Living Different: To Know the Good is to Do the Good

"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples,
if you love one another"
- John 13:35

"You are the light of the world.
A city built on a hill cannot be hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.
Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before others,
that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
- Matthew 5:14-16

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:
to look after orphans and widows in their distress
and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
- James 1:27

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By Tony Nguyen

Through all my Friday morning's reading at Green Joe's, talking scripture and theology on Wednesday morning's, and digesting sermons from Sundays, I have come to realize this truth which has yet to leave my mind since I've began my time in North Carolina:

Life in Christ isn't just meant to be talked about or studied, but lived.

Though there is certainly a place for Christian academia and discussion (coming from a guy who works for biblical/theological scholars), I am making the point that none of that matters unless Christians live radically different from everyone else.

GSO Fellows after Cooper River Bridge 10K in Charleston, SC

Of the several books I've read recently is one by my boss and beloved brother in the faith, Dr. Benjamin S. Wall, titled Welcome as a Way of Life: A Practical Theology of Jean Vanier. Through Dr. Wall's theological appraisal of Jean Vanier and L'Arche,  the Fellows and I have had the opportunity to discuss the notions of welcome, care, hospitality, and what it means to live in community. (If you want to know how those conversations have been, ask me, ask a fellow, Dr. Wall, or better yet, buy the book!)

My point is, now that you, my fair reader, know that my friends and I have wrestled with the ideas of welcome, care, and community, it would be reasonable that you should expect out of any one of us to act in ways that are, to some noteworthy degree, care-full and welcoming (especially to the marginalized).

Furthermore, my hope is not simply that you would have one pleasant interaction with myself or some other who has mulled over such material. As a matter of fact, one act of hospitality alone from myself would make me an utter failure if I am striving to be a welcoming person. Rather, the greater success is, if one were keen to notice, that I would systematically do things in a welcoming, caring, and hospitable fashion over and over. Only then would I or anyone in this example be worthy to be described as virtuously welcoming, caring, or whatever other virtuous quality.

Aristotle puts it more articulately in his Nicomachean Ethics:

Like a craft, "We learn a [virtue] by producing the same product that we must produce when we have learned it; we become builders by building, harpists by playing the harp, just by doing just actions, brave by doing brave actions..." 

Applied to Welcome as a Way of Life, one becomes hospitable by exercising hospitality. Caring by performing actions carefully. Furthermore, one gains empathy for the disabled by being in routine contact with a person with a disablity. Kate Black, who has hosted the Fellows for dinner once a week for the past four years, is a perfect example of someone who is delightfully hospitable and welcoming. Cheers to you Kate!

On the morning of April 17th, Will Dungee, a friend and also pastor of Grace Community Church graciously led us Fellows in a morning devotional on being in step with the Holy Spirit.  He read Galatians 5 and reminded us of the fruits of the Spirit, which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Again, speaking in the Aristotelian spirit, one becomes loving by doing loving things, joyous by doing things joyfully, gentle by exercising gentleness, etc. Likewise, it would seem the classical Greek philosopher Socrates has convictions similar to those of Christians striving to cultivate Godly virtues. He says:

"To know the good is to do the good" - Socrates

Someone who has become a hero of mine recently and certainly "knew and did the good" is the late Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The Rev. Dr. Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor and theologian who lived in the time of Hitler's rise to power during WWII and, in light of his experience with churches in America passionately living out their faith, Bonhoeffer, was convinced he could not be a professing Christian and leave his compatriots to suffer alone in Germany. To that end, he left America to return to Germany where he would, among many great tasks, lead the Church and stand in solidarity with the Jews knowing full well he could die for his faith, which happened on April 9th, 1945 when he was hung at Flossenbürg Concentration camp dying at age 39.

Much earlier than Bonhoeffer did the heroes of the Bible understand that faith in the Lord manifests in the form of calls into obedient action: Moses led the Israelites out of slavery, Jesus' disciples fed the thousands, Peter walked on water, and Jesus himself hung on a cross in faithfulness to the Father.

Fellows and Friends at Lewis Barbecue in Charleston, SC

May I encourage you (and myself, for that matter) to return to the words from Hebrews 11 which recounts the works of those who've gone before us. Alternatively, I exhort you to remember from 1 John:

"We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us
--and we ought to lay down our lives for one another."
- 1 John 3:16

The Gospel, the story of how the God of Israel is revealing to fallen creation His kingship of it through the death and resurrection of Christ, has convinced saints over the millennia to lives extraordinarily peculiar and radical.  That call is still the same for believers today. Drawing from Matthew 5:

• Christians are not to be well-wishers,
  but to be well-bringers.
• We are not called to just want peace,
  but to bring peace wherever or to whomever we go.
• We are called not just to want racial reconciliation,
  but to actually fellowship and do life with brothers of color (or lack thereof).
• We are called both to pray and to be the answer to another's prayer.

"Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven..."

- Matthew 5:12a

Joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Christ calls us to act joyfully, that is, in joy. I find that joy is what sets the actions of a Christian apart from any others'. Not only is the Christ follower called to have faith, but he is compelled to show it by his lifestyle and actually is commanded to take pleasure in all he does for God!

How often have I looked back at myself doing something out of obedience but not joy and imagining how grumpy I must've appeared to others.

Now, there are many circumstances which God calls us into that are everything but joyous. I'm not saying we should laugh or smile in the first instances after a loved one dies. It would be abnormal not to express any sort of grief. What I am saying is that in all expressions of faith, it should be with a desire to be satisfied in the risen Lord.

It should bring Christians great delight in doing God's will.

