#Stopplayin’

What if all the Black NFL players banded together for a particular social cause?  And, let’s call that cause “Justice.”  What if Colin Kaepernick, was seen as Rosa Parks was viewed some 63 years ago?  What if we all got on board when it was time to ride and all got off as soon we realized we were just being taken for a ride? 

1955 Montgomery bus boycott

In 1955, nearly 75% of the public bus passengers in Montgomery were black. In 2018, the NFL is nearly 70% black. The time for games were over then as they are today.  The power of one is the power of many standing, walking, or kneeling as one.  

The gains of today are because of the sacrifices of yesterday.  The gains for tomorrow must be purchased with the sacrifices of today.  Ali, Kap, Rosa... me? You?

Here’s an idea for my brothers whose power is actually greater off the field than on -whose power is acting as one.

What if you simply stop playing?

I assure you we would stop watching and start listening.

NFL Boycott + Social media = #Stopplayin’

Can you afford to do so?  Can we afford to not to?

Know your worth.  Know your power. 

More than a legal motion.  More than a movement.  

More than a banner.  More than a flag.  

More than kneeling or taking a stand.  

It’s all of these things and more...

#stopplayin’ 

The "Empty Bucket Challenge"

Remember? 

We emptied the buckets, but did we refill them?

Did we lose momentum? 

It was easy to keep the movement going at the time.   Now, it seems to hard to get it started. Inertia... https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sow-What/395463527293728

Ice brought so many together.  No surprise.  Water has and will always connect us all, no matter what state it's in.  

Did you know?

Every minute a child dies from water-related disease (World Health Organization 2012).  

Over 500,000 children die globally each year from water-related illnesses. 

http://apps.who.int/gho/data/view.main.CM100WORLD-CH3?lang=en

What can we do?

Fill those buckets again -this time with clean drinking water!

Here's our campaign to get started:

Our goal is to raise $1000 for this worthy cause. We've made a donation of course, so now we're 1/10th of the way towards reaching our goal. 

Charity:water is a 4 star charity as ranked by Charity Navigator.  100% of the donations go directly to water projects. 

Remember this concept?

Input = output

What you put in you get out. 

Time to fill the buckets!  

Sow What?

Sow What? Nicaragua -Part 2

One hour of sleep. The streets leading to the river (our highway for the next 8 hours) strewn with trash and littered with the inebriated -Both recyclable (recyclinglives.org). An unsightly short brisk walk led to the view above, the Rio Coco. 

The journey that would ensue is a way of life for many and one that would change my life forever. 

The Dawn

I shared my life's victories and defeats with this gentleman. 

Pastor Earl Bowie

He's been a role model in the faith, like a spiritual uncle. He's lived an extraordinary life. He survived the Contra War only to start a church, school, orphanage, and feeding center. In essence, Earl Bowie is using his time, talents, and treasure to meet the spiritual, mental, and physical needs of his  community. I could go on about his impact, but I will save that for another post. 

 -Back to the river. 

A dense fog and chill fell upon us early on our journey.  Reaffirming that we traveled by faith. Not by sight.  

What we saw and experienced goes far beyond allegory. 

A city on a hill

We stopped near the above shores to pick up a river guide for the journey ahead.  Little did I know at the time how important this would be...

I was told that the guide was necessary to help us navigate up the river and through the rapids.

Rapids?

The rumble in the background is coming from the rocks hitting the bottom of the boat.  The river was lower than usual this year.

We were trusting this guy to guide us through the rapids by waving his hands and pointing. That's it.  Oh yeah, it was against the current and at full speed!

Nicaraguan GPS!!!

We did this for nearly 5 hours.  We seemed to head full speed towards boulders, shallow streams and narrow passages.  We sailed "by faith not by sight!"  We were in the waving, pointing hand of this unassuming, small framed man who was holding on by a simple rope at the bow of our boat.

Or, were we in larger hands?

The dangers of this expedition became more and more apparent minute to minute, shore to shore.  We saw and learned that many of the locals float down these treacherous waters on planks tied together, entire families aboard, partially submerged -on trips to get food and vital supplies.

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This makes my memories of the "difficulty" of going for groceries in the city seem trivial.  And, they were just that.  Trivial.  I had nothing to complain about then or now.  Especially in light of what these individuals faced routinely and what we would soon face.

The Rapids

The same rafts above would take this same path in order to buy food and supplies for the family.  Just like going to the store.  But unlike our family trips to the local market, death was a not so uncommon reality.

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The perils of the river.

As we approached the rapids, we learned of a Pastor who lost 2 of his daughters earlier this year while traveling on these very same rapids.  Even the youngest of those who live on the river pay a high cost. Life on the Rio Coco could prove perilous for anyone. Minutes after hearing this tragic story, we were told that some of us would have to exit the boat in order to continue.  The item pictured above greeted us as we stepped off the boat. 

It was yet another reminder of the tragedies that flow along these banks. Or, pehaps it was something more...

Smart Watch

noun

1. Any watch that tells time and doesn't cost an arm or a leg. See also smart car.  

2. An overpriced piece of technology that does exactly what your smart phone does.  

Example in a sentence.  

Is that a smart watch?  Yes, it only cost me $22.  

Just 22 bucks and it tells time! 

Time, Talent, and Treasure -Another Sow What Concept!

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3 in 1 (Time, Talent, and Treasure)

Now for a little math.  

If a=b and b=c, then a=c. 

Now let's define each variable.  

a=Time

b= Money

So, it would come to no surprise that Time equals Money or a=b.  But, how would we define c?  I submit to you that c=Talent. Thus, 

Money equals talent. Or, b=c. So if we go back to math class using the transitive property of equality and a=c then the logical conclusion one must draw is

a=b=c

Or

Time equals Money (or Treasure) equals Talent

Let's see if we can apply this concept.

Let's use time, talent and treasure as they apply to repairs.  If one has the talent or skill to repair let's say a car, they potentially could save time and money.  The greater their talent, the greater the savings.  Now if one lacks such mechanical talents, they would have to shell out money for such repairs and often on a time schedule that is well beyond their control.  However if they have access to large financial resources, they could afford to pay for expedited service ultimately saving time.  And lastly, if one were to have the luxury of time, they could eventually learn the skill (talent) or earn the money (treasure) to make such repairs.  We have all lived this formula out to some degree or another.  Can't make it -buy it!  Can't afford it -learn how to make it!  Can't wait -but it off sale and pay for rush delivery! 

A practical summation:

• Time and Talent are needed to make Treasure (money) in order to complete a task
• Little Talent requires more Time and/or Treasure...
• Little Treasure requires more Time and/or Talent...
• Little Time requires more Money and/or Talent...

This concept does not just apply to material goods and wealth but matters of the soul also.

Jesus illustrated concept in the Parable of the Talents -Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-28

• 3 men given Talents (money in this case) and Time to use them
• 2 used their Time to invest (sow) their Talents
• 1 wasted his Time and therefore Talent
• The 2 that used their Time and Talents well received more to invest (sow)
• The 1 who did not sow well lost it all

Ultimately, this is another Sow What concept.  Sow a Talent over Time reap a Treasure.  Sow a Treasure reap the luxury of Time.  Sow in Time and reap a Talent.  Is not meritocracy and the "American Dream" rooted in this belief?  Return of Investment, the stock market, and one dear to my heart, education, are all based on the Time, Talent, Treasure concept - the Sow What concept.  I submit that this concept applies to a even greater degree to how and what we sow into the lives around us -our neighbor's gardens if you will. 

To whom much is given, much is required. -Luke 12:48

Sow bountifully, Reap bountifully.  -2 Corinthians 9:6

Sow What?