From March 6-9 I joined 400 other InterVarsity Staff in Long Beach, CA for the Multi-Ethnic Staff Conference. Normally this conference happens every 3 years, but due to changes in upper-level leadership it hasn't happened in 5 years. I am certainly glad it happened while I'm on staff!
I was somehow asked to join the prayer team, not knowing I would be walking in to a room of older InterVarsity big shots who are very, very spiritual. I was very, very intimidated. But as usual God used it to bless and challenge me.
The theme of the Conference was Continuing the Journey: Recharting our Course for Multiethnicity in Mission- and God did a lot of stirring up new things in me and I believe in the other participants- and not all of it was very fun. But I am so thankful that multi-ethnicity is a value for InterVarsity, and that InterVarsity as a movement is willing to go into new and uncharted places.
Here is a video from the last night of the conference- and it is deeply prophetic. Lisa Espinelli Chinn calls out our need for dissonance and how it points us to Jesus, and Scott Bessenecker totally calls out our old wineskins in the West and in InterVarsity. It is completely prophetic. Just watch it, seriously.
http://vimeo.com/38209607
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Love the Foreigner as Yourself
During Lent this year, directors of LaFe, InterVarsity's Latino student fellowship, presented the opportunity for staff to pray and fast for undocumented students. This is a significant and growing population of students, and the director's brought to my attention the sadness, loneliness, and lack of opportunity felt by undocumented students- many of whom discover their undocumented status for the first time when applying to college. I have interacted with students and others who are undocumented, and know a little bit of the struggle they endure, but there is always more to learn if God has anything to do with it.
Obviously immigration is a very politically charged issue, but what is most important is what God's heart is for the people involved. The LaFe directors have sent out weekly devotionals for those of us who have chosen to fast and pray, and what has been most eye opening for me has been the Scriptures they have had us read and the guided prayers they wrote.
Especially in the first five books of the Bible there are quite a few verses where God repeats "Care for the foreigner who lives among you". Today I was reading Leviticus 19:9-34, and I was kind of bracing myself for some weird and rigid laws (I guess in my mind that is the on the surface connotation Leviticus has...there it is, full disclosure). But, as I have been most of this week as I've been preparing to teach the second half of Mark at Spring Break Camp, I find myself saying "Dang God- that is deep!" God has a habit of blowing my mind when I don't expect it. Throughout the Leviticus passage, God is backing up the people that no one else is backing up: the poor, the foreigner, hired workers, female slaves, women in general, the elderly, foreigners again. He also talks a lot about loving your neighbor in general, and being fair towards them. He ends a lot of these laws with "I am the Lord your God", like He's saying "I, God take this seriously, so why shouldn't you?"
I was hit especially by verses 15, 17 and 18, and 33 and 34.
15, because God says to not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich. The part about the rich kind of took me aback, because I didn't expect to be reminded that the rich can't be ignored either. I think I tend to lean towards partiality towards the poor, but God wants to love and do work in rich people as well. It just seems like sometimes its a little more difficult for Him to get into the hearts of the rich. But Jesus doesn't ignore the rich. One part of Mark that I was prepping for this week was about the rich young ruler who Jesus tells to sell all he has and give to the poor. I don't think Jesus told him to do that because Jesus didn't want him to be rich, but because Jesus knew what was in his heart, and what was in the way of the man following Him. Money tends to do that, I guess.
17 and 18, because God is pointing out what hatred and grudges do to the one who holds them. Dang God.
33 and 34, probably because it brought to mind how much we in America are not doing what God is asking. The foreigners among us are definitely not treated as those who are native born. The stigma and poverty surrounding most undocumented immigrants makes that clear. Way to go us. But I can't go blaming other people before looking at myself and the ways that I might not be loving the foreigners around me, the ways that I am a contributor. For that I need to pray these prayers:
God of the Disenfranchised, guide me today in empowering the powerless so they might know their salvation in You.
Lord, give me a place to call home, in the deepest sense. Teach me to offer my "home" generously, especially to those who are pushed into unfamiliar places.
(Helpful articles also found here: http://undocumented.tv/)
Obviously immigration is a very politically charged issue, but what is most important is what God's heart is for the people involved. The LaFe directors have sent out weekly devotionals for those of us who have chosen to fast and pray, and what has been most eye opening for me has been the Scriptures they have had us read and the guided prayers they wrote.
