A Revolution for the Young, Too: Imagine...

One of my favorite things about the Dirty Roots Revolution is how it has managed to bring together such a wide variety of people. Of course, that IS one of the main points of the whole thing :-)

People are energized when they feel called to come together and work together on things. We have people from different backgrounds. Different denominations (and non-believers). Different races. Different economic situations. Different hometowns. Different skills. Different interests. People with different motivators for being involved. Etc.

One of my favorite “differences” is in age. EVERYONE can be involved in the Dirty Roots Revolution.

Little kids join us on care pack building day and they draw and color note cards to put in the care packs, which are delivered to the homeless. The kids love doing that! They feel involved. Because they ARE involved. And that’s not a “let’s find something for the kids to keep busy with so they feel like they’re helping” kind of involved. Those cards are important. Even the most hardened, streetwise, weary, and grizzled homeless person softens and smiles when they look at those sloppy cards, obviously drawn by a child with a genuine desire to be involved, help out, and do good.

College students are involved. They don’t have money. Some don’t have a car. They don’t have resources. BUT – they are equipped with what I feel is one of the very most important things on the entire planet - the desire to (and belief that they can) change the world! The college students are the bulk of our Saturday morning Homeless Outreach “army”. They may not be able to “give”, but they can “go”. And they’re not afraid to get their hands dirty.

We have young families who go on the Homeless Outreach trips. Sometimes it’s just husbands and wives. We’re planning a Halloween event, where kids are invited to participate in a costume parade for the homeless to enjoy.

The elderly often support us financially. Many are not able to go to St. Louis, but they often have funds, which enable us to do what we do.

One retired teacher tells us she can’t do much financially and isn’t able to go to St. Louis, but she likes to sew. So she crochets warm hats all year long and we deliver them to the homeless when it gets cold.
She also gives her cooking talents and her time in helping with meals we’ve held. Other ladies take the day off work to prepare and help with these same meals.

Everyone has something to give. And it all matters.

One of the coolest things about having little kids involved is to see how this impacts them.

The first time we saw it happen was after I shared the Dirty Roots message for the first time, from the pulpit, at the First Christian Church. This was part of what initiated the whole movement. I talked a lot about the R-word: “Revolution”.

The college students I work with told me that throughout the next week, the kids they worked with at church and in small groups, asked a lot about what I meant by Revolution. What was one? What did it mean? How could we do one? Why do we need to?

Several months later, the DRR had incorporated as a non-profit organization and was doing weekly Homeless Outreach trips. We had met and befriended the family of a beautiful three-year old girl named Bubbles. Everyone’s heart was captured by her story. We told everyone we could. They melted.

One day, Chris, one of our board members who works at a local church day care, said that the mother of one of his day care kids told him that her daughter was continually talking about Bubbles. “Who is Bubbles? We’ve been continually praying for Bubbles!” As I understand it, this wasn’t necessarily a “praying family”. But they were praying for Bubbles, because their daughter insisted.

Chris filled the mom in on who Bubbles was and then investigated the situation. He found out that one of the day care classes at the church had a picture of Bubbles taped above their classroom sink. And the kids and teachers prayed for her every single day.

The teacher started it. The kids took it home. Who knows where it’s gone since then?

The other day I got a note from a mom who has been involved in our Homeless Outreach care pack build days. Her son had to write sentences using his spelling words. Here’s what he wrote:
Some people are HOMELESS. That means they have no HOME. You should give them CHANCES and be CAREFUL. They very RARELY have money. They are LIKELY to want some. They are HOPEFUL. Please give them PRICELESS gifts. Some are LONELY. They are LOVELY.

Mom said she was really proud :-)

And I, for one, am really encouraged.

I’m encouraged to see a mix of people – and a mix of ages – in all things connected to the Dirty Roots Revolution.

I’m encouraged that the older folks who have wisdom and experience are on board with this “crazy” scheme to change the world.

I’m encouraged that young people are being taught that changing the world isn’t crazy. It is possible. It is something that should be encouraged. It is something they can do!

