Falls Creek
Wow. I can't believe how much life can be impacted in such a short time. This time it was a Women's Retreat at Falls Creek, and I spent 34 hours getting to know 11 other women from church and to listen to a few amazing speakers. The theme of the retreat was "Interrupted," as in, sometimes our lives are interrupted, and there are reasons for it, and there are different ways we can respond to it. Friday was pretty awesome, but this morning the whole auditorium was in tears with the confrontation and conviction of God's call for us to care for and seek out the impoverished.
For me, it was yet another reminder of the calling I've had basically all my life but that I wasn't really conscious of until my sophomore year in college. Over the years since then, I've had bouts of focusing on my compassion for the poor and needy. I lose my passion when I see no outlet to act on it and then give up. Part of it is due to the ambiguity from not knowing the what, when, where, who, how. When I have taken steps to act in faith, I backed out quickly. Turns out I'm usually a carrot instead of a coffee bean...
< segue > One of the seminars I attended was about how we respond to interruptions in our lives, like sickness, losing a job, a death, or any other challenging or unexpected circumstance. There are three pots of boiling water, one containing carrots, another eggs, and another coffee beans. The carrots, which start out firm and strong, when confronted with the trial of boiling water, becomes soft and weak. The eggs, when raw had an outward appearance of strength but were actually fragile and soft inside. When the boiling water met them, they still seemed strong on the outside but were hardened on the inside. And the coffee beans, they changed the water and created a pleasing aroma that draws many. This is a metaphor of faith. Some people of apparently strong faith are weakened by hardship. Others always seem strong no matter the situation, but their hearts become hardened in certain circumstances. Yet others use interruptions as opportunities to affect others for good--to share the faith, hope, and joy within them and glorify their Creator. The awesome thing about God is, in his awesome power, he can transform carrots and eggs into coffee beans. < / segue >
God has interrupted me several times over the years to remind me of my calling to help the poor, but I never get very far because I don't rely on him in faith through persistently praying and seeking his will in the Word. Instead, I rely on myself to determine how I can help God, and I rely on my own strength, which is actually quite frail.
Well, Jen Hatmaker is my new role model. Friday night, she gave an amazing demonstration of her deep study of the Bible. She must have spent hours looking into the historical cultural context of the few verses she discussed. She spent probably half an hour just describing the life-long process of becoming and living as a rabbi to help us grasp the significance of Mary's sitting at Jesus' feet while Martha performed the tasks of the hostess. (If you're interested in hearing about it, ask me.)
Then this morning, God used her to interrupt me. (And this time it will be hard to escape because I wrote about it in my "evaluation" and gave the BGCO my contact info. I committed to not give up this time.) The Hatmakers attended an affluent church until a few years ago, when, one Easter, Jen realized how meaningless her attitudes and actions toward the holiday were, that she really only thought about Jesus for that one hour at church and went on with the rest of her day with her family basically basking in materialism. Then she read The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne, and she was interrupted.
She and her husband started a new church, whose motto is "Love your neighbor. Serve your city." For their church's grand opening, instead of a service, they had a donation drive for the community. And for their Easter service, they went to the poorest corner of town and served meals. They give away at least half of their income to help those whose basic needs are not being fulfilled. Right there in their own community. This is what I am called to, but the ambiguity overwhelms me.
She told us about a woman in Haiti who was so poor she could not feed her baby. When it died, she brought the baby to a pastor, begging him for something to bury her child in. And when he found just a shoe box for her, she knelt on ground and lifted up her hands to God in prayer, thanking Him for that shoe box that allowed her to bury her child with some dignity. Meanwhile, an American woman was at a car dealership, texting her friends about how upset she was that they didn't have the periwinkle SUV she wanted. She may have had to settle for a different shade of blue! But thank God-- they called her back a week later with the good news that they found a periwinkle blue SUV just for her--hallelujah! God is good! Jen called out those who preach the prosperity gospel, and I wish Cornerstone Church here could have heard it.
Jen also gave us a few statistics, like how HALF the world lives on less than $2 a day. And that if you make $50,000 a year, you are in the top 1% of the richest people on earth. ONE PERCENT. I felt ashamed that I had forgotten these facts, which I learned over three years ago from presenting it using a script from Oxfam.
