The Toilet

Natalie really loves to play in water. She loves bath time, she loved swimming last summer, and she loves to play in puddles outside if we let her. Yesterday, she discovered that we have a "puddle" in our house! The bad part is that she discovered it because we had friends over with a little four year old boy who went to the bathroom, left the seat up, and forgot to flush...

Christian Higher Education

Let me preface this little rant by saying that I owe much of who I am today to my experiences in Christian higher education. So I am not in any way trying to condemn it overall, I just want to ask some questions - and since I have come through that system, I feel that I have a bit of a right, if not a responsibility, to question it. The main question I want to ask is simply this: Is Christian higher education accomplishing what it is trying to accomplish?
Currently I work at a Christian University and I am fully aware of the fact that we are graduating wonderful students each year and sending them out into the "real world" with a good education. But is that really out goal? This may vary depending on the program that a student is in, but at our school, a high percentage of the students are here to prepare for ministry. Maybe that is pastoral ministry, or overseas work as a missionary. So they come to a school like ours, study for four years, and graduate with a degree in an applicable field such as biblical studies, pastoral studies, or cross cultural studies. So far the process sounds pretty good. I suppose we could talk about how well the degrees actually prepare the students for the ministry they hope to engage in, but that is not my big hesitation right now.
The part that is very hard for me to reconcile is the fact that many of these students graduate from here with an enormous amount of debt. A college education is expensive. Those expenses only multiply when you are going to a private Christian school. The dilemma is a big one. Students who want to be trained in these fields cannot simply choose to go to a more affordable public college because they don't offer the specialized "Christian" programs that private Christian schools do. On the other hand - if a student does spend four years at a private Christian school, they often end up with a debt that actually keeps them from entering the ministry that they studied for! The truth is that ministry jobs don't often pay well. That is not necessarily a bad thing always, but if we are requiring applicants for these jobs to have college training (which we often do) then we are putting them in a really tough spot.
In the end, maybe it is not a problem specifically with the Christian Higher Education system, but more of a problem with how we train Christian leaders. If our denominations and our churches require college degrees for those in ministry, they are often requiring people to go into debt. Maybe I am mistaken, but that seems to be in conflict with what God talks about in the bible. As a financial aid advisor, I have seen firsthand the crippling effects of debt. I know of several students who are gifted, passionate about God and others, college graduates, and yet cannot afford to do what they are passionate about because they have too much debt. Some mission organizations also require people to have no debt before going overseas with them. While I think that this is a wise requirement, it also becomes less attainable when those groups also require a college degree with a "Christian" specialization.
There is much more to say about this, but a critique without an alternative is about as useful as a pastoral studies degree with $50,000 in debt. So what is my alternative? Higher education in general has not been around all that long. For most of the worlds history, people learned from others in an apprentice / mentor type of relationship. Jesus himself gathered together a group of men to learn from him over the course of several years. During that time, he taught them, encouraged them to try things, rebuked them, and spent his life with them. What better learning experience could a person get? Instead of four years of classes that last for a few hours a day, and often only go for about two thirds of the year, what if we had a model where people were actively mentored for four years and trained by others? I would truly love to see more churches, denominations, and missions organizations embrace this type of an idea and validate it. It could look many different ways, and would not necessarily have to exclude formal education altogether. My point is simply that there must be another way. If we are seeking to train and prepare people for ministry, how can we do that in a way that actually allows them to do ministry when their training is complete? We need to develop alternatives and we need to think creatively. It is time to rethink the way that we as Christians are training our leaders. Again, I am not saying that a formal college education is in any way wrong, but it is becoming less attainable for many students. For these students, we should have an alternative. That is all I will say for now, but truly this is a huge topic that could keep me going for quite some time.

Snow

Today it is snowing! It is hard to believe how much I like the snow. Maybe it is magnified a bit since I have not been around it for several years now, but either way, I just love it when it snows. I have to admit though, it makes it hard to work. My office is arranged so that I sit at my desk with my back to the window and today I just keep turning around to watch the snow. Maybe that is partly because it is not that common in Redding. It is actually starting to look like a real winter outside! I definitely love the snow!

