a story behind every face

If Michael had not come into our lives it would have been extremely different. With all that being said, we have a different view of life now. We view everybody different than we did. We realized that there’s a need out there that we didn’t really know about. We were living in our own little cocoon. You tend to realize that there is a lot going on out there that you’re not aware of and it brought so much to light. Even relationship aspect-wise, it all brought us closer together. We had that common bond. We went through trenches that a lot of other families don’t go through.

We came out of this as a stronger family. I’m thankful. I also think that we are so much aware of all people now and feelings and their needs. You don’t know what the guy next to you has going on. He’s got mud on his shoes or a tattoo. We’re so quick to judge. We are so, so quick to judge. You don’t know the worth of that person or what they could contribute to society. We tend to put labels on people. There’s a lot of things that we’ve come through so much, I think, the better.

Leigh Ann Touhy on SheKnows.com

Muddy conscience

(the daryl sng blog)

I cannot accept that to be realistic means to tolerate misery, violence and hate. I do not believe that the hungry man should be treated as subversive for expressing his suffering. I shall never accept that the law can be used to justify tragedy, to keep things as they are, to make us abandon our ideas of a different world. Law is the path of liberty, and must as such open the way to progress for everyone.

Oscar Arias Sánchez

Do not exploit the poor because they are poor
and do not crush the needy in court,
for the LORD will take up their case
and will plunder those who plunder them.

God

Rescue those being led away to death;
hold back those staggering toward slaughter.
If you say, "But we knew nothing about this,"
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?

God

God, I don't have a clear conscience about this. Thank you for forgiving me, and for purifying all unrighteousness in me. You demand perfection, and yet you say I am lying if I claim to be flawless as a follower of Jesus. Thank you for according me righteousness and goodness in your eyes because I believe that this was the purpose of you killing your Son for me. You also promised me that you will complete the process of refining me and it will take my whole life.

So...as wounded and bleeding as I am, I know you love me for eternity. I love you too, Jesus, for dying for me before I was born on the road for condemnation and eternal guilt and suffering.

Open Doors

Muslim world - helping raise the "shield of faith"

Believers like Daniel need our prayer and support.

Wherever Open Doors teams are at work, our efforts are focused on enabling Christians to stand strong… to hold fast to their “shield of faith” in the Lord Jesus… no matter what “days of evil” confront them.

For some, the opposition they encounter is extreme. Daniel, a secret believer from a highly restricted country in North Africa, is just one brother for whom your prayers have made such a difference. During his recent imprisonment, Daniel was beaten with a knotted rope, forced to lie in human excrement, and kept in solitary confinement in a tiny cell. “Please pray for endurance and perseverance for believers who are facing this persecution,” asks Daniel. “We need your prayer and support. Please be with us.”

Your prayers for believers like Daniel can help believers across the Muslim world to keep on raising the “shield of faith” in the year ahead.

From January Frontline Faith, Open Doors USA

Gerhard Hamm

Lord, teach us to pray. (Luke 11:1)

I am so grateful to my parents for having taught us to pray. And above all, for having been praying people themselves.

We saw the value and the power of prayer in our parents. Father was shot and killed for it and mother deported to Siberia, where she died. We, their children, have never considered this a tragic loss, but a spiritual victory.

Their prayers were taken up to heaven by angels and put into golden censers (Revelation 8:3,4). And their prayers were heard. They had twenty children, ten of whom are dead now, and many of them died in Siberia. We, the remaining ten children, suffered much in Siberia, but God has been good and merciful to us. All ten have become servants of the Lord. In times of severe persecution, we saw how our parents found strength in the Lord, through prayer and faith. We want to follow in their footsteps and go on. Do our children see the power of prayer in us?

"Lord, teach us to pray."

Writer for the month: Gerhard Hamm from Russia spent many years in prison and labor camps in Northern Siberia.

©1995 Open Doors International. Used by permission.

View an interactive Map of the worst 50 countries of
persecution.

Follow us on Twitter for instant prayer updates.

1/19/2010

Paul Paul had world vision. All nations must hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He preferred to go to places as yet unreached. He visited strategic centers out of which the whole world could be reached in the quickest and best way. He worked from that well known principle Urbi et Orbi, the town and the world. It is surprising what such a man was able to achieve in such a short time and with so little material. For that he paid a price. He sacrificed everything, even friendship. Turkey, Greece, Italy and Spain can be reached by us in just a few days, but for Paul in his circumstances, it was an almost impossible task. But he did it. He was able to say at a given moment, "But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions..." (Romans 15:23). Today the Lord gives us all the materials, all the technical know-how and all the possibilities to reach the whole world with the Gospel. The harvest remains plentiful, especially in lands which for many decades were closed to missionary work. The workers are few, people of vision and faith; people who are prepared to pay the price; those who dare to give up security for an unsure future; those who have a vision for the world; who dare to say "the world is my church" instead of "the church is my world." Pray, therefore, that the Lord of the harvest will send forth workers and be prepared to be the answer to your own prayers. ©1995 Open Doors International. Used by permission. View an interactive Map of the worst 50 countries of persecution. Follow us on Twitter for instant prayer updates. 12/2/09

It has always been my ambition to preach the Gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. Rather it is written: those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand. (Romans 15:20-21)

Douchebag

I would call myself what a friend calls himself when he feels trashy.

