hello my dear-friends-from-afar, this is the longest time i have had between posts without trying to take a break since i started the carnival. because this gap was unintentional, it has felt a little weird. but it has also been a good reminder that i am glad i have stayed dedicated to only writing when i actually have something to say instead of trying to make things up. and trust me, the last few weeks have been one big speechless blur. but i’m starting to come out of the fog, yeah!
i did want to share this piece that i shared at this past saturday evening’s refuge gathering. every so often we have benefit concerts called thevenue@thegrange that raise awareness & money for ministries/organizations who are dedicated to loving the marginalized & oppressed. this past saturday we focused on human trafficking & our dear friends at oasis USA. we also are collecting aluminum for cans for hope, a simple, beautiful home-grown ministry dedicated to recycling cans & giving 100% of the proceeds to support women who have been rescued from trafficking. it was a fun simple evening with music & spoken word & food & video. nothing snazzy, just love, refuge-style.
i wrote this piece for this gathering; like all spoken words, it’s kind of hard to recreate the moment. but i would like to share it as a reminder of the ravages of human trafficking & how important it is that we use our voices, our hands, our hearts, our feet on behalf of those who have been stripped of theirs. and to remember that our freedom and others freedom are all tied up together. they are somebody’s daughter, somebody’s son. they are our daughters, our sons. one warning, it’s kind of intense. i swear that in real life, i am really light-hearted, ha ha. but i do take the issue of oppression and abuse extremely seriously.
somebody’s daughter, somebody’s son
they are somebody’s daughter
somebody’s son
made in God’s image,
meant to have liferight now while we sit in this place
bellies full
hearts united
safe in the harbor
somebody’s daughter, somebody’s son is being ripped from their home
and straight into hell.into the fire of abuse, of slavery, of darkness
where dignity is burned and stripped and stripped and burned
where the human heart is made to believe it’s only value is to keep its battered body alive.to be used.
to be raped.
to be tortured.
to be drugged.
to be bought.
to be sold.
to be used.
to be used.
to be used.they are somebody’s daughter
somebody’s son
made in God’s image,
meant to have life.stripped of power,
told not to tell.
stripped of dignity,
told that’s all they’re good for.
stripped of life
told this is how it is.
stripped of their voice,
told no one cares.they are somebody’s daughter
somebody’s son
made in God’s image,
meant to have life.it’s easy to think there’s nothing we can do.
it’s over there.
it’s out of my reach.
our little voice won’t make a difference.
our little money won’t change a thing.
our little life can’t really help.but you see,
it’s not just somebody’s daughter, somebody’s son.it’s your daughter, your son.
your son, your daughter,
my daughter, my son
my son, my daughter
our daughters, our sons
made in God’s image,
meant to have life.they are us.
and we are them.
bound together as God’s creation.yeah,
when i was 14 and i was used, you were used.
and when you–my beautiful-precious-valuable-born-with-God’s-dignity-deep-inside brothers-and-sisters were used. i was used.
and when our other beautiful precious valuable born-with-God’s-dignity-deep-inside brothers and sisters around the world are used,
we are used.i’m tired of seeing people being used.
i’m sick and tired and tired and sick of seeing people be used.yeah, it’s time.
to work for freedom.
to give a rip.
to do our part.
to fight for life.
to use our voice.
to move our feet.
to advocate for the voiceless
to give power to the weakto ask Jesus–the one who sees, the one who knows, the one who cares–to show us, show me
stir us, stir me
move us, move me
remind us, remind me
that it’s somebody’s daughter, somebody’s son
our daughter, our sons, our sons, our daughters,
made in God’s image, meant for life.
my prayer and hope is that in any way we can we do part to advocate for our daughters, our sons here & abroad. they are made in God’s image, meant for life.
i hope you are having a good summer so far. it’s my favorite time of year.
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ps: check out oasis’ traffik free communities initiative. it is focused on community collaboration across public and private agencies & faith communities & everyday ordinary citizens to eradicate trafficking from their city.
ppss: because i’m so behind, i don’t think i ever shared this uncharacteristically-short post i wrote for communitas collective–a place to practice. i also wrote this little piece for the refuge blog on our annual camping trip & why i think it’s the best form of church.