readdB

Goodbye Blogspot, Hello Beliefnet

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 13:16:00 +0000

As mentioned in my last post, over the next few weeks I'll be upgrading many of the ways I communicate with you. My goal is extend the number of people I reach and the quality of my communications with each of you.

As of this week, this blog will no longer be updated. The GOOD NEWS is that I am now blogging at Beliefnet.com, the Internet's largest spiritual website. This provides an outlet to communicate with a new audience, both Christian and non-Christian, on the faith issues that impact our everyday lives. I encourage you to read it and sign up for the updates.

http://blog.beliefnet.com/activistfaith/

P.S. I'll also be adding more content on Facebook. If you're not already a fan, join me at Facebook.com/readdB. Thanks for joining the journey!

The Latest

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 13:31:00 +0000

My blog has been on hiatus for some time. With Facebook, Twitter, and a third kid, blogging has seemed a bit hard to piece together lately...

However, for those of you who actually take a moment to read my updates, I want to thank you and reward you with a few insider updates.

First, for those wondering what I've been up to, the latest book on the way is called "Undefending Christianity." Yes, I know "undefending" is not a word and is the polar opposite of most of my work in defending the Christian faith. The point is to highlight that our faith often needs more action and less reaction. Each chapter is written in a memoir-like fashion and hits all the controversial topics ranging from poverty to gluttony to pornography and far more. I even get to include a fair dose of humor in this one, so be ready to question everything you thought about my crazy life starting next March (including comments on The Shack, Oprah, and calling Barnes and Noble my "other church"; I might have even mentioned you!).

The next book in progress is called "Not in My Town" with my friend, film producer, and abolitionist Charles J. Powell. He's traveled undercover in some dicey places and hangs out with others who are going to the hard places around the planet to document and deter modern slavery.

If there's one issue everyone on this planet should agree on, it's that buying and selling people is a bad idea. Hopefully by the time this book and related documentary comes out next summer, more Christians will choose to get in on the effort to stop slavery, both around the globe and in their own communities (And yes, slavery still happens in America, too!).

Despite rumors that I've become a professional wrestler for a living or am funding a research project to fly to Mars, I'm still serving as staff writer at the John Ankerberg Show. We've been self-publishing a ton of new resources related to our programs, with 10 study guides or books in the past year and a half (That's way more work than just writing a book, since we not create the whole thing and sell it ourselves!). We're currently airing a series called "The Case for Traditional Marriage," which goes to show we're still taking on just about the most controversial issues we can find... (COMMERCIAL: Visit JAShow.org to see what we do.)

Though I'm not on the road much this fall, I'm still teaching some online courses for TN Temple and will be back in the classroom next semester to teach Apologetics. Some students and I are even going beyond the classroom and restarting the student-led Project Freedom prayer and worship movement from last year, taking it downtown. You've probably seen my posts about it every five minutes on Facebook.

And YES, I believe people praying together is about the best thing we can do to make a difference in our community and world. The next one is Thursday, Nov. 4th, 7pm on 412 Market St. in Chattanooga. Come and see what God is up to.

And some of you might have noticed about 3 trillion posts last week on Soddy Daisy High School's prayer situation. The short version is that the school was told to no longer allow prayer before football games over the PA system. I felt led to get involved to fight this and connected with some students at the school in the process. Thousands are now connected online, it made front page news in our local paper, was on the local TV networks, and was mentioned in dozens of papers, radio stations, and news programs across the country, even making FOX News.

The best part is that last Friday night, Soddy Daisy played an away game at neighboring Rhea County High School. That school invited anyone who wanted to pray to come down to the field before the game. BOTH sides of the stands emptied. A student from Rhea County led a prayer in the middle of the field surrounded by hundreds of people supporting prayer and standing for their faith. Amazing!

Over the next view months, I'll be completely revamping what I do in terms of blogging and online communications. The short version is that with over 100,000 people in various social networks I've developed the past two years, communicating is a bit out of control.

I had a plan all set up with FOX to launch a blog on Beliefnet, the world's largest spiritual website, and then the company got sold off and everyone I knew who worked there left for new jobs. I then planned to coordinate a new faith and action blog site with my buddy Dan King and didn't feel right about the timing at the moment. Now I have some people telling me to start some kind of blog about the rising generation of Christians or conservatives while other people are calling me to do interviews on Halloween and my kids just want to play at the park. For now, I'm praying and seeking God's will on just what it is that will glorify Him the most, since that's really the point of my life.

All that to say, pray a lot, hang out with your spouse and kids, quit skipping class, stand up for Christ, vote next week, eat chocolate, get outside and enjoy God's creation, drink a strong cup of coffee (especially if you can get to the Starbucks on Hamilton Place, the best coffee spot on the planet), sleep in sometime soon (unless you have an exam that day), read the Bible, quit calling people names, pray for our president, eat healthier, get a cat (Ours just showed up on our porch!), serve the poor, eat your vegetables, laugh more, turn off your cell phone, jump in a big pile of leaves just for fun, check out my crazy family pictures on Facebook (but not at work), and whatever you do, do it for God's glory, because we'll all soon see Him face to face.

That Jesus-loving guy who keeps sending you messages,

Dillon

Soddy Daisy Prayer in Local, National News

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 15:17:00 +0000

Times Free Press today, front page news: http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2010/oct/22/school-prayer-ban-ignites-backlash/?local

Channel 9 News: http://www.newschannel9.com/news/school-995546-prayer-stop.html

FOX News, the Tennessean (Nashville newspaper), ESPN radio, 92.3 FM, and many others are picking up this story. If you know anyone who would like to feature this issue of school prayer at public high school football games, please send me an email at dillonburroughs at hotmail.com.

You can follow the latest at:

SoddyDaisyPrays.com (links to Twitter)
http://facebook.soddydaisyprays.com (Facebook group)
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Keep-Prayer-At-Soddy-Daisy-High-School/135691353147768 (Facebook page)

Join over 8,000 people who are raising their voices on this issue of religious freedom!

Project Freedom Prayer Event Thank You

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 12:49:00 +0000

A big thanks to everyone who showed up to pray and worship with us last night at our Greater Things/Project Freedom prayer and worship gathering. A generation changed begins as we did with students on their knees before God, confessing, weeping, and interceding on behalf of our community.

The big news...

