Speaking of which...I have been silent for some time now here. Sorry. I recently spent a week in Boise ID. at the Vineyard there. Good week of learning and spending time with there leaders. Beautiful country and really, really a good time to reflect and refocus on God and his mission in the world. Folks from Seeds of Hope where there for a 4 day training. Vineyard Boise is taking on a huge task of creating a base in Zambia Africa. Seed's of Hope are doing great work there supplying clean drinking water and helping to create health education. Another team will be going in August. Zambia is a orphan nation of 600,000 children who have lost their parents to AIDS and disease related deaths. Boise is setting up a compound in a town of 48,000 with 45% children. Most are being raised by older siblings. Zambia is the 13th poorest country in the world. Please pray for the work there and ways that we can integrate our work here with world missions.
I've just begun reading Echoing Silence by Thomas Merton. It's an interesting look at what he calls the Vocation of Writing. He writes powerfully about the Plague of Power and its symptoms of a language greatly reduced. He calls it the illness of political language. Here's a quote..."The language of Auschwitz is one of the vulnerable spots through which we get a clear view of the demonic. It's been a while since I've read Merton and I'm reminded of the loss after picking up this book. (Or it picking me up.) Merton also says that "Alienation begins when culture divides me against myself, puts a mask on me, gives me a role I may or may not want to play. Alienation is complete when I become completely identified with my mask, totally satisfied with my role...
I'll write more about our neighborhood and post some photo's of Tahir Selah's artwork. He is a political refugee that I've gotten to know over the past month or so. His work is brilliant and I'd like to see us create an art show with him.
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