Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Careers, Workplace and Religion
Knowing Always Means Doing

Knowing Always Means Doing

Last updated on: July 27, 2015 at 7:21 am by Dr. Steven Garber

Knowing Always Means Doing 2015-07-27T07:21:10-04:00 Dr. Steven Garber

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Blood:Water Mission and the Need to Do Something.

Now that we know, what are we going to do?

It has stopped surprising me how deeply that question is written into the ordinary rhythms of life. It is rare to read the front page of a newspaper, or scroll down the screen of an online news source, or have a conversation with anyone about anything, without bumping into our very human expectation that expects an integral relationship between knowing and doing.

What did he know when? If she knew that, why didn’t she do something? Since they knew about it, why on earth did they allow it to happen? And on and on and on. Sometimes we are simply, if grievously, outraged. Sometimes we want the legal system to step in. And other times we groan deeply at history, seeing more clearly than our forebears must have, imagining ourselves more just, more merciful, than those who have gone before us.

I thought of all this again a few days ago, stepping into the world of the Blood:Water Mission in Nashville, TN, a place and a people that I know well. Born of hopes in the hearts of a few, it has grow into a vision that has captured the imaginations and energies of thousands of people all over the world, but especially in America and Africa.

Knowing and the daunting task of doing.

Created to address the complex needs for clean blood and clean water in Africa, arising from the HIV/AIDS crisis, Blood:Water Mission has become a serious organization with serious people giving the years of their lives to do the work that is required– if just a corner is to be torn off of the darkness of the problem that affects millions of people.

There are no great hallelujahs yet, as there is still much work to be done, but it is also true that a lot of very good work has been done in the last ten years. Over a thousand villages and over a million people have access to clean water, and medical services have been provided for many people in many countries.

Because I was asking this question years ago, about the connection between knowing and doing, I was drawn into the birth pangs of Blood:Water. And over the years since then, I have continued to be part of its life, traveling to Nashville often and even to Africa, understanding more of the complexity of the question and its answer.

Knowing there is a need is one thing; choosing to respond is another.

Last month, I spent a day with the staff, who are reading my book, Visions of Vocation, and we took up the question, “Now that we know, what are we going to do?” I did my best to explain why the question matters, and how it was written into the first questions that the members of the band Jars of Clay were asking, years ago, and the way that Jena Lee Nardella came into the story early on, bringing her passions to bear on making this vision a reality.

Most of the time for most of us, there is a disconnect. We know, but do not do.

When something else happens, when by grace we find our way into a knowing that is doing, understanding that we are responsible for our knowledge — that in fact responsibility is written into the very meaning of knowledge — then the angels sing, and good work is done. But in this very now-but-not-yet world, not all good work is done.

Keep on keeping on.

The Blood:Water Mission draws visionary people, full of hopes and dreams about the way the world ought to be — so of course we ended the day talking about making peace with the proximate, with the importance of doing something, even if it is not everything, because it is not nothing.

I called the final chapter of the book, “Learning to Live Proximately,” as it is in making peace with the proximate that we can find a way to live, to keep on keeping on with gladness and singleness of heart, yearning as we do for the hurts to be healed, for the wrongs to be righted.

To keep on keeping on is the hardest of all, because the weight of the world, the flesh, and the devil conspire against us in thousands of insidious ways.

Lord, have mercy… and keep us at it.

Photo by Steve Garber, of the Blood:Water Office.

Previous Post

July 23, 2015

Models of a Civilization

Next Post

July 28, 2015 "Missional Fatigue" - What Really Causes This?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category arts and entertainment audio/video bible / theology business church college community culture education faith family government/politics leadership media medicine podcast science & tech social sector tech Uncategorized work and calling

Select a Month November 2025 May 2025 October 2024 September 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 October 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 August 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 July 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 July 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 July 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 November 2016 September 2016 August 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How long did the judges rule before kings?

Select your answer to see how you score.

300 years Approximately 350 years 400 years 200 years