So What Am I Supposed to Do?

Ever wondered what on earth you could do to help fight modern day slavery? Here is one solution three young men came up with. Good example of a weapon of love.

If any one has any other ideas, I would love to here them. Please leave a comment or email me.

Thanks!

Wednesday, 06 August 2008

Kayakers Travel Length of Mississippi River, Raising Funds and Awareness for IJM

The kayakers celebrate after reaching port in the final stop of their journey, New Orleans, Louisiana.

Three men have just completed an incredible kayak journey down the length of the Mississippi River to raise funds for International Justice Mission and awareness for its anti-trafficking casework. Timothy Cahill, Ethan Johnstone and Justin Blomgren began their voyage in St. Paul, Minnesota and paddled 1,703 miles to New Orleans, Louisiana, where they arrived nearly two months later.

The trio set out on May 12, 2008 with the goal of raising thousands for International Justice Mission and educating people about trafficking in every town they stopped in as they traveled to New Orleans. The men, who met each other as students at California Baptist University, were inspired by IJM’s casework history of partnering with local authorities to free victims of human trafficking.

The team began their kayak journey in St. Paul, Minnesota and paddled an incredible 1,703 miles to New Orleans, Louisiana.

“We chose the Mississippi River because it is the ‘Great American River,’” explains kayaker Timothy Cahill. “Also, because there are so many cities and towns, we could go through the heart of America and spread the news of human trafficking and what IJM was doing.”

For the rest of the article, please see  http://www.ijm.org/articles/spotlight

The Forgotten

We cannot forget about slavery. Slavery has re-surged into our world with vengeance. The “Wilberforces” of today also need to fight to abolish slavery. There are an estimated 27 MILLION people held in bondage today, throughout the world.

See: http://notforsalecampaign.com/

Men, women and children are forced to labor without pay and without prerogative under horrific conditions, and are not allowed to go free. They are shackled, chained, beaten, tortured, denied adequate sustenance, and raped. They are not allowed their basic human dignity. Slavery is illegal in most, if not all the countries of the world, yet there are more slaves today than existed in the whole 400 years of the past.

We follow a risen Lord. We follow a loving Lord. We follow a Lord who states He hates injustice.

So, what are we going to do with this?

Slavery is Today

Slavery is not a historical issue. It is an issue of the here and now. Men, women and children are held in chains against their wills. They are beaten, and burned, and starved, and raped -- and few are there who will seek to free them.

But we can do something to help them. Jesus came to set the captives free, and that becomes the business of those of us who follow Him. Please visit this web-page of a 15 year-old abolitionist:

http://myspace.com/lc2lc

There you will find a link for a petition to sign and some other ideas to use to help bring justice for those who have no voice and who are invisible to the rest of the world.

Thinking

Please feel free to share your thoughts. I would love to hear from you.

The Call

Grey Tree

There’s a tree

who’s grey branches are laden with snow.

Alone stands the Tree

majestic in the silent dawn

but alone.

There is no one to warm the tree,

no one to speak him comfort.

I’m afraid my Lord is the tree, today.

I have left Him outside my window,

cold and ladened down,

alone.

Who shall go to warm Him?

Who shall bring Him comfort?

I rise and go to the window to ask Him in

but – He calls me out,

out into the cold

to stand with Him,

alone in the silent coming light.

The Sounds of Silence

How does God speak to us when the silence is so overwhelming it deafens us?