There has been growing concern within me about the need to care more effectively for people. As a Christian, I am responsible for helping people satisfy their most critical need, which is to know Christ. But, I must also be mindful that I don’t qualify to speak to that need unless I see their most immediate felt need and truly care. We need to love people in such a way that they see that our concern is for their total health and well-being.

I have been reading a lot about pastoral counseling and care. One thing that is very clear is that many church leaders could do better when it comes to the hurts, hang-ups, and bad habits of others. I don’t believe the problem is that we don’t love people. It actually takes love to tell people about the one who love them most. I believe that it’s simply more challenging to mine out the reasons people are not finding success in their lives. Often these types of issues are deeply seeded in people’s past and perceptions.

For instance, a spiritual leader could be speaking to a young lady about the Heavenly Father who loves her. That young lady may have been abused by a father figure, and by default is attributing that character to God. It would have been helpful for that leader to know that information so that the greater message is not lost in her past pain. That is the importance of care and concern for people. Some people will not be able to hear the glorious gospel if they have their own needs screaming in their ears.

The truth is, it’s not only about helping those whom we serve; it is also an acknowledgement that we too need care at times. With the increase in scandals around spiritual leaders it is obvious that they need care also. Pastors are people too. There are pastors all over the world that feel insecure and guilty because their lives don’t fully match their messages. Not because they are bad people, but because no one allows them to deal with their own wounds. We expect ministers to be super-human and don’t give them the time and attention needed to be good Christians, spouses, parents, etc. Then when they are exposed, we crucify them instead of gently allowing them to recover.

We must do a better job caring for people. From those who have yet to receive Christ to those who are the visible leaders, people need care. The thing I love about God is that we are never too far to from His grace. He sees all of our deepest needs and still desires our affection. He doesn’t run from the ugliness in our lives, and always desires our freedom. Jesus came to set us free from not only our sins, but also all things that keep us captive. "The Lord's Spirit has come to me (Jesus), because he has chosen me to tell the good news to the poor. The Lord has sent me to announce freedom for prisoners, to give sight to the blind, to free everyone who suffers…” Luke 4:18(CEV) We would do well to follow His example.

I was a bit overwhelmed by my experience in China. The purpose of my trip was to see the process of ELIC(English Language Institute of China), an organization that sends teachers to the country for the purpose of loving students. Honestly, if we didn’t have a child with special needs then we would consider moving to there. For people who love God, China provides an opportunity to make love known.

ELIC is masterful at creating opportunities for people to teach and build relationships with Chinese students. They have built solid relationships with the government and have been asked to increase the number of teachers. It’s hard to get into China for purposes other than tourism, so education is the key to unlock the door.

The Chinese are interested in all things western. The problem is that they are ill equipped to handle the ramifications of a more open society. I say that because the country is largely Atheist. People of any faith are the minority. Atheism is the driver of a Marxist government. As a westerner it’s hard to imagine a culture that doesn’t understand the concept of sin. The thing that has held their society together was a strong family tie, a shame based morality, and state pressure. Now that pieces of that are eroding there is a need for a spiritual awakening for the people to make it. So, there is a great need to take the message of hope to China.

The reality is that I am the College Impact guy. I have literally written the book on touching the college campuses (College Impact: Empowering Collegiate Christians for Campus Influence). China provides great opportunities for people who love college students. In China it’s illegal for anyone to teach religion to a person under 18 years old so the collegiate generation is even more strategic in China than here in the states. If you want to make a positive change in the country you need only love the college students. Then as the students go into industry and government they go as change agents. I teach in my book, College Impact, reach the campus reach the world and China is primed to make that a reality.

My heart wants to jump in this opportunity with both feet. But, the goal should be to inspire the Chinese and allow them to love their own people. What foreigners can do is become the first contact for some and inspire others. It’s very easy for a teacher to enter this amazing country. To add to that the people highly revere the teaching profession so it places us as a city on a hill.

As an African American the opportunities are even greater. We are cool, different, and intriguing to the Chinese people. Everywhere I went people stared, took pictures, and wanted to speak with the black guy. It has no racist connection for the people, its just that many have never seen a black person. So, they are interested in what we have to say. I mentioned to students that I was a bible teacher and their interest was peaked immediately. The problem is, too few of us go to China and are not taking advantage of the door that is open.

