An Uncomfortable Truth

"'Fifteen thousand Africans are dying each day of preventable, treatable diseases--AIDS, malaria, TB--for lack of drugs that we take for granted.

This statistic alone makes a fool of the idea many of us hold on to very tightly: the idea of equality. What is happening to Africa mocks our pieties, doubts our concern and questions our commitment to the whole concept. Because if we're honest, there's no way we could conclude that such mass death day after day would ever be allowed to happen anywhere else. Certainly not North America or Europe, or Japan. An entire continent bursting into flames? Deep down, if we really accept that their lives--African lives--are equal to ours, we would all be doing more to put the fire out. It's an uncomfortable truth.'"

I'm not sure that I have ever felt more challenged\gulity\angry all at once. I love Bono's boldness in this quote, and I've read it before, but when I came across it in a book I was reading tonight it struck me differently. The sentence that strikes me the most was "Deep down, if we really accept that their lives--African lives-- are equal to ours, we would all be doing more to put the fire out." This is so much bigger than even the continent of Africa.

How do we view our neighbors? How do we determine who we want to befriend? Why do we choose to show love to only some people? I think we fail to find value in the lives of people who are outcasts of our society and people who seem to be far removed from our self-centered world views. I think this reigns true of how we view people living in extreme poverty or even as simple as people we proudly consider ourselves more intelligent than. How are we effectively using all that we have been given?

I don't have any solutions or answers, but I feel called/challenged with passion to make a difference. I'm not sure what this will look like, but I'm making it a point to seek out ways I can value people in a completely different way.

I want to live life differently and learn what it means to truly, completely love people. I think in this we find our greatest challenge and our greatest opportunity to change or remedy the atrocities of this world. I don't think God intended for there to be poverty, inequalities, or an ever widening gap between the richest and the poorest of the world, but in these things we are able to live out His love and have an impact.

A little white glove

My favorite new article of clothing

Portland Veg Fest!

Portland's own Vegetarian festival!

Location: Oregon Convention Center, 777 N.E. MLK Blvd., Portland, OR 97232

Date: Saturday, September 19, 2009, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Admission: $5 at the door. Free for children 10 and under.
A printable $1-off coupon is at www.portlandvegfest.org.

There will be some great food, good books and fun music all day long! Maybe I'll see you there?

Bacon Boy Rug

All the way from Germany....



It's the Bacon Boy Rug! This will be one of the many articles showing my late cousin's creativity at Bacon Fest. If you are in town Labor Day weekend, come check it out! You can find more information here.

Blood on the dance floor..

I'm sure you were deeply saddened with the passing of Michael Jackson, as was I. If you haven't had the opportunity, watch the memorial video. It was very sweet and of course covers the classics. Motown founder, Barry Gordy, even named MJ as the greatest entertainer ever lived. That's quite the compliment.

Also, check out this video from Stockholm my brother-in-law shared with me:



...Rest In Peace...

My Fourth of July

Today I ran my very first half marathon! It was the Foot Traffic flat. I ran it in 2 hours and 25 minutes. I hope this is the first of many to come.

My goal for this year is to run the Portland Marathon in October. We'll see if I can make up for the training I'll lose in Uganda, but I think I can do it. Stay tuned..

Let's go to Cuba!

Here's a site supporting the end of the 50 year ban on Cuba. Please sign the petition!

Bacon Salt

I randomly came across this Bacon Salt website and found it to be thoroughly entertaining. I mean really, everything should taste like bacon. It's even vegetarian. I'm not gonna lie, I kind of want to try it, even if the thought slightly disgusts me. You know there's a part of you wondering if it really tastes like bacon.

If trying it isn't enough for you, be sure to help the worldwide organization to stop Bacon Salt Snorting. Appalling in so may ways, yet truly funny and good marketing for their product.

I know my cousin Austin and Bacon Boy would have loved this.

The Things They Carried

I first read this book in my sophomore English class eight years ago. I picked it up recently because me and a friend of mine decided to start our own book club and this was the first book we chose to read. Needless to say eight years has made quite the difference, and I know I didn't react this way the first time I read this book.

