In Sickness And In Health

Thank you all for you prayers and support.  The wedding this weekend was one of the most beautiful and meaningful weddings I have ever been to.  I have to say that I've never thought so deeply about the words "in sickness and in health" until this wedding.   Here are some pics... 

These are my friends Jessica, Kenny and David.  They did all the music for the wedding and Adrianne and Nathan had no idea what would be played.  The music at the wedding was one of the things that made it so unique.  Kenny (middle) was also a groomsman and he selected all the music specifically for them.  She walked down the isle to "You're beautiful" by Phil Wickham and they walked out to the "Amen Chorus" followed by a surprise rendition of "I'm A Believer".  

Cookie Cake... enough said. 

Thank you all again for your continued prayers.  Adrianne goes in for surgery tomorrow to remove the tumor.  Also, she hasn't had a single headache since the diagnosis.

Also, here's a video re-cap of the wedding.  It's only about 13 minutes long.  It's through facebook so hopefully you can see it.  

    

A Community in Action...

So, these are my friends Nathan and Adrianne.  They are wonderfully amazing people who have the largest hearts of nearly anyone i've met and have been an integral part of my community out here in CA.  I introduce them to you because the events of my past and next week greatly involve them.  

Last wednesday they found out that Adrianne has a small tumor in the part of her brain that controls her vision.  She had been having headaches and vision problems for several months and after an MRI last week, they were hit with the diagnosis.  They do not know if the tumor is benign or malignant and won't know until the surgery but it must come out either way.  Nathan and Adrianne are engaged and have the wedding planned for January 2nd in Iowa but with this news, the wedding is now going to take place here in Pasadena on Saturday... in 5 days.  

I would like to share how incredibly good God has been to these two in the midst of this very difficult time.  They were somehow about to have appointments to have an MRI, follow up with the neuro nurse practitioner and a neurosurgeon all in the same day.  Some of these appointments should have taken months to get.  They were initially told that the surgeon was booked until the end of January, but within a day, his schedule had changed and the surgery is now scheduled for December 10th... 5 days after their new wedding date.  Because of the pending surgery, Adrianne may not take any pain medication for her headaches but she hasn't had a single headache since last wednesday, the day of the diagnosis.  And, finally, after sending out a call for help to their community, 40 people arrived at his place last night for a "how to pull off a wedding in 5 days with no money" meeting.  To quote Nathan, "There's no budget... and by that we mean, There's no money".  Already, a church and honeymoon location have been donated and I'm excited to see how the community has come together and I think this wedding will truly embody their community better than anything that took months to plan.  

Nathan and Adrianne shared with us that when they were first engaged they wanted their wedding to truly involve their community but their words of caution are that you should be careful what you pray for... because God takes it seriously. 

Please keep them in your prayers over the next few weeks.  Pray that this wedding is everything they could have dreamed this day to be like (minus the brain tumor).  That she continues to have relief from the pain of the headaches and that the surgery would be successful. (With the surgery, aside from the risks of brain surgery, there is a chance her vision would be affected and a tiny chance she would lose all of the vision in her left eye). And for strength as Nathan is by her side as they spend the first few weeks of their marriage recovering from the surgery.  Thanks so much! 

Who do we follow?

"I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." -- Mahatma Gandhi

Sometimes I feel this way too... 

Payment for services rendered...

As many of you know, I am a big fan of washingtonpost.com's section called On Faith.  A posting today sparked some interesting thoughts/discussion among my roommates and myself.  According to the article, The Church of Christ, Scientist is petitioning to receive benefits under the new health care reform bill.  This proposal would provide funds for patients to partake in the services of a spiritual health specialist who receives phone calls or appointments and the services they render come in the form of prayer.  This provision was removed from the bill which passed in the house a few weeks back and the church leaders are hoping to have it inserted in the Senate version.  

Being unfamiliar with the workings of the Church of Christ, Scientist, I did as any graduate student would do, and went to the most reliable source known.  I do not intend to trivialize their beliefs but to summarize, they believe that given the absolute perfection of God, any form of sin, disease and death can not truly be real.  Healing of physical ailments therefore must come through the power of prayer and petition to God.  The church has an alternative system of health care involving nursing homes and prayer practitioners (a two-week intensive course is required to become a prayer practitioner.)  The services of the prayer practitioners often comes in the form of an idea or feeling that "God is here" and these thoughts drive out the idea of the illness.  As patients reconnect with God, healing comes naturally.  

