An interesting Class discussion, pt. 4

Final part. Just random addendum that I've thought about over the past week.

We spent some time talking about language registers at the conference. The typical vocabulary for middle class is called formal, while the vocabulary for generational poverty is called casual.

How middle class of us, then, to create defining terms? We keep up with the formal language (which has several hundred if not at least a thousand more words than casual) by creating terms that we can understand better.

We versus them, it felt like. When I talked with the students last Tuesday I tried to be sure to point out--one group is not better than the other. Good AND bad come from both groups. The reason for separation in the first place is because of how broken we are. What then is the goal of our working together?

Because Christ gave us the ministry of reconciliation. This is not just between us and God, but between me and you, and between us and His creation (a whole 'nother story, but read Serve God, Save the Planet). Period.

In what other ways did we in this seminar revert solely to middle class thinking? I had asked the group around me, part of a social service group that helps students perform well in school, whether anyone on staff was from a Generational Poverty background. They took a second, and proudly came up with one or two. Then I asked them if any of those persons were involved with the major decision making in the organization. They responded no, and then changed the subject to the score of a baseball game.

I read all of John Steinbeck's The Pearl yesterday. It's only a 94 page novella, so don't think I'm anything special. What I'm trying to get at goes back to the brokenness. The protagonist Kino has the opportunity to break out of poverty because he has found a pearl of great price. The climb out of poverty takes more than that we realize, just like we've learned that we can't just throw money at people to help them go get better.. cough.. Haiti.. cough.

"But the other ways are hard!" we whine.

"Oh yeah? So can you imagine what it was like to turn your back on your own Son's most excruciating death? A death you could have stopped?"

We love because He first loved us. The things we do are a metaphor for what He's already done for us.

An interesting Class discussion, pt. 3

I would like to start this one off by saying something critical:

I AM JUST AS GUILTY

Whew. So great to get that off my chest. I'm guilty. I'm guilty in how I have treated generational poverty as though I am not one of them. I'm guilty of going in thinking that I'm the savior of their greatest need.

Like this one time when I bought some bread, peanut butter and jelly, and some Gatorade for a guy outside of a grocery store. While I had the best of intentions, I made little effort to know him, or pray for him. And worse, I bought wheat bread.*

Then there was this time a couple weeks ago when I bought lunch for a guy at Taco Bell. I aimed to make sure I made eye contact. Try to help the man feel like a person, you know? I think a lot about how Jesus would not just heal a person, but look at him or her, call them "Son" or "Daughter." To help them no longer feel invisible. But then I ordered the wrong thing because I misheard him (or was I really listening?). And then he ended up making a scene which was the last thing I wanted, for both of our sakes.

How many times I feel like I know what the person really needs. Again, compelled to pray more before going/doing anything. Not that prayer will make me do the perfect thing, but hopefully to make my attitude better within the situation.

Then that pride I had mentioned in the last entry.. how easy it is to become proud of the "good" I've done.

All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. Psalm 14:3

All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.. Isaiah 64:6

Just in case it's not clear. All means ALL. Okay, glad we got that settled.

There is nothing good about us. All our righteousness comes through Christ. We strive to do our best, moved by the Holy Spirit. We press on, and don't get caught up on our past mistakes. We learn from them, and we aim to avoid them, but we are human. That's what's so great about Jesus stepping in for us!

I'm guilty of going in thinking that I'm better than the person I'm helping. As if I'm the one to solve their great problems. Problems go much deeper than a missed meal, or being without a job, do they not?

It was good to talk out my thoughts with my mentor today. I was pleased to share about my Fusion students, who participated in a somewhat stretching service project on Tuesday night. I'm not going to tell you what they did, but I'm excited for what they learned during that time. I hope for the best, and I pray for more of a lifestyle of serving. Not because of anything I've done, but because what our Father has already done for us.

*see PBS special People Like Us: Social Class in America. A certain segment follows the debate between white and wheat bread as a class issue. I may not buy it completely, but it is very fascinating.

An interesting Class discussion, pt. 2

Jodi addressed a very important issue, one that has plagued me since the Connection conference. How do we enter into a mission experience while also being mindful of the dignity of the human beings at stake?

Let's flesh this out some more. Oh dear, no pun intended there.

It is very easy to go on a mission trip, lead a Vacation Bible School, build a building, what have you, then leave. Follow through is ignored, and pride about the previous week's work is felt by all!I heard of a group in Mexico that actually resents the Americans who come in to lead their VBSes with fancy crafts that otherwise could not be afforded, and including all of these white people that kids are more interested in seeing than getting to know. When they want to have their own VBS weeks, no one comes.

We go and build buildings for Mexico, but the people do not take care of the building according to our standards. We get frustrated. Then again, how were the native people invested in the well-being of said building in the first place?

The main question at hand: My solutions to another person's problem are good for me, but how do I seek out the good for the other?

