It's time for men to step up.

Around 7 years ago I saw the movie Taken for the first time and it introduced an entire new world to me. This world was not a happy world and it was not a fictional world. This world was the world of human trafficking. Every day countless vulnerable men, women, and children all over the world are being exploited in many ways. This very fact breaks my heart because not all of these individuals have Liam Neison as their father who is going to run to their rescue. Not all of these victims have even the slightest bit of hope that they will ever see true love. A simple action movie introduced me to this idea.

Then a few years later a friend introduced me to a non-profit known as Love146 (www.love146.org) which is dedicated to helping prevent, rescue, and provide rehab for victims of human trafficking. I immediately fell in love with this organization, which was not faith-based but many of the workers were followers of Christ. This fact showed me that people of others faiths were more than willing to become involved in this issue. They showed me that slavery is a universal injustice, not just a Christian one. They also showed me hope and gave me a face to this injustice. They talk of a time where they went undercover to a brothel to plan a raid to save the victims. They walked into a dark room that led to a window where one could be shown all the little girls for sale and they noticed that they all had a number attached to them. Not only that, but they noticed that all these girls had lost all their hope and if you looked into their eyes you saw despair alone. All the girls watched cartoons with sorrow filled faces. Then among all this hopelessness they noticed one girl in a red dress among them that still had a flair of hope and fight in her eyes. This girl had not given up yet, and this girl is where they got their name. For the number attached to this hopeful young girl was 146.

Then Spring of my freshmen year I expressed my interest in stopping human trafficking to some friends in my classes. One day one of these friends introduced me to a documentary entitled Nefarious: Merchant of Souls (www.nefariousdocumentary.com) which was put together by the International House of Prayer (IHOP). After much discussion and a viewing of the documentary we felt a need to show it to our campus. This passionate friend went to the professor in charge of the social justice small group and many emails later we had our event set up. It was a Tuesday night on campus without offering a chapel credit. We had over 200 show up that night to watch this documentary of those working to save victims, of traffickers who have found Christ, and all the other redemptive ways that God has worked in human trafficking and continues to work. This showing inspired the neighboring college (Kenyan college) to have a showing of the documentary which spread the word even farther in our small college town.

Then after a long rut of talking about human trafficking but not doing much about it, I got a Facebook invitation for a Women At Risk (www.warinternational.org) event at a local baptist church. I immediately planned out that time in my calendar to attend for this was exactly the kind of event I needed to remind myself of my passions for stopping this injustice. To celebrate the first 2 months of my relationship with my girlfriend we attended this event of shopping for a cause and then hearing the President of WAR speak. Becky McDonald spoke about growing up in Pakistan and experiencing people she knew going through these very issues. Becky showed us how much we need to be involved in stopping this injustice and how hard it can be. She told us a story of Sweetie. A baby who is being raised in a brothel, inside a box, tied to a pole with a red cord. This young girl is being raised to not know what real love is like. Becky shared about her struggle and journey in trying to save this girl. She asked for prayer that we can give Sweetie a new red cord...a red cord like the one outside of Rahab's window...one that shows she is a part of God's family.

Throughout all these events, especially tonight there is one thing I noticed. The amount of men at these events is lacking. At every one of these events women quickly flock to rise up, but there are hardly men. Tonight at the WAR event as I looked around the only men there besides me where 3-4 middle-aged and elderly men with their wives. There was no one in the millennial generation. There were no single guys there. Why is that? Why are guys not stepping up and getting involved in this cause? We need a generation of men to rise up and become involved in stopping this injustice. This tragedy is not a gender issue, it is an issue for all. Male, Female, Transgender. We must all unite and work towards ending this slavery. We have ended one form of slavery before so we can do this again. We just need men to step up and join women in this fight. As a man, I challenge my gender to make ourselves known as those who fight this injustice instead of being viewed as the "bad guys" involved in it.

Become Involved. Pray for Sweetie. MEN RISE UP.

Awake

"I want to travel the world and see so many places!" "Then do it!" "I don't have any money..." "Well then get a job and work until you do. If you have these passions, go out and live life." "I don't want to get a job...that would make me too busy in life." She concluded as she sat back down to enjoy the latest romantic comedy that she had rented. I have had many conversations like this with people.

"I want to write a book one day." "Then write one!" "No, I don't have time and I don't think people will read my writings...maybe one day though." He said as he returned to reading his favorite author. I have said these very words many, many times.