The questions at hand are: Should taxpayer money be used to fund such religious services?  If this is the case, would they also begin funding church pastors?  Is the church looking for a way to get a slice of the pie now that the window is slightly open when it refuses to have the government involved in other ways?  Can we as the church truly separate ourselves from the state?   Do we really want to?    

Here's the entire article

Need I say more...

This news story came into my life yesterday: "Woman Takes Wheelchair for Wrong-Way Ride on Freeway"

Forgetting that Christian comes from Christ

Shane Claiborne, one of the founders of The Simple Way community in Philadelphia and author of the book The Irresistible Revolution. recently published a letter in Esquire magazine that I think should be shared with all those who have suffered at the hand of the church.  His opening paragraph begins: 

"To all my non believing, sort-of-believing, and used-to-be-believing friends: I feel like I should begin with a confession. I am sorry that so often the biggest obstacle to God has been Christians. Christians who have had so much to say with our mouths and so little to show with our lives. I am sorry that so often we have forgotten the Christ of our Christianity.  Forgive us.  Forgive us for the embarrassing things we have done in the name of God."  

I adore Shane Claiborne on many many levels but that is heightened by the fact that this is published in Esquire magazine.  Not Christianity Today, or Sojourners (which I love) but in a magazine frequented most often by the exact people that he desires to communicate with.  In his article, he discusses a fairly common story (inside and outside of the church), The Good Samaritan.  This story provides the best example of how we as the church seem to have forgotten the Christ part of Christian.   As the ailing man on the side of a road and is passed by the pious church leaders, it is the Samaritan, the person who has been so wounded by the religion in the past that he shouldn't even bother, who stops.  This is what the love and compassion of Christ should look like.  Daily, we find ourselves in the role of the Levite and the Priest, but we need to hear the call of the gospel and consider who's ailing on the side of the roads on which we walk.  

Check out the entire article

  

Reconciliation Part 2...

Recently I had the opportunity to re-watch the film District 9.  I'm not a film critic and don't see many of the beautiful indie flicks that are produced every year, but I'm ready to say that this film is one of the best of the year.  If you haven't had a chance to see it, I can't recommend it enough.  I know what you're thinking (because I thought it too)... this film looks like a crazy alien action movie and really isn't worth my time.  Well, let me enlighten you about what the film is really about.  This film strongly addresses the topic of the "other" and how we treat and think about people who are vastly different from us.  

Brief synopsis: The city of Johannesburg, South Africa has an alien race living with them and under the image of "their well-being" they have placed them in a housing community (ie: slum) to keep them separate from the humans.  This "community" has all the dealings of a typical slum that are in existence in our world today.  The story follows an employee for a private contracting firm given the job to move the alien race to a new "far better" community many miles outside of the city to keep them away from the residents of Johannesburg.  

The film is based on a short film called Alive in Joburg.  Please watch it, it's only about 6.5 minutes long).  While you're on YouTube check out the trailer for District 9.  

What makes this film so beautiful is that it is in fact written based on the writer/director's experiences during apartheid in South Africa.    This film highlights how we as the dominant race/culture view "the other".   Underneath the guise of a sci-fi movie, this film is screaming with issues of social justice.   What goes on between the aliens and humans in this film are things that did/do actually go on in this world.  We want "the other" moved to a better community, located at a comfortable distance away from us.  They should probably have their own churches there, because they just don't fit in with us.  Better give them their own schools too because I don't think I want their children playing with my children.   As the conflict between African Americans and whites in this country is far better than it was 50 years ago, the distinction is still there.  But as this issue recovers, we find new people to exclude for "their best interest".  Consider how the church interacts with homosexuals, or immigrants (legal and illegal) or the poor.  As followers of Christ, we need to realize that it is time to stop excluding those that we perceive as "other" and embrace them as the image bearers of God that they are... just as we are.   

The Religion Of Thinness.