Jodi's example (remember that with her we were talking about class) was an upper class person coming to a middle class family's home and deciding to buy them a housekeeper. "I see you're struggling a little and don't have as much time to keep your home tidy. Let me buy you a housekeeper," upper class person says. She writes the checks for years and years without a thought.

About a dozen or so years later, the upper class person realizes he/she is spending a little too much and would like to make some cuts. Sure enough, the housekeeper for the other person is nixed. But now..

Now middle class family is in an uproar! They have had so many years of having it this way, that taking the housekeeper away is unfair. Unjust.

Now middle class family has a sense of (unjustified) entitlement.

Maybe you've experienced a homeless person looking at the food you offer them and saying, "Oh no man, I don't want that." Wait.. really?!?

Scene three is my observation of the January earthquake affecting Haiti. America throws as much money as possible at the situation. We also send a lot of doctors and helpful people of that sort. I'm not diminishing their work, but I would like to include some perspective. Where were these people before the quake? Haiti was in as much turmoil without the assistance of an added natural disaster. You can just compare the effects on Concepcion, Chile, where an earthquake of greater magnitude didn't cause as many problems for the community. (Not to belittle the still tragic results of that earthquake.)

And thinking back to our buildings, they were probably the only ones left standing in Haiti. Nevertheless, they are still our solutions placed on others.

Jodi added another tough question to all the social service groups in the room. What are your working hours and when are your clients most available? If most of your clients are generational poverty, then they are most free, statistically, between the hours of 7pm and midnight. Hmm..

So let's think of the results of our solutions for others: resentment, entitlement, acting too late.

Something has got to give.

I couldn't help pondering how much the relationship needs to be mutual. We have to remember that there are lessons to be learned from one another. It should never be one-sided. How do we get to that point?

An interesting Class discussion, pt. 1

I went to an all day seminar on poverty yesterday. I was running late, so I prayed that it wouldn't be a big deal--to my surprise there were 300 people, mostly social workers, attending, so I easily joined the crowd without being noticed.

Jodi Pfarr, from Minneapolis, MN was the speaker, and she did a brilliant job (at least in my opinion) of broadening the discussion on poverty by talking about classes. After all, this is something we can relate to best, whether we realize it or not. We divided the classes for the sake of time, to two main groups:

1. Generational Poverty
2. Generational Middle Class

The generational term is included to specify our groups even more. We are discussing people with whom the class label is more than just a one time thing. Nonetheless, after looking to these mindsets more closely, my eyes opened to what might be going on in the mind of a middle class person finding themselves in poverty (especially in this economy!), as well as the effects on the other end of the spectrum, such as a person in poverty winning the lottery.

To begin with, we asked the question that everyone should ask at one time or another: What are the leading causes of poverty?

You kept these answers to yourself, as Jodi brought about four types of research in the problem of poverty. I don't mean to think in lists, but it's the best way to organize for now. The following is a briefly detailed list. Please understand there is a LOT more to each area of research.

1. Individual Behavior. In what ways does the individual have an affect on his/her poverty level? Are there addiction issues? Did the person choose to go to school or not? Does the person seek out employment?


2. Community Behavior. How does the community create an environment that continues the struggle with poverty? Has the human and social capital increased/decreased in your neighborhood? Why/Why not?


3. Exploitation. Most of us think of child laborers and human trafficking. You're right on the money, although there are plenty other areas of exploitation, such as high cost of goods in generational poverty neighborhoods.*


4. Political/Economic Structure. What policies help prevent poverty? How much does a corporation's money sway votes on such policies?

We were then asked to look at what we wrote down for the main causes of poverty, and to put a number by each cause based on where it fell in line with the above realms of research. For many of us, most of our thinking fell in line with one of the four more than the rest. As I found to be true for me, whichever area of research we thought about more also had to do with what we do with our lives. For instance, I focused on the problems for the individual. My job includes more individual contact than community-based, or political action. It's not that our way of thinking is wrong, but it is that we need to be thinking more wholistically.

So the question is now posed for you. What are the ways in which you can apply all four of the realms of research about poverty into what you do? It's a tough question, but it's a great start.

*For the sake of argument, but also for the sake of understanding, there is an economic issue that should be considered. The cost of shipping goods to cities is higher than in the suburbs (areas often associated with middle class). One reason is that convenient stores within cities need to pay a higher price for security of their stores due to higher crime rates, and must raise prices to compensate for the extra cost.

The giant eastern rebel

I must admit that my current obsession is James Dean.

I didn't just watch two of his three motion pictures today. I played the saxophone a little, I played a lot of ping-pong with Noah, I played Imaginiff with the family, and I face painted for a straight hour and a half for an Easter outreach at the church.

But I did watch, and fall in love with East of Eden. I enjoyed Rebel without a Cause, but not as much as the other. As a result, I'm guessing a post will come from my thoughts on the character Cal. For now, I will study some more Spanish. Have a happy Easter everybody!

