On being told my poetry was found in a broken photo-copier

Malcolm read this poem on the first night of a conference I am attending.  His delivery of the poetry captured my imagination.

by Malcolm Guite

My poetry is jamming your machine

It broke the photo-copier, I’m to blame,

With pictures copied from a world unseen.

 

My poem is in the works–I’m on the scene

We free my verse, and I confess my shame,

My poetry is jamming your machine.

 

Though you berate me with what might have been,

You stop to read the poem, just the same,

And pictures, copied from a world unseen,

 

Subvert the icons on your mental screen

And open windows with a whispered name;

My poetry is jamming your machine.

 

For chosen words can change the things they mean

And set the once-familiar world aflame

With pictures copied from a world unseen

 

The mental props give way, on which you lean

They world you see will never be the same,

My poetry is jamming your machine

With pictures copied from a world unseen

Daphne’s Hair

I have been in Omaha for 2 years working at Word Made Flesh. Our community (as Chris likes to put it) has got some quirks. One is that we take LOADS of group photos. Sometimes it gets a little confusing.

Daphne is my hip, beloved supervisor. She’s been working it at WMF for 10 years! Due to the enormous volume of photos floating around, when I look through WMF photo albums sometimes I get confused whether or not I was around for the event. I flip through to find a photo of Daph, because I can keep time according to her hair color, cut and style. She threw some auburn lowlights into the mix the summer I moved here. So blonde Daphne is definitely pre-Marcia. Since I’ve been here the hair in question has been alternatively  stick straight, wavy, with bangs straight across the forehead, and with bangs swept across the forehead in varying shades of red. Some examples:

Pretty much she’s edgy and could pull of just about anything.

So today at lunch we had some suggestions for her hair appointment this afternoon: asymmetrical hair cut, just a trim, super short

or a mohawk.

We sort of got stuck on that one. And offered to pay her to do it. It escalated quickly.

Like I said before Daph has been serving with Word Made Flesh for 10 years! She is receving a much needed sabbatical starting the end of this month and is in need of a little extra financial support before she goes.

So, see Daphne get a mohawk by supporting her sabbatical.

Check out the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyiRFBb0s8Y

Go to wordmadeflesh.org and hit the “donate now” button and in the designation line write Daphne’s mohawk.

I think I am (becoming) a pacifist

Or  more accurately: I believe in non-violent engagement towards conflict resolution.

Special thanks to:

Carol Lakey Hess, Walter Wink, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, Abuna Elias Chacour, Parker Palmer (and all the Quakers)

More on this later or in person.

Recent Reads

I have never really kept track of the books I read. I remember all through late elementary school, Jr. High and High School I would read anything I could get my hands on. I estimate I read at least a book a week. I would read on the school bus, in the car on the way to church, during church (if I could get away with it), under my covers at night with the door cracked open for light, in waiting rooms, at breaks during choir rehearsal. I would also wake up in the morning and immediately read whatever book I had tucked under my pillow the night before, which habitually made me late. My childhood best friend’s mom is an English teacher who always kept me supplied. Even now, if I’m late its probably because I got distracted by some book.

Of course, as I’ve entered the working world my reading has slowed down considerably and finishing a book a week seems like a huge task to me (also the density/quality of my choices has gone up exponentially since 7th grade). This year I am participating in a competitive reading contest. Complete with lots of rules, a couple amendments, a few acronyms, and an entrance fee. So, I’m keeping track this year. I think  you can tell a lot about a person from their reading list, I guess I won’t read anything I’m embarrassed to post to the competition in 2009. I would pretty much recommend any these books. Here’s what I read in the first quarter of the year.

