It's 2009. A new year. 2008 was a year of firsts in a lot of ways. I experienced many new things and learned more than I even realize. But I am excited for 2009. Two things in particular are worth noting at the present time...
First off. I live in Seattle. I have an apartment here, my own room, a space. Maybe not a huge thing, but I spent over half of 2008 living out of a bag. It is nice to go back to my "home" at night (even though I loved the assortment of places I stayed the last year). And it's exciting to be in Seattle, investing in a community, living life and...
Secondly, having a new job. I am the new cafe manager at Q Cafe, a small non-profit cafe in Seattle. I am working behind the bar about 30 hours a week and then spend the rest of my time doing financial/inventory/scheduling/MARKETING stuff. I have been at a week now (officially). Thus far, it's been great and it's been busy. I am excited to be a part of such a great thing and looking to learn a lot in my time working.
There is more going on, but I need to get in the groove a bit more before I can start posting like I ideally would prefer to. It will happen, I am confident. Hope the new year is treating you well.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas! So I am home in Michigan and it has been great. I have wanted to blog more, but I just can't face my 28k internet for that long, it's draining. But I really wanted to post on this special day. I want to share a poem written by Henry Wordsworth Longfellow during the Civil War...
'I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along The unbroken song Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Till, ringing, singing on its way, The world revolved from night to day, A voice, a chime, A chant sublime Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Then from each black, accursed mouth The cannon thundered in the South, And with the sound The carols drowned Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
It was as if an earthquake rent The hearth-stones of a continent, And made forlorn The households born Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And in despair I bowed my head; "There is no peace on earth," I said: "For hate is strong, And mocks the song Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: "God is not dead; nor doth he sleep! The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men!" '
...So we may no longer be hearing cannons from the south, but I know for me there is so much brokenness in the world that it easily takes the cannons place and drowns out the bells, their carols, and the words of peace on earth, good-will to men. But we must be truly thankful for today. The songs chime louder than the sounds of hate because of today. Because of Jesus Christ, God incarnate. How powerful the incarnation is. Simply mindblowing. Or rather, profoundly mindblowing. A truly awesome thing. I sit here in wonder as I only begin to think about it. Today I am happy to be celebrating the coming of a babe who turned the world on its head and gave, and continues to give, hope to all.
Merry Christmas.
'I heard the bells on Christmas Day Their old, familiar carols play, And wild and sweet The words repeat Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along The unbroken song Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Till, ringing, singing on its way, The world revolved from night to day, A voice, a chime, A chant sublime Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
Then from each black, accursed mouth The cannon thundered in the South, And with the sound The carols drowned Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
It was as if an earthquake rent The hearth-stones of a continent, And made forlorn The households born Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
And in despair I bowed my head; "There is no peace on earth," I said: "For hate is strong, And mocks the song Of peace on earth, good-will to men!"
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: "God is not dead; nor doth he sleep! The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men!" '
...So we may no longer be hearing cannons from the south, but I know for me there is so much brokenness in the world that it easily takes the cannons place and drowns out the bells, their carols, and the words of peace on earth, good-will to men. But we must be truly thankful for today. The songs chime louder than the sounds of hate because of today. Because of Jesus Christ, God incarnate. How powerful the incarnation is. Simply mindblowing. Or rather, profoundly mindblowing. A truly awesome thing. I sit here in wonder as I only begin to think about it. Today I am happy to be celebrating the coming of a babe who turned the world on its head and gave, and continues to give, hope to all.
Merry Christmas.
Monday, December 8, 2008
advent
i have been meaning to post about advent for some time. well, really just since it started. so in the perfect blogging world i would have posted 9 days ago on this. i didn't post right away though because i wanted to give advent its due. growing up advent meant christmas was close, like really close. i knew once those purple banners started being walked down to aisle on sunday morning that my christmas list should already be passed to my mom and that soon we would have a break from school and that i would get to see my family and that it was just a great time of year. none of that is a bad thing (well, besides the shallow consumeristic desires of my childhood christmas lists, but that is a whole other post in and of itself), but none of it really had anything to do with advent. for me advent equaled almost christmas. which, isn't necessarily wrong, but it isn't necessarily right. the last couple years my understanding, or rather my desire to understand advent has grown. i no longer look past it to christmas, but i want to recognize it and learn from and thus perhaps my christmas experience will carry the significance that it is worthy of. i want to spend at least a few posts on the topic of advent because this will enable me to continue to learn more and will remind me to continue to prepare for christmas.
