How volunteering can be good for you!

Bark! Bark! Bark!

The alarm caused by my two protective dogs reverberated in my ears as I walked into the house after a night at the shelter. I haven't spent too much time volunteering at the homeless shelter this season, but it was nice to spend an evening there again. I have gone through phases in my volunteering at this particular shelter: some years I have had a weekly pattern of volunteering and other years I have volunteered in spurts throughout the season. This particular season has been one of the latter. 

As I was reflecting on my evening, sipping on my coffee, and reading a chapter from An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor I thought of this blog post. The chapter was on community. I immediately assumed that the chapter would discuss how church community is a great and needed element in our lives, but instead it focused on how we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves. It discussed the practice of viewing people for their humanity even if you don't relate to them well. It talked about crossing barriers of the "Other" to truly get to know the strangers around us. BBT shares beautifully that, "“You shall love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” Those most likely to befriend strangers, in other words, are those who have been strangers themselves. The best way to grow empathy for those who are lost is to know what it means to be lost yourself.”"

There was a lot of incredible wisdom spewed throughout the chapter, but what really stood out to me was the reminder of how community can be good for me. Community is good for you. It's not just about the other as if they were someone less than you. It is about knowing what it means to be in their shoes. It's about realizing that we are brothers and sisters. Our place in life does not make one of us better than the other. We are equal and we should treat those we volunteer with as such. We are called to love the other who we did not make up as if they were ourselves. It isn't just good for the person, but it's also good for us. This chapter fit perfectly with what I had been thinking about as I had returned to the shelter to volunteer this past evening. While trying to avoid the risk of sounding selfish I wanted to spend the rest of this post sharing 3 reasons why volunteering can be beneficial for you as a person and not just the group or place you are volunteering at. 

Why volunteering can be good for you:

1. Volunteering can help you see the Other: When you volunteer you most likely are stepping outside of your comfort zone. You are most likely going to interact with individuals who are different than you. While it is important to realize that you are not better than the person you are working with, it is also important to truly see them as a person and get to know what they are like. Volunteering is a way to get to know the stranger.

2. Volunteering can humble you: When you aren't around people who are different than you it can be easy to get lost in thoughts about how great you think you are. Sometimes when we take time to volunteer and really look at the world around us we can see there is more to life than just you and your likes.

3. Volunteering allows you to use your passions outside of your job: Many millennials have grown up being told they can pursue their dreams and they should choose jobs based on their passions. While this is great advice, it has also led people to think that every single thing that they enjoy doing they should be paid for. This is simply not true though. Volunteering can connect your passions to helping others without getting paid. Yes, volunteering does take time and time is money, but there is a freedom in knowing you can help others and not get paid for it. There's more to life than gaining more money.

These are just some of my thoughts. I would love to hear more ways that volunteering in your community can be beneficial for you as a person--without dehumanizing those you are working with.

Grace & Peace. 

Overnight Oats

For my post this week I'm going to do something I don't think I have done before. I'm going to share a current healthy recipe that I've really enjoyed recently. This recipe is a way to help you make sure you eat breakfast each day and has very little prep time--which in our busy world of go, go, go and instant gratification a recipe that has little prep time and few ingredients, but is still healthy is always a plus!

Many have said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and there have been studies to back that up! (https://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/breakfast-is-the-most-important-meal-of-the-day for more information). One of the biggest arguments I have heard for not eating breakfast is time. There's not enough time for breakfast. My response is: PLAN!

Instead of saying you don't have time, take a minute or two out of your schedule the night before and prepare a "grab and go" breakfast for the next day. You can even plan out your entire week if you want! What if your issue is not being hungry when you first wake up? This was an excuse I often gave! Instead of saying you aren't hungry when you first wake up, why don't you bring your breakfast with you and eat once you feel hungry! That way you planned to have breakfast, but can eat it on your own time! Does planning take time? Yes. Is it worth it in the long run? Yes! Studies have shown that people who eat a healthy breakfast find it easier to maintain their weight, find it easier to concentrate on their tasks in the morning [because they aren't distracted by hunger], are prevented from binge eating, and often find that their breakfast sets the tone for the rest of the day!

So try out this recipe: Overnight oats (whole grains, dairy, and fruits!).

Ingredients and Supplies:

1. A container that you can seal (jar, small Pyrex container, etc.)  
2. 1 cup of Milk (nonfat, 1%, 2%)
3. 1/2 cup of Old-Fashioned (or Rolled) oats
4. Fruit of your choosing (optional)

Directions:

1. Pour 1/2 cup of Old-Fashioned Oats into container
2. Cover oats with milk
3. Put lid on container and refrigerate overnight
4. In the morning cut up and add fruit on top of oats.
5. Enjoy!

I hope this helps you incorporate healthy breakfasts into your busy life.

Grace & Peace,

Tanner 

Imagine you are a pitcher of water

Boundaries.

