shawnw.orgfaith – technology – culture

NPR did a segment this morning on students from California sending pen pal-style letters to children in Haiti affected by the quake (link).

One girl, Stefica, responded to her letter by singing. And it was caught on tape.

The best part is, however-many-million NPR radio listeners were exposed to a few moments of worship from a little girl in Haiti who has nothing and, at the same time, everything.

Here’s a quote from the story over at NPR.org which includes the lyrics she sang:

Sixteen-year-old Stefica Jean Pierre even wrote in English: "I thank your school for the money sent to my country. I am very happy for the poem you wrote. I don’t know anything about poetry, but I will sing for you."

I recorded her beautiful voice soaring over the misery around her: "I’m so glad you’re here in my life," she sang. "I’m so glad you came to save us."

If you’ve sung in church any time in the last decade, you’ll likely recognize those lyrics. If you haven’t, they’re from a venerable worship tune called Lord I Lift Your Name On High. By today’s standards that songs played out. But to hear Stefica sing it, it’s as if it came off the drawing board yesterday.

Stefica, thank you. For a moment, you lead lots of people in worship.

And most probably didn’t even know it.

This week a select group of people are on a Compassion Bloggers trip in Kenya, visiting projects (think churches with after school programs) and getting a better understanding of how the locals live life everyday.

Scot and I attended a vision trip to Guatemala in October 2009 that changed my life. I can only imagine the content you’re going to see from these bloggers as they experience some amazing, life changing events on this trip.

Here’s a video from LV Hanson’s post over at CatalystSpace:

Dakika Moja – Episode 1 from Catalyst on Vimeo.

You can also text ‘disaster’ to 90999 to donate $10.

If you live in the Nashville area be sure to get tickets to this amazing event being held at Ryman Auditorium at 7:30pm central time.

Tell your friends. Tell your family. Tell everyone. Haiti still needs our help.

We dropped this one at MCC a couple weeks ago. Love it.

50 There was a man by the name of Joseph, a member of the Jewish High Council, a man of good heart and good character. 51 He had not gone along with the plans and actions of the council. His hometown was the Jewish village of Arimathea. 52 He lived in alert expectation of the kingdom of God. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. -Luke 23

Alert expectation. That’s a man who’s ready for the Master to come home. He’s not sleeping on the job, or getting lazy. He’s alert and expecting the kingdom.

Do I act as if I expect the kingdom? I don’t think I do. I live in expectation of tomorrow. How does that differ?

Expectation of the kingdom is keeping your eyes open for *every* opportunity that comes your way. Being ready to make a difference for His name no matter what you do, where you are, or who you know. Why? Because tomorrow might never come. Tomorrow may never arrive. You have to live every day as if it’s your last and seize every opportunity to share the good news of the One that saved you.

I act as if I’m going to breathe this air for 1000 years.

Do you live in “alert expectation?”