Waking up to snow

Waking up to snow
Originally uploaded by the gladdings

Maggie and Seth (and us too) were excited to wake up to their first snow ever. They insisted on going outside to play in the 1/4" of snow. Watching them revel in scraping up enough snow for a snow-peanut, and making a snow angel on the pavement (learned from a book, of course) was a delight - oh to be thrilled by such simple things...

Cousins - Thanksgiving 09

Cousins - Thanksgiving 09
Originally uploaded by the gladdings

See below for details!

Thanksgiving 2009

We've had a wonderful week with family, and have been mindful of all we have to be thankful for. Our sister-in-law Erin's parents came down from Minnesota, and we shared several meals with them, and a hike in Red River Gorge to Gray's Arch on a stunning autumn day. The litluns held up remarkably well, and had a big time scrambling up rocks and climbing along narrow ledges and through small spaces to reach the base of the arch (see more photos at our Flickr account).

In preparation for Rebecca's family driving in from Illinois, we spent 3 days turning the third bedroom from the 'holding area' for all our unpacked boxes into an actual guest room. We also hung pictures and photos, swept floors, cleaned - partnering with God in the ongoing work of bringing order to chaos! It's quite astounding the difference having an ordered space makes to our overall sense of well-being.

We joined the Martin/Bailey/Watterson clan for brunch on Thanksgiving morning before driving back to Lexington for Will & Lisa Samson's community Thanksgiving feast, enjoying time with them, their friends and neighbours, and Communality friends and family. The food was quite spectacular, and we finally got to meet Claudia Burney and her family, who are good friends with the Samsons, and who Sean connected with somewhat randomly through Facebook before both our families moved here.

Friday saw the Martin clan descend on our home for brunch burritos, books and games before a hike at McConnell Springs, and then heading downtown for the Lexington Christmas parade. We drove out to Wilmore on Saturday for one last meal together, and began to make plans for Christmas in Greenville - the first time the cousins will be together for Christmas. But between here and there is Advent, which we began in darkness at the High Street House on Sunday night, as once more we wait for the Light of the world to be born in us anew...

Relinquishing

For the past three months we have been gathering at the High Street House with folk from Communality to share a bowl of soup and to share our stories. We have received these times as sheer gift, as we continue to get to know the people we are choosing to do life with here in Lexington. There has been lots of laughter, many beautiful and/or goofy photos, some tears, a few revelations of the "I can't believe I didn't know that about you" kind from those who have been family together for years, along with much courage as people have shared painful and difficult chapters of their story, some the writing of which has yet to be completed. After hearing from two people each week, we sit them on the missionary chest that serves as an altar for our community, and then spend some tender time in prayer for them, with gratitude and blessing for their story as it gets caught up in the unfolding Story of God.

Last night we heard two more beautiful stories, both of which offered the precious gift of vulnerability. I found myself thinking about them as I lay my head on the pillow last night and again as I rose to run this morning. Both of these stories are being shaped by relinquishing, by letting go of something.

A young woman shared the damage that the perfectionism she had internalized had wrought in her life and of the freedom she had found in making the decision to walk away from formal education as a bright and motivated student who was paralyzed by the fear of failure. Relinquishing expectations and opportunity has begun to heal the harm perfectionism has caused her. She concluded with eloquent tearfulness, as she described something else that has caused her pain over the years of which she is being invited to let go: her perception and experience of a profoundly masculine God. This belief has led her - as a young girl and as a woman - to question what it means for her to be made in the image of God: something which God intends to lead to wholeness and identity security, but which for her has led to feelings of somehow being "less than" simply because of her gender. As she opens herself to experiencing the femininity of God, she is continuing her journey towards wholeness and shalom.

The second story we received has also been deeply shaped by relinquishing and was told by a young man who is a relative newcomer to Communality. His two decade search for a life and community that embodies his evolving understanding and experience of the God of the Jewish and Christian Scriptures has led him into voluntary homelessness in Lexington. He shared his experience of being invited by God to be homeless for a season, to relinquish the security of home and the stuff to which he finds himself deeply attached. I found the gentle and authentic spirit with which he told his story compelling and it has continued to cause me to reflect on my own need for security and control, and the comfort I find sitting in the midst of my books, something which he has specifically chosen to relinquish.

The gift of story is profound and one for which I am deeply grateful as I seek to live more faithfully into the Story of God.

(I found the image for this post online, but was unable to identify the artist for which I apologize.)

Autumn

Staghorn Sumac
Originally uploaded by the gladdings

We've been enjoying the colours of autumn for the past month. The depth of hue of reds and oranges and yellows has been a delight to the eye, and we've been reacquainting ourselves with Kentucky flora, such as this Staghorn Sumac, and the Ginkgo trees that Maggie and Seth love. The sun has shone in blue skies and the air has been crisp in the morning, warm in the afternoon. We feel gently eased into the Kentucky climate - a mild summer, a warm autumn, and the first cold drizzle of winter today.

Most of the leaves have now fallen - some will provide a warm covering for the roots of their trees as protection against the cold of winter, and will nourish the soil as they decompose. Others will be raked, bagged and carried away, and mulch will be purchased and spread around to mimic the Creator's design with a 'tidier' aesthetic...

Revisiting one of my favourite videos - enjoy!

The men in black

The men in black...
Originally uploaded by the gladdings

Last weekend I spent a rowdy and wonderful evening with four friends who span 25 years of my life. I first heard John Smith speak at Greenbelt in 1983 (I think) - his preaching profoundly changed the way I thought about Jesus and the life he invites us into, and in many ways John set the course for the way my life has unfolded. I met Matt Russell at Capernwray Bible College in England in 1986 where, after a wary beginning, we became firm, and then best friends. Matt has shaped my life in more ways than I will ever know. Greg Leffel I met in 1998 when I began graduate school at Asbury Seminary in Kentucky, and became part of the experimental grounded missional community that he and John wanted to have a go at - Communality - which we have returned to 11 years on. Greg is one of the the brightest people I know, and I will continue to learn much from him. I met Travis Reed in Houston six years ago. He is the creative genius behind "theworkofthepeople.com" - providing visual liturgy and provocative film for the church on mission. He also makes me laugh more than any other person I know.
We spent 4 hours talking, laughing and creating another pub memory together - caught on film, of course, by Travis. The only thing missing was other dear friends of more than a decade here, Geoff Maddock and Billy Kenney.
Good times.