hey. its laurel. we painted so much today!! and i met one of the coolest people in the world. today, i met a teenager from the FLDS who had recently left his community. He told us literally EVERYTHING about his family and how close they are. i dont think i have ever learned more about one person in my life time. i've learned his life's story in a matter of hours and i loved it. I think i have only ever heard of FLDS, and it hasn't always been shed in the best light, but today, i learned so much about his culture that i never knew. He told me about how family is always first, and how happiness is eternal. i learned that sometimes the reason we get upset with our parents is because they are the ones who have to say no. I realized how much courage one could ever have, because he left his home, everything he has ever grown up with, all he ever has known, and he decided he doesnt have the same faith, and chose to do what he wanted. he didnt let others choose his life for him. and i admire that. i wish some day i can have the same amount of confidence and courage as someone like he has. i love learning about others lives and faiths, and today my eyes were opened beyond my imagination. i didnt know someone could have this much insight. and i love every moment he spent explaining to us what he did for fun, or what he believed. i look forward to tomorrow, so i may learn even more of those we marginalize, and those who walk right before us full of stories yearning to be heard. i am so blessed.
Laurel Skinner
Many people write these blog postings. All of us belong to a group called SLY (St. Luke Youth) and we are on a mission. Our mission took us to the city in the middle of the desert where there are a lot of homeless people. Our group is going to try and make their lives a little bit better. We think that our friends, family and other people out there should hear the stories of these people, and how they have changed our lives forever. Here is our story.
I am reading this everyday and loving it! Thanks for letting us know what's up.
ReplyDeleteWow, Laurel. What an experience. And what a chance to experience the story of a group, the FLDS, a break away group from the LDS, as the FLDS still practices polygamy. Not unlike the "Big Love" TV series about a mormon with four wifes and their larger family. I have Christian friends from a couple of countries in Africa whose fathers had multiple wives but multiple houses in different areas with a lot less mixing of the half brothers and sisters.
ReplyDeleteAs top happiness you are experiencing how Aristotle defined happiness, something people don't often want to think of: "doing your duty." Jesus has given us two commissions: (1) the Great Commission, to go out and tell/witness to others, and (2) the Great Commandment: to love God with all our heart and all our mind and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Thinking "duty" makes people wrinkle their noses. Hence Bonhoeffer's book, "Discipleship" (sometimes translated "Cost of Discipleship" in English, which led Bonhoeffer to his ecumenical efforts, which is what you are doing with the FLDS person.
You are experiencing from Scott and the other adults what Bonhoeffer would call true leadership, the same as you get from your parents, for the good leader (home, school, church, society, nation) serves others by leading them to maturity, to where they can become independent of the leaders as leaders themselves, i.e., to be able to become good parents, good teachers, good elected officials, etc.. In other words, "discipleship." Disciple means "learner," so our job as disciples of Christ is to learn and to then, as Luther demonstrated, pass it on (which he enabled by translating the Bible into the language of the people and then writing the Catechism ("large" one for individual home study by adults, and the "small" one for use in teaching young people in class at home and later in church). In other words, for all of the freedom we have in Jesus, do we choose our lives ourselves or do we do our choosing under the rubric of "discipleship," doing so within our responsibility to follow the Great Commandment, being, if you will, always responsible before God.
You were always great at raising great questions. And you continue to do so, and I continue to enjoy the dialogue with you over the questions you raise. And as you do so, you increase your comfort zone and widen your boundaries for those who may feel marginalized by others now fit under your umbrella and so, for you and your fellow SLY family members, they can feel included, not marginalized, which will help them to be able to turn to feeling part of the whole no matter what their own little corner is, unique but not marginal, different yet still loved and accepted.
Part 1.
ReplyDeleteWow, Laurel. What an experience. And what a chance to experience the story of a group, the FLDS, a break away group from the LDS, as the FLDS still practices polygamy. Not unlike the "Big Love" TV series about a mormon with four wifes and their larger family. I have Christian friends from a couple of countries in Africa whose fathers had multiple wives but multiple houses in different areas with a lot less mixing of the half brothers and sisters.
As top happiness you are experiencing how Aristotle defined happiness, something people don't often want to think of: "doing your duty." Jesus has given us two commissions: (1) the Great Commission, to go out and tell/witness to others, and (2) the Great Commandment: to love God with all our heart and all our mind and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Part 2. (it said "too big," so I've cut it in half)
ReplyDeleteThinking "duty" makes people wrinkle their noses. Hence Bonhoeffer's book, "Discipleship" (sometimes translated "Cost of Discipleship" in English, which led Bonhoeffer to his ecumenical efforts, which is what you are doing with the FLDS person.
You are experiencing from Scott and the other adults what Bonhoeffer would call true leadership, the same as you get from your parents, for the good leader (home, school, church, society, nation) serves others by leading them to maturity, to where they can become independent of the leaders as leaders themselves, i.e., to be able to become good parents, good teachers, good elected officials, etc., as the final leader for all of us is Christ. In other words, "discipleship" means "learner," so our job as disciples of Christ is to learn and to then, as Luther demonstrated, pass the ability for mature reflection and conversation with God (which Luther enabled by translating the Bible into the language of the people and then writing the Catechism ("large" one for individual home study by adults, and the "small" one for use in teaching young people in class at home and later in church). In other words, for all of the freedom we have in Jesus, we are still granted the free will freedom to choose our lives ourselves or consciously choose under the rubric of "discipleship," meaning doing so within our responsibility to follow the Great Commandment, being, if you will, always responsible before God.
You were always great at raising great questions. And you continue to do so, and I continue to enjoy the dialogue with you over the questions you raise. And as you do so, you increase your comfort zone and widen your boundaries for those who may feel marginalized by others who can now fit under your umbrella and so, for you and your fellow SLY family members, they can feel included, not marginalized, which will help them to be able to turn to feeling part of the whole no matter what their own little corner is, unique but not marginal, different yet still loved and accepted.
Hi Lolo: Thanks for writing an update! We are very glad that this trip is so positive for all of you! What a wonderful experience. Thank you to your adult leaders for making it happen. . . and a BIG thank you to ALL of you high school students for blessing all of US with your thoughts, questions and energy. You all make the world a much richer place for us old folks! I am sure you are making the world a much richer place for those in Las Vegas you are encountering.
ReplyDelete