Real Unity and Humility

So unique and so God-like a thing is real unity on earth, absolute disinterested agreement in heart and motive, that its occurrence is not, and cannot be, anything short of the presence of God Himself. We know the agreement of the Triune God: earthly agreement is its manifestation.

This, then, cuts at the root of all envy, jealousy, petty irritation, personal dislike, contempt, conceit, self-assertiveness.

It is often more a sign of grace and love and humility to say "Amen" to another's prayers than to lead in prayer oneself.

~ Temple Gairdner (cited in Temple Gairdner of Cairo by Constance Padwick, pg 126-127)

 

 

Change that Matters

 Addressing systemic injustice will look different in each specific context. But change that truly matters will always manifest as tangible acts of justice that help people and communities thrive and flourish. This will require working together with people in your local communities who are being adversely affected by unjust systems and structures. Those people are the experts on what issues need to be addressed and what would really solve the problem. 

~ Brenda Salter McNeil, Becoming Brave, pg 190.

The promise and the paradox of the resurrection is that if you lose your life for the sake of the reconciling work of the gospel, you will find it. I can't promise that it will always be easy. I can't promise that you will be victorious in your pursuits on this side of heaven. But I can promise that God will bring life out of what you lose and will ultimately restore all things. There is much to be hoped for, despite the inevitable setbacks. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope." (192)

  Having finished the above book now, I'd recommend it for those who believe in reconciliation and justice as a key part of the work of God on the earth today. And, I suppose that if you don't believe in that, I'd recommend the book anyways since it presents compelling reasons why Christ-followers should. 

Yesterday's Trip: A saga

  Tonight, we are staying in a hotel in Kansas City that we were supposed to stay in last night, until our alternator quit - intermittently, apparently. The hotel kindly adjusted our reservation in spite of the 'nonrefundable', 'nonchangeable' nature of the reservation. But that was not the first little kindness that we had been shown yesterday. 

 We left Chattanooga (after a kind friend made us an early breakfast!) intent on making it 10+ hours to KC yesterday. A few miles outside the little-known town of Monteagle, TN - one hour from our starting point, 9 from our destination - the red battery light came on. We stopped and were helped with an urgent and quick battery change and alternator test by the professionals at Monteagle Tire and Auto Service. Auto shops appear to have an extra gear when helping stranded travelers. We were on our way again.

 Two-plus hours later, having escaped a strange cluster of traffic in Nashville, as we approached Pleasant View, TN, the crimson light reappeared. Once again, we made an urgent pitstop at an autoshop, Auto Service of Pleasant View. Here the mechanic again checked things out and recommended that we go on to the dealership where they could better identify our exact problem and should have the parts to fix it. He was not only quick and thorough, but he was also willing to get soaked in a cloudburst, and he would not accept payment for his time. More kindness.

 The dealership was about 20 miles away, and the mechanic believed we would make it but gave some instructions in case we couldn't. These gave me a sense of what to expect 'in case of emergency.' Unfortunately, that 'sense' was needed. About 5 miles farther along, the Pilot started choking to death. Thankfully an exit appeared right ahead, and so I headed for it slowly. The exit appeared to exist solely for the sake of an empty road, an abandoned gas station, and an extant gas station. We choked our way to the extant gas station, parked, and shut off the vehicle. Then it was time to ponder. As I normally do with any vehicle problems, I called my dad. He advised that getting a new battery might be cheaper than getting a tow. But the gas station lacked new batteries.

 However, as I came out of the door, I saw a tow truck idling by the road in the gas station parking lot. Lest it escape, I jogged over and started asking questions to the driver. (Typically, I refrain from random jogging in public and from talking to strangers, even when in distress; however, this seemed like a perfect time for exceptions.) 

  Since he was already there, the driver arranged with dispatch to get us to the dealership for about a quarter of what I expected to be charged for a tow ($60!), saving us not only money but also time. He loaded up the Pilot, and we all piled into the passenger side of his cab, and we were off. 

  At the Honda dealership, the outlook was bleak... "It'll be a while till they can do the 1-2 hour check of the battery, alternator, and starter." "We'll call you eventually." "We may not even have that part in stock; and if we don't, it could be a day or two." Oh, and it's still rainy.

 However, since they were also trying to sell new vehicles in this location, there were amenities. A playground for children... a coffee and cocoa dispenser... clean restrooms... comfy chairs... and a kids movie playing in a nearly-soundproof glass room. So, while the diagnosis took several hours to be given, our physical distress was quite minimal - basically involving trying not to get wet on the playground. 

 Anyways, the diagnosis was rather pricey; the alternator failed; the BRAND NEW battery failed (!?!?!); some gasket-y thing should be replaced since it probably leaked onto the alternator and caused the failure. On the up side, the next new battery would include a ten-year warranty... but I'm selling the vehicle to a friend in 2 weeks. So we compromised. The gasket-y thing would have to wait till Denver. They were authorized to change the other two, but that wouldn't start till today. However, they start work at 7AM, so before 8AM, I'd gotten a call that all was now well. 

 When I went to pick it up, I found out that they had also tried recharging the battery. It was okay after all. So, no ten-year warranty, and the price was better. Saga/adventure over.

 We let the kids swim a bit longer in the hotel pool, and we headed out, arriving in KC a day late but thankful to be here.

Points of thanks to the Lord:

- We didn't break down on the highway itself!

- A tow truck was waiting for us at the gas station we made it to. (The driver said we were lucky some lady needed to be pulled out of a ditch near there.)

- The parts were available. 

- The supposedly dead battery came back to life.

- The hotel rescheduling our reservation so easily.

BONUS: The Honda dealership shuttled us to and from the hotel we stayed at last night. When I got into the car this morning, it started acting up. The driver told me that it had worked perfectly until I got in and that I might consider myself a 'black cat'. We barely made it back to the dealership with the shuttle car's engine light on and it coughing and spluttering along at less than 15 mph.

Random observation: Upon learning of our situation, three different people mentioned 'hotel with a pool'. Apparently, there is a well-recognized truth that 'when traveling with children, a pool can rectify nearly any situation.'

Justice, Storytelling, and a tiny fraction of God's magnificent enterprise

I recently heard Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil speak and was deeply challenged by her message. So, I decided to read her book Becoming Brave: Finding the Courage to Pursue Racial Justice Now. (Check your library or bookstore!) In it, she chronicles parts of her own journey in pursuing not only reconciliation but also justice, and she interacts with the biblical narrative of Esther. It's not a simple book to summarize, so I'm not going to try. 

However, what I have probably appreciated most about it is that she discusses justice across great swaths of humanity, not just one or two selective groups or 'races'. She is concerned with those you might expect and with those you might not. Here are two small excerpts that I want to share from her book, one of which is actually from someone she quotes.

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long​ ​view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the Church's mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they​ ​hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further​ ​development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our​ ​capabilities.
We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of​ ​liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.

(by Ken Untener)

THE STORY a person tells about other people really​ ​matters. I've learned to be much more careful and conscious of the stories being told to me about others. I pay attention to who is telling the story and their purpose in telling it. I also know that where someone begins the story shapes the overall narrative being told. (Pg105, emphasis added)

After the second quote, she tells the story of Haiti’s independence and how other nations ostracized it out of fear and greed. If you're not familiar with the story, you can get an introduction here: Investigating Haiti's 'Double Debt'.