Since I am beginning this summer with a week-long intensive course at Memphis Theological in which I am required to journal every night, this first week of blogging might be more formal or focused than the rest (I'll include the guiding questions for the journal in these first posts), but I know God can use it all to transform me and my heart. I've been wanting to create a blog for awhile, and this gives me the perfect chance to start. Well, here it goes...
What did I do today (see) (hear) (touch)? [Objective--my 5 senses]
- Today, as we discussed Sabbath in the City, I heard passion. Passion from the authors' words. Passion from the pastors the authors interviewed. Passion from our MTS teaching staff. Passion from my fellow students. Passion from my own heart. The passion centered around the possibilities for the church, the body of Christ, in the city. With humble recognition of the many failings and ways the church can get it wrong in the city, I heard throughout the day a passion of hearts set on fire for a world is being transformed by Christ, a passion for cities and communities that might embrace diversity and possibility and begin to glimpse what the city of heaven might be like, living into "thy kingdom come." As we moved in the afternoon from lunch at Caritas Village to walking the streets of Binghampton to sharing the Lord's Supper at the Commons, I heard passion come through everyone's stories, the places' history, the awe, wonder, and even frustration of seeing God at work, great ministry being done, amazing community happening and wondering "How?"
- I saw many people but one purpose, many traditions but one body, many beliefs but one God. Amen.
- I felt the embrace of my brothers and sisters in Christ as we joyfully hugged and shook hands passing the peace of Christ after sharing Holy Communion together.
- Perhaps the question is, "What didn't inspire?" And I guess I would have to answer to that, "Nothing." I drew inspiration from every part of the day. Meeting the other students in the class and hearing their stories. Listening to Onie's story of conviction and call that lead to Caritas Village and Caritas House. According to http://www.dictionaryofspiritualterms.com/public/glossaries/terms.aspx?ID=1137, caritas means "selfless love, as of God for man and man for God; human compassion for one’s neighbor" and is the Latin equivalent for agape. In the wonderful smells from the kitchen as we stepped through the door, in the impromptu conversation with the firemen in line behind me waiting to place our orders, in the beautifully inspiring art displays, and in the wonderfully nourishing taste of our shared meal, I felt the selfless love and compassion behind the name of Caritas.
- I shared at our closing conversation in class today the "personal uneasiness" as one of my emotions from the day. That emotion was related a lot to how I was challenged today. I am convicted that God has placed a strong call on my heart for dedicating my life to ministry, and I've had the distinct joy of being able to learn how to be in ministry through church staff positions and internships since I graduated high school. And I know that to sustain my own relationship with God for my personal flourishing and my work in ministry, I need to be grounded in regular, intentional, spiritual disciplines. Yet, I have struggles with the regular and intentional part of this for sometime. Like Professor Gathje said, "We get to be good Christians by practicing our faith." And I do practice my faith by searching the scriptures, praying, worshipping, singing, reflecting in silence, etc; it is just that I want to be more regular about incorporating this into my all day, every day being. Hearing Amy M. and Billy V. sharing both their strong calls and their grounding spiritual disciplines, I was reminded of how God's call in my life speaks and is formed by my spiritual practice, and my uneasiness developed with my honest self-realization that the discipline of my faith needs to be a stronger grouding place in my life. I REJOICE that as part of a covenant discipleship group at VDS this past semester I began to reclaim such spiritual disciplines as daily or weekly practices; and I am humbled by God's grace offerred to me despite my failings.
- While I did know about some of the wondeful things going on in Binghampton like Billy V's ministry and Service Over Self home restoration (which we didn't talk about as a class but in which I was involved in high school), I learned a lot more about Binghampton's character, history, and diversity today. I think that the story of the candlelight vigil after the Lopez brothers' murder that included both Latinos and African-Americans and fostered reconciliation instead of retaliation just really brought home for me some of the amazing ministry being done in the neighborhood. While organized by leaders in the community, the vigil allowed all people to come together and be together in ministry to the entire neighborhood and offering a model of reconciliation and peace in a time of hurt and grief, anger and distrust.
- Exodus 20:8-11
- Sabbath--My lack of regularity and intentionality concerned with some of my spiritual disciplines is a lack of Sabbath (rest with God) in my daily life
- Sabbath is to sustain the ministry of all Christians, lay and clergy, and set us apart as a people of God
- Seeing how Sabbath has sustained and renewed the people we met today and their ministries
- Jeremiah 29:4-14
- Like Chip C. said, this is all about "Bloom where you are planted"
- The welfare of the city is my welfare, is your welfare, is the church's welfare
- God has a plan...our part is to do the work and trust
- God has a plan for Binghampton, and the neighborhood working together is seeing that plan realized piece by piece with ultimate trust in God and the call God has placed in their lives (especially CTC and Commons on Merton)
- Billy's saying about people in the community "doing what their heart won't let them not do" inspires my to write this section in this style: "I can't not..."
- I can't not cultivate regularity and intentionality around my spiritual practices and have some one or some group to which I can be accountable for this (like the support of the CD group I had at VDS) summer as I am in ministry in their field education immersion program.
- I can't not dig in heart and soul with all the love I can muster at Caritas Village. Like Professor Gathje talked about, in new places and ministries I can tend to approach the situation unreflectively and thereby miss out on some great learning and loving opportunities. No "TV show mentality" (not being truly and wholly involved with body, soul, mind) at Caritas this summer for me!
Grace and Peace,
Amanda
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