More from Henri Nouwen...
The Power of the Spirit
In and through Jesus we come to know God as a powerless God, who becomes dependent on us. But it is precisely in this powerlessness that God's power reveals itself. This is not the power that controls, dictates, and commands. It is the power that heals, reconciles, and unites. It is the power of the Spirit. When Jesus appeared people wanted to be close to him and touch him because "power came out of him" (Luke 6:19).
It is this power of the divine Spirit that Jesus wants to give us. The Spirit indeed empowers us and allows us to be healing presences. When we are filled with that Spirit, we cannot be other than healers.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Should have been a mental health day
I am having one of those days where I find myself completely unmotivated to exert my mental energies on any of the tasks on my daily list of things to be accomplished. There is nothing particularly time sensitive on the list, nothing that will cause the world to fall apart if it is delayed until tomorrow. I’m beginning to wish that I had given in to my initial impulse upon waking this morning, and declared today a “mental health day” and stayed home to enjoy the quiet of an empty house. Oh well… I have a quiet evening planned tonight… some chore type items from my to-do list, maybe an hour of admin work for the church, probably some television or curling up in a bath with a good book.
More from Henri
Got this in my email from Henri Nouwen society this morning, and thought I'd pass it along.
God's Breath Given to Us
Being the living Christ today means being filled with the same Spirit that filled Jesus. Jesus and his Father are breathing the same breath, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the intimate communion that makes Jesus and his Father one. Jesus says: "I am in the Father and the Father is in me" (John 14:10) and "The Father and I are one" (John 10:30). It is this unity that Jesus wants to give us. That is the gift of his Holy Spirit.
Living a spiritual life, therefore, means living in the same communion with the Father as Jesus did, and thus making God present in the world.
God's Breath Given to Us
Being the living Christ today means being filled with the same Spirit that filled Jesus. Jesus and his Father are breathing the same breath, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the intimate communion that makes Jesus and his Father one. Jesus says: "I am in the Father and the Father is in me" (John 14:10) and "The Father and I are one" (John 10:30). It is this unity that Jesus wants to give us. That is the gift of his Holy Spirit.
Living a spiritual life, therefore, means living in the same communion with the Father as Jesus did, and thus making God present in the world.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Monday
Today was one of those days that just felt like a Monday.
I didn't get enough sleep last night - mom and dad were up late packing (they left this morning to spend the next three weeks working in Ukraine). Add to that the noise from the street coming through my open window, and the ambient noise from the fan in my bedroom that I'm not yet used to, and sleep was limited and slow in coming.
It seems nearly everyone at work was feeling the same way. While my coworkers are not always the most congenial bunch, everyone seemed more out of sorts than normal today, and it was showing. Cranky conversations. Petty bickering. Childish gossip. These were staples in some of the offices surrounding my desk today. And me? I stuck nearly 1500 return address labels onto envelopes today, continued what is a most frustrating and difficult quest to locate a paper folding machine from a company in Canada rather than the US (for warranty reasons), and ate a horrifically bad imitation of a quesadilla for lunch.
However, thanks to having a car at my disposal for the next three weeks, as soon as I'd arrived home from work long enough to feed the dog and let him outside for a few minutes, I took off again, grocery shopping for the coming week or so. I bought some lunch staples, and a bunch of fresh fruit, and I'm quite looking forward to indulging myself for lunches the next couple of days.
I came home from the grocery store and sat on the patio while I barbequed chicken breasts for lunches this week. It was that windy, early summer storm on the way kind of weather. Warm, but with just a touch of wildness. I read a novel and ate fresh cherries and carrots. So good.
I wonder sometimes if other people derive such simple pleasures. A friend talked about eating cherries on the weekend, and it triggered a desire in me. I went to the grocery store, and less than an hour later found myself sitting on a patio with a bowlful of cherries and carrots, preparing food for future meals that I'm also looking forward to. It still seems funny to me, how the little things can make my day. All those years of depression where nothing was really enjoyed, and now, a stolen bite of chicken, a ripe cherry - spitting the pit into the grassy lawn, a good novel, sunlight warming my neck and wind whipping through my hair, a hot bath, a surprise drop by visit from an old friend, mozzarella cheese, a comfortable chair, and a good novel - all of these things bring me great joy and satisfaction.
