I’m finally getting settled (more or less) in the northern life of MN. That is, I’m getting a routine somewhat established to make life feel less like chaos and more like we (our family) is heading in an intentional direction. Sure, already, there are many things that I’m excited about, but before I go there, I must finish stacking stones. I realize that I’ve only stack 9 of 12, and I haven’t neglected the task, but I’ve been meditating on it pretty regularly.
Stone number 10 of the Arizona season of my life has been the scholarly, introspective & contemplative effort that I put into praying, learning, and understanding poverty. Finishing my degree in sociology was a large tool for this. I learned much. I’ve understood more, how sin not only effects the individual (me), but individuals (my neighbor), and, in effect, every social system on the planet. I understand more that poverty and inequality in social systems are really (in the ultimate root cause analysis) the result of a broken relationship with God, and broken relationships with each other. I learned that while poverty has many common symptoms, the causes vary, and commonly contain unique stories of injustice: some blatantly atrocious, and some inconspicuously devilish.
CLICK HERE for the position paper that I wrote during this time for the ministry that I worked with.
So, #10 is poverty: what I learned about it in society, in humanity, and in myself.