Empty jars

Yesterday, Sandie Morgan [of the Global Center for Women and Justice @ Vanguard] began a two-week class on Human Trafficking at our church.


She used 2 Kings chapter 4 [the story of Elisha and the widow with olive oil] as her text from which to bring out some principles on a biblical way to respond to and prevent slavery:


*Elisha first asked the widow questions rather than responding immediately with the answers to her problem


*Among his questions to her were: How can I help you? and What do you have at home?


*The community got involved by responding to the widow's request for empty jars


*The woman was then empowered to become a "businesswoman" in that she could now sell olive oil to pay her debts


*The same community members who gave the empty jars then became the buyers/recipients of the olive oil that miraculously appeared


This picture of a holistic approach to helping a woman who, due to large debts, was about to give her sons as slaves for the payment of said debt, shows how the community involvement in empowering the woman in finding her own livelihood can actually be sustainable. The story ended with the woman becoming a contributing part of society and being able to keep her sons from slavery.


I'm struck by the concepts of *what's in your house?* and *collect empty jars*. There are undoubtedly things in my "house" (resources, skills, time, etc.) to be offered in the fight against injustice (specifically to the anti-trafficking cause) and who doesn't have some "empty" jars lying around that seem useless because they are depleted of the resource they once held. Maybe it's not my responsibility in every case to provide a "full" jar to God in my quest to promote a more just world.


Walking away from this class, I was struck by dialogue on how my purchasing is intertwined with justice across the globe. Conscientious buying (of my groceries, my clothes, etc.) is deeply tied to the ethical treatment of laborers, which is inextricably embedded in the problem of human trafficking. Knowing that debt is the primary reason people end up in slavery (whether that results in sex trafficking or trafficking involving labor), I am compelled to start being more informed in my buying.


Thus, I offer an empty jar of my own: a journey of researching products that I use in order to find out which companies are committed to the fair treatment of and wages for their workers. It is a spiritual practice I am engaging in, with the goal of searching out one product a week in order to find an ethical company from which to buy from.


This week's product: chocolate chips. :) 
Research results: in the works (but coming by the end of the week!).


What empty jars might you have in your house?

Hedgehogs and Psalm 139

The newest knitting project has made me think more deeply about the Scripture, "You knit me together in my mother's womb..." (Psalm 139:13). As I knit each stitch, I think about how God puts so much attention into each little detail of our lives.

Naked, mummy-looking body of hedgehog... 

Body plus "spikes" (dark brown on the back...)

Mama Phillips -- this hedgy is for her baby! When we find out if it's a baby girl or boy, we'll add a colorful scarf to make hedgy complete :)

Happy hedgy waiting for baby Phillips to come give it some love!

Hedgy #2 for Baby Micaiah :)...

is now complete!

Pattern found here

Stations of the Cross

Thanks to the hospitality of the beautiful St. James Anglican Church in Newport Beach, I was able to capture pictures of a few of the stations of the cross.

May these pictures draw you into the passion of Jesus Christ in a fresh way this Lenten Season. 

 (John 19:6, 15-17)

(Mark 15:21)

(Luke 23:27-31)

(John 19:1-3)

(Luke 23:44-46)

**Though the stations have been primarily used by the Catholic church, they are a wonderful way for any follower of Christ to meditate upon the painful road Jesus took to his place of crucifixion. 

**The prayer behind these images is that one can use them as a springboard into contemplating the various aspects of Jesus' journey by visualizing what it might have been like as he walked along the path to his death. The stations help break down the journey into smaller segments so as to more easily enter into the journey with Jesus in his suffering, rather than to move too quickly over this aspect of Holy Week. 

**Some of the stations are not recounted in the gospel narratives and can be passed over if one is uncomfortable with them. 

Lenten Thoughts

As I continue in my training to become a spiritual director, my heart keeps dreaming of creative ways to offer my education and learnings to more people...


Thus, my time spent with my friend Kristi is continually a picture of the possibilities of combining spiritual reflective practices with silence and beauty for half-day retreats open to anyone. Read more about Kristi and her Reflective Retreats here.


