For those who don’t know this may come as a shock:  non-profits are competitive.  They don’t compete for money like businesses do…oh wait, they do, they’re called donations.

But instead of competing for the best product, they compete on two levels:

1.     Who does the best work

2.     Who tells their story in the best way

Those who tell their story the best are continually barated by those who do good work, but aren’t as good at telling their story.  They sit in offices and nit pick and say, “hey, we’re doing the same work they are doing (or in their minds, better) why don’t we get the attention they do?”  So the only defense is to take the “moral” high ground and go after the mission.

Businesses at least compete in the open.  Non-profits compete with something I call “NPR concern.”   You know, that tone someone takes on NPR when they are really steaming mad but want to sound respectable.  They use the words “I’m concerned.”

Invisible Children’s campaign is the best viral social media campaign in for-profit or non profit history. Period.  And it’s just getting started.  So remember, any of the opinions that you hear from the mouth of a non-profit are going to be tainted with a twinge of jealousy or “NPR concern” over their mission.

I don’t know if Invisible Children has picked the best goal for a viral campaign or not.  But as the founder of Volunteer Card (www.volunteercard.com) we have done business with Invisible Children for 3 years.  I’ve met the team.  They are genuine, passionate, and brilliant.  They are doing what they believe in their hearts is their life calling and mission.  And they are accomplishing it better than anyone I’ve seen.  Well done, friends.

Let’s us all be challenged to hone our life mission to the point that we give our very best to it, just as Invisible Children has done.



New York curates the very best of what this world has to offer in a single city.

From the magical diamonds of Tiffanies, to the lights of Christmas sparkling down 5th Avenue.  The mountain-tall skyscrapers where titans exchange trillions of dollars and journalists decide the world’s next dinner conversation.

I walked among the kings of The Plaza layered in gold and champaign.  Past the homes of the smart, talented and wealthy, down to the visual bizarre of Times Square, the gates of a city where all the world world meets.

After the wonder of New York wore off, all I could think was, ‘is that all you got?’  I’ve seen the glory of man in New York and in the end I left…wanting.

I left hungry for the kingdom of heaven. Give me the justice of God and the face of Jesus instead.  It could not be a greater contrast:  the peace of God vs. the racing empire of man.

I have seen the kingdoms of this world fall, to the mere idea of heaven.  It reminding me of the poet’s words:

This world is not my home I’m just passing through my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond

We made it through the toughest physical challenge I have ever endured.

Walk 14 miles – sleep 4 hours

Walk another 11 miles – sleep 2 hours and hide from the sun

Walk another 11 miles uphill for all of it in 114 degree heat in the shade  - sleep 4 hours … repeat.

This was our pace for 70+ miles in less than 4 days across Death Valley. We were trying to recreate the pace that a Burmese family would need to get to a border and to freedom….only some of the children are 8 years old and younger having to do this through a jungle and an army is chasing them.

One morning at 4:30am the thought came to me of a mother, a mother having to wake her small children up at 4:30 to walk another 10 miles.  I thought of having to bring my kids through this.  I cried a little.

Having experienced just a tiny taste of this type of journey, I am different.  My prayers are different.  My thoughts are different.  My kids cry because they want a blue cup vs. a red cup.  Refugee kids cry because they want to sleep instead of fleeing for their lives for 14 more miles.

So far we have raised over $10,000.  Thank you.  No really, thank you.   This will go to a feed in program that will get over 200,000+ meals to the Burma/Thailand Border with Venture.

We documented our journey and will be releasing it as a mini-documentary. Though our expedition is over, we have just begun fighting for our Burmese friends.  Please continue to spread the word, give, and pray.

You can donate to the Death Valley Hike on Venture’s Website.

Ryan Leak ran support for the entire expedition.  Brought water and food to us in critical times and filmed for a documentary.   Without him, not only would we have not made it, we would have been in serious danger.  (it’s called Death Valley for a reason…)

However, I learned something about Ryan Leak on this trip.   He does not like wild animals, bugs, critters, crawlers, sliders, or anything of the sort.

The whole trip he tried to avoid any situation that would have brought him in contact with these Death Valley neighbors.  As fate (or God Himself) would have it, Ryan saw more creepy crawlies than any of us.  He saw a side winder snake, a coyote, and our friend posted above.    And he wasn’t walking across the desert.  He was in a car.

Just a reminder that no matter how hard we try to control our situation, irony is one of God’s finest qualities.

Indescribable.

I met Steven. He courageously told his story to us through tears.  Steven came from a family of 10 kids.   Together they made the dangerous march to cross the the Thai border to safety.  Just before they reached the border, 3 of Steven’s brothers were shot and did not make it.  The rest of the family did.  Right now Steven is in an orphanage run by a long time Venture partner.  He simply glows when he smiles and takes about Jesus.  He is a great student and wants to be a geography teacher.

I also met Mei Sha. Mei Sha lost his arms and eyesight while trying to disarm a landmine.  He walked blind to the Thai border and made it to a refugee village.  Last year, someone told him about Jesus and he became a believer.  But it was not enough to just believe.  Mei Sha had people lead him by the hand to village after village to tell everyone about Jesus.  He passionately preaches repentance and faith in Jesus.  I suppose Mei Sha officially removes any excuse one might have for not sharing the hope of Jesus with others.

We’ve been drinking more than 2 gallons of water every 4 hours.

Never before have I been so conscious of my constant need for water.  It reminds me of the desert song David wrote 4000 years ago:

God you are my God,  earnestly I seek you. My soul longs for you. My body thirsts for you in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Psalms 63

This place is like a different planet. Sometimes I feel like we are astronauts in our protective gear exploring this dangerous, desolate, breathtaking new world.

However, the heat can drain the very life in your bones.  To be so hot for so long gets increasingly taxing.Every square inch is begging for rain, water, heck fog or dew would be nice.  Thinking about Isaiah’s words:

The LORD’s justice will dwell in the desert

I pray that this desert can bring God’s story of Justice to Burma.

Jack Johnson’s classic song goes, “It’s always better when we’re together”

I know that I would never have been able to do this without Ryan, Ryan, and Justin.

What is it about community that allows us to conquer things we never could alone? To endure hardships we never could last by ourselves.

You were right, Jack.

The past 36 hours have physically been the toughest I have ever endured. We marched over 35 miles in obnoxious terrain debilitating heat – 114 in the shade – all while only getting 4 hours of sleep.

…and the blisters have made every step and act of courage.

I once ran a marathon with a fever of over 100, but I think this has been harder.  It reminds me of the frightful journey young kids are taking to get to freedom in Burma.

This thought has gotten me through.

We would be honored if you you could help them.

You can donate to the Death Valley Hike on Venture’s Website.