Martin’s Big Words January 17, 2011

Today many kids are watching cartoons late into the afternoon and on their third bowl of Lucky Charms because it’s MLK day.  Maybe this is my future cranky teacher self speaking, but would it be terrible if kids went to school for even a half day devoted to learning about Martin Luther King Jr.  Few people have walked a life of peace and reconciliation like Dr. King and what a better time to learn about his life than on his day.

                                     

Martin’s Big Words by Doreen Rappaport and illustrated by Bryan Collier is a magnificent picture book on the life of Martin Luther King Jr.  Collier uses collage beautifully to place children right in the moment.  I absolutely love this book and the way it teaches freedom, peace, and the history of the civil rights movement through art. 

Yesterday morning at church, the pastor focused on the responsibility that the community has on raising and teaching children, alongside the parents.  Teachers, neighbors, and coaches all significantly shape the way a child will make decisions.  It really convicted me to live a life that models life-long learning, forgiveness, love, and most importantly obedience to God for my little brothers and future students.  The integration of history, reading, art and virtue in Martin’s Big Words is a great launching board for research and discussion on the injustices that we still witness today.

Nestled January 11, 2011

Sometimes I cannot believe I have a blog.  I do not tweet or update my facebook status on the simple principle that no one honestly cares what I’m doing at every moment of my day.  The blog serves a different purpose for me however, it’s more of an expression of my constant and racing thoughts.  So even if I only get one view a day, I want to try to keep up with this endeavour for myself. 

Anyways, I recently joined a twenty somethings transitional I don’t know what my future will hold but I really need you group at church.  There were two new members this week who had the exact same thoughts as mine the previous week: I’m stuck at home with my parents and I need a community of people my own age, quick!  Is it just our generation of the late eighties babies that are all moving home after college?  And if so, why?  Of course we can blame the economy, the dream job is not to be found and with the price of tuition rising, the student debt is rising, naturally leaving home as a great alternative.  I must say it is an awkward transition to behold: dinner with your parents every night, chores, constant worrying from your mother…anyone who has done this will commiserate with me here.  So do we just need to get kicked out of the nest or is there something deeper to address?

My sophomore year of college the pastor at Muncie Alliance Church challenged the students to retain their friendships post college by staying together, living close, and utilizing each other’s talents in their community.  It would require sacrifice for some but the end result would take the deep bonds established over four years of living in the dormitories together and channel that energy to impact each other and a community.  By encouraging one another and edifying the group they could have a greater force in their work and ministry.  Of course as a sophomore this was idyllic and my friends were going to set out to do just that!  But after senior year, reality sets in: some cannot afford to live on their own, some cannot find jobs, some want to go on to graduate school…Now after a year and a half, I wish I had listened more carefully to Guy’s advice and put more effort into the idea.  I think from the outside this could sound weak and pathetic.  After college you are supposed to fly from the nest on your own and plant yourself in unfamiliar territory to test your adult skills, see if you can make it.  But what’s so wrong with needing people, finding comfort in familiar faces, and learning to grow with people who are there to support you. 

I’m very pleased to be making new friends and finding a new community.  But how many twenty something I still don’t know what’s next for me’s are out there feeling isolated?  Many of us are in the same boat and I think my suggestion would be that it’s not weak to need friends, family, and community to pour into your new stage of life.  In fact I think everyone’s soul desperately needs to be known and loved.

fairness: a hug & a plate of cookies June 18, 2010

Child, “But that’s not fair!”

Parent, “Life’s not fair!”

I was visiting my friend’s church last Sunday and I must say before I talk about fairness, it was refreshing to be greeted and accepted by a church I had never attended in a new town.  I have tried on many churches this year around my area and here’s what happens most often (keep in mind that I have attended church for the past 10 years of my life and I’m a pretty social person)

The skin over my chest is stretching over my rapidly beating heart as I pull into the church parking lot.  My mind is racing with proper church etiquette, but I force one foot in front of another, smile at the greeters, accept my bulletin and plunk myself in a pew.  Then after sitting through the sermon I do one of two things: race to the front door before I’m singled out as a newcomer or on courageous days I have lingered in the foyer waiting for someone to greet me, which usually does not happen and then I leave feeling sufficiently awkward.  It is hard trying out new churches all by yourself!  And why don’t I just go and introduce myself to someone you ask…well do you run up to a strange group of people and ask to be their friends?

So all that to say, I’m thankful to those at Oasis Church who made me feel instantly at home with their welcoming smiles.  I think it should be noted that a church greeter is an underrated position from which newcomers will get their first impressions of the church.  They make a difference!

Anyways, the woman giving the sermon last weekend at Oasis made reference to fairness, specifically through the eyes of a child.  Though this was not the main point of her message, it brought me right back to pigtails when my own father would lecture me on how life is not fair and the sooner I got used to that the easier life would be for me.  After some good pouting, I would usually succumb to my parents and just move on, but when you’re five inequality means that you didn’t get an ice cream cone after dinner.  When you’re out of college the door stands a little bit wider and often our faith can be hinged upon such questions as: why don’t all religions lead to God? why are some people born into poverty? why was I a victim of abuse?  At this point, the woman giving the sermon led to Psalm 13- I think that’s a great place to go, wrestle it out with God, let the Psalms give words to your conflicted heart.

