vivo0por0cristo on Revelife

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Thursday, 02 October 2008

Currently Reading
Not for Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade--and How We Can Fight It
By David Batstone
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Wow - it has been about a month and a half since I've written. Not doing too great so far on the consistency thing, huh? Hopefully I'll get better - this past month has been very busy, but it looks like things will be settling down.
Having just been required by one of my classes to take the "StregthsQuest" test, I learned that one of my top five strengths is Intellection. This, I'm told, means that I like to bounce around ideas in my head all the time, and that I'm always thinking about something. I would say that's pretty accurate, actually; I don't think that there is ever a time that I am not bouncing some idea or thought around in my head. Being an introvert, I like to draw away from the crowds (which can be hard to do in a dorm setting!) and just process whatever it is that I've been thinking about. I'm not usually the best at voicing my thoughts, which is why I was drawn to xanga so many years ago - it was a way for me to let out the things I had been thinking about without having to acutally say it to someone.
So for anyone who's still reading, that's what I'm aiming to do in this post: Just let out a topic that has been in my mind and on my heart for some time now.
This summer, each member of the freshman class entering Grace college was required to read Not for Sale by David Batstone. It's a non-fiction book reporting various true-life stories of human trafficking today. Did you catch that? Human trafficking - TODAY. Call me sheltered or naiive or whatever you want to call me, but I was shocked upon reading this. I didn't know that slavery still existed in our world today. And I don't even mean only in the poorest third-world countries; I mean just about every country. I mean Thailand. I mean Africa. And yes - I mean the United States.
Did you know that there are human trafficking rings in the United States? Am I the only one who was blind to it? - I don't think so. I know that most in my class who read this book were completely caught off-guard by the statistics we heard.
For instance, did you know that human trafficking today is tied with the illegal arms trade as the second largest criminal industry worldwide (second only to illegal drug dealing)? - And that it is the fastest-growing criminal industry? There are twice as many people being held in slavery today as were trafficked in the trans-Atlantic slave trade during the 1700's and 1800's combined. There are an estimated 26 million people in slavery today, 80% of whom are women and children, and 70% of whom are being exploited for sex trafficking.
Reading/discussing this book and attending last week's chapels has been an incredibly eye-opening experience for me. How can this be so prevalent in our world today, and still be so invisible and silent? Who will be the voice for the oppressed? As Christians, we are told that it is our responsibility to defend the defenseless. "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: To look after orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world," says James 1:27. Where are the Christians in this movement? We should be the ones fighting on the front lines...but so many do not even know about these injustices, let alone what our part should look like.
I know that that is the boat I am in right now. "With great power comes great responsibility" - and I believe that it is the same with knowledge. According to James 4:17, "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." I don't know exactly what my part in this will look like, but I do know that now that my eyes have been opened, I feel like I must do something. I'm not sure what that "something" will look like; maybe it will simply be making sure I am sharing what I have learned with my friends and family, or maybe the Lord will call me to work directly with people who have been trafficked. I don't know where He is leading, but I know that He has awakened my heart to this or a reason.
If you would like to look up more information about this, there are many websites you can go to. Some that were brought to our attention this week are:
www.notforsalecampaign.org
www.slaverymap.org
www.stopthetraffik.org
www.ijm.org
www.sharedhope.org
www.invisiblechildren.com
Don't take my word for what is happening in the world; find out for yourself. Look at these websites or read David Batstone's book. Anyone can get involved in this; even if you're not called to go overseas and fight this firsthand, you could be involved by helping to spread the news, helping to support an organization financially or materially, and of course through our most potent (yet probably most underestimated) weapon - prayer.
I pray that the Lord would show me where He wants me in this picture, and I pray the He would also show you where you can be involved.
Haz justicia
God Bless, Ronae

Monday, 18 August 2008

Currently Reading
Santa Biblia/Holy Bible, NVI/NVI, Nueva Version Internacional/New International Version
By Vida Publishers
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Hm...where do I start? I had a xanga years ago, but haven't accessed it for quite some time...I don't even know if it still exists. My brother (reecebiddle) has been talking about Revelife for quite awhile and trying to convince me to get one, so finally I am giving in. I'll try this again - I loved having a xanga, but just got out of the habit of writing. Maybe this time I can stick with it.
I guess that this comes at an opportune time as I am starting a new chapter in my life.
Numbers 30:2 says, "When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said." A couple of years ago, I made a vow: to court Christ for a year's time, forsaking all other romantic relationships with guys and focusing instead on falling in love with my Lord and Savior. It was truly something that I wanted to do and something that I felt the Lord had put on my heart. I had been dating one guy for a little over a year and a half, and he had in that time become my best friend - but I felt the Lord asking that I give up that relationship with him, in order to focus primarily on a much more important and eternal relationship. And so I ended that relationship...but in loneliness and weakness, I allowed another relationship to enter my life - one that was much less focused on Christ and sharpening one another (Prov. 27:17), and much more focused on selfish cravings. I wasted close to a year and a half in that relationship - thus leaving my vow unfulfilled. When I finally did come back to Christ, He reunited me with my previous friend, from whom I had been estranged because of my disobedience. That was about 9 months ago, and the Lord has brought about amazing transformation and growth in both of our lives since that time. He has not only brought us closer to Him than we ever had been before, but also closer to each other in a much more honest and brotherly relationship. Although we had renewed our romantic relationship, we still were very much brother and sister - brought together because of our love for Christ as well as thepast failures from which He had rescued us both.
And while I was content and immeasurably thankful for what He had given to both of us, sometimes I still would feel a nagging reminder that I had not completed the vow that I had made to Him. In the past months, that feeling has grown more and more as I seek Christ's will in my life. Not only was the conviction growing in my heart, but also in my friend's, as he felt the Lord asking him to make a sacrifice. And so yesterday, as we revealed what the Lord had been doing in each of our hearts, we realized that we must make this sacrifice, no matter the cost (2 Sam. 24:24). I will be courting Christ for a year, and he too will be pursuing his relationship with the Father more fervently and with more devotion than ever before.
This was not an easy decision on either of our parts. Although we will keep our friendship, we will not (obviously) be able to be in such close proximity, or as comfortable and familiar as we would like. Any friendship that is allowed must have strict boundaries that cannot be crossed - in our actions, words, and the amount of time we spend together. It will not be easy, but I wholeheartedly believe that the Lord will bless us for the commitments we have made to put Him above all else - even above our most treasured relationship.
I pray that during this time, the Lord would draw each of us closer to Him - that He would strengthen us both and be our Best Friend, even our great Lover - that He would help both of us to fall in love with Him like never before. And if He should choose to bring us together again after this period of time, then I know that we will rejoice - but if He should choose not to reunite us, I pray that He would enable us to truly rejoice in Him nonetheless.
Until next time, God Bless,
Ronae