Geldof Praises Bush on Africa

The Washington Times, America's Newspaper

Mr. Bush, said Mr. Geldof, "has done more than any other president so far."

"This is the triumph of American policy really," he said. "It was probably unexpected of the man. It was expected of the nation, but not of the man, but both rose to the occasion."

Let's hope the next president continues these policies that have brought hope and help to many parts of Africa that are lost in disease and poverty.

What Is Going On In Darfur in The Sudan? - Genocide

blog.myspace.com/switchfoot

Since 2003, almost two million people have been displaced by a campaign of genocide undertaken by the Sudanese government against the people of Darfur. Estimates of those killed range from 80,000 to 400,000. Sudanese government troops and aircraft have supported bands of Janjaweed militia as they destroy villages in the Darfur region displacing and killing civilians by the thousands.

There are so many nasty places in the world and the US military cannot fix them all at once. The world is a nasty mess but bringing attention to the problems is something we can all do.

Blogging Live 8

Watching some of the Live 8 is a bit disappointing. There are some artists that are pretty informed and sound intelligent. How good is it to try and bring America along when you've got Green Day singing "American Idiot" and Black Eyed Peas calling the CIA American terrorists. These Americans who seemingly hate America cannot suck enough. Nothing like pissing off more than half of America. This type of crap will not work and if the One Campaign continues to let these people represent their organization then it will FAIL.

One Blog

ONE Blog - The ONE Campaign now has a blog. I'm sure many of my readers find some aspects of these ideas not perfect, but I do implore you to have an open mind to the ideas proposed. I have my own misgivings but I believe this is a good effort and one that should be continued. I also believe that this campaign itself won't come close to fixing the problems in Africa but it is a start. We all need to look at ways we can help fight the extreme poverty around the world. I especially call out my own, Christians, to look for ways to step up.

Bono, Celebrities and Causes

FOXNews.com - FOX News Live - The Asman Observer - Why Bono Is Not Just Another Spoiled Celebrity - This is a pretty darn good article on how Bono from U2 is using his celebrity to bring recognition to the One Campaign. He's not being a big wanker like most celebrities who use these opportunities to smack America and President Bush. If more celebrities behaved like Bono now does (he used to act like a complete turd) then they'd build more credibility.

Do We Donate $25 Billion Per Year To Fight Poverty

I've been thinking about the One Campaign for quite a bit now. A very important deadline for President Bush pops up next week during the G8 summit. He needs to figure out if he is going to commit $25 billion extra dollars to fight world poverty. I believe Bush needs to make this commitment for many reasons. First, it's a chance for America to lead in the fight against poverty in the world, especially Africa. This isn't poverty like there is in the US where people might miss a meal here and there. In Africa some just barely eat at all. If the money could be put into organizations and governments that could be trusted then maybe some dents could be made. Unlike the One folks and a few others, this isn't about terrorism. The 9/11 terrorists weren't poor, that's for sure. This is about making an honest attempt, as a nation, to try and fix a huge problem that is only getting bigger.

On the political side, Bush needs to own this issue and take the lead. Conservatives need to let it be know that they care about the poor and aren't going to quible over silly details. This is part of my "bleeding heart conservative" beliefs. At the same time, this could and should be a common cause where great things can get done. I don't want to see my political party be at fault for not leading our country into a chance to try and make the world a better place.

Prayer of Jabez Guy Comes to NCCC

The following are my notes from this morning's sermon by Bruce Wilkinson, author of the famous The Prayer of Jabez. I've actually never read the book because it didn't really interest me and I try to not fall for every little trend.

Summary of my notes:

Bruce Wilkinson asked how many of us have prayed for God to use us in a big way. Many of us raised our hands but, obviously, those prayers have not been answered. It's because we give up too easily. Continuance of seeking God to use us in a big way will put us into places we won't expect and Mr. Wilkinson gave us some personal examples of situations where God answered those prayers.

We went the I Chronicles 4:10, which is the prayer of Jabez. The first part of the prayer is where Jabez asks God to bless himself. Wilkinson spoke about how hard that was to pray because it is seems very contrarian to how we are to behave. He then pointed us to Matthew 7:7-11 for guidance on how Christ tells us to ask for blessings from God. I believe that if we are seeking God's will then we will not be asking from purely selfish motives.

The next section of Jabez deals with enlarging our boundaries. In this, we must be patient. In Acts 1:8 God clearly wants us to be focused bigger than our own little existence. We need to ask God "let me do more for You". God will present us with opportunities to work for God mostly through other people. It is people that truly matter to God and it is people that God wants us to help bless. He will give us those opportunities but we must not say "no". One concern brought up by Wilkinson is the fear of having too much on our plates but the answer is that God will make our plate bigger if He needs to. We just need to make sure that we keep the things God wants us to do and dump the things He doesn't want us to do.

