Generation Axis Blog

Get Emotionally Un-muted

"Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."                                                                Matthew 5:16 (NIV)

When I turned on the Academy Awards this year, Morgan Freeman was talking about the importance of sound.  He explained how the editors of last year’s The Dark Knight utilized complex layers to create an award-winning soundtrack. As he talked the scene silently flashed on screen, the actors seemed to want something, yet with no sound it was tough to be certain.  The intricacies of dialogue, inflection, and tone were lost, and without music setting the mood, I quickly lost interest.  As unsatisfied as I was initially, the energy of the final cut blew me away.  Each new sound was introduced and blended with the rest, creating a beautiful, mind-blowing experience.  What I came to realize was that as frustrating as it was to watch that section on mute, I often interact with the world in the same muted way.

Think for a moment about how muting keeps a speaker from transmitting sound.  Speakers rely on electric impulse to create vibrations that are amplified to fill a room with life-giving sound.  Sound is constantly being generated in the form of electrical impulses, yet muting diverts that current to an internal loop.  Un-muting sends that potential energy coursing through the wires to be amplified and expressed.  

When I am emotionally muted, my face, like a screen, plays a movie lacking the soundtrack my voice provides.  As I continue my personal growth work and gain access to my internal director, I am learning how to un-mute my emotions more effectively.  The more deeply I connect with myself and express my internal drama out loud, the more my body pulses with energy and aliveness.  Each time I turn my emotional volume up a notch my soundtrack and screen begin to match, and my internal director celebrates.  Being in sync allows for more understanding and connection to occur with God, others, and myself.    

My internal director is designed to make impactful movies; ones that people want to pay attention to and connect with. A great movie begins with meaningful dialogue and clear sound.  As I pay closer attention to how well my internal sound matches my external being I will be transforming my life from a boring movie on mute to an Academy Award winning film.  

So, check your volume, are you muted?  Let’s emotionally un-mute and begin living in the surround sound of our lives, telling the world that we are a movie worth seeing!

 -----

Andrew Mercer is a committed Christian as well as a licensed therapist practicing out of Northbrook, Illinois. He has a passion for helping clients live in the full abundance that God intended. He regards honesty and truth as valuable principles in forming close relationships, and has a heart for the Axis community and twenty-somethings worldwide. When he's not working, you can find Andrew running, reading, and enjoying a healthy lifestyle.

 

Willow featured in Time Magazine about bridging the racial divide. A must read!

I just finished reading this recently posted article in Time magazine about our efforts as a church to bridge the racial divide.  It provides great history of our church and how far we've come; yet how far we still need to go.  If you get 5 minutes you wont regret this read.  Check it out at:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1950943-1,00.html

Blessings.

Jon Peacock

Vote for your favorite "Most Interesting Man in the World Quote"

Just so we're clear I'm not advocating for the company Dos Equis not am I advocating for drinking, however I love this company's commercials and am thankful for the fact that each time "the most interesting man in the world" commercial comes on I'm usually dying of laughter.

This is some amazing humor and for a while I've been wondering what is your favorite quote of "the most interesting man in the world"?  Below are the many statements that have been said about him.  Share your fav!

-He has been known to cure narcolepsy, just by walking into the room.

-His organ donation card, also lists his beard.

-He’s a lover, not a fighter, but he’s also a fighter, so don’t get any ideas.

-When it is raining, it is because he is sad.

-His beard alone has experienced more than a lesser mans body.

- His blood smells like cologne.

- He has amassed an amazingly large DVD collection, and has never once alphabetized it.

- If he were to mail a letter without postage, it would still get there.

- The pheromones he secretes effect people miles away… in a slight, but measurable way.

- He once punched a magician. That’s right, you heard me.

- His hands feel like rich, brown suede.

- He lived in the hills of the Serengeti for a summer after being gifted a wife by a local tribes men.

- He owns 4 sports cars, and rents 5.

- He taught a horse to read his email for him.

- He almost broke the land speed record in 1977, popular opinion among his team was that is beard caused to much wind resistance. He would have shaved it… No, no he wouldn’t have.

- He was the featured man at a bachelorette auction he brought in over 13 million euro, under the table.

- His personality is so magnetic, he is unable to carry credit cards.

- Even his enemy’s list him as there emergency contact.

- He never say’s anything taste like chicken… Not even chicken.

- He speaks fluent French, in Russian.

- His charm is so contagious, vaccines we’re created for it.

