the intersection of life and grace

This post was written in advance to post on the afternoon of January 18, the day many websites demonstrated their opposition for SOPA and PIPA by shutting down or displaying banners to that effect. I posted late last night on my Facebook and Twitter accounts that I was signing out for 24 hours in protest of this proposed law because it is a threat to free speech.

It may seem counter-intuitive to stop speaking out on social media to protest the potential for those media to be shut down under the weight of these proposed laws. However quiet I may be on Facebook and Twitter today, know that I have not been silent elsewhere.

I spent the time I would normally spend reading or updating my sites on contacting various members of Congress (my own, and those on the committee in front of whom the SOPA bill sits presently), as well as my US Senators. I expressed my opposition to the bills as a small business owner whose livelihood depends upon the free flow of information on the web. I made it clear that I am against copyright infringement, but that the bills as written are too broad and would ultimately hinder free speech. I asked all of my Federal elected officials to withdraw their support of the bills in their respective houses.

I’m sure I miss the interaction I have daily via the ‘net. However, I’m also sure that the projects I planned for today’s work were done a little faster without the shiny web to distract me. I’m sure I’ll ultimately be glad for having taken the break. BUT, I’m against the government forcing me into one… ever.

What you can do:

• Read up on the provisions and consequences of the SOPA bill by clicking here, Why SOPA is Dangerous.
• Take a look at the information about the bill, including the money trail, on OpenCongress by clicking here.
• Contact your own Senators and Representatives. Look here for their information: Congress.org

• Stop — or ask your friends/co-workers/readers/followers to stop — knowingly infringing on copyright by pirating music, movies, television, books, and photos from the web without proper payment, licenses, or attribution. 

We are…a mess.

Yes, collectively. As in, all of us.

A horror of injustice occurred at Penn State University’s State College campus. I’m not talking about football. As much as the game is loved and revered in Happy Valley, this isn’t actually about football. It’s about a man – several, actually – and a number of boys whose horror was ignored in favor of protecting reputations. Consciously, or not. Regrets in hindsight, or not.

I’m not going to moralize about the judgments made by the specific people in that particular tangled web of injustice. The fact is, that web ensnares every person who has chosen to look the other way; to keep quiet; to do only what is required by the rules.

I’ve done all those. So have you.

Looking the other way perpetuates hopelessness.

Silence speaks loudly of indifference.

Rules don’t alleviate suffering.

Today is a new day with a fresh, garish reminder of our selfish inclination to protect ourselves first and others at some point thereafter.

Today is a new day with a fresh opportunity to commit to caring more about someone else’s need, interest, safety, suffering, or hopelessness, than our own.

Today is a new day. Don’t look away. Don’t settle for the minimum required. Don’t protect your reputation. Build character.

We are a unique bunch. That is an understatement.

We are also an under appreciated bunch. Almost every day I see a post, or have a phone call, or talk with one of our tribe who is struggling to know that what we do actually matters. It’s a blessing to be able to assure my co-laborers that each one of us truly does matter.

A few years back, when YMX was still active, I had the privilege of helping write and gather a series of essays titled “You Matter…” which details all the different ways a youthworker matters. I hope you’ll take the opportunity today to read one, or two, or all of them, because they are absolutely true.

• You Matter to God by Patti Gibbons
• You Matter to Your Spouse by Angie Wilson
• You Matter to Students by Tim Gibbons
• You Matter to Parents by Patti Gibbons
• You Matter to Your Volunteers by Todd Porter
• You Matter to Your Staff Team by Gerrard Fess
• You Matter to Your Schools by Adam McLane
• You Matter to Your Church by Charlie Eldred
• You Matter Always by Len Evans

If you need a more visual representation of how much you matter, please take a few minutes to watch this video from The Skit Guys called, “The Chair.”

Thank you for serving students in Jesus’ name!

Social services such as Facebook, Google +, Twitter, YouTube and more, all have one purpose, right? They exist to connect you with people with whom you share interests and with whom you want to share ideas, right? Wrong.

While supporting you in making all kinds of social and business connections, social media networks are constantly collecting information about you, compiling it, and using it to create profiles for marketing purposes. That’s why they are free to us, but are highly profitable investments to their owners. Before you scream, you consented to this when you clicked the “agree” button on the sign up form — whether or not you read it.

