Radical hospitality is can be shown by some of God's simplest creatures as a way that they naturally live their life.
Every day I get to vanish into the abyss that is Glen Rose Elementary. For an hour and a half I get to be with Mrs. Reed's Life Skills class, and they're my favorites.
One day, we're all getting in line for recess, when Andy shouts to Ky, "Can I borrow your extra jacket?"
Ky's eyes lit up, "yea, you can!"
Andy was obviously happy that he was not going to freeze outside, but I think Ky was even more excited.
"Here, let me show you how to put it on. Here, let me zip it up for you."
With a pat on the back Ky's face showed the satisfaction of helping a friend.
This is what Ky does, he's a helper. When one of his friends gets knocked down on the playground, he picks them up and then tries to beat up whoever pushed him, he's the teacher's helper when he wants to be. He practices radical hospitality every day, but that's just how he lives his life.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
1 Year Ago
1 Year ago, I had just gotten back from one of the best churches I've ever visited. It was cold and drizzling, my lips were chapped, I smelled, but I didn't care. I had just gone through a weekend of Poverty Simulation, one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. I was preparing myself for a year of teaching the youth how to be in ministry with the poor, in hopes that it would not be for just a year.
1 Year ago I met a friend named John. He had given my friends and I pizza while we wondered around the streets of Waco. He told us his story, he had just rented an apartment after battling a long struggle with drugs, which led to him being homeless. He shared how God never gave up on him, he beamed with excitement as he shared. You could tell the spirit was alive in him, and I feel that he passed on a little of it to me.
1 Year ago I got to spend the weekend with who would become my best friend. It was then for the first time that I began to know what it was like to have one. Having just started SLT, I already felt a bond and an energy in this group. Full of people that I understood and connected with so easily, I couldn't wait for the next year. I was just starting to realize how much I would grow by being around them.
1 Year ago a great guy named Jonathan Baggett passed away. He was on SLT, a LINK at Glen Lake, and I went on mission trip with his youth group that summer. He wanted to be a preacher when he grew up. When he got sick, he told his youth director that he couldn't wait to get better, because it would make an awesome sermon one day. Although he never got to preach that sermon, his story has spoken greater volumes that some pastors may never obtain.
1 Year ago, I went back to my home church for a Council on Ministries meeting and youth. I showed up in the same stinky clothes I had been in all weekend. I shared my experiences and urgency to help the poor. I was tired and a little frustrated. I wanted to do something but didn't know what or how to get it started.
Today I went to my church, who does not seem to be the same church as a year ago. I see us looking at the future ready to take it on. I see us taking risks and relying on God to get us through. The way we speak about new ministries is exciting! We're no where near perfect, and that's okay as long as the Spirit of God is in us.
Today I had Sunday School with the Elementary kids. These guys are excited about Jesus, whether they realize it or not. I see them learning and growing, and I'm excited to be able to watch them. And they don't even realize how much they've helped me in my discernment and my relationship with God.
Today I'm missing Carla Jones. It's hard to adjust to not seeing her at church, or to hear about the crazy stories with her and my mom. But I know that God was in her, and so we will always have a little Carla in our lives, because God doesn't go away. I also know that God was always with us, and that now Carla is at home with Him. And while this is a sad time, it makes me happy knowing that.
Today I went to Council on Ministries again with another proposal-to host a CTCYM group the next summer. The other chairpersons there were excited about the idea and ran with it. The meeting lasted long even with chairs being gone because we had to talk about all that was going on! The church is growing and reaching out. We are fulfilling our call as disciples of Christ, and it's exciting.
Today, I look back and see that things are changing. And I'm glad to be a part of it all. What I have seen and what I see happening only assures me that good things happen when Jesus shows up.
1 Year ago I met a friend named John. He had given my friends and I pizza while we wondered around the streets of Waco. He told us his story, he had just rented an apartment after battling a long struggle with drugs, which led to him being homeless. He shared how God never gave up on him, he beamed with excitement as he shared. You could tell the spirit was alive in him, and I feel that he passed on a little of it to me.
1 Year ago I got to spend the weekend with who would become my best friend. It was then for the first time that I began to know what it was like to have one. Having just started SLT, I already felt a bond and an energy in this group. Full of people that I understood and connected with so easily, I couldn't wait for the next year. I was just starting to realize how much I would grow by being around them.
1 Year ago a great guy named Jonathan Baggett passed away. He was on SLT, a LINK at Glen Lake, and I went on mission trip with his youth group that summer. He wanted to be a preacher when he grew up. When he got sick, he told his youth director that he couldn't wait to get better, because it would make an awesome sermon one day. Although he never got to preach that sermon, his story has spoken greater volumes that some pastors may never obtain.
1 Year ago, I went back to my home church for a Council on Ministries meeting and youth. I showed up in the same stinky clothes I had been in all weekend. I shared my experiences and urgency to help the poor. I was tired and a little frustrated. I wanted to do something but didn't know what or how to get it started.
Today I went to my church, who does not seem to be the same church as a year ago. I see us looking at the future ready to take it on. I see us taking risks and relying on God to get us through. The way we speak about new ministries is exciting! We're no where near perfect, and that's okay as long as the Spirit of God is in us.
Today I had Sunday School with the Elementary kids. These guys are excited about Jesus, whether they realize it or not. I see them learning and growing, and I'm excited to be able to watch them. And they don't even realize how much they've helped me in my discernment and my relationship with God.
Today I'm missing Carla Jones. It's hard to adjust to not seeing her at church, or to hear about the crazy stories with her and my mom. But I know that God was in her, and so we will always have a little Carla in our lives, because God doesn't go away. I also know that God was always with us, and that now Carla is at home with Him. And while this is a sad time, it makes me happy knowing that.
Today I went to Council on Ministries again with another proposal-to host a CTCYM group the next summer. The other chairpersons there were excited about the idea and ran with it. The meeting lasted long even with chairs being gone because we had to talk about all that was going on! The church is growing and reaching out. We are fulfilling our call as disciples of Christ, and it's exciting.
Today, I look back and see that things are changing. And I'm glad to be a part of it all. What I have seen and what I see happening only assures me that good things happen when Jesus shows up.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)