We lost our friend Stan on March 15. He first went to the hospital for a surgery early January. After a short stay in rehab, he went home. But days later, a serious infection set in. He returned to the hospital. While in the hospital, his elderly mother took a fall.
Like Stan, she, too, recovered from her initial surgery and left the hospital.
And also like Stan, she returned to the hospital again. Never to walk out.
I visited her on the Tuesday before she died. She looked peaceful, and with my imagination, looked like I had remembered her from years ago, even though she had greatly aged.
But early Friday morning, I dreamed about her. In my dream, she had been released from the hospital and I was shocked to see her up so quickly. She looked younger than ever, more healthy than ever. She had walked over to get a cup of water. We chatted about how good she felt.
And I woke up.
Later Friday night, I got word that she had passed on.
And again I woke up.
After death doesn’t come destruction. Yes, our physical bones decay and our earthly body returns to earth. But in reality, we’re more alive than ever. Stan’s mom is indeed now younger than ever, more healthy than ever. She is full and whole and happy.
She is again with her son Stan. Both rejuvenated. Both recovered. Both very much alive.
“Our world waits for you and me, for spiritual people everywhere—to refuse to be pawns in the destruction of a global world for the sake of national self-centeredness.”
And so it begins. This book is heavy, The Time Is Now. Sister Joan Chittister speaks with a challenging voice that she wants us to echo.
“We are here to seed the present with godliness so that others may someday reap the best of what we sowed.”
Chittister challenges us to do something. As followers of Jesus, she says we “must each do something to redeem our battered, beaten world from the greed, the egregious elitism, that smothers it.”
She’s not shy in naming the problems: nuclearism, sexism, homelessness, harassment, poverty, immigration, and more.
And she’s not bashful in naming who needs to do the helping:
“It is now our task, as individuals, as intentional groups, wherever we are on the social spectrum, to shine a light on their lives and to insist that others see it, too. It is the task of each of us to be their voice until they can be heard themselves.”
“It is our task to give them hope, to give them possibility, to help the outcasts to fit in.”
Prophets nows are called to the same mission as prophets of long ago: to look at life as it is and expand it. “We must not fear the darkness; we must simply resolve to carry light into wherever we are.”
Chittister doesn’t say it will be easy. Speaking out disturbs a society that likes its comfort. But if we are to be spiritually mature, we have to think about something greater than ourselves.
“The silence is deafening as the world waits for those on the edge of the crowd to speak up, to speak out.”
Chittister is indeed a prophet in our times. We’d be wise to listen to her in this moral moment.
“What does a prophet do? A prophet cries out, cries out, cries out. Without fear. Without care for cost. Without end. Dear Prophet, for the sake of the children, for the sake of the world, for the sake of the gospel, Cry out.”
* * *
My thanks to Net Galley
for the review copy of this book
God has already forgiven us, given us mercy, blessed us with his constant presence. So why do we keep asking him for those things again? Jersak responds.
Here are 4 ways to win a free ticket to the Enjoy God’s Word online conference taking place April 23-25 from your own home, hosted by Katie Orr. Deadline to enter the giveaway is Thursday, April 4.
“Our guys said — as soon as he went down — they said, ‘Let’s pray.’
“I think in those moments, you begin to see what these guys are made of, both teams, the fabric,” Coach Bruce Pearl said. “We started to pray. We asked God to watch over our brother. And Carolina did it, and our guys did it.”
#DoItForChuma quickly popped up as a Twitter hashtag. And Auburn won the next game, too! Now Auburn is going to the Final Four! It’s a big deal for a football school to make it this far in the basketball tournament. We’re very excited.
Here are 6 new books picked by some of my favorite authors (Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Daniel Pink). The Next Big Idea Club sounds like an interesting book group.
Not all writers are introverts, but many are, including J.K. Rowling, John Green, Agatha Christie, Charlotte Brontë, Edgar Allan Poe, William Shakespeare, Homer, Jane Austen, C.S. Lewis, George R.R. Martin, Ayn Rand. Why does writing appeal to a certain type of person?
This is a good recommended reading list that also includes older books. I also like looking at their past lists. (The “new” books on the old lists are more available at the library by now.) See Recommended Reading for 2018 and Recommended Reading for 2017.
Here are 3 non-fiction books I recommend from my own readings last month.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
5 Pictures of Things I Love
1. Tornado Cleanup
Although I don’t use a chainsaw like Jeff, I’m still glad I get to participate in tornado cleanup with our PAR group. They always need helping hands to drag limbs to the road, etc. On this trip we worked through Samaritan’s Purse.
I got to meet Monica on our trip to Columbus, Georgia. Her front yard was covered in broken trees after the tornado came through. She had quite an amazing story and is an incredible woman.
~ * ~
2. Stan’s AU Funeral
If you picked up on it above (we’re going to the Final 4!), we are big Auburn fans around here (and okay, we have quite a few Alabama fans here also). Nobody has been a bigger Auburn fan his whole life than my friend Stan. For his funeral, his daughter suggested orange and blue clothes for those who had it. Stan would have loved seeing that (and hopefully he did see it). There were also Auburn stickers available for everyone to wear.
~ * ~
3. And for his birthday . . .
The day after Stan died, he would have turned 60 years old. So the Four Corners (including Kathy, Stan’s wife) went to Outback and celebrated his life. He is leaving a huge vacuum. We all have our own special and funny memories with him.
~ * ~
4. Took My Grandbaby to the Zoo for the 1st Time!
Jenna and I met Morgan and Riley at the zoo. We had a wonderful trip introducing her to the animals she had only seen in books. Hopefully it’s the first trip of many to come.
~ * ~
5. Just for fun – 636 Months Old
We’ve all seen the pictures from new moms of their babies at 1 month, 2 months, 10 months, etc. So this meme made me laugh out loud.
What Are Your Two Fish? (3/25)
God is still writing His story. Bring your two fish. How God started House of the Harvest. Review of Adam Walker’s book,Two Fish.
Eternity Is Now in Session – Book Review (3/20) “Eternal life isn’t just about the future. We can have it now. It’s not just about there. We can have it here.” – John Ortberg from Eternity Is Now in Session.
Here’s to the Healers (3/18)
Here’s to the nurses, doctors, caregivers. Thank you for what you do with your hands. But also for what you do with your hearts. We need the healers.
3 Things to Do with Your Stuff (3/13)
Do you have too much stuff? What are you supposed to do with it all? See how these parables relate to our stuff.
When God’s Plan Isn’t Our Plan (3/11)
Do you find it easy or hard to release your own plans when God surprises you with a different plan? He is still trustworthy.
Because I often call my granddaughter my little sweet pea, I was drawn to this book, You’re My Little Sweet Pea.
Its whimsical rhymes and beautiful illustrations by Kit Chase make it a delightful choice to sit and read with your child or grandchild.
“Your giggle always melts my heart. You changed my world right from the start. And when your little hand holds mine, I know I’ll love you for all time.”
Every child needs to know they are special. The words we choose to convey that uniqueness may differ, but the sentiment is the same.
“Sweet child, you will forever be my heart, my love, my Little Sweet Pea.”
* * *
My thanks to BookLook Bloggers
for the review copy of this book
