Thoughts on and for Haiti

Much has been written and has yet to be written about the tragedy of the earthquake in Haiti and the beauty of the responses to the needs that have come out of this crisis.

90999

I am curious to see what future commentators will have to say about the impact of technology on donations. The ability to donate $10 through your phone bill is ingenius. It's as easy as texting "Haiti" to 90999. What about those of us who pay our bills with credit? Or what about those kids who did it without asking their parents who pay their bill? I'm not suggesting that it's immoral, just curious.

Dear Pat

When Pat Robertson made his famous remarks that this earthquake was an act of God against the Haitian people because of the nation's pagan history the Twitter world went crazy. But I think this mock letter from Satan to Pat is worth reading. Thanks to Byron Borger at Hearts and Minds for bringing this to my attention.

Ethics of Disaster and Looting

I had never considered this an area of study, but this post on NPR by Anita Allan is a good intro. This may answer my questions in the 90999 section. Even if you don't read the article, the slide show by David Gilkey (the NPR photographer, not the shirtless model you'll find when you google his name) is provocative enough.

T-Shirts for Disaster Relief

Threadless is one of my favorite sites on the internet, and once again they prove why. Check out the shirts they're selling to benefit those in need in Haiti. Now buy one for yourself and one for your friend. Shirts, ink...all donated so the proceeds can go directly to Haiti relief with the American Red Cross.

How it happened...

Some people are curious how these things happen. Check out this brief explanation of the scientific reasons.

Let us continue

In prayer and support for the victims of this tragedy. God's heart is breaking with those mourning and is rejoicing at the response of goodness to his children.

What I'm Reading...

So I have the annoying habit of reading many books at the same time. I find I treat my books like my relationships...I just hate ending them. So for fun, I thought I'd put the books that I'm reading on here.***

So, I'm reading Jewish Spirituality: A Brief Intro for Christians by Lawrence Kushner. I've read this book in the past while I was perusing at the Messiah College Library. I relied heavily on the chapter on Teshuva (Jewish concept of return) for a prodigal son sermon I gave several years ago. The book is very accessible and can actually be read in one sitting, but is best processed over time. And I'm enjoying it again.

The Next book I am enjoying is The Shaping of Things to Come. This book was actually given to me by Doug, and I'm greatly enjoying it. I'll put some more thoughts from this book on this blog for a bit of discussion. Primarily the book hopes to get it's readers to see the world as a place God wants to shape through them, using the culture that they find themselves in.

God was in this Place & I, i did not know. This book is beside my bedside. Another Lawrence Kushner book, this one explores a variety of approaches to explain the time when Jacob dreams of the ladder and realizes that God was with him, even in the middle of nowhere.

Colossians Remixed. This book was recommended by Doug and also by Byron Borger. And Byron is actually mentioned in the forward. How fun is that? Well, I haven't gotten very far in this book, at all. I enjoyed the intro and have only begun the first chapter. But I already like the book, because it's written by a husband and wife team. Now that's cool. I'd love to do that someday.

I, Francis. I've wanted to read this book for quite some time. Ever since I have read the quotes in A Prayer Guide For Ministers and Other Servants. This is a unique approach to telling St. Francis' story. Carlo attempts to tell the story through first person narrative. It's quite fascinating. At times Francis is incredibly captivating and other times he's annoyingly emotional. But that's what makes it a good read.

Raising Your Child to Love God. This book was loaned to me by my Uncle Dan when I first got married. He thought it'd be a good read for being a youth pastor. It so happens that I forgot to give it back to him when I last saw him, but it's providential, because I am enjoying it. It's got great practical things on how to be a godly father and family.

***I linked all of these to Amazon, but if you're local, you can get them from Hearts and Minds.