Ideas for Action

“Do you have any new year’s resolutions?” I asked students one time during a campus ministry Christmas gathering. “Yes, I want to be more spiritually grounded and sin less this new year”, one of the students said. But, what is sin exactly? It is always interesting to hear the answers that young people give me when I have asked that question.

I have experienced a deeper level of moral degeneration worldwide. I believe that further in the past  people had values and principles that esteemed the other more than self. This included respect for property and offering support to whoever needed it without any extortion and exploitation.

Recently, I shared about my experience of lack and abundance in two countries. This week, let’s look at a tale of two cities.

“May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.” For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity.” (Psalm 122:6-9)

A few days ago marked the one-year anniversary of the horrors of the October 7th attacks at the hands of Hamas and other militants on the south of Israel. On the day of commemoration, I was in the holy city of Jerusalem. The city of peace. A city that today has no peace. 

The U.S administration in 2023 introduced a new refugee resettlement program called Welcome Corps. Welcome Corps is a public-private sponsorship program that allows everyday Americans to resettle refugees. It offers refugees a chance to rebuild their lives in safety and helps us live out our biblical call to welcome the stranger as found in Matthew 25. This legal pathway operates alongside existing resettlement opportunities, expanding opportunities to welcome those fleeing war and persecution.

Our Hearts Exchanged cohort spent time learning about the Doctrine of Discovery through readings, videos, stories and conversation. We had taken in the magnitude of how contrary to the way of Jesus this was and how incredibly inappropriate it was for the church to make such a declaration. We felt the weight of its harm and destruction. Reading and processing it together was an important part of the exchanging hearts experience. We were invited to respond, here is my poetic lament that was part of my Hearts Exchanged journey.