I took a truckload of notes at The Jubilee Conference. Instead of dump them all out, here are a few highlights and the thoughts these highlights stir in me:
– “In chaos, tyranny thrives.” -Jon Tyson
I realized that I am often drawn to gatherings like Jubilee (and Jubilee specially) not so much by a desire to get inspired or even informed, but in an effort to find some kind of cohesive thread tying together the world around me.
– “We have confused the American dream for Your Kingdom. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy on us.”
This prayer cuts to the soft-part of my soul. If you know my personal history, you know that the pursuit of “safety” and “security,” as defined corporately/financially, ran my father ragged and led him to suicidal thoughts. I know that temptation is in me (to chase “success.”) I don’t want it. I want the Kingdom.
– “Sometimes we think we need to form a Justice League in order to fight injustice.. but if we would just work correctly, we wouldn’t contribute to the circumstances that demand justice work” – Sho Baraka
I like to feel needed. I’m learning that it is better to feel welcomed. If I believe, as I claim to, that God has begun a work of wholeness and reconciliation in the world, then believing I am “necessary” takes second place to knowing I am invited to share in that work with Him.
– “Caring for someone doesn’t always mean or lead to knowing how to care for them.” – Greg Thomsen
Connected to the above thought from Sho, I’m learning that doing good work means to listen first, then again and then again… and act only when I’m connected, in love, to those I want to serve.
– “Never forget that people are often drawn by pain to the places we gather. It reminds us and calls us to gentleness.” – Greg Thomsen
While “neediness” might be a really volatile foundation for community, forgetting that the folks around me are partially drawn to one another (and to me… and me to them) by need is the first step to becoming utilitarian in my relationships.