Lent: A Time for Incubator Faith

If you ask me, babies are just about the cutest things out there. Their fingers, toes, lips and eyes are all miniature portions of us grimy adults. Their little bodies still fresh and without blemish from the elements of the world. I have had the joy of getting to know two little babies recently, twins of a friend of mine. These two are no exception to the cute baby rule, their fingers and toes, lips and eyes are perfect. But my two new friends were a little early coming into this world; so excited to make an entrance that they had to spend some time in the hospital sleeping and eating in incubators.

Like all infants, these two were fed milk, with much time before any type of solid food would touch their lips. But besides their diet, there were many other precautionary measures taken toward ensuring their health. There were oxygen tubes, heart rate monitors, incubators, and many checks and tests by nurses and doctors. These two were examined multiple times a day with each step in growth monitored and applauded. One thing that is so wonderful and magical about babies is that their growth is hard to miss. These two little girls went from 3 to 4 pounds in about a week with the progress clearly noticeable. With cheeks filling out, multiple chins forming, and their bellies rounding, these two were shedding the equipment examining their every move. Soon enough my two friends were free of tubes and ready to be moved from the incubator. As I celebrate this day of growth and freedom with them, I think about their journey of a month in an incubator and our journey of just over a month through Lent.

In 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 Paul speaks to a community which is not yet ready for solid food. This community, freshly born is still focusing their eyes, only able to see worldly things and not the spiritual. Someday, Paul says, you will be able to receive the spiritual nourishment that I have for you, but as of now you are still infants in the faith, quarreling, jealous, and clinging to the ways of the world.

And years later here we are, eyes straining to God in our midst, as we move  between focus and blurred vision of the things and people around us. In many ways, we Christians are newly born, not yet ready to stand or function on our own, but at the same time thrown right into this rough and tumble world full of jealousy and quarreling. And so for our own good we need to be watched, monitored, encouraged, and fed along the way. This holy season of Lent each year is our time in an incubator, a time for examined growth and maturity. Instead of monitors, oxygen, and periodic check-ups we are given the blessings of confession, self-examination, and the ritual of fasting. Through these holy acts we are nourished, cleansed, and encouraged until the day that we are released from this incubator season, the same day we celebrate Christ rising from the tomb. But in this season of Lent we are not yet to the resurrection day, the day of hope and freedom and new life. So let us not rush to Easter too quickly, but remain in this closely examined incubator season of Lent so we can be ready to stand on our own, see Christ clearly in the world around us, grasp firmly onto the things that are good, breathe in deeply the Spirit God, and share with others the good news of new life. Through just over a month in our own incubators, we will not be fully grown, but we will be ready for the world around us, and ready to confront what the world has for us, for we have been nourished by God.

Just the other day I was able to hold the two little girls for the first time. While before I only saw them through the incubator and stroked their tiny hands, this day I held their precious  lives in my arms. Wrapped in blankets I could feel their infant legs squirming, as muscle growth continues to develop. The excitement of new life in my arms reminded me of the excitement and unpredictability of new life in Christ, available to us each and every morning. With just a few weeks of monitoring, feeding and examining these little girls have grown leaps and bounds. And through these six weeks of Lent as my two new friends continue to grow I am encouraged in my own journey of growth.   

Re:connect The Dots

Life can get crazy. Life can get blink and you miss it, grey hairs sprouting, forget what day it is crazy. This past year has been wonderfully crazy. In May I graduated from seminary, started full time at a church in June, and then got married and ordained in October. With moving apartments, joining lives together with my wife and beginning this wonderful call as a pastor I felt like life was moving in hyper speed. Imagine Chewy and Han Solo kicking it into gear in the Millennium Falcon with stars smearing by, leaving a blinding flash of lines. But in reality each of those lines are individual stars, individual dots. Even though in my imaginary Millennium Falcon I have flown past so many stars, so many dots, and so many individual moments and events, I can now take the time to connect those dots and moments that I have passed up, those stars flashing by. And the beautiful thing that happens when you connect the dots, the stars, and the moments, is that you get a clear picture of something bigger that the individual dot that is "me". I love looking up into the cold winter night sky and connecting the dots of Orion's Belt,

the easiest constellation for me to see. And as I have been looking at the night sky recently, I get excited about re:connecting the dots and the moments in my life once again; seeing how conversations with strangers, encounters with friends, laughter and tears, time with family, music listened to, movies watched and books I have read have connected to and built upon one another and highlight the line that holds us and these moments together. Here is to taking a step back and seeing the bigger, beautiful picture that God is creating here and now among us.  

Sermon: Luke 18:35-43

A sermon from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary 2012.