How often in our lives do we do this? How often do we dream of living a better life, but convince ourselves that we cannot live up to that? How often do we think that one day in the far off future we will be able to finally live out those dreams? Why is it that we think our dreams will be handed to us on a silver platter? Why is it that we wait around until things seem to feel right? What is it that we are missing out on by not living in the now? By not pursuing those dreams and passions right now? If we are truly passionate about something shouldn't we want to do whatever it takes to live that dream? Or is that all this generation is: a bunch of dreamers who don't live?

Recently, Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee wrote a book series entitled the Mortal trilogy. I have not had the privilege of reading them yet, but to my knowledge they tell of a world where people are dead and do not realize it. Where all emotions except for fear have been eliminated and so people do not live out passions and dreams because they no longer exist. Then in this story, I am told the main character discovers there is an Order that has vials of blood that will awaken people to emotions. That it will awaken people to truly live again. Thus ensues this grand adventure to awaken the world from being dead. (Deepest apologies to any inaccuracies to the book).

At first glance when one hears of a book trilogy like that they may think: Wow what a great dystopia, it's a good thing we aren't like that. But I would like to ask, are we like this? Do we get caught up in fear that we do not live out our dreams? Or even more frightening do we get caught up in our comfort that we do not truly live? Do we need an Order of Christians to remind people why Christ came? To awaken us to be people who live?

God empowered us with His Spirit to go out and do incredible things in His name. To further His kingdom in a variety of different ways. God gave us passions to direct how we, specifically, would build His kingdom. By not enacting these passions, by not following our dreams, are cheating God? Do we have the audacity to say that God's gifts through passions aren't good enough and we shouldn't be so idealistic? Or should we do whatever we can to live out these dreams all for God's glory?

Now, when reading this it could be easy to think I am talking about simply one's vocation. Those thinking that may argue, "Not everyone has a passion for a particular vocation. Not everyone feels a calling." To that argument, I would agree. That is why I am not talking about vocation. I am talking about the things you want to do with your life. What you want to be known for. What you desire to do. By living out these dreams with God leading you, you are truly living life.

So, my challenge is that we would stop saying what we want to do one day, but that we would work to do that in the here and now. Will it take time to enact these dreams? Sure, but the time we invest in preparation will make the dream all the more worth it. The point here is not to rush through preparation, but to encourage people to actually get up and figure out what they need to do to live out these dreams. To choose to live and then act on that.

"Awake O' Sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light." -Ephesians 5:14b

The gift of presence.

"Let's try to make the game more difficult by adding in more to hit." Garrett excitingly suggested as we played our makeshift version of Fooseball in the upper room of a small pizza joint. It had been our 2nd official hangout night with Garrett after watching him play in the marching band for the football game. Garrett has just begun junior high and really only has one friend, Corey, due to being homeschooled and being rather shy. Not only that, but Garrett has a mild case of asbergers syndrome which I have rarely dealt with. Corey, the most extroverted person I have ever met, sees Garrett for who he really is and has been looking out for him in band. Corey however is Mormon, so Garrett is the only student over 6th grade who attends our church. 

As an intern at the church I have even been tasked with building up a youth ministry beginning with relational tasks with Garrett and his friends. This task seemed daunting at first, but the more I have talked with Garrett the more receptive he has become. Our first outing after his game was to Taco Bell and one could see he felt that Corey overpowered his talking and he had to warm up to us. This pizza joint was our second time together and he was so warmed up to us that he made sure to point out when his next home game was. It did not take us long after we finished our pizzas to rush upstairs to compete in Fooseball.

 Once we arrived we quickly saw the ball was missing and when I was ready to just give up, Garrett improvised and showed us what we could use for a replacement ball.  This led to many stylized and unique games of Fooseball. I've been learning in the end youth ministry is about walking with students in their life events and giving them the gift of presence. But you do not just give them the gift of presence, they return it. When you and your students are fully present with each other it creates a trust that should continue to grow. Programs are much needed and very beneficial, but at the end of the day if no one in your group feels loved then your programs have not done what they were created to do. I would like to end by sharing that I am learning so much from the mind of my friend Garrett that I hope to take what I am learning with me once I go into other ministries in my life journey. 

Disclaimer: this is a true event, the names for the teenagers have been changed for privacy for themselves.