by Donya Dunlap | Aug 18, 2015 | Making a Difference, Modern Day Slavery, Random
Instant oatmeal is a wonder of modern technology. Just add water, microwave, and breakfast is served. I never really considered this breakfast staple in any other fashion until I recently started opting for more whole food options rather than their processed counterparts. Do you know what I learned?
Oatmeal is good.
I mean, really good. It’s good sweet with brown sugar or savory with veggies and spices. Oatmeal in my home is no longer meally and chemically tasting, but hearty and delicious, equally suitable for breakfast and dinner.
It may be a silly example, but in my quest for better health I have seen multiple correlations regarding oatmeal and other good choices in my life.
Good choices are intentional.
“Fast food” is mindless. Just grab and go. Quality food takes time to prepare and enjoy. The same is true in life. When I take time to outline and write by hand, my content is better. It’s more real and honest. It’s cleaner and more on point. When I write on screen, the temptation to publish too quickly takes over. Quality is traded for the instant gratification of feedback.
The same can be seen in art. Designers tell customers they can have something done fast, cheap, or good, but you can only pick two. Writing, design, business, parenting—whatever your focus, remember that the default choices might be easy and convenient, but the best choices are intentional and require time.
Good choices multiply.
In this small change of choosing whole foods, I have also discovered new foods that I enjoy. I’ve tried kale, fresh mango, star fruit, quinoa, goat cheese, and a number of other things. I’ve tried new recipes and new tips for food preparation. I’ve also changed my cleaning supplies to all natural choices, and some beauty products as well.
Why? Because one area of life flows into the next. Everything is connected.
This also applies to bad choices. One Netflix video can easily become five and so on. Making sure that your choices are intentional will plant seeds in many areas in your life for positive change.
Knowledge really is power…for change.
I used to think that organic options and clean living products were gimmicks to try to get people to spend more at the grocery store. But then I started learning what actually happens to our bodies when we put things on our skin and eat without guidelines. The truth propelled me to change.
This echoes my last post about what happened when I learned about sex trafficking and modern day slavery. That knowledge completely shifted my focus and even changed my life direction. I no longer look for the cheapest products at stores because I am informed on how slave labor is used in developing many of those products. Often, saving a few dollars in America costs those overseas their freedom. It’s worth it to me to spend more money on products that are being sourced ethically than to get a good deal. Knowledge fueled that change. The more I learn, the more I allow that knowledge to shape my choices, the better I am as an individual and leader.
Small changes can make a big impact.
Am I 100% consistent in making wise choices? No. Sometimes the instant oatmeal way of life wins. But I am choosing the good over the easy more and more because I want to be a woman of quality, good health, and good conscience.
As an example, I was encouraged today by a post from Humans of New York. Currently, the photographer behind the internet sensation is in Pakistan recording the lives of the people in that country. He did a series of photos on the fate of the people working in brick kilns against their will. He told his followers about Fatima, a woman fighting against all odds to bring her fellow citizens freedom. In just three days, HONY followers raised nearly $2 million dollars to help Fatima fight bonded labor in her country. One guy with one camera chose to spend one month of his summer in a foreign place. Because of his influence, he has made a huge impact on the future of those trapped in horrific conditions that would otherwise never have a way out. Little things matter.
So tell me, have you had any life impacting realizations over breakfast? If so, I’d love to hear about them in the comments below.
Also, If you are interested in supporting my ministry or taking part in my writing process, please visit my Patreon page to learn more about how you can do so.
Thank you for stopping by today! Your readership and engagement means so much.
by Donya Dunlap | Aug 13, 2015 | Making a Difference, Modern Day Slavery, The Spiritual Life
I have often joked about being incapable of feeling, and I’ve even been called an ice queen on more than one occasion. But the truth is more complicated than that.
The truth is, I am at the opposite side of the emotional spectrum with those who identify as HSP’s (Highly Sensitive Persons) and empaths. Instead of feeling nothing, our default is to feel everything. We have highly tuned nervous systems which makes us very sensitive to sounds, tastes, lights, colors, and other things that seem normal to the rest of the population. Empaths have a heightened sensitivity to others emotions and physical energies. We not only pick up on others emotional levels, but also subconsciously internalize those emotions. This can be incredibly helpful in counseling situations, but it can also be overwhelming and physically draining, even causing physical ailments at times.
