Archive for Dillon Burroughs

Sep
11

The Story Behind “Hunger No More”

by newhope

by: Dillon Burroughs

“The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.”
-Mother Teresa

Hunger. The very word evokes images of starving children or street people with cardboard signs. And while physical hunger lingers as one of our world’s most pressing needs, there is a deeper hunger that drives every person on the planet. It is not a desire of bread for the stomach, but bread for the soul. According to the words of the Bible, the only One who can truly satisfy spiritual hunger is God.

In my previous devotional Thirst No More, I journeyed with readers through the four Gospels to experience the Living Water of Jesus Christ. In my latest devotional, Hunger No More, I’ve meditated on the Book of Psalms as the portion to satisfy our daily hunger for the Lord.

Though many believe King David composed all of the Psalms, it is clear by the book’s own acknowledgement that David was only one of the many human authors of this book. Moses, Asaph, King Solomon, and others each contributed inspired lyrics that have been recited and sung by both Jews and Christians for 3,000 years.

In preparation for this book, I found myself reading through the Psalms in English for my 28th time, in addition to much meditation on particular Hebrew words and phrases from the original language of the book. The force of so much time in these inspired texts has enriched my life in an unmatched manner that I hope will be shared by those who join in reading each day’s entries.

The focus in the title Hunger No More is twofold. First, I seek to highlight the words of our Lord presented in the Psalms of the Old Testament. As the Book of Psalms reveals, God alone can satisfy our spiritual hunger.

Second, I have sought to use this privilege to help those less privileged. We live in a world of much need. My friends at Worldcrafts (one of New Hope’s related organizations) are working to change this crisis. Through providing jobs for artisans in developing nations, lives are being saved every day in the name of Christ. A portion of this book’s proceeds is being donated to their efforts. You can read more about their work at WorldCrafts.org.

When asked why I wrote Hunger No More, my answer was this—changed lives changing lives. To my knowledge, my previous devotional book Thirst No More was the first that sought to connect its readers in daily online community. To date, more than 1,000 friends from nearly 20 nations have connected to encourage one another through each daily reflection. Hunger No More seeks to continue this pattern. Each day (beginning January 1, 2013), we will experience the privilege to journey together at HungerNoMoreBook.com. I encourage you to share your thoughts each day and to support others who share along the way, whether you read it on a screen, in print, or a mobile device.

Finally, please know I pray for you and all of my readers every day. Your intimacy with Christ is my great pleasure. May you truly experience a life in which you hunger no more because our Lord has become your Daily Bread. May God shine His grace upon you as we share these words together.

0 Categories : Articles, Dillon Burroughs
Nov
28

Why Water Matters

by newhope

by Dillon Burroughs

“And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”—Matthew 10:42 (NIV)

Water is essential to life. In fact, water makes up about 60 percent of an adult’s body weight. Without it, we don’t just struggle—we can’t even live.

I came to understand as never before the importance of water during my second trip to Haiti in 2009. The school where I stayed served more than 1,200 students, yet the area did not have a single water source. Instead, water was trucked to the site twice each week. This situation served as an ongoing source of frustration, both due to the financial considerations involved and the struggle to maintain enough water for the school’s children.

When I returned a year later, a few people from our work crew were gathered for dinner when we were told that a Canadian team who had been drilling for water had found a clean water well. First-time visitors were happy at the news, but showed little understanding of the event’s significance. In contrast, the long-term teachers and missionaries in attendance were moved to tears and celebration, knowing that water would change everything.

No longer would the daily conversation revolve around whether there would be enough water to cook, provide water to children at lunch, or wash dishes. Water had been found. Lives would be changed.

That day has stayed in my mind ever since. When I began to work on my first devotional book, I had the title Thirst No More in mind and was considering how I could use the title to also share about the need for clean water in Haiti. What I discovered in the process is that the problems regarding clean water are far greater than one village in Haiti.

Listen to how the clean water organization Living Water International describes the situation:

“Water. It is at the heart of a daily crisis faced by a billion of the world’s most vulnerable people—a crisis that threatens life and destroys livelihoods on a devastating scale.
“Unlike war and terrorism, the global water crisis does not make media headlines, despite the fact that it claims more lives through disease than any war claims through guns. Unlike natural disasters, it does not rally concerted international action, despite the fact that more people die each year from drinking dirty water than from the world’s hurricanes, floods, tsunamis, and earthquakes combined.”

Let’s Do Something 15 Second Spot from Living Water International on Vimeo.

