Greetings, good folk!
A lengthier report I would love to provide, but a succinct summation will have to suffice. I will confess that I feel a tad self-indulgent posting such detailed accounts of my activities and ambitions with the expectation that people will take time out of busy schedules to read them. But, I guess I don't feel that bad because I'm doing it anyway... ;)
It's been a wonderful two weeks since I first arrived in the city of brotherly love. I've been enjoying the luxuries of little accumulated schoolwork and few nagging commitments, though I'm getting anxious for more to do. That said, in addition to the ever-present excitements of exploration and the thrills of navigating a new school, I have these things upcoming...
I'll be hosting some Messiah chums on their J-term break this weekend.
A tutoring ministry at a church across the street is beginning next week, and I'll be there Tuesday and Friday evenings.
I'm going to help lead some of the worship at our weekly community gatherings (aka. chapel).
I'm contributing some articles for the Broad Street Journal, MCPC's* student paper.
I'm looking forward to church at Epiphany Fellowship again this week. It's a really neat place, with incredible music, a young congregation (ha not that that is any indication of a good church, it just helps us belong), and a really solid pastor who consistently delivers refreshingly biblical teaching. Apparently this pastor, Eric Mason, speaks with such respected Reformed preachers as as John Piper. I believe it.
And lastly, and probably most exciting..ly, there's this program called LIFT down the street from here that I might be volunteering a few hours with each week. It's an organization that partners homeless and low-income folks in the area with students from Temple. We work with them to provide services and help them find jobs, housing, etc. Needless to say, it sounds awesome.
Last lastly, classes are great.
As always, thanks for reading! Your prayers and concerns are greatly appreciated. Know that I'm praying for you too.
jmb
p.s. Here's something that really spoke to me today. Let us not forget what we're working for!
* MCPC = Messiah College Philadelphia Campus
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Intro to Philly Time
There are too many "producers" out there for a little guy like me to contend with. It's way too easy for one to become a very invested "consumer" of opinions and information and quite quickly forget why one ever bothered to produce one's own content. But alas, here I go again. Thank you to the few of you that convince me I have something worthwhile to say.
I'm treated tonight to the steady whoosh of cars whizzing past, the shrill choir of sirens distant and near, and the discordant hollers of excited frat boys. It's an unfamiliar neighbourhood in a city different from and far from home. And yet, this place is home for the next few months. Welcome to North Philadelphia.
Something about leaving all that's comfortable for a new place leaves you exhausted -- mentally, physically, emotionally -- but oh so excited. It's the overwhelming new sights, sounds and smells; the fascinating people you meet for the first (and last) time; the swelling sense of accomplishment you gain as this strange place becomes a little more of who you are.
So that's where I'm at. I'm spending the spring semester of my sophomore year studying at Messiah's Philadelphia Campus. Philly is comparable in size to Toronto, but I'm quickly discovering how incredibly different it is. The "Jane & Finch" area of Toronto is reputed as a neighbourhood rife with crime and danger, the no-go-zone in the minds of suburban kids across the GTA. Well, now I've been supplanted into the middle of a city with its fair share of "Jane & Finches" and I can't wait for all that's in store.
The tranquility of Grantham is long gone for now. I'll be sure to face plenty of challenges along with everything else this semester, but you grow the most when you're uncomfortable. So bring it on.
I have plenty more I could say now, but I'll save all of that for future musings. So stay tuned!
God is good, all the time.
jmb
I'm treated tonight to the steady whoosh of cars whizzing past, the shrill choir of sirens distant and near, and the discordant hollers of excited frat boys. It's an unfamiliar neighbourhood in a city different from and far from home. And yet, this place is home for the next few months. Welcome to North Philadelphia.
Something about leaving all that's comfortable for a new place leaves you exhausted -- mentally, physically, emotionally -- but oh so excited. It's the overwhelming new sights, sounds and smells; the fascinating people you meet for the first (and last) time; the swelling sense of accomplishment you gain as this strange place becomes a little more of who you are.
