Rainbows and Unicorns

[beyonslayed-deactivated20150710]

black people: *speak about the massacre at Charleston extensively across various medium* non-black people: wow did you see Jon Stewart’s coverage of the charleston shooting so insightful such a good white guy

[out-of-egypt-blog]

To this day, I’m still not sure the exact reason that I decided to go up to the InterVarsity booth at Urbana 12, and ask to talk to someone about staff life. I’m not exactly sure why I signed up to have a half hour conversation with Abner Ramos about LaFe. Or why I ended up asking him about his...

[asafo2020-deactivated20171024]

Solidarity

[whitepeoplesaidwhat]

Suggestions for the non-black poc who come to our inbox asking what they/their signs should be saying at protests

-Holly

[jeahfeelyou]

THAT’S A FRIEND OF MINE AT MY SCHOOL HOLY JESUSSSSSSSSSS

[dahveed-valencia]

This is dope!

[detrea]

The premise of minimum wage, when it was introduced, was that a single wage earner should be able to own a home and support a family.  That was what it was based on; a full time job, any job, should be able to accomplish this.

The fact people scoff at this idea if presented nowadays, as though the people that ring up your groceries or hand you your burgers don’t deserve the luxury of a home and a family, is disgusting.

[dahveed-valencia]

Updates!

I haven't written anything in a long time. What's new with my life? I'm a shift supervisor at Starbucks. I open five days out of the week. I wake up at 3 am reevaluating my life choices. Waiting for the day when I can finally leave. I'm also a Provisional Appointee with InterVarsity. Meaning I fundraise full time in order to get on campus and help students fulfill their potential. 

 Right now I'm hungry. I'm waiting for water to boil. Which reminds me that I haven't checked it in a while. Be right back. 

It's fine. 

Today is my day off. It's been nice and relaxing. I'm trying to get in shape. Running more and stuff. The 11th Doctor is my favorite Doctor. I have work tomorrow. At 4:45. Who goes and gets coffee at 5am on a Saturday morning?!?!?! Why?!?!?!? 

I like a girl. I don't know how she feels. My ankle hurts. I need to make my bed. But I don't feel like it. It's fine the way it is. This is my life.

[dahveed-valencia]

The Woman at the Well

The other day, my friend asked me if there was ever a point where you read a passage in the Bible and there's nothing new in there anymore because you've read it so much. 

My response was that there will only be nothing new in that passage if you refuse to allow God to teach you something new. 

Case in point- The woman at the well. The story of when Jesus sits and talks with a Samaritan woman. Since joining InterVarsity, I have gone over that passage so many times. I could probably recite it from memory. I know the observations, the interpretations and the applications. It has become a sort of joke with friends of mine. Need a Bible study passage? Woman at the well! Need a passage to to over with new believers? Woman at the well!

But God always has something new to teach us. This past week, LaFe went over that passage during our Bible study. And yes, I learned something new about the way God interacts with us. 

One of the observations that was made was how the woman must have been excited to receive water that would never make her thirst. She must have been anticipating something great. However, in the next verse, Jesus immediately brings her to her place of pain. That of her relationships. In just one sentence, Jesus makes her face her pain. But He makes her do it so that He can give her the eternal water. Himself. What she received from Jesus wouldn't have been complete if she hadn't faced the pain in her own life. 

In that same way, I think God often wants to offer us more than we could ever imagine. However, before we receive that blessing, we need to face our own weaknesses and be able to surrender those to God. We need to be reminded of our failings and weaknesses and places where we feel we're not enough. Then we have to surrender all that to God and trust that He knows what He's doing in our lives. Trust that what He wants to offer us is greater than all the pain we've been through in our lives. 

I think it must have definitely sucked to have been the woman at the point where she feels that Jesus is about to condemn her for her past choices. But what she received was a million times greater. Because we see her go back to her hometown and start telling everyone that the Messiah was there. The pain that Jesus made her face was nothing compared to the news that the Messiah she had been waiting for had at last arrived. That's pretty cool. Our pain is nothing compared to what God has to offer us. 

[dahveed-valencia]

The American Dream is Dead

The American Dream is dead.

It failed us, so while it was sleeping in its bed

It was killed.

