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Jeff 
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Hello, friends, fans, and family.
Last night Mike and I had the opportunity to hear the heart of some of our fellow christian music artists about the current rising global crisis. To my surprise it’s not famine, it’s not AIDS, it’s not financial deficit either.
I know I’ve blogged about this before and sorry for repeating myself. I realized during this conversation we had recently that I am in a band that has a platform (although modest in size) to speak and “fight the darkness.”
This growing crisis is human slavery. It is said that there are now more slaves in the world today than in any point in history. This slavery isn’t working in fields or factories. Children are being sexually abused. And this isn’t an intangible reality. This is a virus of the most evil nature that manifests itself in India, China, Africa, and just a few months ago even in my own back yard of Nashville, TN. A local motel was raided and 8 girls were rescued from a prison of a room filled with mattresses.
I could fill this page with statistics and heart breaking, disgusting stories, but I’d rather fill this page with hope. There are facilities and institutions in place that are making a change. They will not be quiet and they are shining their light where there is no light. Please, educate yourself on this subject that not many know about. The church is oblivious to this situation and we must not wait for the government to deal with it like the last time. Slavery is real and it pays less in our generation.
I’m excited because we’re working with other artists to help fight this poison that has silently crept into the streets of our world. Pray that those who are oppressed will be saved.
God will break the chains. He will deliver. Allow him to work in you to fight the darkness.
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You seriously have no idea how grateful I am that you guys actually talk about this and make it a big issue. I’ve heard a calling to help these women and children since I was in high school, but it wasn’t that big of an issue back then, or at least people never made it a big issue. I was asking God for one more confirmation that this truly was my calling, and when you guys told me that the tote bags that I bought were made by girls taken out of sex trafficking, I took that as a confirmation :]. So thank you. Well, actually thank God. I’ll pray that your efforts for these women will never go in vain, but will save the world of slavery, one human at a time :].
I am so glad and thankful that you have brought the issue of human trafficking and slavery into the spotlight! Although the magnitude and the severity of the issue is great, yet like you have mentioned, hope is even greater! In addition, thank you for mentioning IJM and all the great work the organization is doing to address these issues! :)
I’ve known about this for a long time, but I never knew it was the biggest global crisis. That just totally got to me. I’m seriously praying for these people and this whole mess of things, and reading everyone’s comments, that there are such big organizations out there trying to prevent this, it just wows me. God can do such amazing things!! Thanks for raising this serious subject up on the site, Jeff.
Wow, thats definitely not something that anyone would want to hear but something that we must hear. It’s tough, its not easy to understand, but we must go into action and show the world the love of our God!
Some of the “human slaves” started out as runaways who are afraid to go back home! So I thought I would post this to let you know that November is National runaway prevention month! I hope you read the article in the new york times. Thanks for caring about those who are hurting!
http://www.1800runaway.org/
article about children living on the street http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/26/us/26runaway.html
Jason Michael Carroll video : “Hurry Home” http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid19920937001?bclid=30700823001&bctid=38394191001
Jeremy Camp Video “I’ll take you back” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9424LmkJXwg
I thought of song to pass along its called Reborn to be with Christ. If I had a address to mail it to you I could do that If that is alright. I guess you can write it on my wall thank you.
May the Lord save those who are oppressed in slavery. God Bless you all.
P.S.- Your music touches my soul….but it reaches to people of other faiths as well. its seriously amazing.
I love ur twitter!! Love 146 is a wonderful organization!! i’m 18 and i’ve been working with them for 4 years. thanks for bringing them into the spotlight.
i was at a concert of yours in NJ in Sep. and i think it would be mad cool if you did a benefit concert for Love146! i run an abolition group in partnership with Love146 in my school and a bunch of churches locally work with Love146.
Albany, New York. if you are ever interested in doing a concert for Love146 i k a bunch of venues and info and connects with the organization. :^) God bless you for your heart of love for the enslaved.
love protects
love defends
love restores
love empowers
God is love
Just wanted to thank you for bringing this issue to light! I work in this field, trying to put the persons who perpetrate these crimes away, and trust me there are always more of them than there are of us willing to do this kind of work. Your being willing to talk about the subject is helpful! Too many people are burying their heads in denial that this is happening in modern America (and all over the world). Kudos and keep up the good work….I love your music and tend to put your album on after particularly rough days!
Wow Tenth Avenue North. Thank you so much for speaking out about this important topic. I am totally behind you guys and promoting awarness about the slavery that is happening all over the world. I am so glad you guys are attaching yourselves to this cause and using your platform to speak out about the un justice. Also, thank you for writing By Your Side. It totally encouraged me when I first heard it. Especially the idea that God will meet us right where we fall. Its a profound yet simple idea that all Christians need to be reminded of. I will be praying for you guys.
One organazation that is doing something is called Loose Change to Loosen Chains (www.myspace.com/lc2lc).
Check out love146.org
TENTH AVENUE NORTH IS AWESOME IM ACTUALLY HAPPIER SINCE AUSTIN SHOWED ME THIS SONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IM NOT GOING TO WEAR BLACK ANYMORE!!!!!! I HATE BLACK ITS THE DEVIL!!!!!!!
my friend austin elmore let me listen to love is here and i like it!!!!! sad thing is that ilike him and he knows that and in one class period we wrote 4 pages back and forth of notes and i dont know how to tell him that i love him. love is here is a good song i love it .
yes! i had never heard of this subject before i moved to oklahoma, but now it is becoming a large movement. turns out, our neighbors next door are leaders of a large program working against this huge problem. I see that their dedication is immensely thought out and driven directly by the calling in their hearts. i hope that this becomes a growing subject in the minds of Americans solely for it to be stopped. it’s too hard for me to comprehend and is at the top of the leader boards of evil. we’ve got to keep it in our heads to remember to pray on this subject. it’s a giant to be conquered…
Jeff, thanks for getting word out about slavery. I’m heavily involved in fighting it in the Boston area. Tia, one of the great things is that there ARE important things you can do, starting with prayer. It’s amazing what God is doing simply through people praying and raising awareness. The results are: growing partnerships with the police, arrests of traffickers, victims being rescued and restored. Groups are rising up in every area of the country now. Be encouraged to learn more and get involved!
This is such a huge, awful problem…
But thinking about it, I just feel helpless. Really, what can be done? There will always be twisted people out there who do these horrible things. The capacity this world has for sin seems to have overpowered its ability to love. And though we tend to live in delusional ignorance that these things aren’t happening-they still are. What can we do? We don’t have the power to arrest these people. All we can do is pray and hope God takes control-right?
I know. This is something my friends and I have been learning a lot about, and putting some energy toward stopping. As a youth group we’ve been organizing some teeny concerts to raise money to free slaves, but I want to do more. What a sick issue. I can’t even comprehend. Thank you for sparing the more gruesome details in your journal. And for anyone who stumbles across this comment, do whatever you can to stop slavery! There are lots of ways to help. Be creative, use your imagination.