Where’s the Fruit?

Posted: April 3, 2011 in Fireproof Ministries, Following Jesus, God the Father, Holy Spirit
Tags: , , , ,
2

Love Wins by Rob BellI read all about the hype surrounding Rob Bell’s new book, Love Wins, way before I even knew he wrote books. The buzz was literally intriguing and I found myself consumed with wondering about heaven, hell and what I’ve always been taught. I pretty much got the wind knocked out of me. I searched for an honest look at someone who had actually read the book. I also just searched “an honest look at hell” and found some in depth looks at Bible studies from the original languages.

For me, it all comes down to fruit. I know many Christians that live as if consistently attending church services, tithing and perhaps volunteering a few times a month is the abundant life for which Jesus died and conquered death. I find that way of life empty and extremely contradictory to Jesus’ example. Then, I find foul-mouthed, fornicaters sharing their lives with the homeless, opening their homes and giving out of their meager wages. Then, I find out that the pastor of XXXChurch.com used to attend Mars Hill Church where Rob Bell pastors. XXXChurch.com is doing more to set the captives free in the darkest domains of society than any of the local churches in the US. And in their newsletter sent out recently, XXXChurch.com said the door most closed to their ministry is the local church. And yet 50% of males (and a growing number of females) struggle with porn, making it a pretty relevant issue to address.

So here’s my question: If you believe in hell, what is hell? And how do you know what you know about hell? Have you studied the Hebrew, the Greek? Have you wondered?

What IF what you’ve been taught has been passed down and down and down until it’s not even the original intent? What if you’ve missed the point? Would you be willing to admit it?

Don’t we say God’s message is redemptive love, but teach fear as an underlying principle?

Isaiah 9:4

Posted: February 6, 2011 in Following Jesus, God the Father, Holy Spirit
Tags: , ,
0

Holy scripture has much to say about setting captives free. This is the verse I’m taking with me this year to proclaim freedom!

For God will break the chains that bind his people and the whip that scourges them, just as he did when he destroyed the army of Midian with Gideon’s little band.

I like to be reminded that Gideon only had 300 men and they didn’t even have to fight as God did all that for them. They only had to follow his instruction. Fighting modern day slavery is Gideon’s little band versus a billion dollar industry. We can’t do it alone.

God cares about the captives, It is for freedom that Christ set us free. Galations 5:1

Be Aggressive

Posted: February 4, 2011 in Following Jesus, God the Father, Holy Spirit
Tags: , ,
0
vombooks.com

Bible Smuggler

Coming out of a self-made prison, makes breaking free all the sweeter. In seeking God, I ran across my Voice of the Martyrs newsletter. This amazing ministry supports with love, prayer and resources all the believers who risk their lives to minister to least of these, persons trapped in the war zones of Columbia (any many other places). Rolo is one such soul. As a former guerilla, he risks life and limb to take Bibles to guerilla camps. He literally survives on God’s word found in Jeremiah 45 where God tells him, “I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.” His life is the prize and he walks where men fear to go.

The founder of VOM, long passed, had a dying challenge, “Be aggressive.” Certainly not a foreign concept in our American culture. Remember the cheer, Be Aggressive, Be-Be Aggressive? We can easily get that in sports and academics. Or even in pursuit of the perfect stuff. Think about your i-phone friends. A little aggressive? Maybe, I think they would be the first to admit it.

But that’s not what Richard Wurmbrand meant. Tom White reiterates the calling,

“In my opinion, corruption is not the main killer of Christian endeavor. We all recognize corruption and sin in our war with the devil. But just as high blood pressure is considered a silent killer in our physical bodies, the silent killer of the gospel is mediocrity — or, in biblical terms, being ‘lukewarm.’”

Yep.

You don’t even have to go into the jungles of Columbia, just buy a Bible to send. Rolo says, “Give me gasoline and Bibles. I will do the rest.”
www.vombooks.com

Shopping

Posted: October 6, 2010 in Not For Sale
Tags: , ,
0

Wow! I’m blown away by the amazing people fighting human trafficking all over the world. I’m reading Not For Sale by David Batstone (you should to).

There are many amazing companies. Night Light Design brings hope to women who desire to escape the life of prostitution by teaching them how to make beautiful jewelry. What an amazingly creative ministry!

The jewelry is beautiful, as you can see. Next time, you have a present to buy, consider buying from Night Light Design!

“Human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world. Through force, fraud and or coercion people are recruited, harbored and transported for the purpose of exploitation. Trafficking generates billions of dollars each year as people are transported around the world to work in prostitution, pornography, sweatshops, construction, housekeeping, agriculture, restaurants and more.” Get Involved, Night Light Design

Stop Paying for Slavery Tour

Posted: September 10, 2010 in Not For Sale
Tags: , , ,
0

Coming to Little Rock in October! Find out more about this event at www.notforsalear.org. Consumers have a powerful weapon to use against the slaveholders and traffickers–We control where our money goes. Period. You have a choice where your dollars are spent. In the meantime, see how companies and corporation you shop at rank at www.free2work.org.

