A few Highlights and Quotes

While building relationships with others there are times when i am struck with the pure Genius of God in creating humans to be dependant creatures. There is the joy of meeting old friends again whom you have not seen for a while(sometimes in years), there is the heavy heart when friends must part and go their way after periods of spending time in community. There are moments when we rejoice together in the abundance of life, and still other moments when we cry out hoping others will hear what we cannot say.
Yet everyday God supplies us the gift of interdependence. i realize that here in relationship, God has his way of speaking and teaching and drawing us to The Creator and Sustaining One via the use of us in each others lives. These past weeks has been a weeks of hearing the words of God pronounced in unlikely places; and recognizing yet again that this is not so unusual, almost a habit of God's.
But why am i shocked and why do i continue to believe that such circumstances are "unlikely"? God did after all create it so that the "foolish things of the world shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even the things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are..." (1 Corinthians 1:27) and also rejoicing that the Father of Heaven and earth has "hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little Children; yes Father for such was your gracious will"(Matthew 11:25). It is true, the Lord--Our Lord is doing mighty works in our world, do i have eyes to see it?

Here are a few quotes from conversations and lines that have

caught me off guard or made me think:

"Thanks God for times of devastation because then i see your grace..."

Deborah-a woman from the street prayed this.

"How do i be a host to the world? I am hosted but how do i live with impact?"

a humble woman who is not aware of her impact.

"Bad people break good laws, and good people break bad Laws."

Jayden 6year old living in our community.

Dances of Hope and Pearls of Great Price

I look at them

They Look at me

I see the beauty in their eyes

They say don't touch my hands, i am contaminated

They shout their pain

I hear their words

They say they are lost

I hear their search for God

We long for words of Truth and affirmation

I smell the stench

They are used to the smell

I cover my nose as i try to listen

They repeat the same tales ...again

I get bored and don't pay attention to the miracle before my eyes

God is teaching us

We are His pupils together

God declares His Kingdom Here

They arise and Dance with hope

I am humbled to the bottom of the heap and find a lasting pearl of great price.

"Comfort, O Comfort my People" says the Lord...(Is.40:1)

I was typing, and she was wailing intermixed with F*** off, and you B****! "I'm sad" was her initial sentence. Like many times before i could here the conversation being held right out side our office window. The lady had been sitting there with another person for the past few minutes and was now shouting profanities to anybody and everybody passing by; who as a general rule down here are quick to shout back to anybody who gets in their space physically or verbally.
Take it some where else lady, was my initial thought. Nine O'clock in the morning seemed a bit too early to be swearing so profusely. Another person mad at the world. As i sat--as she shouted i was urged to go and sit with her. Sit with her? God are you kidding! what if all that aggression turns toward me? What if i loose my temper, What if she laughs at me in the face,etc...One of our office volunteers who did not know of this internal conversation said "Ruth, why don't you go out there and offer her a drink or something, you are more trained in dealing with these types of things, what she is saying is hurting my insides."
Not knowing where to start i got up feeling more that my insides were feeling the pangs of dread than solidarity; i opened the door. The woman became quiet and started to apologize for making such a ruckus.
I came down and sat beside her saying "i could not help but hear your pain."
Her face contorted as another burst of tears came out. "My mom is dying!"
I reached out and held her hand.
She squeezed my hand so tight as tears rolled down.
we sat.
my stomach ached.
we sat in silence.
then she talked...
A Heart attack, a few broken relationships with siblings, her own addictions to alcohol, and one question...
"Why?"
"why would God allow this?"
"If there really is even a God where is he?"
She gazed off into the far distance as if she looked far enough away she would find the answer, or at least be rid of the pain.
I took my other hand and held her hands in mine and our gaze met.
"i think God would be right here with you, speaking comfort into your pain."
She gave a half smile and squeezed my hand even tighter as if it could occupy the same space my hand was using up.

"Comfort, O Comfort My people" says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity pardoned, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins. A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."... (Isaiah 40)

As i continued to sit with her i heard him saying ...this is my glory, you two are seeing it together. As i reflect upon my dread and fears i hear the call to "get up...to lift it up, fear not; say to the DTES (the cities of Judah) 'Here is your God!'" (Is.40:9)