reflections

Here are some thoughts from the day; I hope they inspire you as they have me:

• caring for the marginalized is not a marginal theme in scripture; its central. Being close to the oppressed and the poor isn't a trend or a bandwagon or a hobby. You can't be close from a distance or through charity.
• truth is revealed in community, not be detached experts
• are you an activist or a worshipper? Are you a fixer or a lover?
• "I'll take your charity and your money.. but I wish for you to know my name."
• NT Wrights defn of repentance: "Giving up my agenda for Christ's agenda"
• Society is individualized, fractured. This is not shalom.

the phrase that scratched where i'd been itching:

• do you notice the brokeness, the messiness? Do you sense how illogical things are, how bizarre and countercultural? everywhere around you, in churches and on street corners? Do you feel that TENSION? (YES! I responded with head nodding emphatically) Well then, welcome to a life of following Christ. You better embrace that tension if you're going to pursue the things that matter to God over the long haul. You've gotta learn to live within that tension if you're not going to get burned out or bitter.