Moving On

I'm not moving, it's just the blog that's moved. My blog has moved to my new beautifully redesigned website at www.carolcool.com. So go follow it there. All of the Blogger posts have migrated there, so you can search for old posts. There's even links to my 5 years of blogs from before that (although they're not searchable). So please join me over there or follow me on Facebook (www.facebook.com/carolrcool), where my blogs are posted automatically. Hope you'll stay in touch!

Change Purse

A few years ago I saw the original Butler Bag in a boutique in Lewes, Delaware. I was entranced.

The thing that made me want the bag was the inner organizer (pictured at left), hence the name "Butler."

I didn't buy it, though. I didn't want to spend the money for it, so I spent six months shopping for a substitute. I bought another bag that didn't work. It hangs in my closet.

Finally, after listening to me lament that I didn't own the Butler, Les told me to get it the next time I was in Lewes. So I did. I bought it in spicy ginger (above right).

I've loved this bag. But now the straps are going, and they don't make this style in any fun colors anymore. So I am back to looking. I bought a bag at an amazing Coach Outlet sale and haven't even unwrapped it yet. I have found someone who works in leather who might be able to replace the handles on my Butler Bag, so I am holding out.

How many purses have you ever bought that just weren't right? Well, now you can put that bag to work. Change Purse is an organization that takes your "didn't work for me" bags and resells them to raise money to battle human trafficking. You can send purses directly to them, or you can host a Change Purse party like my friend Jen Knepper, who began the Lancaster Gifts That Give Hope Gift Fair.

You gather purses and invite your friends. The organization provides you with a DVD and information on human trafficking. You sell the purses and send the money to Change Purse. It, in turn, supports Hope House, a place of restoration for teens rescued from sex trafficking.

If you decide to host a party, I have at least one purse to contribute!

Unusual Christian Environmentalists

We are watching the long version of Pride and Prejudice—the Colin Firth version, of course—and as I began to write this, Mrs. Bennett says this to Bingley,"When you have killed all your own birds, Mr. Bingley, I beg you will come here and shoot as many as you please."

We could adapt that line for the way we are devouring so many of earth's creatures. It seems there is always a new fad food that begins to deplete the earth's stocks: Chilean sea bass, bluefin tuna, chinook salmon, and so many others.

Today I read this interesting interview in Christianity Today. Eugene Peterson, the author of The Message, and Peter Harris, talk about Christian environmentalism in a way I found unique and thought-provoking.

I encourage you to read all of it and then let me know through your comments here or on Facebook what you think of their thoughts, especially on urbanization and on how environmentalism and the Sabbath interconnect.

By the way, you're not invited to shoot any of the birds in our yard.

Give and Criticism Will Be Given Unto You

Forgive the distortion of Scripture in the title, but it seemed appropriate for this topic.

Thanks to the Six Seeds parenting e-zine, I learned an interesting story about the University of Georgia head football coach Mark Richt. He and his wife put their lakefront second home up for sale in order to donate more money to World Vision to help those in poverty. Last year they read The Hole in Our Gospel (which I blogged about here) by Richard Stearns, who was president of World Vision. As he told Chip Towers, who wrote the blog post:

So I’m reading this book and it really affected me. It helped me realize that what we have is way more than we need and that our ability to give is hindered by this property.

I love when God reaches out and talks to someone (including me) about how we personally can show compassion, about how he wants us to be involved in social justice or fighting poverty in our situation.

Unfortunately, when you do respond to what God is saying, it seems criticism is the next gift you get. For Richt, first it was speculation that he was selling the house because his job was threatened due to his team's poor record last year. Once Towers' blog was posted telling of their true motivation, more criticism followed in the blog comments section. People who wondered why he didn't have enough money to give already with his salary. People who were sure this was just a coverup for fear of a job loss. People who judged his motives, his behavior, his relationship with God.

It was a good reminder that no matter what we do, criticism will come. As the apostles Peter and John said, "It's better to obey God than men" because you can't please them anyway, I would add.

What has God ever told you to do that others have criticized you for? Les and I have experienced it multiple times when we invited people to live with us, whether for a few weeks or forever, as in the case of our daughter. I'm so glad we chose not listen to the critics because the blessings and joy have been tremendous (even in the midst of pain that sometimes came).

Don't be afraid to obey God and to ignore the critics. His voice is the one that matters. Share your story of obedience with us so we too can be encouraged (and we promise not to criticize).

A Tree of Life

Grandparents brag. It's what we do. So when our friends Art and Sue Sell began to brag about their grandson Trevor, I was prepared to listen politely but nothing more. Of course there was the initial "just graduated from Temple with a degree in landscape architecture." But then they told me he was in Haiti, and my ears pricked up.

Trevor started the Montrouis (pronounced mow-wee) Tree Project (MTP) to help reforest Haiti, beginning with the town of Montrouis.  Only about 2% of Haiti's original forests remain, and erosion means the good topsoil washes away, making farming difficult. He's made several trips over past two years, and was actually there when the hurricane hit.

MTP has set up community tree nurseries and works to educate the citizens in how caring for the trees can help them feed their families and make a living. They are teaching the school children how to grow trees and what they mean for their long-term sustainability. They hope to establish an educational community tree nursery on the school property as funds become available.

The school project will cost $3,370, if you would like to donate all or part of it. MTP is also in need of donations to support their on-site project coordinator at a mere $40 a month. Trevor is in Haiti right now planting more trees; you can view photos on his blog.

