Discipleship and Citizenship

Discipleship.

Churches encourage members to engage in a wide array of discipleship programs and have committees to provide resources in spiritual disciplines, classes, and more.  Olson and Friedrich acknowledge that discipleship is the domain of the church and we are comfortable with that.

Citizenship.  

Schools and communities try and teach our children to be good citizens by participating in their communities and government.  Vote!  Know what your community is doing and how to advocate for change.



Olson and Friedrich challenge their readers to connect these two domains. Religious motivations should shape how one feels about affordable housing, childcare opportunities, health care for children, or fair wages for immigrant workers.  Churches feel comfortable addressing and meeting the immediate needs of those in the community, yet are often uncomfortable digging deeper into the issue and asking why it is happening and what can be done about it on a public policy level.

Scripture reminds us that it is our work as advocates to speak.  What would have happened if the Canaanite woman had not insisted her child was deserving of Jesus's attention and healing?  Olson and Friedrich are clear - advocacy about power.  Yet out baptismal vows boldly claim that as Christians we accept the power of God to resist evil and injustice.  Therefore child advocacy, and all it entails from acts of mercy of feeding hungry families to acts of justice in fighting for affordable housing for families, is Christian Discipleship.

Here is a common metaphor to leave you with:
You are enjoying lunch along the river with your friends.
You hear someone yelling for help from the water.
You (with your mad lifeguard skills) jump in the river and save them.
A few minutes later, someone else is in the river needing your help again!
You jump back in and rescue them too.
A few minutes later, another person!
You are getting tired, but continue to rescue those in need.
When do you go upriver to look for who is pushing people in the river?

There will always be those who are in the river and need compassionate help to get out.  Yet, others are called to the justice work of looking at the systems of oppression and working to keep people out of the river in the first place.

How can the church address both of these paths?

Peace,
Erin 

Rhythm of Life

For one of my classes we were assigned to construct a "Rule of Life".  Our group threw out the idea of a rhythm of life a little better than a rule... but anyway.  The idea comes from the Rule of St. Benedict, but many traditions follow this practice.  It's a way of committing to yourself and others you choose to help you be accountable a pattern of spiritual practices (disciplines) you feel called/drawn to during this season of your life.  They are often patterned off a scripture passage as well...

Here's mine! 

Rhythm of Life  

Season: Spring 2012

Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ecclesiastes 4: 1-3

At this time in my life I am being called and guided by God to GROW.  To honestly put more work into adding more structure (roots) to my life, my every day.  I recognize that in several different areas: 

Walking with God: 

-      * to walk with God, to be in relationship with God requires immersion in scripture, something my life has been lacking lately.  I would like to make a goal to read scripture (not for class) 5 days a week, particularly in the morning. 

-    *to focus on and purse my calling, recognizing and accepting it fully as where I need to be right now and dedicating the time necessary to work towards the steps of my education and ordination. (weekly) 

With humility, gentleness, and patience:

-      * by immersing myself daily in scripture I hope to reduce my personal stress and put more effort into bearing these fruits, and grow in humility through reflection and journaling each evening to process through the choices I made each day.

-      * by meditating at least 3 times a week to rest and be patient.

Love and Unity: 

-       *I will strive to be a connection and to share the love of God to everyone I have the opportunity to meet.  Specifically I want to be present in each conversation routine and meaningful, as well as mundane or new.  Each evening I will daily pray for others in my life. 

-      * I feel called to live simply, so that others may simply live.  To love my neighbors in such a way that I am an educated consumer and am tuned in to the hurting world around me and across the globe.

Wish me luck!  

your sister in Christ,
Erin 

Grayscale

What a world we live in.  Or so we often say. 
Simple
Complicated
Connected
Lonley
Beautiful
Impoverished
Diverse
Unjust

We look at the big picture. 

And we see our own little problems, getting the fridge fixed, finding time to get the dishes done, making a grocery list.  And our own little things vary greatly based on where we live in the world, our economic status, our family status... etc. 

