First November Post :)

Good morning!

I like November. It's a good month. Fall, leaves, pumpkin bars, hot apple cider, Thanksgiving...it's a nice month.

I haven't written for a while, so I have a back-log of things to say. Or, perhaps, it may seem that way, but really I didn't write because I didn't have anything too important to say anyway. But the minute I acknowledge that I need to write a blog, the ideas start flowing. It's like the Field of Dreams--"if you acknowledge it, they will come."

And today is the first Thursday in three weeks that it hasn't rained! Yay.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how to create change. Just call me Barack Obama. Or, if you prefer, Orock Bahama.

What brought this to mind was the Simpson students that I see volunteering at various places around the city. No one can deny that their volunteer hours working with inner-city youth are beneficial. Beneficial to the kids, yes, but probably just as beneficial to them as people, because experiencing different things changes you. It's like with YouthWorks, the short-term mission organization I worked with for a couple of summers. The "works" in "YouthWorks" refers to the changes that take place in the hearts of the youth, not the work they do in the outside world.

Well, that's great. Changing hearts. But if the changing of hearts doesn't change their lifestyle, how does that help? If they realize there is poverty in the world, but still continue to live a selfish life, what good does that do? I think we need to switch from living for ourselves, to living for others. We have to create systemic change, just not bandage up the problem.

So, volunteering at a kid's program----
            Create systemic change: mentor the child so they can work towards a better future than their parents were able to give them.
            Bandage the problem: middle-class girl volunteers at inner-city kid's program to add to her resume, so she can get a better job out of college.

Do you see the difference here? Modern society tells us to volunteer at these programs so we can put it on our resumes, so we can get a better job, so we can drive the economy, so we can keep these people needing the services these programs provide. Real life tells us that we should volunteer at these programs so we can improve the lives of those in the programs, then take what we've learned and change our lifestyles so we don't continue to oppress them.

And let me just say quickly that I have no idea how to do that. I have no idea how to live so we don't oppress others. I write like it sounds like I have it all figured out. Sometimes I'm not entirely convinced that we shouldn't just live for ourselves. Sometimes I'm not convinced that working for justice and peace is what we were put here to do. Maybe we were just put here to enjoy ourselves? Talk about a shallow existence...


Two more random things:

1. I spent a couple of minutes talking to one of our guests outside of the house yesterday. I say hi to him everytime I see him, but haven't ever really had a conversation with him before. So, this conversation sort of took a turn where this guy appeared to be that stereotypical crazy homeless man, "I'm God's chosen," and all that. It wasn't because of this that I had to leave the conversation, but it may have appeared as such. Regardless, as I was leaving, he simply said, "Thanks for listening."

Dang. Sometimes that's all they need.

2. My neighborhood isn't ghetto, nor "the hood," nor dangerous. When I walk down the streets, I see nice little houses with fences and bikes. Grills, kid's toys, and flowers in front yards. There is nothing scary about this neighborhood. I just wanted to clarify that, more to myself if nothing else. This world is beautiful.