So what can you do? Know what information you’re giving away.

• Go to your account settings and read what you’re telling the Internet. Do this for each service you use.
• On services where you have authorized third-party applications — particularly on Facebook and Twitter — go to the appropriate settings page and make sure you still want all those apps authorized to have access to your information. Delete or de-authorize those you no longer use (you may find some you never knew you used).
• Do an inventory of apps on your smart phone or iPod to ensure you’re only giving away information to companies you want to have it. Every app has access to a lot of information from your phone, but each made you aware of what they wanted when you installed the app.
• Do a thorough walk through of your privacy settings on each account. Ask yourself, if I post this status update as “public” or “friends of friends” am I comfortable with it coming up for the world to see? Public posts are captured by search engines. Who are your friend’s friends with anyway? What about your photos? Should the world see them? All the friends of all your friends?
• Lastly, regularly change your password. Use something unique. Use a different something unique for every single site. If you have trouble remembering them and don’t save them in your browser because that file can easily be compromised or deleted (hint, hint), use a good password management program.

I go through this process about once each year; more often if there are changes to the site (such as recently on Facebook).

There are no secrets on the internet. Everything is traceable. Sometimes that’s a-couple-of-clicks simple, while sometimes it takes legal action. The bottom line is this: People use social media for the price of information. It’s a mutual agreement, but you can spend your capital wisely.

“I just don’t like to be scared.”

So there you have it. That’s the reason I don’t really like Halloween. It’s the same reason I don’t see horror movies. I just don’t enjoy it.

Yes, I know, especially in America, the day is supposed to be about fun and creative costumes and candy. Those details don’t scare me at all. I worked hard to make it a fun experience for my own children when they were small.

Here’s what I don’t enjoy:

• It’s the part about someone hiding and jumping out from behind some object unexpectedly.
• Or, the part about intentionally submitting to being scared in this way in the form of a haunted house activity.
• Or, the part about having to inspect the treats received because there are twisted people in the world who have put poison or needles or some other hazard in them as some sort of pathological joke.
• It’s about people who would harm others to entertain themselves that makes me less than enthusiastic about the general practice of trick or treating in any public way.
• The greed that drives the day — from the consumerism to the open contempt offered by children and adults alike if they aren’t happy with the treat you offered.

Add to that mix a childhood during which I was bullied and teased a lot, so I never really felt safe when I didn’t know who someone was (i.e., behind a mask). That doesn’t scare me now, but it’s a part of this whole, to be sure.  Then add the grown up concerns of keeping my children safe and properly supervised. Lastly, add that I’m an introvert. It just isn’t a great recipe for me.

To be clear, I’m only making reference to the cultural practices, not the spiritual background of the day. Like my friend Adam McLane, I believe there is much a believer can do to be good news in the neighborhood for Halloween. [Click here to read his excellent post on ways to be exactly that.] I’ve happily participated in parties, events and gatherings on Halloween, so long as they were without many of the elements above.

I’m just not a Halloween fan. Some people are, and I’m perfectly OK with that difference.

I remember the first time I engaged in a cause. I was in ninth grade and was certain I and my fellow female students at our large public high school faced discrimination. Of all horrors, we had to buy and wear district approved gym suits while male students could wear their own shorts and tees. Fashion (or lack thereof) aside, it just wasn’t fair.

Slowly, but surely, the word spread among the girls. “Don’t wear the gym suits! Bring your own shorts and tees.”

Gym day came and the 1960s and 70s throwbacks were left at home in favor of clothing like what the boys wore. We got zeroes for the day and got to sit silently on the locker room benches for the class period. The boys got to play.

Then, the authorities got involved. Those of us who were athletes were called into the athletic director’s office. Shortly thereafter the principal showed up. Neither was impressed; nor were they amused. “There are reasons,” they said. “But they aren’t fair,” we countered. “You are leaders in this school and you should know better,” we were told, “and there are more effective ways to change things.”

The consequences for disobedience were potentially significant, such as failure to earn the required gym credit, suspension from our teams, or from school. We were, however, intrigued by these other ways to change things. In the end, we collected signatures of as many students, parents and administrators as we could (including our gym teachers and the AD), and petitioned the school board. The Board invited us to present our case, and after a short deliberation, set us free from the awful gym suits.

