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Today's Featured Post:
Posted in intimacy by Emily Simpson on 1/8/2011
Three days ago, I met Gaiw, a 10-year-old scavenger boy, living in a dump community on the outskirts of Phnom Pheh, Cambodia.
 After a long day of work, collecting scrap metal in baggies, Gaiw exchanges his metal for $1. His days seemed endless to me. He collects scrap metal... to survive? What thoughts go through Gaiw's mind each day?
Does his imagination run free?
Gaiw spoke with Ratanak and proudly shared his greatest finds with his dedicated friend. I know they chat about the way they can unwind the coils and cut them into strips to bring in a larger profit. What a humbling experience to see two young boys sharing a genuine friendship in the middle of a wasteland.
Their shiniest treasures did not stand a chance against their matchless bond.
I wondered: "Gaiw, do you dream? Ratanak, do you share with Gaiw about what you want to be when you grow up?"
I desired for their childhood to look different. I wanted to save these boys from their conditions and present them with something better. How crazy to think I had all the answers.
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal." -2 Corinthians 4:16 - 18
I couldn't help but grieve the innocent childhood they were being robbed of. Or, maybe they were not. Their friendship will most likely stand the test of time. In the desolate plain there was an irreplaceable camaraderie. More unique than anything I had ever seen.Their friendship was rooted in loyalty. What a testimony of the warrior spirit living inside of them. I couldn't help but think: "Lord, do they know you? Is their hope in you? Do they find peace in your love amidst the waste?"
My steps through the dump seem to be increasing these days -- from Happy Land in Manila Bay to the dump on the outskirts of Phnom Pheh. Why the repetition? A simple question remains: Who is a voice for the voiceless? In the wasteland of the dump, there was silence; yet, I found souls eager for life.
They were searching, seeking... looking for something more.
What I found was a hidden treasure... a matchless friendship.
The interaction between Gaiw and Ratanak was a rare find. I'm discovering the importance of keeping my eyes open for all the treasures. Often, they are hidden, in the most unexpected of places. Don't miss them.
"For where your treasure is your heart will be also." -Matthew 6:21
Emily recently finished a mission trip around the world called the World Race. You can follow her blog here.
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Posted in intimacy by Anonymous on 9/9/2010
The search to find authentic church for me is now five years old, and
I am learning the best way to describe this journey is to compare it to
a dance.
It was during my senior at Nyack College that I realized that
my poor church attendance was caused not so much by the normal
affliction of college life (overdoing it on Saturday nights) but by a
nagging feeling that something about church was "not right" and "not
working for me." I think that is the feeling that many of us get when we
walk into an institutional church.
Something is off here. Regretfully, the "thing" that is usually off is that Jesus is nowhere to be found.
Click here to continue reading...
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Posted in intimacy by Rozy McCormick on 6/5/2010
Culture and communication are fascinating to observe whenever possible.
In this country, we all find ourselves dependent on the Internet as our
source of knowledge of current events. Each man is connected to others
and information through his device of choice. Mine is the iPhone. I
often believe that this technology serves me well, but after my last
visit abroad, I wonder if I serve it - and lose out in the process.
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Posted in intimacy by Steve Saccone on 5/26/2010
Have you ever wondered how certain leaders whom you admire are able to
lead with such force of presence and clarity? Have you ever noticed how
that leader relates to others in such a way that she virtually alters
people's moods? Have you ever been curious as to how certain leaders can
single-handedly change the vibe of a room? Have you ever envied how
easy these people make it look, and yet how they do it still remains a
mystery to you?
It may seem elusive as to how people set the tone, but it comes down to
one thing: energy.
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Posted in intimacy by Michael Todd Barrett on 5/22/2010
I was proud to call EJ my friend. Gentle and soft-spoken, he was a
wide-faced bear of a man. He wasn't tall, but the first time we shook
hands, mine disappeared in his. Some said that EJ had been angry and
rebellious as a young man-I only knew the gentle spirit with a slight
hint of gray around the edges.
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Posted in intimacy by Kathy Pride on 4/26/2010
Last weekend I went to Ocean City, MD with my daughter for a cheer
leading competition. Now, if you have never been to a competitive cheer
leading event, let me say it is other worldly.
It is a hybrid of mothers (and fathers) from the fanatical to the
fantastic, bare bellies, makeup that is too similar to that of painted
ladies of ill repute, and athletic talent that dazzles. All done in
venues from high schools to arenas with deafening music, lighting that
is dangerous to those prone to seizure disorders, and crowded with
overpriced food.
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Posted in intimacy by Jeff Goins on 3/16/2010
We started Wrecked three years
ago. With all of the stories, articles, and discussions that this
website has elicited, I still felt like we had something more to say.
So, I wrote a manifesto
-- based on the stories, thoughts, and feedback that you shared. My
hope that it provokes new discussions, ideas, and questions and attracts
a new group to the conversation. Click here to continue reading...
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Posted in intimacy by Adam Hayden and Beau Brown on 2/20/2010
 I got an email yesterday saying I could send a text message which
would donate $10 to the relief effort in Haiti after the catastrophic
earthquake. A single text message, and my conscience is clear, right?
Not quite, and I certainly hope that's not the case for those who
decide to use this method of donating money. I hope we would feel a
stronger sense of responsibility to the people of Haiti than simply
sending $10 and being done with it. But how does a person begin to feel
a sense of responsibility toward another?
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Posted in intimacy by Katherine Spearing on 2/18/2010
A 14-year-old boy takes a gun to school and murders his classmate.
Exactly
a week later, in the same town, a college professor takes a gun to
school and shoots up a meeting with her fellow faculty. This happened in a quaint northern Alabama city. It happened in my city.
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Posted in intimacy by Tim Chermak on 2/15/2010
Partisanship, an elitist word simply meaning "disagreement," has had
its character assassinated (another great political phrase) by both
major parties. The p-word has now taken on an altogether negative
association, thanks to the very people who criticize it. It is a cruel
irony when either party calls for an end to the p-word, for this call
is usually followed by an attack on the opposing party for engaging in
covert acts of partisanship.
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