"Lean In" to Your Faith

 Sheryl Sandberg was a relatively unknown name until just recently.  In the last few weeks, Facebook’s chief operating officer has received an onslaught of press, but by her choosing.  At 43, Sandberg represents the mere 4% of women in the United States who are at the head of large Fortune 500 companies.  Her recent press has very little to do with Facebook, but rather much to do with her initiative to elevate women.

      In her efforts to achieve such a mission, Sandberg developed an organization called ‘Lean In’.  The general concept behind this movement is to encourage women to lean in to their potential and key gifts in order to achieve both professional and personal success.  That being said, Sandberg’s views and methods seem to be highly controversial.

      As I’ve spent time researching and reflecting on Sandberg’s endeavors, it struck me that the most powerful venture to develop from this is the simple notion that we should lean into our lives, into who we were created to be, and with humility, believe confidently in who we are.  This is substantially important for us as Christians and spiritual beings.

      Insecurity and self-doubt plague both men and women in the household of God.  We question our gifts, our talents, and even our callings, especially when others don’t seem to see things as we do.  We sweep under the rug what God has given us specifically to use for God’s glory.  We tell others loudly how bad we are at praying; yet we nowhere near as loudly pray in public.  We brag about our failures and shortcomings as if they are badges of honor; as if God wants us to publicly mock ourselves.  We fail to walk confidently in the love and grace of Jesus Christ.  We doubt our own salvation and out of that pain, lash out at others with vile condemnation.  In essence, we ‘lean out’ of what God has equipped us with and thusly, we ‘lean out’ of the greater mission.

      I wonder how the church might look if we stopped comparing ourselves to others and merely leaned in to the gifts God has placed in us?  When I stop worrying about the things that others can do for God that I can’t, and start joyfully leaning in to what I CAN do for God, my faith walk changes.  I think this is because my perspective shifts. Lean in to your faith formation and spiritual journey, and lean in to your relationship with God and others.  Lean in to the endless potential you have to make a difference for the kingdom.  This world needs you to be YOU…as God made you to be.  God’s equipped you, now it’s time for you to be empowered to achieve your greatest calling.

'Rent-A-Womb'

As a woman who has and does face infertility, I've researched numerous "solutions" and tried several treatments.  That being said, I found the following article very interesting and I'm intrigued to hear your opinions.  What do you think...if funds were not an option, would you take advantage of this opportunity?  Or, would you choose to put your money towards adoption?  

 'Rent-A-Womb' Business Booming in India by Fox News

Couples desperate for children are turning to India, where relaxed laws on surrogacy means the business of babies is booming.
In India, a womb can be rented for about $3,000 and in vitro fertilization treatment is a fraction of what it costs in the west.
"My criteria is very strict," Dr. Anup Gupta told Sky News. "The surrogate must be healthy and she must already have a family with at least one or two children of her own, minimum. She must not be doing this primarily for financial reasons but because she wants to help another family."
Gupta says he gets about 15 patients from abroad every month looking for a surrogate.
Most of the time he uses eggs and sperm harvested from the couple and then implants the embryo into the surrogate mother.
In return, the couple pays all of her medical expenses in addition to other lump sums.
By the time a baby is born, the woman who has effectively ‘rented’ out her womb stands to make around $7,000.

For the full story, go to:  http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,580956,00.html

$10.5 Million to Fight Gender Violence

~ This is a wonderful move towards ending global violence. We have a responsibility to fight for the least of these. Our sisters and daughters, nieces and mothers, girlfriends and ourselves. Speak out to make a difference in your world. Support local efforts in your area to fight the epidemic of violence against women and against all humanity.~

November 25, 2009
Article Published in Feminist Daily News

UN Pledges Millions to Fight Violence Against Women

The United Nations announced Tuesday $10.5 million in new grants to bolster international efforts to end violence against women.

The funds, which were announced in honor of the UN's International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women today, will assist 13 initiatives in 18 countries and territories. The UN Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women, overseen by the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), will disperse the grants.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged governments and international organizations to strengthen their work on gender-based violence, and emphasized the prevalence of such violence:

"Some 70 percent of women experience in their lifetime some form of physical or sexual violence from men -- the majority from husbands, intimate partners or someone they know. This is unacceptable," he said.

The UN also launched on Tuesday the Network of Men Leaders, a coalition of public and private leaders working to stop violence against women. Prominent members of the Network include Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, and Brazilian novelist and UN Messenger of Peace Paulo Coelho.

US Vice President Joseph Biden called on Americans to join international efforts to stop violence against women, in a statement released today. "Violence against women is found in every culture around the world. It is one of our most pervasive global problems," he said.

The US is leading UN efforts to end the use of rape as a tactic of war, according to Susan Rice, the US Ambassador to the UN. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is working with the UN Security Council to increase prevention efforts against sexual violence and hold perpetrators accountable, she said.

Media Resources: United Nations 11/24/09; United Nations 11/24/09; White House 11/25/09; United States Mission to the United Nations 11/25/09

USS Cole - Obama Say What??

Outraged. The bird is the word and the bird is Cuckoo!

While watching the news I heard something that outraged me. President Obama had issued an order to halt court proceedings on all prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, the Navy Detention Center which has been the center of many human rights issues over the last 8 years.

Unfortunately, one of those cases, was against the leader and head strategist behind the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000. This man, suspected Al Qaeda bomber Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, has thus had all charges against him, wait for it....DROPPED!

I believe in justice and I believe in innocent until proven guilty. However, the evidence against Mr. al-Nashiri, is indisputable. As I understand it, there is a possible opportunity to re-draw up charges against him, but...this will no doubt lead to a dangerous time of reprieve.

So my questions to you are: have you heard about this, what do you think, what have you heard and if you were advisor to the President, what would you tell him to do?