Sunday, October 31, 2010

Good morning. Happy Sunday. the word, the thought, the prayer, the message that keeps coming to me this morning is as simple as it is complex. "breath"


To hear Chaplain Royals Weekly Podcast The Message, Click Here

Saturday, October 30, 2010

What children need

Children Need: DREAMS to touch the future. EMPATHY, remember what it was like to be a child. FAMILY and friend, everyone needs someone to love. GUIDANCE, action speaks louder than words! (Remember we are ALL children!)

Inclusive Life is a non-profit Care & Service Group serving all, without exception.

(402) 516-8475 www.inclusivelife.org

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Friday, October 29, 2010

Quote

"When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the morning light, for your life and strength. Give thanks for your food, and the joy of living. If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies with yourself...."

Inclusive Life is a non-profit Care & Service Group serving all, without exception.

(402) 516-8475 www.inclusivelife.org

BBC News - Despair of Pakistan's forgotten flood victims


BBC News - Despair of Pakistan's forgotten flood victims

Liaqat Babar, a farmer in Pakistan's southern province of Sindh, sees just one escape from the hunger, loss and torment inflicted by the recent catastrophic floods. Suicide.

"When I see my kids, I feel like killing myself," he says.

"We are powerless. We just keep quiet and ask God for death."

Three months after the flooding which affected 20 million people and one fifth of the country, Liaqat has no home, no hope and no answers for his six children.

"They are crying for food, " he says.

"I tell them God will send someone very kind, and I send them to sleep. In the morning they ask again for food, and I say again that God will send someone."

Liaqat was among a throng of broken men queuing for hours under a blistering sun, at a distribution of aid in the town of Daur.

Like many other areas in Sindh, Daur is cut off by water - an island of desperation.

Troops were deployed to control the hungry, who began gathering at six in the morning.

With a single helicopter the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) could only bring in 250-300 rations. But three or four times that number had joined the queue.

"It is heartbreaking," said WFP's Dorte Jessen, looking across at the swelling crowd. "The need is so big, and you want to help everyone."

Help is still needed desperately in Pakistan. Care.org is one of many charity agencies through which you can choose to give.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Life

LIFE 101: Never be to proud to ask for help. Everyone needs someone, sometime!

Inclusive Life is a non-profit Care & Service Group serving all, without exception.

(402) 516-8475 www.inclusivelife.org

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

We Are The Ones

“There are differences we cannot hide yet we all are one spirit deep inside. Finding out our past has been denied now we can tell our story and start to question why. Climbing out from under fear we'll know what we're doing here Brothers and sisters we are the ones, we are the ones, we are the ones. The one's that we're waiting for!”

Inclusive Life is a non-profit Care & Service Group serving all, without exception.


Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Homelessness is the Black Sheep of Politics

Homelessness is the Black Sheep of Politics

Here in America, homelessness has exploded in the past few decades. Yes, in recent years, the incidence of chronic homelessness (the people who have struggled on our streets the longest) is being reduced through an innovative approach that immediately houses homeless people. But the sad fact in America is that on any given night nearly three-quarters of a million people are homeless.

Despite this recent downturn in the economy, America still possesses enormous riches. American private wealth, the value of the assets we hold, stands at $48.8 trillion. In simple terms, we have the capacity as a country to end homelessness.

But we don’t. Why? The leaders in our country, particularly politicians, just don’t have the political will to invest in ending this social problem.

Here are my five top reasons why homelessness in America is the black sheep of politics:

1. Can you say “bank”?

Resolving homelessness is expensive. We all know that the main solution to homelessness is housing, an expensive solution even in this real estate downturn. We are talking billions of dollars that political leaders are not willing to spend, even when experts show it is cheaper to house homeless people than to allow them to live on the streets at high cost to our emergency rooms, paramedics, and law enforcement.

2. The silent political bloc has no influence

Most homeless people do not vote. We all know that politicians spend on those with the most influence.

I once told the mayor of a popular beach resort that if there were a fire and hundreds of homes burned down, he and his City Council would do everything, and spend anything, to house his upwardly mobile, now-homeless citizens. But there is no such political will to house the hundreds of homeless people who flock to his tourist attraction. He agreed.

3. No instant solutions

Even if political leaders were willing to invest billions of dollars, the construction of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of housing units won’t be accomplished in one or two political terms. The next generation of leaders will get the credit. Political leaders need to show solutions within their term of office.

4. Resolving homelessness is a bad sound bite

In this day and age of CNN, MTV, and Apple commercials, whoever can market the best 30-second sound bite attracts the most money and attention. The reasons for and solutions to personal homelessness are complicated. It is like describing why your wayward son is not living in that perfect American family behind that white picket fence.

