Notes: week 6

I'm just now taking the time to compile my thoughts from two weeks ago, our week on Urban Injustice taught by Troy Sherman. It's taken me this long because basically it was the most intense week for me so far. Troy's perspective is really challenging and seriously made me think about how I view life, why I'm here doing this school, and many other things. I'll try to put together bits and pieces that make sense.

Here we go...

• Why does God seem so distant and silent in the midst of our pain and suffering? Maybe He doesn't know what to do either. He might just sit back and cry harder than we are. Death, suffering, and disease were not part of His creation.
• Let's let God off the hook: there can be no accusation against Him for what's happening in the world. He Himself came down and paid for what He was never guilty for. There is nothing He hasn't covered.
• Are you blaming God for anything? Search your heart.
• Boredom is a luxury!
• Precepts in both Old and New Testaments can be used to transform nations. Example: burying your waste outside the camp-- this can be taught to communities worldwide who are dying from curable diseases because they use the bathroom anywhere they want.
• To stop this is difficult. To make an impact is not.
• Would you like to have an effective prayer life? Be willing to be the answer to your prayers. Or shut up!
• How could Jesus spend 30 years not doing public ministry and be content? What did He say on the cross? "I've done all You've asked me to do." It's not about doing everything; it's about doing what He has asked you to do today & being satisfied with that.
• Pay attention to what is most important on God's heart. It is probably what He mentions the most throughout scripture... the poor!
• Why do you think you need a call from God to help those who suffer? The fact that we have the word "injustice" is enough.
• 1 Cor. 4:16, You can only lead people as far as you've come yourself.
• If God gets involved in any issue in the world, He would have to get involved in EVERYTHING. Then the world would be over.
• There are problems and there are dilemmas. Dilemmas do not have a definite answer. Often we have to choose between bad and worse. (Example: abortion; our belief is to fight against abortion and pass laws to make it illegal. But if you look at crime statistics, about 80% of men in jail who commit crimes are from fatherless homes. Based on statistics, less abortions would equal more crime. What should we do?)
• Passion about everything results in passion for nothing.
• Doesn't it seem like the Church is focusing on the wrong thing? Gay marriage, for example. Why are we so passionately fighting against it when our marriages are not even successful? Ouch...
• Issue of overpopulation: it's been said that the entire world's population can fit in the state of Texas. Is overpopulation the problem? Or is it poor planning and development? Find better solutions, don't just complain.
• Educate yourself. Watch the news. Become a thinking Christian.
• Poverty is a circle. Men is squatter camps: not being able to work decreases their masculinity, so rapes increase in the community because the men have no feeling of worth or power in other ways. How can this be fixed? It can be as simple as making soccer fields and teaching them how to play. Just from the introduction of soccer, rapes decreased and the community was improved. Sometimes it's not as complicated as we think!
• Corruption: we can point the finger and say, "You are the problem," but we need to look at ourselves and ask, "Are we the reason that they are the problem?"
• "I don't want your money, I want your voice." -Bono; become an advocate. Use what's in your hand.
• "Yes we can!"

Yeah. That's a lot. I hope it makes sense! I still need to take time and meditate on some of these points. There is definitely a separation between truth and opinion, and it seems like most of that is just an opinion, but I encourage you that if you're offended by something to take it to God. It is possible that we are completely wrong in our thinking. "The world has told us what to think, but has no taught us how to think." In the realm of justice, I'm finding that statement to be more & more true.

Have a great week! This past week was on Human Trafficking and the coming one is Refugees & Immigration. I'll write about that soon enough!

Love to you.