When I suggested this book I forgot that it was about the Vietnam War. I just vaguely remembered reading it in high school and didn't recall much about it. In fact, I couldn't even recall if I had liked it. When I found that it was about war I was certain that I had hated it, but I still don't remember. Now I think it's the greatest book about war I have ever read (but that could be because it may be the only).

I think the author, Tim O'Brien, paints a reality of war that may be unheard of to those who have never participated in or have never studied war in much detail. I can give you dates and names of famous battles, but I have never studied any war in depth, and as I read the book I was accompanied with intense, real-life war dreams. I've never been a fan of war, let alone have ever participated in one, but I can only imagine what war may be like by the quality of my dreams. It was quite the trip.

The book touched on the turmoil behind the young men who went off to fight, barely in or out of college, barely on their own and barely adults. I can't imagine what it would be like to be drafted and I probably won't ever get the chance to know given current laws, but it made me feel bad that this was something only young men have to face. I'm not concerned about the sexism in the law, but rather the mentality of either having to flee the country to not participate in something of which you don't believe or giving into your embarrassment going to fight in the war (read page 59 for more details). I don't really want the responsibility of making that decision, but I do think it's a little unfair to give it to only one party. I think I would end up reacting like this character:

I remember Mitchell Sanders sitting quietly in the shade of an old banyan tree, He was using a thumbnail to pry off the body lice, working slowly, carefully depositing the lice in a blue USO envelope. His eyes were tired. It had been a long two weeks in the bush. After an hour or so he sealed up the envelope, wrote FREE in the upper right-hand corner, and addressed it to his draft board in Ohio. (31)

I don't know for sure, but I think I'm bratty enough to do that.

In all, I definitely recommend this book. It's well-written and engages you. I'll leave you with this philosophical passage that I've enjoyed pondering.

To generalize about war is like generalizing about peace. Almost everything is true. Almost nothing is true. At its core, perhaps, war is just another name for death, and yet any soldier will tell you, if he tells the truth, that proximity to death brings with it a corresponding proximity to life. After a firefight, there is always the immense pleasure of aliveness. The trees are alive. The grass, the soil-- everything. All around you things are purely living, and you among them, and the aliveness makes you tremble. You feel an intense, out-of-the-skin awareness of your living self--your truest self, the human being you want to be and then become by the force of wanting it. In the midst of evil you want to be a good man. You want decency. You want justice and courtesy and human concord, things you never knew you wanted. There is kind of largeness to it, a kind of godliness. Though it's odd, you're never more alive than when you're almost dead. You recognize what's valuable. Freshly, as if for the first time, you love what's best in yourself and in the world, all that might be lost. (81)

Returning once again (Lord willing)

Poverty is widespread. Nothing we’ve been told or shown allows us to believe any differently. We “hear” about poverty, but where do we really experience it? We see men and women both young and old on street corners with signs asking for money and many different thoughts run through our heads: “Do they really need help?” “What are they going to do with my money? Drink? Eat? Buy drugs?”

What we see as poverty in the US is incomparable to poverty in third world countries. Something intrinsically breaks you inside when you witness extreme poverty. The question of ill-intent leaves you and you’re left piecing back together your broken heart. Responsibility for the crises consume you. What’s the cause? Who’s to blame? When will it end? How will we end it? Who will help? Is it too much to bear?

... Imagine what Jesus must have thought on his road to the cross…

Walk with me down a red dirt road full of ruts and newly formed potholes, reminders of last year’s rains and what is to come. Pass through the market place where rotting meat of malnourished animals hang on hooks, suitable only for the flies that adorn the flesh with hungry attention. Divert your eyes to the many booths where shoppers barter for food, clothing and plastic shoes, the bare necessities of life. Go a bit further and pass huts and houses, some glorious and others not suitable as a prison cell. Pass the basic brick school house and see students fortunate enough to have their fees paid for a basic education that has insurmountable personal costs compared to their western counterparts.

