Last post in June

Tomorrow is July 1st. This year, this month, this time in Austin has flown by! I cannot believe that July is almost upon us. Wow.

Yesterday was a great day. I love my friends here in Austin. In the afternoon, over tea at my house, a friend and I had a conversation about faith and belief and the purpose of religion. The book Conversations with God came up quite a bit. I read it a few years ago. I remember reading it on a train somewhere - but now I could not even tell you what continent that train was on. My friend is currently in the process of reading it. I remembered finding it unfullfilling, but interesting. The conversation with my friend was fascinating because although she was raised Christian, she does not see herself as Christian and does not believe that Jesus was the son of God. She sees everything as connected in the Universe. I agree with that statement to an extent.

Yet, I cannot not believe that Jesus was the son of God. But when I say that I sound as if someone is forcing me to believe or that I am being coerced. Instead I think that my life would be incomplete if I did not believe in Jesus as the Christ and I would no longer have an anchor or a direction in my life. Although my life feels pretty aimless to me sometimes, I know that God is walking with me and that I am on a path that I am creating with God. I am where I need to be; I always have been where I need to be and I will end up where I need to be.

I think that the reason that this book, Conversations with God, is so popular (and it is popular) is that it makes faith in God seem easy. It says we don't have to decide exactly what God is or is not, instead we can just say everything's okay. Everything that God created is good. Saying that all God created is good is much more difficult than saying "it's okay." Faith is not difficult, what is difficult is acting with faith. The life that Faith brings is full and abundant and challenging. When we begin to realize that we are responsible for everything (and I literally mean everything) we can either crumble under this weight or see this responsibility as true freedom. If we embrace this freedom we need the support of a faith community and God. I think that is where 'religion' plays an important role.

A few thoughts on an interesting conversation at the end of June.

thoughts on Church

I went to Church this morning. I actually tried out a different Church and I went to their Young Adults Sunday School. (I think they call it Wisdom Ways).

The whole thing was very intriguing as we wrestled with Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians. We looked at the passage where he talks about the Lord's Supper. Before Constantine "popularized" Christianity in the 4th century the Lord's Supper was an actual supper. It was a meal that the Christians shared. It became ritualized into the Eucharist as the Church grew during the 3rd and 4th centuries. This letter was probably written in the 1st century. Therefore the letter is talking about how to share a real meal, but it is also talking about how to share the Lord's Supper. Paul is exhorting the young Christians to share and think about others before they consume all the food to satiate their hunger. Greed, which this clearly could be about, was never a topic. Instead we discussed the idea of hospitality. How do we demonstrate radical hospitality? How do think and plan so that we have food to share with people that are hungry?

I also volunteer at this Church, which serves a meal to the homeless six days a week. Talking about eating without class division was something that hit very close to home. Although I serve breakfast once a week there, I NEVER eat breakfast with the ladies I serve. I don't do this because I have the means to provide breakfast for myself, so if I ate their food I would feel guilty. However, this separation is just that, a separation. Am I being generous and giving by not eating with these ladies? Or am I being snobby because I am choosing to eat better quality food on my own time and dime?

Paul says we are to eliminate divisions when we eat the Lord's Supper. Is he talking about all meals shared among Christians? Or is he talking about the Eucharist? What would that look like in our own lives? In our own Churches?

I originally intended to write about one quote from my class this morning, so I'll leave that as a closing thought, although it's unrelated.

"Church was not created for God, but for us."

Sunny California

I'm in Los Angeles. The city of angels. I lived here for five years before moving to Europe. I really do love this city. A lot of people complain or say that it's too big. I see the complaints, but being back here just reminds me of how much I loved living here.

Two of my friends were married yesterday. I am so happy for them. They seemed like the most beautiful, happy, in love couple yesterday. It was amazing seeing them and their family and their friends gathered together to celebrate their love for each other and for God. They are a couple that truly puts their faith first in their lives. I am so glad I was here to witness their union.

Being here in LA makes me realize how lucky I am. I have so much for which to be grateful and thankful. I have real friends who love me and care for me even if they don't live in Austin with me. I have reconnected with people and realized just how strong my bonds are here.

Los Angeles has so much to offer. I have eaten some amazing food in the past four days. Japanese food. Korean Food. Dim Sum. Diner Food. I have seen a play about South Los Angeles. I've walked downtown. I've taken a subway. (Yes, LA does have some public transit). I've driven on the 101, the 110, the 10, the 5 and the 2. I've seen the Los Angeles Lakers become the NBA champions for second straight year. I've watched Mexico beat France in the World Cup. Los Angeles is never boring.

Searching for the perfect roommate

My life has recently been consumed with the search for the perfect roommate. I recently moved into a house with a very cool roommate and one empty room. The owner is here often and since we each sign individual leases, was working with us to find the right person for this empty room.

She (the owner) posted ads on Craigslist explaining who we were and what we were about. See, unlike some people who are looking for a roommate, we were looking for someone to be part of this house community. To be 'our people', so to speak. Living with someone, especially a 'stranger' can be daunting. But we were looking for someone who was going to not be a stranger, but become part of the 'family'.

In this process I talked with about 4 or 5 people. The owner went through countless emails and phone calls and meetings. My other housemate met with a few people. We never found that perfect person. The right person never found us. We offered the room to a few people, but they declined.

Finally yesterday, after a brief, 15 minute meeting, we found the right person. The right person found us. I am so happy! This search has seemed long, but yet, finding the right person is important. After all, I'm going to be living with the person and this person with me.

I'm glad to say that I'm happy about the outcome. Now I have one less worry on my mind. I'm sure there is some theological implications or extrapolations to be made from this story... but right now I'm not going there. Maybe another day?