At one of the previous pastor conferences, John Piper delivered an amazing message recounting the life of William Wilberforce. Somehow I managed to acquire a disc of mp3s with all of Piper’s biographical sketches…anyway, I listened to this one recently. The story of Wilberforce and his fight to end slavery is amazing.

I have not read this book yet. I am planning to sometime before I see the movie, Amazing Grace. Desiring God ministries is hoping people will buy the book along with seeing the movie. They are providing a pdf of the book so anyone can read it online for FREE!

Here is a man who laid it all on the line, so to speak, for others. Learning about those men and women who lived in previous centuries helps to open my eyes to how shallow and easy my life is. It is a very frightening thought considering what the Bible has to say about ease.

Here’s another poem. This one is chosen by Hannah.

No Difference
by Shel Silverstein

Small as a peanut,
Big as a giant,
We’re all the same size
When we turn off the light.

Rich as a sultan,
Poor as a mite,
We’re all worth the same
When we turn out the light.

Red, black or orange,
Yellow or white,
We all look the same
When we turn off the light.

So maybe the way
To make everything right
Is for God to just reach out
And turn off the light!

I like the poem. What he writes is true: we are all the same. However, the cure does not lie in darkness. The answer is in the light. What God does is dispel darkness. To rid our minds of racism, His light must shine in our hearts. Turning out lights won’t help at all.