Promises left unfulfilled.

Oh what a thrill.

With it is gone its child, Consumerist Greed

I know, I know, news that’s hard to believe

But now, we’re free!

Yes, free!

You see, consumerism conquered and controlled our minds,

Convincing us wealth and possessions were how we should be defined

Store up now, save for later,

Work hard every day; spend your whole life in labor

And before you could enjoy your rest, Death became your next door neighbor.

I know, the idea sounds insane

But we were blinded by our chains

The American Dream and Consumerist Greed

Convinced us we could do as we please

While we, blinded by a glimpse and a tease

Didn’t realize we were never truly free

Just blinded by an illusion

In confusion and delusion about our inclusion

The American Dream knew that to be generous

Meant you were a menace

Consumerist Greed became oh so jealous

And told you your money was more precious

Than the plight of your neighbor

If you gave what was yours away, you would become a traitor.

We who were the American Dream’s creator

Slipped along the way and let it become our dictator

But now the American Dream and Consumerist Greed are dead

Take a deep breath

And savor that freedom

Just yesterday you were worried about what you would eat

Or what you would wear

If you had enough to retire when you grew gray hair.

So you kept your money tightly guarded

And those with less you disregarded.

The American Dream told you what was yours was yours

It was okay to save and store

To gain more and more while ignoring the poor.

Focus on your own selfish needs

Is what was proclaimed by Consumerist Greed

You worked hard for your wealth

Why do others need to be helped?

What’s yours is yours there no need to share

With a little hard work, they too can get there

Mass deception

Obsession with possession and perfection

No reflection on our regression

Infection surviving with no detection

But now those who lorded over us are dead

Destroyed by one whom the world thought dead

They just didn’t pay attention to His resurrection

He who became our perfection and redemption

Kick started this insurrection

Freed us from mass oppression

Gave us a new direction

Destroyed our chains

Removed those who reigned

Retrained our brains

A countercultural movement

That will bring society’s improvement.

Yeah I know, it’s hard to wrap your head around

Your whole world’s been flipped upside down.

See, your freedom was bought at a price

So you must glorify God in all aspects of your life

It’s no longer about hoarding

But about restoring

Welcome to a world where it’s about helping those who are struggling

Those who are suffering

Escape from that mental prison

That gave you tunnel vision

See, that wealth you had was never yours to store away for a rainy day

But to bless those barely surviving on their daily wage

A lie you had accepted as truth

Taught since your youth

But now, Jesus refutes

So stop with the stressing

Cause God always brings blessings

To those who gladly share their possessions

If He takes care of the birds and beasts

How much more of those He Freed?

He’s a God who clothes and feeds

And provides for our every need.

So rejoice in the freedom that Christ has gained

And take a look at all you claim.

Are you stuck in your old mentality

That security comes from frugality?

Or can you rejoice in a life of sharing?

A life that seems quite daring.

Will you go back to a life that’s based on your strength alone?

Or will you let God be the one who gives you more?

For where your heart is, there also is your treasure,

But Christ has for us rewards beyond measure.

So if you choose to trust in morals that are dated

And gods that are past their apex

Put on those chains again and go back to the matrix.

But it is for freedom, Christ has redeemed us.

And the journey with Him is more than you could ever dream of.

So shake off your old fears and let your mind be renewed

As a new dream you begin to pursue

The American Dream is dead.

Long live the King.

[j-popsicles]

Go Forth and Educate Yourselves!

http://thesocietypages.org/

http://www.ensemble-rd.com/en

http://www.everyday-democracy.org/en/index.aspx

http://www.stophate.us/racism/

http://www.victimsofcrime.org/home

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism

http://www.communitychangeinc.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_privilege

http://ted.coe.wayne.edu/ele3600/mcintosh.html

http://www.whiteprivilegeconference.com/white_privilege.html

I’d also highly recommend watching the Jane Elliot Brown-eye/Blue-eye experiments, which can be found here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeK759FF84s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pv8mCHbOrs (Part 1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neEVoFODQOE (Part 2 - Has very important points on Reverse Racism and how it doesn’t exist)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MYHBrJIIFU

[dahveed-valencia]

Great way to talk about white privilege for those who don't think they have it!

