5/29/06
Train Car- Back in Virginia
Wow! Weeks like these are fast paced and exhausting, and incredibly rewarding. They aren’t really vacations, but it is better than being at work (most of the time). Other than missing my fiancé like crazy, it was worth the trip. There are so many great stories to tell about the week. My first real trip to D.C. was full of action and adventure. There was even a Hollywood starlet with Rock n Roll boyfriend. As is best to do with a retrospective look at a trip I will start with the beginning.
We finally arrived in Washington, D.C. at about 4pm on Thursday afternoon. We went to the hotel and then walked a mile and a half to the Capital building where we received a guided tour from Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.). Having never been to the city before, I was blown away by the sheer size of the buildings and monuments. I imagine it is much like the gothic cathedrals of Western Europe whose shape is meant to resize you upon entry. The size of the structures here immediately reflects the capability of the human spirit and American ingenuity. However, a very stark contrast is seen within the walls of the Capital Building. All around, states have sent statues of citizens who have paved the way for Freedom, Liberty, and Prosperity for all Americans. On the other side of the wall, elected Congressmen and women are caught up in a power struggle of partisan politics in which ideas have become secondary to party lines and re-election hopes. I realize as I write this that this is a viewpoint I have taken with me to Washington. It is one that would not be changed over the next week, but it has been given a new hope.
Following our tour of the Capital, the group led a praise service at Grace Rescue Mission, which is a homeless shelter in D.C. It was incredible! God has proven himself faithful time and time again in these moments. He speaks so clearly to us through those in need, if only we would always listen. Speaking of the homeless, I learned a few facts about our nation’s capital that blew me away. There are 530,000 people living in D.C. and almost 20,000 of them are homeless. This reality is ever present as you walk the streets. Everywhere you look people are wandering around looking for something. They have a look in their faces very different from that of homeless in many other places I have been. They do not beg for money or even attention. They just walk, or sit, or sleep as if the world around them regards them as ghosts. It is very unsettling. What makes this all the more odd is the fact that these people do not reside in slum neighborhoods, but rather in the nicest neighborhoods one would imagine. It is shocking. The images reach into your soul and grab your thoughts.
Here is how God begins to change a heart.
This week, in D.C., in the shadows of monuments built to honor great men who have given everything of themselves in order to ensure the safety, freedom, and liberty of so many, God had us set up camp in Micah 6. Verse 8 of this chapter in the Old Testament, leaves us with a strong command of how to please God with our lives. Act Justly. Love Mercy. Walk Humbly.
How do we do these things? If this is my heart, how then do I respond to social injustice, racial discrimination, and people whose voices are no longer taken seriously? If my heart is to please God, then how do I do it? The New Testament is equally as clear.
Mat 25:34 Then the King shall say to those on His right hand, Come, blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Mat 25:35 For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in;
Mat 25:36 I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.
Mat 25:37 Then the righteous shall answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry, and fed You? Or thirsty, and gave You drink?
Mat 25:38 When did we see You a stranger, and took You in? Or naked, and clothed You?
Mat 25:39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and came to You?
Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you have done it to Me.
Mat 25:41 Then He also shall say to those on the left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.
Mat 25:42 For I was hungry, and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink;
Mat 25:43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in; I was naked, and you did not clothe Me; I was sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me.
Mat 25:44 Then they will also answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to You?
Mat 25:45 Then He shall answer them, saying, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.
It is such a strange thing to me that Jesus puts such emphasis on being judged for your actions. He is so clear about our salvation coming through faith in him as the Son of God, Crucified on our behalf, but like James says, “A faith without works is dead.”
Faith should lead me to a place of wanting to please God. God has given us a number of examples of what pleases Him. So, if my faith is for real, it should move me towards the actions that please God.
Anyways, that is one of many ways God has moved this week.
On to day two…
We went to the Arlington National Cemetery on Friday. It goes without saying that it is a sobering thing to walk onto a cemetery full of gravestones as far as the eye can see and realize that these were men and women who died so that your idea of freedom could be preserved. It really doesn’t quite hit you until later, though, which is exactly what can be said about our next stop, The Holocaust Memorial. The Holocaust Memorial is one of the most profound and deeply disturbing places I have ever been. As many of you have already been there, or have, at least, been properly educated as to the atrocities that took place during the Holocaust, I will not go into the details of what I saw there.
After Arlington and The Holocaust Memorial, we had about two hours of free time to check out the Air and Space Smithsonian, and while it was a very cool place, the weight of the first two stops was sitting on my soul in an unsettling way. We had dinner in Georgetown, which is my favorite area in D.C., but my boots were still heavy.
