All posts tagged: #soul

Social Media: Building Your Wisdom Pyramid: Part 6

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I originally wrote this for the wonderful change agents at Evangelicals for Social Action to kick off the new year in January, 2018. Because I’m still working to flip my pyramid many months later at the beginning of the new school year, I’m posting it here and linking back to the originals. Current events will always require rigorous thought, reflection, and action. How can the Bible, church, nature & beauty, the internet, and social media help and/or hurt us? Please join me in the struggle to find true wisdom. Today is our final segment. Part Six Social Media The power of social media grows every day. According to Forbes, over 78% of Americans have a social network profile. More than three quarters of our population is doing some sort of image management or cyber-stalking when they’re online. In the real world, we share our thoughts, go shopping, look in the mirror, and engage in politics…and then we do it all over again, and more, on social media, often with strangers. Our opinions of everything from haircuts to classmates …

The Internet – Building Your Wisdom Pyramid – Part 5

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I originally wrote this for the wonderful change agents at Evangelicals for Social Action to kick off the new year in January, 2018. Because I’m still working to flip my pyramid many months later at the beginning of the new school year, I’m posting it here and linking back to the originals. Current events will always require rigorous thought, reflection, and action. How can the Bible, church, nature & beauty, the internet, and social media help and/or hurt us? Please join me in the struggle to find true wisdom. This is part 5 of 6. Part Five The Internet If you’re reading this, you’re online. You’ve chosen to spend some of your time (perhaps wisdom acquisition time?) on a website dedicated to social justice. Where will you click next? One of the dozens of links on this page? Over to some cute animal videos on YouTube? Or will you get revved up in the constant sensationalism of the news cycle? Questions: How much time do you spend online? More to the point, how many hours a week (or …

Books – Building Your Wisdom Pyramid – Part 4

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I originally wrote this for the wonderful change agents at Evangelicals for Social Action to kick off the new year in January, 2018. Because I’m still working to flip my pyramid many months later at the beginning of the new school year, I’m posting it here and linking back to the originals. Current events will always require rigorous thought, reflection, and action. How can the Bible, church, nature & beauty, the internet, and social media help and/or hurt us? Please join me in the struggle to find true wisdom. Part Four Books Some people just love buying, collecting, and discussing books. But a recent study by the Pew Research Centershows that 26% of adults in the United States haven’t read a single book, in any format, in a year. That’s more than a quarter of the population! We read our texts, emails, magazines in the doctor’s office, and posts on social media, but often not books. Perhaps it’s because we don’t know what to read, or they’re too bulky, or seem too long. But maybe we need to …

Nature & Beauty – Building Your Wisdom Pyramid – Part 3

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I originally wrote this for the wonderful change agents at Evangelicals for Social Action to kick off the new year in January, 2018. Because I’m still working to flip my pyramid many months later at the beginning of the new school year, I’m posting it here and linking back to the originals. Current events will always require rigorous thought, reflection, and action. How can the Bible, church, nature & beauty, the internet, and social media help and/or hurt us? Please join me in the struggle to find true wisdom. Part Three Nature and Beauty Our collective response to the August 2017 solar eclipse proves the power nature has to delight, humble, and unite us. When we soak in the transcendent beauty of a star, a planet, a mountain top, an ocean wave, or a newborn baby, we must acknowledge that we didn’t and couldn’t make those things happen. There is something much larger than us at work. In similar ways, the beauty in art and music can lure us toward something greater, capture our unspoken longings, and give us the …

The Waves – 20 Years of Marriage

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One hot night in late July, a few weeks before our wedding, 20 years ago, I could hardly look at my handsome fiancé at dinner. He was happily talking about our new apartment, new jobs, and our honeymoon. I was trying to keep my food, and my long-held secret, down. He grabbed my hand, rubbed it with his calloused thumb, raised his eyebrows, and said, “You okay, Aim?” I felt the waves crash hard. Me:  “I don’t think I can do this.” Chris:   “Do what?” Me:  “Get married.” C:  “What do you mean?” Me: “I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to get married. I’m a lot of work. I don’t take very good care of myself, so I know I wouldn’t take very good care of you. I really don’t think I should get married.” C: [Silence] His face went gray and slack, he searched my eyes and then the floor. He listened to me repeat sorrowful variations of “it’s not you, it’s me.” After a couple minutes he said he …