How do you describe and explain the solutions to domestic violence, post-traumatic stress syndrome, substance abuse, and/or mental illness in mere seconds? It is much easier to promote an anti-drug campaign with a simplistic slogan like “Just Say No.” Or an educational campaign with “No Child Left Behind.”

5. Finger pointing is less expensive

No one wants to take the blame for social ills. It means political suicide. Blaming the one who is homelessness is so much more convenient. Homeless people are lazy, crazy, and are choosing to live on the streets- who wants to invest money and political capital in them?

No wonder why we allow hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens to languish on our streets like this is a Third World nation. It is much easier to just ignore them.

Sacramento Press / Faith groups open doors to homeless


Sacramento Press / Faith groups open doors to homeless

Sacramento’s faith community will be providing shelter for the homeless this winter season, as government funding falls short of providing enough resources.

Funding has steadily been falling as the poor economy has necessitated cutbacks, with more than $700,000 coming from Sacramento County in 2008 dwindling to less than $200,000 this year.

Mayor Kevin Johnson said shelters and motel vouchers can provide overnight housing for about 300 homeless, and he is looking for the faith community to supply shelter for another 100 people for the winter season.

“During the warm months, it’s less of an urgency, but when the temperature drops and the rain falls, it’s even that much more of a challenge to make sure we provide shelter for our homeless population,” Johnson said Monday at a press conference.

He applauded the area’s religious communities and said all have joined the Sacramento Steps Forward group, including Christians, Muslims and the Jewish community. Sacramento Steps Forward’s goal is to ensure that there is a system in place to support the area’s homeless and provide them with the resources they need.

Imam Mohammad Abdel Azeez of the Sacramento Area League of Associated Muslims said he remembers reading news reports of people “literally passing away” because of the cold a couple of years ago.

At the time, his congregation collected warm clothes and blankets and distributed them to the homeless.

“We are coming here today to make sure that such tragedy never happens again,” Azeez said. “We can not let our fellow Sacramentans suffer on those cold nights in the winter season.”

According to Pastor Rick Cole of Capital Christian Church, it’s not just Midtown churches that can help.

“There are churches in suburban areas that may not be as tied in and aware,” Cole said. “We need to step up and help and not just rely upon the Midtown churches to make a difference in this way in our community.”

Cole added that the problem is critical.

“We can’t fail at this,” he said. “We need to make sure that every night all through this winter season without fail that there’s a place for those who don’t have shelter over their heads.”

Your Body

Your body: Mechanics: Chiropractic has a focus on your structural problems, problems related to structural alignment, muscles, joints and ligaments. Massage will relax, refresh, and renew. Nutrition: Food is fuel. What kind of fuel are you consuming? Energetics: Energy medicine like Healing Touch and Reiki focus on your body’s subtle systems. Included in the body's systems is one accessed in the more than 2,000 year old practice of Acupuncture.

Inclusive Life is a non-profit Care & Service Group serving all, without exception.

(402) 516-8475 www.inclusivelife.org

Monday, October 25, 2010

Homelessness can cause mental problems in kids

The typical homeless families in the country are headed by young women in their 20s, typically with two children. Nearly half those kids are under age 5.

The consequences of homelessness can be devastating and long-lasting for young children. By age 8, one in three homeless children has a mental health problem that affects their functioning, said Karen Hudson, social worker with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a national expert on homeless children.

More than three-quarters of homeless children under age 5 have developmental delays. And nearly 40 percent exhibit emotional and behavioral problems, she said. These early problems can set the stage for problems, including homelessness, later in life. Surveys have noted that more than one-quarter of homeless adults experienced homelessness when they were young.

Children who lack stable housing face a host of challenges that stress their developing systems, including lack of sleep, hunger, fear, and increased levels of stress hormones such as cortisol, which can wreak havoc on young brains.

Sleep deprivation or disruption can make a child look and behave as though he has severe behavioral problems such as oppositional defiant disorder, said Dr. Ben Danielson, medical director of the Odessa Brown Children's Clinic of Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Seattle.

(The disorder is as a mental disorder displayed as an "ongoing pattern of disobedient, hostile and defiant behavior toward authority figures which goes beyond the bounds of normal childhood behavior.")

The symptoms that result from the stress of homelessness, can include anxiety, depression, extreme withdrawal, poor concentration or various forms of "acting out," such as tantrums.

"We see attachment disorders, big time," said Danielson.