Here's someone who didn't wait until he had graduated from college to make a difference. He took what he was passionate about—landscaping—and went off and began working on a problem that needed solving. I'm impressed, and I guess his grandparents have more than enough reason to brag.

What's the Difference?

When I worked as a copy editor for a large in-house agency at a corporation that will remain nameless, we had loads of scintillating conversation at our staff meetings. While your work team meeting might focus on action steps, brainstorming or implementation, ours focused on word usage: How do you decide if it's "which" or "that"? If the CEO wants "over" to be used only when its meaning is "above your head," does that make "more than" a superior phrase or simply a managerial quirk? And which is correct: "different from" or "different than"?

I still can't remember the answer to that last one. If I am editing something with one of them in it, I look it up. If I am about to use it in my speaking, I either say something else entirely or say both.

So when I finally got around to reading Same Kind of Different as Me I was really confused by the addition of "different as." But soon the book (by Ron Hall and Denver Moore, with Lynn Vincent) made me not care about the grammar. The true story centers on how Ron Hall, an international art dealer, allows his wife to convince him of their need to minister at a homeless shelter. There they meet Denver, a homeless man who is none too happy to make their acquaintance.

God had bigger plans and wove the lives of these two men together in a way they never dreamed possible. Watch the video to hear more about their unique friendship, and then consider reading the book.


Who do you perceive as different? (Notice how I avoided the whole different from/different than conundrum?) How might you approach a friendship or, at least, an understanding? One thing this book taught me is not to be so quick to see a slight.

Denver eventually tells Ron that those at the homeless shelter figured Ron and his wife were with the CIA because they were asking everyone their name and birthdate; apparently on the street, no one asks your name. The Halls could have perceived reverse prejudice in Denver's not revealing his name; instead they simply persisted in loving. I am often so quick to judge the motives of another, when I might be totally off base. I am asking God to help me accept that there may be valid reasons for the behavior of another that I think is odd or even rude.

No matter how different you think someone is, recognize they are a person cherished by God. Reach out in love. You may just discover an amazing friendship that will carry you through the hard times.

Hunter's Heart

"I'm not going to school," my 6-year-old grandson insisted last Friday. Our daughter Joy was confused because Hunter loves school.

"Hunter, get on the bus."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I am taking the money I was saving for vacation to God's Warehouse [a local thrift store] and buying clothes and toys for the kids that don't have them."

A tornado had hit a section of their northeast Tennessee county and wiped out a community of houses. Hunter insisted that the children who had been affected couldn't wait another day for clothes while he went to school.

Hunter won. Joy loaded Hunter, his vacation change jar and a 4-year-old friend in the pickup and off they went to God's Warehouse. When Hunter asked the person in charge how much he could buy for the $38 in his jar, they told him he could fill the back of his momma's truck.

Because they knew some of the children whose homes had been destroyed, Joy had gotten a list of clothing sizes needed. She set up baskets on the floor labeled by size, and the boys carefully went through the clothing, selecting two outfits for each child. Toys and other items were added to the piles.

Hunter also tried to buy the eight bags of donations an elderly man was dropping off. "You don't want these clothes, Son, they're for old people," the man said.

"Well, there were old people whose homes were destroyed. Please, can I buy them?" The man apologized to the store clerk and placed the bags in Joy's truck instead.

When the truck was full, Joy and the kids took the donations over to those affected. The devastation hit them hard, and Joy worried about its effect on the boys. But there was satisfaction, too, in delivering the things they had picked out and that Hunter had personally paid for.

I'm proud of my grandson. He's been saving that money for months in anticipation of a trip to the beach this summer. And yet he was willing to give it up for what he saw as a greater need.

Yesterday, I got irritated about a very small kindness someone asked me to do. It cost me almost nothing, but my selfish nature protested. I need God to soften my heart like he has Hunter's to the needs of those around me and to help me put those needs before my wants.

What needs do you see today? Maybe you're called, like Hunter, to help those dealing with the tornado aftermath. Maybe it's someone at church that needs a hand. Maybe it's a family member who simply needs us to listen. Whatever it is, act quickly as Hunter did. Don't delay like I did. Allow God to bless others through you.

Whatcha Buyin'?

I was at the mall just before Easter to pick up my new glasses at LensCrafters. The prescription was very different, so I wanted to walk around a bit to get used to it before I turned my car into a weapon on the road. As I took a few steps, looking at a few signs, I felt the tug. I wanted to shop.

My friend Cyndi and I, who worked at Bamberger's (now Macy's) together, used to be Olympic shoppers. We could open and close the mall, all on our day off from jobs where we were around merchandise all day long. I was the queen of bargains. (Cyndi was the queen of quirky, but that's another story.) I went broke saving money more times than I could count.

When I get near the mall, I am transported back to those days. I may no longer have the stamina for a 12-hour shopping spree, but I can still smell a bargain.

And yet those bargains aren't really a bargain for anyone, including me. For me, it means less money in my bank account or that I can be generous with and more money spent on one more thing I don't need in my closet or cabinet. And for the person who manufactured it, that bargain for me likely means pitiful wages for him or her. (How else can those stores afford to sell those "bargains"?)

May 14 is a World Fair Trade Day, a reminder that if I really do need to purchase something, there is a way to do it that at least eliminates the second poor consequence. While the price of the item I need or the gift I wish to purchase might not scream "bargain" like those sale signs at the mall, it will ensure that the worker who made it is paid fairly. That's priceless.

