(I know I stole the title from Gary A. Haugen, its just a good one!)
Well, Reader, in short, the answer is yes. I read recently that there are over 2,000 verses in the Bible concerning poverty and justice. Oh how closely are they linked! Does not the heart of God mourn over injustice? Is it not that the Spirit leads our hearts into conviction over what is wrong? Did not the Son weep and die for the sins of people?
What is the good news? God absolutely abhors it. The book of Amos in itself is almost entirely about God's anger against the injustice that he sees in his people. The poor are trampled upon (5:11), the needy have been crushed (4:1), and in all of these atrocities, the nation as a whole still continues to be prideful (6:8).
The Spirit of God speaks through Amos, condemning the hypocrisy that God sees. "I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and cereal offerings, I will not accept them, and the peace offerings of your fatted beast I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and the righteousness like an ever flowing stream" (5: 21-25).
God doesn't just want my lip service. He doesn't just want my money once in a while. He doesn't just want me to go about life as if in a zoo, look at poverty and injustice only to study and be amazed for a while only to move onto "more exciting" issues, he wants me to become a part of the change. This is the good news: I serve a God who cares for the needy, the poor, the widow and the orphan, who desires all to know Him. He is ever day inviting all of humanity into the glorious redemption of our souls, to do justice, love mercy, and to walk humbly with him.
It sounds nice, but it means giving up a lot of things that we have become accustomed to. Will we be ready to become the ones who bring justice to people who want keep others oppressed? Will we be willing to go forth into a land where you can be killed for the sake of the Gospel? Will we continually be looking for ways to serve a God who calls us to do good things concerning injustice at our own expense?
I think it may be worth it. I haven't much to complain about yet...but perhaps it is because I haven't been risking enough.
Thanks to the Invisible Children organization for reminding me of the good news.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
The Process of Elimination...
In trying to discover what the rest of my life has for me career-wise, I have decided to come up with a list of things that I am almost certain will not happen. Not to say that they never never never will or that God can't do incredible things, but I don't think these are on the list.
-Cake Decorator. For our student leadership Christmas party, I was put in charge of making the cupcakes. We had decided to be creative and place them on the table like a Christmas tree, with some being green for the tree, some brown for the trunk, and purple and yellow ones for the ornaments. One of the other staff members had purchased the mixes and the ingredients to make butter-cream frosting from scratch, as well as telling me how to do it a couple of days before. I thought to myself, "Awesome! I love this job. By far the best one to have. Its going to be a piece of cake."
Yeah right! Butter-cream frosting and I did not agree. It was too runny, the butter did not cream with the sugar, and the brown for the tree trunk actually did look like a tree trunk! The texture was all wrong and definitely not smooth like real frosting should be. One of the students, bless her heart, came up to me and asked how I made the brown ones actually look like real trees! Cake decorating--OUT.
-Racecar Driving. Scary drivers do precisely that-scare me! Why on earth would want to ever go that fast?
-A Therapist. For part of the student leadership training before the spring semester, we had the entire staff and leadership team take a spiritual gifts test that we got from a huge church somewhere in the Midwest. I scored high on a number of things, but when it came down to the gift of Mercy, I only had one out of twelve. Machiavelli, apparently I agree with you. Better to be feared than to be loved.
-Someone who Works at a Plant Nursery. Within the past six months, I have effectively killed three orchids, and soon a poinsettia will be on the list as well. Rest in peace, plants. I tried to love you well. On a better note, my "money tree" is thriving, thanks to the fact that I only really need to water it once a month (also thanks to Shannon, my wonderful friend who bought it upon my graduation!).
-A Wedding Coordinator. I love a good wedding just as much as the next person, but after seeing four within a span of six weeks, you get a little tired out. And they can be stressful!! Never mess with a bride on her wedding day. She will not like jokes until after the ceremony is done and she has had something to eat. I think the extent of my sympathy for a stressed bride would be to throw a granola bar in her general direction and tell her to check her teeth before she takes the pictures.
