Here is a link to a story I heard reported on NPR last week. I'll be looking into the organization "The Eye of the Child" to see what we can do.
Malawi has been affected by the AIDS epidemic in profound ways. Parents who die are forced to leave their children in the care of grandparents. Often the children are required to drop out of school in order to work, creating a cycle of poverty.
The article focuses on the plight of so many young girls who are being offered in marriage to older men just so the family can stay afloat. 13 year olds are marrying 40 year olds. Not only is this illegal under Malawi law, it is a moral travesty. The demands that our world has on it's people, the demands that marriage put on a couple cannot be processed or understood by a 12 year old. Can you remember being 13? Can you imagine now being "sold" into marriage at that age?
We'll talk soon about ways we can be involved in speaking out for these orphans.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
The Name- Why Saint Aidan?
Aidan's life contains traces of the heartbeat we desire.
He was a man who knew how to speak the the story of Jesus in a way that could be easily understood by those who heard it.
"The first Celtic bishop, Corman, soon returned to Iona, where he declared that the Angles of Northumbria were too stubborn and intractable. The historian Bede writes that, at a meeting to discuss the problem, an Irish monk called Aidan suggested that Corman had been unreasonably harsh with his unlearned listeners, and "did not first, as the Apostle has told us, offer them the milk of less solid doctrine". It was immediately resolved to send Aidan to Northumbria as bishop."
He was a man who knew the value of simplicity & generosity.
"Aidan preached widely throughout Northumbria, travelling on foot, so that he could readily talk to everyone he met. When Oswin gave him a horse for use in difficult terrain, Aidan quixotically gave it to a beggar soliciting alms. Oswin was angry until, as Bede recounts, Aidan asked if the son of a mare was more precious to the king than a son of God. Oswin sought Aidan's pardon, and promised never again to question or regret any of his wealth being given away to children of God."
"The presents he received were given to the poor or used to buy the freedom of slaves, some of whom entered the priesthood. "
He was a man who intentionally created space for discipleship to take place.
"The saint also recruited classes of Anglo-Saxon youths to be educated at Lindisfarne. Among them was Saint Eata, abbot of Melrose and later of Lindisfarne. In time, Eata's pupil, Saint Cuthbert, also became bishop of Lindisfarne. "
May God grant grace,
that we might learn to tell the story of Jesus,
learn that it is more blessed to give than to receive
and learn to help those around us to see and follow Jesus.
By the power of the Spirit and for the sake of the kingdom.
Amen.
All quotes via Ireland's Eye.
Also, see Brittania's bio.
And the Wiki.
He was a man who knew how to speak the the story of Jesus in a way that could be easily understood by those who heard it.
"The first Celtic bishop, Corman, soon returned to Iona, where he declared that the Angles of Northumbria were too stubborn and intractable. The historian Bede writes that, at a meeting to discuss the problem, an Irish monk called Aidan suggested that Corman had been unreasonably harsh with his unlearned listeners, and "did not first, as the Apostle has told us, offer them the milk of less solid doctrine". It was immediately resolved to send Aidan to Northumbria as bishop."
He was a man who knew the value of simplicity & generosity.
"Aidan preached widely throughout Northumbria, travelling on foot, so that he could readily talk to everyone he met. When Oswin gave him a horse for use in difficult terrain, Aidan quixotically gave it to a beggar soliciting alms. Oswin was angry until, as Bede recounts, Aidan asked if the son of a mare was more precious to the king than a son of God. Oswin sought Aidan's pardon, and promised never again to question or regret any of his wealth being given away to children of God."
"The presents he received were given to the poor or used to buy the freedom of slaves, some of whom entered the priesthood. "
He was a man who intentionally created space for discipleship to take place.
"The saint also recruited classes of Anglo-Saxon youths to be educated at Lindisfarne. Among them was Saint Eata, abbot of Melrose and later of Lindisfarne. In time, Eata's pupil, Saint Cuthbert, also became bishop of Lindisfarne. "
May God grant grace,
that we might learn to tell the story of Jesus,
learn that it is more blessed to give than to receive
and learn to help those around us to see and follow Jesus.
By the power of the Spirit and for the sake of the kingdom.
Amen.
All quotes via Ireland's Eye.
Also, see Brittania's bio.
And the Wiki.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Abbey Life and The Affirmation of Creation's Goodness 1-4
Part 1
Living in intentional community demands an affirmation of the original goodness of Creation form those who enter into it. Any other view of the Creation (Creation as expendable or evil) would run against the nature of intentional community. This type of lifestyle seeks to allow God to speak to individuals through his Creation and to magnify him through the proper stewarding of the physical, spiritual and emotional gifts he has blessed us with.
I've been reading NT Wright's "The Resurrection of the Son of God" and his exploration on the matter is fascinating. Though it is a log read, it is well worth it. For a somewhat shortened view you can read a CT interview with him that posted in 2003.
