Dr. Mary Poplin and Finding YOUR Calcutta (part 2)

As promised, here are other thoughts Mary shared that have stuck with me:

• We're all slaves to something. Paul often referred to himself as a bondservant of Christ - Christians are slaves to Jesus!  Mother Teresa lived this out.  Based upon Matthew 25:31-46, she cared for the poor, but her primary service was to Jesus.  So when she was looking into the face of an untouchable - feeding, bathing, or hugging - it was as if she were feeding, bathing, or hugging her Lord.

• Her advice to a young speaker and writer:
• study people who are doing what you'd ultimately like to do, for me Beth Moore and Joyce Meyer types.
• think about who you can help - this is likely "your" best target audience
• think about what grieves you most - that's likely your Calcutta

• On abortion:  In her book, Mary shares about her own abortion experience and the process of accepting God's forgiveness.  I mentioned how I really appreciated that she included that.  Then, she shared a story of a woman who came to her after a talk distraught because, while Mary was not a Christian when she aborted, this girl was and "should have known better."  Mary said the Lord immediately brought King David to mind - the man after God's own heart, God's anointed king of Isreal - who committed adultery and had the woman's husband murdered in battle.  He knew God; God forgave Him.  Profound.  Is our God not full of mercy?

I loved being with Mary.  Her heart is so warm, her mind so keen.  I most appreciate her understanding that all of us Christians need each other, the Presbyterian needs the Pentecostal, the Catholic needs the Baptist, the Eastern needs the Western, and vice-versa on all of those!  Her heart is open to learning more and God has used this to shape her life/ministry (I have to write it that way, for they are one, as per Ephesians 4.)  In her book, on a chapter about the Church she says, Isn't it a magnificent thing to be a molecule in the body of Christ.  No mater where we live in the world, we are instantly joined to a larger body. p. 138

I'll leave you with this final teaser if you want to get to know more about Mary and her experiences with Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity, from her book Finding Calcutta: What Mother Teresa Taught Me About Meaningful Work and Service.

At night, [after her time in Calcutta] I would lie wake and reflect on the various stories of miracles among the Missionaries, the healing of Babloo, his love for the picture of Jesus, the bottle nipple that arrived just in time, the Indian money, the special help to the Delhi Plane, the entry into the cloistered monastery, the voice from the icon ... So many experiences rolled around in me with nowhere to put them.  I hardly had any categories that could accommodate my experiences.  My old categories of coincidence and serendipity crumbled under the weight of new experiences and understandings.The Lord was resurrecting something that had long laid dormant in me, and I was beginning to come more alive.  I felt like a child allowed into my Father's study for the first time to experience certain secrets.  I was seeing things t I had never noticed before.  Like a child, I was pointing to them and waiting for him to give me the word.  p. 146

Dr. Mary Poplin and Finding YOUR Calcutta (part 1)

With tea steaming in a teapot, banana muffins arranged on a plate, and  pencil and paper by my seat, we were ready for Mary and Tom's visit last Friday afternoon.*  Upon their arrival, we got the kids settled in front of a Mr. Rogers DVD and made our way into the kitchen for adult chatter.

From small talk about Mary's travels and her impressions of Pittsburgh (she got to spend a little time in a beautiful neighborhood called Shadyside and loved it), we moved into my questions for her.  They weren't really questions at all, I suppose.  All morning I had agonized about how to best use those 45 minutes.  Finally, it occurred to me to pray.  (I'm a slow one!)  So while ironing, about an hour before they arrived, I got some inspiration, praise the Lord!  Rather than ask specific questions, I would simply ask for her thoughts on four things and how they relate to the Christian: community, the Holy Spirit, prayer, and scripture.

I didn't record our interview, as it was more of a conversation, but I want to share Mary's thoughts (quotes in italics), as best I can from my notes.  She began with Scripture and went from there.

SCRIPTURE:  Read the Bible as what you are, so you can serve best where you are.  For example, Mary is in education.  She once read through the Bible paying attention to words like understanding, knowledge, wisdom, learning, etc.  Then she was thoroughly equipped to filter thoughts about education through the Scriptures and better serve as a teacher and researcher.  For me, she suggested paying close attention to what the Bible says to and about being a mother or wife.

PRAYER: nothing happens without it.  She went on to share how critical prayer is for the Christian.  We need people praying for us and with us.  Mary is firmly convinced of the power of prayer and the covering it puts over us.  In her experience, it's often people who are not where she's speaking who are those that cover her speaking engagements in prayer.  And she practices what she preaches, she and friend pray together every day - even though they live in different places.

