tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10147842082325905862024-03-13T09:01:14.686-07:00Ode to the Forgottengood news to the poor.bind up the brokenhearted.proclaim freedom for the captives.release from darkness for the prisoners.
join the inspiration. read. write in response. Serve and tell us about it. take a picture.pour your heart out for the poor, forgotten and struggling in this world. There is a hope of the world and he is called Love. So love humanity passionately,tell us about it, and we'll post it here.
You are loved beyond what you could imagine.
odetotheforgotten@yahoo.comOde to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-84471734428365963972011-10-05T12:11:00.000-07:002011-10-05T12:11:41.666-07:00WE ARE MOVING<div style="color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Hello, everyone! We are moving to <span style="color: #6fa8dc;">odetotheforgotten.org!</span> This site will still be available until October 23rd. But after that date, we will be fully transitioned to <span style="color: #6fa8dc;">odetotheforgotten.org</span>.</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Grace and peace,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-large;">the Ode team</span></div>Ode to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-24870035894494547492011-09-03T17:39:00.000-07:002011-09-03T17:39:41.428-07:00Submissions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://odetotheforgotten.blogspot.com/p/givens.html"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIlIt6zOX3LgW8lsXY7y65wbL6PDqOqfxzWJGQvKDVnPJJv7ykvm2WDMkODepBGIDkTpTKjuU9SygoeJPyQEt56vehrr4GdMOPS1JoS-LPpeamTf5qBT0uplrgYLdUpXlU1zyzpjQaC0/s400/submissionsbooklet.png" width="257" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We want to see what you have to say, sing, draw, compose, film,... about Poverty. How has God put it on your heart to help in your community? How has God inspired you to get involved? When you hear the word poverty, what comes to mind? What do you see? What do you hear? What hope can you help give to others? We want to hear it! Send your submissions in to odetotheforgotten@yahoo.com</span></div>Ode to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-45571593280753954752011-08-26T11:55:00.001-07:002011-08-26T11:55:40.240-07:00Submission- Fear<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8VNgiSp5b5omyjJZZuFJO0Xvb3t6t9NpXHbqmzcXz20N1y4-Ip1M8QYWKQvHUEE43NRUa40GTXg-WFRS4xGrmrtIDttMv0oNB27nu4OAEjyv23Z8agjJNot2_OeOPgDMKLt0Hk4As3t4/s1600/fear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8VNgiSp5b5omyjJZZuFJO0Xvb3t6t9NpXHbqmzcXz20N1y4-Ip1M8QYWKQvHUEE43NRUa40GTXg-WFRS4xGrmrtIDttMv0oNB27nu4OAEjyv23Z8agjJNot2_OeOPgDMKLt0Hk4As3t4/s320/fear.jpg" width="237" /></a></div><br />
Ode to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-13907823474942294192011-08-26T11:49:00.001-07:002011-08-26T11:49:51.918-07:00submission-<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">"Exchange me, Lord, exchange my life.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I hand You my heart as I kneel to the floor,</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Knowing that my God makes all things new. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">An unsightly snake He remolds, and He blesses</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">His new and blooming creation, His butterfly. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">That is my I Am."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Maiandra GD","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">- K.G. </span></div>Ode to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-65734171798978383922011-08-26T11:48:00.000-07:002011-08-26T11:48:32.172-07:00Submission-<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg89c5f-j6vnrlfqa-5MkGmhZfMeHk8AEzelXP540aOw29_9YtUZAtOTd4FgM8Yy96C_B-yOb_Dvbc6pSF7Tq6dWj9GxiNO3ditUjh3NovOlRa2aO3gzQEDL3eL74OsmDZzDRZUEPqm5gU/s1600/IMG_5752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg89c5f-j6vnrlfqa-5MkGmhZfMeHk8AEzelXP540aOw29_9YtUZAtOTd4FgM8Yy96C_B-yOb_Dvbc6pSF7Tq6dWj9GxiNO3ditUjh3NovOlRa2aO3gzQEDL3eL74OsmDZzDRZUEPqm5gU/s320/IMG_5752.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSPZg2MZLS_zazlVBMWWIjKoCd4aAFB1H56NHadtyMHvp5hSufjc8-EDr3yV5wG5oc3bxzxN3-KNr0sxjoD6HH9WevlsS66zn2XIInlvaBYTAP7wkFGsZM0eqY5lzs67pJ5oPhXS3gRU/s1600/IMG_5747.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSPZg2MZLS_zazlVBMWWIjKoCd4aAFB1H56NHadtyMHvp5hSufjc8-EDr3yV5wG5oc3bxzxN3-KNr0sxjoD6HH9WevlsS66zn2XIInlvaBYTAP7wkFGsZM0eqY5lzs67pJ5oPhXS3gRU/s320/IMG_5747.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br />
Ode to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-42317325240809720982011-08-26T11:42:00.000-07:002011-08-26T11:42:33.774-07:00Submission- Bold Like my Coffee<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgPqT8-AB6ntmiASYvG-sXNukoqNHV5F9XcTRDYhBkbRxCrgGsRq1IfagZBM_lNQ4FJDUdI-K0igDoSqZfOCjtAVin1weSKSmmFpAMrAoQT2V5UZYiEJRd6kTmRgFEhUverMdAJKe6cw/s1600/0814002242.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgPqT8-AB6ntmiASYvG-sXNukoqNHV5F9XcTRDYhBkbRxCrgGsRq1IfagZBM_lNQ4FJDUdI-K0igDoSqZfOCjtAVin1weSKSmmFpAMrAoQT2V5UZYiEJRd6kTmRgFEhUverMdAJKe6cw/s400/0814002242.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
Ode to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-85313466127519935192011-08-26T11:41:00.000-07:002011-08-26T11:41:24.533-07:00Submission- South Africa 2005<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OzXMps800ugHWPHcJi1Hi3tEAjRxq-9hgEW4XWNyB5cWWhytS_ibZ1V3-YLgiVRYJQ30S9tm59pzbg_B-YlXTzv_Vvm7EI7S6ffel7IV-CmZJJGhwyoO0CkGGfQkFtwDEgppkjWh6Oc/s1600/a+market+that+had+wonderful+looking+fruit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OzXMps800ugHWPHcJi1Hi3tEAjRxq-9hgEW4XWNyB5cWWhytS_ibZ1V3-YLgiVRYJQ30S9tm59pzbg_B-YlXTzv_Vvm7EI7S6ffel7IV-CmZJJGhwyoO0CkGGfQkFtwDEgppkjWh6Oc/s320/a+market+that+had+wonderful+looking+fruit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Ode to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-48461985724378682682011-08-26T08:40:00.000-07:002011-08-26T11:39:28.606-07:00Submission- A New Thing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBovcjWmCAX29_Zo5On1dviHapM_GaatPgcdIfGQRqNqOygjVgtzVj-A-F8yAbSSYE_aFOhrA2NMAXy-YEzmjyrVUUghAvvqAcSFx8SC2jY2ur9OAiBpT6lY1F3kkjwUk53iXmRXp2CYk/s1600/Hensley%252C+Sarah+-+A+New+thing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBovcjWmCAX29_Zo5On1dviHapM_GaatPgcdIfGQRqNqOygjVgtzVj-A-F8yAbSSYE_aFOhrA2NMAXy-YEzmjyrVUUghAvvqAcSFx8SC2jY2ur9OAiBpT6lY1F3kkjwUk53iXmRXp2CYk/s400/Hensley%252C+Sarah+-+A+New+thing.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
So this past summer, God began doing a new thing in me. And it began with a challenging situation that I had gotten myself into. I had not sought His direction, and I had rushed into something that was purely my desire. Not my desire being fulfilled by the Lord in His timing. He is so gracious. For the first time in my life (in the short 18 years I had accumulated) I was truly depressed. And I had no clue how to get out of it. Praise God for my family, and most of all just for HIM. For his mercy and goodness. In that pit was where I discovered painting. Particularly oil paints. (I love oil paints!) So on the Friday night that I had nothing to do and was wishing to be somewhere else, my mom took me to get some oil paints. And I sat in the basement of our friends’ house and painted this above painting. A NEW THING. This year, He wants to do something new in all of us. He has a vibrant plan for ALL OF US. One that is life-filling and not draining. And one that truly reflects who you are created to be IN HIM. He is bringing us back to the beginning, and it will begin with showing us a new thing. I don’t know what that is for you. I am still discovering what that looks like for me. But I know it is happening. Right before our eyes. Even though we can’t always see it. He is so gracious. All he asks is that we let him use us. Use our everything. Even the moments where we just want to go sit and sob in the basement. Even those moments. Are good enough. For our God. He will do something with anything. If we let Him. And listen to Him. So. I am praying for you this year. I am praying that God will do a new thing in you and make it boldly apparent to yourself and all who are around you in whatever way He wants, in order to bring glory and honor to His Name and to restore the peoples who watch and so desire to have that new thing as a part of their own life. He is working. He is moving. He is painting. Our Lord is so good. He takes everything we do and turns it into something beautifully, miraculously GOOD. A NEW THING.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Side note: What are you going to do with this? Pray about where to go next. About where your talents are (whether discovered or undiscovered), and just leave yourself open to whatever He has for you. Go with His flow, and don’t be afraid to jump when he asks you to. Remember- if God asks you to jump, He will always raise you up and set you in the fold of his wings and he will always be there to catch you when you fall. Always. So don’t let this new thing get you nervous or freak you out. It’s going to be beautiful. And it’s going to be great. Because it is in HIS hands, not ours.