Outside of those four wall see the children in rags, if anything at all, too shy to look you in the eye without running away. Walk further still and you’ll experience the beauty of Africa, the lush trees and bushes, the bricks drying in the sun, foundations for new homes, and you’ll find your way to Seeta Adventure Village. Be greeted by 850 orphans overjoyed at your presence. Where there was once turmoil, they have been given peace. Where there was once sorrow they have been filled with joy. Where despair was all they knew they have a new found hope. All given by our faith lived out in action.

Play soccer, dance, sing and be relational. Hold the precious hand of a stranger and hear his/her stories…
...the 13-year-old boy who witnessed his father’s murder in the middle of the night by a bill collector…
...the 10-year-old girl who was left alone with her dying baby sister and later chased away from her home, deemed responsible for her sister’s death…
…Feel the young kids chests heave in and out while they’re sobbing in agony, wishing for their last breath, because they cannot understand their past life at the Internally Displaced Persons camp or fathom that they were capable of the forced killing they endured as child soldiers...
...Or see those who bare the marks of being branded like cattle, made property by the Lord’s Resistance Army…

What we don’t experience we have a hard time believing. The bottom line is children are precious all over the world. Respond where you are called. Not all who care have the ability to go. Are you called to give your time in prayer or your treasure to help those in need?

“’What is to be said of the character of people who, having the power to end all this, permit it to continue?’”1

I am traveling to Uganda with Abundant Life Church July 14th-Aug. 5th to expand our water project to reach the whole village, install electricity, create a playground and most importantly love on orphans and the people I come in contact with. My heart in the matter is to bring hope and the love of Christ to people who don’t experience love in all His glory. Abundant Life Church and other sponsors are generously providing funds for our projects. It is my responsibility to raise $3600 in support to cover the costs for my three weeks in Uganda. I am sending this letter to you because I am seeking prayer as well as financial support for this mission. Although financial support is very helpful, the thing I need most for the mission is prayer. If you are able to give go to Delta Ministries' Website or ask me for a response card that you can fill out to indicate the support you will be providing, and return it to Delta Ministries International. Any gift is tax deductible.

Thank you so much for your support. I am excited for this trip and what God has in store for me in Uganda. I look forward to sharing my
experience with you upon my return.

A little nudge...

Lately, I've had a really bad attitude. I'm just not feeling with it or feeling like what I do matters. I constantly toy with the idea of leaving youth ministry. Not that I would ever really be able to leave because relationships would still be there, but just leave the commitment aspect behind. I think about this a lot especially when I'm feeling really drained and overwhelmed, and without fail, God allows something to happen that makes me realize why I hang with these kids.

Today I was really feeling that way. I like to sit and contemplate and talk circles, but often times I don't have the chance to do so at least with other people. So while I was at the church today I talked with someone about what I've been feeling about my involvement with student ministries and just had rounds with them. It made me feel better, but still doubting.

Shortly after, I met with a young lady who had questions about baptism and her relationship with God, and I was so humbled by this conversation. I was able to help her workout her issues and she's decided to get baptized next month. I'm really excited for her and am touched that God would use me in this way. It's these little nudges from him that make me remember why I started getting involved and why these relationships are so important to me.

From one of my favorite political blogs

Since I've been studying a lot about poverty, I found this post from one of my favorite political blogs interesting.

While in Colorado I remember this guy who was originally from Colorado, but lived in Kansas coming into our campaign office to get some chum telling me that Kansas is the only place in the States that people with less than nothing living in old-worn out trailers would vote Republican. Apparently he wasn't kidding...

A small break for recycling

I'm not going to lie, I'm more than a little excited about the Oregon E-Cycles program.

Check out Free Geek's page for other cool electronic recycling ideas/advocates.

(Lack of) Food for Thought

"Propaganda, stereotypes, and myth govern our thinking about poverty and poor relief much more than the facts do. By current, official measures, for example, more than one-third of poor Americans are children under eighteen years old, more than 10 percent are over age sixty-five, and nearly 40 percent of the adult poor are disabled-- that is, most poor people are 'deserving' or 'involuntarily' poor due to old age, youth, or infirmity."

A lot of us hold the view that poor people are there because they did something wrong. Because we are capable it's hard to find others as not. This is where we first gained our "common" view of those who live in poverty.

