I want to share a story about Jarrod with y'all. It was a blessing to hear from my housemate Josh.
Saturday is our community outreach day. On Thursday I told Jarrod I would come over to his house to take him to the church to finish his homework project. As I entered his house I saw him on the couch, sick, with tears in his eyes holding a Pepto Bismol bottle. My motherly nature took over and instantly I wanted to take care of him. So my roommate Josh and I went to the store to buy medicine, Sprite, and some popsicles (because every kid wants a popsicle even when they aren't sick). We enjoyed loving on him.
Sunday morning as I walked to church I see a bright eyed Jarrod who comes running towards me. Instantly I knew he felt better. During Godly Play (the Sunday School program my church holds) the lesson was on the Good Samaritan. Josh worked with Jarrod this morning and asked him what it meant to be a good Samaritan. Jarrod's reply was, "it's like when you and Miss. Katherine came and took care of me." Oh this comment warmed my heart.
I am glad this act meant so much to Jarrod. My hope and prayer is that through this experience Jarrod will see how he can help others.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
A Shopping Cart
I was walking to work a couple of weeks ago. As I crossed the street I saw an elderly man push a grocery cart up a steep hill. As I walked behind him I felt that wonderful tug of the Holy Spirit say, "offer to push this man's cart." I lacked the courage and felt super uncomfortable, so I ignored the feeling and this man as I walked quickly past him.
For the rest of the walk I was unsettled. My heart lacked peace. As i kept walking I imagined Jesus walking in my place. With great love, sincerity, and grace Jesus would have pushed this man's cart and I believe his life would have been changed. In this moment I received a glimpse of why Jesus' ministry was so powerful. He spends His time with ragamuffins, adulterers, snobs, and sinners just like me.
For the rest of the walk I was unsettled. My heart lacked peace. As i kept walking I imagined Jesus walking in my place. With great love, sincerity, and grace Jesus would have pushed this man's cart and I believe his life would have been changed. In this moment I received a glimpse of why Jesus' ministry was so powerful. He spends His time with ragamuffins, adulterers, snobs, and sinners just like me.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Olafur Arnalds
My housemates and I have watched this video a lot this past week.
There is such depth and beauty in this song and video.
Peace and love to you all.
There is such depth and beauty in this song and video.
Peace and love to you all.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Crab Legs and Ke$ha
Every weekend we have a hospital dinner where we invite neighbors to our house and fellowship together. This past weekend we invited Billie and her son Rashiid over. They attend our church at New Life Covenant and our team has built a great relationship with Billie.
Billie is an INCREDIBLE cook! She had us buy crab legs and shrimp. We cooked the seafood together in our kitchen and I had a ton of fun eating crab legs for the first time. It is definitely an art and I think the dead crabs got the better part of me.
After dinner we had an epic dance session to Ke$ha with Rashiid and later on he had "snuggie" dance offs with the guys on my team.
We found a lot of joy and laughter this last Sunday. It is needed when there is such brokenness in our neighborhood.
Billie is an INCREDIBLE cook! She had us buy crab legs and shrimp. We cooked the seafood together in our kitchen and I had a ton of fun eating crab legs for the first time. It is definitely an art and I think the dead crabs got the better part of me.
After dinner we had an epic dance session to Ke$ha with Rashiid and later on he had "snuggie" dance offs with the guys on my team.
We found a lot of joy and laughter this last Sunday. It is needed when there is such brokenness in our neighborhood.
*the epic dance video will be on this blog once I can upload it to the Internet.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Community and Brokenness
Today at my meeting I read a part of the book, "Community and Brokenness" by Jean Vanier. I was deeply encouraged and challenged by the chapter I read, so I decided the best thing to do is share what I read.
"To be in communion means to be with someone and to discover that we actually belong together. Communion means accepting people just as they are, with all their limits and inner pain, but also with their gifts and beauty and their capacity to grow: to see the beauty inside of all the pain. To love someone is not first of all to do things for them, but to reveal to them their beauty and value, to say to them through our attitude: "You are beautiful. You are important. I trust you. You can trust yourself." We all know well that we can do things for others and in the process crush them, making them feel that they are incapable of doing things by themselves. To love someone is to reveal to them their capacities for life, the light that is shining in them."
"To be in communion with someone also means to walk with them. Those of you who have had the privilege of accompanying people in distress and inner pain know that it is not easy to walk with them, without having any answers to their problems or solutions for their pain. What they need is a friend willing to walk with them in all that pain. They do not need someone to tell them to try to forget the pain, because they won't. It is too deep......"
"People may come to our communities because they want to serve the poor; they will only stay once they have discovered that they themselves are poor. And then they discover something extraordinary: that Jesus came to bring the good news to the poor, not to those who serve the poor! I think we can truly experience the presence of God, meet Jesus, receive the good news, in and through our own poverty, because the kingdom of God belongs to the poor, the poor in spirit, the poor who are crying out for love."
As I read this chapter I realized that I want to make this my prayer. I came to Mission Year to serve the poor, but come July I want to discover that I too am poor.
"To be in communion means to be with someone and to discover that we actually belong together. Communion means accepting people just as they are, with all their limits and inner pain, but also with their gifts and beauty and their capacity to grow: to see the beauty inside of all the pain. To love someone is not first of all to do things for them, but to reveal to them their beauty and value, to say to them through our attitude: "You are beautiful. You are important. I trust you. You can trust yourself." We all know well that we can do things for others and in the process crush them, making them feel that they are incapable of doing things by themselves. To love someone is to reveal to them their capacities for life, the light that is shining in them."
"To be in communion with someone also means to walk with them. Those of you who have had the privilege of accompanying people in distress and inner pain know that it is not easy to walk with them, without having any answers to their problems or solutions for their pain. What they need is a friend willing to walk with them in all that pain. They do not need someone to tell them to try to forget the pain, because they won't. It is too deep......"
"People may come to our communities because they want to serve the poor; they will only stay once they have discovered that they themselves are poor. And then they discover something extraordinary: that Jesus came to bring the good news to the poor, not to those who serve the poor! I think we can truly experience the presence of God, meet Jesus, receive the good news, in and through our own poverty, because the kingdom of God belongs to the poor, the poor in spirit, the poor who are crying out for love."
As I read this chapter I realized that I want to make this my prayer. I came to Mission Year to serve the poor, but come July I want to discover that I too am poor.
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