Goosebumps

When I think about how God works, I'm usually reminded of the small things. I remember Brandon Pinkard (sp?) talking about the hottest week of the year one summer. Yet when he saw a small moment where God obviously did the moving within that week, he got the chills. He got, as grandma would say, the goose pimples.

Today it happened twice. And maybe to others these moments are not so significant. But I have been praying about being able to play in a praise and worship band, especially within the time in Argentina. Playing my saxophone, that is.

So I was talking with Pastor Victor today.. about all sorts of things really.. he's a great guy.. and he offered for me to join the worship team!! I got all teary eyed because I didn't even think to ask. But what a great opportunity, no? A chance to play, and to interact more--force me to use Spanish more--in preparation for the big move? Wow, God, wow.

And then later, I had a hankering for some tortillas and refried beans. How southern of me. Any way, I went with a friend to Qdoba and I noticed the woman behind the counter had a thick accent. I went for the plunge, and had a short, but completely Spanish conversation with her. She said that she moved here recently, and that she was still working on speaking English, although she understands it. She said I spoke Spanish well.

To which, I laughed. But thanked her for the encouragement.

She also didn't charge me for my food. I can say from that simple interaction, I got a fraction more confidence to just speak Espanol mas. No necesito preocuparme. Y pienso debo pedir que ella venga a la iglesia conmigo.

No fooling around

..this time. Although, I don't expect this post to be very cohesive. As I thought about how it would go while eating breakfast and enjoying the view (hoy esta nublado), I thought of only one thing that was clear:

We need to pray.

Yesterday, I had a fun discussion with Randy about Open Theism and Calvinism. You see, we're about to tackle some of the hardest questions brought against Christianity during High Impact, one of them of course, being the question of suffering. The same question came out in Crusade during our One Question campaign. Every year.

It is hard to comprehend a God that we call good creating a world that includes suffering.

Aside--the suffering we face as Americans is so little compared to the world. I can only hope that because of how small the world has gotten through technology, when people bring up the question of suffering, they are looking at our entire globe's suffering. I do not want to completely diminish the pain we do experience, but I just feel like having a bed every night and at least one meal every day makes us some of the most fortunate people.

It seems the difference between Open Theism and Calvinism is the verb. Does God allow or does God cause suffering? Does God allow for man to choose evil, which leads to the greater suffering? Or does God cause certain suffering to happen because that's the way it will be?

This leads to more questions: What is the ultimate reason for the suffering? No one wants to hear, "This is happening for a greater purpose," or "God is bringing glory to himself through your suffering." Especially within the moment. "Hindsight is 20/20," is another phrase I've heard fairly recently that brings little comfort while facing trials of many kinds.

We brought up examples from the Bible that seems to point to either way. I thought about how we also don't have the history of the other men God could have used, to say, lead Israel out of Egypt, or the other guy (or girl?) that could have betrayed Jesus. I thought about how both the Arminian and Calvinism camp use Romans 8:28 to make their point of free will or predestination.

We see through a glass darkly.

We don't have the whole picture the way God does.

And the problem that every camp faces is that they stick a label on God as to how He works. How can we make such a claim?

But it doesn't mean we stop seeking! It doesn't mean we give up on trying to figure things out! In fact, I would argue that our very life depends on knowing the God we serve. The way we live is affected by our worldview. If we see the world as helpless, we will live hopeless lives. If we see the world as only a holding place for eternal life, we won't accomplish much in our lifetime. To name a couple examples.

I once applied for a youth ministry position in the midwest, and they told me about their worldview. I think they were trying to see if I was in their camp or not. I responded that if God is Calvinist, I will tell as many people I know about Jesus because I want to be in on God's plan to find those He has predetermined. If He is Arminian, I will tell as many people I know about Jesus because I want to give them the opportunity to choose Christ and the salvation He offers.

But I guess God didn't fore-ordain me to get that job. (Insert rimshot.)

Our very prayer lives are affected. When we petition on behalf of someone through prayer, but believe in a God who will only do His way all the time, how will we pray?

Prayer is throughout Scripture with various answers recorded. Could the purpose of prayer be beyond just getting something for ourselves or for someone else? Could it be that God wants a relationship with us, and simply loves when we converse with Him?

How would that affect your prayer life?

The company I will be working for for the next two years (at least) entered financial crisis last year. As a staff, they decided to pray and fast for three days. By the time they returned, all financial problems had been done away with. I wrote in my journal, "I want to be on a team that is willing to shut down their doors for three days in order to pray and fast. In order to hear from the Lord."

Like I said, the main point is we need to pray. Our reasons for prayer need to probably change. The way we view our prayers being answered might need to be altered. Ultimately, we need to pray (and do many other things) as a way to know our God more. It affects the way we live.