How, Then, Shall We Live?

You may have noticed that the title of this blog is "Use Words if Necessary." This is actually the second half of a well-known quote by St. Francis of Assisi:

"Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary."

This tongue-in-cheek quote is essentially an answer to the question, "How, then, shall we live?" Firstly, and most obviously, it tells us that we are to share the good news of God's love primarily in our actions. But secondly, it tells us that words are, in fact, sometimes necessary. This is evidenced by the fact that there are books written, sermons preached... blogs typed; and lives are transformed as a result of some of these words. We are to live a life of love and service all the time, but sometimes we are called to use words.

I'd like to qualify what I mean by a life of "love." This love is not a "warm fuzzy" feeling that seeks to please everyone else and make everyone "just get along." This kind of love is dirty, difficult, scary, and ultimately transformative. This love seeks to serve others, face conflict head on and work to resolve it, take risks, and ultimately do what is right no matter how difficult it is.

This is my understanding of my call to the Order of Deacon in the United Methodist Church. It is an order of Word and Service... of preaching and teaching, and of connecting worship and life out in the world; serving particularly those marginalized and on the fringes of society. I'm now a full time student at Seattle University pursuing an MA Pastoral Counseling. I will be taking three classes per quarter through the next three years to complete this degree, and my ultimate goal in all of it--the books I will read, the discussions I will have, the papers I will write, the lectures I will listen to, and sermons I will preach--will be to continue to walk in the question: How, then, shall we live?