Guest Blogger Archives - Page 10 of 10

Reflections on Kairos Weekend: Lowell #24

Posted on Nov 11, 2016 in Blog, Guest Blogger |

What did this experience have on me? Was it an exercise in proving myself to…fill in the blank? Was it just an inconvenience? Was it a source of antagonism? Or rather a chance to delve into my inadequacies in my walk with Christ, and get more of a glimpse of the reality of my (human) condition?

The time and travel requirement of the meetings, the mixed messages, and the imperfection of human collaboration; worse than that was the pre-judgement that I brought with me to every meeting. The struggles that took place for me on every level were wearisome. I’d like to say that the comradery made up for this energy drain, though at best it equalized it.

We all draw our proverbial lines in the sand. We say, “I’ll go this far and that is it, from there on out they are on their own.” As if we are in charge; as if we set the ground rules. Why are we typically resistant to realize and work forward from the premise that He gave us everything? We struggle so for our independence; if we truly accept that He gave us everything then we can also accept that He will empower us (however feeble we feel). If we could just stop our self-sufficient nonsense, our being offended nonsense, our being over-tasked nonsense, our general refusal to serve others in love because of…fill in the blank, then we would learn to love as we were intended. I know that this stubbornness I sense in my soul will continue to refuse Him and will require Kairos-type servitude if I hope to continue to learn His truth.

As for the issue of these people that I served that weekend; being in a prison with convicted offenders, this causes discord in general. Yes, they are in prison to serve their punishment because they seriously caused damage to another person(s) in some regard. So why not serve those who have not perpetrated such crimes? There’s so much to address in that question, it would take many discussions to do it justice. To me that is not the question; rather, the question is: when an interest of service to Christ presents itself, why not? Why not just do it, then later question the reasoning and pause for reflection? I at least realize I have much to learn, so much that I would be stressed if I told the actual amount.

As tired as I am, as emotionally and spiritually exhausted as I feel, I know that this type of experience (this amount of inconvenience) is necessary for me to learn the real meaning of agape love. He desires us to learn it (however difficult that may be) so that we can practice it.

You may have heard stories from Kairos volunteers of how much change took place in the prisoners that they served; I will not report anything unique. I was skeptical, though I realized quickly the open-mic testimonies from these women were sincere; yes, more honesty of how their crimes hurt others could have been mentioned and I do hope they are working on that repentance with Christ, though their personal reflections were brutal. Most of the testimonies were reflecting how they deeply hurt their children or family, quickly followed with stories of how those relatives turned them away; ownership and understanding of that denial was declared and the pain that accompanied was equally searing.

There was also testimony from a prisoner who went through a Kairos weekend a few years prior. She admitted that she fell back into the daily prison life survival mode. She slowly stopped praying and ceased to read Scripture that led to a direct – negative – change in her personality and choices. After a bit of coaxing she started to attend the Kairos monthly reunions, which led her to return to a daily discipline of time with Christ. Within one month of this she rekindled a relationship with her sister and eventually her children.

Christ is powerful, though sometimes we don’t see it because the power is not revealed in ways that we think it should be. Christ can do anything – anything that is necessary for us to learn as He wants – and needs – us to learn. He is omnipotent not benevolent; we are wise to learn this distinction in our day-to-day existence.

Leann Manley served on the Kairos weekend at the end of October. If you have any interest in serving next spring, you can email her at manley.leann@gmail.com.

Laboring For The Common Good

Posted on Jul 1, 2016 in Blog, Guest Blogger, Onward and Upward |

In our Prayers of the People, what does it mean to “labor for the common good,” and how would that “reflect the Kingdom of God”? Here is only a short blog-length partial answer to the question, but it may get us started. Follow a couple of lines of thought here and see if we don’t spiral upward into understanding at least part of the answer to the question. SM-Confirmation2015-9285

Imagine going to the doctor’s office with an illness. The doctor sees you, writes a prescription, and you feel well in a couple of days. Clearly, this was one person laboring for one person’s good (the doctor worked to make you better).

You can see how, patient after patient and day after day, the doctor labors for the good of others, for the “common good.” (That was easy.)

But now imagine going to the doctor’s office. Cabinets on the wall keep the things the doctor needs organized. Someone worked to install those cabinets. They were made of wood from someone’s timber lot somewhere. Some logging crew came in and took those trees out. They used trucks manufactured somewhere by someone to carry the logs to a sawmill. Oil – maybe from a well in Kazakhstan, worked by those in our least-reached people group – keeps the chainsaws and trucks and sawmill works moving smoothly. Those cabinets are covered with a synthetic veneer to make disinfecting them easier and limit infecting already sick people. Who worked in the plant making that veneer? Who made the adhesive to hold it to the wood of the cabinets? What chemist ensures that the disinfecting fluid is properly manufactured so that it kills the germs it is supposed to? Who wipes down the cabinets with the disinfectant? Who made the sponges used to wipe them down? Who drove the truck carrying the sponges to the place where they were purchased? Who was the cashier that rang up the order? The doctor writes the prescription on a paper pad (we are imaging back in the old days, OK?). Who made the pencil? (Read here for that story – it may amaze you!) The doctor said, “I want you to take three pills every day for a week” and wrote a prescription for 21 pills. Who was the third grade teacher that made that little 8-year-old future doctor learn the “3 times table”? Do you see how all those people labored to create a situation where patients can find a cure? They labored for the common good. (That was pretty easy, too.)

Now, what is reflecting the coming Kingdom of God about all of that? (Those of us who grew up with an Evangelical background may be dismayed that no one so far has gotten saved!) Well, think about what the prophets said about the coming Kingdom of God. Among so many other things, it will be a place of prosperity where people and communities flourish.

Do you notice that at each of the stages of production or service where different parts of the doctor’s office came together, everyone made a little bit of money? Politicians can argue about what policies have what effect on the process, but it is very basic economic wisdom that families and communities flourish when goods and services are produced and move rapidly through society. All those people were employed productively, not only providing goods or services that ended up creating a healing environment for patients but also providing support for their own families and the dignity that comes from working to support themselves and those they love.

Perhaps thinking about this makes you wonder if each of the workers was treated fairly. Were any treated unjustly? What could we do to remedy that injustice?

And maybe thinking even briefly about people creating a more flourishing community where they are treated with justice makes us think about – and yearn for – the coming Kingdom of God.

And all we have dealt with have been the two issues of economic productivity and economic justice – we barely made a dent in answering the question! There is so much more to be said – maybe later.

Be blessed in your daily work this week,

James

James Manley is a deacon at Servants of Christ. James holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Florida and is a professor of the humanities at the College of Central Florida in Ocala. He has taught at 6 colleges and seminaries in the United States and East Africa. Along the way he worked as a janitor, a grocery store clerk, a warehouse packer, a shipping inspector, a print shop assistant, a library periodicals technician, an acoustic ceiling tile scrubber, a shepherd, a goatherd, a swineherd, a recruitment specialist for an international development firm, a tomato harvester, a mechanic’s assistant, a vicar of a tiny Anglican parish, and a pine tree farmer. He works evenings and weekends as grill cook and bartender at Leann’s Place in beautiful Fairfield, Florida.