It’s something WE can do. Together.

Imagine what could happen if we raise up a generation of children who want to make a difference and believe it’s possible. Imagine what could happen if they are equipped with that from the beginning and have that belief set already in place when they’re college age and the “change the world” mindset, which most college students and young adults have, kicks in. Imagine what could happen if they don’t lose that as “real life” sets in.

Imagine what could happen if those of us who caught onto this later in life enable these young dreamers to continue being crazy enough to care and crazy enough to try. Imagine what could happen if a whole generation goes their entire life, secure in the knowledge (and I say knowledge because it’s not a belief…beliefs can be wrong…knowledge is truth) that this is the way it SHOULD be. The way it CAN be. The way it WILL be.

Imagine what could happen.

Bring the HUMANITY Back

Chris, one of our board members, and I have been talking a lot lately about the homeless people we serve “not feeling human”.

This morning I spoke at the conclusion of Greenville College’s “Shak-A-Thon”, which is an event where students go “homeless” for about 36 hours, fasting along the way. This was a cold, wet two-day period for these kids to do this. Some ducked into basements to sleep somewhere dry – some toughed it out.

As we wrapped up the event, we asked them to share their experiences.

Students were encouraged to panhandle for donations, which would be used to benefit the Dirty Roots Revolution.

A group of students went to IGA to ask for money by the door. Their spokesman was impacted by peoples’ facial expressions and body language as they approached the door, knowing these “beggars” were going to ask for money.

One young man talked about how people walked a wide path around him to avoid walking near him as he sat on Scott field. These were people who knew him from class! They knew he wasn’t truly homeless. But his appearance and very presence made them feel uncomfortable.

I told them this is how our homeless friends in St. Louis feel every single day. When the GC students were sad and downhearted at these experiences, they knew that within hours, they’d go back to their warm dorm, shower, computer, and food. Our homeless friends stay where they are. They have those experiences every day.

And as sad as ONE experience made the GC students feel – multiply the number of experiences by infinity and you’ll have infinite more sadness, felt by the victim.

I say victims because they are. Victims of facial expressions and body language. Victims of people walking across the street to avoid them. The dictionary defines victim as “a person who suffers from a destructive or injurious action or agency”. These destructive behaviors – scowling, ignoring, avoiding – are voluntarily done by us TO the homeless people in question. They may make bad decisions. They may do things you don’t agree with. But, in this case, they ARE victims.

Jesus never put anyone through a “destructive or injurious action”. Even if they were doing bad things.

My original point, though, is that these experiences – when felt innumerable times – “de-humanize” people. As Chris and I have been saying lately: They don’t feel human anymore.

One of my great heroes, the punk rock prophet Joe Strummer, has a great quote that speaks to this:
“People can change anything they want to. And that means everything in the world. People are running about following their little tracks – I am one of them. But we’ve all got to stop following our own little mouse trail. People can do anything. This is something that I’m beginning to learn. People are out there doing bad things to each other. It’s because they’re being dehumanized. It’s time to take the humanity back into the center of the ring and follow that for a time. Greed ain’t going anywhere. They should have that in a big billboard across Times Square. Without people you’re nothing.”

People are doing bad things to each other because they’re being dehumanized.

Twice in the last three weeks I’ve seen news stories about women who were attacked – one was an elderly lady who was car jacked, the other a middle aged woman who was working at a check-cashing store and was robbed. They cried and prayed. And their softness impacted their would-be assailants. They talked with these men who were threatening them. They prayed. In one case the man thanked the little old lady and kissed her cheek before walking away. In the other case, the man emptied the bullets from his gun and left them with the lady. He took $20 but later turned himself in.

Those ladies HUMANIZED those men. The men were desperate. They had nowhere to turn and no one to turn to. No one to talk to. No one to make them feel human. To tell them that they have value.

Every life has value. Every single one. Homeless people and rich people. Teetotalers and drunks. Robbers and victims. Highly-educated people and those without education. Every life matters.