So that's where I'm at. I'm spending the spring semester of my sophomore year studying at Messiah's Philadelphia Campus. Philly is comparable in size to Toronto, but I'm quickly discovering how incredibly different it is. The "Jane & Finch" area of Toronto is reputed as a neighbourhood rife with crime and danger, the no-go-zone in the minds of suburban kids across the GTA. Well, now I've been supplanted into the middle of a city with its fair share of "Jane & Finches" and I can't wait for all that's in store.
The tranquility of Grantham is long gone for now. I'll be sure to face plenty of challenges along with everything else this semester, but you grow the most when you're uncomfortable. So bring it on.
I have plenty more I could say now, but I'll save all of that for future musings. So stay tuned!
God is good, all the time.
jmb
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Why So Silent?
It's another busy day in Grantham. Rainy too. And dark. And chilly. But it is also a blessed day, don't you think? Simply because it is. I like to think of every moment as a gift. Every breath that I breathe, in and out non-stop since I was born, is really quite a privilege.
The world is a painful place. People suffer and people die. All the time. Turn on the news for a matter of minutes and you'll be exposed to more sadness and tragedy than one could possibly deal with. The BBC One-Minute World News is a prime example. It helps me to watch at the peak of my preoccupation -- with homework, errands, planning, email, work. As the dismal montage of misfortune and disaster streams across my screen with characteristic newsroom indifference, suddenly that pressing assignment doesn't seem so stressful. As I watch violent protests and floods, maybe work tonight won't be so bad after all.
Depressing? Certainly. Reality? Unfortunately.
So what? Well, this is somehow connected to my absence from the blogosphere this past semester. Let me explain.
People talk. Images flash. News comes in. People talk more. As a chapel speaker said boldly, though ironically, during a recent message, "I'm tired of all the talk." He was a Yale academic and director of some world missions research program. His message was excellent, but I especially appreciated his acknowledgment that when tragedy hits and uncertainty arises, the favoured response is to talk. Especially in Christian culture, but I feel it's a universal condition.
In my negligence of my own blog, I've become a fairly regular reader of a number of other blogs, from the New York Times, to Christian leaders, to professors. Everywhere I click, someone else has an incredibly insightful, intriguing opinion. A critique of the church here. An opinion on current events there. Maybe even a plan for changing the world somewhere. I love reading these inspiring posts, and I love engaging in the discussion that follows.
However, I've simultaneously been studying much more about society in the world at large. I've been listening to sermons on suffering as well, trying to make sense of the God I strive to know, a God of love and compassion and justice, and the horrible injustice that occurs all the time. Just a second ago someone died alone and forgotten. And another.
So where are God's followers during all of this? I just hope we're not missing our chance to take the Gospel to a world that needs its healing power because we're too busy reading about how we should be doing more.
Is the correct Christian response to talk ... or maybe to act? Obviously, in this information age a persuasive post or convicting message can go a long way to stir people's hearts. But, as Jesus himself pointed out, we're judged on how we live, not what we say.
So that's why I've been slow to blog recently. Well, that and I just haven't had as much free time. But I am simply trying to discover how my life can count for something in the world. If each moment is a gift, do I spend the available ones writing about what I should do, or just doing it?
So the obvious question now that I'm replacing all that cheap talk with heroic radical action, then, is: How many lives have I saved? How much hunger have I alleviated? To put it simply, what have I done for the least of these?
Well, you've got me there. You'll also notice how there are probably more question marks than periods in this post. That's because I'm not pretending to speak with any real authority. I'm just a seeker who has found the greatest Truth and the Eternal Way ... but I'm seeking further nonetheless.
Thanks for being here!
jmb
The world is a painful place. People suffer and people die. All the time. Turn on the news for a matter of minutes and you'll be exposed to more sadness and tragedy than one could possibly deal with. The BBC One-Minute World News is a prime example. It helps me to watch at the peak of my preoccupation -- with homework, errands, planning, email, work. As the dismal montage of misfortune and disaster streams across my screen with characteristic newsroom indifference, suddenly that pressing assignment doesn't seem so stressful. As I watch violent protests and floods, maybe work tonight won't be so bad after all.