It's not an easy concept, and one can easily get lost in contemplating the world and your place in it.  So often we focus on what we can.  Providing for our families, giving to groups when they ask and we can, trying to better ourselves with education and saving.  Thinking about (in detail, not cliche) what is happening to others around the world is not generally one of those warm fuzzy things for most of us here in the US.  Because we are on the extreme high end of the world (even those of us who are poor!). 

The "heavy" issues of human rights, religion, politics, even basic right and wrong - not your typical best conversation starters, but to me they are incredibly important. 

Yet the only thing I know, is that I don't know enough.  My highest spiritual gift is Servanthood.  (those of you who know me are shaking your head in understanding)  God has gifted me with the desire to make others lives easier and just a little brighter.  I'm torn on where and even often why. 

There is no "right" answer.  There are loving caring moral people who are on both sides of the Wisconsin budget issue.  There are loving caring people moral on both sides of the abortion issue.  There are loving caring moral people fighting poverty and homelessness and ignoring it. 

Do I love talking about these issues... YES.  I do.  Others don't.  (Sorry friends).  I also love learning more about... well everything.  And you learn more from those who think different and even disagree with you than those who think just like you.  But at the same time we must always remember to love.  To honestly listen, respect, and care about the individuals on the other side of the issue from you.  To think of them as part of the same human family that you belong to and not as your enemy. 

I know being open and loving to people you disagree with is difficult.  But it is a widely accepted way of life (or endorsed more than lived) by millions around the world of many cultures and religions.  What kills me is that we don't LIVE it.  WHY???  Why do we insist on hurting each other?  With words, with weapons, manipulating relationships... over and over again we deliberately cause others pain.     

But it's not black and white.  Nothing is.  It's all grayscale.  Only when we can really begin to show true love can we begin to see the color beyond the gray. 

One person at a time.  Me first.  (Thanks Ghandi)  Then hopefully others (that's you).  Someday the world.  

Wishing you peace and love,
your sister in Christ~Erin

There is a time... WHEN?

I pride myself in being a very patient person.  Especially when working with others... co-workers, supervisors... children...  I can wait.  Yet I am not patient with myself or God.

Well... I think I could be patient if I knew what was coming.  It's not that hard to be patient and wait for a child who doesn't want to eat their dinner, but I know that I'm going to win this battle.  The broccoli will be eaten and life will go on - even if it takes a half an hour or more.

I pray that God has the same patience with me!  I know that seminary is a part of my path.  I know it's up ahead - but WHEN?  When is the time for this learning process?  Do I, or should I, do it all at one time?  What if I go to school part time?  Is that alright?

I know two things.  1- I have to go to school and get my Master's in Divinity and work towards being ordained as a deacon.  2 - I need to start/continue on my career path in camping.

Now - I believe that one day I can combine these two things into a beautiful plan.  I want to do ministry, serve the world (children, families, young people, widows, orphans, etc.) through a camp.  But when Lord?  WHEN?

Today's devotional for me was from Matthew.  In two words:  Don't worry.  Sigh.  Don't worry about the future, don't worry about food, don't worry about where things will come from.  Have faith and continue to seek God.

Seek God.

Okay.  Big breath.  Seek God.  (pray for me?)
Hey- I know you all get impatient too.  I pray for you, whatever your life stage is right now to also seek God first.

In peace,
 your sister in Christ~Erin

Matthew 6:25-34  Do Not Worry

 ²⁵"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life^[b]? ²⁸"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Educating our Kids

There are a lot of interesting things to think about that don't really matter.  Like what makes the sunset mostly red or why we only see the constellation Orion in the winter in this hemisphere.  I mean, they do matter in the grand scheme of the world, but not necessarily in my world.  Or the questions like Is God omnipotent and changeless?  Because if he is then why does he rule differently today then in the old testament?  Not to say that there is a right answer but interesting topics to discuss.  Discuss - not debate.  Talk about in a respectful and loving way.  (Sometimes I have discovered these kinds of topics can lead to hurt feelings or uncomfortableness among some present...sorry! We didn't mean it!)