Slavery Map

Posted: August 30, 2010 in All Things New, God the Father, Not For Sale, WRATH Campaign
Tags: ,
1

This bears mentioning again. The national organization Not For Sale created this slavery map to show us how we live next door to modern slavery. It’s intense and a little disconcerting, but that’s just what we need to spur us to action. For every mention on this map, there’s about 12 cases not able to be published yet and at least that many that have never been and might never be recorded.

Pray about how you can be a part of ending slavery in our time. If it’s only prayer, that is enough. If it is only prayer for just one slave, one person held against their will, that is enough.

Education is KEY

Posted: July 28, 2010 in All Things New, Following Jesus, WRATH Campaign
Tags: , ,
1

The Slave Next DoorIt is overwhelming and can be debilitating to think of modern slavery mainly because knowing it exists COMPELS us to do SOMETHING.

Education is key. With just a little bit of education, you can help rescue modern slaves TODAY.

The second-highest number of human trafficking victims are domestic house slaves. I know, it really doesn’t seem possible, but it is, it could be right next door to you and almost 100% of these slaves are women and usually women from foreign countries.

From their book, The Slave Next Door, Kevin Bales and Ron Soodalter, give a few questions you can ask yourself when you notice something that’s just not right:

1. Is this person unable to move freely, or is she being watched or followed?

2. Does she seem frightened to talk in the presence of others?

3. Does this person look to be of school age, but is she regularly seen working during school hours?

4. Are there signs of assault–bruises, cuts, bandages, limping?

5. Does she seem disoriented, confused, malnourished, or frightened?

If you think you’ve seen a domestic house slave, you can call (888) 373-7888.

The Slave Next Door

Posted: July 24, 2010 in All Things New, WRATH Campaign
Tags: , , , ,
0

The Slave Next DoorHuman Trafficking and Slavery in America Today
By Kevin Bales and Ron Soodalter

Beware, I’m reading this book. I just got to a place where I’m ready to get educated on a topic that makes my skin crawl, my stomach convulse and most importantly, my soul ache. If you’re within ear shot of me, pretty soon you’ll hear about it, too.

WRATH Campaign

Posted: July 20, 2010 in Following Jesus, God the Father, Holy Spirit, WRATH Campaign
0

Women Rallying Against Trafficking Humans.

That’s a pretty powerful statement unto itself. What could the average women possibly do about human trafficking? The cause of modern slavery is no different from the slavery that has existed since man knew he could intimidate and control another man. Since man determined to belittle another man’s self worth to nothing until he could hardly hold his head up, so burdened was he under the weight of insecurity.

That slavery still exists today. Rampant, actually. Drug dealers finding themselves at war have moved on to trafficking humans because the law enforcement is limited and the profit considerable.

But what can you do? Those are big men, with lots of money, guns, power. What could the average woman or man possibly do?

The simple next step is this: I am not making this up. I am not on some kind of soap box, preaching. Find out for yourself. It is true. It is as horrible as we make it sound. It is real. But there is something that you can do.

Be empowered. YOU can do something. TODAY. You don’t have to have special training or steel guts. You can act TODAY.

Equip. There are already people setting up safe houses, helping the victims. You can equip the houses with everyday materials, inexpensive and easy to come by.

If I’ve piqued your heart, check out the wrathcampaign.org. See what you can do. We originally set up in Oklahoma, but there is nothing stopping you from finding a safe house in your area and holding WRATH parties for that safe house. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Luke 10:1-3

Sex+Money A National Search for Human Worth

Posted: July 3, 2010 in WRATH Campaign
Tags:
0

My friend first told me about this young group of students with a profound comment: “These girls are in their 20s; we wasted so much time.” She means the years we wasted trying fulfill life with ourselves, running from God and all the while children and women are being used and abused as slaves in this country.

I’ve blogged about this before, but it is worth saying again and again and again until my fingers bleed: THERE ARE HUMANS, NAMELY WOMEN AND CHILDREN, BEING HELD AS SLAVES, THAT IS, AGAINST THEIR WILL FOR THE SEXUAL FULFILLMENT OF OTHER HUMANS.

You should be disgusted, appalled and spurred to action. Not out of guilt, not even out of Christian compassion. You don’t have to be a Christ-follower for this to astound you. You are a human and that is enough to act.

“Sex + Money: A National Search for Human Worth is a feature length film that will document the group of students as they travel in an RV for a second journey, this time across the United States, seeking to understand how the sexual exploitation of children has become the nation’s fastest growing form of organized crime.  As the students encounter the brave men and women who are fighting on the front lines of the modern abolitionist movement, they begin to consider what further action can be taken to bring an end to such obscene forms of injustice.

The final movement of  Sex + Money portrays the students quest to help make America the first slave-free nation in the world and to inspire others to do the same.”

YOU don’t have to be on the front lines.
YOU can donate to get this film out.
YOU can tell your friends about it.
YOU can donate to Children of the Night, a non-faith based charity to help children slaves.

YOU can act and you can act today.

Older Entries
Newer Entries