Douchebag.

If not for God's rich mercy (Ephesian 2:4), and endless forgiveness (1 John 1:9-10).

Tell me. Is there ANY WAY for me to feel like I DESERVE my disobedience to God, and I can MAKE UP FOR THE WRONG I'VE DONE???

No.

That's why my Father of beautiful perfection sacrificed his Son to pay for the impossible, un-payable spiritual debt I owe to him.

Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Romans 13:8-10

I think I will go and ask two people for forgiveness now. I put this out in public so I can't chicken out from shame and awkwardness in order to do the right thing :S

that's a lot of slaves

1/11/2010

Dear Dalit Champion,

President Obama has declared today, January 11, as International Human Trafficking Awareness Day and the start of a month-long, nationwide human trafficking awareness campaign: National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. The campaign ends on February 12, 2010, Abraham Lincoln's birthday.

The State Department estimates that 14,500-17,500 people are trafficked into the United States each year for modern-day slavery. These numbers do not reflect the estimated 100,000 minors that are trafficked within U.S. borders into prostitution, or the uncounted individuals that never receive services or law enforcement intervention.

The numbers in India are far more staggering.

Former ambassadors of the Trafficking in Persons Office at the U.S. State Department, Mark Logan, wrote in 2007 that the largest democracy in the world has the largest number of bonded slaves. On November 15, 2008, in New Delhi, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India, the Honorable Justice K.G. Balakrishan, stated in a public address, "The scourge of human trafficking needs no introduction. Every year, millions of individuals are trafficked all over the world and are coerced into living conditions that amount to slavery, forced labor and servitude." At the same event, the Honorable Dr. Justice Arijit Pasayat of the Supreme Court of India stated that there was no bigger problem in India today than human trafficking. Also in May 2009, India's Home Secretary, Madhukar Gupta, remarked that at least 100 million people were involved in human trafficking in India. A statement from the Central Bureau of Investigation added that "studies and surveys sponsored by the Ministry of Women and Child Development estimate that there are about 3 million prostitutes in the country, of which an estimated 40% or 1.2 million, are children."

The U.S. can play an essential and constructive role in helping to empower the Indian government to implement its anti-slavery and anti-child labor laws.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke out against human trafficking on December 2, 2009, the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, stating, "Modern slavery is a global phenomenon and must be addressed with global partnerships between governments, non-governmental organizations, and civil society. Through new partnerships, the United States and the international community will work to rescue and serve survivors, bring traffickers to justice, and create a world where every person has the freedom and opportunity to fulfill his or her God-given potential."

The Social Justice Department of Dalit Freedom Network began its work in Washington, D.C. in 2003. In the last 7 years, DFN has become the leading justice voice for the Dalits in our nation's capital. A dedicated team continues to educate, advocate, and push for legislation to end Dalit trafficking and make slavery history in India. To learn more, contact socialjustice@dalitnetwork.org

To take a stand against Dalit trafficking in India, you can:

• Spread the word
• Start a Facebook Cause (select "Dalit Freedom Fund" as your beneficiary on Facebook Cause)
• Tweet to your friends about National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month (follow us on www.twitter.com/dalitnetwork)
• Send out a MySpace bulletin using the info in this email
• Donate $20 to DFN's work of Social Justice by going to: http://www.dalitnetwork.org/go?/dfn/donate and select Social Justice.

Thank you,

The DFN Team



Dalit Freedom Network 5350 South Roslyn Street Suite 450 Greenwood Village, CO 80111

random wishlist

I don't know if I'll get down to doing them for several reasons, but it'd be really fun if I get to:

1) Learn the motorbike, and have one. A scooter will do too.
2) Own a roadbike.
3) Tattoo "ISA, MY LOVE" on my arm, or near my wrist, in either English or Arabic. If it's too expensive, I'll just do "ISA'S". I can already imagine how it'll look like.
4) Busk on the streets.
5) Bring Wallyball to Singapore.
6) Speak a minority Indian or African language.
7) Be a locker (the dance, not the metal box).

And something probably more challenging than fun...
8) Go homeless for a week.

