Last night we watched the Indy news for the first time in awhile It was unbelievable. We laughed through almost the entire broadcast.
For example, a breaking news announcement showed a police officer running around downtown with a rifle. Someone had spotted two alligators loose DOWNTOWN! They've launched a full-out search for the gators, but to no avail so far.
Second, a story chronicling the ongoing Pacers saga made us laugh aloud. For those of you who don't know, several of the Pacers players ended up in a brawl in a strip club this weekend. One of players fired some shots in the parking lot right before being hit by car. The drama surrounding it in each news broadcast is never-ending. But here's the kicker - one of the suspects' names is "Fingers." Why is that? According the sheriff, "He's a very easily identifiable suspect because he has a development defect leaving him with severely shortened arms!" You're kidding me!
On a more serious note, I had a very cool experience last Thursday. Neubia, Maike, and I ended up at White Castle after salsa dancing. There we encountered a homeless woman. We bought her dinner and sat talking with her for at least an hour, learning her story, showing her we cared, directing her to services that could help. It was the first real interaction I'd had with a homeless neighbor outside the shelter, and it felt good. It felt good because all three of us have been so changed by this living/working experience that our responses were all of compassion. Together we showed real, tangible love to this woman. I hope she took our advice. I hope she didn't go back to her abuser. I hope that somehow our post-dancing dinner was life-changing for this woman. But even if it wasn't, the encounter illuminated for me the lessons I've learned in Indianapolis so far.
My friend Claire has suggested that I spend a post sharing some of the knowledge I've gained about homelessness soon. I think it's a good idea. Coming soon...
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
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4 comments:
Better get those gators caught before I get there!
Yeah, our local news gave a big report on the Pacers dude incident. Even heard it on the radio on the way to work today...the dude who fired the shots apologized.
Great work of compassion and direction with the homeless lady...keep doing it.
George
Alligators? People with disproportionately shortened arms...somewhat similar to a T-Rex? Coincidence? Maybe the reptiles are staging a rebellion in the Indy area...they're very crafty reptiles. Not as crafty as amphibians...or Martha Stewart. Hmmm, I think I need a nap.
...oops...I always forget this part. (Although, maybe I shouldn't want to lay claim to the comment). -Heather
Whitney, have you ever read anything by John Piper? He is a pastor in Minnesota and a prolific Christian writer. He is most known for his seminal work, _Desiring God_. In it he rejects the old school Christian notion that in order to be seeking after God and properly following Christ a person must be leaving a life of self-denial of pleasures and veritable hardships. He offers instead the idea of "Christian Hedonism," which states that we most glorify God when we take pleasure in Him. It goes on to say that it is perfectly acceptable, in fact required, for a Christian to seek out personal pleasures, so long as God is the source of those pleasures. This lofty idea comes down to a practical level as Piper argues that we should seek to do virtuous things for God because doing virtuous things makes us feel good.
Your encounter with the homeless woman at White Castle is a text book example of Piper's idea. By helping the homeless woman and showing her love, you did something good for God and virtuous. The fact that you took pleasure from your good deed is perfectly acceptable, in fact essential. While others may scorn you by saying that helping the homeless is our duty and we're not suppposed to do it to make oursleves feel good, Piper would be very pleased with the pleasure you take from doing your good work of God.
So kudos to you. Not only do I give you a thumbs up on this one, but I think John Piper would too.
(Of course Piper is probably the single most ardent Calvinist this country has seen since Jonathan Edwards, but thats another story . . .)
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