My Spiritual Pilgrimage

I am horrible at fasting. Just ask my husband what I'm like after missing even just one meal. It's not pretty.

But I do love Jesus and I've got to tell you, I have been DESPERATE for more of Him lately.

I have been in this fight for Immigration reform for a few years now, and boy is it a roller coaster ride. One day there is all this excitement and hope because a Republican Congressman came out in support of reform, and the next it seems completely hopeless because another Congressman says Immigration Reform is dead. Things have really amped up in the last year and specifically the last couple of months. There was excitement as over 600 conservatives, including many Evangelical leaders, gathered in DC late October calling on Congress to pass reform by the end of the year. Yet here we are, December 4th with only a handful of days left in the year and we've got nothing. I have felt so discouraged and hopeless over the last couple of weeks. I have lamented to God about this and you know what He told me...pretty much as clear as day?

"Bethany, why are you putting your hope in man?" 

"What God, No I'm not!! I pray all the time for Reform."

"But Bethany, if you are hopeless because man is not moving, then will you only be hopeful if they are moving? Put your hope in Me."

Shoot. He's totally right.

It's so easy to say my hope is in Jesus but it's a whole other thing to actually put your hope in Him. Like fully and completely in Him. I want to though, so so badly. Like I said, I am desperate for HIM. I am confident that my passion for this cause is motivated by my passion for God, but it is so easy to get swept away in the fight and lose sight of why we are fighting in the first place. It's not about meeting with important people, planning events, or influencing legislation. I need to return to what this is all about: chasing after God's heart.

While I've been wallowing over here a group of people began fasting on November 12th on the National Mall. You can read more about that here. As I've followed the story, something really stirred in my heart. I felt something in me say, "Go. Join them." That voice kept getting louder and louder and finally, I decided to listen. It doesn't make any sense, I know I can fast anywhere, I know God is everywhere and I have a one year old, for goodness sake!

But when God says "Go," you go.

This is my Spiritual Pilgrimage. I am going with an expecting heart and if I am honest, a nervous one too. Like I said, I stink at fasting. I get cranky, forget to pray, and usually give up. This time though, I know I will have to stick it out because I will be sitting with people who have been fasting for days and will continue to do so long after I leave. I know I will stick it out because God is good and He will sustain me. I truly believe that.

I am fasting for families, for immigration reform and most importantly, to set aside a space and time to align my heart with God's. I am fasting because my hope is in God, and God alone.  Just as He will sustain me and the other fasters, He will sustain my friends and neighbors. He will deliver them. He will bring freedom. It's not a matter of if, but when. Even if man does not move, He will move.

Will you join me in this? Click here and see how you can!

Law of the Land

Last week, I had the privileged and honor of attending Immigrant Pathways Institute in Chicago. Basically, I spent about 9-10 hours a day learning, studying, and researching our current Immigration Laws. In addition, I was able to engage in some challenging theological discussion with seminary students, Biblical theologians, professors, pastors and lawyers. After only a week of class, I don't claim to be an expert, but I do feel like I gained some specific insight, some of which I would like to share here. It's hard to summarize all that I learned and how the Lord is stirring in my heart, so bare with me as I try and articulate it all.

1. We can't start with the law. As Christians, we have to start with Scripture. If we start at the Cross, and continue to keep that our focal point, then we can not help but to see all humanity as made in the Image of God. All are worth His death, so all should be worth our time, love and energy. No one is beyond His grace, so as we try to be like Him, we must strive to extend His grace as well. Noel Castellanos, Executive Director of CCDA, said it brilliantly, "Justice is about all people being made in God's Image and injustice is anything that tries to strip that truth from people." If we look at the issue of Immigration from this point, we can't help but seek to learn before we judge. We have to hear the stories, understand the motives, look at the law in light of God's justice, and shape our opinion from that place.

