Action and Process

The content of the first real conversation between Jason and I that happened in a dorm hallway in Grand Forks, ND continues to be one of our spiritual acts of worship. As we stood there, we recognized in the other someone that was driven to deal with global issues, to push for beauty and the ideal, to believe in change and to pursue it, and to always question the status quo, in the world and in the church. We truly believe that we are caught up in a grand narrative - a story that God's been creating since, well, since forever and into forever. And we believe that, as we live in that story, we are in process - a process that requires action, and action that requires process.

One of God's invitations has always thrilled me: "Come now, let us reason together..." and in that meeting of minds, combined with real revolutionary action for good, we find ourselves being transformed. Physical and mental action combined to move us in process toward knowing God. A beautiful reality, isn't it?

"Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. 'Come now, and let us reason together,' says the Lord, 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.'" - Isaiah

"Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will." - Paul

One of the things that I love about sign language is that it takes language that is in the mind and makes it incredibly physical. Again, physical and mental action combined. It's holistic. And I love it when integration and unity of multiple parts point to something good, right, as it should be.

We have a fantastic public library just a few blocks from our house. When we are home for more than just a couple weeks, we find stacks of books growing all around us as we take time to read and discuss questions and themes we've been gathering during our time away. Here's one of my favorite quotes in a book I've been reading the past few days:

"Never accept and be content with unanalyzed assumptions, assumptions about the work, about the people, about the church or Christianity. Never be afraid to ask questions about the work we have inherited or the work we are doing. There is no question that should not be asked or that is outlawed. The day we are completely satisfied with what we have been doing; the day we have found the perfect, unchangeable system of work, the perfect answer, never in need of being corrected again, on that day we will know that we are wrong, that we have made the greatest mistake of all." - Vincent J. Donovan 

In the next few days, a friend is flying in to help film some of our reports into ASL. I'd really appreciate your prayers that our minds and bodies would be unified in delivering a clear message and that we would worship in the midst of it, questioning, pursuing perfection, but being satisfied with a product that will, inevitably, be imperfect.