just read: Generous Justice

Proverbs 14:31 - He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker.



This is a book I will read again and again. I picked it up while browsing through a book store on a leisurely evening in the fall. It took me that long to get through it, because the content is so dense and thought provoking. I couldn't read even a chapter at a time. I had to put it down section by section and ponder the arguments proposed by the author. 

The topic of grace is what caught my attention - more than justice. It was a book that made me think long and hard about what is real, what is generous and what is just.

In this book Keller advocates for a life lived for others, with effort spent toward unselfish pursuits. That is not a new topic for this blog.

He advocates sacrifical giving. Generosity. Another common theme on this blog.

Keller approaches this from an intellectual mindset, but with an obviously compassionate heart. He is best known for his apologetics books like The Reason for God  and The Prodigal God. Many times he challenged my ideas while simultaneously encouraging my heart. This book inspired my talk for the MLK event.

I like Keller's writing. I like his approach. One does not have to deny intellect to embrace faith, rather the two are allies. He comes from a Biblical perspective, thus there are things that would surprise (or offend) individuals on both sides of the political aisle.

Since Keller is writing from a Christian perspective, he argues that if we have truly encountered God's grace it will compell us to make the world better. It will draw us to the poor, not to give handouts, but to become deeply involved in their lives. In his words, "If you look down at the poor and stay aloof from their suffering, you have not really understood or experienced God's grace." Challenging words.
 
just Sheri, changed by grace

a new definition for wisdom

Given to the author of Blue Sweater by a monk in Cambodia called Maha Ghosananda:

If you move through the world only with your intellect, then you walk on only one leg...

If you move through the world only with your compassion, then you walk on only one leg...

But if you move through the world with both intellect and compassion, then you have wisdom.

just Sheri, seeking wisdom

just read: The Blue Sweater

The Blue Sweater: bridging the gap between rich and poor in an interconnected world

This book was recommended to me by a friend when visiting North Carolina. It is packed full of interesting travel stories to far-away places. It is written by a women who is making a difference in the world. The author has a particular vision for how to help the poor - through the marketplace. Some of the most exciting development projects I've been a part of involved links to market value chains. This concept is all the rage now, a hot topic, and an up and coming trend. Jacqueline is one of it's prominent proponents.

Like everything this method has it's limitations. For highly functioning individuals living in poverty it is offering a hand-up to improve their circumstances, it is investing in promising entrepreneurs that are otherwise overlooked. All of this is good. It is not the final solution. Loans to poor people, no matter how patient or generous the lender, sometimes just succeeds in putting poor people in debt which further complicates their circumstances. Through this book it is apparent that Jacqueline has been around and is aware of the complications in any effort to improve the circumstances of those who are vulnerable and often oppressed in this world.

Her stories made me want to jump back in to my former life of adventure. I wanted to be on an airplane going to a far away land, doing work that was engaging the most vulnerable....but alas that is not my current reality. So, instead I was grateful that I had seen many of these places and that I knew firsthand the circumstances she describes.

It also left me with two pressing thoughts in regard to my own nation:

1. The poor in America are, also, often overlooked when it comes to business ventures. I know many who live in the ghetto who have entrepreneurial spirits, but cannot access capital or professional networks. What would happen if we approached difficult areas in America with a similar strategy? What if we invested in the same way in our vulnerable populations - focusing on their promise rather than creating dependence in our efforts to do good?
2. How can we bridge the great divide between rich and poor in America? I am not talking about redistribution of wealth. I am talking about relationships, connections, interactions. There is one thing I have noticed often since returning to my homeland. Rich people run in circles of like minded folks of similar social standing...and are more interested in climbing upward than reaching downward for friendships. They might give generously of their resources, or be involved through volunteer work on the board of directors of a charitable organization or at a soup kitchen from time to time. But, do they truly know someone struggling with poverty? are they walking beside them? do they have them over for dinner and celebrate occasions like holidays and birthdays with people from a much lower class? The answer is - unlikely. There is a chasm between rich and poor, a relational divide. That is unfortunate. That is not how it should be. Our aim for diversity should not be limited to racial diversity, but also diversity across social class. That is an extraordinary challenge, but one worth pursuing.

When I look at the person I was before my experience overseas, I see pride and arrogance. I came from humble circumstances. I worked hard to earn an education. I caught some lucky breaks professionally. I had individuals cheering me on to make it possible and through professional references was able to advance to roles beyond my beginnings. This was not of my own making, it was by the grace of God.

From my lofty position (which in comparison really isn't that high), I thought I had nothing in common with those still struggling in the muck of poverty. I would volunteer with organizations doing good work, I volunteered avidly. I would give of what financial resources I had. However, I would say, "We cannot be friends as I have nothing in common with people in those circumstances." I segregated myself. It was wrong. I don't want to be that person. I have to fight my nature and reach across the lines of class, intentionally, with the purpose of building friendship instead of looking for a charity case.

