Nude Feet (Pt. 2)

About 75 miles of the Appalachian Trail (AT) wind through the mountains of North Georgia. It has been calling my name since I got lost on it about 6 years ago, and my desire to run the entire Georgia section has intensified after a hike to the top of Blood Mountain, the highest point on the trail in Georgia.

So here is the idea: My brother Eric and I train all summer for long-distance, barefoot trail running. The last week before he returns to college, we begin running the AT in 15-20 mile chunks. Our support team (Ruthie, anyone else who wants to see us suffer) will travel to meeting points where we will set up camp, eat, rest, and prepare for the next day. Over five days, we will run the whole GA section of the AT.

So what does this have to do with our ministry? Plenty. We will be doing the run to raise money for the arts program at a local school, in order to improve our community, build relationships within the school, and demonstrate God's love in a way that will provide creative opportunities for the neighborhood.

I sent an e-mail to barefooting legend Barefoot Rick, who has a huge heart for ministry. I told him about the plan, and he is praying about the possibility of running with us. He offered me some great tips, and suggested Isaiah 52:7 as a theme verse.

"How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'"

It's funny how well this verse fits with our vision for this run. Thanks, Rick!

I'll post information on how to contribute once I work out the logistics with the school, but look for more information as August draws nearer.

O Canyoneers!

Last week, my friend Charles Chung, my brother Eric, and I embarked on a Mantastic journey to Utah. While there, we camped at Canyonlands National Park and went running, hiking, and bouldering, with or without shoes. Here are a few pics:

From the Arch

Before I unveil the idea advertised in the last post, and before I go into detail on where I was over the last five days, and before we get on with all that we must get on with, I would like to show you this photo of Mesa Arch holding my brother Eric and me as we peer, awestruck, at the thousands of feet between us and a canyon floor. This was taken two days ago.

Nude Feet

Those of you who read my facebook or spend any kind of time with me know that I have a new obsession - barefoot running.

A couple of my mentors, when I told them about the injuries that keep me from running, mentioned that there are ways I can run to improve my health instead of damaging it. My research led me to a whole community of runners who are healing from injuries and running greater distances by unleashing and listening to their feet instead of insulating them.

While the data on this is still coming in (research generally happens wherever money will take it, and Nike ain't paying for any research on the benefits of running without shoes), I've seen so much improvement in my knee pain, form, endurance, speed, and just plain enjoyment of the run that I'm now a big believer in barefooting.

I've been running either in my bare feet or in a minimal pair of running shoes called Vibram FiveFingers (pictured above, right after their inaugural 4-mile trail run).

So Ian, why exactly are you telling us this on your ministry blog?

Because I have an idea, which I will post on this blog shortly, which ties my passion with barefooting and my desire to see refugees get educational opportunities.

To be continued...

Sacramental service

I've been corrected by Christian hipsters when I used the word, "sacred," because there's a cultural shift away from the sacred vs. secular mindset. For the most part, I agree with this shift. I think we often miss redemptive opportunities because we dismiss conversations or art work or tasks or people as "secular," and outside of the realm of "spiritual" Importance.

But I do think that, once we understand that even the smallest impulses of our hearts have sacred significance, there are certain actions or moments worth setting aside, worth treating as "sacred," because they bring the rest of our lives into focus. So when I speak of sacrament, I mean those God-given, significant activities that help to re-center us, and to turn hearts and minds back upon their creator.

Jesus set the eating of bread and the drinking of wine as a sacramental activity, to bring his followers into communion with Him. "This is my body, broken for you." "This is my blood, shed for you."

So we Christians treat communion with a special reverence, because it brings us in contact with Christ.

What I've been impressed by in the last few years is the power of serving the poor when we give it the same sacramental weight. Even as we do it to the least of these, we do it unto Him. It's so similar to communion in the way we encounter Christ when we serve the poor.

I've wrestled with the volume of the task before us. We can't really solve even one person's problems. We can't make someone realize the power of the gospel. We can't feed everyone, prevent all abuse, bring everyone to Christ.

When you look at it carefully, there's not really much we can do at all.

But we have been sent out to work nonetheless. So how do we sustain our desire to do the work? What holds us to the task? What refreshes and grows us if we're charging a hill we know we can't climb?

When we serve, we grow in relationship with Christ. So, when I face the kids, I wait expectantly for revelation. When I see the gang graffiti on our walls, I ask how I can meet Christ there.

I dig in to the community because, when I treat ministry as a sacrament, when I set out to discover Love, the work gives life instead of taking it. It refreshes and motivates me because the heart of my creator is hidden in the act of loving my neighbors.

So what of the harvest, then? I believe that the sacramental perspective actually makes me care more deeply, work more heartily, think more clearly, and get more done.

When I entered this ministry, I did it because I needed it to sustain my spirit. The call to minister was the call to grow in Christ.

Not that everyone should live in my neighborhood or do what I do, but I believe that a Christian who wants to know Christ should be engaged in loving service to those around them. Not doing so is like skipping out on communion, like living apart from your spouse, like refusing to eat.

Ministry is a sacrament. It has been given to us that we may live more fully, love more deeply, and experience union with Christ, who is the beating heart of the Christian's life.

Lessons Learned, Relearned

Those of you who got our last newsletter, read about how a burglary attempt at a local bike co-op turned into a conversation about grace.

Today, we had another chance to take a seemingly bad moment and seek a redemptive response. We went into one of the rooms in the apartment to find the words "You Fuck" written on our futon in marker.

Presumably, the author of this statement got the words reversed, but the message still gets across to a discerning reader. The kids who had come for help on their homework had already started to argue about who had done it.

I fumed for a while, running down that usual line of, What did we ever do to the ungrateful brat who wrote that? How could they do this to us? but I didn't get anywhere. I just kept feeling angrier. Then I pulled away into a locked room and prayed, mainly so I could calm down.

We gathered the kids into our living room for a talk, and I decided to use this as an opportunity to explain to them why we decided to move into their neighborhood. It gave me a chance to talk about how forgiving God has been to me, and how we want them to know about his grace.

We went on to talk about the fruit of the Spirit, ending with a rousing song, and then we sent them home.

I go crazy sometimes worrying about how we are doing. Wondering what the long-term impact of this work is going to be. Wondering if our methodology is effective. Tinkering with Mission and Vision statements. Then there are some days, like today, where things fly in the face of my plans, and in my weakness, Christ's truth has a chance to move.

I pray that next time an opportunity arises, I won't get so worked up and prideful before I see the redemptive opportunity before me.

Nepal Nation Celebration

One of the key ministries of Refugee Arts is to provide opportunities for relationships between local churches and the immigrant/refugee populations.

We hosted a "Nation Celebration" at Open Table Community to relate with our Nepali neighbors. Several Bhutanese/Nepali refugees came out to tell their stories, share a meal, and sing songs with us.

Their words and presence helped open our eyes to a God that works beyond and through cultural boundaries to show His love.

Here are a few pictures of the event: