What does "Healthy Food" mean to YOU?

This past Saturday I spent time at our local farmer's market offering a food tasting utilizing fresh produce from the Market. While I was there I asked the question, "What does "healthy food" mean to you?" I find that this question is an important one to consider in our world of fad diets, healthy food pyramid schemes, cleanses, and instant gratification. It is not enough to say you eat healthy food because what the entails could vary person by person.

The answers I received at the Farmer's Market varied, but I wanted to share a few:
What does "Healthy Food" mean to YOU?

• It got me to 74 years old
• Guilt Free
• Veggies and Fruits
• Food that gives you the vitamins and minerals you need
• Long Life
• What nourishes our bodies
• Healthy life
• My way of life

These are all great answers. I would now like to share 5 "healthy food" tips from my own life.

1. Know it or Grow it: I know that you can get the same nutrients in your fruits and veggies if you buy them canned or frozen, but I'm a personal fan of enjoying locally grown fruits and vegetables. I enjoy purchasing them from the farmers market where I can get to know the growers and ask them questions. I also enjoy growing my own produce where I can know exactly how it was taken care of because I'm the one growing it. I have also found both these methods to be budget-friendly ways to get my 5 servings of fruits and veggies a day!
2. Avoid processed foods: The more processed the food, the less healthy it is. Look for foods that have minimal ingredients in them.
3. Make it yourself: I have found that 9/10 times that I cook a meal from scratch it is going to be healthier than if I bought it pre-made. It is also going to be more affordable. 
4.  Choose Whole Ingredients: When deciding what foods to buy choose whole ingredients more often than not. By this I mean, whole grains, whole apples, whole carrots, etc. The less processed and prepared the better.
5. Choose a plant-based diet (mostly): While I know that not everyone needs to become vegan or vegetarian (however, I would strongly encourage it!), it is good for your health and the environment to choose a diet that is mostly plants. Michael Pollan says it well when he says, "Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Most, if not all, of the nutrients we need we can get from plants. It is also more sustainable for our planet to eat mostly plants. Whole Food, Plant Based eating is the way to go, even if you still occasionally eat meat. If you don't believe me check out the Double Pyramid put out by the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition (https://www.barillacfn.com/m/publications/pp-double-pyramid-healthy-diet-for-people-sustainable-for-the-planet.pdf).

I hope these insights help you in your journey to a healthier life. If you ever have questions feel free to comment below and I'll respond to the best of my ability and knowledge. 

The Priesthood of ALL believers

"I graduated with a degree in Youth Ministry." "Oh that's wonderful! What church do you work at?" "I don't. I teach Nutrition and the importance of being Physically Active to local elementary schools and nonprofit agencies." "Oh..." The conversation ends abruptly.

All too often this has been the conversations I partake in when I meet individuals connected to churches. When people learn I went to a Christian Liberal Arts and have an occupation that does not seem to line up with my degree they give me skeptical looks or want to let me know that "it's okay..." or "one day you'll get that job you studied for."

 Unfortunately what people do not see or understand is that I chose this route. I chose this job. I had a job at a traditional church in youth ministry and then even in Family Ministry and I decided it wasn't the path for me. I felt like God had other plans. There is nothing wrong with Family Ministry, Youth Ministry, or Children's Ministry in a traditional church. There are many individuals out there who are incredibly gifted in those areas and should not consider other occupations--many of my mentors could be some of those people.

I, however, in this point in my life, am not one of those people. I have a heart for holistically helping others. I firmly believe that Jesus cares about our whole selves and not just our spiritual selves. The idea that God would only care about our spiritual selves is very dualistic and that is not how I believe we should live. I am not saying that ministers in traditional churches are all dualistic or that they cannot serve others holistically, but what I am saying is that I felt led to minister outside of the church walls--completely. In my occupation.

I accepted this job because I wanted to meet individuals where they are at and not try to convince them to enter a church building. I accepted this job because I believe in eating, acting, and living in a healthy manner and if I can help teach others that I want to. I took this job because I believe that the government should provide benefits to those who need it and if we need to provide education in order to make sure that those benefits are being used wisely and in a health-conscious manner then I want to help provide that education.

So often when we think of ministry we think of "professional ministry." We think of paying people to do ministry while the rest of us do our "regular jobs." I would propose that everyone is called to do ministry. Everyone is called to be a Priest in their community. We all have different skills and abilities; we all have different ways to impact others around us. We all have something to bring to the Table. Let us stop relying solely on "Professional Ministry" or "Professional Pastors"--though they are very great--and remember the Priesthood of all believers and go out in our communities to make a difference with those we come in contact with.

New Job? New Career? Thoughts on our callings.

