Fight Evil

I've been thinking more about the Fight Evil part. I've been thinking of ways that everyone can fight evil. In church a few weeks ago the pastor told of a woman who was just barely getting by raising her kids and seeing to her house. She didn't see how she could have the time, energy or other resources to address any of the incidents of injustice that we've learned about lately. I felt bad that she was even more weighed down now, with guilt this time. That's not right. She should feel that she has the power to do Something and that her "little" Something really matters.

Here's the start of a list of things that Anybody could do to fight evil. I don't think Anyone should feel like the list is exhaustive or in anyway a To Do list that you must do all of. It's brainstorming. Some ideas are good and some are good for Someone Else. I can't even claim that I do all the things on this list. They're just ideas. You can add your ideas in the comments section.

Read to your kids. Believe me, as a teacher, I promise you that this makes a difference in the world. Are there other kids around you that you can read to as well?

Send your kids to public school. Know the families that go there. Walk with them. Pray for them. Be a part of the School Family.

Is there a school in crisis that is on your regular drive? Can you find time to just sit outside it and pray for them? Maybe after awhile of doing that you'll see a "next step."

Don't have time to be a tutor of mentor kids? Offer to be a prayer partner for someone who is tutoring or mentoring.

Have a garage sale and give away the money. Just give away your stuff. Just buy less in the first place. Buy used things instead of new.

Be Greener than you are now. Issues of the environment are also issues of Social Justice. What's one non-green habit that you can exchange for a Green habit? Recycling? Buying Local? (I just "met" an Egg Girl, who is going to sell me the eggs from her own chickens. Yeah!) Drying your clothes on the line? Eat less meat? Where can you walk to that you now drive?

Is there gossip in your life that can end with you? That can end even without you hearing it?

Make choices that will intentionally put you "in the way" of people who are different from you racially, religiously, socially. It doesn't feel like doing something extra when you're just helping out a friend, a true friend.

I know this list isn't very long yet. But it's a start. I also know there are people who would tell me that doing all of these or any of these good things will not make you "right with God." I'm not saying they will. I'm saying that God cares about injustice and we should too. The "right with God" thing is such a can of worms that it needs a whole post or maybe a whole blog just for itself. Can we please not get side tracked from doing good to argue about another issue?

I was reading a part of one of my favorite non-fiction books, the Divine Conspiracy, and I thought Dallas Williard made a great point about why we do what is right, why we do what God says. He says that we do good not because God couldn't do it himself and not because God what's his way so badly. We do good because God is trying to make us into Someone, and every time we choose the good way God can make us into a Someone who can be at home in his Kingdom.

One last thing for anyone who still feels like their world is stressful enough and you don't have time for anyone else's issues. My sister spoke pretty convincingly to this on her blog last year. Check it out for yourself.
Link

Fight Evil Read Books

If I've been talking to you live lately then you'll already know about my Harry Potter obsession. Waiting for Book 7 was killer! To fight the anxiety I started visiting mugglenet about five times a day, which then led me to mugglecast, who introduced me to Alex Carpenter and The Remus Lupins. Alex has this great catch phrase, or saying or philosophy or something like that. Anyway, it's Fight Evil. Read Books.

That is SO awesome. I also love both of those things and believe that they totally go together. I have this theory that readers of Literature are just generally more aware of the world and people around them. A great example is the mugglecast hosts. I am so darn impressed by these "kids," most of who are in college now. JK decided to pull out the big guns of language in her last book and had the character Molly Weasley refer to another witch by a name that she COMPLETELY deserved. So, now on the podcast the question is whether or not they should use the word.

The hosts went with "no." And their reason? There are younger kids who listen to this show and we should be respectful of them. That is awesome. As I look at the graffiti on my kid's playground, there is NO respect for the fact that this is a place where little kids play. Obviously these people do not Read Books and Fight Evil!