A quote:
"...the main thing the whole Old Testament is concerned with is the God of Israel, as the Creator God who has made a good creation, and that what matters about human life really is that it's meant to be lived within God's good, lovely, created world.That is equally emphatic in the early period, where you get agricultural festivals that celebrate Yahweh as king over the crops and the land. It's equally emphatic there and in the doctrine of resurrection. From that point of view, the idea of a disembodied, nonspacio-temporal life after death appears as a rather odd blip in between these two strong affirmations of the goodness of the created order and the wonderful God-givenness of human bodily life within that created order."
I'll let this settle and post some more thoughts soon regarding the proper use of Creation in the honor of the Creator.
Part 2
The Resurrection and Thanksgiving
The bodily resurrection of Jesus points to the passion of God's heart for all things to be set right. Jesus, as the second Adam, lived the life God had intended for mankind to live and the resurrection of Jesus' body was God's confirmation of approval upon Jesus' life. Not only was it a confirmation, but a promise. The resurrection is a promise to those who believe that, one day in the future, this physical world, broken and failing, will participate in the same renewal as the body of Jesus. The Creation, good from the beginning, will be healed and set right under the rule of Jesus.
The resurrection of Jesus now points us towards the day when the physical experience we enjoy will be completely renewed and perfected. From this pointing we derive a mandate towards a lifestyle that can, in some sense, be called "prophetic." This living is prophetic because it plays out, in very real experiences, the picture of the life that is to come. It is prophetic because it employs the values that were sealed and affirmed by God in Jesus' resurrection that will ultimately be played out for eternity under the renewed/New Creation.
Abbey Life (AL)/"intentional community" attempts to integrate these two strains of thought in one microcosmic experience. AL seeks to create space where the living out of Kingdom values can take place "under one roof."
AL affirms God’s statement in Jesus’ bodily resurrection that the Creation is good. It affirms that everything that is made is made by God and demands to be acknowledged as so. It affirms that God is to be thanked for the things that we enjoy and partake of from the physical realm.
Rom 14:6 He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.
Eph 5:20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Tim 4:4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving
Part 3
Relationships In Abbey Life
AL seeks to embody the values of Jesus in regards to the interpersonal lives of those involved. With the bodily resurrection of Jesus giving value to the created order, we see God's continued affirmation of those he has called to salvation and a belief in their redemption and renewal. We see in the resurrection and play out in AL this belief:
Relationships now center in Jesus and progress by finding their value in his values.
Those who would journey together, whether as a guest for a meal or a year as housemates, seek to interact with one another based upon certain values.
Love
Servanthood
Encouragement
Humility
...and more.
This intentional community has this intention: To create followers of Jesus' way. To help shape people to interact with one another using the power and values of Jesus dreams regarding God's fulfilled kingdom.
Of course, living in the world, those involved in these relationships are not yet perfected and transgressions and offenses will happen. AL will also provide space for this brokenness on the grounds of the Cross of Jesus. He bids us to come with this brokenness with our confession and cry for help. He bids us first to be reconciled to himself. He bids us then to be reconciled to one another. Nothing else will do. The Cross has purchased our reconciliation and to settle for less will result in the bankruptcy of our relationships.
So, those who would journey together, whether as a guest for a meal or a year as housemates, seek to interact with one another based upon certain values.
Confession
Forgiveness
Grace
...and the like.
Part 4
Abbey Life and The Stewarding of Finances
We are encouraged in the Scriptures that the goal of mankind is a life lived for the glory of God and the sake of his Kingdom on the earth: Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto youWhatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Part of this life includes the stewardship of our finances.
Abbey life seeks to create an environment of encouragement to direct the stewarding of our finances towards the kingdom of God. Our primary goal in spending should be the furthering on the Kingdom of God in this world. This is not simply an "otherworldy" perspective where we give to a "cause" for some unknown eventual profit, for this spending has very practical ramifications. Paying our bills on time, taking care of the poor, bearing one another's burdens all fall into this category. Good stewardship teaches us a right use of the financial gifts God has entrusted to our care.
This does not negate the use of gifts for pleasure (see here), for we know that enjoying the gifts of this world is part of our experience as complete human beings. Using our finances to experience good things in life for what they are, opportunities to experience the joy of the Creator in his creation, is good stewardship. It is the abuse of gifts, over-indulgence, selfishness and the like, that constitutes falling short in the goals of good stewardship.
We do well to examine the motives of our spending. This is where we will find the condition of our stewardship.
Living in intentional community demands an affirmation of the original goodness of Creation form those who enter into it. Any other view of the Creation (Creation as expendable or evil) would run against the nature of intentional community. This type of lifestyle seeks to allow God to speak to individuals through his Creation and to magnify him through the proper stewarding of the physical, spiritual and emotional gifts he has blessed us with.
