Saturday, January 9, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Dreams + Urbana.
It's almost impossible to dream when you live in a bubble, to imagine a new and different world when all you know is your own. I think this is one of the greatest challenges for American Christians my age. We live in so many bubbles. I live in so many isolated bubbles. There's the "Gordon bubble". For a while I was in the "YWAM bubble". I've lived in my own church's bubble my whole life. And the biggest of all is the "American bubble".
Bubbles blind the eyes of faith, they keep us from dreaming, they hinder ambition, they limit the scope of our imagination in the exchange for security. We trade the inevitable tomorrow for the guarantee of safety. We trade endless possibilities for the predictable. I don't think we do this intentionally though. I think most people don't even know that there is a world of great challenges and opportunities awaiting them.
The greatest part of Urbana was being surrounded by students so full of dreams. It's easier to dream without skeptics around. Hearing the stories of an older generation who chose to dream made me believe that I could do the same. I held the 1946 decision card of Dave Howard, college roomate of Jim Elliot. He made a decision to dream 63 years ago, and as I looked into that old man's eyes I could see no regret. I've also made a decision to dream.
I don't blame you if you choose to live in your bubble instead of embracing crazy dreams and embarking upon wild journeys. I wish I could go back to a time when my dreams didn't ache within me. A time before I saw the world. Before its daunting challenges and opportunities didn't light a flame in my soul. But I have chosen to dream. Or rather God's dreams have chosen me. And I can't return now, I can only invite you to join me in dreaming...
Of a world where people with HIV/AIDS aren't ostracized by the Church and don't have to die in shame.
Of a world where people truly experience the unconditional love of Christ.
Of a world where being born into poverty doesn't mean dieing in poverty.
Of a world where the dreams of a kid born in a township can be realized and exceeded.
Of a world where love abounds, and where reconciliation is a lived reality not simply an ideal.
Of a Church that actually serves the poor and oppressed. Of a Bride with healing and freedom as the the train of her gown.
I dream of greatness.
Bubbles blind the eyes of faith, they keep us from dreaming, they hinder ambition, they limit the scope of our imagination in the exchange for security. We trade the inevitable tomorrow for the guarantee of safety. We trade endless possibilities for the predictable. I don't think we do this intentionally though. I think most people don't even know that there is a world of great challenges and opportunities awaiting them.
The greatest part of Urbana was being surrounded by students so full of dreams. It's easier to dream without skeptics around. Hearing the stories of an older generation who chose to dream made me believe that I could do the same. I held the 1946 decision card of Dave Howard, college roomate of Jim Elliot. He made a decision to dream 63 years ago, and as I looked into that old man's eyes I could see no regret. I've also made a decision to dream.
I don't blame you if you choose to live in your bubble instead of embracing crazy dreams and embarking upon wild journeys. I wish I could go back to a time when my dreams didn't ache within me. A time before I saw the world. Before its daunting challenges and opportunities didn't light a flame in my soul. But I have chosen to dream. Or rather God's dreams have chosen me. And I can't return now, I can only invite you to join me in dreaming...
Of a world where people with HIV/AIDS aren't ostracized by the Church and don't have to die in shame.
Of a world where people truly experience the unconditional love of Christ.
Of a world where being born into poverty doesn't mean dieing in poverty.
Of a world where the dreams of a kid born in a township can be realized and exceeded.
Of a world where love abounds, and where reconciliation is a lived reality not simply an ideal.
Of a Church that actually serves the poor and oppressed. Of a Bride with healing and freedom as the the train of her gown.
I dream of greatness.
"It is possible to avoid a multitude of sorrows through the cultivation of an insignificant life. Indeed, if a person's ambition is to avoid the troubles of life, the recipe is simple: shed your ambitions in every direction, cut the wings of every soaring purpose, and seek a life with the fewest contacts and relations. If you want to get through life with the smallest trouble, you must reduce yourself to the smallest compass. Tiny souls can dodge through life; bigger souls are blocked on every side. As soon as a person begins to enlarge his or her life, resistances are multiplied. Let a person remove petty selfish purposes and enthrone Christ, and sufferings will be increased on every side."
