Reading from Spirituality of Living: Ministry
Reading from Spirituality of Homecoming: The Reward and The Promise
This week we have another set of challenging and enriching readings, and once again this week there is a wonderful connection between the two books. In Living we reflect on ministry and in Homecoming Henri shows us the reward and the promise in ministering to others.
1) In the reading from Spirituality of Living, Henri helps us understand, and live out, our call to ministry. Henri reminds us that “all disciples of Jesus are called to ministry.” But he goes on to say that “ministry is not, first of all, something that we do…” (p44).
a) Did your understanding of ministry change through this reading? What was your previous understanding of ministry and what is your current understanding?
2) Henri talks about two disciplines of ministry: gratitude – to help people become grateful for life even with pain, and compassion – suffering together.
a) How do you see these two disciplines fitting together?
b) Do you naturally tend towards one or the other?
c) How might one practically develop these disciplines?
3) In Homecoming Henri reminds us that the reward of following Jesus is knowing His joy, and we can live that out through celebration. The promise we have in following Him, and ministering on His behalf, is that he will be with us always.
a) As you reflect back on 2014, have you celebrated the joy of the life that God gives you? Can you recall special moments that you knew were a gift from God?
b) After participating in this Advent journey, are you more aware of practicing the presence of God through prayer and service? How can you take this into the new year?
As always, please share whatever you find meaningful, whether based on these questions, the readings, and your reflections on our journey thus far.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Ray and Brynn
Pretty! This has been an incredibly wonderful post. Thanks for providing these details.
Jeanette,
May the angels protect you and Our Blessed Lord shower you strength and love as you walk through your cancer journey. He will be with you and always give you comfort and peace.
I am a breast cancer survivor for three years; you are in my prayers.
Thank-you.
Jeanette
Just a few words to say that I have been very touched both by the readings and by many of the testimonies shared this past few weeks. The thing that particularly spoke to me was one that has been mentioned before: “Ministry means that we have to trust that…if we are the son or daughter of God, power will go out from us and people will be healed.”
Related to that is the whole concept of being beloved of God–which I did not experience deeply until I was well into adulthood–and still need to make myself remember. Psalm 139 has really ministered to me over the years.
The other piece which has been so important is the piece about forgiveness–a topic which has been “coming at me” from many directions–and not only the importance of forgiving, loving and praying for our enemies but also ourselves. Right now the biggest challenge for me in this season is forgiving and praying for the ISIS terrorists who are killing innocent children so horribly….I was meditating this morning on the fact that Jesus himself was killed in a horrible manner–yet he forgave those who were crucifying Him. and then there were all the young children that Herod had killed in his attempt to kill Jesus as a baby–How do we deal with the evil in the world unless we believe that God the Father truly has everything under control and that He truly will work everything together for good to those who love Him. We must believe that those who have been killed are with the Lord in His arms….and many are under the altar (Revelation 6)–in the very presence of God for all eternity.
Several of you spoke of learning to forgive in the midst of the pain of divorce–which to me must be the deepest betrayal of all–blessings on you for sharing.
It took many years to see the two disciplines of gratitude and suffering intertwined. I was angry at God and didn’t understand how I was to be grateful for all the suffering I went through as child in my alcoholic family, of which the memories did not surface until I was 38! I wrestled with God over these issues time and time again, asking for His help in making sense of my life. Where were You, I wondered? For most of my adult life I gravitated to living my life with the mantel of “suffering.” At times I was both discouraged and disgusted by my own willingness to continue to hang out “in the pain.” About eight years ago I asked God, “How do I love you with all my heart, soul & mind?” Of course I wondered, is that even possible?
I hit the wall with all the frantic ministry in my life in 2011. I was in burnout and didn’t understand why I felt so little peace and joy in my life. I realized that I knew Jesus, would even say that I loved Him, but didn’t really trust Him with my life nor believe that He loved me unconditionally. How could I trust Him if I didn’t truly know His love for me? I was still attempting to earn His “favor” through working fulltime (in a church!) and volunteering in several different ministries and taking a college class for credit. In the 12 Step program it says, “you can’t give away what you don’t have.” I was stressed out, full of fear and anxiety, so I certainly didn’t have “it” to give away.
That began the journey of learning to sit still and receive the love of my Heavenly Father. I learned how to sit in His presence, I learned how to forgive through meeting with others and learning about forgiveness. Both myself and others.
Thanks to various 12 Step programs I have learned how to let go and be grateful. The 12 Step program “works” for me. The concepts are so practical and make sense. Henri Nouwen refers to the 12 Step program now and then in his writings, for that I am delighted and grateful. At times I marvel at the peace I experience within and wonder when that happened.
I know there is no escape from suffering in this life. Through healing times of prayer I know that my Jesus was there with me through the horrific abuse in my childhood. I could see the pain and compassion and deep love in His eyes for what I and so many others have gone through.
Gratitude is the key that has set me free from bitterness and resentment. Gratitude is what causes me to see the beauty in the stars in the early grey morning, the sun glistening on the ocean, the love of my grandchildren. Gratitude helps me to simplify my life and appreciate a bowl of oatmeal and tea in the morning when so many are doing without.
Within suffering there is a road to gratitude that may be difficult to find but well worth the search. I am grateful that Jesus says, “I will never leave you, I will never abandon you.” I see that this is true.
Friends,
I want to join Brynn in offering each of you my heartfelt thanks and deep gratitude for joining this community on our Advent journey. For me it has been a “master class” in the Spirituality of Living led by Henri himself. And we have had the chance to actually practice his three steps together–to reflect in solitude (on Henri’s readings and their implications), to come together in community (albeit at a distance), and to minister to each other (as is so evident by the beautiful and encouraging comments among participants). Thanks to each of you.
A brief aside: In the sentence above, I almost wrote “master class”… “led by Henri, the master himself” and I refrained from doing so. And here’s why. I am currently re-reading the recently re-released Upon this Rock, The Life of St. Peter by Walter S. Murphy, a fictional account that follows St. Peter through the life of the early church. In this book Jesus is consistently referred to as “the Master” by the narrator of the story–a man named Quintus, known by the community as Q ,and the author of an earlier book about Jesus. While this book takes a novelists’ liberty (perhaps too much liberty for some readers) with the scriptural accounts in the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles, it one of my favorite books of all time and it has very positively influenced my spiritual life–probably because I identify closely with many of Quintus’ perceptions and personality. I highly recommend it. http://www.amazon.com/Upon-This-Rock-Life-Peter/dp/1610272528 And tying this back to our journey together, I know that I have felt the presence of the Master in this group “…for wherever two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.” (Matt 18:20)
For me, I was convicted when Henri writes about resentment because this is something that I have struggled with throughout my life and in once again in recent weeks. I have much to be grateful for yet I can often “…cling to our failures or disappointments and complain about the losses in our lives…” resulting in the the hardened heart of a resentful person. And when I am resentful it interferes with or impedes the relationships that I am the most grateful for–those of with the Lord and my family. ‘O Lord give me a grateful heart that I may see and be thankful for all my gifts and those of my family and those you bring into my life every day.’
