in our western culture we seem to confuse material wealth and success with the abundant life, promised us in john 10:10. when good things happen in our lives, we proclaim how God has blessed us. as long as it is good it has to be of God. but if it’s something hurtful, harmful or opposite of what we want it must come from some where else. after all, james 1:17 says: “whatever is good and perfect come to us from God above….” but what about those things that we don’t perceive as good? could they come from God as well? and could these things actually be the abundant life that we are promised???
henri nouwen writes in a devotional titled “fruits that grow in vulnerability”:
“there is a great difference between successfulness and fruitfulness. success comes from strength, control and respectability. a successful person has the energy to create something, to keep control over it’s development and make it available in large quantities. success brings many rewards and often fame. fruits, however, come from weakness and vulnerability. and fruits are unique. a child is conceived in vulnerability. community is the fruit born through shared brokenness. and intimacy is the fruit that grows through touching one an others wounds. let’s remind one another that what brings us joy is not success, but fruitfulness.”
success and riches can, in many ways, make life easier and better, to be sure, but they never guarantee a joyful life. in fact they can become a barrier in our quest to have the life God has for us. j paul getty, who was, before bill gates, the richest man in the world, said two interesting things. when asked how much money was enough he said: “just one dollar more”. he also said: “i would have given all my fortune to have had one of my marriages work”. in contrast, everyone, rich or poor, can experience the joy of fruitfulness. the shared brokenness of community and the intimacy that develops by touching someone’s wounds and having them touch ours is transforming. i know of no greater joy than that of walking through the sorrows of life in the redemptive community of broken people.
if we reads the 10th verse of john we will see that the whole chapter is a comparison between Jesus, the Good Shepherd and us, His sheep, and a shepherd and his flock. just as the sheep were safe from the wolves if they stayed close to the shepherd and listened to his voice, we, too, will be safe from the powers of darkness, if we stay close and listen to the voice of our Master. i see nowhere in the scripture where we are promised a life of abundance, although some Christ followers may experience this (along with many who do not follow Him). we are, however, promised an abundant life, an eternal life, as we follow Him.
i want my life to be fruitful, not successful.
and just as the jews missed the coming of their Savior, because He didn’t come to earth the way they had expected Him too, i hope will not miss the abundant life we have been promised because it doesn’t look or feel the way we thought it would.
Conflict. The word itself seems to activate some invisible force field around my heart. Insulating me, protecting me from harm–but ultimately separating me from stepping across to the shared intimacy of true community. My invisible “conflict” shield was most recently exposed when faced with the unexpected dissolution of my 24 year marriage to the man of my dreams. A great avoider and accommodate-r in conflict, I saw too late how my inability to face conflict in a healthy manner handicapped marital intimacy. But as such unwelcome lessons go, I am realizing my conflict/intimacy problem goes way beyond my marriage relationship. It impacts every relationship I have with friends and family, and even limits my ability to truly enjoy being ‘in community’. (Intimacy here is referring to that sense of closeness and belonging in a relationship.)
this past saturday at the refuge we talked about how faith and doubt can exist in the same situation. it’s a little like the optical illusion images that most of us have seen, the one where you either see a vase or the profile of two people looking at each other. it just depends how we look at the picture/situation. we tend to vacillate back and forth, but we never seem to be able to focus on one or the other for a long period of time.
There are a few chains of “natural” or “organic” food stores. The ones I’m most familiar with are Whole Foods (some of which go by the name Wild Oats here in Colorado) and a local chain called Vitamin Cottage.
here are a few thoughts to ponder as we focus on “community” over the next few weeks at our saturday gatherings.
over the upcoming saturdays this summer at the refuge we will be focused on the word “community.” i wrote this post way back when in august 2006—at the very beginning of the refuge. sometimes it’s fun to revisit past thoughts and see how they apply today. one of the most important things about the refuge, in my opinion, is how we are learning about God & ourselves through being in community with each other. i think that was always the idea of “the church”. and yes, we can probably all agree—true community, real redemptive relationships with each other, learning the ways of both giving & receiving love, will always be hard to do! let’s keep learning together.
I am drawn to the contemplative writers. Contemplatives (since early Christian times) generally are given to periods of deep silent prayer, meditation, and may even live a life devoted to prayer in a monastery or convent. They carve out quiet spaces in order to experience the soul’s union with God. Many contemplatives also seek a balance between work and prayer. I recently set aside a lengthy time from my schedule for finding some balance and restoration for the health of my body, mind, and spirit. I was carving out my own quiet space. I thought of it as my “soul sabbatical.” I couldn’t wait for this time of meaningful solitude. 
a few weeks ago at our 3 year birthday party we created a space to share all of the different ministries, organizations, kids, and missionaries we support locally, globally. the beauty of sharing is a reminder of how far and wide our little community extends its heart in tangible ways. many were missing that evening, but here’s what people wrote. if you have more that didn’t make it here, add a comment. may we continue to be generous with our money, our time, our hearts…
