One of the things I have learned about myself is that I have lots of ideas, but that few of them have any basis in reality. I too often add an L to the end of my idea.
In my mind, I could envision a community that is actively on a venture to tap into and embody exceptional love and mercy. In this community in my mind, there would be a passion and synergy in it that would be compelling and attract others who sense the rightness of what the community was trying to do. In my mind, there are Jesus followers out there that are hungry to participate in kingdom action. There should be no problem getting a critical mass. I can imagine what could be accomplished, what justice, beauty, relationship, and spirituality would come from such a community. I want to be a part of a community like that. What an idea-l?
The discouragement and depression comes when this ideal in my mind hits the pavement. Take our bed building as an example. Most everyone who hears about what we do thinks it is a cool and right thing to do; however, they don't feel compelled enough to join us.
I recently gave a talk to a Christian group at UAMS about what we were doing. There must have been 200 students there. The invitation was made to anyone that wanted to to join us. No one did. At our old church, I visited with several of the life groups and talked about how they could get involved. None did. There's the reality check on my idea.
While I am dreaming, I fail to consider a formidable force in our culture-busyness. Even in my life, it is hard to find the time to even do what we do. Multiply this busyness across a church and you end up with this consciousness in the place that is discouraging and depressing. We are at a new church now. They seem to be talking about social justice. I will engage with them in whatever compassion-based activities that come up. But they live in the same culture I do.
I tend toward pessimism, but I am trying to not let the dream die. My cynical side says screw'em, just do it yourself. My less cynical side says, do it with whoever, however few. Learn to be content with what community I do have with Keith and Nathan. They are exceptional.
There is virtue in simplicity. It is a discipline; probably the only thing that could counter that formidable force in our culture.
3 comments:
Does the fact that Jesus speaks of a "kingdom" that is "not of this world" imply that it should be characterized by a culture that is also not of this world, (since separate political entities normally have distinctive cultures) do you think? I wonder...
Going back to the OT, commands like the Sabbath, the Sabbath YEAR (when the Hebrews weren't supposed to cultivate anything and let whatever was in the fields grow on its own so the poor could have it - Ex. 23:10-11), and the year of jubilee, make me think that the fundamental way that we do life should look different. These commands make me think God was trying to give the Hebrews a picture of a society in which time for reflection and compassion were BUILT INTO THE SYSTEM, into their culture.
In this culture, to be compassionate we have to fight against our very way of life, in which pretty much all of our time off from our jobs (which most people see as something they do to simply to put bread on the table rather than as a vocation in which they employ the unique creative faculties given to them by God to shape, cultivate, and, in so doing, redeem, the world) to either veg out or do more work trying to maintain/manage our overabundance of possessions. This is the environment in which our idea of "church" is supposed to have a transforming impact on our lives, when said environment of busy-ness and overconsumption is never really offered up for transformation in the first place, unless we're told to inject 30 or so minutes of "quiet time with God" into each day or something.
I know I am a little more free to throw stones at the way we as U.S. citizens do life because I'm not saddled with a family or a mortgage to feed, but I think it's funny that to live with less, to work less, to live below one's means, especially to live in a lower-class, minority, dangerous, or otherwise "bad" neighborhood, seem to be wacky, radical ideas, when it seems to me that in practice they would allow us more time, resources, and opportunity for compassion (or "witnessing," or "missions," to use some more conservative Christian terminology). I don't know. I just think it's time for us to start to call into question the foundational, common, everyday principles, values, narratives, etc. by which we live our lives. I don't know how long I can keep trying to be compassionate if I have to keep scheduling it around the rest of my life.
You both are very articulate writers. I am edified by your thoughts.
I have a conservative friend that gave me a book to read. I think she is trying to bring me back in the fold after having a long conversation with me about my desire to become compassionate. So far I have read less than a chapter. In it the author (Mark Levin) talks about the founding fathers of America and he explains that conservatives are those who desire to create and maintain a “civil society”. That he defines as; “Rules of cooperation that have developed through generations of human experience and collective reasoning that promote the betterment of the individual and society. This is characterized as ordered liberty.” Then he goes on to assert several ideas, two of which have me at a crossroads of belief. My carnal self wants to buy into these, but my spirit is saying CAUTION! First he writes, “In the civil society, one is free to discover his own potential and pursue his own legitimate interests, tempered, however by a moral order that has its foundation in faith and guides his life and all human life thorough the prudent exercise of judgment. As such, the individual in the civil society strives, albeit imperfectly, to be virtuous… that is, restrained, ethical, and honorable.” Then he states, “In the civil society, private property and liberty are inseparable. The individual’s right to live freely and safely and pursue happiness includes the right to acquire and possess property, which represents the fruits if his own intellectual and/ or physical labor…” These appear to be beautiful words that talk of an ideal that most people would embrace. However, could it be that this ideal set up by America’s founding fathers are the very foundation of the greedy self-centered culture we are apart of? (Am I sounding like a commie?)
You guys are on to something. I think most people in America are lost and are so self absorbed they are unaware of the poor right under there nose, like the rich guy in Luke 16:19-31. Then there are the churched who know of the lost and poor but spend their time worshiping, teaching about God and upholding the traditions of the church and yet not drinking deeply of His spirit and doing his work. This group may be even more lost than the first. Except for church these groups are hard to distinguish. So our society is self absorbed. I am in the middle of it. I may be in a third group that is hardly different than the second. I schedule time to be compassionate because I am not compassionate and know God wants me to be. I am exposed, once every bed delivery, to a broken heart. I want to sell out but I have become trapped by the many decisions I have made to join this world. How to escape?
I will not give up hope. My redeemer lives. I am being transformed albeit slower than I would like. I want the pace to quicken. My heart needs to be broken more often. I need to feel the urgency to motivate me. I need to continue to drink from the spirit and His spirit will grow in me and take me over. I must die to live.
Nate:
Great thoughts. I have some thoughts I will put in my next post.
Keith:
What do you think of these tenets?
- As many people as possible should have as much control over their lives as feasible.
- Commitment to open government, separation of powers, checks and balances and suspicion of absolutist rule
- Openness to the world, a willingness to experiment and be inventive
Hard not to agree with. They are all articles of classic liberalism.
Ideal statements sound great on paper. The problem comes when the boots hit the ground.
Conservatism tends to distrust the state and wants volunteerism to address the needs (like the church). Problem is, the church and other volunteers are not sufficiently stepping up and meeting the needs in the world.
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