My inspiration for this effort is scripture:

"The next time you put on a dinner, don't just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You'll be - and experience - a blessing..."  Luke 14:12-14

This is a principle worth putting in to practice. I am sure I am going to make mistakes along the way, but I will make the effort. When I fall back in to old patterns or total mess up, I will push through. It is the right thing to do. It is a good way to be. It is the life I am called to live.

just Sheri, working on building diverse connections

"Kindness" poem

KINDNESS
Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness...

Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.

Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to mail letters and purchase bread
only kindness that raised its head
from the crowd of the world to say
it is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.

~ Naomi Shihab Nye

Quotable Quotes: Ulysses

"I am part of all that I have met."

~Tennyson

The "Don't Quit" Poem

Recently I was browsing a card shop and found a book mark with a poem titled: "Don't Quit." I didn't buy the book mark, but I should have as the message spoke to my soul. I post it here hoping it will encourage you.

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, When the road you're trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and the debts are high, And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest, if you must, but don't you quit. 

Life is queer with its twists and turns, As every one of us sometimes learns, And many a failure turns about, When he might have won had he stuck it out; Don't give up though the pace seems slow-- You may succeed with another blow. 

Often the goal is nearer than, It seems to a faint and faltering man, Often the struggler has given up, When he might have captured the victor's cup, And he learned too late when the night slipped down, How close he was to the golden crown. 

Success is failure turned inside out-- The silver tint of the clouds of doubt, And you never can tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems so far, So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-- It's when things seem worst that you must not quit. 

- Author unknown

just Sheri, trudging along

Quotable Quotes: problem solvers

“There is a great difference between worry and concern. 

A worried person sees a problem, 

and a concerned person solves a problem.” 

~ Harold Stephens

Quoteable Quotes: living gratitude

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget  that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."  ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 35th US President

Quoteable Quotes: Ben Franklin on joy

Joy is not in things; it is in us.

Benjamin Franklin

Quotable Quotes: Dr. Seuss

"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple." 
— Dr. Seuss

just Sheri, attempting to keep it simple

Quoteable Quotes: believing the impossible

The only way to find the limits of the possible is by going beyond them to the impossible. ~Arthur C. Clarke

careless words

Words. 

I like words. I think they hold power. I believe they can define reality. Words can inspire or depress individuals. Words carry weight in relationships. Words matter.

It is estimated that we use 5,000 words per day. That's a lot. We can't possibly be aware of every one of those words...certainly some must slip. Certainly from time to time we get careless with our words. I know I do.

I tell you, on the day of judgement people will give an account for every careless word they speak... Matthew 12:36


OUCH!!!


Since reading this a few months ago, I can't stop thinking about it. I am accountable for every careless word I speak. There have been many.


Does it count if I said it about someone to a friend and it's just between us? What if I typed it in an email, would that count? Yes and yes.


I've tried to be more careful with my words.


Just Sheri, careless sometimes

Quotable Quotes: measure of a man (or woman)

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on his birthday....his own words.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

 ~Martin Luther King Jr, Strength to Love, 1963 


Just Sheri, motivated by the message

Quoteable Quotes: $3 worth

I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please, not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine. I don't want enough of Him to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant. I want ecstasy, not transformation; I want the warmth of the womb, not a new birth. I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack. I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please.

~ Wilbur Rees

Just Sheri, wanting more but knowing it costs me something(s)

just read: Improving Your Serve

No, this is not a book about tennis. It is about living unselfishly - serving others.

I first read this book as a teenager. Someone had loaned it to my mom and it was sitting on the bookshelf in our home. The first chapter enchanted me and I had to read on. Until that moment I had looked at serving as an undesirable action and humility as weakness. This book changed everything.

I took this book with me when I moved out of my parents home. It has made the cut move after move. I even included it in our weight restricted shipment overseas. But, I hadn't read it again until now. I picked it up while we were in Africa - and just like when I was fifteen the first chapter grabbed me and sucked me back in.

Each year I send my brother a book for his birthday, it is usually my favorite book that I read that year. This was his gift for 2010 (and I hadn't finished it yet when I bought him a copy).

What was amazing in re-reading this book almost twenty years later is how much of it penetrated my mind at such a young age. Other than the Bible, I would say this is my manifesto.

I can't possibly share with you everything from the book, but I will share with you (briefly) how it changed my thinking on the topics of serving others and humility.

Prior to reading this book, I viewed serving as a lowly and undesirable act. Those who serve are often portrayed as powerless. After reading this book I viewed serving as an act requiring incredible strength - the one who serves others must have a deep well of internal resources in order to keep giving. I also (now) view it as the only act that changes individuals, communities, and ultimately the world. Power and control isn't the answer, true influence comes through service. Look at the impact of Mother Theresa if you doubt this point. She touched the globe by trying to serve one neighborhood in India.