-Cake Decorator. For our student leadership Christmas party, I was put in charge of making the cupcakes. We had decided to be creative and place them on the table like a Christmas tree, with some being green for the tree, some brown for the trunk, and purple and yellow ones for the ornaments. One of the other staff members had purchased the mixes and the ingredients to make butter-cream frosting from scratch, as well as telling me how to do it a couple of days before. I thought to myself, "Awesome! I love this job. By far the best one to have. Its going to be a piece of cake."
Yeah right! Butter-cream frosting and I did not agree. It was too runny, the butter did not cream with the sugar, and the brown for the tree trunk actually did look like a tree trunk! The texture was all wrong and definitely not smooth like real frosting should be. One of the students, bless her heart, came up to me and asked how I made the brown ones actually look like real trees! Cake decorating--OUT.
-Racecar Driving. Scary drivers do precisely that-scare me! Why on earth would want to ever go that fast?
-A Therapist. For part of the student leadership training before the spring semester, we had the entire staff and leadership team take a spiritual gifts test that we got from a huge church somewhere in the Midwest. I scored high on a number of things, but when it came down to the gift of Mercy, I only had one out of twelve. Machiavelli, apparently I agree with you. Better to be feared than to be loved.
-Someone who Works at a Plant Nursery. Within the past six months, I have effectively killed three orchids, and soon a poinsettia will be on the list as well. Rest in peace, plants. I tried to love you well. On a better note, my "money tree" is thriving, thanks to the fact that I only really need to water it once a month (also thanks to Shannon, my wonderful friend who bought it upon my graduation!).
-A Wedding Coordinator. I love a good wedding just as much as the next person, but after seeing four within a span of six weeks, you get a little tired out. And they can be stressful!! Never mess with a bride on her wedding day. She will not like jokes until after the ceremony is done and she has had something to eat. I think the extent of my sympathy for a stressed bride would be to throw a granola bar in her general direction and tell her to check her teeth before she takes the pictures.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Time Spent With the Merwin Family
Here are some of the highlights from working with the Merwin Family-
- Bobby Merwin is the resident fourth grader in the house. He is your typical 10 year old boy, enrolled in martial arts, soccer, and speech therapy. He makes me want to have boys simply because of his excitement and view on life. Once I was driving him to his speech therapy appointment, and as we were walking out to the car, he pulls a 9-Volt battery. Upon my question of why he had a battery, he said that he likes to play with them sometimes. "And they make my tongue tickle when I lick them."
Now why wouldn't I want to play with a battery?
- One day Brenda, the mother of the house, was complaining about certain emails she kept on receiving. She was complaining to another employee, Justin. "Justin, some random person just decided to follow me on Twitter. Why on earth would they want to follow me if I didn't know them?" I think the question is why does Brenda have an account on Tiwtter anyway?
Trinity, the youngest kid and one of the cutest first grader you have ever seen, is recently discovering that boys might not have cooties. I think it is too early for this. She tells me class secrets, like that Jake loves Stephanie but Stephanie loves Ryan. Ryan loves Tiffany, and Andy loves her. One day I asked her if she loved anyone, and she said, "No...why would I do that?" Smart girl. She can wait a few more years.
- Bobby Merwin is the resident fourth grader in the house. He is your typical 10 year old boy, enrolled in martial arts, soccer, and speech therapy. He makes me want to have boys simply because of his excitement and view on life. Once I was driving him to his speech therapy appointment, and as we were walking out to the car, he pulls a 9-Volt battery. Upon my question of why he had a battery, he said that he likes to play with them sometimes. "And they make my tongue tickle when I lick them."
Now why wouldn't I want to play with a battery?
- One day Brenda, the mother of the house, was complaining about certain emails she kept on receiving. She was complaining to another employee, Justin. "Justin, some random person just decided to follow me on Twitter. Why on earth would they want to follow me if I didn't know them?" I think the question is why does Brenda have an account on Tiwtter anyway?
Trinity, the youngest kid and one of the cutest first grader you have ever seen, is recently discovering that boys might not have cooties. I think it is too early for this. She tells me class secrets, like that Jake loves Stephanie but Stephanie loves Ryan. Ryan loves Tiffany, and Andy loves her. One day I asked her if she loved anyone, and she said, "No...why would I do that?" Smart girl. She can wait a few more years.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Lessons in Generosity
2009 is gone and over. It was a good year.