2. We are called to submit to the law, which does not always mean follow it. Danny Carroll, author of "Christians at the Border" and a theologian from Denver Seminary, made this point way more eloquently than I ever could as he explained it during one of our devotions during the week. He shared that there is a difference between submitting and following. In Romans 13, Paul is clear that "whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgement (vs. 2, NRSV)." The problem is that so many Christians end the discussion with this verse. I think this is unfortunate because the scripture also makes it clear that there are times when we are not to follow the law of the land, but submit to the authority and consequences that may come from doing so. In Acts 5:27-42, we see the story of Peter and the apostles being brought before the authorities who are angry that they have disobeyed the law of the land by continuing to preach in the name of Jesus. The apostles respond to this anger by saying, "We must obey God rather than human authority (vs. 29, NRSV)." There are times when the law of the land does not match the law of God, and we have to choose God's law. This does not mean, however, that we do not still submit to the authorities. In Acts, there is no account of Peter and the apostles resisting the punishment issued by the law of the land. They willingly take the punishment and submit to the authorities without following their law.

3. God's law is clear when it comes to immigrants. If we look at scripture, the values we find in the Old Testament, and the commandments throughout the New Testament, it is clear we are called to love and welcome the stranger. We are called to treat the immigrant like someone who is native born. If you don't believe me, take a look at one of these many verses, just to name a few: Leviticus 19:33-34, Deuteronomy 10:18, Deuteronomy 24:19-21, Exodus 12:49, Psalm 146:9, Zechariah 7:10, Malachi 3:5, Matthew 25:35-36 and 40, Hebrews 13:2.

4. The Law is unjust. This may be controversial for some people, but this is the honest conclusion I have come to. For starters, it has not been fully enforced for decades. By not asserting the law, it does lose a bit of it's authority and our government finds itself in a place of contradiction. In the past 20 years or so, we have made it relatively easy for people to come here, find work, start lives, lay roots, all while giving them very few rights. Now, our country seems to be in a bit of a dilemma. We have 12 million+ undocumented immigrants in our country, many of which were small children when their parents brought them here, and now we want to start enforcing the law? Basically saying, "While we felt like you benefited us, we were OK with overlooking the law, but now that we are struggling and it seems like there just isn't enough to go around, we would like you to leave. Oh, and by the way, since it will be WAY too expensive to round you all up and deport you, we are just going to pass more and more laws that make life miserable for you, so you will chose to leave on your own. Who cares if you have children who have lived here for practically their entire lives, or if you have continually paid your taxes, been apart of our churches, served our food, cleaned our houses, taken care of our children and grandparents, we just don't want you anymore." Supporters of laws like Arizona's SB 1070, or Alabama's HB 56 might tell these immigrants to "get in line" and "do things the right way." What was overwhelming clear to me as I studied the law in depth, is that for the majority of those who are undocumented, this is impossible. These "lines," for the few that may qualify, are upwards of 20-30 years. As I learned the different ways people can migrate legally, the countless names and faces of my neighbors went through my head. I thought about their stories and their backgrounds and realized that there is probably not even one who, under our current law, would ever be able to migrate legally. I just can not wrap my head and heart around how this could possibly be just or how this could be what God wants.

5. Immigration in our country is an incredible opportunity for the Church. When I look at my own story and how God has shaped me, specifically in the last 7 years, I realize that the immigrants in my life have played a crucial role in it. As I have focused my energy on depth with Christ while I seek to love and minister to my neighbors, I have learned more about God's heart for His people, unending grace, racism, entitlement, evangelism, vision for the future, and purpose for my own life, than I ever could have imagined. Not only do we have the nations at our doorstep, making the great commission a whole heck of a lot easier, but the opportunity for redemption of our past is GREAT. Let's be honest, the mainstream Church has missed the boat on some huge justice issues throughout our history. Slavery, Chinese Exclusion Act, Civil Rights, just to name a few. Are we going to let history repeat itself? Are we going to sit by silently while fear of the other and entitlement guides our thoughts, words, and actions? Or are we going to stand up and proclaim that ALL humans are made in the image of God and we are not going to allow anything strip that truth from people? We have an opportunity to intervene in the lives of those who are vulnerable, suffering, and most definitely hurting as strangers in our land and share the Good News with those who do not already know Him, all while growing in our depth with Christ and becoming more and more like Him. I don't know about you, but I do not want my grandchildren and great-grandchildren to look back at this time in our history with shame that their fore fathers did not do more to advocate for the marginalized. I have a strong sense that we are at a crucial point in our history and I do not want us to miss the opportunity.

As I process all I am learning and what God has called me to, I have to continually ask God to break my heart for what breaks His. As I do this, I feel myself more and more burdened by the stories of my immigrant neighbors and the unfortunate apathy of many of my brothers and sisters.

