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Last week I had a dream. I dreamt that I was an advisor to Barack Obama. I dreamt he was preparing for his inaugural speech and I had input.
I woke up and decided that I should share the ideas I got from my dream.
What is killing us?
We are being killed by oil. Our financial crisis, our pollution, and most of our wars revolve around oil.
In the early 1960s John F. Kennedy set a national goal to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Many people focused on this goal. It was achieved.
It is time to set a goal and achieve it. We need our cars to be powered by something other than oil.
John F. Kennedy also said, "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country." It is time to modify that statement to "Ask not what your world can do for you but what you can do for your world."
Why haven't we already solved the problems of pollution of our planet and economic collapse because of oil? We've known for decades that our air is being polluted for the most part by burning oil. We've known for decades the horrible disasters caused when oil tankers dump crude oil on beaches. We've known for months that our food production and distribution is being ruined by the price of oil.
We haven't solved this problem because we are lazy and greedy. We haven't solved the problem because we are not willing to make the sacrifices necessary.
Now, how are we going to solve this problem? We are going to solve it TOGETHER. We have to get every man, woman, and child of every race, creed, sexual orientation and economic status to put their minds, talents, imaginations, and emotions into finding a way to economically replace our oil based infrastructure with another infrastructure that does not pollute. We need to find an economical way to change our gas burning engines into engines that run on hydrogen. We need to replace our gas stations with hydrogen stations. We need to replace our nuclear power plants with hydrogen power plants.
If we can send people to the moon in less than 10 years, we can solve the problem that is killing us.
When we were working on putting a human being on the moon it got our imaginations going. Children drew pictures of rockets on their notepads at school. When we were working on landing on the moon only NASA had computers. Now most people have access to computers. We have so much more to work with.
We need to get everyone focusing their imaginations on how to inexpensively make our cars burn hydrogen. Let's get all those NASCAR folks working on this.
I will now tell you what I advised Barack Obama to say in my dream. I advised Barack Obama to say "I need every man, woman and child of every race, creed, nationality, sexual orientation, language and economic situation to join me with their minds, talents, imaginations, and emotions to solve the problems that are affecting all of us in so many ways. Join me as we focus on setting ourselves free from the problems in which we have shackled ourselves."
We got out of the great depression by focusing on investing in winning our war against facism from Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. Let's get out of this current financial crisis by focusing on getting rid of oil.
Back when people were burning whale oil we switched to buring petroleum. It's time to switch again!
Another point - If we even think about investing $700 Billion to rescue the greedy financial institutions, why couldn't we have invested that $700 billion in getting at the root cause of so much and so many of our problems.
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| On the bus ride home last night I had some more ideas and I have documented these in my blog entry "Journal My Attempt to Become a Better Christian Hedonist" Possibly Fit for Human Consumption.
There are three main ideas that came to me on the bus ride. Two of these need to be taken together. The union of these two ideas could be illustrated as two extention cords to reach some powerful, useful electric tool. One extention cord is plugged into the power source; the powerful, useful electric tool is plugged into the other extention cord. When the extention cord in which the electic tool is plugged finally reaches the extention cord plugged into the power source and the two are connected the power useful electric tool has what it needs to function.
A few days ago it came to me that I carry around God in me. John chapter 14 says that God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit come to live inside me. Since I am carrying around God then I should become more transparent so that God can shine through me. Thinking about this led to the first idea. Since I am the transport vehicle and the public address system for this particular way God manifests Himself to his creation then I should surrender use of my body, mind, heart, voice, hearing, sight, taste, smell, touch to God's use. I should become the most efficient ambassador for God as possible by always thinking in terms of God controlling the use of my body and mind.
I know this might sound like what I should always have heard about surrendering to God, but, for me, last night on the bus, it was a bit of a quantum leap. I thought of an illustration while riding on the bus that made it more real for me.
In the world of the internet there exist organizations that solicit anyone to "share" the processing power of their computer with them for mainly humanitarian uses. World Community Grid is an example of one such organization http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/ . The World Community Grid uses the processing power of your computer when it is connected to the internet and sitting otherwise idle.
I took this concept into the realm of my relationship with God. I could discipline myself to think of my mind/soul/spirit/sight/hearing/feeling/tasting/smelling as a multimedia processor with wireless cosmos communications capability with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. For me this gives me a modern picture of what it means to "present my body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God...".
The second idea that came to me on the bus last night is related to how God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are inside me and I need to become more transparent so the light of God can shine out through me. My thoughts took this a step further. Since God is inside me in this way, my interaction with people around me is putting God in touch with them. Specifically, with my wife and children, it is no longer just me talking to them, hugging them, showing them love and affection, kissing my wife. It is God talking to them, hugging them, showing them affection, even kissing my wife.
Think about it! If Jesus is in me and I am supposed to love my wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself for Her, then when I kiss my wife, I am an extention of Jesus showing affection to his Church. I am participating in the kind of affection that is talked about in the Song of Solomon.
By not keeping this in mind and not acting in a corresponding way toward all people around me, I am depriving God of one avenue through which he could be lovingly, affectionately interacting with his creation. When I hug someone I am surrendering my body to God for him to hug someone through me.
It is a little harder to be selfish when I realize that it is not whether I feel a desparate need to show affection to people. It no longer matters how I feel; I have to think about how God feels about that other person.