There are books, podcasts, metaphors, and illustrations galore on how important boundaries are. And yet it seems there are still many who struggle with maintaining healthy boundaries. This seems especially prevalent among individuals who work in what I like to call "helping professions" and ministry. Oftentimes "helping professions" are one and the same as "ministry" professions, but not always, which is why I felt the need to distinguish between the two. Far too often I have heard the phrase "This is a sacrifice", "Ministry is a sacrifice", or something similar to justify why a set of healthy boundaries are not put in place. I have seen people get overworked all in the name of helping people.

Do people need help? Absolutely. Is it admirable and good to have careers where we help others? Absolutely. Should we allow a world to exist where there are organizations and groups of people that others simply cannot live without? No. This is unhealthy and not sustainable.

If the organization or group that you work for cannot function without you there then maybe, just maybe, something is not right. Maybe others need to learn how to do what you do in order that you can have time for breaks. There is a time for creating job security in your field, but you also need times for rest.

There are jobs where you can make sacrifices in the name of helping others. There is nothing wrong with that, but you need to be able to take care of yourself and your family too. There needs to be a balance.

I would like to end with another boundary metaphor. I am sure I am not the first to use this one, but I am not sure where it originated from. It's not a perfect metaphor, but it works.

Imagine you are a pitcher of water and your goal in life is to pour water into cups. You pour, pour, and pour your water into several cups and feel very accomplished. Eventually you will run out of water. What do you do when you run of out water? If you try to keep pouring water into more cups nothing will happen. What do you need to do? You need to refill with more water. You need to go to a source of water and fill up with more water before you can fill more cups. Also you need to realize that you only have so much water at a time so you need to pick which cups to fill up. If there are hundreds of cups you cannot possibly fill them all up, but you need to choose which ones you yourself can fill up.

This is what having boundaries is all about: taking time to fill up with more water and choosing which cups you will fill up and which ones you won't because you know that you aren't the only pitcher of water out there and you cannot fill all of the cups. Every "yes" to one thing is a "no" to something else. So ask yourself, what matters most?

Word of the year: Family

A new year.

Another blog post to kick off the new year.

To begin this new year I decided to follow the social media trend of choosing a word of the year.

The point of this is to focus on this word throughout the year as one embarks on adventures each week. This word can be used as a motivator, a descriptor, a resolution, or even just a reminder of ones hopes for the year. When one gets discouraged they can focus on their word. When you don't know what to do next consult your word. This is one--of many ways--to try and live with intentionality in the beginning of this year. Choosing a word helps you explore new ideas and experiences in the world around you!

My word for 2018 is: Family.



My goal for 2018 is to analyze and explore the word "Family." What makes someone family? What are ones obligations to their "family"? How can we best be a member of a "family"? These are but a few questions that I am beginning my new years quest with. As the year progresses more questions may arise as well. I'll start, like most people do, with one of the Merriam-Webster's definitions of family: "a group of people united by certain convictions or a common affiliation"

What's your #WordOfTheYear?

2017 In Review

Another year is coming to a close only for another one to begin. We celebrate this time each year to reflect on our past and prepare for our future. This is the time of making goals that you hope will last and know many will stop after a few months...if that. As I prepare for the coming year I want to reflect on this year in order to prepare for the next. Below are some of my favorite moments of 2017 which I have decided to call "The Domestic Year".

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1. We bought a house: 2017 was the year we bought a fixer upper! We did not begin 2017 with plans to purchase a house or even to move, but when we found our new place we knew it was the one for us. We have done a lot of work on the house already--my wife has done most of the work as she is a better handyman than I am--but there's still more work to do. It's been a great learning experience.

2. We adopted a puppy: This year we welcomed a new addition to our family: Petra Lucille. We adopted my wife's dream dog this year as a puppy. She's a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and she is as spunky as can be! This year has been a joy watching her grow with our other dog and cat and seeing how they interact together. It's also been a learning experience as we engaged in the act of potty training. It's still a work in progress, but our girl is getting there!

3. We researched: As many of our family and friends know we have a heart for adoption. Not only do we know many friends and family members who have adopted, but we, too, want to adopt one day. This year has been a year of hardcore researching to figure out which is the best route for us: private infant, foster care, international, agency, or county. It's been an interesting journey, but it is one we need to take together. We have wanted to adopt since before we were married, but this year was when we really buckled down on our researching. We are still in the process, but we are getting close to figuring out what is our best route for our forever family.

4. Our extended family grew: This year our extended families have grown in multiple ways. My brother-in-law got married and so I gained a new sister. My younger sister also is pregnant and within the next week or so I will be an uncle! 

5. I read: Naturally, as I love to read, I read many books this year. Not as many as I have in previous years, but a good bit despite all the changes that happened this year. I have continued reading The Expanse series, I read some standalone books, I read a lot of Wendell Berry's writings, and I read Redwood--the fifth book in the series The Familiar. I still enjoy reading Sci-Fi, but this year my reading focus shifted to food and gardening. Though I did not read as many books as last year I feel as if I have appreciated the books I read this year more.