Forgive us Lord and help us to be more like You.

*A special thank you to all those who shared their wisdom with me over the last week: Danny Carroll, Craig Williford, Matthew Soerens, Noel Castellanos, Bill Hamel, Alex Mandes, World Relief staff, Immigrant Hope staff, and Trinity Seminary Students. 

My Letter to the Executive Director of Morgan County's CCC

I recently stumbled upon an article from a town in Alabama and it was extremely troubling to me. The jist? A para-church organization decided to start enforcing a rule they have apparently had for a long time in regards to the people they will serve at their local clothing and food bank: if you do not have a legitimate social security number, you are not welcome. You can read the whole article here. Of course, this did not sit well with me so I thought I would send a letter to the Executive Director of the Committee on Church Cooperation in Morgan County, Alabama. I thought I would share it here as well.

Dear Gayle Monk,

My name is Bethany Anderson and I live in Fullerton, CA. I know this is very far away from Morgan County, Alabama, but I felt deep in my soul that I should reach out to you and the organization you oversee. We are connected even though we have never met. We both claim to follow the same God. You see, I had to write you because we are supposed to be sisters in Christ, but I am afraid your Christ is very different then the one I have come to intimately know and love. The Christ I know loves and accepts everyone. He stands up for the oppressed. Although He is greatly concerned for all of humanity, He makes it very clear that He has a deep concern for the poor, hungry, sick, prisoner, and stranger. In fact, He says that those that do not show this same love and concern for those that fit any of the descriptions listed will find it extremely difficult to enter the Kingdom of God.

I am afraid you might have missed that part of Jesus' Good News. I am also afraid that your enforcement of a rule that excludes undocumented immigrants from the services you provide will taint the true Good News for others as well. I fear that those who are undocumented in your community have not experienced the transformational love of God and instead, have experienced a god that tells them they are not good enough to receive his love. I am afraid that those who call Christians hypocrites might be proven right. I am concerned that you, your staff, board and volunteers are missing the purest sense of joy, peace and purpose that the Lord blesses us with when we fully participate with Him in His Kingdom. I don’t mean to be rude, but I know for a fact that by consciously choosing to NOT serve and, more importantly, NOT to be in relationship with those who are undocumented, you are missing out on fully being who God intended you to be. I am reminded of the many scriptures in the New Testament where Jesus continuously challenges the Pharisees legalistic mindset. He exemplifies being a Godly rebel by touching those He was not supposed to touch, talking to those He was not supposed to talk to, and healing those He had no business healing, especially on the Sabbath. If we are to truly be like the One who came before us, then what does this rebellion look like in our society? I can’t help but think of the undocumented community as one of the most marginalized, isolated, and hated of our society. When Jesus was here in the flesh, He spent a lot of His time with those who were also marginalized, isolated, and hated. He did this, I believe, mostly because He loved them dearly and partly to show us who we should spend our time with.

I think the work you do is commendable. Feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, and loving the hurting are at the heart of Christian ministry. However, I am very thankful God does not have comparable qualifications for receiving His services as you do for those in your community. Thank God He loves us no matter where we were born. Thank God He died for all of us. Thank God He invites all of us to eat at His table and drink His living water. Thank God we don’t have to show a social security card, proving our worthiness, at the gates of heaven. I know I surely do not deserve the grace given to me, and although I do not know you, I am sure you are grateful for this as well.

If I may, I would like to offer a challenge to you. Would you give one day of your life and spend it with an immigrant, preferably one without papers? I know there are many in your community and if you have trouble finding one who is willing to spend the day with you; maybe you can talk to a local pastor to point you in the right direction. If all else fails, you are more than welcome to visit me in California. We have an extra bed and my husband and I would love to introduce you to our foster son from Honduras who was trafficked here and now is undocumented, or our good friend who was brought here as a young child, is in college, and works with the teens in our neighborhood, or our neighbor who came here with her 2 young children because they were literally starving in Mexico. In any respect, I encourage you to hear the story of an Immigrant. Ask what life was like in their home country. Ask why they decided to come here (if they even had a choice in the matter) and what the journey was like. Ask them what life has been like for them here and what their dreams are for the future. After your day with them, prayerfully consider what you would do if you were in their situation and how God might be calling you to engage.

