By Jodi Craiglow, on StayPCUSA
You know, a little free time is a dangerous thing. The Powers That Be here at PYT decided in their unparalleled wisdom (and I’m not speaking tongue-in-cheek here) to give us a Sabbath morning tomorrow. And there was much rejoicing. If I skip breakfast, which at this point is looking more and more like a viable option, I don’t have anywhere to be until 11:00. I can sleep in! But there’s a downside to this scenario: my toothpaste analogy is coming back into play with a vengeance. I’ve often said that, when it comes to writing, I’m like a tube of Colgate — nothing comes out unless I’m squeezed. Hence, it’s well past midnight and I’m finally getting around to writing my blog entry for the day. Kids, don’t follow Miss Craiglow’s bad example. Do as I say, not as I do.
Yet again, the time-space continuum warped around West Lafayette today, and we were somehow able to cram three days’ worth of activities into one. After a quick breakfast (to which I didn’t accidentally show up twenty minutes early this morning), I hoofed it over to my small group space and had an hour of solitary bliss before my students arrived. I was able to prep all my materials for both sessions today, and — wonder of wonders — I actually felt prepared going into the sessions. Who’da thunk it? Our first session this morning focused on putting feet on our faith, specifically focusing on the issue of world hunger. We considered some sobering statistics (for instance, did you know that 13% of the world’s population experiences chronic hunger, and 22% of Mississippi’s population isn’t completely sure where their next meal’s coming from?), and talked about what might go into solving the world hunger problem. Yep, Jodi pounded social justice today — and I know it’s potentially going to raise the hackles of some of my more conservatively-oriented brethren and sistren (?) when I say this, but it actually felt good. This world has some BIG problems, and if we as Christians get off our collective keisters and do something about it we can make a HUGE dent. We can already see it happening in those pockets of the church where God’s people are being unified around a common vision of the world He intended. But any sort of effort we make has to come out of a passionate love for God; if we fight for “justice to roll down like waters,” it has to be because we’re on fire for seeing His kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. For God’s righteousness truly to change this world into what it’s supposed to be, it has to be Him doing the work through us. (Ok, ok… I’m getting off the soapbox now.)