Depressing? Certainly. Reality? Unfortunately.
So what? Well, this is somehow connected to my absence from the blogosphere this past semester. Let me explain.
People talk. Images flash. News comes in. People talk more. As a chapel speaker said boldly, though ironically, during a recent message, "I'm tired of all the talk." He was a Yale academic and director of some world missions research program. His message was excellent, but I especially appreciated his acknowledgment that when tragedy hits and uncertainty arises, the favoured response is to talk. Especially in Christian culture, but I feel it's a universal condition.
In my negligence of my own blog, I've become a fairly regular reader of a number of other blogs, from the New York Times, to Christian leaders, to professors. Everywhere I click, someone else has an incredibly insightful, intriguing opinion. A critique of the church here. An opinion on current events there. Maybe even a plan for changing the world somewhere. I love reading these inspiring posts, and I love engaging in the discussion that follows.
However, I've simultaneously been studying much more about society in the world at large. I've been listening to sermons on suffering as well, trying to make sense of the God I strive to know, a God of love and compassion and justice, and the horrible injustice that occurs all the time. Just a second ago someone died alone and forgotten. And another.
So where are God's followers during all of this? I just hope we're not missing our chance to take the Gospel to a world that needs its healing power because we're too busy reading about how we should be doing more.
Is the correct Christian response to talk ... or maybe to act? Obviously, in this information age a persuasive post or convicting message can go a long way to stir people's hearts. But, as Jesus himself pointed out, we're judged on how we live, not what we say.
So that's why I've been slow to blog recently. Well, that and I just haven't had as much free time. But I am simply trying to discover how my life can count for something in the world. If each moment is a gift, do I spend the available ones writing about what I should do, or just doing it?
So the obvious question now that I'm replacing all that cheap talk with heroic radical action, then, is: How many lives have I saved? How much hunger have I alleviated? To put it simply, what have I done for the least of these?
Well, you've got me there. You'll also notice how there are probably more question marks than periods in this post. That's because I'm not pretending to speak with any real authority. I'm just a seeker who has found the greatest Truth and the Eternal Way ... but I'm seeking further nonetheless.
Thanks for being here!
jmb
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
A Night with DC
In case you were wondering, I haven't completely forgotten.
Schoolwork has been exceptionally busy the past few weeks. That, coupled with various other changes in life, haven't really allowed much time for public reflection. But the world moves on at a rapid pace, and I continually realize that without intentional times of reflection, life will simply pass me by. Every experiences yields a thousand opportunities for reflection and consideration. Too bad there are a thousand experiences.
A group of us went to a David Crowder Band concert on Sunday. Smack dab in the middle of Bible-belt Lancaster, PA, the sold-out concert attracted an audience of youth groups, families, grandparents, children, and even a few plain-dress Mennonites (or some form of Amish). What is it, I wondered, about David Crowder's signature blend of electro-pop-dance-rock-anthemic worship music that draws such crowds? And as with all such Christian concerts, I wondered where the glory would be given -- to the performers who write music explicitly praising the God of all heaven, or to the subject of the praise, God himself.
To be sure, David Crowder and friends put on a kickin' concert. Their equipment and gadgetry alone is enough to gawk at for hours as each instrumentalist spent nearly as much time fiddling with laptops and synthesizers as playing their usual instruments. There were songs to dance to, jokes to laugh at, fists to pump, guitar solos to applaud, and even hands to raise in worship. For such a talented group, I wonder sometimes where that fine line falls between a sold-out show to applaud the songwriting skills of a goofy-goteed rockstar and a house packed with Christ-followers eager to worship God. Do we flock to David Crowder (and like artists) to glorify David Crowder or glorify God?