Prior to reading this book, I viewed humility as weakness. The humble are often portrayed as downtrodden, they don't share their opinions and never speak unless spoken to. That isn't how humility is described in this book. Rather, humility is fortitude. The truly humble don't deny their strengths, they know their worth, but don't have to prove it to anyone else. Humble people let their character speak for itself and have enough discernment not to engage in trivial fights. They do, however, speak on behalf of the poor and exploited or point out when they see injustice. The difference is that it is not about them, because their value is assured. That frees these individuals up to fight on behalf of others and shake off any destructive comments they receive along the way (while still being open to constructive criticism).

I now see servants as superheros. Enduring the unendurable. Continuing to give when everyone else has quit and gone home. Fighting on behalf of the less fortunate. World changers - one person at a time.

These are only two of the many concepts in the book. There are also powerful chapters on forgiving and generosity. From beginning to end the message is powerful and counter cultural. I think everyone can benefit from it's message and I am convinced that if we had a few more servants on earth, this world would be a better place.

And just so we are clear. I re-read this book because I needed to hear it's message. I have in no way obtained the standard it sets and I am trying to lay down my stuff bit by bit. It is not an easy journey, but I believe it is worth the effort.

What is your view of service and humility?

Just Sheri, reminded of a goal worth striving toward

just read: The Land Between

The Land Between: that middle space while getting from here (current circumstances) to there (fertile ground rooted in God's promise). This space often leaves us feeling lost, lonely and deeply hurt.  It can be a time of great spiritual transformation or a time when our faith shrivels and dies - we choose the outcome. Either way God is still there and his promise is still true.

This book follows the passage of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt to the promise land. It was a long journey through a desert place. If you have read this blog in recent weeks then you know we are in transition...so the book was aptly timed. 

Chapter 4 talks about the weight of discouragement. During this journey, Moses has a talk with God that I can relate to...maybe you can too.

Numbers 11:11-15 He asked the LORD, "Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant...I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.  If this is how you are going to treat me, put me to death right now - if I have found favor in your eyes - and do not let me face my own ruin." [emphasis mine]

Certainly, I have asked what is the purpose of this hardship? What is God attempting to teach me?

According to the author, the answer is God saying, "I am worthy of your trust. You need to learn to depend on me."

The author continues on to say, "Hear the whisper of the Creator: 'I am all sufficient. Turn to me. Trust me. I am proving myself as a capable provider.'"

So, in this time of transition where we still have no jobs (thus no income). We still don't know where we will live long-term. We are trying to help a family thrown in to chaos by a health crisis...that has no cure. I am trying to put faith in to action and believe the words of this book.

Just Sheri, wandering in the desert place and hoping to see the promise land

be silent

Be silent.
Be still.
Alone.
Empty.
Before your God.
Say nothing.
Ask nothing.
Be silent.
Be still.
Let your God
Look upon you.
That is all.
God knows.
God understands.
God loves you
With an enormous love,
And only wants
To look upon you
With that love.
Quiet.
Still.
Be.
Let your God –
Love you.
Edwina Gately,
Psalms of a Laywoman

The Power of a Whisper

Isaiah 30:21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left,
your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying,
“This is the way; walk in it.”

 
I recently finished reading an inspiring book called "The Power of a Whisper" by Bill Hybels. It may seem crazy to some to admit to hearing voices. But, I believe that Providence has guided my life and led me on this great adventure.  The author describes a similar experience in his own life. Is there any other reason we would uproot (again) and leave the known for the unknown? No rational reason that I know of, it just simply doesn't add up on a spreadsheet. I have never regretted following the leading of my God and I enjoyed reading stories of others who have responded to the call.
 
Bill closes the book with the following quote:

Listen up. Follow through. And then join your heavenly Father on a whisper-fueled adventure you'll never regret.

Will you accept the challenge?

Just Sheri, attempting to obey quiet promptings from the unseen

Keeping it Real...

I was recently reminded of a story that had a big impact on me as a young(er) person. I think I was around 15 years old when I read a children's story and it brought with it new insight. I was reminded about this by a blog post from a stranger, which was retweeted by a friend. So, I clicked the link to Single Dad Laughing and a post about The Disease Called  "Perfection".

I like what the author had to say, it has obviously resonated with many. It has certainly identified a major problem in the culture I come from, which is also likely a human condition.

The blogger says:

"Perfection" is a hideous monster with a really beautiful face. And chances are you're infected. The good news is, there is a cure.

Be real.

Embrace that you have weakness. Because everybody does. Embrace that your body is not perfect. Because nobody's is. Embrace that you have things you can't control. We all have a list of them.

Be real...BE real....Be REAL...Real, really? That is a tough one.

Through a serious of difficult circumstances in my life I have come to despise pretense. I have a very low tolerance for it anymore - but it wasn't always this way and sometimes I can still slip back in to old habits because being real is also quite a vulnerable place to live.

What does a children's story have to do with this difficult, adult topic? It offers the best explanation I've ever seen of what it means to be real - really real. Below is an excerpt from the Velveteen Rabbit.

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day..."Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you..."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."
 
"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"


"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you become Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

Enough said. What are your thoughts on the disease of "Perfection" and the struggle to become real?

Sheri

Quoteable quotes: light

Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.
~Maori Proverb