The immense responsibility to our future and our future generation is the care and development of our children today. Jesus said, "Bring all the children to me". Much is said in scripture referring to children and their formation. We are told :

...whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.


We cannot forget that inaction and ommission are sins as well. Get involved in fighting homelessness. The solutions are there. We must use them.


Visit our Education and Preparation page for an excellent training opportunity call Strategies for Change.

Gratitude


“The ungrateful feel that it is below them to show any kind of appreciation.” Perhaps they believe that showing gratitude to others lessens their own worth. They don’t understand it is this sense of appreciation that enriches and grows the human spirit. The lack of gratitude is actually a sign of arrogance.

Inclusive Life is a non-profit Care & Service Group serving all, without exception.

(402) 516-8475 www.inclusivelife.org


Sunday, October 24, 2010

Faith and Fear

“Fear imprisons, faith liberates; fear paralyzes, faith empowers; fear disheartens, faith encourages; fear sickens, faith heals; fear makes useless, faith makes serviceable” It is good to encourage one another to allow faith to grow and take great delight in faiths ability to break down fear.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Housing the Homeless

Housing the Homeless - Lutherville-Timonium, MD Patch

As county officials grapple with homelessness, a local man's story of living under a bridge, panhandling and recovering from drug addiction shows how entrenched the problem can be.

Jeff Lindelof, 53, lives under a bridge. He likes it that way.

Raccoons, possums, foxes, deer and even a bobcat that he named Sable comfort Lindelof. He likes them more than he likes most humans.

If you've ever traveled York Road crossing into Cockeysville, you've probably met Lindelof and he has probably told you to "have a blessed day," even if you screamed at him to get a job.

Three or four times a week, he can be found at the intersection of York and Padonia roads, either sitting on two milk crates or limping up and down the median strip asking for change. He is homeless, aside from his encampment he shares with two others. He is also part of a growing trend in Baltimore County, where more men and women are finding themselves without shelter.

In response, county officials are hosting a series of meetings throughout the weekend to develop strategies for solving the issue.

But, Lindelof said he is skeptical and doesn't want the government's help.

"What are they going to do? Seriously, what are they going to do? They're going to come out, put us in a house or an apartment? They can't afford that," he said. "There are too many like me that want to be out here—that are more comfortable out there than they are in society."



When we help another in homelessness we may find those who are reluctant to accept help or may be happy with their life. We must respect the human dignity to choose ones way. But we can learn and gain insight by their story that will perhaps help another. We must neither reject nor scold them but befriend and help them in anyway we can. [Ed. please see also this related editorial.]

Brother's Keeper now has training opportunities on new ways of working with the homeless and underprivileged on it's Education and Preparation page.

What children need

Children Need: Appreciation, for all they bring into our lives. Balance, somewhere between too little and too much. Commitment, it’s the little things we do each day that matter. Aren’t we ALL children?

Inclusive Life is a non-profit Care & Service Group serving all, without exception.

(402) 516-8475 www.inclusivelife.org

Friday, October 22, 2010

‘we can end world hunger in our lifetime’

David Beckman’s new book says ‘we can end world hunger in our lifetime’

It has been a good October for David Beckmann, head of Bread for the World (and my former boss) personally, and for we anti-hunger advocates generally. Last week, David — anti-hunger activist, Lutheran pastor and president of Bread for the World — received the 2010 World Food Prize (the Nobel Prize equivalent for food and agriculture) at a ceremony in Des Moines, Iowa, earlier this month.

October saw the launch of David’s latest book as well. In the new book, “Exodus from Hunger: We Are Called to Change the Politics of Hunger,” David argues that we can end world hunger in our lifetime. He makes an passionate plea for all ordinary citizens, especially people of faith, around the country and the world, to muster up the political will to end global hunger.

David combines an optimism born from faith and a down-in-the trenches approach to ending hunger. Since he’s a pastor and an economist, his combing of the two comes as no surprise. The pastor sees people moving out of poverty as part of “God moving in our time.” At the same moment, the former World Bank economist sees the economy as crucial. David relates that we “can moderate what the economy is doing to hungry and poor people and set the stage for rapid gains against hunger and poverty once the economy recovers. In fact, I think God is calling us to change the politics of hunger.”


Buy it here and support Brother's Keeper Ministries.

Three Things You Need

"To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone."

Thursday, October 21, 2010

A Friend


“A friend is like a forest, Or a lovely, calm blue sea, A refuge from life’s problems, As only a friend can be.

A friend is like a song, Soothing to the brain, Distracting us from trouble, Neutralizing pain. A friend is like a blanket, Bringing peace and rest, A friend is a bit of everything That makes life good and sweet, And you, my friend, are all that; You make my life complete!”



Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Candace and her children



This is the real face of homelessness that is rarely seen. Candace lives in a weekly rate hotel with her four children in Wentzville, Missouri. Even the federal definition of homelessness does not see this family making all the numbers the government publishes on family and child homelessness at best a good guess. The numbers are much, much higher.

Candace had the courage to leave an abusive relationship. Most women stay. But if it wasn't for the help a kind man helping the unseen homeless families in St Charles County, Candace and all of her children would be literally out on the streets.

All the shelters are full. Hopefully, Candace will find an opening soon. But there are far more homeless families than there is help. This is a real crisis.

In a past life I worked for a church in a neighboring community. There are many churches in this area, as there are lots of churches throughout America. Unfortunately, the average church in this country spends more money talking about impact trying to fill seats then actually doing something to help hurting families in their community.

As the economy gets worse we must get better. My prayer is that the faith-based community will wake up and stop wasting money and resources trying to fill buildings, and start working with their communities to solve this social crisis.

The church needs to be more like Paul. Not the Paul in the Bible, but the Paul in St Charles County who has become the real hope to so many. Paul is helping homeless families not because he's trying to get people to go to church or win "souls", Paul is helping simply because it's what we all should be doing - helping our neighbors without an agenda.

Courtesy of invisiblepeople.tv

The McKinney-Vento Awards


From the National alliance to End Homelessness
:

Imagine you’re a 7 year old and your family becomes homeless. Every night, you fall asleep in a shelter, in a car, on the street. Imagine moving in and out of the assistance system, shuffled back and forth from shelters to programs to relatives. Suddenly, school, teachers, classmates, and even homework become the constants in your life – anchors of normalcy when everything else seems to be falling apart.

Last Thursday, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty hosted the annual McKinney-Vento Awards, the organization’s yearly tribute to leaders in the field. This year’s awardees included best-selling author Barbara Ehrenreich, the law firm Dechert LLP, and the Elzer family of Pittsburgh, PA.

...As the nation continues to recover from the grinding effects of this lasting recession, we can and must do more to extend even the smallest courtesies to each other – especially when the other is a young child. In a time of economic uncertainty and fear, we must work together in order to overcome our national challenges.


Consider what small courtesy you will do today.

Bro Joe

Being Happy at Work

5 ways to help be happy at work:

1- Know that how you react to a situation is entirely up to you!

2-Know that fear, guilt, and worry hold everyone back.

3-Being a faultfinder does not create motivation for change.

4-Making a change doesn't always “fix” things right away.

5-You get from your work environment/family as much or what you put it. And yes, there are times that it IS time to move on.

Inclusive Life is a non-profit Care & Service Group serving all, without exception.

(402) 516-8475 www.inclusivelife.org

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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Creating the 'Give-a-Damn' Army

Creating the 'Give-a-Damn' Army - Bread Blog

To honor this year’s winners of the World Food Prize, this column will go easy on the outrage and heavy on the inspire.

That’s not to say David Beckmann of Bread for the World and Jo Luck of Heifer International aren’t fueled by a high level of outrage. They most certainly are, for they have been shouting the loudest from the ramparts that hunger in the 21st century is totally unacceptable and that nearly 1 billion people going to bed with an empty stomach every night is the shame of our civilization.

But above all, they are about inspiration. They and their organizations inspire us to do better. And they provide the inspiration that individuals can and do make a tremendous impact in the fight against hunger. Particularly when those individuals get together and join forces. Bread, through its army of advocates who won’t let the legislators of this country forget about the world’s hungry, both at home and abroad. And Heifer, through its vast legion of contributors who help poor smallholder farmers climb another rung or two out of poverty through animal husbandry—be it silkworms or llamas or heifers or water buffalo.

The awarding of the World Food Prize to David Beckmann and Jo Luck illustrates that advocacy and activism matter. The work of the previous winners of the World Food Prize—most of them agriculture scientists, disciples of Iowa plant breeder and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Norman Borlaug, who established the prize—can’t be as effective as possible in fighting hunger without the clamor to make the general public and the politicians care enough to put their achievements into action. Dr. Borlaug knew this was true.

The winsome and eloquent Rev. Beckmann, a Lutheran pastor, calls it creating the “give-a-damn.” By mobilizing Bread’s faith-based constituency to rise up and engage elected officials, he has led successful campaigns to reduce the debt loads of the world’s poorest countries, to increase funding for child nutrition programs, and to realign U.S. foreign aid to focus on reducing hunger through agriculture development.

In accepting the award, he said, “I’m grateful to all the good citizens who pressure the politicians to remember the hungry of the world.”