HOLY SPIRIT: has been "lost" in the West with the rise of secularism.  She also stated that pantheism (Buddhism) has moved in where Christianity has vacated.  Meaning that the Eastern religions with their "spiritualness" are appealing, because Western Christians have left out the Holy Spirit: that there is a God at work in supernatural ways, in our world, right now.  The gospel spreads quickly and we hear more of miraculous stories in poorer nations, because there's something about lack of self-sufficiency that enables us to believe in the Spirit's work.

COMMUNITY: only a part of Christ can really get along with others who are different.  The Christian Church is the only true multi-cultural faith, not bound by any specific culture.  Anywhere a believer goes in the world, he can find others believers.  But for this to happen, there has to be a common head.  For the church, that is Christ.  Sadly, we hate authority, so submitting to Him as head challenges us, particularly here in the West.

I really appreciated Mary's thoughts.  Throughout her Christian life, God has had her on a journey  integrating her faith into all of life, even life in the academy.  What a good reminder that the Lord rules not only in our life when we're in a church pew, but also in our kitchens, our offices, our bedrooms, and our shopping centers.

As Jesus said, "Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.  I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."  John 15:4-5

Mary shared a few more things that I'd love to share.  Stay tuned for Part 2!

*Please read here to get the story on how I came to meet Dr. Poplin.

God, My Strength

O my Strength, I sing praise to You;

You, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.

Psalm 59:9 &17

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness."  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power my rest on me.  That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.        ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Where have you been feeling your weakness?  Have you seen Christ's power made perfect in your weakness?  How might you ask God to help you see how Christ's power might be made perfect in your weakness?

God, our Strength, our Fortress, our Refuge, let us know and abide in You today, forsaking self-reliance and trusting in You alone.

God's Faithfulness: Meeting Dr. Mary Poplin

Who is like our God?

Here's the back story:

In college, I was involved with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF).  Sidenote: Met Colin there, yup!  The first two years, Tom Grosh was our staff worker.  He trained us well in Bible study and alway encouraged us to seek the Lord, get to know the Word, step out in faith.  I learned a lot from Tom.

We've maintained a connection over the years through prayer/support emails for him and his family and seeing each other a few times.  This past summer, now that we're back in Pittsburgh, we were able to visit with the Groshes at a small bbq with other supporters and old IVCF friends.  I mentioned to Tom my desire to grow as a speaker and writer.  And, God bless him, he's taken my comment to heart and is offering me opportunities to develop through reading good literature and (maybe - it's in the prayer phase) doing some writing for the Emerging Scholar's Network blog.

With the retreat coming up in April, I asked Tom if I could borrow a book.  As God would have it, Tom was coming to town the following weekend, was able to stay a night with us, and

brought me FOUR books.

I started by reading one that I had not requested, but seemed to fit well with the retreat topic: service.  The book?  Finding Calcutta: What Mother Teresa Taught Me About Meaningful Work and Service by Mary Poplin.

I was so taken with the writing, Mother Teresa, and the challenging questions Mary posited throughout the book.  I was half way through before the middle of the following week.

And Mary Poplin was going to be in Pittsburgh that Friday!

Unfortunately, I was not going to be able to attend her talk at the CMU Veritas Forum.  But, Tom knew Mary's schedule, and arranged for her to come to our home for a brief interview.  If you're my friend on Facebook, you know I was just a little excited!

Wow, an author and scholar in my kitchen!  And what a lovely Christian woman.  You can read the story of her conversion (in her forties!) here.

I planned to share some of that interview with you here, but it will have to wait for the next post.  For now, I'll leave you with these thoughts:

• Praise God for the body of Christ, the Chruch, and how He uses us to sharpen, encourage, and spur one another on!  Meeting Mary would not have happened if Tom had not taken in interest in this young lady's heart's desire.  And, of course, there was Mary willingness to come to a strange girl's house for a chat.  I'm so grateful!

• It's been less than two years since I decided to try pursuing a dream, and God has been SO FAITHFUL in giving me experiences and speaking through His word into my life.  What do you dream about, how can you step out and develop and use your gifts starting TODAY, trusting that God will prove Himself faithful?

Stay tuned for a post about my conversation with Mary.  Until then:

The LORD bless you and keep you;

the LORD make his face shine upong you and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.

