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    Generation Change, Revised and Expanded Edition: Roll Up Your Sleeves and Change the World
    Generation Change, Revised and Expanded Edition: Roll Up Your Sleeves and Change the World
    Generation Change, Revised and Expanded Edition: Roll Up Your Sleeves and Change the World
    Ebook145 pages3 hours

    Generation Change, Revised and Expanded Edition: Roll Up Your Sleeves and Change the World

    By Zach Hunter

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    About this ebook

    Real world. Real people. Real time. Real change.Our generation has seen the hurting world in living color. The media has brought every major human rights, health, and environmental crises right into our living rooms.… It’s easy to complain about what’s wrong with the world today. But I think my generation is tired of hearing complaints and excuses, and we’re eager to see people get busy and do something about the problems.—Zach HunterInside this book you will find stories about real people doing amazing things to change the world around them. You will discover a new sense of wonder about what can be and how you can help make it happen. You will encounter voices of justice and hearts of compassion. You will be inspired to find your own spark—fuel that will help ignite a generation of change.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherZondervan
    Release dateSep 13, 2011
    ISBN9780310728931
    Generation Change, Revised and Expanded Edition: Roll Up Your Sleeves and Change the World
    Author

    Zach Hunter

    Zach Hunter is a teenage abolitionist and activist, spending much of his time working to end modern-day slavery around the world and fighting other problems in the world today. When he was twelve, he started a campaign called Loose Change to Loosen Chains, helping to raise awareness and money to free people from slavery. The author of Be the Change, Zach speaks to hundreds of thousands of people each year, inspiring them to find their passion and make a change in the world.

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      Book preview

      Generation Change, Revised and Expanded Edition - Zach Hunter

      CHAPTER 1

      CHANGE BEGINS HERE

      We’re too young to know that some things are impossible, so we will do them anyway.

      William Pitt in the film Amazing Grace

      Hey, friends! When I was writing Generation Change, I did research on young people who were doing good in the world and doing it well. Well, that was four years ago, and now this book could be four or five times longer. It used to be that when I spoke at an event, people had a lot of questions about what they could do to make a difference. Now the conversations I have when I’m out speaking at events are quite different from conversations I used to have. There are more and more people coming up and telling me what they’re already doing to help people in their community or around the world. Honestly, it’s really encouraging to me. But I have also been discouraged by the people who believe social justice is just another fad or trend for our generation. And I do get concerned about that. If we reduce justice to a simple click of a like button on Facebook, or just wearing a cause’s T-shirt without really giving of ourselves — or if we fail to develop a mindset that views our wealth and influence as things to be invested in the plight of people who are hurting — then, yes, our generation’s justice efforts may become a passing phase, something we neglect as we enter into adulthood. Though I’m guessing that if you bought this book, you probably share these concerns and want compassionate justice to be a deep and lasting part of who you are.

      If we could sit down together, I’m sure you’d have stories to share of friends who are making a habit of service. Or tell me about things you’re doing to bring relief to people who are suffering. I’d love to hear those stories. But since I can’t sit down with all of you, I hope you’ll share those stories online by visiting my Facebook page (facebook.com/zachhunter) and telling me what you or those you know have done to promote change.

      But for now, I’m really glad you picked up this book. Its purpose is to shed a little light on some of the biggest problems facing our generation and to inspire people to find ways they can make a difference. I was only sixteen when I wrote Generation Change. I don’t pretend to be an expert on all these issues then or now, but I’m learning a lot about the work that needs to be done. (If you’re an adult reading this, you may think, He’s so naïve. Well, you’re probably right … but I hope since I’m still just a teenager, you’ll allow me to be naïve for a little while longer.)

      As I’ve traveled I’ve met so many students who want to invest their youth to help improve the world. I’ve been really inspired by my generation — not only by the encouragement other students offer me in my own activities but also by the way so many kids in our generation are unselfishly helping others.