[cartoonpolitics]

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”  ~ Mahatma Gandhi

[dahveed-valencia]

A bag of chips and Tapatio...

Last night was pretty good. It was the last time InterVarsity was meeting for the quarter so there were free tamales and drinks which was really cool. Two LaFe people got to share their stories on stage and there was an amazing spoken word piece. 

 However, at the end of the night, I got informed of something that really offended me. One of the teams was doing a Secret Santa. My friend, who's one of the only Latinos on the team was given Tapatio and a bag of chips. I think there was something else, but I'm not entirely sure. But still, really? A bottle of Tapatio? That's pretty offensive. 

   From what I heard, the person was just trying to embrace his ethnicity. That doesn't make it any less offensive in my opinion though. Because it boils down to "If he's Mexican, he must love Tapatio". 

   A few weeks ago, when I was helping lead the multiethnicity track, a lot of people were wondering why it was necessary. Stuff like this is why it's necessary. Gifts like these may be seen as funny or trying to embrace someone's culture, but they come across as offensive. If the person was trying to embrace his culture, why not give him a book written by a Latin@ author? Or something that's not a bag of chips and Tapatio?

EDIT-I believe he also got a can of beans.

[dahveed-valencia]

Women in Ministry

   I've been meaning to write this for a while now. Since LAUP actually. The topic has to do with women in ministry. I don't mean this to be an exhaustive theological work with citations and all that. It's just my thoughts on the subject. 

   Toward the end of LAUP, Erna, the program director talked about how for many it would be the first and maybe last time they would ever see a woman in a position of leadership. That took me off guard. 

    See, I had never really given much thought to the fact that a woman was a director for the program. For me, it was  "Okay, Erna is the director. She's a bit scary, but she seems cool." I hadn't stopped to consider that there are many churches out there where women aren't allowed to be in positions of leadership. 

   I grew up in a Pentecostal church where both men and women were in positions of leadership. The pastor's wife was a woman who was most definitely powered by the Holy Spirit. You could just feel it oozing out of her. She probably preached as much as the pastor did. And when she preached, oh boy, you needed to prepare yourself. You could feel the Spirit convicting you all the way to your inner core. 

   My mom is also skilled at preaching. I grew up with my mom also preaching at church, or being invited to preach at other churches. Later on, my mom got involved with a ministry that went to prisons in Tijuana, Mexico. Whenever I could go, I would also go with my mom. 

   Growing up, seeing women in positions of leadership was common. In fact, the women would often exhort the men to stand up and take more leadership. 

   That's why I have no problem with women in leadership. Because I was raised in an environment where I could see how women were used powerfully by the Holy Spirit to exhort and convince. I saw them speaking in tongues, prophesying, and healing others. 

   I probably wouldn't be where I'm at right now, applying for InterVarsity staff, if it weren't for women that God placed in my way.

   My freshman year, I had no Christian community at UCSD. One day, while putting up flyers for another group I was involved with, I heard somebody playing the guitar in one of the common rooms. As I listened closely, I noticed that it was a Christian song. I approached the girl and asked if she was Christian. It turned out she was! She invited me out to the Bible study that InterVarsity held in Muir. She followed up on the day of the Bible study to make sure I was going to come out which I thought was pretty cool.

   My second  year, I still had no idea that the Bible study from last year was part of something bigger. Honestly, it was God who brought Christine Lee, Christina Kim, and Andrew Bryant to my door. I think they were looking for one of my roommates, but she wasn't there at the time. They found out I was part of Muir Bible study and they invited me out to Westside, the community group for Muir/Marshall upperclassmen. As the year went by, the fact that Christine made a special effort to meet up with me and ask how my spiritual life was going, was something that encouraged me to step up my Bible reading and prayer life. Those meetings made me feel like I was in community. 

   Little did I know that God was working with other students that year to start up LaFe my third year. That's when I got to meet Iris. Iris is one of my best friends. I have shared so much of my life with her and I'm really grateful for her friendship. As I started going to LaFe, God started moving in my life. Slowly but surely, God started to break down ethnic shame that I had long carried. I found community that I really cared about and a space where I could be open and honest. That lead to me joining student leadership my fourth year, volunteer staff with LaFe this year, and (hopefully) staff with LaFe next year. (Followed by being the San Diego Area Director for LaFe of course). 

