Gratitude and Willingness

Today in Church out preacher  preached on Romans 12:9-21.  The passage begins with "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good."  It goes on to list a number of things that a mature Christian should do in the way they live their life. In the message, our preacher focused on verse 16, which says: "Live in harmony with one another.  Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited."  The phrase "be willing to associate with people of low position" is also translated "be willing to do menial work," which is what our preacher focused on this morning.

Sincere love means being willing to do anything for someone.  If someone tells us that they would be willing to do literally anything for us, of course we should be very thankful, we would show great gratitude towards them.  While people are selfish and sinful and probably at some point would fall short of literally doing ANYTHING for us, Jesus came to earth and did exactly that.  He suffered and died in order to save us from our sins.  Nobody else in the history of the world has shown the love that Jesus showed us, giving not just "anything," but EVERYTHING for us.  John 15:13 says: "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

If God loves us THAT much, and sacrificed THAT much, then clearly our gratitude should be displayed in our everyday life.  We should live each an every second of our life as an act of gratitude towards our Lord.  One point that our preacher made was that gratitude leads to willingness.  If we show gratitude for what God has done for us, then we will not be proud and we will "be willing to do menial work" (Romans 12:16).  If God calls us to do something, we should do it. Sometimes the things that God calls us to are not things that bring us glory, or wealth, or fame.  The things God asks us to do aren't always easy, in fact often they are not easy.  Think of missionaries who leave their families, friends and the comforts of home behind to go out and spread God's word around the world, often in places where living conditions are not exactly comfortable.  But it's not about us.  This life is about giving God the glory and living to serve Him.  To show our gratitude, we must respond to God's call with an emphatic "YES!"

It's one of the things I pray every day, that I would hear God's call and have the courage to follow, wherever it may lead.

Playing the background, wisdom from Lecrae

Last night I took my sister Kassi to a Lecrae concert for her birthday.  For those who don’t know Lecrae, look him up. He’s a Christian rapper and he’s legitimately good.  Not only can the man rap, the man can preach, and he often does them at the same time.  A number of artists performed leading up to Lecrae.  They were all pretty good and each had a good message to share about the impact Christ has had on their lives and the power of Christ’s love, grace and forgiveness.  However, it was Lecrae who brought the house down with his beats and rhythms, and it was Lecrae who truly brought the message home. 

All of Lecrae’s songs have a clear gospel message.  He and a group of rappers signed with his record label are know as the 1-1-6 Clique, named for Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”  Throughout his performance Lecrae paused a number of times in between songs to reflect on the message of a particular song or to re-focus the night on giving God the glory. 
One song that particularly spoke to me was called “Background.” (If I set it up right, it’s playing on this page.  If not, here’s the you-tube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHnZRZiCYHE)  The chorus says:

I could play the background
I could play the background
Cause I know sometimes I get in the way
So won’t you take the lead, lead, lead?
So won’t you take the lead, lead, lead?
And I could play the background, background
And you could take the lead.

The message of the song is that we need to stop trying to live in the spotlight and we need to let God run the show.  Rather than trying to be in control and receive the credit for ourselves, we need to remember to step back, let God lead and walk in the steps he has laid out for us. 

There’s a line in the song that says “I end up confessing that I’m not that impressive, matter of fact I’m who I are, a trail of stardust leading to the superstar.”  That’s what we are, a trail of dust, leading to the superstar (God).  We are made in His image, we reflect His glory.  We are not here to serve ourselves or other men, rather we are here to serve our Lord Jesus Christ.  I know I love to receive credit for the good things that I do, but in that I’m missing the point of living for Christ.  To truly lay down my life and live for God I need to gratefully accept the background role to the greatest lead of all time, Jesus Christ.

I’m not here to accomplish my goals and get praised for my accomplishments.  I’m here to follow God’s call on my life and bring glory to His name through my each and every step. When we let God take the lead, He does amazing things in our lives and blesses us beyond measure.  However, letting God take the lead and in turn playing the background, does not mean sitting back and just watching God work.  God has purpose for us, and that means being proactive Christians.  Rather than sitting around waiting for God to act, we should act in a Christ-like manner, knowing full well that God is present in all things and will use all things for His purpose.

I pray that God would help me (and all of us) to see the areas in my life where I need to stop trying to play the lead role and let Him take the lead.   I pray that I would not sit idly by an wait for God to work, but that I actively follow God’s path, letting Him give me my cues and serving Him for His glory at all times. 

Lots and lots of numbers

Wow, it's been awhile since I've blogged, and I do feel bad for that (though many of you maybe don't cause it means you haven't had to read my rambling thoughts).  But for those of you who do care, and who use my blog as a way of keeping up on what I'm up to in life, I'm sorry.

Almost three weeks ago I began my new adventure in life, the Masters of Public Policy program at Michigan State University.  The plan is to get this MPP degree, with a specialization in International Development Policy, and then either go to the developing world and do development work, or get a job somewhere in the US, helping form and implement development policy.  That's the plan for now.

It seems like ever since classes started my life has been an endless stream of numbers, interrupted only by my Wednesday night class called "Public Policy" in which we turn away from the numbers and look at analyzing public policy and the policy process.  The reason for all the numbers is simple.  It's called Quantitative Methods (Stats), Microeconomics, and a research assistantship.  Quantitative Methods and Econ are pretty obviously heavy on the numbers.  My research assistantship is with the Global Urban Studies Program (GUSP, for future reference).  Right now I'm working with Dr. Laura Reese on a project looking at demographic changes in the Cuauhtemoc Delegacion of Mexico City, specifically looking at three neighborhoods within the Cuauhtemoc Delegacion.  What this means is that in the past 2 weeks I have spent nearly 40 hours going through the last 50 years of Mexican Census data, looking for all the statistics that we need for our study.  The overall project is actually really interesting, it's just lots and LOTS of numbers.

I think I'm going to love Grad school. I also think that I will love it more once I get past some of the methods courses and into more of the applied courses where we actually do policy analysis rather than learn about microeconomic theory and research methods.

Living alone hasn't actually been too bad either.  I don't really have time to be bored or lonely because I spend a good portion of each day with my research assistantship, then there's class and readings and homework.  It's also nice that I can skype/call/text people with the touch of a button.

Speaking of reading, it's beckoning right now.  Until next time!

-Eric  

Thoughts on Libya

As the battle to oust Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi winds down, one thought (among many) has occurred to me: the U.S. policy and action in Libya has been a success.

This is not to say that the conflict is over, or that Libya is going to have a smooth transition to a democratically run country, or that Libya will even turn into a peaceful prosperous country.  It's completely possible that once the dust settles the Libyan rebels will begin to fight amongst themselves (an outcome we all hope to avoid).  It is also possible that they will seize power and rule in a decidedly Gadhafi manner.

Despite this I maintain that the course of action taken by the U.S. and NATO in Libya has been a success in that it has allowed Libyans to decide the future of Libya.  Had NATO not intervened before Gadhafi massacred Benghazi, thousands and thousands of Libyans would have been killed and the revolution would have been violently suppressed.  Thanks to the NATO air campaign, this crisis was averted and the rebels were able to continue their movement.