For, he said over and over in Iowa this week, “The binding constraint is weak political will …. The fight against hunger begins at the grassroots.” Winning the war against hunger means winning the battle against political apathy.

The coming election in November, he noted, is a good pressure point. One standard for awarding your vote, he suggested, is asking, “Who’s going to be good news for the hungry people?”

Who’s in support of the Obama administration’s Feed the Future program, who’s in favor of increasing spending for agriculture development, who puts ending hunger at the center of their political values?

But the election is only a starting point. The coming years will be crucial for prodding the politicians—of the U.S. and the world—to make good on their recent pledges to increase spending on agriculture development in the poorest countries of the world. Rajiv Shah, the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, exhorted the World Food Prize audience to “build a durable domestic constituency” for ending hunger.

Jo Luck, a dynamo who leads with equal measures of determination and humor, raises the clamor like few others. “We’re here together to make a difference,” she encouraged the grassroots troops mustered in Des Moines. “We’re really going to do something this next decade.”

She winked a “Just you wait and see” wink. The “give-a-damn” army was ready to march.


Join Bread for the World...and give a damn.

Song that say something-Voices in the Night

Songs that say so much: “In a world created dreams are replaced with fear. Truth gone up in flames, smells like death in thee air Forsake what you created why are you running away. The daylights fading fast now rise up and say truth is not created. We are the voices in the night. We will not be silent. We won't back down. We'll stand and fight. We are the voices in the night.”


Monday, October 18, 2010

Words to Ponder-LOVE

Where there is no love, put love.

Where there is no peace, put love.

Where there is no hope, put love.

Where there is no faith, put love.

Where there is no family, put love.

Where there is no joy, put love.

It is there and then that all can have and find love.

Inclusive Life is a non-profit Care & Service Group serving all, without exception.

(402) 516-8475 www.inclusivelife.org

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Sunday, October 17, 2010

Taking a Step in Faith

"I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason.Bringing something we must learn and we are led to those who help us most to grow.If we let them. And we help them in return. Well, I don't know if I believe that's true but I know I'm who I am today. Because I knew you." This lyrics speak to so much in our lives.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

It's not just a personal problem.

"Poverty impacts more than the individuals who struggle to manage in their day-to-day lives. Poverty reflects and reinforces other forms of inequality, and it also has broad implications for communities. While it is common to think of poverty through the lens of individual effort or failure, the economic downturn serves as a reminder that poverty is tied into our social structure. It’s not just a personal problem."


Click over to this article about Harvard and Brookings Institute studies on the true measure and impact of poverty on our society.

Laughter

Never underestimate the power of… laughter. Every day insure there is time to enjoy life, laugh, to be silly, and, to be a kid again. This also holds true during times of grieving. Although you may be sad, it IS okay to laugh and think about those fun/funny moments.

Inclusive Life is a non-profit Care & Service Group serving all, without exception.

(402) 516-8475 www.inclusivelife.org


Friday, October 15, 2010

My Refuge

…you are my refuge. (The sacred can be your refuge, your safe place. You protect me. You shelter me. You give me peace. In Your strength I trust. Through your lessons, life and love I can’t be defeated.)


Thursday, October 14, 2010

Twitter Users Attack the Homeless ... Again.


From Change.org.

Ok...it is obvious that some sensitivity training is in order here. The old saying is true. It takes one to know one. Or at least a little education might help before spouting of old partisan ideas around at the expense of being completely inhumane.

We're Twitter addicts. The micro-blogging site allows us to catch up on the world in mere seconds.

But it's not perfect. Plenty of people use the site to spew hatred. The latest case in point — the trending topic #myhomelesssignwouldsay.

Users post their thoughts on what they would write on their cardboard "homeless sign" if they happened to find themselves on the sidewalk without a home. The tweets range from slightly off-color to incredibly offensive. Occasionally, there is a heartfelt, sensitive tweet urging people to stop making light of this real and devastating issue, but it quickly gets buried.

Here's a sampling of what's being said: "#myhomelesssignwouldsay see that REALLLLY TALLLLL building there? if i dont get any money in the next five minutes im jumping from it," "#myhomelesssignwouldsay If I wanted to work I would have a job, Just give me some damn money Honey" and "#myhomelesssignwouldsay I need to get f*cked up, please help me and contribute."


The website is urging Twitter to end this trend. I agree. All politicing aside...this is disgusting.

Community First!: Feet On Higher Ground



The nature of homelessness can be debated all day long. On having a home? There is no debate. It is a blessing to have a home. And to those chronically homeless, it is especially sweet to have a stable environment to begin mending the issues that beset them.

