True Love

TRUE LOVE: That sums up what SoulFest is all about.

"It's the revolution that Jesus started!"

True love is when we take the attention off of ourselves and our own needs and shift it to others. And when we now see the poverty, cruelty and horrific injustice that others are experience every day........true love demands our response and action.

True Love is about using our gifts and talents to serve others....from our closest neighbors to impoverished countries across the globe. It is about displaying acts of kindness to our family and loved ones. It is about accepting responsibility of being a steward to this beautiful earth that God created for us. It is about leaving the world a better place than when we arrived.

OK, so let me back this up a bit.....it was no secret that I was psyched beyond words to return to The Soulfest this year. Not only was I looking forward to seeing all the great bands/artists such as Casting Crowns, Third Day, Newsboys and Skillet.....but I knew it would be a great time for me to relax, unplug and refuel. I looked forward to the prayer tents, the inspirational speakers and great t-shirts with something powerful written on them (yeah, I'm one of those Christians *wink). I also was looking forward to late nights...... sitting by the campfire, eating junk food and babbling with Josh. Point is....my intentions were pretty much all about me and my needs.

Now, not that refueling and taking it all in is a bad thing, in fact.....I believe that they are very needed at times. But God had something different planned for me on this trip.

First, He decided that bringing downpours throughout the week would mix things up a bit. Thankfully, we were in a camper, because I think I would have asked God for a raincheck (no pun intended) if we were staying in a tent. These tent camping people are hard core and stuck it out. I can do the no-shower, stay in the same clothes for a few days.....but something about being soggy and moldy and sleeping in those conditions.....I just cannot hang. My idea of camping/roughing it is no cable, no Internet and re-using towels all week that lose their Tide fresh scent.

And when I am talking rain....we are talking Noah's ark flooding. And even when the rain ceased....there was a ton of mud. I have always said that SoulFest was the Woodstock for Jesus (minus the nakedness and acid trips)....and from the photos I have seen about the original Woodstock, this was exactly the same with the mud factor. At one point.....during Family Force Five, what started out as just sprinkling turned torrential in a matter of minutes. H and I just looked at each other and laughed. We figured we were already wet, we were sinking a few inches in the ground so moving was gonna be just as inconvenient. Not to mention, the band was awesome......so we stayed along with 3,000 other head-banging worshipers who went to this show. We couldn't get any wetter, right?
(I am talking even-my-underwear-was-soaking-wet" wet)

So yeah....the rain def. put a damper on things, literally.

Secondly, I didn't get to venture out as much as I wanted......but when I did get to.....I quickly found myself overwhelmed with the many organizations that were represented. Each tent opened your eyes to such injustice, it was hard to comprehend. I didn't know what made me more sick.....hearing about the thousands of children sold into slavery, the massacres of entire villages in Africa or the nations succumbing to lack of water and sickness. My thoughts were now consumed with what can I do for these people rather than what can be done for me.

I made it to one conference, Global Benefit's I Will Scream for You campaign where they talked about what you can do when you know that something is wrong in your world but you feel that your voice is too small to speak out against it all. It's in the grassroots stage, but basically it's a platform to become unified with others and help for whatever cause you want to raise awareness for/support. I really am going to pray for guidance on what caused my heart to stir the most and get my small homeschooling group involved as well as encourage my older boys to take some action with our church youth group.

I just cannot fathom what is going on in other parts of this world.....it made me sob to learn about children, the same ages as my younger ones, who are living these lives of hell. I cannot comprehend my son, who is 11.....being thrown off a boat with rocks tied to his ankles so that he can untie fishing nets for the six fish that might be in them. Or my six year daughter being beaten while picking cocoa beans for a national chocolate company or worse.......sold into the sex slave industry. It just sickens me.

Here is a video from The Not for Sale campaign.....it's not easy to watch......but if watching it makes you cringe, how can we sit back and do nothing?



So sorry to be a little doom and gloom with this post (and I promise to share some of the SONshine we experienced as well soon enough).......but it's real. And it's happening right now. I encourage you to take a few minutes and check out some of the awesome organizations that are the voices for the ones who cannot be heard.

Because it is not all about us. It's about others.
And it's about taking action like Jesus did.
That is TRUE LOVE.

xox
*~Michelle~*



Here are just a few of the many wonderful people who are making a difference. You can too!

To Write Love on Her Arms

Child Voice International

Stand True

Crucified Ministries

The Love Alliance