While many have criticized President Obama's policy, originally for being too slow to react, and then for being too interventionist (make up your minds, please people), it appears now that the U.S. and NATO provided just enough support.  By providing air support we protected Libyan civilians while reducing Gadhafi's military to rubble.  This fell right in line with the request for support from the Libyan rebels, the Arab League, and the African Union.  By NOT sending in ground troops, we have stayed just far enough out of the conflict that we are not seen as an occupying power or controlling hegemon (unless you listen to Hugo Chavez).  Now that the battle is waning and Libya nears the point of beginning to rebuild itself as a country, we have been involved enough to where we can pledge support for the Libyan Transitional National Council (the rebel leadership/government) and give assistance as needed, but we don't necessarily have to take part in costly, controversial and sometimes unwanted nation-building.

Note the difference between Iraq and Afghanistan, and Libya.  We've been in Iraq for eight years, Afghanistan for 10.  We've been in Libya for a few months.  The Afghanistan and Iraq wars have cost the US over $1 trillion dollars together, with no real end in sight.  The Libyan operation has cost a bit under $1 billion, and while it isn't over, and more costs are sure to come, the lack of US forces on the ground puts somewhat of a limit on that price tag.

I think that the biggest difference is in the post-war circumstances.  Post-war Iraq has seen instability, ongoing violence, and increased anti-american sentiment shown especially through attacks on American troops.  Post-war Afghanistan, well, we're pretty much still fighting there, but it seems like even the Afghan government is getting sick of the US, despite the fact that they would likely crumble and lose power without us.   Meanwhile, Libyan's are thanking the US and NATO for their support, as evidenced by this poster in Benghazi Square, Tripoli, where thousands celebrated the end of the Gadhafi regime, including a poster of Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, British Prime Minister David Cameron, and US ambassador to the UN Susan Rice with the words across the top "FANTASTIC FOUR" (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/22/libyans-thank-obama-poster_n_933396.html?1314051885&ref=fb&src=sp)

Also, as Libya goes forward and tries to transition, it will do so on its terms.  Sure we may give advice and support, but it will be a Libyan government built by Libyan people, not a government built by Americans, protected by American military, with Libyan people in the positions of power.

So whether Libya turns into the thriving democratic country it has the potential to be, or another poor, unstable African country, the US and NATO's actions in this conflict have given Libyans the freedom to make that decision on their own, through (mostly) their power.  We have not forced democracy on them, we have merely protected them as they fought to free themselves from the grasp of a violent dictator, and for that I say our policy was a success.

She Woke Up in Heaven

Today we celebrated the life of my grandma, Norene Lillian Botts. This past Monday night she went to sleep perfectly healthy and happy, and when she woke up she was in Heaven with Jesus.
Grandma was an amazing person who touched many lives while she walked this earth. Through her work as a teacher, tutor, running VBS, serving with my Grandpa in his pastoral work, and being Christ’s missionary wherever she went, Grandma always gave God the glory. Even in her written testimony which she left us for her obituary and celebration of life she said “To God be the glory, great things he hath done.”

For Grandma life was all about living for God, praising Him in everything, and giving Him the glory. She taught all of us to live in the same way, serving God by loving all those around her each and every day of her long, great life.

Her memorial service today was a thing of beauty, and I know Grandma would have loved being there as we worshipped. For those who don’t know, Grandma had her memorial service planned for many years, from the songs to the scripture and all. Grandma loved her music, so we sang out hearts out as we remembered her. As we sang “There is A Redeemer,” we sang the words “When I stand in glory, I will see His face. There I’ll serve my king forever, in that Holy place,” and I turned to my sister Kassi and said “you know Grandma is standing in Heaven singing along with us.

I’m not sure what we’re going to do without Grandma. While we thank and praise God that she died just the way she wanted to, peacefully, happily, and healthily in her sleep, we will miss her greatly. I suppose the best way to honor and remember Grandma Botts is to live the way that she taught us all, loving each other and giving God the glory at all times. Grandma always tried to make the world a better place, and did whatever she could to help anyone in need, even at the age of 88 years old. In the last few days I’ve heard countless stories from people who said that Grandma changed their lives.
I hope that as I live my life, people will see in me what they saw in Grandma Botts, and that just as Grandma loved Jesus and taught us all to love Him, I may lead a life that shows others the love that Jesus and Grandma have shown me.

For those who haven't read it, here's a link to her testimony: http://www.zaagman.com/?siteid=46&menuitem=249&action=1&value=12&obituaries_action=2&obituaryid=95801

I miss you Grandma, I love you so much.

Commas (,) and Periods (.) and Easter Sunday

Yesterday in Church our pastor preached on the resurrection.  That seems obvious, as it was Easter Sunday, except for the fact that the main scripture for the sermon was the resurrection of Lazarus, not that of Jesus. He focused most of his sermon on John 11, where Lazarus gets sick, yet Jesus does not go to him until after he has died, and Jesus resurrects him four days after Lazarus has died.

Our pastor made a few points that I want to touch on before getting to my main point. At one point he highlighted when Jesus says "Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe."  On this verse our pastor brought up the fact that Jesus had done healings before, and that if Jesus went and healed Lazarus to prevent his death, there would always be a few people who would say "he wasn't really that sick" or "it was the doctor who saved him."  However, once Lazarus was dead, nobody could deny that it was an outright miracle performed by Jesus that brought Lazarus back from the dead.  He also said something else that I found interesting.  Our pastor added that maybe there are times when the situation doesn't call for a miracle. Perhaps Lazarus' being sick didn't call for a miracle, but his having died did.  He made the point that we want and expect God to do miracles in our lives, but we don't want to be in the situation that requires a miracle. Interesting point.

Our pastor also highlighted Martha's faith in the story.  In John 21:11, Martha says "Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." What incredible faith! Not only did she have faith that Jesus could have healed Lazarus had he come before Lazarus died, but she fully trusted that even after Lazarus' death, Jesus could ask God to resurrect him, and it would be done.  If only we could all live with that kind of faith.

I think what impacted me the most however was not something from scripture, but rather a point about the overall story that out pastor made.  In relation to this story, our pastor referenced a friend of his who once said "don't put commas where God puts periods, and don't put periods where God puts commas."  I particularly liked that last part, as it is incredibly applicable to this story and to our lives as Christians. In John 11 it would have been so easy to put a period after Lazarus' death. Lazarus dies, end of story.  As humans we'd tend to do that, but God put a comma there instead.  While we might expect the story to end there, God wasn't done, and he showed his incredible power again in resurrecting Lazarus from the dead.

I think this point is particularly applicable in our everyday life. We can't see what God has in store for us, and we don't know what God is doing, whether it be in the future or even how He is working in things that we are currently experiencing.  It's so easy for us to experience something and put a period after it. End of story.  I think that quite often we think something is over, and God is still working.  Too often God does something in our lives and we say "that was God working, thank you," and assume that the work is done and it's time to move to the next thing. However, God may still be working in that situation.  Even when we can't see it, God is always working.  When we think God is done, He may be just getting started.

So when something isn't going well, or doesn't appear to have worked out the way we'd like, let's remember that God works in mysterious ways, and we often don't understand or even realize how God has been working until long after He's done His work.  I think if we can all remember that God is always working and that we need to actively look for how He is doing that, we might just see things we didn't expect to see.

