Passive?

To those who think that prayer is passive:

Those who really press and involve God with this petition in the expectation that he will answer it, as people who are seriously and fundamentally disquieted and startled, press and involve themselves too in their own plac and manner as people and within the limits of their own human capabilities and possibilities. They declare, and within their limits take on responsibility, that in the matter about which they pray to God something will be done correspondingly by them.

(Karl Barth, The Christian Life, p. 169; quoted in John Webster's Holiness, p. 76).

Perhaps that's why I'm sometimes reluctant to pray: I don't want to have to act on that prayer. I don't want to be that person who says a mindless prayer and forgets whatever-it-was. I want to care--but not too much.

Lent

I really want to do something environmentally-related for Lent this year. When I looked at Lenten calendars, however, all I could find were ones that included things that I already do in my own life, like only running the washing machine when full and turning lights off when you're not in the room. I wanted something that would challenge me, not make me feel like an eco-friendly guru when that's absolutely not what I am.

Then I found Lent 4.5. It's a Lenten series based on the environmental footprint idea, which is based on the amount of land that each person uses to support her or his lifestyle. The average American amount is 22 acres; if each person on earth had an equal amount of land to use, everyone would get 4.5 acres (hence the title of the series). When I took the quiz, I got 17.6 acres.

The series is all about simplicity, both as a way to lessen our consumerism and earth-destruction and as a way to create justice (this was more implied. I'm not sure it really works like that--just because I don't buy that chocolate at the store doesn't mean there's automatically more for a woman in Ghana or the Philippines--but it's an incredibly attractive idea nonetheless.). I've really been feeling the need for simplicity in my own life, in a multitude of ways. So my Lenten disciplines will be multiple but connected. I will be focusing on ways to simplify my life and my lifestyle. I have already committed to not using my iPad during Lent. Not only does it use a lot of needless energy (not only because I have a computer as well, which serves the same function, but also because I get sucked into games and apps for hours at a time), but it also is incredibly distracting. Sometimes in the morning I'll get my iPad and check Facebook and my email before I start my devotions! It's ridiculous. I have also committed to following along with the Lent 4.5 weekly reflections (they're on their website!), and... as for everything else, I'll see what comes up!

I'll try to post at least once a week about what I'm thinking, reflecting on, praying, and doing.

Blessings on each of you as you begin the season of Lent!

Prayers for the Philippines

I hope that all of you will join me and so many others in praying for the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan.

If you'd like to do something a bit more down-to-earth, GreaterGood.com currently has a click-to-donate where money from the clicks is donated to relief efforts in the Philippines.
(Correction: the daily click on GreaterGood.com is no longer for relief in the Philipines.)

Not For Sale

I'm going to mix it up a bit today and post about a book I just finished titled Not for Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade--and How We Can Fight It, by David Batstone.

Not for Sale was both heart-breaking and riveting. It tells stories of both modern slaves and those fighting to free the slaves, with each chapter focusing on a different region or country. It was a hard book to read; most of the slaves underwent unimaginably horrible conditions, and those fighting against slavery were incredibly dedicated. Both sets of stories were challenging in different ways.

I know that merely reading a book about an issue does absolutely nothing. I also know, however, that knowing about an issue and the real-life people who are affected by it can completely change your perspective on it. I knew before reading Not for Sale that slavery was still an issue in the world today, but now I know how very pervasive it is, and now I have faces and stories to go with the huge idea of "slavery."

It also includes a section at the end about how you can get involved in the fight to end human slavery. This section was perhaps the only one that it may not be worthwhile to read, as it was almost 10 years out of date in my edition, but there is a newer edition available. For up-to-date information, you can also check out their website, http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/.

I would encourage you to read Not for Sale if you have any interest in modern-day slavery--or, if there's another issue you're passionate about (or just curious about), read up on it. Perhaps you can't read a whole book, but you can search around the internet a bit. Be informed--find out about a new issue today, and how you can make a difference.

Toys

A set of photos of how toys are made in China: Click here.

(Please excuse the language on the page. The photos are good enough that I'm posting this link anyway.)

New Day

Sometimes God's creation just says exactly what I needed to hear. Yesterday, after a truly awful day the day before (as in I spent the whole night crying on and off), I woke up to the most gorgeous day imaginable.

Every day is a new day.

MY impact?

A lot of the rhetoric these days around activism and helping people focuses on this idea that every person can "make a difference." In some ways this language is helpful (it reminds people that God can use even the smallest action to do amazing things, for instance), but in other ways it is incredibly destructive. It puts all of the pressure on US--it is the person who is making the difference, not the God who is working through her/him. It's an incredible amount of pressure, to feel that each person must go out and almost force change to happen, or that each person must make change despite their pitiful contribution or unresolved sin or finite amount of time.

Yes, the actions of each person are so important--God cannot act if we do not choose to act! But God's actions are so much more vital. God is the one who is changing hearts, fighting the spiritual battles, giving us strength when we have none, opening doors, making possible the impossible, pointing out problems that no one sees...

God is the one who will create change. So when you feel that you cannot possibly make a difference, that you don't have enough money or energy or time or anything else, just remember that God is the one who does all the real work. You will not fail or succeed based on your own strength or intelligence or passion.