Prospective Staff Weekend!

Hello, friends! 

This Saturday, the Central Region (our Region) will be having its annual Prospective Staff Weekend (PSW). Men and women from all over our 4-state Region (Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri) will be gathering together to learn more about InterVarsity's vision and begin the discernment process of deciding whether or not to apply to staff. 

Much like so many other things this year, PSW will be different because of the pandemic. Instead of gathering in one place, it will be a virtual gathering. Because it's a virtual gathering, it'll only be a few hours on Saturday instead of the normal 24 hours it usually is. Instead of having all of the RLT present, only a few of us will be there to run the show. In fact, I'll only be there for part of the time (to talk about MPD, of course). 

Even though things are going to be scaled down compared to other years, I'm still excited for this year's PSW. I remember when I went to my PSW, 14 years ago. There were 6 of us from the St. Louis area who attended, including 3 of my best friends, one more fellow WashU student (#GoBears), and another good friend of mine. While only 3 of us ended up applying for staff (1 is now a teacher, one is a social worker, and one is doing anti-racism work), it was still such a blessing to be hanging out with friends, hearing about what God is doing beyond our little St. Louis Bubble, and beginning a discernment process that brought me to where I am today. 

So, friends, if you think about it Saturday afternoon, would you pray for our prospective staff? Please pray that God would speak to them during this time and make it really clear what He has in store for them during this next season of their lives. Would you pray that the technology would work and that community would still be established, even virtually. Pray for all those presenting (including yours truly), and that we would be speaking God's words, not our own. The harvest in plentiful but the workers are few. Pray that God would bring more workers to his harvest here in the Central Region! 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Yes You Can, Little Girl...

Hello, friends! 

This is my daughter. She's kind of the best and a little bit ridiculous. 

On Saturday morning, my daughter asked Megan, "Can I be president one day?" This was just a little bit before Joe Biden was announced as the winner of the presidential election. It was with great pride that Megan could say, "Yes, you absolutely can!"

Representation matters. Regardless of your politics or who you voted for, we can agree that the election was a momentous one for little girls like my daughter. In the same way that the election of Barack Obama in 2008 opened up a world of possibilities for African American children all across the country because they saw someone who looked liked them ascend to the highest job in the land, my daughter can look towards 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and see a bi-racial, Asian American woman just like her, one heartbeat from the Presidency. 

I have no idea what the future holds for this little girl. Right now she's more into dolls and playing school than anything else (which makes sense because she's 3). She can spell her name and count to 12 but there's still a long way to go before she could even consider running for office.

But it's possible... and she's knows it... because she sees it... and that's pretty great. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam

Relationships After the Election...

Hello, friends! 

As you're reading this, the presidential election has yet to be decided. With that being said, I've been thinking the last few days about what life is going to be like after the election is certified and we either have 4 more years of the current administration or a new administration in the White House. Regardless of who wins, there are still some truths that will be true for the next 4 years and beyond. 

I've been seeing a lot of memes in the past few days that basically say the same thing: Just because we voted for different people, doesn't mean we can't be friends anymore. Whether it's a dude holding up a sign, stick figures in a cartoon, or whatever, the message is the same, and for the most part, the message is received well. 

But that message also has the potential to be super harmful and I would argue that it's actually unbiblical. 

We (I'm speaking for Christians here) are called to love one another and to love our neighbors as ourselves. That is pretty clear. The problem with memes like the ones referenced above, is that it conflates loving with being friends. Loving someone does not mean putting on a friendly face every time you see them or pretending that nothing is wrong. Loving someone does not mean forcing yourself into unhealthy environments for the sake of unity. Loving someone does not mean diminishing differences so that no feathers are ruffled.

One could also make the argument that Jesus says the exact opposite of "be friends no matter what." In Matthew 5, as part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. I'm paraphrasing here, but I interpret that to also mean, "if constantly being around someone, pretending that nothing is wrong makes it harder for you to love that person, stop hanging around that person!" It's OK to love from afar.  

There's also the problem of uneven value placed on the election. In a completely unscientific scan of my Facebook and Twitter feeds, the people who are posting these memes are predominantly folk for whose lives will not be drastically affected by the outcome of the election. It's easy to say "water under the bridge" when it's a game. For many of my friends, particularly my friends of color, this election had real emotional, mental, and spiritual costs. To insist that because the election is over, the trauma is over, and that things can go back to the way they were, is naïve at best, and harmful at worst. 

So, what does all this mean? To my friends who insist that everything should just go back to the way it was before the election and that everyone should just "get over it," please give those around you the space they need. Remember, relationships are two-way streets. You may be ready but they may not. 

For my (especially Christian) friends who are re-evaluating their relationships, my request is that you look for the best way for you to love your neighbor as yourself. That might mean cutting off the relationship. If so, be free in that and don't look back. That might mean continuing to lean in and having difficult conversations. If so, may God give you all the courage and strength you need. That might mean taking a break so you can reset. If so, may you be restored and refreshed by the Holy Spirit. Whatever you do, please keep love as your primary motivator. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam