The lone woman waging war on Barcelonas pickpockets | World news | The Guardian.
This a cool article on a woman in Barcelona that is trying to make a difference in the culture of a city. Maybe we’ll start handing out whistles with her? It’s also yet another glimpse into how the city of Barcelona is only taking baby steps to fix an issue that really needs long strides.
I’d love to meet this woman…maybe if I travel around and try to steal something she’ll fine me:) (That’s a joke)
So to be honest, I’m writing this in response to a comment on saw on Facebook. A person I didn’t know (thus me writing here and not there because I don’t get into Facebook battles with strangers…or even friends for that matter) wrote about his opinion of the Occupy Wall Street protests, which has become Occupy ______ Street. Or whatever.
This person was person was saying that he doesn’t expect a bailout for his personal choices that have gone bad (a home purchase) and that he’s working three jobs to pay for what he has to pay for. He was however clearly accusing the protestors for wanting a handout and that they didn’t want to take ownership of their decisions.
Fair enough: I respect the guy for working hard to pay for what he committed to. And I would agree that I think people simply wanting a bailout isn’t healthy learning.
But I think that this issue is bigger than this. I think that the issue is that the American people have been working hard, putting their noses to the grindstone, to make ends meet while the very system they are in just piles more weight on the back of their heads. I think that it’s about time that the corruption of the financial systems becomes a mainstream topic. It’s about time people realize that a handful of people (relatively speaking) have made numerous selfish and greedy decisions with full knowledge of what was going to happen. (Watch the documentary Inside Job if you don’t know about this)
I think it’s about time that some people in our culture take their noses from the grindstone, the patterns that have allowed people in power to do what they’ve done, and speak out against what has happened. Our country clearly needs great reform and we need to realize that doing more of what got us here isn’t going to get us out. I don’t think that electing new people into office is the answer either because many of out elected officials are corporate sponsored. It’s not until the entire structure is exposed for it’s greed and selfishness that things will change. And I believe that Occupy Wall Street is a start. Agree or disagree with it, at least they are a different voice for change. A voice that doesn’t seem to be sponsored by major corporations like Montsana or elite banking firms. This seems like a voice from fringe people that are willing to speak up. I guarantee that if the right reform happens (us actually having a government for the people…not for themselves through the people) it will because these early voices spoke loud enough to be heard.
I actually wish I was in the States to be a part of this because I have hope that things can change.
Here’s my question that I challenge myself with: How am I so immersed in my own life and work that I’m not stopping to see the change that needs to happen? Do I have the courage to speak up against injustice? Where is the Church in all of this? Remember Jesus spoke out against the oppressive authority of his day to bring people to freedom. (I also know what the apostle Paul wrote about submitting to government, but speaking out against injustice and greed is also called for. Think about when John the Baptist spoke out against Herod sleeping with his brothers wife. There is a time for every season…) Do I even care about the oppressive systems and rulers of our world? Or do I only care when I’m personally affected?
I say we start a movement called Occupy My Street. Where we each look at the oppressive and unjust things in our own houses, neighborhoods, and cities. Maybe it’s sexism, classism, child abuse, spiritual abuse, apathy, greed…it’s not only big corporations that operate in negative power structures.
Regardless, I pray that good change comes to the systems we live in. I believe that it comes with internal reflection and change in each of us….this will lead us to the ‘good works’ that we were created to do.
I am a confessed coffee addict and coffee connoisseur (and even after living in France for 2.5 years I still had to spell check that word). My morning routine involves boiling water, grinding beans, waiting some minutes, taking a sip of a local roast, and then waking up.
A few years ago, while on one of our longer stays in the US I bought a mug from Ikea that I really liked. I used it every morning for over a year and it became a part of my routine. I packed it in my suitcase when we moved to Barcelona in 2009. Shortly after our move, one fateful morning, I dropped the mug whilst trying to escape the fog that follows me around before coffee (yes, a real addict). I was without this trusty companion for the first time in years.
So I did what any normal human being would do when they break an inanimate, replaceable object: I bought another one.