Or, can we bring God praise by appreciating the undeniable skills that God has blessed David Crowder with, particularly when he is using those skills to glorify God to the best of his ability?
In other news, I'm launching a full-scale investigation of the will of God for my life. Actually, I'm really just wondering what God's will is for his people everywhere. So far, all I know is that it's for something radical, and it definitely looks a lot different than what the world wants from me.
More on that later.
Okay, it's back to the books.
Love.
Schoolwork has been exceptionally busy the past few weeks. That, coupled with various other changes in life, haven't really allowed much time for public reflection. But the world moves on at a rapid pace, and I continually realize that without intentional times of reflection, life will simply pass me by. Every experiences yields a thousand opportunities for reflection and consideration. Too bad there are a thousand experiences.
A group of us went to a David Crowder Band concert on Sunday. Smack dab in the middle of Bible-belt Lancaster, PA, the sold-out concert attracted an audience of youth groups, families, grandparents, children, and even a few plain-dress Mennonites (or some form of Amish). What is it, I wondered, about David Crowder's signature blend of electro-pop-dance-rock-anthemic worship music that draws such crowds? And as with all such Christian concerts, I wondered where the glory would be given -- to the performers who write music explicitly praising the God of all heaven, or to the subject of the praise, God himself.
To be sure, David Crowder and friends put on a kickin' concert. Their equipment and gadgetry alone is enough to gawk at for hours as each instrumentalist spent nearly as much time fiddling with laptops and synthesizers as playing their usual instruments. There were songs to dance to, jokes to laugh at, fists to pump, guitar solos to applaud, and even hands to raise in worship. For such a talented group, I wonder sometimes where that fine line falls between a sold-out show to applaud the songwriting skills of a goofy-goteed rockstar and a house packed with Christ-followers eager to worship God. Do we flock to David Crowder (and like artists) to glorify David Crowder or glorify God?
Or, can we bring God praise by appreciating the undeniable skills that God has blessed David Crowder with, particularly when he is using those skills to glorify God to the best of his ability?
In other news, I'm launching a full-scale investigation of the will of God for my life. Actually, I'm really just wondering what God's will is for his people everywhere. So far, all I know is that it's for something radical, and it definitely looks a lot different than what the world wants from me.
More on that later.
Okay, it's back to the books.
Love.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
So What?
You might have notice that it's been a while since my last post. I sure have.
In my defense, I've been fairly busy. It's definitely a "good" kind of busy, but, then again, can any busyness that diverts my attention from my loyal readers be of any good at all? Doubtful.
Anyways, how are you? If you are reading this and haven't talked to me directly in a while (I'm lookin at you, grandparents, aunts, and uncles), please send me an email. I'd love to hear from you!
Life is good. I suppose I always say that, but then I suppose it's always true. Many recent activities, including studying the flaws and issues plaguing modern society (Sociology 101, Mass Media & Society) have certainly afforded me a new appreciation for my present situation. More specifically, I'm continually floored by God's blessings to me.
Why me? I might ask. My life, as it stands currently, is overflowing with potential. I have resources to study nearly anywhere in the world, devote as much time to leisure as I desire, and spend hours deliberating over my future.
For so many, their futures are decided before they are even born.
But I suppose mine was too, then. I was born into a world saturated in opportunities. If something impairs my pursuit of happiness, away with it! Thanks to a comfortable financial cushion and a devoted network of 'encouragers', I can do nearly anything I set my mind to.
So what about the rest of the world? By far the majority, their circumstances leave them helpless to do anything but live one day to the next. They may set their minds to all they can ever imagine, but for many this is futile.
I don't mean to be cynical, and I don't mean to generalize at all. But as I sit here on the 'precipice of potential' with a world before me waiting to be encountered and conquered, I can't help but feel sorry for all those left behind, for no fault of their own.