In the reading from Homecoming this week, Henri shows me that in ministry we share the joy and the love of Jesus and celebrate life with others. He teaches us that foundation the spiritual life and of any ministry is to practice presence of God. And we do so through prayer (“…being with God in the present”) and service (“…any small act of the kingdom through which we reach out to others with expressions of care.”) It sounds so simple, yet for me the distractions of the world are so powerful, especially during this hectic time of the year. I am trying (often without success) to slow down and to take those “small steps of faithfulness” away from “me” world and toward the Lord–and to minister to the others with whom I am journeying along the way.
May you have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to our final week starting on Sunday.
Ray
Ray, Thank you for your candid comments about resentment. Sometimes I think I am in this alone. The deeper I go in my journey, the more light fleshes out those parts of myself that I didn’t see or disowned. Resentment is a big one and sometimes it seems like a default mode. I won’t even know I was back at that place until I am in a sleep stage and the events of the day are revisited. During the revisit, I see how distant I am from love and joy. I am really quite alone in my world of resentment, but it has a familiarity that seems to keep calling me back. I’ve been listening to the sermons of Tim Keller in the morning, and on those days when I get into a fight with my 16 year old, I think she should call me a hypocrite. She hasn’t done it yet, but it would be deserved. I then realize she is there to keep challenging me to dig deeper into myself and to burn off the anger and resentment that got buried there a long time ago. If she wasn’t there, I would be much more self righteous and certain. Instead I am at war with giving in to humility and powerlessness.
Dear Members of this Advent 2014 community,
Thank you all for your hospitality of spirit. It has enabled me to make significant steps closer to the heart of God. As I have explained I have been in a degree of pain in my knee and am awaiting scans in the New Year but this week’s reading and the enforced physical stillness has been a gift.
I have spent some time watching a series of 8 short talks given my Henri Nouwen on Youtube about receiving our belovedness as God’s children, listened to Richard Rohr about Falling Upwards and used these advent readings to just be. My husband and I even had great FUN testing our enneagram typing for the first time and discussing the results with humility !!!That all sounds a bit heavy but beneath it all God was present .
Readings this week have transformed my understanding of ministry . I have learned that are all invited to “be in ministry” and that includes ministering to ourselves by allowing moments of solitude in Him allowing him to love us. It’s a mystery and beyond place and time for me to understand it but still I move forward together WITH OTHERS and trust in his love when we do. So despite my physical pain how has that solitude refreshed my ministry.
I was able to look to God’s work in both the healing memories of pain and joys of this year and embrace them both not something we are encouraged to do in 21st century life. I carried out some mindfulness meditation on pain using a CD and was LATER prompted to share it through the prayer support of a Catholic sister currently visiting the States and in far greater pain than I .I received a blessings in message from a past pupil who had had cancer a few years ago now recovered and who appreciates life in all its aspects embracing pain and joy with others to support her.
Last week we met an neighbour who told us empathetically she is childless herself) that a friend was experiencing IVF treatment desperate to conceive. Yesterday we met that friend who said that she had stopped work and was resting. She is an exceptionally talented dancer and said she was using the rest to discover creative crafts by making all her Christmas presents .Today our neighbour called to deliver a card and said that our mutual friend had lost a baby 2 weeks before . God was in that meeting with her because we were very mindful not to mention that we knew about her IVF treatment .So we came alongside and were able just to be our beloved selves together in him ,letting him work as we shared memories of good neighbourliness and ordinary everyday special moments .
So I thank God for Henri (“The prodigal son ” has just landed on the mat from Amazon !! ) and for his ministry and the gift of discernment that it teaches us, Thank for good neighbours, families and the variety of communities of which we are part . May we continue to walk in the grace and peace that passes all understanding as we step towards THE HEALING LIGHT that advent waiting brings.
Love to all Gilly
Speaking of gratitude I am deeply grateful for each of you, and all that you’ve shared in these comments, and in the un-posted comments as well. Thank you!
I was really touched and inspired by the readings from this week. It was such a powerful reminder that; if I want to care well for people I seek to minister to, if I want to help others find healing, joy and life in abundance (which I do!), my first priority must be developing an intimacy with God. “Trust that if we are living as the beloved we will heal people whether or not we are aware of it. But we have to be faithful to that call” (p45 Living). I like to be prepared, I love to learn, plan, and be organized, and all those things are good. But ultimately, if I brush aside the importance of solitude with the Father, I will at best be moderately effective in ministering to others. In comparison, Henri speaks of Jesus by saying “Out of this listening came an intimacy with God that radiated out to everyone Jesus saw and touched” (p44 Living).
Imagine that!!!
This week’s reading linked back for me to the first week’s readings… solitude with Jesus isn’t just for me, it is for everyone my life comes in contact with (both in community and in ministry).
Brynn
Learning to be grateful for life with joy and pain is a lesson that I have experienced during the last six years. My lovely adult daughter pulled away from me when she married. We were very close, so I believed. It has been a difficult adjustment – a new reality for which I found no soft place to fall….except into the care of God’s loving compassion. I have read a lot over the past five years on estrangement and the frantic emotions of being separated from a loved one. One would think it would be a quick fix but that has not been the case. It is complicated now by two little grandchildren that I long to see and love and hug. Oh to have to live the words “not my will but Thy will be done”. No, I do not understand why this pain of estrangement has been visited upon me. But in the midst of the emotional turmoil I feel a peace deeper than ever experienced. I began to read books by Henri Nouwen which gave me a framework of how to live my Christian faith in all circumstances of life. Having gratitude for their good health and blessings of two healthy children given to my daughter and her husband is beginning to outweigh the fact that I am kept at arm’s length from them. My friends say that I should be angry when crumbs are thrown my way (in terms of short visits from them on holidays) but I am standing strong in my faith and rejoicing and prayerfully thankful for those blessings. When we do see each other, I am so grateful to see them blossoming as loving parents and to see that everyone is healthy. Who knows, if I were given the gift of seeing my family and grandchildren regularly, would I cherish each minute the same? My faith is deepened by reading and rereading your heartfelt messages during this Advent discussion. God whispers to me through your words of joy and pain. I am so very grateful to listen and learn via this online community of believers.
