2008 Begins

I went to three different New Year's parties last night. I joked last night about "party hopping," which I didn't even do when I was younger and thought I was cool. I can't remember how long it's been since we were invited to more than one party on the same night--any night, not just December 31. Two of the parties were on our block, and the third was not far from our neighborhood. Today, as we're preparing for our table group to come over for lunch and football games on TV, I've been reflecting on how far we've come since last March. I easily had half a dozen different conversations with friends and neighbors about the church and/or their spiritual lives last night. I walked into a neighbor's house without knocking for the first time, a small but significant milestone in neighborhood life. At midnight, I was hugging neighbors and telling them Happy New Year; some of our neighbors even told us they loved us, which meant a great deal to me. I can't say that our neighborhood or community has undergone spiritual transformation this year, but I recognize it happening in my own life, and I see the seeds of greater movement in the lives of friends around me. I had a seminary professor who was fond of telling us that Christianity was "for plow horses, not race horses." He was in his eighties when he said it, and he knew what he was talking about. I don't know how long it will take, but after 10 months of life-building and church-building, spiritual life is beginning to percolate. I look forward to what we'll see in 2008.

On a darker note, 2008 is not off to a good start in Kenya. I'm receiving daily updates from Starfish Kenya and the House of Hope orphanage that we help support there. Political unrest has led to violence and there is a lot of fear. Ironically, people in the community around House of Hope are now seeking refuge inside the security wall Starfish Kenya has been able to build around the orphanage. Once these children were outcasts in Kenya, and today their home is a refuge for Kenyans. God moves in mysterious ways. Take a moment today to pray for Margaret and the children at House of Hope, and for the violence and volatility in their country today. www.starfishkenya.com