Oakseed Ministries Podcast – January 31, 2007
January 31, 2007
Contents of Podcast:
- Oakseed now has a new look to their website.
- Youth around the world have a new essay contest for the year 2007. Compassion and Child Labor
- Get the latest info about the June 3rd, 2007 – Annual Day of Prayer for Children at High Risk
- Listen to a special presentation of last years winning essay.
It's a new year and another essay contest is approaching. [19:17m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | DownloadUpper Loft Meditation – Proverbs 8
January 30, 2007
“To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” – Proverts 8:13
There is good hate. We need to hate more! We are exhorted to love the Lord and to hate evil. Too often we focus on the first and ignore the second. Some will say, “hating evil pales in importance next to loving Jesus!” This exhortation to love and hate is not an either/or calling.
One day children came home with a movie a friend had loaned them. The father asked, “Is it a good movie? There are no bad parts?” The children replied, “Our friend said it is a REALLY good movie.” The oldest said, “Well, Dad, there are a couple bad parts. But it is a REALLLLLY good movie!” Dad replied, “Ok, if you think it is good for you, you can watch it.”
Dad went to the kitchen to make fudge brownies. Soon the smell of the brownies began to captivate the kids in the other room. “Are the brownies ready yet?” Moments later Dad brought a plate of hot brownies into the room. “I hope you enjoy these brownies – I put in all the normal good stuff, sugar, cocoa, chocolate chips, and then I added in just a little bit of dog poop from the backyard. But don’t worry – there’s just a little bit in there, the rest is REALLY good!” (1)
We tolerate evil until we are personally confronted with it. The more you tolerate evil, the less you fear the Lord. The more you continue to ignore evil, the less you know the living God.
1 – Sermon by Don Jaques – May 2005
Friday Tech Talk
January 26, 2007
We’ve come a long way. That’s right, I recently was sorting through a bunch of my old backup files and found some of the Oakseed Ministries’ website history… going back to around 1998 (Nine Years Ago). So, I thought I would share this history with you. There are a bunch of photos, so if you have a slow connection you may need to wait for everything to load. The year was somewhere between 1998 and 1999: It was big news that Oakseed Ministries was getting a website. Realizing that a major portion of our readership at the time was from all around the world, we decided to make a very simple, text-heavy website. Mid to Late 1999: This was a huge update to the website. Now users could choose (from the below splash screen) to visit the low-bandwidth style website, or to the amazing graphical website that required users to have Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher. And then once you were inside you were greeted by an amazing website (with a table and clipart) The year 2000: Wow, a major facelift, with no more clipart. Users were now able to navigate the site and see some of the faces of the children associated with Oakseed Ministries. (Hmmm.. what is that 3D Virtual World… a very crazy attempt to have people walk through the Oakseed Ministries World. I believe only 4 people at the time had the computer power and internet speed to be able to visit that section.) Then later in the year the main table was resized to better fit browsers. The Middle of 2001:
The next major rewrite of the Oakseed Ministries website. This time the site contains a navigation system so that now, people will always be able to click to different areas of the site, regardless of where they were located. 2002: This site went back to full screen viewing, while trying to simplify the site and the navigation. (Side note: I’ve lost most of the graphics for this time period. So this was the best I had.) 2003: Another huge rewrite and organization of the Oakseed Ministries website. This time there are multiple navigations (both on the header area and on the side bar). The multiple different ministries and activities were all brought into the Oakseed main site. 2005: The website had stayed the same, with no major updates for the past year or two. In 2005, the next big update was done to the website. This update brought in a better functionality to adding content at a moments notice. (Like the rapidly updating status of the Huge Tsunami Flood Relief project.) Late 2006:I finally came on staff at Oakseed Ministries as the Vice President of Communications and Development. This gave me a lot more time to devote to utilizing the internet as a valued communication tool. I rewrote the entire website starting with the backend database. This new database backend allows us to develop a very dynamic website. I started with a Content Management System called Drupal and I rewrote entire sections so that I could get things to work as I needed them.
Current Website: The previous front end of the website was mainly to provide me with a solid testing ground for my database backend as we began to actively develop the site. And now the finished product is up. While the site may look like this for a while… it is a rapidly changing site with new content appearing every day. Plus, I’m constantly testing and adding new features. Now I realize in the last Tech Talk, I mentioned something about the new Beta Testing Team. I’m gonna have to put that off till next week. But if you are EXTREMELY eager, just send me an email atbenjamin@oakseed.org.
Upper Loft Meditation – Proverbs 3
January 23, 2007
“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.” – Proverbs 3:7
We don’t do enough shunnen in our lives. This is one reason we get into so much trouble. The phrase “shun evil” is also translated “depart from evil”, “turn away from evil” or “avoid evil deliberately.”