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">If you need some extra inspiration, take a listen to the whole <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Beautiful Things </i>album by Gungor (particularly the song called “Beautiful Things”) or check out our link to the I AM… Art Series (<a href="http://odetotheforgotten.blogspot.com/p/i-am-art-series.html">http://odetotheforgotten.blogspot.com/p/i-am-art-series.html</a>). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">God bless and move,</div><div class="MsoNormal">Sarah Hensley</div>Ode to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-36060198278760241422011-05-27T06:57:00.000-07:002011-05-27T06:57:12.049-07:00Tim Euken (photographing the world's poverties)- updateHey everyone, so below is an excerpt from Tim Euken, a guy who is traveling around the world documenting poverty and sharing stories and photos with Ode and many others as he goes...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE91f_OpP2D4NtQ3DubMF32402klRFmQeUIptqL7eRt_L4wFvWsH-PVBQnP2kwYpSX_yypE211XVCOIWwWSqmbtjvp8VUlZHLNPlQJg_iA21LWrScEchhDUFGqUoqtm8iyoLAkV3Ce0ag/s400/IMG_2496-2.jpg" width="400" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: white; text-align: center;">by Tim Euken<br />
Throughout this first few months God has been revealing<br />
some unbelievable truths to me that I will walk with for the rest of<br />
my life. With one hand God has shown me my flaws and with the<br />
other extends grace. I believe comforting the hardest issues before<br />
they become giants, is the only way not to burn out.<br />
In Brazil I saw boys under twelve years old smoking some<br />
crack and police officers just turning the back to it. I met people<br />
that have lost there entire families to floods, I found that in those<br />
floods the government said 900 people died but the local census<br />
was around 12,000. In South Africa during a feeding I saw a<br />
woman beat her three year old baby across the street as an older<br />
man laughed. I met children from child headed homes and<br />
helped feed children that quite possibly eat only once a week. I<br />
have lived with a family that has no electricity and has running<br />
water only once or twice a week, with that water they feed all 15<br />
family members, 7 of which are adopted from dead relatives, as<br />
well as water there crops. All this I have seen through a lens of a<br />
camera, standing in the midst of beauty and pain I realize in<br />
these moments I discover Jesus in a deeper way, I discover his<br />
heart and the way he sees the broken and poor.<br />
During my time in Brazil, in the flood zones with the farmers<br />
I worked the fields. Many times I would just run up to farmers<br />
that are already in there crops and say “Posso ajuda?” which<br />
means “Can I help you?” in portuguese. While I was there one<br />
night I went out to the fields that I had worked and it was pitch<br />
black, no street lights and just watched the stars. It was an<br />
amazing time with God. Here, I began to realize how I can relate<br />
God to pretty much everything in nature. Also this is around the<br />
time I realized how many times God spoke in the wilderness: he<br />
spoke to Jesus, Moses, and Jacob - just a few off the top of my<br />
head.<br />
During my time in South Africa and Swaziland I felt like<br />
God really talked to me on humbleness and the ability to have a<br />
joyful spirit in the most dire situations. I learned so much from<br />
the people I lived with that I am not sure if I’ll ever be able<br />
express to how much it meant to me that they spent time with<br />
me. While in South Africa and Swaziland I was very much<br />
needing the Lord because of all the depressing stories and things<br />
I had witnessed. It’s here when I came across the verse where<br />
Jesus says, “Pick up your cross and follow me”. This was shocking<br />
to me that he had said this before he was told he would be hung<br />
on the cross. Than I thought to myself what does that look like?<br />
Jesus picking up his cross; it wasn’t glorious, it wasn’t gracious, it<br />
was painful and wasn’t for himself. When Jesus picked up his<br />
cross he knew that when he got Calvary where he was going he<br />
would be nailed too it - is this what Jesus meant by pick up your<br />
crosses? And I asked myself “is that how far I am truly willing to<br />
go?” Is this dream God put in my heart something that I’m<br />
willing to pick up and walk with even if I know I will be nailed to<br />
the issues in my heart for the rest of my life? That night I told<br />
God that this is truly something I want to give my whole heart to,<br />
something that seems only right after I was saved from a life of<br />
underprivileged and given parents willing to see me go where<br />
ever I’m called and walk like I am asked to walk and love the way<br />
we are demanded to love.<br />
I honestly want to thank all of you for investing in my life as<br />
well as the lives of the people I encounter. All this couldn’t be<br />
possible without you and I truly want to get to know all of you on<br />
a one-on-one basis, please e-mail me whenever you just want to<br />
chat with me. Its honestly an honor to talk to all of you guys. Plus<br />
after traveling so much, being able to communicate with people<br />
that speak my language well is always a plus! Also I have lost 27<br />
lbs sense the start of this track.</div>Ode to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-31940111464029517282011-05-06T08:33:00.000-07:002011-05-06T08:33:46.892-07:00What of Lazarus? (Under the Cover of Light)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--> <m:smallfrac m:val="off"> <m:dispdef> <m:lmargin m:val="0"> <m:rmargin m:val="0"> <m:defjc m:val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent m:val="1440"> <m:intlim m:val="subSup"> <m:narylim m:val="undOvr"> </m:narylim></m:intlim> </m:wrapindent><!--[endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">A song about holding onto your faith when times get hard.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">by Bill Boutin </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Don't you know, your life is but a moment in flight</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Don't let go, for joy is worth the pain of the night</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Don't you know, the fog hides the ocean from the rain</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Let them go, the tears only come to ease the pain</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">It's all right, the Son remembers well</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Hope burns bright, as time will never tell</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">And someone finally fell for you, just be true</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">The Son brings His delight, hidden under cover of light</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Without a word, you languish through the lonely years on end</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">And times get hard, when emptiness becomes your constant friend</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">It's all right, cherish all the sorrows</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Don't lose sight, there may be no tomorrow, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">yet someone soon may follow after you, just be true</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">The Son brings His delight, hidden under cover of light</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Maybe when you find your body resting in the ground</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Maybe then the peace you never knew will be found</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">It's all right, the Son remembers well</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Say goodnight, your story's ended well, the one who finally fell</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Was you, and you've been true</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">The Son brings His delight, hidden under cover of light</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">It's all right, the Son remembers well</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">Hope burns bright, as time will never tell</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">And someone finally fell for you, just be true</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">The Son brings His delight, hidden under cover of light</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">And It's all right</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN">(C) 1997 Bill Boutin</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Ode to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-91671335578222911762011-04-27T06:35:00.000-07:002011-04-27T06:35:46.216-07:00Something for the Underprivileged<div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">by Maddie P.