ME NEITHER!

See told you they call Panera the wrong thing! And here's the proof!


Urbana, day 2. I don't even want to write this post knowing how poorly I will be able to convey even the slightest insight we heard today compared to how powerful the speakers were when they spoke. No, seriously, when I think back over our day, I just want to close my computer, but it was so powerful I can't.

First off, we are so lucky to be in the hotel we are in. Seriously, it's the best option!

Ok, so we went to two seminars today, 2pm and 4pm. The first one I want you to guess what the topic was, here are your clues:

1. 85% male population listening to this seminar
2. 90% asian population (which is alot even at Urbana)
3. Jokes were make about isomers and crystallization of impurities found in compounds

Guesses? Anyone?

The title was, "Reaching the scientific world with the gospel." All in attendance were undergraduate science students, post grad science students, or scientists who work in a lab. Wow, it was an amazing study on science, creation and athiesm. We were encouraged to read many of the books by Dawkins, Hitchens and other atheist writers in a group of others and share what we think. Many in the room already had, and found it very helpful to see what athiests believe, as well as to find the most common mistakes and misrepresentations that are said about Christian beliefs. Many are surprisingly basic.

But my favortie part was at the end when those in attendance were welcomed to stand up and share some of the experiences they have had, positive or negative, with sharing thier faith in the lab. I intend this in only the kindest way, I mean, nerdiness is loveable, right? But, some of the cutest nerds from all scientific fields stood up, pushed their glasses further up their noses, and shared their love of God and how it has played out. "As a paleontologist, some of my partners and I were on a dig for dinosaur bones and were telling me how Paul's letters were..." haha, that is a direct quote, but lacking without his awesome voice.

So, after this seminar, we casually strolled down the lane to get to the next seminar we chose. It was called "Follow Me To Freedom," and there were two speakers, John M. Perkins and Shane Claiborne. Maybe those names mean nothing to you, they didn't to me either, at the time. We waltzed into the conference room to this...







No room in the inn. No room for our butts. So we plopped down on the floor, as more and more people crammed in to hear these two guys.







John is an 80 year old black man from the south who has been beaten and brutalized by the hatred of racism. On Switchfoot's latest CD, a song is titled, The Sound (John M. Perkins Blues) about him. He was asked to serve in a role created by Obama, but refused becuase he didn't want to chose a political party, knowing that both sides are limiting and both represent wants of a fallen world, while only Jesus can fill our needs. He said he has great hope in our generation to be done with racism and seeing race first, and that he plans on living the last few years of his life serving God radically.

Shane is long dreadlocked hippie, has a southern accent and has served around the world, including with Mother Teresa. He is a founding partner of something called The Simple Way which is lived out locally, as days are spent feeding the hungry, doing collaborative arts with children, running a community store, hanging out with neighbors and reclaiming trash strewn lots by planting gardens. He does alot of work to expose the fundamental structures that create poverty and imagine alternatives to them. He writes and speaks about peacemaking, social justice and Jesus. Some of his books are Becoming an Answer to our Prayers, Jesus for President and The Irresistible Revolution.


"We need to be a people, not concerned with going 'up there,' but with bringing heaven down to earth." -Shane. And he lives it everyday, denying possessions and choosing to live among the poor.


He also said that each night when Mother Teresa would go pray with him and her other helpers, they would all remove their shoes. He noticed that her feet were grossly deformed. One of the sisters told him that they recieve the exact amount of shoe donations they need each year, and she never wanted to have a pair of shoes nicer than someone elses, so she would feel through to find the worst one, and wear them year after year, decade after decade.  This made her feet to be very deformed.


"What if we all chose to put other's needs above our own like that? I don't believe that God didn't create enough resources to take care of everyone, but I do know that we need to change thinking and acting and idea of possessions.    We live in a time of rich Christians and 24,000 people a day dying of poverty." -Shane


ok, so the title of this post was me neither. Best line of the night;


A man approached Mother Teresa and said, "WOW! I am so impressed by what you do, and the lives you change! It's so amazing, I couldn't do it for a million dollars!"


"Me neither!" she replied. "I would never do it for a million dollars, only because and for the surpassing love of Jesus Christ do I do this."


sassy and to the point, love it.