BS

We are doing a new study in Bible Study which I'm pretty excited about. It's a study (wow, the word "study" three times in two sentences!!) on Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Cost of Discipleship. I hope it will be challenging and insightful and disturbing. I hope that we don't look at it like we've always looked at everything. I hope we don't think that our efforts as of now are good enough. I hope we really try to take it to heart and learn. It should rock our little Christian bubbles.

I think we should read "The Irresistible Revolution" as a companion study, but I'm not sure the group is ready for the kind of radicalism Shane Claiborne promotes. I really enjoyed the part of the book I read, and I really should finish it. It addresses poverty, war, sacrifice, and what Christian living should look like. Some of his ideas might be too extreme for some--not everyone is called to drop everything (family, friends, comfort) to live among the homeless--although I greatly greatly admire those who do. I can't fathom the depth of their passion for Christ that would lead them to those lengths. I know God still calls some to minister to the hurting and needy in their roles of businessman, wife, mailman, child. But I hope that we are looking for the ways in our lives that we could be giving up more for Jesus--even if it's just climbing out of our comfort zones.

How many times do we drive past the homeless man on the corner, avoiding eye contact guiltily. We have $5 we could give him--heck, compared to him, we really could do without. But who knows what he's going to spend it on? Drugs? Alchohol? Why can't we just give it to him and trust God? I'm not saying I'm any better at this. Most of the time I actually don't have any cash and, I have to admit, I'm too lazy or too much in a hurry to stop somewhere and get him some food. And I'm tired of using the excuse: "Well, I have to be more careful, because I'm a girl." You know, he might rape me or something. I think God would protect me, and besides, I'd be doing it in broad daylight with many others around.

Well, that turned into a long rant. I like ranting. Maybe I'll rant some more another time about modesty. I just read a book and now I've been thinking a lot about it.

Yay, we have high speed internet back!