Thursday, November 4th at 7pm, Project Freedom will be back in action again at 412 Market.

If you were there, you'll want to return and bring some people with you. If you missed our time together last night, you now have another opportunity to join in what God is doing among us.

In addition, if you are part of any college or young adult groups in the Chattanooga area, please help us spread the word about this gathering. We want to include those from across our region who want to join in praying and seeking God together.

For more information, join the Facebook page or email projectfreedom@gmail.com.

+++

Chattanooga Students Pray for the City

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 18:13:00 +0000

---FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE---

CHATTANOOGA, TN--Chattanooga area college students will gather at the 412 Market at 7pm tonight for a time of prayer and worship for the city called "Greater Things." The gathering is nondenominational and all are welcome to attend.

"Chattanooga is a great city," shares Dillon Burroughs, Christian author and one of the sponsors of Project Freedom, the group organizing the event, "but it is far from perfect. Rising crime, increased poverty, and the recent murder of a local pastor all point to our desperate need to ask God's favor upon our community."

Colt Rhodes, a founder of Project Freedom, agrees. "Many college students are hungry for God. This gathering is designed to provide a place and time for students to unite as we worship and pray together."

For more information, see facebook.com/projectfreedom or email projectfreedom@gmail.com.

Additional event information can be found here.

[Permission is granted to republish in other media. More information about Dillon Burroughs can be found at www.dillonburroughs.org or by email at dillon@dillonburroughs.org.]

My Recent Fox News Channel Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:24:00 +0000

Fox News Channel Interviews New Hope Authors

By Ashley Stephens

(BIRMINGHAM, Ala.)—August 23, 2010—New Hope Publishers authors Charles Powell and Dillon Burroughs were interviewed by Kelly Wright of the Fox News Channel on August 16 regarding their work with the Mercy Movement.

The Mercy Movement is an anti-human trafficking organization founded by Powell. Not in My Town: Exposing and Ending Human Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery (978-1-59669-301-2, $19.99) will be released May 1, 2011. It will include an educational DVD. A separate documentary is set to release in spring 2011.

Burroughs and Powell were in Atlanta August 15–17 shedding light on human trafficking there. Their focus was on Asian spas and massage parlors, places where human trafficking often occurs.

Researchers estimate more than 27 million slaves exist worldwide. More than 17,000 people are trafficked into the United States each year, according to the Polaris Project. Sexual exploitation, forced labor, and agricultural slavery continue as the norm in many places in the United States.

Burroughs and Powell will be on several different programs of the Fox News Network within the next week.

About the Authors

Dillon Burroughs (readdB.com) is a best-selling writer of more than 26 books. He is best known for his collaborative works with faith-based leaders, authors, and athletes, though he has also earned a growing reputation within the social justice movement.

Charles Powell is a social justice activist, film producer, conference speaker, and founder of The Mercy Movement, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to abolish human trafficking and modern slavery. Over the past three decades Charles has trained in counter-terrorism, worked as a bodyguard for royalty, and lived undercover in the war on drugs.

About New Hope Publishers

Representing more than 50 authors and more than 100 individual works, the mission of New Hope Publishers is to provide books that challenge readers to understand and be radically involved in the mission of God. New Hope Publishers is the general trade publishing imprint for WMU, a missions auxiliary to the Southern Baptist Convention. New Hope Publishers is a member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA).

For more information about Charles Powell, Dillon Burroughs, or New Hope Publishers, visit www.newhopepublishers.com. Copies of books may be purchased online or by calling 1-800-968-7301.

Uganda

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:07:00 +0000

Uganda is situated in East Africa with a multi-ethnic population of around 33 million rich in culture, with fertile soils to support profitable agriculture; a largely pleasant climate; and a stable political society in most parts of the country.

However, this does not tell the whole story. Uganda is still one of the world’s poorest countries and poverty is widespread at household level. The latest World Bank data (2008) shows the following:

* Life expectancy - 53 years
* Gross National Income per capita - $420
* Infant Mortality per 1,000 live births - 85
* Adult Literacy - 74% of population
* Access to improved water source - 64% of population

Want to make a difference? I personally recommend reading more at Codewe.org (pronounced co-DAY-WAY) and donating to their cause. You'll find your dollar will go much farther there and help those trying to live on less than $2 a day.

Homeless and day laborers sponsor a Haitian child

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:55:00 +0000

From my friends at New Hope Publishers. Amazing story!

(BIRMINGHAM, Ala.)—June 11, 2010—Jimmy Dorrell, executive director of Mission Waco, recently held a Friday Morning Breakfast—the weekly group of about 100-plus homeless, day laborers, and low-income folks who eat weekly at First Lutheran Church. This breakfast group had voted to sponsor a Haitian child in Mission Waco’s program in Ferrier, Haiti. The cost is $195 per year (or $16.25 per month) and the group chose to donate weekly toward the sponsorship.

“The biblical story of the widow’s mite stands in stark contrast to those of us who have so much, yet share so little,” says Jimmy Dorrell. “When the Friday Morning Breakfast group of low-income persons made their decision to sponsor a Haitian child, they showed us again how a life of generosity is so liberating, even for the poor and homeless. I am constantly humbled to be around ‘the least of these’ who teach me basics in God’s kingdom!”

Sponsored children get to go to school (one of two Christian schools which Mission Waco works with), get a uniform, books, and one meal a day to eat. Mission Waco is empowering the poor to serve others instead of harbor feelings of entitlement or selfishness, even amidst their own relative poverty.

“The generosity of Mission Waco is inspiring and challenging. This congregation shows us what the gospel looks like. I am humbled by Jimmy’s ministry and the people with whom he serves,” says Andrea Mullins, New Hope Publishers director.

Mission Waco has almost 150 children now sponsored by its donors with a new group of 75 more children who have just been identified as wanting to go to school and needing sponsorships. Mission Waco does not charge any administration cost for its work in Haiti, which also includes clean water well drilling, micro-credit loans, a new women’s co-op creation, fair-trade items for sale in the World Cup Café, and medical clinics.

Jimmy Dorrell is the pastor of Church Under the Bridge and author of Trolls and Truth: 14 Realities About Today’s Church That We Don’t Want to See (978-1-59669-010-3, $14.99). Church Under the Bridge is an interdenominational church that grew from a Bible study with 5 homeless men in Waco, Texas, in 1992 underneath an interstate bridge. Today, there are 300 diverse people of many races and economic backgrounds who meet outside under the same interstate bridge each week.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 16:44:00 +0000

My friend Shaun Groves, recording artist and Compassion Blogging Director, asked me to share about a special need for immediate heart surgery regarding his son's sponsored child named Achile.

