On Friday morning, I went to a well-known bookstore in Seattle and was looking around in the bargain section. I came across a Mark Twain anthology and looked at the table of contents. I saw that it had "The War Prayer", which is one of the few essays I vividly remember reading in high school English. With today being Memorial Day, "The War Prayer" popped into my mind again. Maybe because Mark Twain's short, but powerful, essay throws some light onto one of the many tensions I've been feeling lately.
On Memorial Day, we're supposed to remember and honor those that have served in the armed forces. Both of my grandfathers served in the military and I respect and love both of them greatly. But how do I honor them without honoring what they were part of? How do I communicate that I no longer pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America without it being a slap in the face to them?
I want to make it clear that I do not hate the United States. It is my homeland on earth and, like my parents' house, I love coming back to it no matter how far I've traveled. But I don't think it's where my ultimate allegiance belongs.
I'm just trying to figure out if there is middle ground here. How do I put feet to my utopian ideals in this very real world?
Monday, May 25, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Letter to Mom
You're always asking for pictures of what I've been up to in Seattle so I put this album together for you. Enjoy!
Back in February, I went to Discovery Park (near Ballard) with a few friends. We had a picnic and walked along the beach until we found the old lighthouse.
After a long afternoon of walking, we passed out on the beach for a while. One older couple that passed by commented that they had thought that we were seals sunning on the beach when they were walking toward us.
I know that you told me that ice cream is not supper food, but I couldn't resist the ice cream sundaes when we stopped at Molly Moon's on the way home. And yes, I did have a stomach ache later. I know you warned me that would happen.
This is the table in Alabama that you inspired. You were right. Kids loved the candy and, therefore, loved me.
Last month, the sun came out for a few days and the cherry blossoms bloomed on campus. This is my favorite shot that I took.
Earlier this month, four of us went to Vancouver for the weekend. We slept in a (very safe and very clean) hostel, visited the market, and had fun downtown.
After realizing that the suspension bridge cost too much for us, we found a park half a mile up the road. We got to hike around this area for free!
On Saturday, I went to Pike Place Market. They had a lot of flowers there for Mother's Day. Since I couldn't actually buy you any, I took a picture for you.
On Sunday morning, I went to the Fremont Sunday Market. I bought some really pretty earrings that I'll wear when I visit home this month.
Fremont has a statue of Lenin that used to be in the Soviet Union. Don't worry. I've picked up a few ideas in Seattle but I haven't become communist.
This morning I went to the Museum of History and Industry. I learned a lot about Seattle's history and saw a Warner Bro.'s exhibit with original drawings. Still, my favorite item in the museum was the Toe Truck. Get it. Ha ha :)Friday, May 8, 2009
How to Change the World
Recently, I was reading "Letter from Birmingham City Jail" by Martin Luther King Jr. where he defended his methods against the local clergy that wanted him to back off. Amazingly, I had never actually read this famous essay before. It's amazing because I took a upper-division class on post-WWII US history where a lot of attention was given to the civil rights movement. Anyway, while I was reading, a particular paragraph stuck out to me and caused me to think.
"There was a time when the church was very powerful. It was during that period when the early Christians rejoiced when they were deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Wherever the early Christians entered a town the power structure got disturbed and immediately sought to convict them for being 'disturbers of the peace' and 'outside agitators.' But they went on with the conviction that there were 'a colony of heaven,' and had to obey God rather than man. They were small in number but big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be 'astronomically intimidated.' They brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contest."
Immediately after reading that, my mind went back to something one of the students that I work with said when we were talking about modern Christianity. She said something along the lines of "The world [the established structure] is supposed to hate us and the people love us. Instead, the people hate us and the world loves us." We're the opposite of what we're supposed to be. The early Christians, as MLK pointed out, were small in number and big in commitment. Today, we're big in number and small in commitment. The Christian faith is hard to "sale" to many people because we care more about ourselves than the hopeless people around us. More time is given to debating predestination than what can be done to stop sex trafficking in our own cities, much less the world.
More and more I'm seeing that the faith I practice is lightyears away from the faith that Jesus talked about. Jesus called us to be, as it says earlier in the letter, "creative extremists." Extremists for Jesus, extremists for what is right, extremists for loving both the people that we know and the people we don't. If the Church transformed into "creative extremists", we would change more lives than any evangelism program could prod us into and our world would look more like the Kingdom that God desperately wants us to live in.
Just a thought.
"There was a time when the church was very powerful. It was during that period when the early Christians rejoiced when they were deemed worthy to suffer for what they believed. In those days the church was not merely a thermometer that recorded the ideas and principles of popular opinion; it was a thermostat that transformed the mores of society. Wherever the early Christians entered a town the power structure got disturbed and immediately sought to convict them for being 'disturbers of the peace' and 'outside agitators.' But they went on with the conviction that there were 'a colony of heaven,' and had to obey God rather than man. They were small in number but big in commitment. They were too God-intoxicated to be 'astronomically intimidated.' They brought an end to such ancient evils as infanticide and gladiatorial contest."
