Celebrating Freedom with a Give Away

 

When I listen to Martin Luther King's famous speech there are certain moments....particular phrases where I find myself crying, saying amen...putting my hands in the air or clapping them together.  His words.  So moving.

I wonder what it was like to stand on that lawn...to hear those phrases in person during a time when King's words must have been incredibly inspiring, like salve on a wound...but also...with one look around at the reality that most African Americans dealt with every single day in their country...must have felt exactly like...a dream.

I could make a long list of reasons why King's words bring me to tears no matter how many times I listen.  Some of those reasons would be "Hudson," "how beautiful it is to fight for justice," "how grateful I am for the sacrifice and hard work of Martin Luther King and many others that paved the way for the civil liberties we enjoy," "for King's inspiration to dream big dreams...impossible dreams."

I see the Kingdom of God in each of King's dreams.  I imagine Jesus listening to this speech nodding along and saying, "Well done."  I see Jesus every time I hear freedom proclaimed to the captives.  He's there.  Those are His words.  His heart.

But mostly I am reminded when I hear King's speech that we may spend our entire life striving...sacrificing...serving...tirelessly working and dreaming, and may never see the fruit of those endeavors this side of heaven.

Martin Luther King Jr...I wish you could see my son's faces when I explain to them that some people judge others based on their skin color.  I wish you could see their disgust when they learn about slavery...the kind that went on long ago, and the kind that happens today, right under our noses.  I wish you were here the night Hayden got out of bed, came down the stairs, and threw his face into my lap and sobbed.  "What's the matter baby?"  "I keep thinking about how those men treated the slaves.  How they sold those momma's babies.  About Hudson.  And it makes me so sad."

I wish you could see your dream become reality.

Years ago I did some research on Martin Luther King Jr.  He is widely known for his thoughts surrounding racial issues.  However, I was unaware of all the incredible quotes I found about the poor. 

"God never intended for a group of people to live in superfluous, inordinate wealth while others live in abject, deadening poverty. God intends for all of His children to have the basic necessities of life, and He has left in this universe enough and to spare for that purpose. So I call upon you to bridge the gulf between abject poverty and superfluous wealth." In 1962, King preached, "I see hungry boys and girls in this nation and other nations and think about the fact that we spend more than a million dollars a day storing surplus food. And I say to myself 'I know where we can store that food free of charge - in the wrinkled stomachs of the millions of people in our nation and in this world who go to bed hungry at night.'" -- snagged King's quote from the Huffington Post

While I could not be more grateful for Martin Luther King Jr, there is still much work to be done.  Many people around the world (and in the United States) are captives...slaves.  They do not enjoy the most basic of human rights.  Because National Human Trafficking Awareness Day was this month and Martin Luther King Jr. Day is today, I think it's fitting to give away three tickets to this upcoming conference for those who live near the Houston area...

• Saturday, February 26, 2011
• 8:30am to 4:00pm
• Lazybrook Baptist Church, 1822 W. 18th Street, Houston, TX 77008
• Lunch will be provided by Kingsland Baptist Church
• $10 to Register online by February 21, 2011 to save money and reserve your lunch ($15 after 2/21/11): www.freethecaptiveshouston.com

You are invited to a human trafficking conference in Houston aimed at educating and mobilizing the community.  You will learn everything you ever wanted to know about local and global human trafficking and discover practical ways that you can combat this injustice.  Choose from breakout sessions with speakers from trafficking survivors, FBI, Children at Risk, SMU, YMCA, and a host of other speakers from academic institutions, law enforcement, non-profits, and Christian groups.  We will also have a panel of organizations working on a safe house for victims.  The Free the Captives' conference is sponsored by Lazybrook Baptist Church and Kingsland Baptist Church.

Topics will include:

• The Biblical Call to Action
• Survivor of Sex Trafficking Speaks Out
• The Link between Pornography and Sex Trafficking
• Economics of Human Trafficking
• Law Enforcement and Human Trafficking
• Mentoring Human Trafficking Victims
• Human Trafficking Legislative Update
• Safe Haven Panel
• Child Labor Trafficking Survivor's Viewpoint
• International Human Trafficking
• Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking
• How a Church can Mobilize as a Congregation
• How You can Make a Difference on Missions Trips
• What Services are Available to Victims
• Truckers against Trafficking
• Using Art to Create Awareness about Human Trafficking

 _____________________________________________________

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment with your full name.  I'd also really like to help those that work with Free the Captives spread the word about this conference.  If you tweet about the conference, you can have an extra entry.  If you spread the word on facebook, that gets you an entry as well.  Three possible entries for each person.  The winners will be selected in a drawing and will receive a free ticket to the conference (lunch is included in your ticket price).  Obviously you need to live within driving distance to the conference.  Winners will be announced on Friday.  Thanks Julie for supplying these free tickets!

_______________________________________________

An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.  -- Martin Luther King, Jr.