Give and Take

Today is Ash Wednesday. For some, this means a religious ceremony with a smudge on your forehead. For others, it has little or no meaning. Whatever the case may be for others, it is a day for me to reflect and think about how I am serving Jesus. Many Christians begin observing Lent on this day. This is a focused time of prayer, fasting and doing good for others. This Lenten season, I plan to reflect on the Stations of the Cross and think about what Christ's crucifixion and resurrection mean for my life. For fasting, I have decided to give up computer gaming for Lent. This is going to be quite challenging for me. I have also decided to add a more consistent workout. Each day, I am going to ask the Lord to show me how I can do something for someone else. It may be something very small, but I want to be aware of those around me and serve them when I can.

So, you ask, what does this have to do with human trafficking? Good question. Every day, human trafficking victims are forced to give things up and do things they would not do if they were free. It is our responsibility as Christians to pray for them. We need to open our eyes and see them around us and help them experience rescue, recovery and restitution. Christ died for all of us, not just those of us who live a "normal" life. He suffers each time they suffer. What do we need to give up to help trafficking victims? What can we do, no matter how small, to fight trafficking? I encourage you to reflect during these 40 days before Easter on how God may be calling you.

Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine's has long been a celebration of love and friendship with kids exchanging cards and candies and people declaring their undying love for one another. I was engaged on Valentine's weekend 15 years ago. It's a day that is loved by children and persons who have a significant other. Single persons often have mixed feelings on this day. I always send Valentine's to friends and let them know they are loved and appreciated. But what is Valentine's all about?

Nobody really knows. St. Valentine is the name of at least three different saints in the Catholic church in Ancient Rome, all of whom were martyred. The most famous was imprisoned for marrying Christians when Emperor Claudius outlawed marriage for young men as he believed single men made better soldiers.

Standing up for what is right is costly. For Valentine, it cost him his life. Let's remember this day and stand up for what is right, no matter the cost.

The Trouble with the Alphabet

I learned about the trouble with the alphabet in my travels around the world. I saw children who were dying of hunger, mothers who had to chose which of their children would live and which would die, families who did not know if they would have a next meal. I saw teenagers who survived growing up in an orphanage to a life that seemed to have no meaning. I saw people brush aside those who needed help and leave the sick bleeding and dying. I saw children who came to a church so they could have a drink of clean water. I saw people walking miles to see a nurse and get vitamins. I don't have all the answers, and neither does this group, but they do have a lot to say. Take some time to view their website. I have the book and it has made an impact everywhere I take it. I hope you will ask me some time about the book. Don't forget that fighting against human trafficking is standing up for children, many of whom do not have a voice or a choice.

http://www.thetroublewiththealphabet.com/

Silence is NOT Golden

I have been silent for much too long. Human trafficking is not going away. Just because I am busy, even with good things, gives me NO excuse. To be quite honest, I stopped blogging for awhile because I was frustrated. I got my feelings hurt. But that doesn't compare to the pain and suffering that so many go through daily. I have so much and many of them have nothing. I must not stop telling people that slavery still exists. I must not stop what I am doing to prevent trafficking. I must not stop my efforts at protecting others through buying free trade and other means. I must support prosecution of those who are in support and involved in trafficking. I must not be blind to the suffering of those around me.

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day
is today. I hope you will take the time to pray for those who are caught in the web of modern slavery. Search some websites and learn something new. Look for ways where you can get involved. Shop fair trade and support those who have joined this cause. Open your eyes to what is going on around you and look for signs of trafficking. Do something.

World Hope International

www.worldhope.org

OATH (Oklahomans Against the Trafficking of Humans)

http://oathcoalition.org

StAT (Stand Against Trafficking)

http://www.standagainsttrafficking.com/

Equal Exchange (a fair trade company)

www.equalexchange.coop

Not For Sale

http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/

Fair Trade USA

http://transfairusa.org/

The Trouble With The Alphabet

http://www.thetroublewiththealphabet.com/

Oasis USA

http://oasisusa.org/

The significance of 40

I just turned 40 a few days ago. I know - milestone birthday - how did I get this old? To quote my father, "There is only option to getting older - dying."

The Lord has been speaking to me and telling me that I am finishing the first half of my life and beginning the second half of my life. Part two is filled with hope and plans to impact the world for Christ. You'll be hearing about many of those plans over the next several weeks.

First, though, I wanted to share with you various passages in the Bible centered around the number 40. It was a great encouragement to me and I hope it will be for you as well.

(Noah and the Ark) And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. Genesis 7:12

. . . and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah . . . Genesis 25:20

When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith . . . , and also Basemath . . . Genesis 26:34

Genesis 40: The Cupbearer and the Baker dream and Joseph interprets their dreams in prison.

The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan. Exodus 16:35

Then Moses . . . stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. Exodus 24:18

Exodus 40: The Tabernacle is completed and the Glory of the Lord fills the temple.

At the end of forty days (the twelve spies) returned from exploring (Caanan). Numbers 13:25

The LORD’s anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone. Numbers 32:13

Yet the LORD says, “During the forty years that I led you through the wilderness, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet.” Deuteronomy 29:5

(Joshua) was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent (him) from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And (Joshua) brought (Moses) back a report according to (his) convictions. Joshua 14:7

So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died. Judges 3:1

“So may all your enemies perish, LORD! But may all who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength.” Then the land had peace forty years. Judges 5:31

. . . During Gideon’s lifetime, the land had peace forty years. Judges 8:28

Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, so the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years. Judges 13:1

. . . Eli . . . had led Israel forty years. I Samuel 4:18

(About Goliath) For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand. I Samuel 17:16

David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. 2 Samuel 5:4

Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. I Kings 11:42

So he (Elijah) got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. I Kings 19:8

. . . Joash became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years . . . 2 Kings 12:1

Job 40: The Lord speaks and Job declares he is unworthy.

Psalm 40 

¹I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. 

² He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
³ He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him.

⁴ Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. 

⁵ Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.

⁶ Sacrifice and offering you did not desire— but my ears you have opened—burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. 

⁷ Then I said, “Here I am, I have come— it is written about me in the scroll. 

⁸ I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.”

⁹I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, LORD, as you know. 

¹⁰ I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help. I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness from the great assembly.

¹¹Do not withhold your mercy from me, LORD; may your love and faithfulness always protect me. 

¹² For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me. 

¹³ Be pleased to save me, LORD; come quickly, LORD, to help me.

¹⁴ May all who want to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace.
¹⁵ May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!” be appalled at their own shame. 

¹⁶ But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who long for your saving help always say, “The LORD is great!”

¹⁷ But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; you are my God, do not delay.

Isaiah 40 
¹ Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
² Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.
³ A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
⁴ Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
⁵ And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
⁶ A voice says, “Cry out."
And I said, “What shall I cry?” 
“All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.

⁷ The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass.

⁸ The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.”

⁹ You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!”

¹⁰ See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.

¹¹ He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

¹² Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?

¹³ Who can fathom the Spirit of the LORD, or instruct the LORD as his counselor? 

¹⁴ Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding?

¹⁵ Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.

¹⁶ Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings. 

¹⁷ Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing.

¹⁸ With whom, then, will you compare God? To what image will you liken him? 

¹⁹ As for an idol, a metalworker casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it.

²⁰ A person too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot; they look for a skilled worker to set up an idol that will not topple.

²¹ Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? 

²² He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. 

²³ He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. 

²⁴ No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

²⁵ “To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.

²⁶ Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

²⁷ Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”?

²⁸ Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

²⁹ He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 
³¹ but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Jeremiah 40: Jeremiah is freed from his chains

I will make the land of Egypt desolate among devastated lands, and her cities will lie desolate forty years among ruined cities. And I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them through the countries. Ezekiel 29:12

Ezekiel 40: The Temple is restored

Jonah began . . . proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” Jonah 3:4

. . . where for forty days (Jesus) was tempted by the devil . . . Luke 4:2

After his suffering, (Jesus) presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. Acts 1:3

Happy Anniversary

Yesterday was my 13th Anniversary. I am married to a wonderful Godly man who loves and respects me and is a fabulous father to our now 3rd grade boy. Here are 13 things I love about my husband:

1. He has a passion for the things of God
2. He has compassion for those who are lost
3. He loves the Body of Christ (the kind of love you see in the Bible)
4. He has vision and purpose in his life
5. When he talks about something important, he gets very animated
6. When he is with our son, I can't help but smile
7. He enjoys playing games with the family
8. He is competitive without being annoying
9. He gives a good back rub
10. When I need someone to talk to, he is there
11. He is always looking out for the best for me and for our son
12. He puts up with my constant singing (everything reminds me of a song)
13. In good times and bad, he never forgets to say I LOVE YOU

I didn't meet my husband until I was 25 years old. We married a month before I turned 27. He was 30. He asked the permission of my parents before he proposed to me. It was a fairy tale dream come true.

That isn't the case for all women, especially those in countries where child brides are common. Arranged marriages are still very common and accepted in many countries around the world. This article, posted by National Geographic, describes the issues much better than I could ever do:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/child-brides/gorney-text

Lord Jesus, please remember these young girls who have no choice, most married at very young ages. I know that you are grieved when your children are treated as property. Please be with those working to reverse this centuries-old tradition.

School's Out!

My son's last day of school was before Memorial Day. Some kids don't get out until mid-June, but there is always a great celebration and kids get very excited to tell people their summer plans. They have a grand idea of lazy days, many hours of swimming and going and doing lots of fun things.

What about the kids who don't look forward to summer? They don't dare tell their classmate that summer is a time when they don't know when or even if they will have food. Summer means more time to kill and more time for adults to use and abuse them. That vacation "break" means long hours with nothing much to do and nowhere to go, unless you are trying to find a new place to hide.

My aunt and uncles say my dad was the best at hiding when their father came home - as a result, he wasn't beat much. My father grew up in a very poor family. He used to sit on the roof of their shack with a .22 and watch for his mom and sister walking home from the grocery store. He wanted to try and protect them. His older brothers got him started selling newspapers on the street corner when he was in elementary school so he could have money to buy dinner. He worked all the way through school in order to have food to eat and money to buy his own clothes. He joined the military right out of high school because it was guaranteed pay, room and board and he could send home money to his mother. My dad was fortunate that he had a mother who truly loved him and tried the best she could with her 8th grade education to raise a family.

Children in these situations are very likely to be trafficked. Many have little to lose and not much to go home to. Some have parents that don't care and some already have been traumatized in their own homes, many by their own family.

Let's remember to pray for children - the younger they are, the more vulnerable. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14, Mark 10:14 and Luke 18:16. What are you doing to remove barriers? Are you a hindrance to children coming to Jesus?