Onto a path of reconciliation

2 Corinthians 5:17-19

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God,

who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the

ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the

world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against

them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

Reconciliation

1.       Against difference

a.        Getting over a fight with someone you have a disagreement with

2.       A union, coming together

a.       Marriage, bringing together two people

Mennonites have a clear boundary that separates us from everyone else and we use these to define ourselves from the rest of the world.

- we read the Bible differently

- we focus on community differently

- we focus on service differently

- jesus is the centerpiece of the Bible

- we focus on non-violence

These very boundaries are so attractive that they must be included. These are the useful tools in the world that must be welcomed to achieve something greater than our own identity. People often focus on how they are different. How they can divide themselves from each other. The human body does this in the simplest form of replication. Cells do this important task in order to create life as we know it.  This type of growth is so wonderful it continues on until it can’t be stopped.  This type of uncontrollable separation is cancer.

We must cautious about our boundaries or we will create a cancer of separation between each other.  There have always been issues between people since the beginning of man.  Issues are constantly being resolved, but new issues replace them.  We must work to stop this constant struggle of division between men.  One part of this partition of life is due to the pursuit of justice and purity.  These are two values that hold importance, but are not the most important.  They are fueled by the simple emotions of anger, fear, and hurt.  These are the root of evil and lead to warfare. 

To overcome this conquest of separation we must pursue reconciliation.  This is a process that takes time, and effort.  This is creating a masterpiece, only with your life.  The wonderful part of reconciliation is that it is fueled by courage, compassion, and creativity.  Reconciliation is the way of Jesus.

It’s not that we get to hold hands and feel great, but that we learn to disagree and learn to love one another even through our disparities. It’s not that you cannot have a strong stand on your issue either, but that you must believe you are here to be an ambassador of reconciliation.

The Mennonites are the ones that have routed their entire way of faith in love of enemy. We acknowledge injustice and impurity. But what we must work to do is to acknowledge and live by reconciliation with others.  We must model reconciliation to show the world that culture is divided into easy and obvious fights that will never end unless we embrace the gift of reconciliation.  Creative, compassionate love that is found through reconciliation will heal us from the cancers that separate us, this will remove division.

Three questions to ask ourselves in order to begin our journey in the ministry of reconciliation:

1. Has fear and anger blinded you from the ministry of reconciliation?

2. Is there someone that you need to ask forgiveness from?

3. Is there someone you need to forgive as a gesture for loving your enemy?

The differences will go away.

Galations 3:28 - "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female, (Mennonite nor non-Mennonite, soldier nor pacifist, liberal nor conservative, young nor old, sinner nor saint, those who sing the national anthem nor those who do not, gay nor straight, bigot nor enlightened one, immigrant nor native), for you are all one in Christ."

Many of these thoughts and words come from a presentation given at the Mennonite Youth Conference held in Pittsburg.  I did not attend but I did watch a video of select presentations and this one was the first one I viewed.

A few questions.

Over the last few weeks I have been taking notes in class and often come up with questions that probably can't be answered at this time without more serious thought and time.


- How is it possible that one of the best educated countries continues to be
    stuck on a politcal bend that the scientific facts no longer play a deciding
    role on how to fund public programs?

- When things need to be accomplished, decision need to be made and
      compromise often follows. Why does this governing body of state
      and country continue to make an argument on the major issues we
      face daily?  Why is there no compromise, why is there nothing being
      accomplished in an orderly fashion?

- As those in power continue to claim relation to religious groups, how can
     they continue to work for the fastest and biggest buck made?  How do we
     continue to let companies continually have record profits while millions
     struggle to put food on the table or simply afford school supplies?

- As funding is decreased or re-structured and critical education programs
    are cut, why do learning expectations decrease while we hope for,
    and expect better results?



This link is the current proposal by President Obama as a way to decrease the deficit and work towards creating a stronger America.  This appears to have some good parts and some bad parts that are being avoided, in my opinion solely because its getting close to election time.  I'm hoping that over the next few months something wakes up the politicians to the realization that American needs policy change, and there must be a re-structuring of a flawed government system.  With too many people having such diverse viewpoints, there is very little accomplished in a timely manner.  Big issues are not covered because they want to ensure they are voted into office again.  Social Security and the Medicaid/Medicare funding is not going to work with the way things are describe currently.  Too many people are coming into the retirement phase, and after knowing this problem would occur for the last 50 years and nothing happening to change it, this leads to little faith in government.

"And we must rise -- with the occasion."

