Thoughts on a beautiful spring day

"Live simply so that others may simply live." Mahatma Gandhi

I have been reading a very inspiring book by Brian McLaren on social justice and the need for people and especially, those who call themselves the disciples of Christ, to start acting missional and doing the work that Jesus did and instructed his followers to do. We have gotten so far removed from this mission that the world is suffering; poverty, starvation, depletion of the earth's resources, global warming, wars and violence are everywhere. Yet the majority of Christians run around worrying about heaven, escaping hell, and whether or not gays and lesbians should be allowed to enter into the sacrament of marriage.

Good grief! Enough already!

A good friend of mine told me about how her pastor/church is challenging people to examine their lifestyles and to try to live a more simple existence for at least 50 days...the money that is saved by living simpler would then be donated to help build wells in Uganda. The link to the website can be found here: www.spillinghope.org This is the work that Christ instructed us to do.

Brian McLaren's book - Everything Must Change contains so much information, scripture, statistics, and inspiring insight into how we can change our world and help everyone and every living creature live a more equitable, sustainable existence. I encourage you to read it and to let it speak to your heart. He has several quotes from the author and theologian, John Scott. Here is one...“should gain the economic and political qualifications to join in the quest for justice in the world community. And meanwhile, the development of a less affluent lifestyle, in whatever terms we may define it, is surely an obligation that Scripture lays on us in compassionate solidarity with the poor. Of course we can resist these things and even use (misuse) the Bible to defend our resistance. The horror of the situation is that our affluent culture has drugged us; we no longer feel the pain of other people’s deprivations. Yet the first step toward the recovery of our Christian integrity is to be aware that our culture blinds, deafens and dopes us. Then we shall begin to cry to God to open our eyes, unstop our ears and stab our dull consciences awake, until we see, hear and feel what through his Word he has been saying to us all the time. Then we shall take action.”

McLaren's book states that: “The richest 1% of the world’s population owns almost 40%’ of total wealth, and the richest 5% owns 70% of the wealth. Take the assets of the world’s 3 richest individuals and you have the wealth that exceeds the combined gross domestic product (GDP) of the world’s 48 poorest countries.”

Jesus in Luke 16:19 does not prescribe hell to those who refuse to accept the message of justification by grace through faith, or those who do not express faith in a favored atonement theory by accepting Jesus as their “personal Savior”. Rather hell--literal or figurative--is for the rich and comfortable who proceed on their way without concern for their poor neighbor day after day.

To quote Gandhi once again: “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Boy how sad and how true this statement is.

In another biblical passage, Jesus through the miracle of the bread and fishes, is showing us that we need a radically different economy…one that is about sharing what we already have instead of acquiring more and more. This Jesus led type of economy would be one of gratitude and sharing and not based on consuming faster and more.

Cornell West reported on the rising disparity between salaries of CEOs and the average worker. In 1960 the ratio was 12:1, 35:1 in 1974, 151:1 in 1995 and 301:1 in 2003. This system cannot encourage and build equity among the world. It will continue to divide the rich from the poor. Trickle down economics does not work.

Remembering his statement that the first would be last and the last first, I firmly believe that Jesus would want us to promote trickle up economics. Imagine living in a world where all had food, shelter and medical care…it would sure look like the kingdom of God that the Bible talks about.

So as disciples of Christ, believers of God in the way of Jesus, let’s get off of our asses and start working to help those who have so little, to minister to the poor, the discarded and the weak. To examine our extravagant lifestyles and see where we can cut back, to consume less and share more and to quote Gandhi one last time: "Be the change you want to see in the world."

Grace and Generosity

GRACE

I am trying to learn to live more graciously. Just what does that mean - to live graciously?
The word grace has many definitions but the two that speak to me are: act or instance of kindness, courtesy, or clemency; and the quality or state of being considerate or thoughtful.

So how am I trying to live more graciously? I am trying to be kinder, to act out of love and compassion for my fellow man and to be more thoughtful in both word and deed. God became human in the form of Jesus so that the world might be saved through His grace and we are called by God to act gracious towards each and every one.

I just finished a couple of books by Phillip Gulley and James Mulholland, both pastors in the Quaker church. One was titled; If Grace is True and; If God is Love. Both of these books spoke to my heart and have encouraged me to examine my own life and see how I can live in a more gracious and generous manner.

Here are some of the passages on graciousness that really stood out for me.

We need to recognize each other as children of a gracious God who, though our language and experience may differ, share a yearning to be united with the One who created us.

My greatest challenge is treating each and every person as a child of God. It is remembering this wonderful grace, which has overwhelmed me, is also at work in every other person.

Becoming gracious will require a reformation…we will have to surrender the Bible as our ace in the hole and Jesus as a backstage pass. The Church will have to serve, rather than dominate, the world. Christianity will need to reclaim its most distinctive doctrine – the universal grace of God. …We’ll need to identify Christians not by what they believe about Jesus, but by their willingness to be like him.