What is a calling? What is vocation? What is our ultimate goal in our occupations?

These are the questions that have been rattling around in my brain since I have started my new job as SNAP-Ed Program Assistant of my county. I have gone from working for a church--doing practically everything besides the main pastoral duties--to teaching nutrition, healthy lifestyle choices, and shopping on a limited budget to individuals with limited resources. To many it seems like I have made a career change; many now ask if I plan to be a teacher or why I "left the ministry", but to everyone I simply say, "I don't know."

That, however, is not exactly the truth.

I do know...at least in part. I know my calling is to impact and develop people--that's part of the reason developer is one of my top 5 strengths. I know the more I focus on my county the more I feel drawn and possibly even called to it for now. I know that a calling can develop based on the choices that one makes. I know that a calling can change and adapt. All that to say, I believe you can change your occupation, but your career and/or calling stays the same. Yes, I am a health teacher in many ways now. Yes I teach budgeting as well. I do, however, do it for the development of individuals. I want to see holistic, well-rounded growth. I want communities to flourish and thrive and for a community to do so, the individual must first.

Will I be a SNAP-Ed P.A. forever? Likely not. Does that mean my calling has changed? No. My calling is to better peoples lives any way I can. To invest in my community--which I knew clearly was what I was called to do all through college and I felt very strongly in my blog post after I spent a summer in New Orleans (http://thoughtsfromdust.blogspot.com/2014/07/its-always-hard-to-say-goodbye.html). This calling that I had at the end of the summer translated itself into staying in my community after graduation, investing in it, and ultimately getting a job that works to teach and empower others so that the community, as a whole, can develop and become a better place to live.

So what is our vocation or our calling in life? To bring God's Kingdom here, in our local community, right where we live, with whatever skills and abilities we have been given to use. There is only one of us with our specific abilities: So let's stop trying to be someone else's calling, but focus on what we--and only we--can bring to the Table of the Kingdom of God here on Earth.

Transitions are hard

A few weeks ago I had this blog post (https://youthspecialties.com/blog/when-your-spouse-isnt-involved-in-your-ministry/) published on the Youth Specialties blog which was a big deal to me. I was very excited. Having a dream to write and having spent my first  year out of college working for a church I felt I was more than able to share these insights with the Youth Ministry Online Community.

I am now currently preparing to leave my first job out of college to begin a new one. This new job will be working with families in the community still,  but will not be in a traditional church. In fact my job will not be for an exclusively Christian organization. I will, however, be doing Community Development through education. Community development is something I went back and forth on throughout my years at college and I have always striven to do service with a community development mindset as a Youth and Children's Pastor.

This past week after submitting my letter of resignation at the church I have been reflecting on ones vocation, occupation, and how we live our lives. I have realized that even though I am starting a different job doing something that I love and feel led to do that doesn't mean I am done with "traditional ministry." This year along with starting a new job and potentially pursuing a masters my wife and I have accepted the volunteer role of coordinating our community garden. I also intend to still pursue ways to do ministry with children and youth within the community in the most appropriate way. I still want to accept preaching opportunities and I will of course find ways I can recruit for and promote YouthWorks. We are currently both involved in a House Church and as we navigate this new stage of life that is our church for now. Having these outlets and knowing they are available to me has been very beneficial for this time of preparing for transitions, however, it is still hard.

It is hard to see people both happy for you and sad to see you go. It is bittersweet to hear people's thoughts on how things will be once you are gone.  This past evening as I was walking in one of our local parks with my wife I realized how on edge this process is making me. I want to snap at my dog often and I want to just sit and cuddle with my cat. I want to drink lots of coffee and ramble excitedly to my wife. I am stressed, on edge, and frankly upset about leaving and yet I know that is the next step. I know I have made the right decision and yet it is still hard. It's also difficult to put into words why I am struggling with it.

Moral of the story: No matter the reason transitions are hard. Change can be a good thing and is not something one should be afraid of, but it's still hard.

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven- Ecclesiastes 3:1

Moving Beyond the Books

"Just follow my lead" Brianna suggested as she began digging small holes for our tomato plants this past evening. I eagerly kicked off my flip-flops, felt God's cool creation beneath my feet, sat down next to my lovely and adventurous wife, and followed her example in planting our new garden. Being a first time gardener I had to learn everything from Brianna who has yet again helped me move beyond the books.

You see, I have often read about gardening, written about the simplicity and interconnectedness of community gardening, and even helped others with their garden: but I have never had one of my own. Following the suggestion of Brianna and her constant reminders to apply, we each got a plot in one of our town's local community gardens. At the end of a long day when we were both exhausted from long days at work, we discovered that our garden plots had finally been roto-tilled and we could begin our first step in planting! Despite our every desire to just curl up and watch another episode of Downton Abbey (much like an old married couple, I suppose) we gathered our supplies and headed over to our plots.

