The Upside

We finally wrapped up our Social Justice unit by talking about the good things- what people are already doing, how we can help, and what we can do in our everyday lives!

We started with a selection of quotes, and I asked you all to choose your favorite (my apologies- authorship is missing on some quotes):

• We live in a culture where people are more offended by “swear” words and middle fingers than they are by famine, warfare, and the destruction of the environment. –RSIFIAOI
• To live charitably means not looking out for our own interests, but carrying the burdens of the weakest and poorest among us. – Pope Francis
• I always wondered why somebody didn’t do something about that. Then I realized that I am somebody.
• Sometimes I want to ask God why He allows poverty, famine, and injustice in the world, when He could do something about it. But then I’m afraid He might ask me the same question.
• The more often [a person] feels without acting, the less he will be ever to act, and in the long run, the less he will be able to feel. – C.S. Lewis
• Everywhere in the world are ordinary people willing to confront despair, power, and incalculable odds in order to restore some semblance of grace, justice, and beauty to this world. – Paul Hawkin
• Change happens when enough people speak up in the same voice.
• Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
• You may choose to look the other way, but you can ever say again that you did not know. – William Wilberforce
• If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. – Desmond Tutu
• The biggest human temptation is to settle for too little. – Thomas Merton
• It’s easier to get free Wi-Fi than it is to get free water, and people act like there’s nothing wrong with the world.
• What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains, and is immortal. – Albert Pine
• One person speaking up makes more noise than a thousand people who remain silent. – Thom Harnett
• Do not let what you cannot do tear from your hands what you can. – Ashanti Proverb
• If only I had an enemy greater than my apathy, I would have won. -- Mumford and Sons, "I Gave You All"

We then broke into 3 groups to cover the 3 areas of concern we've been talking about the last three weeks- global hunger, poverty in the US, and human trafficking. You all got a chance to search for organizations that are already out there, and then present a few of them to the group. Hopefully, you were inspired by finding more organizations than we had time to discuss- there are so many people doing great things!

And finally, we took a few minutes to discuss what we can do every day to make changes:

What can you do?

• Check your consumption- make sure you’re not indirectly fueling war and poverty. This goes for yourself AND for gift giving to others!
• Pay attention to what’s going on around you- look for opportunities to help
• Talk about the things that matter. Try for once a week to start.
• Donate to causes that are trying to right wrongs
• Write your alderman, senators, representatives, governor, president, whoever is most appropriate
• Recommend books, articles, blogs to people
• Post them to your Facebook, Twitter, etc.
• Invite your friends to volunteer- help them to see the problem and how great the solution would be
• Look up initiatives that are doing something you approve of, and send them a letter of encouragement
• Set aside time each week (maybe just one hour) as your time to focus on social justice
• Think about how you can incorporate your talents and skills into fighting injustice
• PRAY!

Our 5 Minutes of God Time song: Hold on to What You Believe by Mumford and Sons

Our closing prayer:

May God give you perspective on the things that frustrate you. May your heart of compassion grow for those who suffer in unimaginable ways. May you pray as passionately for them as you do for yourself. May God protect you from a small, selfish mindset. May He fill you up with thanksgiving and joy for the freedoms you enjoy! May he renew your resolve to be a grateful, humble soul. And may he use you tomorrow in ways that surprise and bless you.

 --Susie Larson.

Social Justice Jeopardy

This post is a two-in-one! The last two weeks we've been covering some of the root causes of a couple of areas of social justice issues- and we've done it through Jeopardy! Listed below are our different categories and questions, with some of the more basic parts of what we covered to help jog your memory. Remember that there is so, SO much more out there to explore, and that we went through these different areas to get us thinking about some of the not-so-obvious ways you can attack the root causes and systems of injustice. And as always, our 5 minutes of God Time songs are at the bottom of the post. Enjoy!

Social Justice Speedy Scriptures:
 Psalm 106:3 Blessed are those who act justly, who always do what is right.

Isaiah 59:8 The way of peace they do not know; there is no justice in their paths. They have turned them into crooked roads; no one who walks along them will know peace.

Jeremiah 5:28 and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not seek justice. They do not promote the case of the fatherless; they do not defend the just cause of the poor.

Matthew 23:23 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices-- mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law-- justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former."


