This is an event that happened a few days ago at Downtown Disney.   JustOne, One Voice to End Slavery, and Stop the Traffik were the groups that partnered together to put this event on.  It was to raise awareness for human trafficking.  Check out www.thefreezeproject.com.

This is an amazing account of what God wants to do through us. 

It is really weird to be back home.  I lived in this house for 22 years and have only been gone a little over a year.  I am excited for the future though.  I am thinking about being a substitute teacher for the next few months. Just got to pass one test. Tests!? I thought I was done with those.

Two Brooke Fraser posts and videos in a row, but I just can’t get enough of this song.

If i find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy,
I can only conclude that I was not made for here
If the flesh that i fight is at best only light and momentary,
then of course I’ll feel nude when to where I’m destined I’m compared

[CHORUS]
Speak to me in the light of the dawn
Mercy comes with the morning
I will sigh and with all creation groan as I wait for hope to come for me

Am i lost or just less found? On the straight or on the roundabout of the wrong way?
Is this a soul that stirs in me, is it breaking free, wanting to come alive?
Cause my comfort would prefer for me to be numb
And avoid the impending birth of who I was born to become

[CHORUS]

[BRIDGE]
For we, we are not long here
Our time is but a breath, so we better breathe it
And I, I was made to live, I was made to love, I was made to know you
Hope is coming for me
Hope, He’s coming

Not in that order of course. It actually went backyard golf, and then the MVP and kiwi were kinda combined. Anyways, it was probably my favorite June 8th of my life.  I got to spend the day with my good buddy Josh Kennedy. After church we hung out at B & N’s as we perused various photography books, killing time before we headed to our event that evening.  Later, we joined the Lund’s to travel to Seattle for a concert. But first, we stopped off for a little family BBQ. At this house they had a 90 yd. golf course in the backyard.  It was only one hole, as you’d imagine, but it was pretty sweet. Both Josh and I weren’t very good at all, but we got some great photographs.  Then we scarfed down some BBQ chicken and then all headed to our final destination: A Brooke Fraser concert.  She’s the singin’ kiwi. (That’s what they call people from New Zealand).  It was an amazing concert.  If you don’t know Brooke Fraser, she has written songs such as “Hosanna”, “Lead Me to the Cross”, and “None But Jesus” and plays with Hillsong United.  She has two solo albums that aren’t worship songs per se, but still worshipful in content.  People shouted for her to play her hit worship song “Hosanna”, but she tried to explain that she was trying to influence people who wouldn’t come to a Hillsong United concert, or step into a church.  My favorite part of the night, was when she told the story of “Albertine”, who she named her album after.  Albertine was a girl who was saved from the genocide in Rwanda a few years ago. Brooke got to meet Albertine and told her that she was going to write a song about her and tell the world what happened there.  That moment made my hair stand on end.  This song really influenced me and caused me to want to go to Africa.  ”Now that I have seen, I am responsible. Faith without deeds is dead.” Check out the video below. Oh yeah, Shawn Alexander was at the concert too. He’s the NFL MVP part of my title. He won a few years ago. It was pretty cool, because no one really bothered him and just let him enjoy the great music like the rest of us.

43,000 kids are orphaned DAILY. This is a video of when Francis Chan visited an orphanage in Uganda.  So many babies with no parents. This is who I want to fight for.

Here’s to you Vlade Divac, Manu Ginobli, and pretty much all of the Sacramento Kings of the past few years. Your days are done. You are no longer allowed to flop.  “Flopping” is pretty much acting like you were fouled when you weren’t.  The league has had enough of it, and so have I. Check out this story from ESPN:

“The NBA announced to its teams this week at its annual pre-draft camp that fines will be imposed on players starting next season for clear cases of “flopping,” ESPN.com has learned.                                                                                                                                                       

The league office has yet to determine exact fine amounts for offending flops and how fines might escalate for repeat offenders, but in-game arena observers and video reviewers will be instructed to report instances of theatrical flopping for potential punishment as part of postgame reports on officiating and other matters.                                                                                                                                                        The league’s pledge to crack down on flopping was conveyed to team representatives at Tuesday’s competition committee meeting in Orlando.

NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson confirmed the new policy Wednesday night saying: “What was clearly expressed to the committee is that we would begin imposing fines next season for the most egregious type of flops. When players are taking a dive, for lack of a better term.”

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Elsa/Getty Images

The Cavs’ Anderson Varejao, left, may be fined next season if his actions are found to be a clear case of flopping.

Because a precise penalty system has not yet been structured, it is not yet known whether serial floppers will be subject to possible suspensions after a certain number of fines for flopping, as seen with the league’s protocol on technical fouls. Players who accrue 16 technicals during the regular season are hit with a one-game suspension when they get to No. 16 — the limit is seven technicals during the playoffs — and receive one-game suspensions for every other technical thereafter (No. 18, 20, etc.).

That’s how I would describe my last official youth service here at Uturn.  It was one of the most amazing nights, but I am really sad to leave these kids.  If you didn’t know, I am moving back home in a few weeks to prepare and raise support to be a missionary in southern Africa.  It was an awesome night. I got to share a short message, and explained to the kids how God was calling me to Africa.  Then all 100+ students gathered around and prayed for me.  It was powerful.  People had some powerful prophetic words for me and others had great things to say about me. I was truly humbled.  Then to cap off the night, I was pushed on stage to dance and sing during the last song, “You Deserve”.  That was incredibly fun and a dream come true.  I love music and worship, but don’t have much of a voice.  This has been one of the hardest years of my life, but I feel I am closer to God than ever before.  Like I said in my sermon, I am finally ready to give my life entirely to God and know that His way is best.  Thanks to everyone who has impacted my life this year. I love you all.

Charles Lee is a professor, pastor, and cultural catalyst.  I had the great opportunity of having him as one of my professors in college. He started an organization called Just One, a non profit organization that was formed to stimulate greater global awareness about extreme poverty, and to provoke compassionate ideas and intelligent giving in order to provide sustainable relief.  One of the things that has birthed out of Just One is the Laundry Love Project.

“ Laundry Love Projects are regular opportunities to help people who are struggling financially by assisting them with doing their laundry. Relationships are built, and projects become small communities of common concern in which participants often find that they receive assistance and benefit with other areas of their lives. Many homeless people need a feeling of dignity and having clean clothes encourages their self-confidence. Here is a video just released sharing some of the stories from Laundry Love.”

Check out this video:

 

In the midst of rejoicing about my Lakers coming back from 20 to win game 1 of the Western Conference Finals and David Cook winning American Idol, my heart is deeply saddenned.  Steven Curtis Chapman’s youngest daughter, Maria, was killed in the driveway of their house yesterday.  It was a tragic accident.  Steven is one of the all-time great Christian singers, and one of the all-time great men of God.  He has three naturally born children, and three daughters that he adopted from China. More than five years ago, Chapman and his wife MaryBeth founded The Shaohannah’s Hope Ministry after bringing their first adopted daughter, Shaohannah, home from China. My thoughts and prayers are with the Chapman family.