plowshares....

Over the past few days, I have been asked by quite a few friends "why are you going on this trip to Africa?" or have had friends say to me "that really cool, I've always wanted to go there, but never to work. It's called summer vacation for a reason." These comments always throw me a little bit- I am never completely sure how to respond. Of course, a few hours later, I have some brilliant statement but never right when I need it. So, maybe thinking about it and writing it down here will help me to formulate a succinct response- and will maybe help you all understand my odd mind a little bit more.

For me, it all comes down to the Bible. Now, please, don't misunderstand me- I am not some crazy Christian fanatic. I'm (almost) positive that if you know me, you know that is not who I am. But, its true- I do what I do because of the Bible. Now granted, I am fulfilling a second Bonner summer of service so I guess a nit picky person could say that I am going on this trip to fulfill a requirement for a scholarship program. But it is so much bigger than all of that. This is my life.

I have been a Religious Studies major (woot woot RS!) at Rhodes for three years now, and in all the time that I have spent studying Biblical texts and discussing theological ideas with professors and friends (at the smart people table....inside RS major joke), the only thing that I can really pull from all of that study is the absolute necessity of service to those in your community (however large you make your community). God doesn't advocate hoarding personal wealth or only looking out for you and yours but rather God gives the radical command to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly (Micah 6:8). God calls each and every person to be an ordinary radical so much so that "when you throw a banquet do not invite your friends...invite the poor" (Luke 14). Jesus didn't do all the stuff he did, perform all of the miracles that he did just for fun, just to impress people into believing in him (remember that in the desert Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread. Jesus refused). No, Jesus did what he did to feed the people; his miracles had purpose. And so can ours. Yes, turning water into wine is difficult (though I am sure college students would love to figure out that trick) but we can help the two million plus people who are dying of thirst find water. That is a miracle. And if we do this, then maybe Jesus will whisper in our ears on judgment day, "when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink" (Matthew 25). Also, there is no one type of person who can do this- that is what is so great about being an ordinary radical. Any (and all) ol' person can perform these miracles. We are all given skills and gifts, we just have to be mindful of how we use them. Instead of asking our graduates what are they going to do when they grow up, we need to be asking them who are they going to become.

So, I am going on this trip, "giving up my summer break" as some may say, to go out and be an ordinary radical. I see a need, I have certain gifts and I think I can perform some small miracles. I really can see no better use of my time than this- how else can I be more of what God intended Christians to be than by going out and building community with the world.

And maybe I am just a big dork who thinks too much but I want to live for the world- that is my purpose, for this trip and for my life.