<br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"></div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">I look at them, and my heart breaks. I hear their stories and am hit by overwhelming pain. Although I shouldn't be the one breaking. I shouldn't be the one with a tear filled face, because I am not the one suffering here. Yet, I break all the same. I see the beaten, battered, abused, broken, distraught, and orphaned children, and my heart collapses at the sight of their despair. It hurts to know, to see, to come to realization with how much they suffer. It hurts to find that there is nothing they can do about it. After all they're just kids, mothers, fathers, forgotten people, fearful and alone. What they don't know is that they will never truly be alone. There is one greater than all who will rescue them, who has saved them, who cares for them. This is the one who will never abandon them. He will never forsake them. He's the one who made us this promise, a promise saying that he'll come back for us. Even them, those who are forgotten. In his eyes, and in mine, they are beautiful. They are treasured, sacred, and most importantly as I say again and again they are LOVED. And by him, they are remembered. He remembers them and their pain, he remembers the plans he has made for them, plans to prosper and grow. So let us remember, too. Let us love as he loves, move as he moves, and through him save those who some would say are not worth the time, the effort, or the money. Now we remember, it's time to move. To take action. To bring attention to the underprivileged and not forget through the distractions and time wasters in this world that they are still there. Broken. They still need help, and they still need to know about the overwhelming joy and salvation that their savior brings. They need to be loved, and they need to be remembered. They are our neighbors, our friends. So let us join together and pray. And serve. And run to them with arms wide open. Letting them know they are loved, and that they are remembered. Words aren't enough to capture their sorrow, their grief, and their hurt. They aren't enough to explain the help they need. But they're at least something to start a movement that had been ignored, forgotten. To start an inspiration. Enough to pull people off there couches, away from there TV's, and to get them thinking, moving. There are the so called least of these right next door, and they need to hear something. They need to hear that they are not forgotten any longer. My heart yearns to tell them this, to show them this love that surpasses knowledge. To tell them they are His beautiful creation. He needs everyone to step up, to tell them, to show them, they are loved, and now, they are remembered. I long to do this, so won't you join with me. Join with me on a journey to share with His people that he loves them. It breaks me to know that they long for this undying love, salvation, help, and they don't find out because no one remembers to pass on this radical news. He hears there sorrow filled cries for help, even when no one else cares to listen. He yearns for them to know of him, of his everlasting love. So, once again, let's remember. Let's run to them, let's move, get up out of our lives and step into one much more important, one that we were called to. So that they may know the joy that is to come. So that they know they aren't waiting for nothing. He's still coming. So let's tell them, let's show them, remember them, and now, it's time to love them. Join with me as we venture out, let's love the forgotten.</div>Ode to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-67975614149388300102011-04-25T20:46:00.000-07:002011-04-25T20:46:03.879-07:00Ode's Get-Rid-of-Stuff-a-Thon!<div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 16pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">Ode's Get-Rid-of-Stuff-a-Thon!</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">May 1st, 2011 - May 31st, 2011</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ode is kicking off our summer of fundraising with our Get-Rid-of-Stuff-a-thon!</span> What is that you might ask? It's a cool way for you to get rid of stuff while, at the same time, helping Ode raise money to kick poverty to the curb more effectively!</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGTGKlmrDL9ZhdCEgX1oUKKyt1zn7rKnN_poRJR57j6sow2NzB6fFaqkZQmd6Bo39cHadYURNVCdyQb-BPsrFUl2dRoioecN8UYq9bcjlZwW5hleBanHplpENqen1hsPrPbLLED6g7Nc/s1600/Get-Rid-of-Stuff-a-Thon+FB+image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGTGKlmrDL9ZhdCEgX1oUKKyt1zn7rKnN_poRJR57j6sow2NzB6fFaqkZQmd6Bo39cHadYURNVCdyQb-BPsrFUl2dRoioecN8UYq9bcjlZwW5hleBanHplpENqen1hsPrPbLLED6g7Nc/s320/Get-Rid-of-Stuff-a-Thon+FB+image.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">How can you help? </div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">Pledge a garage sale to the cause. Have a garage sale and let everyone who shops know where the profits are going- to a cool organization that is trying to use their talents to make a difference in peoples' lives and hearts.</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">We all know that we have excess stuff that we have been waiting to get rid of and that someone else could use! Now is the time to put that spring cleaning to a good cause!</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">Email us (<span style="font-weight: bold;">odetotheforgotten@yahoo.com</span>) and let us know you're having a garage sale. We'll email you flyers about Ode's mission, and you let us know if you want us to advertise the sale on the Ode blog! </div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">Then, when the sale is over, mail your donation to us at</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">Ode to the Forgotten </div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">P.O. Box 539</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">Fishers, IN 46037</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">Let's get rid of some stuff!</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">Your monetary donations will go to:</div><ul style="direction: ltr; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.375in; margin-top: 0in; unicode-bidi: embed;" type="disc"><li style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;">50% of every donation goes to our </span><a href="http://odetotheforgotten.blogspot.com/search/label/Partners"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;">partner organizations</span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;">.Without them, we are just talking the talk.</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;">Funding </span><a href="http://odetotheforgotten.blogspot.com/p/events.html"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;">Ode events</span></a><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;">, where people experience poverty in a new way, and where we equip them to act on their passion for poverty and start making a difference!</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;">Administrative needs that keep Ode running and growing!</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 12pt;">Helping Ode become a 501c3 organization, so that next time you donate to us, you can write it off! :)</span></li>
<li style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 12pt;">Ultimately, making a difference in our local and global community by inspiring a passion for the impoverished and getting people to do something about it!</span></li>
</ul><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.375in;">(Feel free to invite your friends to have a garage sale as well!)</div>Ode to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-43507610497833437542011-04-13T19:22:00.000-07:002011-04-13T19:36:42.938-07:00Reflections from Indy Homeless Connectsuper super praise God from the Indy Homeless Connect today put on by CHIP Indy! wow! what a response! so many people stopped by the <a href="http://odetotheforgotten.blogspot.com/p/i-am-art-series.html">I AM... </a>display and picked up a mirror with a word on it that challenged them. just to share some highlights....<br />
so many of the guys picked up the one that said "i am handsome" and were like so confident in it. especially the older men were like "yeah! i AM handsome! so true". i love that. alot of people took "I am bold" and "I am loved" and "I am worth it". those are the major ones. as well as "I am joyful" and "I am strong". They are truly strong. Everyone in that room was strong for being there and continuing to keep on keeping on. So encouraging. But the "loved" ones were definitely big. People really loved those. One lady we got to talk to picked the "I AM loved" one and, when she started walking away, she started crying, and the best part is that, because of that, we got to give her a big group hug and remind her that she IS loved. She is. she just cried more and it was beautiful :) she is so loved.<br />