I have decided to be a sender of people to China. The first group to go is students that desire to see the country and are willing to spend 5 weeks of their summer there. The second opportunity is for teachers who want to go to China on teaching trips for 5 weeks in the summer. Lastly, anyone who has a bachelor’s degree and desires to spend 2 years teaching in China, there is room for you. I know it may seem scary to uproot oneself and family and move them to a foreign country, but there is a great need. I now feel so confident in the ELIC team, as I have seen how much they care for their people. You will undoubtedly be in good hands with them. China is open, any takers?

http://www.elic.org/

The crowning jewel of my trip in China apart from some of the most flavorful food I have eaten in my life was the amazing people. Once again nothing in China is, as it seems. I was anticipating a feeling of oppression and control. But, the Chinese people have many more freedoms than we would ever imagine. Outside of all the Asian people and architecture things felt mostly like anywhere here in the states. Conversation was similar to that here, although as a foreigner we were told to avoid the 3 Ts Tibet, Taiwan, and the Tiananmen Square incident. There is a major since that change is in the air and the country is becoming more modern and western.

The Chinese people are exceedingly sweet. I didn’t see one unfriendly face as I endeavored to get out amongst the people. I had the opportunity to visit street markets and by the street food (okay I am trying not to talk about the food), I went through the subway, I spent time on a college campus, and I visited 3 churches. I had an authentic Chinese experience, but all things were consistent, the people are the highlight of the country.

I visited two schools while there. One was the 4^th ranked college in China and the other was a smaller less prestigious one. The top ranked school was much larger and you could tell that this was some of the best students the country had to offer. The students were really smart and their English was as good as mine. They were the future of the country and they felt the pressure from both their families and their nation. The second group of students really grabbed my heart, as they were most likely ones who didn’t test as well and they didn’t carry the same sense of confidence. Both sets of students were very knowledgeable about the world and they seemed to not necessarily embrace the leading parties philosophy.

The reality is that since China has gone to the population controlled 1 child per family rule all of their families hopes were resting on their shoulders. Although, some people are happy to pay the fines to have another child most are too poor to do so. As you can imagine that creates a spoiled child. Chinese people fawn over their children. Every body stops to look at the baby in the room. Interestingly, many young children don’t have pampers, they have cut outs in their pants and can squat pretty anywhere to relieve themselves. It’s a bit disconcerting at first to western eyes, but it just works with the rhythm of the country. There is also a great amount of respect given to the elderly, and in this regard we could learn much.

There are some major problems that I was glad to have seen. I say that because I didn’t want to have a view that was different than the reality. One issue is a high abortion rate. Another is the strong desire of the young to embrace all that the western culture has to offer. The problem is they have no idea of how to handle the pitfalls of a “free-er” society. There are more males because people were aborting girls in order to have boys that would support them later. With the population having more males than females the rate of prostitution is rising, along with rape, and homosexuality. There is also a lack of care and accommodations for the disabled. So China is by no means perfect, and there are some serious social ills.

Like in most places the good outweighed the bad and I was left with a true desire to see this countries people flourish. I appreciate the contrasts. Students for instance may be pigeonholed into a category, but I met a girl who walked away from a career to be a tour guide. Men may be desired, but women seemed to be allowed to excel and compete head to head with their male counterparts. Children are kept in school long hours with rigorous requirements, but once they hit the streets they are like kids anywhere else.

With all of this the Chinese people are full of smiles and affection for others. They are a people with a wonderful since of and self-depreciative humor. I caught myself doing the open mouth full-bodied Chinese laugh. I can’t help but think my life has become much richer as I have spent time in their midst. If you have the opportunity to visit China, abandon what you think you know for the people will exceed your expectations. 

Many people have been asking about my recent trip to China. I figured I would explain my insights through a few blogs. I do understand the interest people have in that country as very few ever visits this mysterious land. It made sense that the first thing we were told was that nothing in China is, as it seems. I found that to be the theme of my time there.

The purpose of my trip was to learn how I might send students there to teach conversational English to Chinese students. I must admit much of the allure was the opportunity to visit the country. Yes, I always love the chance to touch the live of college students. After all I am the College Impact guy. It’s become a life’s work, but the thought that I could be in a country many people will never see was a big deal.

When I hit the ground in China I was a bit overwhelmed. I am used to being a minority here in the states, but 1 in 1.6 billion is very different. People would stand a few feet away from me and just stare. I was polite and said, “nǐ hǎo” and they responded with hello and would continue looking at me. This was not rudeness on their part it was simply many of them had never seen a black person before. It is an all-Asian world so a black person in their context is just an oddity.

