17 to 18

17 to 18

Friday, November 21, 2008

Year 4 -- Time again to Do Justice, Love Kindness, and Walk Humbly

How do I start again with words to convey feelings, to enhance your spirituality, to show you a gift that is the best gift I have ever received in my life.
Maybe I should start with the title. Those 6 words are on the t-shirt that we all got last year at Back Bay Mission.
I just got on there website www.backbaymission.com and found the entire quote from the bible.

.....and what does the Lord require of you but to do Justice,
to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8

A good place to start. It is eerie for me, because Micah is the first name of a former student of mine, who is somewhere in East St. Louis, I am not sure what life is like for Micah now, I am not sure if he finished school, I am not sure if he has a home, I am not sure if he was cold last night....
For a long time in my life, I was 6'8" so that number also has a familiarity to me. I think God is telling me, calling me, and reminding me that although I have done some things in the past, he has much more for me to do. Micah represents to me a lost opportunity, a failure, an incomplete novel...
I am reminded there is always something one can do. And there is always something more that one can do. I want to introduce you to or continue that concept in your life. I do not want to take you on a service trip. I would like to introduce you to a lifetime of service.
For those of thus, who have been in Biloxi will agree with me, when I tell you that Eva May has given me more with her sweet southern kindness and fried chicken than I have ever given her. The girls have told me that although they gave Miss Mary a new garden, a lot of paint, and the ability to move into her house after several years. Her kindness and stories they received in return meant and still mean so much to them.
Quite simply, this is our world and it is our time to do something. Rev. Don Morgan, a Baptist minister, was a strong presence in our last 3 years. He always said, "If you hammer 1 nail into 1 board you have accomplished something, from there everything else you accomplish is extra and special."

Last year the motto of our group and especially our students was always to do something extra this included the Dallas Cowboys swing, the restocking of Loaves and Fishes, the shoe collection, and so much more.....

What will we leave this year? what will we share?

Two men of strong character just competed for President. These are the words of the winner, but I think his words can reflect the feelings of all of us.
"This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can. Thank you. God bless you."

See you on the 3rd

John Magee