1.) Finding the Flow: A Guide for Leading Small Groups and Gatherings by Tara Miller and Jenn Peppers 

2.) From Brokenness to Community by Jean Vanier 

3.) Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now by Maya Angelou 

4.) City of Joy by Dominque Lapierre 

5.) All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes by Maya Angelou

6.) Miramar by Naguib Mahfouz 

7.) High Fidelity by Nick Hornby 

8.) We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates 

9.)The Umbrella Man and Other Stories by Roald Dahl 

10.) Eve’s Revenge: Women and Spirituality of the Body by Lillian Calles Barger 

11.) The Broken Body by Jean Vanier 

12.)The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective by Richard Rohr and Andreas Ebert 

13.) Heart of Flesh: A Feminist Spirituality for Women and Men by Joan Chitister

Remembering: Finding my way

The Cry, the advocacy journal of Word Made Flesh, should be hitting your mailboxes this week (its all gorgeous and redesigned this quarter). Here’s a sneak peak at my article on the subject of obedience. If you don’t get The Cry, you’re not on my mailing list. Comment and I’ll totally add you. 

The stretch of street from my little house in Omaha to the WMF office where I work is almost 1.5 miles, or 28 minutes walking. As the seasons change, so do my walking clothes. In August, my feet are snug in my sandals, and I continue to sweat at least an hour after arriving at the office. By the time December is ushered in and I’m repurposing my favorite headband to shield my ears from the cold, I can barely remember the sticky feeling of summer.

How quickly I forget.

My quiet trek on one of the most chaotic streets in town wears a path in my heart. I know I pass by three churches (or is it four?), a couple questionable bars, a Mexican grocery store, at least one guy who thinks I’m beautiful and two breakfast diners. Sometimes, lost in thought, I am surprised to look up and already see the incense-and-perfume store to my right or the blinking furniture store sign up ahead.

I am prone to lose my way.

God calls me to obedience. God calls my forgetful, cloudyeyed self to obedience. In our community, we celebrate nine lifestyles in a particular order. There, nestled between “intimacy” and “humility” and a close neighbor of “community,” rests “obedience.” We begin with intimacy. I need to know God to obey God. Intimacy with God leads me to spaces of obedience. God promised to dwell among the brokenhearted1 and said that those who mourn will be comforted.2 I follow God to those places. As I take steps forward, one after the other, I stumble and yearn for obedience to a mysterious God. I am humbled by the pieces of God revealed to me, and I am humbled by the vastness of God. When I forget, and when I lose my way, the people around me help jostle my memory. Together we pick up the pieces; together we remember. My community sees facets of God I have not seen, and they help me know God more and press deeper into obedience.

Eugene Peterson says that Psalm 132 points out the role of remembering God’s faithfulness as instructive to obedience. A collective memory of faithfulness is the foundation for obedience. In the first half of the psalm, the Israelites remember the faithfulness of God by recalling the long and harried history of the Ark of the Covenant: carried through the desert, wielded in war, lost to foreign conquerors and finally recovered by David. They remember the Ark of the Covenant as the sign of God’s presence among them. They mourn the memory of how it was misused by their ancestors as a talisman in battle. And they relive the joy of restoration. The last half of the psalm paints a picture of hope for a new type of community. The first will be last, and the most vulnerable will be at the center of the community.

In May I spent time with our community in Sierra Leone. While I was there, I revisited many of the old questions that knock on my idealist’s door: What are we doing here? What will our small efforts achieve? It is easy to become discouraged in Freetown. The sun is unrelenting, unless the sky is dumping sheets of water during the rainy season. It is difficult for our North American staff to find a place to fit into the culture. It is a challenge for the Sierra Leoneans to find funding to continue working with WMF. The North Americans and Sierra Leoneans working with WMF answer my questions with their lives. Growing in intimacy, they work tirelessly in simple acts of obedience to God, who is close to the brokenhearted. My friend, Noah, who works with WMF, grew up in Kroo Bay, a slum squeezed between the city and the ocean. While I was visiting, I heard Noah say something so simple and yet so easy for me to forget: “God is working in Kroo Bay. With or without us, God is moving. It would be nice if we could help.” So today, I choose to join with God in the work. I choose to obey. I quickly forget, and I sometimes lose my way, but enveloped within my community, I join the movement of God

Kolkata to Bangkok

I spent three days and four nights in Kolkata with the people. My immediate response to the city itself was fascination. It actully reminded me alot of Cairo

I sad goodbye to Daphne, my faithful traveling companion at the Bangkok airport and headed off into the city to meet up with Amy. We went  to The Bed and Breakfast guesthouse. Its a really cute little place. My room is tiny and I’ve been referring to it as my cell. Like a nun in a convent. I love it!