Global Hunger:
Video card: The Cycle of Malnutrition

Walk me through some of the ways that climate change impacts hunger: salination of fresh water, erosion of soils, desertification of areas, required (and often unexpected) relocation due to natural disasters, which increase in intensity, frequency, and diversity due to climate change. All of these make it much harder to grow traditional foods (or any food!), and increase the amount of stress put on the body and mind. *Developed nations (hint: that includes us) have a huge impact on climate change, as do our tendencies to move manufacturing to countries that have fewer restrictions on pollution.

War has a huge impact on ability to provide for yourself and your family. List 2 influences that can cause war: Economically advantageous areas (want to control the funds- diamonds, precious metals (particularly for technology *this is something we contribute to), fertile lands (*also something our demands for say, flowers in the winter, contributes to), drugs), religion, extreme imbalances in wealth (corruption, graft, and improper controls on international aid are all ways this can happen), tribal/cultural conflicts (country lines don't follow traditional territories), political/governmental instability (which then leads to instability in global markets, rising prices, restricted crop production (not sure if the market will be there, or if war breaks out, if the crop can mature), declining ability to work, lack of jobs, environmental impacts due to lack of regulation or putting importance on it, general illness).

What is the estimated cost to end global hunger? $30 billion a year, for 10 years ($300 billion total), primarily invested in improved infrastructure and farming methods. If the U.S. were the ONLY country to tackle this problem, it would cost us $95/person/year.

Poverty in America:
Discussion about the differences between social and economic classes. The differing expectations, concerns, and goals of each class can make it very hard for someone to either a) advance to a higher class and feel like they fit in well enough to stay within that class or b) understand why other classes act the way they do, often leading to stereotypes and anger, rather than working together. We discussed the importance of mentoring to help bridge these gaps.

List 3 reasons/challenges to someone might not be able to advance economically: the -isms (racism, sexism, age-ism, disability), insufficient funds to purchase a vehicle or pay for public transportation (this also includes location and zoning issues, as we tend to legally separate work/live areas- harder to live by where you work), high cost of education, lack of time to search for new ideas/opportunities (long hours worked just to survive), expensive housing/utilities in areas of economic development (i.e.- more jobs in Milwaukee than in northern WI, but cost of living is also much, much higher), poor nutrition (no energy, decreased development due to malnutrition- and you can be obese and malnourished, as well!), exposure to narcotics, etc. as a child/in utero, lack of support (childcare, abuse, housing issues), circumstances out of their control (accident, injury, etc.)

Name 3 reasons that contribute to a lack of employment opportunities in the U.S.: corruption on Wall Street, legal requirement that public companies (those with stockholders) make decisions to create highest return for stockholders (not for their employees or society as a whole), high CEO salaries (rather than using those funds to create more opportunities or pay a higher wage), reliance on technology (which has eliminated some job fields), cheap consumerism (when we search for the cheapest option, with no other considerations, we're encouraging companies to move their jobs overseas to cut costs), political incentives (some say we should sweeten the deal for companies to keep them here, others say we should make it harder for them to ship jobs overseas, and others say we just need to butt out politically and become more responsible consumers, incentivizing companies through our purchases).

True or False: Welfare and other social aid policies alleviate poverty. This was a discussion (not a right or wrong answer) about enabling vs. helping, and how people can get lost in the cracks (such the gap between being eligible for benefits until you make a certain amount of money, but the cost to provide those benefits for yourself actually costing much more than the income cutoff).

Human Trafficking:

In June of 2013, 100 children were rescued in a nation-wide sex slavery sting. Did you hear about it? Bonus points if you can name the city where the most children were rescued (Milwaukee). The issue here is a lack of awareness- Milwaukee is our backyard! This doesn't just happen in third world countries.

Name 2 forms of human trafficking: Adoption (adoption is a beautiful thing! But without due research, many have unknowingly adopted children who had families, simply by using unethical agencies), organ harvesting, manual labor (a major form in the US), domestic servitude (this also happens in the US), sexual servitude (including personal slaves, pornography, and prostitution- all present in the US), debt bondage (entering into a work agreement to pay off a debt, and then not ever being released), drug trade, early marriage, begging, athletic endeavors (camel racing jockeys are often trafficked children), forced recruitment for the armed services/child soldiers. All of these areas have root causes that can be addressed.

