The Heart2Heart blog is an extension of ISAAC’s ongoing efforts to build spiritual leaders for social impact.
CS Song, in his seminal book, Third Eye Theology, states, “To know one’s heart is to know one’s whole being.” How do we know our hearts? Jesus answers in his teaching to disciples, that “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12: 34). The Heart2Heart blog, therefore, involves a treasure hunt. The context from which Jesus summoned his disciples is not to worry about their life—what you will eat and wear but rather to seek God’s kingdom. In other words, what is consumable, or not eternal, merits no investment of our hearts.
What one treasures manifests in one’s life like a tree bearing visible fruits after an invisible nourishing underground. What we used to take for granted, like clean water to drink, and air to breathe, no longer is feasible. The poor, young and old, in Flint, Michigan discovered that they have been drinking led-poisoned water that plagues their young children for the rest of their lives!!! This morning, I woke up smelling the burning forest and hazy sky from the worst multiple fires in California. These fires burned down more than 35,000 acres and are consuming firefighters as the mother earth strikes back from our abuse. God’s ecosystem is intricately interrelated and requires balance. Christians, while narrowly focusing on individual and otherworldly salvific theology, have neglected creation theology that counters dominion theology. What if we expand our compartmentalized narrow theology to what Sallie MacFague names planetary theology? I am afraid we may be running out of time.
Hence, on a smaller scale, but with a huge belief in the magnitude of ripple effects, ISAAC’s summer internship provides young adults with opportunities to come out of their comfort zones and enter into less familiar worship spaces. This summer, we have three precious interns, and they are my treasures: Janelle Paule, William Ko, and Xeres Villanueva. From reading the stories of their spiritual journeys for their application requirement, I noticed that all three of them were overcomers! Most of all, their pure hearts, despite multiple challenges, draws me closer to them. What they have been overcoming, indeed, is more than inspiring. They passed through one of the toughest leadership requirements—multiple furnace experiences. Their hearts, readily aligned with God’s, will trigger multiple ripple effects to transform the world to a sustainable one for all God’s creation.
I am honored to have their trust, openness, and vulnerability that allows us to have heart to heart encounters. There is nothing more rewarding than building future spiritual leaders for rippling social impact. Indeed, cultivating hearts for the whole beings—and setting them on treasures lasting beyond perishable food and clothing—is ISAAC/AAWOL’s mission. Stay tuned for Heart2Heart sharing. Special kudos goes to FTE (Forum for Theological Exploration) and their two year grant for young adult pastoral internship!
