It's pretty amazing for me to look back at this last year of blog posts. One year ago, I was posting about my application for the Reconciliation conference at Duke Divinity School, the dinners we hosted for the legal clinic team, and plans for CLCP's first Pro Deo Conference.

Today, Ted is typing away to promote our second annual Pro Deo Conference, I am trying to decide on drinks and appetizers for our clinic team "debrief" this Thursday, and the themes from the Duke Reconciliation conference still weave their way into my reflections on my life and faith - many of which will be picked up at this weekend's much talked about Justice Conference in downtown Philadelphia.

In between these markers, it's been quite a year. One month after registering for the Reconciliation conference, I witnessed a shooting on our block, while nannying for my neighbor's baby. That sent me on a several month journey that included seeing a counselor and going away more regularly for a day or two at a time to help handle the trauma (Wayne, Glenside, California, Maryland and even a long weekend in Orlando in December.) The Duke conference was thought-provoking and allowed me to hear some key messages from God. It was also great for getting away to a beautiful space, but on the deepest level I found myself wondering, "what does this all mean for me?"

The day I returned from the conference, God blessed us with a housemate, Janira, who is still living with us. Two months later, I decided to quit my nanny job and started to dig into my new part-time job as director of development at CLCP. I continued working Wednesday and Thursday morning's at Oxford Circle Mennonite Church. As a part of my processing journey, I've been asking for awhile what God is shaping me for and what plans He has for me. I am excited for the women's retreat coming up at my church in April, which will center on the theme: "finding our identity in Christ." This syncs with another layer of what God has been teaching me, that who I am is founded in Him; it will never be defined by my work, by others, or outside circumstances.

"Because I live, you also will live." - John 14:19

On that note, I'll close ;)

(Is there something you'd like to hear more about? Say it in the "comments" section below, and I'll write more about it.)

Living well in Orlando

In early December, Ted and I spent a few precious days in Orlando. This came in response to the longstanding invitation of our friends, the Wilcoxes, who made the move from California to Florida about five years ago. I hadn't seen them in that long! This long weekend 'getaway' was also the capstone in a series of mini-retreats that I needed in the wake of the stressers of last April.

God provided the makings for our trip (airmiles + generous invitation from friends + 2 vacation days.) We landed in Orlando on a Friday night, and the rejuvenating time began!

Not only was the time peaceful and quiet (Mike and Joan live in a beautiful, newly developed neighborhood in Orlando, with a papaya tree out back!), but we also saw many amazing sites along the way:

the annual fair at Fort Christmas, 

the town of St. Augustine 

the gorgeous sun at Cocoa Beach,

and real live manatees! 

(Note: the one I'm dancing with is obviously fake. The real ones were in the spring, pictured left.)

 


Intersperse this with some competitive but friendly card games, a moving church service and tour of Pioneers mission headquarters (where Mike and Joan serve), and you have a tiny glimpse of this great weekend for us.

Perhaps most meaningful for me were the times to reflect, enjoy the quiet, and to be ministered to by conversation and the Saturday evening church service we attended. As I went forward to receive communion, Mike extended the cup to me and said, "A painful love gift, given for you." Wow. In that moment, I heard the good news and it swept over me in a fresh way, as if I was hearing it for the first time. I was astounded and moved. I can see even more clearly now how the Spirit was doing an important work in my heart in that time.

Thank you, Mike and Joan!

Staff Retreat

Imagine sitting by a warm fireplace, on a comfortable couch, with a journal and Bible in hand, looking out at a scene like this one. This comprised at least half of my day at CLCP's first staff retreat, which took place last Monday. I'd like to share with you excerpts from our director's recap of that day. In it, you'll find ways you can be praying for us (highlighting in particular the fourth paragraph below):

Dear CLCP board,

                I wanted to report to you on what came out of our staff retreat, and our extended time of prayer, reflection and fellowship. The legal ministry is God’s work and it is a work of the spirit.  It will emerge from our life with God.

                Our theme was “Nothing is Impossible with God.” We looked at Isaiah and how God cares so much about Justice and the Poor and how he showed his mercy even in judgment by providing the Jews and the world with a Messiah. Isaiah shows us how things are now, how they will be in the near future, how they will be when Christ comes, and what the heavenly kingdom will be like.  So we can look at our world and realize there is more than we can see now. That is helpful when we look at how big the problems are that we are trying to deal with.

                Wendy led us off with a lesson on loving as Jesus loved, and took us deep into John 17 and what it means to be one in Christ, to be one as He is with the father, that type of unity. We left feeling closer to that oneness, and if I could pick one thing that emerged from our time it’s that we want to build on that with our clinic attorneys. 

                We are concerned that we are lacking spiritually, on clinic day, which is our main event.  That we come from work, all business, give advice, go home for dinner. And that what happens behind closed doors, in our clinic offices, could be better, for the attorney and the client.  We’d like to encourage attorneys to come spiritually prepared, maybe even listening to a good tape or music on the ride down.  We’d like to get attorneys there a half hour early, and have a good time of prayer and preparation that is inspiring and gives some food for thought, a transition from the work day. Have people praying for the clinic time, seeing it as a divine appointment, taking the time to minister effectively. Then afterwards, have a meal together and a time to debrief, right there at the clinic. And see the time spent as given to the Lord, even if clients end up not showing up. This will take some set up by us, and cooperation from the attorneys. We also need to constantly be incorporating new attorneys into this fellowship. 

                We talked about our spirituality.  That’s not our vision, or our plan, or our procedures.  It’s what we look and feel and sound and smell like.  We are in the justice and reconciliation business.  It’s a people business. Our goal is changed lives.  We deal with poverty at its root – broken relationships, with God, family, employers, everyone and everything. That takes time. We need help from our community partners.

We talked about loving like Jesus loved, what that would look like.  There is a humility and gentleness that is needed that may seem unlawyerly, and in some sense we need to give up something to get there.  We are all so busy.  It’s an enemy and obstacle to our work, which asks volunteers to donate time they don’t have.  We need to model an unbusy lifestyle.  “I have time for you. No, I’m not busy.” We value busyness, and we shouldn't.

                We’d like to model an effective approach to sharing the gospel with our clients.  We want to have non-Christian clients, and clinic attorneys. We need to struggle with the tension that will bring; it’s a good tension – not everyone will agree with us. A local pastor and friend asked Ted and me if we wanted to go with him to share the gospel to a friend’s son last Friday at 6 pm.  I wish I had said yes and gone with him. I missed an opportunity....