Monday, March 31, 2008

Swimming Lessons

I don't often get discouraged at small stuff...like whether or not I can swim, for example. I think that swimming is one of those life skills that seems mostly unimportant except in the rare occasion where you might find yourself drowning in a lake or a river or the ocean...or a KOA kampgroung pool. And then it's important to be able to keep yourself afloat. All other times in life - not a big deal.

My parents had me take swimming lessons several times when I was a young child after the KOA near-drowning incident (short story version - when I was itty bitty, I crept along the side of the pool hand over hand until I unknowingly reached the deep end of the pool. My hands slipped and I began flailing helplessly in the water until my oldest sister spotted me underwater - yeah for goggles! - and came to my rescue. At that point, my parents noticed the commotion, looked up from their newspapers, and heard my saddened cry of 'You let me drown!').

I think I am well over that childhood experience, but I've never quite felt comfortable in the water. I just feel like I can't breath - that's all. No big deal, right? :) Lately, I joined a gym and am trying my hardest to become aquatic Merilee. What's the slowest animal on earth? Put it in water, and that's me. Old women, little child, men who doggie paddle - they all swim faster and easier than me.

But I'm learning to appreciate the challenge. Every day I swim, I tell myself "Never quit, even if you stink at this" and "the reward is who you become, not in what you achieve." I don't believe in the second phrase as much, but it helps me still. Sometimes, I think the lifeguard smiles at me out of pity..."that poor girl, she looks athletic, but she can't swim a lick. I'll have to keep an eye on her in case she starts drowning." Not to worry, Lifeguard. I can't swim, but I've learned how to keep one hand close to the side of the pool...

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Appalachian Economics

I think I take it for granted most days how cheap I can live in West Virginia. Most people might find the economic situation of my community distressed and in poverty, (and it is for most practical purposes, of course. Many people here live well below the U.S. poverty line. But it is relative too. In the global picture, West Virginians are rich compared to the people of Bangladesh...) Perhaps what I am saying is that sometimes having more isn't better. It's just more.

Tomorrow, I'm hiring 2 local guys to help shovel some more coal for me to last the rest of Spring. The total cost of their 1 1/2 hours labor for my 2 months worth of heat? $40 (a fair local wage).

I know people here that bought their house for $6000. That's it. And they bought the house recently, not 50 years ago. $6000 for a house. Wow.

I know families that have gotten by on $400-$500 monthly income. Just enough for the necessities, but nothing left over.

My auto mechanic helped me change my oil filter yesterday (it was screwed on so tight) and wouldn't even take my money. One time, he changed my brake pads, brake shoes, and rotors all for under $200 (which I thought was a good deal.)

I know that my community is still an under-resourced, job scarce, disadvantaged place to live. But it is a place where having the latest television would never compare to having good friendships. Around here, that's priceless.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Round 3!

It may seem absurd, but I entered a local boxing competition this weekend and fought in my first boxing fight ever. The cash prize for winning the lightweight female division was $500, so I decided to give it a whirl and see what happened.



I'm not fully convinced that I ever want to box again. It was tough. My body was sore afterwards. And I didn't win the $500. Am I glad I fought? Absolutely. It was an adventure that I never imagined I would ever take.



Scroll down to the first video under the blog title "Incarnational Living" to watch a round of my first fight. And then follow the videos up for the next 3 rounds of fight 2. It isn't pretty, but really, when is boxing ever pretty?



And don't tell my mom.



Fight 2 Round 2

I'm starting to get a little tired at this point, but I keep going...And by the way, the girl I'm fighting is a real boxer. She has a trainer, and is an A-1 rating (whatever that is) and fights people all the time. I tried to keep that in my mind as I dodged her punches. Sometimes winning is all about not getting creamed.

The battle continues

Then I lost my contact and had to decide to keep fighting or quit...either way I probably didn't have a chance of finding my contact. So I kept fighting. They even found my contact and held it for me the rest of the fight.

Fight #2

My second fight didn't go so well...

Here's the first part of round 1

Incarnational Living

I guess I never would have imagined myself fighting in a boxing match. Here's my first fight ever:

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Thankfulness - Part Duto (2 in Bengali...I think)

"...every real Christian, however practical, is in some degree a mystic, his mysticism lying on the upper side of his life. He prays, meditates on spiritual things and communes with God and the invisible world. Also, every Christian, however he may be dedicated to the holy art of prayer and worship, must of necessity descend to work and eat and sleep and pay his taxes and get on somehow with the hard world around him. And if he follows on to know the Lord he must serve in every useful way outlined for him in the Scriptures of truth. To be a Christian it is necessary that he serve his generation as well as his God." A.W. Tozer

I love Tozer's words. I love how for him, effectively living for Jesus means loving and serving the world. And I am grateful that as I live with God, I am a part of His work here on earth. It is a gift to be included in His plan of redeeming the whole world. A gift to be part of God's redemption of McDowell County, W.V. For that I am thankful.

A few other thanks...
  • The faithful love of my family. There have been countless times where my family met a need in my life this past year, where they've spoken truth into me, and where they've just shown that they're with me in the journey.
  • Authentic friendship. I cherish the path on I am with friends from across the states, and across the globe. Soccer buddies from IWU days have been faithful and good to me, as well as people I didn't even know until recently that have become close to my heart. New life has been breathed into me recently through their love, words, letters, stories, and faces.
  • Visible (and invisible) Hope. Can we ever know the fullness of God's loving hope for the world? I have seen it in the expressions of children I work with, in the determination of my young entrepreneur students, and in the small changes of people living in McDowell County. What is unseen is powerful, and it is changing the world...This is My Father's World!

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Thankful - part 1

I was sitting in church today when I realized just how ungrateful I can be sometimes. Ungrateful to God, and for what He provides for me. Just like the Israelites. Instead of remembering God's rescue from slavery, they saw the uncertainty of their desert life and complained bitterly. 'If only we could go back,' they said. Feeling like you're wandering can be discouraging.

Sometimes I feel like that. I don't know exactly the when and the where of life's next stopping point. I forget God's goodness in the past, and I embrace the uncertainty I feel in the moment. It can lead to forgetfulness, and thanklessness. So, here's a summary, for my own sake, of God's recent activity in my life - for which I am overwhelmingly thankful...

  • My church in W.V. - After several years of searching for a church, I finally found a church that is home. Small, primarily African-American, loud, Appalachian, and with dancing...it doesn't get much different than my white, large, midwestern, conservative church upbringing. But their theology is Christ-centered, and the people love one another. That's pretty much what church is, isn't it? They care about their neighborhood, and they make me feel at home. I've come to love the frantic enthusiasm of the pastor, the faithfulness of the elderly deacon who sits in the front left corner and testifies every Sunday, and the musicians who sometimes jam during the offering to John Mayer's song 'Waiting on the World to Change'...it's good to worship the Creator with them!
  • A warm home - This winter I put in a coal stove in my living room, and stopped using propane to heat my house. Most people would say it's a step down in terms of luxury, since it takes more effort to use, and makes dusting a daily necessity. However, I still love it. It's cheap and warm. The cost of heating my home in 2008 - $0 (I've been shoveling buckets of unwanted coal from the basement of my ministry's office for free!)
  • Health - I injured my lower back somehow this past summer, and was slow to get back into shape. But God has been healing me, and I'm now strong and healthy again, and even training for a triathlon I hope to do in June. It's a major goal, and I'm just so thankful that my body is healthy enough now to aim for it.

More thankfulness to follow...