i have learned a lot in my initial readings about advent. some good basics like advent is latin for 'to come.' and how the candles mean different things in different traditions, but some of the basics are christ is the light of the world, expectation/joy, and christ is the prince of peace. one thing that i thought was interesting was this kind of debate as advent became more recognized as to whether it was a season of penitence and fasting or anticipation and hope or celebration. i guess people didn't really want two lents so they felt the had to throw a little anticipation and hope in the mix. in reflecting on it a bit i think it is good it is all these dynamics. with advent being the first season of the church calendar, it is (obviously) the beginning of the church year. this got me thinking of the beginnings of people's spiritual journeys. so often the beginning is all about recognizing a need. for our own personal faith story we start out with the realization that we need a savior to come and reconcile us to God. as a church we also realize we need Christ. its good that every year the church starts out knowing that Christ has come and that we don't have it all figured out and that he is coming again. because he will some day come and fully redeem this world. so why shouldn't this be a complex season with feelings of penitence, hope, AND celebration. christ's incarnation was a big deal. huge. i really think we aren't humanly able to even approach an understanding of all its implications. but i don't want to get ahead of myself, it's not quite christmas yet. the sole reminder of beginnings and how much we needed and now very much still need a savior and how the feelings of penitence, hope, and celebration all tie into that will keep me thinking for some time.
i have learned a lot in my initial readings about advent. some good basics like advent is latin for 'to come.' and how the candles mean different things in different traditions, but some of the basics are christ is the light of the world, expectation/joy, and christ is the prince of peace. one thing that i thought was interesting was this kind of debate as advent became more recognized as to whether it was a season of penitence and fasting or anticipation and hope or celebration. i guess people didn't really want two lents so they felt the had to throw a little anticipation and hope in the mix. in reflecting on it a bit i think it is good it is all these dynamics. with advent being the first season of the church calendar, it is (obviously) the beginning of the church year. this got me thinking of the beginnings of people's spiritual journeys. so often the beginning is all about recognizing a need. for our own personal faith story we start out with the realization that we need a savior to come and reconcile us to God. as a church we also realize we need Christ. its good that every year the church starts out knowing that Christ has come and that we don't have it all figured out and that he is coming again. because he will some day come and fully redeem this world. so why shouldn't this be a complex season with feelings of penitence, hope, AND celebration. christ's incarnation was a big deal. huge. i really think we aren't humanly able to even approach an understanding of all its implications. but i don't want to get ahead of myself, it's not quite christmas yet. the sole reminder of beginnings and how much we needed and now very much still need a savior and how the feelings of penitence, hope, and celebration all tie into that will keep me thinking for some time.
Monday, November 24, 2008
genuine thankfulness and genuine service
this saturday my church, quest, hosted a thanksgiving meal for the homeless community. actually, they hosted two meals. a five o'clock and a seven o'clock. over 150 homeless people came and were fed. but it wasn't just about the food. the invitation and the fellowship were instrumental in making the night "a success." the people i talked to were so happy and so appreciative to be there. to see them enjoying each other's company as they ate is what really made it a thanksgiving meal. it was great to be able to sit down with them and hear their stories and talk about their experiences.
but as i think about it a couple days later the thing that strikes me isn't the 150 people served, but the 50 people who volunteered to make it all happen. people were more than willing to come and help. there were more than enough people to set up, decorate, cook, serve, sit and chat, and clean up. i even think pastor deanza had to turn away help because so many people volunteered. people (me included) really wanted to help and be involved. quest is pretty clear about its stance on how believers need to be serving the poor and marginalized and this was a great example of that. not just the meal itself, but the number of people turning out to help for it. but i am still a little concerned...
i guess i kind of fear that we, the numerous volunteers, will look at our contribution, pat ourselves on the back, check off our service to the poor box, and wait until next year to think about how we can serve the homeless again, most likely, via the thanksgiving meal. but when christ talks about providing for the "least of these" it isn't a check a box off kind of service. its a-your heart yearns to provide for the least of these. you understood that serving the destitute was as true of a love for christ as one can find. you didn't do it to ease your conscience, but because you truly understood that christ called us to continually care for the poor. but how do we make caring for those in need part of the fabric of who we are? we need to make it so our heart is always seeking to serve, not just so our minds can feel at ease. but it does start with being intentional, looking to serve, and looking to do it as often as possible. i think part of the answer lies in something i already mentioned. quest cares about the poor and the marginalized. its leadership understands this and there is a core of people who really see christ in those who are in need in the community. lord willing that core becomes a core of 50+. that the social justice and compassion ministry is strengthened by the volunteers growing hearts. that quest members would continue to be encouraged and challenged in their service. that innovation and creativity would continue to spring up. that we would truly understand christ's call to serve the least of these all the time. lord hear our prayer.
but as i think about it a couple days later the thing that strikes me isn't the 150 people served, but the 50 people who volunteered to make it all happen. people were more than willing to come and help. there were more than enough people to set up, decorate, cook, serve, sit and chat, and clean up. i even think pastor deanza had to turn away help because so many people volunteered. people (me included) really wanted to help and be involved. quest is pretty clear about its stance on how believers need to be serving the poor and marginalized and this was a great example of that. not just the meal itself, but the number of people turning out to help for it. but i am still a little concerned...
