Paper Bridges » Actions for social justice

The social justice fad?

Monica Brand — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 05:01:51 +0000

Have you noticed? Social justice is a popular topic for the online church.

I spend a lot of time online reading blogs, surfing social media and listening to the chatter of the connected, Internet church. And it seems a lot of online Christians are into social justice.

Social justice is all over Sojourners. Blogs, blogs, blogs. So many blogs. (I wish I had more of these examples to share, as I’ve read a lot about this subject from various Christian bloggers, but I never bookmarked them.)

Of course there are books. Justice in the Burbs and The Irresistible Revolution, and there are more I’ve never read. And now Simple Compassion by Keri Wyatt Kent (I received a free copy from the publisher.) There is even a Social Justice Reading Challenge.

I’m not against helping people in need; I know what the Bible says. I’m not immune to feeling the pull toward social justice issues. Heck, I even have a social justice category here on this blog.

Still I’m concerned.

Is all of this a fad, the latest trend in our Christian-online clique? Or is this a true, Holy Spirit inspired move of God? In my flesh-and-blood church, I hear little about sex trafficking, clean water, or poverty, all popular issues within the online church. That strikes me as odd.

Christians, we mustn’t forget it’s a grace salvation, not a works salvation. Give to the poor, support organizations like Compassion International, commit to helping those in need. These issues of social justice are important, and must not be ignored, but let’s not forget the command by Jesus in Matthew 28.

. . . go and make disciples of all nations.

Stop sex trafficking: Las Vegas, NV – video of compiled news reports

Monica Brand — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 04:05:45 +0000

Shocking numbers in this video. According to this news channel, the average age to be sold into prostitution is between 12 – 14. Wow. That’s wrong. And sad. These children deserve much better.

No related posts.

Follow Compassion Bloggers in India

Monica Brand — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 01:12:22 +0000

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in India?

What about in horrific poverty, in an Indian city famous for it’s slums and suffering?

Bloggers traveling with Compassion International will describe those living conditions when they travel to Kolkata, (formally Calcutta) this week. It’s my job to tell you how you can follow their journey, to learn about the ministry of Compassion International.

1. A snippet of every post, every picture and video will be uploaded to this page: http://www.compassionbloggers.com/india (I’ll also have this link on my sidebar.)

2. A Facebook group has been created not only to generate prayer and encouragement for the bloggers, but also to share links to posts, pictures and videos: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=53591862382&ref=ts

3. A few of the team will be attempting to use Twitter while in India. The addresses are:

http://www.twitter.com/theshaungroves

http://www.twitter.com/spencesmith

http://www.twitter.com/flowerdust

The hashtag #CompassionIndia will be used to mark every tweet. Searching for that on Twitter (or Tweetgrid and Tweetdeck) should bring up all of the tweets.

4. This is the link to the trip’s RSS feed. Subscribing to the feed will send a snippet of every post from every blogger to your RSS reader: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/compassionbloggers

5. If you’d prefer to follow the trip by visiting each blog here are their addresses:

Bloggers:
Pete Wilson – http://www.withoutwax.tv
Melissa Fitzpatrick – http://livingproofministries.blogspot.com
Angela Smith – http://www.audreycaroline.blogspot.com
Robin Dance – http://www.pensieve.typepad.com

Photography:
Keely Scott – http://www.keelymariescott.com

Videography:
Anne Jackson – http://www.flowerdust.net

Leaders:
Spence Smith – http://www.spencesmith.com
Patricia Jones – http://jonesbones5.com
Shaun Groves – http://www.shaungroves.com/shlog

Sorry for the lack of hyperlinks. I just can’t do it all! (Shocking, I know.) Copy and paste, baby.

Also – and I wanted to leave this last because it’s the most important – don’t forget to pray for the safety of the travelers and that many children will be sponsored as a result of their journey.

Stop and Shop speaks with bloggers

Monica Brand — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:13:25 +0000

The other day on Twitter, there was chatter regarding companies that understand how to communicate with bloggers (#getit). Add Stop and Shop supermarket to the list, because they definitely Get It.

Today Stop and Shop hosted a luncheon at The Frog and the Peach restaurant in New Brunswick (which was lovely; how nice to be served at a table with white table cloths) for a bunch of us bloggers. I mainly attended because I wanted to see my New Jersey Mom Blog friends, and I love any gathering that involves food, but after the PR reps from Stop and Shop launched into their pitch, I realized I was at my first official Corporation-Wooing-the-Blogger event.

I’m not much for product reviews. Book reviews and tours, that’s more me. Food, recipes, and frugal living, not so much. I’ve had fleeting thoughts of starting a product review blog, but I can’t see it happening, not unless I put the kiddos in school and I was totally bored with nothing to do during the day. No time for a product review blog right now.

