I have just been living here. That's it, as if it were temporary. As if at any moment, IV will say, "We would like you to go ____." I don't know why I think that way. I really feel like God is asking me to embrace this city, it's people and all that comes along with it.
Where does this all come from? Two experiences I had this weekend lead me to think this. First of all, this Saturday, as part of the new student outreach at Case, we held a service project at Scranton Rd. Bible Church. Now, I've been to Scranton a handful of times, both for the Sunday Service as well as serving opportunities, but for some reason this visit hit me hard. As Pastor Joe shared about the history of the church and the surroundings in which it finds itself (or where God placed it!) my heart began to feel heavy. I felt deep compassion for the community there. I felt a surge of energy to do whatever it was that I could to give to the people there, to show them the love of Christ. To show them the abundant life Jesus has to offer. What it means to someone who is homeless that Jesus offers "abundance" I still have not reconciled in my mind and especially not in my heart. Regardless, I don't think these feelings flowed out of the a philanthropic mindset, but out of Jesus asking me to pour out my life for the sake of others.
Secondly, a team from Mayfield UMC (where I attended last year) traveled to South Africa for two weeks and just recently returned. Today in church they shared what they could of the trip. They spoke of the poverty there, of the need of the Zulu people. Again, my heart felt deep compassion for this group of people that so badly desired a building in to do ministry yet were so content with what they had. (How does one do that?) This American woman who went, shared some scripture about caring for the poor and the widow and tears filled my eyes (as they are now again ...). What am I giving? People think it's so easy to be in ministry - that for some reason being in ministry makes it easier to give of ourselves and of our time. To some extent that is true. I give much of myself to my students and the campus, that they would come to know the living God. But that's not enough. I think God wants my whole entire being, not just my "job/career." But me. All of me. I'm not sure I've been living that 100%, for which I am embarrassed.
All of that to say that I really think God wants me to embrace this city and get my hands dirty serving and loving it's people. I need to get over myself ... in so many ways.