This all leads to the purpose of why Wilkinson came to our church; Dream for Africa. Wilkinson now lives most of the time in South Africa to deal with the starvation, orphans and AIDS. He spoke of how all the food programs from the outside just aren't working. Wilkinson has been teaching Africans how to plant gardens, which can feed eight people. This is the old "give the man a fish" vs. "teaching the man to fish" principle. He dealt with the AIDS issue head on; abstinence before marriage and faithfulness in marriage works. Places where condom distribution is the main method of AIDS prevention don't work. Compare Uganda with the ABC method vs. other parts of the continent or even the
rest of the world. If someone doesn't use a condom just once, they can be infected or infect someone else. He then mentioned that there are now 43 million orphans in Africa. Devastating!

Wilkinson then called upon 300 from our church to go to Africa for 10 days in the early part of summer. I did not commit but took some information. I'm going to be praying about this trip as there are many barriers to break through keeping me from going. Let's see what God does.

I guess I'll also go pick up a copy of The Prayer of Jabez.

Sad News From Zambia

As some of you know I'm involved with a missions organization. Please check out the latest news. We support an orphanage in Zambia and there is much sadness there today. Prayers would be appreciated.

Something Bush Needs to Address Tonight

FOXNews.com - The O'Reilly Factor - Interview - Bono: Not Facing AIDS Crisis 'Foolhardy'

Although I disagree with things like this is part of the fight on terrorism (it's Islamic fundamentalism not poverty) this is a fight we can win and should win. I hope President Bush will speak out on this issue in his speech tonight. The toll of AIDS in Africa is staggering and is only getting worse. There are at least 10 million AIDS orphans in Africa. Just ponder that.....

CNN: "U.N.: World failing in AIDS fight"

CNN.com - U.N.: World failing in AIDS fight - Jul 6, 2004

Almost three million people died from AIDS last year, bringing to more than 20 million the number of AIDS deaths in more than two decades, the 2004 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic said.

More and more orphans. More and more tragedy.

Watch 7th Heaven on Monday

Two Sudanese refugees, Nicodemus A. Lim and Jacob Puka, are appearing on tomorrows episode of 7th Heaven. I've known these guys a little bit for the last year and a half (Nicodemus even came to our house once). These are incredible young men with incredible stories. Take a look tomorrow night.

Stark Pictures From Zambia

My friend and doctor with For Hearts and Souls took a recent trip to Africa to check out an orphanage that he is the director of. The following pictures were taken at a baby graveyard in Kitwe, Zambia.

See the extended entry to see some of the horrid results from the poverty and AIDS in Africa.

This is a picture of the baby graveyard in Kitwe, Zambia.

This is taken during a funeral for a very young baby. The little wooden coffin says it all.

Baby Theo was at the orphanage.

Really Messed Up Priorities

America & Europe spend over $17 billion a year on pet food, but the whole world only spends $4.7 billion a year to fight AIDS.

SOURCE: The World Bank

I got this from DATA. I wonder how much we spend on CDs, DVDs, junk food and other essentials of life. Perspective time!

AIDS Orphan's In Africa

Please take a look at this article on MSNBC about the ever increasing number of AIDS orphans in Africa. Look, this isn't a political issue. Please do something. An organization I'm a part of is supporting an orphanage in Zambia for these kids. Please take a look at our blog for the latest news. Make sure your church or other place of worship is doing something to help this situation. The number is so overwhelming. In terms of prevention I like the ABC plan that Uganda implemented. Take a look at a summary here. In terms of helping the people who are already infected take a look at DATA. Another great resource is Samaritan's Purse.

Let's Get Money To Africa To Fight AIDS

Here's what I wrote to my congressman:

Representative Cunningham,

I am the CFO of an organization that runs an orphanage in Africa called "For Hearts and Souls" (to see what we've been doing go here "http://www.forheartsandsouls.org/weblog/index.html") and I know that there is a real crisis over there. I ask you as a fellow evangelical Christian to help get this initiative passed.

I urge others to do the same.

Latest From Sudan

My pastor visited The Sudan recently. He was amazed at their church services. Most of the people have nothing except for the clothes on their back but their church services are alive and filled with joy. It's not a fake joy where you fight and argue before church, go in and put on a happy face. Half of the congregation gathers for an hour of prayer before the service. These are people who are going through the process of foregiving their tormentors who've bulldozed churches, crucified pastors, kidnapped and raped wives, mothers, daughters and sisters.

There is a peace process in Sudan. Iraq can no longer supply Sudan with weapons. There is hope. There is also need. Find out how you can help. Check out what Samaritan's Purse is doing in Sudan.

Orphanage Opening In Zambia

Tomorrow, the president of For Hearts and Souls will be flying out to Zambia for the official opening of the For Hearts and Souls Children's Village. This is a very exciting time as God has provided an incredible amount of resources, people and blessings to allow this to happen.

AIDS in Botswana

One in five people in Botswana have HIV/AIDS. Please find a way to help.

President's Trip To Africa

I hope that President Bush's trip to Africa will help raise awareness of the absolute crisis of AIDS in that continent. I know money has already been pledged from the US but it is my hope that more people will finds ways they can contribute to the cause whether it's prevention, treatment or the millions of orphans left behind.