all for the glory of God: The common thread in my life, no matter what may happen. No matter what changes I go through, what new things pop up in society, what wave of thought/ideology/ becomes popular, what happens in my family, my life, this world. No matter what, I will follow Jesus. I will seek him and I will find him.
It is utterly refreshing to know that amidst the changes that comes simply with the tides of life, the pendulum of history, amidst those changes, God remains the same. He spoke to me years ago now, about what He had for me to do: to serve in the the inner-city, to love those who are ignored, who seem unlovable. To share my experiences and to be a blessing. To learn of Him through my journey and work. That is, to discover Him in the city. To find his hope there.
And I am oh-so-glad I have chosen to follow Him!! Slowly, but surely. Certainly. I am finding Him.
He is in so many places. I catch glimpses of Him day by day. And to write of them is to attempt to describe something grand and Larger than, something so personal I have never tried to articulate it in intelligible words.
He is in the fervor in the voices of mothers who want their children to do better than they did.
He is in the heart, the inner-self, the deepest inextricable part of those who've had their backs against the wall, who've made decisions out of what they knew. Those who, limited in their options, have done what they could with what they had--family, gov't help, their own two feet, etc.
He is in the desire young people have to do better. The desire, deep down, to stop end their use of drugs, to come to school, to have a parent say "I love you", to have a teacher say "I care about you" and mean it. The desire to have a hope, and a future. The smile they give when we say we're proud of them. The little things they do to help each other out--console, advise, agree, direct.
Showing posts with label community. Show all posts
Showing posts with label community. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
community | growing as mothers
So I just got done meeting with jj, a woman I respect and admire. As a pastor's daughter, ministry leader & partner to us, thinker, mom and wife, she has quite a bit of experience and insight that has already proven helpful to me. As she shared of their time living abroad, leading ministry and going through various transitions from students, to living internationally, to campus ministry leaders, and just as husband and wife, I definitely had some ideas flowing. Most notably, I really get the sense that everything will most certainly be okay. That everything we're experiencing now is only a part of the journey.
I'm really thankful for community. I'm looking forward to continuing to build that community around us as a family, couple, husband, wife, pastor, first lady, mom, everything. I shared with jj how there are a couple folks in our lives that we really, really trust. Who don't gossip, try to compete, who aren't jealous, who are spiritually mature, experienced in life, reflective, willing to speak the truth in love, who respect our roles as pastor and first lady and are 100% willing to defer to our judgment when it really comes down to it. Those are the golden folks, the people who we will be able to count on and who will pour into our lives and help us bear the burdens, including those ministry can bring into the equation.
It is totally fine that not everyone will fit into that category. Some others will be Timothys--ones who we will pour into and help on the journey. While those relationships will not be entirely one-sided, their nature will largely be defined by a degree of sharing only as is reasonably manageable, and for the purpose of edification. In other words, it's fine and normal only to share with people only what both sides can handle. And as the relationships mature, we'll use discernment and go along as it comes.
I'm looking forward to more intentionally connecting with women who are mothers and who are into education and social justice. It's going to be nice to reach out to more people who have similar interests to mine, and who want to raise their children to be mindful and loving toward others, and to love learning and fun as well. It is not necessary for a woman to be a Christian in order for us to connect. I think that's one of the hidden blessings that has come with becoming a mother myself, that I have been able to connect with more women than before, simply because we both have children. I can still remember my mom hanging out with women from time to time--women who were of different races and various circumstances, but with whom she could, if nothing else, connect with about mothering. It was always fun for me as a kid to hang out with their children while my mom and her friend (Mary, Sabrina, Lynn, Michelle, Susan) talked. A less-intentional form of a playdate, I suppose.
And now that it's my turn to think about and plan playdates, I'm blessed and honored to have a great selection of like-minded mothers around me. Ones who are still trying to understand what it means to be successful even when its traditional forms, which we've gotten accustomed to, suddenly escape us (prestigious schools, work that's both professional and passionate, awards and accolades). Mothers who grapple with the realities of our time: wanting to carry out some traditional roles of women, yet now doing so in a postmodern society that urges women to operate in, shall we say, a newfound freedom, a life with less boundaries. Ah, the progress in which we so foolishly believe (cf. Tropic of Orange).
Nonetheless, I look forward to connecting in new ways with those facing some of the same issues, transitions, joys, and questions that I am. I know that in a multitude of counsel, there is wisdom, and I am committed to seeking out that wise counsel without fear. Even when the hesitation creeps in, I will still venture to defeat it. I pray that God will continue to help me be trusting, open and willing to get to know others, and to love them with a gentleness, sincerity and authenticity that comes only from Him.
Without counsel, plans go awry, But in the multitude of counselors they are established. Prov. 15:22.
I'm really thankful for community. I'm looking forward to continuing to build that community around us as a family, couple, husband, wife, pastor, first lady, mom, everything. I shared with jj how there are a couple folks in our lives that we really, really trust. Who don't gossip, try to compete, who aren't jealous, who are spiritually mature, experienced in life, reflective, willing to speak the truth in love, who respect our roles as pastor and first lady and are 100% willing to defer to our judgment when it really comes down to it. Those are the golden folks, the people who we will be able to count on and who will pour into our lives and help us bear the burdens, including those ministry can bring into the equation.
