Operation Starvation

As I sit here munching on a granola bar and reading about my friend Brandt Russo's new project, I kind of feel sick.

He is on a hunger strike right now to raise $15,500 for starving children... enough to provide 1,000,000 of them with vaccinations to kill nutrient sucking worms so that they can retain the good stuff from what little food they have. He will not eat again until the money is raised. If that doesn't put a face on world hunger, I don't know what does.

"I will stand in solidarity with these starving children, feel their hunger pains, and pray that hearts change and folks decide to get involved. If youre able to give, give. If not, share this story with someone else. Its time we realize we are all a part of the restoration process that is changing this world."

What hurts me is that while he is receiving lots of encouragement and support, he is also receiving lots of hatred. In fact, a whole website has been started to bash this project, with people sending photographs of everything they eat. Would you ever taunt a starving African baby with food they will never be able to have?!

But such is the world now I suppose. Anyone who separates themselves from the ways of this world is going to be mocked and hated.

To read more about the project and to donate, visit:

http://operationstarvation.tumblr.com/

perhaps a little contentious.

Now I'm not condoning anything (because honestly, who am I to say what is right or wrong?), but I read this today and found it so thought provoking that I had to share it. Also, we talked about not judging others at utenited tonight and it just seemed to fit. This is an excerpt from Garry Wills' What Jesus Meant:

"Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's law. I have learned a great deal from you, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination--end of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of God's laws and how to follow them.

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness (Lev. 15:19-24). The problem is: how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor to the Lord (Lev. 1:9). The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?

6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination (Lev. 11:10), it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there degrees of abomination?

7. Leviticus 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Leviticus 19:27. How should they die?

9. I know from Leviticus 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Leviticus 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton-polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them (Lev. 24:10-16)? Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws (Lev. 20:14)?

I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable expertise in such matters, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging."

So... a little story I have to go with that.

One night while in India, a man (called father from what I heard) that had worked with Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity for a long, long time came to our hostel to talk. He gathered together several volunteers that were staying and got us into a circle on the roof. He answered many of our questions about Mother Teresa, but it seemed he had a different plan the entire time... The conversation quickly turned controversial as he started discussing whether certain things were right or wrong.

He specifically started attacking homosexuality, calling it an evil addiction and saying that it is impossible for a man to love another man. One of our friends and fellow volunteers at the hostel was a homosexual man, and he (understandably) got very worked up and upset by all this man was saying. He stormed away.

Later that night, I approached him about all that had happened that night. I apologized to him for things the man had said. I started talking to him about how much God loves everybody, and how no sin is worse than the next, just as no person is worse than the next. That man and Mother Teresa and me are all just as unworthy of God's love and mercy as this homosexual friend of mine.

The moral of the story is that neither I or the father had any business judging this friend, or determining whether what he is doing was right or wrong. Our job is to love, love, love him as God loves him. I got way further with him that night by sharing God's love, mercy, and grace than by judging him and ridiculing an aspect of his life.

And there it is.

yet another...

So the wonderful Spencer Young, another utenited heart, gave me his opinion on the verse chunk from two posts ago, and I love it. By the way, I love Spencer too. If you come to utenited, and you need a friend, Spencer is your man. He is always coming up with all sorts of fun things to do and inviting people to come play with him. What a cool guy :)



Spencer says: "The thornbush was the only one willing to take the place of highest honor because he had nothing to cling to. When we cling to worldly things, we'll never be given seats of honor by God because we're not willing to give up our worldly things to yield to His beckoning. When we view our worldly things as the temporary blessings they are, and thus view ourselves as having nothing of substance to offer, we are then free to be used by God to accomplish His purposes and to be incredibly blessed by Him.

Told you it was good :) I challenge anyone to come up with yet another viewpoint on that. I feel like we've got it pretty well rounded.

or...

Here's another possible and completely opposite idea about the verse chunk in the previous post. Again, I have no idea. But.

So I believe that at the time, God's people had been delivered from Egypt for a while and had been hanging out in the wilderness with God, but were starting to feel uncomfortable with it (because let's face it, doing what God wants isn't always comfortable, am I right? always great though.) They were asking for a king, because it's what they were used to. So maybe, maybe... those verses mean that if you are looking for a leader that is of the world, you are going to end up with one that is definitely not the best equipped. Like, the trees were desperate for a ruler, so when the fruit-bearing, beautiful (perhaps Godly?) trees wouldn't do it, they stooped to asking the thornbush.

Like I said, completely opposite. Funny how you can revisit something a couple days later and get a completely different idea from it.

Unexpected and willing.

One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, "Be our king." But the olive tree answered, "Should I give up my oil, by which both gods and men are honored, to hold sway over the trees?" Next, the trees said to the fig tree, "Come and be our king." But the fig tree replied, "Should I give up my fruit, so good and sweet, to hold sway over the trees?" Then the trees said to the vine, "Come and be our king." But the vine answered, "Should I give up my wine, which cheers both gods and men, to hold sway over the trees?" Finally all the trees said to the thornbush, "Come and be our king." - Judges 9:8-14

I'm not really sure what this means, but that's ok, because I don't think my place is to necessarily always tell you what I know. Sometimes I have no idea. But when I read this, I think about how God uses the willing, and a lot of times, the unexpected. Beautiful, right?

