the gate

last night, pramin talked a bit about something that he and jennifer saw at the beach, a gathering of people that had brought drums and white outfits to celebrate the ocean.  they were chanting to the ocean and dancing and praising it as if it was worthy of praise, more worthy than its creator.  it reminded me about a post that i had read on mark driscoll’s blog about meditation.  i hope you see the mental arc that happened in my mind to get from white linen clad Angelinos to meditation…  :)

meditation is often misunderstood, as it is lumped in with the meditation that is taught by other religions and philosphies.  meditation, as taught by the Scriptures, is not the same thing.  in some ways, it is in fact the opposite. 

mark wrote a cool little intro to meditation here, i suggest that you take a look at it.  I will be writing more about meditation soon…

meditation - part 1
meditation - part 2

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“The worst thing that can happen to the Church is what is happening to the Church now in the West, namely that the Church is deliberately conforming to the world . . . . The modern world politicizes everything and imposes the political categories of Right and Left on everything . . . . And the Church is following the tune of this pied piper.” (Peter Kreeft, The God Who Loves You, chp. 10.) [via]

“No matter who becomes President, it won’t change my assignment. I’m called to be a Christian, not a Republican or a Democrat . . . . When folks — voters and candidates — go apocalyptic on what will happen if their opponent wins I reflect on the 11 elections I’ve been through (consciously). The apocalyptists have always sprinkled their language with doom and gloom and they’ve never been right. If you compare the differences between Democrats and Republicans to what some other countries in the world have, there’s not that much difference. The differences are not apocalyptic.” (Scot McKnight, Jesus Creed)

Does voting matter? Yes it does, and you should vote. But voting is of minor importance when compared to praying and proclaiming the gospel. Major on the majors, not the minors. America is not in the shape we are in because Christians are not voting. America is in the shape we are in because Christians are not praying and proclaiming the gospel as we should.

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If you are not aware of the situation in India right now, I would like to make sure you know some of what is going on, and ask you to pray.

The Evangelical Alliance Prayer Bulletin gives this information:

Hindu Anti-Christian Pogrom Spreads In India
The violent Hindu anti-Christian pogrom that flared up on 23 August in Kandhamal district in the north-east Indian state of Orissa continues to rage. It now engulfs nine districts, indicating a high level of VHP (Hindu World Council) orchestration. More than 50 Christians have been killed and multitudes have been raped, bashed, burned and slashed. Some 50,000 Christians are displaced. Even the relief camps are being attacked but, praise God, two attempts to poison their water supplies have been thwarted. Furthermore, anti- Christian violence is now erupting in other states. Churches have been torched in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka whilst nuns from Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity were violently assaulted in Chhattisgarh. The central government appears paralysed. Please pray for God’s intervention.

Click the link above (or here) to get more info and specific prayer points. See the bulletins issued on Sep 3, 12, & 18. The bulletin dated Aug 6 tells of more Hindu terrorism.

I also encourage you to read Pastor Rick Thompson’s blog. He quotes from a letter he received from Global Action, a ministry that we support (see our Links/Partnerships section in the side column).

Check out these articles: Five Blasts Put Delhi on High Alert and New Delhi Bomb Blasts Kill At Least 18

“Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” - Hebrews 13:3

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i have been hearing good things about this talk so i looked it up.  definitely worth watching…very cool.

how great is our god - part 1

how great is our god - part 2

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I will never forget the day that my Savior came to me. That day was January first 1992 at 12:05am. I could not help but to bow to my King. I couldn’t resist His grace that drew me by the Spirit to the Father. What a day. The guilt was gone. The shame had vanished, and I was born again. My life was transformed. I think about that day often. This is what Spurgeon says about his conversion;

“My soul can never forget that day. Dying, all but dead, diseased, pained, chained, scourged, bound in fetters of iron, in darkness and the shadow of death, Jesus appeared to me. My eyes looked to Him. The disease was healed, the pains removed, chains were snapped, prison doors were opened, and darkness gave place to light. What delight filled my soul! What mirth, what ecstasy, what sound of music and dancing, what soarings toward heaven, what heights and depths of indescribable delight! Ever since then, I have hardly ever known joys that surpassed the rapture of that first hour.” My Conversion (Pg. 9)

For me that hour, I saw the night sky like never before. The stars never shined brighter. The leaves never looked greener to me. Nature was worshiping the Creator and it was as if I could hear it. That night was life changing. I know that God is bringing me from glory to glory, but I am grateful for that night filled with rapture divine.