Yesterday the Hupes and I took to the steets in the neighborhood they are hoping to move into this summer. We saw one really cute place with irridescent pink columns on the veranda. Not only was it a great place, but it would also be impossible to miss. The Hupes have been here just under a year and are in the stages of dreaming and visioning what the field will become. They have so much engery and hope for the people of Bangkok. I feel really priveleged to be here with them while they are in this stage. I’m inspired.

Went to church with the Hupes yesterday and the flowers on teh altar were teh sweetest smelling orchids. The streets are full of gorgeous flowers for sale. I wish I coudl bring some home, but I don’t think the U.S. government looks kindly on that kind of thing.

That’s it for now.

Carpal Tunnel

I left Nepal on Monday afternoon. That morning I noticed that my right wrist really hurt. It was hard to bend it at all. At first, I thought it was post-traumatic carpal tunnel from the field forum kicking in a few days later. Or it could have been from the dozens of momos (kind of like pot stickers) I helped fold at Karuna Ghar on Sunday. Either way I’m completely recovered now.

I’m in Kolkata now. I just adore the staff here; Beth, Sarah, Kyle, Brent, and Melinda have been incredibly hospitable. I have also had the chance to spend time celebrating with some of the ladies that they know. It has truly been an honor to be here.

I leave tomorrow for Bangkok. Looking forward to the last leg of the journey with the Hupes.

My trip has been very educational and super energizing for me as I think about heading back to Omaha next week. Thanks for your continued prayers. It means a lot to me and goes such a long way in supporting me.

Lots of love to you.

Following the Field Forum

On Monday of last week we loaded up a couple vans with people and luggage and headed to Gokarna Forest just outside of Kathmandu where we had the Field Forum meetings. I’m back in kathmandu now and I leave for Kolkata on Monday.

Gorkarna Forest was just crawling with monkeys. They were  bold little guys, too.  Guards  stood around the eating area with  meancing, but unloaded,  slingshots that they brandished at the monkeys occasionally to keep them in their place.

The Field Forum was great! The meetings were intense and I think we all were struck by the complexity of who we are becoming together as we talk and hope and dream towards partnership in the mission. Yesterday I typed until my fingers were confused on the keyboard, but I think notetaking kept me attentive to the content of hte meetings. Anna, who is the director of programs in Peru sahred a hopeful and inspiring devotional on the theology of partnership.  She reminded us to keep it simple and contextualized, like Jesus did with the parables. She mentioned the parable of the yeast. She pointed out that the women of the time understood flour (she also mentioned that Brian Langley knows about flour). She told us about how her heart was set on fire by Jesus  for the least among us when she visited Romania and she reminded me of the fire that it is me too. Sweet Anna is hopeful, and I think I can be too.

It wasn’t all hot and heavy though, I really enjoyed meals with smaller groups of the participants. It was incredible to spend time with some of the WMF international staff particularly. I got to meet and spend some time with Patrick and Victoria Samuel, who are kind of like the grandaddy and gradma of WMF, and their daughter Angelene. They are beautiful South Indians who have given themselves to the WMF children’s home in Chennai. Patrick and Victoria explained to me that they are from the very southern tip of Indian–the Bay of Bengal on one side and the Indian Ocean on the other. They described how it is the only place in the world, other than islands and South Africa, where you can watch the sunset and sunrise over the water.  It reminded me of how the in the book, when the little prince is having a bad day on his tiny planet he just moved his chair along to see as many sunsets as he wanted.

With Love from Nepal

It has been almost a week since I left the U.S. Caleb and Daphne came and got me from my house. Caleb sang us a song on the drive o the airport and sent us on our way.

