Brothers in Humanity

Every few months we get new staff at work. We hire in bulk three times a year and train them as "classes." With each class comes a new set of faces, personalities, giftings, and struggles. Each one bringing to the table the light and darkness-the sin and the Spirit-that is embedded within every Christian.

Hurt, pain, insecurity, pride, stubbornness, bitterness, the list goes on extensively. It's irritating!

Looking at the struggles of my students, teammates, friends, and those that I would consider even family, I can sometimes find myself frustrated with them and their shortcomings. Impatient and ungracious towards their needs and struggles.

Christ said to love our enemies. He challenged the status quo and demanded that love be shown even to those who we don't like or agree with. "Love your neighbors" is one of the many coined phrases of Christianity, yet those same Christians turn their back on the impoverished and war torn souls that need help.

I have needed help, and in in my need I forgot to see other people's needs. Mine eyes are turned inward to my own pain and I have began to "self-care" in an isolated and unloving way. A reality that God made very clear to me recently.

I had a student in my English class in Amman that made a big impact on how I viewed other people. "We are brothers in humanity", he would say to me. The words loom over me like a ghost and my soul stirs in response. It's a sobering and humbling experience to receive true, biblical wisdom from a Muslim. Reflecting on the environment I'm living/working in, I find those words affecting me still.

These men and women that I work with are my brothers and sisters. They are mine and I am theirs. My team. My family. My people. How could I be intolerant of the sin in them when it's so clearly embedded in me? When they endure my own? (and they definitely do!) How can I neglect their needs and their craving for love and support when I know so intimately the needs and desires in me?

As a new team comes to join us at Shelterwood this week, my prayer is this:

"Lord, bind us together in brotherhood and sisterhood. humble us to be loving and caring for each other just as You humbled Yourself for the sake of our souls. Tighten us together and teach us to hear form each other and to heal together, to be light to one another. Help us to find rest and support in our 'family' and let us not be unloving. Amen"


Grace and Peace,
Stephen

Falling into Friendship

When I was living in Knoxville I started attending Apostle's Anglican Church (mainly because it was extremely close to my apartment). While I had been exploring Anglicanism for a while, I shied away from being apart of an Anglican community because all of my friends were going that direction theologically. I wanted to make sure I wasn't just following them. For a while I explored a couple of the larger churches known for their worship, teaching, and ministries...but I always found myself lacking the community that I so desperately wanted.

While I eventually settled and joined a church, I began to grow weary. I felt that God was leading me to live in a more sacramental environment and that I was drawn to a liturgical setting more than ever. Finally I caved.

Thank God.

Liturgical and structured worship fed my hungry soul in a way I had never experienced. Contrary to some of the things I learned a child, It was not dry and stale, nor was lacking freedom or Spirit. No, surprisingly I found liberty in the structure. But more than that, I was blessed with friendship and community. I'm really not sure how or when it happened, but I woke up one day and found myself with relationships with others in this church.

I found people who actually cared.

I found love.

With this love, it began a journey to grow in my faith greater that I ever expected. From...

Recently, I felt God drawing me away from my community to commit to intentional community in Kansas City, MO. I came with expectations of struggle and even loneliness. I had no idea what really to expect other than that it would be difficult and forming. But, happily something else happened: I fell into friendship.

I never would have thought that I'd get this close to a group of complete strangers so quickly. While we all come from a dozen different places and us all having incredibly unique personalities, we connected.

And it started with a hello and it was solidified with a "let's pray."

That first night we gathered at the gazebo to pray about the coming year. It was in that moment that the Spirit opened us all up to the beauty of community and life in shared space and shared mission. it was evident in our words and in our love for another that Christ had called us there for Him and each other

I have no doubt that, like all communities, there will be times where we will want to kill each other, but that's natural. But the love of Christ is supernatural.

Friendship will endure.

Looking back I can see where I've always found friendship in this way: by stumbling across it. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

Grace and Peace,

Stephen

10 Minutes that Changed a Life

Many years ago I found myself doing an odd job that involved me driving a van all over Chattanooga delivering flowers for Valentine's day. I took dozens of flowers all over the area. One in particular stood out to me the most and still touches my heart even today.

I approaches this small house on missionary ridge and, as I had with so many houses before, checked thrice to make sure that I had the right address. Once I was certain that I had arrived in the right place I approached the door. An elderly, black woman opened the door and greeted me. I returned the greeting and asked "Are you Ms. Joy?" (pseudonym....duh). She responded with a very confused "yes?", and at it was then that I offered her the flowers.

Her eyes flew open wide with shock and she began stumbling over her words as she asked, "What? What? For ME?! Are you SURE?! Who would send ME flowers?!" As she took the flowers from my hand she began to cry, still asking if I was sure they were hers and if I knew who sent them. She held the flowers close as tears ran down her face in pure happiness from receiving the unexpected Valentine.

Ms. Joy no longer looked at me with confusion and as if I were a stranger. No, I was now embraced with a look that spoke of friendship and love. Though we knew each other not, the barriers of defense and difference had been removed. She hugged me in gratitude and thanked me immensely for delivering the flowers to her. Soon she began sharing the gospel with me and exhorting me to be encouraged to always chase after God's will for my life!

Soon we bid each other farewell and went our separate ways. That 10 minute encounter changed my life. I didn't know who sent the flowers, but I hope that she found that person so as to be able to show her love and gratitude to them as well. I hope they know how much they deeply affected Ms. Joy that day.

There are so many people out there living in utter loneliness. In a world that is so heavily saturated by social media and means of communication, we are beyond "disconnected". The very people in our churches and even our own families go throughout their days in loneliness; they are overwhelmed by the deafening silence. They go un-encouraged and feeling completely out of place in the world. Teenagers cry themselves to sleep at night not knowing whether or not they are loved by their parents; young women give themselves away to advantageous young men who see their craving for affirmation and love. We can change the world, but not by bribes, petitions, force, or hype. No, we change the world through the power of Christ and by the outpouring of the love of Christ. We can restore the Church by just stepping out to love those that we share pews with every week.

It's not Valentine's Day for a couple more months, but that doesn't mean that we can't go out of our way to show love and appreciation to those around us. Perhaps you know of someone who is lonely or in need of some encouragement right now. Why not do some small, random kindness to them so they might know that they are not alone; to let them know that they have not gone unnoticed or unloved? You can touch the life of a lonely, old women, and you might even change a delivery boys life too.

Love God and Love others...

Grace & Peace,

Stephen