We're fortunate enough to live around the corner from Ten Thousand Villages, and in honor of World Fair Trade Day, they're hosting an "interactive food experience," called "World Kitchen Saturday." If it involves food, Les and I are sure to love it! So I hope we'll be heading over to enjoy the interaction.

If you want to have some fun, the World Fair Trade Day site has some links to events, maybe one in your community.

Oh, and just so you know, as the smell of the bargain hunt filled my nostrils, I ran for the doors. Better to brave the roads with the new glasses than to bag an item I just didn't need.

Imagine a New Life

Not a new life for you (although that's fine, too, if you need one). Imagine a new life for families who deal with crushing poverty, for girls sold into sex slavery because their parents cannot feed them.

That's what Michelle Kime and Aiyana Ehrman imagined, and they did more than dream about it. They started Imagine Goods to work with a local charity in Cambodia. Imagine Goods provides fabric, which is purchased in Cambodian markets, and women rescued from sex trafficking make handbags, aprons, and tablecloths out of them. Imagine Goods then sells the finished product in the U.S. for a fair wage.

In order to continue helping Imagine Goods and its vision, Michelle and another friend Liz Marvin opened the Sweet Charity Thrift Store Boutique. If you live near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, check it out (it's in Willow Street). They sell gently used clothing and artisan crafts, and 40 percent of the profit goes to Imagine Goods. They also stock the fair trade items made for Imagine Goods by the women in Cambodia. I've already got one item stashed away for a Christmas present. (I can't say more, in case the future recipient reads this!)

You can read an interview with Michelle here and more about the advent of Sweet Charity here.

Michelle is living proof that we can all find time for our "one thing" to make a difference in the world. She's the mom of four kids, ages 5 to 13. And she's a pastor's wife. She simply took one thing that broke her heart and decided to do something about it. And it's progressed from there.

Tell me what breaks your heart?

Skipping Stone or Mill Stone?

When I started my blog, more than six years ago now, I said my goal was to encourage those like me who are not activists but want to make a difference in the world by providing ideas and links to organizations worthy of support. That's still my goal.

But as I spent time in my Bible this week, I came to this passage:

"Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers" (Luke 11:46)

It made me wonder if my blog was weighing people down. After all, I toss out lots of ideas of things you can do. I mention lots of charities that need money. But I myself certainly don't practice them all or give to them all. In fact, I may not practice or give to most of them.

Does that make my blog a mill stone around the neck of readers, dragging them down with guilt? Does it make me a hypocrite who should heed the "woe" because I am not doing them all?

Today in my cryptogram was the following quote from Mother Teresa:

"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples."

That's what I want my blog to be doing. I want to be throwing skipping stones of ideas into the water of life that create ripples. Ripples that get a cool charity noticed. Ripples that encourage you to try one act of justice or kindness you might not have thought of. Ripples that get you thinking about a topic differently.

So tell me, do you find this blog to be a mill stone or a skipping stone? Is it drowning you or sending out ripples?

Well, That's a Deep Subject

"The hurrier I go, the behinder I get" is one of those "Amish" sayings you find on trivets sold at tourist traps here in Lancaster County. There are days (weeks? months?) when I feel the sentiment is true. I let things slide (like timely blog posts, for instance). The magazines I receive go in a basket on arrival. Usually I get around to reading them, but often it's months after they arrive.

Sometimes I'll grab a pile of them and look through them while watching TV. While perusing an issue of the magazine put out by Compassion International, I found a page of water facts that reminded me how thankful I should be that I can turn on a faucet and have clean water:

• 800 million people do not have access to clean water
• 50% of the world's hospitalizations are due to water-related illnesses such as cholera
• 1.5 million children die of waterborne illnesses every year
• 1,000 parasitic worms often reside in poor children's bodies at any time due to unclean water
• 2.5 billion people do not have adequate sanitation facilities
• 1 in 5 children worldwide dies from diarrhea—that's more than AIDS, malaria and measles combined
• Poor people living in the slums pay 5 to 10 times more per liter of water than wealthy people living in the same city

A few months ago I was introduced to the work of a 13-year-old who did more than be thankful that she had clean water. She began Digging Wells for Hope so that others could have clean water for generations. Kelly Forsha and her advisory group of 7 friends started selling pencils for $1. Then they added rubber wristbands. And they ask schools and businesses to sponsor jeans days where people pay $5 to wear jeans.



In a year, they've raised $50,000. The first three deep-water wells have been dug in Haiti, and more are on the way. You can see more photos on Digging Wells for Hope's Facebook page.

It was a simple idea that's made a world of difference. Kelly didn't simply let things slide. She did something. And she and her friends are still doing it. When I asked Kelly if they planned to keep it up, she said, "Of course."

The need for water is a deep problem with a simple solution. Raise money. Dig wells for hope. Thanks, Kelly, for the reminder. Maybe you should inscribe that on a trivet.

Bonding with Book Characters

Liz Curtis Higgs has been a favorite author for both Les and me ever since her Bad Girls of the Bible days. I met her at a book signing event and told her that Les had been reading Bad Girls on our vacation and ended up giving it to the breakfast hostess at the hotel because she was so curious about it. I even had her sign her book for Les, probably the only man she had inscribed a book for all day.

