Dancing upon injustice.

A lot has been on my mind and heart lately.  The move is coming up, I’m trying to finish things on the house and we are working hard to help with the leadership transition for the Hope Center.

It would be easy, well easy isn’t the right word.  It would be convenient to just push through these next three weeks and make sure everything gets done on time.  Anyone who moves from a house knows there is usually a whole lot more involved in the move then originally anticipated.  No matter how many lists or budgets or Google calendars we make to help us organize something is always bound to come up.  It can be the same for a job, a position, a ministry or volunteer opportunity.  Now is definitely one of those times.

One of the things I enjoy about my wife is the same thing that kind of lured me into falling for her to begin with.  She loves to hate injustice.  Not just social injustices (human trafficking, poverty, lack of adequate water/food); although that’s her specialty, rather she hates all injustices.  It could be someone showing up late, a child who doesn’t know how to read or the sanctity of marriage.

Jesus’ taught that the entire law of God can be summed up with two things: to love God with everything you have, and to love your neighbor as yourself.  Josh McDowell explains the love as simply protecting and providing for.  The love interest could be your relationship with God, your own personal well being or a loved one.  Katie helped me with this concept during this past weekend.

She saw, where I did not, a potential for injustice in our marriage by us not having much time for each other over the next few weeks.  So she sprung into action and planned a 5 hour road trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama.  A quick night of camping, a few hours at the beach, then back to the dirty dirty to finish up our time in Louisiana. 

There are many people in the world who are into the trends of fighting for causes.  But there are few people like Katie, who not only fight all injustices big and small, but thrive to see them brought to the light and fixed.  There is a song called “Did you feel the mountains tremble?”  It is an older song, but a powerful one nonetheless.  There is a line in the song telling of “dancers who dance upon injustice.”  There are those who get caught up in trends, and usually get caught up in something else.  Then there are those who thrive, who dance upon injustice.   

Update, leaving this morning for Africa. Check out blog and more updates here.

well folks, someone finally blessed me with my own domain.  For the most part it’ll be the same thing.

Here’s the new link:  Timothy Kirkpatrick

First of all, I would like to post a cowardly disclaimer:

This post in NO way is meant to dishonor or belittle the work of any veteran of any military, especially atomic veterans during WWII.  Like most blogs these are only thoughts that were provoked by a bumper sticker.

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A few weeks back I was riding through beautiful historic St. Martinville and noticed a large truck (like a F-250 or Chevy 2500) with several incredibly designed stickers on the back of the truck expressing the owners gratitude of a certain member of the Atomic Veterans from WWII.  Not knowing anything about the Atomic Veterans, I just let my mind wonder in careless thought.  Here are a few things that sprung up:

1.  How would it feel knowing you are responsible for killing 80,000 civilians? 

2.  If we had a chance to talk to those civilians, what would they say? 

3.  If the tables were turned, and their was a massive attack on the United States, an attack from a country we’ve attacked, what would our response be?  If there could be a one on one dialogue with invading soldiers how would it go?  I imagine it would be like this:

Me: “Why are you doing this to us?”

Soldier: “Your government attacked us, we are retaliating.”

Me:  “But I didn’t even know my gov’t was attacking you, and I certainly don’t agree with what they’ve done.”

Soldier: “I thought your gov’t was one of the people, by the people, and for the people?  Isn’t it your responsibility to govern your government?”

See, it is our responsibility to govern that which governs us.  Whether this is our government, our churches, or our schools.  If there is an element that we do not agree with, then in a civil and ordered way, we need to address our governing bodies.  But if that does not work we have two choices: 1.  Sit back and do nothing.  2. Rise up against.

What was the charge of Socrates death?  Corrupting the minds of the youth.  People would get paid to speak their mind in a very poetic and elegant way in the forum.  Socrates came in and began to argue with these orators and was able to get them to contradict themselves.  He realized the educators and governors were no longer in their industry for others, but for themselves and their pocketbooks.  The very people he challenged, sentenced him to die.  Sounds familiar to a carpentar and his cross.

I am not promoting anarchy.  We must have order, but I believe that if we don’t agree with something (gas prices, taxes, foreign policies) then it is up to us the common people, the government of the government, to do something.

As I was driving today, I heard a variety of songs welcoming in the inevitable summer season.  I remembered back to Matt LeRoy’s blog a year ago on how we officially know when the first day of summer is.  So to honor him and the summer, here is my top five summer songs.  Feel free to add to them.

5.  Sweet Home Alabama – Skynard

4.  Summertime -Fresh Prince & DJ Jazzy Jeff

3.  What I Got – Sublime

2.  Jack & Diane – John Mellencamp

1.  Sleep Walk – Santo & Johnny (This is Joe Santriani’s version, you’ll know it when you hear it)

Yesterday was a busy day of rest.  It was capped off by something I think I may have always wanted to see but never really expected to see.  As my wife and I were coming home for the night, at about 9 pm.  A woman who has come to the Hope Center before, and a woman we’ve helped go from being homeless to having a low-income apartment, came up to me.  “Can you spare $5 for a homeless woman?” 

