Chris was a simple grandmother, without much influence in this world. Yet she made a big impression on one man. Chris didn’t drive and loved to go to Sunday morning services. Every week LV picked her up in the church bus, along with all his other charges, mostly kids.

Each Sunday morning as Chris boarded the bus, she greeted LV, “How are you?” And he answered, “I’m alright.” But one week she heard a funny line and the following Sunday she was ready to use it. “No you’re not,” she smiled. “You’re only half right.” LV chuckled and drove on to church.

Days later he was steering his rig along the highway and, as he drove, her little line kept repeating over and over in his head to the rhythm of the tires on the road. You’re only half-right. You’re only half right. You’re only half right. And he realized that he was just as she had said. He’d never submitted his life to God.

Right then and there, LV pulled his truck over to the side of the highway, got out, knelt down on the ground and did just that.

Chris didn’t know it, but in her own sweet way, she had become an advocate. Advocacy is “any effort meant to lead to a change in attitude or position.” As I write in Night Shift: “When we build altars and dream God’s dreams, we come to perceive God’s vision for righteousness and justice in a given situation. That perception should lead us to action in bringing influence to bear so that change can and will occur.”

That is what Moses was doing when he commanded Pharaoh to let the children of Israel go. That’s what preachers like Billy Graham do in evangelism crusades when they invite people forward to commit their lives to Jesus. That’s what friends of mine are doing today and tomorrow at the state capitol as they press for just laws and funding to stop human trafficking and end hunger. That’s what Chris was doing the day she inadvertently shared a life-altering truth with LV.

All these people and many, many more are making efforts (concerted or solo) to lead to changes in attitudes and positions that will bring God’s justice and righteousness to bear in our world and time. They are advocates, one and all.

Spring in Oregon is the season for advocacy, what with our intensely short legislative sessions. The state budget is an absolute mess, no argument on that. While there are no easy solutions, some of us believe that justice for trafficked or hungry kids can’t wait. So we’ll be advocating through media like the blog, Oregon Christian Voices, and going down to the state capitol and connecting with our legislators as often as we can. As I’ll be doing this evening with mine.

And in the next ten weeks, we’ll be raising money to bless others. That is advocacy, just as much as going down to the state capitol or inviting a friend to church.

Emergency food is far from the whole solution, but it is a first and most critical step. We’ve seen the need up front and personal at our Northeast Emergency Food Program the past few months. People like Reya desperate for a job. People like little Randy hungry for food. People like elderly Mrs. Romanchuk struggling to survive. Lots of them in record numbers – 11,000 different individuals in 2010. So many of them, we struggle to keep our shelves stocked even as we give away half a million pounds of food each year.

So we are “spreading the net” at our first Annual Sustainers Breakfast on March 30. Two weeks later on April 9, Portland’s CROP Walk will benefit NEFP and again on April 23 the youth of this city will run four miles round trip between Beaumont Neighborhood and NEFP to benefit their needy neighbors.

Through these events and more, we are praying for:
1. 30 new sustaining partners
2. Churches and civic groups to fill our “Christmas Year Round” calendar with in-kind giving
3. 50 new volunteers
4. Cash offerings of $16,000
All to help us help others.

If you didn’t notice, I am advocating right now – asking you to help. At the very least, you can help by praying. And that, my friend, is far from least.

I’ll be posting updates on the progress on legislative bills on my website. If you want to join me in prayer, if you want to be alerted on legislative bills as they come up, or if you want to help by giving, send me a message on the contact form to the right.