Brothers in Humanity

Every few months we get new staff at work. We hire in bulk three times a year and train them as "classes." With each class comes a new set of faces, personalities, giftings, and struggles. Each one bringing to the table the light and darkness-the sin and the Spirit-that is embedded within every Christian.

Hurt, pain, insecurity, pride, stubbornness, bitterness, the list goes on extensively. It's irritating!

Looking at the struggles of my students, teammates, friends, and those that I would consider even family, I can sometimes find myself frustrated with them and their shortcomings. Impatient and ungracious towards their needs and struggles.

Christ said to love our enemies. He challenged the status quo and demanded that love be shown even to those who we don't like or agree with. "Love your neighbors" is one of the many coined phrases of Christianity, yet those same Christians turn their back on the impoverished and war torn souls that need help.

I have needed help, and in in my need I forgot to see other people's needs. Mine eyes are turned inward to my own pain and I have began to "self-care" in an isolated and unloving way. A reality that God made very clear to me recently.

I had a student in my English class in Amman that made a big impact on how I viewed other people. "We are brothers in humanity", he would say to me. The words loom over me like a ghost and my soul stirs in response. It's a sobering and humbling experience to receive true, biblical wisdom from a Muslim. Reflecting on the environment I'm living/working in, I find those words affecting me still.

These men and women that I work with are my brothers and sisters. They are mine and I am theirs. My team. My family. My people. How could I be intolerant of the sin in them when it's so clearly embedded in me? When they endure my own? (and they definitely do!) How can I neglect their needs and their craving for love and support when I know so intimately the needs and desires in me?

As a new team comes to join us at Shelterwood this week, my prayer is this:

"Lord, bind us together in brotherhood and sisterhood. humble us to be loving and caring for each other just as You humbled Yourself for the sake of our souls. Tighten us together and teach us to hear form each other and to heal together, to be light to one another. Help us to find rest and support in our 'family' and let us not be unloving. Amen"


Grace and Peace,
Stephen

Feeling the Tug

Ever since Spring of '10 I have been in love with travel. I enjoy seeing new places and being in cultures unfamiliar to me, and in the time of my college career I was blessed with many opportunities to go abroad and visit lands outside my own. I miss those opportunities, but have sought to make the most of what I have now here in my homeland, which I have missed and loved returning to. I found, however, that I can't escape the desire to travel and have new experiences. This, I believe, primarily comes out of having been changed and molded by my travels. I have seen greater change in my life and have been challenged by my surroundings and by people in my travels. I long for that again.

I believe that the time has come to begin actually doing something about my situation and my life, that I begin meeting new people and having adventures and new experiences. I have been incredibly blessed with gifts, talents, and desires, and even more so that I have become tied down by a relationship and, therefore, have no true responsibilities to anyone outside of paying off a few minor debts. This past year I have allowed myself to feel overwhelmed and enslaved by those said debts and by the expectations and beliefs of others, but that is an unhealthy and unreasonable way to live. I am free and should be living as such.

In my liberty to choose my life and my next steps, and trusting that God is guiding my will by the transformative work of His Spirit, I will do what is necessary to do what I desire to do and discover more of the world and of myself. I need to stop selling myself short and not being being the leader that I am just because of false self-talk and and because of I am putting myself down or letting people put me down or control me. It is unacceptable and dishonorable to God who made me who I am and has guided me through life to this point. He did not give me desires and gifts to be buried in the dirt, but instead to be used and invested in the world. In this I have failed greatly.

My soul screams out the pain of loss and realization, but also in joy that truth prevails and I can step out of my current situation stronger than ever and overcome the lingering shadows of sin and soul-enslavement. I have set boundaries on my life that diminish my ability to act and I have not set proper boundaries for humanity, and where I have set boundaries I have failed to defend them from intruders that barge through.

I have let time and opportunity slip by because of foolishness and bowing to the whims and perceived thoughts of others. I have feared humanity more than I have God and as a result I have become enslaved to humanity, to the philosophies and expectations of my parents, and to the broken culture that I dwell in. I am the one at fault. Through Christ who liberated me and gave me His Holy Spirit, I can break free of the darkness of my fears; I enjoy His creation and His presence forever and ever and go into the world.


