Monday, November 28, 2005

A Logical Question

A co-worker of mine has a 2 year old son. He and his wife recently potty trained him. He was getting the #1 thing fine, but he was having a harder time using the toilet to do #2 (poop, for those of you who are not familiar with the number system). So they had to come up with some type of incentive in order to encourage him to poop in the toilet. So what they did was start giving him candy every time he "dropped a successful deuce" in the toilet. Ever since then he is quick to share with visitors, "I poop for candy."
This past weekend they were visiting family out of state. The two year old was in the kitchen with his grandma. He noticed that she had a bag of candy on top of her refrigerator. He asked if the bag of candy was hers. She told him that it was. He then asked her the very logical question, "Do you poop for candy?"

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Spark The Movement

Today I drove from Chicago to Paw Paw (where I grew up). On the way to Paw Paw I listened to a new mix cd that I recently made entitled "Mega Mix." One of my favorite songs off of the cd is entitled "Spark The Movement" by the South side's own Outworld. The first verse is my favorite and it goes like this,
Verse 1
"It's been a long...long time comin
But change gon' come cause we aint gonna run
We gonna stand up strong, standin' against all wrong
A new generation of Martin and Malcolms
We'll do more than sing We Shall Overcome
We gonna take it by force, read Jeremiah 1
Starting in verse 1 but especially verse 10
We're called to be over the kingdoms and nations
To pluck up break down, destroy, and overthrow will
Be the predecessor to building and planting still
Remembering our past so our future is healed
Like digging up the casket of Emmett Till
I'm asking will my young people stand up strong
The task is real not fun people round up all the like minded
Who believe this world is strange and won't find it too weak to bring this world some change
Chorus
Let's pray
Let's change
Let's stand
Let's march
Let's walk
Let's talk
Let's start this off
Let's learn
Let's teach
Let's earn
Let's reach
Let's share
Let's care
Let's live in peace
Spark the movement! You, Spark the movement!
Spark the movement! You, Spark the movement!

This song really inspires me. I turned it up real loud in my van, and I was really feelin' it as I was driving to my parent's house today, until I realized I was in rural Michigan and that I had better turn it down (just playin). I think one of the main elements within "sparking the movement" is to stand for justice or to do justice. I just retruned from the CCDA conference in Indianapolis, and the theme for the conference was "Taking it Back - Radical Redemption of our Communities." And the one word or theme that was in every message was JUSTICE. I'll admit that this is a relatively new concept for me. For the first 22 years of my life I never remember hearing a message or sermon or Bible study on Justice. It wasn't until I went to Moody Graduate School and was shown Biblical passages (and lots of them) that make it very clear that God is all about justice. It is who He is. Dr. Fuder's life verse is Micah 6:8 - "... to do justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with God." Right now I am thinking a lot and asking what it means to "do justice (or Spark The Movement)."

Check back soon as I continue to think about this...

Saturday, November 12, 2005

Leaving the shallow end...

This is it. My procrastination is over. Due to the inspiration of a great man who grew up in Zambia, lived in South Africa, and now stays in a suburban urban neighborhood in Chicago, I am now beginning my blogging journey. Although I am a bit scared... I press on. I am going to work on designing my template tonight, but check back soon for my first official blog.