"Ill with want and poisoned by this ugly greed"

Last week our city wide consisted of going down town and handing out pizza to talk to homeless people. I always love hanging out with people in this situation. They are usually really authentic and willing to talk. I talked to one guy for a really long time. One thing he said that stuck with me was the fact that we take so much for granted. And he said that when he had money he took it for granted as well. Something as simple as being able to choose what we get to eat. There are a lot of meals for the homeless here in Philly but they don't get to choose what they have... they get what they get. I think in America we have become "Ill with want". And yes, that is another Avett Brother's song! But it rings true every time I hear it. The line that sticks out to me is: "The more I have the more I think I am almost where I need to be... If only I could get a little more" I think that this is a common feeling in the consumerised America. I am scared that we have become sick with how much we desire to have. The kingdom of God is a kingdom of denying our wants for sinful and sometimes material things. So let me challenge you to go and pick up a homeless person and ask them what THEY want to eat and take them out and get them something. We must become less so that He may become more. Another line of the song is "I need for something; nah let me break it down again... I need for something but not more medicine." We need Jesus to be the ruler of our financial lives and if our money is going to say "In God we Trust", let’s spend it like we believe it.

“Why can’t you see yourself as beautiful as I see you?”

These Avett Brothers lyrics have been playing over and over in my head the past few weeks. It makes me think of a couple of things. One, I feel that these are the lyrics God sings to us. I feel like he longs for us to see the beauty in ourselves - that is God’s own image. He sees us for what we were meant to be and it has got to kill Him (literally) to see what we’ve done to His image. His image has been distorted in us because of the Fall, but there is hope in the fact that His image is there. And if His image is in me, the worst of sinners, then it is also in the homeless man, the violent teen, the drug dealer, and in each team member.
That brings me to the second thing. We must see others as beautiful so that they too can see themselves as beautiful. If we are to fulfill the second most important commandment as stated by Jesus (Love your neighbor as yourself…), then we must see the image of God in everyone we meet. Not just in the good things or good characteristics of these individuals but in everything about that person. For I believe God is always present, so we must refuse to see the muck but to see the beauty so then we can recite these lyrics to the man who has given up. I truly long for us to see each other as beautiful as God sees us.

Mission Year?

I think I cringe a little bit whenever someone says Mission Year. I feel like this goes against everything I read about in my Bible. This is not a year event. I am not here to be cleansed of a bug I have in my system and I do not feel like this is a Missions trip in the least bit. (I understand if you wish to withdraw support at this time haha :) I am here to learn, grow, and live. I feel called to a very simplistic life and I do not feel called to do so for just one year. I feel as if this will be my life. I wish to move into in low income area and live along side of my neighbors’ there. Mission Year (and yes I cringed a bit there) is what I am using to teach me. I felt called to living in community and living with the poor long before I knew about Mission Year, but I thought it would be wise if I learned from people who have experience in these areas. I feel called to the poor because I believe I cannot be close to Jesus if I am not close to the poor, for He says "... whatever you do to the least of these you do to me". So hopefully with that in mind ya'll will partner with me for more than just a year. Hopefully we will be challenged and stretched through things I see and experience and maybe even prompt you to join me. Yes I am doing Mission Year but it is just a notch on my belt in my Mission Life!

Gym Class Hero

At first I had trouble coming up with something to write about. There are so many options: Community living, hanging out with the simple way, lessons I am learning, the neighborhood outreach, church partnership, public transportation, lack of funding from the government on needed programs, or lack of support from suburban churches or even urban sometimes. These are all topics I may blog about one of these days but today a quote came to mind. “Those who can't... teach and those who can't teach... teach gym." So here I am finding myself a gym teacher at the age of 18. I am working at a school named Logan Hope. Logan Hope is a small private school that gives quality education for a very small tuition. The school is mostly Cambodian students with a hand full of African American students and about 6 white students. I teach Gym to kids age 5 to 15. That is a large gap in capabilities. God has been teaching me so much in just one week of teaching. He constantly reminds me that I can't even teach Gym without Him. I am forced to pray constantly before, during and after class. The title of this Blog is Gym Class Hero but that is far from what I am. I had the idea of coming in and being the poster child of fun. This is not an easy task for me when I am teaching kindergartners who can't even sit in a circle for duck, duck goose. I do not change the title though because there is a hero in gym class. It is not me though. God is the hero in Logan Hope's gym class. He is the one who allows the kids to have fun despite me. He is the one who loves the kids and is patient with them. I thank God daily that He is my Hero and is the Hero in my class!



Make Some Noise!!

Mission Year - North Philly - Love God, Love Others... Nothing else matters.