People were so glad that they got to take one. we actually ran out of mirrors by noon and had to get some more (5 dozen more) and had all but 5 left by the time we were done at four. Praise God- he provides so well! The smaller mirrors were what really resonated with people. the big ones on display are cool, but when talking to homeless friends, its important to have something to GIVE them that they can take with them. (We gave them the mirrors as a reminder that they ARE all of those things... loved, beautiful, handsome, worth it, joyful, hopeful, strong, etc.) So when we hand out the CHIP handbooks when walking around, we should also give people one of the mirrors to go with it. It reminds me of the verse in Acts where it's like "silver and gold i do not have but what i have i give you." Paul says that to a crippled man outside the temple gates, and then he heals the man, and the man goes out praising God. we saw that so much today. spiritual, emotional healing. True, amazing, stories of life change and courage and glory to God.<br />
And something that resonated with me was that there were so many different faces of homelessness and different faces between the homeless neighbors and volunteers who were there. From people in suits to people who needed new clothes, everyone just looked so diverse and beautiful. Homelessness doesn't just have one face. To be cliche, we can never judge a book by its cover. Never assume that someone is or isn't homeless or does or doesn't need help. You never know until you ask.<br />
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So. That is the beautiful rundown of my perspective on the Indy Homeless Connect today. It was beautifully blessed event with beautiful people who have amazing hearts. Everyone truly did.<br />
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If you were there and have any stories to share, please, please, please comment and post them... there are an unending amount of beautiful stories of restoration and love that I know need to be shared. Today was beautiful.<br />
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If you want more info on the I AM... art series that Ode brought to the Indy Homeless Connect event today, feel free to check out this link: <a href="http://odetotheforgotten.blogspot.com/p/i-am-art-series.html">http://odetotheforgotten.blogspot.com/p/i-am-art-series.html</a><br />
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To learn more about the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP) Indianapolis, check out <a href="http://chipindy.org/">chipindy.org </a> <br />
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Don't be hesitant to pray about it and then get involved where you're called. The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Get plugged in!<br />
<br />
And never forget...<br />
YOU ARE<br />
loved<br />
beautiful<br />
hopeful<br />
handsome<br />
strong<br />
unique<br />
bold<br />
named<br />
worth it<br />
filled<br />
joyful<br />
valuable<br />
and confident.<br />
<br />
Whether you feel like it some days or not. You are... :)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">b y Sarah Hensley</span>Ode to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-89863933344736939832011-04-11T08:06:00.000-07:002011-04-11T08:06:27.843-07:00How Long, Not Long by Martin Luther King<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtAlV4wRYU24FlelZT6FZX221yM39P3Ew4W0p7SOrK9cbCL93xO1OdcMFftCAs-vbpCKqhUsaqyJqEitlR0_3YNte-CX4SzyTLTP58KIznpMg3SuXufBq_tpVmdpFSnqI0yPY-9yF5e8/s1600/st.+lucia+7+cross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtAlV4wRYU24FlelZT6FZX221yM39P3Ew4W0p7SOrK9cbCL93xO1OdcMFftCAs-vbpCKqhUsaqyJqEitlR0_3YNte-CX4SzyTLTP58KIznpMg3SuXufBq_tpVmdpFSnqI0yPY-9yF5e8/s320/st.+lucia+7+cross.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;">"I know you are asking today, "How long will it take?" (Speak, sir) Somebody's asking, "How long will prejudice blind the visions of men, darken their understanding, and drive bright-eyed wisdom from her sacred throne?" Somebody's asking, "When will wounded justice, lying prostrate on the streets of Selma and Birmingham and communities all over the South, be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men?" Somebody's asking, "When will the radiant star of hope be plunged against the nocturnal bosom of this lonely night, (Speak, speak, speak) plucked from weary souls with chains of fear and the manacles of death? How long will justice be crucified, (Speak) and truth bear it?" (Yes, sir) I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, (Yes, sir) however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, (No sir) because "truth crushed to earth will rise again." (Yes, sir) How long? Not long, (Yes, sir) because "no lie can live forever." (Yes, sir) How long? Not long, (All right. How long) because "you shall reap what you sow." (Yes, sir)...How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."</span><br />
- Martin Luther King Jr. "How Long, Not Long"<br />
<br />
We have all experienced this waiting, yearning period that King describes. Shouting "HOW LONG IS THIS GOING TO TAKE, LORD?! How much more can I bear?! How can justice be so good but seem so far away?" This is the question that plagues human life. How can God allow suffering and justice to be held off for what seems like so long? Many people would look at this question and say, I don't know. I don't know. And, in many cases, there is no explanation. There is not always a specific "why" to answer why this happened. But we know there is ALWAYS a bigger purpose. Always. My sister once said that out of soot and ash come beautiful rose bushes. there's always something beautiful growing underneath destruction. If you're suffering, remember that. God promises that he will work everything out for your good because you love him (Romans 8:28). Hold onto that. Don't forget it. It might seem like your deliverance is taking forever. "JESUS WHY IS THIS TAKING SO LONG? WHEN WILL IT END?! HOW LONG?!" Not long. Just hang in there. He is pruning you, tearing down all your unstable walls so that, out of your ashes, he can create something even more beautiful and strong. How long? Not Long. Hang in there.Ode to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-10474890912634687102011-01-25T13:55:00.000-08:002011-01-25T13:55:58.594-08:00Interview with Tim Euken- photographing the world's poverties<strong>Interview with Tim Euken</strong>:<br />
Joseph Spaulding – Creative Technologies Director<br />
January 25, 2011<br />
<br />
Tim Euken is 19 years old and currently lives in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. He is currently traveling the world with an organization to photograph and document poverty. I recently had the chance to speak with Tim about his travels. As of today, Tim is in Brazil and will soon be heading to the flood zones in Rio.<br />
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1) Can you give us a quick run-down of what it is that you are doing and why you are doing it? How long will you be out of the country?<br />
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<strong>Tim: We are a group of photographers with a variety of passions. My personal passion, along with many others, is the pursuit of wondering why I see so many prostitutes around the world. <em>How</em> they became prostitutes is how we solve the problem. Meeting street children where they are is another passion of mine that will be shown in my photography.</strong><strong> </strong><br />
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<strong> We will be out of the country for 12 months. Countries run-down: Brazil (Rio and Sao Paulo), South Africa, Egypt, Israel (going to bible locations), Greece, Driving North to Thesselnki (Thessalonians), Italy, Ireland, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, The Czech Republic, Budapest or Croatia, Mumbai Road trip through India, Australia to the flood zones in Nov, then back to Hawaii. (The plan will probably change every once in a while).</strong><br />
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2) What's your personal background like? - where did you come from and how did you get to where you are today?<br />
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<strong>Tim: I was adopted by Missionaries from the Philippines. Yes, my parents are white. I was raised in Hawaii. My personal skills set is geared more towards videography. However, photography has its similarities that I’m planning on mastering. Every year in high school I interned at a professional business. I took the initiative to become the best I could. After all, that’s what the Bible calls us to do. I worked for Airspace Workshop, Montaj9, Digital Edge Hawaii… you can Google them if you would like.</strong><br />
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3) What got you into photography?<br />
