A THOUGHT ON IMMIGRATION

I was recently at a wedding where a friend of mine who knows I am passionate about kayaking asked, “What else I am passionate about?”  The question left me speechless for a several moments—it was a great question, some might even say a loaded question.   My delayed response after some serious, introspective thought was, “Justice.”  While I believe that answer was honest, I must begrudgingly admit that while I may be passionate about justice it is an embarrassingly distant second to kayaking. 

There is a little irony that I am writing this shortly after spending my 100^th day of the year on the water in a kayak of some shape or form.

If you know me and my wife at all you are aware the she and I recently purchased our first home together.  The mixed feelings about actually buying a house are another topic that I may delve into at some point, but not here.  This blog entry however, could not occur if Helene and I did not make that decision.

The previous owners had done some work to the kitchen before we put our offer in that was just really bad.  I won’t get into the details, but there was a lot of stuff that we decided to have fixed and improved on.  Since we cook a lot we decided that we really want/need a range that has an outside duct.  We had this work done yesterday.  One person came and did most of the work—the only thing that needed to be done was some drywall-finish work.  I agreed with the contractor to have his drywall finish guy, Carlos, come to do the work.

Dave, our contractor, said that Carlos was on another job and would come as soon as he was done.  Dave also asked me if I spoke Spanish.  Needless to say, I was a little concerned that I would lack the skills to communicate with Carlos despite knowing un pequito Espanol.

Carlos a tall guy with drywall-mud-splotched clothes, a pony-tail and quite a few bracelets showed up around 7:00.  Even though his English was better than anticipated it was not fluent.  Watching Carlos work his magic with drywall mud while having a great conversation would be the highlight of my week, yet bittersweet.

You see, Carlos is an illegal alien from Central America.  Amazingly, Carlos was very forthcoming when I asked right out whether he was here legally or not?  His wife is here legally and they have a child that is a US citizen because of being born here.  When asked if he was worried about being deported his answer was that yes he does worry about having to go back to his country but that he focuses on living in the moment and enjoying the time that he is here.   He also said that he loves doing drywall-finish work, which was apparent from the enthusiasm he put into the work that he was doing on our kitchen--work that he was doing after a long day on another job.

Of course this got me thinking about one of the hot-button issues of our day, illegal immigration.  When asked why Carlos decided to come to the US and about the journey to get here I got a pretty amazing story.  Naturally, Carlos wanted to be with his wife.  However, you would think that a person with three years of studying law in his home country would have a promising future there.  However, Carlos told me that work is hard to come by even with a law degree, due in large part to a civil war that has been going on for the past 12 years.   He stated that even doctors have hard time finding work--he even has a sister who still lives in his country who is a dentist and because of the civil war really only practices with family and friends.  Carlos essentially risked his life to come here, walking much of the way and crossing borders that could have easily got him arrested and even killed.

So, Carlos is passionate about his work, supporting his wife and seven year old son and bracelets, while I am passionate about kayaking.  This makes me think about the freedom I have been given.  I was born in a country that I that I did not choose to be born in, yet gives me the choice to be passionate about kayaking.

In fact, there is not one person that was born in the US that made that choice with their own volition.  Yet somehow so many of us, me included, think that being born here gives us rights that others not born here should not have: the right to live in peace, the right to create a good life--the right to the “Pursuit of happiness".  Moreover, when one wants to think about it, while England made it legal for people from their country come and settle in the “New World”, it is very apparent that the Natives of this land could look on us exactly like we look on those that are currently here illegally.

Being passionate about kayaking makes me aware of something in my life.  I am a US citizen who is just a spoiled rotten child. 

Our current unemployment rate has hovered just above 9% for the past several years and the common complaint is that illegal aliens play a big part in this because they are taking our jobs.  Well perhaps, just perhaps, part of that high unemployment rate is because of the fact that we are a spoiled nation.  Illegals do the work that we consider below us and refuse to take.  Moreover, when we make statements like, “They are taking our jobs” it is essentially saying that we are better than they are.  Again, being born here was not our choice but it somehow makes us more deserving of having a living wage than it does for someone who is here illegally?

Sadly, I do not have the solution to our immigration problem.  However, I do not have an argument against someone coming here to escape a civil war and wanting to make a better life for their family and doing work that so many of us find beneath us.

RELIGION IS DANGEROUS

This is precisely why, in a recent book review, I stated that I agree with atheists Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris when they say that religion is dangerous!  Christians are also not immune from this hatred and lunacy.  If you pray--please join me in prayer for this Christian Pastor as well as a change of heart for his persecutors!

WEIRD REVELATION

So, planning raft trips are just like running a marathon only anachronistic.

The training for a marathon is actually kind of fun.  However, about 3/4 of the way through you start cussing at yourself, "What the f*%# was I thinking? I ain't never doing this sh*t again!"  Then you cross the finish line and an hour later you start telling yourself, "I have to do another one."

With the raft trip the cussing comes first, "How I am going to pull this f*%#ing thing off? I ain't never doing this sh*t again!" But then the raft trip is really fun, the weekend ends, and you start telling yourself, "Man, I need to plan another one of these!"

PERHAPS CAMPOLO IS ON TO SOMETHING WITH HIS RED LETTER CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT

Tony Campolo writes, “Gandhi once said that everybody in the world knows what Jesus teaches in those red lettered verses — except Christians.”  And Wikipedia’s page on Red Letter Christians states, “’Red-Letter’ refers to New Testament verses printed in red  letters to emphasize the actual words that Jesus spoke …While many Christians have defined  themselves as such over the years, a mass-market movement was initiated by authors Tony Campolo and  Jim Wallis who felt the religious right spend too much time on  two issues: abortion and  homosexuality. They believe Christians should be promoting biblical values such as peace, building strong families, the elimination of poverty, and other important social justice issues.”  Albert Mohler’s Culture Shift provides plenty of evidence for why we need Campolo’s Red Letter Christian Movement.

