www.kiva.org

Click on the banner. Make a truly unique difference.

Some organizations send food, some send people, while others enable you to "adopt" a child in less fortunate communities. There's a reason why the rich get richer and the poor get... well, they stay poor. They remain economically starved, and it affects all aspects of their lives. They have no means of bringing themselves out of their plight, and yet there's so much that we could do to help them.

Most of us feel some degree of willingness to help. And for Christians, sometimes it feels like we're being called to drop everything we have, everything we've worked for, and go to Africa. Or Haiti. Or down the street to the local soup kitchen. Help those in need, save lives, etc etc. Worthy causes, of course, but these avenues of service are not meant for everyone.

All of us have our respective giftings; we all have a place the Lord needs us to move, and a place we'll change lives. There are places dedicated to 24/7 worship, 365 day prayer... praying for revival, for a major change in the path our society is taking. I have to admit that sometimes I leave church saddened that I had to leave, that I couldn't remain in the presence of the people, the word, and the music that lifts my spirit. That I couldn't continue praying for those in need, and worshiping in that way. Depressed that tomorrow is Monday, and not Sunday again. But what would that accomplish if it was? It would essentially just be for selfish purposes. A place of refuge, where I'm not reaching those who really need help. Sunday has its purpose, and in strengthening community and ministering to those there so that they're better equipped to serve elsewhere is key. But i'm getting to something here, bear with me.

Sometimes it seems like the acquisition of wealth, in the form of assets, is all that matters in our society. And becoming "successful" means being wealthy. It seems pretty contrary to the tenets we're supposed to live by. But I believe that if you have the ability to become "wealthy", it can serve a great purpose. Money isn't everything, obviously, but it essentially decides a LOT. Without question it provides the means to reach those who are less fortunate. If you use the wealth you acquire to give back to those that need it, you could quite possibly be using what you've been given for the reason you were given it. There's a purpose in our good fortune. As written in Luke 12: "...For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required." And this means something different for everyone. But the truth is, one way or another, it must be for the benefit of others.

microloans are such an awesome avenue of helping out those who are seeking a way forward, economically. For the rich, it's relatively easy to acquire loans. But those who honestly NEED them are often unable. A good friend spoke last year of the amazing difference microloans can make, as she was able to witness them in action, firsthand. Not sure why I've waited so long to point it out... but check out Kiva from the banner above, and see how easy it is to make a difference from right in front of your own computer.

Butterfly in the sky?

Been away for a bit, and I could share a bazillion and one thoughts but I am le tired.

I love Sundays. What's exciting tho is that my cousin's wedding is tomorrow, so I need sleepz for now.

In my own dorky trekkie way, tonight I'm just going to salute the end of Reading Rainbow. Ironically with bad English, no less, but LaVar Burton from where I knew him best :D

A little slice of history.

I'm not much of a Winston Churchill fan, on the whole. I know more about the technology and events of WWII than I do about the leaders that played such key roles in these dark times. Even FDR. But I do know Churchill was the right man in the right place at the right time for a nation with its back against the wall, fighting for dear life. And there's a lot more wisdom to be had in the prose at the end of this entry, than for what was on the minds of those listening in 1941.

To launch into an extensive "everything happens for a reason" post would be all too easy, and bloring. That's my adjective for boring blog. Churchill might call this blog bloody bloring. Anywho, the fact of the matter is that from our own limited perspective, we see so little of the big picture. There's no denying that. It's no surprise that quite often the more we learn, the more we realize we don't know.

So long as I'm on a roll with cliche phrases (and the cliche police haven't come to take me away...yet), I might as well mention that I've always cringed at the phrase "ignorance is bliss". Nothing could be further from the truth, on so many levels. Sure, it's "comfortable" (maybe) for now. But I'll smack you over the head if you say it in my presence. With that mantra, you're just living on borrowed time. And btw, if they do come and lock me away, I'll have time to write a book on it. Yes, my bloring book on bliss. Hey, look at the Apostle Paul. They guy was in freakin' prison, and so I'm pretty sure his life sucked right about then. What happened there? He wrote the slightly famous letter to the Philipians, and spread the gospel news. You know, part of THE BIBLE. Whether you accept it's word or not, it's the most widely read book ever. And part of it came from a guy locked behind bars. He didn't deserve the sentence, let alone the treatment he was given, but it happened anyway. Yes, news flash, bad things happen to good people. And yet God has a purpose for it. I was reminded of this as I read John 9, where Jesus heals a man born blind. It's written that "As [Jesus] went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned,' said Jesus, 'but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life."'

God knows how to use our struggles for good. He knows, and He does. He knows how to use the apparent evil in our lives for something greater, far greater than we can see.

The point here, however, is simply the role of perspective, and the power of it. It's been said that "Anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed." So it goes with insight into anything. From how much a kind word changes a stranger's day to the effects of a butterfly flapping its wings in Africa. We can control how we view our lives and how we view the world around us, but not a single one of us is in full control of the path for either of those. To believe that we are, actually sets us up for failure. Our perspective rules over our potential in those areas, as I see it. It influences how we prepare. it decides where we put our trust. Just as the more we know reveals how much we don't actually know... those very revelations OPENS UP a door for us to move into those areas. Doors that, with ignorance, remain shut. And there are forces that wish to keep them shut... traps we can all fall into, ever so easily. I've got an itchy trigger finger on launching into real biblical lessons here, but there's too much to say. So long as I'm quoting John tho... "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." ~John 8:36.

This, my friend, is where Churchill's little speech comes in. Forces are fighting fiercely in my mind and heart, as they do in all of our lives from time to time. And it's why I'm listening ever so intently in these times:

"You cannot tell from appearances how things will go. Sometimes imagination makes things out far worse than they are; yet without imagination not much can be done. Those people who are imaginative see many more dangers than perhaps exist; certainly many more than will happen; but then they must also pray to be given that extra courage to carry this far-reaching imagination.

But for everyone, surely, what we have gone through in this period--I am addressing myself to the School--surely from this period of ten months, this is the lesson:

Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty--never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."

~Winston Churchill