Smile!

Yesterday I said that I needed a hobby. Little did I know that earlier that day Hubs had bought me a camera. When I got home from Catalina, this was waiting for me....



I am super excited! In college, I said that I was going to be a photographer, but wasn't sure if I had the creativity, or the drive to make it a career.

I also said I wanted to be a carny.

I think I'll stick to photography as a hobby...

A Hobby

I have decided that I need a hobby. I like to read, walk my dogs, and spend time with my husband. And hang out with my friends...a lot. But I would love to start doing something more productive in my spare time.

My friend Sue loves to sew. She has made super cute stuff, mostly by sewing. She made Misty and I cute bags for our trip to Catalina.

I don't think I'm quite the sewing type.

What are some different types of hobbies that are productive?

Memorial Day Getaway: Catalina

Every Memorial Day weekend, 2 girlfriends and I head to Catalina for a girls weekend. No husband. No kids. A time to get away, lay on the beach, play cards, and relax. It isn't very often these days that the three of us have a chance to get together.

This was my view yesterday afternoon. This is what I woke up to.
Blessed with amazing friends, gorgeous weather, and a free place to stay. While I'm off playing, hubs is at home working away.

What are you doing this Memorial Day Weekend?

When Helping Hurts

Have you ever stopped to think that the way in which you think you are helping is actually harming the person?

In our minds we, when we give the money to the person on the street, participate in the local angel tree drive, or even go to the other side of the world to do a VBS in a very poor country, we are doing something good.

But what if that money is being used to feed an addiction. What if the parent who isn't incarcerated feels helpless when another person gives their child a toy instead of being able to provide this for them. What if the VBS is so elaborate that the children no longer want to do the weekly children's bible study.

What if the things we do as Christians in this world are actually hurting people instead of helping to develop them? What if there was a way to include and equip the poor to be a part of their solution.

I just finished reading "When Helping Hurts: How to alleviate poverty without hurting the poor and yourself". If you care about helping people, I highly recommend it.

It has made me re-think the missions program at The Bridge, as it touches on local, national, and global poverty, as well as short term missions trips. Its my hope and prayer that we are not hurting people when we think we are helping people.

Slavery Today

During the 400 years of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, there were 13 million people taken from Africa. Today, there are 27 million people who are enslaved.

During the trans-Atlantics slave trade, in adjusted dollars, a slave was sold for around $40,000. Today, slaves are worth close to $40.

Simple economics....supply and demand. As the supply increases, the cost decreases.

It is a sad world when people are compared to simple economic truths instead of seen to have value and worth.

Less than $2 a Day

I have been contemplating the fact that about half of the worlds population, 3 billion people, live on less than $2 a day. If they make $2 a day and work everyday of the year, they make $730.

I look in my wallet and see more than that. I started thinking about the things that I do daily that costs less than $2.

You know what I came up with?

Not Much.

Have you ever gone a day with spending less than $2, including transportation, food, electricity, etc?

I know I haven't.

What is Human Trafficking?

I talk about human trafficking and sex trafficking often, but I don't believe I have ever given a definition to what that means.

Human Trafficking simply means a person is made into a commodity. They are bought, transported, and sold as if they were somebody's property.

The person is controlled by threats and violence, forced to "work", and is not paid.

Human trafficking includes:
Child Soldiers
Child Labor
Bonded Labor
Sex Slave Trade
Domestic Servitude
Contract Slavery

They all break my heart, but the exploitation of girls and women in the sex trade really gets my blood boiling.

Care Free Living

Some days, I wish I could live life carefree.

Would Jesus Ignore Sex Trafficking?

What is it about Americans that think it is ok to not know about the injustice in the world? I had one person say to me "we can't teach our kids that". Kids these days know way more than I ever knew in Jr High (and that was only 14 years ago...wow, I am getting old!).

To not tell our youth about human trafficking, even sex trafficking, in the appropriate context, in my opinion is a travesty. We should want the next generation to know that Jesus came to fight against injustice and for those who were oppressed. That Jesus loved and hung out with the least of these, the untouchables, those forgotten by society. And as his followers today, we are called to make a difference in the world in the context in which we live.

Intentional ignorance is never ok.

If Jesus were on earth today, I wonder what he would have to say about it.

Garden Grows=Kids Will Live

Numerous weeks ago I made a comment basing my kid raising abilities to if my garden grew or not. I have remembered to water the plants daily, or if I wasn't available I made sure it was being taken care of.




According to my earlier statement, I will be able to raise kids just fine...since the garden is growing and all.