Books on Community Part 1

I just finished The Irresistable Revolution by Shane Claiborne. I guess a book doesn't have to be inciting to be worthwhile, but it helps. This book definitely doesn't hurt.

I'll give the bad news first, since I mostly enjoyed this book. Mr. Claiborne tells his perspective on faith, community, and following Christ through stories of his experiences. When he does this, it's effective. When he repeats himself, I loathe the apparent lack of an editor.

The false starts at the beginning serve as an example of this. There's a preface, an introduction, and come-on-and-start-telling-your-story-already. Once it gets started, it works well.

I won't touch on all the issues, but he makes some good points. Others seem overly idealistic, but can you really fault a follower of Christ for striving towards the ideal?

I like the fact that he actually went to Iraq instead of just protesting the war. He backed up what he believes with actions and risked his own life to do so. That's consistency.

Part of his reasons for going to Iraq were fuelled by his vision of community. He wanted to visit Christians and churches in Iraq. The point he made was how much we limit community to "people like us". This extends to what kind of job we have, how much we make and what we look like as well as nationality and skin color. Unfortunately, we often become respectors of persons.

As I read the book, I wondered what the "New Monastism" would look like. The community Mr. Claiborne is a part of is in the inner city of Philadelphia. The new monastics aren't cut off from the world, but smack dab in the middle of it. They don't just throw money at the poor, but they spend time with them. They build relationships. They try to actually make a difference.

I called the book inciting, but what I appreciated about the author was his lack of anger. Even when he laments the church's spending more on building projects than the poor, there's no rage. Because, as he says in the book, without love, you're just a protestor.

I'll leave the argument of whether these actions further the gospel to better minds than me. However, I take from this the challenge to speak the truth more boldly and act on what I know is right. If there's no basis in love, I might as well just shut up and sit on my hands.

The Media on Community

I've read several books lately, some I've yet to finish, touching on the topic of community. I'll have more reviews soon enough. In the meantime, I thought I'd list some movies and television shows portraying community. It's been a reoccurring theme for me lately, so I thought it worthy of a series. Here's part 1.

Movies and Shows About Community

1. About A Boy. I love the last line in this movie. The titled boy that this movie is about (one of them since there's two) mentions that family is bigger than a couple in love who makes babies. You need more people to help you than that. You need a community. Good point, weird kid.

2. Lars and the Real Girl. The fact that this movie is so far-fetched makes me sad. A town accepts a guy's inability to connect with real people and goes waaay beyond comfort levels to help him. This film could be shown in churches, but it probably won't. This also makes me sad.

3. Friends. "I'll be there for you." As worthy of an eye roll that is, it's true friendship summed up fairly well. They can be shallow and judgmental at times, but they suffer, giggle and live most of their lifetimes together. For ten seasons.

4.The Lord of the Rings series. It's fun explaining to people that one of the benefits of the extended versions of these movies is extra scenes of, among other things, hobbits eating. Extended scenes of people hanging out! Yay!

Yet, the fact of community is that no matter how unpleasant the oncoming conflict is, we aren't going it alone. And there will be quiet funny moments.

5. Rent. Another group of friends, only most of them happen to have HIV. There are still funny moments in this movie and there's some excellent singing. It's not depressing because they are living together, not dying together.

6. Horton Hears a Who. Not to give anything away, but there's a scene where the town of Who Ville is threatened because no one believes in them. They band together and scream "We are here!" Sometimes, in desperation, a community is a group of people raising their voices together.

7. As Good As It Gets. It's not just about the meanie becoming nice to get the girl. A lot of it is us as the audience seeing the villain of the movie as a person. When he shows kindness, even for bizarre reasons, we have hope. We sympathize, if only for a moment, with the unloveable.

Let me know if I missed any.

Living Evolution Lives

Since Intelligent Design is an issue nowadays (It has a movie and everything!) I decided to dig up a post from a different blog I did last year. Enjoy.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Survival of the toothpicks

Little things strengthen my faith as a Christian. The invisibility of God and the contradictions of many Christians can be difficult to answer. The second became an issue for me within the last four years. Christians lie, steal and fornicate just like everyone else. More in some cases.
I had a boss who professed Christianity yet broke promises to everyone he knew but me. It was almost as if he couldn't tell the truth. It wasn't his friend, anyway.

I knew kind, gracious atheists and agnostics to counter the poisonous believers. They may have claimed survival of the fittest as a truth, but their lives didn't back that up.

The Creationists, however, were another story. Why did the group who was supposed to believe in Creationism follow Darwinism so well?

A random science fact helped my faith. Yes, science helped my faith. I could have become an atheist a hundred times by now, but the thing is, alligators and crocodiles are different.

Crocodiles don't have tongues. Their teeth should be filled with lunch remains, but they have their own little flying toothpicks. The Egyptian plover feeds on aformentioned foodstuffs in the crocs' mouths. Apparently the crocs are thankful for the service, as they don't touch the birds. It's the only thing they don't eat.

Survival of the fittest says "free snack". But it doesn't work that way.

I guess what keeps me going is those of us who defy nature (sin nature, survival of the fittest) and form actual relationships. It's all the greater blessing to see a Creationist who lives it. I'm thankful for the ones who actually get it.

India Trip Day 9

The trip to Bangkok was a bit delayed. We found ourselves in Bangkok airport, in a long line, on the wrong side of the airport, with forty minutes until takeoff.

We crawled through the line, got our tickets situated in a leisurely fashion, and finally bolted toward our gate.

After an epic marathon without shuttles or moving sidewalks we reached our security checkpoint. Naturally, the keys in my bag looked suspicious so they needed to search my
bag. We had minutes.

After a few of those exaggerated moments that feel like forever, we made it through.
We made it on the plane roughly five minutes before the doors closed. We had a nice five to ten minute wait before actual takeoff, of course.

The main source of in-flight entertainment was my magnetic headphones. They attracted rather than repelled each other. I can't believe I wasted an hour actually listening to them.

Our layover in Taipei was mercifully short. Soon we were on the last plane. When we landed and everyone scrambled for their carry-ons without waiting for the seatbelt light to go off we knew we were home.

We joined the fray and soon enough we made it back to Songtan. Scattered trees and flowers hinted at spring. We picked the right time to come back.

India Trip Day 8

We had our last breakfast of the week with Dr. Roy and his wife. This was a "simple" breakfast, meaning only a ton of French toast and eggs. As usual, they waited until we finished to start eating. It's a custom that took a while to get used to-naturally we got used to it just before it was time to go abck.

We thanked Dr. Roy and his wife profusely for their hospitality and left to meet Shajy, his driver and Shine. We weighed the compact car with our luggage and inched our way back to Mangalore airport.

At one point I saw a billboard with an attractive woman selling some flashy product, probably jewelry. At a bus stop nearby a woman in a birka stared in its direction.

We passed small cities and rural villages along with dogs and plenty of cows. Soon enough we were at the airport.

We thanked Shajy for being a good host, exchanged contact information, and parted ways.

After a brief flight we arrived at Bangalore airport to wait for our bags. Thankfully, it was much quicker this time.

Biju, a former student from Priority One, met us at the door. He called our names and recognized us immediately. We found out later the folks at P.O.I. had sent him pictures of us. That works.

Driving in Bangalore makes driving in Seoul look easy and tranquil.

Biju navigated through traffic on parts of the road I didn't even know existed. At one point he turned quickly and drove between a bus and an old lady. Several occasions like this occurred when I thought "Someone is toast." Still, there were no accidents. Great driving.

Biju laughed when we asked if he was afraid of driving. "Around here it's survival of the fittest."

Later, he said, "I drove (in Bangalore) for over ten years. I know the driver's pulse." I don't doubt that, but I hoped he knew the pedestrian's pulse as well.

Our first stop was a park established by the British ages ago. Big and small trees provided shade for young, old, and hot sweaty Americans.

The large trees branched out like a shadowy many-armed god. I'm not being silly; that's what they really looked like.

Seeing trees like that in a park felt like seeing animals in a zoo. You know you're still in the city. Still, they made a pleasant sight.

