Advent: No, I’m Not Ready For Christmas (pt 1/4)

Waking up at 6AM every morning during High School to walk to the bus stop brought me the closest I’ve ever c0me in my life to understanding the slow turns and seasons of the Earth. Despite the irritating cold, I loved walking in the dark of morning under the bright constellation of Orion, which loomed large and clearly in a significant portion of the sky. Over the course of the winter, Orion would disappear as dawn came earlier and the constellation shifted in the sky to drop below the horizon of trees lining my street.

This winter as the earth turns in its rotation around the sun, we approach the longest night of the year – the point after which the time of light begins to grow and the dark nights begin to recede. (A welcome relief for my 8-5 working friends who never see the light of day anymore.) The baby Jesus was also born into a dark world – a world of political Roman repression, silent religious depression, and darkened men’s hearts. It is in this season of darkness that the people of God begin the Advent season, a calendar period of spiritual preparation for Christmas.

There’s a special sinking feeling that takes place in my stomach when I see the Christmas light displays start to go up in my neighborhood. Whether it is the cold or long nights, I’m never ready for the bombardment of cheerfulness, color, and in-your-face enthusiasm that characterizes this season.

For this reason, I consider it a personal grace that the first Advent Sunday begins with a simple nod to the fact that where my heart is right now and where the world is from my point of view really doesn’t jive with JOY, LOVE, or flying doves – We begin with a meditation on Hope, the gap between what is and what could be. We practice the spiritual discipline of yearning.

So this first week for Advent, I’m going to let myself get serious by keeping a running list of dark places in my own life and the world around me that I need for the power of Jesus to come and do something crazy.  If you’re like me, the list is long, personal, and includes a few things that I stopped believing would change a long time ago.

This list is going up on the mirror in my room and I’ve decided to take a few minutes every morning to read though it and practice yearning and hope in ways that I never have. Jesus was more than just a man and I want to move to a deeper understanding of all the ways that Jesus remains the great Hope for all mankind.

I’ve decided to get serious about blogging and Advent by doing a 4-post weekly series on Advent and I invite any of you readers to do it together with me.  If you’re not a Christian, I want to invite you to make that list of places you need to see change in your life and the world, to place it on your bathroom mirror or door, and to practice hope this week. If you’re a Christian, do the same and remember the compassion and power of Jesus that is our greatest hope for healing and change.

How are you yearning for Jesus to come change your world this year?

Chicken and waffles! (See tasty, soul food, and Columbus)

Calm before the storm: Family Matters

I’ve been hesitant to write about Family Matters, the first joint meeting of the year between InterVarsity OSU’s three undergraduate chapters because it seemed more appropriate to let the event happen first. But in the last twenty four hours, these old bones have been tingling like a storm is coming tonight. I’m so excited that I’m having trouble focusing!

LAST YEAR, despite how unprepared our hodgepodge team of students and staff from different chapters were… each quarter’s Joint meeting shocked us with the high level of energy in the room and impact experienced as the Holy Spirit blew into the room with our three chapters!

THIS FALL, God’s been plowing his way through campus and each of our movements have grown tremendously, seeing real growth through evangelism and outreach. Put all three movements in one room… add worship.. add scripture… love for one another and one vision to reach the campus? That’s explosive!

PRAY WITH ME that God would show up, for amazing cross-cultural experiences, for over a hundred fifty students, and that this would be a truly catalytic event for our chapters and individuals to be empowered in our vision to reach the whole campus!

From Head to Heart

Its always a bit daunting to teach from a familiar passage. When you’ve heard it before or “know what the passage is all about”, its tempting to listen halfheartedly or pull out critical filters and feed the talk you hear through a comparison of every other similar sermon or bible study you’ve experienced. Last night I gave a talk on Mary and Martha’s encounter with Jesus at the AAIV weekly meeting. Most of the AAIV chapter didn’t grow up in the church, but its a fairly popular story.

Thankfully, early that day I’d received a Christian “smack in the head” from a trusted fellow believer on some issues in my life. “You’re so intellectual and knowledge driven, Alice. Sometimes you don’t apply what you know to yourself personally. It doesn’t reach your heart.” And she is right.

“You’re here because you want to meet with God in community tonight,” I reminded the students who’d gathered last night. “If you’ve heard this scripture story before, that’s awesome. Regardless of what you already know about this passage or will be learning for the first time, open your heart tonight to receive what you know. Let God speak to your heart tonight.”

And it was a great night!

Beyond Culture Camp: Promoting Healthy Identity Formation in Adoption

“…until fairly recently in adoption practice, the impact and meaning of transracial/cultural adoption were also minimized. Commitment and love of the adoptive parents, exposure to positive aspects of the child’s culture, and perhaps connection with other families who had adopted from the same country were thought to be enough to support the development of positive identity. As this study demonstrates, the integration of “being adopted,” of one’s racial/ethnic identity and one’s identity as a person adopted from another country is a complex and continually evolving process. This understanding needs to inform the actions of parents, professionals and adopted persons themselves – as well as the laws, policies and practices that impact their lives.”

Beyond Culture Camp: Promoting Healthy Identity Formation in Adoption