And something probably improbable, unless I'm a guy:
9) Live and work as a migrant worker for a month.

Spencer

I see the beautiful kid in you, and you are precious in God's sight and mine.

2010

For 2010, my desire will remain the same: weaker, humbler. God must have told Jon H. that pride is going to be my main weakness in life, because he is right.

In addition, I have another explicit desire to be radical like Jesus by loving like he does per John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

My personal wish is to have a close non-believer friend, after realizing that I have NONE.

Another personal wish was to get onboard Logos Hope for two months in summer, but now I think it'll be equally fun and rewarding if I go with my friends to the Philippines for the same period of time to do the same thing: which is to be changed by Jesus, and to share him.

By the way, I have cat earstuds, cat food, and a cat bag! Let me go get those chic cat shirts and hairbands...and 10, 000 cats.

(via nataliedee.com)

his text said "I,..LOVE YOU"

What do you think of them when they walk on the streets?

(via religionfacts.com)

On Saturday, I helped two monks from Sri Lanka who had trouble with the ATM. They were in saffron robes too, and like the people who were upset they unknowingly didn't wait in line for the ATM, my instinct was that these were 'holy people'. And 'holy people' have an aura that makes you distant yourself from them.

The ATM didn't work out, so I asked for their number to text them the details of the nearest bank when I get access to the Internet. Monk A with better English (who was conversing with me) started grabbing at Monk B's phone. Monk B didn't let him for a while. Then Monk A didn't punch in my number correctly, and Monk B was speaking in their language and eventually snatched the phone over and typed the right numbers. He also asked for my name in a demanding tone.

After that small ruffle, Monk A asked about me, so I told him I was a local, but I don't stay nearby - I was here to "learn about God and have fun with my friends" (we were at a camp). Monk B waved his hands away at me after hearing that so we left.

So I left amused.

Then just today, I texted Monk B directions to the bank. With many understandable mis-spellings, I figured his reply to mean "YES, THANK YOU". A while later, he texted me his Sri Lanka number and his full name, and I replied "Hope u find the bank :)". The second most surprising thing was he later texted me "I,..LOVE YOU", to which I replied "Jesu love you", learning from Christy to grab every opportunity to share Jesus, including guys who hit on me. To which he replied "I LIKE JESU AND BUDDHA", and later on "WHAT IS YOUR FULL NAME". Both to which I didn't reply..haha.

That wasn't the bomb. The bomb was this: I just googled his name and he is a notable figure in Sri Lankan Buddhism.

And what I learn is NOT:
1. Theravada Buddhism, or Buddhism as a whole, is deficient, that's why he's not practicing what he preaches about transcending desires.
2. We can make satires and parodies out of 'holy people' because they are hypocrites.
3. Be shocked when you see the moral flaws of notable figures (religious ones, especially).
4. Religious figures are perfect people.

I learnt that 'holy people' are imperfect just as everyone else. Jing was right to say that Monks A and B's religion had very high standards for them, just like God has very high standards for everyone - and no one can meet them on their own strength. Jesus appears to be very harsh on religious people because they depend on visible acts (aka. rituals and traditions) to appear spiritual and to cover up rather than surrender their sinful nature to God. Not only that - they encourage others to do follow suit (Romans 1:32, cf. James 1:5). Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Mormon, Jehovah Witness...you name it, God's got it. In fact, he spoke out against them in actions and speech because of their religiosity (Matthew 19:7-8, 23; Mark 7:6-13; Luke 12:1-3; The Parable of the Good Samaritan; The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector etc).

I am glad God has given me Jesus' righteousness, which "surrounds me like a shield" from Satan, who accuses me before God "day and night" because he knows his end is near (Psalm 3:3, 5:12; Revelations 12:10-12). Because of that, I don't have to be religious. God says religion is not the way to go anyway.

I had an unbiblical fear that getting close to these 'holy people' who were not followers of Christ would compromise my walk with God. No matter what we were going to chat about. Instead, God was telling me to get into the muck like Jesus did when he hung out all the time with prostitutes, traitors who chose money over political loyalty, and the physically deformed and demon-oppressed. That was how Jesus' light shone - he came to those who were seeking and were aware and pain-stricken by their utter failure and filth, not those who thought they were too impeccable for God's standards for 100% perfection in holiness, love, righteousness, faithfulness, patience, and every other good attribute (Mark 2:17).

I learnt that everyone desires relationship in the form of friendship and romance, even 'holy people'. That's great because God has created us for relationship with him, which will satisfy in so many ways, and the satisfaction will flow over to many friendships with people around us. My Lover is Jesus, and I wonder if I'll have a lover for life in marriage with whom to love Jesus...you?