~U2 "One""A lot of people are happy with pie in the sky when they die, but I don't think that's our purpose. Our purpose is to bring Heaven to earth...in the macro as well as the micro. In every detail of our lives we should be trying to bring Heaven to earth. Have the peace that passes understanding, but DO NOT be at peace with the world, because it is not a happy place for most of the people who live in it." - BonoLately, I've become a YouTube junkie. Mostly to see live performances from my favorite bands, but the other day, after watching a myriad of U2 videos (I'm seeing U2 3D tonight...why, God, WHY can't we have an IMAX in Bend?!?!), I ran across Bill Hybels' interview with Bono for his 2006 leadership summit. My mom has been to a couple of these things via videocasts in the past, but basically this summit is 70,000+ pastors/church leaders all gathered to learn, challenge and grow. Pretty amazing. Anyhow, this
interview is 8 parts on YouTube, but well worth the hour it'll take you to watch.
Why? Well, let me tell you. If you have any musical taste at all, you're at least willing to admit U2's epic run has been (and still is) one of a kind, and that they can still rock. Hard. I can take it further and say that I really love their music, especially the earlier stuff. But, I've always been interested in their technique of marrying faith, secular music and social justice. It seems a lot of their songs can be interpreted "religiously" or "romantically," which makes figuring out how serious they are about Jesus difficult (as if that's MY job somehow). Watching this interview between Bill and Bono changed my mind about him, and even got me a little fired up. If I had to choose a "type" of Christian I like, Bono fits the bill quite well. He was wary at first of Christians, which is why it took him a while to buy into the whole deal, even though he liked Jesus from the start. He also started and shares his passion very effectively about the
ONE organization, which is doing astonishingly cool things. It is so refreshing to see notable individuals using their celebrity for good and global change.
The quote from the interview I posted above makes a LOT of sense to me, and is right in line with my current passions, but interestingly, I've heard that this week from more than one source, which always gives me cause for reflection. Bringing the Kingdom of God here to earth right now and doing all we can to combat human suffering, injustice, poverty (and I'll throw in my personal love of saving the environment in the list too, even though people are the first priority, definitely), et cetera should be a main concern of those who call themselves followers of Jesus' example. Chrissi, my friend, fellow youth leader and also the pastor's wife at my church, put it well this morning at our women's Bible study: "if we aren't trying to make this world a better place in Jesus' name
right now, we all may as well go straight to heaven so I can stop getting up at 5am for this!" (that's a paraphrase, but hopefully you get my drift)
We're working on 2 Timothy 3 right now, which discusses the "end times," and how horrible people will be then. We've all heard the view that the end times are far in the future and that the level of depravity at that time will be unfathomable even to us in this day, BUT that we should just let it happen, because in order for Jesus to come back, scripture has to be fulfilled. WRONG. The end times started the minute Jesus ascended to Heaven, and even though there's plenty of evil right now and we can't fix it all, I'm willing to guess if everyone who was in line with Jesus' mission actively loved, advocated for and served others sacrifically, Heaven would be a lot closer to earth than it is now.
So, let's DO it!
On the other side of the world, a cyclone hit Myanmar (Burma) with a force I still cannot fathom. Yesterday they estimated 22,500 dead and 41,000 missing. Two Million people are displaced. Today, sources say they believe the death toll will reach 100,000. One Hundred Thousand Human Beings. God cares about them and loves them just as much as you and me.
I think we, as Americans, who are still shaken by Hurricane Katrina (which killed 1,900 people), cannot begin to understand the horror of this situation. I am deeply saddened, but I know I'm nowhere near being able to grasp the suffering that is occuring and will continue to go on until Myanmar's government fully accepts international aid and the whole world comes together in this time of unbeliveable tragedy.
A few organizations to choose from: 
The global slave trade is an issue that is now receiving more attention than it has in the past, which is encouraging. Yet, very few can actually grasp how horrible things are in all parts of the world - the US included. This is a huge issue that I can't even begin to explain on my blog, but it is well worth your time to do some research and figure out how you can help the thousands of innocents daily forced to provide goods, sex, labor, et cetera to a world that simply turns its head and fails to acknowledge how evil these deeds are.
