God Writing #38 (a) Rediscovering Heritage

Ok, it seems like forever ago that I posted my last God writing, but I do have one more in the old notebook, so I thought I should type it up while I had the chance. Granted, it's a bit long. Though that sometimes doesn't deter me, I'm a wee bit short on time, so I'm going to split it up.

1/24/07
My church here in LA has been following the church year calendar for a few months now. We are currently in the season of 'Epiphany', which is a term I remember hearing frequently in the church I grew up in, but never really understood.
This last Sunday I had an interesting encounter with understanding/connecting with the various scriptures for the week. Before the church service, I had to laugh when my friend Eric asked a few people if we had read the verses our pastor pointed out (apparently there's some sort of universal lectionary that many churches draw from each week of the church year to base their messages on.) Eric commented that this week's selection seemed to be one of the randomest conglomerations he could imagine. I had skimmed a few of the verses, so I could identify with what he was talking about!
After the service though, I went home and decided to read through the selection again. My motivation mostly sprung from the fact that our Canvas Group leader had asked us to pick one of the verses to meditate on before we met again. As I read through the varied texts this time, my heart sped up a bit as I began to discover a sort of theme...

Earlier that day, I had lunch with some friends. In the course of our conversation, we talked a little about the recent history of China. China is a country that has been around a lot longer than the United States. The little I know about the country's history leads me to believe they have had one of the richest cultures in the world--meaning they have put out amazing works of the arts, as well as intellectual accomplishments.
What I didn't realize was that the cultural revolution in the 60s stripped most of that rich heritage away from the Chinese people of today. The current generation is emerging from an entirely different frame of reference than their ancestors. That seems tragic to me.
Perhaps I shouldn't be so shocked. This sort of thing is not uncommon--even on American soil. Native Americans were stripped of their cultures when Europeans settled here. African slaves brought forth a new generation that knew life in a way quite foreign to that of their homeland. Even on a much more benevolent scale--my mother's grandparents came to the U.S. from Norway, yet I don't know how to say a single word in Norwegian!

Nehemiah Chapter 8 tells us about a people who also lost their culture. The Israelites had been taken as captives to Babylon where they remained for 70 years before returning to Jerusalem. Only the youngest children from before would still be alive to return. Naturally then, most of the Israelites probably experienced some sort of disconnect from their original culture.
Nehemiah 8:5-6: "Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, 'Amen! Amen!' Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground..." " They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read. Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, 'This day is sacred to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.' For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the law. Nehemiah said, 'Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength'." (vs 8-10)
"Day after Day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the feast for seven days, and on the eight day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly." (vs. 18)
"Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers. They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God." (9:2-3)

What an event! The people of God were rediscovering their heritage!
I've heard "The joy of the LORD is your strength" thrown around a lot, but I see it specifically making sense in this context. The people were ready to grieve over their sins--I'm guessing they discovered they were living very far from how they should be--but God says, "Don't mourn!" I think His joy was that His children had returned to Him again--and He wanted them to feel that joy too!
This bit of history also reminds me of another bit. 2 Kings 22 records how King Josiah of Judah re-discovered the Book of the Law and tore his robes when he heard its words. God honors Josiah's renewal of the covenant, but unfortunately, most of Israel doesn't have a similar heart...

[to be continued...}

Quick Update

Hey Friends!
Sorry the blogging has been a bit sparse over the last couple of weeks. Life has been keeping me busy!

So I helped out with Kairos' Vacation Bible School a week ago.
It was quite an experience, and I'm glad I did it.
I got to lead a group of 4-5 little kids (ages ranging from 5-11), and encourage/connect with twice as many. It's really heart-warming to see how open little kids are--how much they crave your attention, how much they want a hug, how much they want to come up with a right answer, etc.
It's also really cool to see their personalities come out. I really enjoyed the opportunity to encourage a couple of kids when I saw that they excelled in something too.
On the other hand, I think this experience reconfirmed to me that I'm much more geared to working with teens. There's only so much intellectual stuff you can discuss with a 7 year old. We had one bible point each day (eg. God is real; God is with us; God is in control...), as well as a bible verse. If the kids remembered the point, they were doing well. Three hours to drive home one point feels a bit frustrating, but I guess if it became real to them then, it was worth it.

Switching gears, at work this week, I officially started writing the schedule. I've been wanting to take this task over basically since I started back over a year ago, so it's really nice to finally get around to it. We have a complex computer system (or so it seems) to help write the schedule out...it feels a bit like playing a game, but I really enjoy it. My manager is glad to be able to release this duty to someone who is a more 'linear' thinker...writing schedules was torturous to him. (He's only had to do it for a month or so though, as a former Assistant Manager headed it up before.) What's more, I've already been complimented on a good job, which is really nice.

Ok, well, time to start up my laundry so I'd better get going. Hopefully I'll have more interesting things to post about soon. :)

"Happy-Happy Joy-Joy!"