Especially in the first five books of the Bible there are quite a few verses where God repeats "Care for the foreigner who lives among you". Today I was reading Leviticus 19:9-34, and I was kind of bracing myself for some weird and rigid laws (I guess in my mind that is the on the surface connotation Leviticus has...there it is, full disclosure). But, as I have been most of this week as I've been preparing to teach the second half of Mark at Spring Break Camp, I find myself saying "Dang God- that is deep!" God has a habit of blowing my mind when I don't expect it. Throughout the Leviticus passage, God is backing up the people that no one else is backing up: the poor, the foreigner, hired workers, female slaves, women in general, the elderly, foreigners again. He also talks a lot about loving your neighbor in general, and being fair towards them. He ends a lot of these laws with "I am the Lord your God", like He's saying "I, God take this seriously, so why shouldn't you?"
I was hit especially by verses 15, 17 and 18, and 33 and 34.
15, because God says to not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich. The part about the rich kind of took me aback, because I didn't expect to be reminded that the rich can't be ignored either. I think I tend to lean towards partiality towards the poor, but God wants to love and do work in rich people as well. It just seems like sometimes its a little more difficult for Him to get into the hearts of the rich. But Jesus doesn't ignore the rich. One part of Mark that I was prepping for this week was about the rich young ruler who Jesus tells to sell all he has and give to the poor. I don't think Jesus told him to do that because Jesus didn't want him to be rich, but because Jesus knew what was in his heart, and what was in the way of the man following Him. Money tends to do that, I guess.
17 and 18, because God is pointing out what hatred and grudges do to the one who holds them. Dang God.
33 and 34, probably because it brought to mind how much we in America are not doing what God is asking. The foreigners among us are definitely not treated as those who are native born. The stigma and poverty surrounding most undocumented immigrants makes that clear. Way to go us. But I can't go blaming other people before looking at myself and the ways that I might not be loving the foreigners around me, the ways that I am a contributor. For that I need to pray these prayers:
God of the Disenfranchised, guide me today in empowering the powerless so they might know their salvation in You.
Lord, give me a place to call home, in the deepest sense. Teach me to offer my "home" generously, especially to those who are pushed into unfamiliar places.
(Helpful articles also found here: http://undocumented.tv/)
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Lenten Encouragement
I realize that pretty much everything I've been posting has been quoting someone else, but at this point in my journey I feel that encouragement from others (books included) has been what has kept me going. For Lent I borrowed a daily devotional from my dad by Henri Nouwen called "From Fear to Love", and it challenges and speaks to me every day. Today's was especially encouraging.
"Everything I Have is Yours"
Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. -Psalm 138:8
"So often people grow resentful and bitter as they grow older. With time their image of an ideal life is disturbed because painful historical, political, personal, family, or financial realities break through.
Your pain, seen in the light of a spiritual journey, can be interpreted. The great art is to gradually trust that life's interruptions are the places where you are being molded into the person you are called to be. Interruptions are not disruptions of your way to holiness, but rather are places where you are being molded and formed into the person God calls you to be. You know you are living a grateful life when whatever happens is received as an invitation to deepen your heart, to strengthen your love, and to broaden your hope. You are living a grateful life when something is taken away from you that you thought was so important and you find yourself willing to say, "Maybe I'm being invited to a deeper way of living.
-Father, I trust that you are molding me into my truest, best self. Help me to accept the changes in my life."
I know that God always leads me to deeper and wider places, and I am learning what it looks like to keep holding tightly to His hand.
"Everything I Have is Yours"
Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. -Psalm 138:8
"So often people grow resentful and bitter as they grow older. With time their image of an ideal life is disturbed because painful historical, political, personal, family, or financial realities break through.
Your pain, seen in the light of a spiritual journey, can be interpreted. The great art is to gradually trust that life's interruptions are the places where you are being molded into the person you are called to be. Interruptions are not disruptions of your way to holiness, but rather are places where you are being molded and formed into the person God calls you to be. You know you are living a grateful life when whatever happens is received as an invitation to deepen your heart, to strengthen your love, and to broaden your hope. You are living a grateful life when something is taken away from you that you thought was so important and you find yourself willing to say, "Maybe I'm being invited to a deeper way of living.