-John Henry Jowett, British pastor in the 19th century.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
I'm Advertizing Three Books...
These are the three books I'm currently reading. This is the thing... you need to read them too because they are amazing well written books by people I deeply respect.Happy New Year.
I Met Shane Claiborne
People tend to act weird around people they admire. I stood in line today to get a book signed by a famous author and watched countless individuals stare, fidget, make corny jokes, and ask friends to take their pictures. It made me wonder why truly great people make such an impact on us and cause us to act all weird. I think it’s because secretly we wish we could be like them, we wish we had their guts. So instead we claim to support their message… we buy multiple copies of their books get those books signed, and post our pictures with them on Facebook. The author was Shane Claiborne and whether we agree with him, I think we all wish we could be like him. We all wish we were great. We all wish our lives could make a difference. We all wish we were courageous and radical and followed Jesus in a way that shook things up. As I stood in that line today I came to the conclusion that I was going to be great. I don’t think it was a selfish thought; I simply want my life to matter. There’s something about greatness that can’t be explained in words or summed up with adjectives. There’s something about greatness that goes beyond success or talent. There’s something authentic about greatness that resonates in our heart and soul… we can feel it.
The other day Uncle Paul made a comment that resonated with me. He said that average leaders care about what people think about them whereas great leaders are concerned with what they can get others to believe about themselves. He was paraphrasing a British evangelist
named Steve Chalke who said, "Leadership is not what I can get you to think about me. Leadership is what I can you to think about yourself." My hope is that like Jesus, I can help others to believe in the possibilities of what God can do through them.
I’m learning to be great by learning to serve. We’ll see how this goes…
The other day Uncle Paul made a comment that resonated with me. He said that average leaders care about what people think about them whereas great leaders are concerned with what they can get others to believe about themselves. He was paraphrasing a British evangelist
named Steve Chalke who said, "Leadership is not what I can get you to think about me. Leadership is what I can you to think about yourself." My hope is that like Jesus, I can help others to believe in the possibilities of what God can do through them.
I’m learning to be great by learning to serve. We’ll see how this goes…
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Thomas Merton Quote
Luke passed this quote along to me... and so I'm passing it along to al of you.
"Most of you, even with all that you have to suffer, are much better off than you realize. Yet the heart of man can be full of so much pain, even when things are exteriorly "all right". It becomes all the more difficult because today we are used to thinking that there are explanations for everything. But there is no explanation for most of what goes on in our own hearts... No use resorting to mental tranquilizers that even religious explanations sometimes offer. Faith must be deeper than that, rooted in the unknown and in the abyss of darkness that is the ground of our being. No use teasing the darkness to try to make answers grow out of it. But if we learn how to have a deep inner patience...God solves them...but do not expect to see how. Just learn to wait, and do what you can and help other people."
-Thomas Merton. The Road to Joy.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
My Thoughts on HIV/AIDS after Living in Africa.
What breaks my heart, disgusts, and upsets me more than anything else concerning HIV/AIDS is the religious and social stigma that accompanies the disease. A guy by the name of Doug Fountain was on the verge of tears as he told our group the story of Mary; a UCU student that died of AIDS a couple of years back. Doug was giving our group a presentation on HIV/AIDS and claimed she would probably still be alive if she hadn’t been ashamed to get treatment. Mary kept her condition a secret, for fear she would be shunned by the Church, and died.
As if having a deadly disease isn’t bad enough the Church often adds shame, and ostracism. It may be very easy to cast judgment on the church in Africa and say it’s wrong and evil that they would ever ostracize anyone with a deadly disease. But we do the same exact thing. The issue may not be AIDS that you feel as though you need to hide or be ashamed of, but the issue sure is sex, or pornography, or cutting. Or maybe I'm the only one with real issues. The one thing we can learn from Mary is that secrets kill, you may not physically die, but emotionally and spiritually, secrets will eventually kill you.
