Life is noisy. Radio. TV. Ipods. Internet. Cell phones. Traffic. Children. Problems. Stresses. Gossip. Etc, etc.
More specifically:
Songs remind us of pain and easy answers that will only create more problems and lingering issues.
Television shows that, although entertaining, provide an escape that only prolongs the things we are not willing to deal with in reality.
Facebook, Myspace and Blogging allow us to communicate our feelings, our hearts, posting to see who cares or responds and tracking others’ posts and status messages as well.
Cell phones allow us to text and receive texts to remind us we have friends, communicate without the nervousness to those we want to be more than friends and keep us updated with emails and in communication with people next door, in our community and overseas.
Sounds of cars bustling to where they need to be, truckers making a living, teenagers blaring their bass…..
On top of this noise we all have internal noise such as situations and circumstances weighing heavy on our minds, gossip we hear and contribute to, fears, jealousies and pains.
Life is noisy. When the noise gets to be too much and we begin to feel enveloped by the noise that will NOT cease how do we find the constant? Is it bottled up in 3 easy steps to happiness? No way.
In the midst of the noise the constant, unfailing love of Jesus is there. In the brief interludes of children crying and complaining for a toy at Wal-mart when a passerby smiles to let you know she’s been there before. In the email you receive from a friend as you find yourself Facebook-stalking, reminding you of your worth. In the middle of escaping into hours of television rather than something you should be working on and you are reminded of your faithful roomate who is sitting beside you enjoying the lazy afternoon also. Thankfulness is a constant…a constant choice. The choice to be thankful draws us up out of the noise into praise and honor of Christ who is His among us through His people and His spirit. When the noise surrounds you be thankful and assured in knowing that it does not have to overcome you and will not when you are aware of the constant. Relationships may fail, tragedy strike, illness befall you but Christ will be the constant.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Saturday, April 12, 2008
the meek shall inherit the earth
Today I drove in from Waco to be a part of something called “Impact Huntsville,” a gathering of youth groups from various churches in the community working on houses in need of repair. This event began as an outgrowth of Huntsville’s Promise, a non-profit organization partly funded by the city of Huntsville as an attempt to promote the well-being of youth in the community, encouraging collaborative efforts of congregations, businesses and institutions to take responsibility and action in facilitating an environment of empowerment for all youth in the community. As an “outsider” of the community, first-time participant of Impact Huntsville and not knowledgeable enough to lead construction, I was posted with 6 boys from the Elkins Lake Baptist youth group to work with 3 adults from First Christian Church of Huntsville in building a wheelchair ramp for an elderly, African-American couple.
The organizer of the wheel-chair ramp building was in a wheel-chair himself but somehow I hardly noticed, as he was by far the hardest worker of our group and most efficient. I did my best to hand tools when needed to the 6 boys and 3 men facilitating their progress and teaching them as they went along but after a while I decided to take more of a public relations role and visit with the resident of the house, Mr. Johnson. He positioned himself on the front steps of his porch so that he could recline on the railing and watch the progress going on to his right. His wife had been in a wheelchair for three months and he had been trying to get her down the steps of the porch of their dilapidated trailer home as the make-shift ramp he had attempted to build had fallen down. Our conversation began as I leaned against the same railing and asked him about his term of residence in Huntsville, which led to conversation about fishing, trying to catch rats around their trailer home and finally he commented, “You know, not everyone would come do something like this for people like us.” I asked him why he thought that was the case and he asked me to turn around and tell me what I saw. I turned around and saw an old jeep to which I answered him. “And what color is that jeep girl?” he asked, and I responded, “It is black.” He then began to tell me that although we were a church group, he was still surprised us white-folk would come help a poor black man and his wife. “We do not have the money for a wheel-chair ramp. I was so surprised you all would do this for free.”
I then began telling him about how several church youth groups were involved in these projects all over Huntsville, from Hispanic, white and African-American churches. As he asked me questions about my life, I mentioned at one point that I intended to become a minister. “Well you all in the right company, you know what the good book says, ‘the meek shall inherit the earth,’” said Mr. Johnson. After many biblical references and teachings that meant a lot to him I finally asked if he went to church anywhere in the community and he took this opportunity to teach me about power. “I don’t go to church because they only tell you you’re going to hell and they want your money.” I said that I had been to churches were I felt that way also and that perhaps if we spoke of love more often then more projects like this could happen and a community would change. He reminded me that where 2 or 3 are gathered in Jesus’ name there He is and power happens. He believed churches should work together like that. He then commented, “I believe in the Holy Spirit and that it is at work around us. I believe our job here is not to preach hell and take money but to make this earth beautiful why we are here. With the help of the Holy spirit of course.” I asked him if those of us helping out our brothers and sisters in the community today, like helping him and his wife with a wheel chair ramp, would count as making the earth beautiful. He said, “Why yes.” I said, “Well then that’s the kind of gospel and Jesus I can believe too, Mr. Johnson, we agree with you in that and that’s why woke us up this morning to come serve you.”
