Taken by World Vision's Act:S http://worldvisionacts.org I can't count how many times God has had to lay the Holy Smackdown on me with His 2X4 of instruction.
Luckily He hasn't had to lately. There have been times I've curled into a fetal position and whimpered when He's struck me with a conviction that cuts through my flesh and bone down to my soul and spirit.
I remember when I returned to Discipleship Focus after 6 years, what God taught me there the first time around became more true and more real; deeper and richer than it had been because I had seen in my life what God had taught me come to fruition.
Such is the the case with Urbana09. Again, if you're unfamiliar with Urbana, please go to http://urbana09.org and http://twitter.com/#search?q=%23Urbana09
My tribe on their way home after a GREAT dayAside from singing praise and worship in Swahili, Arabic, and Spanish, I was reminded of how great the need is to carry the Gospel where He sends us.
I was reminded in the Arts in the Christian Story seminar by Dr. Colin Harbinson, that God is using the arts to bring reconciliation and restoration and healing to all peoples of all nations and tribes and tongues.
I was reminded how God Himself is the Master Artist and as I write, as I compose, as I shoot photos, as I work, and teach, and exercise, and live, all that is a work of art and an act of worship when I do it with my heart bowed to God, and He will use that to bring glory to Himself.
The evening session. I was reminded in a conversation between Greg Jao and Partick Feng that "Joy and suffering are
often together but joy and bitterness never are." My fists bare the scars that are testament to this.
I was reminded by Ruth Padillia DeBorst that "God is with the widows and orphans and foreigners and refugees.
I encounter this in my jobs on a daily basis as well as at my church where the Hispanic community has become
the lifeblood of an otherwise ailing church.
She also reminded us Love doesn't reach from afar but always requires an incarnation, and we are often
wearing blinders of success and security and stability that prevent us from seeing others as God does.
I was reminded in one of the videos there are 80,000 people trafficked per year.
Over 50 countries have "armies" that use child soldiers.
On average 17,500 people are trafficked into the US
In the human trafficking industry $32 Billion dollars are exchanged per year.
York Moore reiterated Gary Haugen's statistics from almost ten years ago when 20,000 people
were the number killed regularly during the most dire of Rwandan ethnic cleansing. 20,000 people
in India were being forced to work as slaves, and that is just a fraction of the number.
2,000 children are sold into slavery regularly.
27 million people are enslaved today.
I was reminded God is still God. God is sovereign. He is both eternal and personal and moves in nations
and in nature and engages the person's mind and heart.
The River of Humanity
So what do we do?
Here are some places to start.
http://worldvisionacts.org
http://humanwrong.org
http://ijm.org
http://notforsalecampagin.org
http://urbana09.org
"The time is here, the day is now
My place is here, I fight with you!"
Les Miserables
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