EnGendering Conversation

Tonight at 7:00 I'll be conducting a conversation on Social Justice and Feminism at the Underground. The event, EnGendering Conversation, is sponsored by the Harding student group HUmanity. "The purpose of the organization HUmanity is to be advocates and activists in bringing about social change regarding issues directly affecting the marginalized of the world and surrounding community. The organization will accomplish this goal through practical education of the student body and surrounding community as well as creative implementation of ideas, which will lead to change regarding peace and social justice. Members affirm that humanity's standard of living can be bettered by grassroots activism implemented through peaceful, Christ-like action to bring about positive change in the global community. The organization holds no affiliations to any political party or political ideology. The organization HUmanity bases its actions on the guidance given in Micah 6:8 that all mankind must live lives of mercy, justice, and humble acknowledgment of God." Come on out and join the conversation.

WINGS 2010

Tomorrow I'll be speaking at the 2010 WINGS conference here at Harding. The theme this year is "Come Fly with Us!" which, I must admit, sounds more like a VBS theme than the theme for an adult women's conference. (I'm sorry, but it does!!)

My assigned topic? "Airplane Maintenance." Yep. You read that right. But I just couldn't force myself to title anything "Airplane Maintenance" or to put it up on my Powerpoint introductory slide. So I cheated a little. My working title is "Spiritual Maintenance," which, I think, is a very important topic.

Here's the schedule if you're interested.

How To Begin

Last week, after my Girl Who Cain’t Say No post, Jonathan asked what I was going to say about Tolerance when I spoke at the WINGS conference. Well, I can’t condense a 45 minute speech into a blog post, but I can definitely tell you how I began: with humility.

I like what James W. Sire says in his book The Universe Next Door: A Catalog of Worldviews:

“Unless each of us begins by assuming that we are in our present state the sole maker and meaning-giver of the universe, it would be well to accept an attitude of humility as a working frame of reference. [Human beings are finite, and this truth] will keep us both from total accuracy in the way we grasp and express our worldview and from completeness or exhaustiveness. Some truths of reality will slip through our finest intellectual nets, and our nets will have some holes we have not even noticed. So the place to start is with humility.”

Amen?