Ordinary Radicals

Maybe we are a little crazy. After all, we believe in things we don't see. The Scriptures say that faith is "being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Heb. 11:1). We believe poverty can end even though it is all around us. We believe in peace even though we hear only rumors of wars. And since we are people of expectation, we are so convinced that another world is coming that we start living as if it were already here. As prominent evangelical activist Jim Wallis says, "We believe despite the evidence...and watch the evidence change." So may we begin living as if poverty were over, and we will see it come to pass. May we begin beating our swords into plowshares now, and the kingdom will begin to be not simply something we hope for when we die but something we see on earth as it is in heaven, the kingdom that is among us and within us.

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One friend was asked by a skeptic, "You all are just a little group of radical idealists. What makes you actually think you can change the world?" And she said, "Sir, if you will take a closer look at history you will see...that's the only way it has ever been done." Welcome to the irresistible revolution, a new and ancient way of life that is so attractive, who would settle for anything else? Welcome to the revolution of little people, guerrilla peacemakers, and dancing prophets, the revolution that loves and laughs. The revolution begins inside each of us, and through little acts of love, it will take over the world. Let us begin to be Christians again. Jesus, give us the courage.

Shane Claiborne, The Irresistible Revolution: living as an ordinary radical (2006)

Nepal from a state of shock

I'm back from a short ten days in Kathmandu and Nagarkot in Nepal. I'm still emotionally and spiritually overwhelmed from what I've seen and experienced, and the people with whom I became friends with or interacted. I remember each one of you, no matter how brief our encounter, that's why I remember you in this poem I wrote for you.

I wrote this on the flight back to Singapore.

12/16/10

Eyes that sore
Eyes that flood
Why are goodbyes so hard?

Eyes that beg
And those that burn
Aflame with ambition and hope

I look into your soul
And you were all blood inside
Sometimes seeping out from bandage
Sometimes blooming in beauty

Look into mine and you'll see, you'll see
A rainbow of hope and tears
We laugh together and fall flat on autumn leaves
Orange, golden, red

We'll live a better tomorrow
Look into my eyes, my soul
You'll see...