As a defense mechanism, HSP’s and empaths learn to put up walls and shut things out. We don’t watch the news. We don’t listen to stories about broken bones and surgeries. We use earbuds in crowded areas to ward off sensory overload. We ignore our imaginations, we shut down our emotions, and sometimes we flat out refuse to care.
- disease
- crime
- genocide
- puppy mills
- food deserts
- ISIS
- human trafficking
- homelessness
- child labor
- contaminated water
- abusive relationships
It’s too much. The hurt is too great, the world is too big, and we often feel that we are too small to stem the tide. What can one person do? And if we care about one thing, we have to care about EVERYTHING, right? So…into the sand we go, head first.
When I first learned about sex trafficking, I was shocked and appalled, which quickly turned into a wildfire of anger. Maybe because I’m a woman, or an aunt, or afraid of rape, or because I’m an empath—it’s difficult to say. But the truth gripped my heart that day and refused to let go.
You can imagine my confusion when I started sharing what I had learned and people didn’t want to know. I heard things like “I just can’t think about that” and “I have too many other things to worry about.” Several people said, “doesn’t that just happen overseas?” as if an act so evil against one human doesn’t impact us all.
I didn’t understand how people could react in these ways until I saw myself in the same light. I too had become deadened to the pain of others in many areas. I’ve chosen, at times, to look away from the hungry man holding the cardboard sign. I’ve clicked away from the photos of innocents being beheaded, and turned off videos discussing embryos being dissected for their organs.
Hiding is easy. Pretending to not see has its benefits.
But what if we did see? What if we did feel?
What if we had a God who was powerful enough to change things?
What would the world look like if we made the decision to feel again? What if we faced the injustices around us and responded with “God can” instead of “I can’t”? What if we looked at the pictures of people trapped in slavery? What if we read the stories about the displaced refugees fleeing ISIS?
What if we fought the ostriches inside of us and took a stand?
There is a war against humanity raging all around us, and Satan is the captain at the helm. We can numb ourselves in our bunkers with our lattes and Gucci bags, or we can strap on our helmets of salvation and our shields of faith and storm the gates of poverty, slavery, disease, and more.
We who are Christians have been given freedom in Christ. It is a precious gift that came at an unimaginable price. To hoard what we have makes me question whether we really received the genuine article or if we just wanted to join Christianity as a social status choice. To truly be carriers of the gospel, we must accept our responsibility to take it to the streets, the homeless shelters, and the refugee camps.
“By this we know love, that He laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” 1 John 3:16
Thank you so much for coming by my blog today and reading these words. It’s an honor I do not take lightly. If you are interested in supporting my ministry or taking part in my writing process, please visit my Patreon page to learn more.
by Donya Dunlap | Mar 31, 2015 | Making a Difference
My alarm is blaring and I begin the day annoyed. The noise is offensive and so is the command to get out of bed. The rebel inside me rises and the knowledge of what is right fights with that primal defiance that absolutely does not care and does not want to oblige. I’m not a morning person, but it’s not just that. It’s work. It’s responsibility. It’s what Scripture refers to as “dying to self.” (Ephesians 4:22-24)
In basic terms, I’m selfish and I don’t want to spend eight hours of my day answering phone call after mind numbing phone call. I don’t want to be trapped at a desk in a noisy, clamoring room with a shortage of windows. I want to do life on my own terms. I want to give my time to things that inspire me, things I am passionate about. I want to fight injustice, change lives, and inspire others.
Changing the world is a matter of choice.
It’s so easy to look at my daily frustrations and blame others for my attitude and my lack of personal progress. But in reality, my attitudes and actions are CHOICES that I am making. I could CHOOSE to get up to work on personal projects before work, but I CHOOSE to surf Facebook instead of going to bed early. I could CHOOSE to be thankful for the job that allows me to do other things between assisting customers, but so often I CHOOSE to complain instead.
The thing about changing the world is that it doesn’t happen in one creative stroke of genius. It happens slowly, over years of faithful trying—some successes, some failures, but always trying, always pushing, always improving.
Wishing isn’t working.
Wishing I was more prompt, more thin, more productive, more influential doesn’t change me and certainly doesn’t change the world. Doing the hard work day after day, that changes things.
Music teachers know that students improve through muscle memory. “Practice makes perfect” they say, or more accurately, “practice makes permanent.” There are no shortcuts to get better at playing Mozart. You have to work at it everyday-and correctly. Playing the same measure incorrectly over and over becomes memorized in time as well.
