recommended reading

I have a series of blogs I check almost daily and this is one of them. It is Jim Wallis's blog, the director of Sojourners and author of 'God's Politics'. This article articulated the 'UGHHHH' I've been feeling inside, for lack of a better way to articulate that. Check it out... and also notice how the author has 22 children - that is cuh-razy. So here's the article...



Also, I am reading this book by the director of International Justice Mission, it is called 'Terrify No More' and is all about sex trafficking in Cambodia and their rescue operations. Reading about what goes into rescuing these victims makes me think, 'THAT, that is exactly what I would love to do!' It just stirs my heart to hear about people who have the opportunity to go into the darkest, ugliest, most horrifying acts of injustice and to be able to bring children out of it - that is such a picture of God's heart. This passage was chosen for the title of the book and I LOVE IT:

You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more. Psalm 10

It is difficult to read about the horrendous crimes committed against children all over the world but it has been really valuable for me to understand the huge scale on which this is occurring everyday and it gives me hope to hear about how people are standing up for Jesus and risking their lives to rescue these girls. Read this book! (Team I'll bring it with me when I come so you can pass it around)

hard week...

It has been a hard week. It doesn't feel like it is over yet, but I am still standing and can feel hope, so that is good.
I've been reading this book in preparation for Easter called 'The Day Christ Died' and it is this hour by hour account of the last day of his life. The guy who wrote it did a ton of research so as to be as accurate as possible but puts it in the form of a narrative. It has been very meaningful for me as I myself, on a much smaller scale, am exeriencing some of these same emotions and thoughts. I read this the other day
- You have multiplied, O Lord, my God your wonderous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you!... I desire to do you will, O My God; your law is within my heart... my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me... as for me I am poor and needy but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer do not delay o My God! Psalm 40

There's this great line from the book I'm reading 'when lightning flashes and thunder rolls the sheep look not at the sky but at the shepherd.'

With Hope... Erin

God's Politics

Sorry it's been so long since the last postage. Is it really November already? This kind of creeps me out. In light of the recent election as well as my own recent interest in politics I thought I'd let you in on a little political discourse I've been having with myself recently. You can only discourse with yourself for so long before it is socially unacceptable and I fear I might be reaching this point, so come on in the water is.... ???
So, I voted on Tuesday and I am gonna tell you a little secret - that was the first time I ever voted. I've just never had the interest or felt like it really mattered or wanted to educate myself before. But I really enjoyed it and at the same time was kind of surprised at what turned out to be the key issues in this election. Here are some thoughts I've written down over the last few months as I've been thinking about this stuff:

"Peace by way of war is like purity by way of fornication." - Derek Webb

What does it mean to have fleshly enemies? To take a stand against evil while loving the enemy? To submit to God's ultimate and complete authority while engaging in the battle around us? Is war an act of vengance and should we EVER touch that? Is it dangerous language to name the terrorists 'the enemy.' - who is the REAL enemy here? Who's definiton of 'evil' are we as a nation using and can we hold that up to a totally different culture as a measuring rod?

I obviously have a lot more questions than answers here. I know I need to seek a heart of humility instead of judgment and pray for our world leaders A LOT!
Here are some truth's I've been praying over some of the things going on in the world today...
Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; according to your great power, preserve those doomed to die! Psalm 79:11. This is my prayer for the death penalty to be abolished and for all of the prisoners around the world that are in need of a Savior.

Give the King your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son! May He judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice! May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy and crush the oppressor! Psalm 72: 1-2, 4
This is my prayer for the leaders of the world today

This was King David's prayer before his death and I LOVE how it captures his heart as a man who lived under the authority of God...
Blessed are You, O lord God of Israel our father, forever and ever. yours, O Lord, is the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and on the earth; yours is the dominion, O Lord, and you exalt Yourself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. Now, therefore, our God we thank you and praise Your glorious name. But who am I and who are my people that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from You, and from Your hand we have given you.
1 Chronicles 29:11-14

You might want to check out this book, I haven't finished it yet but it has been really helpful in thinking through some of these things. God's Politics by Jim Wallis. Also you can check out www.sojo.net