Let's leave the punctuation to God.

Instead of A Show

This is a great song by Jon Foreman.  Here's a link to it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uE1l75aiZc)


Here are the lyrics:


I hate all your show and pretense
The hypocrisy of your praise
The hypocrisy of your festivals
I hate all your show
Away with your noisy worship
Away with your noisy hymns
I stomp on my ears when you're singing 'em
I hate all your show

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show

Your eyes are closed when you're praying
You sing right along with the band
You shine up your shoes for services
There's blood on your hands
You turned your back on the homeless
And the ones that don't fit in your plan
Quit playing religion games
There's blood on your hands

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show
I hate all your show

Let's argue this out
If your sins are blood red
Let's argue this out
You'll be one of the clouds
Let's argue this out
Quit fooling around
Give love to the ones who can't love at all
Give hope to the ones who got no hope at all
Stand up for the ones who can't stand at all, all
I hate all your show
I hate all your show
I hate all your show
I hate all your show

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show
I hate all your show

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmania.com/instead_of_a_show_lyrics_jon_foreman.html
All about Jon Foreman: http://www.musictory.com/music/Jon+Foreman

A Week and a Half

Next Friday I will be done with college. Wow. I said it. Next Friday, the Washington DC Semester program ends, and with it, my career as a student at Calvin College comes to a close. I'm not going to write a big reflection on my time at Calvin yet (though that may come later), but I thought maybe it was worth noting.

It's been a fantastic four years at Calvin (well, 3 plus one abroad). It's actually funny to think about the fact that I am where I am today, because I spent most of my life saying I was not going to go to Calvin. When I started visiting colleges and looking at where I wanted to go I mostly ignored Calvin. I had nothing against Calvin, except for the fact that it was close to home and almost my entire family had gone there, so I didn't want to.

Four years later I am so thankful that I chose Calvin, and I have not a single regret about going to Calvin. I've had so many fantastic opportunities, and I know that my time at Calvin will continue to provide me with opportunities through the course of my life.

Again, in a week and a half I'll be done with college. One month from tomorrow I'll be a college graduate. Wow.

Living Our Thanksgiving

This morning in Church our pastor gave a sermon on Matthew 26. He selected a few sections to focus on in following with his recent sermon theme of "All In."  He spoke of the woman anointing Jesus' head with expensive perfume, saying she was "All In." He spoke of Judas' betrayal of Jesus for a 30 pieces of silver, saying he was clearly not "All In." He spoke of how we should be "All In" in our lives.  


The key image that he presented was the contrast of the Cup of Wrath and the Cup of Thanksgiving. In Isaiah 51, the prophet speaks of the Cup of the Lord's Wrath, which Israel has drunk in its sin. 


Rise up, Jerusalem,
you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD
   the cup of his wrath,
you who have drained to its dregs
   the goblet that makes people stagger. (Isaiah 51:17)


He contrasted that image with the Cup of Thanksgiving in Matthew 26:  "Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." The Cup of Thanksgiving, as the symbol of the blood of the covenant, represents our salvation from sin through Christ's sacrifice on the cross.   This is prophesied in Isaiah 51:22, where it says 


This is what your Sovereign LORD says,
   your God, who defends his people:
“See, I have taken out of your hand
   the cup that made you stagger;
from that cup, the goblet of my wrath,
   you will never drink again.  (Isaiah 51:22)


By offering Himself on the cross for our sins, Jesus bears the Cup of Wrath for us, so that we may never have to drink from that Cup again.  Rather, we drink from the Cup of Thanksgiving, which gives us new life, as a new creation, in Christ, free from sin. 


Jesus went all in for us. He drank the Cup of Wrath so that we do not have to.  We are called to go all in as well. In response to Christ dying for our forgiveness, we are called to live our lives as a servant of Christ, carrying out His will each and every step of the way, and living our lives as examples and vessels of Christ's love, carrying it to all nations and all peoples.

An Exercise in Patience and Trust

• Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
• Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34)
• For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD(Jeremiah 29:11-13)
• For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

I've been trying to think of a time in my life when I felt less patient about life, or when there was less of a need to truly rely on God.  Of course, we always should truly rely on God, but it seems to me that as I inch closer to graduation, with my plans for next year still not clear, God seems to be repeatedly saying to me "Trust Me, let Me work this out, I have a plan, and My plans are perfect."  

I'm the kind of person who likes to know what is going on in my life, and I like to be in control of it. For the first time in my life I feel as if I have no control over what happens. I think when we reach a point like this in life, it's pretty clear that there is nothing to do but to look to God and say "You are God, you have created me for your work and your glory, you have prepared me to live for your Kingdom, now help me to follow wherever you would call me."  

As I think about my life up to this point, what I've learned, what I've done, where I've been, I feel like God has been preparing me all of my life to serve Him through pursuing a life of social justice, working for the poor around the world, giving a voice to the voiceless and following Christ's example of reaching out to the lost and the least in the world. I've studied, I've traveled, I've prayed and I've practiced.  God has prepared me. I am ready. 

And while I sit here saying "I'm ready, let's go save the world," God is saying "My time, not yours." I don't know God's time. I hope that it is soon, and it may be.  For now, I continue to search and pray, serving God where I am here and now, knowing that God calls us to serve Him wherever we are, and trusting that when He needs me, the call will come. 

The Sad State of Nationals Baseball

Last night I went to my first baseball game of the year.  We saw the Washington Nationals play the Philadelphia Phillies. It was actually a pretty good game (unexpected because the Phillies have one of the best pitching rotations in MLB history and a pretty good batting lineup, while the Nationals are just plain bad). In the end, the Phillies won 3-2 after the Nationals scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th before Roy Halladay struck out the last two hitters on six straight strikes.

On the note of the Phillies being good and the Nats bad...in the starting lineups last night, the Phillies had only one batter hitting below .300.  The Nationals on the other hand had not a single batter hitting over .300, had nobody batting as well as the Phillies worst hitter, and were starting a player batting .071.  Pathetic.

But I'm actually not here to talk about how great the Phillies are (Halladay commands a game like nobody I've seen before, and with such ease), or how bad the Nationals are, but actually to talk about the sad state of the culture of baseball in DC.  Shane Victorino led off for the Phillies last night to start the game and promptly doubled.  The crowd went nuts with cheers.  Let me say that again, the crowd went nuts with cheers.  Now let me remind you that the game was played in DC, home of the Nationals.  When Jason Werth jogged out to right field, he was greeted with a chorus of boos and chants of "Worth-less, Worth-less" from the Phillies faithful, every single inning.  Unfortunately for him, there were far more Phillies fans present than Nats fans. When Roy Halladay walked off the mound at the end of the 8th inning, he received a standing ovation from the visiting crowd.  And every time the Nationals fans tried to make any noise at all they were drowned out by cries of "LET'S GO PHILLIES!"

I know the Nationals aren't a great team, and I was not expecting a sell-out.  However, when there are more fans cheering for the visiting team than there are for the home team, that's just sad.  Noting that, it's no surprise that the Nationals are so bad, after all, who would want to come and play in a city where being at home is actually a disadvantage.