It wasn’t until later that night when I was leading worship for our group that I finally began to feel a little bit better. I remembered the important and amazing thing; God has worked to set things right in a fallen and broken world. The world will always have darkness, but we have been given light. So, with Micah 6:8 in mind, I say this, “Be a brighter light.”
Day three was supposed to be fantastic from the get go.
Our group had gone to Six Flags for the day while I stayed behind so that I could meet up with some friends I have not seen in a long time.
I woke up at 8:30, had a quick breakfast at the hotel and was on a bus to Georgetown. Once I got to Georgetown, I got a message on my phone from my friend Lauren to let me know that because she had drank too much the night before she was not feeling up to taking the train down from Baltimore. I understood, but I was now alone in D.C., and as I had not seen her in like two years, I was a bit annoyed. My feelings quickly changed as I realized that I was going to have the freedom to do everything I wanted with my day.
I walked around Georgetown for another hour or so, stopping to buy some gifts for Meg and the much-needed Chai Latte I was craving from Starbucks. It is such a neat little town. From there I got on the bus and had a really odd conversation with a short Jewish man who reminded me of a younger Woody Allen. The conversation was made all the more awkward when he got off the same stop as I did, followed me for three blocks down 7th street and then yelled at me for giving a couple bucks to homeless guy in the park.
“You know that you are just enabling his habit,” he said.
I tried to no avail to explain to him that it was not my responsibility as to what he did with it, but that it was my responsibility to do something.
He called me an irresponsible liberal and made a left on Mass Ave. while I continued my walk to the Metro station on 7th.
The Smithsonian Metro stop is the coolest thing. You ride an escalator up into the middle of the mall surrounded by monuments. It is like being transported to a new world.
Anyways, I checked out the museum of American History and then made my way to the National Gallery. I stopped first at the sculpture garden, which is breathtaking. There is a giant fountain in the middle, and I would sit for a few minutes every couple steps on the edge of the fountain so that I could better observe the sculptures. My favorite sculpture was called “Daughters” (I think). It is twenty statues of headless children that look on at the fountain. Disturbing, but in a good way. It reaches in and grabs you and demands your attention. As I made my way slowly around the fountain, the family of ducks that hangs out in the pond began to follow me, expectant that I would surely feed them. It was really funny.
I then made my way to the east wing of the gallery, which holds most of its modern art. Normally, I would spend all of my time here, and take in all of the works. However, the contemporary art in the East Wing was just not that exciting to me on this day. I made my way over to the West wing and then spent a few hours checking out the gothic and renaissance art there. The theme of almost all of this art was split between Christian spiritual art, conveying images of Christ or the Saints, or art that focused on sexuality. I found such a familiar contrast between the two themes, as it is something that has filled my mind as of late. That sounds strange, but it is not meant how it sounds. Anyways…
In the bottom floor of the west wing of the National Gallery there is an oblong shaped room that currently houses the history of photography exhibit. As this is something I am very interested in, I was not paying attention to where I was walking as much as I should have been and I walked right into a woman, almost knocking her to the ground. I reached out and grabbed her arm and prevented her from falling, and apologized profusely. As she finally looked up at me, I realized that the woman I had just ran into was Drew Barrymore. She was very gracious and told me that it was ok. I just stood there embarrassed and not wanting to be the tool who makes a big deal out of meeting a celebrity. I apologized again, and I continued around the exhibit, while Drew and her boyfriend, The Stroke’s drummer Farbrizio Moretti, made there way around the other side of the room. It was a very funny little brush with celebrity for me. Anyways, after the incident, I walked back to the hotel where our group was getting ready for dinner and a prayer walk in front of the White House.
Sunday was the day that we were most concerned about. We sang at the National Cathedral for their 11am service, and it went well. I have since heard the recording of it and it sounds much better than I ever would have imagined. Good Times! Afterwards, we went to Alexandria, VA and had brunch at Gadsby’s Tavern, which had, quite possibly, the best breakfast food I have ever eaten in my life. So good. We later went to the Salvation Army drug treatment center where we led their Sunday evening service and hung out with some of the guys there. God was really faithful to move there in a powerful way. The rest of the night was spent taking a tour of the mall and checking out the monuments.
Monday was our last day in D.C., and by the end of it we all were so exhausted that we began to bicker with each other. It was really an uneventful day, with the exception of spending an hour at the Potomac Retirement Center, where we hung out with some old folks. I like old people, but most of the old people I know still have their wits about them. This was an entirely different story, but again, God was faithful to show up. When we finally boarded the train, I was happy to be headed home to see my future wife and our new place. Let me tell you all that she has done a fantastic job on our bedroom. She painted and put furniture together on her own, in my absence. She is amazing.
As I am back at work now, let me post some pictures of our new room.
