Saturday, July 26

Personal: What Would Jesus Wear?

When I was growing up in church, I heard over and over again how Christians were supposed to be holy--a confusing church vocabulary word that means 'set apart'.

The way that got translated, especially in my junior-high mind, was that Christians were supposed to be 'set aloof'.

If you had shown me this picture then, I would have said that the people in dress shoes represented the Christians and the person in the ripped jeans was the person who needed to get their act together and dress to match the others. And I do still see, to a certain extent, how dressing and comporting our bodies in dressed-up kinds of ways brings honor and respect to the God of our worship.

But I much more see authentic Christianity as the kind of relationship with God that is comfortable in sneakers and grubbies. This world needs to see our genuine honesty about how not-together we can have it, and the understanding that it's not a crafted appearance or faked finery that counts for soul salvation. Being 'set apart' means being an agent of change and a breath of fresh air, even in our bodily life.

Don't get me wrong: I like my peep-toe pumps just as much as the next girl. But God says that my shoes (and the rest of the earthly stuff I can be so distracted by) are mostly beside the point when it comes to experiencing him and the life-change he wants to bring about in me.

Friday, July 25

Remix: What's so special about Sweden?

You may have just heard about me and what I'm doing. In that case, I wanted to make it easier to find some of the more important parts of this site. You also may have been here a lot and missed these crucial posts. In either case, I'm taking what was old and making it [somewhat] new. Enjoy! (I can't take full credit for the idea of re-posting something old. Thanks, SCL!)

Why you should think about Sweden, for a change:

  1. Sweden is not Switzerland. Sweden is the birthplace of ABBA, has a population of 9.1 million, and 1/3 of the country is above the Arctic Circle (which means there are many more hours per day of sunlight in summer; much fewer in winter). Sweden is responsible for producing Ikea, Volvo, Anders Celsius, and Ingmar Bergman. They speak Swedish and some other Nordic languages, but are mostly fluent in (and better speakers than you and I of) English, too.
  2. Sweden is a first world country. Swedes are brilliant. Swedes are literate. Swedes love to have coffee and deep conversations. Swedes are concerned about the future of a global economy. Swedes live, move, and have their being in a thoroughly postmodern context. Sweden's mindset is in a place now where America's next generations of students are heading, and heading fast.
  3. 80% of Swedes are considered members of the Church, which is partially explained by the convention of automatically counting children born to members of the Church of Sweden in membership numbers. However, the actual number of believers in Sweden is close to 2% of the population. Most Swedes have never heard the story of Jesus in its entirety.
Through Campus Crusade for Christ, I've been given an opportunity to take this next year to share this story with the students of Uppsala University. My calling is to live my life in a transparent, authentic, and honest way and to offer them an introduction to the God of the universe who desires with unending compassion and overwhelming love to know and be known by each student on a very intimate, personal level.

This, my friends, is what I'm asking you to partner with me to do. You may not feel quite the same about Sweden, or Jesus, or missionaries, or students. That's a lot less important than believing that this is the right thing for me to do in this moment, in this day and age.

So, firstly, would you please commit to pray for me and let me know that you're doing so? This is a scary undertaking. People everywhere are nervous about the economy, about the future, about freedom--but I refuse to be disheartened or discouraged. God's commitment to us is unwavering. I stand by that. I also believe that we are strongest when we stand together.

And, secondly, would you please consider joining my financial team of supporters? There is a role for you to play, whether you sponsor the cost of registering for a visa, a plane ticket, or give any amount monthly.

One very difficult part of this process is the fact that if I do not have my full committed support team complete by August 13, I cannot go.

That's a swift deadline, but again: I refuse to be disheartened or discouraged. We are strongest when we stand together because no one could do this alone. We were never meant to.

For more details about how you can give and what kinds of financial support I need, see this post.

Remix: I get by with a little help from my friends!

