'Hashtag' Activists

The ‘hashtag’, love it, hate it, still not quite sure how to use it, it has become an internet sensation. Every status update, photo, comment is followed by a ‘hashtag’ of some sort. I even find myself using it when I am talking to someone! It’s a little bit ridiculous really. 

Some hashtags are great, they get a campaign trending, keep up awareness in social media of certain issues and unite people passionate about justice. For instance, the #bringbackourgirls hashtag for the girls kidnapped by the Boko Haram was incredibly popular. So is the #WeAreN, as a way of standing in solidarity with the Christians persecuted in Iraq. Or #SudanNow is another one, raising awareness for the plight of the community of South Sudan at present, as that country is torn apart by war. And as I say, these are great at maintaining momentum and attention for issues in the world of social media.

But the #bringbackourgirls hashtag still hasn’t seen the release of the 200 Nigerian school girls kidnapped by the Boko Haram. Remember them? And Jesus didn’t change the world through a hashtag. He did it hanging on a tree. Obviously Twitter wasn’t exactly around much in 1^st century AD, however, I think even if Jesus was on earth now, and had a Twiter and Facebook account, he wouldn’t just be hashtagging. Note an important word there. Just. There’s nothing wrong with social media campaigns, but seriously, how lazy have we become?! We write a 140 character tweet with a nice catchy or witty hashtag at the end. And then what? Have we become so comfortable that we have designed for ourselves a nice way to fight injustice from the comfort of our own homes? Jesus didn’t say carry your couch and follow me, he said carry your cross. A cross. The most horrendous form of execution the Romans could imagine. Where you slowly suffocate to death. Now we know Jesus died once for all on the cross, but what he is implying here is if you want to follow him, it’s going to be messy. It’s going to be painful. It could result in death. The problem with the hashtag campaigns is that our idea of a cross gains two more lines and becomes a lot easier to ‘follow,’ (in both the Biblical and the Twitter sense). I’m not saying we shouldn’t engage in our culture, we should, we just shouldn’t stop there.

I’m also not saying we should all pack our bags and head to Iraq, or Syria, or South Sudan, although if you can do that, do it! Go in Jesus name, perhaps that’s the cross he’s called you to carry. But I know not everyone can, so I’m saying do a bit more than join a ‘trending’ hashtag. We’re called to be in the world, but not of it. Let’s not follow the ‘trend.’ Let’s set a new one. One where campaigning for justice means getting your hands dirty. It means digging deep into your pockets. It means giving until it hurts, not just your money, but your time, your energy, your generosity.

I want to offer two practical ways in which you can do more than a hashtag to help change the world, particularly in Iraq, Gaza and South Sudan at the moment.

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•               Donate. Open Doors, Christian Aid, UNICEF, International Rescue Mission, Tearfund are just a few of the numerous amazing organisations working in these broken countries. Give more than 140 characters, give so that you feel it. Even if it means missing a Starbucks for one morning.

•      Pray, pray, pray, pray, pray. ‘If you ask for anything in my name, it will be given.’ (John 15:16, NIV). That’s a promise from Jesus. How many of us have spent hours, days, praying, and fasting for peace at the moment? When Jesus was praying in Gethsemane before his death, he was hurt that his disciples couldn’t stay awake for even one hour. (See Mark 14). I wonder if our friends in Iraq are thinking the same thing. Couldn’t you stay awake for one hour? Let me challenge you to try.

So as you’ve read this article, sorry it was a bit longer than a tweet, I encourage you to think about how you can act. How can you pick up your cross, not your phone, and follow Jesus? Even when it hurts. Indeed, two verses after the promise of answered prayer is this promise: ‘If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.’ John 15:18, NIV). Following Jesus, not just on Twitter, but in real life, it’s painful. But could we try? I end with this: When Jesus returned and found his disciples sleeping a third time ‘they did not know what to say to him.’ (Mark 14:40, NIV). Let’s not be the same when we meet our LORD and our brothers and sisters who face horrors right now. Let’s not be  hashtag activists, let’s be real ones. 

