Altar Call
LILY GEORGE
Do you know what an altar call is ? Back then , I ’ d pray to accept Jesus into my heart every time , because what if the last time didn ’ t take ? Faith is operative in every human being
I want to have my mother ’ s faith . She ’ s one of those weird mountain people , you see . She holds snakes on Sundays and once had to explain to an NPR reporter the mechanics of why when one bites you that means there ’ s something wrong .
So what does God want ? Does he want me to change or does he just want me to want to change ? You are becoming wood and stone
I am so tired I can ’ t lay down . Why is God hiding ? the mechanism within each of us called the human heart is from which everything in life extends It locks onto things you find beautiful and says Feed me .
Your roommate tells you she ’ s been raped . You are simply bodily present .
Tell me , what does “ do ” mean ? If you try to bring something , you get nothing . If you bring nothing , you get everything . Behold , the calculus of the gospel ! Where am I supposed to go with that ?
My plane crashed and I couldn ’ t see out the window because of the flames My friend the other pilot he was next to me and burning The control panel was dripping here onto my thighs I didn ’ t think I was going to die I thought he was dead and that I was dead I prayed the Lord ’ s Prayer and then the door opened and I was pulled from the burning
You ever hear of something called a controlled burn ? When the fire rages and finds an already scorched earth , you are saved
I think : If I write Bible verses on index cards and tape them to my bathroom mirror , things will change . But nothing will change you , only the deposit of an energy in your heart , the mechanism from which all change stems
You begin to meet little needs . You wonder about the ways you could become glue . Listening is something we can always do better on This is not just about your individual heart This is about institutions and oppression The nature of faith an empty hand is such that it binds you to things .
You know how the Earth is spinning all the time ? I don ’ t understand the calculus of it , I don ’ t even think of it , but that doesn ’ t stop it from happening . I don ’ t have to spend each moment rejoicing that physics is the way it is .
You don ’ t believe right Why do you worry about believing right ? Even faith is gift . Even my repentance needs repenting of . You ’ re an unproductive vine , but faith is the vehicle of salvation , not the reason for It is what our hearts are reaching towards
Lily George is a sophomore concentrating in Computer Science and Literary Arts .
Vultures in the Maasai Mara Meagan Peters ’ 18
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