back in the US after being in Armenia 17 months.... but he's still the same ole' guy, with lots of humor, wisdom, and brokenness for the hurting. I think he prays more than anyone I know... and it's deep and personal. He might be one of the biggest blessings in my life right now... I thank the Lord for him, not as much as I should, but in that I am learning.

Grand Canyon Photos from Ryan (thanks bro)

2008-10-17T12:24:00.001-04:00

success in the "relief" field

2008-10-16T21:36:00.007-04:00

I just went to a class for human rights and social justice (Master's level), very interesting. However the guest speaker lady was very.... i don't know how to describe it. She was cool, and fair, but unique. But this is what I learned about "relief" work (sorta, this isn't really fair, but it was funny and you had to be there):

drink. alot.
IREX, and you must know the language
work with the locals, find funding
be committed, get "accepted"
market self: know literature, strong social science research background
have education background
get tan in SE Asia
wait for email for various adventures
love Toyota Land Cruisers ("TLC's" in the biz)
have a little ego
suck up to your "minder"
love WorldVision
do not have a strategy
do not know, for sure, what you do
get a niche, like male sex trafficking
have a thing for 5-star hotels
write emails like they write emails
it is NOT about the issues.
LOG FRAMEWORK
if you don't know: lie.
you have made it if you can say "google me".
overwhelm yourself with data
don't be taken too seriously
tell em' you are a lesbian
"grounded in theory"

may we not forget...

2008-10-15T16:14:00.001-04:00

there is always hope.

Jake's blog: When Nature Attacks

2008-10-11T16:20:00.001-04:00

Originally from Jake Hane's Blog: http://parapraxticals.blogspot.com/

There's really only one word to describe going backpacking in the Grand Canyon. If you're thinking "Grand," you'd be wrong and also not funny or clever. Speaking of clever, there's this little saying that goes "failing to prepare is preparing to fail." This is good advice when it comes to taking tests or planning a vacation or something, but not when it comes to the governenment, and I'm not referring to certain corporate bail-out plans. I'm talking of course about our National Parks Association or whatever it's called.

They give you two options to hike the Grand Canyon legally:

Option 1: Reserve a permit 9 months in advance

Option 2: Drive up to the Grand Canyon and physically write your name on a walk-in permit waiting list.

To hike illegally in the Grand Canyon, you just show up and hope you don't get caught. This is strikingly similar to the strategy adopted by Mexican border-crossers.

The Grand Canyon doesn't have Border Patrol though, so it's easier to get away with things. Just ask Dan Hoffman. Who's Dan Hoffman? Long story short, he's one of the 3 other guys I went with to the Grand Canyon last week, and he's hurt and he needs your help.

That's why I've created the Save Dan Hoffman Foundation. According to field data reports and eyewitness accounts, Dan is stranded somewhere in the Grand Canyon and here's how it happened:

Our group chose Option 2 and ended up miraculously getting a 2-night permit and awesome trail route after Dan and I accidentally made the nice Park Ranger Lady think we were veteran hikers who had just conquered Mt. Kilaminjaro the day before. So we went from having no plan, to having a great plan, to have it being completely altered.

About a mile into our hike, we realize we're being stalked by a Big Horn Sheep. It keeps appearing on these rock outcroppings, and each time it's closer and has this really territorial look in it's eyes. And then, out of nowhere after we stopped to take some pictures, it comes flying through the air with it's head down and takes Dan out at the knees.

Ryan pulls out his knife, puts the sheep in a headlock and stabs it in the brain with his 10-inch knife (nope that's not some euphemism, he really had this sweet knife!). The sheep and Ryan and Dan scrabble on the rocky terrain and after an indescribably long 15 seconds, it was over: Dan was laying on the trail with a compound fracture, gritting his teeth in pain. Ryan is covered in sheep blood and brains and completely out of breath and the sheep is in a couple pieces, most of which fell over the edge of the canyon. Me and Kevin are eating Clif bars.

We all decide that it's best to try and finish the hike so we can track down the rest of this sheep's tribe and brutally murder them with a vengeance. But first Ryan helped Dan hop back to the rim so he can get some medical attention. Ryan tells him if his knee is feeling better the next day to head down and try to catch up with us for our second day of hiking and sheep killing.