Last weekend, we spent most of our Saturday "alone together" with several others focusing on entering into the suffering and passion of Christ during the week leading up to his death and resurrection.


This station struck me in an extraordinary way that cold, dreary Saturday. The rainy gloominess of the day was strangely fitting for the subject at hand...

I was struck by the moments of intense exhaustion, fatigue, and even overwhelming heaviness of the burden of the cross that Jesus bore on the long walk up to the hill where he would be crucified. The stirrings in my heart touched on the many moments in the last few years of heaviness, sadness, grief and overwhelming brokenness which I have experienced in response to life around me and those dear to me -- the death of loved ones, loss of relationships, illness, and unexplained pain and suffering. Comfort encompassed me as I received the truth of Christ's ability to resonate with the feeling of being so weighed down by the sadness and sinful reality of the world, that even he fell to the ground on his journey to his destination. Even he needed the body of Christ (as seen in the person of Simon) to help him carry the load laid upon him.

loving... for God's sake

One day Francis said to the Lord, weeping:

I love the sun and the stars,
I love Clare and her sisters,
I love the human hearts
And all beautiful things,
Lord, forgive me
For I should love only you.
The Lord smiled and replied:
I love the sun and the stars,
I love Clare and her sisters,
I love the human hearts
And all beautiful things,
My dear Francis
You need not weep
For I also love all this.

From Cry of the Earth, Cry of the Poor by Leonardo Boff, as quoted in Supervision of Spiritual Directors: Engaging in Holy Mystery, a book edited by Mary Rose Bumpus and Rebecca Bradburn Langer

A Student's Take on Biblical Global Justice

Randy and I always love to hear how students think and feel about the project we're working on and we thought you might be interested also.

Recently, a student at American University contributed her thoughts to their Chi Alpha blog. She reflected on Randy's presentation when he was in D.C. at her group, sharing about Biblical Global Justice... Read it at: American University Chi Alpha blog

My favorite part is her conclusion:

"Until we learn to put others' needs above ourselves we are not righteous, and without righteousness it is impossible to have justice. So think about your passion and ask yourself, 'How does being a Christian make you live your life and passion differently?'" (taken from Alex Miller's blog post at the link above)

not enough

the past two days, i have pondered this phrase "not enough"... (while staying in this little cabin)

it's one of those phrases that haunts me much more than i want to admit:
not enough laundry done.
not enough of the house clean.
not enough money.
not enough time.
not spiritual enough.
not enough prayer.
not enough discipline.
not enough exercise.
not enough homework done.
not a good enough wife/friend/auntie/sister/student/spiritual director/etc.
not a good enough retreat/quiet time/etc.
not enough done for chi alpha.
not enough time given to my community coordinator position at fuller.
not enough phone calls made to people i love.


it just never seems like it's "enough." but, here in this beautiful little cabin, i'm reminded of the God whom i serve...

*he provided this perfect little spot for a mid-semester retreat.










*it was *free* because randy and i are ministers with our church fellowship.

*i have a husband who encourages me to take this time, a schedule that allowed for it, and a master's program that requires it from me -- all blessings!

*i was truly able to enter into the freedom of embracing myself in the places where it doesn't feel like "enough"... in the solitude and space that God so graciously provided. knowing no one and no one knowing why i was here opened a whole new world of relief from the expectations of anyone but my Jesus. and we had a lovely time. he reminded me that all these places that feel like "not enough" are okay. where he wants me to work at things or grow, i can look to him, but it really is okay (and just plain the way life is) to have areas in life where it's just not "enough".

[i was fascinated by the temperature at the bottom of the mountain reading somewhere near 80 and then finding it at least 20 degrees colder and some snow-covered spots up where i retreated. snow always brings a healthy reminder of what psalm 51 means when it says that God can purify us and make us white as snow. for this california girl, there are only so many moments in the year where this spiritual truth can be seen in such a physical way.]