Back in the District
Got back to DC last Thursday. Leave for Illinois next Tuesday.
That's the news for now, folks. Though there may/will be news coming ...
P.S. In non-me-related news, the Senate Republicans united to defeat a cloture motion that would allow the Defense Authorization bill, including the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal and the DREAM Act; which dents hopes for the passage of both of those pieces of legislation. However, the Child Protection Compact Act, which is geared toward combating child trafficking, was approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which means it could come to the floor for a vote.
UPDATE: My friend Allison Johnson, who heads up Sojourners' Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform campaign, had this to say after today's vote: "Our DREAMs Deferred, Our Hearts Emboldened." She offered up this Martin Luther King, Jr. quote as an closing encouragement:
We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope.
Amen.
Gershom, in transition once more
Well … I’m back. Back in London, and back to blogging. It’s been awhile since I’ve had the time, energy and desire to blog: life has been exhausting—good, but exhausting. And so reenergizing (of the sort that required less mental work) took precedence.
Looking back, I don’t think it was the optimal way of doing life. I’ve realized that I need times for processing and writing and recharging to be built in on a much more frequent and regular basis in order to thrive, but for my first year out of school and working full-time, it was a good year.
And now? Well, once again I find myself living up to my pseudonym: Gershom. Once more I tread the well-worn but tenuous steps of transition, the simultaneously exciting and uncomfortable position of not being what sure what comes next but trusting that God knows what he’s doing because more often than not I don’t.
The internship with Sojourners is done. My worldly possessions are boxed and stored at friends’ houses in California and DC. As I write this, I’m sitting next to an astrophysicist on a plane that’s halfway across the Atlantic.
For the next few weeks I’ll be back in the UK, home for eight good years, home to a lot of memories, and a place I haven’t been since I left in 2006. I’ll be catching up with friends, eating at favorite restaurants and visiting favorite haunts, and processing the last year(s). And then I plan to be in Wheaton, Illinois, doing some campaigning for my friend Ben Lowe, who’s running for U.S. Congress (more on this to come), while I also try to figure out next steps.
One thing I know for certain is that the One who guides me and walks with me won’t lead me astray. And that’s enough; for now and for always.
[Oh … if you’re in London in the next few weeks (probably till mid-September), shoot me an email or a Facebook message or a tweet. And if you’re in the Wheaton/Chicago area for the few weeks after that, likewise.]
No more Sojo
Well, today was my last day at Sojourners. It's been an awesome year, full of life, laughter and many, many lessons. I'll share more thoughts on that (and get back to blogging more regularly) once I have some downtime.
Thanks for your prayers and support this year, friends.
A Pledge to the Next Generation
In light of the oil spill and the resultant devastation, we at Sojourners felt led to examine ourselves, our lifestyles and our habits. I helped to write the following pledge, originally posted on God's Politics:
We are witnessing a massive despoiling of God’s creation that will impact ecosystems for generations. Our response must think that far ahead as well — to our children and our children’s children. Fortunately, if we lead by example, others, including future generations, will follow.
As people of faith, we know that true transformation requires sacrifice. To change our energy consumption as a nation, we’ll need more than symbolic gestures — we’ll need to learn to embody the scriptural practice of stewardship.
As part of Sojourners’ ongoing efforts to learn and discern lessons from the Gulf Coast Oil Spill, we’ve created “A Pledge to the Next Generation”. The pledge outlines some of our Christian beliefs found in scripture with a corresponding commitment statement. It reads in a similar fashion to a responsive reading. You can join us in the pledge by signing a short version on our website. Then, share with us what you would add to the pledge and what you have decided to do in your life as a result of the oil spill.
A Pledge to the Next Generation
As a person of faith called to be a steward of God’s creation, I take responsibility for the ways in which my lifestyle and my choices are partly responsible for the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. I acknowledge that a new future will require conversion — a fundamental change in the ways we live in our communities, our nation, and our world.
Therefore, as a person of faith I believe and I pledge:
I believe we are called to be good stewards of the resources and gifts that God has given us in creation, and to share in God’s appreciation for the world which God called “good” (Genesis 1: 28-31).
- I pledge to transform my life, through sacrifice, worship, action, and prayer, into one of stewardship of God’s creation.
I believe that children are a gift from God and that the kingdom of God belongs to such as these (Mark 10:13-16). I recognize that those who come after us are left with what we pass on to them.
- I pledge to model, with my words, my attitudes, and my actions, a lifestyle that demonstrates a commitment to God’s creation and to the next generation.
I believe we are created for relationship, community, and shalom — not only with people (Mark 12:28-31) but with the world around us (Genesis 1:26-31).
- I pledge to love my neighbor through the ways in which I treat the creation which we share, and to love God through the ways in which I treat God’s handiwork.
I believe the poor are often the most vulnerable to the consequences of our energy consumption through unsafe working conditions, polluted neighborhoods, and exploitation, and that “those who oppress the poor insult their Maker” (Proverbs 14:31).
- I pledge to be generous with my resources toward those in need, aware of and responsible for my energy consumption, and committed to protect vulnerable communities from environmental exploitation.
I believe that God is a God of justice (Deuteronomy 10:17-19) and that we are called to reflect and represent this same God in doing justice ourselves (Micah 6:8).
- I pledge to ensure the safety of all God’s children from the environmental excesses of the few and to advocate for policies and practices that forge a more sustainable and creation-aware path into the future.
I believe that knowing God should lead to just and righteous actions (Is. 1:16-17; Jer. 22:15-16). I believe that since, in a democratic society, government is accountable to its citizens, and government is intended to be God’s servant for good (Rom.12- 13, Col. 2), I have a role in advocating with my government accordingly.
- I pledge to share this commitment with my family, friends, and elected officials so that together we might seek both personal transformation and legislative outcomes that help us steward God’s creation for generations to come.
The lessons we have learned from this catastrophe impact all aspects of our society. Any hope for a different future will only come when individuals, churches, elected officials, and corporate executives join hands and vow to change. Today, I make this pledge.
A Crime So Monstrous …
... is the title of a book by Ben Skinner, about human trafficking. And it's aptly named. From my blog over on God's Politics:
If there is one basic denigration of the image of God that lies in every human being, it is when he is treated as if he were not made in the image of God and forced into bonded labor, or when she is treated as if she had no value or dignity and made to offer her body for someone else to exploit and someone else to profit.
You can read the rest here: "Slavery is Alive and Well ... For Now." And if you live in the US, you can click through on the link to ask your members of Congress to take an important step to combating child slavery internationally by supporting the Child Protection Compact Act.