"teacher, what shall i do to inherit eternal life?" (luke 10:25)
"you shall love the lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself" (luke 10:27)
"and who is my neighbor?" (luke 10:29)
jesus replies by telling the story of the samaritan who despite cultural and ethnic barriers, assists a man who was robbed, beaten, and left on the side of the road. a priest and a levite, men from his own ethnic background, passed him by. but the samaritan, a man who had no business interacting with a jew, stopped to take care of the beaten man. he touched him, cleaned him, lifted him onto his own beast, put him in an inn, and paid for him....
who are our neighbors? are we stopping by the side of the road to touch, clean, lift, and pay for someone other than for people of our own kind? are we crossing cultural and ethnic barriers to love your neighbor as yourself?
the message at church this morning was powerful.... since childhood i've been familiar with this story, but wow, did it ever have an impact on me this morning.... i've been struggling with explaining why i've chosen the MA that i have... because it seems vague, too big, idealistic.... and yet, these verses in luke are my heartbeat.... i've chosen to pursue a MA in sustainable development and social justice because i've been commanded "to love the lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." what other reason than to equip yourself to do this even more so. our God is a God of Justice! this next step in my life is tied to obedience - obedience to follow God's command. open my eyes, lord, to see people the way you see them, may i not be held back by cultural differences, poverty, pain, or status... may YOU be glorified!
...one tomato at a time...
About Me
(anticipatd) Summer Reads 2010
- INVICTUS by John Carlin
- MENNONITE IN A LITTLE BLACK DRESS by Rhoda Janzen
- MONKEY HUNTING by Christina Garcia
- HUNGER AND HAPPINESS by Shannon Jung
- THE 1ST BORN ADVANTAGE by Kevin Leman
- TEA WITH HEZBOLLAH by Dekker & Medearis
Spring Reads 2010
- FORGOTTEN GOD by Francis Chan
- RASHI'S DAUGHTER'S: I-III by Maggie Anton
- THE SHORT SWEET DREAM OF EDUARDO GUTIERREZ by Jimmy Breslin
- ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Winter Reads 2009/10
- LA'S ORCHESTRA SAVES THE WORLD by Alexander McCall Smith
- THE MISSING ROSE by Serdar Ozkan
- THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY by Annie Barrows
- PEOPLE OF THE BOOK by Geraldine Brooks
- THE ELEGANCE OF A HEDGEHOG by Muriel Barbery
Summer Reads 2009
- WHY ARE ALL THE BLACK KIDS SITTING TOGETHER IN THE CAFETERIA? by Beverly Tatum
- DREAMS FROM MY FATHER by Barack Obama
- THREE CUPS OF TEA by Greg Mortenson
- MY NAME IS ASHER LEV by Chaim Potock
- BIRDS WITHOUT WINGS by Louis de Bernières
- SARAH'S KEY by Tatiana de Rosnay
- SKIN by Ted Dekker
- THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak
Fellow Bloggers
4 comments:
Hi Amy,
I have just started reading your blog once in a while and wanted to tell you that I really enjoy reading them. They are thoughtful and help reflect on different kinds of issues.
Thanks again from Germany
Andreas Horeld
Thanks for checking out my blog, Amy! And now here I am on yours. I look forward to hearing how your future unfolds, as well. And by the way, I like your "Germericanese" description! ;-) I've added you to my list of regularly-checked blogs, so I hope to write more on yours in the coming months while I still have easy e-mail access.
By the way, what is Andrew up to these days? Tell him I say hi if you think of it. Thanks!
Chris Winkler
Hi Amy,
I haven't checked the Holsby site in a while, and have so enjoyed checking out your blogs!! Good for you for following big, lofty, seemingly-unattainable dreams...we can't outdream God, so go for it! God has blessed you with a background that required learning about different cultures, and I know that He is going to use you mightily to break down cultural barriers. I totally with what you said about Holsby, too...there are times when I miss that kind of fellowship so incredibly much...and it makes me wonder why it can't happen in other places as easily. I think the longing definately becomes stronger once you've had a taste of it..but praise the Lord for allowing us that opportunity in Sweden!! Sorry to hear that you and your sweetie will be separated for a long time....Eric and I survived eight months separated by 16 hours of time zones (minus a Christmas-time visit!) and I think it only served to make us truly appreciate all the moments we now get to spend together! Speaking of which, I will try to post some wedding pics on the Holsby site (once I figure out how to do it:) Take care of you, Mom....
:)
Hi Amy,
I haven't checked the Holsby site in a while, and have so enjoyed checking out your blogs!! Good for you for following big, lofty, seemingly-unattainable dreams...we can't outdream God, so go for it! God has blessed you with a background that required learning about different cultures, and I know that He is going to use you mightily to break down cultural barriers. I totally with what you said about Holsby, too...there are times when I miss that kind of fellowship so incredibly much...and it makes me wonder why it can't happen in other places as easily. I think the longing definately becomes stronger once you've had a taste of it..but praise the Lord for allowing us that opportunity in Sweden!! Sorry to hear that you and your sweetie will be separated for a long time....Eric and I survived eight months separated by 16 hours of time zones (minus a Christmas-time visit!) and I think it only served to make us truly appreciate all the moments we now get to spend together! Speaking of which, I will try to post some wedding pics on the Holsby site (once I figure out how to do it:) Take care of you, Mom....
:)
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