As I began digging in the soil, giving plants a home, and constantly refilling our watering pot I could not help, but feel rejuvenated, at peace, and filled with a new found energy. This simple act of working the soil and making sure that everything was spaced out enough was surprisingly relaxing to both my body and my soul. It was a reminder that I need not just live my life in books--as great as books are--but that I need to experience life too; this discovery has been one of the many facts that I love about my relationship with Brianna. She doesn't allow me to simply dream. She hears my dreams and refuses to keep them as such. Instead she sits down with me and helps me brainstorm and plan how we, as a team, can make this dream a reality.

Life is a like a garden. There are so many options of plans we can plant. So many approaches we can take to how we care for the soil we are given. But if we are always reading and dreaming about what we will plant or how we will plant it then nothing will ever grow. We need to find people who will dream with us and challenge us to go beyond the books and the dreaming. To get down to the earth, get your bare feet and hands dirty, and start working in the soil. If we want to change the world, if we want to even leave an impact then we must start digging.

Don't just look, but observe.

The light leaked in through the window and my eyes burst open before my alarm went off. I was nervous, but ready for the day. Disappointed that I beat my alarm, but I knew it was time to start getting up. Nevertheless, as anyone who is not used to getting up at the break of light, I waited until I officially heard my alarm before I soggily put on clothing and found my source of energy: coffee. It is not often that I find myself waking before 7 AM, but today I had a mission: I was asked to share a devotional at a club at the local High School. I was ready, but still awakening.

As I journeyed home after a successful time of sharing I began to notice the particulars of the trees I passed, the dents and scratches on cars, and the way that the traffic lights slowly wobbled up and down. As I pulled into my parking lot I noticed the door that I so often enter and leave. I have seen it every day since Brianna moved in a year before we married. It has always just been a door to me, but

today I really noticed it. I observed the paint streaks on the door, the shutters on either side of the door, the curved brick above our apartment number. I watched the walkway leading up to the door imagining all those humans, myself included, who have walked that path seeking refuge, seeking warmth, and seeking their belonging. I thought of the creatures that have walked along that entrance: the dogs that lived inside, the worms after a nice rain, and all the little bugs that are too small for the average person to observe in following their busy schedules.

How often do we truly look and observe our every day surroundings? What places and things do we see every day, but not truly see. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary to look means "to direct your eyes in a particular direction or to seem to be something especially because of appearance" and the word observe means, "to watch and sometimes also listen to (someone or something) carefully or to see and notice (someone or something)" How often do we look, but not observe?

What stories are we missing daily because we merely look at things and don't observe? What stories would the door bring us? Learning those it sees each day and those it hears each day. The door has a story to tell. What about the walkway to the door? It is used to being walked all over, what stories does it bring to the table? Let us stop rushing through life without observing all that is around us. Let us look at the good gifts that God has led us to and really get to know them.

I would like to end with the words from one of my favorite books, Fahrenheit 451, “Have you ever watched the jet cars race on the boulevard?...I sometimes think drivers don’t know what grass is, or flowers, because they never see them slowly...If you showed a driver a green blur, Oh yes! He'd say, that’s grass! A pink blur! That’s a rose garden! White blurs are houses. Brown blurs are cows” (Ray Bradbury). How often are we like this even when we aren't in cars? We just race through life and don't really look at the grass, the flowers, or even the doors of our home. We take life for granted. How much better and more fulfilling would life be if we stopped, observed, and truly were present? 

Make a difference this Lenten Season

Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras. The day before Ash Wednesday.

As I hear those words I reflect back to my summer spent leading missions trips in the beautiful city of New Orleans. I remember getting to know community members and learning all about how they were affected by Katrina, how their lives are now, and even what they are doing today to make their lives better. I pray I never forget about my amazing experience working for the nonprofit YouthWorks in this wonderful city. During my time there I learned about a variety of wonderful people accomplishing incredible things for the Kingdom of God and for their own city.

There are many things that I have learned and am reminded of daily from my time there, but one thing I know I acquired was the value of your own city. Of working within your city daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly to partner with God in His Kingdom work. So many of us--myself included--think that we have to get away to really do something good. We think that we must become strangers in a strange land in order to really make a difference, but folks that is bad news. That is not who we, as disciples of Christ, are called to be. I had to travel to two new states--Missouri and Louisiana--just to learn the importance of where I was already placed. Traveling, as fun as it is, taught me the importance of investing in the local community in which we have been placed today. It is not about where we go tomorrow or next year, but it is about the difference we can make today.

