iPopCulture.NET

This post is a plea. Maybe by now you’re sick of hearing coverage about Haiti. Maybe you’re tired of seeing all of the Facebook statuses, tweets, CNN headlines, commercials asking you to text to donate $10 to the Red Cross. But the truth is, this is still a major problem. The earthquake in Haiti was only the beginning of the problems.

The people that survived the quake are now facing starvation because there is no food. Gas prices are now around $14/gallon. Think about that for a minute…the people in Haiti survive on less than $2 per day and now gas prices are $14/gallon.

In addition, people are hurt and there are not enough doctors or medical supplies to meet these needs. This is a serious serious issue.

My friend Ryan Akers has close connections with Mountain Faith Mission in Haiti. Both him and his father have been over to the country and interacted, worshiped, and fellowshipped with the people. These same people, including children at an orphanage, are now facing possible death if they do not get the supplies they need.

Here’s what Ryan wrote recently on his blog: http://run4haiti.wordpress.com/

This past week has been a big distraction for me, simply because I work with a mission that’s involved in Haiti. I can only imagine, and definitely pray for those, who are living in the midst of this nightmare.

I am truly heart-broken. My mind stays so distracted by Haiti that I feel useless in other areas. Presently, there’s about 4-5 Americans with MFM who are emailing and strategizing the best way to be very effective on the central plateau. The earthquake has happened, damaged buildings horribly, and killed numerous people. That seems bad enough, but now, as the email from yesterday proclaimed, the food supplies are being slowly shut up. There is simply not enough coming in, and what is, seems to be staying in Port-au-Prince.

That’s simply put. Here’s my way of telling you what I’m trying to say. If you are a Christian, and you have not given to this effort, then you need to. I don’t care if it’s thru MFM or some other organization, but you should be giving. It’s Biblical to give. It’s Christ-like to give.

We’re assessing how the best way to go about getting things to the people is. Honestly, there’s no simple way to do it. Roads are blocked. Air is blocked. Ports are shut down. We’re working hard to contact, make connections, and trying to get stuff down to our people. Some thoughts are to fly in to an airport in the north if at all possible. Other thoughts are to find somewhere above the compound on the mountain to have a brave soul land a plane with supplies. Other thoughts are to mobilize a truck to head to the Dominican to buy food. In truth, all of these are super difficult. Fuel is scarce. Food is scarce.

Please donate. And please pray. Pray for open doors.

Here’s what is happening. People are dying. People are dying from injuries. People are dying from hunger. People are dying from basic things that you can easily access as you read this. Think this is a guilt trip? Maybe it is. But the point is…you should be involved. I don’t care if you mail a check, donate on PayPal, or work with a local group to organize a fundraiser to give. Just do something. Move, work. In the name of Christ, look at the faces of the children in our mission. Do it for them. Feed them. Be moved by these scenes. Don’t be disconnected. Team with MFM and let’s further the kingdom.

Please do what you can to help the Mountain Faith Mission of Haiti or some other organization in Haiti. These men and women and children need your help. Even just $5 can go a long way. Put yourself in their scenario. Imagine you were not hurt by the earthquake but everything you had was destroyed. While things might initially seem okay, imagine if you had no food and there was no promise of food on its way. Now add to that injuries, disease, the death of loved ones, etc and that’s a fraction of what the people in Haiti are dealing with.

If you can give anything at all, here is the website for  Mountain Faith Mission: http://www.mountainfaithmission.com/

Ryan has set the site up to accept PayPal donations. You can also send a check. PayPal has verified the site as a non-profit organization so your donation is secure. Simply click on the “Donate” tab on the web site.

Please help!

With the devastating earthquake that took place yesterday in Haiti, something desperately needs to be done. For those of us who can’t go, we can give and we can pray.

USAToday.com has a site you can visit that lists the different organizations that are collecting money for relief efforts. This money goes toward food, water, shelter, temporary housing, medicine, etc. You can visit that site by clicking here.

Do something about this problem. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and one of the least developed countries in the world. Even at their best, they have nothing compared to those of us in the United States. Now they’re really facing disaster. If you can give a gift of $5, $10, $15 or more, please do. And no matter what, please pray for this issue.

As my friend Ryan Akers mentioned earlier today, it’s really sad that it takes something this catastrophic to get people to take action, but maybe this will cause people to take action.

If you’re looking to pray specifically, pray for the Mountain Faith Mission and orphanage. Since communication lines have been shut down, there has been no word from them since the earthquake.

One year ago I came across an organization that is doing great things around the world. Mocha Club exists to fund relief and development projects in Africa. They work in five main project areas: Clean Water, Education, Child Mothers + Women At Risk, Orphan Care + Vulnerable Children, and HIV/AIDS + Healthcare.

