I Don't Know Much, But I Know I Have Work To Do

Luke 13:31-35

The Lament over Jerusalem

 At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’ He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me, “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.” Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” ’

For someone who has worked running a Christian youth program; someone who is about to start seminary; and someone who feels a deep call to ordained ministry in some unknown way, I have to admit I don't know a whole lot about the Bible and it's stories.

This is something that I have come to terms with over the last few years, but have felt ashamed of admitting to too many people around me for fear that I might seem unqualified for everything I have done and plan on doing.

What I lack in Biblical knowledge, I feel I make up for in deep love and understanding for others. I have a deep connection for trying to help others. I have a desire to be a source of calmness and healing for others. I want to be the person that someone can talk to about their joys and concerns even if I don't always have the best response backed up by thousands of years of inspirational text.

In this passage Jesus is kinda pissed off. Herod wasn't exactly a great guy, he taxed his land hard and used it for many luxury items that only benefited the elite. He also labeled himself King of the Jews, so when Jesus rolled along, and people were trying to give Jesus this title, naturally Herod wasn't a big fan of Jesus. And the warnings that Herod wanted to kill Jesus were not ones to be taken lightly, after all Herod had killed his own wife and children, so what was to stop him from killing some guy who tried to take his title. 

But Jesus wasn't having any of this. Jesus had one purpose only and that was to spread a message of God's love. Jesus basically says, let him come, I've got a duty to these people to spread the word, spread the love, and take care of them.

I can relate to this in my time of realization my lack of knowledge but my overwhelming desire to help. I have one mission and one mission only, and that's to follow my heart, and through the example of Jesus' work and the direction of the divine help those who need it. I won't necessarily be starting a whole new church like Jesus, but I will be spreading love and kindness for all, because everyone is deserving. There is work to be done, and I'm just getting started.

Prayer:

Great Spirit, bless those who have work to do. Bless those who don't let obstacles stop them from finishing their mission whatever it may be. Bring patience and perseverance to those who need it. Amen.

The Issue with Reading is.....

            I have this crazy habit of buying books I am interested in reading. My habit of buying books is only intensified by books 30% off at Target, where no normal person goes in only to end up buying what is on their list. The problem with this habit is that I don’t have the habit of actually reading them, and the issue is never that I don’t have enough time to read them. I may be busy with two small boys, a home to keep, a part time job, a very part time roll in the reserves, and technically a fulltime school load; but I still find myself sitting more often than I should, so I don’t make a reading a priority. I make Netflix a priority. I make Hulu a priority. I make Comcast On-Demand and going to Target for funsies a priority.

            Sitting next to me is a stack of books that I want to read and a good chunk of them that I’m actually a few chapter in, yet all these books were neatly place on the bookshelf in my room at some point. When I decided to write about this I pulled all the books that still needed to be read, and was pleasantly surprised that there were a significant amount of books having been read still on the bookshelf.

            My goal, during this long winter break from school, is to get through at least three of these books. While I see that leisurely reading as no need to rush, I also see that I need to prioritize my time to include reading into my daily life. I once heard a statistic that if you say your goals out loud, you are some crazy high percent less likely to accomplish said goal, so this post is really just to ensure a solid excuse for not completing my goal during this winter break.

Here is my list of books still yet to be read, more or less in order of when I will read them. Let me know if you’ve read one and what you thought!

• -       Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (Mindy Kaling)
• -       Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Church (Kenda Creasy Dean)
• -       Glorify: Reclaiming the Heart of Progressive Christianity (Emily C. Heath)
• -       Room To Grow (Martin B. Copenhaver)
• -       Farewell to Manzanar (Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston & James D. Houston)
• -       The A to Z of You and Me (James Hannah)
• -       Brooklyn (Colm Toibin)
• -       Boston Jane: An Adventure (Jennifer L. Holm)
• -       Weird Church: Welcome to the Twenty-First Century (Beth Ann Estock & Paul Nixon)
• -       Straights: Heterosexuality in Post-Closeted Culture (James Joseph Dean)

Now I realize that one of these books was supposed to be read in middle school or high school, but I never did what was expected of me…and I still don’t for that matter. I have also read one of these books already in middle school, but I absolutely loved the writing and wanted to re-read it however many years later.

And just for funsies I have three books waiting on my Audible app, which I never have a problem getting around to because I drive so often.

• -       Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
• -       Requiem (Lauren Oliver)
• -       One Man Guy (Michael Barakiva)