“We have to trust that if we are the son or daughter of God, power will go out from us and people will be healed.” I often use the phrase ‘life and ministry’ when referring to that which I devote my time and energy to, however whilst its a helpful phrase, I find it hard to differentiate between the two at times. Where does one end and the other begin? Do they have an origin and an expiry date or are they something much more organic than that? The notion that I must trust that as a beloved son of God, power will go out from me and people will be healed speaks more of a natural expression or outworking of something which is already taking place – subconsciously or otherwise, within me.
As for gratitude and compassion, I think I tend to lean more towards ‘compassion’ – that common passion as I try to identify with the experiences of another. It is interesting that ministry and pain are ever-present; that as a minister I must go where the pain is because “God is hidden in the pain”. This, I think, links back to the first point that I can only draw near to the pain of another if I am aware of my own pain and my own standing as a beloved son of God. I have found it much easier in my experience to hold back from engaging in the painful circumstances of another, instead wanting to ‘give them space’ in their time of need and yet I am gradually coming to realise that it is exactly in these moments that entering into that space with the other may be exactly what is needed to help bring comfort and healing.
In Spirituality of Homecoming, I was surprised by the statement, “Joy and suffering do not go together.” I don’t know why I was surprised because as I look at the words, they seem self-evident; I think it is interesting that whilst there may be no joy in suffering, it is possible to experience joy even in the midst of sorrow or agony. What a wonderful promise that “something (someone) greater than…suffering was present.”
“The beauty of the spiritual life is that we can be where we are. We don’t have to be anywhere else. We are already home. So let’s be there.” These words remind me that the spiritual life is not something necessarily to be attained or achieved, rather it is something that is inextricably linked to our heart and soul as well as the very real experiences I encounter in the course of my daily life.
The words from J.J. O’Leary which were quoted in the previous reflections, “If you want to pray, you’re already praying”, really stood out to me; I guess in some ways, if you have a desire to live the spiritual life, there’s a good chance you’re already well on the way!
Daniel,
Thank you for this post that was very helpful to me. You commented on some of the same ideas that touched me in the readings.
I like your descriptive phrase “life and ministry” as a way to refer to how you spend your time and energy. I would offer a simple modification for your consideration–how about “Life as ministry.” If we live our life by following the two great commandments ‘to love God and to love our neighbor’ (Matthew 22: 36-40) and if we ‘do for the least brothers of mine’ (Matthew 25: 31-46) then aren’t we living “life as ministry”? And, of course, as a sinner I often fall short of this, but it certainly is a life to strive for–or, maybe, more correctly to be open to and to ask Jesus guide me as I try to follow the Father’s will to live as He did.
May the Lord give you peace.
Ray
Ray, thanks for your response; I’m glad that some of my thoughts in relation to this topic resonated with some of your own. Thank you also for the suggestion of “life as ministry”; it’s a helpful reminder that both are essentially one and the same.
Regards,
Daniel
Dear friends,
I have not been able to keep up with the reading or the discussion. So many Christmas events but meaningful ones — most with my church and church friends. Now I am down with a bad “something-or-other” (cold? Flu? pneumonia?) and thus had to postpone some travel plans. Today I am doing Christmas cards and decided to read your posts while eating my lunch.
I am grateful to all of you for your sharing hearts. I hear your sadness yet your joy in knowing God!! Knowing Jesus!! and knowing people like Henri Nouwen and Jean Varnier and all the folks “pointing” us to God.
One of you posted that Henri described ministry as anything we can do “to help people become grateful for life even with pain.” I like that definition and I think I do this whenever a friend is unhappy with some hand life has dealt to him/her. I am not heavily involved in any committees (“formal ministry” or so it is called ha ha) tho I serve in worship and am in an ongoing book discussion group with fellow believers. So now I do have a new way to look at “ministry” and can be grateful that God has brought me along this long long path of spiritual development. He has given me a gift of compassion, for which I am very grateful.
Recently the second husband of a woman who “hated me” for many years died. God gave me an opportunity to help this woman and her children (who are my step children, who have not kept in close touch with me since their father, my husband, died) deal with hospice and other end-of-life issues. The way it all happened, it could only have been with God’s hand in it. I am so grateful that I could extend compassion to this woman despite all the negative stuff under the bridge and I have a goal to reach out to her regularly in 2015.
So that’s just some sharing from my heart.
May you all have the most blessed Christmas!! And a Joyful New Year.
I like what Andrew John said about ” just being present” being sufficient. This reading on ministry has reminded me that, as Henri says, “Ministry is not something that we DO” (emphasis mine). I am a life-long “do-er” and this tendency of mine to try and prove my worth by “doing” has led me down some very painful paths. My challenge, during this 2nd half of life, is to allow myself to just BE. To just BE the beloved, to just BE still and listen for God’s voice , to just BE present in the moment and to not dwell on the past or worry about the future. I’m reminded of a scripture in the Old Testament that I read years ago and it has stayed with me: I’d like to share it with all of you…I hear God’s voice so loud and clear telling me “Diane, just BE STILL and BE my beloved. I will give you rest from all of your doing”
“This is the resting place,
give rest to the weary;
Here is repose
but they would not listen.
So for them the word of the Lord shall be
Command on command, command on command,
Rule on rule, rule on rule,
here a little, there a little!
So that when they walk, they stumble backward,
broken, ensnared, and captured”
Isaiah 28: 12-13
I have lived this….stumbled backward, broken and ensnared by my “doing”. To exhaustion. And all the while in my doing and busyness, my heart was not at peace and I had no concept that I was the beloved.
What a gift to know that, as Henri says: “If we know we are the beloved, and if we keep forgiving those with whom we form community and celebrate their gifts, we cannot do other than minster”. Henri was a gift to me all those years ago, slowing me down and opening my eyes to God’s unconditional love. And the blessing continues!
Peace to you all…we are all wounded healers.
Diane
Great post! Much appreciated by this compulsive “doer” who is also trying to reform! I’ve been really working on allowing the acknowledgement that I am God’s Beloved to permeate my entire being. It’s getting easier to remember!!! Blessings!!!