As great as Mocha Club is, it’s very simple to get involved. All it takes is $7 a month (aka the price of 2 mochas, thus the name).

The team I’m on (Katie Peterson, Hannah Postlewaite, Allen Pointer, Aaron Abbott, Jessica Klug, David Gibson, and Jessica Folsom) have taken part in this for a year now and have been supporting the building of wells in Sudan to provide clean drinking water to the people. This water is saving their lives. Again, it’s only taken each of us $7 a month. The mone withdrawn monthly from my bank account, and honestly, I can say I’ve never missed it.

This is a call for more people to get involved and join our team. By following the link below or clicking on the banner at the top of this page, you can take part in saving lives in Africa for simply $7  a month–a very small sacrifice.

When you sign up, you’ll also receive a free Mocha Club t-shirt.

If you’re interested in signing up or learning more, click on the following link and help change lives in Africa:

CLICK HERE to join Mocha Club and begin saving lives in Africa

I have a unique job. I help edit/write curriculum for churches. In the Teacher’s Guides for teen teachers, one of the sections is called “Inspiration for Teachers.” The name of the section pretty much speaks for itself. It’s used to motivate and encourage teachers to keep on teaching even when things are going rough.

I deal with those lessons every single day. Every day I read, edit, and sometimes rewrite the “Inspiration for Teachers.” Here comes the unique part: What do I do when I become discouraged with ministry, life, etc?

The obvious answer seems to be “Pay attention to what you’re editing!” True, but at times it’s difficult to take my work and make it reality.

I was recently reminded of a book I read several years ago called Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry by Doug Fields. I read the book while I was going through a very discouraging time during my youth ministry internship. The principles that I read then still apply today in many facets of life. Here they are:

DEALING WITH DISCOURAGEMENT
1. Welcome Christ’s suffering
2. It’s okay to question God’s calling on my life
3. Discouragement isn’t necessarily a sign of spiritual incompetence
4. Keep first things first – my relationship with God

PRACTICAL STEPS TO BATTLE DISCOURAGEMENT
- Be confident that you are not alone
- Find an experienced and neutral mentor
- Find an upbeat friend outside of youth ministry
- Realize that not everyone will understand you and your ministry
- Take a day off
- Schedule solo time away (Take a day out of each month to sit and reflect and get recharged)
- Clear the piles (Clean the piles of junk off your desk at least three times a year)
- Get some sleep
- Begin a discouragement journal
- Begin an affirmation file
- Make a personal comitment to last

Maybe someone will find this helpful.

(Special thanks to http://desireatheresa.blogspot.com for posting this info)

For the next few days, I have the opportunity and privilege to be part of something that is literally not of this world. The band I play in (I guess we’re a band), Surprised By Joy, gets to lead worship for E-TEAM. If you’re not familiar with E-TEAM, here’s a description from FWBGO.com:

E-TEAM is a life-changing, short-term summer missions experience for students who have just completed grades 10, 11, or 12. The program provides a week of intensive training and two weeks of hands-on cross-cultural experience where students learn from and serve with Free Will Baptist missionaries. The experience wraps up with a time of debriefing and closing ceremonies.

Groups consist of seven to nine students led by an adult couple. Destinations have included Japan, France, St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Chicago, Mexico, Spain, Uruguay, Panama, Brazil, and Cuba.

We were blessed with the opportunity to help lead worship last year and were humbled and honored when we were asked again this year. 

When I said it is not of this world, I meant it. These are high school students who have paid or raised thousands of dollars to come and go through training so they can serve others in the name of Christ. Their trip is no vacation. They are paying to be servants.

It is simply amazing to worship with these teenagers. They have no reservations, no egos, and have given up so much to be there. 

We’ve jokingly said that our only complaint (tongue in cheek) is that sometimes they sing so loud we can’t hear our own instruments. I’ll definitely take that any day!

If you think of it, pray for these incredible teens and their devoted leaders. They are about to embark on an incredible journey that will make a difference across the globe.

Before the Tennessee Titans drafted Adam “Pacman” Jones with the 6th pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, he had already been in trouble with the law. Since that time, Pac Man has been arrested 6 times, which charges ranging from assault to allegations that Jones hired someone to shoot an individual.

He has been present at shootings in strip clubs, started fights with his own bodyguards, and shown no respect or gratitude for his teammates, his job, or anyone/anything other than himself.

No matter what Pacman does, it always makes news. ESPN is always quick to report the mayhem he’s caused himself, his team, or someone else.

However, there is a lesser known story you may not have heard of. It doesn’t involve Pacman; rather it involves someone on the opposite spectrum. Read more…

At the beginning of 2008, IUPUI men’s basketball coach, Ron Hunter, decided he wanted to make a difference in the world. He did something that had never been done before at the major college level. Coach Hunter took off his shoes and coached barefoot during one of IUPUI’s games.