My word that I wanted to focus on was generosity. In light of God's generosity towards us, I wanted to spend a year reflecting a life lived out of this type of overabundant, generous heart.
generous:
a : characterized by a noble or forbearing spirit : magnanimous, kindly b : liberal in giving : openhanded c : marked by abundance or ample proportions : copious
Irony seemed prevalent this year. As much as I wanted to be a more generous person with my time, money, resources, etc., it seemed that God had a different way of teaching me this trait. It seems as if I have experienced generosity much more from both God and other people than I have given it myself. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining in the least. It has been a wonderful year spent focusing on this virtue. Here are a few of the moments in which I have been overwhelmed--
-My roommate and I have been given two cars to share from friends. Yes, two cars to us free of charge and no strings attached. Wow!
-Fundraising for the internship with InterVarsity wasn't half as hard as I was expecting it to be. It was wonderful to watch friends and family wanting to participate in the ministry at Sonoma State and give of their finances to do so. It sometimes came from unsuspecting sources that I would have never imagined giving at all (or at least in the amounts that they did!), but God works in mysterious and wonderful ways, yes?
-I had the opportunity to count an offering that was taken at the Fall Conference that the Sonoma State InterVarsity chapter participated in this year. We had the honor of having with us a missionary couple from Bulgaria through InterVarsity Link Staff with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES ). The offering was taken specifically to be given to the student movement in Bulgaria through IFES and was to be used in student leadership training. I was blown away by the generosity of the students. Not only did they give, but they gave generously. Around 500 students gave close to $8,000 at a conference they had already paid 100 bucks for. I counted checks for ten dollars, as well as ones for one hundred. Some students threw in the change they had in their pockets, others five dollar bills. So much for the poor college student facade. They gave generously.
In light of God's generosity towards His people, I will continue to search after this valuable trait. But as for my focus for 2010, it will be spend searching after what it means to have abundant faith.
Faith:
a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust
3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs
Sounds good to me! Praying that the new year will be spent in growing what it means to have big faith.
My word that I wanted to focus on was generosity. In light of God's generosity towards us, I wanted to spend a year reflecting a life lived out of this type of overabundant, generous heart.
generous:
a : characterized by a noble or forbearing spirit : magnanimous, kindly b : liberal in giving : openhanded c : marked by abundance or ample proportions : copious
Irony seemed prevalent this year. As much as I wanted to be a more generous person with my time, money, resources, etc., it seemed that God had a different way of teaching me this trait. It seems as if I have experienced generosity much more from both God and other people than I have given it myself. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining in the least. It has been a wonderful year spent focusing on this virtue. Here are a few of the moments in which I have been overwhelmed--
-My roommate and I have been given two cars to share from friends. Yes, two cars to us free of charge and no strings attached. Wow!
-Fundraising for the internship with InterVarsity wasn't half as hard as I was expecting it to be. It was wonderful to watch friends and family wanting to participate in the ministry at Sonoma State and give of their finances to do so. It sometimes came from unsuspecting sources that I would have never imagined giving at all (or at least in the amounts that they did!), but God works in mysterious and wonderful ways, yes?
-I had the opportunity to count an offering that was taken at the Fall Conference that the Sonoma State InterVarsity chapter participated in this year. We had the honor of having with us a missionary couple from Bulgaria through InterVarsity Link Staff with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES ). The offering was taken specifically to be given to the student movement in Bulgaria through IFES and was to be used in student leadership training. I was blown away by the generosity of the students. Not only did they give, but they gave generously. Around 500 students gave close to $8,000 at a conference they had already paid 100 bucks for. I counted checks for ten dollars, as well as ones for one hundred. Some students threw in the change they had in their pockets, others five dollar bills. So much for the poor college student facade. They gave generously.
In light of God's generosity towards His people, I will continue to search after this valuable trait. But as for my focus for 2010, it will be spend searching after what it means to have abundant faith.
Faith:
a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust
3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs
Sounds good to me! Praying that the new year will be spent in growing what it means to have big faith.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
There Really Is No Place Like It...