You may have just heard about me and what I'm doing. In that case, I wanted to make it easier to find some of the more important parts of this site. You also may have been here a lot and missed these crucial posts. In either case, I'm taking what was old and making it [somewhat] new. Enjoy! (I can't take full credit for the idea of re-posting something old. Thanks, SCL!)

How You Can Help Send Maleah To Sweden:
  1. Pray. Pray for Sweden. Pray for opened doors. Pray that students who seek will find. Pray that I am able to complete my team of supporters so that I can go and share. Pray that God would show you how you can be on that team, whether through prayer or finances or encouragement or speaking on my behalf to people you know. [follow all prayer requests here]
  2. Give. Without enough financial support by the deadline, this mission won't be possible. It could be as little as 5, 20, or more now. It could be as much as 100 each month through the year. Every gift counts toward making this vision of Sweden a reality. You can give securely online or find instructions on how to set things up by mail. [detailed instructions here]
  3. Share. This is not something that you or I can do alone. You can link to my site on yours. You may know someone I should call--share that with me. This dream of a change in Sweden isn't exclusively mine; join the team and let's get the word out together! [contact me here]

Personal: Details, details.

I'm a big-picture person. I like to dream and leave the details up to someone else. That's not always how it works out and as I've grown, I've learned how to manage some of the mundane.

But it often means that things get left to the last minute and I juggle lots of small things all at once.

Whenever I see this picture, I'm reminded that sticky notes are disposable. They don't last, they won't stick for long, and they can only hold so much. Although I'm sure many important transactions and ideas have been carried by a 3x3'' square, I don't plan on using them for contracts or official documentation any time soon.

Instead, I use them to help me keep track of things, and I try not to worry too much beyond that. Every day has its own set of tasks. I can only do what God enables me to do, and start again tomorrow. We ask for a vision of the kingdom (BIG) and our daily bread (small), and that's probably all that I could ever handle!

Personal: Catching my breath.

I've got to be honest. These last couple weeks and the promise of the next few to come were and are nothing but busyness. Phone calls, support appointments, hard conversations, big breakthroughs, goodbyes--it feels like I'm going in ten directions at once.

In all this, I am asking for peace. It's hard to keep the perspective that God is completely in control over what happens next, and that life is more than my to-do-today lists. I'll be ready for Sweden in a month, if God wills. The support will come in and it'll be time to head out into the unknown and meet students where they are with the love of God and the love of this community so ready to minister to their hearts.

Really, when it comes down to it, what more is there to life than to know God and make him known?

Thursday, July 24

Personal: Grow old along with me; the best is yet to be

Today's picture (man and woman holding hands) is just adorable. My heart goes "Aww" every time I flip past it.

One of the things I still find myself studying even after graduation is the complicated maneuvers of human relationships. As I contemplate how leaving the country in a month will change things for people I know, I am amazed at how generous people are with their time, and their prayers, and their finances.

It makes me think about something I read long ago by Henri Nouwen:

It is sad to see that, in our highly competitive and greedy world, we have lost touch with the joy of giving. We often live as if our happiness depended on having. But I don't know anyone who is really happy because of what he or she has. True joy, happiness and inner peace come from the giving of ourselves to others. A happy life is a life for others.

I was talking with a good friend about this a few days ago and again yesterday: there are lots of ways to be generous and good relationships need a huge measure of trust and partnership in order to survive. Though I don't have many material possessions, I do have time and so that's what I'm going to give. I have this next year of no mortgage payments, no car insurance, no family obligations, no romantic entanglements, and no small children. God has given me a whole year to give without regard for anything other than the needs of the Swedish people. How exciting is that?

Wednesday, July 23

Personal: When the going gets tough, bite back.

Sometimes, you just feel like the world has got you under its thumb. I'm fairly sure I'm not alone in feeling like this.

