Lent CB Newsletter April 2009

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    Cherith BrookPracticing God s Mercy & Gospel Resistance Vol. 3 No. 2 Lent 2009

    In the bathroom mirror, I saw big blueeyes staring back at me with bubbling tears,the beginnings of wrinkles, and crazy curly,brown hair. I poked, probed, and stretchedmy skin, trying to manipulate my tearstained face. I did this assuming it wouldsidetrack my mind from the pain I felt inmy chest.

    Abruptly, I stopped, a thought crossedmy mind. Why have I become this

    person?After some introspection, the an-

    swer is an easy one. Only momentsbefore the bathroom pity party, I hadargued with a man with whom I share abeautiful child. He is an alcoholic;Something I have known, but didntwant to admit because then I would beresponsible for the hurt I try to hidefrom the mirror. But all secrets ofshame were about to be exposed by anunexpected person.

    Two days after shoving my feelings

    down deep inside me, telling myself Iwould get to them someday, I was hurryingto the door of Cherith Brooks shower roomwith my massage stuff. A warm, sweetbreeze was blowing a petite womans sandybrown hair across her gentle looking face.The woman sat in the sun, basking in itsrays, reading her Bible. She wore a pastelpink blouse, a pair of light colored bluejeans, and clean, white tennis shoes.

    As I was bustling along trying not todrop anything, she looked up at me withsoft blues eyes.

    Good Morning, she said with a directtone of confidence. Is that an instrument?No, I said. It is a massage chair.I remember wondering, was she a volun-

    teer for the womens day or was she home-less.? I couldnt tell.

    A small space in the back corner of thestore front was the massage oasis. I sat upmy massage chair, waiting for the womenguests to arrive. The small woman fromoutside came in and was excited aboutgetting her hair cut. She sat down to eat

    will that we love others; without lovenothing else matters. You are an en-abler, take my Bible. Open it right now,

    ask God what you need, right now

    and open it.I did, not knowing a messagewas waiting. I flipped to John, chap-ter 8, Women Who Followed Jesus.She gave me her lifeline. She gaveme her Bible.

    I think this will help me, Isaid, giving her a hug. Thank you.You are truly a beautiful woman.

    Thank you and you havehelped me, she said with tears inher eyes.

    The story in John 8 is about asinful woman who washed Jesusfeet with her tears and anointed

    them with oil. The Pharisee told Jesushe could not be the son of God if he let asinful beast touch him and Jesus replied,I tell you, her sins-and they are many-have been forgiven, so she has shownme much love. But a person who is for-given little shows only little love.

    The woman from outside was themirror I needed to see Christs lovewithin me and to stop hiding from myown fears.

    I look into the mirror now, as a

    woman who follows Christ and I know I

    am not defined by my sins or others. I

    know the Holy Spirit washes me clean.

    Like the ones who have hurt me, I was

    also created from the love of Jesus. I

    have forgiven, I am forgiven, and I am

    washed clean.

    and started to chat with the other volunteers.I sat by watching, absorbed in my thoughts.There was something about this woman, Iwas captivated by her. Her essence carrieda light. I thought she was beautiful, why isshe homeless?

    Where do you go to church, she asked,bringing me out of my thoughts.

    I dont go to church. I answered.

    How do you meet with Jesus? sheasked me.

    Thrown off by this question, I sat downacross from her and said, I write.

    She looked at me, her soft blue eyespiercing through. I knew she saw me. Shesaw me beyond the image in the mirror.We started talking. She shared with meabout how her life was destroyed by crackcocaine and her husband was in prison.Then she looked at me again with herpiercing stare.

    I have been clean for a couple ofmonths and I could not have done it withoutChrists love, she said. I know that onlythrough him I can be healed. What is yourstory?

    The first thing to pop into my mind wasmy question, how have I become this per-son? I told her about my daughters fatherand how I am angry at him, because of hisaddiction.

    And what is your part, she asked me.Did you try to change him? It is Gods

    Looking Inward by Laura CornettSo Elijah did according to the word of the

    Lord; he went and lived by the Cherith

    Brook...and the ravens brought him bread

    I Kings 17

    Laura Cornett is a student at Park Univer-

    sity. She offers massages on Womens Day.

    Laura works out some of the kinks for one of our friends.

