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Name: Isaiah
Country: United States
State: Illinois
Metro: Wheaton
Gender: Male
Interests: Well, my interests range from playing sports (Baseball, and Basketball) to playing instruments (Violin, Piano, Guitar) to reading books (anything and everything)... But what I really enjoy doing is simply hangin' with my friends.
Expertise: Messing up my life and trusting that "He who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."
Occupation: Student at this point... Chris
Message: message meEmail: email me
Website: visit my website
Member Since:
1/4/2006
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| So forgive me, but I think that I'm being slightly sucked into exactly what my dad warned me about when I came to Wheaton college: the social justice movement. My dad got sucked into it pretty bad when he went off to college and came home and told his dad (my grandfather) something to the effect of "sell your house and move to Zimbabwe!" Now, I am not advocating that my dad do so (although if he were to so choose to become a missionary in an other country, I'd be highly excited), but I have been highly impacted by the people around the Wheaton campus who advocate social justice and the ideas that they promote.
As a whole I've found that the students who support social justice are the ones who care the most about honestly trying to live a life immersed in the word and seeking what it means. I've also found that they are the ones who are most giving of their time and energy to on and off campus ministry groups...
I've also found some of their ideas provocative. First of all, I should note that for the most part, the social justice that most people on campus advocate is not a social gospel. They are interested in changing the people's living situations, but they also want and have a strong emphasis on reaching the people of the world with the gospel. At the same time, to them at least, it seems impossible to NOT care for the needs of those whom you are witnessing to without being untrue to the real gospel of Christ. I find that I probably agree with them.
Finally, here are a few ideas that I've been thinking about as things that are not necessarily commands or sin issues, but all the same ought to be looked at through the lens of a "I am a Christian. How ought this make me interact with the fallen world that I live in."
1. There are millions of orphan children around the world. What if we Christians had fewer kids and instead adopted? I realize that this is expensive, but all the same, I imagine that most Americans could make sacrifices.
2. It may seem silly to worry about food waste, etc. but it is true that we in America waste a tremendous amount of resources that the rest of the world could desperately use. For example, Wheaton students, in our cafeteria alone, waste somewhere in the range of 500 pounds of food a day. What if we didn't waste that food and it was instead donated to homeless shelter or the money used to pay for that food was donated to ministry? Similarly, the electricity that we waste as Americans is astonishing. Why not save ourselves money and help lessen the strain on the rest of the world's resources by turning off the lights?
3. This is a little bigger of a subject. According to recent estimates, there are more slaves today in the world than have ever been before. In fact, there are more slaves today than were taken in four-hundred years from the coast of Africa. Many of these are young girls in the sex slave industry. What if Christians everywhere were to spend a little extra money and boycott those companies who have factories/businesses/operation bases in those countries that are the worst? Maybe it wouldn't have a discernible effect. But then, at least, we won't be profiting those governments which either take part in, or allow such things to proceed...
Just a few thoughts...
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| Well, I'm sorry that it has been so long here once more... I've been REALLY busy, though. Spanish has eaten my life to a small extent-- I'm writing my second spanish composition and I'm only two weeks into the course! The rest of my classes are difficult as well... But enough about classes...
The college chapel, the past few days, has been by a guy named Mark Labberton. He's the pastor of a church in L.A. and recently wrote a book called "The Dangerous Act of Worship." While I haven't read the book, I've been extremely impressed with his call for Christians to wake up and worship God by responding to his call for justice in the world. I'll admit, I'm somewhat suspicious of "social justice" as a theology, but the way that he presents it (and brand of social justice that he promotes) has really made me think. He drew heavily on Isaiah 58, highlighting the fact that the fasting that people were doing, while perhaps correct in form, was not what God really wanted-- they were missing what God really wanted. What God really wanted was (is) this:
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Anyhow, I thought I'd post as I've not done it for a while... Later...
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| Well, spanish is going to be interesting. The teacher welcomed us this morning into Spanish 103 (two semesters of beginning Spanish squished into one by saying that we could only be in the class if we'd had two years of spanish-- at least! Of course, I don't have any, but I DO have 4 years or more of Latin, and a department exception. Sooo, after she then proceeded to teach the lesson in Spanish with little English at all, I realized that this was going to be hard. Not that I'm scared or anything, I'll just have to work hard.
My other classes look to be fun-- but a lot of work. Suffice it to say that I will probably be twice as busy this semester as last...
Alrighty, I need to sleep.
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| Well, I'm back. Kind of. Upon being forgetful with this Xanga, I have realized that I need more organization, more accountability in my life. With this newfound organization, will, hopefully, come time and the remembrence to do things that I want to do, such as post on xanga. Thus you ought to be thankful that I didn't post on xanga, for it uncovered a root problem within my psyche much deeper and more important. To quote Michael from The Office "Thanks to me (hitting her with my car) she went to the hospital and I saved her life."
Also, I am contemplating getting a facebook. It turns out that everyone at the co-op now has one. Maybe I should jump aboard and try to keep it from eating my life. Hmmm... alright.
In other news: I'm going back to wheaton on Sunday. Also, michelle made the best YG joke ever last night (you can ask her for the details-- I think she might be embarrassed if I put the info online.)
Alright,
I'm going back to my den to hibernate for the little bit of Christmas break remaining.
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| So it's been nearly three weeks. I'm sorry. But I very nearly promise that I will do better in the future at posting. I think that you can expect at least one a week... So do come and check once in a blue moon.
I have recently, during my time at Wheaton, consciously begun putting on different personalities as easily as I put on a new set of clothes. Easier, in fact, for one can't change clothes in the Lobby (haha... NO), whereas one can change personalities wherever one happens to be. People are always telling me that my masks are a problem.
"Just be who you really are" I hear a lot and, "Be authentic". The problem is, who is the real Isaiah? Is he the boy who cracks jokes and makes terrible conversation in the cafeteria? Or is he the sleepyhead in the Lobby who merely listens to the people around him? Maybe he is the smart, competent kid in the classroom who annoys his classmates by asking far too many questions that run down seven different bunny-trails at once (Yes, Kirstin, I have managed to keep my classroom rep. in College). Who knows who the real Isaiah is? To tell the truth, I think that all of these masks are different facets of my personality, each one reflecting the my inner heart: A soul that longs to know God, meditate on His beauty, and improve the character of those around him. So why do people tell me to be more authentic, more real? It seems to me that my masks become a problem when I start to switch visibly in front of people. I'll go from bouncy, to sleepy, to interested in about 5 minutes, leaving those observing with their proverbial (ooh, I do like that word) mouths "gaping wide". I always try to pick the personality that best suits the situation-- most people do. If the situation changes rapidly may not my personality as well?
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