Thanks to all of you for your wise and thoughtful lessons about endurance, patience, faith, and ministry. Like many of you, I have tended to be a Martha: always busy, always ostensibly wanting to be of service but probably at least unconsciously wanting to assume some level of control of a situation. Your lessons about just listening and being there for another spoke powerfully to me. Your reflections on how to implement Henri’s vision for finding God in both solitude and community offer inspiration and concrete ideas for daily practice. I pray that all of you will find peace, strength, and comfort as you face the challenges with health, relationships, and disappointments that you have so honestly and articulately shared with the group. It is amazing how quickly the wisdom of Henri Nouwen can unite a group of strangers from around the world. Thank you, Ray and Brynn, for bringing us together. We are strangers no more.
Jeanette: Thank you for sharing….your reflections really spoke to me. I wanted you to know that I will remember you in prayer as you travel this part of your journey. This time of rest and recovery for me (from a recent surgery) has been a gift from God in so many ways, among them the time I can spend in prayer…..I will hold you close. Be sure to look for the angels that God is surely sending you.
Peace…
diane
Thank-you, Diane. I have been praying for you. Jeanette
After my sons were diagnosed with MD I made a retreat with Jean Vanier and spent some time with Henri. He and another priest directed me to visit a woman in Montreal, PQ who was in constant pain & paralyzed after having back surgery that went terribly wrong some 25 years previous. She was in a long term care facility and Sisters were taking care of her. When I entered her room it felt like a sanctuary and she was radiant. She, from her bed, had a ministry to many. People came to spend time with her before conducting retreats seeking her prayers. Minutes after greeting her I laid my head on her breast and sobbed. Her only suggestion was that I begin to say the Magnificat daily.
I met and became friends with another woman years earlier who was paralyzed for many years and in sharing her life explained how angry she had been because of the paralysis until she encountered Jean Vanier and then her life changed. She came to understand that her life being paralyzed was a mission given to her by God. People came from far and wide to spend time with her and left feeling encouraged and gained insight into their problems in her presence. A gifted healer who never left her bed and could only move her head.
Both these women taught me about mission and understanding and accepting God’s will and believing there is purpose in suffering. Neither one could move and yet in their presence others gained insights into their lives.
Their stories kept coming to mind all day and so I wanted to share them because they are so inspirational.
Thank you for the inspirational stories of Jean Vanier, Henri Nouwen, and the paralyzed women. Your own story is inspirational as well. If people with significant physical limitations can serve as the instruments of divine inspiration, surely I can find some small role to play as well. How, though, does one discern that role?
Wow, Jo! Thank you so much for sharing this story and the others regarding your sons. It is very inspiring and powerful. I was so moved that I watched a video this morning about Jean Vanier where he reflects and shares about L’Arche community. It has clips of the community, the sharing and mindset ..really the dignified approach in how they care for each other. What a precious moment. In sharing your moment with the women in the hospital, I have new faith. What a blessing. I am without words. For me, after having experience pain at a young age and not being able to share that until I was 40, even though I had a loving family, but one that did not understand or was in shock and in pain as well, the value of a community that intentionally facilitates healing and freedom is stunning to me. This is Christ in person..tangibly. I need to consider your words accepting God’s will and believing there is purpose in suffering. And the power in how these women became healers for those of us who “look” like we have so much. I think that our self sufficiency…maintaining can be what keeps us from being vulnerable. Being busy too can keep us from being healed. I am rambling. But just want to say that I am overcome with joy in discovering your story and learning more about Jean Vanier. I am rejuvenated with hope and excitement to see God and my life in a different way, to take my sufferings and see how I can use them as an offering to comfort others. And I will be looking at the Magnificat as well. Blessings to you and your family.
These are my reflections on the journey. This study has meant so much to me, the books, the questions and the heartfelt comments that have been made. In my times of solitude, I have been asking God to come into my heart because I don’t think I have done that before. Previous to starting this study I have been a Christian outside, looking in, and not willing to let go of myself. I have always been afraid to ask God in because I wasn’t sure I could hold up my end of the bargain. Truthfully, I like to be self-sufficient and have a feeling of control over my circumstances. What has happened since I have been asking God in has in some ways has astonished me. People at work who I have hardly known , but to say hello to, have come to me confiding troubles and asking for guidance. When confronted by situations that would previously have left me mute, words have come that encouraged others to speak what is on their minds. In my family, I can see God at work in situations that previously were static.
Henri has an uncommon ability to break down all-encompassing concepts into simple explanations. Suddenly an enemy isn’t an army that is against all of us, but it becomes someone who isn’t for you or me. An enemy has been brought to a personal level that makes it something I can confront in my faith journey so that God can come more readily into my heart. So it is with ministry. It isn’t something out there in a big world sense that we have to take on and do. Instead, it is something that comes out of listening, trusting, and obeying God that allows us to minister to others knowingly or unknowingly because of God’s power that reaches others through us. What a different meaning of ministry for me.
In my own life the time since this study began has been a personal Advent for me. In the past four weeks I have been having medical tests, waiting for results, having other tests, waiting, etc. On Friday I was diagnosed with breast cancer. For the first time in my life I am beginning to understand one day at a time. Already I have encountered people who are willing to help me navigate this new territory and I feel blessed in that. I am attempting to claim “the promise” daily as I move through the next part of this journey. I am so thankful for this study and the previous one for all that they have done to equip me for stepping forward into this.
Jeanette, you put it so beautifully when you talk about being afraid of “not holding up your end of the bargain”. Isn’t it great to realize that the Lord doesn’t think of it like that and just wants our trust! My prayer is that in the coming months you will encounter more and more people (Angels?) willing to come alongside you and that as you navigate the “new territory” you may be filled with the perfect love that casts out fear.
Yes, Angels! That is my hope. Thank-you for your kind words of encouragement.
Jeanette, thank you for sharing so beautifully. I have been a breast cancer survivor now for 18 months, and Christ has been there every step of the way for me. I tend to be “self-sufficient” but with much humility had to learn to depend on my family, my community — others, as together we journeyed into the unknown. But God knew and showed up in small and big ways all through the journey. Even now, He speaks words of peace, of love, of strength to me, as I know that this journey may not be over. He is a Gentle Healer, a Tender Shepherd, the all-Sufficient Savior, whom I can trust completely.