Then, for whatever reason, we take our itinerary and launch it into SPACE and make our own plan: this plan includes camping in the wrong campground both times and hiking out a day early. When we get back to the top at 11 at night, it's cold and Ryan, Kevin and Me are pretty tired. Kevin is so tired he's not even speaking English anymore; instead he's muttering inanities in Armenian. That's understandable since we just hiked 9 miles that day and went up almost a mile in elevation. Ryan's limping, and was also a little pissed off that he didn't get to kill any squirrels with the knife he kept strapped to his hip. And I'm starting to realize that I was in no shape to hike more than a few flights of stairs, let alone the Grand Canyon.

We never did see any more sheep on that hike. But when we get to the top, we're all pretty eager to have Dan come pick us up in the car so we can eat some of the donuts we left in the trunk. And also to see how his leg is doing.

Making a really long story short, we can't get ahold of Dan. His cell phone goes straight to voicemail. After a few phone calls and a talk with some ranger named Bruce, we assume that Dan was either out for a day hike or had decided to try and hike down into the Grand Canyon to meet us.

And that brings us to the Save Dan Hoffman Foundation. No one has heard from, or seen Dan since Ryan helped him limp back to the top of the trail that fateful Sunday, October 5, 2008. So Ryan, Kevin and myself are accepting cash donations so that we can launch a full scale investigation and search for Dan, who is by now either dead or a crazed, injured canyon-dwelling nomad, lost forever in the depths of the largest crack in the world.

Think Sand People from Star Wars.

When we find Dan, we will give him the burial he deserves, or if he's alive, use the money that you send to get him a haircut and a good meal. The main portion of the funds will go toward buying a helicopter so we can fly around and look for him. Factoring in the other rescue gear we'll need, the total amount we need to raise is about $5 Million.

So what I'm asking is for you to look in your heart and ask yourself, what would Dan do? Dan would have given you $5 million if you needed it, because that's what kind of guy he is. Or was.

If you were wondering what word describes backpacking in the Grand Canyon, and haven't figured it out yet, I'll just tell you:

give.

That's all, just give.

And if you're wondering how and when Dan evaded Canyon Police and got around not having a permit... well, you'll just have to donate to our foundation so we can find him.

And if you can't give monetarily, please just say some prayers and know that we will never speak to you again because you obviously don't care THAT much.

details forthcoming...

2008-10-10T15:18:00.000-04:00

FACT

2008-10-05T00:36:00.001-04:00

There have been no terrorist attacks in United States since Jack Bauer has appeared on television.

News from Ssenge!

2008-09-27T11:45:00.002-04:00

-This letter is from Lutaaya, my passionate friend at African Hearts who started it all... it's about the new house at Ssenge and the boys there. I think it's a wonderful look into what God is doing in Uganda as we speak! Thanks for reading.

Dan

Hullo Bro,

How is your life? It is always my wonderful pleasure to write to you and give the updates, everything is so exciting here with the new family of boys who came in I cannot believe how they have changed drastically, in my social work classes am told that desocialisation is a process and that it takes long time for people to give up what they have been doing for a long time to give it up in a short time but am surprised. What am seeing here is a real miracle, God healing his people in the shortest time possible my faith has grown and sure God can do anything as he wants. These boys am talking about were on the streets for a long time and had started doing all sorts of evil that street kids do, sniffing drugs, stealing, fighting among many other becoming behaviors and for the time I have worked with street kids I had prepared myself expecting many challenges but these people God has changed their hearts and they are understanding, we discuss, and they follow instructions some of them are even leading in the house, they have a discipline to wake up very early every day and greet that is a big deal in Africa, do house work, study and then play. We also do devotions every night, they have given testimonies in the church we go several times and they always thank God for the new place, now this sounds normal but to a street kid to come to this point is almost impossible.

As you know we have 7 young men here and our last family member is called Abdul who we brought in last week he also has his own unique characters, so quiet and has something special that most people will like him before he even speaks a word. On money we were celebrating Wasswa’s Birth day you know when they come into the house we give them birth days which they choose themselves and so we celebrate them to make them feel special and also to boost their esteem. So we celebrated the young man’s birth day it was fun we had chicken, rice, Irish as that is what the birthday boy asked for they invited their friends from the community and we had fun together. God has really connected me to these young people they do things that matter to me, for example some of them have written me letters saying that they love me and to me this is something that I cannot take lightly. Please keep praying for these young people prayer really works. Am going to send you their pictures soon.

