Kony: The Bigger Picture

So, this whole viral Kony thing has been bringing something to light for me, and I do not like what I'm seeing. First, there was the wave of people (me included) spreading the Kony video and asking people to get involved. Then, there was the second wave, a wave of people pointing out the flaws with the first wave. Frankly, this second wave really ticked me off. At first, it was my pride, plain and simple, because I was part of the first wave. But then, I began to realize what I was feeling deeper down, and that is

So what??

So there are fewer than 30,000 kids in his army now. So he's not currently in Uganda (which the video actually made clear). So there are other problems. So this has been going on for a while already.  Do any of these "facts" negate the need or the horror??  What if there is only one small boy who has been taken from his family and is being forced to kill? What if there is only one little girl who was abducted and is being forced to do horrible things?

What if it were your child?!

Critical thinking, hey? While I am a passionate advocate of getting the facts, at some point, that either boils down to which total stranger you choose to believe (in this case, Jason Russell, Larry Magid, Rosebell Kagumire, etc.) or actually going and finding out for yourself.

Then, we can either get bogged down by showing to the world we're the ones who really know the "truth;" or, we can actually do something. I can't afford a trip to Africa; but, even if there's only one child involved, I can do something here. And I will.

I find myself genuinely fascinated (disturbed?) by how we as individuals choose whom we believe and on what we base this trust; what we accept as fact; whom we accept as experts. Should those who put such profound faith in other people be envied, or pitied?

This reminds me of Oprah's one-year-after-Katrina episode. Scenes of devastation and stories of despair, accompanied by tears from all, were followed by Oprah asking how this could be; how/why, one YEAR later, were things basically the way they were one day later?

Then she says, "We'll be right back." And there it was - a commercial with a chipper, skinny woman talking about weight loss. I jumped up, turned to my wife, and said, "That's why! Because when the heart-rending moment is over, we all go back to our own personal, surfacy, little worlds and NOTHING CHANGES!"  Or, like someone interviewed on NPR recently said, we are equally capable of getting indignant at injustice and then turning and listening to our "sweatshop" iPods.  [No, not the guy who was on This American Life who has been subsequently discredited; a guy commenting on the bigger picture.]

And this is the big picture problem this whole Kony thing has been illuminating for me. Why is there so much suffering in the world? Maybe one major reason is that those of us who could do something to stop it, just...don't.  Even worse, what if Alex Perry is right, and even fewer will now...?

Stop. Kony. Now.

I just watched a 27-minute video that hit me hard!  I have begun to get involved and do something about it.  I want to ask you to do the same.  In a way, this directly exemplifies what I wrote about in my last post: we really do have the power; we just need to exercise it!  Maybe you won't be out all night on April 20th, but their Web site makes it SO easy to do something!

And to my fellow Christians, I humbly suggest a challenge...a challenge that just may change your life:

1. Find a Bible you have an easy time reading all the way through (I prefer certain chronological arrangements).
2. Using a piece of paper, spreadsheet, or whatever works for you, make a tracker consisting of at least three columns, and title the columns Fellowship, Evangelism, and Poor & Needy.*
3. Read through your Bible all the way through, noting on your tracker every Scripture reference that falls under one of these categories.
4. When you're done, use your tracker to check your heart against God's toward the poor and needy, especially in comparison to the other areas we tend to focus on in our churches.

*You can add more columns, of course, depending on what your church tends to focus on.

Jesus came to seek and save the lost, right?  Of course He did (Luke 19:10).  But is that all He came to do (Matthew 20:28)?  And just how did He go about His mission?  Did He spend approximately 3.5 years preaching to the masses about church attendance, or evangelism, or "tithing," or whatever?  Or, did He spend his time meeting the physical needs around Him, taking advantage of the opportunities that came along to also meet the spiritual ones?  (This, by the way, also makes for a good -- and shorter :) -- Bible study.)

(For more on Christianity and serving the poor, please take the time to listen to this podcast.)

So please.  Watch the video.  Sign the pledge.  And, don't stop there....

Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do :D.

Thank you!!

We The People

Well, it's election season.  Though I try to avoid politics, and what usually passes for "news" in general, it is a bit hard to these days.  As time passes, I am noticing a trend, and I had a thought.

The trend is this: we the people seem to complain, rant, rave, maybe do a little something politically, vote, rinse, repeat.

My thought is simply this: maybe the politicians aren't really the problem.

I think we forget that we the people really are the ones with the power.  And, since we forget we have it, we don't really use it.  So, maybe we should ask ourselves, are we truly part of the solution, or are we really just part of the problem?  Here are some questions that might help:

• Am I someone who walks into a voting booth and simply pulls my party's lever (i.e., do I actually believe the candidate in my party is always and irrefutably the best choice)?
• Did I vote for/against Obama purely, or even primarily, because of his skin color?
• Do I vote without doing any research of my own, maybe even based on what ads or the media tell me?

(If you answered "yes" to any of these, maybe you just shouldn't vote....)

• Do I honestly believe that whoever is voted into office this year will solve everything?
• Do I complain about the way that money and politics co-mingle yet never change my lifestyle habits (where I shop, where I eat, where I buy gas, what I drive, where I live, etc.)?

Our brothers and sisters in the Middle East are finally doing something about their situations.  Do we really still believe that the solution lies in relying on the flawed human(s) we elect to make all the important decisions for us??

Now, I am not necessarily advocating a revolution; but, if all we want to do is whine and complain and not much else, maybe we should just hush (I can hear some of you now; and, yes, you are free to air your opinions.  My point, though, is, what good is that actually doing?).

On the other hand, maybe we should remember who really has the power...and start exercising it!

(Ok, complain, rant, rave done; time to go drop $4.29/gallon....)