We are not called to judge – we are called to love. To show Christ.

To humanize people.

If we do what Joe Strummer suggests…”bring the humanity back to the center of the ring”, I think things will happen.

We’ll see the importance of these situations. We’ll have faces to go with “issues”. And that will motivate us.

Americans are good at responding to crises. Katrina. The tsunami. 9-11. We responded right away. And in force. With money. With supplies. Prayers. Volunteer time. Work. Missions trips.

Yet people are hungry, homeless, uneducated. Those aren’t “crises”. Well, they are, but they don’t get immediate and huge attention. We hear about them continually, but we get used to it. Katrina was immediate. The need was immediate. The end was in sight. “If we get them some money, food, and shelter, they’ll be OK. It won’t take forever.”

There is no end in sight for homelessness and poverty and hunger. We’re discouraged from throwing all of our resources and effort into that situation. We don’t know how long it’ll last.

Come with us on Saturday and meet Brad, a beautiful three-year old homeless boy with developmental issues and one of the most amazing smiles on the planet….Then I’ll bet it’s a crisis for you.

It changes you.

There’s a crisis going on. There are a lot of them, actually.

But there are a lot of us, too. Lots of people claim the name “Christian”.

Still more claim to want the world to be a better place.

We can all make an impact. We can all make a difference. I don’t believe God, in His infinite wisdom, put a certain number of us down here and then made sure that the troubles outnumbered and outweighed us.

Maybe if we each just did what we could. Used what resources we had. Took advantage of each unique opportunity that presents itself to us. Maybe then, we’d cover it all.

Maybe.

I dunno.

But I do know, without a single doubt, that everything you do matters. Every single, tiny, insignificant thing. Every big thing, too. (But there are more little ones than big)

And I know every single life matters. Every. One.

Let’s make a difference.

By Ryan Mifflin

In the words of the revolutionary new band the Flobots, “There is a war going on for your mind”.

Don’t believe me? That’s because “they” don’t want you to believe me.

In our quest to change the world for the better, the creators of the Dirty Roots Revolution have intentionally set out to combat the all-too-prevalent concept that one person can’t actually make a difference.

Why do people think this? This is not the line of thinking that affected massive social and cultural changes in the 1960s. For all of its faults, that revolution did at least believe that what they were doing was going to make a difference.

I’m of the opinion that people don’t believe they can make a difference because they’ve allowed the powers-that-be to make them feel that way. “They” want you to feel like the problems of the world are too big. They want you to think that your efforts to change things won’t matter in the long run.

Because once you start thinking that way, you stop focusing on “them”. “They” are the powers that be. “They” are the government. I’m not a conspiracy theorist…well, not exactly, anyway. But I do believe that our government generally has its own best interests at heart. “They” are the large corporations. They need you to need what they’re trying to sell you.

What would happen if you quit listening to “them” and set out to make a difference?
What if you put all of your passion into loving on your homeless brothers and sisters living on the streets of your town? The government might not want you to do that because it would require admitting that there is a problem. And that means they’ve failed. And if you make the streets a better place, what ills would they work so diligently to rid the streets of? Never mind the fact that those efforts never end.

What would happen if you changed your priorities and put more of your time, effort, and resources, into your new outreach to the homeless? You might realize that you don’t need that flat-screen, high-definition, plasma-screen TV after all. And where would that leave Sony?

You might realize that you didn’t need most of the gadgets that you’ve enslaved yourself with. And where does that leave the widget makers?

I believe that it is in the best interests of the powers that be – all of the over-inflated, already-too-rich forces of our world – for you to continue thinking that you can’t make a difference. The problems of the world are just too big. So when you see things that bother you. Things that you know are wrong. Big things like homelessness, starvation, AIDS, children dying from lack of clean water. Local things like loneliness, heartache, despair, poverty. Things that you know deep down inside could be fixed…you don’t think anything YOU could do would matter anyway. So, you turn on that big screen TV, bury yourself in unnecessary junk, and root for the politician that says just the right things you want to hear.