   Which amazing woman helped me my fourth year? The wonderful LaFe staff worker, Julie. No matter where I go in ministry, the way I lead is definitely going to have Julie's influence in there. Julie encouraged me to go to Urbana, which is where I felt the call to pray for a Latino/a staff worker at UCSD, and start considering staff life myself. She encouraged me to go to LAUP, which was a HUGE blessing in my life. It helped confirm the staff calling and gave me the opportunity to help with the LaFe chapter at USC. Having been lead by Julie, and now getting a chance to work with her, I've definitely learned a lot about leadership from her. What to do and what not to do. I can say with certainty that she's probably been the main influence in how I view/do leadership. 

And even this summer, having Kelsey as my ASC meant she was the one leading me in the Bible studies and helping challenge my view on how I saw certain passages. Having both Chizu and Laura as directors for the Borderlands group. Having Erna as the overall director. Women have played such an instrumental part in my faith. 

  I just finished reading a book called Jesus Feminist, where the author talks about how when women are held back, the Church loses half of its power. One restricts the Holy Spirit so much when they tell half of its membership that they're not allowed to do anything in leadership. I wish that churches everywhere would allow the women to lead, because I've seen what happens when women are allowed to lead and it's exciting! To see the full power of the Holy Spirit being released is something amazing. 

   So much of my faith walk is tied to women and I shall be eternally grateful for the role that they played. So women, feel empowered to follow what the Spirit says, and men, let's humble ourselves and allow ourselves to be lead by women and learn from them. In that way, we can allow the Kingdom to be seen even more clearly in our lives. 

[thebridgechicago]

In Matthew 25, Jesus gives His criteria for how He will evaluate what kind of Christian someone is. There is no mention of secular media, or naughty language, or political beliefs. He talks about feeding hungry people, welcoming strangers, clothing poor people, and visiting prisoners. Those are the things Jesus takes personally.

Jed Brewer on episode 95 of Say That

Get it Free on iTunes or our Website

(missionusa.com/bridgebox)

[hautedeath]

Motherfuckers will read a book that’s 1/3 elvish, but put two sentences in Spanish and White people think we’re taking over.

Junot Diaz to the interview question “Do you think using Spanish in your writing alienates some of your readers?” (via kawahineaihonua)

[dahveed-valencia]

Why I don't have a type.

   If you'd asked me last year what type of girl I preferred, I would have answered right away. Or really, any of my friends could have answered for me. It was clear cut. If you want an idea of what my type was, just look up any old photos of me with my ex-girlfriend. That'll give you a clue. 

  For the longest time I only really thought of marrying someone of my type. Anything else wasn't really considered. Part of it can be attributed to feelings of ethnic shame and wanting to "marry up". Social media was definitely a huge influence. I allowed it to shape my definition of what I considered "beautiful". 

   But that's the cool thing about Jesus. He doesn't care what the world thinks. He wants us to be countercultural and not fit into the pattern of this world. 

 So last year and over part of the summer I had a crush on this girl. A huge crush. So huge, nobody actually knows who it is. This was probably the one time I kept my mouth shut on a crush.

  Thing was, she wasn't my type. That immediately set off alarms in my brain. My idea of who I was supposed to be with was being dangerously challenged. 

  But that was good. I tend to overanalyze everything. With this crush, I started thinking about some alternate future where we ended up together. And for the first time in my life, I started considering the implications of that. What would that mean for me? For the way society viewed me? The reaction of my family? 

   It definitely helped that I was at LAUP and managed to process part of this with Laura. As I spent time with God, He really spoke into that. What did I hear?

   That naturally some of us tend to be attracted to one type of look over another, but that shouldn't be the basis of who we choose to engage in a relationship with. If I tell myself I'll only go for redheads or for girls that are shorter than 5'8 or something of the sort, I'm closing myself off in an unhealthy way. I'm looking for a relationship based on physical appearance above anything else. I believe that if you click with someone, you'll find them beautiful no matter what. I shouldn't let physical appearance be the first barrier that a girl has to jump over in order for me to consider her beautiful. 