- Years ago, he created a city out of blocks. Today over 600,000 people live and work there.

 - Every time he goes for a swim. Dolphins appear.

- Alien abductors have asked him, to probe them.

- If he we’re to give you directions… You would never get lost. And you’d arrive at least 5 minutes early.

- His legend precedes him, the way lightning precedes thunder.

- His reputation is expanding, faster then the universe.

- He once had an awkward moment, just to see how it feels.

- He lives vicariously through himself.

 

Want to help end Slavery? Watch what a girl from axis helped create during her summer internship at IJM

At The End Of Slavery - Extended Trailer from International Justice Mission on Vimeo.

Hong Kong Girls Entering Prostitution for Spending Money on Rise

 It's a sad state of affairs when girls willingly enter prostitution to buy a new cell phone.  But that's exactly what a 14 year old Hong Kong girl did when her previous cell phone was lost and her parents wouldn't buy a new expensive one.  Of course she didn't view it as "prostitution", it was just compensated dating.  She would get in touch with men online and they would give her some money to go on a date with her.  More often than not that date involved sex.

There are several things in this story that I find upsetting.  First, it saddens me that we live in such an over-sexualized culture where sex is so casual.  And not even casual but viewed as a harmless activity with no consequences.  If sex was still something sacred, and I use that term loosely, then these girls wouldn't even consider compensated dating.  But instead it is a viable means to a high income.  These girls thought about this like teens a decade ago thought about getting a job at the mall.

Second, the consumerism that is in this story is really disappointing.  That you would sell your body for a cell phone just seems wrong.  Are we not more than the collection of our things or have we forgotten that?  I see in this story both a devaluing of ourselves and overvaluing of our things.

It was not meant to be like this.

We need to be reminded that we are valuable apart from what we own.  We need to be reminded that our bodies are sacred and should be cherished.  We need to be freed from the need to consume.

To read the article from CNN click here.

The Greatest Wedding Entrance of All Time!!

Amazing Video of Emmanual Jal at TED

Is it a girl or guy?

I just came across this story today.  Something that is really sad.  

South African Caster Semenya recent winner of the women's 800 metres world title could keep her title even if she fails a gender test, but thats the point!  Fellow athletes are testifying that she is in fact not a she but a he!  This is crazy!

I'd love to hear your thoughts.  What do you think should happen?  

Mike Vick; should he be given another chance?

Without question one of the most exciting players to watch each fall has been Mike Vick.  A left handed throwing, lightning fast running quarterback from Va Tech.  Sports, especially football is one of my favorite things to discuss and especially with most of my family being from Georgia the conversation of Mike Vick is one that I've found myself in as of late.

Mike Courson from the gb Tribune stated this morning that:

"Michael Vick may be worthless. Or he may not be. To the dismay of many, on Monday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell conditionally reinstated Vick into the league. Who could possibly benefit from this?

The answer is a lot of people--if the league really wants to help people. First of all, there is Vick. He is a great football player, and why not let him excel at his gift professionally? What he did is truly repugnant on every level, probably unforgivable even, but allowing him to play football could minimize further damage to society.

The NFL is an employer with the power to change lives. It could leave Vick to hang and dry, or it could step in and make a positive intervention in a still young man's life. With Vick's desire to play football, the NFL has all the more power to get Vick out of bankruptcy, away from negative influences, and back into a positive spotlight."

I'd love to hear your thoughts??

-Jon Peacock

Amazing clip from the Conan O'Brien Show

Our Friend Andrew Marin

Friend of Axis, Andrew Marin, recently did the below interview with TheOoze.com around some thoughts from his new book.  Andrew is one of those guys that gets it.  He gets what it means to live missionaly in his community and he has done a tremendous job of radically changing the conversation between the GLBT (gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender) community and the church.  We had him join us at one of our In The Hot Seat events back in the spring and he's becoming a good friend to Axis.  So be sure to check out his blog and to buy his book Love Is An Orientation.  And if you missed our conversation with him you can listen to it here.

David Batstone and the Backyard Abolitionist Tour-June 19

In just a couple weeks David Batstone author of Not For Sale will be bringing his Backyard Abolitionist Tour to Willow.  We at Axis are very excited to host this great event.

 

If you haven’t read Not for Sale buy a copy here.  In it David write about the modern day slave trade and how everyday people are helping to stop it.  It’s an easy read that provides depth to the issue while still remaining applicable and engaging. 