We have also been going out to Kisenyi slums as we have always done, it is also some good work, and every day I go down there I get more clarity on how to help these young people and also God continues to confirm my calling, am dedicated to serving in this way and I need your prayers because it involves a lot of self sacrifice, dedication, commitment, but I know it is about God for this is his work.

We are planning on having 16 street kids but we think that we first need to put some things in place like, water tank, kitchen, more beds, and many things for the house so that we don’t create situations where some have good things and other don’t have.

God Bless.

quoteable

2008-09-26T14:54:00.001-04:00

Great social forces are the mere accumulation of individual actions. Let the future say of our generation that we sent forth mighty currents of hope, and that we worked together to heal the world.

- Jeffrey Sachs
The End of Poverty

You should go to this! some of my photographs have been repainted by James and will be on display!

2008-09-19T02:38:00.003-04:00

www.jamesvanfossan.com

Rive Gauche Art Galleries

is proud to present an exhibit of paintings and fundraiser* by

James Van Fossan

"FACES OF AFRICA"

Thursday, September 25, 2008, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

*a portion of all proceeds will go to "Mending the Soul Ministries",

a non-profit organization working closely with the people of Africa.

*James Van Fossan will raffle off a beautiful painting at the end of the night.

All monies collected for the raffle will go directly to

Mending the Soul Ministries.

7173 East Main Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85281

480.947.6372

rivegauchegalleries.com

One of the best men I know...

2008-09-19T02:14:00.002-04:00

This is Jumah Patrick, one of the best men I know. My "brutha from anotha mutha" and the future orchestrator of change in Uganda. He is an amazing man and when I shot this photo he was speaking to government leaders on behalf of Congolese refugees in his country....

Jumah and I were roommates when we were in the Congo and it was such a joy to get to know him more than I had from my previous time in Uganda... I already miss him! He just got married so please join me in praying for this amazing man and his awesome new wife!

one of the best things I've ever watched. Period.

2008-09-16T01:07:00.004-04:00

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/palin-hillary-open/656281/

African Hearts Update!

2008-09-12T13:57:00.004-04:00

You have to read the latest post from my friend Abby's blog! It's amazing and about the new boys at African Hearts Ssenge!

http://africa-love.livejournal.com

Thank you!

2008-09-09T03:08:00.003-04:00

Hey guys, thanks for reading this blog! I just want to say that I appreciate it! From time to time someone will say via email, phone, or in person, "Hey dan, i read your blog, and this or that meant so much to me". That's SUCH an encouragement to me, so keep reading, I'll keep the good stuff coming, and definitely comment if you want! It is really easy! Well, I'm off to do what I do... (see below)

Dan

Interns!

2008-09-09T02:43:00.002-04:00

This summer when the Congo team and I flew to Africa, we were not the only people flying there to be instruments of change that summer. We had three girls, Hannah, Sarah, & Coreen, from the Phoenix area coming with us! it would be hard to explain how they really got involved with African Hearts and all that, and it involves many different things, but suffice it to say, in short time we convinced these three awesome ladies to give up their hot Phoenix summers (ok, so maybe the convincing was easy) and raise a couple thousand dollars so they could serve at African Hearts for almost a month. And serve they did! I, unfortunately, missed most of the action with them in Uganda because I was in Congo, but upon my return to Kampala I found three girls who loved those boys as much as I did and were so involved and had such servant's hearts. They had been taking the boys swimming, and to the movies, helping with homework, just spending time with them, helping out a lot at Ssenge, all kinds of stuff! They had a blast and I think it should be know that their work and servant's hearts paved the way for Ssenge to be available as soon as it was. They have a legacy in Uganda, and they returned to the US with a passion to remember what they experienced and never forget those awesome boys who impacted their lives... thanks again ladies for all that you did! It was great to get to know each one of you even during the short time I was there. I'm sure we'll see you again out there before too long!

back: Jessica & Junior (not interns); Coreen Walsh (Intern)
front: Sarah Parks and Hannah Bentley (Interns)

Ssenge: The new house!

2008-09-09T01:56:00.005-04:00

Many of you may wonder "where did the money go when I bought a necklace?", well, you're looking at it:) This is the Ssenge house in the Wakiso district just outside of Kampala. Here there are currently 4 "new" boys living a new life away from the streets, and another dozen are on the way. Coming to this point has been over a year of work for the Americans and Ugandans alike that have been involved... but having been to Ssenge, I know it's worth it. However, even if I hadn't been there I would know it's worth it because every day one of those boys sleeps under this roof knowing that he is loved, is one less day of huffing gasoline that rots his body. It's one less day that someone can hurt him. It's one less day of being forgotten.