So when WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group offered me a free copy of Higgs' book Mine Is the Night to review, I couldn't resist. Mine is the Night is a continuation of the story begun in Here Burns My Candle. It is the story of the biblical book of Ruth transported to the Scottish borderlands of the 1740s. A leap, I know, but well done. Maybe a pastor's wife shouldn't say this, but I'm not normally much of one for retelling of biblical stories because I know how they end. But when a story is translated into such a different place and time, I can totally get into it. 

Higgs is a master story teller, creating characters that you love or hate and who surprise you. The scenes are richly painted and the tension is taut enough to keep you walking the tightrope to discover the resolution. Being the detail freak that I am, I love that Higgs includes a map of the town so I can follow the movements of the characters. The faith of the characters and the poetic quotes that start each chapter minister to my soul and stir my spirit. I don't expect a third installment of this series since the book of Ruth is complete, but I can't help missing Elisabeth and Marjory and the handsome Lord Jack. 

You can start reading chapter one of Mine Is the Night right here, but I warn you, you'll be hooked. Or watch the book trailer and see some of the countryside and town where the action takes place. you just may find yourself planning a trip to Scotland.

I am doing better about getting rid of books once I've read them, but this isn't one of those. This book is a keeper, and after Les finishes reading it, it will receive pride of place in one of the glass-fronted bookcases in our library (the room that's supposed to be the formal dining room in this house). 

It's often hard for me to part with books because I become so invested in the characters (like those in Mine Is the Night), but I am finally recognizing that I can keep every book I read.  I've been giving mine to the Ephrata Public Library. Budgets have been cut drastically for our state libraries (I'm guessing for yours too), so donations are always welcome. And if they can't use them for the shelves, they can always sell them in the bookshop or at the yearly book sale. 

What do you do with books you no longer want or simply don't have the place to store?

Chronic or Crisis? How's Your Support?

If you have a crisis in your life and need a sympathetic ear, I'm your gal. I have loads of empathy—and maybe some unasked for words of advice—for you as you deal with your problem. However, if you are still wallowing in the same problem months or even years later, I'm just not interested. I can't seem to muster up the enthusiasm to care. I find myself wondering why you're still in that place.

I'm not proud of those feelings. I'm just telling you how I am. I have a short attention span for pain and problems. I would never make it as a therapist.

So is it ironic or simply a lesson in maturity from God that I have a chronic illness? Maybe it's both. I've actually had this illness for 24 years, but when it only flared up once in 4 or 7 or even 11 years, it wasn't a big deal. It didn't feel chronic; it felt like a crisis. I would be incapacitated, even hospitalized. I would be given large doses of steroids. And it would be over, and I would be back to life as I knew it.

Now life as I know it includes chronic symptoms or, at least, daily medicine to keep chronic symptoms at bay. I have to make decisions around it, choosing what I can and can't do. It's rare for it not to come up in conversation. And yet I am very fortunate in how much I can do as I learn from the daily lives of others dealing with chronic illness.

Just like when you buy a new car you suddenly notice that car model everywhere on the road, when you have a chronic illness you suddenly become aware of how many people have one. According to the CDC, "In 2005, 133 million Americans—almost 1 out of every 2 adults—had at least one chronic illness," and "one-fourth of people with chronic conditions have one or more daily activity limitations." That's a lot of people with problems.

Now, those numbers include those with heart disease, cancer, diabetes and even chronic back pain. It also includes autoimmune disorders (the family of disorders my illness fits in) like lupus, scleroderma, and rheumatoid arthritis. Everywhere I go lately I hear of someone having an autoimmune disease, including two pastors' wives I talked with at a meeting recently. It includes ALS (better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease), which a missionary friend of ours has been diagnosed with. The MS a dear friend has also falls into the chronic illness category.

Maybe I just never paid attention before. Or maybe it's just that people with an invisible chronic illness tend to only open up to another victim. Maybe they've met too many people like the me of the past, who got bored of their "complaints" and just wanted them to get over it.

Yet people with chronic illnesses need to talk, to share their pain. The risks of not doing so are tremendous. According to the website of National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week (which takes place in September of each year):

•  The divorce rate among the chronically ill is over 75 percent.
• Depression is 15–20% higher for the chronically ill than for the average person.
• Various studies have reported that physical illness or uncontrollable physical pain are major factors in up to 70% of suicides.

 So how can you help people dealing with a chronic illness?

• Be willing to listen (when you ask how they are and they say fine, ask again and say you really want to know).
• But also talk about things other than the illness.
• Smile.
• Provide times of laughter and fun.
• Recognize their need for rest (and don't make them feel guilty about it; they're doing that enough on their own).
• If they have kids, give them a break by taking the kids.
• Offer to clean house for them.
• Let them know about Rest Ministries, an organization that exists to encourage those dealing with chronic illness.
• Support their specific illness walk or fundraiser.
• Consider starting a Hopekeepers Group or some other support group/Bible study for those with chronic illness.
• Pray with them and for them.

I'm still not that great at long-term illness, in myself or others. But I am learning to listen, to ask the right questions. Hopefully you will, too, and hopefully without a chronic illness of your own.

And if you have other ideas on how to provide support, especially if you have a chronic illness (or a loved one does), please add a comment with your idea. Thanks.

What's a Church to Do?

You know my purpose for this blog is to help individuals discover ways they can make a difference in the world. I believe we can all do something that will improve the lives of others. Unfortunately, sometimes the "something" I really want to do is to sit back and criticize the "someone" I think should be doing something, like the government or the church or someone other than me. But I don't think that's what God has in mind.