I find it fitting to reflect on this the day before Lent begins. The day that so many people contemplate whether or not they should give something up or change something for the next 40 days. I would be lying if I said this was not in my own thought process. However, I wonder how different our lives would be if Christians did more than just give something up? What if we took what we gave up and invested that time in both growing closer to God and investing in our local community.

What if instead of sneaking in another episode on Netflix during our lunch break we break bread with a lonely member of our church? What if instead of spending our countless hours on social media we invite someone new into our home? What if instead of reminiscing on the past we ask God how we can grow in the future? There are so many what ifs we can ask ourselves today, but we need to pick one and move beyond the questions. We need to take action.

So as you go about today and prepare for tomorrow ask yourself this: How can I better invest in my own community? How can I become the person God desires me to be instead of who I desire myself to be? God has a plan and is inviting us to be a part of it, but if we reject His plan we miss out on the adventure. His plan will happen regardless, but he wants us to join His Kingdom Movement in our own community. When reflecting on your part in God's plan consider the words of Mordecai to his cousin Esther, "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14, NIV). Where has God led you to today and how can you make a difference during this Lenten season?

Jurassic World: Control and Community

In the midst of my busy schedule of this past weekend I was able to take a break and see the new movie Jurassic World and having only seen the first Jurassic Park movie I found that it was a very good film that did a great job at connecting to the first movie by adding to the story and making funny references throughout. Overall I was very impressed with this very fun movie and my fiance and I walked away from it with a deep, philosophical conversation.We felt that the movie did an excellent job at appealing to people's adrenaline rushes they get from a good adventure as well as providing very insightful commentary to our society today. Jurassic World was an excellent reminder to us of how much we, as a society, try to control everything and even at times 'play God'.

We try to control our schedule. We want to control our food intake. Where we shop. What we wear. Who we hang out with. Where we live. Here in the states we all have a set plan that we must follow or for some of us who desire to be spontaneous we have the freedom to control how spontaneous we are. We even go as far as trying to control nature and the animals that God has created; the movie does an excellent job of communicating this very message to us. Although I wonder how many will overlook that for the awesome CGI, epic giant dinosaur fights, and the tiny bit of romance. All of these things are great things, but why is it that we are always trying to control things in life?

One of my favorite lines of the film is when the park owner, Masrani says, "The key to a happy life is to accept you are never actually in control." This is shown all throughout the film that when they try and control the dinosaurs and plan out what will happen, things simply do not happen how they want.

I have noticed this with my own life. When I try and control exactly what will happen and when it will--and trust me, I am a huge planner and often try to do just that--things typically do not go according to plan. There have been times where I have tried to plan a spontaneous, romantic date and it goes no where according to my plan. It still ends up being a fun goofy date but, nothing like I planned. 

When I chose to go to MVNU to study Youth Ministry I had no intention of staying in the same community that the university was in afterwards. I had all these ideas of where I wanted to control my life to be at, however, because I let God have control I ended up staying in this incredible, often overlooked and undervalued, growing, little college town. I never would have been able to plan or control that I would one day end up working part time for a coffee shop where I would meet the most incredible people. There was one day I met an Amish poet who wanted to share his poems with me. Another time I met an elderly woman who I was able to sit with during my break and learn all about her bar tending years in her youth and how she was an american pool champion and had traveled all over the US competing unofficially. I never would have met incredible baristas that are willing to talk theology, religion, and spirituality with me and not try to argue against my more liberal leanings. Life truly does seem more fun when I surrender control and let God lead.

Another beautiful element involving control that Jurassic World exhibited was the idea that those who wanted to seize control were not really the true leaders. It was those who gave up control that ultimately were given the authority to lead. It was those who did not want to control others that were the ones who were trusted to lead. This very idea of control was also very connected to community and our instinctive need for it. In the film (SPOILER!!!) the Jurassic World staff are keeping a new genetically modified dinosaur in captivity and isolation until it is ready to be presented to the public and this creature ends up out smarting them and escaping from its cage in order to reek havoc and kill those who kept it in isolation. Early on in the film they share how they assumed it would be okay to keep the dinosaur in captivity and isolation because the raptors that Chris Pratt's character raised and trained were brought up in captivity. Pratt's character explains that it worked for them because they grew up with siblings in a pack. They had others with them to learn from. They had community. When we isolate ourselves and are forced to be without others we can fall into destructive patterns. When we are completely isolated we are much more susceptible for destruction and our downfall. At the end of the day this is just another beautiful reminder that we desperately need community. We need others. We are made to be with people and not to live alone. Our survival skills will not be enough if we are alone.