The same is true in life.
If I practice complaining, I reap a negative outlook. If I practice tv surfing every night, then soon it seems impossible to do anything else. If I practice hitting the snooze every morning, in time it becomes habit.
Mindlessly living via muscle memory is easy. “It’s just the way I am.” It takes zero responsibility. But it doesn’t change the world.
Changing the world takes intentionality.
Changing the world requires “practicing” good habits and positive outlooks. Changing the world means changing myself first and then applying that work ethic and determination to projects and passions that influence others.
There are no shortcuts.
Photo credit: bobaliciouslondon / Foter / CC BY
by Donya Dunlap | Jan 13, 2014 | Making a Difference, Modern Day Slavery
When confronted with the horrific facts of human trafficking, a common question rises to the surface of many minds. Why does this happen? The answer is simple.
Human trafficking is a business of supply and demand.
People want cheap products. Farmers and factory owners use slave labor to keep prices low. People want to indulge in pornography. Producers film it, often using coercion to force their “stars” to perform. People want to purchase sex. Pimps are happy to sell their women, men, and children many times a night. Even video game players can purchase a prostitute on Grand Theft Auto for $50, $70, or $100.
Before a significant difference in the numbers of victims can be made, a change must occur in our culture and mindsets. We have to understand that we aren’t talking about just numbers, discounts, and avatars. These are real people, in real-life situations. These are sons, daughters, sisters, mothers, and brothers.
Like drugs and arms trafficking, human trafficking is a market-driven criminal industry that is based on the principles of supply and demand. … human trafficking is fueled by a demand for cheap labor or services, or for commercial sex acts. Human traffickers are those who victimize others in their desire to profit from the existing demand. To ultimately solve the problem of human trafficking, it is essential to address these demand-driven factors, as well as to alter the overall market incentives of high-profit and low-risk that traffickers currently exploit. – Polaris Project
Johns and pimps aren’t the only ones to blame for this situation either. To some extent, all of us are—myself included. I don’t know of anyone that doesn’t like a good bargain, and many of us feel forced into buying the cheapest thing on the shelf because of financial difficulties. However, our pennies saved may come at a very steep price—the life of a forced labor worker.
Until drastic changes are made in the supply chains of products around the world, it will be nearly impossible to avoid purchasing products that are entirely free of slave labor. But that doesn’t let us off the hook. There are things that we can do to make a difference in the fight against human trafficking. Below are a few suggestions to help you get started.
Play 20 Questions.
Take the quiz at slaveryfootprint.org and find out how many slaves work for you based on your purchases. Then follow-up after your score by sending messages to the companies that provide many of your goods to encourage them to eradicate slave labor in their supply lines. According to the quiz, I have approximately 37 slaves working for me. I would like to see that number go down this year. How about you?
Get Informed.
There are dozens of websites with informational packets to help you learn about human trafficking and modern day slavery. I always recommend Polaris Project and their National Human Trafficking Resource Center as a starting point as they have excellent statistics on the US and ways that you can take part to reduce slavery in your community. Spend an afternoon reading the information provided so you’ll know what trafficking looks like. Put the NHTRC hotline number in your phone so you can report the situation as you see it. (1-888-373-7888)
Tell Your Friends.
Social media is a powerful influencer. Instead of forwarding the funny cat video your friend posted yesterday, why not use your platform to change a life? Take the Slavery Footprint quiz and post your score. Encourage your friends to do the same. Host a Sole Hope shoe cutting party. Invite a local anti-trafficking organization leader to speak at your homeschool group or Bible study. Start a book club with a focus on human rights. There are unlimited ways that you can get involved. You can speak for someone that has no voice.
You Can Make A Difference.
Photo credit: AlicePopkorn / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
References:
by Donya Dunlap | Dec 22, 2013 | Making a Difference
I am the queen of the Christmas list. Just ask my mother. A minimum of five pages, organized by category and in order of importance. However, since becoming more aware of the needs in the world around me, it’s been harder to think just of me and all the things I want. I feel selfish focusing on them when I know that there are children in many places without clean drinking water or a single pair of shoes.
Years ago, when a song like My Grown Up Christmas List, I would roll my eyes and endure the next few minutes until the radio played something far better…like I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, for example. Today, I see the song differently, and not just because Michael Buble recorded it. I understand now the importance of every man having a friend and the desire that right would always win.