Lenten Thoughts

As we near the end of the Lenten season, what I reflect upon are fish sandwiches on Friday and no chocolate for 40 days. What this really translates into is fasting of some sort. Growing up I never knew what this fasting or giving something up for Lent was all about. All I knew was that I was supposed to pick something that I love and then not eat, do it, use it, ect. until Easter. Some years this would end in epic failure not lasting a week, and other years when I was feeling especially sneaky I would give up giving something up for Lent. In the end, what Lent became for me was a time of anticipation of spring and hunting for Easter baskets.
This was, until I had a professor in college who would not shave at all during Lent. This professor, usually clean cut and well put together, would week by week come undone. As a beard owner, well former beard owner, I can truly say that his beard was not a pleasant sight. I could not figure out why this usually well kept man suddenly let go of his hygiene. I one day asked my professor why he grew this beard. It was through this conversation that he then opened my eyes to the beauty of fasting during Lent.
For my professor, his growing of a beard was a constant reminder of self examination. Each time that he would see himself in the mirror, his patchy facial hair would be a physical reminder to not just think of himself, but how his actions are affecting others. This sounded like a true fast to me, something with some substance, something that I could get on board with.
In the Isaiah passage we read tonight, we hear about the fasts which God desires. Isaiah 58:1-12, “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?”
Fasting which points us towards our interconnectedness with one another is fasting which God desires. We are not called to fast for the sake of feeling the pain of hunger, or the pain of desiring chocolate, or even the pain of poor facial hair. What we are called to, in that moment of desire for chocolate, is to think of those who work in slave conditions to provide that chocolate for you. When you feel the pangs of hunger think not of the feasting which will come when the fast is over, but think of those who in our neighborhoods go without meals. When we go in the morning during Lent without that cup of coffee think about those picking the coffee beans at unfair wages, or decide to only buy fair trade coffee to support in a humane way those who provide for our daily needs. When you fast from watching TV, don’t just go online to watch your missed episodes, but think of the way our culture makes us slaves to certain images and ideals, think of the products we sell to our children, and think of the values which we teach them all through advertising on TV.
This truly sounds like a daunting task, any fast for 40 days is a long time. And it should seem like a large task at hand, because biblically the number 40 means “a long time”. But we should not give up hope, because just as Isaiah tells us what God wishes for our fasts, Isaiah also promises us in verse 11 that, “The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water whose waters never fail. Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.” God promises our guidance and our safety, through the long droughts of our lives. And what is amazing is that God not only promises to watch after us, but to turn our parched places into a spring of water, where all would gather for nourishment; not just satisfying our needs but serving the needs of the community
In the end, our fasting is truly less about ourselves, and more about how we live in community with one another. It is sad how I have lived on the same street for two years now and have relatively little community with the neighbors around me. I unfortunately think that this is the norm. We tend to live our lives thinking we are self sustaining, while in reality all of our actions greatly affect those we are in community with whether we know it or not. We are called to love one another at all times and in all ways as we can see from Isaiah’s description of a fast acceptable to God. I believe that when we try to live in seclusion, focusing inwards we are not truly living up to the way which God created us, in the image of God, the trinity, three in one, one in three, in blessed unity, a constant love between the Father and Son by the Holy Spirit. That is what we are called to as well. We must not turn our eyes away from our brothers and sisters, but pray that the Holy Spirit may unite us in love.
Whether you are giving up chocolate, coffee, TV, growing a patchy beard, eating fish on Fridays, or whatever you may do, make your actions one of self reflection. Take this season to prayerfully fast and look both at our present actions and forward to the joyful feast of Easter morning, the promise of God’s kingdom coming where all will be made whole. For, while we are called to share bread with the hungry, clothe the naked, and welcome in the homeless, we only do so in the great hope of the coming kingdom of God where the hungry will be fed, the blind will see, the lame will walk, and all tears will be wiped away.

Oct. 9 Sermon

This is a sermon I preached on October 9th, 2011 at 6th Presbyterian Church based on Exodus 32:1-14 and Matthew 22:1-14

As I read the Golden Calf passage along with the parable of the wedding banquet, I get the feeling that humanity needs a good counseling. A nice sit down session with legs up on the couch, discussing our issues of commitment and identity. Those really are the two issues identified in these passages, aren’t they?

In Exodus, God has just led the Israelites out of Egypt, freeing them from slavery. They weren’t just freed though, no, God intervened in such a way that God’s power and majesty was made know. God intervened in a very visible way with frogs, blood, locusts, gnats, flies, boils, thunder and hail, and turing Egypt dark for three days. God’s intervention was a cosmic intervention. The Israelites then crossed the Red Sea escaping the danger of oncoming Egyptian armies. Once reaching safety in the wilderness, the people cry out in the wilderness asking for food and water. Again God provides sending manna and quails and sending forth water from a rock. God acts as the provider. Once all of the commotion of escaping from a major world power and surviving plagues, calms down a bit God and Moses have some time to chat up on Mt. Sinai about the forming of this community. God gives Moses instructions for how the community is supposed to live. This is where our passage picks up today. Moses has been on top of the mountain for forty days and just as the instructions are being made, the people down at the bottom of the mountain are getting a little restless. They begin to ask one another, where exactly this Moses guy is. This Moses guy who lead them out of Egypt. Wait, wait a second. Did they just say this Moses was the one who lead them out of Egypt? Is this the same Moses who fled Egypt and argued with God about going back and helping out his fellow Israelites? Did the Israelites miss the whole God and plague thing? I mean, how could we ever mistake what God does for us as the qualities and actions of a person. Reading this story we would never reduce the majestic loving power of God to chance and reason, of course we would give God credit where credit is due.

But this isn’t just the Israelites story is it? This is the story of today as well. This is your story, this is my story. I have been a part of churches where this is their attitude, an attitude of separation from God. It is easy for the members to sit back and criticize the leadership of the church. It is even easier for those outside of the church to sit back and criticize. So often we look at the pastor, or the building, or the presbytery as our leader, don’t we? We begin to follow pastors words as if they are final, we go along with denominational lines simply because they are there, we allow others to pray instead of us, and those outside of the church may even say, “eh well that God thing really isn’t for me.” Now, this is not an attack on those who criticize, or even those who are apathetic, but this instead is an invitation. This is an invitation to examine what it might look like to step into God’s loving grace and to set our hearts and minds on God as our guide. With the view that a pastor, or that “someone else” is our guide we take all of the responsibility off of ourselves and we lose something very important. We lose our identity as children of God. Instead we may become children of the Presbyterian Church, or children of a certain pastor or Christian author just as the Israelites in a way became children of Moses, waiting for direction. But these other leaders do not define truly who we are, and in finding our identity in them, we lose one of the greatest gifts of God. We lose sight of the fact that God came to us in Jesus, so that we may know God and enter into a relationship with God. No middle man, no smoke and mirrors, no games to be played, God longs for us to enter into relationship with God. So I ask of you, please accept this invitation.

But first let’s take a look at the Matthew passage before we get any further. In Matthew, Jesus’ parable doesn’t even seem to beat around the bush. While the message still has some ambiguities the action seems fairly straight forward. There is a king who has prepared a wedding banquet for his son. The food was ready, tables were set, and the kings messengers were sent to invite the guests. However when the guests are first met each one goes on their own way, keeping up with their daily lives. I’d like to say that these people didn’t know what they are missing out on, but I too have unfortunately skipped my fair share of free dinners. When I first read this story it reminded me of my college years. At Westminster, a small liberal arts school, people are notorious for being over committed and unable to say no. If there were 1,400 students there might be 2,800 clubs, organizations, activities, dinners. Ok that might be an exaggeration, but there really were more events than you knew what to do with, not to mention keeping up with the school work that you were assigned. I would get e-mails every day for new events or meetings or speakers, and when I would walk into the student union building there would be flyer after flyer advertising for even more events. After a while I just came to ignore any e-mail update or flyer that came my way. I’m not sure if Jesus’ parable isn’t getting at something similar. In the parable it states that the guests made light of the invitation, one went on to his farm and another back to their business. It is very true that we have things in our lives that we need to take care of. There are bills that need to be paid, which means we need to go to work, and jobs are harder to find now, so we even have to work at finding work, and then there are relationships to keep up, children to taxi around, meals to be made, shopping to be done, and then maybe we can find time to rest, and then possibly if we have rested we might have time to notice these invitations around us.