Legion

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[featured on Perissos, 5/18/16] The story of Legion gives me nightmares. It’s about a naked, bleeding, demon-possessed man with super-human strength, who lives in a cemetery, intentionally cuts himself with stones, and haunts the region with his screams. I think Legion looks like Sasquatch, the Hulk, and Satan all mixed together. In my dreams I walk toward the hillside at night, and I want to help him. I want to take him to a homeless shelter where he can get a shower, a meal, and a bed. I want to drive him to the ER and have someone look at his open wounds. I want him to get transferred to the Psych Ward. I want to give him a fresh start. I walk up the hill in the moonlight driven to find him. When he jumps out from behind a stone my adrenaline surges. I see his crazed eyes, long, matted hair, and gray teeth. I see his naked skin smeared with months of dirt and blood. I see deep scars from all his self-harm, …

Called to Compassion – Since the Earthquake in Haiti

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[Part Three of a three-part story about what happened when my kids decided we should “Help Haiti” in 2010.]  Recap of the previous two posts about Compassion and the Earthquake in Haiti:   Five years ago a catastrophic 7.0 quake struck Haiti.  My five year old twins heard about it and wanted to help.  This was new.  We tried to listen and equip them to try something.  We did a little bake and craft sale with a $500 goal.  Our friends, neighbors, school, church, and facebook community responded with lavish generosity.  We became a bridge for sending $33,000 to Haiti that year.  It was completely unexpected.  [For the full scoop read “Compassion Catapult – The Earthquake in Haiti” and “Contagious Compassion – The Earthquake in Haiti.”]   Whenever people hear this crazy story they have lots of great questions: Why do you think this happened? Why did your kids want to do something? Why did the school want to help?  Why did you keep saying Yes? Why was it so contagious? Why did it get so big? I have the same questions. I think these are deep Soul questions.  Based in …

Fallow Fields

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God asked me to empty my pockets and buy a fallow field. On a cold January morning in an empty house I was praying as I put away socks and wiped counters. A few weeks into the new year I was still asking, “God, what do you want me to do this year?” I already knew. A vivid dream had lurched me awake and then was translated and confirmed by loving friends. But I was playing dumb.

Dangerous Christmas

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I scared some kids at church today. In the sermon our pastor spoke about the vintage passage in Luke 1 where the angel tells Mary, “Do not be afraid.” How many times have we heard that story? So many. From there he told stories from his trip to Jos, Nigeria this month. Boko Haram (the vicious terrorist group that kidnapped all those school girls this summer) has infiltrated Jos. There was a bombing in the market while he was there. Danger is all around. Another story was about watching a group of strong women loving, serving and praying over 60 orphans. They wanted to specifically reach out to kids that had witnessed their parents being killed. Twenty five of the 60 came forward. Dear God. The women literally circled them and loudly loved them with the audacity to believe their broken hearts will be restored. This question pressed into my heart throughout the message: “is it possible to live for more than safety?” Here in Wheaton, and there in Jos? So many of my decisions …

Little Rainbows

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The sun is out! Hallelujah! Every year I put these beautiful Swarovski crystal ornaments on branches. It’s a tradition. My parents give us one each year (since 1995). My kids love how they fill the room with rainbows. Normally I put them up quickly at the same time we do our tree and there’s lots of chaos and I beg the kids not to help me so they won’t break. It’s not very cheery, or holy, or reflective, or fun. Last week on one of our many gray afternoons I slowly hung them when I was alone in the house. Each one has the year on it (1995-2014). I was filled with deep memories and visceral emotions as I pulled each one out of their safe little boxes. 1995- the year my mom bought me the first one in Salzburg, Austria in the middle of the Sound of Music tour (groan) and the day before Chris proposed on the edge of the Vienna Woods (unquenchable joy) 1996- our first married Christmas 1998- life altering car accident 2001- quit …