Oct 05

Book Review: The Help – does it teach us how to fight human trafficking / modern day slavery?

Reading “The Help” was fast and confusing and eye-opening and passionate. This stuff really happened? In my lifetime – sort of? And people died?

Was the topic slavery? Not exactly… People were paid for their work – at least on some terribly wrong scale. Could they have lives of their own? Sure… as long as they kept to themselves and didn’t interfere with the ‘white folk’. Were the expectations high for their character? Of course – they were trusted in the house, with the family secrets, and with the children.

The slavery that my grandparents talked about was very different. Or was it? Maybe not. My family didn’t fit in the rich land owner category – so maybe my perspective is skewed.

Not that this ‘problem’ is gone or resolved or only in the past… But what is the social issue of the day? For me, it’s human trafficking. One year ago I don’t know what answer I would have given you. I have been exposed to the issue of human trafficking from so many directions in the past six months! It’s a very real problem – and one that we must do something about…

Here are some ways:
Freeset – I spent some time with these women in Calcutta in April. They live in one of the darkest place I’ve ever been. Help set them free!
1040connections.org – support Traffickstop! They are doing great things to prevent women and children from being tricked into slavery.
Freedom to Thrive – a local (BHM) coalition working against trafficking; it happens right here where we live!
Make Way Partners – This is a local organization (in BHM) working to help those who have no advocate.
ZOE International – great ministry working on these issues; can’t wait to get involved with them!

Like reading ‘The Help’ - the human trafficking issue is fast and confusing and eye-opening and passionate! Are you going to ‘help’ or stand quietly by and pretend you don’t know about it?

Oct 04

Touch Your World 2015

Wow! Big vision – Excellent that we have a Big God! 🙂

Check it out!

Oct 04

‘green’ PC – will it catch on? catch on fire, that is?

Could this be real?

Oct 03

This weekend in sports

Roll Tide – solid win over Florida

Auburn soared over one of the LA schools

Matt’s football team ‘almost won’ 🙂

Braves win the last game of the season to make it to the playoffs.

Matt came running up after his game and his words are very telling. From a six-year-old perspective – ‘We almost won!!!’. I’ll bet that’s NOT what the Tennessee fans are thinking after the loss to LSU.

Sports bring out passion and emotion and displays of self-control (or lack thereof). People usually don’t mind expressing themselves with shouts of Roll Tide or War Eagle or Go Braves or Way to go Cougars… Or do they? What were the Gators saying during the second half of last Saturday’s beating? What about the Padres who just missed the playoffs? Are they expressing praise for a team that ‘almost’ made it? For people who did great, but someone else literally ‘dropped the ball’ and the season is over?

This is the part where I say that we (Christ-followers) WIN in the end; we’ve read the end of the Book; “Victory in Jesus”.

So why are we not acting like winners? Do we lose a little ‘battle’ and act like we’ve lost the war? Did someone squelch your pet project? Have you net had a ‘pat on the back’ today? Did someone else drop the ball when you did your very best? What if you didn’t know the latest news until “that person” told you; the one you always want to impress?

TEAM = body of Christ   Read I Corinthians 12 – I dare you to read it with an open mind about team attitudes!

Guess what? The last paragraph is Paul saying that we’re a whole body, not a bag of separate parts; we need each other. We need structure and support from each other. We don’t need to be vying for the ‘important’ jobs. And Paul says in the last sentence, let me show you a better way. And that takes us to I Corinthians 13 – the LOVE chapter. If only we would function in love – as a body…

Oct 01

Are you wearing pink?

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Do you know someone affected by breast cancer? I’ll bet you do.

Wear Pink! Show your support.

Next Saturday, Oct 9th is the Birmingham Race for the Cure. Want to walk/run it with me ???

Or you can ‘sleep in for a cure’ if you’re not up to the challenge? 🙂

http://www.komenncalabama.org

http://www.komen.org

Oct 01

Vote for Andy Griffith for Sheriff!

Did they vote for sheriff in Mayberry? Did we ever see an episode about elections? I have no idea!