We Are N

WeareN. This is the popular hashtag accompanying pictures of the letter ‘nun’, the first letter of the word Nazarene in Arabic, Nazarene meaning Christian. Many people have put this on their Facebook and Twitter profiles to stand in solidarity with those suffering horrendous things in Iraq. We are N. We are Christians. We follow Jesus. According to our Facebook profile picture at least.

But what when we’ve changed the photo, or when we leave the church building after ‘a really helpful talk’, do we just leave it there?

I’ve just returned from ten months in Uganda. I’m overwhelmed, I’m shocked and to be frank, I’m scared. I’m scared at how much difference an eight hour flight can make to what the world around me looks like. But even more than that, I’m scared at the distance we in the west seem to have put between us and the rest of the world, not eight hours, but a world away. We go to church and we sing songs of how great Jesus is and when all around is fading he is our strength. And it’s true, he is wonderful, I’m a big fan. But how often do we simply sing these songs and listen to these talks with tunnel vision. Applying it to my life, to me, myself and I? When all in our lives in fading. What about people who are dying every single day from preventable diseases? What about children who are being beheaded in Iraq? What about the despair that is so evident in Gaza right now? Can we really sing that with those in mind, because we know we will act on behalf of them? Have we limited the gospel of Jesus so much to ourselves that we go to church hoping for some sort of personal transaction? Like a spiritual ‘ATM.’ LORD, I’ll give you an a hour and a half and if you could top me up spiritually, give me a bit of peace, help me through this week and let me hear a talk that reminds me that you love me that would be dandy, and then we’ll both be on our way, thanks very much, see you next week.

The gospel of Jesus is so, so much more than that. It’s life changing. It’s transformative. It messes you up. Because your concern, your heart, your desire for Jesus’ help isn’t just personal anymore. It’s about others. You feel other’s pain. You hurt for those who hurt, you mourn with those who mourn. I have been absolutely broken about the situation in Iraq. Because my faith is no longer just about ‘self-help.’ It’s about Jesus. It’s about his children, those who are hurting, broken, scared, abused, tortured, being killed. So rather than go to church, or change my profile picture, and leave it there, and get on with my life, I want to do everything in my power to eradicate injustice. You may read that sentence and think I don’t have much power. I’m an unemployed graduate. So yes, in earthly terms in don’t have much power. But thankfully my identity is not based on earthly terms, it’s in heaven’s currency, and according to God, ‘all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.’ I have power, because I trust in Jesus, and it’s his power, manifesting itself in me. The Bible describes Jesus as a roaring lion, friends, let’s set that lion free in the name of justice! Let’s go out in power and in might, proclaiming the word of the LORD! Not because we ought to, not for some sort of quota, but because when you follow Jesus your personal satisfaction is not enough anymore. Things going well in your own bubble is not satisfying. Because you see this broken world and you mourn. And as Jesus reminds us, ‘the poor will always be with you.’ So we always need to be out, loving people, serving people, getting down on our knees for people, buying a cup of coffee for someone going through a tough time. Jesus loves us so much he died for us, and he calls us to love like that.

Jesus messes you up. He changes everything. Life ceases to be about your own personal comfort and becomes a relentless pursuit of justice, freedom, love and peace. So let us show the world that we are N. Not just by our Facebook and Twitter profiles, but by the love of Jesus, set in us, so that we can’t help but love people, serve people, and see this world transformed. 

The Need For Friendship

I believe friendship to be one of the greatest gifts God has given us. To be able to do life with people; to laugh hysterically, to cry and weep, to share experiences and journey with another person is a wonderful thing. I love to story of David and Jonathan in the Bible Their love for each other was deeper than the love of a brother. What a beautiful picture of friendship that is! Jonathan, who, knowing David would be King over him, walked so closely with his friend, standing up to his father, even risking his life for Daivd. And that’s what the Bible defines as true friendship, as a true expression of love for another human being. 1 John 3:16 says: ‘by this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters.’ (Holy Bible, NIV) A slightly less quoted passage then John 3:16, but nonetheless true, beautiful, challenging.

