The Superbowl has become a rallying point for activists against human trafficking. For Texas residents, it feels like the bandwagon that everyone is supposed to jump on this year, just like the green movement was in 2009. While I do appreciate the passion and the nature of the cause being advertised, I feel like a lot of extremely unfounded statistics are being thrown around–numbers in the 100,000’s–when the real numbers are closer to the 10-20,000 range in the U.S.

I’m a proponent of good research, honest discussion, and firm action. If you are curious about this same issue, please take time to review sites other than the ones that are simply promoting rallys. Take time to view the true stats, and feel free to use some of the links I’ve shared below. Please specifically note that the FBI and the U.S. State department have websites and reports dedicated to this issue locally and globally.

A Texas specific Report:  texasimpact.org/UMW/HumanTraffickFactSheet.doc

The FBI lists the actual numbers 15,000-18,000 http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2006/june/humantrafficking_061206

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/investigate/civilrights/human_trafficking/human_trafficking?vm=r

Central Texas lists 20,000 http://ctcaht.org/What_is_Trafficking.html

This site lists 17,500 as crossing the border for this purpose: http://www.humantraffickinged.com/?vm=r

The U.S. State Department report fails to list any stats on trafficked individuals: http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2010/142761.htm except to state the global total in their report.

Even Wikipedia gives far smaller figures that these promotional sites: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_trafficking?vm=r#United_States

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It’s that time again, time for the weekend from Hell. Three days, water only. Sound crazy? It is. Crazy good.

I bet you’re thinking “I couldn’t do that!” Let me empathize: it messes with your blood sugar, it makes you queasy and achy and grouchy and sick…but in the end, its worth it. You endure hell while your body processes out its built up toxins: your liver does a major filtration of your blood, your stomach and intestines relax and deal with any lingering food, and your taste buds reset from all the sugar that you’ve taken in. By the end of the third day, you feel pretty good. Weak, but good.

But wait, “What happens after day three?” you ask. Fruits, vegetables, and rice. A cocktail of natural, healthy, easy-to-digest foods gets you back on track to eat healthier for the rest of the year, and gives your digestive tract a slow relaxing return to the daily routine of digestion.

Stacy and I have been doing this once a year for a while now. This should be year #4 for us. We should probably do it more often based on how much Dr. Pepper and greasy food we eat, but it’s a good way for us to reset our diet in the new year. And there really is a lot of good science behind it. The book 7 Day Detox miracle is what first convinced me to do it, not by explaining the program, but by explaining the science.

If you haven’t sealed your 2011 reading list yet, I recommend that you add the book. If it convinces you to give the detox a try, let us know! Maybe we’ll do it together!

After a peaceful week of voting, the standards have been met and it appears that Sudan will split into two countries—the southern half will have the right to govern itself. This means increased freedom for our Christian brothers and sisters, who are under strict Muslim law created by the north at the present time. It also means a more equal distribution of wealth.

Unfortunately a peaceful vote does not guarantee a peaceful future for the two countries. While things will look up for the south section of Sudan, the north is not happy about the outcome of the vote, and may likely threaten violence in the future. A key border city between the two countries—rich in oil resources—has yet to vote on which country it will choose to be a part of. Mass migration of people from north to south or south to north will place a strain on the infrastructure and resources that provide food, shelter, jobs, and stability. A stable government must form in the south to lead the country through this transition, and substantial changes will likely occur in the north as well—which is already threatening rebellion against its current leaders due to their frustration with the governments inefficiencies.

If you want a full picture of the situation in this country, I suggest two articles to read:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20110107/cm_csm/354830_1

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2042218,00.html?xid=rss-topstories

“50% of  Christian marriages end in divorce”

“The divorce rate is higher for Christians than non-Christians”

“Young people are leaving the church in mass numbers”

I’ve heard these statistics for a decade now, from church leaders all across America who believe that our nation is quickly dying as a religious power in the world. Unfortunately, most of these numbers are poorly researched and should not be advertised. We should be working hard as a church to win people and disciple them properly, but we should not be doing so out of fear that our way of life is dying…fearful action is no way to pursue the Lord’s work.

Finally, someone has seen fit to stand up and provide good statistics. Sociologist Bradley R. E. Wright is publishing a work based on some more solid studies to help correct some of the statistical errors that our nation has come to believe, and in doing so, he may well change our perception of Christianity.

Keep an eye out for his book, Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites … and Other Lies You’ve Been Told

and read the article by Christian Post here, if you want more information…

I’m sure you’ve spent at least a couple hours this past month watching intently as the soccer matches of teams from around the world took place in South Africa. For the first time in history, the World Cup is widely available on TV and on the internet…and the world truly is watching.

The games are definitely filled with mixed emotions for me. There are so many excellent players and such great teamwork among the players that I find it thrilling to watch. In my opinion, soccer is the greatest sport out there: it requires an extreme amount of physical endurance to play nonstop for 1.5-2 hours, it demands that people communicate and interact as a team on the fly (rather than being dependent upon direction from coaches every 5 minutes), and grips the attention and devotion of people all across the world like no other sport.

Unfortunately, it also places a lot of authority on the fallible and limited perspective of 3 referees, who are often dishonest, blind, or deceived without any chance of their being a challenge to their decisions…and it reveals the extreme lengths of cheating and dishonesty that players will go to in order to get a call in their team’s favor. No example is more vivid than the most recent game with Ghana and Uruguay, where the Uruguay player used his hand to knock the game-winning goal for Ghana out of the game, causing Uruguay to win. It’s an illegal move: something I would consider far below a player’s character…and yet we’ve seen plenty of character revealing plays in the last few weeks, as teams will do anything to win.

Well, what can I say? I’ll keep watching. I don’t hate it enough to ignore it. Teamwork, endurance, and skill are too amazing not to watch. I just hope that in my life and in my ministry, I continue to get to work in teams that are as good as these World Cup competitors. Success is a team effort: in my life and in the World Cup. I’m grateful for the teams I have had in my life already: a loving family, an amazing church, great schools, great neighbors, and unbelievable friends.