"According to the United Nations, slum dwellers were 30 percent of the world's urban population in 2005. By a slum we tend to mean deeply poor and often squalid cityscapes, and while we may overestimate how many poor Americans live in the city, in 2000 there were nonetheless 2,510 neighborhoods in the United States in which 40 percent or more of the populations was poor; 8 million lived in modern ghettoes. Since the 1970s, the number of Americans in areas of concentrated urban poverty had doubled."

What is the true definition of "poor"? How does this compare to the rest of the world and is the American citizen's definition of poor the same as those worldwide?

"'What is to be said of the character of people who, having the power to end all this, permit it to continue?'"

I challenge you to answer that question for yourself. What, if anything, are you doing to help?

"'Everybody knows that money, fame, and success don't necessarily bring happiness. But the other side of that equation is also true: poverty, obscurity, and failure don't necessarily bring unhappiness.'"

I will no where, no how compare myself to those in poverty, but from recent endeavors and finding myself jobless, I've learned more about what is really important to me. I can have fun and find joy without much discretionary income.

"'A very dear friend of mine and I were talking about work and she remarked to me that her husband was angry when she got home at 12 midnight the day before from work. I asked why she worked so late and she to me, "'Janie, don't you know that just before the first of the month we work late upping the prices. . . . this is the time business is good, when the welfare checks come out and food stamps are most used.'"'"

This quote was from 1967. I wonder if the same still applies today? I want to do a study of the cost of the "basic necessities" over a few months time. Maybe I will write one and conduct the research myself. I foresee a lot of challenges such as defining "basic necessities," determining which grocery stores to evaluate, and so forth. I am open to suggestions.


quotes from A People's History of Poverty in America by Stephen Pimpare.

Poverty Line in Oregon..

Here's a look into the poverty line in Oregon.

How's your IQ?

If IQ tests measure acquired information are they realistic of our intelligence?

1. What is gray tape and what is it used for?
2. What does dissed mean?
3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of moving often?
4. What is the main kind of work that a bondsman does?
5. What is a roach?
6. How are a pawnshop and a convenience store alike? How are they different?
7. Why is it important for a non-U.S. citizen to have a green card?
8. You go to the bakery store. You can buy five loaves of day-old bread for 39 cents each or seven loaves of three-day-old bread for 28 cents each. Which choice will cost lest?
9. What does deportation mean?
10. What is the difference between marriage and a common law relationship?

From A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby K. Payne, Ph.D

Could you survive in poverty?

In my recent public policy readings I came across this test of being able to survive in poverty:

Can you agree with these statements?:

1. I know which churches and sections of town have the best rummage sales.
2. I know which rummage sales have "bag sales" and when.
3. I know which grocery stores' garbage bins can be accessed for thrown-away food.
4. I know how to get someone out of jail.
5. I know how to physically fight and defend myself physically.
6. I know how to get a gun, even if I have a police record.
7. I know how to keep my clothes from being stolen at the Laundromat.
8. I know what problems to look for in a used car.
9. I know how to live without a checking account.
10. I know how to live without electricity and a phone.
11. I know how to use a knife as scissors.
12. I can entertain a group of friends with my personality and my stories.
13. I know what to do when I don't have money to pay the bills.
14. I know how to move in half a day.
15. I know how to get and use food stamps or an electronic card for benefits.
16. I know where the free medical clinics are.
17. I am very good at trading and bartering.
18. I can get by without a car.

From A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby K. Payne, Ph.D

Goodbye to The West Wing

Last Sunday I finished watching The West Wing. The seven seasons filled my evenings for nearly six months. This is freeing, yet slightly depressing. My evenings will no longer be filled with political drama that coincides with present day happenings, but, hey, I might feel the need to leave my house more, and my friends will appreciate my being able to talk about something besides The West Wing.

To fill my void I've developed a week long reading schedule to keep me busy. It's as follows:

Mondays: Philosophy night

Tuesdays: Public Policy Issue night

Wednesdays: Whatever book most interests me at the moment

Thursdays: Theatrical/Great Author nights

Fridays: Biography night

Saturdays/Sundays: Study nights (languages, GRE, etc.)