   Last year, during a LaFe hangout, Julie mentioned how the top thing on anybody's list should be that they love God above all else. And I think this summer definitely helped me learn that even more. So if somebody were to ask me for my type now, I would say that she would have to love God above all else, even me. A girl who loves God, engages in cross cultural relationships, and has a heart for social justice and evangelism is what I need to see. Because if a girl doesn't have that heart posture, it doesn't matter how attractive she is; it just won't work out. Appearances fade over time, personality lasts forever. If I ever get into another relationship, I want the person at my side to be someone who is just as passionate about the same issues as I am. 

   So yeah, that's why I don't have a type anymore. Because I shouldn't be seeking someone just for their appearance, but for their passions as well. 

   Relationships was not one of the focuses of LAUP, but God definitely helped re-shape my way of thinking during LAUP. And that's just one more thing to be grateful to Him for. 

[dahveed-valencia]

Eeee!!!

   I'm super excited right now. Actually have been for the past couple of days. Why? Because starting this next week, I'll be leading a few students through Being Latino in Christ by Orlando Crespo. 

   Even though Julie gave me a copy at the beginning of my year on leadership, it wasn't until almost the end that I got around to reading it. And it blew my mind. It was like Orlando Crespo had gotten into my mind and articulated almost every thing that I had thought about in regards to being Latino and being Christian and being from the United States and being all three. It also caused me to face and work through pain from the past. 

   Another emotion that showed up as I read through the book was...sadness? I'm not really sure what to call it. A desire to have someone to talk with as I processed everything that I read through. More specifically, an older Latino/a person who could be like "Hey, I've been there too and I know what you're feeling and it's all going to be ok." But that's the amazing thing about God. He is always exactly what you need Him to be. In this case, it was someone to talk to about my pain. About my desire to keep exploring my ethnic identity. My desires to put what I read about in action. 

   That's why I'm so excited for the (hopefully) weekly meetings I'll be having with these students. It'll be a great opportunity to further explore identity and what it really means to be a Latino American. 

   One of my favorite quotes from the book is " As advertisers have tried to figure out effective marketing strategies to implement with this growing population, they are discovering what we as Latinos have always known-we are diverse and similar at the same time. We are from different countries, but we speak the same language. We are from different faiths, but have the same Catholic roots. Our histories are different, but we have all experienced conquest, colonization and mestizaje. We label ourselves differently as well. Some of us prefer to call ourselves Hispanic, Chicano or Latino. Others of us prefer to use terms based on our native countries, such as Argentinean, Ecuadorian, or Guatemalan. Still, when we are in a majority setting, and discover another Latino in our midst, our differences are put aside and our commonalities rise to the surface with pride as we approach each other as familia." (p.28) It's so true. Every Latino I've met has always been at a different place in their journey. But it's these differences that make hearing everybody's story so interesting. And it's why I'm excited for this group. It'll be a chance for people who are at different points in their journey to come together and grow in love for God and their ethnic identity. 

   These students are the first ones that I'll be doing something like this with. I'm really hoping that it becomes something I can engage in each quarter with a different group of students. 

   This is something I always wanted last year and now I'm getting a chance to realize that. I just didn't think I'd be the one leading it. But God is so good!!! So yes, let's do this! Let's talk about identity and being Latino/a and go into those messy uncomfortable places that we're afraid to touch. 

[dahveed-valencia]

The Third Year of LaFe

I'm still so excited over the turnout tonight! 24 people including the leaders!!! 24!!!! We've never had that many!!! 

Two years ago, I wrote a post on the first meeting of LaFe. It was their first Bible study and I went out just because it had been recommended. I connected instantly with some of the people there and just felt really at home. I felt...welcomed there by the Bible study leaders. Little did I know that two years later I would still be there, just in a different role. 

It's been crazy seeing the growth of LaFe. I remember a Bible study that first year where it was just the leaders and me. It was in the Comunidad Room Small. I also felt slightly awkward. Thinking back to that moment is why I'm so excited at the turnout tonight! It was in the exact same room but this time we were packed!!! 