-Father, I trust that you are molding me into my truest, best self. Help me to accept the changes in my life."
I know that God always leads me to deeper and wider places, and I am learning what it looks like to keep holding tightly to His hand.
Monday, January 16, 2012
In Honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h57etcXxLqI&feature=share
To a great man in the great cloud of witnesses, who never ceases to challenge us and whisper to us the words of God, even from the past.
To a great man in the great cloud of witnesses, who never ceases to challenge us and whisper to us the words of God, even from the past.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
The Most Beautiful Thing I've Heard in a While
Contemporary American author Frederick Buechner has written,
“A Christian is one who points at Christ and says, ‘I can’t prove a thing,
but there’s something about his eyes and his voice. There’s something
about the way he carries his head, his hands, the way he carries his cross —
the way he carries me.’ ”
“A Christian is one who points at Christ and says, ‘I can’t prove a thing,
but there’s something about his eyes and his voice. There’s something
about the way he carries his head, his hands, the way he carries his cross —
the way he carries me.’ ”
Saturday, September 17, 2011
The Importance of Pain
From Father Richard Rohr's daily meditations- he says things so well. He went through each of Alcoholics Anonymous' 12 Steps and related them to our walk of faith. This is today's entry.
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Monday, September 12, 2011
The Life of a Leader
This past Wednesday through Saturday was our Cal Poly student leaders' retreat, and all 45 leaders and the 5 of us staff met in LA to pray, plan, and prepare for this upcoming school year. In some ways it feels like FUI deja vu, because a lot of the new leaders are introverted, which definitely creates a particular group dynamic. They are an awesome group though, and although they are scared, they are very eager and open for whatever God has for them.
One part of the leaders retreat (we call it Chapter Camp) that I led was the Friday morning devotion and Bible Study. When I was preparing, Genesis 15 really jumped out at me. I think since I have learned a lot about the ups and downs of leadership the past 2 years especially, I was drawn in by Abram's experience in the chapter.
The first verse says "Do not be afraid Abram, I am your shield, and your very great reward." So God is the ultimate reward, even though God promises Abram descendants as numerous as the stars and a whole lot of land. But Abram has to do a lot of waiting: waiting for God to show up in the Chapter, and then another 25 years of waiting for a son. Not to mention he is promised that his descendants will have to wait 400 years before they are freed from slavery. Abram battles it out with God, and he has a lot of doubts, and even experiences depression (v. 12). But the one time Abram believes God, it is credited to him as righteousness!
We studied the passage as a group, and I wanted them to see how leadership means ups and downs, and waiting, and sometimes depression, and doubts, but also God's promises and encouragement, and how He honors the times we do trust Him and hold to His promises.
I was kind of afraid of being a downer, but I think it is so important to realize that leadership DOES have a lot of ups and downs, but the point is to keep pressing into God, and realize that He is our reward, not an amazing small group Bible study or fellowship. I hope that came across to them.
One part of the leaders retreat (we call it Chapter Camp) that I led was the Friday morning devotion and Bible Study. When I was preparing, Genesis 15 really jumped out at me. I think since I have learned a lot about the ups and downs of leadership the past 2 years especially, I was drawn in by Abram's experience in the chapter.
The first verse says "Do not be afraid Abram, I am your shield, and your very great reward." So God is the ultimate reward, even though God promises Abram descendants as numerous as the stars and a whole lot of land. But Abram has to do a lot of waiting: waiting for God to show up in the Chapter, and then another 25 years of waiting for a son. Not to mention he is promised that his descendants will have to wait 400 years before they are freed from slavery. Abram battles it out with God, and he has a lot of doubts, and even experiences depression (v. 12). But the one time Abram believes God, it is credited to him as righteousness!
We studied the passage as a group, and I wanted them to see how leadership means ups and downs, and waiting, and sometimes depression, and doubts, but also God's promises and encouragement, and how He honors the times we do trust Him and hold to His promises.
I was kind of afraid of being a downer, but I think it is so important to realize that leadership DOES have a lot of ups and downs, but the point is to keep pressing into God, and realize that He is our reward, not an amazing small group Bible study or fellowship. I hope that came across to them.
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