I was staying in a hotel over the last few days and so I received USA Today on Monday. An essay entitled "America's Churches Can Help Change the World" jumped out at me. In it, Oliver Thomas talks about the concept of "cultural captivity," which often causes churches (and their members) to follow the culture rather than Christ. It's so easy to fall into that, for the culture is comfortable. (if that's not a problem for you, I'd love to hear how you avoid it being so.)

Thomas goes on to talk about the way individual churches are making a difference in their communities, and that's great. Our church hosts Angel Food distribution, collects coats and shoes for a local clothing closet, and collects food for a food bank, a veterans home, and a pregnancy center.

But Thomas wonders if churches shouldn't be doing more together to make a difference in the big issues of justice and poverty in our day. Do you see your church, your denomination, partnering with other churches to bring about positive change in the world?

After you read Thomas's article, I would love to have you post a comment telling me what your church is doing—alone or collectively—to make the world a place that more closely reflects "thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven." Your comment may just spur someone else to get started, or provide a way to link up with another church that is fighting the same battle. Let me hear from you!

Cause de Jour

You expect fashion to go in and out of fashion. After all, it's called fashion for a reason. But what always amazes me is how causes seem to go in and out of fashion. I mean if people are homeless in Haiti, shouldn't it be important to care until the problem is solved, not just until something new comes along?

Right now the cause de jour is human slavery. Articles and workshops are everywhere. I am not saying it's not a worthy cause. I've blogged about it myself and attended workshops. I just don't want to see it fade off the scene, like so many other causes, when something new and shiny comes along. Maybe it won't, if you and I get involved and become part of the solution.

Today I am sharing a guest blog from Diane Adams, a friend of mine, on how she got involved in working to free slaves.  Here are her thoughts:

Two years ago, I read a book called Just Courage by Gary Haugen, founder of International Justice Mission (IJM). IJM is an organization that combats injustice and modern-day slavery around the world.

After reading the book and learning about the atrocities that go on in the world, I couldn’t just go on with life as usual. I did some research and learned things like:

• There are 27 million modern-day slaves.
•  600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year.
•  50% of trafficking victims are minors.
•  The average age of entry in prostitution is 11 to 14 years old.

I learned that there were slaves in India working in rice mills, in Africa working in brick factories, and in the United States working in forced labor. And all around the world there were young girls, and even boys, forced into the sex trade.

As I read accounts of victims and survivors, I began to wonder—What if my teenage daughter were sex trafficked or our family lived in a developing country and was enslaved by powerful tyrants? How would I feel if no one sought and rescued me, but went on with daily life, enjoying freedom without giving any thought or concern for me, an oppressed victim?  

 I kept noticing verses in the Bible in which God is described as a god of justice and felt strongly that the Church is called to act to promote justice in our community, nation, and world. But I also think the average churchgoer, like me, is unaware of the issue of human trafficking and how widespread it is.

 I encourage people to learn more about this issue. Read a book such as Just Courage or learn from websites such as www.notforsalecampaign.org, www.ijm.org, or www.iast.net. Stay abreast of proposed U.S. legislation on this issue by visiting www.polarisproject.org and write to legislators asking their support of anti-trafficking laws.

Also, become aware of the products you buy and the businesses you patronize, being sure you are purchasing fair-trade goods not made by slave labor. Another key way to make a difference in this area is to volunteer to work with at-risk populations in the community so they don’t fall prey to traffickers. Big Brother/Big Sisters, local shelters, after-school programs, and foster care are good organizations to consider.

Finally, people can help fight slavery by financially supporting anti-trafficking organizations. There are many to choose from, and you may be surprised to find that one or two are nearby. Do some investigating and discover these local groups—you may decide to join them!

In the 1800s, the African slave trade was a huge business, integrated in the cultures, businesses, and economics of America and Europe. Yet it was abolished because people’s eyes were opened to its evilness, and they chose to speak up against it.

There is an abolition movement going on in our world today, and it’s gaining momentum. Take the time to learn more and consider how you can help fight for the oppressed.

If you would like to ask Diane any questions, please feel free to place them in the comments section and I will see that she gets them (and answers!).

This month's Fine Living Lancaster also had an informative article on modern slavery. To read it, click the link to access the PDF and go to page 78 of the PDF (76 of the actual magazine) for the article "Ending Modern Slavery." Then, like Diane, decide what you need to do to be involved. And don't give up, even when slavery is no longer the cause de jour.

Did You End Up in Italy or Holland?

In church last week, my friend Christina—a mom of an autistic son—shared the following story to describe what being a mom in her situation means. As the mom of an older adopted child, and knowing the difficulties our daughter Joy had with her adopted children, I can say it applies to more than families dealing with disabilities. In fact, I would be willing to venture that in a fallen world it applies to life as almost all of us experience it at some point.

Welcome to Holland!

 by Emily Pearl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability—to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel.

 It's like this . . . When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip—to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum, the Michalangelo David, the gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting. After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes and says, "Welcome to Holland." "Holland?" you say. "What do you mean Holland? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy." But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

 The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place. So you go out and buy new guidebooks. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met. It's just a different place. It's slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around, and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills, Holland has tulips, Holland even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say, "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned." The pain of that will never go away, because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss. But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you will never be free to enjoy the very special, very lovely things about Holland.