 

We are very excited for David to join the faculty of our In The Hot Seat events and we hope to see you at the Backyard Abolitionist Tour on June 19^th.

Not For Sale Campaign Promo from IN THE CAR MEDIA on Vimeo.

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, otherwise known as CSEC, is the forced prostitution of a minor and it happens every day.  Every day thousands of children in the US find themselves selling their bodies on the streets and performing sexual acts for pornography.  This is a horrific industry that must be stopped.

Check out this video of one such girl who got caught up in prostitution.  It will open your eyes.

Now join us Friday night in South Barrington or Saturday night in Chicago for a screening of the film Call & Response.  This movie will educate you on the issue of human trafficking and slavery which goes hand in hand with CSEC.

For more information and tickets visit generationaxis.com

Ordinary Girls

Join the movement.  See the movie.  Get your tickets at generationaxis.com

Fight Slavery in Chicago

As we've been learning this week slavery is everywhere, even here in Chicago.  Next week Traffick Free has a series of awesome activities to get involved in.  Saturday they are demonstrating around the city to raise awareness of the issue of slavery, Sunday David Batstone will be in town with his Backyard Abolitionist tour, and Wednesday some local experts will be speaking about slavery in Chicago.  You should definitely support this awesome initiative.

Click here for a full schedule of events and here for an overview of the week.

Stop Traffick (05.16-05.21) from Traffick Free on Vimeo.

Join us for In The Hot Seat with Andrew Marin

This Wednesday night at 8pm join us in Cafe 20 for In The Hot Seat with Andrew Marin.  Andrew is the founder of the Marin Foundation which seeks to build bridges between the LGBT community and the church and he just released a book entitled Love is an Orientation.

Andrew grew up in a very homophobic community but was forced to face this issue when several of his friends came out to him.  Since that point he has been on a crazy journey which has taken him to starting the Marin Foundation that works to build bridges between the LGBT community and the church.

His book, Love is an Orientation, is a great resource for anyone who isn't satisfied with the rigidity often found on both sides of this debate.  Andrew does a beautiful job of moving from a place of judgment to Christ like love and continually seeks to elevate the conversation.

So join us!  8pm, Cafe 20 @ Willow Creek Church 67 E Algonquin Rd, South Barrington, IL

Call & Response Ticketing Is Live!!!

Call & Response is the event of the spring.  This is the thing to invite all of your friends to.  We are showing the rockumentary on human trafficking Call & Response and then engaging in a live conversation with the filmmaker Justin Dillon.  It is going to be an amazing two nights, Friday May 15 in South Barrington and Saturday May 16 in Chicago.

So go to GenerationAxis.com right now to get your tickets.  For the Friday date the event is free and Saturday it is $5.  This event is open to anyone and everyone.  So bring your friends, parents, co-workers, neighbors, anyone because we have to do something about the 27 million people who find themselves trapped in slavery.

Get your tickets here.

Why I love Golf and South Africa!

To read the rest of the article click here

What is this World coming to???

Slumdog Millionaire

On Monday night Kelly and I went out on a “hot date” and concluded my day off with doing what I love to do; watch movies.  There is something powerful about being invited into a story, one shown on a huge screen with incredible surround sound all while eating sour patch kids and drinking diet dr. pepper that we packed in Kelly’s purse of course J

 

This time we chose to see a movie called Slumdog Millionaire, a story that depicts many things including, the socioeconomic state in India, human trafficking, the beauty of redemption and the story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai. This movie is probably one of the most moving films I have seen in the past year due to the cinematography and the incredible story that was portrayed.

If you have some time this week I encourage you to go and see this film and while doing it see the love of Christ portrayed through the main character Jamal. 

Enjoy the movie and let me know what you think.

Blessings.

Jon

Chuck Colsen on Blagojevich (great read)

Check this article out!!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/10/colson.corruption/index.html

Thoughts??

Blessings.

Jon

Deep Pockets and Auctioneering in Springfield

Is this a barn sale or a used car auction?  If you havent checked out the news on the Blagojevich's idea of how to raise a little bit of money for his personal end of year Christmas bonus, you may want to check it out.

I just read an article by Lynn Sweeton that stated "Federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald accused Gov. Blagojevich on Tuesday of trying to sell the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama "like a sports agent," auctioning it to the highest bidder, deluding himself that somehow he could even finagle his way into Obama's Cabinet".

Give me a five, gimme a five, gimme a five, gimme a five; SOLD to the guy in the front row!