How does the religion that kills people like Mary also claim to simultaneously follow Jesus? Jesus forgave and redeemed the humanity of the most shameful sinners of his society. He was scandalously popular among “women of the night”, tax collectors, lepers, Samaritans and other social outcasts. How does the Church claim to follow in the footsteps of Jesus when there are students dying due to shame at our universities? Or when there are Christians secretly struggling with drug addiction, pornography, and eating disorders; hiding in church pews across America? We surely cannot claim to follow Christ.
Jesus constantly challenged pharisaic religiosity with audacity and chutzpah. He relentlessly opposed religion that heaped on guilt, shame, condemnation, or secrecy. I believe that Jesus didn’t tolerate that kind of religion because it breeds pride and ultimately kills people; literally in Mary’s case. In the face of strict legalism, Jesus invited his followers to take upon them his yoke, which was light and his burden, which was easy. In translating The Message, Eugene Peterson paraphrases this portion of Scripture:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly.”
I would be willing to bet Mary’s life that she was “burned out on religion” which Jesus would have set her free from had He had the chance. It’s very unfortunate that his Bride couldn’t afford Him that opportunity. But maybe Jesus’ offer isn’t intended for those with HIV/AIDS.
In one of Jesus’ last teachings before being crucified he condemns the Pharisees and teachers of the Law to hell because of their dead religious legalism. He knows that their religious system won’t save them and warns the people, “They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.” Jesus continues,
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to… Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.”
The difference between the religion of the Pharisees and that of Jesus is the freedom that following Jesus produces. Freedom, that comes from the ability to be open and honest without fear of judgment and condemnation; the freedom to respond to grace. Jesus never condones sin, but neither does He condemn sinners, He convicts, forgives and sets free. Why is it so hard for the Church to do that as well? It is as if Christians are afraid that if we start loving sinners we have somehow compromised our moral convictions. It is as if Christians think offering sinners grace isn’t fair. For some reason, I think Jesus’ forgiveness and grace makes people uncomfortable because it’s not fair. As if it’s too good to be true.
John 8 provides a powerful illustration of how I believe Christians are supposed to deal with HIV/AIDS, and any other issues the Church deems taboo. Religious leaders bring Jesus a woman that has been caught in adultery, and deserves to be stoned. Jesus says the person who is without sin should cast the first stone. Then Jesus says something that I believe is profound, “neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” Jesus does what the Church finds so difficult. Challenge people to change without the unnecessary condemnation. Jesus doesn’t ignore the woman’s sinful lifestyle, but He doesn’t condemn her either. Hopefully sooner than later people will begin to flock to Christian environments because of the love and acceptance they feel. Hopefully sooner than later Christians will start loving people like Jesus.
The Church worldwide is constantly tempted to fall into the trap of legalism and religion. Hopefully we can grasp hold of grace in time to care for a broken and dying world. Maybe in the process Christ will heal a broken and HIV positive Church as well.
As if having a deadly disease isn’t bad enough the Church often adds shame, and ostracism. It may be very easy to cast judgment on the church in Africa and say it’s wrong and evil that they would ever ostracize anyone with a deadly disease. But we do the same exact thing. The issue may not be AIDS that you feel as though you need to hide or be ashamed of, but the issue sure is sex, or pornography, or cutting. Or maybe I'm the only one with real issues. The one thing we can learn from Mary is that secrets kill, you may not physically die, but emotionally and spiritually, secrets will eventually kill you.
How does the religion that kills people like Mary also claim to simultaneously follow Jesus? Jesus forgave and redeemed the humanity of the most shameful sinners of his society. He was scandalously popular among “women of the night”, tax collectors, lepers, Samaritans and other social outcasts. How does the Church claim to follow in the footsteps of Jesus when there are students dying due to shame at our universities? Or when there are Christians secretly struggling with drug addiction, pornography, and eating disorders; hiding in church pews across America? We surely cannot claim to follow Christ.