I smiled, laughed a little to myself and said “Alyce (not her real name), didn’t we help you get into an apartment two weeks ago?”

She replies “Oh yeah, but I’m still hungry, do you have $5 for a hungry woman who used to be homeless?”  At this point I’m almost laughing outloud.  Not necessarily at her, but at this situ.  Well this situ turned into a situation at about this point when a cop car pulled up. 

The cop (african-american as well as alyce) gently said “Alyce, you’re going to have to come with me.  It is illegal to go door to door and ask for money.”  She said, she didn’t ask for money from no one.  An obvious lie.  But he insisted and pulled out the cuffs.  Well she takes off running.  Now before you think this was a “hot pursuit” let me paint the picture a little more.  I am still standing on the sidewalk where she first stopped me.  This is about 5 feet from where her and the officer are talking.  And then she runs back towards me only about 2 feet away as I am now on the concrete leading to my door.  Alyce is about 50 years old (or looks 50), is medium build but has a protruding belly as if she was 6 months pregnant.  However she is not pregnant it is probably a tumor or cyst of some kind.  I also noticed that she is not much of a runner.

The officer is medium build for an officer.  Not overweight, but not athletic, probably early 30’s.  By the way the events transpired, he looked as if he had played football for St. Martinville Senior High.  I say that because when she took off and got about 2 1/2 steps away he reached, grabbed her shirt then wrapped her up and wrestled her to the concrete…2 feet from where I am still standing.  At this point, 3 young honkies who were volunteering at the fire department a block away come running.  “Do you need help with her?!” They were yelling in a violent blood lust tone.  The entire time the cop is still wrestling with her yelling “You’re resisting, you’re resisting.”  Alyce was questioning “What did I do? What did I do?”

I’ll be honest here for a bit:  This seems like a good case of the St. Martinville Police Department doing their job.  Except that two weeks ago I called and complained of a man walking up and down the street yelling, cursing and talking about how he was gonna kill a cop.  The response I was given was “Oh yah, that’s the man who’s been doing that from main and Hyacinth.  He’s alright.”  And yet Alyce who was quiet and more of a minor annoyance then anything else, is worth tackling to the ground?  It’s confusing to me.  Especially when you throw these 3 young white guys into the mix of this racially motivated small town on the bayou, it just gets fishy.

My wife and I were deeply disturbed by the entire event and I can now say it is something I never wanted to see live.  Anyway, that was just the end to another Day of Rest.

There is the employment page on the  Wesleyan website and even on IWU’s ministry home page where church’s can post jobs.  You can even find something at Tony Morgan’s site.  But there is nothing where young or old ministers can post resumes or put themselves out there.  Anyone have any ideas on how to start something like this.

Also, a side note, can anyone really tell how someone works (ministry or otherwise) from a resume?

Last week, almost quite randomly, the Hope Center saw about 60 people blessed simply and practically.  Let me set this up for you.

Each week we have about 60 people come in to get groceries for about 100 people (for mothers, themselves, and family members mostly).  We usually have a bag of rice, beans or spaghetti then about 4-5 other cans of “sides.”   Lately we’ve received a lot of random donations that don’t fit into our normal commodity hand outs.  We’ve received everything from canes and crutches to fabric softener and place mats.  We were planning on having a huge Block Party with a Health Fair to celebrate our 1 year anniversary in St. Martinville so we needed to clear out some room.  At about 4 pm we decided to put these random items on various tables.  Food was on a few tables, shampoos and hygiene products on another and so forth.  We had about 10 tables FILLED when we started.  It was like setting up for a yard sale, except we were holding it at 5 pm instead of 5 am, and everything was free instead of mostly free.

At 5pm, as usual, we start the food pantry.  People walk into our foyer, sign in, then go through the small door to the back room to receive prayer and food.  The looks on their faces when they saw the vault of treasure was priceless.  Almost everyone said “Who dat fer?”  With excitement we exclaimed “For YOU!”  Their eyes lit up.  

The first person to come through, “Foot” they call him, because he has a regular foot and a club foot, always always always asks for things beyond what we can give.   “I can have the sofa? That Picture? That 1 gallon jar of Jalapenos?”  He was one I was kind of worried about.  We wanted everyone to be able to have an equal shot at some of the goods and Foot is definitely one to take as much as he wants for his times of need later in the year.  However, he came up to me afterwards, with his bag of food and his bag of goods and said “Pastor Tim, I only got one of everything.  See ya gotta leave for the others who need it.”

This may not seem like a giant revelation or a major win in most people’s books, but that is CHANGE.  The community is changing, and Christ is doing it.  On Saturday we had our block party.  We had free red beans and rice (soo good), fun jumps and jousts, and free pregnancy and HIV tests.  The first person to show up, was Foot…and he brought his friends.  It’s touching, and really almost brings a tear to my eye thinking about it.  The joy that comes from seeing a seed start to grow is minuscule in real life compared to seeing the fallow ground begin to finally and with justice have seed.

In Proverbs 13:23 says “The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food, but it is swept away through injustice.”   Fallow ground is ground that is plowed and worked but there is no seed sown.  It is an injustice, scripture tells us, that there is no seed for the poor.

