Rediscovery

In My Head

Lately I've spent a lot of thought on the source of poverty as relational. Most of it sparked by a book I am reading on Community Development for my Wheaton Graduate Degree in Intercultural Studies. I'll be taking classes in Thailand after this busy semester comes to an end. For now, in addition to all the teacher stuff I already have to do, I'll have to pump out a few papers on books about spiritual formation and transformation development I am far from finishing. I might even have to pull an all nigher or something. Ah, reminds me of college. It wasn't that long ago was it?

Anyway, I've been thinking about how deprived and skewed relationship are causes of poverty on structural levels. Stuff I used to think about all the time at Wheaton. Even though I'm not working in a direct way with this stuff the way I originally wanted to, my thoughts are still being worked out and challeneged. I think it's good for me, don't you?

In some ways, maybe my time in China is liken to Moses when he left Egypt. He worked as a shepherd for forty years or so gettin ready for something bigger. I'm planning on three years here in China. I wonder if I'll spot any burning bushes.

I'm also finally getting around to reading Phillip Yancey's "What's So Amazing About Grace," something I should have read years ago knowing my own passions and interests. It's caused me to think about the relationship between Grace and Power. I gave a saying to some of my students the other day when teaching them about how to use language for apologies and forgiveness. I said, "The most powerful weapon on Earth is forgiveness; with it you can completely destroy your enemies because to forgive an enemy is to turn them into your friends." I think I got the line from some movie though...

How that fits into the whole reconciliation concept I haven't thought about yet. I've been emailing a close brother recently about this topic; tryin' to figure out the line between forgiveness and reconcilition, calling a person to responsibility while showing love. It's a hard topic.. .

Such things: poverty, reconciliation, grace, holiness, they've always been close to my heart. They are often the themes of the pictures I take, the dramas I write, the thoughts I jot down in my journal.

I wonder how these passions will be used during my time here in China.. .

So that's a quick view into my head. But what about what's going on around me? It's been a long time since I've blogged or written a substantial email to anyone. I probably shouldn't be using time to write this even now, I've got lessons to prepare and papers and tests to grade! But I think my soul needs it. It's been far too busy lately.

posted by Unknown @ 1:15 AM