This week we have the privilege of another guest post by local writer and Fresno Pacific Student Kurt Willems. This is actually parts 1 and 2 of a series on nonviolence that appeared on his blog in early 2011.
February 19 through 26 has been declared Freedom Week: End Slavery in the Central Valley by local organizations and the City of Fresno. Along with Central Valley Justice Coalition, its co-sponsors, Faith.Hope.Love, EOC Sancuary Youth Services, Central Valley Freedom Coalition, and We Are One, a growing number of groups and churches are partnering together to educate, inspire, and mobilize people in the Central Valley to address the issue of human trafficking, or modern day slavery, in our communities.
Interviewing different bands exposes me to local artists that I otherwise would have remained oblivious to and one such band is Saving Temperance. This band out of Kingsburg brings a mix of faith with rock. Although this is not something new, the band’s mix of alternative rock music and lyrics about faith, mercy and so on carry the weight and well of the emotion of the words written.
I was reading over people's statuses on Facebook lately and was amazed at how much hate and bitterness I saw. I read statements by conservatives expressing their disdain of liberals, statements by liberals expressing their disapproval of conservatives, statements by independents claiming the moral ground over both parties, Christians talking down on non-Christians, non-Christians talking down on Christians, and the list goes on...
If you are looking to make a difference in the lives of the hungry in the Central Valley this holiday season and beyond--this article highlights many opportunities!
In the richest agricultural county in America, families go hungry every day.
With every cup of coffee, there is a story. There is the story of the people and situations in which the coffee beans were planted, cultivated, sold, shipped (usually thousands of miles away), roasted, and eventually bought, brewed, and placed in the hands of the coffee drinker. When it comes to Lanna Cafe coffee, that story is one of a transformative partnership that spans an ocean, including tribal villages in Thailand, and Fresno’s Brian Acosta and Kyle Kennington.
I never imagined that doing Christian ministry in Mexico would result in helping somebody look for drugs and weapons, but that is exactly what happened last week. I was stopped at a military checkpoint just north of Puerto Peñasco, Mexico (also known as Rocky Point). The soldier said, “Open the door, please.” Then he proceeded to look my car over for signs of drugs or weapons as he asked me a few routine questions.
With another election soon upon us, it seemed a perfect time to share this blog post by local writer and Fresno Pacific Student Kurt Willems. It was originally published on Kurt's blog March of 2011. You can see more of his posts on The Pangea Blog and Red Letter Christians.
When Cathy Lookabaugh and Tamera Williams met, synergy led to concrete action and sparks began to fly.
“We’re just a couple of crazy moms who love music and love kids,” says Cathy. “There are a million things to do in this area if you are over 21,” she continues, “but if you are young, there is nothing.” So they put their heads together and dreamed J29 Eleven into existence.
Studies have shown that our prevailing emotions have the power to have a direct effect upon the physical condition of our heart. One of the ways this happens is through what doctors call our “heart rate variability.” Emotions such as appreciation, joy, and love create a spectrum on the heart rate variability EKG tracing. These attitudes or emotions help a person to enter into a healthy state called “entrainment” in which our nervous systems are fully balanced. This allows our body to have the right balance of stimulation and relaxation and contributes to better health.