Mr. Johnson then proceeded to teach me about life, asking permission first, to which I gladly obliged. He taught me about power corrupting people, how you know when love is love and how the world changing all around him. I asked lots of questions as I listened and he asked me some as well. He did not know if he agreed with me being a minister since I was a woman but gave me the best compliment I could ever receive, “I can see you are different. You talk of love and see people different like you are separated from the world.”
It is sometimes the least likely people you encounter that have the most wisdom to give. During our conversation today something happened, mutuality of grace and equality was achieved as we acknowledged each other’s mishaps, judgments, failures and beliefs. At first we seemed just two completely different people by race, socio-economic class and age but soon only became only “brother and sister” in one another’s eyes. I walked away from my time spent with Mr. Johnson thinking that perhaps I should have helped more to build the ramp but then remembered two things: 1. Jesus commended Mary for sitting as His feet and being with Him 2. Jesus said (and Mr. Johnson) that the “meek shall inherit the earth.”
The organizer of the wheel-chair ramp building was in a wheel-chair himself but somehow I hardly noticed, as he was by far the hardest worker of our group and most efficient. I did my best to hand tools when needed to the 6 boys and 3 men facilitating their progress and teaching them as they went along but after a while I decided to take more of a public relations role and visit with the resident of the house, Mr. Johnson. He positioned himself on the front steps of his porch so that he could recline on the railing and watch the progress going on to his right. His wife had been in a wheelchair for three months and he had been trying to get her down the steps of the porch of their dilapidated trailer home as the make-shift ramp he had attempted to build had fallen down. Our conversation began as I leaned against the same railing and asked him about his term of residence in Huntsville, which led to conversation about fishing, trying to catch rats around their trailer home and finally he commented, “You know, not everyone would come do something like this for people like us.” I asked him why he thought that was the case and he asked me to turn around and tell me what I saw. I turned around and saw an old jeep to which I answered him. “And what color is that jeep girl?” he asked, and I responded, “It is black.” He then began to tell me that although we were a church group, he was still surprised us white-folk would come help a poor black man and his wife. “We do not have the money for a wheel-chair ramp. I was so surprised you all would do this for free.”
I then began telling him about how several church youth groups were involved in these projects all over Huntsville, from Hispanic, white and African-American churches. As he asked me questions about my life, I mentioned at one point that I intended to become a minister. “Well you all in the right company, you know what the good book says, ‘the meek shall inherit the earth,’” said Mr. Johnson. After many biblical references and teachings that meant a lot to him I finally asked if he went to church anywhere in the community and he took this opportunity to teach me about power. “I don’t go to church because they only tell you you’re going to hell and they want your money.” I said that I had been to churches were I felt that way also and that perhaps if we spoke of love more often then more projects like this could happen and a community would change. He reminded me that where 2 or 3 are gathered in Jesus’ name there He is and power happens. He believed churches should work together like that. He then commented, “I believe in the Holy Spirit and that it is at work around us. I believe our job here is not to preach hell and take money but to make this earth beautiful why we are here. With the help of the Holy spirit of course.” I asked him if those of us helping out our brothers and sisters in the community today, like helping him and his wife with a wheel chair ramp, would count as making the earth beautiful. He said, “Why yes.” I said, “Well then that’s the kind of gospel and Jesus I can believe too, Mr. Johnson, we agree with you in that and that’s why woke us up this morning to come serve you.”
Mr. Johnson then proceeded to teach me about life, asking permission first, to which I gladly obliged. He taught me about power corrupting people, how you know when love is love and how the world changing all around him. I asked lots of questions as I listened and he asked me some as well. He did not know if he agreed with me being a minister since I was a woman but gave me the best compliment I could ever receive, “I can see you are different. You talk of love and see people different like you are separated from the world.”
It is sometimes the least likely people you encounter that have the most wisdom to give. During our conversation today something happened, mutuality of grace and equality was achieved as we acknowledged each other’s mishaps, judgments, failures and beliefs. At first we seemed just two completely different people by race, socio-economic class and age but soon only became only “brother and sister” in one another’s eyes. I walked away from my time spent with Mr. Johnson thinking that perhaps I should have helped more to build the ramp but then remembered two things: 1. Jesus commended Mary for sitting as His feet and being with Him 2. Jesus said (and Mr. Johnson) that the “meek shall inherit the earth.”