Abraham Lincoln once struggled through a time filled with war between brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, a fight to end slavery, and the ever constant battle between Congress and the President.  Over the years he made several speeches that have had many quotes come to be well known.  The following quote came from December 1, 1862 as part of his concluding marks to the Congress.

"It is not "can any of us imagine better?" but, "can we all do better?" The dogmas of the quiet past, are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise -- with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, ... "

As I read this quote I feel like millions of things are speeding through my mind trying to decide how I can put this quote to work and how I can rise "with the occasion."  The thing I like about this quote is that it says we must rise with the occasion in order to combat the ever increasing difficulty of the situations.  Each day we are faced with a new challenge, some of which can be fairly simple tasks, or at the opposite end of the spectrum there are the life changing tasks.  The thought of rising "with" the occasion is so much greater than rising "to" the occasion because if you only rise to the occasion you may only meet the bare minimum to get a mediocre result, but if you rise "with" it then you are able to exceed all expectations and conquer any given task.

Such tasks in my life include dealing with the challenges of money, housing, and education. I work to follow a budget as best I can but there are always the unexpected expenses or the occasional splurge that can wreak havoc on the bank account.  I have always felt that money is not an issue of concern for me because money always will come and go, but how you live your life accordingly is the greater challenge. 

As I have continued my life path after high school I follow the usual course of undergrad.  During this time I changed my mind several times on what I wanted to do for the rest of my life; staying within the wide window of what interested me, science.  Like most people entering the field of science I was encouraged to spend my time working towards medical school in order to the become a physician of sorts.  However, this did not completely interest me for various reasons and at the last minute I decided this was not my path.

In late January of 2011 I applied to Bethel University to obtain a Masters degree in Teaching.  Early February I had an interview with staff to see if this was the right path for me and immediately it felt like the right place to be.  The past several months have been full of mixed emotions as I continue to work in a local hospital that seems to continue to re-affirm my decision not to pursue med school.  A negative of the teaching profession continues to be the heavy financial burden that educators find themselves in.  Each person has a story of their own but many have a common theme, "Teachers just don't get paid enough!"

This statement is certainly heard by many, however when it comes to deciding how to increase teacher pay there are very few options that interest most, or all.  As the American Education system continues to show that it just doesn't quite work how it is expected to, we continue to try to solve the problem by looking to those with experience in the field and using ideas they have.  This could work, but it hasn't shown to be effective. 

Each meeting for my graduate studies I continually find myself creating questions in which there may not be any answer.  These questions are what bring me to question the way that things are done and why things must be done the same way when what is expected as the end result has greatly changed nearly every decade since the beginning of the formal education system.

As the next generation of workers enter the full time workforce, more brilliants minds are going to professions that are able to pay them accordingly.  Teaching just does not fit into that category, but there are the few that pursue this difficult task.  These are the ones that rise "with" the occasion in order to make a change in the world.

A goal of mine is to reform the education system as we know it in order to instill a great set of moral ethics, strong passion for serving others, and investing the imagination and creativity of our youth to create solutions to the problems we face each day.  Dreams must be encouraged, must be followed, and must be obtained.  There has always been the nay-sayers, but must they always be there?  If we are to encourage dreams, creativity, and learning, can we not all say yes to what you desire?  Can we not all work "with" each other to develop new ideas and bring these things to forefront?

I close with a poem that should be a cause for questioning how we live our life and how we treat children that dream.

Cloths of Heaven
William Butler Yeats

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

O Sweet America... or is it?

All you Need to Know about Government Bureaucracy:

Pythagorean theorem..............24 words.
Lord's prayer............................66 words.
Archimedes' Principle:..............67 words.
Ten commandments................179 words.
Gettysburg address:.................286 words.
Declaration of independence..1,300 words.
US Constitution with all 27 Amendments...7,818 words.

US Government regulations on sale of cabbage:........26,911 words.

 

 

 

Looking at these numbers here, its fairly obvious that the more we speak, the more we bring ourselves into a policy strucutred state in which a deeper hole is dug each day.  With the present day economy, increasing unemployment rates,  presidential candidates making terrible decisions with what they say, and never ending coverage of America's problems can be found on CNN or FOX News.

After watching the Tea Party debate today there was even more doubt in my mind about the future and who will be running this country.  Out of the unreal number of Republicans running this year, there is really only a few that are going to be a possible 'decent' option.  And with that I believe I should break it down:

Rick Perry --  Basically another G dub and I dont America can handle that. 
                       For me this guy is just too foolish and if he can't take
                      scientific fact and accept it, then I just don't see my vote here.