i guess i kind of fear that we, the numerous volunteers, will look at our contribution, pat ourselves on the back, check off our service to the poor box, and wait until next year to think about how we can serve the homeless again, most likely, via the thanksgiving meal. but when christ talks about providing for the "least of these" it isn't a check a box off kind of service. its a-your heart yearns to provide for the least of these. you understood that serving the destitute was as true of a love for christ as one can find. you didn't do it to ease your conscience, but because you truly understood that christ called us to continually care for the poor. but how do we make caring for those in need part of the fabric of who we are? we need to make it so our heart is always seeking to serve, not just so our minds can feel at ease. but it does start with being intentional, looking to serve, and looking to do it as often as possible. i think part of the answer lies in something i already mentioned. quest cares about the poor and the marginalized. its leadership understands this and there is a core of people who really see christ in those who are in need in the community. lord willing that core becomes a core of 50+. that the social justice and compassion ministry is strengthened by the volunteers growing hearts. that quest members would continue to be encouraged and challenged in their service. that innovation and creativity would continue to spring up. that we would truly understand christ's call to serve the least of these all the time. lord hear our prayer.
Monday, November 17, 2008
books and THE book
lots of thoughts bouncing around in this head of mine. trying to make some connections, trying to create some articulation. i fasted today. it had been a while since i last embraced this spiritual discipline. it was good. still a lot of praying, thinking, discussing, and journaling to be done, but its been a good day. i have been learning a lot lately, it has been good. i am reading a few books right now. jesus for president by shane claiborne, the great emergence by phyllis tickle, rich christians in an age of hunger by ronald j. sider, and i just picked up the cloister walk by kathleen norris but i havent started it yet. its a lot of reading (obviously i don't have a job...yet), its good stuff. but i am realizing more of late its important to be staying in the word too. kind of why i bought the cloister walk...uh...yeah. i wanted to get down with my liturgical self and look into developing some good disciplines.
i was reading jesus for president the other day and shane was talking about creatively responding to Christ's message. and placed prominently placed in these steps for reimagining the world was reading the Bible. not a huge revelation or news flash there, but it struck me. we can be reading all these books about church movements and our roles as christians in this world we live in, but even more importantly is getting truth straight from the word. if we are looking for a creative response then that is huge. in my realization that being a christian is bigger than just being personally disciplined and "having devotions" every day i have lost sight of the simple truth that the Bible is still the most important book i can ever read, a good thing to remember as i seek God's wisdom.
in an uncharacteristic blog move driven in curiousity i want to know what "my blog readers" (aka you few friends and family out there) are reading. leave a comment. how is it? any revelations from it?
i was reading jesus for president the other day and shane was talking about creatively responding to Christ's message. and placed prominently placed in these steps for reimagining the world was reading the Bible. not a huge revelation or news flash there, but it struck me. we can be reading all these books about church movements and our roles as christians in this world we live in, but even more importantly is getting truth straight from the word. if we are looking for a creative response then that is huge. in my realization that being a christian is bigger than just being personally disciplined and "having devotions" every day i have lost sight of the simple truth that the Bible is still the most important book i can ever read, a good thing to remember as i seek God's wisdom.
in an uncharacteristic blog move driven in curiousity i want to know what "my blog readers" (aka you few friends and family out there) are reading. leave a comment. how is it? any revelations from it?
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
imagination and responding to revelation
i heard shane claiborne speak at Quest on sunday. a few random thoughts from it...
-the man is funny
-his southern accent is stronger than i thought it would be
-he speaks with truth (not a surprise)
-he spoke simply
-i wish i could have heard a little more about intentional community from him
-he is a truly humble dude
-its no wonder eugene and he get along. part of what he said was exactly what eugene spoke about that day in church. makes me grateful for great teaching in my community.
-two things i really took from it was first, a call to more imagination in our pursuit to love God and love our neighbor. and second, the simple articulation of something that has been on my mind for some time now-a need for us to respond to revelation.
these two things were the big go-aways for me. we need a creativity in our love, in our response. they are tied very closely together. our convictions and our response. i think we often look around us to see how others are responding to similar convictions or revelations, but i God doesn't say look at others and then love. God/Christ say look at Christ. thing is, Christ lived 2000 years ago, his words remain true, but our context has changed. JC didn't have the internet, cars, cell phones, 21st century culture, or globalization. but he did have the marginalized. he did have neighbors. he did have a Father. and he called us to love those people. we need to be creative and imaginative in how we do that. there are many people out there not doing it well so surely we don't want to copy them. there are people out there doing it well, but is copying them all God wants us to do? we need to learning, we need to be discussing, we need to be imagining, and we need to be responding. for the most part this can be done individually, but i believe for it to be done best, it should happen in community.
i have just been invited to join a "book club." we are reading jesus for president, shane's latest book. i am excited for great discussion, but i am also excited to have intentional time to talk with people who's heart strings are being tugged at in some of the same ways mine are, but as importantly, are being tugged at in different ways as well. it's my hope that we all may grow and that we can imagine even greater things together and then, of course, respond.
