defined by what you're not...

About two years ago Steve and I were writing the business plan for Epiphaneia. I forget the exact words but somewhere in the introduction I had described Epiphaneia as ‘not a _______ and not about ______ (something or other). Steve said that we shouldn’t focus as much on what we’re not about as what we are about.

I drove back to Philadelphia today by myself. I kind of got slowed down at the border but made the trip in a shade under 7.5 hours- which included three different stops (one coffee, one lunch, one gas). Somewhere around hour four I started to think about that comment that Steve made- that we shouldn’t be defined by what we’re not about but instead what we are about.

Of course this can relate to all sorts of different scenarios but the one I attributed it to the most was the Christian life. The ‘world’ (if we want to call it that) knows what we’re not about- we (well, maybe I’ll say- evangelicalism) has drawn the lines pretty clearly in declaration that we are not about lots of things and of particular concern in the last ten to twenty years are abortion and gay marriage.

I think we need people to speak prophetically to governments if what they are doing is wrong. But what would happen if Christians became known for what they were for instead of what they are against? Of course I suppose that what one is opposed to and for exist in tension with one another.

Mulling this over.

I also think its easier to sustain something that you are for than against. Maybe some G8 Summit protesters will disagree with me on this one but I would find it hard to sustain a passion for being against something- because issues always change- there is always something trendy to be against. Would you rather be defined by being for one thing than against something? I think the former. As an example I would rather work actively for peace (a peacemaker...) than just against war. The real question I want to know is what am I for?

A few things that I have decided to be for:

sharing, community, peace, and love (wins).

micro machines...

Right now Microfinance is sexy. It’s happening all around the world as the way to provide the poor with access to credit so that they can generate some kind of business activity. It began in the 70’s with Accion and has gained a lot of momentum with Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank. If you don’t know about it- you should start to do some reading.

I’m taking a class on microfinance at the moment. The biggest thing that I’m learning which I previously did not consider is that microfinance is making some people very rich (and I don’t mean the borrowers). In fact some people (such as the founder of ebay) love the idea of microfinance but won’t get into it until they can get a 10-20% return off of their investment. In short- microfinance is becoming commercialized.

So good ideas, generosity and helping the poor come back to this: what’s in it for me? Ebay man would argue that if it can be profitable you’ll have more people wanting to invest in it- and so a greater number of ‘the poor’ will have access to credit and the rich will make even more money! win and win.

Great! Perfect. Wait… what?

Mulling over the ethics of this statement right now... thoughts?

You can read up on this yourself:

Millions for Millions

You too can be a Banker to the Poor

Hype and Hope: The Worrisome State of the Microcredit Movement

whirlwinds

Tomorrow morning at 11am I'm leaving to go back to Philadelphia for the start of semester two. It is absolutely crazy to think how different the start of this semester is compared to the last....and crazy how much has changed in the last four months. I'm moderately excited to go back- this break went by too fast...

for those who were not big fans about that video where the little kid dropped an A-bomb (not an actual A-bomb)... my bad.

In other news,

I almost missed my flight to Winnipeg TWICE- on the way there and on the way back. Ha...I haven't told Ian and Lauren this yet but I was about to be bumped to a later flight until I mentioned that it was my birthday. Then the WestJet lady said to follow her and she started running through the airport (ala- Home Alone) and put me to the head of the pack at Security check... it was great.

Favorite highlights of the break include:

Nathan and Rachel Colquhouns wedding.
Lawn chairs at 3am
Jays game
Breakfast avec Steve
Lunch avec George
Thai food, movies, hockey and hang outs in Winnipeg
Angela Lynne Wallace
Midnight breakfast avec Jason
being home...
seeing such people as Silas, Chris, Scott and Keith...
Chop sticks
Julia's confirmation

hmmmm... it went by way too fast.

I'm hoping to get back to posting ala Jan/Feb 2007...hopefully I'll be inspired to throw some thoughts on here with some of my new classes.

the peg

Yesterday I flew to Winnipeg to see Ian and Lauren for a few days. The trip wasn't looking like it was going to get off to a good start when Jay (who drove me to the airport) and I were still in traffic at 7:45am... with a flight at 8:20am.... but it turned out alright and I made it to the farthest possible boarding station with 3 minutes to spare.

The flight included an orange juice instead of the typical Canada Dry ginger ale- it was rather early.

Upon arriving the three of us took part in many activities which included a quick stop at a local university so Lauren could check out some books, a trip to Chapters, lunch and then- a matinee viewing (for only $2.00!) of Reign Over Me- which I can say without threat to my masculinity, contains two of the saddest scenes I've witnessed on the big screen in a while.

Then dinner at the Mclaren's was prepared specially by Lauren.... it was a birthday dinner... woot woot.

The day then finished off with some NHL playoff watching, The Office and Arrested Development.
----

I think we're headed into the city today for a storytelling festival and hit up some used book stores... what a weekend!

semester 1, check.

Last Friday at 7:30pm I sent in the final draft of my last paper of semester one. I suppose this means that 40% of my coursework is complete for the MA. That feels good. In some ways the semester felt like it took forever but I definitely learned more than in any other single semester that I can remember and I'm excited for Summer 1- which includes such classes as Microfinance and Relief and Mitigation for Disasters (that's not the official name...its much longer but I can't remember it).

I'm hanging out with Chris Harris tonight for the first time in possibly close to 1.5 years. I'm looking forward to that- and looking forward to the baseball game tomorrow night avec Angela.... AND I'm looking forward to hanging out with Ian and Lauren this weekend in Winnipeg.

woot woot for this week.

almost there.

I just finished (minus some edits) my last assignment of the semester.

In the words of Will Ferrel, it was "a performance so scrumtrilescent, I can barely move"

seriously, i can barely move.

We're going to D.C. in the morning to visit the World Bank, USAID and International Justice Mission). It'll be good to talk to these people and see what they have to say for themselves...
Since I've been here I've gotten a pretty skewed opinion of WB and USAID, so maybe they'll say something to change my mind?

The assignment I just finished was a large paper on eschatology and the environment.
I learned a lot writing this thing. I also am developing a love for a book called, For the Common Good by Daly & Cobb.

I end the paper with a quote from that book...

Yet there is hope. On a hotter planet, with lost deltas and shrunken coastlines, under a more dangerous sun, with less arable land, more people, fewer species of living things, a legacy of poisonous wastes, and much beauty irrevocably lost, there will still be the possibility that our children’s children will learn at last to live as a community among communities. Perhaps they will learn also to forgive this generation its blind commitment to ever greater consumption