Why am I doing this?

Pre-face

Or hesitations related to this enterprise. I've never ever blogged before and it might even be more accurate to say I've held an aversion to blogging. Why? Could be an overabundance of conspiracy theories. I'm more the kind who googles myself to make sure nothing comes up that links back to me (so far I've gotten rid of everything save one). When the trumpet sounds I need to be sure I can run to the hills (also why I will never only own cars with GPS--one needs to be ready to flee). It's a nice answer and its slight tinge of potential insanity usually prevents people from asking any more. Unfortunately for myself, I'm not most people. Is this aversion to blogging rooted in something deeper?

Exploring the depths

Okay. So this is supposed to be short and not an exposition of my entire life, but here are just a few possible anomalies. I believe in education. I went to a phenomenal undergraduate school which I definitely don't have time or place to go into today but no doubt will at some point! I have two masters degrees: one in education and one in divinity from UGST (I just graduated in May--whoo-hoo!) At the same time, I've taught public school in the poorest congressional district in the United States and suffer from no delusions about the lie perpetuated in this country of equal education for all. When I say I believe in education--I do, but my understanding of what education consists of is considerably nuanced by the fact that I don't believe it simply equates with going to school.
I believe in equality within the church (like Paul which means if they're equal in the church then they're equal within the community at large) and in using people according to their gifts while not simply limiting according to race, gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, or education level even though I do believe that people are a composite of all these things (plus more) and gifts can be shaped, molded, and enhanced according to one's sociological background. Unpack that however you want (smile)!
I believe in social action and in Christians advocating for change within society. I believe the "whole gospel" is a partnership of evangelism with discipleship and action with compassion. Neither should be sacrificed for the sake of the other. In fact, I don't even think they can really be separated because as soon as you part them, you've lost the gospel message.

In sum

The true roots of an aversion to blogging came from my fear of being judged. When in conservative circles I was considered a liberal of radical proportions, but in liberal circles I was considered a hopelessly naive and out of date conservative. So where do I fit? I fit in God's kingdom. I'm at home with His people. I think we only get to the real truths of scripture by asking the hard questions and navigating the messy waters between words and action. This last statement is my real reason for blogging. Mid-month I'm going on an awesome trip to Turkey and Greece (more on that later), but the reason I agreed to blog is not simply to give you a travelogue. I want us to find these hard questions and navigate these waters between theory and practice together. God bless you all and I look forward to interacting with you in the coming month! Oh, yeah! My name is Marjorie.

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!