Later,
Rob
Train Car- Back in Virginia
Wow! Weeks like these are fast paced and exhausting, and incredibly rewarding. They aren’t really vacations, but it is better than being at work (most of the time). Other than missing my fiancé like crazy, it was worth the trip. There are so many great stories to tell about the week. My first real trip to D.C. was full of action and adventure. There was even a Hollywood starlet with Rock n Roll boyfriend. As is best to do with a retrospective look at a trip I will start with the beginning.
We finally arrived in Washington, D.C. at about 4pm on Thursday afternoon. We went to the hotel and then walked a mile and a half to the Capital building where we received a guided tour from Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.). Having never been to the city before, I was blown away by the sheer size of the buildings and monuments. I imagine it is much like the gothic cathedrals of Western Europe whose shape is meant to resize you upon entry. The size of the structures here immediately reflects the capability of the human spirit and American ingenuity. However, a very stark contrast is seen within the walls of the Capital Building. All around, states have sent statues of citizens who have paved the way for Freedom, Liberty, and Prosperity for all Americans. On the other side of the wall, elected Congressmen and women are caught up in a power struggle of partisan politics in which ideas have become secondary to party lines and re-election hopes. I realize as I write this that this is a viewpoint I have taken with me to Washington. It is one that would not be changed over the next week, but it has been given a new hope.
Following our tour of the Capital, the group led a praise service at Grace Rescue Mission, which is a homeless shelter in D.C. It was incredible! God has proven himself faithful time and time again in these moments. He speaks so clearly to us through those in need, if only we would always listen. Speaking of the homeless, I learned a few facts about our nation’s capital that blew me away. There are 530,000 people living in D.C. and almost 20,000 of them are homeless. This reality is ever present as you walk the streets. Everywhere you look people are wandering around looking for something. They have a look in their faces very different from that of homeless in many other places I have been. They do not beg for money or even attention. They just walk, or sit, or sleep as if the world around them regards them as ghosts. It is very unsettling. What makes this all the more odd is the fact that these people do not reside in slum neighborhoods, but rather in the nicest neighborhoods one would imagine. It is shocking. The images reach into your soul and grab your thoughts.
Here is how God begins to change a heart.
This week, in D.C., in the shadows of monuments built to honor great men who have given everything of themselves in order to ensure the safety, freedom, and liberty of so many, God had us set up camp in Micah 6. Verse 8 of this chapter in the Old Testament, leaves us with a strong command of how to please God with our lives. Act Justly. Love Mercy. Walk Humbly.
How do we do these things? If this is my heart, how then do I respond to social injustice, racial discrimination, and people whose voices are no longer taken seriously? If my heart is to please God, then how do I do it? The New Testament is equally as clear.
Mat 25:34 Then the King shall say to those on His right hand, Come, blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Mat 25:35 For I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in;
Mat 25:36 I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.
Mat 25:37 Then the righteous shall answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry, and fed You? Or thirsty, and gave You drink?
Mat 25:38 When did we see You a stranger, and took You in? Or naked, and clothed You?
Mat 25:39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and came to You?
Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say to them, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you have done it to Me.
Mat 25:41 Then He also shall say to those on the left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.
Mat 25:42 For I was hungry, and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink;
Mat 25:43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in; I was naked, and you did not clothe Me; I was sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me.
Mat 25:44 Then they will also answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to You?
Mat 25:45 Then He shall answer them, saying, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.
It is such a strange thing to me that Jesus puts such emphasis on being judged for your actions. He is so clear about our salvation coming through faith in him as the Son of God, Crucified on our behalf, but like James says, “A faith without works is dead.”
Faith should lead me to a place of wanting to please God. God has given us a number of examples of what pleases Him. So, if my faith is for real, it should move me towards the actions that please God.
Anyways, that is one of many ways God has moved this week.
On to day two…
We went to the Arlington National Cemetery on Friday. It goes without saying that it is a sobering thing to walk onto a cemetery full of gravestones as far as the eye can see and realize that these were men and women who died so that your idea of freedom could be preserved. It really doesn’t quite hit you until later, though, which is exactly what can be said about our next stop, The Holocaust Memorial. The Holocaust Memorial is one of the most profound and deeply disturbing places I have ever been. As many of you have already been there, or have, at least, been properly educated as to the atrocities that took place during the Holocaust, I will not go into the details of what I saw there.
After Arlington and The Holocaust Memorial, we had about two hours of free time to check out the Air and Space Smithsonian, and while it was a very cool place, the weight of the first two stops was sitting on my soul in an unsettling way. We had dinner in Georgetown, which is my favorite area in D.C., but my boots were still heavy.