We will always find ourselves facing evil. Sometimes the stench and abhorrence of evil causes you to immediately flee. But evil can be very attractive, user-friendly, and appear to be the answer to all our problems. You may not know you are being seduced. At some point, however, the mask will slip and you see evil for what it is, wrong, harmful, and malicious.
How do you respond?
Are you like a deer caught in the headlines of a fast approaching truck? You are clueless to the corrosive impact of evil in your life.
Do you step aside and turn to watch? You hover at the edge, not leaving, but still caught. In this position, your heart begins to harden to the things of God as you ponder evil. It is only a matter of time before your defenses wear down.
Do you turn and move away? Your decisive action affirms the righteous path of the one true God.
“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” - 1 Corinthians 10:13
Friday Tech Talk
January 19, 2007
In an effort to facilitate and create a more user friendly website, I’ve devoted some time for the next few Fridays to explain some of the new features that are on the Oakseed website. Plus, I’ll spend some time giving you a sneak peak of some of the things that are upcoming. First, why am I spending some time typing up a technology focused blog? I firmly believe that God has called myself and called Oakseed to be a voice for the poor and to stand along side the poor so that people all around the world will be able to see the face of the poor. I believe that once people can see the face of the poor, they will be unable to turn away without helping those that are less fortunate. Secondly, technology is becoming a great medium in which to have interactive and meaningful conversations with many more people than was possible just a few years ago. For this purpose, (and probably now visible to those visiting the Oakseed Ministries website), we have completely rewritten the entire Oakseed website so that it now has a powerful database back-end with an extremely flexible front face. So what does all this mean for you, the reader of this website? Well, for starters: We’ve got lots of other things in store. Once I get these features to a fully tested stage and we’re ready to turn them live on the full site, it will continue making Oakseed.org one of the easiest-to-use and user-friendly ministry website. Ok, so I told you I had some sneak peaks at some upcoming features: Anyway, if you’re excited about the Oakseed Ministries website and the changes that are happening, please let me know. (benjamin@oakseed.org) If you would like to become part of the special beta testing team and get early access to some of the new features of the website, I would love to talk to you and get you involved in this exciting program. Next week, I’ll be talking more about the Oakseed Beta Testing group and how you can get involved. Till next time, get involved on the Oakseed Ministries website, post a comment, tell your friends, and enjoy your time here.
The Fellowship of the Unashamed
January 18, 2007
Today in the office, we were sharing some writings by Dr. Robert Moorehead, the former pastor of Seattle’s Overlake Christian Church. I was taken in by this and wanted to share it.
I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. the decision has been made. I’m a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.
My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotion, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.
My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won’t give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid up, and preached up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me. And when He comes for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me… my banner will be clear!
Does this move us into action? What will you do?
Upper Loft Meditation – Mark 6
January 16, 2007
“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.” – Mark 6:34
There is a lot of talk about compassion today. Everywhere you look there are broken lives and disaster remnants. Daily you can hear multiple cries for help and compassion. With this clamor for attention, it would be easy to become callous and fall into compassion burn-out.
The greater danger is that one loses sight of the meaning of compassion. ‘A compassionate response to suffering requires that one be moved by the suffering of the other, act to remove the immediate effects of the suffering, and respond at length to correct the structures which may have given rise to the suffering itself.’1
Our struggle is usually with the second and third part of this definition. Here is some guidance in addressing this struggle.
- The starting point is always to pray. Pray that the Lord would show you clearly what you are to do.
- Remember that compassion will always include sacrifice. It will cost you more than you expected or budgeted.
- It is easier to be compassionate from a distance, but everyone will at some point be confronted with a face-to-face opportunity. Will you open your heart and your hands or turn away?
- Compassion must confront the structural causes for the suffering and seek their change or removal.
Compassion must always come with the hope you have in Jesus Christ.
New Dictionary of Christian Ethics, ed. D.J. Atkinson & D.F. Field [Downers Grove, Illinois, InterVarsity Press], p. 244)
Upper Loft Meditation – Jeremiah 12
January 9, 2007
“You are right, O God, and you set things right. I can’t argue with that.
But I do have some questions:
Why do bad people have it so good?
Why do con artists make it big?
You planted them and they put down roots.
They flourished and produced fruit.
They talk as if they’re old friends with you,
but they couldn’t care less about you.”
- Jeremiah 12:1-2 [The Message]
How do you respond to God when you think He is not doing His job? Often our response is to tell God what he should do. We know what is wrong and we have some ideas of how to fix the problem. In this response we are usurping God’s position. It is like a young boy asking his uncle, “Are you a know-it-all?”
Our problem is that we do not know everything. But, God does and He is good and can be trusted for what we do know know.
Notice how Jeremiah handles this difficulty. First, he affirms who God is. “You are always righteous, O Lord.” [NIV] By faith, Jeremiah believes that God has the answer to his question.
