A reflective summer

Usually this blog is entirely informative because quite plainly if anyone reads this then I usually assume that my personal thoughts and stories are not nearly as important as issues or sites Ive found interesting. But Ive enjoyed reading through blogs and seeing what people are experiencing but also how they are growing so I thought I would follow suite. For most everyone summer is a time for exciting plans: changing the world, making crazy memories, and basically being awesome.

This summer for me is not filled with what is typically considered awesome but it is God filled. Instead of serving as a summer missionary I felt called to do something a bit different. I am working full time at the Mercer Admissions office (gasp! A real desk job?! eww.) Although its not as glamorous or even as exciting as serving in Savannah, it is peppered with Gods graces. It seems every day he is meeting my needs or desires in ways that I was never expecting. And the best part is that I still get to spend time with my high schoolers, both with youth group and young life. 

The one realization that has left me questioning, is why do we see God move as much during the school year? Ive been reading through friends blogs and hearing of all of their adventures, all of which God has a big part of. The most convicting part of this is that we dont seem to notice when he does these things during the school year. It doesnt mean that God is inactive for 10 months out of the year, I just wonder if we (myself especially) have been pausing and celebrating enough of what He was doing during the school year. I fully intend to spend the next two months learning how to be still and appreciate what God is doing in both my life and in the more interesting lives of my friends. We'll see how well someone who doesnt like to sit or be still or even be alone does on that idea, but its worth trying!

On a completely different note, while being a productive and good little worker bee I found this article:
The Other Victims
It gave a really interesting look at the johns in the human trafficking issue, who are usually just deemed as evil and terrible villains. Now I'm not saying that they are wonderful honest people but part of that statement is true, they are people. And so they're worth caring about too.

Raising hope

Fighting and disease are pretty common in the Kivu region of the Congo and he Enough project has a site called Raise Hope for the Congo. On there one thing you realize rather quickly is that this isn't just another war torn backwoods part of the world. This is a conflict that has a direct link to the western world and we even help to cause. This is an issue that is far from over though, and one of the biggest things that can help bring change to the region is to raise awareness to what is fueling the issue.

*Heres a good page that boils down whats going on in the Congo.

The issue isn't just half way around the world though, it hits close to home because all this destruction is stemming from the use of minerals that we want for our fancy gadgets. Here is a good explanation of where the minerals go.

But even better here is stuff that you can do to help take action!

a beautiful explanation of why this is something to not be ignored. Enjoy!

Falling Whistles

In honor of spring break a few friends and I went to Chattanooga to explore and relax. We spent the morning perusing a lovely art museum and afterwards decided to browse through a few shops. Serendipitously it began to rain, and we ran into a little shoe store to explore (but mostly stay dry). The little shoe store held a small display of curious looking whistles. The store owner came up and began to describe how the whistles are meant to raise awareness for the Congo. My heart about lept! The Congo is the one region I am incredibly passionate about, and it is amazing to finally see an organization actually working towards help there! Falling Whistles tells the story of boys too young to carry a gun, who are given a whistle and told to make as much noise as they possibly can. The profit from the whistles goes to helping victims of this fight that has killed over 5 million people. Their video explains a bit about the complex issue that is occurring on the other side of the world.

Reject Apathy

Relevant magazine is by far one of the best magazines that are available for young adults today, but the best is still getting better. They  are now creating a subset of Relevant, named Reject Apathy. This mini magazine focuses on ways to better the world, and how to follow through with it in a realistic, Christ-filled approach. They use John 3:18 as apart of their reasoning, quoting "Dear children, let us love with words or speech but with actions and truth." Their logic is so beautifully true. The mini-magazine material also appears in all copies of Relevant allowing for a broader range of readers to understand their message.
Heres the first mini-issue: Reject Apathy

Their website as a whole is a wonderful representation of Gods people working for his causes. A definite must read for anyone who truly cares about the world and its problems. Go for it: Reject Apathy website

Grace and Peace :)

The Kingdom

For these past two weeks I have been immersed in the idea of the Kingdom of God all thanks to my New Testament Theology class. We had to do a critical book review and after many hours of confusion in the library, I finally asked my professor to recommend a book. I anticipated an archaic tome that I would never truly understand, but my professor definately surprised me. The book Kingdom Ethics by Glen Stassen and David Gushee is the theological foundation for many of my personal convictions. It was incredible to see biblical basis for things I had learned through personal readings of both the bible and other books. I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to have Christ-centered morals. It is beautiful to see how the bible reinforces itself in creating the kingdom of God. Its a good deal of reading (nearly 500 pages) but well worth it! Go read it :)
 http://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Ethics-Following-Contemporary-Context/dp/0830826688

Pretty Cool People

I think everyone needs a modern day hero. Someone who we can look to and gain inspiration from. People whose lives can act as beacons for our own to follow. The book The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons is a hopeful view on what Christianity and the world could become in if we follow Gods will. Some of the people Lyons mentions in his book are amazing and really inspiring. If you are in need of a hero look no further: 

Modern Day Heros. Lyons refers to them as restorers since their work is restoring the world. They're pretty awesome and each one of them is doing some amazing work. Chances are one them is working on something your passionate about. Most of my heros are actually on the list. If you scroll through it you can see some amazing people such as Chris Heuretz of Word Made Flesh or Blake Mycoskie, the creator of Toms shoes. 

Successful Creeping

So last night in the wee hours I was attempting to dutifully write a paper but simply couldnt keep my eyes open. Like every good college student facebook was up but was minimized when I heard a pop! After my friend admitted to creeping (like every normal person does) he said he found my blog. I really am not sure how considering as of right now only three people (including him) know about it. Facebook, you make creeping ingenious. There is a point to this story though, I found a kindred spirit who sent a few websites my way that I am afraid to loose and I think they sounded too cool not to share.

There is a campaign that he showed me, its called the A21 campaign to end sex trafficking. There are numerous  groups that are doing this kind of thing and so its always encouraging to find another one, but this one had something special I wanted to share. They have a list of ways that people can get involved. As a college kid with loads of free time (that is a big joke considering my three papers due next week), I think this list is very doable. So if anyone is reading this, I encourage you to pick one thing on the list and do it! Maybe not necessarily through them, but if your passionate about ending sex trafficking, or even another issue, this is a wonderful way to get involed. Just click on 21 Things to Do. Its awesome :)

On a side note the new Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors album came out today and it is amazing. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves some talented and wonderful music. Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors

God bless! :)