Achile is an 8-year-old boy (the same age as my own son) in Burkina Faso with a congenital heart defect known as tetralogy of Fallot. Because of Achile's heart condition, he has been in pain for five years and hasn't been able to attend school regularly and receive the full benefit of sponsorships through Compassion International.  Compassion International has provided medical care for Achile for the last two years at the National Teaching Hospital Yalgado Ouedraogo in Burkina Faso in Western Africa. However, doctors there now believe his condition requires urgent heart surgery, which is not available in Burkina Faso.

Achile will be transported to a specialized hospital in India for a lifesaving operation that will cost an estimated $20,449. Please help by donating here: http://compassion.com/Achile

Any funds raised in excess of the cost of Achile's surgery and transport will be rolled into Compassion's Medical Assistance Fund to aid children in need of medical help in the future.

Thanks for all you do to help show compassion to Achile.

Extra Links:
More on how Compassion aids children with heart conditions: http://blog.compassion.com/holistic-child-development-civ-heart/

What Is God Calling You to Do?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 20 May 2010 11:44:00 +0000

“It is easier to serve God without a vision, easier to work for God without a call, because then you are not bothered by what God requires; common sense is your guide, veneered over with Christian sentiment. You will be more prosperous and successful, more leisure-hearted, if you never realize the call of God. But if once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God wants will always come like a goad; you will no longer be able to work for Him on the common-sense basis.” -Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

National WMU hosts WorldCrafts Fair Trade Coffee Break

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 06 May 2010 12:59:00 +0000

WorldCrafts will host a Fair Trade Coffee Break on May 11 from 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. at the national WMU building located in Birmingham, Alabama. The Fair Trade Federation celebrates World Fair Trade Day every spring. In honor of this day, WorldCrafts will be having a coffee break and informative presentation on human exploitation/sex trafficking by New Hope® Publishers authors Dillon Burroughs and Charles Powell.

Charles Powell is a social justice activist, film producer, conference speaker, and founder of Joshua’s Mission, a Christian nonprofit organization whose mission is to abolish human trafficking and modern slavery. Over the past three decades Charles has trained in counter-terrorism, worked as a bodyguard for royalty, and lived undercover in the war on drugs. Dillon Burroughs (readdB.com) is a best-selling writer of more than 26 books. He is best known for his collaborative works with faith-based leaders, authors, and athletes, though he has also earned a growing reputation within the social justice movement. There will be a special sale of 40 percent off and 75 percent off select WorldCrafts items. Kindly RSVP by May 7, 2010, by calling (205) 991-8100.

Help End Modern Slavery

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:19:00 +0000

My friend Jolene at Free the Slaves needs your help. They're one of the main groups in the US working to end modern slavery. To improve their efforts and the efforts of many others, funding is required. The US government has some pending legislation that can help in this area, but THEY NEED TO HEAR FROM PEOPLE LIKE YOU.

I've copied her request below. Please pitch in and help end modern slavery. Every action helps.

Thanks!

COPIED MESSAGE:

We urgently need your help to ensure that Congress continues to fund crucial programs that combat slavery in the U.S. and around the globe.

It’s a critical time in the annual appropriations process, and you can have a big impact. We must let Congress know that the fight against slavery has widespread public support. Federal programs help prosecute traffickers, assist slavery survivors, and ensure that U.S. foreign aid does not inadvertently promote trafficking and slavery.

In just three minutes, you can e-mail messages to your representative and the two senators that represent you. I have included a copy-and-paste e-mail below to make it easy.

You can quickly find your representatives’ e-mail address at: www.contactingthecongress.org

Take a stand against slavery today.

Thanks,

Jolene Smith
Free the Slaves CEO

COPY AND PASTE: (be sure to type in your name and city at the bottom)

I am writing to you, my Congressional representative, to let you know that I want you to take a stand against human trafficking and modern-day slavery. There are tens of thousands of slaves inside the U.S. today, and 27 million people in slavery throughout the world. I want the U.S. government to help prosecute traffickers, assist slavery survivors, and ensure that U.S. foreign aid does not inadvertently promote trafficking and slavery overseas.

I urge you to support the funding and report language in the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill.

Specifically:

1) Please support the president’s budget request of $6.8 million in funding for administration costs of the Trafficking in Persons Office/Country Programs/Trafficking in Person.

2) Please support the president’s $25 million request to be used for trafficking prevention, victim services and prosecution in International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INCLE) grants to fight human trafficking internationally.

3) Please include report language to ensure that foreign assistance does not inadvertently promote human trafficking and slavery.

Fighting slavery is important to me. I hope it is just as important to you.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

What are the biggest problems you would like to see addressed?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:12:00 +0000

Quick question: What are the biggest problems you would like to see addressed? I've been asked to tackle everything from Brit Hume's remarks about Tiger Wood to radical Islam to the emerging church, poverty, and a whole lot more. But what are the problems you wish Christians would really address that don't get much attention? I'd love to hear, and hopefully, respond, to what you write.

Let me know...

Help Haiti Live Event

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:41:00 +0000

One month following the 7.1 earthquake that struck Haiti, an all-star cast of musicians is gathering for “Help Haiti Live,” a two-city ticketed concert event taking place on February 27th, 2010 to benefit Compassion International’s Haiti disaster relief fund. The concerts are sponsored by Gaylord Entertainment Company, They will be ticketed and also streamed live at HelpHaitiLive.com.

With extraordinary need still existing in the devastated country, Alison Krauss & Union Station (featuring Jerry Douglas), Amy Grant, Big Kenny, Mat Kearney, Jars of Clay, Rebecca St. James, NEEDTOBREATHE, Brandon Heath, and a to-be-announced special headliner will participate in two concert events, live from Los Angeles at the historic Wiltern Theater and at Nashville’s famed and Gaylord-owned Ryman Auditorium.

Produced to inspire live concert and on-line audiences to financially support the relief work of Compassion International in Haiti, all talent and production fees have been donated, along with streaming services (Livestream.com), allowing proceeds to go toward Compassion’s disaster relief fund.