Driving to work this morning I saw a new sign/billboard promoting the re-election of our current sheriff. Oh that we would have someone of Andy’s character to vote for in these upcoming elections!

I did a little search on Biblegateway.com for leaders / rulers / election / character – and the verse below is what seemed to be the word for me today. PRAY. Pray for leaders to rule well so we can go about our lives. I think that means that we can trust them to do their jobs and not have to rehash, worry, protest, talk about politics all the time. What a great place to be! Not worrying about justice or corruption, but focusing our lives on what God wants me to say and do, instead of commenting on how someone else should be acting.

Want some guidance for election prayers? Here’s something. Join me.

I Tim 2:1-3 The Message
The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.

Sep 30

Words

Lysa TerKeurst emailed a devotion today called Words

This is her main point – think before you speak and give your words this three-part test:

“Are my words kind, necessary, and true?”

“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My people, this should not be” James 3:9-10 (NIV)

Hmmm… Nothing like a ‘tongue’ devotion to start the day, right?

Sep 30

Funeral Processions – what should you do?

As I was leaving work for lunch yesterday, I met a LONG funeral procession coming up Columbiana Road. It must have had 50 cars.

Now, Columbiana Road is a four-lane there with a center turn lane. There was no logistical reason to pull over, but growing up in small town America – that’s what you do! It shows respect for the family of the dead – or something like that.

I did a little googling and came up a few tidbits. You only pull over if it is safe and will not cause traffic issues. There is no obligation to pull over if there are no police escorts. In days past, you could tell a procession using the headlight method. Now that some cars had auto-headlights during the day, that’s not possible.

So – do you pull over? Only if it’s convenient? Always?

Personally, I usually do – I was just raised that way…

Sep 29

“The Love of God”

What a concert, what a voice, what a song...

Thanks to a last-minute invitation from friends, I was able to go to a David Phelps concert last night! It was fantastic!! I loved the combination of praise and worship and ‘concert’ songs. One of my favorite moments was listening to the words of the song  “The Love of God”. Fabulous principles and promises in the words of the song – and from Romans 8.

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

Refrain:
Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

Rom 8:38-39 The Message
I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.

Sep 28

Observations from the dog park

I took Molly & Moe to the Hoover dog park last night. It was fun! They got to run and sniff other dogs and greet other people. Amazingly, folks trust other people (and dogs) within the fence. I expected other people to make sure M&M were safe and OK with the other dogs – and they could expect the same from me. It’s the kind of place that usually has someone you don’t know – and maybe someone you’ve met there before. Typically you remember the dog more than the person! When someone would go in or out the gate, we all made sure that no dogs escaped. We kept our eyes out for all the dogs. If one dog was a little bit afraid, the other people made sure she felt safe. People also cleaned up after their dog’s mess – the park provides little black bags for just such things. This makes it more pleasant for everyone! It’s also great to hear how cute or sweet or happy your dog looks; it just makes you smile. The dog park is a great, fluid, dynamic community of people and dogs. It’s a great place for people to relax, dogs to have freedom to run and play, and all to enjoy being outside. The friendliness of the dog park reminds me of the article written about Auburn by the South Carolina guy – apparently he was impressed last Saturday!

So, how does the dog park community translate to the BHM community or the Shades community or the world at large? I’m not sure it does???

How often do we watch out for each other – folks we don’t know as well as our family and friends? Are we trying to make sure everyone stays safe? Are we watching to make sure someone doesn’t get out-of-bounds and into trouble? What about trying to comfort someone who is afraid or lonely or scared? When is the last time I helped clean up the mess from someone who needed help?

One aspect of the dog park is certain – all dogs need water! There is a fountain inside the gate. The bowl is usually kept full by folks who’ve gone before. Everyone wants to make sure that every dog has the water they need. Isn’t that amazing?

What about the Living Water? Do we really care if others have tasted Living Water? Do we even bother to tell them how to find it? The verse below is an encouragement to keep being a community – to share, to help, to serve…to keep going, to not give up!

Galatians 6:9-10 The Message
So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.