finding Monsuun | est. 2005

From their website:

We distributed hundreds of disposable cameras to two groups on different sides of the U.S.-Mexico border: undocumented migrants crossing the desert into the United States and American Minutemen trying to stop them.

This new exhibit, beginning on September 16 at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Arts, appears intruiging. The concept is so simple yet brilliant. I am continually frustrated (my wife knows this) with the mass media and the entertain-me mentality that it strives to push on its viewers in an attempt to bolster viewership, subsequent ratings, and the inevitable advertising dollars. This exhibit is starkly different. With contemporary art as its ally, this project need not worry about ratings and advertising dollars, but only about providing true perspective from both sides (immigrant and minuteman) through several hundred 4×6 photographs.

Though I would drive many miles to see this exhibit, I will probably just walk across the street and visit the museum during my lunch break once it opens. I encourage those with the means to do the same.

I recently read the article Are Churches Good Neighbors in the East Valley Tribune and it brought to memory a scrap that I scribbled while on my Pacific Northwest roadtrip with my wife. The basis comes from a conversation with an old friend regarding a quote from one of the authors of the book, The Shaping of Things to Come:

Would your community grieve your loss?

Or to expound, is your church so entrenched in its surrounding culture, that if it were to disappear it would leave a gaping hole of need–that the surrounding community would truly desire for the church to return because of the loving, compassionate, creative, faith-driven influence that the church had on it. Sadly, this is not the case for many metropolitan churches. Instead we find churches suing city governments and neighbors rallying against multi-use permit requests (see above article).

The problem and the solution comes down to love. Do neighbors complain when the church feeds the homeless? When it takes care of widows, the elderly, orphans? No. Neighbors complain when the church begins to assume a position of superiority–that the people in the surrounding community should have to bow to its whims and wishes. But if I remember the scripture properly, Jesus’ second greatest commandment is to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39). And since so many churches love themselves so much, then there should be plenty of neighborly love to go around. That is, if those same churches are wholeheartedly following Jesus’ commandments.

So the next time you or your church decides to pursue an avenue of ministry, I implore you to discern whether your community would grieve the potential loss of your ministry or celebrate it.

And on an unrelated note and in my usual rant style:

Please do not wear the One Campaign bracelet (*note the yuppy reverend in the center) unless you truly support the movement either physically, monetarily, foundationally. Because if you only wear it because it’s the trendy, hip, Christiany, I-care-about-social-justice-issues thing to do, you would do more good to the actual cause (i.e. the thousands that die from AIDS every day) if you were to cut off your hand at the wrist and donate it for AIDS research. And yes, we can smell your bleeding insincerity from miles away.

On April 29^th, rain or shine, all across America thousands of people will commute to their city’s downtown, and sleep in the streets for the children of Northern Uganda.

Why should you do it?

Tonight in Northern Uganda, and every night for the past 20 years, an estimated 40,000 children commute to the centers of their towns to escape abduction from a violent rebel army. By taking one night to do the same, we are empathizing with these children, making a statement of unity with them, and demanding that the U.S. government, as well as the UN, take action toward bringing this war to an end.

On February 2, 2006 Senator Inhofe brought the atrocities of Northern Uganda to the attention of the Senate and pushed the conflict to be on high-level attention of the U.S. government. We want to reinforce pressure on the government to act on this initiative.

After a recent trip to Washington D.C., the filmmakers met with key lobbyists, non-governmental organization leaders, senators, and other officials who informed them that a gathering such as this would be instrumental in showing the nationwide support for Betty Bigombe’s peace process, a knowledge and concern for the people of Northern Uganda, and as a priority to us, we are pushing for it to be a priority to the figure heads who represent us.

This evening should be treated with no less urgency; this event has the potential to end a war.

The Global Night Commute will help bring a unity, strength, and voice to those Americans who have been moved by this issue. We are channeling American’s rarely flexed influence, toward the atrocities we saw, and speaking out against the thousands of lives being lost without action being taken.

I hope to see you all there! Check out Getamission’s Blog for the full details!