Gracious Christianity is committed to the lifestyle of Jesus, confident that living his way of life can usher in the kingdom of God. It trusts that God still moves and acts in the world, not simply in Christians, but in anyone who commits to loving neighbor and enemy. …it can focus on living in the present rather than worrying about the future. Gracious Christianity doesn’t demand that people accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, but invites people to consider his example and imitate his way.


GENEROSITY

In If God is Love there is an account of two amazing men who exemplify generosity. The first was Jacob Shenk, a businessman during the depression who gave away 90% of his profits to charitable causes and to the farmers who worked for him. The other was about Bob Thompson who built up the largest paving company in Michigan and upon his retirement sold the company for $422 million and gave most of the money to charity and gave $128 million directly back to his 550 employees, some of whom had been with his company since the beginning. When asked why he gave all of his money away he simply stated that it gave him great joy.

I imagine that amidst all the pain and suffering that Jesus experienced in his earthly lifetime, he also experienced a great sense of joy in giving so generously to those in need.

I think that it is important to remember that people are always more important than possessions and that we have a responsibility to see that ALL people have their basic needs met and not just those that reside in our country, or whose culture, race or religion is the same as ours.

"From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded (Luke 12:48)."

This verse from Luke speaks so directly to me. Although I do not live in a mansion or own a personal jet, I do have a very good life, much has been given to me. My basic needs are fully met and then some. Most of the time I have my wants met as well. As a child I did not always have enough to eat and toys were definitely a luxury and new ones very rare. Our clothes were most often hand me downs from friends. It was very often rough and I think this had a great effect on me and is what drives my need to accumulate. I always want the latest gadget and I have more clothes then I will ever wear. I need to make some changes and do my best to buy less and give more. I need to follow my daughter's example and give wholly and joyfully.

Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you (Matthew 5:42)

Jesus doesn't tell us to give to some of the people who beg from us or to not refuse some of the people who want to borrow, he states that we are to give to EVERYONE who begs and to not refuse ANYONE who wants to borrow. This is a hard one. I often feel compelled to give money to street people who I deem really need it, the ones that seem like they would have a hard time finding work or seem incapacitated in some way. But I have a much harder time and often do not give to those I feel could find work or are just looking for a handout. Yet Jesus seems pretty clear that this is not what he meant. EVERYONE and ANYONE are pretty conclusive words. So this is something I know that I am going to struggle with but definitely want to change. I plan on making sure I always have cash on hand so that I can follow Jesus' example.

I am not sure where the path of living graciously and generously will take me but I am looking forward to the journey.

McLaren or Driscoll?

The past couple of days I have been reading and listening a lot to Brian McLaren and a little to Mark Driscoll. I always like to keep an open mind and two hear different, sometimes opposing view points. I have to be honest and say that pretty much EVERYTHING about Mark Driscoll turns my stomach. He has been compared to a modern day Jonathan Edwards and I would whole heartedly agree with that comparison. In case you are unfamiliar with who Jonathan Edwards was, he was a staunch Calvinist preacher who penned the famous sermon; “Sinners in the hands of an angry God”. Edwards lived during that ‘enlightened’ period in our country’s history where we burned people at the stake for being witches. He and Mark Driscoll both share the belief that God basically hates humanity. I listened to several of Driscoll’s Youtube rants where he shares his thoughts on women, homosexuality, and his belief that the idea of Jesus as being a loving, forgiving God is incorrect and we need to return to view God as both vengeful and full of wrath. He goes further to call church leaders and the churches that preach this type of Jesus as being “chick-i-fied” and calls the pastors “limp-wristed” and “effeminate”. Those are his words not mine. If you don’t believe me do some research for yourself.

Juxtapose this with the work of Brian McLaren, also an Evangelical Christian, who talks predominately about Jesus’ love for humanity and God’s desire for us to have a personal interdependent relationship with Him. McLaren speaks and writes about our mission as Christians; to the poor; the environment; the disenfranchised; the broken; the hungry; and etc. You know, the same things that Jesus talked about.

Does that mean that Mark Driscoll does not care about the same things that Brian McLaren does? I do not have that answer. I can only go by what they each seem to spend their energies on and based on the fruits of those energies.

I think I will stick with what I know about Jesus and what He asked of us, which is among other things, to love your neighbor and your enemies, to forgive, to turn the other cheek, and to help the poor. In fact the times when we see Jesus getting angry and showing any violence at all is when He throws the money changers out of the temple - why - because they are cheating the poor.

So am I a follower of Driscoll or McLaren? Actually I am a follower of neither. I think I will follow Jesus because when I seek who God is, I see a Jesus who, although God, became human so that He could give His life as the ultimate sacrifice in order to restore and redeem humanity and to give us the ability to have a true dependent relationship on God. I see a God who cares about us all deeply and who through Jesus healed the sick, fed the hungry, ministered to anyone and everyone, and played with children.

