Koinonia?

Today I was at church still have fresh thought about the book I've been reading about community.  I wonder how of community is in "church."  I have more social interaction with the Wal-mart cashier than I do at "church."  That's not a slam, criticism but an observation.  I think it is unhealthy to chuck the church because the structure isn't conducive to community, but it might well be worth reexamining and making some changes. 

Lovers Know Names

"If love doesn't know a name I wonder if it's love." 

I wrote something like this on my facebook a couple of months ago.  Couple that with reading the book "Christianity Rediscovered" by Vincent Donovon and he talks a lot about the Masai community.  Community is something the West doesn't understand much.  It is a total identification with others, does not have competition, takes care of the needs in the community and provides protection.  There are no orphans, the sick are cared for, the beautiful and the strong are celebrated, the weak and the unintelligent are cared for, forgiveness is a must, etc... It isn't perfect, but it's a way so many people of the earth live. 

Then I think of our "programs" to feed the poor or take care of needs.  They are usually on mass scale.  People show "love" but it doesn't have many names.  I wonder the effectiveness of mass love.  Does it really meet the poverty of the pocket and the heart?  Perhaps meeting the needs of the ones through relationship is a better way.  But it takes living like we're in community.  The community close the community of humanity.  Love at its best knows the name of the beloved, and knows it well.

40 Days...um...4 days

It happened again...I got sidetracked by a massive project.  Tried for 4 days along with my cousin and I think she was a lot more successful than I.  :) 

In the meantime I've moved into a job at a higher level.  Clearly I have been shown (not from any outside comments as such) but that complaining at this level is not permissible.  Nor whining, or self-pity or moaning about the 72 emails I got in the inbox last night.  This must stop completely.  It's a new day, a new season and a new level...if I will live up to it.  Lord, help.

Day 4: If for a few hours

My goal today was to make it to lunch with no complaints.  Didn't even make it past breakfast, or brunch, or church.  I have hope for the afternoon though--not many people around.  :)

I'm wondering if it would be interesting to log the subjects of my complaining and see if there are pocket areas of discontent.  Perhaps that's an idea.


On a totally different note, I made the jump and got an iphone 5.  This from someone who was using a flip phone of years ago.  I'm a bit hesitant though.  I don't want to be one of those people who has it in their face constantly.  Nor do I want to let it distract my spirit from the things of God.  Facebook proves that we do indeed have ample amount of time for prayer, we just use our time for tech toys.  I don't want to do that with this phone.

So I accidentally did something and all my contacts disappears.  Yes, all of them.  So this morning when I usually do prayer time, I spent time working on adding them in.  I was feeling kind of guilty about not going to the Word and prayer first which is my usual goal.  But then I had the idea of praying for the people whose names I was adding into my phone contact list.  It became such a special time of prayer.  Some names I could barely remember who they were, other names were those of ones struggling, others doing well.  What a way to end up worship!  May this phone always lead to greater intimacy with Jesus first, foremost and evermost, not just a tech gadget that I justify that does so.

And yes, I took a hard copy of the Bible to church today.  To hear, "Everyone, please turn on your Bibles" is more than I can bear.  :)

Day 3: It's Saturday! And it feels like a Sunday!

I've had such breakthrough that I'm just in a place of joy this morning!  We had one of our staff circle meetings where we celebrated blessing but then spoke out our needs.  That was hard to do but I spoke out my desperate need for some shoes.  Mine were ripping me feet to shreds and replacement was a difficult financial question.

Through some unexpected intervention I was able to get some shoes.  Then I was able to use some of the extra finances to bless and take care of someone in their difficult hour.  Considering how much I was blessed on my recent trip home, this was a no brainer and a great joy!  (Who knew that a random staying overnight at a family's house would allow me a clearer picture to love on someone else?!)

Then I received my tax refund back which was larger than I thought!

Then I found $6 on the road.  

Then I received news that my health insurance would be supported!

I had spent all last night thinking the time had come to upgrade my phone (it's countless years old) but I was wrestling with the 2 year contract and cost.  With my health insurance supported, I can now use that to take care of my phone costs!

Wowsers!  And here 2 days ago I was wondering if I would be the one to get the "miracle."

He is Good!  Time to share the goodness.


Let's keep praise on my tongue all day!  (But just in case the band is now on my wrist.)

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I had less switches today but then again I started off with lots of good things happening.  I did catch myself once or twice before words were spoken and I realized without even trying my mind was trying to take righteous perspective on things and not just complaining.  Need this to be more of a habit. 

Day 2: Band is On

I'm starting out the day trying to get into my head that this is about obedience and about making intentional effort.  Right now I'm not super-psyched up about this challenge but that's Ok.  It really is about obedience.  "Do everything without complaining or arguing," says Paul.  And the Israelities grumbled so much it kept them out of the promised land.  Do we have any idea how serious our complaining is?  It is definitely one of our cultural blind spots.

8:25 am--I have yet to interact with humanity (just the computer) so at this point the mouth is clean.

And so it begins--Day 1

And there was evening and there was morning and it was the first day... we'll see how she goes.


Method:  With every complaint or words spoken with a spirit of complaint, the purple band on my wrist must be switched to the other wrist and I must start over again.

Goal:  To string together 5 days of no complaining within the next 40 days.

Thoughts:  Dear people, if you've never tried this, don't even laugh at how "easy" 5 days is or think that you really don't complain much.  I dare you to join me even for a few days!  (Gotta use the band though.)  :)


7:48 am--So far so good.  If I can make it 42 more minutes without switching the band on my wrist, I will have made it farther than last time (Scroll down after clicking:  40 Days of No Complaining.)

8:45 am--Made it longer than last time.  Granted I've only spoken about 5 sentences this morning.  I'm off to some training here in about 10 minutes so we'll see how it goes when I actually have to be around others.  :)

2:45 pm -- I've had about 6 switching of wrists so far.  One of them I was stating my opinion that the kitchen here is too expensive to check out.  I wrestled whether this was a complaint or not and decided it was.  I was not asked my opinion and it was not a necessary comment to the discussion.  :/ 

8:24 pm--This evening I was so busy I am not sure if I complained or not.  That's Ok.

Lesson Learned:  First I need to have a stronger desire to make this work.  I need greater intentionality and not just "Ok, I'll flip the band."  But I did stop myself several times from complaining so there are at least 3 fewer complaints in the air.  :)

Grumble, grumble got to take a tumble

Kind of sickened lately about the grumbling that keeps coming out of someone's mouth.  Drives me crazy.  Problem is it's from my mouth.  Thinking of taking on the 40 days of no-complaining challenge.  Yes, it's stirring again.  Not committed yet though...

Where We See

If we look only to the hardships, trials and difficulties, the fruit will be discouragement, despair and abandonment.  I hope wherever I get, I remember to look to Jesus.  Not that there aren't hard days, but I want to fixate on his face alone, not on the difficulties.  I write this to remember in the difficult hour...

He is Who He Says He Is

About a week ago I started praying for a table to eat at (living on support one tends to make concessions with finances).   Without thinking to mention it to anyone, my roommate came home a couple of days ago and announced she had bought a table.   Today it sits beside me as a testimony that He Hears.   :)

Mothers Needed

You don't need to be young and you don't need to be married and you don't to have already had 10 children--mothers are needed.

Who will conceive a dream in the spirit, pray into being and see this man birthed into the kingdom of God?  Who will go through the agony and travail of intercession in order to see a son born?  Who wants to hear the words "mom" in heaven for all eternity because they did what it took to see them born again?

Mothers.  Needed.

Kyrgyz prisoner with lips sewn shot in protest of prison conditions.