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    How Can She Sing?by Chris Brennan Homiak

    Sandwich Meat (no bologna)

    Sandwich Bags

    Mayonnaise

    Sliced Cheese

    Peanut Butter & Jelly

    Bananas & Oranges

    Coffee, Sugar, Creamer

    Vinegar (gallon size for cleaning)

    Baking Soda

    Dish & Laundry Soap

    (high efficiency)

    Toilet Paper

    Milk, Eggs, ButterBlack Beans & Brown Rice

    Canning Jars

    (for summer produce)

    Summer Clothing

    Gardening Tools

    Wood Scraps

    House Needs

    PAGE 3

    how can she sing?

    the city is threatening to condemn her house,

    the house she has pieced together from scraps

    and lived in for the last ten years.

    how can she sing?

    they are without papers in a foreign land.

    how can she sing?

    she cannot afford medicine for her sons epilepsy,

    nor technology to help him hear all he cannot see.

    she has no husband nor children who can work.

    how can she sing?

    last week their telephone service was cut off.how can she sing?

    the immigration judge in texas is asking

    to see the woman who cut the umbilical cord

    over twenty years ago

    to prove the son was born an American.

    how can she sing?

    the powerful remain in their thrones,

    the rich remain full,

    and so often she is sent away empty.

    how can she sing?

    despairing, she shared:

    Si tengo caf, no tengo azucar.

    Si tengo azucar, no tengo caf!

    how can she sing?

    her favorite (and most financially helpful)

    social worker is moving away.

    how can she sing?

    again and again,

    she says esperamos:

    we are waiting, we are hoping.

    how can she sing?when I greet her, Como esta?

    she always replies, Bien, gracias a Dios!how can she sing?

    in the middle of a meeting about their future

    seemingly barren of hope,

    she breaks into song,

    raises her hands,

    and sings of her trust in God.

    Our friend Marah celebrates her 1st Birthday,surrounded by family & friends!

    Happy 1stBirthday!

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    (Note: To protect privacy, we did not

    use actual names of any person de-

    picted in this story.)

    Don was sleeping (if you want to callit that) on the front porch of the HolyFamily Catholic Worker House in Kan-sas City, MO in the middle of winter.Mike, a man who worshipped with usat Sunday liturgy, was living in anabandoned apartment building with noheat or water. John was on the verge of

    having to live in his car. Vernon, a vet-eran addicted to crack, was living onthe street. Alan lived in a hotel for thefirst week of each month, then movedto the street until he got his nextmonthly disability check. Arthur livedin a church shelter.

    What do all these men have in com-mon? They all left their makeshiftdwellings and lived in an open room inour home --- some for just a fewmonths, others for more than a year ortwo.

    Roll the tape back to November of2004. When my spouse, Donna, and Iwere looking to buy a home in KansasCity, KS we decided to take the follow-ing words of Dorothy Day seriously: every home should have a Christroom in it, so that hospitality may bepracticed. The coat that hangs in thecloset belongs to the poor. If yourbrother or sister is hungry, it is yourresponsibility. In her writings Dorothyroutinely referred to the fact that herdifferent hosts in the cities that she

    visited harbored Christ rooms.Dorothy believed that putting all the

    responsibility of caring for the poorinto the hands of government allowedChristians to shirk their responsibilityto the poor and to gospel values. Thebureaucratization of poverty deperson-alized it and pushed it away. Dorothyenvisioned a society where a majorityof Christians harbored a Christ room intheir home and where homelessness

    was simply non-existent.

    We have no set rules in our home,except no drinking or drugs. Everyonein our community brings what they can.Some have provided food. Others havebrought their considerable fix-it skillsto save us from huge plumbing andcarpentry bills, while others have usedthe sweat of their brow to keep ouryard looking presentable. Some havecooked tasty meals, while others havetaken their skills into the community toserve at drop-in centers and overnight-shelters. We only ask each person to dowhat God has put before them. If thatmeans they must spend a good part oftheir time going to outpatient rehabclasses and attending 12 step meetings,then so be it. But in the spirit of theCatholic Worker, it is important to notethat no one owes us anything. Thegift that they bring to our home isthemselves.

    When making this decision to openChrist rooms, I had great trepidation.

    What happens if it doesnt work out?Will we be safe? Will we be drained ofour energy and emotion? Will we burnout? Will it detract from our qualitytime as a couple and from our overallrelationship?

    We have seen the vision of DorothyDay (whose picture hangs in our diningroom) at work in our home. I know, asa social worker that when persons withsevere mental illness find housing, theyhave a 50 % greater chance of recoveryfrom their illness. Duh! It isnt rocket

    science that when people have a safe,loving place, they feel better. DorothyDay knew all too well the healingpower of loving community.

