I didn't receive any chocolates this year, like all the previous years from what I can recall, honestly no big suprise. But it's not that I could eat them anyways, no I'm not on a "diet" nor did I start lent early this year... I'm vegan. But that's not the point of this blog to discuss me because that's what my own blog is for (which you are free to read if you can track it down on myspace). But it is sort of the point. I was talking with Leaha, an SFU student, who just happened be a teammate on the Perm trip in 2003. We're were talking about the events of last week, my being given an awesome new job to have it taken away, and the issue that at my core I am expecting God to continually flame my passion - medicine and that whenever something goes wrong I find myself yelling, "What are you doing letting them blow on the flame?" But doesn't a flame that doesn't extinguish after being blown on burn hotter, stronger? It's that always the case, we want to be cuddled, protected from the true nature of our faith and this world? And with that comes where my veganism and our conversation got interesting. It's my frustration at all that is North American Christianity and it's lack of genunine community - I hear over and over that no one wants to go to C&C or related activities because it's fake... it's all fake. I know it all to well, and I've had enough of it, I've had enough of watching my peers become disillusioned by it all. The thing that frustrates me the most I guess is that now being vegan, and I'm going to say I am, is that they (vegans) have this amazing supportive community, that nurtures regardless of perfection, we all have those moments of weakness when that cheesecake or what have you gets to you. They blog about it, they form groups to bake and talk about and in the process seek to impact their communities on every level - isn't the Church suppose to look like that - like crazy hippies who value love, life and community over their new house, BMW parked across two spaces in the church parking lot, or their mega church with all the gloss you can handle... The more I look at the Todd Agnew lyrics for "My Jesus" the more I see my Jesus as the dreadhead guy who sells me my organic raw vegan food, and less like the man who was going to be my boss - Hugo Boss suit, palm pilot in one hand and his Starbucks triple grande soy, no foam, extra hot latte in the other...
How about you? Do you think it's important to make changes in your life to set yourself apart? And therefor drawn nearer to Him, and His truth.
2 comments:
hey, Jenn. Setting your self apart? Are we talking the quest for identity here, or biblical holiness? Being who we are is a personal value for me. But recognizing weaknessess, and incongruencies and trying to change them to be congruent with who God has called me to be is part of that process.
Hear! Hear! Let's do away with the mega churches and all their gloss! While I can almost be convinced that historically nicely decorated churches were an asset (I have a few reasons for that), now adays there's no need. Why try to take away from, or worse add to, the one that you're gathered to?
While the author in no way equated the two, I fear that the two subjects may become interconnected in readers' minds. Hence, "mmmm meat". The scriptures in no way encourage vegetarianism. However, the point made is really good, support groups are sooo beneficial! Good point.
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