The BBC has a special page dedicated to the 60th Anniversary of the establishment of the state of Israel, which occurred on Wednesday.
You can find some interesting articles on that page.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Can you drink the cup?
Another great thought from Henri Nouwen...
The Cup of Life
When the mother of James and John asks Jesus to give her sons a special place in his Kingdom, Jesus responds, "Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?" (Matthew 20:22). "Can we drink the cup?" is the most challenging and radical question we can ask ourselves. The cup is the cup of life, full of sorrows and joys. Can we hold our cups and claim them as our own? Can we lift our cups to offer blessings to others, and can we drink our cups to the bottom as cups that bring us salvation?
Keeping this question alive in us is one of the most demanding spiritual exercises we can practice.
The Cup of Life
When the mother of James and John asks Jesus to give her sons a special place in his Kingdom, Jesus responds, "Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?" (Matthew 20:22). "Can we drink the cup?" is the most challenging and radical question we can ask ourselves. The cup is the cup of life, full of sorrows and joys. Can we hold our cups and claim them as our own? Can we lift our cups to offer blessings to others, and can we drink our cups to the bottom as cups that bring us salvation?
Keeping this question alive in us is one of the most demanding spiritual exercises we can practice.
A Time to Laugh
I’m hanging out with my best friend tonight, and I can’t wait.
I love any time that we get to spend together. Right now especially, as sometime within the next couple of months, pending the arrival of a visa that’s been in process for the last 4 months, she will be leaving to spend a year or more in Pakistan, working in a small hospital for women and children, helping to deliver babies.
She’s the kind of friend who was totally willing to come with me to fill an awkward obligation tonight, but, when I called last night to let her know that I no longer needed to attend this particular event, and we could just hang out, was happy to admit that the event we’d planned to attend hadn’t been on the top of her list of fun things to do on a Friday.
Instead, we’re going out for Italian food. And then we’re going to see a girly movie together.
I feel like celebrating. Celebrating life. Celebrating our friendship. Celebrating the myriad of things we’ve walked through together these last three or four years that we’ve known each other.
We’ll sit and eat, and talk about all the important things. About her boyfriend (and the proposal of marriage she’ll likely receive sometime soon). About the things that have gone on in our weeks. We’ll share funny stories from our jobs (we both seem to collect them – me as a receptionist/admin assistant, and her as a nurse on a hospital unit that sees primarily older, slightly senile patients come through it’s doors). We’ll talk about travel plans, and the people and places we love. We’ll laugh and enjoy each other’s company with the easy familiarity of those who understand the heart of the person sitting across the table from them.
The heaviness of life lately makes evenings like this one a special treat. A time for joy and peace and rest. A time for laughter. Laughter is so important to me right now, and there are few people with whom I laugh. I could number the ones who bring laughter that penetrates all the way to my heart on one hand.
So tonight I’m going to celebrate a great friendship. I’m going to bask in joy and peace and love and laughter.
I love any time that we get to spend together. Right now especially, as sometime within the next couple of months, pending the arrival of a visa that’s been in process for the last 4 months, she will be leaving to spend a year or more in Pakistan, working in a small hospital for women and children, helping to deliver babies.
She’s the kind of friend who was totally willing to come with me to fill an awkward obligation tonight, but, when I called last night to let her know that I no longer needed to attend this particular event, and we could just hang out, was happy to admit that the event we’d planned to attend hadn’t been on the top of her list of fun things to do on a Friday.
Instead, we’re going out for Italian food. And then we’re going to see a girly movie together.
I feel like celebrating. Celebrating life. Celebrating our friendship. Celebrating the myriad of things we’ve walked through together these last three or four years that we’ve known each other.
We’ll sit and eat, and talk about all the important things. About her boyfriend (and the proposal of marriage she’ll likely receive sometime soon). About the things that have gone on in our weeks. We’ll share funny stories from our jobs (we both seem to collect them – me as a receptionist/admin assistant, and her as a nurse on a hospital unit that sees primarily older, slightly senile patients come through it’s doors). We’ll talk about travel plans, and the people and places we love. We’ll laugh and enjoy each other’s company with the easy familiarity of those who understand the heart of the person sitting across the table from them.
The heaviness of life lately makes evenings like this one a special treat. A time for joy and peace and rest. A time for laughter. Laughter is so important to me right now, and there are few people with whom I laugh. I could number the ones who bring laughter that penetrates all the way to my heart on one hand.
So tonight I’m going to celebrate a great friendship. I’m going to bask in joy and peace and love and laughter.
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