May He comfort and guide you and be ever present with you in the days ahead. Grace & Peace, Ruth
Thank-you for your grace-filled words. Peace to you as you continue your journey.
Jeanette, good for you for making a positive step to live with Christ. You won’t regret it. None of us measure up, we just like to sound and look like we do. If you develop a faith like Henri describes and Jesus wants to cultivate in you, you will be well equipped for your Breast Cancer journey. I just finished the tough part of my Chemo and I felt Jesus was so near me when I couldn’t do much. The first part of waiting for everything is hard. God be with you. Marianne
You are so right about “Henri has an uncommon ability to break down all-encompassing concepts into simple explanations.” I especially agree with your comments about ministry. When I read the chapter I was struck by how Henri tied ministry to first knowing we’re the beloved, then forgiving those with whom we form community, celebrating gifts – and then he says we automatically will move into authentic ministry. WOW!!!! He makes all this seem so simple. I love how he connects all of those. I will be praying that all you have learned will be right at your fingertips, easily brought to mind and heart, so as to strengthen you to conquer your cancer.
MINISTRY: Ray and Brynn’s question regarding Ministry above:
YES, my idea of MINISTRY has changed a great deal.
I used to think of MINISTRY as something very formal – something, that I would have to go to my parish to do – or go to a soup kitchen, or go to a homeless shelter, or do Sunday school catechism, and all of those things are good and are ministries that people do. Father Nouwen says its not just what we do. There was an article in our local newspaper about a group of dentists locally who went to El Salvador on a mission to provide dental care. Nice. That’s not something that I can do. So, it comes down to what can I do and being sensitive to the nudge of the Holy Spirit for something I can do.
Many times when the Knights of Columbus does a pancake breakfast at either one of the two parishes in town, we have more guys show up to “work”, than there are jobs/tasks/ to actually perform.
In the past I have felt unproductive or superfluous at not being assigned a “Meaningful” task at these pancake breakfasts. Now I realize that just showing up and BEING PRESENT is sufficient. This change in mindset comes with some relief! I do find some things I can do or holes to fill in but I can relax knowing it does not have to be a real formalized thing.
As always, Henri has Spiritual Gold to share with us. Henri’s insight into Ministry was Powerful …. When Henri talked about
1. Resentment being Cold Anger, and reminded us not to cling to failures and disappointments…. Wow ! Some of the best spiritual advise that could be given. Another Spiritual gift was his quote :
2. “The Blessed one ALWAYS BLESSES.”
well that alone, could be a BOOK.
and
3. Just being with someone in their suffering IS Ministry….
These Spiritual insights of Henri’s are Gifts for myself, and I will now better be able to “gift” others with a better Christian Ministry to them ~!!
I thank you all, for this Advent Journey with Henri Nouwen, I did achieve my Advent goal 🙂 I easily have a prayer, and Love relationship with Jesus, but I wanted to better be able to interact and share with others….. In Henri’s readings and through all your responses, I have recieved many gifts, to advance the cause of ministry and community with others. Thank you~!!
Twyla: thanks for a wonderful share.
We eagerly await your forthcoming book: “The Blessed One Always Blesses”. 😉 Maybe Maureen will agree to publish it and sell it here? 🙂
One of the questions presented this week was related to ministry and whether my concept of ministry has changed as a result of the readings. Personally, I received a great benefit from the readings this week. My notions of ministry have changed as a result, and I now see the connection between prayer and service as well.
I am beginning to wonder if my concept of ministry has changed as a result of the readings, or if instead it has been refined, or possibly defined. The word ministry is used a lot. We hear it in our parish as a way to describe all the various roles and functions that we participate in to keep things running smoothly, from music, to education, visiting the homebound, to various roles during mass, etc. But I think Henri Nouwen opened my eyes to the core of ministry, what it is at its very heart, which he describes as “to help people become grateful for life even with pain.” As I mentioned above, the term ministry is used a lot, and I wonder now if it is not overused, or maybe used in a misplaced context on occasion.
Also of interest to me personally was the connection Henri Nouwen drew between prayer and service. He has a way of really placing things in perspective. He mentions that “[w]e practice the presence of God through prayer and service,” and then goes on to talk about prayer being with God in the present, and that if we are distracted, we have left the present for the past or future. That really opened my eyes, and made a lot of sense. He then draws the connection with prayer to service, talking about how service is reaching out to others “with expressions of care,” and that these can be small acts. What was really significant was when he continued, stating that through regular prayer we come to know that “God is in us here and now,” and that we become “less preoccupied with ourselves and more attentive to others.” He speaks of the “Spirit in us” seeing the “Spirit in them.”
The above insights on ministry, prayer, and service this week have made this entire process during Advent well worth the time and effort for me. I believe this is a great summary of what we should aspire to and how we should conduct ourselves on a day to day basis. That being said, this is a tall order. On its face it seems rather simple and direct, and probably is. However, to place in practice is an entirely different issue. It is certainly a goal to aspire. In fact, I will take it further, and submit that it could be easily crafted into one’s own personal mission statement. I once read something interesting about mission statements that they are not unlike the “pole star” that ancient mariners followed while at sea. They would sail towards the pole star, but of course never reach it. The pole star, however, gave them direction.
My job for the balance of this Advent is to craft my own personal mission statement from the above; knowing full well I will never fully achieve what is described, but also knowing at the same time that it will place me in the right direction of achieving my own personal salvation.
I was unfamiliar with these two volumes before this Advent season, and was a little uncertain as to their contents. But I want to thank both Brynn and Ray for choosing these readings as I have gained tremendous insight in going through the material and reading the comments of others.
Charles,
I love your idea about a personal mission statement. Having helped to craft institutional mission statements, I know they need to be short yet must capture the ethos and essence of that organization. They need to be re-examined regularly to determine if the organization is actively pursuing said goals or if the goals themselves need to adapted to new and higher goals. Writing a personal mission statement would clarify my own direction and help hold my feet to the fire in becoming who I am meant to be and how I might serve. Actually I think such an exercise would make a great prompt for a future Henri Nouwen blog. Thanks, Charles.
This has been a hectic week for me and I am just now able to carefully read these wonderful posts. In the Preface to Living we read, “In short, how shall we live? Henri offers us a spirituality that addresses these questions–a spirituality for living, a spirituality that has the potential to transform our lives.” As we conclude these readings next week, you may well see Elaine’s suggestion about writing a personal mission statement (our personal answer to “how shall we live”) as a way to tie together our readings included in the next post on Sunday.