“This cause has been something our employees have taken very close to heart in recent weeks, and they’re thrilled for Gaylord to be involved in such an inspiring event. We’re also proud to support the generous efforts of all the artists who are donating their time and talent to make this concert a success,” said Colin Reed, Chairman and CEO of Gaylord Entertainment Company.

Tickets for each event will range in price from $25-75 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com and all Ticketmaster locations beginning Monday, February 15th, as well as through The Ryman box office: 800-745-3000 or ryman.com, and through Live Nation for The Wiltern at http://www.livenation.com/venue/the-wiltern-tickets
Nashville/Ryman Auditorium, 7:30pm cst:

Hosted by Big Kenny. Performances by Alison Krauss & Union Station (featuring Jerry Douglas), Jars of Clay, Mat Kearney, Dave Barnes, Matt Wertz, Brandon Heath.
Los Angeles/Wiltern Theater, 7:30pm pst:

Message from pastor Francis Chan. Performances by Special Guest headliner, Amy Grant, Leann Rimes, Rebecca St. James, NEEDTOBREATHE

All net proceeds from Help Haiti Live will go to Compassion International’s Haiti disaster relief fund. All money raised in response to the Haiti earthquake will be used immediately to re-equip Compassion’s local support structure and to provide for the immediate needs of Compassion-assisted children and families.

Compassion has been meeting the physical and spiritual needs of Haitians for more than forty years and will continue to serve them in this time of extreme need. Already Compassion International has supplied more than 15,000 families with clean water, food, blankets, temporary shelter, medical supplies and counseling. Donations will lay bricks, feed, educate, clothe, heal and rebuild Haiti for many months to come in Jesus’ name.

Compassion International is the world’s largest Christian child development organization that permanently releases children from poverty. Founded in 1952, Compassion successfully tackles global poverty one child at a time, serving more than 1 million children in 26 of the world’s poorest countries. Recognizing that poverty is more than a lack of money, Compassion works holistically through local churches to address the individual physical, economic, educational and spiritual needs of children, enabling them to thrive, not just survive. Charity Navigator, America’s largest charity evaluator, has awarded Compassion its highest rating “four stars” for eight consecutive years.

For more, see www.helphaitilive.com or Compassion.com.

Thanks!

Back from Haiti

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:11:00 +0000

Thank you to everyone who prayed and gave toward my recent trip to Haiti. As soon as I heard about the overwhelming earthquake that struck near Port-au-Prince, I immediately began to pray and sense God would have me soon stand on this nation’s soil once again.

On January 29th, 17 days following the initial earthquake, my friend Andrew Perry and I landed in Port-au-Prince on a relief flight with Missionary Flights International. We happened to travel on a Hendricks Motorsports airplane owned by Joe Gibbs and his NASCAR team and even landed in the Bahamas to refuel on the wait to our destination. Under other circumstances, this trip would have made a great vacation. But in this moment, all that was on my mind were the people of Haiti, many of whom had become friends during my previous visits to the nation.

We could see the military presence of the US, UN, Canadian forces, and numerous NGOs from the air, along with some of the destruction, even before landing. However, once we stepped from the plane onto the tarmac, we witnessed the beginning of a much deeper devastation.

First, we walked into the remaining terminal area to meet our ride. We had arranged for Marc Rubin, Haitian Executive Director of Mission of Hope, to meet us on the ground. Marc’s smiling face was a huge relief, as we had few other connections for travel once we landed. He called for his associate Servite driving an SUV while we stepped aside for other travelers en route to their various relief locations. Some of these workers were coming for only a few days like us; other, like Anna and her team from Canada, were staying for six months or more. During these few minutes, Andrew shot some video, we noticed many dangling ceiling tiles, and we wormed our way through the numerous Haitians attempting to carry our bags for a dollar. We left some tips, jumped in the vehicle, and snaked through the streets of Port-au-Prince in a daze.

Andrew and I both attempted to video some of the scenes, but through the bumps and pace of the drive, our clips did little to portray the reality of our surroundings. Building upon building destroyed; tents, people, and rubble littered the streets. And while there were no longer bodies along the main roads, many still wore masks to cover the odor oozing from flattened buildings where unreached bodied decayed.

Forty-five minutes later, our driver Servite pulled up to the gate of Mission of Hope, just three miles north of the mass graves covering over 110,000 corpses trucked from the nearby capital. Yet inside the safety of the mission, a different attitude existed. People still lived in tents, medical emergencies continued to complicate the situation, but the people remained upbeat and positive about what was happening on their 76 acre compound.

We began by dropping off our luggage at the guest house and having our medical supplies and infant formula dropped off at the orphanage. My wife Deborah had spent hours packing our luggage and wasn’t about to let her items not arrive immediately into the hands of those who could use them. Intending to work as soon as possible, we walked downhill toward the warehouse to help. To our surprise, the mission’s Haitian team was already unloading an enormous truck of boxed food marked “GAIN,” one of the 15-plus NGOs we encountered working in some way at Mission of Hope since the quake. With no English-speaking workers around, we headed further down toward the clinic where we knew many volunteers from Austin, Texas, had been volunteering.

A few minutes into our orientation, Dr. Cheryl, the long-term doctor from Canada who directed the clinic, received a call reporting that US military helicopters had patients on their way. Mission of Hope’s clinic, we had been told, was one of only a handful of medical facilities that General Hospital in Port-au-Prince was using to send their massive overflow of patients. Within less than 30 minutes from the time we had arrived, Andrew and I were carrying stretchers from military helicopters into the clinic for emergency treatment.

I cannot express how it feels to sprint up to a roaring chopper, reach out to pick up a stretcher, and realize the person I am picking up is missing a body part. Most of our eight patients flown in that day were amputees or had broken femur bones that had been untreated for over two weeks. Our medical team instantly began their process of treating amputations for infection, casting broken bones, and providing other necessary services to save the lives of those entrusted to our location.

Of course, the patients flown in via helicopter were not the only patients. Others were brought in with the clinic’s only ambulance or truck, with a few people simply dropped off at the front gate. That afternoon, a young man who looked about 17 arrived with his left arm missing just below his shoulder. While in otherwise excellent physical condition, the earthquake had left its permanent mark on this patient. His wound was cleaned, pain medication given, and we then moved him to the next building down, an elementary school now converted into what the clinic called “post-op” for treatment of patients after their initial treatment.

