Daily Meditation: Acting in the Name of Jesus

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Friday November 18, 2011      Acting in the Name of Jesus  Ministry is acting in the Name of Jesus.  When all our actions are in the Name, they will bear fruit for eternal life.  To act in the Name of Jesus, however, doesn't mean to act as a representative of Jesus or his spokesperson.  It means to act in an intimate communion with him.  The Name is like a house, a tent, a dwelling.  To act in the Name of Jesus, therefore, means to act from the place where we are united with Jesus in love.  To the question "Where are you?" we should be able to answer, "I am in the Name."  Then, whatever we do cannot be other than ministry because it will always be Jesus himself who acts in and through us.  The final question for all who minister is "Are you in the Name of Jesus?""  When we can say yes to that, all of our lives will be ministry.   Comment on this Daily Meditation. Our Advent book discussion on Lifesigns begins November 20th. Please join us!   Visit our website for inspiration, resources, news, events, community. Text excerpts taken from Bread for the Journey, by Henri J.M. Nouwen, ©1997 HarperSanFrancisco. All Scripture from The Jerusalem Bible ©1966, 1967, and 1968 Darton, Longman & Todd and Doubleday & Co. Inc. Psalms from The Psalms, A New Translation ©1963 The Grail (England) published by Collins. Photo by V. Dobson.

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Daily Meditation: Focusing on the Poor by Henri Nouwen

Current and to the point given the situation in the USA today.

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Monday October 31, 2011   Focusing on the Poor  Like every human organization the Church is constantly in danger of corruption.  As soon as power and wealth come to the Church, manipulation, exploitation, misuse of influence, and outright corruption are not far away. How do we prevent corruption in the Church? The answer is clear:  by focusing on the poor.  The poor make the Church faithful to its vocation.  When the Church is no longer a church for the poor, it loses its spiritual identity.  It gets caught up in disagreements, jealousy, power games, and pettiness.  Paul says,  "God has composed the body so that greater dignity is given to the parts which were without it, and so that there may not be disagreements inside the body but each part may be equally concerned for all the others" (1 Corinthians 12:24-25).  This is the true vision.  The poor are given to the Church so that the Church as the body of Christ can be and remain a place of mutual concern, love, and peace.   Comment on this Daily Meditation.   Visit our website for inspiration, resources, news, events, community. Text excerpts taken from Bread for the Journey, by Henri J.M. Nouwen, ©1997 HarperSanFrancisco. All Scripture from The Jerusalem Bible ©1966, 1967, and 1968 Darton, Longman & Todd and Doubleday & Co. Inc. Psalms from The Psalms, A New Translation ©1963 The Grail (England) published by Collins. Photo by V. Dobson.

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Henri Nouwen Society | P.O. Box 230523, Ansonia Station | New York | NY | 10023 | USA Henri Nouwen Society | John M. Kelly Library, 3rd Fl. | 113 St. Joseph Street | Toronto | ON | M5S 1J4 | Canada

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Who Do We Want to Become? Remembering Forward Ten Years after 9/11 | The Civil Conversations Project [OnBeing.org]

Well worth the listen!

http://being.publicradio.org/programs/2011/ccp-911/

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Just like that, things can change.

Just like that, things can change. I got the call from a friend yesterday morning. “I have cancer” said my mentor and friend, “And I need your help.”

On Wednesday I had learned that my Chaplain’s classes were moved from October to January and I was planning a trip back East and camping for the fall. I had signed up to be a delegate at a convention in mid-October. But with those words “I need your help” I didn't think twice about moving things around.

In October 1998, while I was in Boston, and again in 2001 here in California, I needed to make similar calls when I was diagnosed with Lymphoma, and when the lymphoma relapsed 3 years later requiring a bone marrow transplant. I had to ask a lot of people for help then. In 2001, I’d been in California less than 2 years, and the relationship I’d moved here for had ended. I was on my own. I called my family, the nearest of whom lived 1500 miles away, and the furthest 4500 miles away in the UK. I also called a friend in Boston who dropped everything and came to be my caregiver through the worst part of the Bone Marrow Transplant process. Before I was through, my family and my best friends had all come to California to help me move and spend time with me when I got out of the hospital.

10 years later I’m healthy. But three times since, I've gotten the call: “I have cancer, and I need your help”. And without thinking I knew what I needed to do each time. I would move my schedule around and see how I could help.