Peace and all good.
Ray
Again these readings are very challenging for me. “Is it truly possible to embrace all of life; the old and the bad, the joyful and the painful, the holy and not so holy. Is it truly possible to embrace with gratitude all of our life and not just the good things that we like to remember? ” What a question! I read this differently that I would have 10 years ago or 20 years ago. Sometimes pain can be so heavy that our human spirits can do nothing but look at the good…purely for survival purposes. Growing up without a mother and a father who drank to dull his pain of grief because of her tragic death you learn a different way of living and dealing with pain. You live with the knowledge of pain and death everyday at a very early age. It becomes a way of living and thinking. Does everyone live that kind of life? You anesthesize your pain by looking at the good and for the good. Henri also asks “is it truly possible to embrace with gratitude all of our life and not just the good things that we like to remember?” This is hard. Thankfully, (Henri mentions that part of ministry is GRATITUDE and compassion) we went to catholic school and participated in a parish weekly. My father was a devoted catholic and reminded us of how much he loved us every day. So I learned about Jesus and his love and suffering for me at an early age. But it wasn’t until 10 years ago that I met with my grief over the loss of my mother. No one knew how to deal with grief and ministering to us when we were young. We never cried or showed sadness about it. It took me forty years. Am I grateful for the loss and pain? Hard to say. Some days yes. My life has been one that appreciates genuine relationships. Those that risk feeling pains and losses and sharing them in an authentic way. Other times not. When I see another family just recently who senselessly lost their mother, it brings back the pain and the loss and the reality of what they will have to live with at an early age and the pain that no pill or time will heal. Jesus heals. He heals because he bore our pain and can relate with us like no one else. We can have compassion on those who are in pain and bring them to Him who knows their pain. I had to be shown this through Christ-centered counseling that this was acceptable. Not to just put on a happy face, keeping focusing on the good, and move forward. Henri writes, “Jesus says to us, “Cry over your pains, and you will discover that I’m right there in your tears, and you will be grateful for my presence in your weakness.” He never leaves or forsakes. So I have found Jesus in my loss and my pain. And for that I am truly grateful. It allows me to live more freely when I can share my heavy heart with Him and not expect it from someone else who cannot relate with me. I am still working out my pains and losses and they will continue as this life is not without them. But I am now grateful to share what I know is true with my children and to love them with compassion, accept them and their pain without giving them reasons why they should not feel their pain. Christ knows our every pain and joy. Those words are true and so stunning. Pain is scary for us humans. It requires us to look for the Divine, because we cannot move forward without Him. I found that when I did bring my grief to Him I saw life in a completely new way. It was so different. I was free of the load I carried that I was not fully aware of. Years of heavy pain-carrying fell away as I sat with Him. I took up photography and painting and began to live with new eyes, peace and true joy. He became more a part of my joys, because I allowed Him to become part of my pain. I don’t understand it all, but I do know Who it is that understands me. As I look back at 2014, I can see how I am not afraid to share my joys and pains with my good friends and even risk inviting them to spiritual events that speak about meditation and resting in the presence of God and sharing Henri’s books as well! I am so grateful for the Nouwen Society and the works of Henri’s. They were and continue to be great solace for my soul because they lead me toward the One who ministers to us all so completely.
Sharon, Your observations about joy and pain reminded me of a radio interview I heard recently. A psychologist, who became a quadriplegic many years ago, has a weekly radio show that I listen to periodically. He was talking about a visit he received from a young guy who recently became a quadriplegic as a result of an accident. He said the young man was handsome and strong, and that he talked to him about adapting and building a life. I was struck, however, when the psychologist said that after the guy left, he cried. Not for himself, but because he knew what this young man had lost and how his life was forever changed. Yes, we can be transformed through pain and suffering, but it reminded me that our ability to hold both the joy and the pain is what opens us to be understanding and compassionate.
Thanks for your reply Holly. Yes, it does open us to be understanding and compassionate. My family often says that I take on the pain of others too easily. Perhaps this is because I became familiar with pain earlier than they did. Not to uphold myself but really to say that I understand that not everyone can enter into the world of those that are suffering. I am struck by Jo’s comments further down where she speaks about a time where she retreated with Jean Vanier after her sons where diagnosed with MD and met with a women who was paralyzed and saw her life as a mission. I was moved by her sharing that time. I’ve read about L’Arche from Henri’s books. But this morning I watched a video where Jean Vanier speaks about the community. I was so struck and in awe and wonder. His understanding of human dignity and suffering and relating touched my heart. For me, after reading these passages it challenges me to consider my community, i.e., my family, children, husband, extended family, church family, friends and their families. How we can seek to learn to accept each other where we are and to care for one another with dignity. I feel a new sense of urgency to walk out what I have read in the books and what others have shared here in the discussion. Ironically (or not) my son asked me to review a paper he was writing for his philosophy class yesterday at a Christian college where they discussed L’Arche and Jean Vanier and serving the poor. The timing of all these things in my life is so precious. I see God working and touching and speaking to my heart. I just need to see what more He is calling me to and it may just be here in my own back yard. Like the women that Jo met with that day in the hospital is so beautiful! The connections that are made when we can go into another person’s world and feel what they feel, or to be able to be vulnerable with those that have gone before us. So precious that they were given the opportunity to give and receive. I don’t know if I am making sense. But thankful for your response and encouragement. I am a thinker and a doer and those things can get in the way and I need to slow down and reflect and rest. Again I am so grateful for this community of reflective seeking individuals that honor one another. Blessings.
Sharon,
You make perfect sense! You did need to learn young and God’s grace is so evident “even till now” as you bless us with your reflections.
You and all who write challenge me to grow in attentiveness and responsiveness to the persons and experiences God places before me. A very dear friend told me when I retired, “Just look at who and what God puts before you and you will minister each day.” Yes, we are wounded healers – with the grace of God!
“The art of spiritual living is to pay attention to the breathing of the Spirit right where we are and to trust that the Spirit is breathing new life in us now.” This statement meant the most to me. I’ve learned to hear the Lord in the middle of the night when I awake; I have a quiet time of reading/meditating on the Scriptures and praying in the morning. But I long to be more fully present in the Spirit throughout my busy day. To pay attention to what He is doing rather than what I am doing.