As the sun set that evening, Andrew and I joined the other volunteers returning from the region for a meal of gumbo, rice, and water. A simple meal, deep conversation regarding the number of meals distributed and particular patient stories from the day were the most common topics.

I had the opportunity to hang out with two Haitian sisters being adopted by Dr. Cheryl and her husband, Larenz. Their names were Anna and Amina. After our meal, they invited me to Friday “movie night,” which I found out was a big event at the House of Hope orphanage. I headed down with their big sister, a Canadian missionary girl named Tiegen, and watched Disney’s “Cheetah Girls” on a screen shot on the side of the orphanage building. The full moon, bright stars, and smiling faces helped myself and the 60 plus orphans with me forget that just down the road held the remains of more people than live in my entire zip code.

One of the highlights of this night for me was the joy of showing love to the children of the House of Hope. Though they are well-treated and physically fit, many are starved for personal attention, especially from any kind of male father figure. For the entire two-plus hours, I held and hugged little boys and girls, including a baby only a few months old named Matthew. He loved sucking his thumb and snuggling on my shoulder in the cool night air. I got him to laugh a few times, but soon had to give him up to one of the many preteen girls who enjoy playing big sister to him.

By the end of the film, one little guy who was about six years old had fallen asleep on the bench with his head on one of my legs while I had my left arm around another child who laughed with her friends throughout the movie. I picked up the little guy and carried him to his house mommy, found Anna, Amina, and Tiegen, and hopped on the forest green four-wheeler for a ride back to the guest house.

Andrew had turned down movie night and crawled into bed early that night, overwhelmed both by the actions of the day and the lack of any communications that evening. When I took the steps to the second floor, I ran into another volunteer who had just arrived. “Scott from Oklahoma” was how he had introduced himself. I discovered in our conversation he had spent a week driving from Oklahoma to Miami, Florida with tents for a thousand people, purchased through donations given through his home church. He then shipped the tents through DHL to Santo Domingo, flew to the Dominican on a commercial flight, took a bus ride to Mission of Hope, and found his tents arriving about the same time. I knew then I had found at least one adventurer just as crazy as I was and invited him to stay in our same guestroom.

After catching some much needed sleep, I awoke to the banging of pans from the Haitian cooks making breakfast downstairs. My phone read 6:37am. Without a real shower in the sense of American plumbing, I washed off in the bathtub faucet, changed clothes, and walked downstairs to join the other awakening relief workers. Some volunteers were headed to the airport to leave for the US and Canada, others were on their way in later that evening. Andrew, Scott, and I were assigned to sort medical supplies in the warehouse since the Haitian workers would not be able to read the French, English, and sometimes German and Spanish labels on the products. I could decipher the labels, Scott knew what the products were, and Andrew moved pallets and labeled them for easy access.

By late morning, we were closing in on completion of sorting 31 pallets of medical supplies that had been shipped from Austin (over 26,000 pounds of materials) when we again heard the familiar sound of a US military chopper approaching. We ran to the clinic where we carried more amputee and broken femur patients into the clinic’s triage area. One helicopter turned into two and then three, with I think eight total patients and their family members. On the last drop off, one military officer asked the name of our location to which I responded “Mission of Hope.” It appeared he had been pleased with our response both to carrying patients and the expertise of the medical volunteers at our clinic and wanted to keep us in mind for future flights. I later discovered this was exactly the case.

The remainder of that Saturday was a blur. We helped move amputees from stretcher to bed, from bed to their operations, from their operations onto either the ambulance or delivery truck to move into the “post-op” school building for recovery. At one point, I helped two other guys put five different people into a delivery truck who were either on stretchers or in wheelchairs because our ambulance was busy taking a patient into another hospital. The delivery truck was all that was available and new patients needed their space.

One of those patients happened to be a beautiful Haitian woman who we found out was a famous dancer. We only discovered this once two guys with the London Times arrived to hear her story. I talked with the main reporter named Ben for about 15 minutes while he waited to see the patient and walked him down to the post-op area to introduce him to the nurse in charge of patients. At that point, we had around ten patients plus some family members and medical staff in the school building, so we took some time to hang out with some of the orphans for a while. I again had a chance to hold baby Matthew, chat and play with some kids, and say goodbye before running into my friend from last summer named Samuel.

Samuel is 26. A Haitian native from nearby Titanyen, he is one of five children in his family and still lives with them to help care for his siblings and provide income for their needs. Samuel runs his own small business, selling souvenirs to the volunteers who visit Mission of Hope. We had bought a couple of items Friday, but didn’t have much time to stay and talk. This evening, however, we found out Samuel’s family are all sleeping in tents just two miles away from where we were standing. He had written me a short letter and asked me to take three other letters to mail to past missionaries he had met at Mission of Hope when I returned to the States. Andrew bought some more items and asked if Samuel could make a Haiti bracelet with his girlfriend’s name on it. Samuel promised to bring it to church the next day.

That night, I listened to every story I could at the dinner area. Doctors talked about their surgeries. Relief workers coordinated efforts for the next day’s deliveries. A filmmaker shared stories of the footage he had captured in the capital of a riot breaking out during food distribution and discussions from a meeting of NGOs in the capital. Everyone was tired. No one complained.

The next morning, Sunday, was church. With the exception of the night shift nurses who had stayed up until sunrise with patients in post-op, everyone attended the service. It was a much-needed break and spiritually necessary for many of the believers who had given so unselfishly of their lives since coming to Haiti.

Hope Church typically has about 500 people in an open-air building for its two-hour time of worship. This morning had over 700 hundred. Most were under 18, including several young kids who swarmed around me and Andrew either out of curiosity or in hopes of making a dollar. The service itself was amazing. The worship leader, Claudel, played many American Christian tunes on his keyboard using Haitian lyrics, though an occasional chorus in English or French popped up to involve the volunteers attending.

I had been practicing some Creole ever since before my last trip to Haiti the previous June, but had been limited to a few words and phrases until the worship service. The church used an LCD projector with the lyrics to the songs that allowed me to sing along in Creole, praising God in the local language in a very real and moving way.