I also have seen a difference in scripture between the poor and those who have poverty come upon them.  The poor seem to be the ones that are a victim of injustice and circumstances, where as those who are in poverty are victims of their own consequences.

Regardless, Thursday was a day where debts were alleviated and equality was grasped, maybe if only for a brief moment, in a time of jubilee.

                          Foot and Me

From now on, when there isn’t a certain topic to write about, I’ll just list things on my mind, like Heath does.

1. Katie and I received a cool hand made oil lamp (from some fancy place in N.C.) and I just lit it for the first time.  I’m sitting at a mahogany desk with a worn green leather top I supposed was for handwriting personal letters, in the dark with this lamp…in our 105 year old house.  Everything is old and nostalgic, including my dell laptop from 2003.

2.  I’ve been learning to play the guitar since 1995.  I still only know 4 chords, should I give the dream up? Maybe I’ll sell my two guitars and buy a Wii and guitar hero.

3. This week has been very hectic, with some late nights (house renovations) and early mornings (Bible Studies, church meetings), and it’s all culminating Saturday at the Hope Center Anniversary Party.  801 S. Main street in St. Martinville, LA.  Come if you want, there will be free food and free confidental HIV/AIDs testing.  Sign me up!

4.  I’m realizing why Heath likes the lists so much.  They allow for some downloading without details.  I can also jump around too.

5.  Today I’ve had some thoughts rolling around in my head about WWII and the “atomic veterans.”  There will be a more thought provoking post about that later.

6.  If you could dream, would you?  And if you did dream, but didn’t see it through, was there a point in dreaming?

I know the video has been out for awhile, but I went back to it today.  There is something timeless about it, some Truth in the words that still resonates today.
 
The video is Hurt, by Johnny Cash.  The man took a song about heroin addiction by Trent Reznor, and made it gospel.
 
To see Johnny Cash, seemingly contemplate his life as he lazily sings the words to this song.  Flashes of his music, his life, his accomplishments and failures come to the screen. 

 
The part that gets me is June though.  As he says “what have I become my sweetest friend, everyone I know goes away in the end.  And you could have it all, my empire of dirt…”  June is looking on at him, as he is at the crux of the song/life, frustrated with himself.  Frustrated with  his choices.  He begins to pour his glass of wine on the luxurious spread of lobster and caviar before him.  June continues to look on from the staircase, in helpless sympathy.
 
 
“So, Kirkpatrick, what’s the deal right?  John lived a tough life and was just covering a song to sell some records.”
 
This is what I’m getting to; I think Johnny was looking back on his life, the good and the bad, and was questioning if he had done the best with what he was given.  In the end of Saving Private Ryan, Ryan asks his wife if he “did good” with the life he was given.  I think it was close to 8 men who died to save him.  What did he do with that life? 
 
Some people think stewardship is just finaces.  Especially people who have a lot of finances (or friends of people with a lot of finances like Howard).  I’m not advocating selling all your possessions and giving them to the poor.  That was Christ who said it.  I’m advocating what Lenord Ravenhill said “What are you doing with your life?!”  In talking about John Wesley, who had set a liveable salary for himself and lived on no more then that the rest of his life…giving away one year 98% of his income (nearly $2million modern day money), Ravenhill quietly explains “When John died after 53 years of ministry he left a series of books/journals, a Geneva gown which he preached in all over Europe and America and 6 – 1 pound notes for each of the poor paupers who carried him to his grave…and there was one more thing, what was it.”  Dramatic pause, “Oh yes, THE METHODIST CHURCH.  What are you doing with your life?  Sure John made money but he printed bibles, sure John made money but he built orphanages.  What are you doing with your life?”
 
What are we doing with our life?  We, as Americans, can treat full time ministry like a right.  I have to be gainfully and wholly employeed by a church full-time so I won’t have to have the faith for God to provide.  If I don’t get paid full-time then I just can’t minister.  I am guilty of this!  What a disgrace!  90% of the ministers in the world receive their income from faith and a full-time labor job.
 
That’s just the ministers, but what about everyone else.  It doesn’t have to be money, or even Christian.  A famous Christian, MLK Jr. though, changed history just by his conviction.  I heard a man say MLK’s life and conviction changed America’s view on racism more then a President, and a Civil War could, in which many lives were laid down. 
 
What are we doing?  Our generation is so desperate for causes, something to live or die for, that we fall back on changing our light bulbs from a mercury filled “edison” bulb, to a mercury filled squiggly bulb.  In the past other generations had cool causes, like slavery, racism, women’s rights.  We’re reaching for anything and molding the gospel around it to make it all work together.  Don’t get me wrong, “Going Green” might just be biblical, but it’s a poor excuse for the gospel.  The real cause to grab ahold of is personal holiness.  A stewardship of every aspect of our life.  Our finances, our relationships, our life.  When that is wholly devoted to the Lord, then I think we’ll see some real change.
 
What are you doing?  What can we do?
 
Let me know, let’s get some ideas going.  Microfinance anyone?  Church planting?