Finding Grace at the Toilet Bowl

This morning I found grace at the toilet bowl.

And no, I’m not talking about getting saved from a New Year’s Eve hangover.

My first task of 2010: to clean my bathroom at home. Glamorous, right?

I must have been empowered by Mom’s words: “Clean the bathroom like it will never be cleaned again” because I cleaned that bathroom with more gusto than usually take with housecleaning duties. I lathered up the sponge, scrubbing the shower stall tiles and the toilet bowl -- picture me as Cinderella, mopping the tiled floor (minus the delicate bubbles).

While I’d been away in D.C., Mom and Dad renovated the bathroom my sister and I share. They tore down the colorful wallpaper and painted it a solid yellow. The new shower curtain displayed a conservative flower pattern.

As I scrubbed away, the surfaces seemed “whiter” than before – maybe it was the new lighting fixtures. But as I reflected (literally and figuratively) on the brightness of the toilet bowl, words from an old hymn came to mind:

Sin had left a crimson stain,


He washed it white as snow.

- “Jesus Paid It All” (1865)

We’ve had plenty of of "white snow" in Chicago. There is something beautiful about the crispness of new snow – it’s blinding, just like that toilet seat.

Of course, God's promise of grace and redemption doesn’t mean we’ll be picture-perfect Christians, but the image of fresh snow helps remind us God’s ability to make us clean again. We are, by nature unclean – and sin hangs on us like dirty rags. (Isaiah 64:6) But God has called us out of our old clothes – all that old sin, old habits. How about we let that die with 2009?

During my New Year’s celebration, two friends informed me they were starting a diet that would cleanse their bodies (“de-tox” they called it). Every day for seven days, they plan to consume 6 – 12 glasses of this mixture: cayenne pepper, lemon juice, maple syrup and water. My friends said it wasn’t so much for weight loss, as it was to “reboot” and to “get rid of all the bad.” I'd love to cleanse my body like that, if I could handle drinking a recipe like that!

How will we view God’s grace this year? The shiny toilet bowl – as strange as it sounds – reminded me that God does “do-overs’ – whenever I mess up. That blaring white porcelain under the shiny new light fixture – it almost blinded me.

But it reminded that nothing is too impossible for God to handle. He desires for us to live pure and blameless – for we are His treasures. For as many times as we trip up, He's there to catch us and let us start over.

Bullock's Redemption

About six months ago I gave a rather critical review of "The Proposal," a flimsy romantic comedy. I was disgusted by Sandra Bullock's performance - and her portrayal women. My opinion on that movie has not changed.

Tonight, however, Bullock demonstrated her "serious" side of acting in "The Blind Side." She plays a soccer mom with a high dose of Southern sass. It was great to see Christ's love portrayed in a mainstream movie with high-profile actors.

To be fair, NPR's "Tell Me More" asks if "The Blind Side" isn't really another story about "The Great White Hope" (a black male saved by rich, white people).

But I digress. I still give props to Bullock for a daring and mature performance - she's even up for a few awards.

All Religion Considered

NPR's All Things Considered does a weekly tech segment. This week I was fascinated to learn that it had a religious topic: "Religion finds home on iPhones, social networks." (You can also listen to the three-minute piece).

Reporter Jessica Alpert gave additional commentary on NPR's All Tech Considered blog (which I was able to contribute to throughout my semester at NPR's Social Media Desk).

According to Alpert, there are over 200 bible iPhone apps. And one devoted couple created the iRosary. Another app reminds Muslims of the daily call to prayer.

One of my Twitter friends, Matt Lipan, is a United Methodist pastor in Indianapolis. He's a great example of someone who's engaging people online. He has an active Twitter account, blogs about his sermons, and is launching a video/chat forum called "Outside the Walls."

Can technology bring people closer to faith (and each other) - or does it distract? On the other hand, maybe using technology and social networks can work together to bring believers (and non-believers) into more intimate conversations. That's one topic I'm interested in exploring further.

Church Facades, In Pictures

The above photo appears to be a Werth's department store. But in fact, it is a church. (There is a small, white sign that indicates it is the First Baptist Church of Hammond - in Indiana.)

Photographer Camilo Jose Vergara captured church facades - like the one above - in a recently published essay ("How the Other Half Worships") and exhibit at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

Many of the photos on display featured run-down churches in city settings. But I took my time through the exhibit to read the captions. If you read carefully enough, you'd find fun nuggets of humor, like this quote about a Kentucky - Fried - Chicken - turned - Hispanic - Pentecostal - church.

Church pastor Hector Rodriguez said, "When it was selling fried chicken, it went bankrupt. Now that we praise God, it is more popular."

Some observations about the collection of photos:

• Many churches boarded up doors and windows when not occupied.

• The names of churches took on phrases and sentences, such as the America Come Back to God Evangelistic Church. But Publishers Weekly praised photographer Vergara (literally) on his storytelling method, saying: "Rather than holding forth about [the churches'] unusual names, he lets the clergy explain the origins and import of these names."