Immediately after reading that, my mind went back to something one of the students that I work with said when we were talking about modern Christianity. She said something along the lines of "The world [the established structure] is supposed to hate us and the people love us. Instead, the people hate us and the world loves us." We're the opposite of what we're supposed to be. The early Christians, as MLK pointed out, were small in number and big in commitment. Today, we're big in number and small in commitment. The Christian faith is hard to "sale" to many people because we care more about ourselves than the hopeless people around us. More time is given to debating predestination than what can be done to stop sex trafficking in our own cities, much less the world.
More and more I'm seeing that the faith I practice is lightyears away from the faith that Jesus talked about. Jesus called us to be, as it says earlier in the letter, "creative extremists." Extremists for Jesus, extremists for what is right, extremists for loving both the people that we know and the people we don't. If the Church transformed into "creative extremists", we would change more lives than any evangelism program could prod us into and our world would look more like the Kingdom that God desperately wants us to live in.
Just a thought.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Top Three Tuesday
1. A Year in Photos. I can't believe I've been doing Top Three posts for nearly a year and haven't sung the praises of my friend Rach's website yet. Her photos rock my socks off and make me want to try my hand at photography again. Take a look.
2. "The World That Made New Orleans" by Ned Sublette. This book explores the history of New Orleans from the time of the first known settler to Hurricane Katrina. I'm a self-admitted history geek, but I can't imagine anyone not getting sucked into this well-written story.
3. Thai Tom. There was once a time when I refused to go anywhere near Thai food because of a bad experience, but thankfully someone convinced me to try Thai Tom this year. Everything is made fresh by a cook that moves too fast to see at times and the place is never empty. I have a feeling that I'm going to crave Thai Tom's phad thai the same way I now crave Mexican food from my hometown for years to come. If you're ever in the U-District and have $8 to spare, you should most definitely check it out.
Toodles!
2. "The World That Made New Orleans" by Ned Sublette. This book explores the history of New Orleans from the time of the first known settler to Hurricane Katrina. I'm a self-admitted history geek, but I can't imagine anyone not getting sucked into this well-written story.
3. Thai Tom. There was once a time when I refused to go anywhere near Thai food because of a bad experience, but thankfully someone convinced me to try Thai Tom this year. Everything is made fresh by a cook that moves too fast to see at times and the place is never empty. I have a feeling that I'm going to crave Thai Tom's phad thai the same way I now crave Mexican food from my hometown for years to come. If you're ever in the U-District and have $8 to spare, you should most definitely check it out.
Toodles!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Top Three Thursday
Classic YouTube Version
1. Evolution of Dance. I might have put this on a Top Three list before. Even so, it deserves viewing again. This guy starts with Elvis and goes to modern dance in six minutes. It makes me laugh every time.
2. Classical Guitar. "Canon in D" holds a special place in my heart and this guy makes it sound awesome.
3. Here It Goes Again. I wonder if I could set up the treadmills at the Y to do this. Then again, with my coordination, I would probably hurt myself :)
Toodles!
1. Evolution of Dance. I might have put this on a Top Three list before. Even so, it deserves viewing again. This guy starts with Elvis and goes to modern dance in six minutes. It makes me laugh every time.
2. Classical Guitar. "Canon in D" holds a special place in my heart and this guy makes it sound awesome.
3. Here It Goes Again. I wonder if I could set up the treadmills at the Y to do this. Then again, with my coordination, I would probably hurt myself :)
Toodles!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Wandering Wednesday
...or "A Tale of Two Churches"
When I moved to Seattle in 2007, I immediately set out to find a faith community that I fit into. My "shopping list" for a church was pretty short. Solid preaching, close community, and no pressure to be part of every ministry since that's what my other six days of the week were for. I tried a fairly well-known church in the city but figured out after of couple of months of being ignored by everyone and walking out with my ears almost bleeding from the extremely loud music that it wasn't the place for me. But this story isn't about that church.
In October 2007, I started attending Church A. It's an established, multi-generational church in a local neighborhood. The first time I showed up I was only alone for 30 seconds before someone found me and started introducing me around. I was invited to the young adult Bible study and quickly found my first Seattle friends. Even though I had a great community vibe going, I felt like I was supposed to go somewhere else. After Christmas of that year, I continued to meet with my Bible study group but started to look for a different church for Sunday mornings.
I found Church B in early 2008. It's a fairly new church plant about 20 miles north of my house. Even though the commute left something to be desired, I enjoyed the type of music and preaching that I found there. The heard the Holy Spirit talk to me in ways that I hadn't heard in months. I joined a Bible study group there and tried my best to get connected to the larger community. Even after months of attending the church, though, I didn't feel very connected because it was clear that the focus of the church was suburban married couples with kids. Also, my theology did not align exactly with their theology which made for some tense moments in the Bible study group.
