A Perfect World, is it Possible? by Nathan

One of the themes of this year of service and learning is that the world is messed up. I had always heard the phrase as a child, "Life isn't fair." That was always thrown around like it's no big deal. So if life isn't fair, why do we try to make it fair? Is it even possible? I'm not so sure it is.

     What sparked my interest in writing this blog is this trip we're on to Arizona and Mexico to learn about the border (Borderlinks).   I've never been opposed to illegal immigrants and I've always thought that our government should not make it so difficult for people to come here. Since we are mainly here to learn about why it IS wrong to have a border like this, I knew that part wasn't going to be the issue for me. What filled me was this feeling of hopelessness. Seriously, what CAN we do?

Nathan, Britney, Jenn, Eva, & Isaiah

     Another thing that I've been hearing throughout the year is about the food industry. Why we should be buying locally grown fruits and veggies and grass-fed meat. I completely understand this issue. What gets me is how expensive it is to live this way. Most people do not have the kind of money to eat ethically. It's pretty hopeless if you ask me.

Tyler and ben adam in Nogales, Sonora

     We can stop the mass production of corn but then I'm sure there is going to be another issue. Can't say what it would be yet but I truly believe there is no such thing as a perfect world. I can't stand it when I try to be a good person and live ethically and then people tell me I'm not doing enough. Not to point fingers (okay, I'm pointing fingers) but I hear that a lot from two of my roommates.  I love them to death but that part of them kind of bugs me. They are good at making people feel guilty. But I'm not sure they have all the answers either. My prediction is that no matter how hard you try to make the world a better place, there will always be another problem that comes up. So do I sacrifice everything to try to make it better with the possibility that at the end of my life I realize it was a complete waste of time and I didn't accomplish anything, or not do a thing and be considered selfish? It is a lot easier to choose the second option because people want to play it safe and make sure that at least THEY are living life to the fullest. I feel like I'm gonna get a lot of flack for that one but I try to be honest. Let's just all be honest with ourselves.

Despite all that I am still trying to make the world a better place. I may not be doing enough but it's at least something. So why do I try at all when I'm pretty sure it's hopeless? I don't know. Maybe I would rather be considered just kind of selfish rather than selfish.


For more photos of the Dwellers trip to Borderlinks, click here.

Collage reflections on the week.

     

The Gospel of Interaction, by KC Wahe

One of my extracurricular ministry things I do in my life as well as pastoring a wonderful church of Christ followers in Littlerock, California, is that I serve as a board member of the DOOR Network in Hollywood. I’ve only served on the board for a short few months. I’m still a little wet behind the ears when it comes to the whole “board” thing. I have some cool history with DOOR that goes way back before DOOR ever came to Hollywood and some of that history stems from a church that I was part of for several years and that God used in transforming my life for Christ.

Eduardo at Homegirl Cafe

This past week I got to witness with my own eyes why the DOOR Network exists. Part of the DOOR mission statement is, “DOOR invites our Discover, Discern and Dwell participants to See the face of God in the city.” This was played out during a reflection time with a group of kids and adults who were from that cool place north of us here in the states called Canada. As Eduardo, our guest Director from San Antonio for the week, was leading the reflection time, (Matthew and his wife are about to have their second child), my friend Marvin, who is also a board member and I got to be observants of a group of kids who really worked hard at discerning what it means to truly see God’s face in the city.

As the students shared their experiences from the task they were given that evening, one student in particular stood out to me the most. As he was talking and sharing about his experience at an agency, I couldn’t help but notice this kids transformation right in front of my own eyes. It was as if God had come down and was holding this kids eyelids literally “wide open.”

This student was telling the story about a conversation he had with someone at the agency he helped at earlier in the day and how he was blessed by this conversation and how this particular someone gave him a gift that blew him away. As the student described the exchange, the student began to talk about his own “preconceived” notions about what homeless persons were like and that he just assumed they were all “jaded” individuals. As he finished sharing, he said something that sounded like, “I came to the city thinking I had nothing in common with the people I’ve met and I’m leaving knowing that I have lots in common.” (My paraphrase).

This is what DOOR does. It changes the gospel from being about just “fixing” to a gospel of interaction. Too many of us in the church hear the words of Jesus in John 13:34 as “A new command I give you: fix one another. As I have fixed you, so you must fix one another.” Groups  who have the chance to participate in something like DOOR, don’t come to a place like Hollywood just to fix homelessness. They come to interact with Jesus and to be in the presence of those who are just as broken and in need of God’s grace and mercy as we are. They come to learn what it means to go into the world and love as Jesus loved. They leave having learned what it means to also receive God’s love through the gift of relationships. This is life changing and has the ability to turn around any church and it wouldn’t cost a church a single dime to implement a gospel of interaction, a face to face, no holds barred kind of love that Jesus gave to us in the story of the cross and in the post resurrection story of how Jesus calls us to be in the world.

“Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples—when they see the love you have for each other.” John 13:34-35

-by Reverend KC Wahe, a member of the DOOR Hollywood Board.  Follow his blog here.