I love baseball. I will go to almost any baseball game because I love watching it, and I can sit and talk baseball all day long.  Thus, I enjoyed the game.  However, being a fan of baseball, it was sad to see that this team had so little support from the home crowd. Baseball is America's past-time.  DC is America's capital.

Having played baseball and watched baseball for years I know that baseball players, like any other athletes, respond to the support and energy of the crowd.  If the crowd is excited and energetic the players get energized and have more fun.  Baseball, more so than any other sport, is performed at a higher level when one is having fun.  It's a long season.  9 innings is a long game.  If you're not having fun you won't play well.  But when you have fun, it is so much easier to play well. So get out there DC folk, support your team, and they may someday reward you with good baseball.

"Politics...it's about governing"

Henry Clay once said: “Politics is not about ideological purity or moral self-righteousness, it’s about governing. And if you cannot compromise you cannot govern.” For his role in helping reach an agreement on the Nullification Crisis and slavery, Clay was dubbed "The Great Compromiser." Now, on the brink of a government shutdown, it looks like we could use another "Great Compromiser."  As I look at our government right now, I see one side that absolutely fails to compromise and another side that is really bad at compromising. 


As we approach this shutdown, Tea Party members of Congress are refusing to budge on the budget. They absolutely refuse to compromise at all. (I will note that a number of Republicans seem to want compromise, but are being pressured by the new Tea Party members to refuse any compromise)


On the other side, the Democrats are really bad at compromising. Up to this point the Democrats, led by President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, were giving all the way.  It seemed as if compromise to them meant give in so that a deal can be made. In all the "compromises" so far, it seems as if the Democrats gave in and the Republicans held strong. 


Now, as a shutdown looms, Democrats have changed their game, deciding not to give in anymore.  The problem is that since they've given and given all this time, they have little to work with. Compromise is about having something to offer that the other side wants, and them having something you would like in return. 

Webster's dictionary defines compromise as: "a way of reaching agreement in which each person or group gives up something that was wanted in order to end an argument or dispute."  The problem for the Democrats right now is that they don't really have bargaining chips, and the Republicans (guided by the Tea Party) refuse to give anything up. 


I think if Henry Clay's quote could be revised today it would be something like this: "Politics SHOULD NOT be about ideological purity or moral self-righteousness, it SHOULD BE about governing.  And if you cannot compromise you cannot govern."  The problem is that politics right now is entirely about ideological purity, not about governing. Rather than compromising in order to actually govern the country, our politicians on both sides are fighting for their ideological purity.  


What has happened? Why are we unwilling to compromise?  


I think part of it has to do with the fact that we have become so focused on a single issue. Rather than saying "We have a budget problem and we do need to address it, HOWEVER, we also have a country to govern," the Tea Party is saying "We have a moral crisis that has led to overspending, and if we don't address this now, our country will collapse." 


I agree that we need to cut back on spending, but we need to be responsible about it. The more I look at proposed budget cuts (including Paul Ryan's proposed FY2012 budget) I see cuts across the board, with little thought as to what is actually being cut.  This leads to trying to balance the budget on the backs of the poor. It's fairly clear that those who will be hurt most by the proposed budget cuts are those who rely on government services and a social safety net for their livelihood.  Now if we want to say that these programs need to be fixed so that people aren't dependent on them and can support themselves I'm all in and I'll jump right in and help.  However, what I'm hearing sounds more like "these programs need to be fixed so they don't cost us so much...so we should cut them."  


I feel like I'm starting to ramble, so I'm going to try to end this soon, but I just can't get over the fact that the House of Representatives seems to be ignoring the fact that these budget cuts have real human impact.  People are actually affected by these cuts, and people will suffer if these cuts go through. 


We need to fix the budget. Blind slashing is not the way to fix it. Let's be responsible about this.  Start by cutting programs that we don't need (such as fighter jet engines that the military doesn't even want).  Then let's look at fixing programs what we need, but aren't working right. This won't happen immediately, but if we take our time to do it right our future will be much better than if we rush to slash the budget. 

Taxes

It's tax season and people around the country are finishing up (or already finished) reporting their income and paying their taxes. Meanwhile, at InterAction I'm writing a paper on Innovative Financing for Development, which addresses a variety of tax options on currency transactions, financial transactions or big banks as a way to raise money for development and global health programs.  At  the same time, Congress is fighting over the budget and while taxes aren't really part of the fight, they actually are.

On that note, I want to make a few points
1. We do have a budget problem, and we do need to work to balance it
2. Cutting from the "non-defense discretionary budget" will not balance the budget. Even if we eliminated the entire "non-defense discretionary" budget, we'd still have a deficit
3. Some programs absolutely cannot be cut
4. The proposals put forth in HR 1 would be like pulling the safety net out from under a tightrope walker.  People all over the country (and the world) live day to day, week to week, and do not have a secure financial future.  The proposed cuts take away any safety net they have.
5. There are other ways to balance the budget than just cutting spending (hint: look at the title of this post).

So here's my recommendation, and before I continue, don't get your hopes up, this isn't a complete solution, and I'm not going to go into a ton of detail because I haven't studied the numbers very carefully, but I have enough to present a basic idea.

MY RECOMMENDATION: raise taxes (shhh...don't tell the rich beneficiaries of the Bush tax cuts that I said this).

 I'm not saying to raise taxes on everybody.  In fact in most cases I wouldn't even say raise taxes, I'd simply eliminate tax cuts to the wealthy.  Along with that, we need to close corporate tax loopholes.  There are far too many deductions, shelters and other tax-reducing tactics that big businesses use to avoid paying their fair share. I'm not going to propose a solution to our tax problems right now, but we need to work on our tax policies.  Americans expect services from the government, but we don't want to pay for them. Take a look at most European countries.  They pay far higher taxes than we do, yet we expect most of the same services, that's unrealistic.  We need to take a good hard look at what we expect from our government, and what we are willing to pay to get it.

I'm thinking I'll need to come back with a more detailed post on this later, but this is all I have time for now.  Remember, I'm not saying we should raise taxes on everyone, but we do need to at least have taxes on the table as we seek to solve our budget issues.

Baseball

To honor Opening Day (yesterday) of the 2011 baseball season, here's what I think is probably the best definition of baseball I've ever heard.  It's from famous Detroit Tigers announcer, the late Ernie Harwell's Hall of Fame Induction speech.

Baseball is the President tossing out the first ball of the season and a scrubby schoolboy playing catch with his dad on a Mississippi farm. A tall, thin old man waving a scorecard from the corner of his dugout. That's baseball. And so is the big, fat guy with a bulbous nose running home one of his 714 home runs.

There's a man in Mobile who remembers that Honus Wagner hit a triple in Pittsburgh forty-six years ago. That's baseball. So is the scout reporting that a sixteen year old pitcher in Cheyenne is a coming Walter Johnson. Baseball is a spirited race of man against man, reflex against reflex. A game of inches. Every skill is measured. Every heroic, every failing is seen and cheered, or booed. And then becomes a statistic.

In baseball democracy shines its clearest. The only race that matters is the race to the bag. The creed is the rulebook. Color merely something to distinguish one team's uniform from another.

Baseball is a rookie. His experience no bigger than the lump in his throat as he begins fulfillment of his dream. It's a veteran too, a tired old man of thirty-five hoping that those aching muscles can pull him through another sweltering August and September. Nicknames are baseball, names like Zeke and Pie and Kiki andHome Run and Cracker and Dizzy and Dazzy.