During the sermon, a young Haitian tailor from Cabbare name Reginald sat between Andrew and I and translated for us. It made a huge difference to know the details of the message, which focused on living our lives with purpose. The recurring themes were living life like you have a mission, just as many of the relief workers who come to help for a limited time. The pastor emphasized that eternity is long in comparison with this life. We do not know when it will end, so we must live each day to its fullest.

At the end, to everyone’s surprise, about a dozen people walked up to the pastor when he asked people to do so if they would like to become a Christian. Even the pastor looked amazed at the response. In Haitian style, they asked the new converts to kneel in a time of prayer. An enormous cheer arose from the audience after the final “amen,” as these men and women started a new life in the midst of one of the most challenging times in Haiti’s history.

Afterwards, I fought off kids begging for money and candy after giving everything in my backpack away, and began walking toward the clinic, mentally considering whether I would grab some food before working or wait until later. Just then, a young man stopped me. His name was Michael, the brother of my translator Antony from the previous summer. We had been trying to connect, but kept missing each other due to poor cell phone coverage in the area. I was able to chat for about ten minutes and leave a small financial gift I had brought for him and Antony’s family. Michael had another brother of Antony’s there and one other friend who spoke a little English. All three men were in their 20s, I was excited to spend a few moments with some of Haiti’s young leaders who reminded me a lot of the students I teach back in the States.

But then it happened again. Another helicopter. I said my goodbyes and sprinted up the hill with my backpack bouncing each step of the way. As I reached the clinic, the first chopper circled to land. I dropped my pack and sprinted to the first stretcher, a young man with a missing foot being transported with his father.

Two additional helicopters arrived shortly afterwards, creating a near-frantic scene for many of the volunteers just starting work after the worship service. No one had eaten and beds were still being prepared with sheets when I arrived carrying the first stretcher with the help of another volunteer.

The original plan had been to eat lunch, see what work needed done, and then head into Port-au-Prince with our translator Rubin, Andrew, Scott, and I to check out the damages around the city to assess future work needs.

However, now Rubin was the only Creole translator and everyone else was quickly moving to keep up with the on-the-spot medical operations. After each surgery, I helped move patients to post-op, returning each time to assist with the next need. On one of my last runs, I saw a new Haitian girl weeping at the front entrance of the clinic. Lawrenz, Dr. Cheryl’s husband, stood beside her. I asked what had happened and discovered her dad had just died. He had been brought in with a broken leg with the bone sticking out. As they prepared to treat him, he died before the operation could even begin. The doctors believe he had a blood clot that had caused the sudden death. But I could only stay a few minutes before being called to transport another patient sitting in a wheelchair.
It was 4pm before the new team of volunteers from Austin had everything under control and were down to only a few remaining operations for the evening. Rubin, Scott, Andrew, and I jumped into the SUV of Rubin’s brother, who happened to be the worship leader Claudel, and exited the gate for the first time since our arrival.
We first stopped at the mass grave area three miles south of Mission of Hope near Titanyen. The earthmovers were not in operation that day, so we expected to simply wall around, pray, and snap a few pictures to say we had been there.
While walking with my flip video recorder, I noticed an area that had not been covered up. I thought a shot of an empty hole would be a nice addition to our footage and proceeded to walk toward it with camera in hand. As I neared the hole, I spotted something brown in front of a mound of rubble. At first I dismissed the idea that it could really be a body. Those would have all been buried by now.
But as I neared the area, the unmistakable smell of death entered my nostrils. I have seen dead bodies before, but I was not prepared for the lump of decaying flesh at my feet from an earthquake that had happened over two weeks ago. Today was January 31st, 16 days since the 7.0 earthquake that had started this tragedy. Andrew yelled out for me to stop, but I had already seen the rotting corpse by that point. I veered to the right as soon as the smell hit, shielding my face from the putrid stench.

There are no words to express how it feels to walk on rubble that covers over 100,000people who have died in one day. The biblical concept came to mind, “Weep with those who weep; mourn with those who mourn.”

The rest of our drive into the capital and surrounding area only heightened my grief. At first, I was in an odd way excited to capture photos and footage of flattened buildings. But after about twenty minutes of crushed structures, one after another, I was left speechless. What I had experienced in my original trip from the airport was only a portion of the destruction. Much of the capital was in ruin.

No other place illustrated this widespread devastation better than the scene outside the presidential palace. Haiti’s equivalent of the American White House had collapsed. The entire government building lay in ruins. We stepped out of our vehicle onto the sidewalk there alongside another film crew where we felt the safety of numbers near the sprawling tent city behind us. Here I experienced another smell

I will not soon forget—the smells of the living—food, urine, human excrement—all mixed together among the voices of thousands of souls living in conditions I would not wish on my worst enemy.

At this site, we spotted people bathing in buckets of water while completely naked. Children urinated on the sidewalk only steps away from where we stood. Most men and women simply walked around in a hopeless stare, not certain if they would live to see another day.

From there, we headed back to the mission, but not before driving through Cite Soliel, the poorest slum in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Rubin passed quickly through this area, admitting that he had been carjacked in this area several years ago. Mostly a multi-acre field of rusted corrugated metal shacks and sticks with tarps, we spotted only one water truck crowded by a line of bucket-carrying women hoping to survive another evening in the most extreme poverty imaginable.

We arrived at Mission of Hope just as the sun was setting, a gorgeous blend of yellow, orange, and gold over the waters of the Caribbean. Too shocked to process what I had seen, heard, and smelled during the daylight hours, I ate little, conversed only briefly that evening, and packed for our departure the next morning. My last thoughts of the night were simply, “God, heal this land.”

Monday morning, day four of our time in Haiti, was to be our return flight with our relief agency. However, we had been told Friday our return flight had been overbooked and that they could not be certain if they would have a plane large enough for us to return that day. In other words, we were flying standby in a city full of rubble. Not good.

Our backup plan had been the US military. We knew they had been evacuating US citizens via the embassy tent at the airport. Our new friend Scott took a chance and travelled with us and our friends from the relief agency Convoy of Hope instead of returning to Santo Domingo to lose another day of travel.

To our surprise, the military option was very user-friendly. We gave our fingerprints, signed some waivers, and sat with about 40 other Americans to wait for the next flight to wherever they were headed next. We were told Orlando, only 90 minutes from Andrew’s car in Fort Pierce, but better than JFK in New York where other planes had been traveling. During this time, I met Mara, an NBC reporter who was also flying out. I spoke briefly with another Haitian American family from Brooklyn who had returned to Haiti for the Christmas holiday and were still there when the quake had hit. Everyone had their own story; some were excited to share theirs; others were simply too exhausted to talk and thought only of a flight home.