Name 3 risk factors for becoming a victim of human trafficking: poverty, moving/relocating for the promise of a job (high unemployment in an area and being cut off from support are the main issues here, though high unemployment often also increases the number of johns perpetuating prostitution), age/youth, broken families, running away, drug/alcohol use, government corruption (can buy off the officials who should be prosecuting these crimes), lack of community closeness (less likely to notice when things are wrong), being part of a socially excluded group, homelessness, refugee status, and last but not least, being female. Addressing any of the causes of these issues also indirectly addresses the issue of human trafficking (and for the smart alecks, the being female one is more about inequality than plumbing)! Social justice issues are almost always interconnected, so work in one area can have good outcomes in multiple areas- which should be really encouraging!

Name 2 tools used in human trafficking: kidnapping/force, "selling" a person (to pay a debt, for property/possessions, etc.), promising a job (often combined with relocation), relationship with the trafficker (such as luring girls into prostitution by being their "boyfriend"- also goes along with the promise of marriage in many cases, including trafficking outside of sex slavery), physical/mental/sexual/emotional abuse to "break" the victim psychologically, bribery of local police, fear of legal repercussions (for example, prostitution is illegal, "so if you report me as your pimp, you'll be thrown in jail for being a prostitute, too."), internet listings (even Facebook, Craigslist, and Twitter have been used to promote human trafficking, since it's harder to catch someone who's not physically there).

And just in case you're interested:
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/slavery-america-undeniable-truth/story?id=5330502&singlePage=true

Make sure you attend on February 2nd to get the happier side of this story- what people are already doing, and how you can incorporate social justice into your own life!

5 Minutes of God Time:

Kings and Queens by Audio Adrenaline
You are More by Tenth Avenue North

The Danger of the Single Story

This last Sunday, we reviewed our previous week's discussion and then talked about the dangers of the single story. If you weren't there, I HIGHLY, HIGHLY encourage you to check out the video we watched from the TED Talks series, featuring Chimamanda Adiche.

A smattering of what we discussed with the video:

• Literature as social justice- legitimizes individual experiences, which then empowers people

• “poor people” are not ONLY poor

• Problems with emphasizing differences, rather than similarities

• Search out multiple stories- one solution can’t fix everything

• Power influences which stories are told and how often

• Learning multiple stories help us recognize our prejudices

• Problem with stereotypes are not that they're untrue, but incomplete

• Have to engage all the facets, all of the stories

• Literature is just one life calling, but there are MANY paths to social justice; whatever you love to do, there's a way to make it reflect justice

• Our view of the world is not the only one, nor is it the most important.

• Social justice challenges those view points, and we have to be willing to accept that in order to be relevant

• Pity does not move mountains- relationships do

Finally, we made a list of areas in need of justice (a few of which we'll talk about this upcoming Sunday), and we discussed our upcoming, ongoing service project.

 

5 Minutes of God Time: Love Does by Brandon Heath

Service and Social Justice

As promised, I'm going to try to stay up-to-date on blog posts this year (and what better way to start than with the first youth group of 2014?).

We're digging into social justice this month, and we started off with a discussion of social justice vs. service. And here's what we came up with on our own (I apologize for the lack of neat columns):

Service                                                                  Social Justice

helping "others"                                 helping others (and sometimes self)

can be once/short-term                                     ongoing, often takes a long time

charity-based                                                                often political-based

                                                               often has opposition ("change is bad" or just different ideas)

"give a man a fish"                                    working alongside those who are affected

 

 

We then watched a video that helped us to further explore the differences and similarities, as well as the Christian call to action.

 

We also went over the modern "parable" of the babies in the river, which some of us first encountered during our mission trip this summer. For those who haven't read it, you can either pick up a hard copy on the bulletin board, or you can read it here.

 

Our 5 Minutes of God Time song was "Oceans" by Hillsong United

 

We also added a fun activity to our schedule for January and we talked about some ongoing service project options (coming soon in email form).

 

I hope to see you all on Sunday to continue our discussions!



Aaand We're Back!

Sunday marked our first day back to Sunday morning Youth Group, and I can't say enough how glad I am that I get to see you all on a weekly basis again! Plus, you did an amazing job serving the ice cream for the Rally Day Picnic, no? Well done!

We didn't cover any great thematic content this time, mostly focusing on expectations, calendar, and some fun games. We'll ramp up the blog posts when we've covered something more weighty!

