Abbotsford, British Columbia is known as a "bible belt", the murder capital of Canada and the City in the Country where delicious berries grow and all establishments close by 6:00 pm.
In my current position with Community Services, I am getting to know Abbotsford in a stereotype-shattering way. I was struck with a new fondness for Abbotsford this week after contributing to the planning and execution of the East to West City Tour, staffing the Multicultural and Immigrant Services booth at AbbyFest and attending the film screening of It's a Girl by GirlKIND Foundation.
The East to West City Tour was the kick off event of a 6 session Diversity Networking Series for businesses in Abbotsford. My colleagues and I, along with our community partners, have been working on the details of this series for months. A couple weeks ago, my nerves struck and I was worried about the timing of the event, who would actually show up, and whether or not I had interesting and relevant information to share. One of my colleagues helped put my worries into perspective by reminding me that this tour would not change the world. In the grand scheme of diversity awareness in Abbotsford this event would play a minimal role.
As it turned out, we reached capacity and created a wait-list. As a tour guide on the bus, sharing demographics and highlighting changes in housing and landscape, I could see our guests react with interest. The tour finished with lunch and an informal dialogue about what we had learned and experienced on the tour. The collected evaluation forms were packed with positive and appreciative feedback as well as interesting information about what was new for the participants including: that there are two reserves in Abbotsford, that there are more than 10 languages spoken in our city, that 25.8% of the population are immigrants, or that there are more than 24 different faith groups represented. This was a job well done.
The 5th annual AbbyFest, a multicultural celebration, opened with a parade of nations where community members representing over 50 countries, dressed in traditional clothing, carried flags of the world around the room. The parade was led by three women from different visible minority groups arm in arm. They were followed by members of Sto:lo Nation beating drums. Tears fell over my cheeks as this collective symbol of unity and peace passed before me. The rest of the day felt like a church gathering because I was reunited with many of the people involved on our Interfaith planning committee that had taken a summer break. I made new professional and personal connections and felt an incredible sense of belonging.
Its a Girl is a documentary about gendercide in India and China. The screening event took place at Matsqui Centenial Auditorium. Over 200 people were in attendance. It began with an hour of networking time where I was able to meet the founder of GirlKIND foundation and the performers, speakers and emcee of the evening. The stories in the film stirred a lot of emotion in me but what truly moved me was the community member who put this event on. This was the first community event that she had ever been involved in planning. This was her first engagement in community and global activism. She is the mother of a two year old, and a member of the South Asian community. I can not wait to work with her in the future.
In my college days, it was easy to talk poorly about Abbotsford because I was from the big city of Vancouver with endless opportunity and a wide breadth of diverse people. Today, I am proud to live and work in Abbotsford because I am getting to know the people that live here. I am thrilled to continue investing in this city.
Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Selling Your Birthright
I have been watching #OccupyWallStreet be evicted and their camp destroyed. I feel the hope that this camp represented for me drain from my body. I remember the fear and discomfort I felt as we tried navigate New York under lock down on New Years last year. The Occupy movement has inhabited insistently the limits of freedom in our society and as they are evicted and their camp and property destroyed and so with it the illusion of freedom we thought we had, we thought we believed in, we thought was at the core of our identity. It turns out inconvenient freedom has been sold perhaps for as little as a bowl of soup. The NYPD has sold out freedom for a paycheque. I have been increasingly frustrated over the past few week to the point of miserable apathy at the quickness that Vancouver also has quickly and easily sold our birthright of freedom, we have been intimidated by tragedy and fear into sacrificing freedom. We do not seem to understand precedents are laid or broken based on this. We do not understand that silencing the voice of Occupy is effectively cutting out our own vocal chords in any and all future occasions. It is devastating to me the degree to which we have bought into the power systems and structures of our countries and are happily prepared to sell the freedoms of others for our own comfort. I am sad that I am so apathetic of our power systems and political structures I have failed to energize either myself or others to fight our slow slide toward totalitarianism. We have sold ourselves for soup. I am embarrassed. I am terrified. There is something very Machiavellian about the way that our Governments have dealt with Occupy. Our law has become complex enough and our freedoms expendable enough and loopholes large and plentiful enough that it is relatively simple to enforce and not enforce law as convenient by those in power in order to gain whatever result is desired. Its also helpful when you have a police force to violently enforce whatever you order without any immediate accountability.