I have no idea what the leaders that year (Iris, Paloma, Isai and Esteban) imagined for LaFe. I have no idea if they ever pictured the impact their faithfulness to God's calling would make. If y'all are reading this, be proud of yourselves! Look at what you helped start! (You too Julie)

Coming to that first Bible study, I certainly didn't picture that I would open up to my ethnic identity or that I would end up wanting to work with Latino/a students. Even at the beginning of last year, when I stepped onto leadership, I wasn't quite certain why I was doing it. Like many other choices I've made, I did it just on a whim. Well I thought hard about it, but in the end, I was like "Okay, I like it. It'll be my first choice." But God worked through that. It's crazy to think I almost asked to be transferred to another team. 

But man!!! It's been crazy to see how God has been increasing the amount of people coming! And yes, I know it's not about the numbers, but at the same time, it means we're reaching more and more people and all these people are coming for some reason. 

I was a bit nervous tonight. I was wondering if people were going to show up. If people were going to return from last year. And a lot did. The group tonight was about an even mix of new people and regulars from last year. As people were introducing themselves and why they were there, I was like "Augh! I want to meet with you and you and you and you!" haha. 

24 people!!! Still excited. Plus I counted at least another 6 people or so who couldn't make it, but otherwise might have. 

Just having been a part of LaFe in a different way each year has been amazing. From seeing it as a student coming into a Bible study that only had less than 10 people at times, to being a student leader and seeing the growth right after Encuentro, to being a volunteer and discovering that we have 220 people to contact, the journey has been amazing. I'm like really excited for what the rest of the year is going to hold. 

It's a shame the OG leaders couldn't be there in person to see the numbers tonight, but they should still be proud of themselves for starting, as Julie called it, a movement that continues to grow. 

[dahveed-valencia]

But Wait! There's More!

So today I went to my first Large Group as an alumni. I've gone to the past two, but I stayed outside guarding the items and engaging in conversations with people who walked by, so today was the first time I went and listened to the message this school year. I'm really glad I got to listen to the message. 

Last night I was reading from the Gospel of John where Jesus talks about his followers doing greater things than He. (John 14: 10-14) For me, I started to wonder what that meant. The obvious conclusion one comes to is about miracles. Supernatural events that intrude upon the ordinary. I kind of left it at that and then went along with my day. 

Today though, Ryan Pfeiffer talked about that same passage! It was pretty crazy. He mentioned how the greatest miracle of all is to see someone be transformed spiritually and have their lives changed. It made me think of this passage from Mark where Jesus asks his opponents if it's easier to heal a man or to declare that his sins are forgiven. 

Ryan went on to mention how we as believers can do greater things than Jesus because we have the full revelation of the cross. Everything that the Old Testament was pointing to was completed with the death and resurrection of Jesus. So the church now has this complete revelation that we can give to people as opposed to something that has yet to be fulfilled. 

Ryan finished off by talking about how we can ask for anything in Jesus' name and He will do it. The anything refers to everything that is in God's will. And God's will is HUUUGE! 

This is probably like the third or fourth time I've ever heard Ryan speak, but today was probably the first time I felt his message really speak to me. 

As I was praying toward the end, I felt God speaking to me and saying that He is going to show me these greater things this year. Dora's words came to mind, "Our ceiling is God's floor." Everything that I've been through these past two years and the ways I've seen God come through and provide for me are barely the tip of what God wants to do in my life. Every day I'm amazed at where God has brought me out of and where He has placed me. And that's only the beginning is what God was telling me. There's so much more to come! He wants to bring me even deeper into His presence! As I was praying and even now as I'm recording tonight, I'm just struck by that statement. I have seen God do some amazing stuff from Urbana to LAUP to volunteer staff. It's like one of those late night commercials. BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! It's like "Woah God, I'm good with everything you've done so far, but you want to do even more?!" Augh! God is just so amazing y'all!

What's even more amazing is that right after I finished praying, I got a call from a friend of mine who wants to meet up weekly to study the Bible even more. She was blessed by the LaFe bible studies last year and wants to keep seeking and finding answers to her questions. Plus tomorrow I'll be getting lunch with the pastor at Ethnos! Discipleship, community, fellowship, etc. I am just really overwhelmed by everything God is doing in my life right now. 

Now if I could only find a job, life would be slightly better. (Actually finding a giant pile of money would help too)