    While there are no fairy tale endings,Dorothys vision has transpired. Weremain friends with most of our formercommunity members. Mike and Johnfound income-based housing in thecommunity and both still come back toour place for Holiday meals. Vernon

    chose to leave our home when we triedto talk to him about his drug addiction.But just the other day I ran into him atthe Veterans Administration. He hasbeen clean and sober now for monthsand has found meaningful work at theV.A. He will be moving into his ownapartment in a week. He was verywarm and friendly to me. Mike stayedout of trouble from the law but waseventually arrested on an old warrantand went back to prison. But we stay intouch with him and we intend to help

    him re-integrate into the communityupon his release in July of 2010. Hesays that we were the only real fam-ily he ever had. Arthur has gone fromvolunteer to a paid employee at thedrop-in center and plans to rent his ownplace soon.

    After four years, I find myself gettingaway from the fear based questions andinstead marveling at the richness ofhaving lived in community with thesemen who I can now call brother.Have there been blow-ups and stresses

    and conflicts? The answer of course isyes, but not any more than in any othercommunity Ive lived in.

    I have dropped many of the stereo-types I have held about homeless peo-ple. Instead, in the messiness of com-munity, I have been forced to confrontmy own dysfunction. Most importantly,Ive been challenged to a more radicalacceptance of myself and others.Slowly, I learn about the gentle per-sonalism that Dorothy talked about.

    And since it all depends on each

    one of us (not the government), that

    means we must try to have a Christ

    Room in our homes where we can shel-

    ter others. -- Dorothy Day

    Open your homes to the homeless

    poor. -- Acts of the Apostles

    Christ Always Has A Room by Charles Carney~ Reflections on Opening Our Home to Persons without Homes ~

    PAGE 4

    Charles Carney & his wife, Donna, arelong time friends of Cherith Brook.

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    PAGE 5

    Learning Trust by Eric GarbisonDorothy Day once wrote, Christ

    commanded His followers to perform what

    Christians have come to call the Works of

    Mercy: feeding the hungry, giving drink to

    the thirsty, clothing the naked, sheltering

    the homeless, visiting the sick and prisoner,

    and burying the dead. Surely a simple pro-

    gram for direct action, and one enjoined on

    all of us. It is that simple.

    We believe every shower signalsthe power and mystery of the Holy Spiritand baptismal waters. Even if you are notdependent on our showers and cleanclothes, by offering yourself to others you

    also walk away refreshed by baptism, be-cause you have been true to yours.

    Our decision is also a clear re-fusal to participate in the Military Indus-trial Complex that requires our money topay for war and its preparation. It has beensaid that Wars will cease when we refuseto pay for them. Some of you have saidbeing tax deductible helps you defer tocharity monies that would otherwise go towar. We have not taken away that choicefrom you. We just wont wrap it up in asystem approved by the war makers them-selves.

    The money given here will go todaily welcoming the stranger, the marginal-ized, the broken. It will also go towardparticipating today in Gods future peace-able reign by training people that the fool-ishness of cross-bearing is more powerfulthan wisdom of bearing arms. Any act ofviolence is a rejection of hospitality, thetwo cannot be separated. Our daily failuresremind us that only God can be so impar-tial. Yet in Romans 6, Paul reminds us thatBaptismal living means we are "servants"

    and "instruments of Justice," that in Christwe have been called to walk in newness oflife. Resurrection living comes after bap-

    tism, our first and most important death.A recent quote I heard sums it up nicely,"Saints are the sinners who go on trying."

    Thanks again for your support.Those of us who live here do not get anincome. We work outside the community

    to provide for our per-sonal needs. We dependon your personal sacri-fices to help us. Whatwe are given, we try togive away freely to thosein need.

    Those of you whohave given money, cloth-ing, food, work, skills,time, welcome and joy,have also taken some-thing with you when youleft: a word of blessing, apowerful conversation, aprayer, a moment ofclarity, more joy. God

    has a way of blurring the lines betweengiver and receiver. So we thank all of youwho have freely offered up these manygifts for others.

    Great news: we have finalized ourTrust! You will soon find it on ourBlogSpot. It states as our purpose, tosupport a residential Christian community

    of hospitality, nonviolent peacemaking and

    discipleship and to provide a location

    for the community to incarnate this com-

    mon mission of Christian discipleship,

    servant hood and resistance and provide

    sanctuary to the marginalized, the

    oppressed, the poor and suffering.