Jesus constantly challenged pharisaic religiosity with audacity and chutzpah. He relentlessly opposed religion that heaped on guilt, shame, condemnation, or secrecy. I believe that Jesus didn’t tolerate that kind of religion because it breeds pride and ultimately kills people; literally in Mary’s case. In the face of strict legalism, Jesus invited his followers to take upon them his yoke, which was light and his burden, which was easy. In translating The Message, Eugene Peterson paraphrases this portion of Scripture:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly.”
I would be willing to bet Mary’s life that she was “burned out on religion” which Jesus would have set her free from had He had the chance. It’s very unfortunate that his Bride couldn’t afford Him that opportunity. But maybe Jesus’ offer isn’t intended for those with HIV/AIDS.
In one of Jesus’ last teachings before being crucified he condemns the Pharisees and teachers of the Law to hell because of their dead religious legalism. He knows that their religious system won’t save them and warns the people, “They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.” Jesus continues,
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to… Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.”
The difference between the religion of the Pharisees and that of Jesus is the freedom that following Jesus produces. Freedom, that comes from the ability to be open and honest without fear of judgment and condemnation; the freedom to respond to grace. Jesus never condones sin, but neither does He condemn sinners, He convicts, forgives and sets free. Why is it so hard for the Church to do that as well? It is as if Christians are afraid that if we start loving sinners we have somehow compromised our moral convictions. It is as if Christians think offering sinners grace isn’t fair. For some reason, I think Jesus’ forgiveness and grace makes people uncomfortable because it’s not fair. As if it’s too good to be true.
John 8 provides a powerful illustration of how I believe Christians are supposed to deal with HIV/AIDS, and any other issues the Church deems taboo. Religious leaders bring Jesus a woman that has been caught in adultery, and deserves to be stoned. Jesus says the person who is without sin should cast the first stone. Then Jesus says something that I believe is profound, “neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” Jesus does what the Church finds so difficult. Challenge people to change without the unnecessary condemnation. Jesus doesn’t ignore the woman’s sinful lifestyle, but He doesn’t condemn her either. Hopefully sooner than later people will begin to flock to Christian environments because of the love and acceptance they feel. Hopefully sooner than later Christians will start loving people like Jesus.
The Church worldwide is constantly tempted to fall into the trap of legalism and religion. Hopefully we can grasp hold of grace in time to care for a broken and dying world. Maybe in the process Christ will heal a broken and HIV positive Church as well.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Tow Quotes and Countless More Questions.
"There are years that ask questions and years that answer."-Zora Neale HurstonDuring the past two or so years I've been confronted with more of the world than I could have ever expected. I've visited Rwanda and learned about a genocide first hand and asked God how are humans are even capable of such large scale murder. I've walked through red light districts in Thailand. And asked God is there even hope for a world where a "Disneyland for pedophiles" exists. I've heard firsthand stories of HIV/AIDS victims and asked God why He doesn't choose to heal more often. I've lived in Uganda for the past three months and I'm asking God how can I even begin to address the social issues of my time. I'm asking what it means to really follow Christ in such a broken world. I have so many questions. About my calling. About my identity. About the world we dwell and the gospel we proclaim. And for the first time I'm content with having no answers. All the questions in my soul have produced a tension that only produces more question. I never want to stop wrestling with the questions of this life, of this generation. My only hope is that in wrestling and grappling with the questions of my heart Christ becomes an ever more relevant answer. My other hope is that He causes my life to be some sort of answer as well."...I would like to beg you dear Sir, as well as I can, to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don't search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer."- Rainer Maria Rilke (1903) in Letters to a Young Poet
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Funny Stories from the Journey...
Two weeks ago I embarked on my “rural home stay”, meaning I spent 10 days in the bush/village completely disconnected with society… maybe that’s an exaggeration. I learned lots of “life changing” lessons… but you’ll have to wait for that. For now let’s just laugh…
The first night I get there I have to poop (I had the runs) so my host dad leads me out to the pit latrine… which is basically a tin shack with a hole in the floor… a step down from a squatty potty although there is still lots of squatting involved. So, I thought I had positioned my anal sphincter directly over the hole so I would poop right in, nice and neat… NO SIR. My diarrhea was a bit more explosive than I had originally anticipated and I pooped all over the floor of the pit latrine. I finally cleaned everything up and open the door to find out that my host dad had been waiting for me the entire time I was in the pit latrine, meaning he heard everything… and trust me there was a lot to hear because it was the loudest poop of my life.