While Mohler delves into some other issues beside abortion and homosexuality, a huge chunk is dedicated to those two issues.  Before I dive into what I disliked about the book, I should mention that I was rather impressed with Mohler’s discussion on offensiveness found in the chapter “The Culture of Offendedness”, his chapter on character and his chapter discussing the dangers of modern technology.  The latter reminded me of Nicholas Carr’s fascinating and well researched The Shallows, which I highly recommend.  Also, I could not agree more with Mohler’s arguments in his last chapter “Redefining Retirement” where he states “There is room in the Christian life for leisure—but not for a life devoted to leisure.  As long as we have the strength and ability to serve, we are workers needed in Christ’s kingdom.” (p. 185) In the rest of the book however, I see much of the same overly conservative religious right dogma promoting an agenda that has little to do with what it means to be a follower Jesus.

For example, the following two statements are worrisome, “Islam is the single most vital competitor to Western ideals of civilization on the world scene.” (p. 154) and “Islam and the West offer two very different and fundamentally irreconcilable visions of society.” (p. 155) Does this mean that we are to blindly accept that western ideology is actually what Christ intends for us?  I was recently at an event where I saw a former US army soldier wearing a shirt that read, “God > U.S.”.  When Mohler completely leaves God out of the equation with “Islam is the single most vital competitor to Western ideals of civilization on the world scene”, isn’t he in fact saying “U.S. > God”?  I believe that we Christians need to build bridges with Islam and the entire world.  Mohler rather, chooses to reinforce a paradigm of Islam phobia that we desperately need to break out of!

Mohler discusses atheism alluding to the Four Horseman of atheism: Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris.  Mohler tells us that both Dawkins and Harris believe religion to be dangerous to society.  Mohler however, does not dissect this statement to determine whether it might actually be true.  Being a Christian myself and thinking about the statement, “Religion is dangerous” I have to side with the atheists.  Isn’t it fair to say that the crusaders of the middle- ages who killed countless infidels did so in the name of religion?  Isn’t it fair to say that the people blowing up abortion clinics are doing so in the name of religion and those flying airplanes into tall buildings as well as  those driving vans into buildings loaded with explosives are doing these things because of religion.  Personally, I believe Dawkins and Harris have hit the nail on the head!

Of course, Jesus did not come to start a new religion.  He came to provide a way for us to have a relationship with him—with God.  Moreover, he came to model how we are supposed to live our lives, which includes “loving our enemies.”

Also in this chapter on atheism Mohler “draw[s] a straight line from the emergence of evolutionary theory to the resurgence of atheism in our times.” (p. 162) Personally, I find it laughable that Christians continue to be threatened by evolution.  Francis Collins’ The Language of God is a refreshing read for those that struggle with reconciling their Christian faith with evolution.  Moreover, I honestly believe this is a fear driven issue that really deflects our attention away from the issues of the poor and oppressed in our society.

Most of Mohler’s book views the world through the lens of fear: the fear of terrorism; the fear of evolution; the fear of atheism; the fear of homosexuality; the fear of science; the fear of technology.  Fear creates a culture of judgment and insecurity rather than love.  We have a God who has conquered fear!  Hallelujah!! And because He has conquered fear we need not fear but rejoice in the freedom to love…love those that do not agree with us and even those that would do us harm.

I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

LESSON LEARNED AT JESUS BOMBS AND ICE CREAM

Saturday was my birthday and to celebrate my wife and I made the trek to the city of brotherly love to attend the sold out Jesus Bombs and Ice Cream.  It was an event to show that we have not lost our imagination. This was an amazing event where there was an artist on stage the entire time painting, an awesome band known as the Psalters, speakers sharing about what it means to be non-violent and more than loving your neighbor, loving your enemy.  There was also the world’s best juggler and a welder working outside during the show that turned an AK-47 into a pitch fork and a shovel.  Ben Cohen, co-founder of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, and Shane Claiborne, Co-Founder of The Simple Way, hosted the event. 

Both of our hosts shared something that I have recently heard elsewhere in Jim Wallis’ God’s Politics, “Budgets are moral documents.”  While I cannot share some of the amazing displays of talent here I can share the two demonstrations that Ben gave us. They are sobering in demonstrating where our government’s priorities lie!

THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS FOR ISRAEL/PALESTINE

"In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and the Assyrians will worship together. In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. The Lord will bless them, saying, 'Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork and Israel my inheritance.'" Isaiah 19:23-25

I read this today and could not help but think of the pending UN vote for Palestinian statehood. Today I am praying for the Palestinians to have a state in the near future and more importantly for Palestinians and Israelis to live in peace and "worship together."

FINAL REFLECTION FROM MY TIME SPENT WITH THE SIMPLE WAY

I am now back home in Silver Spring.  However, I do have one last reflection from the week that I wrote this morning before leaving Kensington, Philadelphia that I wanted to share.

Well, I am back from Morning Prayer and just about packed up and ready to hit the road.  Again, I can’t wait to see Helene, but I am also sad to leave.  I prayed for the children on Potter street at prayer this morning—I still can’t get out of my head the image from sitting on the porch at the Hospitality House last night.  To give you a better image Potter Street forms a T with H Street and the Hospitality House sits on H Street facing Potter. Looking down Potter Street and seeing all the kids playing—some were riding bikes, some throwing a football and others just talking—all of them in peaceful community with each other.  These children are the future of this neighborhood and there is such promise for them.  My prayer, again uttered here, is that this future is what God wants it to be!