That’s why water matters. Jesus taught that there would be a reward for those who gave a single cup of water to those in need. How much better is it to provide a well that could provide water to many more?

As James wrote in the New Testament, our calling to follow Jesus is a challenge to help those in need. He taught:

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:14–17 NIV).

As we have the ability, our pursuit of God must include meeting the physical needs of others. Since water is the most basic of human necessities, it only makes sense to begin there.

Ultimately, water matters because people matter. When we provide water to those without, it honors God and helps those we are called to serve. As Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (NIV).

Dillon Burroughs is author of the new one-year devotional Thirst No More and coauthor of Not in My Town: Exposing and Ending Human Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery with Charles Powell. Find out more about Dillon and his work at DillonBurroughs.org and ThirstNoMoreBook.com.

Scripture marked (NIV) is from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

0 Categories : Articles, Columns, Dillon Burroughs
Nov
2

Thirst No More: Choosing Contentment in Christ

by newhope

by Dillon Burroughs

“Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.”—Jesus (John 4:14 NIV)

We live in an era that values speed, production, and efficiency. Deadlines and due dates drive much of our daily routine. Enough is never enough.

But is this the life God intends for us to live? Did the One who came to give us life abundantly desire us to experience burnout, depression, or frustrations over unmet obligations and incomplete tasks?

Jesus offers a different view of the world. In a word, it’s contentment.

Many strive because they are unsatisfied. Dissatisfaction with career, relationships, the past, the future—the reasons could fill volumes. That’s why Jesus offered words of comfort—“Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.”

Notice the words in this verse. Each one matters greatly. “Whoever” makes clear that no restrictions apply. Jesus offers each of us true satisfaction, real contentment.

Next, notice the action—“drinks.” There is one thing we must do; we are required to turn to Jesus in complete dependence. Just as the human body cannot continue for long without water, the human soul cannot endure for long without quenching its thirst.

“The water I give them” refers to what Jesus offers. We drink, but He is the One who provides. Without His water, our thirsting will go unsatisfied. Our lives will trek from one alternative to the next, lacking purpose and meaning.

The final phrase—“will never thirst”—shows Jesus is the lasting answer to the enduring problem of discontentment. Without the joy of God in our lives, we will continue to long for other passions that fail to please beyond the moment. The promise of Jesus provides for our needs now and extends into all eternity.

As humans in a fallen world, we still wear down, but, as followers of Christ, we are never without our Source of strength. He is with us, He provides, and He will continue to quench our thirst for all eternity.

Dillon Burroughs is author of the new one-year devotional Thirst No More and coauthor of Not in My Town with Charles Powell. Find out more at DillonBurroughs.org.

Scripture marked (NIV) is from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

2 Categories : Articles, Columns, Dillon Burroughs
May
23

More Ways to Stop Human Trafficking in Your Community

by newhope

by Dillon Burroughs

When I speak about stopping human trafficking, people often ask, “How?”

I don’t have all of the answers, but in our book and DVD Not in My Town, Charles Powell and I include a chapter that shares many of the solutions we are discovering along the way. These include ideas we have implemented, along with many we have picked up from our friends and partners in this effort. Choose one or more from the list below and work to help end human trafficking.

1. Start (or Sign) a Petition.  With the ease and proliferation of electronic petitions, we ae finding direct results from such efforts. A myriad of options can be found in an online search.  I recommend http://actioncenter.polarisproject.org/. The Polaris Project, an antitrafficking organization in Washington, D.C., provides direct links to major initiatives at the public policy or corporate level.

Specific successes we have been involved in directly or indirectly in the past two years include the removal of the erotic services section at Craigslist.com, the ending of massage parlor and spa ads in The Washington Post , Choice Hotels’ policy change regarding child prostitution, and recent legislation regarding human trafficking in Alabama and Georgia.

 In fact, 2010 became a major year for increased legislation regarding human trafficking, with more than 40 new state bills enacted and more than 350 introduced nationwide. 

2. Hold Corporations Accountable: Ever wonder what your favorite brands are doing to make sure their products are slave free? There is a great tool available to send preformatted letters to most major brands at http://www.chainstorereaction.com/. Your two minutes might help a company choose to cut off slavery from their supply chain. As the late Neil Kearney, former president of the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Federation, once stated, “If a business cannot afford to be ethical, then they cannot afford to be in business.” Another service, http://www.free2work.org/, allows users to view “ratings” of major brands by name or product type. And check out the interactive map at http://productsofslavery.org/.

