Life isn't fair!

Well, this title may be a little misleading, but this week I've been thinking a lot about how life doesn't seem fair sometimes. I am blessed beyond measure compared to what many are living through. I haven't written much about work yet on here and thought it was about time I process some things about my job. I work at place called Oakes Children's Center. It is a school and center for emotional and behavioral disturbed kids. I was hired as a 1-to-1 Aide for one particular 7 year old boy. I am in a classroom of 7 students in the 1st and 2nd grade. We have 5 adults in our room. I never what to expect when I go to work each morning, something I like about my job, and something that's scary about my job. We never know what the day will bring when we 5 adults enter into Oakes. Each day is filled with moments. Some moments we get punches thrown at us, some moments we get swore at and called "motherf...." over and over, some moments we are told, "I hate you, I hate this school." Some moments we hear "I hate myself, I'm stupid, I suck." Other moments we hear "I did it!",or "I love you." Some moments we hear anger spewing from little mouths and other moments laughter. All this while trying to teach these little ones about math, reading, writing, science, and the art of being with other people. The longer though I work here the more I understand. The more I understand their anger. The more I hear their story from them and others in their lives, the more I understand what has brought them to the place they are now. The more I hear about some of their backgrounds and some of the people in their lives, I understand their mistrust of me and others. While I can't go into any details of their specific stories, they are heart wrenching and often bring tears to my eyes. And it brings me to say, "Life isn't fair." God has blessed me with great family and friends around me. I have shelter every night. I have food to eat, ect... The list could go on. But, God has placed me in this place for this time to learn to love those that haven't had such a life, I guess. A fellow teacher and me were discussing how we can best do that and the challenges it brings. How do we help them and give them hugs, and help them to eventually come through their circumstances to stand strong and take responsibility for their own life. We see so much potential in them and the people that they have been created. I pray a lot that God would work a miracle in their lives.

Nicaragua Revisted

Nicaragua Revisited

My trip to Nicaragua keeps coming back to me. Sights, sounds, and tastes here in the Mission continue to bring me back there. Hearing the Latino music, hearing the Spanish, worshiping in Spanish, eating fried plantains and beans, ect.... Another thing has brought me back to my time in Nicaragua: our study of the simplicity and the Kingdom of God. It just clicked for me this morning as I read for our study The Freedom of Simplicity. It clicked for me why I loved NIcargua and it's people so much. They are living the Kingdom of God in true simplicity, maybe part of it is not by choice, but they joyfully live simply. As I read the description of the early church from Aristides point of view I said, that's Nicaragua. "They walk in all humility and kindness, and falsehood is not found among them, and they love one another......If they see a stranger, they bring him under their roof, and rejoice over him, as if he were their own brother...And if there is among them a man that is poor and needy, and they have not an abundance of necessaries, they fast two or three days that they may supply the needy with their necessary food." This is what we, and those that have come before and after of us, have experienced in the people of Nicaragua. I will never forget when we finally, after getting behind schedule because of things out of our control and driving through rivers that had been formed by the downpour that had began and realizing that we would be a some hours later then expected, arrived in the village of El Rodeito. It was dark when we arrived and the thought crossed my mind if those that were supposed to greet us and all gone home. It was still raining and after dark in a village with no electricity and only candles and a few flashlights to light their path and homes. But we pulled up and saw light in the darkness. There was a gathering of Nicaraguans waiting for us with candles and guitars. Our greeting as our tired, weary, and nervous bodies got of the bus was a song to welcome us as brothers and sisters. After the song and welcomed as brothers and sisters of Christ, we went into different homes. We were asked to sit on chairs like princes and princesses while the family worked around us, placing our bags just so, lighting candles, getting our beds ready, and fed a meal of rice, beans and tortillas. And then after some failed tries at communicating in my poor spanish slept on cots or hammocks that were given up by family members that slept on the floor. In the morning we were again fed while the rest of the family worked around us getting things ready for the day and eating what was left after we had eaten our fill. My host dad and me eventually realized that we had music and guitar in common and played guitar together and taught each other a song or two. We spent the day playing in the river, playing soccer, and learning what life was like in this village. We ended our day by sitting around sharing music with each other and worshiping our God under the stars. It was night that I will never forget and will hold close to my heart forever. I am continually encouraged by it. Nicaraguans understand the Kingdom of God better then we do I think. Yes, they don't have much, not by choice, but they seem to enjoy their life as the body of Christ. The focus in on people not things. They care for one another and the stranger with joy!
The Lutheran Church is only 17 or so years old. But it is alive and well. When a need arises in Nicaragua they go and meet that need. The Lutheran Church has been very important in providing aid after hurricanes that have hit. They have gone into the villages and helped rebuild communities. Much of this was started by the young people in the Church that said let's go and help, not someone starting a program for such and such like we would in the states. They just went and did it. The Lutheran Church has been asked into these villages to start churches because they came in and cared and helped rebuild. They are the body of Christ to the world of Nicaragua. The meet needs and because of that the country is seeing the love of Christ in them and inviting them into their villages to be part of their life. Amazing!! I can't wait to return to Nicaragua someday and continue to learn what it means to be the Kingdom of God. I have learned much from them and can't wait to learn more!!