Living More With Less

I've been spending this month meditating on, learning about, and trying to practice simplicity in my life. First of all let me dismiss the myth that living more simply is simple because that is just not true. It takes a lot of intention, time, and discipline. Because our world is so fast paced, convenient, and impersonal, trying to go against the flow is really hard! I got this book, 'Living More With Less' and have read about half of it so far. It is really incredible, it was written by a Mennonite woman who compiled stories and testamonies from around the globe of people who have chosen simplicity out of their desire to honor Christ in all things. One of the biggest things so far that this book has helped me hold onto is that my life, my every day decisions make a WORLD of difference. I am not going to change the world by my life and that is not the point; but every time I choose to do something like walk instead of drive, buy with integrity by not giving money to companies that don't pay their laborers a living wage or have poor working conditions, or the thousands of other choices I make that honor others and God above myself and my comfort -- this is obedience. The earth is the Lord's and all it contains -- this means something to me like it hasn't before. This is something I am still definately growing in, but it has been really freeing to let go of some of the things that I feel like I 'need' but really they only detract from the things that are better. I wrote this the other night as a kind of response to all these things that I am feeling and thinking.

One -- a single unit all alone
self contained and fulfilled
not knowing others or being known.
I don't need you in order to be me
I already decided who I am
and I am just fine -- can't you see?

'How appalling!' -- 'Why, how rude!'
'that is not me' we say assuredly.
But lives may say otherwise from our clothes to our food.
My momentary choices may seem small
like how I spend my time
or the things that I buy at the mall.

We are consumers and as such we say
who and what we stand for
in our manner of living every day.
I can't quite wrap my mind around
how my choices will affect the world
when they don't feel heavy or make a sound
It's not that I am so important and neat
but that I am not an island, so
when I take what could be yours it makes me a cheat.

To love mercy and do justice is no simple task
It takes awareness, intention, and death to myself.
But then, united, we can in God's glory bask!
I need you so I can be a better me,
because without you my joy is incomplete.
Thank you Jesus for the global Body that can't work independently.

on the road again

well, sorry it's been so long since the last update. Apparently, I had this dream about having all this free time or something. I am in H-town now about to drive to New Jersey with my sister to get her moved in. So I drove a U-haul up here from Corpus and thought I was going to make it scott free when I backed OVER a 2 foot metal pole... I mean on top of it. The truck wouldn't even drive so we had to call a tow truck and get it to lift the truck up like an inch and move it over another inch. So, 1 metal pole, a pentecostal reverand, his friend the tow truck man, a few inches, and $80 later we were on our way again. When my dad asked what the moral of the story was I told him "never put a u-haul in reverse" ... I mean you can't see anything directly behind you unless it is at least 5 feet tall, that puts a lot of small people in danger.
I am really pumped about the road trip, I love being in the car, and my sister just made her first big purchase and got herself a brand new 2006 Jetta with xm radio and lots of other shiny things. Haha, we both graduate and she buys herself a car and I buy myself a laptop, we're in totally different ball games here!
Been doing a lot of summer reading. I read 'The Poisonwood Bible' by: Barbara Kingsolver, and that is a really great book, I really enjoyed it as a work of fiction. I also read 'To Own a Dragon' by: Donald Miller and that was also a good book... not my favorite of his, but that's probably because he wrote it to guys without dads.
I am currently reading 'Nickled and Dimed" by: Barbara someone and "Humility" by: Andrew Murray. I think everyone in America should have to read Nickled and Dimed, I am not really sure how you enforce that other than giving everyone a copy at their birth and letting them know there will be a mandatory test at age 15 or something. But seriously, it is a really great book for helping to learn about the economic system in America and the low wage system. The Murray book is INCREDIBLE. The biggest sin I struggle with daily (as everyone who knows me on any level can attest to) is pride and this book has been sooooooooooo great in unpacking humility in the life of Jesus. It has brought such freedom and joy and I am only on chapter 4. I wish I could make a mandatory reading list and force read people -- unrealistic? Maybe... well, gotta run but hopefully it won't be so long before my next update. If you haven't seen me in a while here's a pic from this summer annnnnnnd just wanted to let everyone know I am going to dinner at the melting pot tomorrow night!!! I've never been.... real excited though!