Later that night I had to vomit but couldn’t make it outside fast enough because I couldn’t see anything (there was no electricity in the whole village…) so I vomited on my family’s floor. Needless to say I felt bad about vomiting on my new family's floor, until I found out that the floor was made out of cow dung and ash… cow poop and ash… I stopped apologizing at that point. Perspective changes everything.
My last night in the village my family slaughtered a chicken for me. Then they informed me that it’s customary for the guests to eat the gizzards and other chicken organs… I almost gagged in my host mother’s face. Oh, I almost forgot! We were dissecting the chicken and I swear I see an egg. My dad then asks, “You want to eat that egg? If we had let the chicken live one more day it would have laid the egg and we would have had a baby chick.” So by this point I’m still wondering what exactly is going to happen to the baby chick-egg… we sit down to eat dinner and my host mom popped that sucker right in her mouth like it was a hard-boiled egg… she ate a chicken fetus!!! Needless to say I gagged all the way through dinner and nearly vomited again. Oh... I definitely didn’t eat the chicken organs. Do you know me?
Other than that it was great I just had to get those stories out of the way…
Drew and Cameron… if you happen to read the blog post below know that I love you, and God has used to teach a valuable lesson…
The first night I get there I have to poop (I had the runs) so my host dad leads me out to the pit latrine… which is basically a tin shack with a hole in the floor… a step down from a squatty potty although there is still lots of squatting involved. So, I thought I had positioned my anal sphincter directly over the hole so I would poop right in, nice and neat… NO SIR. My diarrhea was a bit more explosive than I had originally anticipated and I pooped all over the floor of the pit latrine. I finally cleaned everything up and open the door to find out that my host dad had been waiting for me the entire time I was in the pit latrine, meaning he heard everything… and trust me there was a lot to hear because it was the loudest poop of my life.
Later that night I had to vomit but couldn’t make it outside fast enough because I couldn’t see anything (there was no electricity in the whole village…) so I vomited on my family’s floor. Needless to say I felt bad about vomiting on my new family's floor, until I found out that the floor was made out of cow dung and ash… cow poop and ash… I stopped apologizing at that point. Perspective changes everything.
My last night in the village my family slaughtered a chicken for me. Then they informed me that it’s customary for the guests to eat the gizzards and other chicken organs… I almost gagged in my host mother’s face. Oh, I almost forgot! We were dissecting the chicken and I swear I see an egg. My dad then asks, “You want to eat that egg? If we had let the chicken live one more day it would have laid the egg and we would have had a baby chick.” So by this point I’m still wondering what exactly is going to happen to the baby chick-egg… we sit down to eat dinner and my host mom popped that sucker right in her mouth like it was a hard-boiled egg… she ate a chicken fetus!!! Needless to say I gagged all the way through dinner and nearly vomited again. Oh... I definitely didn’t eat the chicken organs. Do you know me?
Other than that it was great I just had to get those stories out of the way…
Drew and Cameron… if you happen to read the blog post below know that I love you, and God has used to teach a valuable lesson…
Hard Lesson Learned.
When I found out that I was sharing a room with Cameron and Drew I almost asked if I could switch, but I knew that Seth (one of my trip leaders) would laugh and say no, so I simply chuckled and proceeded to my room. If I had to name two people in USP that I’m the least likely to be friends with it would be Drew and Cameron. In fact, plainly speaking, I just don’t like them. On each of our IMME weekend trips I have literally prayed that I wouldn’t have to share a room with Drew and when Cameron speaks in class I cringe. There’s no explanation for why I don’t like them – I just don’t. We just don’t “click”.
As we arrived at Sipi Falls, Seth gave me my room key and my room assignment and I was certain that God was in heaven laughing at me. I walked to my room and resolved to thinking God had done this to me on purpose. I still believe God was the culprit behind it, only now I couldn’t be more grateful.