-the man is funny
-his southern accent is stronger than i thought it would be
-he speaks with truth (not a surprise)
-he spoke simply
-i wish i could have heard a little more about intentional community from him
-he is a truly humble dude
-its no wonder eugene and he get along. part of what he said was exactly what eugene spoke about that day in church. makes me grateful for great teaching in my community.
-two things i really took from it was first, a call to more imagination in our pursuit to love God and love our neighbor. and second, the simple articulation of something that has been on my mind for some time now-a need for us to respond to revelation.
these two things were the big go-aways for me. we need a creativity in our love, in our response. they are tied very closely together. our convictions and our response. i think we often look around us to see how others are responding to similar convictions or revelations, but i God doesn't say look at others and then love. God/Christ say look at Christ. thing is, Christ lived 2000 years ago, his words remain true, but our context has changed. JC didn't have the internet, cars, cell phones, 21st century culture, or globalization. but he did have the marginalized. he did have neighbors. he did have a Father. and he called us to love those people. we need to be creative and imaginative in how we do that. there are many people out there not doing it well so surely we don't want to copy them. there are people out there doing it well, but is copying them all God wants us to do? we need to learning, we need to be discussing, we need to be imagining, and we need to be responding. for the most part this can be done individually, but i believe for it to be done best, it should happen in community.
i have just been invited to join a "book club." we are reading jesus for president, shane's latest book. i am excited for great discussion, but i am also excited to have intentional time to talk with people who's heart strings are being tugged at in some of the same ways mine are, but as importantly, are being tugged at in different ways as well. it's my hope that we all may grow and that we can imagine even greater things together and then, of course, respond.
Monday, November 10, 2008
a whirlwind week
i returned back to seattle on friday night. it was the end of a crazy week. on monday ric and i woke up early and caught a ride from nh to boston with a friend. from boston we took the megabus to new york and then on to dc. when we arrived in dc my cousins picked us up and we stay at their place in virginia. we spent the next two days checking out dc and adam was able to come down from delaware (where he is serving in the air force) and hang out with us which is really cool. we watched election results* from a bar in georgetown and then on the huge plasma tv that my cousins have. i really enjoyed dc. it was my first time. it was good to see all the things i so long learned about in us history class. it was lots of history, lots of information, and lots of patriotism and pride. a very interesting experience.
from dc we went up to nyc for two days and stayed with our friend beth ann. she lives in spanish harlem, it was sweet. the city is big, needless to say. lots of concrete, lots of famous places. it was good to see it firsthand. it would be cool to go back some time and check out neighborhoods other than manhatten and see what that is like also. it was a good time though. some highlights/cool random parts were visiting jamie in her apartment that overlooks time square and walking along st. marks place with beth ann, ashley, and ric.
it was a long week though. by the end of it my feet, knees, and back were killing me. on friday night i flew from nyc to seattle and had a great weekend. watched arsenal beat man u in a crowded pub on saturday morning, hung out with bk and josh a lot, went to quest with carly and tay, and heard shane claiborne* speak at quest last night. it was a great week and its good to be back in seattle. not sure when i will be interviewing (the big reason i am back in seattle), but it should be soon.
*i will post more about the election and shane claiborne this week, i just needed to write out where i have been, not only so you could know, but also so i could reflect a bit on the experiences as well.
from dc we went up to nyc for two days and stayed with our friend beth ann. she lives in spanish harlem, it was sweet. the city is big, needless to say. lots of concrete, lots of famous places. it was good to see it firsthand. it would be cool to go back some time and check out neighborhoods other than manhatten and see what that is like also. it was a good time though. some highlights/cool random parts were visiting jamie in her apartment that overlooks time square and walking along st. marks place with beth ann, ashley, and ric.
it was a long week though. by the end of it my feet, knees, and back were killing me. on friday night i flew from nyc to seattle and had a great weekend. watched arsenal beat man u in a crowded pub on saturday morning, hung out with bk and josh a lot, went to quest with carly and tay, and heard shane claiborne* speak at quest last night. it was a great week and its good to be back in seattle. not sure when i will be interviewing (the big reason i am back in seattle), but it should be soon.
*i will post more about the election and shane claiborne this week, i just needed to write out where i have been, not only so you could know, but also so i could reflect a bit on the experiences as well.
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