How do I define myself?

I have recently been thinking a lot about who I am and how others see me. You know - definitions, labels, all that crap. I have always liked what Ani DiFranco says about being defined.

"It's not important to be defined. It's only important to use your time well."
Ani DiFranco

BUT people do like definitions...and I have been thinking a lot about them so - How do I define myself? I am going to limit myself to 10 things that I feel are the most defining about myself.

1. A woman...yes even though I often dress like a teenage boy, I am okay being a girl. However I do have some traits that would be considered masculine. There is a lot about being a guy that is appealing to me but I have never wanted to change my gender or felt like I was in the wrong body. Although, due to my short hair, I am often mistaken for being male.

2. Queer...we gays claimed this word as our own years ago and I proudly wear it. I have known I was gay since I was very young. Something more than just being merely a tomboy. There was a definite attraction to other girls and a definite non attraction to boys with the exception that I wanted to be a boy which is completely different from wanting to be of the male gender. I just gravitated towards "boy" things and away from "girl" things. Just ask my sisters about all of their dolls that met their demise by my hands. I still prefer more "guy" oriented activities rather than going shopping or such.

3. A seeker of God/Infinite Truth. I cannot come up with a better way to put this but to say that I have always sought something beyond myself, beyond that which I could see or touch. Probably explains why I gravitated towards transcendental authors in both high school and college. I crave transcendental experiences.

4. An Environmentalist. The natural world is so important to me. I feel most complete and at ease when there is dirt beneath my feet, the sounds of rushing water, and crisp clean air to breathe. It is here that I am most in touch with life and feel the presence of the Creator.

5. A Thinker. Some would say, actually most who know me would say that I spend too much time thinking and not enough feeling. This is probably true. I like to think about things. I like to take something and learn all I can about it and then spend a great deal of time thinking about it. It is a definite hindrance to me at times and I am doing my best to let life contain mystery and not feel that I have to figure it out. My daughter tends to be a thinker and I love this about her.

6. Family oriented. I love being a wife and mother. Nothing brings me greater pleasure or greater pride. It is my highest calling and the thing I hold the most dear. I would easily give my life for my family.

7. A loyal friend. I am not always a good friend but I do think I am a loyal friend. I will stick by my friends and defend them no matter what the cost. Like my family I would give my life for my close friends.

8. A reader. I can lose myself in the written word. It brings me great joy to pick up a new book and to lose myself in it. I cannot imagine a life without books.

9. Open. I am who I am - good or bad. I don't like to pretend to be something I am not and find it almost impossible to fake it. Many would say I lack tact and they are most likely correct. Oh well - take me or leave me.

10. Of Irish Descent. My ancestry has become increasingly important to me as I grow older. I like knowing where my people came from, their culture and their way of life. I am very proud to be Irish.

Lá ‘le Pádraigh

Lá ‘le Pádraigh is Gaelic for Happy St. Patrick's Day, the day when everyone is Irish.

My family and I attended the Irish Festival this weekend at the Seattle Center. I always love going to this event and I always feel something inherent in me that relates to the music and the culture of Ireland. I am a believer that we carry in our genetic code parts of our ancient ancestry. My ancestry is predominately Irish and before that Celtic, my great grandfather came to the US in 1810 from County Donegal. In fact All Magonegils, McGonigles, McGonagall or however you spell it originated in Donegal. So I am proud to be Irish and I feel a kinship to the Celts especially their relationship to the divine through nature. The Celts also believed in many gods and a lot of these were very warlike so there are also aspects that I don't relate to. But I do feel God most when I am immersed in nature...be it the woods, on the ocean or just watching birds and other animals. I often think I would of been more like Thoreau if I had been born in a different time. Solitude in nature appeals to me and is where my soul feels most at peace.

I have been listening to Brandi Carlile a lot lately and she has this one song that has really been speaking to me. It is Have You Ever and the lyrics go:

have you ever wandered lonely through the wood? and everything it feels just as it should you're part of the life there, part of something good if you've ever wandered lonely through the woods

have you ever stared into a starry sky? lyin' on your back you're askin' why? what's the purpose, I wonder who am I if you've ever stared into a starry sky

Then of course you have Saint Patrick...the patron Saint of Ireland. The thing I love the most about Saint Patrick is that before he came to Ireland to spread the word of God he had been enslaved there. So he comes back to the people whom had enslaved them to offer himself freely into service. Crazy...plus he got rid of all the snakes. What a guy.

So as you reflect upon this very Irish holiday and lament the fact that you are not as Irish as the Magonegil family, I hope you can at least appreciate the fact that we Irish let you non Irish be a part of it.