The world must again mourn the passing of a heroine.  At the age of 71, Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai has passed away whilst being treated for ovarian cancer.  An environmental and political activist, she tirelessly worked for the eradication of poverty, the empowerment of women and the development of sustainable environmental reforestation - she did these things all in one fell swoop.

The clip above shows a raw, first-person capture of the Tsunami, and its power.  What begins as a little trickle gathers momentum, and deadly force, until whole buildings are swept away by the power of nature.  If you are the praying type, I would encourage you to be actively engaged in this disaster.  As Christians we need to be spiritual enough to intercede, yet “worldly” enough to engage – one foot on this Earth, another in the Heavens. 

As we watch the scale of the destruction all we can do is cry out for mercy and boldly declare “Your Kingdom come, on Earth as in Heaven” – and then engage the powers and make a difference!

Now do your bit! – World Vision – Japan appeal.

“What we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But if that drop was not in the ocean, I think the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. I do not agree with the big way of doing things.” ~ Mother Theresa.

Just saw the video below at the Red Letters blog.  It shows how the media covered the Swine Flu epidemic, compared to how they covered Malaria during the same period- together with the impact these two maladies have in terms of lost lives.  The video makes for some somber watching.

There's nothing more radical, nothing more revolutionary, nothing more subversive against injustice and oppression than the Bible. If you want to keep people subjugated, the last thing you place in their hands is a Bible.

The Bible describes the human vocation as that of bearing, or reflecting, the image of God in and to Creation.  The following video by N. T. Wright explains very effectively what this business of bearing God's image is all about.  This message should then motivate and inspire us to go out into all the world "reflecting God to the world, and the world to God."

I had not seen Bono's interview with Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Community Church.  In the above videos we see Bono precahing to the Church, and announcing that it is NOT acceptable to continue the way things are, when 8,000 people die every 24h hours from AIDS.  It is time to do something about it, because, at the end of the day, the line in the sand for inlusion or exclusion from the Kingdom of Heaven is not having the right doctrinal beliefs, important as though these are, but having moved on the issue of justice and the care of the least of these.

In the first video, begining around 7:35, Bono starts to talk about the phrase "On Earth as it is in Heaven".  His comments are awesome.... and spot-on.  This guy 'gets it' more than many pastors and church leaders that I have been around.

Enjoy.  Then DO something.

These guys have entered into my radar via Vicky Beeching's blog.  Human trafficking is real.  It is a cancer of the vilest characteristics that, in this day and age, the world has more slaves than at the height of the slave-trade pre-emancipation in the USA, and pre-William Wilberforce in Great Britain.  Hope for Justice exists to rescue people out of the slave trade, and to raise awareness of this issue.

Human Trafficking is the sale, transport and profit from people who are forced to work for others against their will. This trade in human life is taking place on a vast global scale and is the world’s fastest growing crime. The statistics are shocking.

• 1.2 million children are trafficked every year, one every minute
• The average age of a trafficking victim is just 14 years
• $9.5 billion is made through human trafficking each year
• The UN estimates that 80% of people trafficked are taken for sexual exploitation.

Are you shocked yet?  What are you going to do about it?

I plan on getting involved with these folks in order to take a stand against human trafficking.  We just cannot stand by and not ACT.  I cannot continue to call myself a Christian and not act for justice in the world.  If we want to presume to have God's ear in prayer, we would do well to note that He has inclined his ear to hear the cry of the needy, the oppressed, the poor, the orphan, the destitute.  Yes, the Lord has positioned his heart to pay close attention to the heart-cry of the little girl who is forced to service the depraved wants of a brothel's client.

Allow me to make a suggestion.  Let us join together and make a stand against this.  This, my friend, is the true Gospel - this is true religion, to make a stand and be a voice for those who do not have a voice.

I hope to be writing much more on this issue as I want to raise awareness in the West, was well as share on what we can do to put a stop to human trafficking once and for all.  I cannot stop and rest whilst there still remains one child without the freedom to be innocent.

"Because no-one is free until everyone is free"

 

Videos follow:

 

Let me know what you think.

The following email was sent to Gibraltar's Minister for Family, Youth and Community Affairs, asking the Government to introduce a fast-track system for adopting children that are orphaned in disasters such as Haiti's massive earthquake. ------------ The Honourable J J Netto Minister for Family, Youth & Community Affairs 14 Governor's Parade Gibraltar Dear Sir, Re: Crisis response protocol for adoption in Gibraltar. It is with astonishment that we witness the scenes of devastation coming out of Haiti. every day. In times like these we all wish that there was something that we could do to help, and no doubt the typical response from our community will be to contribute money, energy and time to help the lot of those less fortunate. Although I'm not aware of the intricacies of the adoption process here in Gibraltar, I am writing to ask whether the Government of Gibraltar has considered introducing a fast-track protocol for the adoption of orphaned children following a disaster such as Haiti. Parents who decide to adopt these orphans would be able to bring the child to Gibraltar under a certain protocol, that would relax any bureaucratic impediments and expedite the whole process. I am aware that there may not be multitudes of Gibraltarians standing in line waiting to adopt orphans, however I am also aware that sometimes small but poignant gestures, such as having Government introduce the said protocol, will serve as a powerfully symbolic catalyst to motivate some to take action. Sometimes not doing anything at all can be the worst thing we can do. Thank you for your kind attention to this matter, I remain, Yours faithfully, John K. Baw

[youtube width="340" height="285"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taZHZzj2a8Y[/youtube] In the above video, Pastor Kris Vallotton of Bethel Church in Redding, California is speaking out on the issue of abortion through a dream that he had regarding how God feels about this issue.  People, it is time to embrace LIFE.

The above video (link) must be one of the best pieces of sound engineering work ever. It is a composite audio/video of song whereby additional tracks were laid in by different singers and musicians from different places around the world. The finished product is tremendous! The song itself is that classic standard "Stand By Me" originally released in 1955 by The Staple Singers and released again in 1961 by the Drifters. This composite version is a real toe tapper. What fascinates me in this case is that the Internet brought together people from all over the world in a collaboration for the purpose of bringing change through music. Imagine the possibilities if this approach was used for the furtherance of other causes. In your opinion, what other causes could benefit from a participative collaboration along the lines shown above? Technorati Tags: Social justice, Music, Playing for change, Inspirational