Michele Bachmann - She doesn't always have her facts straight and
                                  I don't really feel like she has what it takes to be
                                  the President but could do okay as VP.
Hermain Cain -- Not a lot known on this guy and some of his policy ideas
                           sound a little crazy. He spoke about this 9-9-9 plan that sets
                           taxes at 9%. This seems good but he didn't talk about what
                          will happen with spending and what programs
                           are going to take the cut.

Newt Gingrich -- Newt is a guy I've come to like a fair bit more lately after seeing
                          different speeches and things on tv lately.  He is a strange guy but
                           if his ideas work then who really cares about being a bit off?

John Huntsman - I feel like this guy could have potential to be a top
                           candidate once he really starts to come out of the woodwork. 
                            I will probably do some research on this guy closer to the
                            election if he rises to the occasion.

Ron Paul --  This guy would probably be more of a favorite for me
                      if he were about 25 years younger. Being close to 80
                      really takes away from me thinking he can  live through
                     a term, let alone let him have a chance to go through a second.

Mitt Romney - This guy has a lot of good ideas and is probably my top pick.
                        I feel like he might be playing a little too quiet right now
                        but at least he is able to call out Rick Perry on his foolishness.

Rick Santorum - This guy seems like a possibility but I don't feel like he has enough
                            experience in government to really know what is going to be
                           a good idea versus what is going to be more of the same.



Those Not present and those that just aren't known well enough to have much of a chance.

Vern Wuensche                               Gary Johnson
Fred Karger                                     Andy Martin
Thad McCotter                                Jimmy McMillan
Tom Miller                                      Buddy Roemer

That's right, 16 Republican candidates that are still declared. At least according this website.

I'm hoping to hear more about things that matter and are big issues for those in the future of this country.  One of the things that I haven't decided if it would be a good idea or not is how several of the Republican candidates are talking about getting rid of the Department of Education.  I feel like this could potentially be a good idea if things are set up properly to steer the Education system in the right direction.  I think there are too many unknowns with this subject and with how desperately education reform is needed, there just aren't any good ideas on how to get this done.

More to come on education.

Praise, Trust, Hope, Justice, and Celebration

During the summer of 2010 I was a canoe guide in the boundary waters for a camp called Wilderness Wind. While I was employed (more of a volunteer position) I worked as a trip guide but also did work around the camp as a cook, greenskeeper, gardner, maid, and construction worker.  It was a fantastic experience that taught me a lot about myself and also was a factor in me rejoining my faith and walking along my life path.

Working as a guide was also a wonderful thing because I was fortunate enough to be able to spend my summer out on the lake in a canoe, portaging beautiful trails, and seeing wonderful sights like this wonderful sunset.

A beautiful sunset from one of many.

One part of the trip guide position was to provide a daily devotion-like session that would spark thought and conversation within the group on the water.  The setup for this was to provide a brief reading or quote that would take a minute or two and then break for 10-15 minutes of solo silence in the woods and reconvene for the start of the day.  In the evening we would end the day with conversation about the reading and what our thoughts were during the solo silence and throughout the day's journey.  One week I focused on Psalm 146 breaking this up into the five day trip.



Day 1: 1-2:  Praise the Lord.
                    Praise the Lord, O my soul.
                    I will prise the Lord all my life,
                    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

The focus for this day was to think about Praise.  One of the most common reasons people would venture into the boundary waters is to escape the lifestyle they live, if only for a brief moment in time.  In order to really bring this experince home it is necessary to remember the reason for living, the reason for joy in life, and the reason to find faith even through the darkest of times.

Day 2: 3-4:  Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save.
                    When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
                    on that very day their plans come to nothing.

The focus for this day is to place that emphasis of Trust not in people, but in God's plan.  There are many ways to interpret what is written but I like to think that there are some instances that do require trust in people, but there is a strong faith component involved and comes from trust in God.  A good part of each day on the water involves cooking, packing, canoeing, and portaging.  Many of these tasks require assistance and so you must trust in others to assist you through each step, but there must be trust in God to provide you with the strength and knowledge to push you along the way.

Day 3: 5-6:   Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
                     whose hope is in the Lord his Gob,
                     the Maker of heaven and earth,
                     the sea, and everything in them-
                     the Lord, who remains faithful forever.