That's where I am right now. For the past week, I've been thinking about both of these churches. I'm part of a Bible study at each church (for better or for worse). I have friends and at least a form of support structure at both churches. At Church A, I feel a strong sense of community. At Church B, I strongly feel the Holy Spirit but not much solid community. What should I do? I don't want to be a "church shopper" that constantly changes churches. But I want to be at a place where I feel both a strong sense of community and the Spirit. Should I stay and talk to the pastor of Church B about my concerns and hope it works out or should I return to Church A? Is my view of church unhealthy? Is the church there there to meet my needs or am I here to meet the church's needs? What is the purpose and end of church? I must sound like an awful person, but this is starting to dominate my thoughts.
Oh, and I just heard the first ice cream truck of the year pass my house. That thought was an extra bonus for ya :)
When I moved to Seattle in 2007, I immediately set out to find a faith community that I fit into. My "shopping list" for a church was pretty short. Solid preaching, close community, and no pressure to be part of every ministry since that's what my other six days of the week were for. I tried a fairly well-known church in the city but figured out after of couple of months of being ignored by everyone and walking out with my ears almost bleeding from the extremely loud music that it wasn't the place for me. But this story isn't about that church.
In October 2007, I started attending Church A. It's an established, multi-generational church in a local neighborhood. The first time I showed up I was only alone for 30 seconds before someone found me and started introducing me around. I was invited to the young adult Bible study and quickly found my first Seattle friends. Even though I had a great community vibe going, I felt like I was supposed to go somewhere else. After Christmas of that year, I continued to meet with my Bible study group but started to look for a different church for Sunday mornings.
I found Church B in early 2008. It's a fairly new church plant about 20 miles north of my house. Even though the commute left something to be desired, I enjoyed the type of music and preaching that I found there. The heard the Holy Spirit talk to me in ways that I hadn't heard in months. I joined a Bible study group there and tried my best to get connected to the larger community. Even after months of attending the church, though, I didn't feel very connected because it was clear that the focus of the church was suburban married couples with kids. Also, my theology did not align exactly with their theology which made for some tense moments in the Bible study group.
That's where I am right now. For the past week, I've been thinking about both of these churches. I'm part of a Bible study at each church (for better or for worse). I have friends and at least a form of support structure at both churches. At Church A, I feel a strong sense of community. At Church B, I strongly feel the Holy Spirit but not much solid community. What should I do? I don't want to be a "church shopper" that constantly changes churches. But I want to be at a place where I feel both a strong sense of community and the Spirit. Should I stay and talk to the pastor of Church B about my concerns and hope it works out or should I return to Church A? Is my view of church unhealthy? Is the church there there to meet my needs or am I here to meet the church's needs? What is the purpose and end of church? I must sound like an awful person, but this is starting to dominate my thoughts.
Oh, and I just heard the first ice cream truck of the year pass my house. That thought was an extra bonus for ya :)
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Saturday: Resting and Anticipating
"The next day - on the first day of the Passover ceremonies - the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. They told him, "Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: 'After three days I will be raised from the dead.' So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he came back to life!" (Matthew 27:62-64)
There's some debate about what Jesus was doing, spiritually, between his death and resurrection. Some say he descended into hell while others say he went to Paradise (different from Heaven) to get the faithful and take them to Heaven.
Back on Earth: What I find kind of funny about the waiting period was that the Pharisees remembered Jesus' promise to come back from the dead after three days, unlike the disciples. Maybe Jesus infuriated the religious leaders just enough that it stuck out in their minds more than the people that spent every day with him. Maybe the loss of sunlight, the earthquake, and seeing people that were supposed to be dead walking around made them fear that Jesus might actually make good on his word, and they didn't want him to have a way out of his grave. I don't know. So, while the disciples returned home to observe the Sabbath and mourn their loss, the Pharisees made sure the tomb was sealed tightly and guarded.
For me, on this day of anticipation, I'm thinking about the words from Psalm 27: "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."
There's some debate about what Jesus was doing, spiritually, between his death and resurrection. Some say he descended into hell while others say he went to Paradise (different from Heaven) to get the faithful and take them to Heaven.
Back on Earth: What I find kind of funny about the waiting period was that the Pharisees remembered Jesus' promise to come back from the dead after three days, unlike the disciples. Maybe Jesus infuriated the religious leaders just enough that it stuck out in their minds more than the people that spent every day with him. Maybe the loss of sunlight, the earthquake, and seeing people that were supposed to be dead walking around made them fear that Jesus might actually make good on his word, and they didn't want him to have a way out of his grave. I don't know. So, while the disciples returned home to observe the Sabbath and mourn their loss, the Pharisees made sure the tomb was sealed tightly and guarded.
For me, on this day of anticipation, I'm thinking about the words from Psalm 27: "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."
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