Kevin Austin at Lakeside, Thailand, and other Exciting Places

I saw two movies in two days, which is out of character for me.  Movies are just too expensive.  The first movie, Bandslam, was a date with my daughter.  I was expecting another High School Musical, but I was wrong.  I liked High School Musical.  I loved Bandslam.  It was clean, good lessons, great music.  Some might think only girls would like it, but I think my boys would have liked it as well.  The second movie, Julia and Julie, was next.  Another date, this time with my wonderful wife of 25 years.  Julia and Julie was also a delight, but for the older crowd.  In fact, I think we were the youngest ones there and women outnumbered the men 10 to 1. Meryl Streep is A-MAZ-ZZIINNGG!

I would highly recommend both!

Yesterday, as we drove through the smoky Thai countryside, my new friend Robin and I discussed many things, but we ended up on the major topic of SELF.  How can people buy a child for $3?  How can we be so selfish?  What is the answer to conflicts in the world?  These are excellent questions.

Robin, who leans into Buddhism, has a good heart.  She is here in Northern Thailand giving aid to children trapped in poverty and vulnerable to be trafficked.  Buddhism teaches that too much self is not a good thing.  Christians can agree with this.  Too much self is, in other words, selfishness.  But how does one rid oneself of too much self?  For the Buddhist meditation and right living accomplish this.  I can, as a Christian agree with this as well.  But for me it’s insufficient.

No matter how much I work at it – on my own – I can’t get rid of enough of me!

Instead, as a Christian, I want Jesus to fill me up so much there is no room for me!  I want to be more and more like Jesus.  I want to do everything from a heart of love. I can’t do it on my own.  I need divine intervention.

I am so thankful for Robin and for others like her.  I’m glad that Buddhists and Christians can partner together to make the world a better place.  And I’m thankful that as we all seek the truth, we will find it.  Jesus will show us the way.

A good friend of mine, Todd Carter Koeppen has written a new song.  It’s worth giving a listen. All of Todd’s songs are great.  This one cuts to the heart.  Click on the song title.  The lyrics are below.  

slavesong

SLAVE SONG

by Todd Carter Koeppen
 
Allow me to pen you a song
It won’t take long
They’ll be back soon
 
A whore without a choice
A slave without a voice
What am I to you
 
Tricked and dragged
Beaten and gagged
Raped and sold for pleasure
by hell
 
Don’t ask me what you should do
Just apply the Golden Rule
Do whatever it is you’d want me to do for you
If you were me and I were you
And if words like whore and hell
Don’t sit well with you in your world
Just try living them in mine
 
And tonight when they force me for cash
While you sit around complaining about $4 gas
Say a prayer for me
You can be part of the solution
 
Yeah tonight when they take me and make me
They hurt me, they rape me
Are you still complaining?
Say a prayer for me
You can be part of the solution

This Sunday, Feb. 1, is Freedom Sunday.  It’s the anniversary of the 13th Amendment which officially freed slaves in America.  We should all carefully consider, pray, and act to end slavery in the 21st Century.  

Recently I visited with new friends at the Garden of Hope in Chiangmai, Thailand (Gardenofhopeasia.org). The Garden of Hope seeks to serve and ministry to women and children at risk or involved in prostitution. It’s difficult work. We had a conversation about stereotypes and being true representatives of love. . .

The ministry of the Garden of Hope is not one of sensationalizing the situation but one of incarnational, day-by-day, work and love. I was impressed that despite the heart breaking work, there were no signs of despair or anger. I asked what they thought of the men who came to use the women. Their response was the same response I believe we would receive from Jesus, “They need love too. They need healing as well. They are God’s lost children also.” We discussed the need to remove barriers and stereotypes. Nothing is black and white. Instead of labeling, which is the easy thing to do, we should instead be true representatives of love.

The people at the Garden of Hope reminded me that we are all – everyone of us – God’s children, made in his image, in need of love and healing regardless of our situation.

I want to be a true representative of love.

There are 27 million slaves in the world today, 80% of which are women and children. It’s a staggering number. But we must see beyond the numbers: each one has a name and a face and a story. Each one is loved by God.

Isaiah tells us that true fasting is feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and breaking the chains of injustice. Jesus announced that the kingdom of God was here, now, because the good news was being preached to the poor and captives were being set free. John Wesley wrote that slavery was the “execrable sum of all villainies”. In the 19th century some courageous Methodists spoke out against slavery and the Free Methodist Church sprang into being.

History has brought us to this place.

We are compelled to act.
There are many things we can do to fight slavery. We can pray. We can learn more about the issues. We can partner with other organizations. We should do these things, but there is one thing we’ve been doing for 41 years that we can celebrate and continue with passion – we’ve been caring for children in need and in danger through International Child Care Ministries.

Two leading factors leading to the trafficking of children are illiteracy and poverty. Child Care Ministries fights against both of these injustices. ICCM is on the front lines fighting slavery!

Look at it this way: when the housewife in Indianapolis sponsors a girl in Cambodia they are stepping in front of a trafficker who wants to steal that girl into prostitution; when the businessman in Seattle sponsors a boy in Nigeria they are offering an alternative to a life of spiritual darkness. When the family in Chicago sponsors several children in Haiti they are creating whole new worlds of hope.
We are, in fact, changing the world.

Do something concrete to fight slavery – sponsor another child or two or ten or three thousand through International Child Care Ministries.

See the ICCM Link to the Right for more information

Several weeks ago the following resolution was unanimously passed by 240 delegates at the General Conference of the Free Methodist Church of North America:

“Slavery and human trafficking in all their forms are unjust, destroy human dignity and devalue human life. We denounce and resist all forms of slavery and human trafficking: indentured servitude, trade slavery, sex-slave trade, and the forced sale and/or transport of people (forced adoption for profit and mail order bride for profit) in all its forms. We actively oppose slavery through establishing local and global networks in conjunction with existing Free Methodist ministries to combat slavery through prayer, education, advocacy, rescue, protection, rehabilitation and reintegration of victims, and the call for application of justice and opposition to the people and organizations responsible for human trafficking.”

The Free Methodist Church sides with the poor and oppressed in the world. Once again, we have embraced the call to act on behalf of the weak, vulnerable and oppressed.

Let us rally around this call and act with boldness and hope.

There are approximately 27 million slaves in the world today. As a Christian from a denomination with roots in the American abolitionist movement I’m compelled to do something. Here is one simple thing you can do:

This July the Free Methodist Church of N.A. will meet and among other things consider various actions on various resolutions for changes big and small in the Free Methodist denomination. One resolution – number 711 – concerns modern slavery. Log on and add a comment. The websites link is: www.freemethodistchurch.org/users/gc07/resolutions.

After doing this pray that the Free Methodist denomination will act boldly, wisely and with love to free prisoners physically as well as spiritually.

Another great place to learn more is: www.freetheslaves.net