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Welcome to my first ever blog! We're having some wonderful discussions over the book The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne. I love this book because it is prompting so many of us to ask the right questions! May we sharpen one another as "iron sharpens iron"!
I want to use this space also to list some other books that are in our home right now and, boy howdy, are they making a HUGE difference!
The Illumined Heart by Frederica Mathewes-Green
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=the+illumined+heart
Everyday Justice by Julie Clawson
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=everyday+justice
I want to use this space also to list some other books that are in our home right now and, boy howdy, are they making a HUGE difference!
The Illumined Heart by Frederica Mathewes-Green
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=the+illumined+heart
Everyday Justice by Julie Clawson
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=everyday+justice
"'The true atheist is the one who denies God's image in the least of these.'"
ReplyDelete"The reality that God's spirit dwells in each of us began to sink in."
With these quotes and the idea that we only do small things with great love, and that each starfish counts... This makes me think of teaching. I have sort of had this assumption that I will teach when our kids hit school age, but that then I will pursue higher education again and go on to do something viewed by the world as more important or bigger or more lucrative, etc. (Please hear my heart here. Of course teaching is important! But we don't feel as respected in this culture as we should be, right?) I know this is incredibly common in my generation. I have spoken to very few teachers my age who plan to retire from teaching. But, maybe, just maybe, I should view teaching as primarily ministry! What an awesome way to get plugged into how many lives for how many hours in one year? And not just the students, but also the parents, the faculty, the janitors! Could it be my own Calcutta? Being at home for these last three years has made me realize the value of getting out into the world. Unless I go to Walmart, I can spend an entire week at home and the church or at church friends' houses. We can be so insulated.
I remember some sweet times in my classroom that I know were gifts from the Lord. There were times when I looked at each student from my podium as they took a test or read. Maybe at the beginning of the year to learn their names, maybe just one day when I was watching them take the TAKS test even, ha! I would feel such overwhelming love for each student! I would see beauty in each face and feel such hope for their lives ahead of them. I know that this was God's image in them. I would wonder how I was capable of such love and concern for them when I had no part in creating them. And I would then be able to try to imagine how much the Lord must love me; He created me with such care!
The fall of the Berlin Wall happened 20 years ago this Fall. A piece of graffiti on the wall echoed something from Mother Theresa's quote referenced here. "Many small people, who in many small places do many small things, can alter the face of the world. ..."
ReplyDeleteI can get caught up in trying to do the grand and make a big splash in ministry - even when those ministries are worthwhile. While I think there is a time for that, one has to be careful not to underestimate the life-changing impact and power of the one by one.
I'm thinking of Jesus' sending out of the disciples to every village two by two...