Thursday, September 27, 2007

Welcome to Our World

What if we could believe that our stories unite us rather than divide us, that there is a common frame of reference that could enable us to appreciate each others' journeys? After nearly a half century of living, I want to believe that part of who I am becoming can help you make sense of who you are becoming,and vice versa. It is part of my belief system that the unreflected life is a waste and that the meaning that we all want to make of our existence is found not just in the big events but mostly in the little forgotten moments that can arise unexpectedly in our memory in response to something we experience in another person who dares to let us see something of themselves. This is what I want to do with these entries and other writings I will post here. I invite your responses that express your own rememberings and discoveries.

Lest this become an exercise in egoism, I must say that my ultimate goal in all this is to track and celebrate the promised goodness of God. There are already too many people who are making a name for themselves. My goal is not to make my own meaning, but rather to discover the plot and characters that the Creator is developing for my good and His glory.

How wide and deep and high and long can we go in this? God only knows what needs to be evoked. I expect that it will be fun and serious, energizing and exhausting when it needs to be.

Here is a quote I collected from one of my favorite authors: "Faith is a desire to believe and a humility that accepts a lack of understanding." (Daniel Hurley in Facing Pain, Finding Hope)

Until next time,
Russ J.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I have a friend who often points out that everyone is connected. It's so true in more ways that we think, but often it's the things we disagree about that are most visible and become the BIG ugly issues. If only people could focus on how they are connected, instead of what seperates. Hmmm...

This reminds me of Babel, an academey award nominated film that explores the ways that we are all connected. I'd reccomend it.

Look forward to reading more of what you write.

Jeremy