I don't know how well I have communicated this. But like I wrote before, it was a quantum leap for me to think in these terms. Like those two extention cords I used as an illustration earlier, I put these two thoughts together and it powered my motivation to surrender to God like never before.
I know I didn't keep it in mind very well with all the distractions at home last night and this morning, but writing it down now has helped. I hope it helps someone else as well.
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| Casa de Paz - House of Peace - By Deborah McIntire |  |  |  |
Casa de Paz - House of Peace Casa de Paz is a 14’ x 60’ trailer house in Parkside Mobile Estates, SE Rochester. The estates are not really very mobile. People who need to move rarely have the several hundreds of dollars it takes to disengage and haul a trailer to another site. There are many hopeful “for sale” signs on trailers but it is more likely they will be abandoned for back lot rent when a family moves. Some families live there six months a year and in Texas the rest of the year, where there is agricultural related employment. Our hope is that everyone who helps at Casa can give a reason for their faith in Jesus when called upon to anyone who comes to the door. Matthew 26:31-46 comes alive when ministering at Casa. We are told the King will say, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did it for Me.” 
There are layers of ministry from the trailer. The largest group, in the outer circle of ministry, are the families who know they can come for material and spiritual help after emergencies such as house fires. They also have begun to look forward to the annual summer Gran Fiesta in the park, which began two years ago by a co-operative effort headed up by Holy Cross Lutheran Church. Word spread, and by the second Gran Fiesta, most of the neighborhood was outenjoying the sunshine, free food and games, Tae Kwon Do demos, and many testimonies and spiritual songs. Several young “at risk” gang members sat on their bikes at a distance, listening to the testimony of a prize-winning Christian unicyclist, as well as the moving personal testimony of Fred Gommels, Tae Kwon Do master. I had so little faith, I felt sure they would leave before both demonstrations and testimonies were finished, but they stayed! Those in the middle circle might send a fleeing battered woman to Casa, where she receives supplies, clothes, a box of food from In His Name, and personal prayer. Or their water pipes freeze and young people from south Texas come over for advice. We lend them hair dryers to thaw the pipes. Often, visiting kids who have never been to any church come for pancakes and games on Sunday and hear about Jesus. The center circle includes families whose children come to Casa nearly every time it is open. Some have received Christ as their Savior, been baptized, received Bibles, and become serious about their faith. We pray for the kids privately and try to meet to pray for the families by name weekly. We have some knowledge of their family situations and can help in different ways. For example, one of these families was taking cold showers for months before we found out and got their water heater replaced. 
Families tend to move in and out of the trailer park, so transportation becomes necessary. The kids want to continue to come and need pick-up and drop-off service. Several families don’t have a car, and some would never go out of their way to bring their child to Casa. Right now there are seven apartments or houses within a mile radius where we pick up one to three kids at least weekly. For those who are helpers at Casa, flexibility and openness to the needs of the people are essential as things change on a regular basis. Casa de Paz is one of those places where a person can “hear these words of Mine and put them into practice” (Matthew 7:24). By God’s grace, it is a place to give of yourself for the King and not a place “everything they do is to be seen of men” (Matthew 23:5a). Most of what is done is quiet. Patience is essential. Sometimes 18 “wound up” kids come after school, sometimes just three preschoolers and a teenager. Usually the number is somewhere in between. Then we decide if it is a play dough day or a day for the taped testimony  of a former drug addict! Playing “house” and “dollies” is a ministry as our helpers guide the little girls to care tenderly for their dolls. Many Casa children have been cared for very well by their parents, but others act out family problems as they play. Few have been read to. One family who is persevering and struggling to make a success of daily life recently asked for help to pay for the laundromat. Instead, we picked the mom and her laundry up at 7:30 a.m. and let her use the washer and dryer at Casa. When I came to get her hours later, she was sitting with her folded laundry with tears on her face as she watched a worship DVD. The singer was a young woman of her own race singing from the heart about our Lord. Could there be a greater privilege or joy than serving a woman like this with respect and love? Help is Welcome!! There are many ways you are invited to participate and support Casa de Paz.Volunteer to pick up and then spend time with kids between 12 - 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoons. Volunteer on Mon., Wed., or Friday after school to spend time with kids and help with homework. Bring a kid-friendly dinner and a gallon of milk for Boys or Girls Night. Volunteer for Boys Night (Wednesdays), Girls Night (Fridays), or Teen Night (Tuesdays). Pray with us for the kids by name - Play Redemption Cards (A Christian card trading game) with the boys and take them to the monthly tournament the second Saturday of each month.
- Bring a special activity or craft.
- Mentor a child by committing to spend an hour or two a couple times a month with him. We are greatly in need of mentors for the boys.
- Volunteer to help clean once or twice a month.
- Donate paper plates, napkins, cups, towels, or toilet paper as they go fast!
- Contribute Financially. Casa needs regular monthly financial support to make this ministry happen. This support helps pay for lot rent ($265 a month), utilities, food for the kids, and many Christian CDs and DVDs given as prizes for Bible memorization, among other things. Of course, occasional or onetime gifts are much appreciated also. Gifts may be given to CEFC and designated for Casa de Paz, or checks can be made directly to Casa de Paz and mailed to the address below. If you would like to be a monthly donor, please let us know!
For more information on how to help in any of the ways mentioned above, please contact Deborah McIntire at prayrochester@magnaspeed.net This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Come and visit Casa! Casa de Paz, 2006 7th Ave NE, Rochester, MN 55906 |
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