No real light shone down from Heaven when this place became what it is today, but the reality is better than the dream, it's real life ministry lived with the people for the Kingdom. Nothing real fancy, just the joy of being a part of it all for every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything! If you bought a necklace or gave money or prayed for African Hearts, this is for you too. $20,000 later and a couple years of prayer and this is where we are. Thank you. God Bless you. Welcome to Ssenge.

~Dan~

International Coordinator
African Hearts Community Organization

Street Children

2008-09-08T13:25:00.001-04:00

This is probably one of the best websites in existence:

www.streetchildren.org.uk

I hope you can check it out!

Photos with the street kids

2008-09-05T14:45:00.002-04:00

Photos from Kampala

2008-09-05T13:56:00.003-04:00

"How was Africa?"

2008-09-02T21:40:00.003-04:00

I have come to believe that “I have returned to the US” is a relative term for the sojourner who makes his 2nd, if not, 1st home in a place far from where he spent most of his life.

I am, as most of you know, currently in the United States, back in school at ASU and Phoenix College, pursuing my degree and the rest of my life… and what a pursuit it has become, and it often feels a pursuit of time while a pursuit of truth and direction. I don’t speak this way to confuse, but to enlighten about the odd sense one has when he leaves much undone and much yet to understand. That sense of tearing away came unexpectedly for me this time. I had an odd sense that I desired to return to the US, to pursue school, and to move on with my passions, knowing I would return… But as I said goodbye to Lutaaya, Bosa, and Musa at the airport in Entebbe, it was too hard, harder than ever before. For the 1st time Uganda felt right, it felt like I understood something, that living there had the potential to be what it needed to be for me to actually consider such a radical change. Being easy, it would not be. The romance has worn off, but the reality is so much sweeter, no more pipe dream, just the people and the beauty of it all…

I spent just under one month in Uganda after I returned there from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Congo was phenomenal, and the place where I saw God moving in miraculous ways, and the plight of the people broke my heart. But Congo (and Malawi, where I spent last summer), isn’t where I sense the most peace, despite the passion I have for that kind of ministry, and my desire to return to both whenever I can. I just love Uganda. Confused yet? Me too… but spend a month in Uganda with me, and somehow it all makes sense.

It makes sense because one night at African Hearts I went to my bed downstairs where all the boys sleep, and I found my usually messy bed perfectly made. Bosa, one of the boys who lives at the house, made my bed just to show that he loves me.

It makes sense because Laurence (who we lovingly call Mzungu) wants to be a freedom fighter, and his beautiful heart for the street kids, those who have been through so much like he has, grows every day, and we can get lost in the complexities of this life and what God desires of us….

It makes sense because Lutaaya, when told of an injustice in his country, concerning the people of the Congo who were refugees in Kampala, had his heart broken for how some people can just be used and abused… and he knew in that moment he had to do something about it.

It makes sense because I walked through the slums of Kisenyi with two amazing boys holding my hands, and all that they wanted in life was to be given a chance, to not live the life they lived, surviving on the streets, seemingly forgotten by God, huffing petrol to forget they are hungry… they just want to go to school, be loved, and to understand that a dream could come true… but more than that, that God hadn’t forgotten them and moreover loved them more than anyone else ever could…

It makes sense because I know a man Jumah who has devoted his life to his people in every facet and way and is strategic and passionate to see change in his land, and the world. He doesn’t have to brag, his life speaks volumes about the change that Christ can bring through a man. He trusts God with every step of his life, and it shows… and he, to me, is Uganda, and represents the hope I feel about that beautiful land.

It makes sense because a boda boda driver told me about a great church, because the guys who make my favorite kikomando get a kick out of my attempts to speak Luganda, because I’ve met men and women whose hearts break for the realities that exist, because you can just be yourself and know that life is good as you walk through small villages out at Ssenge.

Uganda, a place I would only claim to slightly understand, is a place I fully love. That’s why it makes sense that I feel sad when detached from it. That’s why I laughed as I talked to Bennon, Musa Musoke, and Musa Aworhi today on skype. That’s why I had a sense of longing when I spoke about those boys and the boys who I don’t even know that well living on the streets, cold, alone, and almost forgotten today at the Bead Museum where we sell most of our beads for African Hearts.