You know me: I’d much rather talk about human trafficking and poverty. I’m all about letting you know that Stop and Shop donated $209 to the Community Food Band of New Jersey, presenting a check to blogger Liz Thompson, of This Full House. Remember the Blogging Out Hunger campaign last year? That’s where my heart is, and I’m going to be dragging as many bloggers as I can to participate with me. The next one is in September, by the way. Let me know if you want to participate! *wink*

Oh, one more thing: I want to give a special shout out the great ladies with 360 Public Relations. They obviously know their stuff and they spoke our language. Most impressive was the gal (Angela?) who kept referring to the fact that I’m a home schooler. 360 Public Relations gets it too. My kids had a blast eating pizza, decorating cookies and crafts while I played with the grown-ups.

Thanks, Stop and Shop – and Peapod – for introducing me to the PR pitch. Woot!

Does this mean I’ve finally arrived as a (mommy) blogger?

A different type of party post

Monica Brand — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 11:36:39 +0000

Hello and welcome. I imagine a lot of you here today are new and most likely will never come back here again. That’s okay. I get it. There are now so many of us – women bloggers – that it’s tough to add one more feed to your bulging reader. (Believe me, I know! So many bright and shiny things on the Net. What to read first?)

So I want to do something a bit different for the blog party this year.

Instead of bookmarking this blog, please follow the below links, just for a quick click. Add one, two, (or all!) to your bookmarks, StumbleUpon page, Delicious collection, or whatever it is you use to keep track of stuff you want to read later. Then when all the craziness of the party is over, when you have a quiet moment, go back to those sites. Please. All are deserving your time and attention.

These all represent issues people close to my heart. I hope they burn into your conscience too:

International Justice Mission

Red Envelope Day

Save Darfur

Stop Demand

Compassion International

Be strong and courageous,

Monica

No related posts.

Don’t blog about Global Food Crisis Day

Monica Brand — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:50:19 +0000

Don’t read the stats. Don’t look at the images of starving children. Don’t read books like this.

Unless you want to mess with your head and heart and have your nice comfy worldview twisted around, shaken like a spiritual heartquake.

I’m telling you – don’t get involved with Compassion International because these little ones suck you in and you start loving people you’ve never met, caring about what happens to children with distended bellies and haunted eyes.

You chew on verses like “let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth,” and “Lord, when did we see you hungry… and did not help you?”, while you eat your nice London Broil and broccoli. When you scrape uneaten food into the garbage, you see the faces of children that search landfills searching for anything to eat.

Don’t love, don’t care and sure as heck don’t get angry at the apathy around you, because not everyone will be affected like you (lots of hard hearts surfing blogs too.)

Whatever you do – don’t pray for passion or for something to do with your little blog. Don’t ask to see folks like Jesus does.

Don’t give in to that desire to be part of hope. That’s what Global Food Crisis Day is all about, after all. Hope.

—-

Do you have hope? I do. Together we can rescue the hungry from what the UN World Food Programme calls “a silent tsunami.”

Donating to the Global Food Crisis Fund:

- Provides food vouchers to children and families needing immediate relief.
- Provides seeds and agricultural tools so that families can grow their own food as well as earn extra income.
- Provides supplemental nutrition services at Compassion-assisted centers around the world.

If you are reading this in RSS, you can follow the links above to donate or come over to Paper Bridges to use the little widget in the sidebar. It’s a very pretty widget, you may want one for your own blog too.

Let’s not lose hope in what we can do or turn away to ignore those Jesus wants us to serve in love.

So the poor have hope,

and injustice shuts its mouth.

Job 5:16

This is what I found on Flickr when I looked for an image of WEARY

Monica Brand — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 02:59:26 +0000

Flickr image by polandeze.

Because tonight I am – discouraged, frustrated and jaded.

Worn out.

Worn down.

Like this yellow paint.

I’m weary, and work still needs doing.

No related posts.

I dare you to look

Monica Brand — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 05:01:41 +0000

Please visit the Compassion International sponsor page for another act of daring love. Or make a gift to the Global Food Crisis Fund.

On behalf of the forgotten children of the world – thank you.

Indonesian children: surviving on the street

Monica Brand — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 11:00:31 +0000

Sundays. I’ve never been much for posting on Sunday, preferring to take a break from all things Internet related. But now I think a better use of this space on a Sunday is to point to a problem that we should be giving loads of attention and linkage.

Hence this video.

This is the link to sponsor a child through Compassion International. Or if Compassion International with it’s passionate Christian message isn’t your thing, I suspect there are plenty of other organizations helping Indonesia. Go find them and do something.

If you are wondering, “Why Indonesia?”, you can read about my connection to the country here and here.

Reading, writing, thinking

Monica Brand — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 03:15:36 +0000

So.

I’m reading The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne.

CauseWired by Tom Watson too.

And writing my Ultimate Blog Party post, with the purpose to introduce new folks to what this little blog is about.

Wow. Deep thoughts.

These two books coming together in my head, plus thinking about the WHY of what I do – I feel like my lump of wet clay, in the form of this blog, is being shaped and reformed by the Lord.

Stay turned. I can’t wait to see how the Lord directs me.