I think that might be a good thing.
The last week or two have been filled with angst. I've mulled and wrestled. Been tormented and tormented myself. Asked questions that had been answered and answered questions that hadn't been asked. I'll tell you about it sometime this week. But for tonight? I'm heading for bed, with my novel in tow, and thinking about snagging another cherry or two on my way!
I didn't get enough sleep last night - mom and dad were up late packing (they left this morning to spend the next three weeks working in Ukraine). Add to that the noise from the street coming through my open window, and the ambient noise from the fan in my bedroom that I'm not yet used to, and sleep was limited and slow in coming.
It seems nearly everyone at work was feeling the same way. While my coworkers are not always the most congenial bunch, everyone seemed more out of sorts than normal today, and it was showing. Cranky conversations. Petty bickering. Childish gossip. These were staples in some of the offices surrounding my desk today. And me? I stuck nearly 1500 return address labels onto envelopes today, continued what is a most frustrating and difficult quest to locate a paper folding machine from a company in Canada rather than the US (for warranty reasons), and ate a horrifically bad imitation of a quesadilla for lunch.
However, thanks to having a car at my disposal for the next three weeks, as soon as I'd arrived home from work long enough to feed the dog and let him outside for a few minutes, I took off again, grocery shopping for the coming week or so. I bought some lunch staples, and a bunch of fresh fruit, and I'm quite looking forward to indulging myself for lunches the next couple of days.
I came home from the grocery store and sat on the patio while I barbequed chicken breasts for lunches this week. It was that windy, early summer storm on the way kind of weather. Warm, but with just a touch of wildness. I read a novel and ate fresh cherries and carrots. So good.
I wonder sometimes if other people derive such simple pleasures. A friend talked about eating cherries on the weekend, and it triggered a desire in me. I went to the grocery store, and less than an hour later found myself sitting on a patio with a bowlful of cherries and carrots, preparing food for future meals that I'm also looking forward to. It still seems funny to me, how the little things can make my day. All those years of depression where nothing was really enjoyed, and now, a stolen bite of chicken, a ripe cherry - spitting the pit into the grassy lawn, a good novel, sunlight warming my neck and wind whipping through my hair, a hot bath, a surprise drop by visit from an old friend, mozzarella cheese, a comfortable chair, and a good novel - all of these things bring me great joy and satisfaction.
I think that might be a good thing.
The last week or two have been filled with angst. I've mulled and wrestled. Been tormented and tormented myself. Asked questions that had been answered and answered questions that hadn't been asked. I'll tell you about it sometime this week. But for tonight? I'm heading for bed, with my novel in tow, and thinking about snagging another cherry or two on my way!
Friday, June 01, 2007
In and Not Of
Another bit from Henri Nouwen...
Jesus Is in the World Not of It
The Beatitudes offer us a self-portrait of Jesus. At first it might seem to be a most unappealing portrait - who wants to be poor, mourning and persecuted? Who can be truly gentle, merciful, pure in heart, a peacemaker, and always concerned about justice? Where is the realism here? Don't we have to survive in this world and use the ways of the world to do so?
Jesus shows us the way to be in the world without being of it. When we model our lives on his, a new world will open up for us. The Kingdom of Heaven will be ours, and the earth will be our inheritance. We will be comforted and have our fill; mercy will be shown to us. Yes, we will be recognised as God's children and truly see God, not just in an afterlife, but here and now (see Matthew 5:3-10). That is the reward of modelling our lives on the life of Jesus!
Jesus Is in the World Not of It
The Beatitudes offer us a self-portrait of Jesus. At first it might seem to be a most unappealing portrait - who wants to be poor, mourning and persecuted? Who can be truly gentle, merciful, pure in heart, a peacemaker, and always concerned about justice? Where is the realism here? Don't we have to survive in this world and use the ways of the world to do so?
Jesus shows us the way to be in the world without being of it. When we model our lives on his, a new world will open up for us. The Kingdom of Heaven will be ours, and the earth will be our inheritance. We will be comforted and have our fill; mercy will be shown to us. Yes, we will be recognised as God's children and truly see God, not just in an afterlife, but here and now (see Matthew 5:3-10). That is the reward of modelling our lives on the life of Jesus!
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