I am the first to be guilty of this. I am teased of being a person of routine, but its true. I have a routine that keeps me sane in which I can fit in all of my tasks in the day. However, in keeping to my routine I miss many opportunities for unexpected encounters with God. But how are we to structure our lives so that we may be more aware of God? We can’t just sit around waiting, there are things that need to be done. We are students, and physicians, and teachers, and mothers, and fathers, and business men and women, and caretakers, and pastors, and architects, and you fill in the blank. These identities of ours keep us busy, very busy. Who we are determines what we have to do. As a student I have books that need to be read, papers that need to be written, I need to show up for class, and even when I’m feeling a little bit crazy I might participate in class. The same goes for all of our identities, there are tasks that need to be completed that correspond with who we are.

Lets jump back to the Israelites at the base of Mt. Sinai. Remember their problem? They wanted to make a golden calf to worship since it seemed like Moses wasn’t coming back. They wanted to replace Moses because they said it was him who led them out of Egypt. It was Moses they put their trust in. It was Moses that they wanted to follow. It was in Moses that they found their identity. But it wasn’t Moses who led them out of Egypt, was it? It was God who led them out of slavery and God who fed them in the wilderness. Their trust should have been in God, it should have been God whom they wanted to follow. When they were followers of Moses, they lost their identity as a people of God, as children of God. God even recognizes this. In Exodus 32:7 God commands Moses saying, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt are acting perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them.” When we lose our identity, we become committed to other things, or people. The same applies for the Matthew passage. There, the people are identified by their works. It makes sense that they would ignore the invitation of the king, because their identity was not with him, it was with their work. While working is good, it is needed, it seems like this parable and the golden calf story are telling us that is not where we are to find our identity. We are to find our identity in God. Through these texts we have seen what happens when we lose our identity in God, that we become committed to other things, but how should our lives look if we were to find our identity in God?

It would be so nice if I said that this identity grounded in God looked like someone just showing up to church, or if there were steps to follow. I would love that, or at least I think I would at first. I could easily take these steps and fit them into my schedule and go about my routine. But I have found through struggling in faith, that those steps aren’t the fulfillment of grounding our identity in God. And that is because our identity is that of a child of God, and a child is a relational term. Relationships take work, they take time, you can go through many stages in a relationship, and I have found that if you want a good relationship you can’t fit them into your schedule just like another item on a list of to-dos. You see, when we fix our identity issues we also fix our relationships, our commitment issues. A relationship is organic, moving, give and take, dynamic, it is life giving, it is participatory. There is a lot of work in a relationship, but there is so much life, and emotion, and reward, and you feel alive. This is true of a relationship with God as it is a relationship with any loved one. But here is one thing that makes our grounded identity in God so much more fulfilling, so much more life giving than other identities; school ends, children grow up, jobs come and go, but God is. God is the one who was, the one who is, and the one who is coming.

We are called to so much more than a stagnant intellectual thought of God. We are called into a life giving relationship with the one who loves us, created us, and knows us. Now this does not mean that we are to sit around and read the Bible all day long and forget the rest of the world, no, that would be silly. This does not mean we are to not care about our jobs or our other relationships, again, silly. This does, however, mean that our identity in God, our relationship with God influences and gives life to all of our other relationships.

Once we commit to this, to actually living in a relationship with God, it can be a hard process, a process of change, and growing pains, a process of reorganizing priorities, but in this relationship there are many blessings, comfort, and joy, true joy. And we are to be comforted that God came to us in Jesus so that we may know and see what a relationship with God looks like. This is where the church fits in as well. The church and pastors in our lives are to be guides, not someone to be followed, but someone to walk alongside us, assisting in our growing relationship with God. Like I mentioned before, a relationship with is not something that we can just plug into our schedule, a relationship is not something that we can only attend to once every now and then, a relationship is not something that is a one way street. A relationship with God is exactly the same. We cannot just fit God into our schedule on Sundays, we cannot simply come to church expecting to receive, but we must let our relationship with God spread into all of the areas of our lives, be a participatory member of the relationship, grow through prayer and thought, learn more about God through reading the Bible and contemplation, ask questions, get frustrated with God, share your joys with God, when you pray believe what you are praying.

I pray for each of you that you will come to enter into this relationship. I pray that each of us would come to enter into the beautiful banquet which God already has for us, planned and ready before we even do anything. I pray that we as a church would come to make all decisions and movements with this relationship in mind. And I pray that we may all come to know our true identities as children of God.

Psalm 146

One of my favorite Psalms is 146. I feel like I say "one of my favorite Psalms is..." a lot. That is probably true thought. They all have so much meaning and emotion just seeping out of them. However, Psalm 146 has a special significance to me over the last few months. As I have been reading the Psalms I don't just sit back and pat the psalmist on the back for his beautiful language and great imagery. Instead, like I said before, the Psalms become my prayers. The hope of the psalmist becomes my hope. Consequently my hope in God changes the way that I live my life. I try not to live in fear or the shadow of oppressive systemic evils, but I try to live in the light of God's love who is Christ Jesus.

Psalm 146:8-9

The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

As this Psalm has become my prayer God has placed opportunities in my life to help live out the prayer. I feel like we should not only pray to God four help but to pray that God would use us in God's work. When this happens however, you need to expect and believe that God will answer your prayer and be ready to respond. The other day I had the opportunity to do just that. As I was walking down the street I was approached by a man outside of the post office. His name was Leon. As Leon began talking to me it seemed as though all my life slowed down and all else around me vanished. Leon was just asking for a quarter saying that he was hungry. I was able to give Leon a few dollars before I headed into the post office. The line was long, I did not stay long. As I came outside I saw Leon was still standing there and I remembered that I had found an Eat N Park gift card in my wallet just a day before. I asked Leon if I could take him to get something to eat. What do you know, there was an Eat N Park two doors down from the post office. I was able to sit and chat with Leon just for a bit before I went to a meeting. As I left, Leon was behind me eating his mid afternoon breakfast and I moved on to the rest of my day.

