New Strategy

Yaletown at night.

I have been unhappy in the way I blog. Basically I would wait until 10 or 11 at night, and I would start typing - mostly reflections on my day, or what is happening in my ministry, or any recent articles I had read or written.

This is my new strategy - Since a lot of my time is spent changing the world by banging on the keys of my Macbook, I will contribute to my blog throughout the day. At the end of the day I will edit it into some sort of cohesive whole.

So here goes:

Bono is in the news: here and here.

The second article is more about the RED campaign. The writer is critical because it is estimated that only 18 million$ has been raised towards AIDS in Africa. This is in light of the mult-millions spent in marketing by the Gap and Motorola and other companies. I am the furthest thing from an ad wiz, but I think we have to look deeper then just dollers and sense here. The RED campaign has continued the effort to bring the AIDS crisis into the mainstream conversation of America. We also do not know what the long term effects will be of this new kind of fund raising.

Ah - RED CEO Bobby Shriver has already responded.

Having said that, I still continue to have mixed feelings about the RED campaign. I still feel we are using the powerful (and arguably evil) force of consumerism to do charity and justice work. Instead of promoting selfless sacrifice, this campaign urges us to satisfy our selfish consumerist selves, but now we get the conscience salve of knowing some of the money we spent will go to a good cause.

I'm going to sound like a hypocrite now! I am currently in the process of working with a high end fashion designer to design a product wherein part of the proceeds will go to a mutual friend's organization working among AIDS victims in Africa!!!

Oh well.

I have solved my data transfer problems!!! Finally, my Macbook is up and running like a charm.

An interesting article here, about the publisher of a black gay magazine. This individual has converted to Christianity and is no longer gay and is now publishing the magazine for ex-gays. Sounds explosive, and it is. Here's part of Charlene Cothran's statement:

“As the publisher of a 13-year-old periodical [ that ] targets Black gays and lesbians, I have had the opportunity to publicly address thousands, influencing closeted people to ‘come out’ and stand up for them selves, which is particularly difficult in the African-American community. “But now, I must come out of the closet again. I have recently experienced the power of change that came over me once I completely surrendered to the teachings of Jesus Christ. As a believe of the word of God, I fully accept and have always known that same-sex relationships are not what God intended for us.”