Why would Coach Hunter do something this odd? He wanted to raise awareness for Samaritan’s Feet, an organization that seeks to provide shoes to children in other countries who do not have shoes. Read more…

One of my good friends, Ryan Akers (FWBBC and Truth & Peace Alumni), went on a trip to Haiti some time back and was very moved and heartbroken by what he saw. Because of this, he decided to take action. As an avid runner, Ryan created his own group called “Run 4 Haiti” in attempts to raise money. Here is an excerpt from Ryan, from the Mountain Faith Mission web site:

I love running. It’s been a passion of mine for a few years now. I’m quite the running geek, too, as I enjoy reading magazines and books about the sport. As I’ve read, I’ve seen numerous stories of people who have raised money for some charitable cause. Thus, we find Run 4 Haiti.

Presently, I am training for the 2009 Country Music Marathon in Nashville, Tennessee. On April 25, 2009, I’ll toe the line with some 30,000 people to participate in the race. On that day, my goal is to have support flowing in from all over the nation for Mountain Faith Mission of Haiti. So here’s the deal…

I am asking for any individuals, churches, youth groups…anyone who wants to get involved to join the team by supporting Run 4 Haiti. Every single penny that is donated goes straight to Mountain Faith Mission. This money will help improve the lives of thousands of people on the central plateau of Haiti. My goal is to get donations of $1 a mile for a total of $26. In a country where we have so much, this donation would nearly be a month’s wage for many in Haiti.

I know many people will look at this and say, “Oh, that’s nice, but I’m too strapped for money right now.” Or maybe, “That’s cool…but I tithe…so I’m taken care of.”

I’m asking you to think a little deeper about this issue. Yes, the economy is bad right. Yes, money is tight. But even in these times, do our economic hardships even compare with the people in Haiti? Not a chance. 

Our economic problems revolve around cutting back in Christmas gifts and eating out. It may even involve losing a job. However, their economic problems revolve around survival–getting enough food to eat, getting medical help, etc.

To everyone who reads this, I encourage you to take some action, especially this holiday season. Maybe you’ll choose to support Haiti through Ryan. Maybe you’ll choose to get involved with Mocha Club, something I’ve been privileged to get involved with. Maybe you’ll choose to be a part of Malaria No More, which I wrote about in a previous post. Maybe it’s donating to Toys for Tots.

More than anything, help someone who is less fortunate. That $7/month or one time gift of $26 really isn’t going to hurt you that much.

Show the love of Christ. Give!

For more information, check out these sites:

Mountain Faith Mission- Run 4 Haiti 

Run 4 Haiti Blog

Mocha Club

Malaria No More

For those of you who are 24 enthusiasts, Sunday night represented 18 months in the making as 24:Redemption premiered on Fox. The movie was used to help bridge the gap between the 18 months off (due to the writers’ strike) and Season 7 (which premieres in January 2009).

I know there people that absolutely love the show, and people that absolutely hate the show, but this really has nothing to do with the show per se. Read more…

To be completely honest, this probably the most important post I have made on my blog. For the last year or so, I have had a strong desire to make a difference in the world. I’ve really wanted to do something about social injustice in the world, but I had no idea how to start. 

A few months ago, I read Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris, and it really motivated me to find a way to get involved. 

Just yesterday, I discovered Mocha Club. The “club” has nothing to do with coffee, but actually the lack of.

Through Mocha Club, for only $7/month (or the price of 2 mochas), you can make a difference in Africa. There are to twists, catches, if’s, and’s, or but’s. You simply pay $7/month and make a major impact on a nation that needs help!

The organization has several projects you can take part in, but the project I have chosen to take part in concerns building clean water wells in Sudan. Many of you are familiar with the tragedy that is taking place in Darfur. By donating $7, you help provide clean water to Darfur refugees and also help build orphanages for children who have had to flee the country.

In other words, when you give up $7 a month – the cost of 2 mochas – you are supporting a project in Africa. In Africa, $7 gives clean water to 7 Africans for a year, or will put 2 kids in school! 

I honestly want to encourage you to take part in this effort! I have started a team through MC and you can join my team and we can do this together! Pray about it if you need to, but seriously give this some thought! You are not just donating money to a cause, you are serving the kingdom of God!

Jesus told us that whatever we do for the least, we do for Him. 

I know this isn’t a primary motivator for doing this, but if you sign up to donate $7 a month, you will receive a free download of Matt Wertz’s brand new album, and a free download of his EP.

This is something I am very passionate about and I hope you will share this passion!

To join or just check it out, simply follow this link: Mocha Club- Make a Difference or go to this website: http://mochaclub.org/joinme/iPopEditor/12

$7 a month isn’t a big sacrifice. For our American society, it isn’t a sacrifice at all.

Take action. Serve others. Serve the world. Serve Christ!