A sense of justice ignited by the discovery of a perceived injustice is a powerful force. The willingness to personally risk something to end an injustice is an even more powerful force. We are motivated to help each other by these factors; to act on that urge to do something rather than stand by.

I gained a voice that day, sitting silently on that locker room bench. It wasn’t until years later that I understood why, for what purpose, that voice had been given. It wasn’t until I became aware of sin and redemption, of grace and mercy, of the remedy for the selfish and unjust inclinations of the human heart, that I was able to even begin to understand justice. To speak for those whose voices are ignored, or who have no voice, is an essential part of following Christ and, even more so, of making him known. The two are inseparable, and neither can they be omitted from the life of a Christ follower.

I doubt that God had much worry over the clothes we wore for gym back in the day. In hindsight, however, God was preparing me — even though I did not yet know him — to use my voice to make his ways known. Whether I speak of trafficked children, mistreated youth workers, lack of access to food or housing, discrimination or bullying, or any of the myriad ways man fails to be humane, it is to make Christ known.

Often, when speaking of justice, believers will quote the text of the prophet Micah. In context, Micah recounts the failure of God’s people to follow his ways. A common theme in the bible, and a common theme today. God has given us a choice, always, about following him. The prophet goes on to remind us what God has already said [Micah 6:8, ESV]:

He has told you, O man, what is good;

and what does the Lord require of you

but to do justice, and to love kindness,

and to walk humbly with your God?

Justice, at its heart, is about what God has said is good. To do justice requires us to unselfishly serve the needs of others on God’s behalf, for his credit and not our own.

I have three terrific opportunities for youth workers to share.

First, the folks at the Simply Youth Ministry Conference have given me a discount code that will save first time registrants an additional $25 off the early bird price (a total of $65 off the registration) by October 31, 2011. I have had the opportunity to attend this event twice and am looking forward to going again this year when it takes place in Louisville, KY, March 2-5, 2012. To get the code, leave a comment and I will email it to you.

Second, and speaking of SYMC, each time I’ve attended I’ve had the privilege of serving fellow youth workers through the conference’s peer support ministry called The Shelter. The need for providing such support has been a passion for me for many years, so it was exciting to see SYM launch Simply Soul Care as a year round opportunity for youth ministers to receive confidential help. Please take a moment and click over there and bookmark it, just in case you or someone you know in ministry has a need.

Third is a project upon which I got to collaborate with several amazing members of the City Life ministry of Youth For Christ. Deeper Life is a 14 meeting curriculum designed for use at an outreach club. The content is written with the urban context in mind, is field-tested, and gives options for activities and videos to support the concepts. Though it is written for an outreach, the material would be easily adapted to another context. City Life has made the Deeper Life curriculum available for free on its website [click here to go to the download page].

We have witnessed a miracle.

All of us pressing for the closure of the Son of God Orphanage in Carrefour, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, knew it was rare for the government to enforce its own child welfare laws. There was some convincing evidence that workers within the agency charged with overseeing orphanages were, at best, aware of the severe neglect and trafficking of children from this place. There are heroes on the ground in Haiti who valiantly and relentlessly sought a way to make those who could by-pass the corruption aware and move on the situation. Everyone hoped, but no one thought, that it would take less than a week for the children to be freed and moved to safer quarters. The mountain moved. Read the full AP story by clicking here.

There are more mountains.

Today, the children who remained at Son of God are in new situations. Their removal was not as planned, according to this post by Seth Barnes. Public opinion is not unanimous in support of helping trafficked and neglected children, either. I don’t understand that mindset. God forbid that I ever become hardened to the needs of those who are powerless to help themselves. There are many. They are both in and outside the United States. They need you, and me, and everyone we can muster to speak up against the inhumanity of their situation.

It is easy to refuse to look at these mountains of injustice; they are ugly and frightening. It is certainly easier to read a story of hope and say, “but we can’t help them all.” I don’t believe you. I don’t believe that anything is impossible when we shine light into the dark places of the world and say this must stop. Darkness can not withstand light. Period.

There are more mountains.

For now, my mountain moving hope will be focused on the situation of thousands of children in Haiti who face the very same kind of danger as the children of Son of God faced. The next step is to press for wide and complete investigation of the Haitian agency charged with overseeing child welfare; thereby improving the situation for every child in an orphanage in that country. Shine light that darkness can not withstand. There remains a petition asking President Martelly to take action, please sign it.