My first couple of days in Beijing was filled with smog. During the Olympics I remembered people saying how polluted the city was. It’s so true, but as a foreigner you don’t want to mention it, because Chinese people are very sensitive about criticism of their country and they take it personally. But, by day three things changed and it was beautiful. I remembered when the weather cleared and I saw the scope and size of the city. Beijing is the largest city I have ever seen. I thought I knew what urban was, but the city stretches on forever and there is tall building after another.

I did get a chance to leave the big city and go to a smaller one in Inner Mongolia called Hohhot (its former Mongolian territory now in China). This area was much different in that it is a city of only 2 million. They only allow 50 foreigners to live in that area a year.  A teenager was watching the westerners get off of the bus and when he saw the black guy he did the ‘Bugs Bunny’ big eyed lean back. It was hilarious! He had never seen a black man.

Hohhot was interesting in that it seemed much more religious then Beijing and there was more minorities there. The Muslim population is pretty visible. There were Buddhist temples and large Catholic churches all in this one area. It was the bustling yet a much slower pass than the large city. I did find a little leather shop that had some amazing bags. One major difference was for the first time I saw children. In Beijing children are in class longer and during the week they are not visible, but in Hohhot at 4 pm kids are everywhere.

Once I got back to the big city it was all about site seeing. I went from the Forbidden City to the Great Wall. It was interesting to see the intricacies of the former home of the Emperor. I studied ancient China, so this was simply awesome. The Great Wall was not my favorite. It was an experience that you must have, but it was just a big wall. Sightseeing was good, but my big, wow was the food. I did eat a scorpion and a silk worm, although they weren’t highlight of the trip. I can barely stand Chinese for here in the states now, because the authentic is so much better.

All of my expectations were exceeded. China is like no place else in the world. I truly am excited about going back. I don’t have the time to talk about the shopping, or the culture, or the amazing people. In the next blog I will try to tackle those topics. I strongly encourage others who enjoy traveling to put China at the top of your list. 

Last week was intense and filled with opportunities to make a difference in this world. I think we wrestle with such a lofty goal as changing the world because we see both the greatness of that ambition and the weakness of our own humanity. I believe that this is natural and honest although not the most spiritual response. God has high expectations for us His people, and we will not see the full expansion of His kingdom in the earth unless we choose to follow Him into His prescribed future.

You see I have led a hip-hop environment called Destinations, geared toward reaching urban young adults for almost 10 years now. We have a history of having provocative shows with titles like Naked, Blow, Safeword. We have pushed the boundaries so much that even our more progressive church is a little freaked out at times. We had an idea recently to have a show that married our usual evangelistic focus with a cause. We decided to focus on child sex trafficking. With eighty million children being trafficked for sex, this was more than needed.

We decided to partner with both local and international sex slavery organizations to increase our level of impact. Well this thing took off, and this little event that has had mostly been a local movement got a lot of attention. I was on a national radio broadcast, and we had two media outlets at the event to cover the story. We raised money for a local project as over four hundred new girls are trafficked in Georgia a month, and we raised funds to make a difference in Asia.

As we studied more on the global issue of child sex trafficking, a few things struck me. One thing was that police officers and politicians know that this is an issue. Many departments have divisions that deal with this issue. Two, many people don’t realize that this is happening right around everyday. One in three girls that are classified as missing is being trafficked for sex. The third thing is that even though politicians know of the problem, most aren’t doing a thing about it. It’s a big problem, but they have largely ignored it.

I was like many people, I felt bad about what was happening, but not to the extent that I was willing to do something. God has really grabbed my heart on this issue of child sex slavery, and I have had an awakening. I realized that I may be a small voice, but God uses a big megaphone when it comes to the oppressed, the enslaved, that abused. We used our little hip-hop to bring a little attention to this global problem, and God echoed it. That is what happens when His people decide to do something. I am in no way an expert; I just care about what God cares about. Our maturity is seen by our desire to be where God is and do what God is doing.

Whether child sex trafficking, stomping out racism, or caring for orphans and widows, we need to get busy changing the world. Christians too often sit idly by and let the world go to hell. It’s time that we stopped simply feeling bad about bad things and started doing something. Every person can’t do everything, but we all can do something. You and I can change the world, and that is the reason Jesus left us here, to represent Him to others.