It is totally fine that not everyone will fit into that category. Some others will be Timothys--ones who we will pour into and help on the journey. While those relationships will not be entirely one-sided, their nature will largely be defined by a degree of sharing only as is reasonably manageable, and for the purpose of edification. In other words, it's fine and normal only to share with people only what both sides can handle. And as the relationships mature, we'll use discernment and go along as it comes.
I'm looking forward to more intentionally connecting with women who are mothers and who are into education and social justice. It's going to be nice to reach out to more people who have similar interests to mine, and who want to raise their children to be mindful and loving toward others, and to love learning and fun as well. It is not necessary for a woman to be a Christian in order for us to connect. I think that's one of the hidden blessings that has come with becoming a mother myself, that I have been able to connect with more women than before, simply because we both have children. I can still remember my mom hanging out with women from time to time--women who were of different races and various circumstances, but with whom she could, if nothing else, connect with about mothering. It was always fun for me as a kid to hang out with their children while my mom and her friend (Mary, Sabrina, Lynn, Michelle, Susan) talked. A less-intentional form of a playdate, I suppose.
And now that it's my turn to think about and plan playdates, I'm blessed and honored to have a great selection of like-minded mothers around me. Ones who are still trying to understand what it means to be successful even when its traditional forms, which we've gotten accustomed to, suddenly escape us (prestigious schools, work that's both professional and passionate, awards and accolades). Mothers who grapple with the realities of our time: wanting to carry out some traditional roles of women, yet now doing so in a postmodern society that urges women to operate in, shall we say, a newfound freedom, a life with less boundaries. Ah, the progress in which we so foolishly believe (cf. Tropic of Orange).
Nonetheless, I look forward to connecting in new ways with those facing some of the same issues, transitions, joys, and questions that I am. I know that in a multitude of counsel, there is wisdom, and I am committed to seeking out that wise counsel without fear. Even when the hesitation creeps in, I will still venture to defeat it. I pray that God will continue to help me be trusting, open and willing to get to know others, and to love them with a gentleness, sincerity and authenticity that comes only from Him.
Without counsel, plans go awry, But in the multitude of counselors they are established. Prov. 15:22.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
community | commited to transformation
It is so beautiful to be a part of a community. Who would have thought when I moved here years ago that I would eventually settle here, develop a family here, and join the community that already existed, much less aid in the process of building another one based on God's love? I just walked up to B-Tech today, checking out the campus in preparation for my return in the fall. Man, I miss that place. When I first went there, it was largely because of the students, wanting to work with them in particular. Now, I'm glad to be going back because of the staff. Our relationships have grown and deepened over these past few years and I'm truly excited about reintegrating myself into the family. Even though just about all the students are ones I don't really know, it'll be great to still have some connection to their families, older siblings, and of course, their teachers.
The overlap that I feel between: our church, our family, the school, BOCA, just all of them together, is so inspiring. I mean, what if every city in America had a network of folks working together to ensure the progress of those with their backs against the wall? What if every urban place you visit had, in spite of its incidences of violence and sub-par educational experiences for youth of color, what if those places had community? A family web that kept folks accountable to one another, that forced them to ask the question, "What am I doing with my life? What am I doing to myself? What am I doing for my family?". What if we were indeed the ones?
I'm confident that the "in spite of" would turn surely turn into "instead of". That the community would trump the forces working against them. That's what we're looking for here in Berkeley. That folks' quality of life will increase, that the statistics that predict their (our) demise would cease to intimidate. And that hope would be restored. In fact, hope is already restored; it is here through the presence of the faithful few who are committed to seeing what others do not (and perhaps cannot). Because of our confidence in the One who is greater than we are, we are able to press on and run this race with vigor. We know that it is merely our endurance that matters most, considering that the race is not given to the swift, nor the strong, but to the one who endures (Solomon, in Eccl. 9.11).
Whether we have the qualifications that traditionally correlate with victory (talents, skills, education, strength), we can rest assured that what ensures our victory is staying in the race, not quitting, not relying on our own apparent strength. These are the best that we can do. Beyond our best exists only God. He will step in, fill every void, complete every missing link, and make every crooked place straight. He is the reason we hope in the unseen.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Heb 11.1)
The overlap that I feel between: our church, our family, the school, BOCA, just all of them together, is so inspiring. I mean, what if every city in America had a network of folks working together to ensure the progress of those with their backs against the wall? What if every urban place you visit had, in spite of its incidences of violence and sub-par educational experiences for youth of color, what if those places had community? A family web that kept folks accountable to one another, that forced them to ask the question, "What am I doing with my life? What am I doing to myself? What am I doing for my family?". What if we were indeed the ones?
I'm confident that the "in spite of" would turn surely turn into "instead of". That the community would trump the forces working against them. That's what we're looking for here in Berkeley. That folks' quality of life will increase, that the statistics that predict their (our) demise would cease to intimidate. And that hope would be restored. In fact, hope is already restored; it is here through the presence of the faithful few who are committed to seeing what others do not (and perhaps cannot). Because of our confidence in the One who is greater than we are, we are able to press on and run this race with vigor. We know that it is merely our endurance that matters most, considering that the race is not given to the swift, nor the strong, but to the one who endures (Solomon, in Eccl. 9.11).
Whether we have the qualifications that traditionally correlate with victory (talents, skills, education, strength), we can rest assured that what ensures our victory is staying in the race, not quitting, not relying on our own apparent strength. These are the best that we can do. Beyond our best exists only God. He will step in, fill every void, complete every missing link, and make every crooked place straight. He is the reason we hope in the unseen.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Heb 11.1)
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