• Painted murals of Jesus are colorful and common

• At Traveler's Rest Missionary Baptist (on Racine Ave. in Chicago) hangs a neon sign about the altar: "Jesus Never Fails." How about that for a blunt message?

The photographer is a Chilean-born photo essayist, writer and documentarian who lives in New York City.

The church I've been attending has its own unique story.

Ebenezer's Coffeehouse used to be a crack house just east of Union Station. It was renovated several years back and is now a full-service coffee shop (free Wi-Fi, too!). Church offices are upstairs, and weekend services are held in the basement, which has an edgy-urban warehouse look to it.

How's that for an interesting facade?

Catacombs

Today's theme, in word: catacombs.

Not sure what "catacombs" are? (From Dictionary.com): 1. Usually, catacombs. an underground cemetery, esp. one consisting of tunnels and rooms with recesses dug out for coffins and tombs. 2. the Catacombs, the subterranean burial chambers of the early Christians in and near Rome, Italy. 3. an underground passageway, esp. one full of twists and turns.

The Holy Land of America

About midday I took a field trip to the Franciscan Monastery, in northeast Washington, D.C. It's called the Holy Land of America, because the grounds represent a smaller version of the Vatican in Rome.

The monastery took me by surprise. I've seen several different cathedrals - stateside and abroa

d - but this monastery had pretty extensive and well-kept grounds. A Rosary Portico surrounded the main church. There were gardens for St. Francis, Saint Anne. There was a tomb for Mary and a grotto of Gethsemane.

The coolest part of the tour was the walk through the underground catacombs, also a representation of Rome's (nearly 90) miles of tunnels. (Note: This monastery does not have 90 miles of catacombs. I'd have gotten lost!)

The Spiritual Catacombs
I revisited the idea of catacombs in a more abstract way this evening. National Community Church held a Catacombs Service - a reflective evening of worship followed by the baptism of 18 NCC members. My friend Jess was baptized - Pastor Mark submersed her in a pool right in the worship space at Ebenezer's Coffeehouse.

I'm not entirely sure why the evening was called 'Catacombs' but if we use the definition "a passageway full of twists and turns" then that's a pretty accurate depiction. Worship is an intimate experience - a time to reflect on where I've been and where I'm going to.

"We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." (Romans 6:4)

When Crisis Hits

What do citizen journalists do when crisis hits? Above is a video from This American Life, a radio show based out of Chicago. The video gives an example of what happens when covering a crisis surpasses the importance of assisting in the crisis.

Tech Crunch posted a great analysis of using media (and social media) in times of crisis. If you've been following the news, you know that this past week, thirteen lives were taken at Fort Hood in Texas.

What the article asks is: When does our "iReporting" interfere helping at the scene of a disaster? Those communication devices we carry around called "cell phones" should be used, first and foremost to get help. They can be useful during emergency responses (I'm thinking of the Mumbai bombings, 9/11 attacks, and the Iranian protests/elections).

It's a fine line for ethics - so how do we know how to use these tools in the best way, given the situation? I can't say I've ever been put to the test (I don't even have a smart phone to begin with) but it's something to think about.

The Tech Crunch article cited a tweet that read: "The poor guy that got shot in the balls" - and then included this photo of a Fort Hood soldier rolling into the hospital on a gurney.

I think citizen journalists are an important part of spreading news, but that privacy and respect are still considerations in the iReporting process.

Life Just Goes On

Tom Eppy / Via Flickr

One of the first ways I came know Jesus more personally was through encouraging music.

I was in middle school, and a religious ed teacher from my Catholic church had given me a holiday gift - a CD from artist Steven Curtis Chapman. I'd never heard of him, but at 13, I was all about building my CD collection - back when CDs were actually cool.

I still listen to his songs pretty regularly - even though some date back to before I was even born. Here's one that really resonates - especially living in a big city (here's the best Youtube version; bonus points if you can read Spanish).

Today I watched in silence as people passed me by,

and I strained to see if there was something hidden in their eyes.

But they all looked at me as if to say,

"Life just goes on."

- "More To This Life"

Vacant eyes.

Sometimes I wonder if I will look like some of the very tired people I see on the metro every day - if my face will look just as vacant. I'm starting to understand what that Daily Grind looks - and feels - like. Time has worn their faces. Suits are wrinkled from the hustle and bustle. Mp3 players become a method of isolationism. When I see those people - and start think I'm the same way, I remember the hope I have in Christ.

Always have, always will.

If you know me, you might describe with positive adjectives, or attribute my youthful energy to naivete. But I know I'll never get bored of the idea that God saved me from myself. I just won't. That energy I have now? It will radiate to the day I die. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding" - after all, that's what faith is, isn't it? (Proverbs 3:5)

Grounded. Steadfast. Secure.

It's easy to align our faith with our feelings. But if I've learned anything, it's that feelings can't be trusted. When things aren't going right for me, I know that it's not because God can't see or hear what's going on - he knows it all. And God isn't a "fair weather" friend; he's the most dependable friend I have, because I know he won't ever abandon me.

And to those listless people on the metro - I'm praying that you'll find more to this life.