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<strong>Tim: I have always been into [photography] however, while I was with a group of photographers to the Philippines (crazy story), and watched as they made a book on prostitution, it really showed me how photography can grab you so quickly. As with video, you have to actually sit and want to pay attention. You can choose to look away after a while but with a picture you can look for a second and it will always be ingrained in your mind if it is good.</strong><br />
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4) What is it that God has placed on your heart to do with your gifts and talents?<br />
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<strong>Tim: I think the one thing that my gifts can do for the world is to make people stop and think. I have to believe in my heart that if people got a glimpse of what I saw - just once - something will move in there heart.</strong><br />
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5) What keeps you going? - How does God inspire you or how has God inspired you?<br />
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<strong>Tim: Haha I’m trying to figure that out. On a team of three guys and six girls, God is really bringing me through. But mostly, I should never let an argument last through the night and realize every day is a new day.</strong><br />
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6) Has there been a specific time in your life where God placed on your heart your purpose? -either immediate purpose or long-term? When did you know that you needed to get out of the country to do this?<br />
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<strong>Tim: My whole life my parents told me my purpose was to follow God in any shape or form. I just happened to find my passion to be the arts and I plan to use it to further His kingdom and improve the lives of the poor. Considering who Jesus hung out with, I figure I can’t be on the wrong track.</strong><strong> </strong><br />
<strong>I can’t think of a time in my life where I didn’t want to travel. I just want my life to be an example that the world is so much bigger than any one country no matter how much you seclude yourself in it.</strong><br />
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7) Where do you see yourself 10 years from now?<br />
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<strong>Tim: Haha! Bro, I don’t know where I see myself in 2 weeks. Sorry – it’s a super lame answer but I have no idea and I really don’t want to know or it wouldn’t be an adventure.</strong><br />
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8) When can I buy the book that you want to publish?!<br />
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<strong>Tim: The book will be started January 2012 and finished by June. From there we will be doing a distribution tour.</strong><br />
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9) How can we help get the word out about what you are doing?<br />
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<strong>Tim: Anything is appreciated. I honestly love it when people e-mail me because I can just chat with them about what I’m doing and hopefully influence them to follow in their own paths. If I can do it, anyone can. Also, forwarding people to my blog would be sweet.</strong><br />
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10) Can we see some photos?! - if we could use a few photos at our events, that would phenomenal!<br />
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<strong>Tim: Of course but I’ll have to send them through e-mail.</strong><br />
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11) How can we pray for you? - what challenges have you faced so far?<br />
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<strong>Tim: Please pray for our health. Honestly, we live on rice and beans every day. That’s it – and a piece of bread in the morning. And, if we are lucky, some butter haha. As well as safety. We are all pretty trigger-happy people and sometimes we may be in dangerous situations. We are leaving to go to the flood zones in Rio soon.</strong><br />
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12) Is there anything you would like to say that I haven't already asked of you?<br />
<br />
<strong>Tim: I would just like to say that everyone can use his or her skills to further the kingdom and change the quality of life for the less fortunate. You just have to want to. A Cosmetologist I know of is teaching prostitutes the art of make-up in order for the girls to work in salons instead of the street corners. I know of a Biologist that goes to Africa and fixes eco systems in order to feed hundreds of people with healthy fish. Everything can be used in one way or another. You just have to want to.</strong>Ode to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-90624896236304299342011-01-17T14:14:00.001-08:002011-01-17T14:21:39.631-08:00Pure Imaginationby Joe S.<br />
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PURE IMAGINATION. - God has called each of us to use our gifts and talents. Whether that be creative talents, cooking talents, writing talents, marketing talents, construction talents, singing talents... whatever! - God has called us to use those talents for His glory and ultimately to help those in need. "...If you help the least of these you are serving me..." If you think about it, God is a creative God. Look at the colors He has given us - the world around us. GORGEOUS. And I think that is overlooked. I think it would be cool if we relate how creative and powerful He is with what He is capable of doing through us.<br />
<br />
I was watching Charlie and the Chocolate factory the other day and the song that is sung when the kids and their parents first walk into the chocolate factory (where the water fall is and such..) just really hit home for me somehow. "Hold your breath. Make a wish. Count to three. Come with me and you'll be in a world of pure imagination. Take a look and you'll see into your imagination..." Ode is very much about melding creativity and God's work to serve the poor, the lame, and the blind. Let's emphasize that. Let's give others that same inspiration that we have. And not just by showing it through our event but let's shout it! - Let's shout that God has power to work through our imagination - through our creativity and work.<br />
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Part of the song goes like this:<br />
<br />
"If you want to view paradise<br />
Simply look around and view it<br />
Anything you want to, do it<br />
Wanna change the world?<br />
There's nothing to it."<br />
<br />
Those last two lines I want to really emphasize. Because changing the world isn't as hard as people make it out to be. They just need a spark of inspiration and a little imagination.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">Haven't seen Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? Her's a vid of the part we're talking about!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ-uV72pQKI</span> </div>Ode to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-54270203518650369212010-12-16T06:36:00.000-08:002010-12-16T06:37:03.814-08:00Don't let the fact....<div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Poverty isn't something we can just ignore. It's not something that we can just say "well, I don't know what to do…" and then not do anything. It's a pressing matter. Both physical and emotional poverty have damaging physical and emotional effects. In one person, one poverty may even incite the other. They are disastrously related. Therefore, we can't just ignore poverty, or poverty as a whole will find new avenues and will grow.</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">If you don't know what to do, don't just sit and do nothing. Pray about it. Then go look at what Jesus did. Then at what other people in the church who have been truly listening to God are doing. If you haven't found your "niche" yet, or haven't found what area of involvement in eradicating poverty you are most passionate about, pray about it and ask God to lead you then start doing different things while asking God to show you the way. The worst that would happen is that you would help someone without being passionate about it (which is perfectly fine because it's not about us anyway). God will show you your niche. He'll show you where he will plant you and where you will be the most fruitful. We can't use the excuse that we "don't know what to do" then not go look for something to do.