    This means the bank account,two community vehicles andeventually both buildings will beowned by the Trust, not any indi-vidual. We have simply formal-ized what we have been practicing

    these past few years.Why a Trust? In Acts, Luke

    the evangelist reports of earlyChristians that they were to-gether and had all things in com-

    mon. Our Trust is an expressionof learning through common liv-ing the radical and transformingnature of the gospel. Not an easylesson for sure in an individualistic soci-ety.

    Luke also reports that these followerswould sell their possessions and distrib-

    ute the proceeds-to all, as any had need.

    This Trust expresses our belief that fol-lowing Christ is a call to live at a personalsacrifice. When we do so, God providesfor the needs of all and reverses inequali-ties in our world.

    Many of you have participated in thisprocess in a variety of waysprayer,advice, time, financial giving. Several ofyou have given us gifts and small nointerest loans for the storefront totaling$61K. We are still in need of $15K inorder to pay off the lender. Then thebuilding can be deeded to the Trust.Please call us if you are interested in

    lending us some portion of what remains,interest free.

    This was also a decision against regis-tering as a nonprofit. As we studied,debated and prayed about becoming a501c(3), the questions began to changefor us: Are there Biblical reasons weshouldbecome nonprofit? Why has thechurch become so dependent on this sys-tem? How does it affect her message,ministry, witness, commitments? Thesequestions we offer back to you.

    Our Garden Needs:Bird Feeders, Baths & Houses

    Shovels, Trowels & Hoes

    Seeds, Plants, Bulbs, Etc.

    Henri, Eric & Diana Garbison recentlyconstructed the birdhouse pictured above.

    A recent Monday Night Community Meal at the house.

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    My Resignation Letter by Nick PickrellPAGE 6

    Over the past few months, Ive grownmore and more weary of many thingsIve grown up being surrounded by.

    After a few certain events transpiredtoday I have decided to take action. Ihereby am officially resigning from thefollowing things.

    I am officially resigning from hate.Relationships gone awry, people killingpeople, and people practicing domina-tion through that double edged swordknown as the tongue. These are thethings that surround us. We live andpractice these things and thesethings are no good. In the begin-ning, God chose to make man and

    woman in God's image. Thatmeans we ALL bear that image(regardless of whether or notwe've come running into Jesus'arms). By destroying one another,whether it be through verbal orphysical means, we are severelytainting that image. In turn it hastarnished our image of God. If wewere all to encourage, support,live, laugh, cry, and lay down ourlives for one another just think ofhow much more clear our picture

    of God would be. What is evenmore beautiful is that God givesus glimpses of what it would looklike if/when we all practice thatprofound sacrificial love Jesusdisplayed for us. In God's king-dom war will be studied no more,poverty will be eliminated, thetears and pain of this present lifewill be wiped away, and we willlive together as brothers and sisters--noone dominating another. Instead, wewill all submit to one another readilyand will be participants in the sharingof the most profound love imagin-able....the love of a good God who isoverjoyed that Gods children havefinally come home.

    I am officially resigning from con-sumption (which has become synony-mous with the American Dream). Ihave begun to see that our collectivepursuit of "more" has taken its toll onour world. Greed has taken over.Goods are becoming cheaper, more

    workers are being exploited, more ofthe earth is being raped of resources,more is being hoarded, more are going

    to bed starving, more is being thrownaway, and more is being dumped in thepoors backyard. No longer are we con-tent with the natural beauty of theworld as our television, we want thelatest and greatest gadget which stealus away from the things that have last-ing beauty--God's good creation. Weare meant to be together for real, notjust online. We are meant to be alone

    from time to time, not always within acell phone's reach. We are meant beirrevocably linked to the least of these,not leaving empty rooms while otherssleep on the streets. We are meant tolive in the present, not thinking twoappointments ahead.

    What we really need is to get back tothe practice of contentment and simplejoy. Play ball with someone, draw onsidewalks, jump rope, hug your par-ents, climb trees, and swim in lakes.Eat as a family and cherish the mo-ments you get to spend with them, thenthank God for the time you were able

    to spend with them after they havepassed on. Be at peace and then ex-hume it to all you meet.