You know, people lately have asked me “How was Africa?” and depending on the day I’ve given different answers. There are not run-of-the-mill explanations or answers to encapsulate the things I, and those who I was with, experienced. I am thankful that everyone who speaks with me knows that, and is patient with me, as I search for the words. Sometimes I think of a story, I think of a moment, holding that boy at CEPIMA in Beni, Congo, and crying more than I’ve cried in a long while. I think of Jumah’s laughter, or Laurence’s shy face, or Sandra’s smile, or Serge’s broken heart, or that boy who held my hand for a couple of hours as we walked over the city. To answer that question would be to simply say “as it should have been”. Some of the darkest nights of my soul have come since landing here in Phoenix a couple of weeks ago, hearing of the injustice and tears that continued in Kampala as I left. It’s not so much that I ask “Where is God?” but I seek to know what to ask, what to do. I, however, am left with something more than that, a longing much greater, much deeper…

So, “How was Africa?”. It was as it should be… but the thing most on my mind, the thing that was seemingly the most unexpected, was how the kids on the streets affected me. I didn’t spend an incredible amount of time with kids on the street, but much more than I ever have before…. But something in me, this time, caused a stir… it was akin to that draw I feel towards the homeless here, it was akin to the pain I feel to see a disabled person treated with contempt as if they chose that life and situation. In Kampala, one day, I was walking alone and I saw a young boy sitting on the street, begging for money… this is not your average street kid actually, as the real street kids are usually boys who you won’t ever really see, and live on the margins of society… but this child could barely speak, having seen terrible things throughout his life no doubt. At a hamburger joint, one of the few in Kampala, I picked up some chips (fries) and gave them to this young boy… he just looked at me, accepted, sat there and ate. I walked some distance away and just watched him eat, and watched the people see this downtrodden human being eat, and watched their response… where before he had been invisible, now he was visible, and people seemed taken aback by this young boy who didn’t speak, just eating slowly and deliberately, with not much of an expression. Some laughed, some walked a wider circle, some stared, some looked with fascination, and such is the life of the victims of society. But what is an average Ugandan, barely getting by in the face of rising food prices, to do? Can they be affected after they've seen so much? Before he had eaten no one even looked, some had actually stepped over his legs, but somehow this boy eating caused society to face the reality. Somehow it made it harder to see. Maybe eating made him human again, and it is harder to ignore the plight of one you see so much of yourself in. And sometimes your joy of helping can be ripped away by the numbers and desperation of the situation. Today I came across Matthew 18:10-14, where Jesus speaks of going after the one sheep while leaving the 99, and the great joy of helping that one. Sometimes that’s what you have to remember… When we were in Kisenyi among these smiling, very high, beloved children, there were “99”, and over Kampala probably 99,999+, and their numbers and stories as you listen to each one, overwhelm you. You become overwhelmed by these sweet kids that you know have seen hell up close and personal, and you have to remember the one… that each is precious and loved and worth it.

Today that one came to us at African Hearts. Tomorrow there will be 3 more, and in the future, more. Today an 8-year-old boy, Wasswa, was taken off the streets and brought to Ssenge, African Hearts’ project on the outskirts of Kampala (for the bigger story go here). I nearly wept at what this means. There he will be loved, safe, taught about the Lord, fed, and given a chance. He is but one of “99”, but wholly special, unique, and loved… He’s been on the streets for two years, alone, cold, hot, neglected, despised, most likely beaten, and worse yet, forgotten. He is that lost sheep… and praise God for Lutaaya, Tony, Junior, & Roscoe’s vision to change the lives of a few, doing their part to restore the sons and daughters of the King by seeing in their faith and love that the Kingdom of Heaven is as much for now as it is for later. This isn’t abstract theology, but the very heart of God… to set the captives free (Luke 4:18/Isaiah 61), it's an act of worship to do so. Today, my faith has been stirred, affirmed, and challenged…. I am not a major player in this saga, but God did whisper in my ear, above the roar of lies that satan screams at me, “I love you”. I’ve been blessed to have but a taste of this ministry, to assist in a supporting way here in the US and there in Uganda, helping those with a healthy dose of vision get their plans and dreams into action. I feel comfortable in that position, where my desire to serve can be used effectively… but also ultimately looking to continue in the revelation about how my particular talents and passions can be used to glorify God through setting these captives free...

