One Billion Rising

There is a movement afoot.
One billion rise today for the one billion who are impacted by intimate partner violence.
the CDC says 1 in 4 are affected.
I am not too good at math, but it does mean we have all been affected.
Mothers, and sisters, and fathers, and aunts, and friends, and uncles, and brothers, and ourselves.
All affected.

That means when you go to work, 1 in 4 has been affected.
That means when you go to church, 1 in 4 has been affected.
That means when you go into a school, 1 in 4 has been affected.
That means that when you walk through your neighborhood, 1 in 4 has been affected.

Those numbers are too big.
Too staggering.
Too mind numbing.
And so, we rise.

We rise to break the cycle.
And we rise to bring freedom.
We rise to declare rescure and redemption.
We rise to say that violence does not get to win.
That violence does not have the final word over our lives.

We rise to speak truth into broken places.
We rise to speak love into places that were thought to be unlovable.
We rise to dance upon injustice.

And as we rise, we realize that God has already risen.
God is already on the move.
He is releasing captives.
He is proclaiming liberty.
He is restoring that which was once broken.
He brings liberty and freedom and joy.

And so we rise to join the risen Christ.
We rise to right the wrong things.
We rise to bring heaven onto earth.
We rise.

There is a movement afoot.
One billion rise today for the one billion who are impacted by intimate partner violence.
Will you rise with us?

http://onebillionrising.org/
http://www.dvccct.org/obr/#.URzwf4XLfjs

when hope is slipping.

sometimes hope seems to slip through our fingers.
my fingers.
the more i try to grasp it for my clients, the more it slips away.

and then my heart starts to say, 
it's too hard.
there are no answers.
not enough time.
it's an endless cycle.

when my heart starts to say these things,
i have to remember jesus.
and his words.
and begin to pray,
god, make a way where there is no way.
redeem where there should be no redemption.
give hope where there should be none.

restore our fortunes, o lord.
like the watercourses of the negeb.
may those who sow in tears, reap with shouts of joy.
those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves.
psalm 126: 4-6

o israel, hope in the Lord!
for with him there is steadfast love, 
and with him there is great power to redeem.
it is he who will redeem israel
from all it's iniquites.
psalm 130: 7

thank you jesus.
come with your power.
come with your redemption.
may we see a harvest of joy.