An hour later, we were to board a military C1-30 transport. At the last minute, we discovered there was an elderly Haitian American lady there with a cane in need of assistance. I volunteered to push her to the plane, which happened to be over a hundred yards away and ended up separating me from Andrew and Scott who were seated in another part of the plane. I sat next to the same elderly lady between an Air Force captain and two other Air Force guys who handled the details in the back of the plane. We talked a bit, but they seemed just as tired as everyone else. The captain I spoke with had already made six trips to Haiti since the earthquake. Many slept. I prayed.

We landed at Orlando-Samford Airport a few hours later to a heavy downpour of rain. After passing through immigration, Scott, Andrew, and I headed to the car rental area, trying three companies before finding an available car. At the last minute, a guy named Bill told us his car was at the same agency in Fort Pierce we were driving to and joined us for the ride. Our first stop was McDonalds.

The other guys in the car were excited about some American fast food. I could still barely eat, but got a little something so I didn’t look too weird. I still had dust on my shoes from our visit to the mass grave yesterday. It was still influencing my lack of appetite.

By 2:30am Tuesday morning, Andrew, Scott, and I had said our goodbyes, and I was crawling into bed beside my wife after my first hot shower in a week. While thankful to be home, my mind continued to replay the tragedies and the changed lives I witnessed in Haiti as I drifted to sleep.

I know for certain I am no longer the same person I was before my trip. What remains to be seen is what God will do following the time I have spent there. I’ve returned from my third trip to the nation, have a list full of phone number and contacts in Haiti, have people emailing and calling me every day about getting people or supplies to some part of Haiti, and all I want to do is return. I’m not sure what this means, but God does, and I plan to keep following Him each step of the way, whether it means helping from my office or going back again and again until God’s plan for me in Haiti is complete.

+++
DILLON BURROUGHS is a writer on issues of faith and culture. For more, visit www.readdB.com or contact dillon@dillonburroughs.org.

The Numbers in Haiti

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 12:20:00 +0000

The latest numbers compiled by CNN tell the tragic story of Haiti's recent earthquake. Many people and organizations are helping, including the place I'm planning to visit this weekend at Mission of Hope Haiti (www.mohhaiti.org):

THE TOLL

112,250: Latest official death toll
194,000: Number of injured
134: Estimated number of people rescued by international search teams since the quake

THE EFFECT

9 million: Population of Haiti
3 million: Estimated number of people affected by the quake
1 million: Estimated number of displaced people
800,000 to 1 million: People who need temporary shelter
235,000: People who have left Port-au-Prince using free transportation provided by the government. The number who left by private means is undetermined.
At least 50: Aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 or higher that have hit Haiti since the January 12 quake

Full coverage

THE CHILDREN

300,000: Children younger than 2 who need nutritional support
90: Percentage of schools in Port-au-Prince that have been destroyed
263: Haitian orphans who have been evacuated

THE RESPONSE IN DOLLARS

$1.12 billion: International aid pledges
$783 million: Funds received as of Tuesday
$317 million: U.S. assistance as of Monday

iReport: Haiti's missing and found | Are you there?

THE RESPONSE IN MANPOWER

17,000: U.S. military personnel in and around Haiti
8 million: Meals the World Food Programme has delivered to nearly 400,000 people
300: Aid distribution sites that are up and running
130 to 150: Flights arriving every day at the single-runway Port-au-Prince airport with aid

EFFECT ON FOREIGNERS

12,000: U.N. workers in the country at the time of the quake
53: U.N. workers still missing
At least 82: U.N. workers dead
27: U.N. workers injured or hospitalized
11,500: Americans and family members who have been evacuated
4,800: Americans unaccounted for

Find aid locations

Sources: Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Red Cross, the United Nations, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. State Department and the World Food Programme

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/26/haiti.by.the.numbers/index.html?hpt=T1

Change Haiti's Future

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 23:48:00 +0000

From One.org. Please respond to this and change the future of Haiti.

The harrowing images and stories coming out of Haiti are devastating to watch. The incredible outpouring of concern, aid and assistance coming from the United States and all over the world offers hope, but for many of us the question lingers: “What else can I do?”

One way we can help Haitians build a better tomorrow is to convince global creditors to cancel Haiti’s $890 million international debt. Doing so will help make sure that every possible future dollar goes towards rebuilding a stronger Haiti, not to servicing old debts.

Thankfully, the United States has already forgiven Haiti’s past debts and now only gives assistance in the form of grants. We need Haiti’s other creditors—the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and countries like Taiwan and Venezuela—to follow our lead and do the same.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has the power to help make that happen. Please click the link below to join me and send Secretary Geithner this urgent message:

http://www.one.org/us/actnow/drophaitiandebt/o.pl?id=1398-3742327-9EcW5Yx&t=2As Haiti rebuilds from this disaster, please work to secure the immediate cancellation of Haiti’s $890 million debt and ensure that any emergency earthquake assistance is provided in the forms of grants, not debt-incurring loans.

Even before the earthquake hit, Haiti—the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere—faced tremendous challenges. But there was also hope. Recent years have brought a more stable government and tenuous gains in the fight against poverty.

Haiti needs an international effort to make sure that, as it begins the long road to recovery, it is not burdened with unpayable debts. We must also be vigilant that any new aid from the IMF and other sources doesn’t come in the form of loans that would create new debt for Haiti.

It all starts by calling on Secretary Geithner to use his influence to persuade international lending institutions and countries to do the right thing and drop Haiti’s debt.

Take action now:

http://www.one.org/us/actnow/drophaitiandebt/o.pl?id=1398-3742327-9EcW5Yx&t=3Thank you,

Sheila Nix
U.S. Executive Director, ONE

My Latest Info on Haiti

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 16:49:00 +0000

I just sent this to a reporter asking for my information on Haiti and am sending the same out to all of you now. This is a huge tragedy. Please pray, give, and respond as you are able.

My friends at Mountain Top Ministries are in Gramothe in the mountains above Haiti and have a medical team from the US working with victims (they arrived for work before the earthquake). A few available photos from them are at http://www.mtmhaiti.com/read-our-blog.html.