Where are you today, Italy or Holland? And how are you learning to enjoy it?

If you know people living in Holland, be sensitive about bragging about Italy and instead encourage them by asking them to introduce you to the beauty of Holland. Open your eyes and notice.

The Me Project (and a Contest)

Once again God has been sending me the same message over and over. He knows sometimes I am too dense (or preoccupied) to hear him the first time. Often I start with "Hmmm, that's interesting," but by the time I've heard the message the third or fourth time from diverse channels, I'm listening and saying, "God might want me to actually act on this."

 Chazown, the subject of the last blog post, was about living out the vision God has for you. So I knew I was receiving a message from God when I received a free copy of The Me Project by Kathi Lipp after agreeing to participate in a blog tour. Kathi's subtitle—21 Days to Living the Life You've Always Wanted—sums up the book nicely. Kathi gives 21 projects that will help you move forward in fulfilling one of God's dreams  for you. It makes a great followup to Chazown, which helped you identify the dreams and some first steps.

Kathi has a fun, encouraging writing style that makes you feel like you actually can do this. You can make progress on the dreams God has given you. I was most challenged by her call to find accountability partners, mentors, and even a "board of directors." I know this is an area lacking in my life, but I don't really know how to find those people for my ministry. So I am praying for God to bring them to me.

Kathi has provided an article with three first steps for you to get started on your dreams. You can enjoy it here: 
Kick Start Living Your Dream

Here's a little bit more about Kathi:

Kathi Lipp is a busy conference and retreat speaker, currently speaking each year to thousands of women throughout the United States. She is the author of The Husband Project and The Marriage Project, serves as food writer for Nickelodeon, and has had articles published in several magazines, including Today’s Christian Woman and Discipleship Journal. Kathi and her husband, Roger, live in California and are the parents of four teenagers and young adults. For more information visit her website: www.kathilipp.com


And if you put a comment below telling me one step you are going to take toward one of your dreams, you could win a deluxe Starbucks gift basket. I will be sending in the name of one commenter (chosen at  random), and one commenter from the blog tour will win! So go for it. Pursue your dream, even if you don't win the basket, you'll still be a winner.

Chazown! No, It's Not a Batman Word

Zap! Zowwy! Bam! Whap! Pow! In our house, we call them Batman words. Nonsense onomatopoeia words like those that used to show up on the screen as Batman fought the bad guys.

But chazown isn't a Batman word, as odd as it sounds. It's the English transliteration of a Hebrew word that means "vision." And it's the title of a new book by Craig Groeschel; one I was fortunate enough to receive a free review copy of from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Chazown is an easy-to-use book that helps you recognize the vision God has personally designed for you. Like the books on finding your purpose that have come before—The Purpose Driven Life, comes to mind—Chazown wants you to analyze your life and your heart to discover how you are wired. Chazown has you journal about three circles—your core values, your spiritual gifts, and your past experiences. It leads you through a simple evaluation process to discover where your circles overlap to find your sweet spot, your chazown.

What makes Chazown extremely valuable are the spokes-on-the-wheel concerns that allow you to have success in fulfilling your chazown. Groeschel wants you to recognize where you need to work on your relationships with God and other people, your finances, your health and fitness, and your work and how these areas affect your ability to fulfill your vision.

With its ultra-short chapters, the book is perfect even for people who aren't crazy about reading. And the "You're the Author" sections provide the questions and challenges you need to make this not just a book but a kick in the pants on the way to a life of focused passion. I highly recommend it, whether you've never thought of your purpose or you simply want to refine it.

And no harm done if you get so excited pursuing your purpose that you simply must shout, "Chazown." Batman would be proud.

A Matrix Movie I Actually Want to See

When the Matrix movies came out, Les went to see them without me. I had no interest. And that was infinitely interesting to other people. "What, you haven't seen The Matrix?" they would shriek. People I loved and respected kept telling me I had to see it, that I would love it, that there was so much in it.

Eventually they wore me down. One night I sat down and watched the DVD with Les. I hated it. My eyes glazed over (kind of the way Les's do when I make him watch an  Academy award–winning movie). I had a numb spot in my brain. And I felt I had wasted a couple of hours of my life that I would never get back.

I told this to those who had insisted I would love it. Their response? "Well, you really have to watch it a couple of times to fully understand it and love it." As if.

But now, I have discovered that a Matrix movie is coming that I really want to see. No, not another one in the mind-numbing series. This one is called Mastering the Matrix and it's a documentary (Les just ran screaming from the room). The movie features interviews people who have made positive changes in their lives that have made positive changes throughout the world as well, including Sir Richard Branson and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

The movie, which releases in September 2011, but can be preordered on the website. The filmmakers want it to be more than a collection of feel-good stories. They hope it will start a movement of positive change. I hope they're right. And let it begin with me.

A Billion Reasons Why . . . We Need to Remember NOLA

"You are coming with us," said our friends Merrilee and Todd several years ago. "You love food like we do, and we know all the best places to eat in New Orleans." To make sure we actually went on the trip we had discussed for years, Merrilee made all the arrangements—flights, hotel, the planning of 21 delicious meals at classic NOLA restaurants. We graciously submitted (and handed over our cash to pay for our share.)