Even though I may never see Leon again, I continue to pray that God use me in his work to bring about his kingdom here on earth, always hoping to live in the light of what is to come.

Psalm 135

This morning I read Psalm 135. Within the Psalm lies some of my favorite language full of imagery. The Psalmist writes:

"The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the works of human hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; eyes, but they do not see; they have ears, but they do not hear, and there is no breath in their mouths. Those who make them and all who trust them shall become like them." (135:15-18)

The Psalmist in this passage is just taunting those who worship false gods. He places right in front of them the downfall of their worship. These things that you worship, you made them! How can you worship something that is less than you, something that depended on you to come about, something that you have complete control over? This however is the question today as well though, isn't it? Forget about all of the material things that we worship in the place of God, put that aside for now, I am sure I will comment on that some other time. But for now, think about how we attempt to control God when we worship God. Think of all of the ways which we use the Bible to say what we want it to instead of letting the Bible instruct us. Think of all of our narrow views of a very deep and wide God. Think of all of the ways in which we try to make God ours and only ours when God created the earth and all that is in it.

Let us not try to control God, but to lift up our arms in surrender and let the one who created all guide us in all that we do.

Praying the Psalms

This past weekend I attended a conference on ancient scripture and early church fathers. To bridge the gap between the ending time Friday night at 9pm and the beginning time Saturday morning at 9am, we, as a conference, read through the Psalms. Split into two hour shifts and then individually taking fifteen minutes of reading at a time, the Psalms were prayed through one and a half times. While I did not spend the entire night at the church I did come early in the morning around 5:30 to listen and then helped read from 6 to 8am. Hearing the Psalms read in a quiet sparsely populated sanctuary was quite moving. It is hard to put words to, but the experience was transcendent but completely real at the same time. With the lights low and eyes shut in contemplative prayer and reading, minutes of prayer turned into hours of praise. While I listened to the Psalms being read, the prayers of ancient Jews became my prayers, their words my words, their anxiety, frustration, hopelessness, became my anxiety, frustration and hopelessness. But Psalm after Psalm, cry for help after cry for help, each Psalm found room for praise. In Psalm 109 verse 1 the poet writes, "Do not be silent, O God of my praise. For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues." In the same breath that the writer is describing his despair, he is also singing God's praise! How much we can learn from these ancient Psalms.

I have been reading two Psalms every morning and two each night for some time now. When I first began reading them they were something that I had to get through to get to the Gospel reading. However, reading the Psalms for me has become a beginning for the prayer that I carry with me throughout the day. The cries for safety in troubling times of encroaching enemies plays through my head as I walk to school and think of the many homeless that live around me who have no shelter, who feel vulnerable to enemies encroaching in on them at all times. I pray for the many unnamed homeless that they may find shelter in God, and that God may use me and the community to provide for their needs as well. While my daily troubles seem tame compared to homelessness, hunger, and war, none the less, reading the faith that these ancient Jews had inspires me to have a more real faith which cries out to God in my times of hardship and loneliness while at the same time proclaiming the praise due to God.

In an attempt to bring the Psalms more fully into my life as prayer I hope to reflect on the Psalms and my own prayers here.

Tomatoes in December

Do you know where your food comes from? Sure, we buy our bags of lettuce, tomatoes, chicken, and eggs from the grocery stores. I regret to inform you, however, that lettuce does not grow in bags, tomatoes are not supposed to be "fresh" in Pennsylvania in December, and chicken's breasts are not naturally that large. (Yes, even chickens breasts are augmented)

Recently I watched the movie "Food Inc." This movie attempts to tell us where exactly our food comes from. At one point, the screen filled with hundreds of acres of cattle eating corn in brown desolate land. Cows do not naturally eat corn, but corn is a quick easy food source to give them and boosts production and efficiency. Mad cow disease and other food contamination has come from cows whose diet is solely corn. There is some reaction in the cows stomach with bacteria and corn which scientists describe, but the end reaction is the same, poor food for the consumer. So, is efficiency what our consumption and production should be based on?

I saw chickens kept by the thousands in small coops that could only take a few steps before falling over due to enlarged breasts from hormones and other chemicals in their food. In the end all we see are large pieces of meat neatly packed by the hundreds in the grocery store. But what are we eating, chicken, or chemically enhanced chicken look alike. At what cost to our own bodies and the bodies of chicken do we get our big cheap meat? The system is very efficient, but again, at what cost?

Both the chickens and cows are kept in close quarters, so much so that most of their days are spent walking, sitting, and sleeping in the feces of the animals around them. What are we eating?

Most of the places that these animals are raised look more like factories than farms. Smoke stacks hover over fields while smoke pours into the land. Lush green vegetation can hardly be seen anywhere. What happened to some of our farms? These are not rare occurrences either. A majority of meat is produced by only four (4) companies in the U.S. and all four of these companies handle and prepare their meat this way.

The good news is, we have a choice. We do not need to eat meat look alikes enhanced chemically or fed an unnatural diet. We can benefit our own bodies and the bodies of the animals that we eat by buying food that you know where it comes from.

"Food Inc." ends with a clip showing a farmer Joel Salatin in Virginia (pictured above). The farmer walks around his lush fields where his cattle roam, feeding on their natural diet, stretching their legs, and in return fertilizing the land as their waste goes back to the earth grazing from field to field. Chickens freely walk in and out of their coop eating the grass, bugs, and other feed, growing fully and naturally. The farmer and his family sell fresh meat to customers up to nearly five hours away. While this may be a long drive, these customers not only know exactly where their food is coming from, but they have a relationship with the farmer. A closer example of a farm that grows free range chickens and cattle is in Ohio, where my friends Mel and Steve Montgomery live at Lamppost Farm.

For further information on how to get fresh food around you google CSA (community supported agriculture).

Eat fresh, live well, be informed.

Thanks For Your Time

For the past few days, the Summer Youth Institute at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary has been blessed by the presence of David Bailey. While here David played a concert for the scholars and led a workshop on faith and creative writing last night. He was energetic with the high school students, cracked jokes, and played the guitar beautifully picking with his long quick fingernails. David has recently released his 23 album and is leaving directly from the seminary to go to the New Wilmington Mission Conference.