Oftentimes in the Christian community it can be easy to fall into American materialism and assume that we need to be in control. I think there are many who identify by the term "Christian" and yet try to live a life where they can control everything. There are those who try to gain the upper hand because they think this title gives them the right to do so. That, however, is simply missing the point. If we look to Jesus, the one we are called to imitate and follow as our Rabbi, we can see that this life is not one of control. Jesus himself, part of the Holy Trinity, did not view control as something to focus on, but instead humbled himself to serve others. That is what we must do. This is so wonderfully shown in Philippians 2:5-8 which says,

  

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

So let's stop trying to play God and control things. Stop trying to fight nature. And stop trying to be alone. Let's embrace community and nature and live life accepting we cannot always be in control and life will still be okay.

Post Grad Community

"We'll see each other again. We're all staying in the Columbus area this is not goodbye." These were the words that were exchanged on the day of my college graduation. It had been an incredible four years journeying with my roommate and crazy awesome friends. We had studied through tons of classes, played many pranks on each other, and went on many adventures. Some would say that I had the best four years of my life thus far at the University. And now we were all graduating and heading out to different parts of the Columbus area of Ohio to pursue careers, relationships, and whatever the next adventure holds. It is crazy to think I started this blog four years ago when I started college and now I am 3 weeks into post graduation life.

Since graduation I have been working two part-time jobs as a Starbucks Barista and as a Youth Ministry Director for the local Presbyterian church (PCUSA). I have had a very flexible schedule filled with interacting with fun co-workers at Starbucks by having talks on the church, theology, and politics; as well as getting to know a new youth group and planning a week long missions trip. My days have consisted of work, ministry, and hanging out with my incredible fiance as well as my new roommate and good friends. I have found that I currently have more freedom in the post grad life so I have been striving to connect with my friends who are in the area. I am quickly learning the intentionality that is needed in post grad life to continue to have meaningful relationships.

Today I was reminded of that intentionality. I had two of my good college friends--one of which was my roommate of four years--come back and visit me. We got to have lunch together to catch up and went adventuring around Mount Vernon. It was such a blessing to get to live life with these individuals for a few hours again today. I know I have incredible friends here, but it is so refreshing to see that those who have moved away are still involved in my life. Then to make matters even better I have more of my former apartment mates and friends coming to visit this weekend. It is a beautiful reminder of what intentional community can look like.

So many people think that once you transition out of a phase in life--like graduating--that you need to just move on and let people go, but I would like to argue that you do not need to do that. True community is one where people stay connected and continue to live life together even from a distance. There comes a time in our lives where we meet people who drastically change our lives. We meet people who have changed our lives so much we do not let geographic boundaries keep us from being apart of each others lives. This is community and yet it is more than just community. Rev. Michael Frost uses the term communitas to describe the sense of community that is achieved when we are in a place of transition--much like college--and these people were a part of my communitas, but they are also more than that. These people are the ones that I want to truly live life with and be a true community. I know, much like in real life, I am saying the word community a lot, but I am not using it lightly. I believe all of creation was made for relationships and community and that when we find those people to live life with in community we are beginning to live life as it should be.

So let us find those people we can best live life with. Let us find that community and communitas we are so drastically yearning for. Let us live in relationships.

Be fruitful and Multiply: The Great Commission

“God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth” (Genesis 1:28, New Revised Standard Version).

Genesis 1:28. The Biblical mandate humanity was given in this creation narrative. The Biblical mandate that is so often used to tell Christians why they must have kids. Why it is the duty of good married couples to procreate. This verse has plagued many couples who do not feel a calling to have children or may not be able to have children. This verse has been both a blessing and a curse to people, but I wonder if we have missed the point. Have we viewed this passage in a simplistic way by limiting it to procreation?

I am not in any way saying procreation is not a good and godly thing, but what is truly its purpose? Are we just meant to populate the earth and then would that not make it irrelevant now in our overpopulated world? Or is the purpose to represent the church as people of the Kingdom. When we make a family we are making little Kingdoms. Alexander Schmemman in his book For the Life of the World: Sacraments and Orthodoxy says, “Family is a big part of the sacrament of matrimony because each family is a kingdom, a little church, and therefore a sacrament of a way to the Kingdom (Kindle loc. 1293).The purpose of having a family is to be little churches, but those little churches are not meant to be alone. Those churches are called to minister in their context and also gather together with other churches or families.

In these gatherings we can share what our church has done and equip new people to go out and start their own churches. That does not mean that everyone must go out and have kids to start a family. What it means is that people should go out and be the church. When people start and multiply churches it is the same as starting a family. If we are truly being the church we should be like a family. When we equip and send people out we have reproduced people to go out and be a family in a context we could never reach.