Recently I have heard a lot of disturbing thing about a crime bill that Harper is trying to push through. Can anyone tell me more about it?
Recently I have heard a lot of disturbing thing about a crime bill that Harper is trying to push through. Can anyone tell me more about it?
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Beautiful Destruction Revealed
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
CYOA - Choosing our Language
CYOA Numbers 21:4-6
And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. 5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. 6 And Jehovah sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. (American Standard Version)
At first I was not at all sure what to write about when I read this passage. I was not even offended by it. Thinking about my initial reaction I am a put off at how nonchalant I was to the deaths of these people because they were grumbling. I think that reflects more on me and others who read the Bible than on the story. It was as if an inner switch turned on when I went to read the passage, and it went something like this...Well that is terrible, but it is in the Bible, and God can do as God pleases, and God gives just judgement, so then that is a great story. Realizing this was quite disconcerting, as I realize the extent to which I am still brainwashed by Church culture to not take the Bible seriously enough to read what it actually says.
So here are a few thoughts, after some more reflection. I think Numbers 21:1-3 is also important to read when contemplating 4-6.
1 And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the South, heard tell that Israel came by the way of Atharim; and he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive. 2 And Israel vowed a vow unto Jehovah, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities. 3 And Jehovah hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and the name of the place was called Hormah.
The connection may not be immediately clear. Why would I want to bring in a passage about genocide of one ethic/religious group by another religious/ethnic group. Is it not just Serbia and Kosovo in ancient times? Yes, it is exactly Serbia and Kosovo, and that is the point. In this specific passage the genocide is initiated by the human side of the relationship. The Jews retaliate and destroy the Canaanites, and the Bible records that Yahweh listened and then gave them the Canaanites. I find this incredibly telling. I see God agreeing to communicate with the Israelites in terms they can comprehend, and if those terms are nationhood and genocide, the standard of the time, then God agrees to communicate in these terms even though they are less then the ideal.
I think this helps me understand God's recoded reaction to their grumbling. The Israelites have communicated that the "language" they understand is that of life and death. In so doing they have stated the terms of communication they expect from God, so the reprimand comes in similar "language".
I think this "language" changes throughout the narrative of the Bible, as there is a movement away from stories such as this one (although they never completely disappear as there are NT examples). I think biblically one sees this in regard to this specific story by looking to 2 Kings 18:4. Moses makes a bronze snake to remedy the problem of the snakes. This symbol/fetish is a highly "primitive" form of religion. It is thus "out grown" by the progressive revelation of scripture. The fetishism had become fully developed around the bronze snake by the time of Hezekiah came to the throne, it is recorded that he is responsible for its destruction.
4 He removed the high places, and brake the pillars, and cut down the Asherah: and he brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it; and he called it Nehushtan. (2 Kings 18:4 ASV)
I think this reflects back on more than just the bronze snake, I would read this passage to reflect as a condemnation of interacting with God like the the Israelites did in Numbers 21.
That is my main thought about this passage, it is a mediocre answer as all answers are. I am forced to again contemplate my underlying presupposition about inspiration and understanding of the compilation of scripture. As I read this passage and wrote this blog there was always a nagging in the back of my mind, the idea of scripture being the record of a people grappling with the dissonance between their experiences and a belief in the supernatural. Thus when bad happens, they have done wrong and when they are victorious it must have been because God condoned it. I think with a little bit of this understanding underlying one's reading, progressive revelation becomes even more important to struggle with as our consciences are no longer comfortable with genocide.
P.S. We need some more passages you would like us to write about (they don't all need to be difficult, maybe it is your favourite and you would like to see what we have to say, or a passage you have never heard a sermon on). Post any passages you want us to write on in the comments section below and they will go into the pool of passages we draw from each week.
And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. 5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. 6 And Jehovah sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. (American Standard Version)
At first I was not at all sure what to write about when I read this passage. I was not even offended by it. Thinking about my initial reaction I am a put off at how nonchalant I was to the deaths of these people because they were grumbling. I think that reflects more on me and others who read the Bible than on the story. It was as if an inner switch turned on when I went to read the passage, and it went something like this...Well that is terrible, but it is in the Bible, and God can do as God pleases, and God gives just judgement, so then that is a great story. Realizing this was quite disconcerting, as I realize the extent to which I am still brainwashed by Church culture to not take the Bible seriously enough to read what it actually says.