Our next stop was the Museum of technology. Push-button displays showed how inventions work. It was authentic, since most of the displays didn't work.

At one point Beka, Alexa and I were looking at a display. A group formed around us, wanting their picture to be taken with us. This, too, was a first and hopefully a last.

Next we went to a craft store and bought a few things. A man with a drum stalked me as we walked back to the van. He paused his sales pitch to ask where I was from. "New York," I blurted, brandishing the accent for attitude and emphasis. It didn't work, but neither did his sales technique.

We had a power outage in Pizza Hut during our late lunch. The power stayed off during the first hour of our visit at Biju's home. No more than an hour later, it cut out again. It ran out again in Bangalore airport. That was three times in a few hours.

During one of the blackouts at Biju's house his wife and relatives took out some candles. Later Anna, their two-year-old, blew one out after singing some version of happy birthday. She tried to grab one, knocking it over. I snatched it, and we both got a little wax on our fingers. No biggee.

Around eight, Biju drove us back to the airport. We watched cows chewing grass on the side of the highway as Joel Olesteen told us to be patient. Biju told us the Cd's
were a gift from an American friend. With friends like these...

Soon enough we were mosquito food again. At midnight, we'd board a plane for Bangkok.

And from there, home.

India Trip Day 7

Shajy and Shine picked us up around mid-morning for a visit to the countryside. We counted cows and potholes as we drove along. I mentioned they reminded me of Philadelphia. The potholes, that is.

At one point Shajy pointed out a large house with a gate in front.
"That man is rich. He owns thirteen buses." He added the owner was a "bad man" and everyone's afraid of him. We took his word for it.

We passed the city and entered a beautiful open area. Shajy stopped the car and pointed out several monkeys crossing the road. They chased each other until a passing truck honked. Then they scrambled up the trees and ignored us as we took advantage of the photo op. After a few good pictures we pressed on.

The road soon gave way to a steep and narrow dirt path. We passed various plants on either side, grown for selling. The farmland stretched for miles.

We came to a level spot in the ground and parked. Down a slim path was a wiener dog, a small hut, and many more trees and plants. Cashew fruits were spread on a mat in front of the hut.

"Be careful", Shajy warned as he pointed to the dog and the step path. He held back the little black dog that was on a chain, warning us that he bites. "Because of the monkeys. They come to eat the plants."

We walked to the hut and Shine showed us an air rifle. For the monkeys.

Shajy showed us inside the hut. It's a good size, since the family sometimes stays there. The kitchen is simple but effective.

He pointed out a good-sized stable connected to the front of the house. The former owners had cows out there so first thing every morning they could see and worship them.

They warned him not to change it. He would get a curse. He said if God wants to curse him, He can. He now uses the stable to store fertilizer.

We left the house and hiked through the farm area. Trees and vines were thick, forming a green shady forest. Bananas, coconuts cashews, mangoes and jack fruits grew on some of them. Shajy would later load his car with a bag of cashews for selling.

A family works on his land and helps take care of it. He said he hired people he can trust.

At one point we stood in an area thick with banana stalks. Shajy explained they should be ready in a couple of months.

Just before we came to India it rained heavily. Shajy pointed out some stalks that broke as a result.

"If the Lord gives, that's good. If He takes away, that's okay, too." He tries to teach his kids the same.

We made our way back to the house to enjoy some coconut. A worker picked up a curved blade and quickly cut holes for pouring coconut water. According to some doctors, all you need is coconut water to stay strong.

More quick blade work and we had coconuts opned for eating, complete with spoons made from the same coconuts. Tom Hanks and the cast of Gilligan's Island would be proud.

The coconuts were soft and sweet. we had two each and called it a day.

Shajy informed us that the land doesn't make a lot of money. His family likes to come over when they need to relax. It's quite peaceful, so I could see their point.

On the way back Shajy carefully avoided hitting cows. Many people in this area worship cows, so it's best to avoid hitting them. I don't recall having that problem in the Catskills.

The ride back was peaceful and quiet excepting the usual honking to alert traffic and passersby of our presence. Shajy sang hymns in two languages, one of them being English. The honks matched the rhythm of the songs as we neared the campus. Soon, we were back yet again.

