"Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow."-Isaiah 1:17
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." -Proverbs 31:8-10
"But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked."-Luke 6:35
Repeatedly in the Old Testament we see a God who is an advocate for the oppressed, a God who gives a voice to the voiceless, and a God who remembers the faces of those who have been forgotten. We often want to distance the face of our problems away, and reduce our enemies, to one dimensional beings. But when we limit people to an isolated event, which can not only disregard interpretation or understanding, we take away their worth and humanity. When Jesus chose his disciples, he saw more than just tax collectors, zealots, rebels and outcasts, he saw children of God, multifaceted, beautiful, messy people. Jesus took the time to try to understand why people were the way they were. It is often easier to listen to the dominant voices in our life to make sense of our experiences, but when voices in our life seem to confirm our prejudices, we limit our ability to love, and be loved, by people. Although it is gentle and softly spoken, it is extremely important to try to listen to how the Spirit sees all of creation. When we do so, we open ourselves up to viewing, and accepting, the potential that lies in every individual. Just as we are so much more than our shortcomings, so should we also try to view our enemies , in love.
Simple Living
A vital part of living in simplicity is trying to stand in solidarity and remembrance of our brothers and sisters around the world who are under resourced and impoverished. In remembrance of our brothers and sisters in Iraq, I have joined a silent protest that stands in opposition to the use of drone warfare. It is a monthly meeting that hopes to bring awareness to the issue that has taken the lives of many innocent civilians in the war by distancing the faces of people away to and reducing them to merely targets on a screen. Not only is it unjust, inhumane, with horrific outcomes but ultimately, it is probably not something that Jesus would do. http://www.livingunderdrones.org/
I am in! After an interview with Michael Brix on Friday, October 20th, I have been taken on as a part time volunteer to Yes! And.. performing arts collaborative. I will be volunteering with a group of students (ages k-4th) Tuesday-Thursday during the after school program. Yes! And.. offers the community a summer theater camp, studio classes including a choir ensemble, acting and visual arts classes as well as advanced acting class for middle school aged students.
Hey folks, I could use your help! As I try to live out
this second year of intentionally learning, living and loving any prayers or words or encouragement would be greatly appreciated. I also have a remaining financial need of $4,905 dollars to help fund my full immersion into this way of life that covers all of my living expenses for the year, including groceries, public transportation, rent and more. I welcome your partnership this year and invite you to consider becoming a one-time or monthly donor.
I am equally thankful for your ongoing spiritual and financial support. I pray that God blesses you in all that you do this month and would encourage you in the pursuit to love your neighbor as yourself!
"God, Who is so great, so wise, no doubt has hidden secrets in all things He created" - St. Teresa of Avila
I have been trying shift my focus towards seeing God in all things, especially in the parts of my life that are hardest to see hope in.
It is easy to let life's distractions take away our awareness of God's ever present presence in all of our memories, relationships and hurts in our lives.
When our sights are shifted from our focus, we are likely to become disoriented and confused. God patiently waits for us to gently shift our focus back towards our loving center.
Not by force, lest we doubt our capacity,
not by penalty of punishment lest our fears would overwhelm us,
not by promise of reward lest in our excitement our thoughts should become busy,
but with the same patience and gentleness that God has shown us.
Simple Living
My housemates and I have recently started building a relationship with one of our neighbors here in Kensington named, "Chris". This past week we had Chris over for dinner on one of our Monday night hospitality meals. After hearing of some of his needs, we provided Chris with some extra clothes, blankets and allowed him to make a few calls on our phones. Thinking we were a church or outreach center, Chris asked us, "What do you call this place?". Without missing a beat, my roommate Adam responded, "Home". One of the challenges of Year 2 has been trying to find ways of making this lifestyle of hospitality and intentionality sustainable. Since we are no longer held under the same level of accountability as in Year 1, we are now provided with the challenge of questioning how our actions align with who we want to be. In some ways, it was easier to live out the values of Mission Year during the first year. Since our schedules we created by the program, we were able to focus on investing in our neighborhoods without as many distractions. As I have been taking an additional year to transition between the structure of Year 1 and a traditional working life, I have enjoyed experiencing a sense of ownership in the added responsibilities of Year 2.It feels good to know that I am not living an intentional life because I am part of a program, or an organization, but because I have chosen to. This lifestyle of community, solidarity and hospitality is part of who I want to be, this lifestyle of love is becoming home.
Hey folks, I could use your help! As I try to live out this second year of intentionally learning, living and loving any prayers or words or encouragement would be greatly appreciated. I also have a financial need of $3,718.33 dollars to help fund my full immersion into this way of life that covers all of my living expenses for the year, including groceries, public transportation, rent and more. I welcome your partnership this year and invite you to consider becoming a one-time or monthly donor. I am equally thankful for your ongoing spiritual and financial support. I pray that God reveals himself to you in all areas of your life this month and would encourage you in the pursuit to love your neighbor as yourself!
REMEMBER! This month is the Love Drive. February 2nd- March 17th
We have two shirts as gifts for this drive. One is a long-sleeved, teal Love God. Love People. shirt ($70 donation) and the other is a gray short-sleeved ($55 donation) Love God. Love [Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, or Philly] shirt. People can pick one of our cities to have on their gray shirt and our four cities are the only options. Donors can also get both shirts for $100.
Special shout out to Dawson Vosburg, Patsy Schuch, John Pappas,Yuki Burton and Crystal O'Connor this month, thank you guys!
Simple Living