So here are a few thoughts, after some more reflection. I think Numbers 21:1-3 is also important to read when contemplating 4-6.
1 And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the South, heard tell that Israel came by the way of Atharim; and he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive. 2 And Israel vowed a vow unto Jehovah, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities. 3 And Jehovah hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and the name of the place was called Hormah.
The connection may not be immediately clear. Why would I want to bring in a passage about genocide of one ethic/religious group by another religious/ethnic group. Is it not just Serbia and Kosovo in ancient times? Yes, it is exactly Serbia and Kosovo, and that is the point. In this specific passage the genocide is initiated by the human side of the relationship. The Jews retaliate and destroy the Canaanites, and the Bible records that Yahweh listened and then gave them the Canaanites. I find this incredibly telling. I see God agreeing to communicate with the Israelites in terms they can comprehend, and if those terms are nationhood and genocide, the standard of the time, then God agrees to communicate in these terms even though they are less then the ideal.
I think this helps me understand God's recoded reaction to their grumbling. The Israelites have communicated that the "language" they understand is that of life and death. In so doing they have stated the terms of communication they expect from God, so the reprimand comes in similar "language".
I think this "language" changes throughout the narrative of the Bible, as there is a movement away from stories such as this one (although they never completely disappear as there are NT examples). I think biblically one sees this in regard to this specific story by looking to 2 Kings 18:4. Moses makes a bronze snake to remedy the problem of the snakes. This symbol/fetish is a highly "primitive" form of religion. It is thus "out grown" by the progressive revelation of scripture. The fetishism had become fully developed around the bronze snake by the time of Hezekiah came to the throne, it is recorded that he is responsible for its destruction.
4 He removed the high places, and brake the pillars, and cut down the Asherah: and he brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made; for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it; and he called it Nehushtan. (2 Kings 18:4 ASV)
I think this reflects back on more than just the bronze snake, I would read this passage to reflect as a condemnation of interacting with God like the the Israelites did in Numbers 21.
That is my main thought about this passage, it is a mediocre answer as all answers are. I am forced to again contemplate my underlying presupposition about inspiration and understanding of the compilation of scripture. As I read this passage and wrote this blog there was always a nagging in the back of my mind, the idea of scripture being the record of a people grappling with the dissonance between their experiences and a belief in the supernatural. Thus when bad happens, they have done wrong and when they are victorious it must have been because God condoned it. I think with a little bit of this understanding underlying one's reading, progressive revelation becomes even more important to struggle with as our consciences are no longer comfortable with genocide.
P.S. We need some more passages you would like us to write about (they don't all need to be difficult, maybe it is your favourite and you would like to see what we have to say, or a passage you have never heard a sermon on). Post any passages you want us to write on in the comments section below and they will go into the pool of passages we draw from each week.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
CYOA - John 20:1-10
We have drawn lots and the winner is John 20!
John 20
1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
John 20
1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
Hope you enjoyed last Wednesday and are prepared another terrific edition of CYOA (Choose Your Own Adventure) next Wednesday!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
CYOA - Presidential Devo?
Psalm 137 (ESV)
1By the waters of Babylon,
there we sat down and wept,
when we remembered Zion.
2On the willows there
we hung up our lyres.
3For there our captors
required of us songs,
and our tormentors, mirth, saying,
"Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
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The psalms should be read as prayers, something like a hymn book with a variety of types and themes. This is what is called an imprecatory psalm, which means a psalm which calls down judgment or curses on one's enemies or those perceived as God's enemies… I love the psalms because of the raw emotion poured out before God, from spectacular joy and praise, to total misery, to rage and anger like in this one. I think that this is permission to be honest about our experience with God.
However, it is in "The Bible." Everything now becomes complicated because it is in "The Bible" - because Christians believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. Now there are a number of ways of understanding what inspired means, which may or may not include the word inerrency. However, for those who like the word inerrency and may even want to add the word verbal and plenary I think this psalm poses a problem. We talk about the authors of scripture being inspired by God. Some people believe that every word of scripture was dictated by God. But if we take these words out of the psalmist's mouth, that places them in God's mouth and now we suddenly have God declaring blessing, or happiness, on people killing children, which I hope is more than even those double predestinationists can handle. I think that one of many things to ponder when reading the bible is the nature of inspiration and how one understands it... and then based on that particular understanding, what does one expect from the text? Does the bible deliver on those expectations? Are the expectations fair? Is the understanding fair? Is it accurate? How does one determine accuracy?
