I have not ever read books by Lauren Winner before. She teaches at Duke Divinity School, although she was not on the faculty when I was there as a student. However, I was captivated by the titles of two of her books "Mudhouse Sabbath" and "Girl Meets God," so I picked them up at the Cokesbury bookstore in seminary. That was before 2004 - they have been sitting on my bookshelves ever since! Every once in a while, I glance over at my bookshelves and think that I need to read them - and that I want to read them.
As I was getting prepared to go to Ghana, I considered what reading material I should bring. Normally, I bring much more than I can possibly read - but this time, I chose four books, all spiritual biographies/autobiographies. Before we left, I had already read Dorothy Day's The Long Loneliness, and started Renita Weem's autobiography, which I finished on the third leg of our flight to Accra. That left me with Lauren Winner's books. I've found them to be a most fascinating and captivating read, because they echo a sentiment that I've felt for some time - that spiritual practice is essential to a healthy faith. Even more so, it reminds me that religious faiths are complimentary. I'm not Jewish, but some of my basic Christian practices come from Jewish tradition.
We are people who tend to compartmentalize everything...but our traditions inform and reform one another. I can't practice my Christian faith without knowing that I do so in a tradition shaped by Judaism...and so on. So I am grateful that our God is big enough to bridge the gap among faith traditions. My own is richer because of it!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Waste-not, want-not
Tonight, we were sitting at dinner with the kids. It is day #18 in Ghana, and both boys ordered banku with pepper fish (fried tilapia). It's not the first time that they have ordered it since we've been here - in fact, they've ordered it several times.
I find myself eating quickly, just so I can watch the children eat. In the US, we have a mentality that we don't have enough, and that we are always needing more...we operate under a philosophy of scarcity, but the truth is, we have an overabundance. I watch my children who, three weeks ago, would eat porridge and palm soup to satisfy their needs. Today, they ate banku and an entire fish...and by entire, I mean entire. They literally suck the flesh off each bone. They will, often, eat the head and the eyeballs. Here, nothing goes to waste. I was grateful today because, having been here for weeks, my stomach is getting smaller, and I literally couldn't eat all of my food - so the boys at the rest of my plantains.
There is no point is wasting or complaining when we have so much abundance. I wonder sometimes what life would be like if we shared our abundance...if we took what we had, asked God to bless it, and gave it to those around us. Jesus did that with five loaves of bread and two fish, and 5,000 were fed. In the early church, resources were pooled so that everyone had what they needed. What if we did that? What if we only used what we needed, rather than being so extravagant that we "want" pineapple, so we buy one, eat one chunk, and the rest spoils?
When we leave Ghana, there will be three children who no longer have to eat porridge and palm soup for each meal. We are blessed that we can share out of the abundance God gives us - and I truly believe that God will bless us because we are not wasting our resources, but making sure that basic needs for ourselves and others are met. In fact, we are blessed already!
I find myself eating quickly, just so I can watch the children eat. In the US, we have a mentality that we don't have enough, and that we are always needing more...we operate under a philosophy of scarcity, but the truth is, we have an overabundance. I watch my children who, three weeks ago, would eat porridge and palm soup to satisfy their needs. Today, they ate banku and an entire fish...and by entire, I mean entire. They literally suck the flesh off each bone. They will, often, eat the head and the eyeballs. Here, nothing goes to waste. I was grateful today because, having been here for weeks, my stomach is getting smaller, and I literally couldn't eat all of my food - so the boys at the rest of my plantains.
There is no point is wasting or complaining when we have so much abundance. I wonder sometimes what life would be like if we shared our abundance...if we took what we had, asked God to bless it, and gave it to those around us. Jesus did that with five loaves of bread and two fish, and 5,000 were fed. In the early church, resources were pooled so that everyone had what they needed. What if we did that? What if we only used what we needed, rather than being so extravagant that we "want" pineapple, so we buy one, eat one chunk, and the rest spoils?
When we leave Ghana, there will be three children who no longer have to eat porridge and palm soup for each meal. We are blessed that we can share out of the abundance God gives us - and I truly believe that God will bless us because we are not wasting our resources, but making sure that basic needs for ourselves and others are met. In fact, we are blessed already!
Saturday, March 06, 2010
Will the Past Become the Future?
I've been lax the past 2+ weeks in writing...Africa and the children has taken up most of my time, and I promised myself that I would blog once each week this year.
Last Sunday, we had planned to go to worship in Cape Coast with Percy, our coordinator. However, Sarah had gotten sick on Saturday, and we needed to reschedule some things that we had wanted to do that day. We drove to the Canopy Walk (suspension bridge over the rain forest) and to Elmina Castle (the first slave port in Ghana). Along the way, we saw many people dressed and walking to church. I had noticed that a number of the roadside stands were closed, but didn't ask Percy any questions.
When we were traveling between the Canopy Walk and the castle, I asked Percy about the stores. He said that almost all of them close on Sunday, because everyone goes to church. There are churches of all sizes, shapes, and colors, and people dress in their best. The stores were just opening up (it was between 2:00 and 3:00 pm), but for the morning, business suspends itself for a higher purpose.
Over the years, I've heard a number of people say that they long for the days 20-50 years ago, when everything closed down on Sundays...Sunday was the Lord's day. Having observed what that's like, though, I wonder if we're willing to have things return to the way they were. If reclaiming Sunday for God or the church (as some evangelicals say) means that businesses close, but that we also have to give up our cars, televisions, and other things, would we do it? Are we willing to give it all up, or do we just want the parts that are convenient for us?
Perhaps the real question is: if I want to reclaim Sunday for God, the church, and Sabbath, am I willing to let those things reclaim me? The answer to that past will shape our future.
Last Sunday, we had planned to go to worship in Cape Coast with Percy, our coordinator. However, Sarah had gotten sick on Saturday, and we needed to reschedule some things that we had wanted to do that day. We drove to the Canopy Walk (suspension bridge over the rain forest) and to Elmina Castle (the first slave port in Ghana). Along the way, we saw many people dressed and walking to church. I had noticed that a number of the roadside stands were closed, but didn't ask Percy any questions.
When we were traveling between the Canopy Walk and the castle, I asked Percy about the stores. He said that almost all of them close on Sunday, because everyone goes to church. There are churches of all sizes, shapes, and colors, and people dress in their best. The stores were just opening up (it was between 2:00 and 3:00 pm), but for the morning, business suspends itself for a higher purpose.
Over the years, I've heard a number of people say that they long for the days 20-50 years ago, when everything closed down on Sundays...Sunday was the Lord's day. Having observed what that's like, though, I wonder if we're willing to have things return to the way they were. If reclaiming Sunday for God or the church (as some evangelicals say) means that businesses close, but that we also have to give up our cars, televisions, and other things, would we do it? Are we willing to give it all up, or do we just want the parts that are convenient for us?
Perhaps the real question is: if I want to reclaim Sunday for God, the church, and Sabbath, am I willing to let those things reclaim me? The answer to that past will shape our future.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)