R.O.W.
Ah, the adventure!
There are days to get out there and row with the team!
There are days to sit quietly listening to the waves wash in at the water’s edge.
And then there are days to dance or shop or tinker in the garage or go out with friends!
But this day? This is the day to Reflect as you row.
I met Brian on Friday.
I noticed Brian leaning against a wall, cane in one hand. His face had no smile. He made sure our eyes didn’t meet. Brian seemed wary, not speaking to anyone around him, but aware of all that was happening. He didn’t approach us as we pulled out fresh hot stew and sacks of oranges. Other men and women began to line up and happily anticipate the meal. It was the first time we’d been feeding the homeless on the street that we noticed a real community. They were there not only for the food, but to talk with us and to find out what’s going on in each other’s lives. But not Brian. He watched from his perch, but didn’t move. Read More…
Ash Wednesday
Enter a wonderful week – full of Spirit and reflection.
The Lent journey begins. February 22, 2012, 6:00pm.
Why is this Wednesday special?
Wednesday is an invitation to STOP. In Boy Scout preparedness, the first survival skill you learn is to: S.T.O.P. Stop and slow down your breathing; get calm. Think and move with deliberated care. Observe and assess your situation and options. Plan for your immediate needs and work the plan.
Ash Wednesday is the church calendar day to re-submit your survival, anxieties, care and plan to God. Everyone needs Ash Wednesday. It’s easy to get swept along in life without recognition of our need to stop, climb off the merry-go-round, and consider what God is saying or doing around us.
STOP on Wednesday. Join us for a light supper with other ‘Stoppers,’ receive the ashes on your forehead as a reminder of the stop signs in life, and remember your life in need of Jesus above everything else in this world.
A Lenten Prayer to Share.
Lord, today I scurry from street to place, thought to un-thought, worry to unrecognized worry, from frustration to cocktails, from friendliness to aloofness, and project to accomplishment. In the midst of this life, I may not have given much thought to you and your thoughts today. But I realize I need You, most of all in this life. I know you’re not here just to make me feel good, as if the world revolves around me. I struggle with focusing beyond myself, honestly. There is a lot to deal with just in this day Lord. And, at the same time, I want to hold in tension knowing two things vividly: how much you watch and care for me, And, my seeking to serve and understand and “be there” for You and others, beyond my selfishness. I guess I need a balance centered more around You and less about me. But how? When will I have the time? Will it actually matter? Help me stop and seek. Help me be quieter inside, looking outside and moving towards You. Help me inch beyond my “normal” and seek You, above all else. Help me be stronger in You, I ask. Amen.
Join us Wednesday, February 22nd, 6:00pm – 8:00pm at 10 E. Mount Vernon Place, Baltimore, MD, on the 2nd floor.
“There’s no time like the present.”
RSVP “YES, I won’t miss this!” here.
Link to Online February Newsletter, 2012
You can read or download a pdf format of this season’s newsletter.
Ways2 Love – an Experiment
A few of us were sitting around over dinner a few nights ago and rambling among topics. One was quite interesting. Do you think the world will ever be different in downtown Baltimore, or do you think the drugs/alcohol/prisons/dysfunctions are permanent? Is there anything we can really do to change the city?
Hmmm. What do you think?
You’re going to hear a common theme from me over this next year: I wonder what we could do which actually changes life?
Here is one significant part I think we each play: loving completely. You’ll hear me talk about how great, deep, fun, hard, difficult, challenging, and being with Jesus it is to love completely. If the world lived on Jesus’ love . . . I believe it would be tremendously healing, good, truthful, and community building. Then, I do believe life is renewed, hopeful and changed.
But also, if you’re like me, I need some times of focus and help. If I’m going to be ‘part of the change,’ or loving completely, I need focus. (The days get distracting fast and I forget. I don’t know about you.)
February is an awesome reminder of love. Mostly it reminds us about romantic love. But it also begins in the church year a time to focus upon the extent and magnitude of Christ’s love for us on the cross.
I hope you’ll want to focus this month – on a more complete love and join me in the journey. I’m creating some focused times, but I invite you to prepare some focused time as well – with friends, quiet time asking God, with your spouse.
Here’s what a focused time might look like:
- A question: What will help me stop my normal pattern of a day, and consider how to love more completely today?
- A scripture or prayer: You could spend the entire 30 days reading and considering living out 1 Corinthians 13. But I can provide you with others.
- A focused event: Do something concrete which marks this as an event for you and loving more completely. A gathering to learn or to share dinner or to make the neighborhood different. A set apart time to walk through the neighborhood and see what needs there are, and pray as you go. Fasting from a meal or two, and giving that money to someone who isn’t eating. Giving a mom a break by babysitting the kids for an hour. Setting aside a time to pray for someone you find difficult to love. Try to create or participate in a focused event each day over the next 30 days.
- Before going to bed each night, ask yourself what Christ said to you during the day and thank Him for loving us so completely.
Here are the focused times I am creating with all of us in mind. If you would like to plan, help, or show up, let me know. All ideas, new events, and sharing are very welcome!
- An weekly blog note with a prayer, scripture or meditation around completeness in love.
- Some Events:
- Feb. 6 (Monday) 7:00pm Short Reflection and Prayer for Our Community (Loving Community)
- Feb. 17 (Friday) 5:30 – 8pm – Gourmet Meal to the Streetwise (homeless) (Loving the Poor)
- Feb. 22 (Wednesday) 6:00 – 8pm - Ash Wednesday shared supper and worship time (Loving Jesus)
- Feb. 27 (Monday) 6:30 – 8:30pm -Couple’s Rekindle Time – a light supper and talking about blessing your spouse/partner in a relationship building time (Loving your spouse)
- Note: More complete details and locations are available on our calendar.
Leave a Reply