    I am officially resigning from myown pursuits. Too long have I boughtinto the idea that I need to get ahead inthis world. It stands contrary to every-thing Jesus lived. Growing up in a cul-ture that promotes overtime, busyness,and individualism (do this and riseabove your neighbor) has taken its tollon me. The allure of money and fame is

    strong, but the cost required toachieve those is great. Relationshipsmove from genuine to strategic, goodintentions turn into manipulation,and contentment gives way to anunquenchable drive. I always keepcoming back to Jesus, who did notconsider equality with God some-thing to grasped, and so humbledhimself and became a servant. Heserved and God exalted him. Hebrought many different people to-gether and left behind an incrediblefamily that is inclusive--crossingsocioeconomic, ethnic, and genderlines. I have felt led little by littletowards living life of solidarity with

    the poor because there is a uniqueopportunity to experience God in thatplace. God's heart throughout thescripture has been with the poor andoppressed and if our salvation is tobe worked out together, then we getthe privilege of being liberated to-gether as well--from addiction, op-pression, and poverty.

    I am officially resigning from intel-lectualism. The pursuit of knowledgeand truthis healthy, but can be easilyperverted. Too quickly debates become

    heated. Too quickly we pounce on oneanother in an effort to prove we areright. Too quickly we assemble to dis-cuss lofty concepts without any intentof action. History has proven that theprivileged class in any given societyusually ends up hoarding knowledge(seeLetter, continued on page 9)

    Henri Garbison & Nick Pickrell lead music at

    worship during our winter retreat at a farm in

    Harrisonville.

    Nick Pickrell is one of Cherith Brooksnewest Community Members.

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    As I write this, we are entering the Season ofLent. Typically, as most of us are aware, the Sea-son of Lent is a time of looking back on previousactions and contemplating ways to make rightthose things we may not have done in the mostChrist-like manner. The 40 day period of timebefore Easter, the resurrection of our Christ, givespause to reflect and renew our resolve to becomebetter followers of His mandates. Some maychoose to rededicate themselves to being evenmore faithful servants, as they have always in-tended to be.

    I also see this as a time of renewal and an-ticipation here at Cherith Brook. We are doingjust that in many ways. Quite visibly, we are pre-paring our gardens, in anticipation of a bigger and

    better growing season than we had last year. Inhopes of feeding our friends from the neighbor-hood more nutritious meals, we calculate whatwill be planted where, how much, and when. Weeach choose a plot to oversee, a certain task tomanage, a way to include folks who want to helpus with the planting, the tending, and the eventualjoy of harvest. Weve looked back on what wedid well last year, and what we can improve onthis year. Were following Gods mandate in thisway by taking better care of the land Gods givenfor us, and for the provisions Gods allowing usto co-create with God.

    In the coming weeks, during our AgendaMeetings, community members will physicallywalk through and around all of our spaces in anattempt to re-vision what God intends for ourwork here at Cherith Brook. This is another waywe are using the Season of Lent as a time of re-newal. Our morning showers and meals, a con-crete renewal of sorts for our friends, available tofolks four days a week, have grown over time sothat were nearly always at capacity. In the timeallotted, we can usually offer about 20 showersand generally feed as many as present themselveseach morning, sometimes 40 or 50 folks alto-gether. The same is true for our Thursday nightmeals, which have reached as many as 60 in re-cent weeks. Weve also begun handing out sackdinners and toiletries on the streets on Friday af-ternoons again. We easily gave away over 30dinners in less than an hour this past week. So asyou can imagine, our time, space and resourcesare stretched, but not too thin; just stretched. Andso, we plan a re-visioning walk to discover whatGod has in store next for Cherith Brook.

    Speaking of community members, you mayhave heard that we accepted a couple of Interns

    several months ago, during the winter months.These two late twenty-somethings came to uswith the idea of learning from Cherith Brookfor a few months and then venturing out ontheir own, to start their own house of hospital-ity somewhere else in the city. It appears that,

    for the moment anyway, God had other plansfor Nick Pickrell and Micah Waters, as theyhave now committed to Cherith Brook for atleast a full year. They are not only learningfrom us, we are learning from them. Nickssense of humor is infectious. Micahs calminsightful words are always welcomed. Theirenergetic circle of friends have now becomeour friends too. It is a joy to see them all inaction in the showers, on the street, duringprayers, and playing with our children in thecommunity. God has richly blessed us throughNicks and Micahs presence, renewing our

    energy and commitments in many ways.As it happens, this year Lent begins on Feb-

    ruary 25. How coincidental, or not, is it that wewill also begin to offer a monthly WomensDay for our female friends in the neighborhood.Although still in the planning stages, we hopeto offer a variety of services that we believethey may enjoy, and not have ready access to,such as haircuts, manicures, pedicures, mas-sages, a good meal surrounded by supportivewomen, and more. That we begin this effortwith the first day of Lent is providential, Ithink.