The week has been busy and went by really fast for me. I got to visit all the sites where the Servant Team members volunteer while they are in Kathmandu and also visited several of their host families. Calvin has been a gem to show me all around his town. One of the places we visited is a community for those affected by leprosy, developmental disabilities, and otherwise marginalized. the community has an emphasis on sustainability so they recyle everything. They cook with coils of recycled paper and make all kinds of hand crafts with other materials. The sale of the crafts is used to support the community. Some of the items were little paper atationery type things and others were ornate products of skilled silversmiths. Its a really beautiful picture of redemption.

And since its all over facebook, I guess I’m allowed to blog about it too. Andrew and Susan got engaged while I was here! I was extremely honored to act as the ring bearer. Susan sent me an unassuming little package to carry to Andrew for Valentine’s Day. She told me it was a skimpy red velvet robe. But no, it was the engagement ring with a note enclosed asking him to marry her. He said yes! So, congratualations to the happy couple. I’ve already informed them that I will be available to act as the ring bearer in the actual ceremony as well.

Some other highlights were visiting the two homes run by Word Made Flesh and sharing meals with the Nepali and North AMerican staff. I met the beautiful girls at Karuna Ghar briefly, but those little girls have a demanding academic schedule! I peaked into an oven where they make naan bread and was delighted to see how it is cooked. There are fantastic buildings in gorgeous sahde s of purple that have made me really happy, too. Purple is my color for 2009.

The Field Forum starts this evening and I’ll be doing all kinds of note taking. Fleshies from all over the world started arriving on Saturday and the lobby of our hotel has been buzzing with six different languages as we make introductions and figure our logistics. Its super exciting to be together and I’m really loking forward to the week ahead.

Hello Blog. Goodbye Omaha.

Well, its been a little while, but I plan to re-awaken this blog to periodically post updates about my upcoming travel. This week has been CRAZY. I sent an email to some of my co-workers that began: “I’m right on the precipice of a werewolf-y rage.” and ended: “Lord have mercy on me.” And that was Monday. The end is in sight now so I’ve taken a few steps back from the edge, plus I have the surprise visit of Jill Hamilton to look forward to this weekend. She will help me pack and be organized and bring all kinds of joy to me. Hurray!

I get to travel with Daphne who is one of my favorite people. Here’s a run down of my travel taken from my most recent prayer letter.

I will be traveling February 10 – March 6. Word Made Flesh has four communities located in Asia. I will be visiting three of the fields in Kathmandu, Nepal; Kolkata, India; and Bangkok, Thailand. I will begin my trip in Nepal with a visit to the community in Kathmandu. There will be a Servant Team (the group internship program I coordinate from the U.S.) on the field. I look forward to meeting the team! Calvin Smothers, the Servant Team Coordinator, will teach me all about the specifics of the program in Kathmandu.

The following week I will be acting as the note taker at the Field Forum. The Field Forum is a part of the lifecycle of Word Made Flesh; it brings together representatives from all ten communities to discuss and begin implementation of vision for Word Made Flesh. Please pray for an alert mind and stamina for me as I type type type my way from February 16th to the 22nd.

The next stop for me will be Kolkata (Feb 23 – 28). There will be another Servant Team in Kolkata to meet and lots to learn from Beth Waterman, the Servant Team Coordinator in India. I will also get to visit the women of Sari Bari, which is a business initiative of Word Made Flesh employing women who have left prostitution (saribari.com).

Finally, I will spend some time in Bangkok, Thailand with Tim and Amy Hupe and their two adorable children, Ella and Arielle (February 28 – March 5). The Hupes are an incredibly energetic couple who arrived in Thailand in July 2008 to establish the field there. They will receive their first Servant Team in August 2009.

I am looking forward to spending time with the Servant Team Coordinators of the Asia region and meeting the folks they spend their lives serving. I do ask for your prayers as I travel. Please pray for genuine connections with the people I meet. I anticipate my travel will be exhausting and overwhelming at times; pray with me as I focus on mindfulness of God’s presence in every moment.