Hello. It’s been a few weeks. Between Drake Relays and finals, I just have not had time to update. I’m also transitioning my blog back to this wordpress site, because the host for my personal website does not do blogging well.
That brings us here. This is the third redesign I’ve done to this page, and I promise it is going to stay like this. Mr. John Saddington, blogging king, has some great blogging tips over at Church Crunch and I’ve decided to roll with a couple of them.
I can easily become obsessed with making my blog look nice rather than delivering high quality content. I think that’s probably a problem for most budding techies like myself.
I would also like to be more focused in my conent, hence the tagline “The Tug of War Between Technology and Tradition”. I promise I will not be blogging about what I ate for lunch, and I have been pretty good about that this last school year.
Let me know what you think about my new banner, I just designed it this afternoon, and I think I like it. Please please please gimme your thoughts on the redesign and the move back to wordpress!
P.S. I’m going to get Wannabe Theologian on Twitter very soon. Any ideas for a good handle?
I want to change the world.
Do you?
We often think of ourselves as so insignificant in this world that we cannot possibly make a difference all on our own. It is the reason for our inaction. We see injustices or things we want to change all over the world, and even right here at home, but we don’t think that our minuscule efforts will actually affect anything.
So what do we do? We close our eyes. If we were to see, and not act, that makes us worse than just not seeing altogether.
Here’s a challenge for you. Open them. After that, do something. 
Here’s a list of people who single-handedly changed the world:
- Jesus Christ
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Mother Teresa
- Gandhi
- Bill Gates
- Martin Luther (the original)
- Benjamin Franklin
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Michael Jordan
- Henry Ford
- Adolf Hitler (obviously terrible, but he changed the world)
We think we cannot possibly achieve what these people did. We think that they somehow had/have something that we do not. Charisma? Money? Superior Intelligence?
That is a lie.
What they have that separates us is passion. They changed the world with zeal for their cause. They made sacrifices because they could not stand to see and not act. They wanted to make a difference. That was it.
Do you want to change the world?
Do not be discouraged.
Open your eyes, look around, and do it.
Think about it.
So InterVarsity at Drake is doing a week-long awareness/service project called Jesus.Justice.Poverty. People on leadership were put on a team to plan each day of the week, and I got Modern Slavery. It was a very eye-opening experience to say the least.
Some facts:
- 4 million women and children around the world are in sex slavery
- You can buy women in the United States for $10,000. That’s 1/3 of Drake’s tuition. In comparison, to buy a slave in 1850 was the equivalent of $40,000.
- You can buy women in Bosnia for $50. I still cant believe that even after reading it.
- In Ethiopia sex goes for as little as 10 cents.
- Over 1 million children enter into sex slavery every year
- 30 million children have lost their lives to sex exploitation over the last 30 years. That’s one million per year.
We had a coffee-style chalkboard posted outside of our sub/pizza shop with prices listed for what you can buy sex slaves for in about 10 different countries. It was amazing seeing people’s faces as they walked by.
They had no idea this was happening in our world.
They were absolutely shocked.
What’s interesting though is that it was especially men who seemed interested. The men in our society who so revere sex. They couldn’t believe that women were being used like this. It was awesome to see.
We also sold scarves made by former Ethiopian prostitutes at that stand. It was about 30 degrees yesterday and we sold 34 scarves in just over an hour for $12 each. It was incredible.
And that is the goal of Jesus.Justice.Poverty. To make people aware of the world around them. To make people aware of that fact that Des Moines, Iowa isn’t all the bigger it gets.
Yes, you can give. But simply being aware and lifting up prayers for these women and children is the first step.
Think about it.
P.S. Cool story – I was standing outside in the cold working this stand, and a girl came up and said she bought me a hot chocolate and appreciated what I was doing. I have no idea who she was. Maybe an angel in disguise..
It has been 23 days since I last blogged. I apologize. Between mid-terms, Spring Break, and a couple ministry projects, I have been swamped. Now though my life is little bit more calm. For now. I know that will change come finals week, but I’m good to go at this moment.
God seems to teach me by blasting me with the same theme in everything I do for like two weeks straight. Everything I have been reading in the Bible, in other books, listening to… It is all leading to this same thought. I need to live a more spirit-filled and spirit-led life.
The Truth that Jesus Christ is in me is starting to click in my head. That has to be the most unique thing about Christianity. The belief that separates us from other religions. Galatians 2:20 says, “Christ lives in me.” Isn’t that kinda weird? From an outside perspective that makes no sense whatsoever. And I gotta be honest, it makes no sense to me either. But, it’s in the Bible, and therefor I believe it.
We are given the Holy Spirit when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. God literally resides in us! That’s CRAZY! It means that God is actually with us everywhere we go and is with us during everything we do. Does that fact change how you see your life? Does it change the things that you do? It is starting to with me. We are never actually alone. When we’re alone, God is still with us.
The Holy Spirit is often called Counselor in the New Testament. He (not “it”) is a guide in our lives. A way for us to live Christ-like lives. God calls us to a ridiculous standard of holiness, that on our own and in our human bodies really is impossible. I am beginning to realize however that with GOD IN US we can do anything and everything. I’m convinced of it.
“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12
Yes, you read that right. Jesus says we will do greater things that what He did. I can’t quite wrap my mind around that. How could we possibly do that? Wait, now I know how… Jesus Christ lives in us. I’m not there yet. I’m not even close to there. But I’m starting to understand.
Think about it.
