Deliver me, O Jesus

From the desire of being loved,

From the desire of being extolled,

From the desire of being honoured,

From the desire of being praised,

From the desire of being preferred,

From the desire of being consulted,

From the desire of being approved,

From the desire of being popular,

From the fear of being humiliated,

From the fear of being despised,

From the fear of suffering rebukes,

From the fear of being slandered,

From the fear of being forgotten,

From the fear of being wronged,

From the fear of being ridiculed,

From the fear of being suspected.

And, Jesus, grant me the grace

to desire that others might be loved more than I,

That others might be more esteemed than I,

That in the opinion of the world,

others may increase and I decrease,

That others may be chosen and I set aside,

That others may be preferred to me in everything,

That others may become holier than I,

provided I become as holy as I should.

god, write this on my heart

Love without courage and wisdom is sentimentality, as with the ordinary church member.
Courage without love and wisdom is foolhardiness, as with the ordinary soldier.
Wisdom without love and courage is cowardice as with the ordinary intellectual.
But the one who has love, courage, and wisdom moves the world.
~ Ammon Hennacy (Roman Catholic activist, 1893-1970)

perseverence and purpose

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
-----because the LORD has anointed me
-----to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
-----to proclaim freedom for the captives
-----and release from darkness for the prisoners,

2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
-----and the day of vengeance of our God,
-----to comfort all who mourn,

3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
-----to bestow on them a crown of beauty
-----instead of ashes,
-----the oil of gladness
-----instead of mourning,
-----and a garment of praise
-----instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,
-----a planting of the LORD
-----for the display of his splendor.

-isaiah sixty-one : one through three


http://www.shanebweb.com/lyrics.html
[check out the song "beauty for ashes" under the upstairs album]

i am encouraged by what i see happening week after week at our meetings--people showing up to share in an active pursuit of justice. i do not doubt that there are big plans in store for us. this campus is ready for change; so is our church, and so is our world. when we spoke earlier tonight about our own lives--about the simplicity we are pursuing and at the same time lack--, i realized how much bigger than us this movement really is. we are shaking things up on campus and in our own churches (and in our own lives most of all), but there is so much left to be done; nevertheless, persevere. we can be the change; through christ, we are the change, and never let anyone tell you otherwise. stay strong over spring break, and i look forward to seeing you again on the twenty-first.