At what point do we accept that we live in a fallen world and life is just not fair and at what point do we stand up to injustice and say, life’s not fair but I’m going to do something about it.  I’ve really come to detest that phrase, “pull yourself up by your bootstraps,” which coincides with the American dream.  What about those that are so deep in a pit they cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel, are we supposed to shout down, “climb up you idiot!” or groups of people for no fault of their own are dealt the short end of the stick.  So what have I come to: social justice, an extremely broad term that is often used inappropriately to mean just about anything you want it to mean.  After the uproar with Glen Beck, I feel the need to define my terms, so this is what I mean by social justice: following Christ’s example by feeding the hungry, walking with the lame, and caring for the sick out of love, grace, and mercy because Jesus says, “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40 NIV

So can we bring fairness and social justice to the world? Simply, no, but yes through the power of Christ.  We are sinful and deserve the wrath of God, but we have been shown grace, so we can stop ignoring our battered neighbors, neglected pupils and suffering humanity by turning a merciful eye the real inequalities of this world.  I just read Get Out of That Pit: Straight Talk About God’s Deliverance by Beth Moore; her focus was on Psalm 40:1 – 3.

“I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.”

Moore refers to three ways to enter a pit: thrown in, slip in, and jump in.  We’ll leave jump in out since that would be an entirely different topic.  But for those suffering from unemployment, abuse, hunger…the statement “life is not fair” is just all to real.  We don’t need to jump into the pit of codependency to help a sister out either.  We can throw out the notion that all it takes is to “pull up your bootstraps” and we can look in the face of truth that says things like “white privilege” and other injustices still exist and we can walk hand in hand with the body of Christ.  Inevitably, someone has connections for a new job, someone has a listening ear, someone loves to cook a nourishing meal, and someone has generosity and resources.  Just writing this makes my heart pound with joy thinking about the ways God has encouraged my soul through His children and His Word.

At the university I attended, we had a week devoted to “social justice.”  A group of people lived in a cardboard village outside and ate rice and beans dinners for the week.  The idea of extremely privileged college students living like homeless people while taking expensive classes to get high paying jobs and then patting themselves on the back after a rough week really disturbed me.  What I did like about the social justice week was that we had speakers bringing up uncomfortable topics to help people learn and grow sensitive to the needs of the world.  I really learned a lot in Bridge Builders, an inner city ministry focused on education and submersion, but I think it’s easy to get caught up in the grandiose ideas of saving the world when our neighbors and family members are suffering.  So maybe by treating our children and colleagues fairly we can show love, mercy and grace that will have a rippling effect.  If the slums of India seem a little too far right now, maybe your neighbor needs a hug and a plate of cookies.  I may not be able to bring fairness in her life, but I can certainly validate her feelings and show her the Rock where I stood when my walls were caving in. 

Penmanship; a lost art form June 4, 2010

“Oh my dear friend, my heart was trembling as I walked into the post office, and there you were, lying in box 237. I took you out of your envelope and read you, read you right there.” Miss Novak, A Shop Around the Corner

Doesn’t that line just make your heart flutter!  If you haven’t seen the 1940 film, A Shop Around the Corner it is a must; you may have seen the remake: You’ve Got Mail.  But is it not more romantic to see love unfold from each envelope and postage stamp rather than each email clicked into cyberspace?  Don’t get me wrong, clearly I am utilizing the wonders of modern technology via blogging, so is this just ranting and raving – absolutely!

I recently discovered that my younger brother, who is completing fifth grade this week, does not know how to write in cursive.  He attends a public school and he can barely sign his name in cursive.  This is not a single instance case, but a rising problem in elementary schools.  As someone who has invested four years in pursuing an education degree, I am appalled that a fifth grader cannot read and write in cursive fluently.  Now, we can discuss politics surrounding education, NCLB…but honestly, those are not justifiable reasons for an elementary student to not have even basic skill in penmanship.  I know that when I was in fourth grade work was unacceptable unless submitted in legible cursive and the teacher only wrote in cursive on the board.  Of course the more exposure children have to cursive the more comfortable they will be in reading and writing it themselves.

I remember as a child, watching my mother and grandmother write in flowing cursive and I couldn’t wait until it was my turn to make those fancy loops and curls in my own handwriting.  My mother even took classes in calligraphy, a beautiful art form that unfortunately is losing popularity with all of our ecards, evites, and emails – the only time I hear about calligraphy is when addressing wedding invitations.  Wouldn’t it be lovely to receive a beautifully hand written letter on embossed stationery from a dear friend, admirer, or penpal?  Unfortunately, that is rarely what’s in my mailbox! I think I’m going to spend a little more time with ink and paper.