As finals have come and gone at Sonoma State, I find myself watching the students leave for home as well. It has been fun seeing them glad to be done with the stressful, late nights of studying as well as itching to get back into their original zip codes. This year has been a little different for me, because I have had the pleasure (or torture, whichever way you look at it) of watching them all leave and go home.
This has produced a feeling within me that I haven't experienced much--loneliness. I've found myself calling at least one member of my immediate family every day just to hear their voices. I know its only a few days away, but I simply can't wait until 4:00 rolls around on Tuesday afternoon! I'm packing up my car that morning and heading straight from work back to the 916.
Ah I can't wait for hugs.
This has produced a feeling within me that I haven't experienced much--loneliness. I've found myself calling at least one member of my immediate family every day just to hear their voices. I know its only a few days away, but I simply can't wait until 4:00 rolls around on Tuesday afternoon! I'm packing up my car that morning and heading straight from work back to the 916.
Ah I can't wait for hugs.
Monday, December 7, 2009
In Reflection of the Almost Snow in Rohnert Park...
...I wrote a haiku.
Winter is here now
And the fields are frosted white
Gleaming in the sun.
Here is one about the cat at my work.
Knee is a big joint
Or maybe he's a fat cat
Waiting to be pet.
Here is one about my luck with orchids.
Crisp white petals glow
Until they started to wilt
From lack of water.
Thanks for reading my thoughts.
Winter is here now
And the fields are frosted white
Gleaming in the sun.
Here is one about the cat at my work.
Knee is a big joint
Or maybe he's a fat cat
Waiting to be pet.
Here is one about my luck with orchids.
Crisp white petals glow
Until they started to wilt
From lack of water.
Thanks for reading my thoughts.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Things I'm Thankful For
I know its not November anymore (or Thanksgiving, for that matter), but I figured in the spirit of the season, I'll write my list anyway.
I am thankful for:
My Wonderful Family. I just had the pleasure of spending five and a half days with them last week. I forgot sometimes how good home can feel, especially when all my sisters are home. Its fun to watch everyone enjoy each other. The house is busy and bustling with laughter. I LOVE IT!
My Snow Jacket. I know this may sound funny, but it comes in handy, even in Sonoma County where there is no snow. It has been so cold during the nights this week, and some of my friends have made fun of me wearing my snow jacket when it isn't even wet outside. But I am the one who laughs when they squeal as they walk out the door!
My Crock Pot. I just made some of the most delicious pasta sauce, and it was barely any work at all! Throw it all in before going to work in the morning, turn it on, and leave it to cook all day long, filling the house with delectable smells of tomatoes and garlic. Yum! No kitchen is complete without it.
Fog. Even though it can be a hassle to drive in sometimes, it sure is pretty! I think I'm going to miss it if I ever move away from Sonoma County.
Packages in the Mail. Brown paper packages tied up with string, anyone? I have a friend Alex who told me once that he loves getting packages so much that he always orders things online to mail one at a time as to receive more packages. Brilliant! I just got one in the mail today, filled with one of my favorite types of Ritter Sports (dark chocolate and hazelnuts), Christmas socks, snowflake tissues, and a jingle bell bracelet. Thanks Saint Nikoklas (or my mom, whoever reads this first).
Books. Just like any other self-proclaimed nerd, I gladly admit that I love books. I have particularly enjoyed revisiting a few of my favorite authors this past month: John Steinbeck and Harper Lee. At times it seems that I have forgotten who to read for pleasure, and then I simply pick up a masterpiece and read it simply for the sheer enjoyment of it.
My Friends. I have wonderful friends. I could sing their praises all day. Just ask. ;)
There are many many more, but these are a few of the ones that are sticking out to me right now.
I am thankful for:
My Wonderful Family. I just had the pleasure of spending five and a half days with them last week. I forgot sometimes how good home can feel, especially when all my sisters are home. Its fun to watch everyone enjoy each other. The house is busy and bustling with laughter. I LOVE IT!
My Snow Jacket. I know this may sound funny, but it comes in handy, even in Sonoma County where there is no snow. It has been so cold during the nights this week, and some of my friends have made fun of me wearing my snow jacket when it isn't even wet outside. But I am the one who laughs when they squeal as they walk out the door!