So that is how Africa was, and is. It’s amazing, it’s beautiful, and it’s real. This boy, even if it were only him, and it won’t be, would make it all worth it. I don’t even know if he was one of the ones I had the pleasure of meeting while I was there, I just know that I love him. I love what Jesus says in Luke 18: 16 & 17 “Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it’.” The kingdom of God belongs to this young boy, Wasswa. It belongs to all of us who call Him Father.

Thank you all for your support, for reading these updates, for checking my blog, for being the amazing people that you are! It is my desire that God has spoken to you through what He allowed me to experience in Africa this summer. I hope that my breaking heart for the women of Congo and the street kids of Kampala, breaks your heart. It is a blessing and a privilege to be affected by what we see and experience. Please stay in touch, I’d love to talk to you more, and thank you personally for your emails/comments, monetary support, and most of all, prayers. I know many of your went to your knees for Africa, the Congo team, African Hearts, and me during the past few months, and God heard your petition, and He responded. God Bless you all.

Until next time, Dan

Dan Hoffman
Phoenix, AZ
www.glocaldan.blogspot.com
www.afrihco.org

ps. Email me if you would like to know more about how to help African Hearts, we have so many ways for people to get involved, and everyday we're getting better at connecting people to Africa, so they too can be a part of what God's doing!

Color. film. dirty. beautiful.

2008-08-30T00:51:00.001-04:00

BW. film.

2008-08-30T00:44:00.004-04:00

I concede...

2008-08-29T16:27:00.003-04:00

Ok, i admit, this was a brilliant, and oh so risky, move on the Republican's part... bravo. McCain picking Gov. Palin for VP just made this campaign interesting again...

Religiosity

2008-08-29T02:31:00.005-04:00

Did anyone watch the Democratic National Convention tonight? Didn't it feel like a religious service? I like Obama. I like McCain. But neither are saviors, even in their own right. We should be wary of the religious-devotion overtones all throughout these campaigns....just look at the smiles and streamers. A little dose of false hope? I hope all people vote with fear and trembling, and take their ability to vote seriously, whether they choose to vote or not. There is always a lot at stake when the US seeks a new president (or keeps the old one)... let us be good stewards of our democracy, even if it is somewhat flawed. Are we "the last best hope for the world" or is Christ? And tell me this, do you think that Martin Luther King Jr would look down on this moment (1st African-American to lead a party as a presidential candidate) as be as excited as people say he would be? I don't know. It'll be interesting to ask him when we get to heaven huh? ah, by the time we get to heaven we'll have more to talk about than this! Anyways... It should be an interesting few months....

Ssenge photos (from Hannah!)

2008-08-28T01:58:00.002-04:00

Sarah, Abby, Coreen, Hannah, and Jessica, The Ssenge girls!

That's the house as we're leaving...

I don't know why, but that really looks like Roscoe on that Boda, I think it is...

Jr practicing his "stride"

Men and ASU

2008-08-25T22:07:00.004-04:00

Today was my first day of school back at Phoenix College, and now Arizona State University. As juvenile as this may sound for a 24-yr old attending his first day of school at a University, it was pretty cool. Mondays are a busier day, I have Marriage & Family Life at PC at 8:30 then I go directly to Women & Film at 11:00, which is a pretty cool class from what I can tell... at 3:30 PM I have Women, Cultures, & Societies at ASU and tomorrow I have The Evolution of Ideas as a night class. With the addition of my History of Photography online class, that's 15 credit hours. 6 upper level, and 9 lower level. Not too shabby. I'm excited to start my Women's Studies classes at ASU already! For those of you who don't know I'm an Integrative Studies Major at ASU, but in that major you choose a concentration, which can be in many different areas, and the one I am creating is the concentration of Women's Issues in ...... I haven't decided for sure, but I'm going to look at how women's issues, aren't women's issues, they are products of men not being men. Think about it. Almost every "woman's issue" is related to men in some way. And I'm not pursuing this because I hate men, far from it. I've seen how important it is for men to be men, as a biblical mandate, as what God requires of us. After what I've seen here and in Africa, I think it's a conversation that needs to be had, to (and I'm quoting someone else here) free men to be men. This frees women to be women... I could go on of course, but I just wanted to express my excitement to see where this all goes and the amazing things I'll learn over the next year. As this is a huge passion of mine, that is hard to bring up in normal conversation, I'll expound more in the future, but I am very excited about where this is all leading. Not to mention my college adviser is awesome, and a believer as well. I appreciate her so much. So, day one down of some 340ish more days of college. Thank you for all of you out there praying for me in this exciting time of my life. God Bless, dan