Community

Henri J. M. Nouwen, Can You Drink the Cup? (Notre Dame, Ind.: Ave Maria, 1996), 57.

"Nothing is sweet or easy about community. Community is a fellowship of people who do not hide their joys and sorrows but make them visible to each other in a gesture of hope. In community we say: “Life is full of gains and losses, joys and sorrows, ups and downs – but we do not have to live it alone. We want to drink our cup together and thus celebrate the truth that the wounds of our individual lives, which seem intolerable when lived alone, become sources of healing when we live them as part of a fellowship of mutual care.”

Paul writes: And I keep praying that this faith we hold in common keeps showing up in the good things we do, and that people recognize Christ in all of it.
Philemon 1:6 The Message

We are called into community through Christ. He asks us to reach beyond our boundaries of our commonality and touch others in His name. While our differences sometimes distinguish us from one another, we are one in Him. Oswald Chambers writes about becoming broken bread and poured out wine. Only through Grace can acts of goodness become broken bread and poured out wine. Circumstance does not create community, rather it reveals its strength, its motivations, its endurance, its depth, its hope. Christ calls believers into community ~ and our response reveals our true faith. I wonder, do people recognize Christ in my acts of goodness? ~dho

It is no light task to teach all people in truth, and to foster unity, forgiveness, sincerity, and uprightness in all things. ~ The Rule of Carthage, Irish, 7th century

Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many schemes.
Ecclesiastes 7:29 (NASB/ESV)

Deep and Wide

To You they cried out and were delivered;

In You they trusted and were not disappointed.

Psalm 22:5 NASB

There is a wideness in God's mercy like the wideness of the sea. . .

For the love of God is broader than the measure of our mind. . .

If our love were but more simple, we should rest upon God's Word;

and our lives would be illumined by the presence of our Lord.

by Fredrick W. Faber, 1854

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39 ESV

Prayer for a new story ~

When I told you my story, You listened to me;
train me in Your deep wisdom.
Help me understand these things inside and out
so I can ponder Your miracle-wonders.
I am sad and tired;
build me up again by Your Word.
Barricade the road that goes Nowhere;
grace me with Your clear revelation.
I choose the true road to Somewhere,
I post Your road signs at every curve and corner.
I grasp and cling to whatever You tell me;
Lord, don't let me make a mess of things.
I'll run the course You lay out for me
if You'll just show me how.
Psalm 119: 26-32 ( The Message, TLB, NCV, the Amplified Bible)

Maker of my soul,
Hear my story - my uncertainties and struggles and disappointments. I attempted to understand the wonder of Your Grace, but it exceeded my comprehension. I journeyed down many roads in search of personal satisfaction, but continued to miss the signs. I tried to write my own story but grew weary in my efforts.

Speak to me! I long to hear Your voice. Grace me. Lead me. Show me.
Redeemer, renew me. Let my soul find rest in the Grace that exceeds understanding. Give me a map out of the wilderness. Lead me on the righteous road to contentment. Author of all, write my story! Show me how to share this new story of faith and obedience and blessing! With praises for Everlasting Goodness, Amen. ~dho

Obedience to the Command of Jesus

In his book A Life of Obedience, Andrew Murray writes about obedience to the command of Jesus (the Great Commision) and the disciples' response:

Before, during His life on earth, they had more than once expressed their doubt about the possibility of fulfilling His commands.

But here, as quietly and simply as He speaks these divine words, they accept them . . . they go to the appointed place to wait to be equipped by their Lord with heavenly power for heaven's work of making all the nations His disciples.

. . . Within a generation, simple men, whose names we do not even know, had preached the Gospel in Antioch and Rome and the regions beyond. The command was passed on and absorbed into the heart and life, as meant for all ages and for every disciple.

Still today, we disciples of Jesus continue to share the Gospel. At the appointed place and equipped by God ~ Generation after generation stands in awe of Your work; each one tells stories of your mighty acts. . . GOD is good to one and all; everything He does is suffused with grace. (Psalm 145:4,9 ~ The Message) ~ dho

A Private Audience

He stood me up on a wide-open field;
I stood there saved - surprised to be loved. 2 Samuel 22:20 The Message

God of miracle-wonders,
God of well-thought-out-plans ~
His cloud-brightness burst through a grand
comet of fireworks. Then God thundered out
of heaven; the High God gave a great shout.
I have seen You ~ the Light in my darkness.
I have felt You ~ the Power in my weakness.
I have heard You ~ the Voice in the chaos.
I celebrate You! I praise You! I rest in
the mountaintop refuge, safe.

Love Most High, in all times You are my
shield of protection! You rescue me, touch me,
heal me, lead me forward. For such love, words
search but find no escape, captives of
mediocrity. God, make my life complete as I
place all the pieces before You. Hear the
prayers of my heart. Amen. ~ dho

* Scripture from 2 Samuel 22 (The Message)