Blogging

I'll be honest with you...wait nobody is reading this...I'll be honest with myself - blogging is an odd thing. Even the word itself still sometimes makes me thing of a word that an Englishman would use as a profanity. " You blogging idiot - learn how to drive!" You know, something of that nature. Now I appreciate blogs for their ability to help us keep updated across great distances at times, but like much of our technology, it seems that they sometimes only serve to keep us more disconnected.

An example: I read a couple of blogs regularly. My cousin's family is in Africa right now and reading their blog allows me to stay up to date on what things are happening in their lives in a way that I would not be able to otherwise. On the other hand, I regularly read the blog of a friend that lives in the same town as me. By reading his blog, it gives me the feeling that I know him better and that I am somehow connected to him. The reality, though, is that it can also give me an excuse to not call him and get together with him. By reading a blog, I can feel a false sense of connectedness with another person that may actually cause me to neglect the relationship or at least not pursue face to face interaction. It is crazy that this illusion of connectedness actually can increase our loneliness!

There is just something special, powerful, and absolutely essential about actually talking with others face to face. I know, it is ironic and maybe even hypocritical that I am writing all this on my own blog, but I guess I just take solace in the fact that I have no intention of connecting to others through this entry. The truth is, this is a record of my thoughts and feelings. Mostly this is something for me - and maybe for my family in the future. Some people journal - I blog. It comes down to practicality - I can't write nearly as fast as I type and if I try, I can't read my own handwriting.

So there, I have said it - blogs are a curious thing...

The American Dream

Just a few days ago I was having a conversation with a friend of mine about some contrasts we have noticed between life in the United States and life in other countries. Both of us have lived in foreign countries and often been faced with the challenge of explaining our country to others who have never been here. To many people we have both encountered, the United States looks like the "land of promise". It is an ideal place where everyone is wealthy, everyone is successful, and we all have fancy houses. In short, it is a wealthy place and it is desirable.
On the outside, that perception of the United States seems pretty accurate. What I have come to realize more acutely then ever is that it is actually quite rare for people to actually own all the stuff they use. You see, the truth is that we live in houses owned by a bank or real estate company, drive cars leased from a dealer, sit on furniture leased from a store, and watch sports on a high definition TV that was paid for with a credit card that is maxed out. Much of the United States has the appearance of wealth, but really what we truly have is a staggering amount of debt. As foreclosures continue to rise and our economy slows down, maybe it is a good time to take a step back and realize the absurdity of our current system. We live much of our lives working hard to pay of the debt that we owe to others because we insist on living at a level that we have not yet actually attained!
There is much more that could be said but alas, time is running short for me. I just hope that I can live my life in a way that doesn't give the appearance of wealth through large amounts of debt. Maybe I will rent an apartment with my family for the rest of our lives, I don't know, but I will do all that I can to avoid accumulating a large amount of debt in order to live a "dream" that really wouldn't be so enjoyable with a large chain of debt around my neck.
So to my friends overseas, though we may look wealthy, much of our wealth is really just large golden chains of debt that keep us pushing and fighting for more all the time. Sometimes we work multiple jobs, we sacrifice friendships and time with family, and lust after the newest things. Does that sound like a dream? Not to me. But I will say that it is incredibly hard to not buy into this debt cycle when we are constantly bombarded with another advertisement for a new credit card, or a new loan, or an offer to buy now and pay later. God, give us eyes to see through all these lies. Grant us the wisdom to live in a way that doesn't burden us with debt. God help us all.