There are more mountains.

The past few days have been filled with calls, emails, and social media posts in an attempt to raise awareness of the dire situation at the Son of God Orphanage in Carrefour, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Having received no response from my Senators, I wrote them again today and it occurred to me that it may be helpful for others to have a sample to send to your own elected officials.

“Dear Senator Gillibrand,

My name is Patti Gibbons and I live in Albany, NY. Last winter, I went to Port-au-Prince with a group of 20 students and adults to serve those displaced and otherwise effected by the earthquake.

While there, I spent time at an orphanage called Son of God, located in the area of the city called Carrefour. It was horrific, even by local Haitian, post-earthquake standards. This week, after months of investigation, it is clear that the children there have been intentionally malnourished, physically and sexually abused, trafficked for their organs, and more. The government agency charged with overseeing orphanages has been complicit in these abuses, for the profit of themselves and those running the orphanage. Because of the structure of the Haitian government, it would take direct action of President Martelly to order the closure of this orphanage for the protection of the children.

I am attaching information released yesterday detailing the abuses and calling for the closure of Son of God Orphanage. I am appealing to you as my senator, to do all within your power to help expose this corruption and help to protect children like the orphans at Son of God. Their situation is dire.

I appreciate your attendance to this matter and would welcome any opportunity to provide further information or assistance in making this matter known.

Thank you!

Sincerely,
Patti Gibbons”

Obviously, you need to adapt this letter and look up your elected officials email addresses [here's a resource to do that]. I made pdf a document of the press release, which you can find online at SethBarnes.com [here].

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9

Be their voice.

All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.

Often attributed to Edmund Burke, the sentence above has been running through my mind as frequently as I think of Haiti. In the past 24 hours, between bouts of intense agony and anger, it has been at the top of my mind. I must speak because this evil can not triumph. But, I’m ahead of myself.

Last winter I travelled to Haiti [see my posts about that trip here] to serve the people of Port-au-Prince as they struggled to recover from the earthquake of January 12, 2010. Among the locations at which we ministered to children was an orphanage called Son of God. I sensed something was wrong there, more than just poverty, very quickly after our arrival. The children were more than just eager for attention, they were desperate for it. They held on so tightly, as though to say, “Don’t leave me here.”  They were sick, malnourished, improperly clothed, and the glimpses of their sleeping areas were frightening. Children I’d seen in friends’ photos of the same place were not present. This was more than post-quake situational poverty. My second visit confirmed that my sense of the place was not simply initial shock. Something was wrong, but I couldn’t back it up.

Yesterday I read a blog post in which Seth Barnes of Adventures in Missions requested help in spreading the word about the dire situation existing at the Son of God Orphanage in Carrefour, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The same orphanage our group visited. The information Seth shared is the culmination of a year-long investigation regarding the orphanage, the welfare of the children there, and those charged with their care. From Seth’s post:

Backed by corrupt government officials, an orphanage we work with in Carrefour/Port-au-Prince, Haiti has been trafficking its orphans.

Suspecting foul play, we’ve been investigating for the last year. We’ve not been ready to go to the media until we had the facts.

As a result, the orphanage director is now in jail, but the 75 children left in the orphanage are still in danger. A worker said, “The kids are in terrible condition – the doctor gave them some prescriptions, but we doubt that the medicine will ever be administered to the children. Instead, the medicine will probably be sold.”

Please click here to read the facts revealed on Seth’s blog.  The information requires us to act; 75 children are in imminent danger and many are complicit in their circumstances. Read it and then consider to whom you will tell this story. “No one” is not an option. Thus far, I have emailed several reporters, my senators and congressman. I have told the story to many at my church and a wider audience via my social media accounts. I will not stop telling their story and I dare you to tell it too. These children have no voice of their own and they are desperate for you to lend them yours. 

This situation is an extraordinarily painful one, especially for Americans. We can not throw money at this problem because money will not fix the corruption of the human hearts at whose sinful inclination these children have been starved, left ill and improperly clothed, educated or loved. To stop the crimes of humanity, humanity must intervene.

Speak.

Speak now.

I do not exaggerate when I say their very lives depend upon our voices.