Baseball is the cool, clear eyes of Rogers Hornsby. The flashing spikes of Ty Cobb, an over aged pixie named Rabbit Maranville.

Baseball is just a game, as simple as a ball and bat, yet as complex as the American spirit it symbolizes. A sport, a business and sometimes almost even a religion.

Why the fairy tale of Willie Mays making a brilliant World's Series catch. And then dashing off to play stick ball in the street with his teenage pals. That's baseball. So is the husky voice of a doomed Lou Gehrigsaying., "I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth.”

Baseball is cigar smoke, hot roasted peanuts, The Sporting News, ladies day, "Down in Front", Take Me Out to the Ball Game, and the Star Spangled Banner.

Baseball is a tongue tied kid from Georgia growing up to be an announcer and praising the Lord for showing him the way to Cooperstown. This is a game for America. Still a game for America, this baseball! 

Here's a link to a video where you can hear Ernie give the speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cloU58N0YVI&feature=related

Baseball is probably my favorite sport professionally. Going to a baseball game is like almost nothing else in the professional sports world.  If I could have season tickets to any sport, it would be baseball, and YES, I would indeed love to go to 81 baseball games each year.  A baseball game is one of the few places where you can do and relax with friends for 7 innings, cheering when the situation calls for it, and follow the game while enjoying the social aspect, and then tune in for the last couple of innings when things really get exciting.  Some people say that baseball is boring.  How can it be boring when there is so much going on?  I know, I know, "nothing ever happens" people say.  Now maybe it's just the fact that I've played baseball all of my life and am pretty much an extreme stat-nerd, but the way I look at it there is ALWAYS something going on.  To the average fan, the only pitches that matter are the ones that end in strikeouts and home runs. From my view (especially as a former pitcher) EVERY SINGLE PITCH is huge.  A good pitcher uses every pitch purposefully, setting up the rest of the at-bat.  A pitch that is made in the first inning might be done just to set up a different pitch 5 innings later. 

There's so much strategy in baseball, and so much thinking that does (or should) go into every single pitch and every swing and every play in the field, that it can never be boring (at least to a sports nut like me).  For that, and for the fact that everyone from a little kid throwing a plastic ball around, to a grandpa and grandma watching a game, baseball truly is a game that EVERYONE can enjoy.  

So let's say hello to another season of our country's pastime...LET'S PLAY BALL!

The Last Few Weeks

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post, and for that I apologize. Basically I got busy at work, so I didn't have as much time there to write posts, and then with Kristen visiting me here in DC (which was amazing!) and other stuff going on blogging just kind of slipped my mind.

As I said, the last couple of weeks at work have been pretty busy. I've been doing a lot of research on issues related to the G8 Summit coming up this May in France.  I've written reports on Financial Levies, food security, I even wrote an article that will be published in next month's issue of Monday Developments (InterAction's monthly magazine).  I've also had the opportunity to go to some really interesting presentations and meetings, hearing a presentation at the World Bank on commodity price volatility, a presentation from the CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (one of the main US government international development programs), and gone to a few House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearings.

One thing I've learned, or rather, been reminded of in the past few weeks is the need to rely on God. Those who know me know that I like to be in control of my life and be able to plan things out. Looking for jobs and figuring out what I'm going to be doing post-graduation (that's in May...WOW!) has reminded me that I can't always have everything figured out. With the difficulty in finding a job, and the uncertainty of the future, it's been easy for me to worry about that and think about it way too much. Thankfully, God keeps reminding me just to let go and trust that He will provide. An example of this happened this past Sunday in Church. During opening worship something got me thinking about jobs, and it had me really distracted from worship. I kind of snapped back to the song we were singing just as we sang the lines "You are God, you are God, of all else I'm letting go."  Things like that are the small ways in which God has been reminding me to trust Him and let Him provide for me and guide my steps. In the midst of uncertainty about finding a job it can be so easy to worry, but it is so comforting to know that God is in control and that He has a plan.

There have also been a significant number of political developments in the last few weeks, a number of them garnering national attention on the situation in Michigan. Some of those highlights include Governor Snyder passing the emergency financial powers law (I can't wait until he tries to use it and the whole state turns against him, followed by numerous court cases challenging what seems to be a fairly clearly unconstitutional law).  Another happened yesterday, when Governor Snyder signed a bill reducing the length of unemployment benefits, because apparently that is supposed to help create jobs (I don't see the logic there).

I'm hoping to have time soon to write some more on a variety of political issues, I guess that comes down to me making it more of a priority.

I hope all is well for all who are reading this.  To all of you back in Michigan I miss you guys a lot (that means you should visit me here in DC, because DC is an awesome city).

Some Thoughts on Immigration

The House of Representatives in Michigan is currently debating passing HR 4305, the "Support our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act."  The proposed bill would require law enforcement officials to verify the legal presence of any person over 18 if: they have been stopped for another purpose, and "a person who is or should reasonably suspected of being unlawfully present in the United States."

Now, I understand the need for immigration reform.  Undocumented immigration is a huge problem in the United States, and we need to do something to address that issue.  However, that solution should come in the form of Federal immigration reform, not individual states attempting to implement their own immigration laws.

Specifically, when it comes to this proposed Michigan law I have various concerns, but I'll stick to mostly talking about just one of them for now.  My main concern is with the phrase discussing probably cause.  The phrase I quoted above says that an officer must verify the legal presence of a person in the U.S. if the person they stopped is reasonably suspected of being unlawfully present in the United States.  This is where I have a problem.  On what grounds is a police officer supposed to decide if a person is or should be reasonably suspected of being here illegally?  The fact that this proposed bill does not specifically lay out guidelines for what this "reasonable suspicion" makes me worry about how "reasonable suspicion" will be decided.

I've heard far too many people in the U.S. refer to all people of Latino descent far too stereotypically, and at the same time heard far too many people generalize all Latinos as immigrants, assuming the majority of them to be here undocumented.  That leads to the assumption (and I know this is NOT a far-fetched assumption) that so-called "reasonable suspicion" will be brown skin, Latino descent.  Now stop me if I'm wrong, but that sounds like very poorly disguised racism.

Supporters of this bill cite the fact that are an estimated 200,000 undocumented immigrants in Michigan, calling them a drain on the state.  What they fail to recognize, or refuse to admit, is that undocumented immigrants tend to do work that no American is willing to do.  I've gotten so sick of hearing Americans say "immigrants are stealing our jobs," when if you asked that American (employed or unemployed) to do the job the immigrant is doing they 'd get offended.  On the other side of the argument, a recent report by the Michigan League of Human Services estimated that the proposed bill would cause the state to lose $3.8 billion in revenue, and hurt industries such as produce, which draw mostly undocumented workers.

Additionally, the claim of undocumented immigrants being a major drain on the economy is fairly weak.  People complain that undocumented immigrants don't  pay taxes, while receiving medical care and education as well as other public services.  The fact is that undocumented immigrants DO pay taxes, do pay bills, receive far less than adequate medical care, and have absolutely no chance of receiving a tax return or Social Security (which they also pay into).  In short, they pay into almost everything that a documented immigrant or U.S. citizen does, while receiving almost no benefits for it.

