The Value of a Human

I'm sitting here at the Starbucks on 1st Ave. across from Best Buy working on my third Baggage message for tonight's Watershed Worship Gathering. The very cool Austin Oates is here doing homework (I had the privilege of officiating Austin's wedding a month ago to the beautiful Cailey Oates). The awesome Jason Pagel is working behind the counter. Two pastors are to my left having an accountability group. Two elderly women are preparing to leave after spending a wonderful hour in conversation with each other. But the person who really sticks out at this moment is the man on the cell phone directly in front of me.

He is obviously a recruiter of some type. He is talking quite proficiently about several high school boys and their athletic progress. Most of the mention is about baseball, so perhaps he is an evaluator for Perfect Game, or a college program, or perhaps even a major league scout.

I'm not trying to listen in (I've been working pretty intently on my message up to this point), but I can't help but over hear portions of what he is saying. He is expertly talking about these young men and their skills on the ball field. But much of what he is saying is about their abilities, their commitment to the game, their results on different tests, and more.

But nothing is being said about WHO these young men are. What kind of character qualities do they have? What do they like and dislike? Who are they as humans?

I'm not saying the gentleman (or even the unseen person on the other side of the phone) doesn't value these boys as people, but much of what is being said doesn't give that impression. They are only worth their talents and work ethic to these two (based on what I'm hearing). These boys are merely commodities to be traded, bought, or ignored to achieve the goals of others.

While the boys involved have a choice about whether they pursue more baseball or move into something else, there are people in this world who are treated as commodities that are traded, bought, or ignored in order to achieve the selfish, sinful goals of others. Whether you realize it or not, there is an entire underground industry of human trafficking currently operating all around the globe. Hundreds of thousands of people, mostly women and children, are exchanged for money to fulfill the sick wishes of some "owner".

If this makes you even half as sick as it makes me (and I'm not nearly as outraged about the issue as I probably should be), you'll be interested to know that in May there is a conference right here in Cedar Rapids on the issue of human trafficking. I don't know exact dates, location, times, or speakers, but after hearing a couple of interviews with Gary Haugen of International Justice Mission during the past year, I am interested in learning more and knowing how I, as part of Christ's Church, can help protect the true value of a human life. Once I know more, I'll post it here. But 'til then, ask yourself, "what is the value of a human?"

Vote for Compassion!

It's time to exercise your vote! No, not for THAT election, but for one just as important.

Compassion International has been nominated for the MySpace Impact Awards in the "Poverty Relief" Category. LeAnn and I have been compassion sponsors since we were married (we currently sponsor two sisters from Tanzania) and can vouch for their ministry. I'd love to see them win the $10,000 prize because I know they will use it right.

So if you have a MySpace login, go to the Impact Awards page and vote for Compassion. (Note: I couldn't see the voting buttons in Safari 3, but I could in Firefox.)

By the way, I was thrilled to see Blood:Water Mission as the Dec. 2007 winner of the MySpace Impact Award!

Baggage Series

I normally post Watershed related posts on Waterblogged, but since I'm posting my personal thoughts on this one, I thought it would be best to put here.

I starting a new 4-week teaching series tonight at Watershed entitled "Baggage". I'll be teaching about how our past affects who we are and how to keep our past from weighing us down and keeping us from living emotionally and spiritually healthy productive lives.

Since I don't possess the wisdom to completely overcome past issues, I'm turning to the Scriptures. We'll be looking at the story of Jacob found in Genesis over these 4-weeks. Tonight simply introduces the story and Jacob's baggage.

I'm also sharing the story of a friend of mine from my past. I reconnected with "Jill" (not her real name) recently and found out some of the baggage she has had during the past 2 years as she endured her husband's marital unfaithfulness and subsequent divorce. Her story, while incredibly difficult, I think will give hope to many people. She wrote some very beautiful things to me to share with those who will listen, and as I let more of her story slip each week, I think others will be amazed at how she responded and will hopefully do the same.

I have to admit I'm a bit excited about this series. I probably get this way about ever teaching series I do, but I think this could be a "watershed" event in some people's lives. Today's preparation didn't go nearly as smoothly as I had hoped (sermons seem to be like giving birth to me - I'm in labor, it's hard work, and I never quite know what I'll give birth to!). So I'm not as excited about tonight as I was yesterday. :o)

If you happen to read this before 7:30 pm Central time, would you pray for me? And even if you read this after 7:30 pm tonight, you can still pray for further weeks. There is a good chance the series will be posted online, so you can subscribe to the podcast if you so desire.

I am very thankful that God has spared me some of the deep emotional and spiritual baggage many people seem to carry around. While I still have some to deal with, it is so nice to not be bogged down with past sins. I only hope that many of the young adults who will hear this 4-week series will come to a similar place in their own lives and sense God's peace and freedom in their hearts and minds.

Winter Blues

I just read the following in an email:

It’s hard to believe, but Americans are the unhappiest people on earth. That is the conclusion of a new study by the World Health Organization and the Harvard Medical School, which found that 9.6 percent of Americans suffer from depression or bipolar disorder – the highest rate of the 14 nations surveyed. Our "Prozac nation" has a greater percentage of depressed people than war-torn Lebanon (6.6 percent); job-starved Mexico (4.8 percent); carefree, hedonistic Italy (3.8 percent); and overworked, socially rigid Japan (3.1 percent). And how’s this for a paradox: Nigeria, a land of desperate poverty, rampant corruption and violent tribal conflict, had the lowest depression rate of all – just 0.8 percent.

How can this be? One possibility is that when your life is a struggle for clean water and adequate food, you don’t have time to indulge in existential despair. In New York, on the other hand, a lawyer making $200,000 a year may find himself “depressed” if he doesn’t make partner in his mid-30s. It may also be that in less modern societies, people find comfort and meaning in their families, their religion, and their cultural traditions. (Vince Siciliano, Wall Street Journal’s The Week Magazine, 3/23/07; cited in Church Leaders Intelligence Report, 10/31/07)

Every year, I talk with someone that is in depression or contemplating suicide at this time of year. So here are some things I suggest to those struggling:

1. Read the Psalms. David and the other authors are often very honest about their emotions (or lack of them), and yet they still cling to God. Perhaps reading it for yourself will help you do the same thing. I suggest reading at least one Psalm per day, and spending a few minutes praying.
   
2. Get enough sleep.
3. Eat healthy.
4. Buy a sunlamp. A few years ago a friend admitted she needed a sunlamp to make it through the winters.
5. Get a bit of exercise. Walk the mall. Play Wii. Wrestle your kids. And if you don't have kids, borrow someone else's (but ask permission first!). Just do something active.
6. Take a vacation day or two if work is really stressful. Sure, it's the beginning of the year, so you may hesitate to give up a vacation day this early in the year, but your employer would prefer to have you mentally healthy than to have you breakdown and burnout in a few weeks.
7. Talk with someone. Or write your thoughts. Sometimes just getting our thoughts out helps.
8. Find someone to serve. Often serving someone in worse circumstances than us helps us appreciate what we do have and snaps our perspective back in place.
9. If things persist, visit your doctor. Sometimes depression is chemical and needs treats. I usually suggest this as a last resort because I don't want people medicating depression if it is truly something spiritual that is going on inside of them. But I also don't want someone suffering endlessly when a short-term plan of medicine could help the person turn the corner.
   

Comments are open for anyone who has additional ideas that can help. The key is take care of yourself. Get right with God. Get right with your friends. Get right with yourself. You can and will get out of this funk you're in. I promise!