Numbers 6:24-26

Book Recommendation: The Evergreen Wood

The kids and I are enjoying this wonderful book:

It is an adaptation of The Pilgrim's Progress for kids.  The story and illustrations are lovely for children and I like that I understand it better than the real Pilgrim's Progress!  Brian, at two and a half, is not really engaging with it; Elizabeth, at six, is completely captivated and always asks to read just one more chapter.  Save this one for first grade or older.

I learned about The Evergreen Wood from this book:

Sarah Clarkson's collection of book suggestions from many literary genres is invaluable!  If you do not own this book, you want to read quality literature to your kids, and you don't know where to go beyond what you enjoyed as a child, start here!  I've found Sarah's age suggestions for each book to be most helpful as I pick picture and chapter books to read with the kids.  I have yet to be disappointed by one of her recommendations!

When I Look Back ... Calling on God for the Impossible.

Sometimes I used to make my mom come into my room at night, after I should have been asleep, to scratch my back.  I hated when she'd rub it.  It had to be scratched.

She would.


Now I know she was surely feeling the pressure of household tasks or simply the draw of crawling into her own bed.  But she took the time to scratch my back.

*   *   *

I spent a lot of yesterday barking orders at my children, getting frustrated at myself for not knowing what to do with their disobedience, then feeling worse because I always resort to yelling.  Yelling "works" especially well with Brian.  But I should be able to come up with something better than that. Right?  And oh, the rage that wells up within me when I'm defied.  Boy oh boy!

We also got out to do some sledding, had dinner at my sister's cozy home with her family, and I wrapped up the day with individual cuddle and reading time with each of my sweet ones (eventually falling asleep for a while in Elizabeth's bed with her.)  How precious!  And the icing on the cake: getting to be with my husband and hear about his algorithm troubles before finally succumbing to sleep for good.




That's life, isn't it?  The ugly mixed with the beauty.  The rotten stink of sin intermingled with the fragrant aroma of the true, right, noble, and praiseworthy.


It got me to thinking about what I want to remember about the years I had at home with my children.  I want them to be "back scratching" memories!  But right now I imagine they will guilt-filled memories, seeing only the times I blew it.  That will be horrible and it is NOT the way I want to remember.


A friend (thanks, Tom) asked this question on a facebook post today:

Are you calling upon the Father for the impossible today? 

I'm glad I read this before sitting down with my notebook and the Word.  What fuel for prayer!

What's the impossible in my life?  To stop being a yeller?  To be more kind and gentle?  To feel less guilty?

Yes.

But, no.

The impossible in my life is that I could live every moment, do every task, engage in every conversation to the glory of God.

Last night, my fear of the future, when I look back at my young mommy years, was all based on ME.

Yuck!

The Lord is gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love.  He wants us to fear Him, serve Him, love Him - with all our heart, soul, and mind.  And I'm pretty sure He's the only one that can bring this kind of transformation in my life!  (yours, too.)

Furthermore, as He changes us into true worshipers, I firmly believe that that nasty guilt, the ugly yelling, the habitual sins will lose their power.

Will you call on the Father for the impossible today?  My prayer is that God will make me one who lives for His glory.  How about you?  With the crazy self-love in my heart, it seems impossible.  But as Jesus said:

What is impossible with man is possible with God.

And Augustus Toplady in 'Rock of Ages':

Not the labor of my hands,

Can fulfill Thy law’s demands;

Could my zeal no respite know,

Could my tears forever flow,

All for sin could not atone;

Thou must save and Thou alone. 

Type-A Has Children, Starts Homeschooling, and Relaxes ... a Little

It started snowing this afternoon.  According to the "chatter" on Facebook, none of us knew this was a possibility.  As I type, we've got at least 4" on the ground, could get up to 8, according to one report.

A friend recommended (on Facebook, seriously what did I do with my time before Facebook?) to get out and shovel because the snow was wet and heavy.  I took her advice and found it to be the first "real" snow we've had this winter.  For any readers who live in snowless lands, there are many types of snow, few are actually good for common winter activities like snowball fights and building snowmen.  It has to be what we call packing snow.  Tonight, we had ourselves some packing snow!

At 7:00, this mama declared that we would be going outside to build a snowman.  Brian usually heads to bed around 7:30.  When Elizabeth was two, I never would have relaxed bedtime for winter fun.  I love who I'm becoming!  (And I love that homeschooling allows us to fudge bedtime without morning-rush consequences.)

  

But, praise be to God, it was even more than fun family time.  A neighbor that just moved in came up to ask about borrowing our shovel.  After he finished we got to talking.  Friends, wonders will never cease, because they are the third Christian couple to move onto our street this year!  (And um, yeah, he also knows my mom.)

As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:9