Little Pockets of Love: Reflections from “Down We Go” (part 2)

Posted on Nov 13, 2011 in Spirituality, The Church | 0 comments

As I shared in an earlier post, Kathy Escobar‘s book “Down We Go”, really spoke to me.  I was in California this week, visiting different expressions of how the family of God is on mission together on the other side of our nation.  I interviewed three people who are in the trenches much the way Kathy is in her context.  Anyone who has been trying to live like Jesus in the margins for any period of time, understands the “theology of brokenness”, “invisibility” and the lack of true community that Kathy speaks of, even if we aren’t as skilled at putting it into words.  I wanted to shout “AMEN!” the whole time I was reading this book. Unfortunately, I was on a plane when I read it so I could only whisper “amen” to myself.  This post is my way of shouting it to the world.  These are just a few of the quotes that made me want to shout.

“Inside each person is the image of God just waiting to be discovered.”

 

“A theology of brokenness embraces our spiritual poverty, questions, doubts, and desire for love, hope and redemption, and reminds us that the stink and the beauty are wrapped into one.”

 

“One of the biggest problems in every community, including most churches, is that so many people actually feel invisible, worthless and purposeless…The problem of invisibility has nothing to do with money or religion.  Invisibility has to do with our disconnectedness from the heart and soul of another  human being, which then disconnects us form the reality of God.”

 

“As we acknowledge our own pain, we cultivate the ability to feel, comfort and enter into the pain of others, too.  Before I started embracing my own painful story, I was unable to have true compassion for others.  Sure, I could offer simple, trite advice or offer to pray, but I didn’t connect on a deep, heart-level because I wasn’t in touch with my own heart.”

 

“Jesus was never about words without actions.  He was always about real love…Over and over, we see him model direct interaction with people, primarily those on the fringes.  He worked with a select group of people and invited them to practice love, which meant engaging those on the fringes.  We have complicated many of his simple ways.”

 

“If we are going to be able to love our neighbor, we must at the same time learn to love ourselves, to let God’s love touch our hearts.  Self-hatred, self-doubt, insecurity, depression, disconnectedness, and loneliness plague so many yet we often haven’t created spaces that help shift these damaging patterns.”

 

“My working definition of church is: “People gathered together in some way, shape, or form to learn and practice the ways of Jesus and pass on love, hope, mercy, justice and healing in a broken weird world.”

 

“Imagine the shift that would happen if people actually viewed Christians as cultivators of little pockets of love.  Pockets of love are places where the gospel can be lived out through hearts in action.”

 

“I think our families, neighborhoods, cities, and the world can be radically changed if more intentional communities – little pockets of love – are cultivated.”

 

Where are you seeing “little pockets of love” in your community?

As Christians, how can we “cultivate little pockets of love?”