day 23, lent 2009

what a birthday party!

we just got home and its 11 p.m.

i really feel 50 right about now...

THANK YOU to everyone who made it happen -- especially my home church family!

i know i can be overly dramatic [my family is saying AMEN], but this has been my best birthday ever...

my soul feels healthier at this point in the journey than it has for years -- i am actually looking forward to the future!

THANKS again...

nouwen in SHOW ME THE WAY: "from all that i said about our worried, over-filled lives, it is clear that we are usually surrounded by so much inner and outer noise that it is hard to truly hear our God when he is speaking to us. we have often become deaf, unable to know when God calls us and unable to understand in which direction he calls us. thus our lives have become ABSURD. in the word 'absurd' we find the latin word 'surdus' which means 'deaf.' a spiritual life requires discipline because we need to learn to listen to God, who constantly speaks but whom we seldom hear. when, however, we learn to listen, our lives become OBEDIENT lives. the word 'obedient' comes from the latin word 'audire' which means 'listening.' a spiritual discipline is necessary in order to move slowly from an ABSURD to an OBEDIENT life, from a life filled with noisy worries to a life in which there is some free inner space where we can listen to our God and follow his guidance. Jesus' life was a life of obedience. he was always listening to the Father, always attentive to his voice, always alert for his directions. Jesus was 'ALL EAR!' that is true prayer -- being all ear for God! the core of all prayer is indeed listening, obediently standing in the presence of God..."

has life become ABSURD?

maybe it is time to LISTEN...

i bet i fall asleep before my 10 minutes of Jesus-focusing is done tonight...

sweet dreams...

shalom...

guy

by the way, mac and ty [our family's two boxers] are laying at my feet and did assist in the compilation of this blog -- thanks matt g!