I feel like Don Miller concludes his book very much in the same fashion that he started it with.  Throughout the whole book, he questions his faith and seems to doubt his and others true relationship with Jesus.  It was not until the very end that we see Miller truly become a lover of God.  "I don't find anyone more noble than Jesus.  He gave His life for me, in obedience to His fathe.  I truly love him for it."  Miller has become a great role model for me in searching for the true meaning of my faith and being accepting of those who may irritate you based on their religion or beliefs.

My favorite part in the whole book is the last page where he compares Christianity to jazz music.   "I think loving Jesus is something you feel.  I think it is something very difficult to get on paper.  But it is no less real, no less meaningful, no less beautiful.  I thought that was great. This is very similar everything I have learned from these two classes this year.  I have learned that you can not sum up God in a couple sentences.  Or Christianity.  Or Justice.  REligion is not something that is, in its entirety, written in stone.  It has to come from the heart.  Of course, reading the Bible and studying texts is very important to arriving at your belief, but in the end your faith and your love for God must come from the heart.  One it comes from the heart, it becomes so much more intimate, so much more important, and so much more personal.

Project Update

My project has slightly changed by redirecting my focus towards the homeless situation in Nashville and the people of the community's views and ideas of what njustices lead to being homeless.  I still plan on going downtown to interact first hand with people walking around and the homless.  I plan on doing an interactive powerpoint with pictures and sound clips from my experiences.

The last part of BReathing Space seemed to have a dark tone towards the beginning.  It was due to the combination of Heidi's lack of faith in the foundation of the church and the fact that she kept listing the names of many faithful church goers that had died for multiple causes.  However later in the chapter she lifts the spirits of the reader back up through the victories of life that she has seen uplifted after periods of great struggle and much pain.  Stories of Angie, Ben, Burnice, Nikia and her kids were very inspiring. 

The first thing that struck me as I read the last section of the book was the idea of burning patience.  "Only with a burning patience can we conquer the splendid city which will give light, justice, and dignity to all."  I think this is a message that can go way beyond the conquering of a fallen city.  I think this can translate into everyone's life.  I struggle with patience everyday.  Waiting in the sandwich line in the caf, patience in dealing with the daily stresses that this final project may bring, and patience with many people's actions that I see and disapprove of everyday.  However simplistic and unimportant these may seem when compared to the patience Heidi must have to endure, it still remains relevant.  Everybody in our world today is always in such a rush.  Everybody is in competition to succeed greater then those around them.  I think we've lost a sense of patience to let things unfold how they may, but at the same time striving to bring about the best in our lives an those around us.  "Burning patience" is a good way to put it because impatience always seems to overrule.  Even though Heidi admits that her patience runs thin very often, I think it is her patience that I am most inspired by in the book.  The daily stresses of struggles with the actual church building itself, the money issues, the deaths she witnesses, the tears she shed, the great people she lost.  Amidst all this Heidi is patient and knows that  justice will be victorious.  I really liked how the last portion of her book was called And Still We Rise.  This sums up Heidi's incredible optimism and how ones life can be at the very bottom of the well, but still we can rise.  It only takes some faith, the help of loved ones, and the passion to better oneself so we can live to see tomorrow.

Heidi's unrest and discontent escalates greatly in Part 2 of Breathing Space.  Whether its the Bronx Department of Buildings, lack of progress of their new Church, or the Mission funds, this could not have been an easy time for Heidi.  However, the relentless efforts of Heid is something so admirable and she has never ceased to amaze me throughout the readings.  The comments of  the people at the fund raising conference also didn't sit too easily with me.  No "shakers or movers"???  Here these people are putting down the very "nobodies" that are overflowing with love and compassion.  Heidi and the children's feeling of being rich was also very inspiring and many times people forget the little things that can make one feel so.  

The story of Danielle at McDonalds was particularly touching.  Left by her father to gambling and her mother to crack, it amazes me that a girl this young can still have so much love in her heart and thoughtfulness to bring back her brothers and sisters some french fries.  And it is acts like this as Heidi points out, that make one feel rich and deserving.