Like I said, I agree that we need immigration reform, to address the issue of undocumented immigration.  However, this is NOT the answer.  Responding to a problem by implementing legalized racism is wrong, and we need to avoid committing that grave injustice.

Just So We're Clear...The Truth About Foreign Aid

With the new budget out, and the FY 2011 budget still being debated with the Continuous Resolution and whatnot, I wanted to clear things up a bit on foreign aid, and make it clear how mis-informed the American public generally is.  If you're part of this group who believes some of the statistics I'm about to mention, don't be insulted, just allow yourself to be educated.

WorldPublicOpinion.org, an affiliate of the Center for International and Security Studies at the University of Maryland, recently did a poll regarding American public opinion on foreign aid. The most obvious conclusion was that Americans vastly overestimate the amount of money that we spend on foreign aid.  When asked how much of the federal budget goes to foreign aid, the median estimate by the general public is 25%.  Asked how much they thought would be an appropriate amount the median response was 10%.

FACT: Total percentage of the federal budget that goes to foreign aid is actually ONE PERCENT (1%).  In fact, foreign aid represents only 2.6% of the discretionary portion of the budget.

So what does that mean?  It means that when Congressmen say that their constituents are calling for cuts in foreign assistance, and when Congressmen themselves say that cuts need to be made to foreign aid, we need to make sure that everyone is educated.  Last Thursday I was with InterAction, distributing our Foreign Assistance Briefing Books (FABB), a policy book on foreign aid that we give out to all the members of Congress every few years.  A staffer at one office told us that they were pushing for cuts to foreign aid because their constituents kept calling saying they wanted cuts to the budget.  That makes sense if they believe that 25% of the budget goes to foreign aid.  However, based on the facts, the general public is actually advocating for an INCREASE in foreign aid.  After all, they said 10% would be an appropriate number, and that would be an increase from just by 9% of the budget.

So Congressmen, when your constituents call saying we need to cut foreign aid, it is your responsibility to make sure they actually know the facts on the foreign assistance budget and can make educated inputs.

Panel Discussions and Thoughts on Foreign Aid

This has been a busy week as far as meetings go, and it's only Wednesday.  Yesterday I went to two meetings that between the 2 of them took up the entire day.  Today I spent my whole morning at another panel discussion.

The first was a panel discussion on Global Cooperation on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), hosted by the Brookings Institution.  Among the speakers were the United Nations Under-Secretary General/High Representative for LDCs, a chief economist from USAID, the president of Rural Restoration Nepal (RRN), and a research fellow at the Brookings Institution's Global Economy and Development Program.  I guess I'll summarize that meeting by saying that it was quite interesting, pretty informative, and smart people (or people who think of themselves as smart) like to talk...a lot.

The second meeting yesterday involved a few other aid/advocacy organizations (such as Oxfam) us (InterAction) and the World Bank.  The purpose of the meeting was for the WB to show us what they had done with feedback we'd given them on a report for IDA16 - the next round of funding replenishment for the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA).  Last year the same thing had happened, but they never showed how they used our feedback, so this year we said we wouldn't do it unless they committed to show us how they used our feedback.  So they reported on it, and they had included significant changes to their report based on feedback we had given them. Interestingly, they seemed very hesitant to publicize the fact that they had received feedback from NGOs.  Also, while reading the report I felt like I was reading a UN General Assembly resolution.  Most of the words didn't actually DO anything.  There were words like "encourage, support, promote, recognize, and hope" rather than "commit, mandate, and promise."

This morning I attended a panel discussion on Innovative Financing and the Global Health Funding Gap.  It was hosted by the UN Foundation, and on the panel was a representative from African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA), a director of Standard Bank, a program manager from the World Bank, and an Executive Director from the UN Foundation.  The keynote speaker was an Administrator for Global Health at USAID. This panel was actually very interesting, and spoke somewhat on issues familiar to me, somewhat on issues entirely new to me.  The general topic of global health is not something  I have a ton of experience with, but I do find it very interesting.

The main topic of the panel was Innovative Financing, which is basically using financial tools (and banks) to guarantee funding on pledges made towards development (in this case health) projects.  The "Pledge Guarantee for Health" (PGH) was launched as part of this panel, and you can read here (http://www.undispatch.com/pledge-guarantee-for-health-goes-live) about it's opening program. Basically the point is that in development, aid is often unpredictable, unstable, and limited.  What the PGH does is serve as a way for the funds to be guaranteed and on time.  When an organization or government makes a pledge to fund a program, the PGH serves as a guarantee, so through a bank like Standard Bank (the largest bank in Africa) provides the funding up front, before the pledge is actually fulfilled.  This allows development projects to proceed on a much more timely basis, making them far more effective.

To use the example from the opening project of PGH, malaria nets were provided in Zambia. Normally, disbursal of these funds and procurement of the nets would take about 32 weeks.  Through PGH, the funding was received in about 6 weeks, and 88% of the nets were delivered within 2-3 weeks of the project being announced, reaching the areas of highest need.

PGH, and other Innovative Financing methods, help make aid far more effective, and more efficient.  Another aspect of this is results based finance, in which rather than provide all the funds up front and have disjointed inputs, if an organization (or in this case clinics) are successful at carrying out their program, then upon completion they receive some extra funding to further their programs.  This doesn't cost anything extra, but rather makes more efficient use of funds already provided. It does this by creating a chain of actions for success rather than a bunch of separated, discordant inputs, by focusing on the outputs of the program.

It's tough for me to provide a very complete analysis of these programs, because this is really the first time I've encountered them, (so maybe I should be waiting on this post), but at first glance they seem like a really good idea.  To be certain, they are no silver bullet, but I don't think there is any 1 silver bullet solution.  I think that Innovative Finance probably is a good thing, and I hope to see it contribute to improved aid effectiveness.
more on this once I know more about it...

IN OTHER NEWS...
Did anyone see this (http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0211/50019.html#comments) story?  Justin Amash (our US Representative) has voted "present" 5 times in the  last week alone.  Voting "present" basically means abstaining, because it signifies "present, but not voting."  To compare, Vern Ehlers (please come out of retirement Vern!) voted present only 4 times IN THE LAST 8 YEARS! What exactly does Amash think he was elected to do? Sit around and enjoy DC? I don't think so.  Oh, and his excuse "he wasn't given adequate time to read the bill."  Well guess what, EVERYBODY ELSE READ IT (or there staffers did), so get with the program buddy, you got elected, now do your job (on second thought, maybe it's better that he doesn't vote, since I'd disagree with most of his votes anyways.

Time for Bible study...adios

US House Foreign Affairs - At least someone makes sense

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Thursday, February 17, 2011

On House Floor, Rep. Berman Condemns GOP’s Irresponsible Slash-and-Burn Tactics That Jeopardize Our National Security

Watch The Video Here: http://bit.ly/dWFJl3

Washington, DC – Congressman Howard L. Berman, Ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, delivered the following remarks on the House floor late last night during debate of H.R. 1, the Continuing Resolution for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2011.  During his statement, Congressman Berman condemned House Republicans for their irresponsible slash-and-burn tactics to cut spending in a way that seriously jeopardizes our national security and hampers our country’s economic growth.

