Ubuntu : Humanity : Vulnerability

Hope and peace are worth listening and living toward

UBUNTU

HUMANITY

VULNERABILITY

The three videos below give us a place to begin speaking into the radiance of humanity, of our humanness, of our shared beauty and brilliance. Of the monsters in our closets and the moments we're too ashamed to mention. Of our ability to soar on wings like eagles and slit throats. Of our misconceptions, glorious triumphs, and failed attempts. Of our world and what we see in us. Of our intense complexity, power, love, passion, confusion, intention, fear, and peace. What an overlooked privilege and responsibility it is to be entrusted as human.

Watch these video clips, not all at once though. Watch them slowly, think about them, their implications, the inferences you can make based on them, how they challenge and/or bolster what you've accepted as true and certain, what will you do now that you know this?

These clips are a good jumping point and I hope they leave you asking good questions... let's invite one another into wading though our thoughts, actions, and ideals together... it can be quiet puzzling, but we are not hopeless or helpless, though it may feel that way at times.

Chew thoroughly.

UBUNTU (1 of 3 from my trip to SA)

PHILIP ZIMBARDO: RESEARCH, HUMANITY, POWER, GOOD/EVIL

BRENE BROWN: THE POWER OF VULNERABILITY

Radical interdependence.

Shalom.

Systemic and systematic evaluation, empowerment and reform.

as always, thoughtful and respectfully provoking comments are requested

Spring 2010 Snippet

I was flipping through an old journal the other day and ran across this. It was flanked by reflections on how our South African preparations were coming along so far. With issues of race, class, religion, war, peace, humanity, violence, and justice dripping from every pre-departure reading I was just kicking around a few thoughts involving serious "buzz words" like justice and grace.

Journal Entry Snippet

8 March 2010

... Justice is good. Grace is better. God is both.

What would happen if people began to buy into the fact that there is no person who is more important or less important than someone else? What if people began to believe that they are inherently valuable and worthy? period. They were before they achieved one thing and they will be equally precious ever after a billion failures. That God has loved us 1st, reconciled us to Himself, and through the greatest demonstration of love ever displayed He justified us through FAITH, through our BELIEF, through our "buying in" to the fact that what we do, how we strive, and our petty attempts to be good enough... or at least better than the next guy ... won't actually get us anywhere.

Our momentary successes achieve us nothing more than one more thing to dust. Once we begin to grasp this concept we are entertaining the idea of grace and justification. Can we humble ourselves enough to see our striving for perfection can only lead to 2 things: failure &/or self loathing. We will NEVER maintain "good enough" for long enough. But since we are continually trying to justify our worth through external pursuits, we must constantly PROVE that we are better than other people. Thus,

we criticize where we could encourage,

we reject where we could embrace,

we distance when we could draw near.

Our fear of inadequacy blends with our disbelief and insecurities, to manifest itself in self-centered, prideful, greedy thoughts, which turn into behaviors, which turn into norms, which we accept and subtly intoxicate generations of people and entire nations with. Our disbelief in the gospel is raping ourselves, our humanity, and our world.

Love manifested in public is viewed as justice.

God wants lovers, not workers.

...

Complexicated. Peace Building

Tempe, Arizona, USA

A wise and free man recently coined the term "complexicated". What is it? I'll define it in a simile.

The meaning of shalom is to the word peace as the meaning of complexicated is to the words complex and complicated.

Peace building is not tidy and it does not follow a straight path. It is rarely quick and never painless. To pursue peace building, reconciliation, forgiveness, and/or shalom is to purposefully place yourself in a state of unconditional surrender to the will and nature of Christ, it is to have a "yes" in your heart, and a tender confidence about your acts of love. It is to respond to the heart of the Father and the thoughts He has of you, so you might lead an uncanny life of love and grace, repentance and compassion, of faith in action.

I am writing on this because my time in South Africa continues to impact the way I think and act, especially in moments like these.

