CD Review ::
Kingdom of Comfort

Kingdom of Comfort finds the modern worship pioneers Delirious? wrestling with what it truly means to follow Christ, and the "kingdom of comfort" mentality that Christians can get caught up in. This thirteen track release features all new music including the album and remix versions of lead single "We Give You Praise."

If The Mission Bell was heard as a call to action, then this record is the sound of Christians in action. Inspired by recent tours and mission trips to poverty-stricken nations like Cambodia, India, and Rwanda, the band began to question whether they were filling their lives with eternal things or earthly. The experience led Martin Smith and company to develop Compassionart, but that's another story.

Hence the provocative cover art indicting the disposable consumerism of the music business and this present iPod/Starbucks generation—all in pristine Apple white, no less. The theme carries over into some songs as well, starting with the title track, a plea for deliverance from material greed and the trappings of the world that keep us from doing God's work. One of the album's most powerful lyrics comes in "Love Will Find a Way," a summary of the internal tension that most Christians experience on a mission trip: "I stare in the eyes of this flesh and bone/I'm a tourist here so tomorrow I go home/I try to make sense of the things I've seen/Between the poverty and the five-star dream."

Book Review :: Be the Change



Zach Hunter is a fifteen-year-old abolitionist and activist who spends much of his time working to end slavery around the world. He's the student spokesperson for the Amazing Change campaign, which is inspired by the film Amazing Grace. Last year he spoke to almost a half a million people and is educating and inspiring students everywhere to make a change in the world. He also founded Loose Change to Loosen Chains, a student-run effort to help raise money to free slaves.

Most people think the average teenager isn't capable of much beyond hanging with their friends and wasting time. But Zach Hunter isn't your average teenager. And he's hoping to show you that you're not either.

Zach has been trying to end slavery around the globe. Most people (maybe even you) think that slavery has been over for a long time. But sadly, there are more people bound in slavery now than at any of the times we read about in our history books. Now Zach is working to end slavery and free the men, women, and children who are being held against their will. He's even found some friends in the fight, including Jon Foreman of Switchfoot and Leeland Mooring of Leeland.

Just look around the world and on the news and you'll find that there are plenty of things wrong with our planet: homelessness, hunger, global warming, AIDS--the list goes on and on. And we usually look at these problems and decide they're too big for us to do anything about. But Zach is proving that one person can make a difference. And in his book, hell reveal the elements needed to make amazing changes in your world. In the end, he hopes you'll find the thing you're passionate about and start making changes!

Why San Francisco? - Pt. 2

Reason #3: Why "not" San Francisco? That should be question. It's as good a city as any. We know it for the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Penitentiary (The "Rock"), Ghiradelli Chocolate, Cable Cars, Haight-Ashbury Street, and more. But beyond the postcard pictures there exist a city that is not so "glossy." Poverty is a major issue. Just walk down the street and see how many times you get hit up for money. After-school programs for kids are struggling. People need to be fed. People need to be clothed. People need to be given shelter. Sounds a lot like Matthew 25 to me. And that's why we're going. We want to be available to serve in the name of Jesus. Because even though we may not be able to give "silver and gold" to ever person who asks us on the street, may we give what we do have in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth (Acts 3:6).

Why San Francisco? - Pt. 1

Reason #1: Because it's domestic. A group of our students went to Northern Ireland last year for a missions trip. We wanted to be careful in spreading the aura that missions trips had to be overseas in order for them to seem legitimate. We thought it appropriate to alternate things: foreign one year, domestic the next.

Reason #2: Because it's close enough...but at the same time it's kind of far. I know that sounds kind of lame, but it's the truth. On a good day--without much traffic--Los Angeles is about 45 minutes away from where we are in Orange County. Which puts that city of Angels right in our back yard. And not to say that we want to look beyond the needs of our backyard, but San Francisco provides some natural distance that made it attractive when thinking about bringing some high school students along for the ride.