Second, he knows that the problem of understanding is his problem, not God’s. Jeremiah does not come to God to argue, but to plead for understanding.
Third, Jeremiah knows that he can approach God and ask the hard questions. Sometimes we receive answers and sometimes we are left struggling with hard questions. Why is this? There is a verse from a John Newton hymn that gives us insight.
“Lord, why is this?” I trembling cried, “Wilt Thou pursue Thy worm to death?”
“Tis in this way”, the Lord replied, “I answered prayers for grace and faith.”
“These inward trials I employ, from pride and self to set thee free,
and break they schemes of earthly joy, that thou mayest seek they call in Me.”
2005 Essay Contest – 1st Place Essay – Ages 18 – 22
January 8, 2007
By Kimberly Gruber
Compassion is demonstrated to the greatest degree when sorrows of another are felt by an outsider to the point that it creates the urge to help. Such an example of a true form of compassion occurred during the attacks of September 11, 2001. Over 3,000 people were killed in the attacks that hit the U.S. Each time the event comes to mind, our souls are again moved by the atrocity of thousands of our fellow citizens being snatched mercilessly from their families and our midst. Americans definitely shared in each New Yorkers’ pain and therefore demonstrated their true compassion by reaching out to support the victims and their families with over $155 million in donations to the Twin Towers Fund (Guiliani 274).
These selfless contributions from Americans around the country were vital for helping to rebuild the city and victims’ families. America’s response exemplifies the constructive impact that compassion can have on catastrophic events. Yet with Americans’ main focus on our country alone, we overlook an even greater threat that is advanced on a daily basis. In ONE day the AIDS virus kills more than TWO times as many people than were killed in the attacks of September 11, 2001. The worldwide AIDS epidemic takes over 7,000 lives on a daily basis. The region of the world hit in the most ghastly way is Sub-Saharan Africa, where, in some areas, the infection rate is as high as 70% in the adult populace. At this present time, AIDS is wiping out adult populations and leaving Africa as a land of orphans.
Considering the astonishing number of people affected by the AIDS epidemic, why haven’t Americans demonstrated equal amounts of compassion and attention as to the 9/11 tragedy? The truth is that the AIDS epidemic is easy for many Americans to overlook and ignore, primarily because the epidemic is affecting outside countries in a more dramatic way than it does our own. Therefore we do not see the pain or the injustice of its effects. Secondly, there has not been a single day like 9/11 when Americans have halted and been forced to recognize the severity of the AIDS epidemic. So, despite the increasing number of deaths that leave countless children orphaned, it is easy for Americans to simply overlook this tragedy.
“Don’t go to Africa unless you want to come back a different person. Those little guys will get to you,” says my uncle, Earl Shirk, who directs a marketplace ministry called Horizon Initiative, which works with the Kenyan orphans. Earl demonstrates that once the reality of the epidemic is faced, true compassion follows because it is hard to ignore the magnitude of the orphans’ need. This was not only his experience, but also has been the experience of many other Americans, including a group of Rotary Club Members that came to visit the orphanages. These men and women are all prominent business owners and therefore lived quite comfortably in the United States. Their initial motivation for the visit was based mostly on their reputation for serving the less fortunate, coupled with a little bit of pity for the children, but not true compassion. In addition, the Rotary men and women were contributing funds to the orphanages, and they wanted to observe firsthand how their substantial monetary contribution was being used. A short time after their arrival, they were already irritably grumbling about the accommodations and schedule. They were mostly concerned about where they could find a cold beer and a cigar lounge. Touring the orphanage was of less importance on the agenda.
However, at the orphanage, the children were bubbling with excitement to meet the new visitors. As one final item of preparation, the organizer of the Rotary trip, Jim Pesce, sat the orphans down to let them know one last thing about the Rotary members. Nearly 80% of the entire population of Kenya is professing Christian, and within the orphanage itself most of the kids profess Christianity. Jim recognized that the children needed to be aware that the spiritual condition of their new visitors might be a little different from their own. After careful explanation of this, the children grew very silent, and one little boy’s voice was heard: “That means that they are going to hell…”
Despite their dismay, the children greeted the Rotary members like family as soon as they arrived. Each child grasped a hand of a member so that each member had two children, one attached to each hand. Throughout the tour the men were amazed how well the children behaved. The children were so excited to have visitors that they required nothing else. As they headed back to the hotel that evening, the men and women talked amongst themselves and finally asked, “Jim, what was wrong with the children during the tour? Some of them had tears running down their cheeks.” Jim chuckled and answered, “Well, the children really like you, and they were afraid that some of you are going to hell.”
