My battle against Adultitis

Mark 10:14 Jesus said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."

The warm weather that we had last week finally brought people out of hibernation!  As I was hurrying to do the dishes the other day I noticed the neighbor kids out in the street, riding their bikes. They didn't ride because they had to. They didn't ride to get exercise.  They rode because it was fun.   I watched them stop and watch the water run down into the storm sewer.  Life for them was new, fascinating, and exciting.  

What happened to us?  How did those carefree days of our childhood turn into the stress filled days of adulthood? As we've aged something began to change.  We accepted more and more responsibilities in life.  People began to depend on us more and more.  We learned to worry about finances, about politics, about employment, and about families.  We became afflicted with 'adultitis,' which "has wrought an epidemic of stress, anxiousness, and depression.  It has plundered laughter.  It has transferred people into zombie-like doo-doo heads. (thanks to http://www.adultitis.org/ for the quote)" 

I've seen the effects of Adultitis on my own life.  As my schedule gets more and more packed I get so focused on tasks that I forget what it means to have fun.   That has to stop!  We don't proclaim a God who insists on seriousness all the time!  We proclaim a God of love and joy (and even a little silliness)!  I've run across an 'Escape Plan' to help bring that child-like joy and curiosity back into my life.  If you go to http://kimandjason.com/escapeplan/, you will find 40 challenges to help bring fun back into life.  You don't have to be childish to be child-like!   As we find more joy in life our stress level goes down and we're much more pleasant to be around (and, I'd argue, we're able to handle adult responsibilities more effectively).

I've already begun the challenges and it's been a blast.  A few things I've done:

·         I've listened to the ENTIRE In-A-Gada-Da-Vida live version (my dad owned this when I was a kid)

·         I brought a picture of a laughing Scooby-Doo to my desk (who can't smile when they see Scooby Doo)

·         I spent 15 minutes learning about Sasquatch sightings (and I learned that the most famous image is allegedly a FEMALE sasquatch)

Silly... perhaps.  Stress-reducing...no question.     Faith building...definitely!  As I get past my own anxieties I can more clearly see the God who works in my life every day.

Over MLK Day I was in Atlanta for a conference...here are my thoughts...

Today I am blessed to be with a group of pastors and lay leaders who are working to start new ministries or revitalize existing ones.  This group represents the cutting edge of the ELCA and abounds with people passionate about proclaiming the Gospel in creative ways.

This gathering focuses on issues of justice.  It can be easy for mission churches to focus only on ourselves and our relationship with God.  We proclaim a God who is not only concerned about faith and relationships.  Over and over in Scripture we hear the call for justice.

It is appropriate that we will be in Atlanta over Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  It shocks me to realize that 55 years ago many white Americans truly believed that African-Americans were inferior.  They forced them into inferior schools.  They gave them separate drinking fountains.  They made them give up seats on their buses.  In short, they treated those of African descent as less than human, not as brothers and sisters in God’s good creation. 

Those abuses eventually became too much and the African-Americans couldn’t take it anymore.  Amazingly, they fought back with non-violence.  Martin Luther King, Jr. arose as a leader of what became the Civil Rights movement.  He proclaimed a message of justice and love for the enemy.   Those in power couldn’t abide such talk, so they did everything in their power to silence him (everything from arresting him for driving five mph over the speed limit to bombing his home).  Dr. King took the abuse and refused to be provoked.

It took years, but justice finally arrived (though racism still rears an ugly head in sinister ways).  Dr. King profoundly proclaimed, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”  Has that day arrived yet?

Poverty...and hope

To get this blog kicked off I thought I'd include some thoughts from the past month...

Isaiah 58:6-8

 ⁶ “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
   and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
   and break every yoke?
⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry
   and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
   and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
   and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
   and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard

The Bible abounds in passages much like this one.  Over and over we hear about God’s concern for the poor and the oppressed.  God insists that people who have been blessed should share with those who don’t have much at all.

Last week I spent significant time in Atlanta.  I walked through some tough neighborhoods where it’s obvious that people are struggling.  In the midst of that, the challenges of poverty can seem overwhelming.  We live in a nation of abundance, yet 19% of our children live below the poverty line (which is $22,050 for a family of four).  These children have little say in their situation, but they must bear the weight of it every day.  It can seem hopeless!  Children should never go to bed hungry because they don’t have enough food to eat.  They are children of God and God grieves when they suffer.

Yet with our God, there is always hope.  God has provided this earth with more than enough for all people.  Our Christian challenge is to find ways to alleviate poverty in our nation.  The root causes of poverty are very complex, making solutions hard to agree on.  How are people empowered to break out of the cycle of poverty?  What role does the government play in caring for the poor?  Where do charities fit into the solutions?  What systems of injustice hinder efforts to end poverty?  

No matter what side of the political aisle you are on, we all have the same Christian calling to care for the poor.  In your life, how does God call you to loose the chains of injustice, set the oppressed free, share food with the hungry, or provide the poor wanderer with shelter?  Our Christian faith gets wrapped up in how we answer that question!

So....blogging then!

There are a zillion reasons I've avoided blogging:

1. I didn't think anyone would care what I ate for breakfast today
2. I don't feel like going on a political rant
3. I don't want to have to come up with witty, quotable comments every day
4. I always figured that bloggers just liked to hear themselves talk

So...as I start this first blog, I have some things to avoid!

Peace Lutheran Church shifted to a weekly newsletter last year, making my weekly article much more like, well, a blog.  It's become the place where I reflect on how God is a part of daily life.  I've been told that some people are encouraging their friends to sign up for the newsletter just so they can read my musings...so I figured that shifting those articles to a blog could be helpful.

My articles will continue to be in "Peace With You," our weekly newsletter (which you can sign up for at http://www.peaceeyota.org/), but I'll also start posting them here as well. 

So...feel free to follow along as I ponder life with God...as I Walk in the Sunshine.