Looking like heaven

TheCorner is blogging about the NetSquared conference, and I was touched today by his post about the conference:

"Being at NetSquared captures a sense of the beloved community that I so often yearn for. At lunch today, I sat next to someone from literally half the world away - a person doing extraordinary work to race a scourge of death on the African continent. She is here, soaking up ideas from others - she is here, to be lifted up and celebrated - she is here, because what she is doing teaches all of us in the "developed" world. Most importantly, she is here because the NetSquared paid her way to come here."

How is that NetSquared can do this, but the seminary at which I teach can not? I think the answer has to be, in part, because we choose not to. Not because we're people of bad will, or don't think diversity matters, but because we haven't yet fully absorbed Jesus' teachings into our prioritization of funds. So we never have enough money to do everything we believe in, and some things -- such as creating real diversity at Luther -- fall by the wayside. We need to change this. Until we do so we won't be able to live fully into our mission statement.