I love seeing where our tax dollars are going!

Your thoughts???

Jon Peacock

 

Turducken = Excess = The American Way

I was recently made aware of the staggering fact that people are now stuffing their Thanksgiving Turkey with a duck, and then that duck with a chicken....when its all said and done you have yourselves a bona fide Turducken.  Those of you non-meat eaters please don't look at the image below.

(I'm not making this stuff up)

This may become my new way to explain the Trinity, one Turkey.....3 distinct parts.  I mean really, who came up with this!  If this isn't American consumerism (creativity) at its best I'm not sure what is.  A day filled with excess, a day filled with more, a day filled with using and eating more than we actually need.

This Thanksgiving as your downing your 4th helping of stuffing or 5th slice of Turducken remember those who have nothing.  Remember those who would give anything for a piece of Chicken, let alone one stuffed in a duck and that within a Turkey.  Remember the hungry. remember that nearly 1 billion people in the world today are living on less than 1 American dollar a day. 

Yeah you heard me!

And remember that while we are filling up our garbage bags again this holiday season we are adding to the statistic that we as the pursuers of life, liberty and the pursuit of anything that makes us happywill again spend more on trash bags alone this year then what the 1/2 of the World will spend on all goods combined.  (please read that statement/statistic again....slower this time)(for more info read Affluenza by Oliver James) 

I'm not trying to put us all in a bad mood or shame us into fasting this Thanksgiving.....trust me.  However perspective is something you either have or will have at some point.  We have more than we need, and instead of focusing on what you don't have this Thursday please think on what you do have.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Jon Peacock

Call and Response this week in Chicago

The movie "Call + Response" is one that holds incredible potential to bring into the light the injustices that are taking place within human trafficking, and in particular, sex trafficking.  You may be thinking the injustice of Sex Trafficking is only a concern of some 3rd world countries, but you couldn't be further from the truth.

Chicago is known (we have proven statistics) to be a major hub of sex trafficking.  Right here in our friendly city, tonight women and girls are being forced into prostitution, forced into doing things with their bodies that grieve the heart of God and ought to grieve our hearts as well.

This issue is something that is literally keeping me up at night. 

I've been thinking, "How can I sleep when there are thousands of innocent women right now awake, being prostituted, and forced into selling their bodies to men all around my city?  How can I sleep when others are forced not to?  How can I dream when thousands of women and girls right now in Chicago are living in a nightmare?  How can I just lay there in my peaceful room when so many are experiencing hell, being pulverized and taken advantage of?"

Something has to be done.  Someone has to be a voice for those who have none.  Someone has to respond to the collection of cries rising up from this city that no one is hearing.  Someone has to be burdened to action, someone has to be motivated to bring change to this injustice!

 

What response would you have if one of these girls was your niece or daughter? 

This week airing here in Chicago is Call + Response, it's only showing for one week so please go and check it out.  Below is the address and show times.

Call and Response
AMC PIPER'S ALLEY 4
230 W. North Ave. Chicago, IL

October 16-23

Friday		1:15	3:30	5:50	8:00	10:10
Saturday	11:00	1:15	3:30	5:50	8:00	10:10
Sunday	11:00	1:15	3:30	5:50	8:00
M-Thurs		1:15	3:30	5:50	8:00

 Blessings,

Jon

Save our Schools Now!

Today for lunch I spent time with my good friend Rev Charlie Dates who lead the Young Adult ministry "Re-Connect" at the largest African American church in our city and state that is located in the heart of the Roseland Community on the South Side of Chicago.  Rev Charlie and his wife Kirsty have become friends of ours and our prayer over this last year has been that God would unite our hearts, and the hearts of Axis and RE-connect to see real change happen in our city through our generation.

At the upcoming Axis Experience on September 5th Charlie and 150 of our new friends from Re-Connect will be joining us to pray for the Community of Axis and we will in return be praying for their Community as well.  It will be an incredible night, and one you do not want to miss.

That said....

As Charlie and I ate some Cosi he filled me in on a radical approach their church has taken to rid the injustice that is rampant here in our Chicago Public Schools.  They have begun a focus called Save our Schools Now, one that I'm sure you have seen on the news.  Below is a video of Pastor Meeks explaining the injustice and what they are going to do to see change occur this year.

If you are wanting to volunteer this month to help them pull this off please contact me and I can help line things up.

Enjoy the video.

Jon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9okE1z23g8