My Crock Pot. I just made some of the most delicious pasta sauce, and it was barely any work at all! Throw it all in before going to work in the morning, turn it on, and leave it to cook all day long, filling the house with delectable smells of tomatoes and garlic. Yum! No kitchen is complete without it.
Fog. Even though it can be a hassle to drive in sometimes, it sure is pretty! I think I'm going to miss it if I ever move away from Sonoma County.
Packages in the Mail. Brown paper packages tied up with string, anyone? I have a friend Alex who told me once that he loves getting packages so much that he always orders things online to mail one at a time as to receive more packages. Brilliant! I just got one in the mail today, filled with one of my favorite types of Ritter Sports (dark chocolate and hazelnuts), Christmas socks, snowflake tissues, and a jingle bell bracelet. Thanks Saint Nikoklas (or my mom, whoever reads this first).
Books. Just like any other self-proclaimed nerd, I gladly admit that I love books. I have particularly enjoyed revisiting a few of my favorite authors this past month: John Steinbeck and Harper Lee. At times it seems that I have forgotten who to read for pleasure, and then I simply pick up a masterpiece and read it simply for the sheer enjoyment of it.
My Friends. I have wonderful friends. I could sing their praises all day. Just ask. ;)
There are many many more, but these are a few of the ones that are sticking out to me right now.
Monday, October 26, 2009
A Day in the Life of...
7:15 Alarm goes off. Reset for another ten minutes.
7:25 Wake up for real. Shower and dry hair.
8:13 Tea kettle whistles. Lipton is in the making.
8:30 Re-read Isaiah 24. It confuses me and yet helps enlighten Romans 8.
8:40 Heading out to door and making my way to Petaluma.
8:54 Arrive at the Merwin's house, sit in the car for the remaining six minutes.
9:00 Walk into the house only to scare Bob when I come around the corner. He didn't hear me sneak in.
9:48 Dramatically unplug the coffee maker to avoid more overflowing of coffee and grounds all over the counter. Clean up ensues.
11:39 Think about how fall just makes me want to sit inside and bake all day. Contemplate asking Brenda if I can do that. Then reality kicks in...there is laundry to do.
12:30 Lunch time. Applesauce, string cheese, mashed potatoes, and lunch meat. Smorgasbord.
3:50 After an afternoon of laundry and bookkeeping, I'm off to taking Bobby to martial arts class.
4:22 Last minute decision to run to Goodwill and pick up some tapes for the tape deck in my car. Victory.
4:58 Cannot help but to laugh hard when what I think is going to be MCHammer turns out to be Mariachi love ballads. Leave it in the tape player for my roommates to enjoy.
6:03 Start preparing dinner and find that stuffed chicken is not as easy as it seems.
7:00 Inspiration for blog comes. Blogging follows.
7:25 Wake up for real. Shower and dry hair.
8:13 Tea kettle whistles. Lipton is in the making.
8:30 Re-read Isaiah 24. It confuses me and yet helps enlighten Romans 8.
8:40 Heading out to door and making my way to Petaluma.
8:54 Arrive at the Merwin's house, sit in the car for the remaining six minutes.
9:00 Walk into the house only to scare Bob when I come around the corner. He didn't hear me sneak in.
9:48 Dramatically unplug the coffee maker to avoid more overflowing of coffee and grounds all over the counter. Clean up ensues.
11:39 Think about how fall just makes me want to sit inside and bake all day. Contemplate asking Brenda if I can do that. Then reality kicks in...there is laundry to do.
12:30 Lunch time. Applesauce, string cheese, mashed potatoes, and lunch meat. Smorgasbord.
3:50 After an afternoon of laundry and bookkeeping, I'm off to taking Bobby to martial arts class.
4:22 Last minute decision to run to Goodwill and pick up some tapes for the tape deck in my car. Victory.
4:58 Cannot help but to laugh hard when what I think is going to be MCHammer turns out to be Mariachi love ballads. Leave it in the tape player for my roommates to enjoy.
6:03 Start preparing dinner and find that stuffed chicken is not as easy as it seems.