It was a wacky, weight-gaining trip. We didn't see as many tourist sites as we had planned on—the meals and raw oyster happy hours didn't allow a lot of time for museums. We did wander the French Quarter and the French Market every day in search of Merrilee's elusive Mardi Gras t-shirt. The aquarium wowed us, as did the zoo. And there was the unforgettable limo ride to a swamp tour, complete with the Vietnamese French bakery items spread out on the trunk of the limo for our feasting pleasure.

When Katrina hit, part of me wanted desperately to get back to New Orleans. Another part wanted to simply remember those beautiful fall days without the new reality to sully the picture. I was pleasantly surprised then to be immersed back in NOLA thanks to Kristin Billerbeck's new book, A Billion Reasons Why, which I received free from Thomas Nelson via booksneeze.com.  

When offered Billerbeck's book, I grabbed it because I've always loved her writing. She was the original Christian chick lit writer, complete with the snarky heroine. A Billion Reasons Why displays Billerbeck's wit, but I think it falls more into the pure romance category than into chick lit. I can't help rooting for Katie, who rediscovers her NOLA roots and the man who sent her fleeing from the place to start with. It's a perfect curl-up-in-a-snowstorm book, with quirky characters and the all's-right-with-the-world ending.

The book's NOLA references, including beignets, crawfish, Cafe du Monde, the Garden District, and the streetcar, brought back wonderful memories of our own trip. But it also reminded me that Hurricane Katrina had occurred, and the poorer parts of NOLA have yet to recover.

If you want some fun, light reading from an author who makes her characters come alive, pick up A Billion Reasons Why. If you want to make New Orleans a better place for real people to live, check out CDC58:12 or New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity to lend a hand as a volunteer. Or help sponsor a Mennonite Central Committee worker who is advocating for justice for the poor in NOLA. There's a billion reasons why we should still care about New Orleans, and almost that many ways to help. Dig in!

To E-Read or Not to E-Read, That Is the Question

My friend Mandy and I debate the whole e-reader conundrum. We both love books, but we love the feel of paper, the smell of ink, the pleasure of turning a page, the joy of the bookstore. Could we possibly cozy up to an e-reader and feel as good about it as we do the bundle of possibility that is a traditional book?

I can see some of the e-reader's merits, chief of which for me would be not having to allocate at least a fifth of my luggage weight on any trip to books. And it probably would decrease the number of times my suitcase gets searched at the airport because the word-bricks inside look odd to the scanners. It might mean I wouldn't be paying to mail books home that I discovered in some far-flung used bookstore and couldn't pass up. But then does that deny me the pleasure of browsing said stores for treasures or browsing the books themselves for a kindred spirit, be it character or author?

I can't bring myself to buy an e-reader. It just feels disloyal somehow.

But now I may have found a reason to buy one for someone else. Worldreader.org has established as its mission to distribute e-readers to students in the emerging world. They want to distribute digital books and readers to schoolchildren and community members to allow them access to textbooks and reading material at a reduced cost. They desire to work as well with local publishers to help expand access to culturally appropriate material, encouraging the transmission and expansion of community knowledge.

The program is new, with the pilot study taking place at six schools in Ghana and an expansion throughout Ghana and into Kenya in the works. Studies are being conducted to gauge if the e-readers provide an increase in books read by the children. Watch the video to see how teachers feel about the new technology.

You can donate a book for $5 (sorry, you can't choose the book, like, for instance, the one you wrote) or an e-reader for $200. If your Valentine loves books, you can honor him or her through a gift donation. It might be the perfect way to celebrate your love, showing you recognize what is important to your sweetheart. It's a great opportunity to express your love for your own kids without rotting their teeth with candy hearts.

An e-reader for me isn't on my list any time soon (at the very least I will wait for the industry to shake out the losers from the winners), but the idea of underprivileged kids having a library at their fingertips has great appeal. And I can still curl up on the couch with my old-fashioned paper book. What about you?

What's the Coffee; What's the Cup?

My friend Mandy shared the following video with me, and I thought it was a great reminder of how life is meant to be savored. Watch it!




My favorite part is where it says:
Live simply.
Speak kindly.
Care deeply.
Love generously.
Sometimes when we do that, like with hot coffee, we will get burnt. Our family has experienced that this week. I pray that we will continue to savor life and to care deeply and love generously.

What's your favorite line in the movie?

When Is an Orphan Not an Orphan?

When it's an orphaned sock might be one answer. I mean, seriously, unless you have a dog or cat that grabs your socks out of the laundry basket and drags them outside, your sock probably has a mate somewhere in the house. It's just that after a cursory look you give up and, voila, an orphaned sock it is.

Reading Conor Grennan's new book, Little Princes, enlightened me that this principle holds true in the world of human orphans as well. Grennan decided to spend two months volunteering at an orphanage in Nepal, mainly because it made girls in bars get all misty-eyed when he talked about it and made his planned yearlong trip around the world sound less self-indulgent.

The children—16 boys and 2 girls—of Little Princes Children's Home outside of Kathmandu innocently welcomed Grennan in and then stole his heart. Grennan returns to Little Princes after his year of travel and in 2006 founded Next Generation Nepal. What led him to begin a new nonprofit? The discovery that most of the orphans he was encountering in Nepal were not technically orphans. 

 Child traffickers preyed on remote villagers who feared the Maoist rebels in the civil war would force their children to become fighters. For a large sum, they offered to take children to Kathmandu and provide them with an education in safety. Parents sold much of their belongings to raise the money to "rescue" their children. Unfortunately, the traffickers dumped the kids in illegal orphanages (which often took money from international donors to care for the children but pocketed the money and starved the kids) or sold them into slavery.

