pure and undefiled religion.

As a class assignment, I responded to the following verses with the journal entry below:

It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;

who conducts his affairs with justice.

For the righteous will never be moved;

he will be remembered forever.
He is not afraid of bad news;

his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.

His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,

until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.

He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;

his righteousness endures forever;

his horn is exalted in honor.

Psalm 112:5-9

Caring for the poor and needy in all things has weighed heavily on my mind recently. Jesus was so incredibly connected with the true needs of the people around him, whether they were the poor in spirit, finances, or both, and I long to have the same compassion and desire to show them Who can meet their deepest spiritual need as well as personally stepping up to help meet their practical needs. These verses describe exactly who I have been praying to be recently – fearless in the face of bad news, for I know the Lord is worthy of my trust. Steady and triumphant, for I know the Lord is my strength. Distributing freely, giving to the poor, for I know that the Lord is my provider and I do not need to store up riches for myself. Jared and I are joining with another couple whom we love dearly to minister to a family of refugees soon to move into an apartment complex nearby which is indwelt entirely by refugees, mostly from Burma and Iraq. I pray that the Lord will continue growing our hearts in the way these verses describe, that we may freely give in every way the Lord brings to mind, and that above all we may be reflections of the steady hearts the Lord has placed in those who hold fast to His name.

Take 5 minutes to consider and pray for those who are poor and in need today.

 

the trafficked. the sick. the homeless and hungry.

 

...why wouldn't you?

love justice.

Invisible Children has launched a campain called "We Want Obama" in efforts to see American government officials take a stand regarding the warfare and child slavery in Northern Uganda. Joseph Kony is the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) which is a guerilla group known for kidnapping children and brainwashing/forcing them into becomg child soldiers. The oppression and abuse have gone on far too long and Invisible Children is putting forth a petition calling for a Citizen's Arrest Warrant for Joseph Kony.

Please look at the site. Please take literally 30 seconds and sign the petition. Please take ten minutes and write your local government representatives through the links and e-mail template provided on the Invisible Children website. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Chet Edwards, and John Cornyn are all among the many officials who are yet to sign the LRA Disarmament Bill.

Children in Northern Uganda are dying. They are dying in spirit, they are dying in soul, they are dying in the flesh as child soldiers forced to be aimlessly fighting for an evil cause. You can do something about this. You really, really can. So do it. Our excuses and passivity don't stand before a God who loves justice.

And this isn't about what you think of our American government. It's about justice. And God loves justice.

He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God? - Micah 6:8

hallelujah!

the following is a recent post from the love146 blog:

Dear Friends,

If you have been involved in Love146, you will remember our Campaign to end trafficking on Craigslist. It has been a long road, and so many of you have been involved. Out of our efforts a coalition was formed to combat human trafficking on the Internet (End Internet Trafficking Coalition: ). We received some good news today. Jim Buckmaster, CEO of Craigslist, has been working with Attorneys General throughout the country, law enforcement, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Craigslist will be working together to fight predators, which includes verifying phone numbers, and charging the "erotic services" category. 100% of profits from this will be contributed to charity. An external accounting firm will be retained to track the details. Craigslist will not profit from this. For more info. visit Craigslist blog at:
Thank you for taking action!
Together we made a difference.
Be Proud.
Keep Fighting.

Desirea

here is the info straight from craig's list
http://blog.craigslist.org/


praise the Lord!

"The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he." - Deuteronomy 32:4

our God saves.

heaven to earth.

when i was an impact co-chair a few years ago, our t-shirts had a quote on them that said this:

"Because with every decision, conversation, gesture, comment, action, and attitude, we're inviting heaven or hell to earth."
-- Rob Bell (this is from his book Sex God which i highly recommend.)

1000 Wells TAMU exists as a part of Blood:Water Mission - an organization seeking to build clean water wells in Africa in order to reduce the horrors of the ongoing HIV/AIDS crisis. starting Monday, students will be asked to give up all beverages except water for 2 weeks and donate the money they would have spent to the cause. this year, they'll be kicking the 2 weeks off with a free derek webb concert at fbc bryan on sunday at 7:30.

i'd say that's bringing some heaven to earth. and i'd say Jesus cares a lot about heaven and earth.

the battalion (A&M's student newspaper), featured an article about 1000 Wells yesterday if you want some more insight.

join us!

still searching.

here is a banner i found on www.stopthetraffik.org - a website i encourage you to check out. you can copy and paste the code onto myspace, facebook, blogs, etc.

in other news, last night jared and i went to see john mayer and colbie callait in the woodlands. holy mackerel. i had no idea john mayer was such a musician (as opposed to just a guy with a good voice). he is truly amazing and we had such a great time.


music is really good for us.





see?

a little dizzy.

this is how my head is feeling as i've begun just a preliminary investigation into thoughts about Jesus and justice and what that means for us who are believers. i'm enjoying it, don't get me wrong, but there are lots of opinions and ideas and i just want to...sift, i suppose. but i am searching :).

"what about taking this empty cup and filling it up with a little bit more of innocence?" - jason mraz

that song has been coming to mind a lot when i've thought about the unjust actions being done to these little girls that love146 is seeking to love on. please visit their website at www.love146.org. if it stirs your heart and you think it may be something you'd like to get involved in, talk to me. i know Jesus wants me involved and i'd love partners. jared and i bought the resources and want to have a dvd showing at our house this fall...

kindling.

Jesus cares about justice.
And He keeps reminding me of that. Its time for me to dig into the Word and discover God's thoughts on justice, and pray that He'll reveal to me what that means in my own life.

preliminary thoughts :
We are always looking for justice, yet the essence of the teaching of the Sermon on the Mount is— Never look for justice, but never cease to give it. - Oswald Chambers

This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. - James 1:27

Love protects. Love defends. Love restores. Love empowers. - Love146

...more to come when I don't have a test in 2 hours. Any thoughts, scripture, or avenues to consider are more than welcome!