Content Under Pressure

Got plans for Saturday?

How about going here?  I would encourage you to either get tickets to go if you’re near Nashville or watch online (how cool is that).  And, if you’re able to, donate towards relief efforts in Haiti.  I realize that it’s been long enough now that it may just be a fading memory.  But, please remember the people of Haiti.  There is a lot of work left to do, and they need you and I.

So, take the time to enjoy some good music that’s about something so important, would you?

We’ll hear from CS Lewis next Friday, but this is too good important to pass up.

Have a good weekend.

This is Kate.

Kate is six.  And, I don’t know about you, but those eyes are telling me a story.

She has an aggressive brain tumor that is ravaging both her body, as well as the hearts of many around the world who have followed her story.

I ask that you would please pray on Kate’s behalf.  Pray for amazing things.  (1) Pray that God would completely baffle the doctors with the disappearance of the tumor.  (2) Pray for Kate’s parents, Aaron and Holly, that they would have peace, comfort, clarity & wisdom through this difficult time.

Starting today, little Kate will have a year’s worth of chemotherapy administered in six days.  Since her body will be stripped of so many cells, she will need to undergo a stem-cell procedure that use healthy stems harvested before the treatment to rescue her.

As you can probably imagine, this will be a grueling period of time for little Kate physically and emotionally.  She will be isolated for several weeks to avoid infection, which has got to be horrible for such a little girl, let alone that she has a severe brain tumor.  Please pray that her heart be protected through this time, and that she know that she’s not alone in this.

God, in His infinite power, has the ability to immediately heal little Kate, so let’s ask Him to do just that.  However, if His timing is different, let us pray that He use the sufferings of this family to bring glory to His name.  And, let the McRae’s story model to us what it means to suffer well for Christ.

Please visit Kate’s caring bridge site for updates, as well as her site for more information.  Blog about her, twitter about her [with #katemcrae as the hashtag], post something on Facebook to your friends with a link to her site-use your sphere of influence to get as many people as possible to pray on behalf of this little girl.

God hears the cries of His people.  Let’s not grow weary in praying for Kate.

I realize that National Slavery and Human Trafficking month ended in January, but I wanted to share an update that I’m pretty stoked about.  Yes, I said “stoked.”  I live near the West Coast now, so it’s totally appropriate.

Last month I wrote about Streetlight, an organization here in Phoenix who is doing some amazing things to combat the problem of human trafficking.  You can read the post here.

I will be the musical guest tonight at [mission], which is a service/venue who’s focused on both creative arts and global missions.  Tonight’s theme is “Glow,” and will center around Streetlight, and allow for brainstorming about what we can do locally to fight human trafficking.  I’ll be playing a few original songs as we start.

Please pray that conversations stir up actions.  And, on a selfish note, please pray that I don’t succumb to nervousness and faint.

When something seems hopeless it’s easy to shut down.

Here we are just over a week removed from the unfathomable disaster that struck Haiti, and I have to saythat I’m still unbelievably heartsick over this.  Perhaps numb would be the appropriate term to describe me this week in regards to Haiti.  If you have the time, please take a look at the devastating pictures from the Boston Globe: Haiti six days later. 

I will warn you that these images are nothing short of both gripping and challenging.  I mean, can you imagine someone you love being among the piles of bodies in a mass grave?  I know I can’t.  You can do one of two things when seeing these images…

Shut down or react. 

The first option is so easy to do.  Questions like, “what in the world can I do?” and “would anything I could give make any kind of difference?” are common among us all.  It’s hard for me to think that my small amount of money could do anything in a country who’s citizens either died or became homeless. 

The second is obviously more difficult.  Giving to the point of being uncomfortable is just that…uncomfortable.  But, to put it bluntly, it’s Biblical.  Jesus never said it would be comfortable.  I need to remember that. 

I blogged about Haiti needing us last week, and with each day the need increases tremendously.  Would you consider doing something to help?  Anything will.  I can promise you that.

Psalm 75:3 states, “when the earth and all it’s people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm.”

As I’m sure you’ve heard, there was a major earthquake in Haiti yesterday.
Thousands are feared dead, and countless people are in need.  This is where we step in, folks.

They need us.

One Day’s Wages has set up a Haiti Relief Fund, and 100% of the funds donated (minus transaction costs) will go directly to Haiti for relief.  Below is an excerpt from ODW’s site:

ODW is proud to partner with World Concern who not only have an excellent reputation for their humanitarian work, but also have a strong presence in Haiti. They have worked in Haiti since 1978 and work with about 125,000 people. Their office in Port Au Prince is still standing and they are engaged in emergency relief work right now. ODW will keep this fund open until June 30th, 2010, but will disperse funds to WC as each $1,000 USD is raised. As always, we’ll report back to our community how the funds are being used on the ground and upon availability, provide stories, photos, and videos.

I know most of us are far away from this place, but take the time to think about their need.  And, if you’re able and feel led, would you consider contributing your resources towards this place?  I can guarantee you it will make a difference.  Don’t let the images of the disaster overwhelm you to the point of paralysis.  Remember…

They need us.