David also had a brain tumor removed just 7 weeks ago. He is learning to balance himself again and was warned by loving family and friends to not come to the seminary to play, saying he was not fit for travel. David, however, wanted to be here and nothing was going to stop him, especially not an ailing body. You see, over 13 years ago David was diagnosed with brain cancer and was told he had six months to live. Ever since then, time has been something very important for him. He has written many songs about time and talks about how he spends his time with family, friends, and especially drinking coffee. David does not dwell on the fact that he has overcome cancer multiple times, but he definitely does not ignore it either. He is very aware of his limitations with vision, being partially blind on the left side, and his balance. These limitations, I believe have only made him more aware of the blessings of life.

Ironic, isn't it how we sometimes only see the blessing in our lives when they are threatened, hindered, or away for a certain amount of time. I hope the take David's life as a lesson, so that I do not need to wait for my freedoms and gifts to be threatened to appreciate what I have. I hope we can all take time to appreciate time. Take time for others, to truly talk to them. Take time for yourself, to sit quietly and listen to yourself and God. Take time to be in awe of the world around you. Time, like so many things in our lives is not a renewable resource, there is a limited time that we will be here. I am not trying to be morbid, but am attempting to spur myself and others to live life, to appreciate the small things, and to forget about the trivial and unimportant things in life.

So, David Bailey, a man who has such precious time, thank you very much for spending the time you do have with us.

Hugaholic

This is the story of how I met Gregory, a self-diagnosed hug-aholic.

Last Wednesday night I had the chance to go and worship at East Liberty Presbyterian Church for their Taize service. The service was in an old stone chapel decorated full of candles, icons, and banners. As we sat in the pews singing and praying, there was no one in front of the congregation leading worship, but instead different members of the congregation would lead prayers from their seat. Having no one up front to focus on only helped our focus on God.

Now East Liberty Presbyterian Church, you must understand, is located in a neighborhood in Pittsburgh that is said to be quite economically and socially depressed. A lot of the commercial building space is vacant and many of the houses are run down. The church itself is a beautiful historic building constructed with money from Andrew Carnegie. If the church wanted to, it could get by on the endowment from Carnegie. However, the church has committed itself to living and serving and not just getting by, and has therefore been quite involved with the community. The church supports local programs that help get community members ready to own homes that have been remodeled, and provide freshly grown food in formerly abandoned lots at a low cost. East Liberty Presbyterian Church is not just getting by, but giving life to a place which is used to desolation and abandonment. The church also warmly welcomes those in the community who many churches may not be as welcoming to.

This brings me to Gregory. I noticed Gregory during the worship service on Wednesday night. He sat towards the front of the sanctuary and sang with all of his heart during the worship service. He had one of those smiles that is contagious and begs you to begin a conversation because you just know there is a story waiting to be told. So, after the service I approached Gregory during a time of refreshments right outside of the chapel. Gregory warmly introduced himself and proceeded to tell me about his button that he made which reads "Hugaholic". He told me about the importance of hugs, how everyone needs hugs, that they are great because they are free, and pretty much that hugs just make the world a better place. Gregory gave me a pamphlet that he drew himself and made photocopies of describing the benefits of hugs with quotes about hugs from various authors. After talking to Gregory for a bit and learning just a small bit about his history I had to join up with my group again. Before I left I asked Gregory if I could give him a hug, and I am confident that us two men hugged the biggest most loving hug two strangers have ever hugged before. We smiled and said our goodbyes, thinking that this could possibly be the last time that we see each other.

Gregory however, had more love to give.

As I gathered some other members of the group that I was with, we headed downstairs to walk to labyrinth. Again, the room was filled with candles, banners of every color of the rainbow, and light instrumental music in the background. When I entered the basement, I found that most of my group, made up of high school students, was already walking the labyrinth, and there in the midst of them was a middle age man, Gregory. Gregory was not walking the labyrinth, he was gracefully dancing and moving with the music, letting the twists and turns of the labyrinth direct his movement. I did not walk the labyrinth, but sat and prayerfully walked the labyrinth through the movements of Gregory.

I saw God that night in the form of a middle aged man named Gregory dancing in and among us. Isn't that how it usually happens? God is right there in front of us, dancing through our lives, so in sync with the movements that we make, that it is hard to recognize at times. I believe that God is always around us in the beauty of music, art, the nature, and people around us, but we need to slow down sometimes to see that it is God. So, may we slow down and join God in the dance he is dancing. Let God wrap his hands around us, pull us tightly towards him and follow God's lead in this dance of life.

Donald Miller

Living a Better Story Seminar from All Things Converge Podcast on Vimeo.

To Live My Story

In the past year I have read Donald Miller's Million Miles in a Thousand Years, I have talked about it before once or twice. Since then, I have gone to Boston and been involved in a conference with the Fund for Theological Education where I was able to think about my story somewhat. I began thinking about what it meant to live my story, how I could live that story, and what that meant for me and those around me. I have not completely figured out my story, but what good story is the ending known at the beginning? However, I am beginning to know who I am more fully and where I am headed. Hopefully my story will be full of twists, every day adventure and character development. So.... for now, some things I do know about my story.

Next year I will be attending Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. I however will not be living on campus, and this is very intentional. Next year I will be living in the community around the seminary. I have always believed that an education without any application is quite useless. A seminary education, specifically my masters of divinity really truly would mean nothing to me without any application. This intentional living in the community is one reason why I picked to attend Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.

The area around the seminary is an amazing and complex area. On one side of the school is East Liberty, a socially and economically depressed area with some new life budding. On the other side of the school is Highland Park, a middle to higher class area full of beautifully renovated old houses, coffee shops, and parks. Both neighborhoods are beautiful and wonderful and are full of amazing people. I want my story to be living in community with these people. I want to know the people that I pass by on the roads and be able to invite others over for dinner or coffee. I hope to know my neighbors and to be intentional about making it known that I will be a true neighbor, available for any needs.

Specific examples of this hope of mine continue to fall into my lap each day I get closer to moving in to my new apartment. First, a friend of mine told me that I should contact an old friend of his who works at a church in East Liberty. This friend of his, is already doing exactly what I want to be doing and I have had the great pleasure of meeting some of his coworkers this week. These young men started a community building, The Union Project, while in seminary that helps family buy and own houses responsibly and affordably so the people that make up the community can continue to live in the community. Shops are not what makes up communities, but it is the people that work at and frequent the shops that make a community. The Union Project also runs a community garden, growing in previously abandoned gardens. Where there used to be ruins, life now grows. Where there used to be depressed houses, life is now living inside. Where there used to be an abandoned community, I want to help bring life and love.