When I recall that night, it brings me back to my first love with my Lord. Joy fills my heart and tears fill my eyes. Thank you Jesus for saving this wretched sinner like me.

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i always like to tell young people that life is all about priorities.  it is about finding out what is importantant and investing into those things, and leaving the rest behind.  well, today i encountered a great illustration of priorities that are pretty jacked up.

i will give you the broad strokes so as to not get myself or anyone else i work with yelled at, but suffice to say that i’m not necessarily in favor of all of the things that the city i work for plans.

city hall stands on a T intersection.  the street that ends at the front of city hall (the vertical line in the T) is about to undergo a HUGE facelift.  first of all, there are about 20 or so trees that are diseased that were slated to be removed as part of a multi-million dollar renovation of that area in about 3 years or so.  it was decided that those trees would be removed immediately (2 weeks from now), even though the project itself has yet to be funded.  the motivation behind it you ask?  that’s where it gets hairy.

this corridor is also where about 10 homeless people live, under the trees and on the park benches that are there now.  they live in the shadow that these trees cast, right under the windows of the top execs of the city.

so rather than kick the homeless people out or do something about the problem, they will instead spend extra money to get rid of the trees early. also, they’ll be doing away with the benches.  do you smell the rat?  they’re going to let the sun’s heat can do what they don’t have the guts to do.

it is unsettling to me because it it totally unnecessary to spend those millions on a new corridor to city hall when it could be used to help people like the ones that they are forcing out.  i’m definitely not trying to start a revolution, or to assert that i think all government money should be used to help homeless people, but i do think it is a slap in the face to those people and a blatant show of misplaced priorities.  3 million on some new trees and brick lined streets is wack when the people you have to displace to make it happen are going through the dumpsters on a daily basis.

alas, i am but a cog in the wheel.  i’m not going to quit my job in protest not will i write a scathing letter to the city manager outlining the finer points of compassion and service to the poor.  but i will rant here and pray that in places where we can make a difference, we will.

it’s days like today that i eagerly want to believe that our presidential candidates actually believe what they say.  do they actually care about you and me?  i doubt it.  if i was homeless under the window of president barak mccain, i get the feeling they would both be removing my source of shade.

do you know what’s imporant in life?  do you know what things you can do without?  are you about what Jesus was about when He was alive?  are you about what Jesus would be about if He was around today?

check your priorities people.  don’t let them go astray.  be about the kingdom of God and His righteousness (matthew 6:33).

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Human trade, slave markets, the buying and selling of people – these are not only words and phrases that echo a brutal and distant time in our past. These words coldly define the horror of countless children, women, and men, trafficked every year. Trafficking is a global phenomenon where victims are sexually exploited, forced into labor and subjected to abuse.

The common denominator of trafficking scenarios is the use of force, fraud, or coercion to exploit a person for profit. A victim can be subjected to labor exploitation, sexual exploitation, or both. Labor exploitation includes traditional chattel slavery, forced labor, and debt bondage. Sexual exploitation typically includes abuse within the commercial sex industry. In other cases, victims are exploited in private homes by individuals who often demand sex as well as work. The use of force or coercion can be direct and violent or psychological.

A wide range of estimates exists on the scope and magnitude of modern-day slavery. The International Labor Organization (ILO)—the United Nations agency charged with addressing labor standards, employment, and social protection issues—estimates that there are 12.3 million people in forced labor, bonded labor, forced child labor, and sexual servitude at any given time; other estimates range from 4 million to 27 million.

The State Department estimates that there are
17,000 people trafficked into the U.S. each year.