Father Boules George of St. Mark's Church in Tanta, Egypt (one of two which suffered bomb attacks from terrorists this past Palm Sunday) seems to know a thing or two about having joy in the Lord even in the wake of tragedy. Assuming you clicked the link and watched the video, that is an exemplar of the faith God requires.

In closing, know the words of the prophet Micah:

"He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, love kindness,
and walk humbly with your God?"
- Micah 6:8

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Blessings,
TBN

Growth

By Buddy Hocutt

            In a word, the principle function of the Greensboro Fellows Program is growth. The entire program is structured in a way that fosters growth in a variety of forms: spiritually, professionally, mentally, emotionally, relationally, etc. Internships play a part in that, as do volunteer hours, seminary courses, host homes, mentors, morning prayer, Tuesday dinner, Sunday worship, trips, retreats, and Rwanda.

            That's a lot of stuff to fit into a nine-month program. Each piece functions differently and all to varying degrees of success. They do work in concert, though, because of the one common denominator between them: people. More than anything, the goal of the Greensboro Fellows Program staff is to surround the Greensboro Fellows with the best folks out there; folks who have reached the pinnacle of their profession; folks who have changed the world; folks who have great wisdom; and folks who have made mistakes, learned from them, and prospered.

            I am not one of those people. Granted, my business card does say “Greensboro Fellows Assistant Director...” but that's a bit of a misnomer. Anything remotely related to the word “director” assumes a knowledge and wisdom that I'm not sure I have. It also assumes experience and a certain authority that know I don't have. Yet, somehow, I finagled my way into the position of Assistant Director of the Greensboro Fellows Program and here we are.

            Less than a year ago, mind you, I was a Greensboro Fellows myself, having my mind blown by the wisdom of those best folks out there. How then, and with what, am I supposed to lead a new group of Fellows barely 12 months later? I wish I could say I had some epiphany or that the Holy Spirit spoke through me, but I don't think that's the case (although someone else would be a better judge of that).

            The real answer is that I've been building the plane as I fly and learning a lot of lessons along the way. Ironically enough, the most important of those lessons have come from the very people I (as an “assistant director”) was supposed to be teaching – the Greensboro Fellows, themselves!

            From Tony, I've learned what it means to truly see others as created in God's image.

            From Michelle, I've learned what resiliency looks like in the face of grief.

            From Tressa, I've learned how to take the fullest advantage of the opportunities presented to me.

            From MT, I've learned how to lay my burdens at the cross when the world's pressures mount.

            From Rachel, I've learned to not be satisfied with easy answers.

            From Tom, I've learned to make the best of any situation and always persevere.

            And from Joey, I've learned how to fight against darkness and continue running toward the light.

Lead with Repentance

By Rachel Yowell

        This year, we have been challenged to think about a myriad of topics including, but not limited to sexuality, immigration, disability, marriage & singleness, Calvinism, radical hospitality, forgiveness, mission, and so much more. I have been challenged in my thinking in so many ways, I don’t quite know where to put it all! But it has been an incredible time of growth. Because I could talk for days on how much I’ve learned and what my thoughts are with all of it, I’m going to keep it simple, and highlight a few of the biggest takeaways.

         A few weeks ago, a few of us went to our diocese Blue Ridge Regional Conference in Roanoke, VA. The topic of discussion was sexuality and brokenness. At the core of our brokenness is loneliness. We were told that we can overcome the loneliness in others by radical hospitality. Not only does this apply for those who may be struggling with homosexuality, but anyone in our lives: the divorced mom, the widower, the refugee, the single man or woman, the mentally handicapped, the lost, everyone. After the main discussion, I chose to go to the session on how to minister to those struggling with same-sex attraction. Before discussing anything on the topic, we began the session with a time of confession and repentance. It was a huge reminder that we, ourselves, are broken and sinful and need to confess and repent before we are able to even begin helping someone else in their brokenness. We will not be in a place, or a proper mindset, to accept others in their brokenness and their struggles if we have not yet reflected on our own sin and brokenness. It is a good reminder that we need the Lord when we are helping our friends. We need the Lord when we extend forgiveness. Leading with repentance allows us to enter into those situations and view the other people rightly.  His grace is sufficient for you, for me, for the person dealing with same-sex attraction, for everyone. This directly coincides with one of the biggest things I have been learning about this year: forgiveness. Forgiving someone who wronged you is one of the hardest things to do as humans, yet it is one of the most necessary. Reflecting on our own shortcomings, and thanking the Lord for the forgiveness He has given us, allows us to forgive, and it is an incredibly freeing and life-giving thing to do! Forgiveness and repentance puts us in a position looking to Christ and not ourselves. This reminds me of my favorite devotional passage, which I revisit often, “Looking Unto Jesus” by Charles Spurgeon. He writes,

“It is ever the Holy Spirit’s work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus; but Satan’s work is just the opposite, for he is constantly trying to make us regard ourselves instead of Christ...all of these thoughts are about self, and we shall never find comfort or assurance by looking within. But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self...We shall never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are that gives rest to the soul.”

          It makes sense that forgiveness, repentance, radical hospitality works: it turns our eyes away from ourselves and onto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). But it is so hard to forgive, repent, and put others way ahead of ourselves, because it is a call to die to ourselves. It is my hope that God’s family would live into that, and be set apart by how quickly we forgive, and by how radically hospitable we are, that we would go out of our way to overcome the loneliness in people lives.

          In other news, we are gearing up for our trip to Rwanda, which will round out our fellows year! So hard to believe it’s coming so quickly, but I can’t wait to meet, be with, learn from, and worship with our brothers and sisters across the ocean!