</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">I've learned personally that it is pride that causes me to say "I am not able" or "I don't know how, so I can't". That type of thinking is not dependent on God, but dependent on self. It is forgetting that God has all the resources in the world, and that, if he wants you to do something, he won't ask you to do it without equipping you for it. Why would God send a soldier into battle unarmed? Right. He never does. Because He's always there as our armor and will give us everything we need. We are called to battle and fight with poverty. God says that there will always be the poor on earth, but that doesn't mean we give up and stop fighting. Every person matters. Just because the poor will always be there doesn't mean that we can ignore the poverty. To ignore it would be like telling a homeless man or a person who is depressed "well, there will always be poverty, so my helping you wouldn't make a difference". There will always be poverty, but that does not mean that <span style="font-style: italic;">they</span> will always be poor. By helping each individual we make a dent in helping the cause as a whole. Jesus brings life and glorious riches (whether riches of knowledge or of having physically enough). When we show Jesus to each individual, we show them how to let <span style="font-style: italic;">Him</span> begin eradicating the poverties in their life so they don't feel like they're doing it all alone. And when we offer them physical means of help (like money, lunch, a home, etc.), we are making a difference in<span style="font-style: italic;"> their</span> life, even if we may not be eradicating the worlds' poverties through that action. Every person matters and will make a difference in the long run. Every person, once they become spiritually rich, has the ability to step alongside Jesus and eradicate poverty. We need all the people on our team we can get. The physically and emotionally poor are not to be pitied, ignored, or forgotten. They are to be loved and helped, then considered as a brother and Christ and as a fellow soldier in the fight against emotional and physical poverty.</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">And for the over-achieving perfectionists out there: </div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Don't let the fact that you can't do everything stop you from doing something. </span></b></div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">I've been in that position. The 8 hours of homework never gets done if you don't go one assignment at a time.</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"> You'll find that, when we begin living by Jesus' call to serve the poor and eradicating physical and emotional poverty, our hearts slowly start to open up more than we ever imagined, and Jesus begins eradicating the poverties in there as well. Some that we didn't even know were there.</div>Ode to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-10957416630278484342010-12-04T06:48:00.000-08:002010-12-16T06:37:18.287-08:00Lend Free (Part 2/4)!<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Walk with me.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Talk with me.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">This might hit just a bit </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Hard for me</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">But lets open our stone cold eyes and see</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">This</span></i><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> type of "remember me".</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">He.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Has five children and the heart of a father.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Wanting to be anything but a failure</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">He works not only nine to five</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">But five to ten and third job at the end</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Because HE</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">…. wants to feed his children.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">So while they may</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Live in a big</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">House</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Or wear nice looking</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Clothes.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Those luxuries were from a long time ago.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">And They </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> are barely making it.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">House in foreclosure</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">And dad just lost his ...</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Not keys </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Not mind, no.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Dad just lost his...</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> jobs.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Did you catch it?</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">That's plural.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Not one</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">But two</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Then three</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">The process of elimination began ever so slowly.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">NOT because he didn't work<br />
HARD enough.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">NOT because he was not </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">EDUCATED enough.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">NOT because he didn't</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">WANT IT enough.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">But because Somehow</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> in the <b><u>three</u></b></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">There just wasn't enough</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> Job security</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">To get them through next week.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">And this father's heart</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Sinks to the bottom of his stomach.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Cause his kids stomachs</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";"> Say Hungry.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">They've got no signs...</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">but he thinks that's what they'd read...</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">"Hungry"</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Thinking they'll say "he's failed me".</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">And there's nothing he can do.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Poverty.</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br />
</div>Ode to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-64561291655586557162010-10-31T13:44:00.000-07:002010-10-31T13:44:13.414-07:00Lend Free (Part 1/4)<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">New poem called Lend Free! This is only part one, the rest are to come! be on the lookout :) </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Sit with me.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">No. wait.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span> </span>don't sit with me.<span> </span>Please.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Stand with me.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Walk with me.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Talk with me.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">I've got something for you to see... with me.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">If you think</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">You've seen poverty</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Open your lens...with me</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Cause when the talk of poverty begins</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">It unravels in the preconceived spools of thought in our minds.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">And the stereotypes that we allow to have this hype….</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Drift</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span> </span>straight to the Trash.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">walk with me</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Talk with me.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Breathe in with me</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">This fresh air of honesty.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">No turning your head cause its too hard to see</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Or repainting the picture the way you wish it'd be</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">He</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">He</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Is a man on tenth street</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Sleeping where no man should be forced to sleep</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Eating only what man will give him the funds to eat.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">He.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">His sign says "hungry"</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span> </span>and his eyes say "help me"</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><span> </span>and his heart-</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">His heart is the hardest to see</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">But it says... "if only</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">The men passing by would <span style="font-style: italic;">SEE</span><span> </span>me….</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Instead of pretending they don't."</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">If you want a check<span> </span>in your reality</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Know</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Yeah I may be describing the stereotypical Ho<span> </span>Bo</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">But know</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">He </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">is the same…… species. As you. And me.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Humanity.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Poverty.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
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</div>Ode to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-70855035216510008112010-10-06T19:01:00.000-07:002011-04-14T08:20:45.073-07:00Break the DarkHey everyone! so here's a beautiful organization that i happened upon recently that's working to fight against emotional poverty and bring Christ's freedom to people that have been enslaved for too long by doubts of who they were created for and who they were created to be. It's called <b>Break the Dark.</b> I would tell you what they're about, but it's better if you read it for yourself.<br />
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From <a href="http://www.breakthedark.blogspot.com/">www.breakthedark.blogspot.com</a> :<br />
"My story begins here.<br />
<br />
I have always been the "quiet girl," the girl in the back of the classroom that everyone thinks doesn't talk. In fact, when I was in kindergarten I had one best friend who I would whisper to and she would basically talk for me. Sounds funny now if you know the person I have become. All throughout grade school and high school, I had a few close friends. I envied the popular and pretty girls, wishing I were outgoing like them, and therefore disliking them and myself more and more as the years went on. I won't go into full detail but over the years (namely high school), but the reality is that I found myself not liking who I was and who God had created me to be. Each day was a struggle, as I would wake up thinking about what I would or would not eat that day, looking at others and asking myself, "Why don't I look like her?" "I wish I had her hair or her body." <br />
<br />
This grew to become my sole focus each day. I didn't realize that the outside appearance was only part of who I am. I had horrible perceptions of myself. I felt the need to live up to expectations. I also felt that since I had been labeled as "the quiet girl" my whole life, that that was WHO I was and therefore I had to look a certain way to fulfill the lack of personality that day to day people saw in me. <br />
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I also felt the need to be loved, as we all do. I began to become a person that I didn't know and didn't like. Once I entered college and the boyfriend I had and loved broke up with me, I felt nothing more. I began to question why I was even here. What my point in being alive was. I wanted the void in my heart to be filled with this boy again, causing me to be a person that I didn’t recognize. The person I had become was scary and lonely. I knew that what I was doing was wrong, for I was raised in a Christian home where right and wrong are clearly evident. I felt as if I was tied to a track, watching as the train came closer and closer...and the ropes, they were becoming tighter and tighter around me, pulling me in so I couldn’t escape. I began doubting God and asked him why he had put his breath in my lungs because, in my opinion, I was completely worthless. I began to be borderline on and off anorexic...and depressed, thinking, “If I was just skinnier or prettier, maybe the boy I love will come back to me.” <br />
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It was one awful night after yet another argument with him that I felt like I needed to make the decision that wasn't supposed to be in my hands. After I took the pills, laying on my bedroom floor crying, my mom said we needed to go to the ER. It wasn't as dramatic as it sounds, and it could have been worse, but this is where my story began to change.<br />
<br />
I met a nurse in the hospital that was amazing. I don't remember her name, but she talked to me like I wasn't a crazy person, as the other people had, and she gave me hope...the kind that sprinkles water on the soul, the kind that, even if for an instant, clears the darkness and brings the light, if even just for a moment. <br />
<br />
I could breathe. And breathing was good enough for the moment.<br />
<br />
She told me I was beautiful and that I have so much to live for, and she told me how much God loves me. <br />
<br />
After that night, things were up and down. It was during the summer though that I truly felt hope again. My friend took me to a bible study she had been going to all summer, and I have never met such amazing people in my life. The atmosphere was incredible, and the people there became my true, real friends. They genuinely cared for me and most of them don’t even realize how much their love has changed my entire life. I looked forward to Thursday nights every week. I began to feel the real love and hope that I hadn't felt before. The kind of love only God can give, a filling love that no person on the earth can satisfy. Real people, who loved me for who I am and not just my outer appearance. I began to feel happy again, like I hadn't in a long time. I began to embrace who I am and therefore found the love within to embrace others and love them. <br />
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I finally let go of the things that were holding me back. It is amazing how much love, true love, the kind that comes from the Father, can change us. <br />
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Even though I still struggle with my self-image some days, I know in my heart that this is who I am. This is who I was created to be. I was created to love others deeply and show the love that only Jesus can give to them. Today I feel more alive and free than I ever have. In our weakness, we are strong. The struggles we encounter shape us and allow us to be real and share real love.<br />
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And this is why I am creating this organization. I want to share the joy that I feel with others. I want all people, girls and boys alike, to know that they are not alone. I want to touch other peoples' lives and therefore I have a vision. My vision is in the form of fashion. I have designed shirts and various items in my head and on paper. This is just the beginning of it all and I have not yet gotten the products, but I am working towards that. <br />
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The title is "Break The Dark." <br />
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So many girls (and boys too, but not as often times) struggle with self-esteem and eating disorders and all that goes along with the two. I want these people to see that they can make a difference, that they (perhaps YOU) are important and loved and cared for. I want you to feel beautiful in your skin. I want for the people who will wear these shirts to say that they're wearing it because they are loved. I want you to feel the joy that is captured when you come to the realization and happiness in yourself and who God has created you to be. <br />
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I want you to break the cycle, I want you to end the battle that is causing you hurt, whatever it may be. I want for you to begin breaking the darkness with the hope of God, the hope that an amazing life lies ahead of you. For the only way to get rid of darkness is with even the slightest illumination of light. I want real love to invade you and take over the pain, allowing you to be free and able to run into freedom and not away from fear. I want this hope to be a long lasting hope, not one that lasts for a little while, bringing you back down after time is up. I want God's love to be shown through you and in you as it is in me, because He has the only long- lasting hope that can be found.<br />
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This is only a piece of how I have gotten to where I am today but I hope that my passion and desire is clear. Thank you for taking the time to read this. <br />
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Let's break the dark.<br />
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Together.<br />