3. Prevention: There are many ways you can serve that not only help end trafficking, but also prevent it before it takes place. Some areas you can get involved in that could help keep future individuals from trafficking include:

  • services to runaway and homeless teenagers;
  • refugee services;
  • ministries and education to ethnic groups, including conversational English courses;
  • outreach to female juvenile detention centers or prisons;
  • your local chamber of commerce (to help stand against local businesses supporting trafficking and adult services);
  • journalism (writing to speak out against trafficking);
  •  music and other creative arts (supporting the fight against trafficking through awareness at concerts, art galleries, and other events.);
  • awareness resources: wearing shirts, sporting bumper stickers, and similar merchandise to let people know about human trafficking and how they can stand against it.

You’ll find these and many other ways people just like you are joining the movement to end slavery, locally and around the world. In the end, the best answer to the “How?” of ending human trafficking is you. People who love God and live His love to help victims of human trafficking will create the change necessary for us to truly say “Not in my town.”

Dillon Burroughs is a best-selling writer of more than 26 books. He is best known for his collaborative works with faith-based leaders, authors, and athletes, though he has also earned a growing reputation within the social justice movement. Burroughs lives and works as a writer at a nonprofit in Tennessee with his wife, Deborah, and their three children.

*Some material adapted from Not in My Town.

6 Categories : Articles, Columns, Dillon Burroughs
May
18

From Haiti to “Not in My Town”

by newhope

by Dillon Burroughs

In June 2009, I traveled to Titanyen, Haiti, for a week of missionary activity with Mission of Hope, my second journey to the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. On our last morning, we began the trip back to the Port-au-Prince airport in the back of a delivery truck, similar to the affectionately called “tap taps” used as public transportation along the few roads that existed. 

Because of this mode of travel, there were numerous stops and starts or pauses through each village intersection, partly due to the endless bumps in the asphalt. At one point, my eye caught a glimpse of several children being pushed around, with orders barked to complete some menial task at a roadside market. Probably each of them was 6 to 11 years old; one boy was prodded ahead by force while the others complied, likely in fear for their own safety.

These kids should have been in school or with their family, I thought to myself. I wondered why they weren’t, vowing to find out more in the days ahead.

Once I returned to the States, my real research began. Digging through both missionary and governmental reports, I discovered the ugly truth that tens of thousands of Haitian children are held in bondage as child laborers. The modern restavek (or restavec) system, where children “stay with” a caretaker, is often an excuse for slavery, abuse, and the most horrific treatment of children imaginable. The earthquake only worsened the situation. My only comfort was the thought that I was glad it was not happening in my town.

I continued to support efforts in Haiti and began to advocate on behalf of its children. Yet as I continued to read about modern slavery, now often called human trafficking, I unearthed an evil closer to home.

Slavery is alive and well in the United Stated of America.

In fact, there has yet to be a day without slavery in our nation. Federal statistics report as many as 18,000 people are trafficked into the US every year. They are used and abused in several ways—in agriculture, sweatshops, as domestic servants, and in sexual exploitation. Few speak English or know how to escape. Most go undiscovered and without help.

Further, recent research shows that as many as 100,000 or more domestic minors (US children under 18) are used for the purposes of sexual exploitation each year, a crime known as sex trafficking, which continues to grow despite a number of new laws and initiatives.

As a person who loves Jesus and seeks to live His calling to help those in need, I felt an obligation—a calling—to respond. I prayed, fasted, wept, studied, and began to talk with people I thought could help. In the process, I shared my concerns with my friend Charles Powell, a friend and film producer in the Atlanta area. He replied that he was in the process of launching a new nonprofit to stand against human trafficking and had been praying about how to begin. That conversation became the beginning of the new book and DVD Not in My Town.

Not in My Town calls Christians to fill the gap between human trafficking victims and those who seek to help. It’s a vision that challenges us to consider:

  • What if every church in America started a ministry to help stop modern slavery?
  • What if every major college had an organization to fight human trafficking?
  • What if every major Christian denomination and organization made it a top priority to end global slavery?
  • What if in five years, when people ask who are the ones working the hardest to stop slavery, the first answer to come to mind was Christians?

This is our dream. This is the Mercy Movement. Find out more at http://www.mercymovement.com/.

Dillon Burroughs is a best-selling writer of more than 26 books. He is best known for his collaborative works with faith-based leaders, authors, and athletes, though he has also earned a growing reputation within the social justice movement. Burroughs lives and works as a writer at a nonprofit in Tennessee with his wife, Deborah, and their three children.

 

6 Categories : Columns, Dillon Burroughs
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