If I weren't pregnant now, I would probably have a job. And if I had a job, I probably would not have gone on this retreat, where God once again reminded me of my calling to serve and minister to those in poverty.
For me, it was yet another reminder of the calling I've had basically all my life but that I wasn't really conscious of until my sophomore year in college. Over the years since then, I've had bouts of focusing on my compassion for the poor and needy. I lose my passion when I see no outlet to act on it and then give up. Part of it is due to the ambiguity from not knowing the what, when, where, who, how. When I have taken steps to act in faith, I backed out quickly. Turns out I'm usually a carrot instead of a coffee bean...
< segue > One of the seminars I attended was about how we respond to interruptions in our lives, like sickness, losing a job, a death, or any other challenging or unexpected circumstance. There are three pots of boiling water, one containing carrots, another eggs, and another coffee beans. The carrots, which start out firm and strong, when confronted with the trial of boiling water, becomes soft and weak. The eggs, when raw had an outward appearance of strength but were actually fragile and soft inside. When the boiling water met them, they still seemed strong on the outside but were hardened on the inside. And the coffee beans, they changed the water and created a pleasing aroma that draws many. This is a metaphor of faith. Some people of apparently strong faith are weakened by hardship. Others always seem strong no matter the situation, but their hearts become hardened in certain circumstances. Yet others use interruptions as opportunities to affect others for good--to share the faith, hope, and joy within them and glorify their Creator. The awesome thing about God is, in his awesome power, he can transform carrots and eggs into coffee beans. < / segue >
God has interrupted me several times over the years to remind me of my calling to help the poor, but I never get very far because I don't rely on him in faith through persistently praying and seeking his will in the Word. Instead, I rely on myself to determine how I can help God, and I rely on my own strength, which is actually quite frail.
Well, Jen Hatmaker is my new role model. Friday night, she gave an amazing demonstration of her deep study of the Bible. She must have spent hours looking into the historical cultural context of the few verses she discussed. She spent probably half an hour just describing the life-long process of becoming and living as a rabbi to help us grasp the significance of Mary's sitting at Jesus' feet while Martha performed the tasks of the hostess. (If you're interested in hearing about it, ask me.)
Then this morning, God used her to interrupt me. (And this time it will be hard to escape because I wrote about it in my "evaluation" and gave the BGCO my contact info. I committed to not give up this time.) The Hatmakers attended an affluent church until a few years ago, when, one Easter, Jen realized how meaningless her attitudes and actions toward the holiday were, that she really only thought about Jesus for that one hour at church and went on with the rest of her day with her family basically basking in materialism. Then she read The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne, and she was interrupted.
She and her husband started a new church, whose motto is "Love your neighbor. Serve your city." For their church's grand opening, instead of a service, they had a donation drive for the community. And for their Easter service, they went to the poorest corner of town and served meals. They give away at least half of their income to help those whose basic needs are not being fulfilled. Right there in their own community. This is what I am called to, but the ambiguity overwhelms me.
She told us about a woman in Haiti who was so poor she could not feed her baby. When it died, she brought the baby to a pastor, begging him for something to bury her child in. And when he found just a shoe box for her, she knelt on ground and lifted up her hands to God in prayer, thanking Him for that shoe box that allowed her to bury her child with some dignity. Meanwhile, an American woman was at a car dealership, texting her friends about how upset she was that they didn't have the periwinkle SUV she wanted. She may have had to settle for a different shade of blue! But thank God-- they called her back a week later with the good news that they found a periwinkle blue SUV just for her--hallelujah! God is good! Jen called out those who preach the prosperity gospel, and I wish Cornerstone Church here could have heard it.
Jen also gave us a few statistics, like how HALF the world lives on less than $2 a day. And that if you make $50,000 a year, you are in the top 1% of the richest people on earth. ONE PERCENT. I felt ashamed that I had forgotten these facts, which I learned over three years ago from presenting it using a script from Oxfam.
If I weren't pregnant now, I would probably have a job. And if I had a job, I probably would not have gone on this retreat, where God once again reminded me of my calling to serve and minister to those in poverty.