I began this journey of living today actually, while I was at a seminary camp for high school students. I was stopped to get gas in the neighborhood and a homeless man came up and kindly asked if I could spare a few dollars for food. At first I was hesitant because I really did not think I had any money. However, as I was pumping gas I looked through my wallet and found a few dollars. When I called the man over a second time, I took a good look at his face, something I am not sure a lot of people around him do, and it was at that moment that I realized I had met BIll before. Five years ago when I was attending the same seminary program that I am now helping to lead I had met Bill, talked with him, and a group of friends and I had taken him out to McDonald's. I asked Bill if he remembered me and told him that I remembered him. I had a conversation with him for a while and respected him as a person, looking him in the eye. I told him that I was going to the seminary next year and that I will see him around town. He mentioned something about needing a hair cut, exactly what he had said five years ago. If Bill needs something as simple as a hair cut every five years and a friendly face to talk to, I think I can do that. I hope to see Bill again soon and begin frequent conversations with him. I hope to meet others like Bill, and I hope to be other people's Bill as well, living together in a community joined by love.

I am not sure where this story of mine will take me, but I hope it is not comfortable, predictable, or even safe. I hope at times I wonder what I am doing and why I am doing it. I hope that I fail, and that I learn from my failures. But most importantly, through all of these times, I hope to be in a community in which I am interdependent, loving and receiving, bringing love to the broken places and life to the abandoned.

Live Back

A phrase came to me the other night as I was falling asleep, when most good ideas pop into my head. The phrase was, "Live Back." To me, this phrase challenges the idea of people giving back to their communities by donating time or money. Both of those are great things, don't get me wrong, but I want to challenge the idea of giving back into a more permanent and sustainable cycle.

Think about giving. When people give it is usually in fads or trends. For instance, giving to Haiti, the Gulf Coast, giving to charity around Christmas time, or going on week long mission trips. Again, all of these are helpful, but what if we can do more? The giving lasts a day or week, and our investment is rather weak. We may send a check that gives a community a water source, but we are not much more connected with that community or the ongoing project than we were before. We can go and help for a week clean up hurricane relief, but no matter how hard we try, a lot of the relationships we even make on those trips are lost.

So what would it look like, if instead of just giving back, if we lived back. I feel like our idea of "neighbor" in the Church has done a great job of expanding to the entire world. In this process however, I feel like sometimes we forget about our true geographical neighbors living right here next to us. My idea of living back combines your God given gifts and talents and the needs of the community around you. If you are a person who enjoys planning and has a knack for it, maybe you could plan block parties or plan community events where people gather to meet one another and simply enjoy each others presence. If you are savvy with numbers, live back and help others with budgets or taxes. If you are someone who is giving and has plenty, offer your car, spare rooms, extra food, ect. for those who have less. If you love to cook, find those in the community around you who are sick or lost a loved one or just recently moved in and offer a meal. If you are a great teacher help to teach. If quality time is a gift of yours, consider just being a friend or baby sitting.

These are just small easy ideas that are practical and could be easily implemented into our daily lives. Think about people in CEO positions, or actors, musicians, teachers, store owners, mechanics, doctors, whoever, whatever position, living back every day in their lives. Not only would we be living back every day in something that we are naturally good at, but we would be less likely to be burnt out since we would actually enjoy what we were doing.

So my challenge to you: talk with others, spend time praying, brainstorm, and come up with your talents, and what you enjoy doing. Take these talents and use them in your life daily for the glory of God. I have a feeling that not only will you be serving God daily, but you will find greater meaning in your work, and in life. The only way you can prove me wrong is by trying.

Let us Live Back.

Born to Run

I've been reading a book lately titled "Born to Run". The book is written by a Runners World writer and tells the story of a group of runners deep in a the Copper Canyon in Mexico and other ultra marathoners. Each runner the author highlights has an incredible story of how each found their own niche in running. It is not uncommon for the runners talked about to just happen upon running. The author follows a group of runners through ultra marathons, over mountains through canyons and rivers in the middle of the night and through the desert. These runners do not get much money if any for winning their races and are fairly unknown athletes, but they put themselves through hundreds of miles of running at a time. The common thread that holds all of the runners together then, if not the quest for fame or money, is their joy of running. Some of the runners are even said to have smiles on their faces at mile 60 or 70.

While I do love to run, I cannot imagine running hundreds of miles at a time, nor do I think I would want to, especially with a smile on my face. However, I have been running consistently for a few years now and have enjoyed every moment of it. It seems like running has been more of a part of my life than I realized previously. My brother, sister, and mother have all ran before me and continue to do so. When I get a chance I enjoy running with them as well, its a great way to catch up. Each of our running is individual to our point in life and our likes, but it is still something we are all able to share together.

My running is not competitive and I can keep my own pace. If I am feeling fast I open my stride and push myself, when I am feeling slower I ease into the run and usually end up surprising myself at how much I end up running. Running gives me a time to unwind, relax, think, not think at all, or just take in the view around me. Since I have been running I have been able to explore cities I have visited more easily than driving through them. Most recently while in Boston, I was able to wake up early in the morning and tour the city. I ran along the Charles River for some time watching other runners and crew teams rowing down the river. I then crossed over into the city and ran around Fenway Park before I headed back to Boston University. I have had similar experiences in other cities as well, and hope to continue to get to know my way around new places by running.

Whether I'm running to get to know a place, running fast, slow, far or short, by myself or with another person, I always feel better after I'm done than when I started. I also feel more at peace the more that I run, I'm not sure if it's the endorphins or the time I spend in splendor of God's nature, including cows, wooded hills and rising moons. The world is full of so much to see, I urge you to get out there and take it all in one walk, jog, or run at a time, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Birthday Wishes

Today was my grandma Bubba's 76th birthday. We celebrated with dinner at Cozumel and then dessert at her house. My aunt, uncle, and cousins flew in from San Diego and joined my grandparents and me. As we sat around the table, both at dinner and for dessert we were able to catch up and reminisce about our past. Over cake, I asked my grandma to tell me what her favorite year was out of her last 76. She proceeded to tell us a story about a 16th birthday where he was quite bored sky gazing looking at the clouds as they changed shape, she decided to go upstairs take a bath and wash her hair. As she was relaxing in the tub she was surprised by her friends (no boys, she was quick to clarify) standing in the door ready for a dinner party that her mother put together. The rest of the night was loud, full of laughter, and more stories. I hope I will celebrate birthdays now that I will remember years from now.