Worry can take you down.

If you're like me, or like pretty much every other human being... you worry a lot. Whether it's money, work, school, family, relationships, anything, we are always stressing out. That was definitely me this weekend (as always) until I remembered... God doesn't like it when I worry. It means I'm not trusting Him to take care of everything. So I looked in my lovely Message Bible and found these incredibly soothing verses.

"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." - Phillipians 4:6-7

"My dear children, let's not just talk about love, let's practice real love. This is the only way we'll know we're living truly, living in God's reality. It's also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves." - 1 John 3:18-20

Woah.

I can come to God with my worries and then be filled with His wholeness and know everything will come together for the greater good. And of course He's greater than my worried heart.

Enough said.

For all who have midterms this week:

I heard a lovely story once a long time ago. It was of a king who really wanted a painting of peace to put up in his castle. All of the best painters came from everywhere to paint, both his own kingdom and distant lands, because the king was offering a large reward for the best depiction of peace. They were each given a certain amount of time in which to paint a picture of peace, and when the time was up, they all assembled in the great hall with their paintings. The king walked through the rows of painters, carefully pondering each beautiful artwork. He saw many beautiful ocean scenes, with the sun shining delicately on warm sand and soft waves. He saw meadow scenes where the light wind through the grasses looked as if it could make music. He saw scenes of large gardens, full of every color of sweet scented flower, and tinkling fountains and massive cushioned couches. Finally though, he found his winner. All of the artists and the assembled crowd were shocked when he held up a picture of a terrible, crashing storm, trees bent over, the skies dark. There was a raging waterfall on the right of the picture, and in a little cove, just at the edge and somewhat behind the waterfall, a white dove sitting on its nest could be seen, peacefully sleeping and keeping its eggs warm. The king announced to everyone listening that true peace is not one that comes from being in a peaceful place, but it is the peace that you can feel inside when the world seems to be crashing down around you.

I'm so glad this came into my head at the beginning of this crazy, terrible, hectic school week. I'm so glad that while outside it can be storming, and all sorts of papers and tests are coming, I have the ultimate peacemaker and peace giver living inside of me. I can totally face this week :)

Why I love utenited.

Because when we sing "make a joyful noise to the Lord all the earth" we actually make joyful noises! Even if Ben had to drop a reminder...

Seriously though, love the words to that song:

The flowers of the field
Are cry'n to be heard
The trees of the forest
Are singing
And all of the mountains
With one voice
Are joining the chorus of this world

Running through the forest
Dive into the lake
Bare feet on beaches white
Standing in the canyon
Painted hills around
The wind against my skin
Every ocean
Every sea
Every river
Every stream
Every mountain
Every tree
Every blade of grass will sing

I don't know if anyone reading this has read The Shack, but there is this part where the character in the book sees the world through God's eyes for a little bit, and everything is so indescribably beautiful, with it's own unique rainbow of color. This is what I think of when I sing the words to this song. I definitely feel close to God when I'm exploring His beautiful creation, and I really love the idea that the reason I feel close is because all of nature is praising Him all the time. Makes me want to stay in a state of continuous praise as well.

Mike shared some awesome wisdom tonight. Here are a couple verses I especially liked from The Message Bible.

James 1:22-24 says... "Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like."

Galatians 5:22-23 says... "But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard -- things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely."

He also shared that while all Christians may have the same goal of bringing others to Christ, some can go about in in the wrong way, being condescending and judgemental rather than super loving like we should be.

I learned a lot about love in India this summer, and how simple, difficult, important it can be. One thing I know for sure is that it can break down every and any barrier. In the words of Mother Teresa, "We can do no great things, only small things with great love."

Love you.

Morgan

the beginning.

Hello.

I've been asked to start a blog related to this wonderful group called utenited. Some of you who are reading this will know what that is, but some of you might not. Basically it's this incredible nondemoninational worship service at the University of Utah. For more of the technicalities, you can check out www.utenited.com



I hope to share with you my own ideas and thoughts about all things related to this delightful group, as well as help you (and myself!) get to know some of the other beautiful utenited hearts I have the pleasure of being around every week. I guess the best place to start is letting you get to know me.

I'm Morgan.
I love Jesus. A lot.
My favorite color is blue.
I'm a photography and psychology major.
If you pop the fingers on one of my hands and not the other... it's distressing.
I'm marrying my very best friend of about 3 1/2 years next spring!!



My favorite food (genre?) is Italian. Chinese is yucky.
Lord of the Rings and Narnia movies are the best ever. I really, really want to be an elf.
Ok, I think a lot of movies are the best. But I still want to be an elf.
I've recently started playing the organ at church. Say Morgan on the organ 10 times fast :)
I think men with moustaches are kind of scary. No offense.
I love folk music.
I have asthma.
If I didn't have to pay for grownup things I would buy a kayak.
I volunteered with my soon-to-be husband Grant and 6 others in India for a month this past summer and it changed my heart, my life, everything.



















If you're curious about life there, you can check out http://lovinginindia.blogspot.com. Hope everyone has a good evening, I'll be writing again soon.

Love, Morgan