So who is my brother/sister? That sounds similar to the question a Pharisee asked of Jesus when asking what the two most important commandments are, and Jesus replied: love God and love your neighbour, so the man asked, ‘who is my neighbour?’ Jesus responds with the parable of the Good Samaritan. A man, attacked and beaten, left for dead. And who looks after him? The Samaritan. The stranger. In this example, the enemy. (Luke 10:25-38).

Let’s look at our world today. Who could represent the man dying in the road? How about the 1 in 8 people who go to bed hungry every night? How about the 1 in 4 women in the UK alone who will be victims of physical abuse? How about the 27 million people currently trapped in modern day slavery? How about the victims of the horrendous events in Syria, Egypt, Ukraine…I could go on! They are all our neighbours! But let’s be honest, statistics are numbing. So let’s look at it this way:

How about the child who lives in slums in Uganda. Who has no food to eat tonight. Who didn’t eat dinner last night and may well not eat tomorrow. Who’s body is slowly failing because there is no food.

How about the woman who was forced to marry a man twice her age. Who is beaten, raped, absued every single day and fears to speak.

How about the boy from Cambodia who was sold to traffickers because his parents could not afford to keep him. Sold. Like property, in order to work intensely long hours doing back breaking work all so we can have a cup of tea.

They are our neighbours, our friends, our brothers and sisters. What about us? Are we the Religious Leader or Teacher who crosses by? The one who talks the talk but when it comes to it, we fail to walk the walk? Or are we, as Jesus says we ought to be, the Samaritan? The one who will stop everything he’s doing to rescue someone whom the world had forgotten. Someone who, tragically, those representing the church had left for dead. How true is that of our churches today? Do we say all the right stuff but when it comes to practically loving our neighbour, cross over to the other side, claiming we’re too busy, too tired, it’s not our calling. (That one gets me…social justice isn’t a calling for a few, it’s in the genes of Christianity.)

The Good Samaritan did not even know the name of the guy he helped on the side of the road. But he looked at him and saw a neighbour. Saw a brother. Not an enemy, as society would have told him, not a statistic, which we often hide behind, not a waste of time, which tragically often speaks volumes about are attitude to the poor, a friend. A brother. And if we are to live like Jesus tells us, when we look at those ‘dying’ on the side of the road, either physically, spiritually or emotionally, we are to see them as friends. And if they are our friends, how are we to react? ‘To lay down our lives for them.’

So what does this look like? Well in some senses it may mean literal death. If God calls us to ‘go’ sometimes that entails going to places where we will risk our lives. But it also means surrender. It means surrendering the choice to decide where you live, how you live, what you buy, how you spend your money, your time. It means to surrender it all to God and let him guide you to the dying friend, and calling you to stop whatever you’re doing, bend down, clean up his wounds and rescue him. It’s radical love. It’s Christianity at its core. Loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, the outpouring of which sees us love our neighbour as ourselves. And so willing to give ourselves to that neighbour. To that friend. To that brother or sister.

This is just to present some thoughts and ideas, but I would love just to point you to a couple of websites that will help you do this and guide you on living differently.

-Rhythms, Tearfund’s amazing website and app which has loads of ‘actions’ which transform the way you live and in turn can change the world.

-The 'A21 Campaign.' A charity committed to seeing trafficking eradicated. ’21 ways to act’ is a great tool which shows you how you can be involved in the fight for freedom.

-Child sponsorship. Sponsoring a child can see them have an education and the chance to learn the gospel in a setting which they otherwise might not have. Lots of charities do child sponsorship, but I will highlight just two: Smile International and Compassion.

Check out the websites for any of these charities and see how you can begin to be a friend, a Good Samaritan, to lay down your life for the sake of your friends.