If the same scenario had played out just weeks prior I probably would have had an attitude most of the time and simply kept quiet, but the beauty of community that I saw in Kapturwa made it impossible for me to do that. Community in Kapturwa wasn’t a commodity to be chosen based on preference and personality. Community thrived because of an underlying commitment that people had to one another. Unlike many Americans who have the option of “shopping” for churches, friends, spouses, houses and neighborhoods most people in Kapturwa are committed to the communities they live in; there is no exit option that so many Americans take full advantage of. They are tied to the land and to one another in interdependent relationship. There is no choosing who one’s neighbor will be, yet the command to love is obeyed. There is no choice as to what church one will attend since there is only one church in the community I lived yet the command to love is obeyed. There is no choice in the matter of relationship and community yet cords of love bind the people together and they are free. Free to experience true community, true reconciliation, and true relationship.
In Irresistible Revolution, Shane Claiborne says, “I feel sorry that so many of us have settled for a lonely world of independence and riches when we could all experience the fullness of life in community and independence.” So often I confuse freedom with “the lonely world of independence” that Shane talks about, but the truth is that although community requires a sacrifice of certain independence, it’s a lifestyle that Christ sets us free to live, meaning it’s a lifestyle loaded with greater amounts of freedom, not less.
I’ve heard it said that love must be freely chosen. But what if I can’t trust my own judgment? What if, because of my sin nature, I only choose relationships and friendships with selfish motives? In a world where relationships are often reduced to commodities, I have lots to learn from the people of Kapturwa. While at Sipi Falls I learned that Cameron and Drew are great, funny, smart guys, but I would have never known that if it were dependant upon my own choice. I learned that they have interesting life stories, but would have never heard them. I learned that there are more similarities between us than differences, but I would have never discovered that. I would have missed out on encountering people with infinite value.
Typically, when getting to know people, if I find out something about someone or observe a personality flaw that I don’t like or that “turns me off” my natural instinct is to disengage or draw back. Unfortunately it seems as though Jesus’ reaction is the exact opposite. He draws even closer when He observes the negative qualities and flaws in a person. Is this commitment to relationship supposed to be my response as well? As a follower of Christ am I not obliged to display this radical call to commitment and community in my life? Did Christ “invest” into relationships as if they were commodities? Or did He not even love Judas, who stole from the group’s resources and would later betray Jesus? What if relationship, like forgiveness, isn’t a matter of choice for those who follow Christ, but a matter of commitment to one another? When Christ called the disciples to follow him did he not also call them into relationship with one another?
It seems that most people choose friends the same way they choose their wardrobe or the car they will drive – to secure or improve their social status. Most people want to be friends with people who are “cool”, smart, popular, or beautiful. Whether we are in junior High School, College, or checking out a new church, people choose friends to secure their place in the societal totem poles we erect. I’ve probably been guilty of this since grade school, but I believe Christ sets us free from operating in relationship through this dysfunctional means. I believe he calls His followers to radically love one another, to draw closer to one another even when the natural tendency is to disengage, to base our relationships on something more solid that social status, attraction, or mutual interest. Henri Nouwen agrees in his book Compassion, writing that:
“In and through Christ we receive a new identity that enables us to say, ‘I am not the esteem I can collect through competition, but the love I have freely received from God’… Through union with God, we are lifted out of our competitiveness with each other into the divine wholeness. By sharing in the wholeness of the one in whom no competition exists, we can enter into new compassionate relationship with each other.”
I have become convinced that Christ doesn’t set us free to simply choose the coolest Christian friends we can find in order to validate and secure our identity in the world. Christ sets us free and makes community possible through a deep commitment to Him and others. Christ sets us free from measuring others and ourselves by a standard that doesn’t exist. Christ sets us free to love and love freely.
As we arrived at Sipi Falls, Seth gave me my room key and my room assignment and I was certain that God was in heaven laughing at me. I walked to my room and resolved to thinking God had done this to me on purpose. I still believe God was the culprit behind it, only now I couldn’t be more grateful.