And that's it for this week. I'm looking forward to seeing you all next week (or at least, all those of you who aren't helping with the first JAM Time unit) as we do a mini-unit focusing on serving. Don't forget, we'll be starting a DVD series the last week in September (two weeks from now)!

5 Minutes of God Time: Help Me Find It by Sidewalk Prophets

Avoiding Fiery Pants (and other practices)

This week's spiritual disciplines were a little unusual at first glance, but I hope you'll agree that they are very useful disciplines to consider, if not try them out in your life!

First up is Fixed-Hour Prayer.

The whole point of this discipline is to stop and refocus on God throughout the day. Fixed hour prayer is a reminder that Jesus is with you, every step of the way, and that God created time and is in every minute of the day. Fixed hour prayer is a way to keep remembering that life is about more deadlines and papers, practices and jobs; there's something (someone) more important. The quote in our book states:

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour and that one is what we are doing. A schedule defends us from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time.

-Annie Dillard

If you've ever gone through the day and wondered what you did with it, if you've ever gone a while without praying because you just forgot (and now you maybe feel a bit distant from God), if you want a bit of extra strength to get you through the days, fixed-hour prayer can be a great way for you to structure yourself and your life. And despite Ms. Dillard's comment about defending from whim, I don't think fixed-hour prayer is opposite spontaneity and whimsical attitudes. It can go hand in hand with the breath prayer. It can go hand in hand with a spontaneous, unplanned day. Fixed-hour prayer isn't about plodding through the day, never letting something new and unexpected whirl you around. It's just a way of remembering that within the whirling, God is right there with you. So take a moment to talk to Him, and see if that doesn't make the whirling even better.

But this whole idea of needing a way to stop the busy-ness around you and refocus on God isn't a new thing. I was surprised to read that the ancient Jewish tradition included fixed hour prayer- I've typically always associated it with the slightly newer Islamic faith (though since they have the same faith root, it shouldn't be a big surprise to me). As a devout ancient Jew, Jesus Himself likely followed the practice of praying at the temple at noon and 3:00; His disciples also prayed at fixed times (Acts 3:1, 10:3, 9, 30). Early Christian believers were encouraged to pray the Lord's Prayer 3 times a day. St. Benedict is known for his 8 prayer times each day, and Benedictines continue the tradition today that was started 1,600 years ago. If you decide to go whole-hog, Benedict's focus on the "sanctification of time" includes:

• night prayer- vigils
• waking-up prayer- lauds
• prayers for beginning work- prime
• giving-thanks prayer in mid-morning- terce
• noon-day prayer of commitment- sext
• mid-afternoon prayer- none
• evening prayer of stillness- vespers
• going-to-sleep prayer of trust- compline

It might be hard to suddenly introduce 8 new times of prayer into your day- or it might not, depending on how good you are with a timer or the alarm function of your phone. Some of you might already have a set time that you pray- in the morning or before you go to bed, before you eat, or maybe you pray every day before you start a particularly hard task. To incorporate this discipline, maybe you just add in one or two times throughout the day that you stop and pray, then evaluate it after a week; maybe you decide you like this new focus and add in another time of fixed-hour prayer.


Our two links in this post are both links to the Islamic fixed-prayer tradition. In the first, we listened to the full Islamic Call to Prayer, which is played/called from the minaret of the mosque 5 times a day. In the second link (Saudia Arabian Call to Prayer), we see what that looks like: a woman doing a TV special is brought to her guide's roof in order to hear and see the call, and the beauty of it brings her to tears (even though she's not Muslim). And I can see why: EVERYTHING stops. No one questions why the shops are closing, no one jostles or fights- the beautiful singing just brings everyday life to a standstill as the people remember their god and their faith. And even those Muslims who can't get to a mosque (though we don't see it in the video) will stop at the prescribed times in order to face Mecca and pray; their entire faith community is united in worship, all across the world, 5 times a day. Their relationship with their god trumps money, social activities, and every other concern. God is truly first. Can you say that about your life?



Our second discipline is where we get our post title: Truth-Telling. We've all been taught since we were little kids that lying is bad. We probably all have funny stories that brought that lesson home to us. But this discipline is so much more than that. This truth telling is about how we spin, distort, rationalize, gossip, and lie to ourselves.

