of course.

In the Name of Jesus-- Henri J.M. Nouwen

Of course a life that makes sense, a life worth living, a life with purpose is one that follows Jesus--a life that is lived in the name of Jesus. Nouwen explains so clearly what people need, so clearly what I need. Leadership is reflected in every day life, not just within leaders of the Church. Here he ponders what a life of Christian leadership truly looks like.

First Thoughts:

-Jesus' first temptation was to be relevent. (As Christians, aren't we called to be relevant-- to meet the world where it is and show them who Christ is? Many Christian leaders struggle with this idea--that they are not being relevant enough.)

- The leaders of the future will be those who dare to claim their irrelevance in the contemporary world as a divine vocation that allows them to enter into a deep solidarity with the anguish underlying all the glitter of success, and to bring the light of Jesus there.

*"Do you Love Me" Again, Nouwen shows just how simple it really is: The only question we need to be asking is if we really love Jesus.


-Hearts that forgive, care, reach out, and want to heal are the hearts our world needs now. "It is a heart that wants only to love and receive ove in response. It is a heart that suffers immensely because it sees the magnitude of human pain and the great resistance to trusting the heart of God who wants to offer consolation and hope."

-This is "First Love"-- "we love, because Christ first loved us."

*The only way we will be able to give this love is discovered in the discipline of prayer. We must be deeply deeply rooted in Christ's first love in order to be able to give it to others.

Ture leaders are those who desire to dwell with God--those who know his voice and actively seek his goodness. The interesting danger Nouwen presents is the problem of interfering opinion with divine suggestion. This is interesting, however, because essentially, won't all advice stem from opinion? Yes, I believe there can be divine inspiration, but is there danger in believing that advice from those who are "in tune" with God will automatically give "divine opinion"?

Nouwen then explores the importance of Christian leaders being open and honest with their "sheep". Community is a mutual experience--it is important for leaders to make their fears, hopes, desires, and struggles familiar. The sheep cannot be expected to follow their leader if she does not show her humanity or relatability to the flock.

Brilliant: "The mystery of ministry is that we have been chosen to make our own limited and very conditional love the gateway for the unlimited and unconditional love of God."

Nouwen states that the thrist for power becomes an issue when intimacy is threat. How, then, can healthy intimacy be practiced for Christian leaders? Amongst themselves, through their community, accountability partners?

The key for Christian leadership? Nouwen's summary reflects what Paul attempts to do in his letters-- giving a divine interpretation of the sufferings of his recepients. "Theological reflection is reflecting on the painful and joyful realitites of every day with the mind of Jesus and thereby reaising human consciousness to the knowledge of Gods gentle guidance."

of course...

Community And Growth-- Jean Vanier

Here i will attempt to explore my thoughts on community, missions, and the love that is inevitably intertwined. The very core of me wants very much to embrace the ideas that i have read about community; so much do i see the necessity and the practicality of Christians who understand true community. I find it fascinating that I crave community, true community, more when I have been emerged in a "pseudo-community". I desire to explore the attributes and benefits of a community-based Christian mindset. Thank you, Jean Vanier.


Intial notes:

- Pluralistic societies make solidarity disappear, pulls the family into cities (in an attempt to make families "portable"). This society is ultimately a product of the disintergration of the "natural" familial grouping...pg 1

-Basis of community? Family. We seek out communities with similar values and stories; where we fit, can relate, and are accepted.

- Vanier says that he has found "true humanity" in Third World countries.

-We have a natural tendency to be afraid of community. We are afraid of a loss of creativity, fear of being used and manipulated, and are ultimately kept out by our lonliness. We don't want to be loved, because it leaves to hurt; we don't want to let our guard down and provide the chance to be hurt.

- However, we create community when we're open, vulnerable, humble, and desire to grow in love.

Vanier constantly talks about how his true communities are only possible if we're completely open and honest with one another. However, this is the greateset fear of many people. How can communities really work if we're naturally inclined to keep our guard up and hold on to deep secrets? It's interesting too, that Vanier says a true and healthy community will allow individuals to hold close personal information: "In a true community, each of us is able to keep our own deepest secret, which must not be handed over to others, nor may be even shared. There are some gifts of God, some sufferings and some sources of inspiration, which should not necesarrily be given to the whole community (p 21)." Cool. I can be dependent on you, but not lose the identiy of "I". He also states that community must never take precedence over individual people. The community exists for the individual. He warns against the individual sacrificing and becoming apathetic for the sake of the community. This cannot happen if a community is to be succesful in growing its members in love and humilty.

Belonging to a community, Vanier says, should always be "for becoming". Brilliant.

What, then, is the ultimate goal of a community? We come together in an attempt to find acceptance, but what does this membership teach us? Ongoing list...

1. Grow in universal love and compassion
2. To cultivate a growth of personal consciousness (p 22)
3. Liberation-- we discover our wounds and heal them

My favorite thought: "As we live truly from the heart, we live from where the Spirit is dwelling in us. We see people as God sees them; we see their wounds and their pain; we no longer see them as problems. We see God in them. But as we bgin to live in this way, unprotected by barriers, we become very vulnerable and terribly porr. 'Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom.' It is this poverty which becomes our wealth, for now we no longer live for our own glory but for love and for the power of God manifested in weakness ( p 29)."

cheers.