Currently, I have the opportunity to practice what was demonstrated to me in South Africa about coming to the table, the posturing of our hearts and humility of our minds when honorably engaging confrontation, the ways and foundation of facilitation, how salient and healing the truth is, the importance of being quick to listen and seek understanding, why/how to creatively approach concepts, etc. These were some of the concepts we dove into and got stuck in while I was in South Africa and they continue to impact my thinking and actions. So much of my heart and character have been revealed and refined over the past nine months, especially the past 5ish, and I am forever grateful that my journey intertwined with such remarkable and compassionate people.

I am deeply grateful for the example Teri & Gordon displayed by showing me what healthy communication can look like and making space for all views, those lessons have been so helpful... as many things have come very fast and as a giant surprise the past few days. There is much to say and many details I have not mentioned, but re-hashing details is not why I'm writing, I am writing to encourage and express my gratitude for my Directors' lives and sacrifices, and to openly express my admiration of their personalities, uncommon lives, and creative giftings. To give real life testimony to the impact they had on me and the way God has used them in my life to encourage, challenge, and spur me on.

The spurring and transformation of my mind have finally arrived at a place where those lessons can be carried out in a significant manner. This opportunity has come as a result of the trouble I am having in processing some community leaders behaviors and what they show value for. My heart is tender and broken right now. So much is happening and it all seems so unjust and broken. I am deeply grieved, saddened, & hurt. Yet hopeful and certain of the goodness of God. This is a place of such wretched tension and glorious demand, of shalom for the beloved. I believe humans are my family and my opposition is in the spiritual realm, so grace is abounding. I am praying to discern God's voice, receive His love, repent completely, and stand dressed and ready in the full armor Knowing His love for me & delight in me. God is shalom and chesed, may I know Him as such.

Please watch the following clip and consider this perspective prior to continuing:

I watched that clip about 5 minutes ago and wanted to share it with you ;]

In light of the lessons that have settled deep in my heart from South Africa and my desire to honor and demonstrate Abba's heart in my conduct, especially when attempting to engage in confrontation from a Kingdom perspective, I would like to share some of my first thoughts about entering conflict.

My Preliminary

Thoughts on Personal Preparation for Mediation & Conflict Facilitation:

1. Know yourself and your core values

2. Examine and weigh the true motive behind your anticipated/desired actions

3. Seek to add value to, edify, exhort, and empower people. Treat everyone in-line with how God views them (remember, Christ already took our punishment)

4. Be process oriented. Extend an invitation to dialogue and reach understanding

5. ALWAYS conduct yourself in a way that is consistent with #1

6. Be 100% yourself and accept the others as well

7. Recognize the origin of the "problem" and approach with tenderness and confidence

8. Engage fully, be transparent, seek truth and reconciliation

9. "Set the table" by creating an atmosphere of GRACE where safety (and, if possible, trust) is the priority

10. Align your heart with God's and soak it all in prayer

Ideally, all of those would be worked though PRIOR to engaging with conflict, but we act out of the overflow of our hearts, so hopefully we are becoming a people with pure hearts and overwhelming love.

I truly desire to be a peace-maker as empowered by the Holy Spirit, to call forth the greatness in people and glorify God through it, to kneel with grace, rise among the saints, and be a conduit for healing to touch earth from our holistic Lord. I know this process must soaked in prayer and saturated with the goodness and mercy of God, so keep that in mind, as I have assumed that to be understood. This perspective is relatively new to me, but as my value for wholeness and shalom increase, I am trying to navigate my way through life in such a way that I become my message.

OFFER WISDOM:

I am young and an idealist, but there is an innocence about youth that is beautiful and blinding, so what are you thoughts on how to approach conflict? In your opinion, what is the desired posturing of a heart when in the hea(r)t of a moment? Why?

There are zillion scriptures that come to mind with this topic (conflict, shalom, forgiveness, justice, personal ownership, etc), but which one(s) do you draw from?

Thoughts on the video clip?

I would like to hear and weigh any advice you might have for me as I make a life of truth seeking, facilitation, healing, and next steps. If you have advice from your experiences, would you please share some with me/us?

Words are powerful, but actions are revealing.