What if you or I wanted the opportunity to earn a good living, or could grow something for less money, and we weren't allowed? Right now, poor farmers and poor countries in Africa and other parts of the world can't do that because of unfair trade rules.

Together, we can change this. Please sign on to the ONE Big Noise letter today and ask our leaders to make trade fair.

We need to help small farmers, here at home and abroad, but with the current trade rules, it's a game no one could win. Their cotton could compete with anyone's, except that governments around the world give so much money to some big farmers that they can actually then sell their cotton all over the world below cost. Those payments make other cotton farmers poorer everywhere else, and keep people from being able to use hard work and the opportunities given to them to make better lives for themselves and their children.

We called on world leaders to do more at the G8 Summit to fight extreme poverty and global AIDS. They heard us, and now this is the next step in helping the world's poorest people. In December, the world will sit down at trade talks in Hong Kong to consider rewriting these unfair trade rules. We'll need a global deal to address a global problem, because no one will change these unfair policies unless all rich countries agree, at once. Our leaders need to know that we're still watching and want real progress.

Add your name to the ONE Big Noise letter today and ask President Bush to take this opportunity to fight extreme poverty by making trade fair.

This isn't about handouts, it's about giving people who work hard and play by the rules a hand up so they can take care of themselves. Together, we can make ONE Big Noise that will be heard around the world.

Thank you,The ONE Team

Two years ago today (in fact, right about now), Kari and I exchanged vows and were married. These two years have held more than I ever dreamed they would hold:

• My ordination
• A move from Cincinnati to Kansas City
• The arrival of Braden
• Another move, from the senior girls' dorm to the freshman/sophomore girls' dorm
• Leaving behind one community of beloved people, only to discover another

There is so much more I could include in a bulleted list, but the most important event of this time (save Braden's birth) has been a transformation in the way we live, in the way we talk, in the way we see things (life, Jesus, the Church, each other). It has been and continues to be a marvelous journey, and I can't think of anyone I'd rather share it with than my wife. One thing I've learned through some struggles in the past week (see previous post) is that Kari is the one I want to experience all of life with. We've had lots of joys and not much sadness, but we know the cycles of life will take us to those places, too. I'm glad I have Kari for when those times come.

She is full of grace, mercy and understanding. She is selfless and lovely. She is tender and loving. She is warm and sweet.

I love you, Kari. Happy anniversary.

This is a tough one.

Several years ago, the father of one of the guys in our small group tried to kill himself. He overdosed on pills, but someone found him and he was revived. Well, due to some events and circumstances of late, this same guy had been really battling his depression again. As of 9:41 central time on Thursday night, no one has seen him for seven hours, and heavy doses of his medication are missing. The family has basically given up hope already.

He is the father of two kids, a father-in-law, a husband and a friend to many. If you all could just pray for all of them, that would be great. Thanks.

Yesterday, on my sister's blog, she posted how excited she is about Christmas. I don't know if it's a family thing or what, but I can hardly wait. It's interesting how we change over the years...Basically, I can't wait to go home and spend a couple weeks with our families. We have so much fun playing games, sitting around singing, eating way too much (but it's so good), etc. Kari and I already have one of our trees up, and we'll be putting up my sports Christmas tree tonight. I'll try to post pictures (no promises). Anyway, Merry Christmas.

Sis also posted the lyrics to one of her favorite Christmas songs, which I thought was a splendid idea. Here are the words to my favorite Christmas song, "Hand of Sweet Release."

Come thou long expected Jesus,
come illuminate the mysteries of life.
Come redeem us from the refuse,
bring an end to endless suffering and strife.
Be the star that shines so brightly
that it draws our weary eyes to the sky,
to Heaven's sky.
Dearest child of new beginnings,
be the start of something beautiful, I cry.

There's an end to all the waiting,
there's an answer to the "who?" and "where?" and "why?"
tonight.
All the years anticipating, are surrendered to a tiny baby's cry.
There's a dawn to follow darkness,
there's a face to fill the title, "Prince of Peace."
What he promised, he delivered...
I am saved by the hand of sweet release.

In this war I've been a captive,
just a sinner seeking life and liberty.
But these hands that hold me tightly
are the hands that set my shackled spirit free.
Blessed Jesus, meek and lowly,
you have come into my life and made it new,
now I'm new.
Out of bondage into everlasting light,
I owe everything to you.

There's an end to all the waiting,
there's an answer to the "who?" and "where?" and "why?"
tonight.
All the years anticipating, are surrendered to a tiny baby's cry.
There's a dawn to follow darkness,
there's a face to fill the title, "Prince of Peace."
What he promised, he delivered...
I am saved by the hand of sweet release.
What he promised, he delivered...
I am saved by the hand of sweet release.

Now reading: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis
Colts: 9-0

Congress is in the midst of important budget negotiations right now, and one of the items on the table is $100,000,000 that could possibly be used to fight AIDS, TB, and malaria. These diseases, especially AIDS, are devastating third world countries.

One, an organization that is linked to the right under "Sites," has pre-written an email for you. All you have to do is fill in your personal info, and they will send it to the proper parties. Please take a moment (literally, a very brief moment) out of your busy schedule to click here and send an email to your representative. When the Constitution separated church and state, it wasn't so Christians would sit on their hands when they could take meaningful action.

One's philospohy is simple: If the richest nations in the world would dedicate 1% of their respective budgets, we could eliminate poverty. If you believe in their cause, sign the declaration at their website, and then you'll get updates like these in your email.

Now Reading: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by CS Lewis
Colts: 9-0

Today I was privileged to attend a special screening of a movie that tells the remarkable story of Nate and Steve Saint, Jim Elliot, and other missionaries who landed their tiny airplane on a sandbar in the Amazon River basin in Ecuador to share the Gospel of Christ with the Waodani tribe, the most violent society known to man. You may or may not be familiar with the story, but I was introduced to new aspects of it which were fascinating and inspiring. The film, "End of the Spear," opens in theaters January 20.

Now Reading: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis
Colts: 7-0

Those of you who read the story of the faculty/staff's comeback victory last week may remember that the championship game was last night. And what a game it was.

I'll spare the extended details I used in telling the last story, but this game was just as exciting. Both teams played fairly well throughout the game, and as we entered the last inning of play, we trailed by a score of 6-4. We held them scoreless in their half of the 7th, and we came to bat trailing by those two runs.

Our team strung together quite a rally, and the most exciting play of the inning was when Barb, our 70-year-old pitcher, slid headfirst (well, "slid" may not be quite the right term) into third base safely. Steve was walked, which brought up the top of the order. By this time we had scored once and had runners on first and third, still with no one out. Our leadoff hitter, Yort, came through with a big double to left-center, scoring Barb to tie the game, and sending Steve to third. So, the winning run was on third with no one out and Luke, our second hitter coming up. It looked like the championship was in the bag. But alas, Luke hit an innocent pop-up to first base, and there was one out. And BT was coming to the plate. As I approached the plate, I thought they may walk me intentionally to set up a force play, but as they positioned their outfielders it became apparent they would pitch to me.

The stage was set. Winning run on third, one out. All I needed was a fly ball of medium depth, and we would win the intramural softball championship. Steve looked in from third base and clapped his hands, saying, "Just a fly ball, Bradley."

As the pitcher toed the rubber, I looked for something I could drive fairly deep in the air. With the first pitch, I got it. It was belt high, not a lot of arc, and I seized the opportunity. With a mighty swing, I sent the ball hurtling toward the left field foul pole. For a moment I feared it may go foul, but the hook straightened out, and it sailed over the fence for a walk-off, championship-winning three-run home run. It was my childhood dream come true, albeit on a smaller stage than I originally imagined. I rounded the bases with my fist raised high and was met at home plate by my teammates, jumping up and down and patting me on the head. It was the first intramural championship for the MNU faculty/staff in any sport. We won 9-6, having gone through the regular season with only one loss, and sweeping our way through the playoffs without losing a game. I was named the MVP.

A friend of mine that is involved in ministry at Eastern Nazarene College posted this on his blog today:

"We will never become people of change, until we (as white Americans) become aware (awareness is the key term) of the racism within our traditions and religions and confront it. For example, when white people were going to church, praising God during days of slavery, they probably didn’t see themselves as racist people. We have never seen ourselves as racist people, mostly because we think we have had God’s blessing for acknowledging Jesus as his son. Let me share an example of this in 2005. We have many opportunities to share and take care of others, meeting their basic needs. Through OXFAM alone, $20 buys enough maize to feed a family of four in the Rift Valley of Ethiopia for six months. $30 Buys books to help 10 girls in Afghanistan learn to read and write. Apparently, there are wealthy churches that don’t know this, or maybe they choose to ignore it. I know of several churches that have spent hundreds of thousands, even a million dollars to upgrade the “comfort” of their church, or to install advancements such as big screen projectors. This amount of money could have fed 25,000 families in Ethiopia for one year. When Churches spend money to enhance their comfort, and we as individuals buy cosmetics, excessive amounts of clothes, video games, etc., while 30,000 non-white children starve to death everyday or go without basic education – we are perpetuating inequality - this perpetuation of inequality is racism – meaning, we are still racist, just like we have continued to be throughout history. We turned away those in need, for our own excessive comfort, security, and lust. We hung them with the noose of hunger. Until we acknowledge our ignorance and repent of this sin, reconcile with all those we have oppressed and are oppressing, there will be racism, and this racism trickles down to ENC - however, some of the White People will still deny it, they will say that the non-white people are making an issue of racism where there is none, as if they pulled it out of thin air. Only through brutal honesty and confrontation can there be healing and reconciliation. We must open our eyes, look at inequality and racism in our past, and acknowledge it in the present, and thus begin to be a people of change by humbling ourselves, embracing the concerns, experience, and suffering of all other cultures, backgrounds, and religions that differ from our own."

Another friend, involved in ministry in Columbus, posted this recently:

"Ayedefer, his wife and daughter moved to the United States about three years ago from Ethiopia. We talked about Africa and he told me that he had been a teacher in Ethiopia and with his salary was able to afford three meals a day and rent an apartment with electricity, but no running water, for his family. He said that 70% of the people of his country eat one meal a day, which consist of some fried grains. They get their water from holes they dig in the ground that collect rainwater. He said that usually he was drinking after dogs and cows and that they also cleaned their clothes with this water. Ayedefer works hard and sends much of his money back to support a minister who would not eat without the money he sends. He said that one US dollar a day would make for a very good life for an Ethiopian. I asked Ayedefer if life in this country is one of constant frustration for him. He clutched his chest and said, “yes”. I told him that within the last year I have become very aware of the tragic circumstances in Africa with poverty, hunger and AIDS. I told him that I try to tell others and help them realize that when Christ told us to love our neighbor he intended no geographical limits on that love. He told me that when he moved here he began working at a PetsMart. He said that in his time there he realized that Americans spend millions of dollars on dog food for their pets. Ayedefer told me that he would look at the pet food and think that it would be a nourishing meal for people in his country who were dying of hunger."

I recently led a church through a multi-million dollar building program. I make more money in a week than most third-world men will make in their lifetime. What am I doing about it?

God help me.

Let us turn our thoughts today to Martin Luther King
And recognize that there are ties between us, all men and women living on the earth,
Ties of hope and love, sister and brotherhood...
That we are bound together in our desire to see the world become a place in which our children can grow free and strong.
And we are bound together by the task that stands before us, and the road that lies ahead...
We are bound. We are bound.

There is a feeling like the clinching of a fist,
There is a hunger in the center of the chest.
There is a passage through the darkenss and the mist,
And though the body sleeps, the heart will never rest.

Shed a little light, O Lord, so that we can see.
Just a little light, O Lord,
Wanna stand it on up,
Wanna walk it on down,
Shed a little light, O Lord.

Can't get no light from a dollar bill,
Don't give me no light from a TV screen.
When I open my eyes I wanna drink my fill
From the well on the hill,
Do you know what I mean?

Shed a little light, O Lord, so that we can see.
Just a little light, O Lord,
Wanna stand it on up,
Wanna walk it on down,
Shed a little light, O Lord.

There is a feeling like the clinching of a fist,
There is a hunger in the center of the chest.
There is a passage through the darkenss and the mist,
And though the body sleeps, the heart will never rest.

Oh, let us turn our thoughts today to Martin Luther King,
And recognize that there are ties between us, all men and women living on the earth,
Ties of hope and love,
Sister and brotherhood.
--James Taylor

Now Reading: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by CS Lewis
Colts: 7-0

Last night was a game for the ages. And I'm not talking about World Series Game 3.

The Faculty/Staff intramural softball team at MidAmerica has had their best season yet. We went 8-1 in the regular season, our only loss coming by one run to juggernaut Love Potion #9. They went undefeated through the regular season, so they clinched the top spot in the playoffs, and we got the two seed. Both of us won our first two playoff games (double-elimination format), so we faced off last night for the chance to play in the championship. The winner would move directly to the championship, while the loser would have to face an elimination game immediately following last night's game.

As the lower seed, we were the visitors, and we put up two quick runs in the 1st. They tallied one in their half, and the score stayed that way until the 4th. During that inning, our pitcher (a 70-year old woman; each team has at least two girls) gave up her first walk of the season, and they strung together a few more hits to take the lead, 5-2. In the top of the 5th they shut us down, then added a bases clearing double to the gap in left-center to make it 8-2. Our season was crumbling before our eyes.

In our half of the 6th we pushed two runs across to make it 8-4, and had a couple nice defensive plays in the bottom half to keep the score that way headed to the final inning. The 70-year old woman was leading off, and she dinked a single over shortstop. Our best hitter, Steve, was next, and he rung one to the wall in right-center, but because Barb (the 70-year old pitcher) isn't exactly fleet afoot, it was only a single. Next was the leadoff hitter, Yort. He reached on an infield single to load the bases, with no one out, and the 2-3-4 hitters coming to the plate. Luke was next up, and he popped up harmlessly. 1 away. Then came me. I strode to the plate with one thing on my mind: Tie this game. I took one pitch, then drove the next one deep to left field...but foul. The next pitch was a beauty, and I took a mighty swing, but I got under it. Flyout to the warning track in left, and, with Barb on third, she couldn't tag and score. 2 outs. I walked slowly back to the dugout and buried my head in my hands. Paul, the clean-up hitter, was our last hope. I looked up from my sulking just in time to see him drive the first pitch deep to right-center and GONE! A GRAND SLAM! WITH TWO OUTS IN THE LAST INNING! I couldn't believe what I had seen. Our next hitter, Rus, hammered a double into the left-center field gap and scored on two throwing errors. We had taken the lead in the last inning, but we still had to hold them.

Heading to the bottom of the 7th with a 9-8 lead, they had the top of the order up. The lead off man hit a single to take a little momentum back to their side. After a grounder to third forced him out, the next man got a single, so they had runners on first and second with one out. The cleanup hitter popped up to me in shallow center, and the runners could not advance. Two down. Alas, there was more softball to be played. The next man singled, scoring a run. They had first and second again, this time with two outs, and now it was a tie game, 9-9. Their next hitter got a single to left, which was scooped up by our left fielder (who has a torn rotator cuff in his throwing arm). They were sending the man from second...there was going to be a play at the plate. Steve launched the ball and it dribbled across the infield in perfect line with the plate. The catcher scooped it out of the dirt and tagged the runner..........OUT! He threw out the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the 7th. Huge. Extra innings.

With the 9-9 tie, we had Steve, our best hitter leading off, followed by the top of the order. Steve doubled to right-center, but the leadoff man lined out to short for the first out. Luke singled Steve home and advanced to second on the throw. I was next, and I doubled to left, scoring Luke. Paul, the hero from the 7th inning, was behind me, and he homered again for his seventh RBI of the evening and a 13-9 lead for us. We tacked on one more before heading to the bottom of the 8th. We retired them in order in the 8th for the victory!

So the Faculty/Staff team advances to the championship game next Tuesday. Love Potion #9, the most dominant team in the league all season, was clearly disheartened by our dramatic comeback victory. In the elimination game that ensued, they fell to the Ducks in the Hole, 10-7, ending their season. We will meet Ducks in the Hole next Tuesday for the title, and they'll have to beat us twice to win it.

I think ESPN Classic has already called for the footage.