The Washington Post's publishes a blog called "ON FAITH" in which prominent voices from different faith communities discuss issues of faith.  Yesterday, the posting was written by a guest writer named Michelle Lelwica, professor of theology at Concordia College.  She has written several books on the topic of faith and body image in women and girls.  She was responding initially to the picture posted above but also addressing the fact that it should be people of faith who are on the front lines of the ever-growing body image problems that american girls are dealing with.  There are enumerable issues that people of faith should be on the front lines of but are not.  This one, however falls very close to my heart.  After years of working at a girls boarding school, i had the opportunity to get to know many girls dealing with these exact issues with pictures just like the one above taped on the wall over their beds.  How can people of faith be a voice in the lives of these girls to encourage them that they too are made in the image of God.  I can not do the entire posting justice, so here is a snip-it.  

"There wouldn't be much to worry about if models stretched to such slender and surreal proportions were a rarity in our society today. But images like the one Ralph Lauren produced are part of a ubiquitous iconography that young women look to as they search for ways to define their worth and understand their purpose in the world. This iconography belongs to a broader network of beliefs, myths, rituals, and moral codes that encourage women to find "salvation" (i.e., happiness and fulfillment) through a thinner body. I call this "The Religion of Thinness," for it has many of the features of traditional religion, even though it fails to deliver the salvation it promises and sadly shortchanges the spiritual needs to which it appeals."

For the rest of the posting please see This Link

I Need That Record...

As my life is overwhelmed with an intensive course in Koine Greek, somehow I still find time to make it to the shows I desire... more or less.  A few weeks ago, my friend Amber and I went to see a documentary about the death (or possible survival of the independent record store.  One of the first jobs I ever had which turned into many wonderful relationships with co-workers was at an independent record store in DC, which has recently downsized from 5 stores to 1, so this film held a special place in my heart.   The film highlighted many of the reasons for the closing of these stores including:

-The rise in record sale prices caused by the fact that the 5 major record labels are being run by business men.  Consequently, record stores have no choice but to sell music at the astronomical price of $17 or $18 a disc.  

-Because of the rise in these prices, consumers frequently make the obvious choice to purchase music online (itunes or amazon) for about $10.  

-"Big Box" stores such as Wal-mart frequently take a voluntary price cut on music selling it for way under cost because they will make their money back on the impulse purchases (toaster ovens and yarn) that you'll grab on your way through the store.  

All of these elements combined have resulted in nearly 3000 independent stores have closed in the past decade.  Ultimately what's being lost with the closing of these stores is not only a place to purchase music but an important "third place" for many many people.  (The "third place" is a place where people spend their time that's not home or work.  For many it's a coffee shop, church, bar or whatever).  Smaller record stores frequently are able to provide their consumer with personalized service that could never be found in a Big Box store or online.  Being able to speak directly with the store owner or salesperson about what music they are listening to or what else I might like.  

This situation is not, however, unique to the music industry, it is happening with all sorts of small businesses around the country.  I would like to blame this issue on white collar businessmen who are raising the prices but ultimately it is the consumer who chooses to save money and shop online or at large chain stores that is causing this loss in business.   Sorry to end on a harsh note, but I do believe it's a reality we need to face in this crummy economic time.  

Take a moment and check out the trailer for this film 

Adventures in being my father's daughter

My father loved projects.  Most of the time, I'm not so sure he really knew what he was doing but everything always got finished and looked great... on the outside.  The best example would be our old garage which should be studied by the folks from CalTech for it's anti-gravitational abilities that allowed it to stand for many years at a 30 degree angle.   My father, however, simply built a nice frame around the front of it so it looked straight from the front.  When I was a kid, he would say "If I was feeling ambitious I'd ________" and then we'd promptly do whatever project was rolling around in his head.  Well, in honor of my father, I'm allowing that ambition to rub off on me and for my "summer" vacation, I've decided to paint my bike frame.  This basically involves stripping all of the moving parts off the bike; sanding, priming, and painting the bike; then figuring out how to put it all back together.  Currently I'm just about finished with the painting phase, and everything is looking great... we'll see what happens when I begin to reassemble.  I figured that if I can't get it back together, I know plenty of people who can do it for me.  I'm not going to lie, this has been pretty relaxing.  Oh dear, I am my father's daughter.  

