Last Saturday I sat among 38,000 Lutheran youth and youth ministers and waited with baited breath as Donald Miller (author of Blue Like Jazz), came onstage to address the crowd. He spoke of the challenge of being authentic in service to others, even in the areas that aren't so fun or are not the areas of service we feel we are "good" at. Donald spends a great deal of time still writing and working with The Mentoring project, that pairs adult men with boys that lack relationships with positive male role models. He spoke of the joys and challenges of mentoring. Mentoring requires the mentor to stay engaged and interested in the life of another person, even when that person does not turn out to be tiny Tim.
Being with others and living in community is difficult to say the very least, but the option of living in isolation from others does not offer very much interest to me. How about you?
Just as the caretakers of those shell-shocked children gave them bread to sleep with for comfort, their actions probably placed them in difficult or sometimes dangerous situations. Those caretakers knew how to "keep it real"- even in the middle of air raids.
This week in sleeping with bread, I've been thinking a great deal about both giving and receiving comfort. Sometimes, we are the thankful recipient of some kind words or gesture. Sometimes we are called to be the voice of comfort, maybe even the voice for those who have no audience to listen to very real and dire needs. Sometimes we are called to be the hands and feet to provide bread to others, even outside of comfort zones we prefer to stay safely behind.
As part of Donald's talk, he mentioned a note he'd received from Anne Lamott, stating the importance of the concept and application of Sleeping with bread as she asked him... "What bread are you holding on to Donald, and what bread are you giving away?"
Good question Anne. That's one I think I need to give some thought.
In this first week of August, what are your thoughts on the bread of your life?
The Mentoring Project - Elephant Musth Cycle from The Mentoring Project on Vimeo.
Being with others and living in community is difficult to say the very least, but the option of living in isolation from others does not offer very much interest to me. How about you?
Just as the caretakers of those shell-shocked children gave them bread to sleep with for comfort, their actions probably placed them in difficult or sometimes dangerous situations. Those caretakers knew how to "keep it real"- even in the middle of air raids.
This week in sleeping with bread, I've been thinking a great deal about both giving and receiving comfort. Sometimes, we are the thankful recipient of some kind words or gesture. Sometimes we are called to be the voice of comfort, maybe even the voice for those who have no audience to listen to very real and dire needs. Sometimes we are called to be the hands and feet to provide bread to others, even outside of comfort zones we prefer to stay safely behind.
As part of Donald's talk, he mentioned a note he'd received from Anne Lamott, stating the importance of the concept and application of Sleeping with bread as she asked him... "What bread are you holding on to Donald, and what bread are you giving away?"
Good question Anne. That's one I think I need to give some thought.
In this first week of August, what are your thoughts on the bread of your life?
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