The events of 9/11 happened towards the end of my recuperation from the transplant. I was not yet back to work, having left Stanford for a new apartment in Davis only 5 days before. So many people lost there lives that day, two of whom I had worked with. A third survived escaping from the WTC down a flight of stairs. He’s never been able to work again and is on disability.

During my recuperation, and especially after 9/11 I realized that my survival from Stage IV cancer was a gift, and I wanted to use the time I’d been given helping others.

10 years later, this call comes just as we are getting ready for the 10-year anniversary of our nation’s tragedy on 9/11. I know I have to help, and get others also to help.

On the anniversary of these awful events, I think best memorial we can give for those we lost that day, is look around us for those who need our help. Then hold out our hands and lift them up.

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Daily Meditation: Healing Letters - by Henri Nouwen

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Sunday September 4, 2011                              Healing Letters  When you write a very angry letter to a friend who has hurt you deeply, don't send it!  Let the letter sit on your table for a few days and read it over a number of times.  Then ask yourself:  "Will this letter bring life to me and my friend?  Will it bring healing, will it bring a blessing?"   You don't have to ignore the fact that you are deeply hurt.  You don't have to hide from your friend that you feel offended.  But you can respond in a way that makes healing and forgiveness possible and opens the door for new life.   Rewrite the letter if you think it does not bring life, and send it with a prayer for your friend.  Comment on this Daily Meditation.   Visit our website for inspiration, resources, news, events, community. Text excerpts taken from Bread for the Journey, by Henri J.M. Nouwen, ©1997 HarperSanFrancisco. All Scripture from The Jerusalem Bible ©1966, 1967, and 1968 Darton, Longman & Todd and Doubleday & Co. Inc. Psalms from The Psalms, A New Translation ©1963 The Grail (England) published by Collins. Photo by K. Smith.

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10 years

10 years

Last Saturday, I stood before several hundred people at Stanford University to speak about my experience as a 10-year survivor of a Bone Marrow / Stem Cell Transplant I received there.  Almost 100 BMT caregivers were there, 300 other survivors and many families.  About 10 of us gave short remarks all of which were received well by the audience, some with standing applause.

I was going to put the text of my speech in this space, but two events changed my mind.

First I was informed that yet another member of my church is dying of a late-diagnosed aggressive cancer   that makes two this spring.
Reading my email further, I found out that a friend, in remission for 5 years had her cancer screening last week and received the dreaded “It may be nothing, but…” message from her Doctor.  She goes in for another scan and more tests tomorrow.  Suffice to say she is frightened beyond words.

So, I cannot rest on the laurels of my recovery and those others at Stanford – yet.  We’ve won our battle but the war against this disease, which now affects 1 out of 3 Americans, is not over.   With prayers and good thoughts for my friend and for the other man and his family, I need to go back – into the breach.

I pray for comfort for the one man and his family, and healing of fear and for a good report for my friend tomorrow.  As I visit patients as a Chaplain this month, I will do the same.

We are getting closer to a cure with more effective treatments and higher survival rates. The war against cancer is one we will win, indeed we must win.   We have no other choice!

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Daily Meditation for July 25, 2011

This spoke to me today.

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Monday July 25, 2011    Digging Into Our Spiritual Resources When someone hurts us, offends us, ignores us, or rejects us, a deep inner protest emerges.  It can be rage or depression, desire to take revenge or an impulse to harm ourselves.  We can feel a deep urge to wound those who have wounded us or to withdraw in a suicidal mood of self-rejection.  Although these extreme reactions might seem exceptional, they are never far away from our hearts.  During the long nights we often find ourselves brooding about words and actions we might have used in response to what others have said or done to us. It is precisely here that we have to dig deep into our spiritual resources and find the center within us, the center that lies beyond our need to hurt others or ourselves, where we are free to forgive and love.   Comment on this Daily Meditation.   Visit our website for inspiration, resources, news, events, community. Text excerpts taken from Bread for the Journey, by Henri J.M. Nouwen, ©1997 HarperSanFrancisco. All Scripture from The Jerusalem Bible ©1966, 1967, and 1968 Darton, Longman & Todd and Doubleday & Co. Inc. Psalms from The Psalms, A New Translation ©1963 The Grail (England) published by Collins. Photo by V. Dobson.

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