So that brings me to this next question. Do you remember any presents that you got for your birthday? If so, what kinds of presents were they? The moments that I remember most are times like my Olympic birthday, or my bowling birthday party, or the dinners we would have for my birthday. I vaguely remember presents, but I do remember making a big deal about the presents at the time, putting so much emphasis on the things that I thought would just change my life forever. For instance, I remember wanting a bonsai tree in the worst way, I am not sure how, but I knew that having that bonsai tree would give me special athletic abilities and allow me to beat up any bully that came my way just like the karate kid. One year I did get my wish and got a baby bonsai tree that I had to grow myself. Day after day, week after week I watered my little pot of dirt with a bonsai seed and instead of ninja skills I ended up with a wet pot of dirt. I was very appreciative of the gift. My mom knew that I wanted a bonsai tree and she satisfied my wants. However, the emphasis that I put on the tree did not meet up with my expectations. No ninja, no wax on wax off, no fly catching, but I did gain the great insight to not put so much emphasis on presents.

For presents my grandma got a bib, hand lotion, perfume, a picture, and a book. Other birthdays that i have recently witnessed or attended which did not focus on presents include my friend Jason's 40th birthday. His wife asked his closest 40 friends to give $40 to a charity. So on his birthday, Jason was able to read cards from his friends to see where money was donated on behalf of him. When my sister Laura was younger, very young, she gave away all of her presents. She continues to have the same loving caring heart.

Take a hint from me, whatever your "bonsai tree" is, it won't change your life, it will probably end up letting you down. Think creatively for your next birthday or when you are celebrating with others. Focus on relationships, stories, good food, and memorable moments. The glamour will fade and toys will break, but stories will be passed on forever.

As for me, it's a long ways away, but if you are wondering what to get me for my birthday, start thinking of what you want to eat and you are invited to my house for a meal and we can talk about a charity you donated money to on my behalf. Don't worry, I will remind you when it comes closer. I hope for years to come of birthdays full of dinners with family reminiscing of the past, even if (especially if) the stories are a bit fabricated.

FTE Conference 2010

Today was the first full day of the FTE 2010 Leaders in Ministry Conference. It was a whirl wind of a day. We had events, speakers, worship, and small groups planned from 8am to 10pm. The theme of the conference this year is story. We have explored our personal stories and how there have been transformational moments in each of our journeys. Much of the time we have in groups, even if we are listening to others speak, is concentrated on individual reflection of our calling in our vocation. It is quite interesting to hear others speak and then simultaneously reflect on how that may or may not relate to my life.

Through all of this identity searching and story telling of the self, our true identity in the group became apparent. In our small group discussion tonight, we discussed how it is hard if not impossible to distinguish where the self ends and the community begins. In many cultures, people have no identity if they are not associated with a certain community. As I reflected today, I became more aware of the importance of the Christian communities around me, how they have nourished me, and led me through the past so many years.

Being an ecumenical conference, the community here is quite diverse according to denominational background. It has been great to be in conversation with men and women around my age from numerous different denominations. The men and women that I am sharing my time with are the cream of the crop from there denominations, full of stories, history of faith, and specific practices. What is great to see though, is the effort for all of us to be in one large community of Christ and learn from each other. There are men and women who are constantly in conversation asking questions in a loving manner, truly attempting to learn and understand. Others will sit and listen attentively while someone is sharing a story about what they believe. Most importantly, we are spending time together, eating together, and getting to know each other as people and children of God, not labeling each other as Catholic or Baptist or Lutheran or Episcopal or what have you. Through each of these acts, I am able to see a glimpse of what I hope to be the future, where the body of Christ is open to having loving and honest conversation, with each gaining from another.

A Time For Everything

Ecclesiastes 3 states that there is a time for everything. Thinking about this, my life the past year has taken in a lot of different times. I have been busy with my time for school, my time for working at Apple Castle, my time for the youth group, my time for friends, my time for family, my time for applying for seminary and scholarships, my time for traveling to places like Israel and Boston. I have had a lot of "times" this past year, and each of these different seasons of the past year has brought understanding and benefited my life in some way. I was blessed so much with my time at Apple Castle, getting to know Sandy and Lyle and interacting with the other workers and customers. During my time there I learned so much about not only apples, but life. My time as a student was full of learning, and pushing myself in new ways, undertaking an American Dramatist class. Through this my writing has excelled in areas where I previously failed. My time at the church with the youth group introduced me to Chris and his family, and ended a time of four years working with the youth of New Wilmington. I have been forever changed by my time there and the people I have met. My time with friends has deepened friendships as most of us graduated and are moving on, hoping to keep in touch. My time with family has evolved my relationship with my family members; as I grow older I am in the transition of being on my own, more independent, but always interdependent with the others in my family. My time of travels have so far brought me growth and seem promising to continue to do so.

All in all, I had a busy year with many different "seasons of time". After I returned from Israel this past week I found myself itching anxious to get on to something new, but I also found myself tired. It was after multiple nights of catching up on sleep and finding my days with relatively little to do, that I realized I was being told I need to rest. I am the type of person who needs to be doing something most of the time, whether it is going somewhere, playing a game, planning a trip, working on my car, or just cleaning around my house or apartment. Usually when I find myself without much to do I begin to feel lazy or useless as if I should be doing something productive. With just a week between Israel and Boston this week I returned to a time of much needed rest. Rest for me did not entail watching five hours of Sports Center and sleeping in to noon.

For me, rest is a time of letting my mind free. Some of my most restful time I have is running. While I run I am not distracted by the TV or computer or phone and am able to digest all of the events that have been going on in my life. I can actually feel some of the stress that has building up inside of me shed away with every step I take. Reading is also very relaxing for me. When I read I am relaxing physically while not letting my mind go to mush. This past week I have also enjoyed visiting with family, friends, and recounting my travels with them. Sitting, engaging with others with no agenda and sharing stories is one of my favorite ways to rest. Like I said, for me resting is not just a physical rest (which is needed) but it is a mental and emotional rest as well full of time for reflection.