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Raising Weird Kids
One of my ultimate goals in life will be to write a book or at least an article about raising children with an awareness of an Upside-Down Kingdom. What do I mean? Well in the past 3 years of my life I have been on a journey of realizing how much I have learned how to “do” church and how little I know about Jesus’ ministry and what it means to “be” the church. I am discovering and realizing each day what it truly means to be a “follower of Christ” and how counter-cultural that is or at least should be even to our present church culture and ideals. The idea of starting a family someday scares me because if I am serious about this lifestyle then I should expect and intend on raising my children with these values; however, this will mean that we may be different …even from “church” people. How do I mean? I mean that I want them to learn how to produce things instead of consume so much (and because I am beginning to learn this late in life I will probably be learning with them as I teach them). I want them not to just attend Sunday school classes and learn the Bible stories but I want to plan on having them with me as we serve and experience missions together, keeping sack lunches in our mini-van or station wagon and having them make it a practice of giving it to the man/woman begging on the corner, spending a Saturday morning after cartoons serving at the soup kitchen (I will strap the baby on my back if need be) and letting those in need hold and love my baby. I want my child to see that the Christian life is to be lived out. I want them to not be attracted by fancy programs and fancy preaching but moved by the meat of the message. I want to have people over to our house and around our table at dinner that look and act different than us --- this is not limited to the poor but anyone! So that they learn to look and experience people as Jesus did! I want to be smart about our purchases and careful about how much we give into American consumerism. In the hustle and bustle of needing to make a living and help them make friends I realize this is going to be a daily struggle and decision but I think it can happen.
A couple of summers ago I read the book “Irresistible Revolution” and was determined to attend PapaFest, a festival on Shane Claiborne’s family farm held by SimpleWay, Mennonite faith families and other intentional communities. I did not have anyone to travel with so I found a group meeting up outside of Dallas and asked if I could ride with them. None of us knew one another but we decide to embark on this adventure. One girl worked for Shell, another grew up on the streets of Houston, the other two girls grew up in 3rd world countries as Missionary Kids. Although fascinated by the stories and plights of each girl ---- I found the MK’s to be quite interesting. They were meeting up with 3 other friends of theirs that grew up in Africa also as MKs. They were all friends growing up but came to the United States and attended different universities in different parts of the country. I wondered what it was it that drew them to this festival. I soon realized that each of these girls grew up in 3rd world countries watching their parents minister to poor, desperate people. It was never a question in their lives to wonder which came first, feed the people or evangelize. They only knew that it was both, it had to be both. They knew what it was to pray for a need and see someone healed and/or tangibly see their prayer request answered and believing that it was God that answered it. They grew up knowing that “church” was an act, a daily decision to BE Christ to people. It was never a social event they grew up attending on Sunday mornings. When each of the girls came to the U.S. for college they were extremely dismayed by the churches they attended. Can you imagine? Then upon hearing about the ministry of Shane Claiborne and this “revolution” of love he was preaching based on the life of Jesus and the emphasis of Jesus’ ministry, realized that some American Christians were actually “Getting” what the Kingdom was all about and wanted to attend.
What would happen in our world if we committed to raise our kids to think in terms of the “kingdom?” Although there are books out there challenging our thoughts about Christianity today by Clairborne, Campolo, McClarren and so many more written on another level of academia…..how great would it be if there were a manual for parents and families on these issues as well? Pulling out truths and practical application for Christians in helping their children experience and know God in this way from an early age?
A couple of summers ago I read the book “Irresistible Revolution” and was determined to attend PapaFest, a festival on Shane Claiborne’s family farm held by SimpleWay, Mennonite faith families and other intentional communities. I did not have anyone to travel with so I found a group meeting up outside of Dallas and asked if I could ride with them. None of us knew one another but we decide to embark on this adventure. One girl worked for Shell, another grew up on the streets of Houston, the other two girls grew up in 3rd world countries as Missionary Kids. Although fascinated by the stories and plights of each girl ---- I found the MK’s to be quite interesting. They were meeting up with 3 other friends of theirs that grew up in Africa also as MKs. They were all friends growing up but came to the United States and attended different universities in different parts of the country. I wondered what it was it that drew them to this festival. I soon realized that each of these girls grew up in 3rd world countries watching their parents minister to poor, desperate people. It was never a question in their lives to wonder which came first, feed the people or evangelize. They only knew that it was both, it had to be both. They knew what it was to pray for a need and see someone healed and/or tangibly see their prayer request answered and believing that it was God that answered it. They grew up knowing that “church” was an act, a daily decision to BE Christ to people. It was never a social event they grew up attending on Sunday mornings. When each of the girls came to the U.S. for college they were extremely dismayed by the churches they attended. Can you imagine? Then upon hearing about the ministry of Shane Claiborne and this “revolution” of love he was preaching based on the life of Jesus and the emphasis of Jesus’ ministry, realized that some American Christians were actually “Getting” what the Kingdom was all about and wanted to attend.
What would happen in our world if we committed to raise our kids to think in terms of the “kingdom?” Although there are books out there challenging our thoughts about Christianity today by Clairborne, Campolo, McClarren and so many more written on another level of academia…..how great would it be if there were a manual for parents and families on these issues as well? Pulling out truths and practical application for Christians in helping their children experience and know God in this way from an early age?
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