There was no beer drinking or cigar smoking that evening. The “little guys” had gotten to the big business men and women. The children were so compassionately rich, despite the fact that they had no family and were materially poor. They valued the men and women’s company and did not expect material gifts. In the event that other Americans are able to digest the differences in values between our culture and others, they will understand that these AIDS victims do not expect America’s compassion – but they need it.
For the Rotary members, this confrontation with the AIDS epidemic made it nearly impossible to overlook the situation or decline to help the victims. The Rotary members’ original motivation to visit arose from pity – the smallest extent of compassion – but, by the time they left, the orphans had gotten to them. Compassion had grown from pity into an urge to help the children.
A true level of compassion is what drives Americans to action. This is the exact process of remedy that is needed to fight this tragic epidemic. To begin this fight, the problem first needs to be recognized as the epidemic that it is. Currently the African government and some worldwide publications continue to deny or downplay the severity of the AIDS epidemic. Although it is not realistic or possible for the majority of Americans to go see the harsh reality of the problem by going to Africa, its severity must be revealed to Americans in another fashion. We who have an awareness need to surround the news, publications and public places with information about the epidemic to the point where our fellow Americans are motivated to action instead of sinking further into the comforts of our country’s culture.
Next, we must fight this epidemic by acknowledging all the work that will be required. Dealing with the epidemic requires first that the orphans be rescued. This is step one of many. The future target of the epidemic is the orphans, so they need to be cared for immediately. Once their needs are met and their futures saved, then they themselves can help with the next steps by educating others.
Finally, we must persevere despite the immensity of the task. This epidemic does not exist only within the bounds of Africa. It exists worldwide. In fact, Asia currently has the fastest growing rate of the AIDS virus. Yet, with perseverance and by taking one day and one task at a time, lives will be saved one at a time.
“Doing more than is expected to make another’s life a little more bearable, without uttering a single complaint…means compassion,” quotes author Oscar Wilde. This is the level of compassion that Americans need to acquire and express towards AIDS victims. A sudden, tragic event is often given more compassion than the slow and steady evolution of a situation. Even though AIDS has and will continue to rob more human lives than the single event of 9/11, it is sometimes difficult to provoke compassion in our fellow Americans. Yet, each American has the ability to help in some way. It is a matter of creating within each American motivation to help. Just as Americans acknowledged the September 11, 2001, attacks as a severe threat and responded with compassion, it is time Americans take a stand against the growing AIDS epidemic by demonstrating compassion. Once we acknowledge this threat within the bounds of our own country, we can spread our support to the areas that need it most, outside the bounds of the United States, to the orphans of South Africa and the increasing number of victims in Asia.
2005 Essay Contest – 1st Place – 12 and Under
January 8, 2007
By Emerald Wong
When my mother shared a newspaper article with me about an orphan in Africa whose parents died of AIDS, I couldn’t take my eyes off the photo of the girl, who was about my age. The photo in the Boston Globe showed a young girl of 11 crying in front of a wall, her face twisted and distorted, with her head hung heavy on her shoulders as if she carried the weight of the world. My mom told me that this girl looked exactly like me when I cry. She was right. It was striking. Even though the girl was African with dark skin, and I am Asian with yellow skin, we did seem so similar. My heart sank. It was her face, the face of anguish. She was alone in the world, her family ravaged by AIDS. Her face held my attention hauntingly. Pain is something we all know when we see it. I couldn’t turn away.
I snatched the paper out of her hands and devoured the article voraciously. I couldn’t read fast enough, choking back the tears. Her mother had just died of AIDS. She and her two younger siblings slept in the same bed with their mother. They were a loving, close-knit family who had very little but each other. Her father had already died of AIDS.
I wanted to do something instantly to help her. I fantasized that maybe we could adopt her, since my family had adopted me, too. I fantasized that I could share my home and bedroom with her, and we could become sisters. However, we learned that her best friend’s family had offered her a place in their home. But how many others were just like her, yet not as fortunate?
CBS News reported on April 1, 2005, that “more than 80 million Africans may die from AIDS by 2025,” according to a report released by the United Nations. They added that “HIV infections could soar to 90 million – more than 10 percent of Africa’s population – if more isn’t done soon to fight the pandemic.” “UNAIDS estimates the number of AIDS orphans could grow from the current 11 million to 27 million by 2025 without greater action and funding.”
How can I help? The eyes of every citizen of the world must open so that they can see what I have seen. Everyone recognizes pain. This is the world’s problem, not just an African problem, and there must be a solution involving the whole world. Children can bring about positive change. We can be victims, but we can also be agents of change and give hope for a better future. We can talk to anyone who will listen, and we can raise funds by collecting pocket change, conducting sports and music performathons, and mobilizing adults to act now. We can be a formidable force because we have the most at stake. We can create the world in which we want to live. I believe if children and adults work together, with God’s help, no problem is insurmountable.
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