Viewing procreation as a means of creating little churches allows us to see this passage of Scripture in a larger more meaningful way. I wonder if when God created humankind in His image and gave us this command if it was more of a command to be the church. God is calling his people to go out and build the kingdom. We see this mandate all throughout Scripture and we are reminded of it through the words of Jesus in the New Testament when he says, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20, NRSV). Jesus is not calling us to something new. This is not a radical new lifestyle. This is showing us what He intended from the beginning. So we are all--married, single, celibate--called to make disciples, to multiply and fill the earth with the love of God which ushers in the Kingdom.

The point of the Church is not to make one little group and leave it in that community. The point of the Church is to equip and empower others in your group to start other groups. If we are to be the Body of Christ, we must be allow the Spirit to work in us and fill us with fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When these fruits are present in our lives it will naturally lead us to go and multiply the Church. To lead others into the life giving freedom of the Kingdom of God.

Sources:

Schmemann, Alexander. For the Life of the World: Sacraments and Orthodoxy. Crewstwood, NY: St. Vladimir's Seminary, 2000. Print.

Be the Change in Your Community.

Since the very first "Bible Lesson" that I wrote myself I have found that I am passionate about the verse Matthew 25:40 and in a larger spectrum I am most drawn to passages of Scripture that proclaim good news to the poor, oppressed, marginalized, etc. It is this very reason that I am drawn to books such as When Helping Hurts by Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett, The Hole in the Gospel by Richard Stearns, and A Year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans to name a few. This is also why I am so often drawn to liberation theology and firmly believe that as those who claim to follow the Resurrected Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we have a duty to love and serve the marginalized, poor, least of these, etc. It is not merely something good we might do, nor a legalistic set of rules, but it is how we live out this lifestyle of the Kingdom. There is so much disunity, dysfunction, and brokenness on this side of the Kingdom and so that alone shows the need for the Body of Christ to bring change in the world.

I bring up all of this because I have found that there are certain causes that people say everyone needs to contribute and be main advocates for. I have often been told that if I truly believed in Matthew 25:40--which I hope I do since I have it tattooed on my wrist--then I needed to put most of my focus on advocating and speaking up for this one certain group. You fill in the blank. Sometimes I wonder if helping the least of these has been used to guilt people into supporting certain causes or advocate for certain groups.

I am not saying that those people are wrong or that those certain groups do not need help and advocacy, but what I want to argue is that not everyone is called to every single group. Some people may feel led to work with promoting a pro-life from birth to death mentality, some may feel led to work with the homeless, some may feel led to work with those marginalized in the LGBTQ community, some may feel led to adopt, some may feel led to foster, and some may feel led to work with providing education to third world countries. All of these are groups and settings that we should support and be in favor of, however, I would say that people should choose where they are being led to put their focus.

In our overbooked, over-scheduled life we cannot take part in every cause and we cannot fully devote ourselves to every marginalized group. I believe that we should always be standing with the marginalized in whatever context we are living/working and that we should focus on ministering to those specifically in our context. It is also important to know where, with the help of the Spirit, we can be most effective with the skills and gifts that God has equipped us with. Instead of trying to tackle every social issue out there, we need to pick the ones we have been equipped to work with and encourage those who are called to other issues to pursue those.

As the Body of Christ we need to follow the pattern of Jesus when He said,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

    because he has anointed me

        to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

    and recovery of sight to the blind,

        to let the oppressed go free,

 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” 

(Luke 4:18-19 NRSV) 

We should be striving to share the good news of liberation from oppression that Jesus provides. We should be striving for a holistic understanding of transformation that cares about each person's physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. We need to proclaim this good news to those who are marginalized in our context. We need to use the gifts that we have been given to impact our communities. 

So who are you called to minister and serve? Who needs liberation in your community? What has God given you a passion for? Homelessness? Human Trafficking? Gender Inequality? LGBTQ issues? Abortion? AIDS/HIV? Orphans? Lack of education? World Hunger? Thirst? Whatever it may be, what it is that breaks your heart...go after it. 

Let's stop getting overwhelmed by all the issues in the world and thinking there is not a change we can make. Let's instead act on what we can, live out our passions, focus on the change we can make in our own communities, and advocate for the issues we have been given a passion for, while empowering others to advocate for the issues they feel led to stop.

If we work together, as the Body of Christ, with all of our different passions and gifts, we can truly make a difference and help usher in the Kingdom. 

Sometimes we just need to do something Vulnerable.

Resurrection Sunday. Easter. The day celebrating that Christ rose from the dead! The day where a few women went down to the tomb, burial spices in hands, and ended the day as the first evangelists: telling others that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead. The end of our waiting has begun. The Kingdom has begun and yet is still coming.