See this bear? Doesn't it look like the epitome of happiness?!!!
Well folks, it's got nothing on me!!! :)
I have had an amazing last couple of days.
Is it because I got to see Live Free or Die Hard on Saturday night? Well, that was part of it I guess...and it was a fun film at that!
Is it because I got to eat the best Rad Na in the world at Pam's Thai restaurant (right across the street from Kairos) last night? Well, it sure was good, but that's not the whole of it!
Just ask yourself what cataclysmic chain of events could possibly have occurred in order for my friends and coworkers to throw words my way such as 'giddy', 'glowing', and...uh...'all red'???
Think real hard.
And if you can't figure it out, just ask me.
:)
Yay!!!

[P.S...just a quick disclaimer for anyone who doesn't know me *that* well...no, there is no way on God's Green Earth I could be pregnant right now, so breathe easy and guess again! Hahaha!]

At work today, I had a short conversation with my pal Audrey and my boss Mike about how living in Los Angeles feels like living in limbo.
As in, I grew up in a place with 4 distinct seasons. So did Audrey.
Without those environmental cues, time seems to just sort of hang...rather than march steadily on.
Where did the last year of life go...? Where did the last month go?

Mike--being a SoCal native--could offer no sympathy.
I fruitlessly tried to explain the benefit of seasons to him.
"Fall has a feeling," I stressed, "and you can't feel it out here."
Mike grinned obliviously.
"In fact, it doesn't even feel like summer out here! I mean, I know it's hot and everything, but in Wisconsin and Minnesota summer felt a certain way and I'm not getting it out here..."

So to all of you who yearn for California's temperate conditions I say this: Yes, it's nice. But it can also feel a little like the twilight zone. You've been warned...

Magnetic Poetry from My Refrigerator

If for no one else's amusement other than my own, I hereby publicly present the ordering of words that have accumulated on my refrigerator during the last 10 months. [Shout out to my pal Foxx who got me this set of words in the first place...interestingly enough she and our mutual pal Scott/Spot both know the guy who invented this clever medium of fine art]

[In no particular order]

Never smooth
my Rain
would want frantic power
above easy going places
Most heave and trudge after their ship floods
Let them
I will storm by
& leave you in my mist

Trip some sordid language
none of it
tells of my moments

Aching as one will
for sweets not near
like him

Behind the smell of Bitter
is a forest we see
as though there
by gift

Some of the enormous sun
Springs over you
with a lust barely gorgeous
Then in show
it pounds beauty
through summery sea sprays
always manipulating
the weak

He shot her
when he read love
like a chant
said true as death
She did crush the moon
and take a thousand less-delicate chains
So may they sing
away from these honeyed tongues
Two rusting blue blood
but with next life together

A road to winter
and ugly hair

The picture is gone
yet I dream about time felt
I like falling into visions
black like whispers beneath sleep

Day must run
Drive shadows here
and elaborate its need
to stare at you
Still
meaning hits
or stops
& sadness asks me
why I recall the Light

Pecan Pie and a Poem

This afternoon I stopped by the grocery store on my way home from work.
I pretty much hate grocery shopping.
I think I've said this on my blog before, so I won't rehash why.
Today, however, I made an impulse purchase that was really worth the $2...a piece of pecan pie from Ralph's Bakery. (Ralph's is the name of the grocery store. Yes, I know that's a hilariously ironic name for a grocery store, but that's California!)
When I got home and dove into my slice of heaven, I couldn't help but remember that about 10 years back, I hated pecan pie. It's weird how time changes things. I think I enjoyed every possible bite of the pie I had today...yum!

And I was planning on posting the magnetic poetry on my refrigerator (I'll be leaving my apartment at the end of August, so I might as well 'publish' this stuff before it disappears forever!), but discovered I hadn't saved it on my laptop as previously thought.
So instead I'm going to put up something I wrote back in September or October...when I was still moving into my current apartment (or at least still trying to sort my stuff).
Here it is for you to enjoy or spit at (hey, it's your computer screen!)...

MESS-Y
My room is a mess
with these piles of clutter
But You’ve taught me
There’s much more to godliness
than merely cleanliness
and this is the fruit
of my re-aligned priorities

My schedule is a mess
with fragmented bits of routine
that would shame any soldier
But you’ve taught me
to value people over perfection
and to dethrone the pride of discipline
with a reminder that You alone are King

My goals are a mess
with to-do lists written on ripped envelopes
unread books on my shelf
a subconscious list of people and places to visit
Not enough days on the calendar
and only dark mists as I look to the future
But You’ve taught me
The value of Faith
and letting you guide me along this path
as I focus on each consecutive step to take

My heart is a mess
filled with bittersweet memories and volatile emotions
brimming with deepest compassion
and yet shallow, self-centered, and condemning.
But You’ve taught me to give it all to You
And from this ugly lump of clay
You can coax unimaginable beauty.