Madam Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Madam Chairman, it seems to me that in this frenzied competition to see who can cut the most and the fastest, we are losing all sense of reason and rationality.  I am deeply concerned by what I see happening to the international affairs budget, which is contained in Title Eleven of the bill before us.

In past years, the State Department and foreign operations appropriation bill has passed with strong bipartisan support, often by an overwhelming margin.  Members of both parties have understood how important diplomacy and development are -- not only to U.S. standing in the world, but to our country’s own economic growth, to American jobs, and to American national security. 

They recognize that problems such as terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and the spread of deadly disease cannot be resolved unilaterally.  They know that, over the long term, the best way to create more jobs at home is to build more export markets overseas.  They understand that we cannot defeat violent extremism by military means alone, and that, as Secretary Gates said last fall, “Development is a lot cheaper than sending soldiers.”

Yet the process by which this CR has been produced makes a mockery of the responsibilities we have as Members of Congress to advance our economy and protect our national security. 

First, the Republican leadership announced a plan to make $44 billion in cuts.  Then we start hearing other numbers: $58 billion.  $74 billion.  $100 billion.  Each time, it’s measured a different way, against a different baseline.  And no matter how high the number goes, there are proposals to cut even deeper.

These numbers weren’t chosen because they looked at programs and said, “Here’s something that’s not working.”  Or “Here’s something we don’t need to do.”  No – the number was purely arbitrary, plucked out of a hat, and totally unrelated to any thoughtful calculation of what was actually needed and how much that costs.

This bill isn’t about making government more cost effective or more efficient.  It doesn’t promote the kind of reforms and streamlining that are needed to ensure that our aid reaches those who need it most.  It’s simply a slash-and-burn process, hacking away with a machete without consideration for all the critically important work that is being destroyed or how it affects our national security.

The base bill itself might be laughable if it weren’t so appalling.  Humanitarian programs to provide lifesaving assistance – food, water, medicine, and plastic sheeting – to victims of earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and famines is cut by 50%.  Do we really intend to stand idly by as innocent men, women and children starve to death?  Will we turn off our television sets when we see people’s homes and livelihoods wiped away by an unexpected catastrophe?

It’s not just disaster aid that is affected: every other program that protects the poorest and most vulnerable people is savaged.  Refugee aid.  Food aid.  Water and sanitation.  Massive cuts in international efforts to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.

Meanwhile, funding for the diplomats and aid workers who carry out these programs is also slashed.  If there’s anything we’ve learned over the past few years, it ought to be that we don’t just hand over money to contractors and governments without adequate oversight and accountability.

Over the past month, we have all watched the incredible events unfolding in Tunisia and Egypt.  The United States did not create these democracy movements and does not control them.  But our diplomats did, and do, play a large role in helping to promote peaceful, negotiated solutions so that the will of the people can be heard.  Our security assistance helped professionalize forces in both of those countries so that they did not crush the demonstrators with force, as has happened in so many other places.  And yet, this bill and many of the proposed amendments would slash the kinds of assistance we provide to nascent democracy movements and human rights activists under other authoritarian regimes.

Somehow the draconian cuts in this bill were not enough for many in this body.  Added on top of all these cuts, we now face amendments to remove ourselves completely from the United Nations, to eliminate funding for the National Endowment for Democracy and the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the U.S. Institute of Peace.  They would prohibit us from taking action to address climate change and increase the availability of voluntary family planning for couples who cannot feed the children they already have.  They would cut aid to countries whose support is essential to us in the areas of counterterrorism, intelligence, and non-proliferation, just because they don’t vote with us in the United Nations.

There’s one thing the authors of these amendments don’t seem to understand: Aid is not a gift. The United States provides foreign assistance because it serves OUR interests.  Helping countries become more democratic, more stable, more capable of defending themselves and better at pulling themselves out of poverty is just as important for us as it is for them.

 

Madam Speaker, the cuts to international spending in this bill will not create a single U.S. job – in fact, they will cost jobs.  One amendment would even eliminate the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, or OPIC – an agency that helps U.S. businesses compete in world markets, and actually MAKES money for the U.S. taxpayer.

This is no way to legislate.  This is an irrational process that is, quite frankly, a national embarrassment, and I urge my colleagues to join me in telling the leadership: “Enough already.  It’s time to start over.” 

God Is Love

I heard a sermon today in Church that sparked in me the desire to write about it.  It’s not something I haven’t heard before, but I think something that we often forget. 

Since living in DC I’ve been going to a church that meets in the basement of a coffee house around the corner from where we’re living.  It’s a fairly young church, with I think 4 or 5 other campuses around DC. 

Today’s sermon was on 1 John 4:7-21 (click to read it).  One of the points of emphasis of the sermon was that God is love.  The pastor started out by reading the passage, then talked a bit about how we define love.  She got us thinking by saying “what if we replaced “love” here with “nice?”  Instead of “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” It would be: God is nice.  Whoever is nice lives in God and God in them.  When we change that, it loses so much meaning, not to mention the implications it would have for our faith, and for God being a just God.  See, if we really think about it, God is not nice.  God is love.  God is just.  God is not nice.  If God were nice he would not punish sin.  If God were nice, Ananias and Sapphira would not have been struck dead.  But God isn’t nice, He’s just.  It reminds of a scene in “The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.”  You can see the video if you click here and start at the 6:00 mark.  In the book it happens far earlier, and here is the text from the book (a bit more meaningful)

“Ooh!” said Susan, “I’d thought he was a man. Is he—quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”
“That you will, dearie, and no mistake,” said Mrs. Beaver, “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”
“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.
“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

Then, being typical me, I started thinking about how this applies to social justice.  If God is love, and being born of God and knowing God means we must love, then shouldn’t we show the same love to others that Jesus showed to us? 

John says that “whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar.  For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen” (1 John 7:20).  We see the poor and suffering all around us, yet we continue to allow them to suffer in their poverty, and we allow people all over the world to suffer in justices because we sit by idly and do nothing.  

At a time when so many political issues are related to the budget and there are talks everywhere about cutting spending, I wonder about how this applies to foreign aid and welfare spending.  Republicans in congress claim that we need to cut foreign aid from the budget, and reduce spending on social welfare programs, yet I ask, in this, how are we showing love to our brothers and sisters?  If we are called to love our brothers and sisters, and if God says that if we know Him, then love will flow out from us, how can we justify cutting programs that help those most in need?

Those are some thoughts for now.  I’d love to see comments on this and have a conversation about it.

First days at InterAction

I’ve been at my internship with InterAction for two days now.  There’s not a ton to report (it’s only been 2 days, so obvious not a ton has happened) but it’s been good far.  Some of the work has been a bit monotonous, which is understandable since I’ve been there two days and I have to work my way up to doing tasks that require more responsibility.  I have had one really interesting report I’ve been working on regarding the American public’s perception of US federal spending on foreign aid.  My most basic conclusion is that the average American’s knowledge of US spending on foreign aid is incredibly low.  For example, recent studies show that the average American thinks the US spends 25% of the federal budget on development aid.  The truth: development aid makes up 0.19% of GNI.   That’s right, zero point one nine.  That’s almost 2 tenths of one percent, nearly the lowest percentage of any developed country in the world.  This after we committed to spend 0.7% on official development assistance.  Pathetic.

