December 2007 - Posts

• The gift of Grace

  In my faith community, we celebrated today the birth of Jesus Christ, who we believe is our Lord and Saviour. I don't think we have a monopoly on salvation by any means, but I do think those who follow the teachings of Christ to the best of our all-too-human abilities will be looked upon favorably on Judgement Day and we will enter the Kingdom of God. I think that's also likely true of those who see paradise, nirvana, or some other form of salvation. I also beleive that -- even in this broken world -- there are innumerable examples of God's grace at work. My own life is a perfect example. I am an imperfect man: vain, selfish, undisciplined. Yet I have a wonderful family, a supportive... Posted Dec 25 2007, 09:35 PM by KTrapani with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Christmas, faith

• Pay attention to Congo

  In the last couple of years, encouraged by an unending stream of celebrities, we finally began to respond to the horrific human catastrophe in Darfur. Apparently, the murders of as many as 500,000 people, countless rapes and some 2.5 million refugees was enough for even the US to pronouce the situation a "genocide." Now, the worst of it appears to be over, thank God. Unfortunately, those numbers don't appear to create a "benchmark" for global response. At the very same time, and even as I write this, the situation on the ground is worse, much worse, in Congo. According to a report today in the Chicago Tribune, the violence, disease and starvation accompanying the ongoing... Posted Dec 23 2007, 10:08 PM by KTrapani with 2 comment(s) Filed under: corporate social responsibility, human rights, Congo

• Serving Homeless Veterans

  I met a man recently whose work inspired me. He is Phillip Mangano, Executive Director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness -- the senior US Federal official on homelessness. Coordinating the efforts of some 2 dozen governmental agencies and working tirelessly with local and state governments and private organizations, Phillip has brought a new orientation to our unified approach to homelessness. "A blanket and a bowl of soup is not what these people need. They need a permanent place to live," he says. "Let's not manage the problem of homelessness, let's end it." Before his appointment by President Bush, Phillip had great success working in the... Posted Dec 22 2007, 09:34 AM by KTrapani with 6 comment(s) Filed under: YMCA, homelessness, Phillip Mangano, corporate social responsibility