From "inward/outward"

Such a Clearance I have a need of such a clearance as the Saviour effected in the temple of Jerusalem a riddance of the clutter of what is secondary that blocks the way to the all-important central emptiness which is filled with the presence of God alone.   Jean Danielou Source: quoted in Lost in Wonder by Esther de Waal

 

Small, simple, functional. . .beauty

For the past few weeks I've been on a self-imposed, "blog sabbatical" prompted both by the most jammed schedule of my work life and "idea fatigue."

With what follows, I think I'm "back."

But, with this many words and phases inside quotation marks, who knows?

Whatever the case, I found the following clip an interesting challenge to our tendency to require, better, demand large living spaces.

I find "small housing" very attractive.

How about you?




[Personal note: R. I. P. Clyde Erwin! We are remembering you on your birthday and for Normandy!]

Strange prayer requests?

To 21st century ears and sensibilities the words of this ancient prayer pull us up short.  The expressed desires of the unknown author startle us with a radical, counter cultural value set.  Possibly we've never needed to hear words like these as badly as we need to hear them today.  

Two things I ask of you, O Lord;

do not refuse me before I die:

Keep falsehood and lies far from me;

give me neither poverty nor riches,

but give me only my daily bread.

Otherwise, I may have too much

and disown you and say "Who is the Lord?"

Or I may become poor and steal,

and so dishonor the name of

my God.  (Proverbs 30:7-9 NIV)

The words of the prayer originate from Agur, the son of Jakeh, about either of whom we know nothing beyond these words. 

Fairly amazing words, don't you think, especially when laid alongside the values, goals and aspirations of most of us. 

Everything about our culture, economy, education system and passions lead us in a completely different direction, often in exactly the opposite direction. 

I mean think about it. 

Do we long only for truth?  Do I guard my heart, mind and life from falsehood of every sort?  Or, do I embrace the latest "lie of the day" that often streams at me from a variety of media with the intensity of an open fire hose?  In a world of wild, maddening abundance of information, do I pursue the truth with unrelenting dedication, no matter how demanding, confusing or tiring?  Most important, does my spiritual life train my heart on such a quest?  Or, do I settle for something short of truth, something more akin to lies and falsehood? 

More personally, am I open, even eager to face the truth about myself? 

Ouch!

Can I be satisfied with "only my daily bread"?  Are my prayers filled with desires for life's very basic, even simple places and experiences?  "Just my daily bread, Lord, just my daily bread!"

Do I understand the danger of wealth?  Am I honest enough to admit and know well in advance of shifting fortune, that wealth possess the power to swamp my spiritual life completely?  Do I accept the fact that wealth often fills me with a very false sense of self-assured arrogance.  If my net worth puts me in charge of life, what's the notion of God about anyway? 

Can I identify at all with real poverty?  What would I do if my finances turned down so that I took my place alongside my buddies who live out on the mean streets?  Would my hunger and general despair drive me to steal in order to survive?  I know myself well enough to confess that in such an extremity I'm sure I'd be capable of acts and decisions that clearly would be dishonorable. 

The prayer of Agur elevates the basic, the simple, the middle ground.  The prayer links truth in life with a refreshing simplicity of values. 

In a world dominated by materialism and consumption, Agur hands me a prayer I need to learn to pray.  

Interrelated

A very small, "typical" (if such a denigrating term can be tolerated here) sparrow hopped into my pathway ths morning as I hurried up the rain-soaked sidewalk. Strange moment. The tiny winged creature worked hard at finding breakfast. I gathered coffee in an heroic effort to awaken to the day. The bird did the trick! Something about our dance captured my undivided attention. My little friend, clearly aware of me, stepped nearer into my path. For just a moment, a very clear moment, we both, aware of the other, greeted; extended greeting with presence and knowing connection. The delicate, brown creature moved toward me, no doubt to seize some falling crumb or seed, and I toward him to study the precise colors extending from his crown and down and across his feathery, mural-graced back. We stood in the same frame for but a breath, then moving on, having truly seen one another. Life, a sheer wonder every day.

Foundation principle for community building

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."

Jesus

Matthew 7:12

Grandchildren and puppies

Not long ago, Uncle Bill and Aunt Judy and Uncle Kyle received 8 new Doberman Pinscher puppies into their world!

Sage, the mother, produced the amazing litter, with the help of old Bear, the father!

The video is simply a feel-good deal for me.

Our grandchildren love these pups!

Enjoy!

Happy Father's Day!

Help us with your "junk"!

In August, 2008, the Central Dallas Ministries Thrift store opened for business with three objectives:

(1) generate income to sustain CDM’s many programs,

(2) provide quality, low-cost merchandise to our neighbors, and

(3) create job opportunities for our neighbors.

Over the past 7 months we have begun to meet all three of these objectives.

Even at this early stage, the store is generating enough revenue to meet its operating expenses, while employing six of our neighbors and providing both low cost goods for sale and even free goods to neighbors in need (providing dishes for an empty kitchen or clothing for a family who has lost everything in a fire).

Our challenge these days is to continue to build up our donation stream so that we are able to recycle the goods that some families no longer need and provide them to our neighbors at low or no cost.

Furniture, household goods, toys, sporting goods, clothing – even cars, motorcycles and boats – are all resold to generate revenue that allows us to provide food in the pantry, medicine in the clinic and tutors for the children, to name just a few aspects of our efforts in the inner city.

If you have items you would like to donate you can drop off smaller items at the Thrift Store (located at the southeast corner of Washington and Live Oak near Baylor University Medical Center) or call us to pick up bigger items.

For a larger impact, please consider partnering with us to organize a donation drive at your church/work site or in your neighborhood. There are a myriad of ways this has been done and if you have the inclination we can fully support you in this effort.

To help, to ask questions, or just know more about this effort, please call Theresa Cissell at 214-823-8710 ext 151 or email us at donations@centraldallasministries.org.

If you have been involved, please post a report on your experience!

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