Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Thirty Hour Famine

This weekend we are leading our students in the experience of the 30 hour famine. I love this weekend because it creates a way for the students to do something about something that they, and God, hate; world hunger.

We have some passionate students about homelessness and poverty and hunger and addiction and... The biggest thing is that they don't see it as a complicated problem. They just see it as a place to make the world more like God dreams of.

I see a huge problem. I see the way that extreme poverty, lack of education, racism/predjudice, hopelessness, family cycles are all working together to create this massive problem. It's this kind of a huge problem that paralyzes a lot of people. There are students in Driven (the HS ministry at SACC) who are paralyzed. And then this feeling produces guilt - why am I doing nothing? why am I not doing enough? how can God love me when I am paralyzed?

This huge problem also shows it's ugly head when people turn away from following Jesus alltogether. I don't understand the Trinity. I see too much hypocrasy. I don't fit in.

All of these, in both the case of world hunger and in the case of following Jesus, are (as far as I see) are miss-focused excuses. Focusing on the problem - oparalyzes people.

The challenge then, for leaders, is to help people move their focus to the good and not the bad.
To stand for something, instead of against something.

May God bless the Famine. In Albany and in the world.

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

I should have known...

Wild Weekend.

I need to post on:
Ramadan
Meeting people who are breaking into the youth house wearing your jacket
&
Thirty Hour Famine

But right now, I want to point out some cool stuff. I have created some little links on the right hand side that I learned about from Bob up in Portland, whose link is also on the side.

One of the links tells me what key words people are using to search and finding my blog.

Here's the latest smattering. It's funny.

canadian in cuba
kenda creasy dean (which reminds me, I'm almost done Practicing Passion. Possibly the greatest youth ministry book in the world for me right now.)
rob bell mars hill
church sluts
learning about when people laugh at you and not with you
sluts of all kind


As you can see....some people (last search) are coming to the reorientation looking for something a little different.

!

Friday, October 07, 2005

reorient reader: You are Getting Stupider Every Time You Are Here.

Well, unfortunately, it might be true. The more you are goofing around on your computer, the lower your IQ is going. So, in theory, the more you are here, the dumber you are getting. Click on the title link for the news story.

I love IQ. I love it because I love to see the way that people talk about it. I love to ask people what there's is and I don't really care what the number is - I find it interesting when people are really excited about their number. High or low, whatever. I love when people ask me my number and there number is higher, but they are complete morons. I find it revealing to me as a warning not to place my self worth anywhere but on Jesus' inherent worth given to creation, in His Image.

I think the idol of finding self-worth in smarts, good grades, graduating high school is wildly prevalent in our culture. People look at me like I am crazy when I talk about my educational dreams for LJ - I hope he follow God's call. HS? Ok, whatever. College? OK whatever.

However, I don't endorse the, "I'm dropping out of high school so that I can go to Africa and be a missionary!" Unless it is surely God's call (which He has made crazier calls), then the 14 year old in Africa is just another crying mouth to feed. One without a decent education.

So if you are going to be stupid. At least be stupid here.

*This rant has been inspired by Irwin McManus' teaching at 722 in Atlanta from last week.

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Canadian


If you are a frequent reader of the reorientation then you already know I am a Canadian living in America. Basically that means two things:

1. I can go to Cube and smoke all the cigars I want. However, I don't like Castro (I mean really, Che is just your Minister of Agriculture? - and then you leave him hanging in Bolivia? COme on!) and I don't smoke cigars. So that one is a bit of a wash.

2. I have the priviledge of riding out the storm of being the butt of jokes that Americans love to tell. Thing is, many of them are stinking funny. It's only annoying when people actually tell me I'm talking "wrong". Honestly, I'm not going to get a new accent - it's been 6 years I've lived in the USAmericas and I still talk "wrong". So, most people are not haters - they are genuinely funny.

All of this, because I got this list in an email from Kayla, and I thought it would be fun to post. I laughed out loud. Feel free to do so also, especially if you are in a public place - it always makes people wonder.

26 Signs Showing You Might Be Canadian

1. You're not offended by the term "HOMO MILK".
2. You understand the phrase "Could you pass me a serviette, I just dropped my poutine, on the chesterfield."
3. You eat chocolate bars, not candy bars.
4. You drink Pop, not Soda.
5. You know that a Mickey and 24's mean, "party at the camp,eh!!!"
6. You don't care about the fuss with Cuba. It's a cheap place to go for your holidays, with good cigars and no Americans.
7. You know that a pike is a type of fish, not part of a highway.
8. You drive on a highway, not a freeway.
9. You have Canadian Tire money in your kitchen drawers.
10. You know that Casey and Finnegan were not part of a Celtic musical group
11. You get excited whenever an American television show mentions Canada.
12. You brag to Americans that; Shania Twain, Jim Carrey, Celine Dion & Mike Myers are Canadians.
13. You know that the C.E.O. of American Airlines is a Canadian!
14. You know what a touque is.
15. You design your Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
16. You know that the last letter of the English alphabet is always pronounced "Zed".
17. Your local newspaper covers the national news on 2 pages, but requires 6 pages for hockey.
18. You know that the four seasons mean: almost winter, winter, still winter and road work.
19. You know that when it's 25 degrees outside, it's a warm day.
20. You understand the Labatt Blue commercials.
21. You know how to pronounce and spell "Saskatchewan".
22. You perk up when you hear the theme song from 'Hockey Night in Canada'.
23. You are in grade 12, not the 12th grade.
24. "Eh?" is a very important part of your vocabulary, and is more polite than, "Huh?"
25. You actually understand these jokes, and forward them to all of your Canadian friends! Then you send them to your American friends just to confuse them!
26. You know that it is a Zedbra, not a zebra.