gotta get some thoughts down before i forget and become idle. be warned: if you read this book that i'm about to recommend you'll be forced to confront your lifestyle and change it. or you can, of course, choose to ignore truth and suppress your conscious until it goes away (which is what i usually do). i've been reading this book called the irresistible revolution by shane claiborne. i've taken notes on it but have managed to loose them. hopefully someone else picked them up and finds them interesting. shane is living proof that the pen is mightier than the sword, and that a life is mightier than the pen. i told ali that the book's helped me read the gospel with fresh eyes. take away the preconceived notions from vacation bible school and jesus doesn't look like people that go to church. take away the clever rationales i've made to justify my way of living and the gospel really is dangerous. what if he actually meant what he said? "blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." "...it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." "if someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." i don't get persecuted. that sort of thing was for early christians. before we got "civilized." then how come civilized religious people couldn't stand jesus' message? if he were to preach in our churches today, he'd get kicked out. he'd be persecuted. he was homeless, for goodness sakes. how many homeless people preach at your church? how many homeless people are in your congregation? how can i praise a homeless man on sunday and ignore one on monday? i scared ali two nights ago. i know God wants christians to be revolutionary. shane claiborne is. i told ali that something revolutionary was going to happen in our lives. i'm not sure what it is. but i don't want to remain complacent. i think i had a terry experience. here are some ideas:
- don't go back to my previous employer and get involved in a homeless ministry before i go to medical school
- get my church more involved with the poor (somehow?).
- when i graduate medical school (and residency), start a practice solely for the homeless and poor. they're ostracized by our health care system.
- give away most of my clothes to homeless...personally. it's too easy to drop it off at goodwill. what if he was talking to all of us when he told the rich man to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor? even if he wasn't, what if i lived my life like he were talking to me? that would be revolutionary.
- downsize. we don't live in a large place now, but we could give away most of our furniture and move to a small apt.
- tell my parents that i'm opposed to the war in iraq. i guess i just did. i don't understand how christians became so mislead to believe that jesus taught us to fight violence with more violence. bombing your enemies is not loving them. what if jesus meant what he said?
- visit shane at simple way and find out what i can do
no answers. just some crazy ideas. not sure which of these bullets i'll actually follow through with. if people think i'm nuts, i must be on to something. read the book. his stories just may change your life. i'd love to send everyone a copy. but, instead, i encourage you to check it out at your local public library. take the money you would have used and buy a sandwich for a homeless person. act quick. i can already feel my inspiration dwindling.
here's an excerpt:
"the scriptures describe the early jesus movement like this: 'we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless...we have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world' (1 cor. 4:11-13). our context is quite different. we live among the wealthiest people of the world (top 2 percent), a tough mission field. we are preaching a gospel that declares that it's easier to fit a camel through the eye of a needle than for the rich to enter the kingdom. but look on the bright side. after we preach the crowds down, we will not need such expensive buildings. and of course, in a christian culture shopping for the cheapest grace, the temptation is always to tone things down a little bit. people will be more comfortable around a domesticated jesus than the lion of judah."
Sunday, August 12, 2007
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6 comments:
man, I am loving your post. you are starting to hit on this whole idea of really following God, regardless of what we think we know or thought we knew.
i found this passage that has really made a lot of sense to me... Paul talked about how we have a part to play in people being reconciled to God.
This is from 2 Corinthians 5...
If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.
And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.
Ben
You inspire me!
Yao
Ben, I just caught up with your blogs from August. Life got in the way of staying connected to my son-in-law. After reading about your experiences, I feel so blessed to have you as my "son". Your insightfullness about your faith and life inspires me. I have been so caught up in the world of moving, planning a house, building a house, my family, the dynamics of all that, that I had put God on the back burner. I struggle to keep Him in the driver's seat...I often pray for that. Anyway, as you contemplate your future just know you are light years ahead of where Marty and I were at your age. It's so normal to think you have "failed" or made a bad decision, but in reality I think God truly knows what we need to keep Him in the mix. Of course, I pray for you and Ali to come back to Texas but only if it's God's plan for your lives. I trust He will show you both the direction He wants you to go. I will support whatever you decide, but in my heart of hearts I want you both back! Just so we are straight on that. bottom line-you are on the right track...reading, thinking, contemplating, deciding, wondering, questioning, but in the end believing...that's all that really matters. Love, Linda
ben, i just realized that even though you and i have personally discussed these things, i hadn't commented on your blog my full agreement of this post. the things you said are incredibly inspirational, and they lead me to believe that my life shouldn't be separated into two categories: my personal life & my ministry. they are meant to be one and the same. i cannot justify my unwillingness to help those who cannot help themselves. what terrible pride we have when we rationalize our unwillingness to help. i for one look forward to hearing more words of wisdom from you! love you bro.
Hey if you're a fan of Shane Claiborne and his book, then you should really check out the Another World is Possible DVD series. It's a multimedia project by Shane Claiborne and Jamie Moffett (co-founders of the Simple Way) that emerged in response to their belief that things are not right in the world, and that they don't have to stay that way. There are three DVD's, one on war, one on poverty, and one on creation. You can find out more about them at www.awip.us.
wow, somehow my link to your blog brought me here - i was all excited for a second because i thought you had a new shane blog entry. then i realized it's a year old.
but read this again! looks like you hit all your bullets (at least the pre-med ones).
like you said last night, i feel the same way - that i can't think of anyone else i'd rather be doing this homeless ministry thing with (or whatever we're calling it)...i think it's cool how we've inspired each other - i know you've inspired me.
and we can rock out a bit tonight - cool.
we need to re-kindle the writing thing...
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