It was an excellent day for me today because not only was I excited to celebrate the risen Savior, but I was celebrating by breaking my 40 day fast of meat. It was a great 40 days of contemplation, solidarity with vegetarians, and reflection. I felt I had grown to rely on God more and even to appreciate what I ate more. It was also during these 40 days that I have applied and searched for many jobs. It was during these days that I have felt stress and worry about finding a place of employment for after graduation. It was during this time that I focused on relying more on God than on my own skills and abilities. Or so I told myself I was doing. There were times when it was difficult. There were times when I felt if I just did the right thing I would get myself the perfect job. Even though in theory I was trusting wholly in God, these 40 days have been a process of learning how to seek first His Kingdom.

As I participated in the festivities of Holy Week I also prayed and brainstormed with my lovely fiance on job options. There have been places that have contacted me and places that I have felt led more too, but had not yet heard much from them. Then tonight Brianna surprised me with a suggestion that was out of the ordinary for us.

She brought out our Easter "Advent" Wreath she had made and suggested we turn off the lights and light the candles, but as we lit each candle we would pray for something different. Our prayers were all on different topics, but all focused on the uncertainty of the future and allowing God to lead. When we got to the middle candle, we took turns praying back and forth as if we were having a three way conversation with God. Then we danced. We celebrated and rejoiced in the unknown. We were vulnerable, we opened ourselves up, and we said, "Hey God...here were are, trying something completely new, ready to see where you will lead." We tried something that seemed weird to us and completely trusted in God. Now neither of us are mystics or people who think following some ritual to the tea will get you answers or solve all of your problems; but we are both advocates for being vulnerable and relational. We both realized that if we truly wanted God to lead and guide our relationship we needed to be fully open with God. After this action of vulnerability and trust I received an email about a potential job I had been leaning towards and feeling very strongly about.

This act may or may not lead us to God's will. It's not magic or a formula. It was a reminder that we need to be open, vulnerable, and willing to do crazy things for God. We're ready to serve and work where God desires for us to be.

It's always hard to say 'Goodbye'

"Tanner! I missed you! You came back!" I heard the voice before I felt the small arms wrap around my waist. I looked down into the beautiful brown eyes of six year old Peyton as she took my hand and led me to the front of the Boys and Girls Club. Her face was beaming as she paraded me around as her best friend who had finally come back to visit. This was my third or fourth time at the Boys and Girls Club but, those times I had been there I really connected with this particular student. "Can I have that?!" She asked as she noticed the little Youth Specialties flash light on my key chain and knowing this was my last day at this site I decided to let her have the light. Her smile grew as she analyzed the flashlight I had put into her hand and she skipped to her classroom. After 5 minutes of making sure that everyone was situated I made my way to Peyton's classroom to say my final goodbye. As I entered the room we made eye contact and it was as if she knew what was coming and she began to tear up. I hugged her several times as I explained how I would be leaving New Orleans and she would be starting school soon so I would not see her anymore. With tears in her eyes she hugged me one last time as I told her the flashlight was a gift so she could remember me.
I walked out of that building praying and hoping that Peyton would have a good life. That she would realize she is an amazing daughter of God and has so much great potential. She greatly impacted my life.

******************

"I should have bought her flowers!" Eric, an intellectually disabled worker, sang for the fifth time as he presented one of the girl volunteers at Arc with fake Mardi Gras flowers. Eric had been doing the move all morning and many people were getting tired of it but, I could not help but smile at him. He loved this song and he loved the attention it gave him. At the beginning of the summer Eric was the last worker at Arc that I thought I'd get to know and yet through the weeks we had developed a friendship. It was tradition for me to lose at a thumb wrestling match every Monday and greet him by yelling, "Eric!" when I entered the room. We would always talk about what songs he liked and occasionally he would invite me to sing with him in his toy microphone. I will never forget serving alongside Eric this summer.

At the end of the day as I said my goodbyes to our volunteer coordinator and community cookout singer, Margie Perez, I could not help but feel a desire to return to Arc one day to reconnect with Eric, Mike, and Peter and to see how Margie is doing. This site has been one of my favorite service sites to work at even though most of the work is just sorting recycled Mardi Gras beads. The work was pretty easy but, it was the relationships that made this site such an amazing one to go to. I will never forget seeing students dance to the Wobble as the worker Mike showed them how to. I will never forget quiet Peter who had a great heart but never said too much. And I will never forget the memories made at this amazing organization where we sorted around 3,000 pounds of beads per day.

