Isaiah 58

I was listening to a sermon by John Piper that was really good about social justice. Here's the link, you can read it or listen to it.
Bethlehem, Break Forth Like the Dawn

The World Hunger Crisis

http://www.one.org/worldhungercrisis/

You can take action on a link at the bottom of the site and news about the hunger crisis is on the right.

Grateful Upon Returning From IJM's GPG

My time at IJM's Global Prayer Gathering in Washington DC from April 11-13 was an absolute blessing. I appreciated the fact that it wasn't a conference on how to pray or how to do justice. It was a time of reflection, family reunions (Gary Haugen calls all workers of IJM family members), much prayer and story sharing. It gave a face to the work done in IJM. The victims, the heroes, the bad guys, those behind the scenes, those that were young and old, black, yellow, green and white.

The time here showed me the value IJM has in prayer, in the ONE life rescued, and in the ONE life that God uses to help another. In sharing these stories with my wife, we both just broke down in tears - we could not help but imagine that these victims could be one of our own children.

I learned that we can indeed be gentle as a lamb and crafty as a serpent. I learned that there are places where power isn't just hoarded but can be shared and used for incredible good. I learned that you can be at the "top of your game" or profession and live it for the kingdom and for Jesus, and yet continue to be respected by your peers - even more so. I experienced how so many are doing such an incredible work in parallel to what IJM is doing. Amazing work! There's a fire to do what is right and it reminds me of the passion our own Justice League of young people have and that it will not go away.

I'm proud to be introduced to this ministry.

In reflection I am also so thankful in particular to Anne Chiu. After interning at IJM in the summer of 2003(?), she introduced us to IJM and provided the IJM bible study resource that rocked CYF and myself those many years ago. She was the one God used to open this door to us, and this will not be easily forgotten. Paradigms have been shifted, life ambitions altered and good but unsatisfying things replaced by purposeful, meaningful, "win-win" pursuits. Her heart for the right things has touched my heart to do the same.

Joy, Anne and Jason, thank you so much for paying (& and praying) the way for me to have this special experience.

Anne, me and Jason Yip in front of the

Lincoln Memorial during our Candlelight
Prayer Vigil

And I want to encourage all who get a chance to read this to consider joining the gathering next year. It really is worth your while to attend.

Small is Good

One doesn't often associate playing with a handful of kids for two hours as a means to fight for justice. I didn't either until last weekend. I had just talked an hour earlier about how God is pleased by our fighting for justice - not just in the big, flashy ways that we see celebrities doing on TV and in the news, but in the small ways like sticking up for a fellow student - when one of those small opportunities presented itself.

So, maybe it wasn't a direct act of fighting for justice. It's not as though the women and children were being oppressed by the government and that we busted in and freed them. It wasn't much. It wasn't elaborate. It wasn't even planned out. All we did was run around for the better part of two hours, but it was something.

Thinking back to God's heart for justice, He doesn't discriminate...He doesn't give priority to different types of injustice. The small is just as important to God as the big. That was a lesson that I needed to learn. One look into the eyes of a two year-old mesmerized by dozens of bubbles floating through the air and it all changed. Suddenly, it didn't matter that only four people thought it was important enough to join us. All that mattered was seeing a smile break across the face of a toddler who, the world says, has nothing to smile about.


Two hours with a handful of homeless children...just a tiny drop in the ocean. The world is still going on. And, maybe nothing has really changed, but for those two hours, something so small seemed like the biggest thing in the world, and that's all that really mattered. God is pleased with the small. Small is good.

- Matt

Global Prayer Gathering

IJM is hosting their annual Global Prayer Gathering this weekend April 11-13 in Washington DC, and we can all join!!! Daily updates will be provided if you reply to this email gpg@ijm.org and provide your name and church name you are attending.

I feel so blessed being able to attend this gathering as a GIFT! Joy Chiu, and Anne & Jason Yip have made provisions for me to go. This is something that I've always wanted to attend since I first heard about it, but being able to carve out an entire weekend was just too hard.

But God works in mysterious ways. I originally couldn't make it to this year's gathering because it coincided with our CYF Senior Retreat. But one thing led to another and the retreat was postponed. So I had a weekend carved out for ministry and no where to go! Anna gave me the green light and voila! I'll be able to meet my modern-day heroes.

I'll provide an update once I get back. And again, I'd like for all of us in the JL to consider going together next year. Check it out here: http://www.ijm.org/gpg

Eugene