      As you read this book, you’ll notice that I talk quite a bit about my faith. That might bother you if it isn’t what you expected when you picked up the book. Jesus and the Bible’s teachings have shaped the way I view my responsibility in the world, so it’s an important part of my story. But I know the big issues in this book are important to lots of people, not just Christians. So whether you share my beliefs or not — if you’re interested in making a difference in this world, I welcome you. Thanks for reading.

      WHERE IN THE WORLD DO WE START?

      We have to start with ourselves. We must undergo a change in our thinking, finding a deeper commitment to helping others, and maybe even a new sense of wonder about what could be and how we can be a part of making that could be happen. Ultimately, the change needs to happen within our hearts. For those of us who call ourselves Christians, that means seeking God diligently and yielding ourselves to him, asking him to change us and give us a new set of priorities and a deeper love for all people.

      If we’re really going to follow Jesus, we need to make sure our priorities are in line with his priorities. Over the past few years I’ve been amazed at the amount of teaching in the Bible that focuses on how we are supposed to treat the poor. I had no idea what a huge priority this was to God.

      People sometimes say that those of us who claim to follow Jesus are self-crted and focused on our own comforts and wishes. They think Christians seem petty and small-minded. It bothers me that this might be how some people view me and my friends who follow Jesus — especially since that’s so far from what God calls us to be. I was just reading in the ancient book of Isaiah and discovered an interesting section where God talks about his priorities:

      Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:

      to loose the chains of injustice

      and untie the cords of the yoke,

      to set the oppressed free

      and break every yoke?

      Is it not to share your food with the hungry

      and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—

      when you see the naked, to clothe him,

      and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

      Then your light will break forth like the dawn,

      and your healing will quickly appear;

      then your righteousness will go before you,

      and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

      Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;

      you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

      If you do away with the yoke of oppression,

      with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

      and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry

      and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,

      then your light will rise in the darkness,

      and your night will become like the noonday.

      That’s from the 58th chapter of Isaiah. (I know it’s kind of a long passage, but I hope you didn’t skip it. If you did, please go back and read it.) It’s pretty radical. God says that if we spend ourselves on behalf of the hungry, and if we focus our attention on taking care of the poor, the hurting, and the oppressed, then we will shine. I think people who shine and reflect the goodness of God might be an answer to the criticisms many make about Christians.

      WHY US?

      I have a lot of hope in today’s generation. I really believe God wants to use us in incredible ways. Our generation has seen the hurting in the world in living color: the media has brought every major human rights, health, and environmental crisis right into our living rooms and classrooms. We know the comfortable lifestyles of most Americans are not reality for most people in the rest of the world.

      I wrote this book in 2007, which was the 40th anniversary of the famous Summer of Love that marked the beginning of the hippie movement. I believe our generation should launch a new movement of peace, love, and justice — but this time do it with God. The hippies talked a lot about free love, but we’ve got to realize that true, lasting, life-changing love isn’t free. It costs — it costs a lot! Real love means sacrificing something of ourselves, some of our own comfort. It means giving ourselves up like Jesus did. He wasn’t prideful — even though he had all the answers. He wasn’t a finger pointer—even though he was sinless. But he spoke the truth, even when it was hard to hear, and he got busy helping broken people put their lives together and meeting real needs like the need for food, shelter, and healing.

      It’s easy to complain about what’s wrong with the world today. But I think our generation is tired of hearing complaints and excuses, and we’re eager to see people get busy and do something about the problems. And I don’t mean just more talking and meeting about the problems — I mean finding solutions to meet the needs. I think we feel a connection with history, rather than a hatred of it. We want to continue the good work that’s being done, but also write new chapters that show we’ve learned from some of the things done well (and done poorly) in the past. If we can learn from the failures and successes of those who have come before us, and work with God, we will not be stopped. We can carry on the torch of great people of the past. Who knows, maybe God has called this generation specifically to demonstrate his love and care for the poor. Maybe that is the work he’s prepared in advance for us to do.

      Each person must live their life as a model for others.

      Rosa Parks

      That’s an exciting thought!

      People sometimes talk about how the church

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