I find, then, that this awareness of my bountiful blessings leaves me with an incredible responsibility. I believe that we are to do our best to serve God wherever he places us on Earth. Whether it is in Grantham, PA or the slums of Mumbai, God's people are to live as Christ-like as possible. So then what do the Christians in Grantham, PA, with the world at their fingertips, do for the saved (and unsaved) in the slums, whose influence in the world seems to reach no further than their immediate surroundings?
With great power comes great responsibility. Thanks, Spiderman. Spidey uses his powers, that naturally set him apart and above his neighbours, to help those in need. And let us not forget that there is such great power in the name of Jesus as well. Perhaps not web-slinging, wall-crawling powers, but powers of a more spiritual, eternal nature.
So what do we do with our power?
Climb the corporate ladder? Get rich? Hide behind white picket fences until Sunday morning?
I can't help but feel like we have a greater purpose. Something that drives us to live radically. We are united with the Creator of the universe, soveriegn over all things. Shouldn't that set us apart?
That's all for late night rambling. Austin is back so now I can go to sleep.
Peace,
jmb
In my defense, I've been fairly busy. It's definitely a "good" kind of busy, but, then again, can any busyness that diverts my attention from my loyal readers be of any good at all? Doubtful.
Anyways, how are you? If you are reading this and haven't talked to me directly in a while (I'm lookin at you, grandparents, aunts, and uncles), please send me an email. I'd love to hear from you!
Life is good. I suppose I always say that, but then I suppose it's always true. Many recent activities, including studying the flaws and issues plaguing modern society (Sociology 101, Mass Media & Society) have certainly afforded me a new appreciation for my present situation. More specifically, I'm continually floored by God's blessings to me.
Why me? I might ask. My life, as it stands currently, is overflowing with potential. I have resources to study nearly anywhere in the world, devote as much time to leisure as I desire, and spend hours deliberating over my future.
For so many, their futures are decided before they are even born.
But I suppose mine was too, then. I was born into a world saturated in opportunities. If something impairs my pursuit of happiness, away with it! Thanks to a comfortable financial cushion and a devoted network of 'encouragers', I can do nearly anything I set my mind to.
So what about the rest of the world? By far the majority, their circumstances leave them helpless to do anything but live one day to the next. They may set their minds to all they can ever imagine, but for many this is futile.
I don't mean to be cynical, and I don't mean to generalize at all. But as I sit here on the 'precipice of potential' with a world before me waiting to be encountered and conquered, I can't help but feel sorry for all those left behind, for no fault of their own.
I find, then, that this awareness of my bountiful blessings leaves me with an incredible responsibility. I believe that we are to do our best to serve God wherever he places us on Earth. Whether it is in Grantham, PA or the slums of Mumbai, God's people are to live as Christ-like as possible. So then what do the Christians in Grantham, PA, with the world at their fingertips, do for the saved (and unsaved) in the slums, whose influence in the world seems to reach no further than their immediate surroundings?
With great power comes great responsibility. Thanks, Spiderman. Spidey uses his powers, that naturally set him apart and above his neighbours, to help those in need. And let us not forget that there is such great power in the name of Jesus as well. Perhaps not web-slinging, wall-crawling powers, but powers of a more spiritual, eternal nature.
So what do we do with our power?
Climb the corporate ladder? Get rich? Hide behind white picket fences until Sunday morning?
I can't help but feel like we have a greater purpose. Something that drives us to live radically. We are united with the Creator of the universe, soveriegn over all things. Shouldn't that set us apart?
That's all for late night rambling. Austin is back so now I can go to sleep.
Peace,
jmb
Friday, September 18, 2009
Tuesday Talk
I like writing in public places. Or just sitting in public places, for that matter, in a position where I can observe. It's fun to watch the interactions of large groups or the dynamics of an intimate conversation between close friends. Like right now in the Union.
It helps me get more work done too. I might even say the quiet rhythm of students coming and going and the gentle din of conversation are soothing. When your mind is contemplating things far beyond your own little world, the visual distraction of people embracing the present is quite comforting.
I had the wonderful privilege of volunteering twice last week. At Bethesda Men's Shelter I helped with the soup line and met a few very interesting people. Then the next day I went back into Harrisburg to help teach ESL. Both experiences were incredible for so many reasons, and also only the firsts of many similar opportunities.
There was a remarkable young man at Bethesda who I had the immense privilege of chatting with for 20 minutes over steaming chili and pre-packaged sandwiches. If every conversation I had in a day was as inspiring as that one, I don't think I could handle it. After hitting "rock bottom" only a month ago, the man found his way to the shelter where he accepted Christ within a couple days.
With a grin that didn't disappear for the entire duration of our talk, he told me all about where he'd been and where he's come. Interestingly, he barely spoke at all about his life before being saved, as if it didn't even matter in light of the hope he had know found. And what hope and joy he has! "It's so beautiful," he muttered between mouthfuls.
As expected, it got me thinking. It is beautiful. Why do we forget that so easily? God is beautiful. Creation is beautiful. The story of our redemption is as beautiful as it gets. My new friend knows this. He shows it. So should I. This guy really isn't that different from me. Despite the fact that he's been in and out of prison multiple times, been caught up with all sorts of substances I couldn't even recognize, and now lives in a men's shelter, we serve the same God and have been saved from the same certain death.
That's the body of Christ for you -- bringing the most unlikely of acquaintances together in the most glorious and eternal unity.
I'm off to help with ESL again tonight. It's interesting how I go to teach but intend to learn. Because that really is where you learn: in the world beyond your own. In the eyes of a capitalist society, these people we work with don't have much to offer, but in God's eyes (and consequently the eyes of his followers) they have so much worth.
There's a world out there in need of God's love. As I was reminded during an evening service I help with on Sunday, there is always more love to be shown. We will never fill our quota, and thank God he won't either. Let's not be satisfied.
JMB
p.s. I'm published!
p.s.s. It'll get better. You have to start somewhere.
It helps me get more work done too. I might even say the quiet rhythm of students coming and going and the gentle din of conversation are soothing. When your mind is contemplating things far beyond your own little world, the visual distraction of people embracing the present is quite comforting.
I had the wonderful privilege of volunteering twice last week. At Bethesda Men's Shelter I helped with the soup line and met a few very interesting people. Then the next day I went back into Harrisburg to help teach ESL. Both experiences were incredible for so many reasons, and also only the firsts of many similar opportunities.
There was a remarkable young man at Bethesda who I had the immense privilege of chatting with for 20 minutes over steaming chili and pre-packaged sandwiches. If every conversation I had in a day was as inspiring as that one, I don't think I could handle it. After hitting "rock bottom" only a month ago, the man found his way to the shelter where he accepted Christ within a couple days.
With a grin that didn't disappear for the entire duration of our talk, he told me all about where he'd been and where he's come. Interestingly, he barely spoke at all about his life before being saved, as if it didn't even matter in light of the hope he had know found. And what hope and joy he has! "It's so beautiful," he muttered between mouthfuls.
As expected, it got me thinking. It is beautiful. Why do we forget that so easily? God is beautiful. Creation is beautiful. The story of our redemption is as beautiful as it gets. My new friend knows this. He shows it. So should I. This guy really isn't that different from me. Despite the fact that he's been in and out of prison multiple times, been caught up with all sorts of substances I couldn't even recognize, and now lives in a men's shelter, we serve the same God and have been saved from the same certain death.
That's the body of Christ for you -- bringing the most unlikely of acquaintances together in the most glorious and eternal unity.
I'm off to help with ESL again tonight. It's interesting how I go to teach but intend to learn. Because that really is where you learn: in the world beyond your own. In the eyes of a capitalist society, these people we work with don't have much to offer, but in God's eyes (and consequently the eyes of his followers) they have so much worth.
There's a world out there in need of God's love. As I was reminded during an evening service I help with on Sunday, there is always more love to be shown. We will never fill our quota, and thank God he won't either. Let's not be satisfied.
JMB
p.s. I'm published!
p.s.s. It'll get better. You have to start somewhere.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Untitled
The tiny town of Grantham, PA is once again coming to life. Students and teachers alike are bustling about with greater activity, already feeling the weight of deadlines and obligations. Classes are becoming interesting but not yet overwhelming. Best of all, extracurricular activities are getting underway.
Let me just say that I love extracurriculars. Between the recent opportunities fair and ice cream social for community service, I’ve signed up for more than I can remember. It’s unfortunate, really, how obtrusive classes become when there are so many other valuable options for our time. . . This year I’ll be doing the following things on a somewhat regular basis: writing for the school paper (The Swinging Bridge), working again for Phonathon, leading common chapels, working a few hours a week doing set-up and tear-down for chapel, helping with an evening church start-up on campus, volunteering with an ESL program in Harrisburg, and being a casual member of Psych club and Human Rights Awareness group. Now, I don’t say any of that to boast, but to inform you so you can be excited with me. It’s going to be a good year. I know it. And right now I’ve still had plenty of time for tossing Frisbees in the sunny September air.
I’m also looking forward to some of my classes. Mass Media and Society is exactly what it sounds like, but we’ve already had some good discussions and read some really thought-provoking articles. Principles of Sociology, although it starts at 8 AM, is also really fascinating already. Between the two of them, I’ve already been forced to think a lot about societal trends and norms; what defines them and how do they impact us?
Here’s a thought. Is truth ever defined by culture? So many things that we in the West take as common sense fact are not seen the same way around the world. For instance, let’s take a look at romantic love. It’s a completely different concept for us than it is for a lot of the world. We stress finding your true “soulmate” and fighting for love at all costs. We decry arranged marriages and weep for women with such bleak destinies; if only they could experience the freedom we have – a freedom that all are yearning for. The reality is, however, that millions of young women are married off every year to men much older than them, often as nothing more than transactions for business partnerships. As our jaws drop and our fists clench ready to defend the cause of these oppressed women, we need to remember that it was in this exact cultural context that our Bible was written.
All I’m saying is that often I feel like we need to distance ourselves from our own cultural understandings – a difficult task if we’ve never known anything different. Many people see aranged marriage as the ultimate injustice; how could anyone find happiness in such circumstances!? In our minds, in our understanding of truth, arranged marriage is bad. It impairs our pursuit of happiness. Well, millions of women do live in such circumstances and, dare I say, they probably aren’t completely miserable.
On another note, we had a discussion in Mass Media yesterday about different forms of technology. The conversation rapidly declined into another debate about the iPhone versus Blackberry. As I sat between the heated exchange with my trusty stone age phone in hand, I just couldn’t help but think, It doesn’t matter!
Honestly, I find it very interesting how these pieces of technology that were mere prototypes in a lab only a few years ago are now seen as necessary. Do we forget that for the last, oh, 6000 years of human history nobody even had email? The horror! And yet civilization trudged on, fueled by a few clever thinkers in a population of dejected citizens yearning for the day that they would be able to check their email on the go. Thank goodness for those inventors who shook off the shackles of their technological ignorance to strive for that glorious light at the end of a dark tunnel, that day when we could bring Facebook with us in our pockets. Oh, how miserable they must have been.
It’s quite relieving, actually, to not be caught up in the technology race. Well, actually I suppose we’re all in it to some degree. Let’s just not let it consume us. Especially as Christians.
I played in chapel this morning for the first time. It went really well. I got to play a djembe for this fun African-style song we did, and then just sand and played for the others. One interesting thing, though, I had a ton of people approach me throughout the rest of the day to say, “Good job this morning!” To be honest, that makes me a little uncomfortable. I’d rather hear them say, “Thanks for leading us in worship,” or something to that effect. The last thing I want to do up there is make a praiseworthy “performance.” Oh well. What can you do.
You’ll hear from me again soon. I promise.
jmb
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