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