So as I sit and rest and reflect for one more day before I head to Boston, I ask you to think about what "time" you are in right now. What "seasons" have you encountered in the past year or so? And most importantly, are you too taking time to rest and reflect on these past times, so you are physically, spiritually, and emotionally ready for the next seasons in life?

This blog has been a great time of reflection for me, and a place for me to practice my writing. I am not sure if anyone is still following, but I plan on continuing writing, so if you'd like to know some of my thoughts feel free to keep on reading and comment here and there.

My New Friend

Today was one last big push to fit even more into our tour. While I have seen countless buildings, ruins, and bodies of water, I have also come to encounter the culture and people of Israel. During our four or five miles of walking today we visited the Temple Mount where the Dome of the Rock is, St. Anne's Church, The Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and the upper room. Each of these sites had its own story and intricacies. The beauty of the Dome and the Church(s) of the Holy Sepulcher are unmatched. However, without the people in these buildings they become just that, buildings. Getting to know the people and see the people of Israel and the people from all over the world come and worship at these places was an experience of its own. I have learned about each of these sites in numerous classes, but did not learn the experience that comes from worshipping at these places. The people are what makes Israel alive and real and important. And it is God living and inspiring these people that makes these people make the places important and alive and real.

By walking through the streets of Jerusalem these past three days I have quickly come to know the personalities of the different quarters. The Jewish quarter is safe, clean, and immediately as you walk into it you feel a peace come over you. The Muslim quarter is full of shops overflowing with brightly colored scarfs and rugs and crowded streets. At times it can be overwhelming, but once I was able to sit back and observe it was quite beautiful. Today we had an hour of free time and after I walked down the street and did some window shopping I stopped and grabbed a cup of coffee. While I was sitting drinking my coffee I was able to look out over the Kidron Valley full of beautiful olive and evergreen trees. Along with the great view I was able to do some eavesdropping and listen to some of the conversations around me. There was a Orthodox Jewish man talking with a woman about his rabbi and what he had learned that day. There was also a couple who were looking at pictures of the man from different times in his life. And at yet another table was a family of women laughing but just out of reach to hear what they were saying. Israel has become real to me. It is no longer a terrifying place I read about in the news paper or a magical place that I read about in the Bible. It now has faces and places to which I have embraced.

As I prepare to leave Israel tomorrow I am lucky enough to have met a few people with whom I hope to keep in touch. The other day I talked about Moshe who spoke to our group at the gift store. He gave me his card and was very welcoming and insistent that I e-mail him if I have any questions. There was a jeweler that I met who also gave me his card and told me I could always be in touch with him as well. And just tonight as I was sitting down to write in the bar of the hotel (its the only sitting area) I met a man named Ari. He founded thelandofisrael.com and is on the talk show Tuesday Night Live in Jerusalem. Ari's ministry entails discussing current events in Israel, Judaism, and the world. He and his co-host Jeremy bring different speakers to their show to engage in conversation. Ari was very pleasant and is going to become a rabbi next month. He also invited me to come to his house for Shabbat if I am ever in Jerusalem again. I hope to take him up on that. It is these relationships that I will cherish and hopefully take advantage of when I return to the states. Through traveling and engaging with others it is impossible for my world to maintain small and familiar to me. This opportunity like many others in the past has opened me to new views and will benefit me in the future when I come in contact with others different than me. What an amazing time to live in where so many different cultures are available with relative ease.

So what I pray for you is that you travel to new and exciting places, and when you do, meet new people, engage in conversation, be open to new things, and let God guide you and bless you.

Thanks for this opportunity Bubs and Pops. I love you both.

The Hills Were Alive With the Sound of Music

Today, for the first time on the trip, we entered the walls of Jerusalem. In the early morning we were able to view the city from observation posts only a mile or so away from the old city. The buildings in the old city are so much older than anything in the United States. While we talk about buildings that have been around for one or two hundred years, here they talk about steps and walls and buildings around for over 1000 or 2000 years. I heard it said that something from a few hundred years ago in Israel is not an antique, but just a used item.

So, after we viewed the entire city from afar and were able to get our bearings, we entered the walls of Jerusalem. As we were walking up the side walk to enter the gates I heard loud drumming and singing. As we got closer I realized it was just around the corner from us. I asked our tour guide what all the commotion was about and if we could join the party. Tom, our guide, informed me that we were hearing a bar mitzva. There were two drummers playing leading the procession followed by a crowd of men dancing with the young boy who's bar mitzva it was under a small tent carried by four little boys. They were all singing and would stop periodically and lift the boy into the air, dancing and singing songs, encouraging the bystanders to clap along. As we were in the city we periodically heard this group making its way through the streets with its final destination at the Western Wall. The Western Wall is a Jewish holy place. It is a retaining wall for the land the temple was built on, and since the Muslims occupy the land that the temple once sat upon, this wall is the closest place the Jews can get to the area with ease. It was beautiful and moving to me to see this boy becoming a young man before my eyes. I was a part of his growing up as I clapped along with the music on the side of the road. Seeing the young boy so happy and energetic gave me hope for the being of Israel and the surrounding area. I hope that as generations pass, we become more knowledgeable about other religions, races, and ethnicities, and become more accepting of differences.

As we were in the old city today I met a shop owner named Moshe who lived out the dream of learning about differences. Moshe closed down the shop for abour 45 minutes while we were in the store just so we could all sit down and talk about Judaism and Christianity. He is a very smart Orthodox Jew who was able to intelligently articulate what he believes are misunderstandings between Christians and Jews. He then gave us an opportunity to ask any questions about Judaism that we may have had. Moshe is a very loving man who was willing to close his shop in the middle of the day just to have conversation about the relationship between Christianity and Judaism. What a business model. It was clear that Moshe was not just in the business of selling things, but in the business of doing God's will. Moshe said that he closes the shop up and has discussions multiple times a day when tour groups come in. This meeting with Moshe and the time in his shop also gave me hope for the state of Israel.

Jerusalem is a city that is very much alive and growing. While there may be parts of the city that are dangerous I have yet to see them. I am sure they exist just like dangerous parts of D.C., New York City, and even Pittsburgh exist, maybe not so much New Wilmington. Seeing the bar mitzva today and meeting Moshe was like seeing into the future a little bit. I hope and pray for a time of peace, not because we are all alike, but because we are able to sit down and talk about our differences and be able to learn from each other.