A good day. Today I was privileged to be the dancing snow queen for my pal Coco's third bday party, followed by a great haircut and coffee with H. Now I'm watching my man Obama on the debates. Yeah yeah, how about that Iowa Caucus?!?
And after the past couple of weeks if has been a nice to have such a good day. As my sis puts it so nicely, life has been a bit more yin than yang as of late, and I'm feeling real ready to get on with an upswing into 2008 at this point. Here we go!
Paul and I were fortunate to ring in the New Year with some good friends, other people from our church small group. We meet with four other couples every Monday evening at our place, and let me tell you, it is a pretty stellar crew. The company ranges from a chemist to an art teacher to a massage therapist to a Hebrew Bible scholar (just to name a few). One of the group members sometimes preaches, and happened to give the message last Sunday, December 30th.
I urge you to go and check out this sermon:
http://www.blackhawkchurch.org/basics/sermons.php
If you go after this week, it is the sermon entitled "Adam, the Peacemaker." Tim narrates a story from author and scholar Henri Nouwen. Without giving it away, Nouwen explains the paradoxical peace he experienced when working with a severely disabled man in a group home - and how this understanding of peace was something he was never able to grasp in years of life in academia, yet stumbled upon in this unexpected relationship.
Nouwen spoke to the power of not being able to do anything for someone else except BE with them. His words took me back to time spent with my father when he was at his sickest, or to moments with a client, or periods of vulnerability in my own life when I just needed to know someone else was there with me. And to a peace that surpasses all understanding - not because it ensures peace in every aspect of our lives and our world, but because it teaches us to find peace inside of chaos and utter confusion. In his words about Adam, the young man he worked with, Nouwen also expressed a rawness of genuine emotion that I too have experienced in my short time of working with some exceptional children at CT.
More than anything else, the message brought a message of hope - hope for the opportunities in the year to come and also for redefining a sense of peace in our lives. So here's to hope and to 2008.
(And to Obama)
1 comment:
Hi..people with disabilities teach us other important things too...unconditional love, never needing to forgive because the snicker/insult does not register, believing in God without doubt, acceptance of others, loyalty. It's sad other's, even Christians, never take the time to become their friends...I really enjoy reading your posts..
Post a Comment