BLOGGING TOWARD SUNDAY…

Judy and I are back from 2 weeks of vacation…one spent mostly working at the lake, rebuilding steps, replacing boards on the porch, and re-staining the whole thing…then a week of fun and relaxation at the beach with 3 of my children, two grandchildren, two sons-in-law, and one potential son-in-law! A great week, reminding me powerfully of how grateful I am for my wonderful family.

The latest issue of Jim Wallis’ Sojourner magazine contains an article in which 17 activists and church leaders talk briefly about the disciplines which sustain them in their life and work. Let me just share a few as food for your devotional life:

Angela Glover Blackwell: Seek Goodness in All
Tony Campolo: Let Jesus Love you
Vincent Harding: Say Thank You
Soong-Chan Rah: Open Yourself to Community
Richard Stearns: Stick Your Face in the Bible
John Perkins: Let Yourself Be Known
Donald Miller: Give It Away

My favorite is the one that’s most difficult for me to do: let yourself be known. Perkins writes, “I have a small body of people who really know me, because people who really know you help you with your own mood. They can see when you’re dry, when you’re anxious, when you’re mad. I remember the other day I was doing a talk and I got very mad, and my words must have been very tough. As soon as I got home one of my board members called and asked, ‘What went wrong? You got so angry!’ Meaning, I had gotten so angry, I was messing things up, and I had to think about that. So my friends help me.”

Relationship building is hard work, but you and I need people who really know us in our lives. I believe that Jesus referred to it as “sharing each others’ burdens.” With whom are you sharing yours?

Filed under: Blogging Toward Sunday