Also, I built this bike stand myself... it's amazing that for about $20.00 you can build what would cost much more at a store.  

Musings on Reconciliation... part 1

In the past few months, I have been mulling over thoughts on the concept of reconciliation.  This isn't really a something that I spent much time thinking about before now but this past year has offered me more  opportunities to consider this idea than ever before.  I suppose the reason this topic is rolling around in my head so much is because my time in seminary has given me increased opportunities to continue thinking about what "the church" should be like as compared to what it actually is today.  I am frequently running into stuff in the bible that seems to be a contradiction to how a significant portion of the church is, especially in America.  2 Corinthians states that just as we have been reconciled to God we are to be his ambassadors and share the message of reconciliation with others.  It occurred to me that the church today does not carry the message of reconciliation very loudly.  Why is this message not on the forefront of all all Christian agendas?  I believe that with the influence the church has had on the greater world throughout history, if the message of reconciliation (to God and to others around us) were a priority, our world would be significantly different.  

Back to the Bike

So, the worst part of this whole fire (for me) was the fact that the air was so filled with smoke that I was unable to bike anywhere.  Please do not assume that I wish to pretend that the inconvenience I dealt with is anything compared to the countless number of families that lost their homes in the fire.  Other than the nightly pyrotechnic show we received, this has been the only physical way I've encountered the fire.  You know when you're standing by a camp fire and the wind blows the wrong direction and all the smoke hits you in the face?  That's kind of what it was like.  Or when you walk into a hotel room that someone has smoked in?  That's kind of what it smelled like... for a week.  Well, the smoke has decreased (I read that the folks at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab here in Pasadena have been tracking the smoke and it's reached the gulf coast... get ready, East Coast!)  and I'm thrilled to be able to bike around again.

I realized during this time, how blessed I am to be able to bike around town.  I'm thankful that I don't commute further than a mile, that I get exercise every day without having to set time aside for it, that I don't add to the pollution problems of LA (let alone the globe), that I can't purchase more than one bag worth of groceries at a time, that I can park for free for as long as I want.  One week of driving every day to and from school and moving my car from parking spot to parking spot cost me an entire tank of gas.  I recommend everybody consider switching to a bike if not for commuting, than simply for running errands around town!  

... Also, this happened yesterday: 

For more information:  http://laist.com/2009/09/08/another_valley_water_main_break_cau.php

In a galaxy far, far away... Hollywood

So, my friend Amber and I decided that we were going to attempt to head to the Hollywood Bowl to see the LA Philharmonic play the music of the movies directed by John Williams.  Well, luckily (unfortunately) a guy we knew broke up with his girlfriend and gave us the tickets.   John Williams wrote most of the famous soundtracks one might recognize like ET, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Superman and of course... Star Wars.  So, I had a chance to see almost this exact same show a few years back in Pittsburgh but there was something this show had that the other one didn't.  I couldn't put my finger on it, until the Star Wars music began and then I realized...oh yeah, LIGHT SABERS.  Apparently there's some unspoken understanding amongst John Williams/ Classical Music/ Star Wars fans that it's totally appropriate, if not socially expected to wave a large 4 ft light saber in the air along with the music.  As you may have already realized, I love it when grown-ups have a chance to act like kids again.  

No, but really...

So, I would like to start this by apologizing for the 9 month absence from the world of internet blogging.  Apparently the combination of adjusting to life on the other side of the country as well as being a student again left me quite distracted.  (Please do not make any assumptions about the 9 month absence and other things that also take 9 months!)  I do, however, feel that it is only appropriate that I follow up my previous post regarding fire with this one, which is occurring as the mountains about 5 miles north of me burn from the largest wildfire in LA county history.  There are a few pictures on facebook taken from either my front yard or from the Rosebowl here in Pasadena.  My east coast self is still a bit uncomfortable watching actual flames rise from mountains.  For real, people... when Smokey The Bear says "Only you can prevent forest fires!" he really freakin' means it out here.      

Other than the flamin' mountains, my first year in seminary has been wonderful and I'm hoping (please have grace) to be able to keep you all updated on what i've been studying/mulling over since making a complete change of professional direction.