When I was a less than perfect high school student, we did naughty things that we should do, and some of them happened on playgrounds. But with my friends, my friends who READ BOOKS, there was an unwritten rule that no evidence of this bad behavior was to be left behind. And graffiti, with or without cuss words, was out of the question.

So that's my evidence that Fight Evil Read Books is a good life slogan. What do you think?

The Spirit/Body Connection Thing

I've heard, read, whatever, a lot about how the mind helps heal the body. It's a good thing, and I'm glad that healers are paying attention to that connection.

But I've been thinking about the reverse. When your body's got issues, it's awfully hard on your spirit and your mind. When I'm tired I find it nearly impossible to be nice, to face challenges, to be patient, to give God- or anyone else- even the time of day. When I'm sick, I feel so discouraged and beaten down. It's hard to have hope when you're in pain.

This summer I started swimming laps pretty seriously, and going running on the days that I couldn't get to the pool. I started doing it to fight depression. I really think it's working. Which is weird, since I hate exercising. I don't mind doing things that involve exercise, but just plain exercising- yuck.

I did some other things (reconnect with my friends and husband, for example) that have helped my dark cloud of gloom, but I really think that getting a healthier body is helping my spiritual life. I was just thinking yesterday as I was swimming that it wouldn't be that hard to get up 15 minutes earlier so that I could both pray and exercise. It really seems doable. I'll get back to you.

A Sad Epiphany

I think it's Jesus who says this, but it might be his follower, Paul. "If you are guilty of one part of the Law, then you are guilty of the whole Law."

I always thought that was a little harsh. I mean come one, who doesn't mess up occasionally? Who could possibly meet that standard? I thought it was one of those exaggerations meant to show me what a sinner I am and how I could never make it without Jesus. While it is true that I couldn't make it without Jesus, I'm not sure that was Jesus' motivation for making the comment. Or maybe he had a lot of motivations- he is brilliant like that- and this is just one of them.

I have a work friend that I've been working with for going on five years now. We've become pretty close, sharing stories and histories that go beyond school. She prays for my friends and I've prayed for her family. It's a good work friendship. We encourage each other, swap ideas and share the load.

A few weeks ago when I was having a majorly hormonal day there was a group of us working on the recess schedule. It was a nightmare. We could not find a time when all seven of us could have recess together, to share the duty and get each person a break. We finally decided there would have to be multiple recesses which meant everyone taking on more responsibility. During all of this I found that I was the recording secretary and sort of moderating the discussion.

When my friend mentioned that the day she was going to take duty was a day that she wasn't going to have any breaks, I tried to get her to take a different day. She declined. I tried again. She declined again. I tried again, but with less patience. She declined once more and that's when I blew it. I snapped at her, "Fine! Then I don't want there to be any complaining about how you don't have any breaks this year!"

"There won't be," she said, with a hurt and puzzled look.

Much later, as in a month later, we were able to talk about what had happened. I apologized for yelling at her in front of everyone and said that it wouldn't happen again. Unfortunately, it seems like there is still some residual awkwardness.

Which brings me, finally, to my said epiphany. No matter how many encouraging things I have said to her, no matter how many times I've listened kindly, no matter how generous I have been in the past, I blew it. Things are not the same between us. They may be again at some point, but one "little" ugly thing looms much larger than all the good things.

Jesus wasn't laying on a guilt trip. As he does so often, he was just telling it like it is.

Time for a change

Right. So I started this blog twice. For the same purpose each time. To discuss God stuff with people. Yep. Never worked out. So now I'm takin' it back and I'm doing it myself, for myself. I'm changin' the title too. I got the idea from one of my neighbors. I told him that I only blog in my head. I have a long commute and that offers me plenty of opportunity to form opinions, develop theories, silently rant, etc. So, now I'm giving it a go at getting the blog "outta my head." I even thought about calling it that for awhile, but I'm goin' with this title.

We'll see where this sucker goes. Nowhere? Everywhere? Both at the same time? Will I even remember what I was thinking by the time I get out of my car and to my computer? Hard to predict......