*Statistics and casestudies from Tearfund, A21 campaign, Restored.

From 'The Little White Girl'

From ‘The Little White Girl.’

I recently read an article entitled ‘The Problem With Little White Girls (and Boys).’ The writer was questioning the effectiveness of western teams heading out to the developing world to work with and help local communities.

I currently live in Uganda, volunteering with a charity. I am ‘a little white girl.’ The article was saying that sending teams out can actually be detrimental to development efforts. I completely agree! The notion of wealthy young people going out to the developing world to ‘save it’ is, to be honest, a lie. The author of the article refers to an experience she had building a library, where the local community had to ‘undo’ the work their team had done. And that highlights a hugely important point about overseas volunteering. It’s not us coming to do it for them. It’s us doing it with them. Learning when we’re doing wrong, and sharing skills, resources and experiences. We are a global community, a family. And we have to do this together. Working alongside sustainable projects based in-country for the long haul.

This point is concluded with the phrase ‘we failed at the sole purpose of our trip.’ For me, the sole purpose of my trip here isn’t to leave a physical legacy, have been a fantastic teacher or have built something. That’s great, but it’s deeper than that; it’s to be changed. To see poverty with fresh eyes. To have made poverty personal. To be transformed and broken on a level so much for the poor that I will never be the same again…and so I will consequently commit my life to passionately pursuing justice, whatever it takes. And I would argue that anyone going on a trip to the developing world will have that. And if that doesn't happen, that is failure.

So what about the success of the work I’m doing out here? Well I never intended on coming to Uganda and becoming a child’s hero. As the article says, I want her hero to be someone of her culture, her race, someone who can continue to help and inspire her when my flight leaves. But perhaps by my coming out here and running a children’s club for two hours so the mother has a break, when the child goes home again she can relate to her rested, restored mother, who then can be her hero. I’m no one’s hero, but perhaps by the small actions I can do, I can enable someone else to become a hero.

I never came out to reform the education system. Who am to presume I could do that?! I have no qualifications, no training and I cannot pretend I have a strong desire to be a teacher. But I go into a school twice and week to work with local teachers and teach children English, Maths, RE and other subjects. I am not a builder and yet I have helped build a church, and on a separate occasion, a water-tank for a local community.

But I know I am doing the right thing. Why? Because our English team and the Ugandan team are working in tandem. We do things together, we share experiences, challenges, ideas and struggles. And yes, I struggle with my lack of qualifications! But I have to remember something, I was blessed with a good education, enthusiastic teachers and a great school life. So I can bring experience from my own childhood when teaching these kids. I went to church and grew up going to children’s clubs. So although I’m not children’s worker, I have memories of great holiday clubs. I was blessed so I can bless others. I am no builder, but I can carry bricks and lay them. I just need to be humble enough to listen, to remember that I am not here to solve every problem. I’m here to help and we’re here working together.

I’m a Christian. I believe in a God who uses the nobodies, the unqualified, those who, on the outside, look like they can’t do anything. And he uses us to change the world. He did it with 12 men, tax collectors and fishermen. Jesus doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called. If we all waited until we were totally qualified for a task nothing would ever get done!

The important thing is to work with an organisation that are in the field, in-country for the long haul. The author of the article to which I refer uses some brilliant examples of work in the Dominican Republic, and of employing local people to run projects out there. And that is exactly what is needed. Using local volunteers with a much better knowledge of the culture and language. However, I can still be here helping, bringing what I do know, what I have learnt, and ultimately, being challenged by what I see.

I would encourage you if you’re thinking about volunteering to question your attitude. Why do you want to do this? You are not the answer to all the problems faced by developing countries, I hate to break it to you! But you can go serve, alongside the community. And as you do, you will be changed in ways you can’t even imagine. You will be refined. You will be challenged. You will be equipped to begin to change the world.

So in the words of Mother Teresa: ‘Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; give the world the best you've got anyway.’