Life 101 ABC's of Life

The ABC’s of Life: A=Avoid negative sources, people, places, things, and habits. B=Believe in yourself.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Giving from the depths...



Mario Sepúlveda Espinace Returned Bearing Gifts
Wednesday, October 13, 2010, 12:58 AM
Elizabeth Scalia


Obviously, we are all watching the rescue of the 33 Chilean miners–Operation San Lorenzo–and it is so moving and inspiring – a rare moment when the world can rejoice together. Heroes from all over the world have gathered and drilled as millions throughout the globe prayed and hoped, and then, finally, we watched that exquisite moment when the first miner to ascend, Florencio Ávalos Silva and his wife and son embraced. Chills.

And then, after a brief wait, the second miner emerges from the rescue capsule with great joy; he embraces his wife and then opens a bag to retrieve…gifts.

For others.

In the midst of all of this drama, all of the lights and excitement and concern, and at a moment when a man could reasonably be excused for thinking only of himself, Mario Sepulveda Espinace thought about others, and he brought them gifts.

Rocks? Rocks containing gold? It doesn’t matter. Mario Sepulveda Espinace crested the top of a hole from which he thought he might never escape, and his first instinct was to give. That’s a thing worth writing about, and thinking about and praying about. I wish I had a picture of that moment! How huge and resilient is the human spirit?

We were already witnessing something jaw-dropping and near-miraculous. And a man arose bearing gifts, and it got even better, for everyone in the world who was paying attention.

Wow. I’m so glad I didn’t go to bed after the first miner came out!

And I’m remembering this.

UPDATE:

I love this tweet: Rocks! Of course!…what presence of mind…and generosity of spirit…and sense of humor…and grace.

So right! And so well said.

I love this too:

“There are actually 34 of us,” the nineteen-year-old miner wrote in a letter sent up from the mine on Tuesday, “because God has never left us down here.” –Chilean miner, Jimmy Sanchez


A beautiful act of gratitude. May we all, whom God has rescued, give like this.

Bro Joe

The Road


“Every long lost dream led me to where you are others who broke my heart, they were like northern stars Pointing me on my way into your loving arms this much I know is true that God blessed the broken road That led me straight to you.”


It is true, that which tries to stop us can make us stronger. Never give up. Follow your light, follow what is right for you, even when the road is hard.



Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Five Finger Prayer

Five Finger Prayer

This is so neat. I had never heard this before. This is beautiful - and it is surely worth making the 5 finger prayer a part of our lives.




1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C.S. Lewis once said, a "sweet duty."

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president no matter how you voted, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

5. And lastly comes our little finger - the smallest finger of all which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you." Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

If you decide to send this to a friend, you might brighten someone's day! Pass this on to someone special... I just did.

Pax,
Bro Joe

Monday, October 11, 2010

Crop Walk, Rock and Roll



Well they've had more people coming to the food pantries than ever and there is a lot of need locally and worldwide too, there are people dying of hunger every day and we just try to help those that we can,” says Julie McNaughton.

More than 40,000 people living in west central Wisconsin are "food insecure" which means they do not know when or how they will receive their next meal.


These kind of number beckon community involvement. How food secure is your community?

Passion Action Advocate

Within you is the ability to meet life’s challenges:
Passion, enthusiasm, delight, fervor, rage
Action, deed, accomplishment, engage, opportunity
Advocate, supporter, believer, activist, promoter

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Life Journey

Your life journey has molded you for your greater good, and it was exactly what it needed to be. Don't think that you've lost time. There is no short-cutting to life. It took each and every situation you have encountered to bring you to the here and now. And now is right on time! Take time to count your blessings and give thanks for what you have learned and what you have.

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(402) 516-8475 www.inclusivelife.org

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Saturday, October 9, 2010

Mayor urges B.C. to fund emergency shelters in light of severe winter forecast


Robertson urges B.C. to fund emergency shelters in light of severe winter forecast


Vancouver is still waiting for funding from the B.C. government to help pay for emergency winter shelters and get hundreds of homeless people off city streets.

And with forecasts calling for one of the harshest winters in half a century, Mayor Gregor Roberton says he’s worried that lives could be lost.

“I think it will be critical, given the forecast for a severe winter,” Robertson told The Province.

“If not, it’s going to be a brutal winter for hundreds of people. That’s the reality and it’s going backwards.”

The city has committed $500,000 towards an emergency winter shelter program with a budget of between $2.5 million and $3 million.

But so far, said Robertson, there’s been no commitment of that money from B.C. Housing Minister Rich Coleman.

Robertson said the city has been ramping up its winter shelter program every year since 2008 when a homeless woman known as “Tracey” burned to death in her shopping cart after lighting a candle to try to keep warm.


“It was only days after I got into office that Tracey died on Davie Street because she couldn’t access a shelter,” said Robertson on the eve of Homeless Action Week. “A shelter opened, literally, a few days after that, just a few blocks away. We weren’t in time to save her.”


Work and pray to never be too late again.

Don't blame yourself

When life isn’t going as planned or we have rough times we often make a list of ways we failed, ways we didn’t do it right or what we need to change. Life includes our choices and also things that are not in your control. Don’t focus on the coulda-woulda-shoulda… focus on the YOU, & standing back up again. Remember you are a person, not a stereotype. You are beautiful, loved and worthy just the way you are.


Friday, October 8, 2010

If Today Was Your Last Day



Thanks to my friend Taylor for this bit of advice.

Peace,

Bro Joe

Psalms

“God is for us a refuge and strength, a helper close at hand, in time of distress, so we shall not fear though the earth should rock, though the mountains fall into the depths of the sea; even though its waters rage and foam, even though the mountains be shaken by its waves. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen”

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Hip Young Christians New Face of Philanthropy


Hip Young Christians New Face of Philanthropy from Christianpost.com

“The New Faces of Philanthropy,” according to Catalyst – the nation’s largest gathering of young Christian leaders – look like Scott Harrison, founder of charity: water and former night club promoter, and Jamie Tworkowski, founder of To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA).

Harrison and Tworkowski defy the stereotypes of Christians held by non-Christians (according to the book UnChristian) – judgmental, hypocritical, and too political. Rather, the two young men and a rising generation of Christians are hip, socially conscious, and passionate about being the hands and feet of Christ in the darkest places.

“For us, we believe that we’re loved by a God who cares about people, and with that, cares about people’s pain,” said Tworkowski at the Catalyst conference on Wednesday. “Growing up, evangelism meant telling people about Jesus. Through [Pastor] Rick [McKinley of Imago Dei Community] it seems like it meant maybe we’re supposed to hold our hand or our palm against the wound of a broken world.”


Read More Here...

The Past

Rekindle past relationships, and take advantage of opportunities at work, school, neighborhood, worship, volunteering to expand your friendship base. People need to feel that they are a part of something bigger, that they care about others and are cared about by others. You get out of life what you put into it.

Inclusive Life is a non-profit Care & Service Group serving all, without exception.

(402) 516-8475 www.inclusivelife.org

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Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Educating homeless children – Nathan Hand, School on Wheels


This is an article from About Homelessness, on a service idea for our times.

Seventeen years ago, Agnes Stevens saw something severely wrong with the world. Millions of children were homeless and not able to focus on their education among the distractions and hardships that come with their situation. She started School on Wheels Inc. – a volunteer-based tutoring effort to support these vulnerable children. She rallied volunteer support and started gathering supplies.

It literally all began by handing out backpacks, pencils, crayons and glue sticks to kids on the street. Today, there are nearly 1,500 tutors spread across Southern California helping homeless youth focus on their education and get the one-on-one help they often need.

Nine years ago, Sally Bindley from Indianapolis, Indiana saw a similar problem. She learned of Agnes’ efforts, flew to L.A. and shadowed her. For two weeks she talked to kids, parents, tutors, staff, shelters and anyone involved in the effort. Taking copious notes she brought back the pieces of the program that she thought would best suit the issue in Indianapolis and got to work. She gathered a couple friends, started collecting supplies, engaged tutors, and built funding relationships. And sure enough, School on Wheels Corp. was born. Today there are over 500 volunteer tutors serving every child in a family homeless shelter in Indianapolis. In addition, all students receive a new backpack packed full of school supplies, a new book, and a new set of uniforms to start each year.


Any idea to help with the needs of the underprivileged is a good and Godly idea. Would you tutor a homeless child?

Read more here...

Who I am

“Not because of who I am, but because of what you've done. Not because of what I've done, but because of who you are. I am a flower quickly fading, here today and gone tomorrow, a wave tossed in the ocean,

A vapor in the wind. Still you hear me when I'm calling, Lord, you catch me when I'm falling, and you've told me who I am.”

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Hold Us Together by Matt Maher



This song has been a favorite of mine for a while. Of course there is the obvious "brother's keeper" reference, but it is also in the context of what he is saying. It is all about how we love.

It never fails that Matt Maher always seems to be on the same page as I. St. Francis said that he wished to see only in his brothers the working of the Holy Spirit. Matt uses his gift as an expression of that.