We had beef for lunch at Dr. Roy's house. I kept myself from blurting, "Can we eat that here?"

Our meals were delicious and huge, but different than I expected. Rice with raisins and thinly sliced carrots became a new favorite. Slightly sweet and light or crispy and flavorful rice cakes were tasty, too.

Shajy and Dr. Roy took us to the beach with their families in the evening. The ocean was surprisingly warm, but swimming wasn't an option in slacks. I followed the lead of most men and rolled them up for wading.

Spectators, swimmers and people riding in boats all wore shirts and slacks (men), saris (women), and jeans (boys and girls). A few spectating women wore birkas. Only a few spectators wore shorts.

Beka, Shine, his older brother Sean, and I took turns flying a kite. Children rode past us on camels. In the sea jet skis and boats, filled with fully-dressed people, bounced on the waves and skipped along. We sat back and enjoyed the sea air for a while, then headed back to the city to pick up some gifts.

India Trip Day 6

The cold water stopped working in the morning. It returned after a few hours. Between two or three times every day the power would cut out. It would take a minute or two for the generators to kick in. When you miss a ceiling fan, that's a long minute or two.

I try to imagine it as part of my daily routine. It's kind of like living in the Catskills, only with generators.

The boys at V.B.S. asked if I eat with my hands. I try several methods, the most popular being like the Skill Crane game at the arcade. It gets food to my mouth, much of it anyway.

This was the final day of V.B.S, so most of the morning was spent practicing skits and songs for the afternoon program. Before that, we sang all the old favorites.

Before that, Ashish cornered me for another interview. We established some basic geography and my profession in Korea among other facts of my life. Meanwhile a crowd gathered around us as more boys listened. I was soon surrounded.

We observed that India has more trees and grass than Korea. I mentioned that because Ashish asked, "How are your surroundings in Korea?"

Good, except for the absence of grass and trees.

"I am a friend of trees," Ashish stated.

Me, too, I agreed.

Several kids asked if we were coming back next year. I hope so. "Remember me," they would say.

The young man who asked to see my camera asked that. I asked his name.

"Denver. There's a city in America with that name."

I agreed.

"Denver is in Colorado."

Denver, Colorado gets bonus points for geography.

After song time we sat and watched each class practice songs or skits. At one point Denver and some friends surrounded me for questioning. I should write an autobiography before I travel.

We asked Shajy what one song meant.
"It's in Hindi," he shrugged. "I don't know Hindi very well."

Soon after that Denver, Colorado tried teaching me some Hindi. The previous conversation with Shajy repeated in my head. Many people don't speak it.

Denver and friends asked me if I like the Mizo song we sing in V.B.S. I told them I did.

"It sounds like 'Summer of '69'," one boy observed.

That song is barely younger than me. I didn't expect a twelve-year-old to know it.

Denver and his song-savvy friend proceeded to argue whether the Mizo song is rock music. Denver argued it is since it's loud.

Denver, Colorado was obsessed with cameras. I asked him if he's going to be a photographer some day.

"No. Computer programmer." he shot back. More responses one wouldn't expect from a twelve-year-old.

We joined the chaos known as picture time around 2:00. As teachers directed kids to stand still, other kids asked us to sign autographs. That was a first, and hopefully a last.

The closing program flew by like clockwork. The highlight was a skit based on the book of life passage. If someone's name wasn't found in the book of life, girls in black came to take them away. The little kids screamed and giggled with glee as boys had to be carried off. They avoided being touched, so thankfully any controversy was avoided.

I was asked to share a testimony time for five minutes. I went over time a bit as I asked what the students learned that week. Shajy forgave me later.

After awards and thanks they sent the children back to their buses.

"See you next year," the children said to us. I hope they will.

Everyone who helped with V.B.S. met one last time. Dr. Isaac pointed out how international our group was. We represented Myanmar, the U.S., and various parts of India. Next year he wants us to return with a larger group to make it more international. If we can, we will.

Dr. Roy mentioned it was another special day-someone's birthday. When he said the name the man was more surprised than we were to learn it was his birthday. "I'll never forget this date," he told me later.