Scott Russell Sanders was the author of a book I read while at this camp.  One quote I found interesting was "Hope and hop come from the same root word - to leap up in expectation."  I like this quote because I feel like that is what you have to do with Hope.  You must leap up and let yourself be out there in order to gain the most.  One of the best ways to maintain a strong sense of hope is to have your faith in God and let yourself follow the one who will remain faithful forever, the one who created everything.

Day 4: 7-9:  He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. 
                    The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind,
                    the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
                    the Lord loves the righteous. 
                    The Lord watches over the alien
                    and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
                    but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

A great part about these few verses is that it shows you that if you follow the word, you will recieve all of the greatness and glory.  It is often a struggle to follow your own values constantly, but with those, you are able to find that forever, you are able to look at your life and see that God provides for you if you are true to Him.  Likewise, if you are wicked he will frustrate your life more. 

A more instant example to real life is that during this trip there are many real struggles, like trying to carry a 100 pound canoe and a 50 pound pack down the portage trail.  While working with each other you are able to link all of the previous day points along with Justice in the sense that you are about to accomplish a major task in the weeklong journey through the boundary waters.

Day 5: 10: The Lord reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord.

A cause for celebration. A celebration of life, of existence, of the day.  This final day is an exciting time because all of the effort from the week has taken you to the end of the journey and hopefully sparked a new interest and view of life.  The final day is a celebration of nature, of life, and of teamwork and friendships that hopefully have become stronger through this trip.

The end of the trail (or pond).

Through several weeks of guiding I was able to expand my own views and perspectives all while encouraging those of others.  In the end it became a great part of my life and hopefully I will be able to continue giving to others like I had all of that summer.

A bit of my journey

Over the past few months I have been working to strengthen my faith.  Through this journey there have been several moments of great struggle along with many moments of great happiness.  As I work to re-structure my beliefs and re-organize my thoughts on going to church verse being religious, I find there are many different ways to go about this.

First there are the well known daily devotionals, followed by church, and finishing with just learning to study your Bible.  I have actually tried a mix of these things and have come to find a solution that works for me.

This new plan to reinvent myself all began at the beginning of June when I just felt a need to change, a need to be a better person.  After a few classes at Bethel University I came to the realization of my calling to this place, to these people, to this way of life.  I have always tried living as a good christian should but have certainly made err on the side of the undergraduate lifestyle.  I suppose I should give a little detail about that because this is what has lead me to this current path.

During this time I went to a school that was 600 miles from home, a place with no family, no friends, no real connections.  I chose this path because I was partly wanting to escape my family, but also because I did want to experience life on my own in an entirely new place.  So here I was, alone, away, and without anyone to stand in my way.  Over the next several years I dated, dumped, and was dumped several times.  I always thought I'd find "the one" while away at undergrad, but that did not happen.  Looking back on this path of dating I find that I wasn't listening to my heart or even really thinking about who I was with but I suppose that is what college brings.  Along the way I found myself going to church occasionally and struggling to find a place that fit.  I didn't really go to church very often over those years nor did I choose to read the bible much at all. But I do think there are set paths for us to learn lessons.  My lesson for this time I believe is learning to trust in God and listen to your heart and have faith.

So now fast-forwarding to June 2011 I find myself looking for a new home church, again in a new city (now the Twin Cities), and looking to reinvent myself.  First I started looking for a church, checked out a few of the Mennonite's around town and eventually came to find the one that I felt the most connected to.  Next I started reading the Bible more and more each day, accompanying that with a little month-long devotional about serving others, and in particular, the homeless. 

These things have all brought me back into a lifestyle in which I think about my actions, think about how I can serve others, and act on the desire to do good works.  Through all of the things I have been a part of, and am currently a part of, I now look for that silver lining of hope and bliss that comes around far more often now that I know where to look.  As my rumspringa comes to an end I hope that this new path will enlighten me and teach me great things.

2 Timoth 1:7 (My baptism verse)
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.


Psalm 82: 3-4 ( One that comes to thought on serving others)
Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

The Beginning

Today is the day I finally decided to begin writing a blog.  I have felt for some time that I should work to get my voice out in the open but have never been the type of person to throw out my opinions without having thought through them several times first. 

So on that note this blog is going to be something that reveals my thoughts, feelings, emotions and the like on a variety of topics that I feel are an issue in my day or days because I probably will not maintain this daily. I think intial topics will include politics because there is just so much to say about those in charge, religion because I have been working to build my faith, education because I hope to challenge the minds of the future, and love because I believe that everyone needs a person to care for them and challenge them in their daily actions.

I'm hoping through this blog I will be able to take my ideas and challenge the thoughts and opinions in others along the way.