Reactions from Breathing Space

I was very intrigued when I began reading Breathing Space and I definitely enjoyed the first part we had to read.  Heidi's passion and relentless faith in her city, church, and community are very admirable and I couldn't help but to make comparisons to Shane Claiborne.  Also, similar to Claiborne, I felt her grass-roots movement and ideals behind Transfiguration were very commendable.  I liked when she said how church isn't just a place to find God, but "it was also a place to meet sing, laugh, and eat with one another.  Church was no place for private religious experience. Church was a community."  I liked this because I could relate it to the church that I have began going to where it really does seem like a solid community.  People don't just go there to worship God and as soon as the service is over they leave.  Instead, they get there early, they eat and talk among each other, they sing throughout the service, and there is just an honest feeling of love and desire to be there, while worshipping God.  

I never realized the turmoil that the Bronx was in during the 70's and 80s and I found that to be pretty eye opening.  It is hard to believe that at the time, more children were dying of asthma that anywhere in the world.  Even with the technology and advance medicinal capabilities of the US, it seemed, according to Heidi, that this area of the Bronx did literally turn into the waste disposal of New York.  

Lastly, I could relate to Heidi in the sense that retreats to nature were the best way to find yourself and find God (if one so desires).  There is something about nature that brings a certain element out of you that does not appear, say, in a big city like new York.  Im not sure what that element is but there is something soothing, something that touches the soul when you come face to face with nature in its purest form.  I liked when she said, "Cities seemed too chaotic.  I wanted nature. I wanted intimacy with creation." I liked that, "intimacy with creation."

My ideas for my final project have not changed a whole lot but I have furthered the idea and the preparation for the project.  My focus will remain on the injustices that the homeless face and I still plan on putting together roughly 30 full complete meals to distribute downtown.  I am really trying to stray from doing this with an already established organization because this is something I want to do firsthand.  My plan is to make around 30 meals, including a sandwich, fruit, chips, water, and a cup of soup.   I talked to the man who runs the cafeteria and he said he would be willing to help supply either the soup, fruit, or utensils needed.  Once the meals are prepared, I plan on going downtown with a group of friends, for safety purposes, and distributing them to homeless people.  Each meal I hand out will also be followed by a simple question to the man or woman concerning their personal experiences of injustice.  I think the question is going to be, "What is the one injustice you have faced that you feel led to you being homeless."  I plan on recording their responses on either my Ipod recording device or in video format on a Mac.  

The basis of this project is simply to learn firsthand what are some injustices in the world that lead to becoming homeless and at the same time provide a nice meal to those that can not do so for themselves.  My reflective piece would cover the process of making the meals, the distribution process, the reaction from the homeless recipient, and their views on injustice. 

Both MLK and Isaiah show the quality of being "nonaggressive physically but strongly aggressive spiritually" throughout the readings.  They both seek the people of their times in a world where none of them seem to relate with such an extremist such as MLK and Isaiah.  I think each go hand in hand with each other and I believe Kink and Isaiah would have kicked it pretty hard together if they were alive at the same time.  

Isaiah chapters 50-53 are, once again, pages of beautiful text.  My favorite line was "The sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary.  He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught. "  Isaiah continues throughout these chapters declaring the light of the Lord in between citing the actual words of the Lord.  The time of 2nd Isaiah was in the most crucial point of exile and it meant everything to Isaiah to try and get his people to "Rise up from the dust" and break the chains that keep them ruled.  This is similar to MLK because his political and social movement came at the most crucial moment of the civil rights era.  In his speech The Power of Non-Violence, MLK explains that nonviolence is not a method of cowardice.  He goes to explain how "the end of violence or the aftermath of violence is bitterness.  The aftermath of nonviolence is reconciliation and the creation of a beloved community."  You can't put it better than that. 

My favorite part of the speech is when he acknowledges the fact that there are many advocates of nonviolence who do not believe in a personal God.  Instead, among pretty much all people, we have some sort of cosmic companionship that will continue to unfold justice just as long as we stay true to ourselves and our peers and go about life living in a nonviolent manner. 

