So I've been reading this book, its called The Irresistible Revolution. It's by this cool guy named Shane Claiborne. It's subtitled "living as an ordinary radical." Now Shane isn't just any long-haired "radical," Shane goes all over the world for mission work. He spent months in Calcutta, India working alongside Mother Teresa, played with the children of Baghdad during the war in Iraq playing simple juggling games with them. Shane is the head of a group of Christian Activists in Philadelphia titled "The Simple Way." http://www.thesimpleway.org/about/.
So why did I just post all of that information about Shane? Shane's dedication to the book is "Dedicated to all the hypocrites, cowards, and fools... just like me." That really got to me for some reason. Just the idea that he isn't trying to portray himself as a better person than anyone else makes him feel more down to earth. He makes his own clothes, grows his food, and does everything he can to help, but he considers himself just like everyone else. He talks about radicals and martyrs and saints, and he mentions that that is why he calls it the "ordinary" radical once again because he doesn't want to be viewed as special, just another person. I was talking to one of my good friends the other day and he mentioned that I'm a good Christian, and a good person for taking a gap year for mission work. That sat with me the wrong way, I don't want to be considered better than other people just because I'm not going to college right away. My friends who are going to college are doing great things too, they are expanding their knowledge which is just as valuable, I just like to think that we are taking different paths, but we are all on the same way to what God has planned for us.
My last mission trip with my church is on Sunday. We are going to Washington, D.C. I'm excited and a little sentimental too. I knew that this summer would come, but I don't know if I was truly ready for it. My last high school mission trip, my last montreat youth conference, all of those things. I don't like thinking about it, but at the same time I know that I will try to do more in the future, try to help everyone that I can, try to do as much as I can, and try to truly live for HIM with all of my heart. I don't want to be considered a better person for what I want to do and what I do, I just want to be considered a Christian, normal, plain, ordinary.
