Brilliant Design: From Poo to Energy

2.6 billion people in the world do not have access to toilets. Between that and a need for energy this composting toilet could potentially cut down on water born illness as well as offset some energy needs.

Huckabee and Stewart Discuss Abortion

This has to be one of the best and most refreshing television discussions that I have ever seen on such a polemic issue (It is broken into three small segments below) . Imagine if we saw more conversations like this in the midst of difficult public issues. Stewart and Huckabee appear to begin with a mutual respect for one another which allows them to give one another the benefit of the doubt (except for when a punch line presents itself).

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Mike Huckabee Extended Interview Pt. 1
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Jason Jones in Iran

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Mike Huckabee Extended Interview Pt. 2
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Jason Jones in Iran

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Mike Huckabee Extended Interview Pt. 3
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Jason Jones in Iran

World Refugee Day: June 20, 2009

I just saw Angelina Jolie talking about the worldwide crisis of refugees on CNN. I first learned about the plight of refugees during my time working with International Teams. The Refugee Highway (a site dedicated to serving refugees around the world) has an interesting article which lists people from the Bible who would fall under the definition of refugee.

Organizations that are working with refugees:
World Relief- Partner with churches and connect them with refugees who seek asylum in the USA.
Crossing Borders- Serving refugees and orphans who have fled from North Korea.
World Vision- Serving and helping the poor world wide
Ride for the Refugees- Want to serve refugees and not sure where to start? Join the ride for the refugee with some friends to raise awareness and funds for refugee ministries.

Related L=M Articles
Don't Forget the North Korean Refugees
Human Trafficking
The Mission Field: Coming to a City Near You
God Grew Tired of Us
How do you see the World?

The "Food" we Eat.

Prior to watching Super Size Me several years ago I never gave much thought to food. I ate what tasted good to me and tried not to over do it when it came to junk food. However, watching that documentary made me think more than ever about the kinds of foods that I was putting into my body. Growing up in Christian culture certain things that would hurt your body were always considered taboo. Things like smoking, drinking alcohol, drug abuse, etc... These things were considered destructive to a body that was created in the image of God and the temple of the the spirit not to mention that drugs would cause you you to loose self control. If you lost self control you would more under the influence of the drug than the spirit of God which always leads down a dangerous path.

However, after watching the abuse that 30 Days of eating McDonald's food did to Morgan Spurlock's body (especially his liver) it totally made me reevaluate food. Much of the so called "food" available to us today can be as destructive as drugs and alcohol (if not more so in some cases). "What we eat has changed more in the last forty years than in the last forty thousand," Eric Schlosser writes in Fast Food Nation. Since that time as I have picked up more about how food is made in the USA I have become more and more wary of the "food" here, where it comes from and how it is made.

Freedom to Eat (un)Healthy- I was talking to a friend a while back who thought I was advocating that the government tell us what we can and cannot eat. His point was that we should have the right to eat whatever we feel like eating and the truth is I agree. I pointed out to him that we really are not free to eat what we want because often the choices that are healthy or that are not modified simply aren't available. As hard as you try it is very difficult to eat a diet that is not mostly based on corn products. As our country has found cheaper and cheaper ways to get calories to our tables, we must question at what cost these are taking on our society. It appears that many of the major diseases like heart disease and diabetes are directly linked to these monoculture and genetically modified foods. If you want to eat them that is fine, but we should all have the freedom to know what we are eating.



Related L=M Articles
Implications of the "Foods" we Eat
Corn, the other White Meat!
Did You Eat Corn Today???? Yep!
EEEWWWwwwwwwww!
Food Crime!

A World Without Nuclear Weapons???

Global Zero is an organization that is working towards a world without nuclear weapons. They just released an interactive map that is both disturbing and informative.

The Apologist's Evening Prayer

From all my lame defeats and oh! much more
From all the victories that I seemed to score;
From cleverness shot forth on Thy behalf
At which, while angels weep, the audience laugh;
From all my proofs of Thy divinity,
Thou, who wouldst give not sign, deliver me.

Thoughts are but coins. Let me not trust, instead
Of Thee, their thin-worn image of Thy head.
From all my thoughts, even from my thoughts of Thee,
O thou fair Silence, fall, and set me free.
Lord of the narrow gate and the needle's eye,
Take from me all my trumpery lest I die.

-C.S. Lewis
The Essential C.S. Lewis, Page 423

Microsoft Project Natal for Xbox 360

Holideck in my living room???

Zemanta: A new blogging tool

Image by Gojca via Flickr

I just signed up for a blog tool called Zemanta. As I write my post it offers me a choice of photos that I can add to the post. It also makes suggestions of related articles to what I am writing about. I am going to try this out for a while and see if it improves the blogging experience.

Research from Lost and Found

What do you think?

Take (no) Prisoners

No this has nothing to do with Guantanamo Bay. Do you know what country in the world has the has highest prison population per capita?

I'll give you three clues. It begins with U,S, and A. So, while the U.S. leads the world in prison population I was totally blown away when I read this article about the how the Netherlands is closing its prisons for lack of criminals.

Prisons are not cheap and while I feel strongly that it is necessary for those who commit crimes to receive consequences for their actions, I can't help but think something is terribly wrong in our country.

What are we doing or not doing that so many of our citizens are ending up behind bars? Why is there such a high return rate of those who have been imprisoned? Are prisoners really the new slave class in the United States as this blog claims?

One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure Island

Did You Know?

This is an excellent video. It is both to the point and chalked full of powerful information. As I watched this I began to think about the implications that this will have not on the church, social structures, governments, technology and our children. How will we respond to this changing world?

Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?

Camino de Santiago

I found this on my friend Nate's blog who is on his own pilgrimage in Spain.

Previous Related Posts on L.I.M.
On Pilgrimage
Pilgrim Journey

Phase 3: Are you being called into Foreign Missions?

I recently had a long time friend drop me a message on face book.
"Do you have any advice for a guy who thinks he has just recently felt God calling him into missions?"

Go here to read about Phase 1: Explore and Phase 2: Prepare

Phase 3: GO

Seek Partnership- Don't try to go it alone, but make sure you have a clear connection with your home church and completed phase 1 and phase 2. Keep in mind your home church may have an interview process that they want you to go through to determine if and how they will partner with you. Our church takes partnership very seriously and neither enters or breaks partnership lightly. If we sense that the Spirit is moving us into a new ministry partnership these are some of the key issues that we will consider.

• Do we know these new partners well enough as a church that we can vouch for their fruitfulness as followers of Christ?
• Can the prospective ministry partners articulate a clear and compelling vision for this field of ministry?
• Is this ministry a good fit for our church's vision and strategy for world mission?

Communication- One of the key parts of your ministry when overseas is your ministry to your home church and your supporters. It is through the financial and prayer support of friends and family back home that you are able to continue living and working in the field. It is important for you to begin this process of communication before leaving for the field and to continue to be proactive in communication the entire time you are there. When you are around meet with individuals over meals and coffee. Print up materials for your supporters to keep in front of them to remember you and your work throughout the week.

Be proactive in setting up speaking engagements where you can share about your ministry. In this technological age there is little excuse for not having clear and regular digital communication (unless you are working in a remote location). It is important for friends and family back home to receive regular updates and communication so that they can share both the joys and burdens of your ministry.

Commission- If your church does partner with you formally a commissioning service is a great way for both parties to publicly affirm the partnership and ministry.

Related L.I.M. Articles
Practical Ways to Support a Missionary
The Mission Field: Coming to a City Near You
Life is Ministry
Cross Cultural (mis)Understanding