Grace and peace,

Stephen

People Watching

I rarely engage in the task of "people watching". In some way I think that I have missed out on life, and even disrespected humanity, in refraining from yielding my attention to them. There is so much to see and learn; there is terrible beauty and appealing deformity among our fellow humans that we can miss if we aren't looking close enough.

Those who watch me might see that my refrain is based in the fear of what a person might think if I happen to be looking in their direction at the time they look at me. This is a foolish reason to not enjoy and learn from others or to observe them. At this very moment I'm sitting in a coffee shop surround by students studying for tests and classes, additionally there is a couple out on a date getting to know each other better by indulging in topics of music, family, background, etc. It is fascinating to hear and to see the diversity that can be found in the middle of a little coffee shop on the edge of downtown Knox.

I have found yet another reason to put aside my fears and my insecurities; that is to see God's creation and enjoy it as a fellow human being, engaging in community and life. This is a desire of God.

People are hideous; people are beautiful. They are "Shattered Light".

Grace and Peace,

Stephen

Divine Encounters

Recently I found myself on the doorsteps of a beautiful church which I had gone to for the purpose of participate in a mid-day Eucharist service, but sadly I found the doors were all locked. I found, however, that there were a few men sitting out on the steps by themselves talking. I had stumbled across an impromptu  AA meeting, and before I knew it I had been asked to stay and listen. I was soon sitting on the ground listening to these men's stories, their struggles and experiences. It was a beautiful encounter that I would not have been able to experience if I had not gone and found the doors locked.

I had never participated in an AA meeting, primarily because I could not been deemed an alcoholic by any stretch of the imagination, but also because I never have actively sought out such things. In some way I see this as a tragedy on my part. I do not struggle. but there are those out there that do and need support. Perhaps it is best that a non-alcoholic not try to step in and "fix" those who are, but then again, is it otherwise merely the blind leading the blind?

I am forced to ask myself, can true accountability be held between two people who struggle with the same issue? I believe so. I saw this as true in the human beings that I encountered today. Young men often hold each other accountable (with moderate success) in the matters of sexual sin and addictions, so it is also helpful here. Though I would imagine that having someone who didn't struggle in the exact same way would be somewhat helpful, so long as the addict can see the non-addict for who they are and not see them as Pharisaic or Pietistic Overlords.

Photo taken from the AA websie:http://www.aa.org/pics_site/noflash_people.gif

I think that the important factor to remember is that they are human beings, regardless of addiction or abuse. We continually come across people throughout the week who are in need, some who recognize their problems and some who don't, and we have the amazing opportunity to be human with them; to be present in their lives. Should we not being seek opportunities to help others and to show others the Light of the Kingdom of Christ,the Light that gives liberty and freedom from addictions and to self-destructive philosophies? We need to stop talking about the world needing help and healing and start helping and seeking to heal. I pray that, as we grow in our faith, we might begin see these divine encounters that present themselves to us on a weekly (and sometimes daily) basis. For "life is short and there is but little time to gladden the hearts of those who travel with us. So let us be swift to love and make haste to be kind."

I would encourage you to look around at the people in your own communities, whether work, church, etc and look for ways that you can be a light in the midst of their darkness for the sake of the Kingdom and for the sake of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Peace be with you,

Stephen 

Voices: What Does it Mean to be Called?

Today I was reading the book "The Writing Life" by Annie Dillard while drinking coffee at the local Barnes and Nobles. I was struck by Dillard's description what life is like as a writer; moved by her dramatic, metaphorical explanations of "the writing life".

It has been a stark reality of late that nearly everything I read or encounter in my day-to-day life leads me to question my understanding of "callings" and what that implies for my life. It is undeniable ( at least from my observation  that Ms. Dillard is called to be a writer. In seeing her calling, I am compelled to question my own.

