Song of the Day: "Refugee" by the Psalters
Currenty Reading: "Jesus For President" by Shane Claiborne

I'm looking back at the events of last night in wonderment. It's amazing to think of what has transpired and how it could change my life.

Let me tell the whole story...

It all started Tuesday, when I thought it would be a good idea to call Courtney (I used to nanny for her, and she had e-mailed me to see if I could babysit on Friday. I had agreed, of course, even if it meant missing out on B&BS) and confirm what time she wanted me to be at her house that Friday night. She said, "Oh my gosh, I totally thought you had never confirmed it with me, so I asked our day-care person if she could do it!"
I wasn't too bummed out, cause we set a date to hang out at the zoo or the pool sometime in August.

That same day, I was online trying to remember the links from Shane's book "Irresistible Revolution" that I'd written down to remind me to visit them. I couldn't really remember them, and I ended up at a Jesus for President website that said Shane was going on a book tour!
I looked up the dates and lo and behold, he would be in D.C. on Friday night!
What providence!

Had Courtney not received my e-mail that confirmed that I could babysit for her, I would never have gone to this event, and nothing that transpired would have happened.

I called Matthias, and got Rebekah and Rachel (her friend from school) in on it, and i got directions to the place online.

We drove through the torrential rain to D.C. last night, determined that no amount of bad weather would keep us from going.

Not only did we see the authors of the book, Chris Haw and Shane Claiborne, but we also saw Brian McLaren and the Psalters (an awesome band that Lyn introduced us to)!!!

Shane and Chris read from the book, and the Psalters played in between at appropriate times.

It felt like going to church (and not just because the event was in a church).

I think that's how church should be: people coming together with a common purpose, seeking God's truth; while those with the gift of teaching read the word and expound upon it, the worship team should play applicable songs that bring the congregation closer to understanding God both in their minds and in their hearts.

instead, we have a system, and order of worship in which music that may or may not apply to the "sermon" is played at a certain time (usually before the sermon), and then a couple of songs are played at the end of the service.
It's all meaningless, and often the sermon and the songs don't really apply to people's lives.
Just reading from the word and playing music at appropriate times (this would be planned out beforehand, between the worship leader and the teacher, of course) would be more meaningful for the congregation as a whole. THat's why I like expository teaching, not topical. If you are preaching on a specific topic, then you are only being relevant to certain people who are at certain stages of life (i.e. relevant to the young, but not the old, or relevant to the married but not the unmarried, or relevant to the person struggling to forgive, but not the one who forgives easily).

Often, reading the scriptures, I begin to hear songs in my head based on what I'm reading.
As I read about Jesus dying, the song "Once Again" starts playing in my mind.
As I read about grace in the letters of Paul, I hear hymns like "Come Ye Sinners", "My Lord I Did Not Choose You", and "Free Grace".
As I read the psalms, I hear many different songs of praise such as "How Great Thou Art", "Forever", and "I Lift My Eyes Up".

For every message of the bible, a song has been written. Imagine a church meeting where there was structure with spontinaity. What if we read a passage of scripture, and then sang a song about it, and then listened as a teacher explained it in detail, and then sang another song, and then heard another passage read, and sang another song that related to it. What if we really thought about the word, sang about the word, and praised God in a relevent way?

Anyway, so after the thing (I don't even know what to call it...it wasn't a service, it wasn't a show, it wasn't a tour...it was a gathering). So after the gathering, we went to meet Shane and Chris...I bought buttons that say "an eye for an eye...leaves the whole world blind," and "God Bless Everyone". I got the Psalters Cds and had Shane and Chris sign my book and give me recommendations on which books they would recommend that I read next.

Chris wrote in my book: "May you carry the blessing of Abraham and Sarah"
and Shane wrote: "May we become the church we dream of..."

After reading about Shane in his book "Irresistable Revolution", I felt like I knew him, and it's cool to actually meet someone that you only know information about.

So we decided to walk around D.C. in search of food. We hadn't walked a block before we encountered a homeless man. I have met a lot of homeless people, and they always have this way about them--kinda loopy, always saying "God bless you, praise the Lord," etc. and smiling, they also have a certain smell that is neither good or bad. He asked for some change. At first we passed by, and then we all turned, and Rachel said, "I wanna give him something". So we opened our wallets one by one, and gave him our fives. He asked us our names, and I think he said his name was Ron. It was amazing. I think homeless people love God more than any rich person, because they understand more than anyone that God loves them despite themselves. The homeless see every day how God provides for them, sustains their lives, no matter what kind of mess they've made it.

I'm left with this feeling that my life will never be the same.
I always wondered why I never felt at home in comfort,
now I know it's because I'm called to live a life that's uncomfortably close to the homeless.
I always wondered how to use my spiritual gifts of giving, service, and hospitality,
now I know that I should use them to provide for those in need.

At this moment, I'd like to thank those whom God has used to shape me into who I am.
First, my parents, for raising me with a foundational understanding of scripture (thanks mom for the Jewish history lessons...and dad, for helping me grasp the words of Paul and other new testament writers).
And Bekah and John, for being there through it all, thank you.
Thanks Martin, for showing me that it's possible (and true) that the church could be wrong about fundamental aspects of its doctrine, and that it's okay to believe that God loves His enemies enough to spare them an eternity of punishment. Thanks for your help in teaching me how to defend my renewed mindset to skeptics.
Thanks Shane, for showing me that another way IS possible. Thank you for exemplifying a different way of life, and for sharing your story with us so that we can see that it isn't idealistic to think someone like me can give it all away to live like Jesus.
Thanks to my dear sister and brothers in Christ, Heather, Lyn and Liam Bell, for introducing me to new concepts about how to take care of our world and our bodies, and for being such an encouragement to me. Thanks for teaching me not to care what people think of me.
Thanks Roshi, for all the philosophical conversations we have had and will continue to have in an attempt to understand the world. Thanks for just being my friend.
I thank God for my childhood friends Annelise and Victoria who influenced my life greatly in my younger years.
Thanks Erin, for being such a constant friend in the years adolescents need friends the most. Our adventures will stay with me forever.
Thanks, Gbenga, for teaching me so much about life and love. Our conversations provoked my thoughts to search out deeper truths.
And everyone else who has been part of my life, thank you.
But most of all, I thank God for placing me where He did, and for bringing all of you into my life in His time and His way.
You have been treasures in jars of clay to me.

Grace, peace, and love,
rAch