ORANGE

When's the last time you thought about slavery? It's not even on the radar for most of us. Crazy thing is though, there are more slaves in the world today than EVER before. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 27 million, in fact. Hard for me to even conceive... 27 million individual lives are caught in the bondage of slavery...

Even worse, I'm part of the problem. All of us are. It's part of our supply chain. Most clothes made of cotton, most electronics, a lot of food, coffee - somewhere in the supply chain many of the mainstream products we buy use slave labor. A major area of modern day slavery, also known as human trafficking, is sexual exploitation. The numbers are shocking.

There is so much to learn about human trafficking, and perhaps learning about it is the first step to doing something about it. As a church, Love Chapel Hill is starting into the fight against human trafficking. How do we become modern day abolitionists. You can learn more about the problem and find very practical ways to get involved over at lovechapelhill.com. Checkout the ORANGE page.

Keep in mind as you go shopping this weekend, look for SLAVE FREE products.

Have a GREAT THANKSGIVING!

What are you celebrating today?

Ok, If you're not wearing green today would I pinch you? Probably so. Can't help it. I'm pretty sure that was ingrained in like kindergarten. If you are wearing green today, what are you celebrating? Is it the Luck of the Irish? An excuse to throw back a pint? Maybe the one day of the year wearing your pointy green shoes isn't weird? Perhaps it's a family heritage or just plain old tradition?

Though there is some family heritage for me (my dad is probably marching in the St. Patrick's Day Parade today in Dublin) , I don't have green shoes, and it's not so much about the Luck of the Irish... It is, however, very much about the Love of the Irish!

There's this teenager who was taken captive and enslaved in Ireland... after 6 years of captivity, he escaped. In his freedom, this guy's heart was broken for his captors and the land of his captivity. Out of LOVE he returned... Patrick so loved Jesus, he lived a transformed life and did the unthinkable. He LOVED his captors!

Patrick LOVED the Irish, though they were seemingly unlovable. They didn't know of Grace, Mercy or Hope, but Patrick did. He experienced it and couldn't help but share it. Being empowered by God and knowing the culture Patrick was able to start real and relevant expressions of The Church in Ireland. Don't think so much about steeples and hymnals... Think about communities of people doing life together, working community gardens and welcoming in strangers.

Through one community lives were changed and other communities began to spring up around Ireland. Inviting people in and giving them freedom to belong before they ever believed proved to be the mark of God's movement in Ireland. There's something to experiencing the Love of God... It transforms lives! Patrick experienced it and carried it to Ireland - are you experiencing it and where are you carrying it today?

The Love of the Irish... God's Love for messed up people... That's what I'm celebrating today!

HAITI: How do we respond?

FROM LOVE CHAPEL HILL:

As news reports of devastation continue to roll in from Haiti, the question continues to rise, "How can I help?" The chaos and loss of life is overwhelming, but there are people on the ground there who are able to save lives and provide hope. Love Chapel Hill has teamed up with two organizations that already have people in Port-au-Prince working around the clock. The American Red Cross and World Hope International. You can join in supporting their efforts in three simple ways.

GIVE $10 to The Red Cross: text "HAITI" to 90999 - You'll receive a text to confirm the gift. Reply "YES" and $10 will be added to your next cell phone bill (standard text messaging rates apply).

GIVE any $$ amount to World Hope International by going to their giving page: https://www.worldhope.org/donor/donate/default.aspx (choose "Disaster Response - Haiti") Your gift will provide water, food and essential supplies for survivors to begin healing and rebuilding their lives.

GIVE $$ on Sunday. This Sunday Morning at Love Chapel Hill all cash given during the offering will be sent to World Hope International for their relief efforts in Haiti.

You can help! First... PRAY! And if you are able, simply choose one of these giving options. If you have any questions about these or other giving options, don't hesitate to email team@lovechapelhill.com or call 919.442.8828

LOVE with the Heart of Jesus!

The Love Chapel Hill Leadership Team

Little MISS Simmons...

As we learn and grow in life we find that today is not the same as yesterday and tomorrow will bring new and different experiences that shape and form us, perhaps for the rest of our days. This past week, Jeanine and I got news that has changed our lives forever.

We found out that we are having a little MISS Simmons. That's right! It's a girl! We are so excited about this gift of grace! Crazy to think that this baby already bears the image of our Loving Father. The hands of our Maker are at work every single day to keep the world in orbit and to give fingers and toes to our little girl.

Names, furniture, clothes, and toys are all things for the coming days, but for right now, we stand in AWE of God's goodness and love!

MUCH more to come!