Brad Johnson, director of Mission of Hope Haiti, just arrived in Port-au-Prince this morning and has a blog from today including pictures at http://disasterrelief.mohhaiti.org. They are mobilizing 1.5 million meals according to their US Office director I spoke with yesterday. Their medical facility is operating but overwhelmed.

I would love to get down there to help myself, but plans are still developing and may take some time.

My friend Megan's organization has updates at http://www.familyhm.org/index.html. Still no word. A picture of her is on my FB profile or here: http://www.familyhm.org/FamilyHealthMinistriesandMeganRohrmayer.html.

My Compassion sponsored child is still unaccounted for. His name is Wood and he is six years old. I had sent him a short letter the morning before the earthquake occurred.

Compassion International emailed me today the following (in part):

"The catastrophic earthquake that hit Haiti yesterday has resulted in unfathomable chaos and devastation for hundreds of thousands of children and families.

"Compassion sponsors and donors serve more than 65,000 children in Haiti. At least a third of them live in the areas that were hardest hit.

"We know that you sponsor Wood Nelly Tipha and that you must be very concerned. Be assured that we are working to locate your child and determine his specific situation as quickly as possible. We will share this personal update with you as soon as we have that information."

There is so much more, just see CNN.com's videos for instance, but these are some of my stories.

Pray. Act.

To Be Free

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:49:00 +0000

In 1845, American slave "Aaron" recorded the following story regarding the importance of freedom. I could not read it without weeping:

"A poor slave being on his death bed, begged of his master to give him his liberty before he died, 'I want to die free massa.' His master replied, you are going to die soon, what good will your liberty do? 'O master, I want to die free.' He said to the slave, 'you are free.' 'But do write it master, I want to see it on paper.' At his earnest request he wrote that he was free, the slave took it in his trembling hand, looked at it with a smile and exclaimed, 'O how beautiful, O how beautiful,' and soon fell asleep in the arms of death."

(from The Light and Truth of Slavery: Aaron's History; electronic text available at http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/aaron/aaron.html)

Praying for Obama

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:18:00 +0000

My first article with the Presidential Prayer Team was posted today at http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/opinion. Please share your comments. The title is "Presidential Prayer: The Christian's High Calling" and is based on 1 Timothy 2:1-3:

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior…”

Please join the Presidential Prayer Team's Facebook Page now.

Calling All Wiccans

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:25:00 +0000

In October, I was asked to share a few interviews for print, online, and radio publications related to my 2008 work on "Generation Hex," a book on Wicca from a Christian perspective. To date, my coauthor and I have conducted nearly 100 interviews on the topic, interviewed numerous current and former Wiccans, and helped foster greater understanding and awareness of Wicca among Evangelical Christians.

Some have begun to ask whether I would be interested in a book or conference to publicly discuss Christian-Wiccan issues with leading Wiccans. Why? In some of my radio interviews, Wiccans would call in with a comment or question that often turned into a fascinating spiritual discussion. I did not expect this. So my answer, after much prayer and consideration, is a definite yes.

So here's my request: If you are a Wiccan or are friends with Wiccan leaders or adherents who would be interested in such a discussion, please send them my way at dillon AT dillonburroughs DOT org. The door is open. Let's talk.

More Free Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:46:00 +0000

What can be better than free? In addition to the free sample chapter of Generation Hex from my previous post, here are free samples of some of my other recent works. Enjoy!

Generation Hex

What Can Be Found in LOST?

What's the Big Deal about Other Religions?

Taking a Stand for the Bible

God in 60 Seconds (Coming January 2010!)

[If links do not work, see original post at http://readdb.blogspot.com.]

Generation Hex Free First Chapter

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:32:00 +0000

For those listening to our KTIS interview right now nationwide, read the first chapter of Generation Hex here: www.harvesthousepublishers.com/generationhex. Thanks!

Faith in Action

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:00:00 +0000

The words of James continue to echo in my mind today:

"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." -James 1:27

Two callings:

1. Care for orphans and widows (the fatherless and women in need)
2. Personal purity

Caring for orphans, widows, and others in need is a calling deeply rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Personal purity is a moment-by-moment pursuit to live a life of faith pleasing to God.

May God give us the strength to do both--care for those in need and to live with integrity in His sight.

Are Gay Rights Right? Share Your Thoughts...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:19:00 +0000

Following President Obama's remarks at the Human Rights Campaign event and last weekend's march in Washington, everyone is talking about gay rights. But are gay rights right?

In other words, are there any additional rights gays lack in American society? The three big ones under discussion currently include:

1. Don't Ask, Don't Tell: Should the military discharge openly gay homosexuals?

2. Hate Crimes: Should a person who physically hurts someone due to their color or sexual orientation be punished for an additional crime?

3. Same Sex Marriage/Civil Unions/Domestic Partnerships: Four states have legalized same-sex marriage; one (Nevada) has approved domestic partnerships (for both same-sex and heterosexual couples). Eventually, the national level will have to make a decision. What decision is best for the nation?

As a person who follows the teachings of the Bible, I consider these three issues extremely important. For example, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is conflicting because it deals both with a person's personal actions and national security. There's a lot to debate here, but the numbers are already in favor of this law being ended soon, so I'm not going to dive into it more here.

Hate crimes are a second distinct category. Gay activists argue it is necessary, appealing to the case of Matthew Shepard. While his case was a tragedy, I see two problems with this bill. First, it is currently lumped in with the military spending bill. Does anyone else see this as a conflict of interests? Hate crimes are important enough to be handled separately, and I propose that they should be.

In addition, hate crimes appear redundant. If one person beats up another person, it is a crime (assault). But if the victim claims to be beaten due to racism or sexual orientation, it is suddenly two crimes: assault and a hate crime. Is this really necessary?

Finally, there is the same-sex marriage issue. As a Christian, I hold to marriage as a sacred covenant between a man an a woman. I've been married for 11 years and plan to stay that way. However, I understand there are legal and insurance issues at stake for same-sex couples. Couldn't a domestic partnership of some type (similar to Nevada's recently passed law) address this concern without changing the definition of marriage? If not, why not?

I realize in posting on this controversial topic, people from all sides will end up angry. I encourage you to comment on this issue in a civil way and not personally attack others who comment. Let's have a healthy debate on this issue and show the same respect Christ would for opposing views in the process.