On a separate note, I’m quite enjoying life at the Heritage Foundation.  My friend Ben brought along a few of his favorite games (Settlers among them) and a few others have some great games, so we’ve had the chance to play some great games and have some great competitions on almost a nightly basis.   It’s been awhile since I’ve gotten to play such great games so regularly, so I’m quite enjoying it. 

That’s all for now…UNC/Duke is on and Duke needs me to cheer harder…

Capitol/Pentagon Visit

Today we visited the Capitol Building and the Pentagon. Visiting the Capitol was interesting and pretty cool, although it was something I'd seen before, and I'm more looking forward to when we get to go back while both the Senate and House are in session and sit in the gallery. Thanks to Senator Carl Levin we have both Senate and House gallery passes.

Visiting the Pentagon was an altogether different experience, and I quite enjoyed it. We arrived a bit early, so we walked over to the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial. It's one of the most interesting/unique memorials I've seen in DC, and probably one of my favorites. The guard there told us that it lights up at night and looks even better, so hopefully I'll get a chance to see that. I'll try and get a picture of it up on the blog and talk more about it then.

The picture to the right is of me at the Pentagon, standing in front of the Department of Defense press podium. Okay, so it's not actualy the DoD press podium, it's a replica, but still pretty cool anyways. The Pentagon tour was quite impressive. When you walk in the visitors entrance the first thing you see is the Guardian Angel. The Guardian Angel is a military person who stands atop the staircase, overlooking a tunnel into the Pentagon, dressed in military green jumpsuit and carrying an assault rifle. Not the guy you want to mess with.

We received a tour from a Marine and a Navy Seaman. They gave the entire tour while walking backwards (so they could make eye contact with us) and only turned around to go up or down stairs. Probably the most surprising and interesting thing I learned was about 9/11. They told us about how the building is constructed, and how they had just about completed renovations on the side that was hit. Because renovations were not done, most of that side of the Pentagon was empty. Also, the structure had been reinforced with steel and kevlar (same thing they use to make bulletproof vests and all) among other things. 184 people died when that plane hit the Pentagon, but they estimate that had it hit any other side it would have crashed through one side, gone through the courtyard and impacted a second side of the Pentagon, killing over 12,000 people. Wow.

One Week In

So my first week in DC is coming to a close.  It’s been an interesting week, visiting different organizations around DC and learning about Faith and Public Life.  That’s the topic for one of the classes we’re taking here in DC “Christian Faith and Public Life.”  It’s been interesting to see how different organizations treat faith in the Public Life arena.  We’ve visited Christian organizations, a Jewish organization, and non-religious organizations that deal with faith related issues.  It’s been interesting, and prompted some good discussion. 

What I’m really excited for is next Tuesday.  That’s my first official day at my internship, with InterAction.  I went in on Thursday to meet my supervisor and others in the office.  I met a few of the other interns (working for other departments) and got to know a bit more what I’ll be doing as one of the “Policy and Communications (Advocacy)” interns.  I think mostly I’m just ready to finally get into the flow of actually doing work again.  I’m interested to see what the advocacy and public policy world is like (while I wait on hearing back from U of M and MSU about my applications for a Masters in Public Policy). 

Today I visited the American History Museum and the National Archives.  The museum had a really interesting exhibit on wars the US has been involved in, called “The Price of Freedom.”  I enjoyed that exhibit a lot, seeing as how history is one of my favorite subjects.  The Archives was pretty cool too.  We saw the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights. 

Super Bowl is this Sunday, still not sure who I’ll be cheering for.  As they say with some injuries “that will be a game time decision.” I hope all of you are doing well. 

Week 1

It's my first week in DC, and it's shaping up to be an interesting week.  I don't actually start at my internship until Thursday (and then we have Friday off), so these first 3 days this week our group is visiting different organizations around DC.  Today we kicked things off by visiting International Justice Mission and The Institute for Religion and Democracy.  IJM was a great visit.  I know a decent amount about IJM and what they do, so it was really cool to get to meet with some of their staff members and hear about what they do in their jobs.  The Institute for Religion and Democracy was, well, interesting.  As we were talking about it afterwards a friend of mine described it as "The Institute for Criticizing Liberal Christians," which seemed fairly accurate after spending almost an hour listening to and questioning the president of the Institute.  The organization actually started in the 80s as a response to Christian denominations who were supporting Socialist/Marxist regimes in developing countries.  It served as a watchdog against this type of action, ensuring that Christians supported democracy.  After the collapse of the Cold War it had to search for a new mission, which it did, but as far as we could tell that mission was a little bit less clear, and seemed more intent on making sure the Church remained conservative.

Tonight in class we had some interesting and intense discussions surrounding the Faith Based Initiative, and what types of organizations/services should be publicly funded and which should not.

As much as I enjoyed our visits and all, I'm really looking forward to getting started with my internship.  I'm really excited to get to learn more about how Development, Politics, and Advocacy all intertwine, especially at a non-profit in DC.

And for all who are worried about my eating while I'm here, no worries, I'm keeping myself well fed.

1st Day

I am officially living in Washington, DC.  Wow, I'm not sure the impact of that has quite hit me yet, but I'm incredibly excited for what this city brings.  As Uncle Tom was driving me downtown (after picking me up from the airport and bringing me home for pancakes and coffee, which i greatly appreciated) I got more and more excited seeing all the awesome buildings, the memorials, the different departments of our government.  I can look out the window of my apartment and see the Capitol building and the Washington Monument.  Last night a bunch of us walked a few blocks to see the Capitol at night and we also walked by the Supreme Court.  Just to be in a city where all of that is so close is mesmerizing.

The Heritage Foundation is an interesting place.  It will be fun to see how things are living here.  It's a very conservative organization.  In fact, if I were to want to write anything in support (or opposition to) any political candidate in this blog post, I'd have to leave the building, because we aren't allowed to use Heritage resources to support or oppose any political candidate.  But the room is nice, and the kitchen is nice, and being a block from Union Station pretty much everything is super easy to get to, just have to hop on the METRO.

More to come in the next few days...

I move to DC saturday...wow. get ready for more posts...they'll be coming!

Ready to Go

Two weeks.  That's how long until I make the move to Washington DC, where I will spend the spring semester interning at InterAction.  It will be my last semester as an undergrad student, and then I"ll probably end up working in DC (or maybe Chicago, etc.).

College has been great.  I've loved almost every minute of it, but these past 2 weeks I've realized something, I'm ready to be done.  The monotonous routine of getting up and going to class every morning is getting to me after the thrill of getting to get up and go to my internship this fall at Opportunity International.  Whenever I'm sitting in class, I'm thinking about the positive work that I could be doing instead.  Even if I was still just interning, there's so much I could do instead of sit in a classroom for hours every day.

I've always been one to look forward to the next big adventure, and I can see that being true now.  Washington DC provides the prospect of a thrilling environment, a great professional opportunity, and a lot of  fun with friends.  There's a lot that I will miss in Grand Rapids when I leave (and I will miss it a lot), but I need to go, and I'm ready.

Two weeks...I can do this.