URBANarmy

A bit of Nouwen on what it is to be a neighbour....   "To become neighbours is to bridge the gap between people.  As long as there is distance between us and we cannot look in each other's eyes, all sorts of false ideas and images arise.  We give them names, make jokes about them, cover them with our prejudices, and avoid direct contact.  We think of them as enemies.  We forget that they love as we love, care for their children as we care for ours, become sick and die as we do.  We forget that they are our brothers and sisters and treat them as objects that can be destroyed at will.   Only when we have the courage to cross the street and look in one another's eyes can we see there that we are children of the same God and members of the same human family"

I've just had a great telephone conversation with a friend that speaks frequently into my life. We laughed at the dangers of seeking validation and how with age that seeking shifts but is still seeking affirmation. It reminded me of a Nouwen nugget and a picture I took on a walk! "Trees that grow tall have deep roots. Great height without great depth is dangerous. The great leaders of this world - like St. Francis, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr., - were all people who could live with public notoriety, influence, and power in a humble way because of their deep spiritual rootedness. Without deep roots we easily let others determine who we are. But as we cling to our popularity, we may lose our true sense of self. Our clinging to the opinion of others reveals how superficial we are. We have little to stand on. We have to be kept alive by adulation and praise. Those who are deeply rooted in the love of God can enjoy human praise without being attached to it." ...

Here's a daily dose of Nouwen...   "Jesus, the Beloved of God, has a pure heart.  Having a pure heart means willing one thing.  Jesus wanted only to do the will of his heavenly Father.  Whatever Jesus did or said, he did and said it as the obedient Son of God:  "What I say is what the Father has taught me; he who sent me is with me, and has not left me to myself, for I always do what pleases him"  (John 8:28-29).   There are no divisions in Jesus' heart, no double motives or secret intentions.  In Jesus there is complete inner unity because of his complete unity with God.   Becoming like Jesus is growing into purity of heart.  That purity is what gave Jesus and will give us true spiritual vision." Here's a wish list for the day! ::  willing one thing... ::  no double motives or secret intentions ::  complete unity with God.