7:00 Inspiration for blog comes. Blogging follows.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Wise Wise Words
This past weekend my roommates Ashley, Jen, and I were helping Jen's grandmother clean out her apartment in San Francisco. Helene is a wonderful old Russian woman who is as cute as a button and funnier than Laurel & Hardy. Speaking with a thick accent, she kept us laughing all day with her exclamations about her cat, Ziggy (He only speaks Russian"), opening closets that literally haven't been opened in years to find them stuffed with toilet paper ("Now I can poop all over the place"), and her ability to cram lots of things into a relatively small apartment ("I just like things").
Helene has lived in the city for a very long time. She has lived in that apartment for twenty five years, and in November will be moving down near Riverside, CA, to be closer to her daughter and live in a retirement home. Since we are only an hour away instead of seven, we offered to help her purge before her big move. After we completed our day's tasks she sat us down among her box packed living room and offered us coffee and tea along with warmed pitas and delicious hummus. I thought it would be appropriate if I washed my hands before eating since I had been playing with the cat for the past ten minutes and headed into the kitchen to locate the nearest sink. Helene was hunting for some sort of spice or pepper to put in the hummus before serving it. She lightly tapped me on the hip for me to shuffle a bit to the left, so I smile and move so she can reach the cupboard. As she digs around through various spices and jars, she stops, sighs deeply, and says,
"Boy, am I going to miss this place."
She pauses.
So do I.
"Ah, but that's life."
Such simple words that I've heard countless times before no longer roll off my back. No, they hit me like a truck.
It is like what I've been feeling for months has been summed up in four words. There is nothing we can do to change or stop it, transition just happens. I have found that being in a big transition is strange. I didn't think it would last this long, that I would continue to feel somewhat lost in the world of adulthood, that I would miss friends and home so much. I thought that staying in the place I went to school wouldn't be as hard as leaving. I guess I forgot that others would leave. I guess I forgot that my time will come too.
The author of Ecclesiastes opens the third chapter with this:
For everything there is a season, and a time for ever matter under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silent, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. What gain has the worker from his toil?
A time for transition. All these things take time. Seasons. Fall Winter Spring Summer. Birth life death. Plant grow pluck. On and on.
Transition.
I am in transition.
It is hard.
It is good.
It is producing growth.
Ah, but that's life.
Helene has lived in the city for a very long time. She has lived in that apartment for twenty five years, and in November will be moving down near Riverside, CA, to be closer to her daughter and live in a retirement home. Since we are only an hour away instead of seven, we offered to help her purge before her big move. After we completed our day's tasks she sat us down among her box packed living room and offered us coffee and tea along with warmed pitas and delicious hummus. I thought it would be appropriate if I washed my hands before eating since I had been playing with the cat for the past ten minutes and headed into the kitchen to locate the nearest sink. Helene was hunting for some sort of spice or pepper to put in the hummus before serving it. She lightly tapped me on the hip for me to shuffle a bit to the left, so I smile and move so she can reach the cupboard. As she digs around through various spices and jars, she stops, sighs deeply, and says,
"Boy, am I going to miss this place."
She pauses.
So do I.
"Ah, but that's life."
Such simple words that I've heard countless times before no longer roll off my back. No, they hit me like a truck.
It is like what I've been feeling for months has been summed up in four words. There is nothing we can do to change or stop it, transition just happens. I have found that being in a big transition is strange. I didn't think it would last this long, that I would continue to feel somewhat lost in the world of adulthood, that I would miss friends and home so much. I thought that staying in the place I went to school wouldn't be as hard as leaving. I guess I forgot that others would leave. I guess I forgot that my time will come too.
The author of Ecclesiastes opens the third chapter with this:
For everything there is a season, and a time for ever matter under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silent, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. What gain has the worker from his toil?
A time for transition. All these things take time. Seasons. Fall Winter Spring Summer. Birth life death. Plant grow pluck. On and on.
Transition.
I am in transition.
It is hard.
It is good.
It is producing growth.
Ah, but that's life.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Freshman and the Ultimate Girl
This past weekend was the move-in weekend for SSU students. Class started today, and the semester finally has started!
