Mai Gray

At his mother's memorial service on May 29, 2010, Jarrett spoke of her elegance. I remember seeing Mai Gray for the first time at an eighth grade orientation at Paseo High School. More than a typical school open house, this was my introduction to racial diversity. Mai was in the role of a host. Her son, Jon, was in my class but she had two older children  and was already a parent leader.
When I saw her, I knew she was important. The way she dressed; the way she carried herself; her tone of voice; her confidence; and the way others responded to her. I remember the warm gracious greeting she gave my parents. For the last forty-five years we have never spoken without Mai inquiring about my mother.
I have witnessed the integrity of her careful affirmation of core Gospel values in many meetings. I have observed the way she brought people together and built bridges of hope and encouragement.
Even the memories are a blessing!

stems, pits and pods

Fresh fruit are among the delicious joys of this life. But eating fresh fruits (or veggies) involves dealing with the stems or pits or pods. In the moment of slurping up the fruit, the stems or pits seem an impediment. But they are the connectors, seeds, and protectors of the fruit itself.
The Christian life bears the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control). Galatians 5:22. But the Christian life also includes our methods of communication and decision making which allow the fruit to form and ripen. We cannot have one without the other.
I am often frustrated by what I call "church work" ... which involves having care-full conversations (speaking the truth with love) and meetings that allow us to discern and finally make faithful decisions.
Abiding in the vine (part of fruit production) is vital to producing the fruit of the Spirit.  Teresa of Avila once said of prayer: The purpose of prayer is to produce virtue.  Prayer is the ultimate stem that connects us with the source of growth, life and Spirit.

Digging Deeper

An ad on the morning news touted the hard work of R.J. Dutton as they claimed to dig deeper. Hard work and solid research are positive values. The ad closed with a shovel embedded in the earth at the edge of the Grand Canyon.  It was a big hole they dug!  Comparing themselves to the majesty of nature (not to mention Almighty God) betrays a misplaced sense of self.
Earlier in the morning my contemplation was seeded by these poetic phrases from Wendell Berry's Leavings:
Out of charity let us pray
for the great ones of politics
and war, the intellectuals,
scientists, and advisors,
the golden industrialists,
the CEOs, that they too
may wake to a day without hope
that in their smallness they
may know the greatness of Earth
and Heaven by which they so far
live, that they may see
themselves in their enemies,
and from their great wants fallen
know the small immortal
joys of beasts and birds.