Do you find yourself giving partial explanations that make it look like a failing wasn't really your fault? Do you try to make yourself look better, take credit, or skew a story so that you come out on top? Do you follow through on your promises and commitments? Do you ever "suck up" to someone to get what you want? Do you make sure that everything you say about someone or to someone is true? Did you verify it, to make sure you aren't spreading lies (even unintentionally)? Do you exaggerate a story to make it more sensational/news-worthy? Do you tell yourself you have more time to complete a task, even though deep down you know that you don't- and your work (and potentially other people) will suffer for it? Do you rationalize behavior, activities, relationships, grudges or obsessions? Do you have to justify things in your life? Do you ever tell yourself that you're worthless, not good enough, or unlovable (or on the flip side, that you're perfect, couldn't possibly screw up, and that you always make great decisions)?

It's a rare person who can answer all of those questions with a "no." In fact, I'd venture to say that someone who said they don't now and never have done any of that is still right in the thick of lying to himself. We all do these things to some extent, though we may not struggle with every facet, and it's amazing the lengths to which we humans will go to stretch and manipulate the truth (even when it doesn't make us feel one iota better). And always, ALWAYS, there is a rupture relationship to pay the price. It might be that your credit-grabbing, exaggeration, or failure to follow through means that someone else is hurt or loses faith in you, or it might be that your truth-stretching, rationalization, or self-lies shatter your sense of your own worth and integrity. Either way, God is right there in the lie- and He doesn't miss a trick. He knows the sense of disappointment or betrayal of the other person, and He feels how your diminishing integrity and self-love create a gap in your ability to connect with Him. He feels them, even when you've yet to recognize the difference.

So what can we do to help ourselves tell the truth? The book has a couple of reflection questions (italicized questions are added by me) and then a couple of exercises (and of course, prayerful reflection and communication with God is always an answer):

1. How do you live out God's reality about the goodness of telling the truth? (Do you see why it's worthwhile? How does that show up in your life? What are you telling Him when you lie about how things really happened?)
2. When do you use a sliding scale of honesty, exaggeration, or partial truths to get what you want? (When are you most tempted to skew the truth? What tempts you- acceptance, admiration, avoiding punishment?)
3.  How has someone's honesty or lack thereof affected you?
4. When has it cost you to be honest? What was that like for you?

Exercises:
1. Take some uninterrupted time to assess your honesty. Think back over the past week. When/where have you been tempted to stretch the truth, take advantage of a privilege, break a commitment, or gossip? What do you see about yourself? Where is it hardest for you to tell the truth? (Write a prayer of confession in your journal, or tell it to a friend, asking her to pray for you).
2. Practice one of these habits for the coming week: not exaggerating, not gossiping, not rationalizing. What is that like for you?
3. What lies to do you tend to tell yourself? What tapes do you play in your head? Talk to God about what this is like, and then look at Psalm 139 (or look up The Father's Love Letter) and see what God has to say about His view of you. Does that change anything for you?


5 minutes of God Time: A dulcimer version of "Here I am, Lord" (here's a version with lyrics, sung by Bobby San Juan)

The discipline that doesn't hurt

As we did last year, we started our first Sunday in Lent (at least, the first Lenten Sunday that we weren't helping with JAM Time) by exploring some spiritual disciplines. I know they sound rather intense, since we typically think of "discipline" as either a negative consequence to an action or as a grueling tour de force whereby we forgo every pleasure in order force ourselves into better shape than we were when we started. Maybe you think of Rocky music playing in the background- beating up a half a cow in a meat locker, running up the steps of the Philly courthouse, etc. in order to beat his opponent. THAT takes discipline. The kind of disciplines we're talking about aren't quite that demanding.

The whole goal of attempting a spiritual discipline is to bring your focus more squarely on God, and in doing so, deepen your relationship with Him. It makes for an ongoing improvement in your life, rather than an intensely painful means to an end. An in addition to being not-so-painful, there are disciplines to suit just about any preference; the book we're using (Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun) lists 62 options. We're covering a few of them, but there are a lot more that remain to be discovered. I'd completely recommend borrowing the book from Pastor Rich, or getting one for your own reference. I'm sure there's more to be said on each discipline than is covered in the book, but it's a great starting point to help you figure out just where to go.