******************

"Hey Tanner!" As I looked up a piece of cake hit the side of my face before I could process what happened. In the middle of our staff meeting Rebekah had taken a piece of birthday cake and shoved it in my face. This led to an all out cake war among our staff as we ran through the halls after each other during church group time. By the end of the fight our faces were covered in cake and there was frosting all over the ground. This was just one of the crazy, random things we would do at our late night staff meetings. We have grown so much over the past summer and it is hard to believe that our time together is coming to an end after next week. 

This line of thinking has put me in a contemplative mood all weekend. My thoughts have been wandering around concepts of community, longevity, and intentionality. This summer has shown me how important it is to invest into the community you are ministering in. It is not healthy to invest into people's lives only to leave shortly after. Now I am not saying that only living some place for a summer is a bad thing but, it has helped me transition to the mindset of finding a community to invest in for a while. I went into this summer with the idea that my ideal job would be being a nomad and traveling all over the world for a couple months at a time. Nothing is wrong with that idea but, this summer has shown me that my passions for youth, community, and development require commitment, longevity, and intentional community. As much as I have a love for traveling and wandering the world I need to find a community where I feel led to invest in. I do not want to always be saying "goodbye" to the Peytons, Erics, and YouthWorks teams in my life. 

******************

All of this talk of community has shown me how important it is to invest in the local community in which I live. This coming school year will be my senior year and I want to leave Mount Vernon knowing that I invested myself in that community. I have done a decent job of doing that on campus but, now my challenge for myself is to become more invested and involved in the local community of the town. I want to get involved with programs for lower income children. I want to get involved with programs like the Arc of Greater New Orleans. I want to find ways to help the homeless and be relational with them. I will commit to my community during this final year of school. It will be hard to let go and move on with my life at the end of this year but, I am ready to give this final year my all. I am ready to truly invest my senior year into the community as one of MVNU's Student Mentors. 

These are simply my thoughts on the ending of a summer in New Orleans and the need for community. 

New Orleans: City of Culture and Food

"Ya'll need to try the beignet's and coffee."

This is the typical response we have received when we have asked locals what they would recommend for us to try as we attempt to navigate the culture of the beautiful city of New Orleans. My team and I--Janie Lynne, Rebekah, and Matt--all arrive here about a week ago after a week long training in Birmingham, AL. We had a 5 1/2 hour drive here where we focused on getting to know each other individually. Throughout our training week we were given times to get to know each other, however, we were also trying to get to know our area and others we had met that week. It was an interesting week of trying to find the balance of hanging out with my team from last year and getting to know this new team. I was finding that I often was comparing both teams subconsciously. As we drove through Alabama, Mississippi, and finally Louisiana I began the process of letting go of comparisons to allow myself a 'blank slate' summer. There are times where I will still compare but, for the most part I can tell that we are a very different team compared to last year. We are a great team with very similar and very diverse personalities. We all balance each other out and create a really good dynamic. I am ecstatic to grow closer to this team through the trials and adventures that await us.

We have spent this week preparing the church site for participants to arrive, exploring the city, and truly experiencing Southern Hospitality. We have attended BBQ's, dinners at local restaurants, and have even been invited over to houses that are over 150 years old! From very early on in the week we have seen the European influence here in New Orleans, especially how they view time. Everyone seems to be functioning on event time and are very relationship oriented. Another cultural element I have noticed is how big the food is here! There are all kinds of different foods here especially Cajun, Creole, and French foods. There is one delicacy that I have been especially fond of which is called a "po-boy" or "poor boy." A "po-boy" is like a  sub sandwich but you can order anything on it. New Orleans also has many different "snowball" stores that sell their own version of snow cones, however, you cannot ever call them 'snow cones' because "snow balls" are much better according to true New Orleans.

Other than experiencing the culture here we have been privileged with the opportunity to visit the Lower 9th Ward and Brad Pitt's "Make it Right Campaign." We were able to see the levee that broke during Hurricane Katrina and every Tuesday night I will be explaining to 60 plus teenagers how the "Make it Right Campaign" created gentrification in the Lower 9th Ward--the most impoverished area in New Orleans--and how even though Pitt had good intentions he did not necessarily help those who needed it most. It has been fascinating getting different perspectives from the locals on the effects of Katrina and even New Orleans pre-Katrina. I still have much to learn from New Orleans about all that happened and about the surrounding culture; I am excited to adventure farther into the summer with an open mind eager to learn.

These are my thoughts from week 1 in New Orleans--week 2 for YouthWorks this summer--and I am ready to see what God has in store for my team and I! Hopefully within the coming weeks I will be sharing about the stories that God writes with us. Here's to a great summer serving as missionaries in the beautiful city of New Orleans!