While the use of the word "calling" is generally a religious one, it is not a topic that is overlooked by the unbeliever or the pagan worshiper. Christianity has coined the term, even among those who do not hold to a high view of sovereignty. Growing up in the Church, I often heard statements like " have you received the calling?", "How do you know if you are called?", or "What do you believe God is calling you to?"

If you think about it, everyone questions calling. Even if you don't believe in God-it still holds true that there is "calling". Often people ask the following questions (which I believe to be intimately related to the subject of calling): "Who am I?", What do I enjoy?", "What makes me happy?", What is my purpose?", "What am I good at?", "What am I terrible at?", or even "Why is my life the way that it is?"

These are fundamental questions of discovering one's self and figuring out what one's desires to do with his or her life. I believe that they are deeply and strongly connected to this sense of "calling" that is imprinted on our souls.

I could write a whole thesis paper on the topic of calling and ask a thousand philosophical questions on the matter due to how complex this topic real is.

Instead...let me share just a few of the thoughts that came to me as I drank my coffee this morning.

How do we view calling? Do we limit it to Church work and the priesthood? Or do we understand calling in a much more profound way? If we limit "calling" to ministry  then are we not undermining God and His interactions with humanity? Additionally, are we not giving Church leadership an unhealthy elevation and setting ourselves up for disappointment? Many have been given the hearts and skills to lead and minister to people. They are servants of others, not people to be elevated. (A philosophy that I believe is well portrayed in the Anglican tradition specifically, and hopefully will one day be among others as well *cough cough Catholic cough*)

If you had asked me earlier today to explain calling I might have given the following statement:

"The difference between the uncalled blacksmith and the called blacksmith is this. The uncalled smith works hard in misery through blood, sweat, and tears to form and create tools for people so that he can receive money to purchase his wants and desires. The called smith toils and works hard in misery through blood, sweat, and tears for the sheer joy of taking the unshaped Earth, feeling the heat of the furnace as he manipulates the formerly unusable material into something of purpose, whether it be forming tools of beauty or weapons of war. He does not do it for the money, though he will glad receive it to continue doing his desired task, but he will sacrifice for it and pour a little bit of his soul into every thing he makes. Even if he incites angry and/or hatred of his loved ones for not working a field that brings about a more luxurious lifestyle."

I believe that this statement is still true...however, I must rethink my understanding of calling and ask "is there more than one kind of calling in life?" I believe the answer is yes. The is the understanding of calling that implies that one has been give skills, gifts, and talents for the purpose of vocation and purpose for life.


Is calling something that is always enjoyed? No

Is calling always vocational? No

Does everyone have a calling? Yes

Does everyone discover their calling? Yes, but not necessarily before departure from the physical world.


There is, however, another aspect of calling. You are called to be where you are now. Don't believe me? Are you saying that Moses wasn't called to be in the desert before being sent back to Pharaoh? Why? Did God not lead him to his future Father-in-law who would one day help him organize the government for Israel? Did God not lead him to brokenness to be used as a leader? Is not God choosing your family and your time of birth not enough to say that you are where you are because you are called to be there? It used to be understood that your calling was to do the trade that the family you were born to did. Very few did otherwise, and those who did were either in the military or joined the priesthood.

I'm not saying that God ordains every action or movement...I'm saying that God has called humanity to be holy and to be :Christian"; to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves.We who are born into the 21st century are lost in a world of choices and "freedom" to do what we want, but in the midst of it we often miss our calling as members of humanity and Christiandom because we fret over whether we are called our not and look for signs in the stars or for miracles to tell us our fate. Often we even are filled with fear over what our "calling" might be. Was anyone called  to Africa that did not desire to go? God made people in such away that they would desire Hid glory be spread to the far reaches of the world and they went and Africa and Asia became the callings of many.

He gave us desires, gifts, abilities, and His duel command of love...now go in your free will to do the things that he has sovereignly made possible for you to do. That is your calling is it not? Go to love and serve God by worshiping Him and enjoying His creation; loving others in such  a way that it is undeniable that Christ lives within you.

Peace be with you,

Stephen