On Sunday Associated Students put on essentially what is a giant party for the students. In our main quad there was a maze, a jump house, a giant slide, and all the clubs, sororities, and fraternities promoting themselves. Inside the Student Union there was a comedy show put on our resident comedy club (Improvaholics), free pottery painting, and a US Bank Free Stuff Giveaway (its the only bank on campus). Amidst all this, our little InterVarsity table was thriving!
I only spent about an hour and a half at Big Nite (the thing lasts until 2 AM!), but I got to hand out our event cards and try to rope people into talking to me about their faith backgrounds. I met a transfer student named Elliot who was so excited that we had off campus bible studies that you would think that I just told him that he won the lottery. I made another group of freshman happy by telling them that we do church tours. My favorite was when a freshman girl walked up to the table and asked if InterVarsity was "youth group for college." HA!
In addition to these fun and excited little stories, we each had our share of brush-offs and rejections. There was a group of women next to us promoting the Ultimate Frisbee team as I was handing out our event cards. There was a lull in people walking by, and so I decided to break the awkward moment between the Frisbee girl and myself. Smiling and asking politely if she would like an event card, I extend my hand so she can look at it. Upon seeing words like faith and bible study,
she looks me straight in the eye and curtly says, "I don't believe in God. Nice try, though."
Wishing her luck on her recruiting, I quickly retreated back to my side of the walkway. I wondered if she had been hurt by the church, or if she though that I was a fool for following after something that I cannot physically see, hold, or feel. I wonder if she automatically decided not to like me.
Later the next day, I was reading John and was reminded that we Christians have been fully and fairly warned about persecution and this type of disdain:
I have said all this to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues; indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do this because they have not know the Father, nor me. I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you of them.
John 16:1-4
I sure am glad that Jesus lets us in on what is before us. He sure did warn us about persecution, as did Paul. Events like these remind me that there is such a need to speak of God's goodness at any chance I get. Unfortunately this particular situation did not allow one to start up an in depth conversation, but I truly am praying that others do come up. What a treasure we have in these earthen vessels. Please be praying for the Ultimate girl. Please be praying for me as well, that opportunity to speak of Grace and Love abounds this next year.
On Sunday Associated Students put on essentially what is a giant party for the students. In our main quad there was a maze, a jump house, a giant slide, and all the clubs, sororities, and fraternities promoting themselves. Inside the Student Union there was a comedy show put on our resident comedy club (Improvaholics), free pottery painting, and a US Bank Free Stuff Giveaway (its the only bank on campus). Amidst all this, our little InterVarsity table was thriving!
I only spent about an hour and a half at Big Nite (the thing lasts until 2 AM!), but I got to hand out our event cards and try to rope people into talking to me about their faith backgrounds. I met a transfer student named Elliot who was so excited that we had off campus bible studies that you would think that I just told him that he won the lottery. I made another group of freshman happy by telling them that we do church tours. My favorite was when a freshman girl walked up to the table and asked if InterVarsity was "youth group for college." HA!
In addition to these fun and excited little stories, we each had our share of brush-offs and rejections. There was a group of women next to us promoting the Ultimate Frisbee team as I was handing out our event cards. There was a lull in people walking by, and so I decided to break the awkward moment between the Frisbee girl and myself. Smiling and asking politely if she would like an event card, I extend my hand so she can look at it. Upon seeing words like faith and bible study,
she looks me straight in the eye and curtly says, "I don't believe in God. Nice try, though."
Wishing her luck on her recruiting, I quickly retreated back to my side of the walkway. I wondered if she had been hurt by the church, or if she though that I was a fool for following after something that I cannot physically see, hold, or feel. I wonder if she automatically decided not to like me.
Later the next day, I was reading John and was reminded that we Christians have been fully and fairly warned about persecution and this type of disdain:
I have said all this to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues; indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do this because they have not know the Father, nor me. I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you of them.
John 16:1-4
I sure am glad that Jesus lets us in on what is before us. He sure did warn us about persecution, as did Paul. Events like these remind me that there is such a need to speak of God's goodness at any chance I get. Unfortunately this particular situation did not allow one to start up an in depth conversation, but I truly am praying that others do come up. What a treasure we have in these earthen vessels. Please be praying for the Ultimate girl. Please be praying for me as well, that opportunity to speak of Grace and Love abounds this next year.
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