Peace and grace you to. Friends and fellow co-workers.

Bro Joe

Puppets Sing Queen Song — to Help the Homeless?

Puppets Sing Queen Song — to Help the Homeless? - TIME NewsFeed


Is this puppeteer actually homeless? Does it really matter?

In this quickly-spreading video, a man who appears homeless performs a rousing rendition of "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie, with the help of two Kermit puppets. The description on YouTube notes the video is meant "to entertain and inspire," and then links to a list of nonprofits that help the homeless.

YouTube commenters are wondering how to directly help this newly-viral star, but NewsFeed has a feeling that he's probably an actor. So sure, it may be a hoax, but it's a hoax for a good cause. So let's just be entertained and inspired.



Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/10/05/puppets-sing-queen-song-for-homelessness-awareness/#ixzz11UssakPC



This is an example of the spirit of Brother's Keeper Ministries. Doing whatever you are gifted at in raising awareness and serving "the least of these".

'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Matthew 25:40


Would you be a brother's keeper?

ATTACK!

When we are attacked (physical or emotional) we normally want to attack back. This may give temporary satisfaction, but often not the best choice. How do you feel after you have revenge? How does the other person feel? Was your reaction too strong or harmful? Could communication changed actions or behavior? "To be wronged or robbed is nothing unless you continue to remember it."

Monday, October 4, 2010

Can I have my dog back?

I am posting this because I am in very close emotional proximity to "Troy". When my family and I found ourselves homeless we tried everything we could to keep our two family pets. We, in the end, lost them to our circumstance. This is a terrible loss to my children and I even now, upon seeing the loving pet of a Black Lab or a Jack Russell, my heart yearns for one appreciative lick or tail wag.

These is a type of ministry we here at Brother's Keeper keep an eye on. Philanthropy (mean the love of neighbor- literally anthropos "man") also includes those things that most affects them. including pets. Many who are transient only need care for their pets until a living situation can be made. Yet who is willing to do that?



Thanks go out to Jordon Cooper for posting this article.

Words to Ponder

Intolerance, indifference, injure, insecure, inconsiderate.
Hurt, harm, harassment, helpless, heckle.
Mindful, tolerant, peaceful, compromise, inclusive.
No Jesus No Peace. Know Jesus Know Peace.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Tolerance

“if I cannot have compassion-power let me have forgiveness-power. If I cannot have forgiveness-power let me have tolerance-power. If I cannot have tolerance-power let me at least delay my own judgment-power”

“if I cannot have compassion-power let me have forgiveness-power. If I cannot have forgiveness-power let me have tolerance-power. If I cannot have tolerance-power let me at least delay my own judgment-power”

In the wake of times that young adults, and others are taking their own life because of being treated with indifference and i
ntolerance I urge each person who reads this, no I CHALLENGE each person who reads this to START talking about this behavior and how you will make a change in preventing it, ending it and not accepting it as a way of life for others RIGHT NOW!

You may only be one person in this world. To one person YOU may be the world! You can make a difference, one voice, one conversation and one thought at a time!



Students sleep outside for homelessness

"It was horrible. I was up almost all night,"
Welcome to the world of homeless.Such was the awakening of Students who slept outside for homelessness in Longmeadow, Mass.

"It's a reality check to us because we're building these little homes out of cardboard boxes and then it gets cold out and we're kind of sleeping in these boxes and thinking, oh my gosh, it would really be hard to have to do this more than once a year," said Alison Stein, a senior.

The students spent the first part of the night around a campfire. It wasn't until they put the fire out, reality set in.

"Tossing and turning, freezing, just not a good night," Silvia explained. "I cant imagine in the winter when its snowing."


Awareness is an interesting thing. Man does not become aware of reality until reality affects them personally. Get involved with the homeless. They will thank you and heaven itself will reward you.

Bro Joe

Saturday, October 2, 2010

It Does Get Better

Bad things happen in our lives, but usually, if you think about it, we do not feel their effects on us forever. IT DOES GET BETTER! It is true that time heals most everything. Disappointment, hurt, frustration, and pain are important and serious, but your distress will pass and you will have learned a new lessons and be given new direction. Allow yourself space and time to heal.

We are all God's children and creatures and as such, new life is waiting for us to live!

Inclusive Life is a non-profit Care & Service Group serving all, without exception.

(402) 516-8475 www.inclusivelife.org

-Wedding Services.

-Online-Telephone and Office Life Coaching.

-Pastoral Care.

-Daily Inclusive Words on Facebook and Twitter

-NEW Weekly Podcast “The Message”