And then there are the things that matter that I simply rejoice that other people know and take care of that I don't really understand or want to know about.  Like the laws.  I like to vote, but I don't want to be a politician.  I want to elect someone whom I have faith in and be able to say thanks or please don't do that.  Scientific research too!  I don't want to stare at petri dishes trying to find a cure to cancer but I'm really glad someone else does!

There are however things I do care about that do matter.  For one, my faith.  God has touched my life in such an amazing way I want to share it with others.  I can only imagine as a parent how much you would love your child and want to share the wonders of the world with them.  For many parents this includes their faith.  So the question to discuss here is should you, the church, or anyone indoctrinate kids?

I can see both a yes and no answer to this.  There is a common thought today that well... I just let my kids decide when they get old enough.  (falling on the no side)  Yes, faith is a personal decision.  Yes, kids often follow the values of their parents and other role models around them.  If the ideas are shared and presented.  But, we don't let our kids (mostly) decide when their bedtime should be, what is good for them to eat and not, how much TV to watch, what is appropriate to wear or say... the list goes on.  It's just a part of parenting.  We teach kids what is good and right and what is bad and wrong.  So why is faith questioned?

Well... faith or religion?

There is also many who teach kids theology that personally I think goes a little to far.  Yes, Jesus loves them and I agree kids should know that.  But I just watched the documentary Jesus Camp lately and was very distressed at some of the things happening.  I have read about Islamic extremist schools for young boys that teach the west is evil and a threat to peace and happiness and God.

Hitler also educated youth.  With propaganda they believed that still today makes many of us tremble.  So there are extremes to this question.  What do we teach kids about faith and God and the church?

I think that this is a fascinating question.  It came up in a discussion with my sister yesterday.  We were talking about God parents somehow and she mentioned how her and her fiance just touched the subject a while ago and he was not okay with me as a God parent because I am not catholic and they are.  We don't believe the same things.

Well yes and no.  Earlier in the conversation she laughed at me and said "why aren't you catholic?".  We share so many fundamental beliefs about God and faith.  That's why we are all christians!!  Yet we often don't know the truth behind the differences or over emphasis them.

I say teach the kids the truth of the gospel.  Use scripture for references.  And teach them the differences of the major faiths and famous religious people and what they said.  Saint Augustine is one of my favorite people - yes a catholic!  But I still love being a part of the United Methodist Church.  I also love Luther - (just saw the movie LUTHER as well - excellent!)

Bottom line - we all love God and have a very unifying message in his gospel.  Teach that to anyone with ears who will listen.

In peace,
your sister in Christ~Erin

God is not a vending Machine

A very wise friend of mine told me one night -
"Erin, I have realized many things people try to make God into that he's not.  For example, God is not a vending machine.  People put in their good deeds and their righteous lives and expect blessings to follow in exactly their way.  But it doesn't work that way.  God is not a vending machine."  (paraphrased.... )

Very sound theological advice actually.  In my devo for the day I was reading from Psalm 79.  The past few days have been from Jeremiah.  Sigh... Jeremiah.  My favorite prophet.  Gosh I can't imagine being him.  Trying to tell the hebrew people that they weren't doing what they should and that they would fail.

I love watching the kids I have taught go through teambuilding games.  One of my favorite things for them to realize is that they don't like to be told what to do, so maybe... just maybe... they shouldn't tell others what to do.  I can't imagine what Jeremiah ran up against.  I'm sure the Hebrew people didn't appreciate him telling them what to do, or worse, that they would fail.

Then he lived through the Babylonian exile.  Being a prophet is hard enough, but to predict bad things and then see them happen?  I understand the words of the psalmist, how long will you let us suffer?  I feel like our society is fairly used to suffering.  We hear often of single parents struggling, unemployment, homelessness... but we also hear stories of people overcoming.  We life those stories up and say look - you can do it!

But it's not that simple.  (sorry... )  Every time we lift up someone who has made it, despite difficult times and situations; those of us who do have enough, who are food secure, who even have extra (like multiple cars and multiple TV's, and stocks, and... the list goes on) say to ourselves - "self, I don't have to give of my excess because I worked for it.  That person made it, so can others".  Sigh... that's not what its about.