It wasn’t until later that night when I was leading worship for our group that I finally began to feel a little bit better. I remembered the important and amazing thing; God has worked to set things right in a fallen and broken world. The world will always have darkness, but we have been given light. So, with Micah 6:8 in mind, I say this, “Be a brighter light.”
Day three was supposed to be fantastic from the get go.
Our group had gone to Six Flags for the day while I stayed behind so that I could meet up with some friends I have not seen in a long time.
I woke up at 8:30, had a quick breakfast at the hotel and was on a bus to Georgetown. Once I got to Georgetown, I got a message on my phone from my friend Lauren to let me know that because she had drank too much the night before she was not feeling up to taking the train down from Baltimore. I understood, but I was now alone in D.C., and as I had not seen her in like two years, I was a bit annoyed. My feelings quickly changed as I realized that I was going to have the freedom to do everything I wanted with my day.
I walked around Georgetown for another hour or so, stopping to buy some gifts for Meg and the much-needed Chai Latte I was craving from Starbucks. It is such a neat little town. From there I got on the bus and had a really odd conversation with a short Jewish man who reminded me of a younger Woody Allen. The conversation was made all the more awkward when he got off the same stop as I did, followed me for three blocks down 7th street and then yelled at me for giving a couple bucks to homeless guy in the park.
“You know that you are just enabling his habit,” he said.
I tried to no avail to explain to him that it was not my responsibility as to what he did with it, but that it was my responsibility to do something.
He called me an irresponsible liberal and made a left on Mass Ave. while I continued my walk to the Metro station on 7th.
The Smithsonian Metro stop is the coolest thing. You ride an escalator up into the middle of the mall surrounded by monuments. It is like being transported to a new world.
Anyways, I checked out the museum of American History and then made my way to the National Gallery. I stopped first at the sculpture garden, which is breathtaking. There is a giant fountain in the middle, and I would sit for a few minutes every couple steps on the edge of the fountain so that I could better observe the sculptures. My favorite sculpture was called “Daughters” (I think). It is twenty statues of headless children that look on at the fountain. Disturbing, but in a good way. It reaches in and grabs you and demands your attention. As I made my way slowly around the fountain, the family of ducks that hangs out in the pond began to follow me, expectant that I would surely feed them. It was really funny.
I then made my way to the east wing of the gallery, which holds most of its modern art. Normally, I would spend all of my time here, and take in all of the works. However, the contemporary art in the East Wing was just not that exciting to me on this day. I made my way over to the West wing and then spent a few hours checking out the gothic and renaissance art there. The theme of almost all of this art was split between Christian spiritual art, conveying images of Christ or the Saints, or art that focused on sexuality. I found such a familiar contrast between the two themes, as it is something that has filled my mind as of late. That sounds strange, but it is not meant how it sounds. Anyways…
In the bottom floor of the west wing of the National Gallery there is an oblong shaped room that currently houses the history of photography exhibit. As this is something I am very interested in, I was not paying attention to where I was walking as much as I should have been and I walked right into a woman, almost knocking her to the ground. I reached out and grabbed her arm and prevented her from falling, and apologized profusely. As she finally looked up at me, I realized that the woman I had just ran into was Drew Barrymore. She was very gracious and told me that it was ok. I just stood there embarrassed and not wanting to be the tool who makes a big deal out of meeting a celebrity. I apologized again, and I continued around the exhibit, while Drew and her boyfriend, The Stroke’s drummer Farbrizio Moretti, made there way around the other side of the room. It was a very funny little brush with celebrity for me. Anyways, after the incident, I walked back to the hotel where our group was getting ready for dinner and a prayer walk in front of the White House.
Sunday was the day that we were most concerned about. We sang at the National Cathedral for their 11am service, and it went well. I have since heard the recording of it and it sounds much better than I ever would have imagined. Good Times! Afterwards, we went to Alexandria, VA and had brunch at Gadsby’s Tavern, which had, quite possibly, the best breakfast food I have ever eaten in my life. So good. We later went to the Salvation Army drug treatment center where we led their Sunday evening service and hung out with some of the guys there. God was really faithful to move there in a powerful way. The rest of the night was spent taking a tour of the mall and checking out the monuments.
Monday was our last day in D.C., and by the end of it we all were so exhausted that we began to bicker with each other. It was really an uneventful day, with the exception of spending an hour at the Potomac Retirement Center, where we hung out with some old folks. I like old people, but most of the old people I know still have their wits about them. This was an entirely different story, but again, God was faithful to show up. When we finally boarded the train, I was happy to be headed home to see my future wife and our new place. Let me tell you all that she has done a fantastic job on our bedroom. She painted and put furniture together on her own, in my absence. She is amazing.
As I am back at work now, let me post some pictures of our new room.
Later,
Rob
posted by Rob @ 5:24 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home