The division between just-war and pacifism has made me think for a while.  And I still don't know where I stand.  It seems like each side has certain aspects that I agree with and others that I don't.  In David's article A Practical Christian Pacifism, he states, "Pacifism is surrender.  The pacifist viewpoint is appealing in principle, but in practice it means surrendering to the aggressor.  Capitulation to the forces of evil cannot be moral."  As appealing and truthful as this may be to many, it isn't how Jesus would feel.  According to the Gospel writers, Jesus said we must love our enemies and return good for evil.  There is nothing loving or good about war.  So this leads me to question why there is a division among Christians when it states clearly in the bible how Jesus would feel about this issue.  But then again, like Rabbi Flip said, not everything in the bible/ tanak should be taken literally.  That can also be controversial to Christians and people of other religion.  It seems to me that you can go on and on about different aspects, morales, and ideas of a certain religion, but in the end there will always be conflict.  There will always be somebody saying, "No, that isn't right."  I guess I'm just bothered with everybody assuming that what they believe in is right.  Can we sit back as a country and let another country drop bombs and kill innocent people? Of course not.  But according to the bible, that is what we should do.  How would a pacifist respond to that? And at the same time, how does a just-war advocate validate killing innocent people for oil in Iraq.  Oil is not a reason to go to war.  How would a just-war advocate respond to that?  It seems to me to be a never ending cycle and I still don't know where I stand.  No, we can't sit back and watch our country be attacked.  If action is going to be taken, it must be done the right way and I think the "right way" means having a legitimate plan for success that doesn't involve any other countries, any civilians, any side issues the countries may have, it shouldn't take years to accomplish, the government shouldn't hide anything from the public, and the two opposing sides who want to fight should come face to face like they did in the old days.  The problem is though, this will never happen...so what good is just-war?  I think David is right when he states that both sides, pacifist and just-war advocates, should be faced "squarely an debated vigorously in the churches, and pacifists and non-pacifists can learn much from each other in this debate."  I don't believe that there is a right or wrong answer, but in time I hope that both sides could come to a compromise so that this issue can be resolved and people could get back to the real intentions of what it means to be a Christian

I did no receive the Strobel packet which I assume was given on Friday, so I do not have exactly a lot to blog about.  From what I understand from reading other blogs is that he has dedicated his life to helping those in poverty like Dorothy and Shane, and I am excited to hear what he has to say and experiences he has had.

Some questions were raised this weekend while having a long conversation with a friend of mine concerning religion.  I was telling him about the religion classes I was taking and how between the classes, the books we read, and kids I have met, how much I have learned about religion and Christianity so far this semester.  My friend, I would say would consider himself an atheist and it was nice to be able to direct him to some positive figures and ideas in the religious that stood against many of the concerns that he had (and that I still have).  Topics such as religious war, "false Christians", the feeling that "my religion is better than yours", and the fact of whether or not there is actual evidence that events from the Bible took place.  Having many concerns like these for years, it was nice to have at least a little bit of knowledge and insight to disprove or at least validate some of his concerns.  And as this went on, I slowly realized that I am coming around to Christianity and its ideas and beliefs. I ended up answering many of my own concerns that I have always had and it is because of the things I've learned and read in these classes.  I told him that I was gonna mail him the Irresistible Revolution because I would definitely say that that book influenced me and gave me great hope in Christianity and religion itself.

Not really anything substantial to blog about, but I just thought I'd share an occurrence that I had and I hope that you guys will keep helping spread the good word that we are learning about and shedding as much light on what's important to you and your religion

Final Project- feed the homeless

After reading The Irresistible Revolution, I have been inspired.  I think for my final project I'd like to prepare a bunch of meals, roughly 30, and go around downtown delivering them to homeless people on the street.  The plan is to purchase deli meat and condiments, make 30 sandwiches, get bananas and apples, supply bottle water, and maybe chips.  Also I was thinking about talking to the man in charge of the cafeteria to see if he could supply a big pot of soup that I could also serve in styrofoam cups.  Even though it would only be one meal for each person, I think they would definitely appreciate a full, nutritious meal for a change.  Once the meals were prepared, I'd load of my car and go around the city delivering meals.  

"Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (2:3).   Isaiah is a true prophet to me.  On page 92 Isaiah is quoted numerous times speaking out against war brutalities and is quoted on his visions of the day that war and fighting won't exist as a method of displaying power or protection.  Instead of war, Isaiah chooses to let God secure him.  God will wipe away people's tears, God will secure the lands, and God alone is "true protection."  I thought that was pretty profound of Isaiah to claim that with God, we do not need war.   Among the corruptness and ruthless crimes being committed in Assyria, Isaiah was the one who stood up and claimed how quickly downfall of the Assyrian empire would occur due to the fact that "she perpetrated dreadful crimes instead of manifesting justice."  In Isaiah's words and in times like these, God is always with us we are always being protected.  Sure, there may be times where it might be justified to go to war, but we as people and as a nation need to be constantly looking for alternatives.  For a Christian, look no further to God.  For somebody who isn't religious, look no further than love and compassion.  There have got to be ways around it, and I liked how Isaiah, as a prophet, stood out against war.  

Isaiah not only speaks out against war.  I also truly liked his uneasiness towards the city of Judah.  It was the inner state of Judah is filled with confidence, wise men, and a constructive civilization that Isaiah saw right through.  Men not worshipping God, men exploiting the poor, and men "devoid of the simple insight with which even an animal endowed- knowing who he is."  This one could argue is a direct prophecy of today's society.  So often we see our country's downfalls, weaknesses, and errors covered up by something that appears to be okay and accepted.  Crooked politicians in fancy suits, technology that seems to be furthering society,  commercialization displaying false hope, and war all seem to contribute to covering up some of society's biggest flaws.  Isaiah saw this occurring in Judah and predicted the eventual downfall which I found pretty prolific.  "How marvelous is the world that God has created! And how horrible is the world that man has made!"

Blog #2

Its ironic that in the man's very first existence into the world, he breaks a rule.  In today's corrupt and evil world, rule breaking is prevalent everywhere.  It was as if it was foreshadowed from the very first story in the Bible, that man was bound to be evil.  This is my first time reading the Bible, so it was nice to read the story of Adam and Eve actually how it was intended.  It was easy reading and told of a good story.  The beginning parts seemed to resemble a sort of beautiful poetry describing the creation of the stars, plants, and animals.  I also realized that in this story is where we get our idea of snakes and serpents as being a figure of evil, since it was the serpent who convinced Eve to eat the fruit.

I enjoyed the story of Esther because of the eventual triumph of the Jews over Mordecai.  Previously, the kings men were all against the Jews but soon, "all the nobles of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and the king's administration helped the Jews, because fear of Mordecai had seized them." It is a classic story of a group of people overcoming adversity and standing up for what is right and I enjoyed that. Not too much else to say about the reading's.

Shane's opening statement in chapter 10 identifies with my number one concern among Christianity and religion in general.  It's a concern that has led me astray from embracing religion of any form.  Something like Christianity, which is suppose to withhold such pride and sanctity in morals, values, and truth, is so often skewed by many people who do not act morally and simply only seek truth on Sunday mornings.  I've been filled with great feelings of relief to know that people like Shane are stepping up and making their voice heard to bring back the true motives and intentions of Christianity that have been dismissed by so many.  I appreciate Shane bringing the "love," "grace," "and "community" back to religion.

Not coming from a particularly strong Christian background, I have thoroughly enjoyed Shane's numerous scripture quotes and biblical stories.  I especially like the one on page 273 about Dirk Willems fleeing from execution only to end up saving the guard's life that he was escaping from.  Even though burned at the stake, he died in pursuit of love and I can dig that.  We all should.

Shane cites Dorothy Day many times during the book.  Does anyone know anything about Dorothy?

I thought it was cool that Shane's article in SPIN magazine made such a good impression among its staff and readers (at least in his words it did).  Although one could argue that his interview was contradicting to his previous statements of how Jesus has become too commercialized, I think that many people who are readers of contemporary magazines such as SPIN are the same people that have become disillusioned with religion. I feel that other magazines should include positive messages such as Shane's as opposed to articles on how good Paris Hilton's butt looked at the club last Friday.

"The average American consumes as much as 520 Ethiopians do" (page 344).  Interesting fact, but I'd like to know where he got this information.  Although Shane cites a ton in the book, I feel like he has slipped many facts like this one into his book without citing where he found it.

 The Irresistible Revolution was incredible.  I have a lot more faith in religion and humanity after reading this book and I am very thankful that I read it.