I've been reading NT Wright's "The Resurrection of the Son of God" and his exploration on the matter is fascinating. Though it is a log read, it is well worth it. For a somewhat shortened view you can read a CT interview with him that posted in 2003.
A quote:
"...the main thing the whole Old Testament is concerned with is the God of Israel, as the Creator God who has made a good creation, and that what matters about human life really is that it's meant to be lived within God's good, lovely, created world.That is equally emphatic in the early period, where you get agricultural festivals that celebrate Yahweh as king over the crops and the land. It's equally emphatic there and in the doctrine of resurrection. From that point of view, the idea of a disembodied, nonspacio-temporal life after death appears as a rather odd blip in between these two strong affirmations of the goodness of the created order and the wonderful God-givenness of human bodily life within that created order."
I'll let this settle and post some more thoughts soon regarding the proper use of Creation in the honor of the Creator.
Part 2
The Resurrection and Thanksgiving
The bodily resurrection of Jesus points to the passion of God's heart for all things to be set right. Jesus, as the second Adam, lived the life God had intended for mankind to live and the resurrection of Jesus' body was God's confirmation of approval upon Jesus' life. Not only was it a confirmation, but a promise. The resurrection is a promise to those who believe that, one day in the future, this physical world, broken and failing, will participate in the same renewal as the body of Jesus. The Creation, good from the beginning, will be healed and set right under the rule of Jesus.
The resurrection of Jesus now points us towards the day when the physical experience we enjoy will be completely renewed and perfected. From this pointing we derive a mandate towards a lifestyle that can, in some sense, be called "prophetic." This living is prophetic because it plays out, in very real experiences, the picture of the life that is to come. It is prophetic because it employs the values that were sealed and affirmed by God in Jesus' resurrection that will ultimately be played out for eternity under the renewed/New Creation.
Abbey Life (AL)/"intentional community" attempts to integrate these two strains of thought in one microcosmic experience. AL seeks to create space where the living out of Kingdom values can take place "under one roof."
AL affirms God’s statement in Jesus’ bodily resurrection that the Creation is good. It affirms that everything that is made is made by God and demands to be acknowledged as so. It affirms that God is to be thanked for the things that we enjoy and partake of from the physical realm.
Rom 14:6 He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.
Eph 5:20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Tim 4:4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving
Part 3
Relationships In Abbey Life
AL seeks to embody the values of Jesus in regards to the interpersonal lives of those involved. With the bodily resurrection of Jesus giving value to the created order, we see God's continued affirmation of those he has called to salvation and a belief in their redemption and renewal. We see in the resurrection and play out in AL this belief:
Relationships now center in Jesus and progress by finding their value in his values.
Those who would journey together, whether as a guest for a meal or a year as housemates, seek to interact with one another based upon certain values.
Love
Servanthood
Encouragement
Humility
...and more.
This intentional community has this intention: To create followers of Jesus' way. To help shape people to interact with one another using the power and values of Jesus dreams regarding God's fulfilled kingdom.
Of course, living in the world, those involved in these relationships are not yet perfected and transgressions and offenses will happen. AL will also provide space for this brokenness on the grounds of the Cross of Jesus. He bids us to come with this brokenness with our confession and cry for help. He bids us first to be reconciled to himself. He bids us then to be reconciled to one another. Nothing else will do. The Cross has purchased our reconciliation and to settle for less will result in the bankruptcy of our relationships.
So, those who would journey together, whether as a guest for a meal or a year as housemates, seek to interact with one another based upon certain values.
Confession
Forgiveness
Grace
...and the like.
Part 4
Abbey Life and The Stewarding of Finances
We are encouraged in the Scriptures that the goal of mankind is a life lived for the glory of God and the sake of his Kingdom on the earth: Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto youWhatever you do, whether in word or in deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Part of this life includes the stewardship of our finances.
Abbey life seeks to create an environment of encouragement to direct the stewarding of our finances towards the kingdom of God. Our primary goal in spending should be the furthering on the Kingdom of God in this world. This is not simply an "otherworldy" perspective where we give to a "cause" for some unknown eventual profit, for this spending has very practical ramifications. Paying our bills on time, taking care of the poor, bearing one another's burdens all fall into this category. Good stewardship teaches us a right use of the financial gifts God has entrusted to our care.
This does not negate the use of gifts for pleasure (see here), for we know that enjoying the gifts of this world is part of our experience as complete human beings. Using our finances to experience good things in life for what they are, opportunities to experience the joy of the Creator in his creation, is good stewardship. It is the abuse of gifts, over-indulgence, selfishness and the like, that constitutes falling short in the goals of good stewardship.
We do well to examine the motives of our spending. This is where we will find the condition of our stewardship.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Jeff Congrats!
17 Years of education: $???.00
Gas to get there: $???.00
Graduation party this Sunday night: Priceless, because it won't cost him thing!
Gas to get there: $???.00
Graduation party this Sunday night: Priceless, because it won't cost him thing!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)