If the same scenario had played out just weeks prior I probably would have had an attitude most of the time and simply kept quiet, but the beauty of community that I saw in Kapturwa made it impossible for me to do that. Community in Kapturwa wasn’t a commodity to be chosen based on preference and personality. Community thrived because of an underlying commitment that people had to one another. Unlike many Americans who have the option of “shopping” for churches, friends, spouses, houses and neighborhoods most people in Kapturwa are committed to the communities they live in; there is no exit option that so many Americans take full advantage of. They are tied to the land and to one another in interdependent relationship. There is no choosing who one’s neighbor will be, yet the command to love is obeyed. There is no choice as to what church one will attend since there is only one church in the community I lived yet the command to love is obeyed. There is no choice in the matter of relationship and community yet cords of love bind the people together and they are free. Free to experience true community, true reconciliation, and true relationship.
In Irresistible Revolution, Shane Claiborne says, “I feel sorry that so many of us have settled for a lonely world of independence and riches when we could all experience the fullness of life in community and independence.” So often I confuse freedom with “the lonely world of independence” that Shane talks about, but the truth is that although community requires a sacrifice of certain independence, it’s a lifestyle that Christ sets us free to live, meaning it’s a lifestyle loaded with greater amounts of freedom, not less.
I’ve heard it said that love must be freely chosen. But what if I can’t trust my own judgment? What if, because of my sin nature, I only choose relationships and friendships with selfish motives? In a world where relationships are often reduced to commodities, I have lots to learn from the people of Kapturwa. While at Sipi Falls I learned that Cameron and Drew are great, funny, smart guys, but I would have never known that if it were dependant upon my own choice. I learned that they have interesting life stories, but would have never heard them. I learned that there are more similarities between us than differences, but I would have never discovered that. I would have missed out on encountering people with infinite value.
Typically, when getting to know people, if I find out something about someone or observe a personality flaw that I don’t like or that “turns me off” my natural instinct is to disengage or draw back. Unfortunately it seems as though Jesus’ reaction is the exact opposite. He draws even closer when He observes the negative qualities and flaws in a person. Is this commitment to relationship supposed to be my response as well? As a follower of Christ am I not obliged to display this radical call to commitment and community in my life? Did Christ “invest” into relationships as if they were commodities? Or did He not even love Judas, who stole from the group’s resources and would later betray Jesus? What if relationship, like forgiveness, isn’t a matter of choice for those who follow Christ, but a matter of commitment to one another? When Christ called the disciples to follow him did he not also call them into relationship with one another?
It seems that most people choose friends the same way they choose their wardrobe or the car they will drive – to secure or improve their social status. Most people want to be friends with people who are “cool”, smart, popular, or beautiful. Whether we are in junior High School, College, or checking out a new church, people choose friends to secure their place in the societal totem poles we erect. I’ve probably been guilty of this since grade school, but I believe Christ sets us free from operating in relationship through this dysfunctional means. I believe he calls His followers to radically love one another, to draw closer to one another even when the natural tendency is to disengage, to base our relationships on something more solid that social status, attraction, or mutual interest. Henri Nouwen agrees in his book Compassion, writing that:
“In and through Christ we receive a new identity that enables us to say, ‘I am not the esteem I can collect through competition, but the love I have freely received from God’… Through union with God, we are lifted out of our competitiveness with each other into the divine wholeness. By sharing in the wholeness of the one in whom no competition exists, we can enter into new compassionate relationship with each other.”
I have become convinced that Christ doesn’t set us free to simply choose the coolest Christian friends we can find in order to validate and secure our identity in the world. Christ sets us free and makes community possible through a deep commitment to Him and others. Christ sets us free from measuring others and ourselves by a standard that doesn’t exist. Christ sets us free to love and love freely.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
More Pictures...
My crew... kinda
Me and Ronnie. He's the man.
Of course I videotape EVERYTHING...
Ronnie and Ruthie
Ruthie... I think she's beautiful. You should too.
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