Karamoja Video

This is a video that Kristi has put together from our time in Karamoja. A few of the pics are from someon else's trip there. Be careful - watching it might be catastrophic to your current lifestyle! The kids just call out to me from this video. Blessings,

Threads

I've been hanging on by a thread for so long that it seems my existance is fragile. The past four years have been full of pain, discomfort, and hope. Painful due to illness. Discomfort in my pursuit of truth and genuine love for others. Hope in a God who walks with me through great pain and discomfort. The thread may be stronger then I realize or it may be cut off today. I'm not sure anymore, I just know the fragility of life is not up to me. Not even sure if fragility is a word, but thought I would throw it out there. This place I am at today runs against all that I was raised to become. I was taught to be strong, independent, full of pride, perfectionist, and to lead with my intellect and gifting. This thread like life has taught me to be humble, insignifcant, and dependent on others/God. I realize that a single thread can only last so long. How long will my thread last? Only God knows and I am learning to connect this single thread to Him alone.
- Lee -

Proximity - Noun

Webster definition - the quality or state of being next in time, place, causation, influence, etc.; immediate nearness, either in place, blood, or alliance.WordNet definition - the property of being close together, the region close around a person or thing, a Gestalt principle of organization holding that (other things being equal) objects or events that are near to one another (in space or time) are perceived as belonging together as a unit.Last year my wife created the blog Define Something http://definesomething.wordpress.com/ Her purpose in creating this blog was to throw out a word and get different perspectives on it. This helps all of us to grow in our understanding of it and learn to see things from others world view. This is what I would like to do with the word proximity. Please share any of your thoughts on the word and how it relates to your culture or life.Distant, remote, isolate, alone, independent, & self reliant are what we have become as a white middle & upper class society in America. This is definately a generalization and simply what I have witnessed in my own family experience and Christian church culture. Living in close proximity with family members and friends was once a key value in our society, but has become less and less over the last sixty years. It has been replaced with physical stuff & busyness which in the long run produces stress, loneliness, & unfulfillment. Proximity was one of the keys to following Christ in the early church (Acts 2-5). Living daily together was crucial to survival and sustainability of being a disciple of Christ. This is only a launching point on the proximity discussion and hopefully we will begin to rediscover the lost value of proximity in our lives.
- Lee -

Reputations

We are either placing ourselves in a position to serve the hurting and needy or we are not. I do believe in random acts of kindness ,but even these require being intentional. I want to talk about a deeper level of positioning our lives to meet needs in our communities. Is it possible for our faith communities to become the go to folks when disaster hits? Is your simple church the one who people call when they are being evicted or need a helping hand? Do you have a repetation for meeting real needs consistently in your community?How do we develop reputations for taking care of the poor, healing for the sick, answers for spirituality, & helping our neighbor with their next project?Jesus had a reputation and people sought him out to meet their needs. He had something to offer. Just think about when people were hungry ,Jesus fed them. When they were sick, He healed them. When they needed to know How to have Everlasting Life, He told them. Even when he showed up in a nearby village, people had heard about Him and his reputation for meeting their needs.Are we being sought out? Do we have a reputation as the go to folks in town when needs arise?
- Lee -