Grennan met many children from the remote Humla region and made it his mission to reunite children with their parents. He and another volunteer established another orphanage to care for children in transition. And then Grennan began taking treks into the dangerous and remote areas to find the parents of his kids. Sharing photos and letters allowed him to see families reconnect and, where possible, reunite. Next Generation Nepal carries on his legacy, and you can help them do so.

A portion of the purchase price of Little Princes will be donated to Next Generation Nepal. But that's not the main reason to buy it. It's a great read. Grennan's story is engaging, written in a style that pulls you in, rooting for his success, or his life. If you liked Three Cups of Tea, you'll love Little Princes. Or if you like extreme adventure books, this one will get your blood pumping. Pick it up. Read a few pages. You'll be hooked.

And an orphan who isn't an orphan may get the opportunity to be in his or her family after all.

Peace Thoughts with Shane Claiborne

Earlier this month my friend Mandy and I went to hear Shane Claiborne speak in Lancaster. We planned to get there early, figuring the place would fill up. Even with my I-know-exactly-where-this-church-is arrogance that got us lost, we were there a half an hour before the event started. The auditorium was already packed. As we squeezed in the side door with those who would begin to line the walls, people in the third row shifted closer together, opening up two seats. We snagged them (really, I felt justified; my autoimmune disease would never have allowed me to stand for the whole time).

By the time Shane got up to speak, people were seated all over the floor on the platform and in three auxiliary rooms. Shane is a cofounder of The Simple Way community in Philadelphia, people who are trying to live for Jesus by living in community and loving their neighbors. Mandy had read his book Jesus for President, and I had written a review of the Simply Enough DVD he did with Tony Campolo, so we were eager to hear him in person.



Shane was gracious, and funny, and unassuming. I appreciated much of what he had to say and the gracious way he treated people during the Q&A (and the way he plopped down on the floor to sit with everyone else during the offering). It's always good to be reminded of how radical our Savior was and to remember that cozy Christianity is much more a product of an American lifestyle than it is of living out the Scriptures.

The evening was sponsored by the Lancaster Coalition for Peace and Justice and a group called Taxes for Peace (which wants you to underpay your income taxes by $10.40 and attach a letter explaining you oppose your tax dollars being used for war). So I guess I should have been ready for the heavy questions on opposition to war. I really wasn't.

After a question about pacifism and if any war was just, Shane replied, "A 'just war' is just war." He made it clear that he is opposed to all war, and said that when Jesus disarmed Peter in the garden (after cutting off the servant's ear) he disarmed us all. I have trouble agreeing with that.

I tend to be more of the "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" camp. (By the way, the quote is variously attributed to Edmund Burke and to the English translation of Tolstoy's War and Peace.) I don't believe every war is just. In fact, I don't believe most war is just. But I am unable to believe that when innocents are suffering and being slaughtered, I am to do nothing or only work underground to save what lives I can. Is it not justice to bring to an end systemic injustice?

I usually end these posts with a social action idea. Today your action is to think, to grapple with the concept of peace, of war. Are any wars just? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section. Your musing just might help me, and others.

Remember the Orphans

Les laughs at me for anthropomorphizing just about everything—the poor dinner plate at the bottom of the stack that never gets used, the soft soap bottle we're trying to throw away (I called her Dee Spencer), always my laptop. Now I'm doing it with my blog.

I imagine it feeling orphaned. After all, I haven't posted since the day after Christmas. I haven't totally forgotten about it. In fact, I've spent the time reading books about social marketing and blogging. That has led in part to the paralysis of analysis. All the instructions are so overwhelming; I don't think I can do it "right," so I've done nothing.

I've felt guilty about it. I know I should be blogging. But I am tired. Life is busy. I'm distracted by problems  (and pleasures) in my own life. Tomorrow, I say, tomorrow I will blog. Tomorrow comes and goes, and no blog gets written yet again. My blog is orphaned.

When it comes to orphaned children, I often respond the same way I felt about my blog. I get busy, or I feel overwhelmed. It's not that I've forgotten that there are millions of orphans in the world. In November I went to the Mid-Atlantic Orphan Summit and heard many outstanding speakers talk about the plight of orphans here and abroad.

One of the keynote speakers was Tom Davis, CEO of Children's HopeChest, which helps 10,000 orphans in Russia, Swaziland, Ethiopia, and Uganda. I bought two books Davis wrote. Scared is the fictional story of Stuart, a photojournalist, who gets wrapped up with Adanna, an orphan in Swaziland. Davis hauntingly captures both Stuart's ambivalence and helplessness and Adanna's dreams and resignation. Scared places you in the middle of the orphan crisis and helps you think through your own response.

Davis's nonfiction Fields of the Fatherless talks of God's heart for the orphan and gives us ideas on what we can do to help. It gives us the analysis, but then shows us how to move beyond our own paralysis.

I don't need to anthropomorphize orphans. They're already humans, beloved children of God. I also don't need to feel guilty, and I don't need to be paralyzed. I simply need act, just like I took care of my orphaned blog by writing this post. You can do something too. Visit the Engage page at Children's HopeChest to find out what you can do in 5 minutes (pray!) or with $5 (feed a child 50 meals). Then do something (maybe read one of Davis's books). The orphans are waiting.