This one was a big beautiful, more artsy looking, mug from Starbucks. It was also a huge mug and only made my coffee intake in the morning more intense. (With a downside of the coffee at the bottom of the mug ending up cold.) During our first 2 years in Barcelona I used this mug every morning. In truth most mornings during our first two years were pretty tough. It saw me through some tough times for sure…It’s dark blue tones were maybe a bit too appropriate for my emotional state though.
But just like two years before, one fateful morning this mug too took the plunge to the tile floor and ended it’s reign over my delicious morning coffee. It seemed like things were happening in slow motion as the mug slipped from my wet hands to the dry floor. This mug represented more to me than just an inanimate object…this mug was an icon of a chapter of my life; the most challenging and difficult chapter of my life.
So Jen and Maisie went out and bought me a new mug…a cheery yellow mug. Maybe it’s a prophetic sign of the good to come, or in the way that we’ve found the sun through the intense shaded of blue. But regardless, I really like it. It’s smaller…so that will maybe help me cut back on my problem.
But through this reflection I’ve realized that I’ve had one mug for each of the past three chapters of life:
Preparing for Barcelona -> Settling in Barcelona -> ???? in Barcelona
I am hopeful that the chapter marked by my yellow mug will be about:
New Beginnings, Further Growth, Living well in Community, Strong Faith and Love, and Stepping into Giftedness.
Am I the only one with distinct chapters in life? Anyone else have obscure, random, inanimate markers of these times?
Today is the 10 year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City. I thought I’d write some thoughts down (for myself) that are based in lessons learned or things hoped to live into as a result of how the world has changed. These are the creeds I am choosing to live by as a follower of Jesus in a post 9/11 world. (of course these are aspirational as well as actual…what’s the point in just writing about what I’m doing well with?)
I choose to live free of fear
Fear seems to be one of the most powerful tools being used against us. Fear of the unknown. Fear of people who look different. Fear of failure. Fear of whatever the news is peddling to get ratings. Fear of death. Fear of terror. Fear of fear.
Fear can be crippling and debilitating. It can stop us in our tracks. We won’t go here or there because of fear. We won’t welcome the stranger because of fear. We won’t trust who we really are with others because of fear. We won’t forgive others because of fear of being hurt again. It could go on and on…and often does.
In light of the reality that Jesus has said ‘Fear not, because I am with you until the end of the age…” I need to take a look at the fears that I allow to hinder me. Fear of failure. Fear of being irrelevant. Fear of being judged. Fear of rejection. My list goes on and on too…
In a post 9/11 world we are sold fear…and it’s a powerful sales pitch. But I choose to not let the powers that be of this world control me because I choose to live in freedom and courage. I choose to open my life to love, beauty, grace, hope, adventure, and joy. I will not allow the poison of fear to rob me of these things…and ultimately rob me of living the life of faith that I want to live.
I choose to celebrate life
Our country has been in various wars almost my whole life (or at least the threat of war), but none have been as center stage to me as the one that has lasted the last decade. On September 11, 2001 we saw the beauty of life violated in one of the worst ways. And it hasn’t stopped. The death toll as a result of the war on terror is sickening…many people, Americans and non-Americans alike, were innocent and the place they met their earthly end was not their choice.
Something in me truly hates this loss of life. Regardless of what side of the battle lines one is one. Something in me calls to me, “This is not the way it was meant to be.” Because this is not the way it was meant to be.
In the creation story in the Bible the only thing our Creator describes as ‘very good’ is human life. It is the only thing he chose to make in His image. The thought of one image-bearer betraying the life of another in any context is hard for me. Even in heinous circumstances I can’t rejoice in death…I feel hurt even when people reap what they sow…because I can almost imagine what life would be like if they had chose to sow something different.
9/11 has revealed to me the beauty of life. We even got a glimpse of this beauty in tragedy as we watched people willingly sacrifice their lives for another. (what a contrast…people taking life vs others sacrificing life) When life is lived sacrificially for another, in even the smallest of ways, we get glimpses of the beauty that this life was meant to be. These are shadows of the greatest sacrifice that Jesus willingly made…His great story is even great when we live it out in our unique ways. Jesus said that the things that His disciples (us) would do would be even greater than what he did…
So it’s because of this that I honor life…it’s beauties make me long for more…and it’s pains make me hunger for the perfection that Jesus has made a future reality.
