"calling..."

Christianese...you know, the language in which Christians communicate. My Executive Director (ED) commented today that he was sick of hearing the word "missional." That made me think...what other "Christian" lingo am I sick of hearing because they are overused and often misused as well. First word to mind? CALLING!

Throughout undergrad, I heard Christians say - and I probably said this fairly often myself - "I just wish I knew my calling." Calling became our magic word. If someone didn't like what you were doing, simply say, "I'm called to it." Immediate communication: God told me to do this, so back off!

Then I wondered, am I doing that now? Am I using christianese to justify being with UrbanPromise?

No...not really...and yet... there are definitely times when I realize that I'm defensive. Whether it's about the choice to work with UrbanPromise or now when I'm contemplating returning to school. How do I say that I was "called" to this work 2 years ago, and now I'm "called" to go to law school? I'm presented with a quandary...

But within that quandary is the answer. The calling received by each person in the Bible was not to a specific work alone, but to a broader issue pouring from the heart of God. Moses was called to lead the people of Israel to freedom because God heard their cry - this was not restricted to Canaan. Deborah was called to be a judge and prophetess for God - and ended up leading them in worship to a victorious battle. The prophets, both major and minor, were called to speak the truth of God in times when the people weren't listening.

What is my calling? To fight for justice, and access justice, for those who need it most. What is your calling?

Lessons on friendship from 8 year old girls

note: this message may apply to estrogen only...

"I don't want to be her friend!" "Well, I don't like you either!" 3..2...1.. TEARS!

This is a familiar refrain at Freedom. Two girls, Shannon and Vicki, are the ringleaders of the girls. Every single female under the age of 10 MUST do their will. When they're friends, everyone's happy. But when they're fighting with each other, well, I need to do some quick damage control.

Things got waaayyy out of hand one day when I happened upon Vicki crying because Shannon said she was going to beat her up and get her kicked out of their "secret" club. Which one bothered Vicki more, I wondered. Clearly, it was being forced out of her own club. So, being the wise, Spirit led missionary that I am, I brought both girls to the office and asked if they wanted to be friends. Good idea? NO! Shannon didn't, Vicki did. What to do now...

As I sat in my office, watching the girls write letters saying how they can be "respectful" without being friends, I realized that the majority of women never move past the 8 year old stage. We find ways to be nice about it, but when it comes down to it, we want to be in the club. The confusion comes in when we think we're Shannon, and discover we're really Vicki. We think we're the one making the decision about whose in and whose out - only to find ourselves staring at a closed door.

So what do we do then? The door's closed, the pain of losing a friend is there, and we're all cried out? Let's see what the girls came up with:

• share toys when the other person needs it
• don't steal snack from the other person
• let the other person play a game (even if you make them lose)
• don't laugh at the other person behind their back (only in front of them when they're laughing too)

Simplistic? Maybe...but how wonderful the world would be if we went back to the basics. Oh and Shannon and Vicki: best friends again.