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In light and love and freedom and all that is beyond.<br />
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<br />
Isaiah 41:13"<br />
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such a beautiful organization. i hope you check it out further at breakthedark.blogspot.comOde to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-10759149309523158972010-10-01T10:05:00.001-07:002010-10-01T10:13:15.808-07:00Ode to the Forgotten CD!<div class="mobile-photo"></div><div class="mobile-photo"></div><div class="mobile-photo"></div><div class="mobile-photo"></div><div class="mobile-photo"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5523124975114053634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis13UFc1Krw7mCPAaYV_QZvgmJVHnkIgEpODPoG3Fyx7iL4IKSXmcZIcZ9D6iUcpPZ_Lv8wVyUTf1lpLe3yXguBdbLJgi-t69JQGoQNbLI1GgDpzrmpiHG0Y9KMcBtQGwbygqtCwsrZ0M/s320/0724101214-742270.jpg" /> </div><div class="mobile-photo">Hey everyone! If you don't know, Ode to the Forgotten has awesome CD's in with original poems and songs about both physical and emotional poverty. The first half of the CD is a poetic explanation of how to get involved with Ode and with what God's doing with the poor, and the second half is action-paced with poetry and songs that God wrote on our heart that we want to share with you!</div><div class="mobile-photo">CDs are $5 and all the proceeds go to the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention Indy. Great organization that's making a difference! To get a CD, contact us at odetotheforgotten@yahoo.com</div><div class="mobile-photo"><br />
</div><div class="mobile-photo">and as you listen to it, remember, the words on the CD mean nothing if we don't live them out with our lives.</div><div class="mobile-photo"><br />
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</div>Ode to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-89431115107554726782010-09-28T06:18:00.000-07:002010-10-06T19:05:05.226-07:00A Powerful Prayer<div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">(Just a snippett of a new poem called "A Powerful Prayer"... you'll have to come to our next event to see the whole thing... we'll let you know when that is:)</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">If you've seen</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">The poverty of the poor</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Or the petitions of the powerless</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Don’t. hold. Back. Your. </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Prayers.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Just because you don't seem to have the </div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Time.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Cause maybe</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Just possibly</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Maybe the poor are</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Just one prayer away</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">And maybe the past is just</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">One prayer away</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">And maybe the imprisoned are just one prayer away</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">One prayer away</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">From freedom.</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">So look at your clock</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">a'tickin'</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Look at the time</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">a'going</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Look at the world around you</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">a'moving</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">But when you look- is it moving <span style="font-style: italic;">enough</span>?</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Does this clock represent</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Something more than spent time and spent cents?</div><div style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Does it wreak of something particularly prayerful?</div><br />
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can't wait to see you all at the next event! let us know what you think! and if you want us to come to your church, email us at odetotheforgotten@yahoo.com<br />
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love!Ode to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-48977783970607703472010-09-25T18:47:00.000-07:002010-09-25T18:47:11.122-07:00Looking for a picture!So we are looking for a picture to put on the front of a postcard we are making... and we need your help! This postcard will be a general information postcard about what Ode to the Forgotten is and how people can get involved.<br />
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Likewise, the picture could be of anything that relates to an emotional or physical poverty, or just a nice background picture (brick, dilapidated wood, whatever catches your eye really... :) Send it in and we'll see what we get and put one on the post card! We'd love to have all the pictures in to choose from by October 20th so we can get these cards out into the world to tell people about Ode!<br />
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Thanks for your help and if you have any questions or need further explanation, feel free to email us at odetotheforgotten@yahoo.com<br />
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Grace and Peace,<br />
Sarah and AmyraOde to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-30848464165483951172010-09-17T14:26:00.000-07:002010-09-17T14:26:44.763-07:00ODE is on the Northview blog!!! PTL!<b><strong>So an awesome woman named Robyn Rickel attended the Ode event and wrote a blog about Ode and it's founding for the Northview Church blog! Here's a snippet:<br />
"The Ode to the Forgotten team is writing a completely comprised of submissions from people like you. They want everyone to participate; you don’t have to be a C.S. Lewis to submit. They believe all writings are amazing and have a purpose....</strong></b><b>It can be about how you thought of poverty before and after you started serving, how serving has changed your life or anything else you want to express. <strong> <br />
beautiful wording:)<br />
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to read the rest, go to:<br />
<a href="http://thenorthviewblog.us/2010/09/13/serving-brings-darkness-to-light/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://thenorthviewblog.us/2010/09/13/serving-brings-darkness-to-light/</a><br />
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praise the Lord for spreading the news!</strong></b>Ode to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1014784208232590586.post-56049623039736226762010-09-16T18:25:00.000-07:002010-09-16T18:25:20.884-07:00Routineby Rachel Hoffman <br />
<br />
It's Friday<br />
And the clock strikes noon<br />
What can he expect?<br />
Lunch should be soon<br />
Or maybe not<br />
Maybe he should expect<br />
a rip<br />
or a tear<br />
or a scratch<br />
or a glare<br />
or a shout down the hall<br />
maybe he should expect them all<br />
because whether its<br />
Monday<br />
or Tuesday<br />
everyday is a<br />
Newday<br />
for someone to tell him<br />
He's not enough<br />
And its tough<br />
Because Monday through Thursday<br />
Its a daily routine<br />
To be called a name<br />
to be hit<br />
or to scream<br />
And come Friday<br />
There's no life in his eyes<br />
Because the life he had left<br />
was murdered inside<br />
his chest<br />
behind the ribs<br />
and through the mess<br />
the people he loved<br />
took all the rest<br />
of the life<br />
the love<br />
the joy<br />
the peace<br />
none of it they<br />
let him keep<br />
So maybe its only<br />
Friday<br />
But then it's<br />
Saturday<br />
and before they know it, it's<br />
Sunday<br />
And Sunday is the day<br />
That they iron their shirts<br />
And put on their masks<br />
because<br />
Sunday<br />
is the day that<br />
all sins are washed away<br />
Right?<br />
Wrong.<br />
Because it maybe<br />
Sunday<br />
and that's the day<br />
that we worship<br />
laugh and<br />
sing<br />
but once Sunday's over<br />
once the sun is lower<br />
and the hands of the clock<br />
strike 12<br />
He's back to<br />
Monday<br />
and every other day<br />
of the week<br />
the month<br />
the year<br />
when worthless<br />
pitiful<br />
disgrace<br />
and fagot<br />
are common words to hear.<br />
So we can go to church<br />
and sing our songs<br />
and laugh with all our friends<br />
but the way we talk<br />
and the way we walk<br />
and the way that we degrade<br />
is affecting hearts<br />
Monday through Sunday<br />
Each<br />
And<br />
Every<br />
DayOde to the Forgottenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05968674863564344021noreply@blogger.com0