From a ways back...

I was reading through a few blog archives tonight, searching for a particular post I'd written, and I came across one that I wrote within two weeks of my healing from depression. I wrote a paragraph in that post, back in November 2005 that still holds true today, and I thought I'd bring it forward for you to share with me... The time related phrases could be changed from two weeks to "six months" to more accurately reflect this current season, but other than that...

The last two weeks and a bit have been insane, but so good. I have known God's presence in ways I would never have expected, or even wanted, but I am tired. I don't want to go back - I'm loving this new place in my journey - loving that breakthroughs are finally happening, but boy is it tiring. I think I know why the ancient monks spent so many hours alone!

Iraq and a dream about Jesus

I don't know exactly how I feel about the war in Iraq, and I'm not planning to try and resolve that question anytime soon. However, I was completely caught by this blog post Shane Claiborne wrote for the Sojourner's blog.

Somehow, I think I've met the Jesus who would let his body be torn to shreds while shielding children like a mother hen.

This touched on some of the ideas I've been thinking about through this Lenten season... the number of things speaking to those themes grows daily, and I am amazed at the way God is reinforcing points. And at some point, I'll probably let those points begin to surface here...

Our Unique Call - Henri Nouwen

Another helpful thought from Henri Nouwen...

Our Unique Call

So many terrible things happen every day that we start wondering whether the few things we do ourselves make any sense. When people are starving only a few thousand miles away, when wars are raging close to our borders, when countless people in our own cities have no homes to live in, our own activities look futile. Such considerations, however, can paralyse us and depress us.

Here the word call becomes important. We are not called to save the world, solve all problems, and help all people. But we each have our own unique call, in our families, in our work, in our world. We have to keep asking God to help us see clearly what our call is and to give us the strength to live out that call with trust. Then we will discover that our faithfulness to a small task is the most healing response to the illnesses of our time.