One of the hardest parts of talking about faith is not that people are unresponsive or don't care. That definitely happens, but what gets under my skin even more than that is the fact that for a lot of people, thinking or talking about God or Jesus are just not things that they've been allowed to do. Cultures, government, societal norms--everywhere, there are voices that tell us that it's not worth thinking about the possibility of more to this life than life itself. That reminds me of something that struck me in the foreword to Aldous Huxley's dystopian novel A Brave New World:

Great is truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view, is silence about truth. By simply not mentioning certain subjects… totalitarian propagandists have influenced opinion much more effectively than they could have by the most eloquent denunciations.
That, friends, gets me all up in arms. That's just a blatant disregard for the design of the human experience. We have big questions; we need big spaces to work things out for ourselves. Exploring the idea of God is not an option; it's a necessity.

Discussing these things and really examining Truth can feel like being this tiny lizard--you push back against powers that threaten to overwhelm you. It can feel futile, but it's crucial to keep thinking about, to keep talking about, to keep fighting for in whatever ways we can because it's the right thing to do. We are called to wield our freedoms in ways that help others become free to wrestle and think for themselves.

Tuesday, July 22

Personal: It's a big enough umbrella...


Yesterday, I reflected on what it is to have hope despite being walled in by razorwire fences.

Today's image (a dancer in the rain) has got me thinking about what it is to have joy in the midst of those same discouraging circumstances.

Just like yesterday, though, I want to put a disclaimer on my remarks: it's not that these rough spots aren't truly difficult. It's definitely not the case that somehow a belief in God makes all things perfect. However, I do believe that faith in God changes one's perspective on even the hardest of situations. There's a real difference in the way that I respond to trials now versus when I was just beginning to know about Jesus.

Joy has become something deeper than a momentary gladness; it's a deep contentment in the face of suffering -- what Paul referred to as the secret he learned in moments both of sacrifice and plenty. It isn't a dependency on people or circumstance. It's the result of being connected deeply to a life-giving, life-renewing God. Joy like that can't help but be caught singing in the rain.

Monday, July 21

Update: Where did I go to high school, again?

My support coach (who I've been turning in numbers to all summer) just asked me for updated totals, and I realized that I've been miscalculating a little.

We're not at 25% of what's needed in hand on August 1.

We are at 35%!

This is really exciting news. I thought that I'd share so that you can rejoice with me and know what to keep praying for. Thank you so much for continuing to support the vision of a change for Sweden. Every step counts!

Personal: Let me tell you some stories

One of the incredible parts of my job is the chance to speak to college students about faith, spirituality, and experience--and the chance to ask them deep questions and genuinely listen to their responses.

One of the tools I love to use that can strike up this kind of conversation is Soularium, and I really enjoy using it in tons of different ways to spark different kinds of responses.

For the next 50 days, I'm going to attempt something ambitious that I've never done before. I'm going to blog my personal responses to each of the 50 images in the Soularium survey. My prayer is that this will not only mean that there's something new for you to read here daily, but that it will generate some interesting discussion.

The first image is of sunlight streaming through a razor-wire fence.

Obstacles are always before us, or inside us, or surrounding us. Situations never seem ideal. It would be foolishness or a lie to say that I'm not afraid of lots of uncertainties these days. Will all of the support come in by August 1? What will happen to my academic career if I really put it on hold right now? What about my personal life?

Everyone wrestles with feelings of unknownness; it's part and parcel of the human experience.

When I think about the future--from what's going to happen on August 1 to what's going to happen in a year--I feel like there's a lot to be hopeful about. Despite the culture of fear that dominates all discussion about economy and society, I consistently find light and life in very dark places. It isn't that I'm naively hiding from the painful truth that life isn't always sunny. It isn't a blind, superficial attitude of blissful ignorance.

It is simply (and that's not often simple) trust. I don't have to know everything, I don't have to stick to a plan, and I certainly don't have to have it all together to have confidence that the God who created the world and the human heart is still at work right here with us. Nothing on earth can overpower that, I hear.