My 36 year old niece Lynn is seriously ill with cancer that was discovered when she was pregnant with her third child. She decided not to have treatment that would impact her unborn child; her baby (Dominic-“gift of God”) is now almost 10 months old and her daughters are barely 2 and 4 years old – beautiful children all, beloved by their parents. But Lynn has had complication after complication and now is facing the only option left to attempt to save her life: 3 weeks of radiation on a neck tumor to begin immediately after Christmas followed by a bone marrow transplant. I write not to complain but to praise Lynn, her husband who is beside her every step of this rocky road and God, for what I have seen is strong faith growing even stronger and a witness given to her host of “prayer partners.” Theirs is not a faith in magic, but that God has a plan and God is with them. Lynn sends occasional email updates to her friends and family and we pass them on to all her prayer partners who tell us they are uplifted and amazed. Lynn’s exceptional courage – yes, absolutely! But more than that we are all growing in faith and gratitude that God is present in Lynn and her husband and in this situation, whatever the outcome will be. I find myself praying for especially for the three small children who may lose their mother and reminding God that I know he has a plan I cannot see. Is that gratitude? I’m not certain but I know I am able to pray this honestly only because I trust God is looking over this family because we are his beloved, and I know these weekly readings are exactly the reminders I need at this time.
Nancy, I will definitely be praying for your whole family. I have been amazed at the depth in these two little books we’re reading. Perhaps they’re “little” so that you can easily carry them with you for constant comfort as Lynn, and everyone who loves her, suffers.
I said a prayer for Lynn.
Thank you both for being prayer “angels” for Lynn! I’ve been colating the messages from prayer angels and sending them to her simply to remind her she is BELOVED of God – in God’s heart and ours.
Recently in one of the sleepless nights of grappling again with a great grief of a double betrayal whose consequences still bring fresh losses and heartaches, and seeking comfort from the Lord, he spoke to me through the story of the widow of Nain. I will share the insights I believe he gave to me in the poem I wrote at the time.
The Widow of Nain
Twice bereaved,
Her once-restored heart now seared by a second agony
The pain and desolation of her loss which had begun to be soothed
By growing, hopeful love, a new purpose, a reason to live
The tender, costly, fragile joy
Now cruelly shattered, the grief intolerable
Others who know her suffering
Walk alongside, weep with her
Their comfort doesn’t touch the depth of her bitter grief
The utter loneliness, the bleakness
The future stretching pointless and empty
The numbness of anguish inconsolable
When Jesus draws near
He sees no faith to respond to
Just her unbearable pain
His heart reaches out to her in deep compassion
His quiet word hushes her crying
With power he simply touches the one who had been taken
And amazingly, tenderly, gives him back to her
Can the one who is lost to me
In betrayal and hurt beyond measure
Be returned by the balm of forgiveness?
Can cleansed memory restore the broken love?
Can the one who is lost to me
In pain and defiling horror
Be returned by the gentle wiping away of tears and trauma?
Can the beloved of my sweet memories live again?
In the suffering and shock of loss
Feel His presence,
Accept His power
Hear his promise
“I will not leave you comfortless”
Nouwen wrote that “consolation is the deepening of a pain to level where it can be shared” so maybe sharing this can be a ministry to someone else who is feeling s ‘double’ loss.
This is beautiful! I am a Spiritual Director and Advisor for KAIROS Prison Ministry for women both in the inside and those on the outside affected by family members who are incarcerated. In gratitude for this early morning wisdom from the Lord. Peace to you.
To Linda
Thanks for your response, I’m so glad the poem blessed you, and I pray for your Kairos ministry to prisoners and their families. I have another poem that may be specially meaningful for some among them. It came out of the experience of sharing with my husband the distress of the night before his court case for sentencing after a guilty plea. I share it with you now, hoping it may touch the heart of someone who faces shame and guilt
A meditation for Maundy Thursday
Tomorrow
The day I have been dreading is nearly here
I don’t want to face it alone
Tonight I need to be with those I love
In these last, precious hours
a special meal, so searingly painful
sharing the talk, the closeness, the laughter
the familiar, loved rituals
Their eyes show concern for me tonight
dawning apprehension
lack of comprehension
I want to leave them some strong, sweet memory
An antidote to the sting of shock
tomorrow will bring
shattering their joy and hope
Will they remember,
afterwards ?
Will they recall how much I loved them?
Tomorrow their world will be changed forever
Tomorrow they will witness my disgrace
Will they shrink from my humiliation?
wish they had never trusted me?
or even known me?
My heart aches with the pain of knowing
they will be ashamed of me
tomorrow
I fear for the family I will have to leave
tomorrow
She who has loved and cared for me
How can I leave her comfortless in grief?
I feel her heart already heavy with her fears
She will stand by me
tomorrow
and, beyond my reach, I will see her tears
Tonight
I need time, alone, to face tomorrow
But I long for the support and strength
of those most close to me
They stay with me, in the dark hours
Their presence providing uncomprehending comfort
near to me, as far as they can be
as I try to ready myself
steady myself,
steel myself
for tomorrow
I let them sleep exhausted
I must face the consequences of my choice alone
Alone in the dark I face tomorrow’s verdict
the sentence and the coming condemnation
the end of the life I have lived
the end of the respect I have known
My imagination recoils from the humiliation and revulsion
Those who once admired me will spit at me
tomorrow
Those who hated me will will gloat and sneer
Even the guards will despise me
and add their own spiteful cruelties and jibes
tomorrow
They will strip me of my clothes,
and my dignity
My faith will be mocked and derided
My shame will will exposed to jeering crowds
tomorrow
Those I have helped will turn away, appalled
My friends will be in danger, under suspicion
shocked, bewildered and afraid
And will even God turn His face away?
tomorrow?
It is unbearable to face it all
I long for a way to avoid tomorrow
If only I could disappear
vanish into the inviting darkness
If I could choose not to bear the pain
My tears burn
I break down in utter distress
I know there is no way I can avoid
tomorrow
In Gethsemane Jesus wept
An innocent man facing a degrading death
Choosing, knowingly, to be condemned as guilty
The night before his trial, he weeps
The guilty man, facing disgrace
Can anyone understand his grief and self loathing?
feel his gut-wrenching fear?
Can anyone help him face himself?
or God?
or anyone?
ever again?