There IS a war going on for your mind. If there isn’t, then why is everyone trying so hard to win your mind? Politicians need you to believe them. Companies need you to think that you need them. Everyone needs something from you. But your efforts don’t count? You say you’re just one person…but the powers that be are sure fighting for the attention of that one person.

EVERY life has value. Every life matters. Every effort counts and every small contribution makes a difference. I believe that if EVERYone could embrace this truth, all of the small contributions that we are all capable of making would add up together to a very large positive impact in our world.

John F. Kennedy said, “One person can make a difference. And everyone should try.”

You don’t need that fancy TV. You don’t need most of what you have. You want to see a power shift in our country? Away from greed and corruption? Against the mentality of bigger, better, faster, more? And toward the good things that every human being deserves? That’s one way to get there. Open your eyes to what is important. Realize that “they” want you to think the way they think. Your life DOES have value. What you do does matter.

We can make a difference in this world. But first, we have to wake up to the fact that we CAN. We must realize that there IS a war going on for our minds.

And when we realize that everyone wants to win our minds…when we realize the lengths and costs they’re going to just to win the mind of little old me…you’ll realize that makes us very dangerous people.

Dangerous because we matter. Dangerous because THEY need US – and not the other way around. Let’s make them think like us, not the other way around. Once we all realize our value, and act in a fashion that shows we realize our individual value, they will listen. And they will do whatever is necessary to keep in our good graces.

That is how our elected officials are supposed to think. They are supposed to represent us, not the other way around.

As I always say…I’m not advocating any kind of a violent uprising. But I am calling for a complete overhaul of the way you think. We must say “enough’s enough”. Once we exercise THAT kind of revolution, a change will come…

Some D.R.R. Wisdom Imparted On Us By Kinky Friedman

Ryan Mifflin hosted Kinky Friedman on the Dirty Roots Radio show last night. Kinky is a singer/songwriter, author, salsa and cigar entrepreneur, animal rights activist, a living legend, and is running for the Democratic nomination for the office of Governor of Texas.

Whether you agree with him or not - and most of us do a bit of both - Kinky has some good ideas and is definitely a uniquely wise person.

Ryan told him about the DRR and what it's all about. Kinky offered the following wisdom:

“Oh, that’s great…That’s exactly wonderful, and that’s what I think Jesus intended. He didn’t really care who won the football game so much, you know, He just wanted people to help other people. And you will find – I’m sure it’s true in Illinois, because it is in Texas – that the people who are really helping the other people are the ones that the state is not helping at all. So if the state offers you some kind of sweetheart deal, Ryan, or they’re offering you some kind of special advantage or they’re really standing by you, you know you’re a bad guy…Remember what Thomas Paine said on his deathbed: ‘The world is my country, to do good is my religion’. That’s a very good religion and revolutions aren’t free, folks.”

And we felt EVEN BETTER about the cops swooping in last month. They also did a really slow drive-by this past Saturday, eying us suspiciously...guess we're on the right track.

Concern Yourself With What You Have Dominion Over

By Ryan Mifflin

All week long I’ve been thinking about something a homeless man told me last Saturday (September 12th) on our weekly Homeless Outreach trip to St. Louis.

My friend’s name is “Old School”. He’s 54. Of all the times I’ve visited with him, he never accepts a care pack. He always says he has what he needs in regards to food and toiletries. The first time I met him he said he didn’t need a pack, but asked if we had any work that he could do for us.

On this visit, Old School thanked us for coming to visit him and his peers each week and commented on how much of a difference it can make to just brighten someone’s day. He said such a visit might just be the spark of hope that enables someone to get back on their feet.

I told him that was our goal. And I told him that we understood that we’d never end homelessness, but we just wanted to give someone a brighter day.

His response to my comment about not being able to end homelessness was, “You don’t have dominion over that”.

That seemed like an obvious enough statement and I didn’t give it much more thought. But that line has echoed in my head all week, over and over. “You don’t have dominion over that”.