6. We Coordinated a Community Garden: This year we didn't just utilize the community garden, but we became the coordinators of it. We learned the difficulties that can come with coordinating a free community garden, but we also learned the blessings that grow with it too. We got to know other gardeners and gardens while embracing the spirit of planting your own food. This year I think we began to appreciate gardening for more than just a way to save money on food--although that is a great aspect of it--but as a way of life!

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This year has been a great year overall and though we have had ups and downs throughout it I can't help, but look back and see all the ways that my family has been there and made it an even better year. I am excited for the next year and all the adventures to come. When I began this post I considered ending it with my goals for 2018, but I realized that sometimes when I make goals they can limit my imagination. Instead of listing S.M.A.R.T. goals for 2018, I'm going to list an overall goal that will encompass all I want to accomplish this year:

Focus on my family. 

Grace & Peace,

Tanner

Love

Hope.

Peace.

Love.

Week three of the Advent season is all about love. What a fitting theme for such a time as this. There are so many issues and catastrophes around us today, but we can never have enough love. We can never be reminded of love enough. We need more love in this world and in our lives.

And yet I feel as if that word gets tossed around so flippantly. People us it as a means for control. People put stipulations on it. People make it conditional. They lose it's meaning.

But the Love of YHWH is unconditional and it never fails.

When we're caught in the web of the most often asked question: how do we love properly without condoning certain practices? My response is: if you have to ask then are you actually loving? 

Yes we can't condone every action out there. Yes there are dehumanizing things that individuals do. Is love condoning something? Or is love simply loving them regardless? Loving them as a human, as an individual, for who they are not who they could become.

When I think of love I think of the Old Testament reading for this week which comes from Isaiah 61:

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed me;
He has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
To bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And release to the prisoners, 
To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, 
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn;
To provide for those who mourn in Zion--
To give them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness, 
The planting of the Lord,
To display his glory.

They shall build up the ancient ruins,
They shall raise up the former devastations;
They shall repair the ruined cities, 
The devastations of many generations.
Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, 
Foreigners shall till your land and dress your vines;

But you shall be called priests of the Lord,
You shall be named ministers of our God;
You shall enjoy the wealth of the nations, 
And in their riches you shall glory.

Because their shame was double,
And dishonor was proclaimed as their lot,
Therefore they shall possess a double portion;
Everlasting Joy shall be theirs.
For I the Lord love justice,
I hate robbery and wrongdoing;
I will faithfully give them their recompense,
and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

Their descendants shall be known among the nations,
And their offspring among the peoples;
All who see them shall acknowledge that 
They are a people whom the Lord has blessed.

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
My whole being shall exult in my God;
For he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
And as a bride adorns herself with jewels.
For as the earth brings forth its shoots,
And as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
To spring up before all nations.

(Isaiah 61:1-11, NRSV, Italicize and Bold added for emphasis).

Peace

Peace.

This week in the Advent season is the Peace Candle and so many things come to mind when I think of the word "peace."

What is peace?

I think of those who fight in the name of what they call "peace." I think of Jesus' words on the Sermon on the Mount about turning the other cheek, carrying a coat farther, and loving your enemies. I think of the phrase "a peace that passes understanding" which is often prayed for. I think of the hectic chaos of the holiday season and how many are desperately seeking peace. I think of refugees fleeing persecution looking for a place of peace. I think of how in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells His disciples to look for People of Peace. There are so many connotations that arise when I think of the word peace.

This morning, though, I reflect on a story I was told not too long ago. Just two weekends ago I had the privilege of visiting for the second time the Behalt Cyclorama in the Amish and Mennonite Heritage center in Berlin, OH. The purpose of this piece of artwork is to tell the history of the Amish, Mennonite, and the Hutterite peoples, also known as the Anabaptists. Both times that I visited this museum, I was struck with wonder at one of the stories they shared. That story is one that I think is so poignant for us to read during this week where we focus on the word "Peace" and that story is shown below:

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In 1569 Dirk Willems was captured and imprisoned for being an Anabaptist. He was able to escape, however, and as he was fleeing a palace guard saw him and began to pursue him. Dirk was able to safely run across a section of thin ice, but as his pursuer chased him the ice broke and the guard fell through. Dirk heard the cries of the guard and turned back to rescue him. Upon his rescue the guard seized Dirk Willems and brought him back to a more secure prison until he was burned to death. Despite the consequences Dirk Willems knew that Jesus had called him to love his enemies and he could not leave this guard there to die even if it meant risking his own life.

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How have we responded to the call for peace? The call to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us? 

Grace & Peace.

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Resources:

https://www.goshen.edu/mqr/dirk-willems/

https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1501-1600/dirk-willem-burned-after-rescuing-pursuer-11630015.html