So our first discipline this year is a repeat of last year- gratitude. You may not have everything you've ever desired (and Thank GOD for that!), you may not be exactly where you want to be, but all of us have some pretty amazing gifts sitting right in front of our faces. I showed you guys the quote that changed my perspective:



Not that God's just waiting to take things away from you, but thinking through this quote/question can really help you identify those little things that we often take for granted. Maybe you pray daily in thanksgiving for your family or friends, but what about some of those "standard" blessings we covered when we talked about India- for having running water and a hot shower? What about for the fact that you have easy transportation around town? The fact that you can read? Or that you have clothes and a coat to wear in the winter? When's the last time you thanked God for sending Jesus? For the ability to approach an all-powerful, glorious God and (through Jesus) be one of His children? We talk about growing our faith, but we also need to stop and be grateful for the fact that we have that gift of knowledge and relationship!

So what are some ways you can practice gratitude? The book has some suggestions: write a thank you letter to those who have touched your life, keep a gratitude journal, have a thank you party for those you'd like to acknowledge, stop comparing yourself to others, create a gratitude scrapbook. My suggestions are to use a breath prayer to refocus you when you get in a slump (look, another spiritual discipline!), thank God whenever you recognize something you like, love, or wouldn't want to be without, make a special time each day to pray in thanksgiving, take the time to say THANK YOU to those around you (holding a door for you, getting you your coffee/meal, letting you borrow the car), and make gratitude a habit, not just something for Lent. Lent is always a good start, but each of us, no matter our age or point in life, can easily slip into comparison, regret, and the "gimmies." Don't let yourself turn into a gratitude toddler. Find a way to make gratitude a part of your life- you won't regret it!


Our second discipline of the day was.... MEMORIZATION! For much of history, literacy rates were very, VERY low. It was very expensive to make a book, and only the upper classes and scholars even had access to the education it took to be able to read. So when people wanted to share information or stories, they had to be memorized.

Now, we have extensive access to books (I'm writing this across the street from a really big library, and there's a bookshelf behind me filled with different topics) and we have almost universal, instant access to the internet; some of you might even be reading this on your smartphones. When I have a question about a scripture passage, I can search for a biblical book, a phrase, or a close approximation to the verse I have in my head and end up with the right passage in less than a minute; I will probably even be given a list of suggested, similar verses. This is a huge benefit to me- and I use it often. But what happens if I don't have access to it? Either because the internet crashes (say it ain't so!), I'm restricted from using the internet (either by force or service range limitations), or I'm having a conversation with someone who desperately needs advice, but it's not appropriate to stop the talk to look up the scripture passage I'm thinking of? Even the beauty of the internet has an end to its reach.

But even within the ever-expanding limits of internet service and availability, there are still reasons to memorize scripture. First, it's for your benefit. If you're memorizing something, it's on the forefront of your mind. You're focusing. And in that focusing, you're getting to know God (and His will) better. Second, it's easier for you to recognize when someone else is misquoting scripture if you've got it memorized. Misquoting has been known to happen, whether intentionally or not. And if you know what a verse is meant to be, you'll know when what you hear/read isn't right. And finally, memorizing scripture gives your arguments, comments, and beliefs authority. Now, I'll grant that scripture doesn't hold authority if you're challenging a U.S. law, but when trying to figure out moral questions and spiritual conundrums, it definitely holds weight. I met a man the week after we discussed this, and I have to say, I was fully impressed by his knowledge of scripture. We discussed faith as he gave me a ride from the dealership to the church (my car needed some recalls fixed), and when he was able to point to specific passages, quoting them to me, it made me think about how often I give advice and thoughts based on things I know to be in the bible, but would have to take time to search them out online, if anyone were to ask me where to read it. I can't quote you a passage word for word, I can only summarize.

So perhaps you won't end up like the religiously-oppressed, young Christian woman we discussed (who prepared herself for her inevitable jail sentence by memorizing scripture and challenging her bodily comforts) and perhaps you will always have internet access. But perhaps you'll also see some real value in scripture memorization for your own faith journey and for the journey of those around you. If I didn't see the value before, I certainly have after my unexpected discussion during a short car ride; even if birthdays and anniversaries are beyond me, I'm going to try to memorize one verse a week (or if that's too much, at least one verse a month). Maybe you'll join me?


5 Minutes of God Time: Who am I by Casting Crowns