I fully know how confusing and difficult the issue of Immigration is. I know the laws don’t make sense and that people on both sides of the discussion are passionate. I also know that we, as the Church, have a choice to make. We can choose to be on the side of complacency or even hate or we can stand on the side of understanding, grace, and love. We can be like the Pharisees: too clean to touch the unclean, or we can be like Jesus: the perfect expression of God’s upside down love.

Gayle, you are in my prayers and if you would ever like to converse further on the things I have written, I would be honored. My contact information is included. Blessings to you.

Sincerely,

Bethany Anderson

Where is the Church?

When I was 17, I went on a trip to Ukraine with youth from my church. We spent a week and a half in a little town called Novovolynsk and although most of the time is a blur, there is one day that is ingrained in my memory forever.

It was a Sunday and we visited the church we were partnering with. After the service, the pastor took us on a tour of the city to show us all the different ministries this church was involved in. The tour took a few hours and it seriously blew my (young, immature) mind. We visited the farms that they ran in order to provide jobs for those who were unemployed and food for those who were hungry. (One of their farms harvested lettuce that was purchased and used by EVERY SINGLE McDonald's in the country!!) We visited the coffee shop/community center that provided a safe place for the youth to hang out. We visited the only drug and alcohol rehab center in the area that provided free care the community. We visited the downtown area, where the pastor and lay leaders regularly met with the City officials as equal partners in running the city. Are you getting the picture? This church was an integral part of the society in this little city and beyond. They were at the table for every discussion affecting the people and development of the city. This church was not afraid of engaging in political issues, because they understood that advocating is a Christian mandate. If it affected those God had called them to love, then they were there.

As I reflect on my experience on this trip, I can't help but wonder how drastically different our society would be if the church in America was more like this church in Novovolynsk. What if we weren't afraid of members leaving or scaring people away by taking a stand on social issues? What if we boldly proclaimed that we have the answer to ALL of societies problems and what if we acted on that truth? What if those outside of the church saw us as an institution that was desperately NEEDED in all aspects of society? What if we loved every orphan, every drug addict, every displaced person, every politician, every CEO with the confidence that HIS love is enough to change the world?

President Obama recently sat down with a group of political and faith leaders to discuss Immigration and ask for their help in finding solutions for our broken Immigration system. I am thankful that he recognizes the importance and influence of the faith community, but I wonder how many within the Body, are willing to be apart of that discussion. It's funny that Christians are some of the most passionate patriots our country has, yet we say "the Church shouldn't be involved in politics." I believe we should be all up in politics. We should be holding our leaders accountable to the standards and values this country was founded on. We should be the loudest ones advocating for the rights, justice and protection of the weak among us. We should be involved in politics, not to gain power and prestige, but simply because we have the answer. It's time we get back to the scriptures, seek out His wisdom in the many issues affecting the world around us, and assert the voice God has given us.

*DISCLAIMER*This post is really painting a broad stroke of the American church in general. I am not so cynical and arrogant to believe or state that every single US church is totally off base. I just think we can be better :)

A piece I wrote ran in the Newsong NOC bulletin last week and I thought I would share part of it here!

Mark 12 tells us that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength AND love our neighbor as ourselves.

I have been trying to love my neighbor as myself for about 5 years now. As I have cried with my neighbors as they share the struggles of being undocumented, I realized that the call to love must go beyond comforting them in their darkest hour. I have to look at the root of the darkness and take on their pain as my own, just as Jesus did. I choose to carry the burden of my undocumented neighbor because I have to remember how Jesus carried my burdens on the cross.

I speak up for my undocumented neighbors because I know God intended us all to have a voice. I chose to fight for my undocumented neighbors to have rights here, because I know our identity and worth is not found in the country listed on our birth certificate. I care deeply for those that are “orphaned” and “widowed” by the oppression in their home country or by the broken system in our country because I know God is in the business of bringing freedom and justice for those our society says are “the least of these”. I want the Church to understand the complexities of immigration because I think this is our chance to be who God has intended us to be. We can chose to live in fear, hoard our blessings as Americans, and follow the kingdom of the world OR we can choose to live in freedom, lay our lives down for our neighbors and align ourselves with the Kingdom of God. I am here to tell you that amidst the confusion, pain, and struggle of doing the latter, there is indescribable peace and purpose. God calls us to love the orphan, the oppressed, the stranger in the land, not because he needs us to, but because it will make us more like Him.