Rick

About a week ago, I met a man named Rick. Rick was from the midwest and was travelling out here in the western United States for a while with his wife. Rick was a kind man in his late fifties, pretty articulate, and friendly with nearly everyone that walked by during our conversation. He had attended Purdue University many years ago, then got a job, bought some property, and built a house. Then everything changed. Rick's house burned down recently. Since he had no insurance to cover the fire, the loss was complete - all his belongings, his home, even many important documents and records. Rick had not been working due to health problems he was having, so he had no income to deal with the tragic loss of his home. Though college educated, a landowner and homeowner, Rick suddenly found himself...homeless.
It is easy to drive by a homeless person and make a lot of assumptions about their situation. By taking the time to stop and talk with Rick, I found that many of the things I might have assumed and guessed, were dead wrong. Finding himself in a position where he had lost everything, he and his wife decided to travel and see the country - thus adjusting to a transient, homeless lifestyle. Upon coming to Redding, Rick's wife decided to try and see one of her children who lives here. Though I don't know all the story behind it, her children have all decided not to have anything to do with her - seemingly due to her homelessness. She became desperate, so she broke into an apartment, stole a credit card, and used it to buy some things for herself and Rick. Shortly after that, she was arrested and sent to a women's prison in Fresno. Now Rick is not only homeless, but alone.
Rick is not so different from the rest of us. He has an education. He pursued the "American Dream" and had a home and a family. He values relationships and wants to have friends. He does his best to live a friendly, caring life. He really is not so different than me, or my family, or many of my friends. Unfortunately, life handed him a crazy, painful, and overwhelming set of circumstances all at once. The amazing thing is that Rick is not bitter or angry about it. He told me that he starts every day by thanking God for another day to live, and he ends each day by thanking God that he provided for him that day. He isn't angry when people treat him poorly - instead he tries to cheer them up. He is a smart man who had everything he cares about taken from in over a short period of time.
Sometimes we pity the homeless. Sometimes we think to ourselves that "helpless" might be a better term for these people. On a good day, we may roll down our car window and hand them a five dollar bill, a hamburger, or an extra pair of gloves. But how often do we sit and listen to them? Rick is not someone who wants pity, he wants a listening ear. He is not really asking for handouts from people seeking to ease their own conscience, he is seeking dignity. He is not helpless - in fact, Rick has a lot to offer to anyone willing to sit with him in the cold Redding rain for a few minutes.
After talking with me for a while, Rick asked me if he could give me some advice. "Sure", I replied. His advice? Work for the Lord first and foremost because that is the most important thing. Then work with kids. He said that he thought I would be good with kids. Though he admitted that he didn't know a lot about kids, he thought that I would be good with them. He also emphasized that kids are the future. How they are taught, loved, and dealt with during their fundamental years of growth will greatly influence the world that is to come. How did this man know that I have always loved kids? How did he know that I had been struggling with direction in my life? How did this homeless man speak more truth into my life than any of my "friends" who know me had in a long time?
The truth is, Rick is not a helpless, homeless man - he is a man. Plain and simple, he is another human being with just as much to offer to me as anyone else. He is smart, thoughtful, reflective, and takes the time to connect with others if they will allow it. Rick is someone who could teach us all a few lessons in thankfulness, courage, trust in God, and optimism about humanity - yet he has more excuses than most people to just give up and become bitter.
Rick may end up sleeping in a dumpster again tonight, just as he did the night before I spoke with him. But that does not make him any less valuable to God or any less valuable to the rest of us if we will just lay aside our assumptions and take the time to talk and listen. Sometimes we think that we are the ones that need to give to others like Rick, but Rick gave more to me that day than I gave to him. May we all take the time to truly see the heart inside of people rather than just making our judgments based on the clothing, hairstyle, skin color, or economic status of those around us. Of course, if we take the time to do that, we just might learn something...

Inclement Weather

Early this morning, I sleepily rose from bed to go for a run. All night long I could hear the rain and wind outside, but I was not really aware of how bad it was until I got dressed, stretched, and stepped outside for my run.
The first half of my run had me generally running into the wind and driving rain. Basically, that meant that my face was being pelted by painful stinging rain and I had to squint my eyes e whlti and look down at the ground just in front of me so that I could only see the next couple of steps most of the time. On top of that, I had to expend double the effort to actually move forward rather than run in place. The winds this morning are near a constant 40 mph with gusts near 60 mph. On the return trip, the wind added some help as it mostly blew at my back. The gusts though, seemed to be going several different directions, and one of them actually tripped me and blew me over! There I was, innocently running along, soaking wet, and a gust hit my left side, blew my left leg behind my right leg in mid stride thus tripping me and making me fall over!
After I made it the rest of the way home and took off my soaking clothes (with about 10 pounds of water in them) I realized that maybe it would have been best to just stay in bed this morning and wait until tomorrow to run. As I started to warm up and dry off though, I was glad that I had braved the storm. I mean hey, I was the only one out there, so I was able to enjoy some solitude, I had a good excuse for running slow, and how many people can say that the wind has tripped them!
Crazy weather + running = a nice Friday morning adventure.