So much of the media centers around gloom and doom and economic woes, corruption, war, and scores of problems that plague our world. I fear that our 24/7 news outlets resemble more the voyeurism we find on the freeway, where traffic gets backed up due to people not being in a car wreck, rather lines of cars queue up to simply get a look at someone else’s misfortune.

We’re in danger of becoming a cynical culture that peddles more pessimism than hope and now with the latest and greatest technology, this fascination that pockets of humanity has with the fall of other people, can now go viral. My hope is that with all of the current protests going on, whether it’s Wall Street or Greece, whether it’s in the West or the Majority World, people don’t forget to hope, to point to something better, to say at least a few things that remind us of something beautiful.

so. REALLY need to preface this. PLEASE take it for what it is - a comment on life in this world, and not a plea for sympathy. 

i found out via a ct scan today (pictured) that there is a small polyp in my inner ear. for you doctors out there, you know that this is no big deal. a minor surgery, and viola. but i must admit that on my way to the hospital today, before my ct scan, i felt these thoughts of death coursing through me - similar level of nag that you feel when a telemarketer calls during dinner - but a bit more dark. i prayed and found comfort in the promise of salvation that i walk in daily - but then thought about my wife, our dog. my parents. brother. sister. it was odd. i didn't know what to expect. google, a great source of info (but sometimes knowledge isn't very comforting) told me all sorts of things the night before. i tossed for over an hour before my brain let me rest. 

A 27 year old humanitarian aid worker was shot and killed July 15th while returning home from work in the DR Congo. Ricky Agusa Sukaka was a national Congolese man who had chose peace over war. He chose serving the oppressed rather than inflicting oppression. You can read his story here.

Reading this story this morning really bummed me out. Mr. Sukaka's life, posessions and cause for peace were all taken from him.

I believe Jesus when he said to not be afraid because he has overcome this world. But I have a difficult time understanding it when I hear of brutal acts such as this.

The DR Congo has a long history of violence. The numbers of those displaced is staggering. The number of  killings is gut wrenching.

There appears to be a growing trend developing as countries begin to refuse the aid of humanitarian workers among their needy. Last week we were stunned with the announcement made by Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir to expel foreign aid to the thousands who are hungry and sick in Sudan. Just this morning Reuters AlertNet reported that North Korea has climbed aboard the foreign aid refusal train, with a seat next to Sudan. See the full report here.

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir will be responsible for "every single death" caused by the expulsion of 13 foreign aid groups from Sudan, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday.