Spiritual Transformation Journey Begins with .....

Story worth reading:

Spiritual Transformation Journey Begins with Feeding the Homeless
http://www.constructionrisk.com/spiritual.htm

Tokenism…a few practical suggestions

A recent post by Ken that I thought was worth reposting. You can find Ken at:http://kenloyd.net/

KEN LOYD’S BLOG
Tokenism…a few practical suggestions
We’re good people. We do actually care.

If there was a Satan, this is what I think he’d do to good, caring people: he would blind us to the very real horrors going on all around us. How? He’d encourage us to make a token gesture, let the pee sit in the bowl, do something nice at Christmas for the “poor”, be slightly less oppressive to women than the next person, Facebook our outrage at child prostitution. Something like that. He’d then give us a squirt of endorphins to warm us all over and whisper quietly in our ear, “Good job!, Sally (Bill, Fred, Sharon).”

There actually is a Satan, I believe, and that’s exactly what he does to good, caring people. Especially good, caring American people. Most especially good, caring Christian American people. How else can we explain little or no visible action coming from our nation and churches in an age when the enormity of human suffering is splattered all over the news on a daily basis?

Here are some mental errors most of us, I think, make in the thought-to-emotion-to-action transition:

American? We have been taught to believe that those who have less, are less. In the church world, prosperity equals blessing for a good life lived.
Young American? In your, “I’m-here-what’s-going-on-there?-texting-four-people-while-having-coffee-with-a-fifth-Google-everything-wired-to-the-hilt world, it’s easy to care about everything so much that actually doing anything gets lost in the melee.
Emergent Christian? Lots of palaver, not much do. Trap.
Theological bent? See above.
We easily confuse reading and knowing with doing. They are not remotely the same. To bend James’ words a bit, “Reading without doing is dead.” (sorry, Jimmie)
Have enough money? Live indoors? Have a Job? Vehicle? Stuff? It’s called insulation! We (especially Christians) need to get out more. Uninsulated.
We can easily let the talking heads (teachers, professors, preachers, newspeople, etc.) think and do on our behalf.
Low self esteem a la: “I’m too small (shy, uneducated, old, young, unhip, your limit here _________) to make a difference.”
With so many kinds of injustice in the world, which one to choose?
Catch the drift?
Good, caring people paralyzed by our own brains.

Some suggestions to help us get off the dime (to coin an old phrase):

Read/study/ask questions of actual doers. Learn about injustice of all kinds.
Set a time limit for your study phase. Remember: Reading is not doing. Knowing is not doing. Only doing is doing.
Ask, “What’s my heart (God?) telling me?” What moved you most? What excited most you? What grieved you most?
Get involved with that. If something moves you to action, you may well stick. If you’re just going along with someone else, it’s difficult to pay attention for long.
What are you good at? Do that for a caring/justice cause.
What do you enjoy doing? Do that for a caring/justice cause.
Consider that small might just be the new big. (less insulation)
Consider that local might just be the new mission field. (less insulation)
Get in touch with your own brokenness. It will connect you with the rest of humanity. (less insulation)
You want endorphins? Then get started!
Love,

Ken

A MOTHER'S THANKS TO THOSE UNKNOWN

During our lifetime we have moments where we think, if I could just do this one big thing or if I had lots of money I could do and help a lot of people. It’s in between those moments that we sometimes forget about the little things that make the most impact in the lives of others. In the moments where there are no others around, no fan fair, no big production, just a small act of kindness that can make a change in someone's life.

Below you will find a blog written by a wonderful person I met online. She writes about the kindness of strangers and the impact it had on her beautiful son. You can find more of her blogs at: http://brokenheartedmom.blogspot.com/

4/6/08

Thank You

Some believe there are angels among us. I never really gave it any thought B.H. (before heroin). But my son is alive today through the immeasurable kindness of strangers. The people who gave him a dollar, a sandwich, a smile, or a hand up are many. I will never be able to express my gratitude to the good people along the way to rock bottom who tried to break the fall. I'm especially grateful to the ones who did not judge.


My son has told me of kind strangers who saw a terribly troubled soul and reached out. I would like to acknowledge a few who easily could have averted their eyes, and walked on.


Thank you stranger in Michigan, for calling that ambulance.


Thank you Arizona State Trooper who bought my son a Big Mac, got my phone number from him, drove him to a treatment facility, and then called me to tell me where my boy was.


Thank you lovely woman in Riverside, California who let a dirty, stoned boy use her cell phone to call home, and then gave him $5.


Thanks to the man in Utah who bought himself a coffee and donut, saw my son, and without a word handed it to him.


And to the special stranger in downtown Detroit: You saw my son walking down the cold, winter street. It was 16 degrees, -3 windchill; he had no hat, gloves, decent shoes, nothing but cotton pants and a sweatshirt. You pulled your car along side him, and got out. Andrew was confused, and wary, expecting you to taunt or hurt him. You took off your coat, held it out to him. "You need this more than I do, brother," you said. Then you got in your car and drove away.

Be you angels or mortals..you have taught me I must pass it on.