Excerpts from "Irresistible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne PART FOUR

Any time we make a radical conversion, there is the danger that people will say we are being brainwashed or are joining a cult.

We need minds that are renewed and uncluttered so they are free to dream again.
...we are forming an alternative culture.

Belief is only the beginning. What really matters is how we live, how what we believe gets fleshed out...

...people come forward with fire in their eyes and say, 'We have been dreaming the same dreams.'...

What the world needs is people who believe so much in another world that the cannot help but begin enacting it now.

True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that a system that produces beggars needs to be repaved.

-- Dr Martin Luther King

Jesus is not seeking distant acts of charity. He seeks concrete acts of love.

As we study the Scriptures, we see how many texts we have misread, contextualized, and exegeted to hear what we want to. ((not sure where the problem in contextualizing and exegeting is...))

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" Matt 5:6 But,In the Hebrew, the same word is used for righteousness and justice.

Coming-of-age

I've noticed that any time there is a teenage love story movie, it's oft times referred to as a "coming-of-age story."  That's funny to me.  Does that mean that to "come of age," you have to fall in love?  Does this mean that I've never come of age... Come of age for what?

A lot of times, I look at young love.  I look at teenagers and I see something that I never had.  I have to wonder if that's good or bad....is it ok?

So many people give me that line... "You should be happy you haven't given away your heart completely yet."

Maybe I will be happy about that when I meet him.  But, right now, I feel so dang old.  I feel too old to be coming of age.  I'm about to embark on an adventure so many dream of.  I'm about to embark on an adventure that I wouldn't be able to go on if I were married or in a serious relationship.  It's even on my DREAMS list from second year... Live in another country for more than 6 months.

What is it about life that makes us feel that we can't be youthful past a certain age?  That it is too late for us to experience things for the first time?

What is my story about to look like?

Wedding Dream :(

Last night, I prayed for God to give me a dream because I felt like I hadn't dreamt in awhile.
And then, I have BEEN thinking for the past few days how this guy that I've been interested in just might not be the one for me....even though he's so much that I want. A friend of mine told me to ask Holy Spirit about it and I was confused because I don't feel physically attracted to him. I love his mind, his goals, and I even do logically find him attractive. But, I've wondered "what's going on"....So, then I have this dream:

There's this guy I BARELY know and, apparently, we're gonna get married. Some people tell him that he'll have to go on unemployment and then someone accuses him of marrying me to pay for everything for him. His brother is a drunk and wants me to take him to a drug test as per a court ruling like 30 minutes before my wedding. I am so if-y about this wedding that I'm seriously anxious. I start thinking, "Well, if it's not meant to be, we can just get a divorce." That makes my insides hurt and I feel sick to my stomach. So, I have this talk with my betrothed and he says that I'm his dream. And, then he kisses me. I guess I romanticize it because I start crying. While crying, I tell him, "For 26 years, every guy that has tried to kiss me, I back away. I have waited for you. Against ALL ODDS, I have literally WAITED for you. And THAT RIGHT THERE was my first kiss. I have waited for 26 years to have my first kiss on my wedding day." But, I'm not mad as I say it -- But, I should've been. This guy I admitedly barely know just took my first kiss...because he barely knows me and doesn't know what it costs.
So then I'm barely on board for this wedding. It turns to the wedding day.

Everyone I know is excited for me. Old friends have shown up.... Alexa, Alysia...

As I walk down the sidewalk, already in my beautiful wedding dress, I'm noticing that everything has been planned FOR me and I don't like it. For one,it's an outdoor wedding in a kind of warm time of year. I've always wanted a winter wedding....either indoors, candlelit --- or outdoors in some snow (although that's hard because I want my guests to have a good time, not freeze, but anyways...). The groomsmen and bridesmaids are running around in pink and teal colors. I've always wanted black and red and silver for my wedding colors. Literally, this wedding is the complete opposite of everything I've wanted. My fiance however is completely gorgeous and dark-headed... I accidentally rear-end someone's car....but when I back up my car to survey the damage, neither car is damaged. So, I'm sitting here freaking out and everyone is just like LA LA LA....

My mom comes up to the car and starts trying to take pictures of her and I but can never get the camera on us two. At the last minute, it turns to the side and gets all these random guests milling around. I ask her where Josh is and she says that he couldn't come. I text him and he texts back a like, "alksdjiouf!!" like he forgot to come or something...even though it's out of state. Someone starts ranting, "He's had ALL OF OCTOBER to get a plane ticket!" And it makes me really sad. That's all I start focusing on. That my little brother isn't here for my wedding...that I barely want to be a part of.

I keep going back and forth.... should I just do it? Or do I have the guts to call this off? Would we even be happy together? Would our life be full of moments where we prayed into the night for the things we dream of together? Does He even love God? Will he even love me? What if I spend a great portion of my life unhappy and trying to please him (like I did with Joe) instead of fulfilling my life and dreams? How the heck can I have sex with him tonight when I feel like I can't even pick him out of this huge crowd of people? How did I meet this guy?

Wake up.

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