Simple Living- Year 2 (January Newsletter)

Unwrapping who we really are. "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." - John 8:32   Although parts of ourselves are hurt and broken, damaged or influenced, or feel forgotten and buried, I believe that there is a gift beneath all that. There is something waiting in anticipation to be discovered, the true self who God created us to be. Often we start to believe the layers of self doubt, failure and guilt that have built up around our true identity, are the foundations of who we are. "We are nothing more than our shortcomings". As we exit the season of advent and enter into this New Year, let us remember the hope of Jesus manifesting in our lives as he shows us where our true identity lies.    Simple Living      These past few months have been challenging. In being in a new job, in a new city, with new people, I have been feeling a lot of pressure to perform. I have been trying to live up to, and into, the images that I have created of what I "should" being doing. When I fall short of these standards, I often feel drained and disappointed in myself.      As you may know, I have been working in a high school with students who have emotional handicaps, or learning disabilities. With little experience working in education, I have tried to base a lot the way I approach students off of my colleagues, a lot of whom have been School Officers at some point in their career. I however have not been a school officer, and have never really been the authoritarian type. In fact, trying to pretend that I am has left me trying to keep up a pace and persona that I am just not compatible with.      For a lot of this past semester, I felt tired and inauthentic to my self and my ideals of leadership. Once I began interacting with my students in a way that was more like my true self, building relationships became much easier. It seems that when we try to be, or do something that is not authentic to who we are, our incapacity with it will inevitably be destructive to our lives. I have been discovering an incredible sense of freedom in allowing myself to accept that who I was created to be is enough. It seems that God's work in me is most contagious when people see that they are free to be themselves as well.   Hey folks, I could use your help! As I try to live out this second year of intentionally learning, living and loving any prayers or words or encouragement would be greatly appreciated. I also have a financial need of $4,610 dollars to help fund my full immersion into this way of life that covers all of my living expenses for the year, including groceries, public transportation, rent and more. I welcome your partnership this year and invite you to consider becoming a one-time or monthly donor. I am equally thankful for your ongoing spiritual and financial support. I pray that God blesses you in all that you do this month and would encourage you in the pursuit to love your neighbor as yourself! REMEMBER! This month is the Love Drive. February 2nd- March 17th We have two shirts as gifts for this drive. One is a long-sleeved, teal Love God. Love People. shirt ($70 donation) and the other is a gray short-sleeved ($55 donation) Love God. Love [Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, or Philly] shirt. People can pick one of our cities to have on their gray shirt and our four cities are the only options. Donors can also get both shirts for $100.   Special shout out to Dawson Vosburg, Yuki Burton and Crystal  O'Connor this month, thank you guys! Much love, -CHARLIE charliejoconnor.blogspot.com

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Poreign Folicy

"Sex trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which individuals perform commercial sex through the use of force, fraud, or coercion. Minors under the age of 18 engaging in commercial sex are considered to be human trafficking, regardless of the use of force, fraud, or coercion."

"Once a film or image with the girl’s face is uploaded onto the Internet, it is there forever. Traffickers know this and use it as a method of control and blackmail, letting the girls know that now they are on the Internet, they can never escape the life.Traffickers force girls into pornography for a greater financial gain. It is estimated that the pornography industry’s annual revenue has reached $13 billion. Traffickers can sell sexual photos of the women in addition to forcing them into prostitution at a great financial gain ..."

http://traffickingresourcecenter.org/type-trafficking/sex-trafficking

"Following nine months of intensive research—including two investigations in Pakistan, more than 130 interviews with victims, witnesses, and experts, and review of thousands of pages of documentation and media reporting—this report presents evidence of the damaging and counterproductive effects of current US drone strike policies. Based on extensive interviews with Pakistanis living in the regions directly affected, as well as humanitarian and medical workers, this report provides new and firsthand testimony about the negative impacts US policies are having on the civilians living under drones."

© Copyright 2012 Living Under Drones by Stanford Law School 

http://www.livingunderdrones.org/

-A poem remembering the voiceless and an apology for where I have perpetuated suffering-

I consume, they make. I consume, they make. I consume, they make, they make, they make. This repetition is no mistake, I am just attempting to replicate the repetitious empty imitation of love that is so unquestionably fake. Because consequences are very real and we don't have to deal with the deep wounds that take lifetimes to heal, bastard children waiting for their next meal. Lonely women, mothers without jobs because "sexy blonde nurse in a blue hospital room wearing red high heels" has lost it's appeal. But you can bet that putting that as her job description was not where her dream started, she fills the prescription because I create the market.

How can I say that I am a man of peace and loving the least while I continue to feast my eyes upon what ever I please? You're not hearing me, I battle this too. Please hear me I still battle this too. Please hear me I am still battling this too, because I have been molded and programmed for years to be addicted to somebody else's pain and to entertain myself with the pain of another person. I learned at a young age that if I just distance the face of my problems away, I can place the blame on whoever I want.

Youtube's greatest falls, face plants, trips, biffs, bike crashes and headshot shots- - sound familiar? We have been so consumed with the seduction of power and the submission to fear that now ever our bombs are controlled from miles away; airstrikes and drones that will even ignore children at play. Men behind desks not knowing or caring that they're scrolling over mothers wearing the blood of their fathers, trying to mourn over pieces of their daughters. But how do you hold half of a body, a dismembered little girl burned and bruised with her hair still in braids? What if we saw that here daily in the states? What if we had to deal with the repercussions on the other side of the button, or the click of our mouse. Have we forgotten that our screens are displaying real people praying "God make it stop! Make it stop! God please make it stop!".

But I can't say that I am surprised when we live in a nation that so defiantly places those who are suffering so far away to silently hide the scars of those who were so inclined to strive for more. But are now violently beaten and told whore, if you don't comply with me tonight you'll be sleeping on the floor. There is so much that we don't see behind the scenes of porn, and in the eyes of those who are casually blown off as casualties of war.

The scales are off in this UN-justice system when we are using myth to tip blame all towards the victim. There is nothing casual about a casualty. There is nothing casual about a casualty! How are we so casual about these global tragedies?