Ryan + Amanda + Sophia + Samuel = Bush
They are getting geared up for the 40 Day Fast over at Inspired to Action.
Go check it out. It might be something that you want to get involved in. The movement was inspired by this blog post. It spawned the 40 Day Fast (which is now being repeated) to help raise awareness about injustice issues across the globe as well as share ideas and ways to help bring justice to the oppressed.
We loaned some money to two families in Peru a while back through Kiva. And, I thought you might like an update. They’ve each paid me back a little over four bucks! That’s cool because it means these two families have been able to build their businesses enough to start repaying the loans they received!
If you are unfamiliar with Kiva, it’s really quite simple. You loan 25$ to the working poor to help them start or build their small business. They use your money to make repairs or buy new equipment or any number of things. Once they start making money, they begin paying back the loan. You can read a lot more about it here.
Jesus,
I study your life and see how profoundly you lived out justice. My vested interests are challenged! I am rebuked in my rugged individualism and selfish hoarding. I see that I am invited to be the kind of person in whom justice and compassion flow freely. Let it be so.
- adapted from Richard Foster’s Streams of Living Water.
I think that I have officially overcome my Christmas cynicism. Christmas just didn’t have any meaning for me. I mean, yeah, it’s Jesus’ birthday (actually, it’s not really), but the whole deal to me felt messed up. And, truthfully, it is. But, it doesn’t have to be for me and my family. I’m still not buying into the super-sized hype (and I hope I never do), but I do believe this time of year is an important season of refocus and refreshment.
Anyway, I started looking for a tangible way to get at the heart of what Christmas is all about. That’s when I discovered the tradition of the Advent Calendar. The whole idea behind advent is anticipation. Anticipation for the coming of the Messiah (as opposed to the coming of the Wii). And why was/is the Messiah anticipated? Because he was/is going to bring justice. He was/is going to set things right. He was/is going to wipe away the tears.
So, I built this advent calender (below). Nothing too extravagant. Just cups hanging from a string across our kitchen. Each evening we take down a cup and read the verse that is in it. The verses are centered around God bringing justice, healing the broken, and making things right. We read them with anticipation that he is coming (again) to do all this and also with the attitude that, in the mean time, we are to be laboring along with him to those ends. As the cups become less, our anticipation becomes more. Anticipation for the coming of the righteous one, who will make all things right.
Our compassionate efforts toward justice guarantee a deepened faith and prayer life. They will lead us to disciplines of the spirit and of the heart. By engaging with suffering, we learn true joy. By touching despair, we discover what it means to embrace hope. By coming to know Christ crucified, we participate in his resurrection. By pouring ourselves out, we gain our lives.- Joyce Hollyday
If you are wanting to live with less so you can give more and looking for ways to be more generous to those in need . . . and . . . you care about the issues of poverty and social justice and want to bring awareness to these important issues . . . then the Junky Car Club is for you.
The basic idea is this: You decide to stick with your old ride instead of buying a new car. And, you use the money you would’ve spent on the new car to do something that changes lives . . . like sponsor a child through Compassion International.
Check out the website for yourself.
Sometimes I come across something (maybe a book or sermon or, in this case, an organization) that makes me say “Yes. This is good. This is right. This is what Jesus is all about.” And I want to get involved, because I know it is exactly what Jesus was talking about when he was walking around the middle east. The International Justice Mission has a four fold approach to fighting injustice around the world:
That all sounds kind of technical, but this is what it translates into. When I watch something like this, it makes all the things that I so often find myself preoccupied with insignificant and temporary.
Also, Relevant Magazine posted a very good article about IJM here. There are all kinds of ways to get involved listed on the IJM website.
We took the bush family to visit Betzabeth and the Compassion project here in Lima.
She was SO excited to meet Sophia. We’ve been sponsoring Betzabeth for about 4 years now. Being able to help this sweet little girl get good meals, education, and a chance to know Jesus has been one of the biggest blessings of mine and Amanda’s marriage.
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