I understand that the needs can be overwhelming, so I decided to give you a head start. I have created a grown up Christmas list of organizations that are making a difference around the world. These are only a few that I could recommend, but hopefully it will help you make positive purchasing and donating choices in the new year. I encourage you to take some time during your upcoming vacation days to visit the following links, and to contribute to their efforts as you are able.
Sole Hope – providing fair wages to shoemakers to provide shoes to children to protect them from life-threatening jigger infestations in their feet.
Blood Water Mission – fighting HIV/AIDS and the water crisis in Africa
Ornaments 4 Orphans – selling handcrafted ornaments to provide benefits for orphans in Uganda
Eternal Threads – providing income generating projects for village women in India, Madagascar, Nepal, Afghanistan, Africa, Asia, and other places around the world
Pure Charity – funding non-profit projects to advance human justice and hope around the world
Give Generation – promoting trendy brands that give back to worthy causes around the globe
World Renew – working in some of the world’s most difficult places to help people overcome disaster, fight injustice, and renew hope for a better future
Additional organizations specifically fighting trafficking and assisting trafficking victims can be found by visiting my pages online stores and organizations under the slavery heading.
I know that money is tight for many of us, myself included. But sometimes all you need to encourage you in your circumstances is to take your eyes off of them and consider what you can do for someone else. I hope that this is a help to you as you seek to show the love of Jesus this holiday season.
Merry Christmas!
Photo credit: Mark J P / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
by Donya Dunlap | Oct 17, 2013 | Making a Difference, Modern Day Slavery
I went into a strip club on Saturday. Several actually. And strangely, I felt at home.
I think it’s because Jesus was there.
This weekend, I was ministered to by the organizers of Strip Church Training, a ministry of XXX Church. The ministry trains women to go into strip clubs to share the love of Jesus. On Saturday night, one of the hosts graciously allowed those attending the conference to minister in her clubs with her team leaders. I felt honored to be there.
The first two clubs refused to let us in. My leader had received favor in both locations before, but this time our impact reached only the bouncers and the managers. But they need Jesus too, so we smiled and left without a fuss. We were allowed into two other clubs, one of which was not even on our original list. Those clubs welcomed us with open arms. Literally! As soon as the bartender at the first location saw our leader she gave her a big hug and excitedly shared with the flabbergasted patrons that this organization comes by regularly to give gifts to the girls and talk to them. The girls seemed to enjoy the earrings we gave them and thanked us for coming. The second club let us in with hesitation. The bouncer wasn’t quite sure what to do with us and kept checking in as we chatted with two of the girls in their dressing room. I would have loved to know what he thought of us as we joined hands with the girls and prayed for them.
I learned many things during the conference sessions.
I learned that many of these girls have a connection to Christianity in their family history, but have rejected it, usually because of hurtful behavior they experienced from Christians. I learned that while some club owners will refuse you entry, others will welcome you and thank you for showing love to the girls that work in his or her place of business. I learned that there isn’t one tried and true method to reach these women, except being a conduit for the love and compassion of Jesus. I learned that these girls are exceptionally adept at reading people and transparency is vital in building their trust. I learned these things and countless others, but one speaker’s comment rises to the top:
These are Jesus’ girls.
Jesus is raising up an army of former dancers, ministry leaders, soccer moms, school teachers, and anyone else that will heed the call to show His love to His girls. And the amazing thing is that in a place so dark, the littlest flickers of love shine brightly. A pair of earrings, a cupcake, a gift card, a make-up session…little gestures communicating care and hope can mean so much.
We might never know the impact of this outreach until Heaven. But I firmly believe that this ministry pleases Jesus. He smiles to see a young woman kneel down to speak to an elderly house mom about her grandkids. It pleases Him to watch a young dancer receive a booklet of verses from His Word. He thrills to listen to a circle of prayer in a strip club dressing room. It pleases Him because His heart beats for the lost and hurting. He created these girls. He loves them, and He is calling us to love them too.
You can take part in the blessings of this work through prayer and financial support. If you would like to become an Infusion Prayer Partner, click here to join the Facebook group to receive regular updates on the ministry and prayer requests. If you would like to become a Monthly Ministry Partner, you may do so by signing up for a reoccurring donation at www.giveherlove.com. The funds will go towards ministries like strip club outreach, and will also begin building the fund for our future Ministry Center that will provide counseling, life-courses, services, and office space for the ministry staff.
