Notes from Justice Has a Face Workshop

This is an assignment for the Justice Has a Face Workshop that I'm attending right now in Burtigny, Switzerland. It's an attempt at summarizing my beliefs...enjoy!

I believe in absolute truth.
I believe in one God.
I believe that the one God is the absolute truth.
He created the universe and He created me.
He is bigger than His creation. Infinitely bigger. Bigger than me.
But sometimes I think I am bigger than He is.
This one God – the absolute truth, the creator of the universe, infinite and wise –
He loves me.
And His love is unconditional. It knows no boundaries.
He is love.

He also loves His creation.
We are all made in the image of God.
No matter who we are, each of us reflects something of God that is our own.
No one that ever existed is the same.
Each person is finite, but infinitely valuable.
I believe that
when I recognize
and fight for the recognition of God-given value in me and others,
I worship God.

He is also the Word.
The Word lives.
It breathes life! The words dance on the page with exuberance and brilliance!
Speaking His love
And containing His infinite mystery.
I first met God through the words.
It was love at first sight.
It is His written Word that brings me to see.
It is His written Word that teaches me to listen.
It is His written Word that commands me to speak.
Through His Words, God moves.
And So do I.



I don’t always live by absolute truth.
When I think I am bigger than Him, other voices become louder than His -
Including mine.
I become the judge.
I judge myself,
I judge others
and I judge God.
And man, do I suck at judging.

Growing up with God is tricky.
Sometimes, I think I would be perfectly content sucking on milk bottles all my life.
I say, “God, please take care of my crap”.
It all seems to depend on perspective.
The short-term me – all self and no wisdom-
Loves the world’s kingdom.
Show me the money!
I am holier than thou!
I am like a dog wolfing down chicken bones – focused on the meager flesh
And running towards death.
But my eyes open when I focus on God.
That is the long-term me.
And she loves God’s kingdom.
In this kingdom,
the most valuable thing, the hidden treasure in the field,
is God.
And milk bottles are no longer enough.

Living as a full grown bride of Christ
is not just candlelit dinners.
Yes, we do chew on steak sometimes
Drink some wine
Put on a tiara
Dance in a ballgown that seems too heavy to even walk in.
But if that is all there is to intimacy with God,
I would soon be too fat to fit through the pearly gates.
To me, Jesus is more like Rambo.
We fight together
Back to back
Armed to the teeth with servanthood and sacrifice.
Blood is spilt.

So what is His kingdom?
What are Jesus and I fighting for?
The kingdom of God belongs to the little ones.
The weak, the powerless, the poor, the orphans, the widows, the downtrodden,
The forgotten.
We fight for their value.
We fight for God’s glory.
And with each stroke of servanthood and each slash of sacrifice
For each tear that is spilt
I worship God.
He deserves it.

I believe in the power of discipline,
Of human choice.
I am not perfect, and thankfully, I am not God. I obviously make mistakes.
But there is one thing that holds me still -
Jesus loves me.
Because of this, I know I can always turn back.
I can face the consequences of my mistakes.
I can disregard any judgments from others or myself that do not align with God’s word
I have the armor of God.
His justice protects me
And His mercy gives me the freedom to choose
with hope
that I can someday truly believe with
All my heart,
Soul,
Strength,
And mind
That He is who He is.
Today, once again, I move forward.