We want God to give all of us our happily ever afters.  Yes, we expect struggle and difficult times - for what would any story be like without that.  We all have something we're up against.  - I love that quote from The Freedom Writers.  But like any good movie, we expect somehow for things to resolve and work their way out.  If we pray enough.  If we have enough faith.  If we are generous and loving.

That's not what God is about.  God is about love.  Forgiving us for our sin and saving us.  That doesn't mean our lives will end like a disney movie.  It's not a simple introduction - building tension - climax - resolution story we all want so bad.  Sometimes we just have to accept the cards we have been dealt and make the best lemonade with them.

My favorite prayer (Francis of Assisi)
"Lord, give me the serenity to accept the things I can not change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference."

Yes, I hope for my happily ever after.  Find love, serve the world, make a difference, raise some loving kids.  But I try to keep in mind that my God is not a vending machine and accept all the burdens he blesses me with as well as the treasures.

In peace,
your sister in Christ~Erin

I

Don't you just love it when you a reading a book and you completely agree with what the author is saying! Sometimes when I'm reading I feel like I'm learning, sometimes I am just being entertained by a good story, sometimes I get mad because I don't agree with the thoughts and ideas, occasionally however I completely agree!

As I am reading "Blue like jazz" the author comes to the conclusion that there is a problem with people.  In christian terminology we refer to this as being a "broken" people.  In life this represents our failures.  I am consistently 5-20 minutes late.   I get really excited and tend to interrupt others ALOT.  Laundry and I sit in our own corners and stare  - we'll see who wins.  I can't seem to shake my loneliness sometimes.  I am flawed; I am broken.

What's more though is that the world is broken.  In an incredibly insightful conversation with a friend, the author was confronted with his own humanity.  We are all humans and can do many things - some good, some horrific.  It is not difficult to look around and see the terrible things happening in our world, and often by humans to others.  "Are you capable of that (referring to murdering and raping people in the Congo)" - the authors friend asked.  Rock, meet hard place.  If I say no, I am saying that I am superior.  Therefore I must say yes, sigh - yikes.  The world is broken, and we are all involved and capable of breaking, and ... fixing?

Then the author comes to my favorite point in chapter 1 - I am the problem.  I am the problem.  I am selfish and self centered and hypocritical.  It is too hard for me to actually follow through with doing anything else.  I have to do what's good for me.  I don't have a choice - I need this.  Well at least I don't _______.  I am the problem.

I have been dancing around this idea trying to grasp my own understanding for some time now.  I am the problem in the world.  I like that.  Well, not that I want to be, but I love the honesty and fire it lights.  There is a combination of responsibility, privilege, consumerism, and selfishness I am trying to grasp.

For example, I am hungry - so I go to the grocery store and I buy some bread, salami (my favorite), cheese, melon, and a bar of chocolate.  I am privileged enough to go and buy those things that I like - even though some of them have traveled a long way to get to my plate here in Ohio.  Do I have a responsibility to my brothers and sisters around the world? - perhaps instead of buying a Nestle or a Hershey's chocolate bar I can buy one that is fair trade (like coffee).  Don't I have a responsibility to be an informed and good consumer?  However that is complicated, difficult, and I just want my lunch.  So salami sandwich (I have no idea about the quality of this meat and or the chemicals in it...) grill in my sandwich maker so I can have what I want.

Yes, I am the problem.

But I can help.  It takes time, knowledge, and I will mess up.  But I have to care.  I have to know where my food, my clothes, my money goes to support.  It is my responsibility.  So -

Little things I can do:
- be a chocolate snob (thanks Molly McKay!) buy organic fairly traded chocolate - it's better!
- look for local markets for produce
- buy things in season so they don't have to be shipped to you across the planet (bananas in Feb in Ohio)
- know your butcher and where your meat comes from
- research brands and companies - clothing, shoes, stores
- be picky and willing to spend a little more to make a difference for someone you'll never know
- share good food/clothes/information with your friends
- buy local - shop at the little stores and boycott the box stores whenever possible

Gotta love Ghandi -
"Be the change you want to see in the world."

I am capable of atrocities.  I am also capable of love.

In peace with love,
your sister in Christ~Erin