I choose to let go of control
I’ve watched a lot of things about the attacks on September 11th. And one thing is abundantly clear: the people of New York did not see it coming. How could they? How could we? It’s just too awful to even imagine…much less to see and experience as some of my friends have.
This is true of most tragedies in life…we don’t see them coming. Despite our best efforts at control, we have to admit, we are not in control. My problem, as I’ve realized over the past couple of years, is that I’m a control freak. When it comes to the world around me, I like to be in the pilot’s seat, the cockpit, and behind the wheel….and sometimes navigating too.
But how can I live under the illusion of control after seeing what happened 10 years ago? I have to come to terms with this, I’m not in control of my own fate.
So where does that leave me? The opposite of control is not apathy…I say it’s active trust. This means taking advantage of every opportunity to do good and to trust God with my life…this means taking risks and trusting in God’s goodness. If I really believe in a good God, then I don’t merely resign myself to this, I rejoice in this. I would choose no other way even given the choice. (I think:)
So in a post 9/11 world I choose to give up control and the shades of control that I think that I can influence. Our world is bigger than I can see, and I can trust that the One whose eyes are big enough to see it all is watching over me.
I choose to put my faith in the Kingdom of Heaven
Since 9/11 the kingdoms of the world have been fighting…a lot. The US has been in the middle of a lot of it. From the UN to Iraq, and from Afghanistan to France, the US has had a lot of conflict. And not just about terror…also about money. Our world is in upheaval (and has been for a long time and will be until the end of this age).
I choose to believe to step back from the title of ‘American’ for a moment to see that I wear a greater title: Follower of Jesus, Child of God, Heir in God’s Kingdom, Ambassador of God’s Kingdom. Because of these greater titles I can’t allow my ‘lesser-than’ titles to dictate the way I live out the others. This isn’t because I don’t honor the United States or because I don’t like the United States. It’s just that the title of ‘US citizen’ gets lost in the light of the other identities that I have in Jesus. In fact, all other identities get lost in comparison.
So to that I say, I choose not to put my faith, belief, hope, or passion into any particular ‘kingdoms’ of this world…I choose to put my faith in the only Kingdom that has the power to bring peace, heal, forgive, give grace, give meaning, give hope, bring life, and unending joy…the one where Jesus is at the helm guiding us towards all the good that God has for the world.
Jen just wrote this tribute to our first 10 years. Brief, but beautiful.
(the long awaited return of me writing about Babies (now kids) and Spirituality)
Cutler needs his diaper changed every morning. I guess his bowels are on a schedule, 9 times out of 10 he’s dropped a bomb in the morning. And 10 times out of 10 he doesn’t want me to change his diaper. When I get out the tools to get the job done he runs away like I’m chasing him with a pair of hedge trimmers and a crazy laugh.
I really don’t get it. He smells. It could give him a rash. And he doesn’t want it to go away. Even when I do catch him, he wiggles and doesn’t make it an easy job. It’s like he’s saying,
“No no…I like this smell. I’m not really ready to let it go and I’d rather just live in it than be clean.”
I find that I act like a baby with a poopy diaper sometimes too. There are things that I’m carrying around that don’t need to be there, that are keeping me from ‘being clean’, maybe even hurting me. The best thing to have happen would be to stop running and let God deal with it. But maybe I’m too busy or just don’t want to slow down. Or maybe I’ve just become accustomed to it and the smell doesn’t really bother me.
This is when God, as a loving father, actively works to help get rid of things that are killing me. (Kill may be a strong sounding word, but I would argue that we need to think of ‘sin’ in the strongest terms possible or we won’t see it for the destructive force that it is) Because God is a good dad he doesn’t let us run around with things in our lives that aren’t good for us. The Bible says ‘He disciplines (corrects) those he loves’. As a dad of two little kids, I have to correct my kids when they are doing something to harm themselves or others. I would be a bad father if I let them hit other kids or eat cigarette butts they find on the ground.
I think at some point we just have to ask, ‘Do I want to walk around with a soul and spirit that is like a soggy diaper?’ And if we answer ‘No’ to that question then we have to ask the brave question, ‘What do I need to do to let God help me?’ I would offer up a few ideas…
1. Pray….ask God to show areas in your life that are working against you being the person He wants you to be.
2. Slow down…a lot of times we get so busy or so wrapped up in a busy routine that we don’t just slow down and evaluate our lives.
