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The issue of immigration reform continues to be a hot topic, although it may have begun to die down for some time while Congress is in recess. Certainly, this debate will be picked up again, so this interlude can give Christians and people of faith an opportunity to dig deeper and find out where the truth is in this situation. For one thing, I maintain that a foundational principle for any law should be “compassion”. It’s a central value of our faith - we must get past stereotypes and get to the heart of the people that many Americans are labeling as “illegal” or “criminals”. I think we may be surprised about what we find.

For a start from the comfort of your own home, load up iTunes (surely you have iTunes installed on your computer?), and download a free episode of 30 Days about Immigration. The show features a proud member of the Border Minutemen, the group that organizes volunteers to patrol the Arizona border to report illegal crossings. For 30 days, he lives with an illegal immigrant family in Los Angeles. Two sides of this issue come head to head… and ultimately, the reality of this situation begins to be revealed. And by reality, I mean the real honest truth - no politicizing, no stereotyping, no easy solution - the show gives an honest look at how difficult this challenge is and how making a decision is not as easy as it looks.

I recommend you download it today - look in the TV section in the iTunes music store for the free download.

Hey, I’m back from Korea. Check out the link for all the delicious pictures you could ever want. More later.

http://www.disciplesx.com/korea

A sobering read from a former Marine captain who served in Iraq - check it out.

Don’t know if you’ve checked out Advocacy Days yet (www.advocacydays.org), but I encourage you to do so. A weekend focused on learning and doing justice for the less fortunate — from a Christian perspective. You can meet other faith leaders from across the various denominations and country, and you can get the tools to do the serious work that needs to be done. I am going (though my schedule is swamped). I think we still have some funds available for scholarships, so if you are interested, come on up. I can even show where you to stay for a few bucks a night.

I’ve noticed several good questions about young adult ministry lately.

For starters, check out Katherine’s post on Disciples Connect (http://www.disciplesx.com/connect/?q=node/97). She faces some serious fears and self limitations, though there appears to be some sort of call moving her forward. I also feel inferior and incapable of doing young adult ministry at times — how do I know what young adults want out of church?

Yet, Montie reminded me today that it is about vision. Go for the vision. Don’t wait for the consensus. Don’t form an event exploration committee. Don’t drag your feet. Listen to God, and do something daring. If it ruffles feathers, you’ll at least learn something.

I hope to do some more young adult ministry posts in the future, perhaps taking segments out of a couple of articles I have been working on. Look for it.