This is an exilic psalm (written during the Babylonian exile) and asks the question, "How do we worship God when everything is shitty?" How do we worship God after bible college? How do we worship God when we're unemployed? How do we worship God when we're in debt? How do we worship God when we're sick? When friends die? When we are far from home and all alone? When we have been laid bare to our foundations? I know that theoretically we are supposed to and that some people do (while some just seem to) - but how? I praise God for this psalm because its existence acknowledges that it is difficult and something to wrestle with. And that wrestling can look like weeping and cursing and complaining but God can handle it and hopefully, with some time, bring us through to a place where we can not only tolerate difference but love our enemies. And if we love our enemies, how can we go to war?
If you choose to go to war go to page 109...
If you choose to eat donuts go to page 32...
1By the waters of Babylon,
there we sat down and wept,
when we remembered Zion.
2On the willows there
we hung up our lyres.
3For there our captors
required of us songs,
and our tormentors, mirth, saying,
"Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
4 How shall we sing the LORD’s song
in a foreign land?
5If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget its skill!
6Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
above my highest joy!
in a foreign land?
5If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget its skill!
6Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,
if I do not remember you,
if I do not set Jerusalem
above my highest joy!
7Remember, O LORD, against the Edomites
the day of Jerusalem,
how they said, "Lay it bare, lay it bare,
down to its foundations!"
8O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed,
blessed shall he be who repays you
with what you have done to us!
9Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones
and dashes them against the rock!
the day of Jerusalem,
how they said, "Lay it bare, lay it bare,
down to its foundations!"
8O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed,
blessed shall he be who repays you
with what you have done to us!
9Blessed shall he be who takes your little ones
and dashes them against the rock!
Ok, the primary question I have when I read this psalm is: what idiot put it the Devotional Book that George W. Bush was reading in 2003? If you would like to claim the War in Iraq as a fulfillment of this prophecy, please make note in the comment section. I disagree. And while I am sure that George W. was not making war decisions based on this psalm, I would not be at all surprised if there are people who supported the war because of verses like this. I am anti-war and using biblical justification for modern war makes me want to vomit, so let’s talk about it...
The psalms should be read as prayers, something like a hymn book with a variety of types and themes. This is what is called an imprecatory psalm, which means a psalm which calls down judgment or curses on one's enemies or those perceived as God's enemies… I love the psalms because of the raw emotion poured out before God, from spectacular joy and praise, to total misery, to rage and anger like in this one. I think that this is permission to be honest about our experience with God.
However, it is in "The Bible." Everything now becomes complicated because it is in "The Bible" - because Christians believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. Now there are a number of ways of understanding what inspired means, which may or may not include the word inerrency. However, for those who like the word inerrency and may even want to add the word verbal and plenary I think this psalm poses a problem. We talk about the authors of scripture being inspired by God. Some people believe that every word of scripture was dictated by God. But if we take these words out of the psalmist's mouth, that places them in God's mouth and now we suddenly have God declaring blessing, or happiness, on people killing children, which I hope is more than even those double predestinationists can handle. I think that one of many things to ponder when reading the bible is the nature of inspiration and how one understands it... and then based on that particular understanding, what does one expect from the text? Does the bible deliver on those expectations? Are the expectations fair? Is the understanding fair? Is it accurate? How does one determine accuracy?
This is an exilic psalm (written during the Babylonian exile) and asks the question, "How do we worship God when everything is shitty?" How do we worship God after bible college? How do we worship God when we're unemployed? How do we worship God when we're in debt? How do we worship God when we're sick? When friends die? When we are far from home and all alone? When we have been laid bare to our foundations? I know that theoretically we are supposed to and that some people do (while some just seem to) - but how? I praise God for this psalm because its existence acknowledges that it is difficult and something to wrestle with. And that wrestling can look like weeping and cursing and complaining but God can handle it and hopefully, with some time, bring us through to a place where we can not only tolerate difference but love our enemies. And if we love our enemies, how can we go to war?
If you choose to go to war go to page 109...
If you choose to eat donuts go to page 32...
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