3. Ask somebody close to you to tell you the truth…this is a dangerous one. Being willing to listen to another person’s thoughts about your life can be vulnerable, but they may also see something you don’t.
4. Ask somebody you can trust and who has a backbone to help you stick to your plan, it will get tough.
5. Don’t stop evaluating yourself…Often times dealing with one thing prepares us to deal with another. The point is allowing God to begin ‘a new creation’ in us. Not just a single upgrade on the old one. There are poopy diapers nearly every morning in my house…it’s just the way it is.
I take a lot of comfort knowing that God doesn’t quit on me. That even when I run, He doesn’t stop. He cares about each of us deeply, all of His creation for that matter, and his work in us will do nothing except for what is good.
I would also add, there is a cycle to all of this. When we have experienced God’s goodness, grace, and love over us, we get to share our hope with others. We get to help them become the new creation that God hopes for them to become as well. God also gives us eyes to see the things all around our world that he wants to bring new life to.
A big life change begins with one small choice. What am I going to choose today? To let God do what he has to do, or to run off with a poopy diaper?
You can read this article first if you want to see what inspired this post: Colombian Cyclists Dream Of Racing Out Of Poverty : NPR
I originally wrote this post a couple of days ago, but it got deleted for nerd reasons I won’t go into. But here’s my second try…
I just read the article above and a line in it hit me,
“If you can’t suffer,” Johan says, “what good are you?”
We just got back from our annual Christian Associates conference called connect. This year, our main sessions were taught by other church-planters within CA. The main text we were being taught was Hebrews 11. As each of my friends taught through this, one theme resounded from the lives of the people of faith in Hebrews: their faith lead each of them to some sort of significant suffering that resulted in their character being developed. Because of who they became through their suffering they were able to live lives of faith that made a difference in the world around them…and subsequently be considered by the writer of Hebrews some of the most noteworthy followers of God in history.
I like to ride my bikes. I like to work on my bikes. I use my bikes to get around town faster or take my daughter to school on. Basically, I use them for convenience. But I really don’t set out on my bike to suffer because I’m not competing for anything like the Columbian young men in the story, or like the riders in the Tour de France.
I watched the Tour de France a lot this year…mostly because of my newfound passion for bikes (which is evident in my last three posts). In the stages in the mountains I couldn’t get over the effort that there were exerting. They were riding 100′s of miles within a few days in incredible heat, altitude, and mental strain. For a rider in the Tour, winning a leg is pretty remarkable. Winning the whole thing is incredible. But the agony on their faces proves that they must suffer to get there. They are suffering for a prize.
In the story of Johan above, it’s not just him suffering on a bike. His mom has opened a new business, his parents sold their home, his dad is working construction as an older man. They are suffering together…but not just for the sake of suffering or riding a bike. They are suffering and sacrificing because they hope that cycling will take them out of the poverty they were living in.
This reminds me of a line in the Bible: (Hebrews 12:2)
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
It’s clear to me that there is something significant with suffering in the Christian journey. I think that there is a transformation that takes place within in us that enables us to become the type of people that God can use to join him in his good intentions on earth.
I think that the quote rings true:
“If you can’t suffer, what good are you?”
I think that I need to come to terms with something spiritually. Am I a casual bike rider when it comes to suffering? Do I just want faith for convenience? Or do I want to ride like I’m competing for a prize? (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) Do I want to push on in the face of difficulty? (2 Corinthians 4:7-10) Do I believe that partnership and relationship with God is worth it? (Philippians 3:7-14)
I think I do…
This is the bike that I bought as a rusted pile of nothingness at the flea market and transformed into a super cool (in my opinion) fixed gear bike.
It’s a vintage french frame…from the 60′s I believe. The only marks on the frame are the angles of the tubes on the lugs and the initials EDA on the bottom bracket. From my research, I believe it was built by two French brothers.
Regardless…it’s my daily ride around town and I love that I restored this bike to being useful again. One of the pictures is what it looked like when I bought it…