Only the Jesus of Gethsemane can kneel beside him
Can, from a condemned man’s cross, understand,
answer a condemned man’s cry for mercy
Pray ‘Father forgive’
We, who weep for our sins
and fear condemnation
Feel his touch upon us too, tonight
He bore our shame
He bore our sins
Jean
Jean, thank you for sharing this lovely, precious poem. I have read it several times and each time it comforts me. What a joy that the Lord gave you these words of comfort…a balm for the soul in time of need. So grateful that you shared this with us. You have ministered to me. Blessings to you:)
I came to the understanding that suffering together for a purpose, knowing in a deeper mystical way Christ’s suffering and how necessary it is for us to join our suffering with His brought me to gratitude. First to be chosen to suffer with Him for the salvation of souls is a very high calling. Once when I was grilled about our sons and the importance of their lives living with MD, for example were they married, did they have children I responded very simply “they have a higher calling…to suffer”.
Last week I visited my MD and he brought up the subject of euthanasia and some of the arguments for it. My response was that you can’t alleviate suffering. We, in the name of good intentions, can’t change people’s lives without interfering with God. I referred to our sons’ lives and how useless so many would see them but on the contrary how much life they give to us because of their attitude and humour in the face of great difficulties. How can anyone deny the beautiful presence they have in the world? He smiled as if he came to understand more deeply the presence of God in the face of the disabled.
Practicing the presence of God is simply being who you are. Wherever I go He is with me and whatever I do He is in it. I sometimes wonder if I should seek help carrying the cross that I’ve been given but whenever I’ve tried, doors were closed so I learned that He is my Joy He is my Strength He is my Friend who will be there at all times in all situations. Others who know me understand something great is happening in the hiddenness of our lives because of the Joy we share.
Jo
Jo: I just wanted to let you know that in response to one of your posts in last week’s thread, I finally (today) got around to adding Catherine Doherty to my reading list. I have not any of her writings yet. Ugh. Its amazing this time of year how long it takes to get around to things. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know and say THANKS! 🙂 andrew
Thanks, Jo, for this beautiful post.
GRATITUDE:
An attitude of gratitude was NOT something that came naturally to me. I had to be taught by others, wonderful people, children of God, HOW to be grateful.
Gratitude, now, for me, is as natural as praying and breathing. I find so many ways to be grateful and the more grateful I am, the peace that surpasses all understanding deepens.
We take so many things for granted, things, that we really need to be grateful for.
One of the best things I am grateful for is the consolation of knowing {somehow} that I am doing His will, not mine.
This was not always the case for me. I was often outside of His will and things were not good. Knowing also, that should I get outside of His will for me again, I can quickly recognize it and pray for assistance for a course correction.
As a Christian we are all called to ministry. We can minister to those others who have nothing. This shows our gratitude what Jesus has done for us when He died on the cross and forgives our sins. Helping people – the homeless, writing to those in jail, what about the children who have no food, clothing or even toys. Being Christ for others fits into our discipleship as Christians.
How can I celebrate the joy that Jesus has given to me – for me it is becoming Christ to others – serving others in ways such as bringing love, food, caring for them as people. There are many that live on our streets the homeless, the ones with drug use and have no one. Can we as people reach out and help in someway. What about those that come to our Canadian Culture – speaking another language can we help them learn our language.
For me as a Christian I must practice the presence of Jesus. Prayers within my heart and listening to that voice that speaks and says “Help those that need help, share Christ with them – they have no one but you are standing there, be my servant and bring love. Then I can say “Merry Christmas”
Doris, your comments are well put, and really place things in perspective during this season when the secular world basically goes crazy and runs off the rails. Our focus should be as you describe, on the “least among us.” Thank you.
Absolutely!
One thing I have not done well over the years is helping the homeless, the people standing on the entrance and exit ramps of the freeways with signs or at intersections with long traffic lights. I prayed about this because I felt so helpless, so frustrated, so weak, so powerless, so embarrassed, so ashamed.
So, when I had to make trips to Baltimore from Western Maryland, I started to do a little pre-planning, put some extra food in the back tailgate of the car that was easily accessible and if I could, make sure I had some “extra” cash on me “earmarked” as NOT FOR ME (for someone else)
Pitiful. I actually had to get my mindset and attitude adjusted that I could have money to give to a total stranger. Funny thing I discovered about my wallet 🙂 – it has separate compartments/sections where I could separate the money I needed for my travels from that I could give away. It has to be handy as this happens at traffic lights. I had to meditate on the scripture of the Good Samaritan who spared no expense for his injured charge, even told the innkeeper to spare no expense and the Samaritan would repay the innkeeper. Wow. Could I ever meet that standard?
Also, I had to plan the logistics of how to do this oftentimes in heavy traffic at rush hours at very large intersections. At one intersection, I pulled into a median area where I could get out of the car safely and give a woman the food I had in the back end of the car. She got, both some food and some cash. She was prepared, she had an empty canvas tote bag. This time I was prepared too for a change!
One of the things I have noticed recently was that those I stop for want to talk and I get nervous about that because I am holding up traffic. Now, I just turn on my hazard blinkers and listen as long as they want to talk.
I love church sign theology. All the churches I drive by have scriptures or slogans on their signs. There are even books now that compile photos of these proverbs.
I drove by one that read: “Sometimes, the most loving thing you can do is just listen.”
One man told me of his efforts (that took some time) to obtain his birth certificate records which he needed for identification purposes. When I got home that day, I read in the newspaper that the homeless who were living in a camp in a nearby park had been invaded by the police and all their belongings including their documents had been taken/ confiscated from the camp. I contacted the nearby homeless shelter and asked for some tips from people who do this work every day. I also make sure now that I know where that shelter is in relation to where my errands are in case I may need to transport someone to the shelter. I also started making lists to put in my wallet of where the shelters are in areas I may be going to. Where I live now I have quarters with me, bus fare is $1.50 and sometimes that is all some want.
A big part of doing this I have discovered is OVERCOMING FEAR that somehow I may be harmed, injured or deprived or inconvenienced. I also have a cross and beads on my rear view mirror that ostensibly says I am a Christian – God help me to show it.
One thing I heard recently from a preacher was that Christians often like to study the “STEPS” of Jesus, i.e., His travels from place to place. The preacher exhorted their congregation that we needed to also study the STOPS of Jesus.
A great deal of his ministry happens when He was interrupted, “inconvenienced” or STOPPED along His way. The apostles thought it was an INCONVENIENCE.
Jesus did not.
Today, my prayer is: “Lord, help me to not be inconvenienced.”
Andrew John, would you allow me to share this post with our JustFaith group? We have had several discussions about responding to people standing by the road asking for help. Your story is so honest and the way you resolved to make a difference so practical, I am sure it would inspire my fellow participants.