Earth Day 2008

*This was written April 22, 2008: Today is Earth Day, 2008. In my office, we are situated in a sort of row of cubicles arrangement, with the 5 VISTAS in the row, as well as 2 AmeriCorps State Members. We bought plants to celebrate Earth day, as well as to increase the air quality in our office.

I drove to work today. That makes me a bad hippy. I need to get my Bianchi fixed, so that I can ride it to and from work on a daily basis. It's funny- had that bike not been as nice as it is, it would have been a lot easier to fix.

I've been thinking a lot about love lately. I've been reading a series of books (3) written by an author whose name is Ted Dekker. The books are called, in chronological order, Black, Red, and White. The names alone are reason enough to draw some interesting inferences. Black could be in reference to a time when humanity was stumbling without a way out of their sin. Red, most apparently is the blood sacrifice, but more subtly I think it could be a symbol of the romance and love of Christ. White, I believe, could be in reference to the making clean of the spirit and the soul- a return to purity.

One thing that happens in the book has really caught my attention. The main character, who is a warrior, romantic, and a leader of his tribe, as well as a sort of spiritual guide to the people, has a revelation. He sees a person from their enemy, who is controlled by diseased flesh and mind, as God would see her; wonderful and worthy of love. He is supposed to despise this woman, based on his culture, but he is granted a moment when he can see her as God would want her to be seen. Then, he falls in love with her.

What does that tell us about the way that we love people? Or, more appropriately, what does that tell us about how we fail to love people?

I found it all interesting.