Wednesday, my wife and fellow Dirty Roots Revolution board member, Amber, and I spent the day at the Greenville College opportunities fair. Among other services, we were there to promote the DRR and what we’re all about.

It had been a while since I had gotten the chance to visit with folks who were unfamiliar with our organization. And, more importantly, it had been a while since I’d had the opportunity to truly talk about our mission and vision.

Above all, the Dirty Roots Revolution exists to empower people with the knowledge that THEY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. That the small things you do MATTER. Maybe we can’t change the whole world; but we can definitely change it for one person, one moment at a time.

As I was talking to one of the college students, Old School’s comment came to mind. And the beautiful simplicity of it hit me. I was almost overwhelmed with the emotion.

You don’t have to end homelessness. You don’t have to change the whole world. You don’t have to fix all the problems. “You don’t have dominion over that”.

Part of my emotion was validation that the Dirty Roots Revolution is providing a service to our “audience” and supporters. Part of what we do – and are working hard to do more of – is to raise awareness of issues, causes, and organizations that we believe in.

Over time, and as we have more resources at our disposal, we want to share with you ways you can make an impact. Organizations you can follow, donate to, pray for, and help with.

We encourage you to select ones that move you. And get behind them as you see fit.

And never EVER worry that your contributions aren’t enough!!!

If you are a person of any kind of faith, prayer (or meditation, or lighting a candle, or good vibes, or whatever your “thing” is) is a perfectly acceptable contribution. I would encourage you not to let that become a comfortable buffer, though. If you can do more than pray, please do!

No financial contribution (to the Dirty Roots Revolution or any other organization) is ever too small!

For the Dirty Roots Revolution specifically, no amount of donated goods is too small. If you can purchase a couple of 75-cent travel size shampoos that we can put in our Homeless Outreach care packs, we’ll consider you just as revolutionary as the person who’s able to donate $500.

We have a luncheon scheduled on September 29th, which will be an opportunity to introduce the Dirty Roots Revolution to the local ministerial alliance, representatives from various local social service agencies, school officials, and public dignitaries. We have folks who are donated bags of salad, loaves of garlic bread, and deserts. These aren’t expensive items. But they all contribute to the greater cause. This luncheon will hopefully lead to fruitful partnerships for the Dirty Roots Revolution, the other organizations represented, and hopefully for our community at large. And the lady who baked one pie for desert did just as much for the cause as the person who donated stacks of boxes full of items for our care packs.

Your life has value. What you do matters. The small gifts you share, the small actions you take, and the small differences you seek to make, ALL matter. They ALL make an impact. You may not see it, but they combine with others and add up. One pebble thrown into a lake makes small ripples. But a whole bunch of pebbles, stones, rocks, and boulders being thrown into the lake makes WAVES. And waves are powerful. They move stuff.

Nothing is too little – unless you have too much and you aren’t giving/doing enough.

But if you do what you can in the name of things you believe in, you, my friend, are a true revolutionary.

The Dirty Roots Revolution pledges to help you do this. It is our mission, our vision, our dream, and our goal, to enable and empower you to make a difference in this world.

We ask that you believe that you CAN make a difference, and we promise to do our part to help you do just that.

We don’t have dominion over the whole world. So we don’t need to worry about that.

You and I can’t give enough to solve all of the huge problems. We just need to give what we CAN. We can’t do everything. We just need to worry about what we CAN do.

Let’s all go and do what we CAN.

Remember 9-11-2001

Remember:

FDNY: 343
FDNY retired: 3 (assisting the Port Authority)
NYPD: 23
NY Port Authority: 37
World Trade Center: 2,604
American Flight 11: 87
United Flight 175: 59
American Flight 77: 59
United Flight 93: 40
Pentagon: 125
Terrorists: 19 (don’t forget that they died senselessly, too)
24 still listed as missing.

TODAY WE PRAY FOR PEACE AND UNDERSTANDING AMONG ALL OF GOD'S CHILDREN.