Annually, according to U.S. Government-sponsored research completed in 2006, approximately 800,000 people are trafficked across national borders, which does not include millions trafficked within their own countries. Approximately 80 percent of transnational victims are women and girls and up to 50 percent are minors.

The majority of transnational victims are females trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation. These numbers do not include millions of female and male victims around the world who are trafficked within their own national borders—the majority for forced or bonded labor.

Human traffickers prey on the vulnerable. Their ploys are creative and ruthless, designed to trick, coerce, and win the confidence of potential victims. Very often these ruses involve promises of a better life through employment, educational opportunities, or marriage.

An estimated two million children worldwide face the horrors of exploitation in the transnational sex trade. Child sex tourism involves people who travel to engage in commercial sex acts with children. The lives of such prostituted children are appalling. Studies indicate that each of these children may be victimized by 100 to 1,500 perpetrators per year. Prostituted children live in constant fear and often suffer from many physical ailments, including tuberculosis, infections, and physical injuries resulting from violence inflicted upon them.

-all statements gathered from various sources, mostly the links below

•   •   •   •   •   •   •   •   •

What will you do?

“Attend to matters of justice . . . Rescue victims from their exploiters!” -Jeremiah 22:3

Please, educate yourself. Click these links.

iAbolish

iAbolish Blog

HumanTrafficking.org: A Web Resource for Combating Human Trafficking

Humantrafficking.org Resources

Humantrafficking.org Combat Trafficking

The Human Trafficking Project

The Captive Diaries

Bitter Harvest

US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report 2008

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Some people who used to think voting doesn’t matter now think it does, while some people who used to think voting matters now think it doesn’t. These are interesting times, and I’ve found myself in some interesting conversations lately.

I’d like to hear what you think about Proposition 8. Really, I would.

In 62 days, you’ll have the opportunity to cast your vote for or against Proposition 8 (those of you that are registered voters in the state of California, that is). Its purpose is to place into the California Constitution the same language that voters already passed by 61% of the vote in 2000. Proposition 8 will overturn a California Supreme Court decision that overturned Proposition 22.

The text of Proposition 8 reads as follows:

Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in California.

A YES vote supports heterosexual marriage. A NO vote supports homosexual marriage.

In your opinion, what difference will Proposition 8 make? If it passes, homosexual marriage will no longer be allowed in California. What difference will that make? If Proposition 8 does not pass, homosexual marriage will continue to be legal. What difference will that make?

We know that only Jesus saves and transforms people. We know that Jesus is the only hope for America — not laws and not certain political candidates. So, in your opinion, what difference will Proposition 8 make?

I’d like to hear what you think. Really, I would. Please, don’t just sit there, say something.

And . . . keep this discussion civil, Christ-honoring, and issue-oriented. Name-calling and other ad hominem attacks will not be allowed. Let’s demonstrate that even if we have differing thoughts and perspectives, we can still have great love, respect, and appreciation for one another.

(In the future, I’m thinking about having a similar discussion about Sarah’s Law, Proposition 4, but let’s see what happens here first.)

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a small conversation topic from the desk of pablo: 

i watched a news item this morning regarding teen pregnancy being on the rise again, after 15 years of steady decline.  30% of girls now become pregnant by the age of 20. 

you’ve probably already heard that one of the girls feeding that statistic is the 17 year old daughter of GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin.  i think it’s pretty interesting that they would put her in the VP spot knowing this.  but i liked what obama had to say about it…he basically said that people’s kids should not be a part of our politics.  but that’s neither here nor there. 

anyways… 

so the woman in charge of the study was asked why she thought that it was on the rise.  she basically said that it was a combination of increased knowledge of STD’s, HIV and AIDS, and the subsequent lack of fear of those diseases.  this, leading to cutting corners with condoms etc. has led to an increase in teen pregnancy.

of course, teen pregnancy is not something that the Church is free of.  this should be a wake up call for Christian parents that they can no longer rely on fear to keep their kids from having sex before marriage.  we need to be more open than we have been and more intentional in teaching our kids what the Scripture says about it. 

talk amongst yourselves…

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