Thought on the Kingdom!

Ok, Ok, here I am! I'm finally back! I know it's been a long time! Life has been good. My job is good, but often draining. Community has been good! So the apprentices have been studying the Kingdom of God. So I thought I'd write a little about what I've (we've) been thinking and talking about. It has really been eye opening and challenging for me!! So here it goes.
First, thinking about the Kingdom of God has made me realize that I am not alone in this. And has actually given me some relief. I think many of us hear scripture like "You are the light of the World" and feel lots of pressure! I have to be the light to all the world. But, we learned that whenever the word "Ye" is used in the Bible, it actually means something like Ya'all. So it is more likely read, "Ya'all are the light of the world. Ya'all are a city on a hill." I felt a weight lifted from my shoulders!! AHHH, it's all of us together through Christ that we can do this. Of course, we all are little little lights in the dark places where we live, our job, our neighborhoods, ect.. And God of course uses as individuals, but it somehow helps me to relax that Jesus says ya'all!! We're all in together!
Next, we have spent an extensive time looking at the Torah, both in this study and our study of simplicity as a whole church. Well, me as good Lutheran, sees the law as what drives to say that I'm not good enough, that I can't do it on my own, and that the law drives me to the cross and God's grace. Yes, I still believe that this is 100% true! But, I've gotten another view on the law now too that I think is really important for us, as The Church, to look at. What did the law originally do for Israel?? Why did God give the Torah to them? Just for kicks and giggles so that they would realize that they suck?? Not so much. The Torah is a way of life. The Torah deals with their relationship God, their relationships with each other, and their relationship with their land. It is all encompassing. It set a pattern for life. And it is a good pattern. The Torah helped them live together.
The Torah also set them apart has a people living for their Living God and living differently then the rest of society. when all of Israel would come and gather in Jerusalem for the festivals it was for a whole gathering to worship God. Which in turn allowed the world to see who their God is. As Gerhard Lohfink says in "Does God need the Church?, Israel was showing the world it was“a people drawn together and assembled by God in which the differences between rich and poor, master and slave were eliminated; a people mindful of the saving deeds of it’s God; a people joyful before God and grateful for the gift of the land in which it can live.” Do our as The Church do this?
Lohfink also says this that Israel's focus was always to help the world see God.

“Israels faith is always about the world. Its desire is to bring more and more of the world under the rule of God. It’s wish is to transform the world entrusted to it by living the Torah, God’s social order, so that it will be clear to everyone how the will of God intends the world to be. Hence faith necessarily takes on a social dimension."

So some questions to ponder, that I've been pondering. Yes, our goal as Christians is to love each other and the world around us. This is number one. But, how do shape our lives individually that show our world who our God is. Do we hoard our stuff and money or do we trust that God is our provider? How do we spend out time?? And maybe this is the bigger question how do shape our life as the body of Christ to show that we truly are living for a God far different then what the world has to give? What do we spend our time as the church doing? What do we spend, as a church, our finances on? Do we show the world that our God is trustworthy by how we handle our resources? Do we show the world our God is loving by how we love each other? Do we show the world our God is a God of Joy by how we celebrate? I think Church of the Sojourners is a pretty good taste of some of this. Like I wrote in my last entry, we are a people trying to shape our life differently then the worlds.

I have to remind myself, because I sometimes swing wildly in a direction that I'm excited about, that God is still great concerned with the individual. For it is through individuals that the body is made. But, I even think of the parable about the Kingdom that talks about Christ leaving the flock to find one sheep. But, the goal is bring that sheep back to the flock. Yes, the shepherd and his individual sheep have relationships, but a sheep needs it's flock. We need each other. God needs us as whole to show the world who He is!