Hello from waaay past.  To give everyone an update, I have NOT fallen off the face of the planet for the planet has no face!  BUT I have been busy!  IJM GOT BACK TO ME! And i'm going to start seriously praying about the event.  I may or may not do it.  Well, we shall see about that.  But everyone go see the passion and if you THINK you know what its all about, then tell someone.  But as for me, it still blows my mind to think that Christ was forced from his throne up above to suffer like that because of ME.  Humbling movie, moving movie.  I was beyond the point of tears.  That verse that says we will have sighs too deep for words?  Well i think I had a tiny taste of that.

In Christ,

Albert

Hi everyone, well, I hit a snag in my little plan (stated below).  I'm actually a bit stuck as well, the idea for the Project Justice is blah now.  I talked to one of the events advisors and found out that soliciting is not allowed, even to raise money for non profit organizations.  So, what the heck is the point of it all now?  To make a political statment?  ARGH! What to do, everyone pray and post ideas.  Cause as of this moment, I think that individuals can ask for money from friends and stuff no problem, we just can't have like a table requesting donations etc... argh...

I've heard it manytimes that Christians always want to "live out their faith" and to "have others see Christ in my life".  Sounds like a noble and justified cause.  To live your lives so purely and righteously that other would say "wow, now there goes one who believes in Christ!".  That's not gonna work if you want people to realize that you are a follower of Christ.  My youth director challenged us one night at fridaynight fellowship a while ago.  He said, "you know that when you do something moral, or good, how do people know that it was because of your belief in God, and more importantly because you follow Christ?  Do you think you can do better than the pharisees who  followed every little commandment down to the ceremonial rituals?  There are many moral people in the world." (slightly, well really paraphrased).  We have to DECLARE that we follow Christ or else, when we help someone how are they to know that we're not just "good people" but we do it out of a love that centers around Christ?

Challenge:  Instead of using God bless, or God be with you when you leave someone.  Try using the word Jesus.  Like Jesus bless you or something of that sort.... Its a lot harder, I tried, I failed... I'm still trying.  The reason? Your God may not be one of their gods. (this may be a little overboard but its fun to see other people's reactions. And please don't be offensive, do it in a loving manner, but don't hesitate cause it "might" offend someone")

--PS Our youth director is awsome and now has a new baby girl Elizabeth Faith Bugelis (I can never spell his last name)

So, I figured, I don't have enough time to actually put anything htmlish if I want to devote my time to REAL content.... so here's my soap box, and i'm gonna start ranting now.  Please leave suggestions =P if you dare to read all this.

Okay so today I was thinking about how we Christians have to really motivate ourselves to begin to do what God has appointed us to do.  Now I went to IJM or otherwise known as International Justice Missions seminars during Urbana and I realized how little we "North American" Christians have forgotten about the rest of the world.  I just felt that the Christians here are sooooooo happy where they are and have become drunk with comfort.  I now goto the parable of the wineskins that Jesus tells in Luke. One of the biggest things is about the old wine and new wine.  While doing this study in Urbana I came up with some things because the last verse (Luke 5:39) always seemed to create a bit of a problem.  I believe that sometimes we get to that point where the "new wine" that we have taken in as new Christians (our Christian friends and family, our way of worship) and let it sit too long without sharing and expanding it.  Just like how new wine when it sits for a long time it gets more alcholic and addictive, our bubble of friends and our preference of way of worship manytimes will cause us to be drunk with comfort and cause us NOT to step out and fullfill what God intended us to do.

(okay the preaching part is done)

Now in light of this, we need to break out of this bubble and show the world that we DO give back to the community, we're not closed off to the world.  To show our colleges that Christians are united in Christ and that we are on this Earth to bring honor and glory to God.  My idea was to help open up doors to non-Christians by doing something that Christians SHOULD do and that non-Christians find "moral" to do but to put it in a "Jesus" persepective.

The idea is to do a "poverty on campus" move.  Where we work with the frats and others that are interested to raise money for organizations that seek to stomp out injustices all over the world. (please read the www.IJM.org stuff) 

this is a week long process (preparations would be much much longer)

#1 Months before: Publicize the horrific conditions of injustice throughout the world and talk about it hitting campus.  Get an AWSOME speaker on the topic and get ready to rock the campus.

#2 Get voluteers to raise money from people for the organizations and what the volunteers will do is to live in a cardboard box for an afternoon and a night as the "publicity stunt"

#3 The day before it all happens, hold a huge seminar on Injustice all over the world with the speaker (make sure its from a bibilical point of view) and then really really begin to push for people to help stop this, and get more funds.

#4 ALLLLL over campus there will be college students (dressed for the occasion and make sure they don't get hypothermia during the night) living in cardboard boxes to show what it would look like if poverty hit the streets of campus.  Make sure that on the boxes there are large words stating facts about slavery, prostitution, death, malnutrition, etc. so that passing people can read.  Also have a pan handling pan out there in front of each box.

And there you have my idea for reaching out to the community.  This is a really really rough sketch, but read it through.... and comment.  There's more involved but I dont' want to overload xanga.