    And yet another way we continue to deepen our commitment to thisplace and this community is that by May we will finally begin to liveour lives together by operating fully under a common purse model,sharing ALL of our monetary resources with one another. Somethingweve discussed and discerned for a long time is finally coming to frui-tion. We have yet many details to work out, but we are all certain thatwe feel absolutely called to this way of common life.

    It truly feels that during this Season of Lent at Cherith Brook, manythings are being born anew: our garden, our spaces, a new day of ser-vice specifically for women, and common purse living. We invite youto participate with us in whatever aspect of our work to which God iscalling you. We hope that youll use this Season of Lent to re-view, re-vision, re-commit yourself to the life God calls you to lead.

    Shower NeedsHouse Notes

    by Sarah CoolMens Jeans

    (esp. size 32-36)

    T-Shirts

    Underwear

    (esp. size 32-38)

    Womens panties

    (esp. 4-7)

    Shampoo &

    Conditioner

    (large bottles)

    Razors

    Deodorant

    Tube Socks

    Foot Powder

    Shoes

    Toothpaste & brushes

    Tampons

    Ibuprofen

    PAGE 7

    Early this year, Cherith Brook rejoicedin the birth of our newest

    extended community member,

    Adeena Niamh Tabor Bila,the beautiful granddaughter of

    Community Member Steve Sheridan.

    Steve plans a trip to visit Adeeena inthe near future, and will certainly have

    more photos and lots of stories to

    share!

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    PAGE 8 Through Our Lens

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    I have always associated the fasting referred to during the Season of Lent with theelimination of a bit of food for a short time. One might choose to avoid a particularfood which might normally craved, such as chocolate or coffee, for a period of 40days.

    However, as weve recently been studying at Cherith Brook in Isaiah 58, God actually has a very different sort of fasting in mind.God mandates that true fasting is to stop taking advantage of employees, to stop bickering amongst ourselves, to stop fighting withfists and weapons, to loose the chains of injustice, to untie the ropes that hold our enemies captive, to set the exploited free, to breakevery restraint we hold against one another. Gods mandates include sharing food with the hungry, providing shelter to those whohave none, to clothe the naked. God commands that we quit pointing fingers and talking maliciously, to expend our time, resourcesand energy on behalf of the hungry, and to satisfy the needs of the demoralized.

    When we choose to follow Gods word, God promises that we will be like well-watered gardens, like springs whose waters neverfail, we will be called Repairers of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. He declares that we will find our joy in theLord, we will ride on the heights of the land! This is the sort of everyday true fasting that we strive to do at Cherith Brook. Come,join us!

    Lessons by Becky EisPAGE 9

    True Fasting by Sarah Cool

    (Letter, continued from page 6)

    over those who are oppressed. Peopleend up getting abused and exploited,usually without any means of defend-ing themselves. Instead of hoarding,why not share ALL we have--possessions, knowledge, and time--withone another. After all, love holds all thecommandments together...and howloving is it to speak down to people orpass laws that end up hurting the hun-gry, the homeless, or the immigrant?

    With all of that taken care of now,here is a brief list of what Id like to

    define my life.- to be someone who is present to eachperson he meets-to be someone who treats each rela-tionship and moment as a cherished giftfrom God- to be someone who speaks life andallows it to be spoken to me.- to be someone who is devoted to thekind of family God talks about in Gal.3:28- to be someone who is devoted totending to God's creation.

    - to be someone who is deeply con-nected with the poor and oppressed.- to be someone who LIVES (fully) anddoes this or that (emphasis on LIVES).

    The unfortunate thing is that I am aforgetful person. I get angry with peo-

    ple. I get caught up in the busyness oflife. I question this calling God has puton me. I have insecurities. So, in orderto continue down this long road thatleads to life I desperately need encour-agement. We all do. It truly is a diffi-cult thing to put our collective human-ity before the individual. It is mucheasier to veg out on the sofa and watchwhat we want to watch, eat what wewant to eat, and do what we want todo. The harder and more rewardingthing is to get outside and learn to"love those our instincts say reject."

    Letter, continued by Nick Pickrell

    Micah Waters, James Gillespie, & NickPickrell having some fun during showers.

    I have been volunteering regularly atCherith Brook on Monday mornings for

    the last year, helping with the shower time.In the beginning, Ill admit I was prettyintimidated, awkward, and yes, maybe alittle uncomfortable. I have learned somuch about the people at Cherith Brook both those who are a full-time part of thecommunity, and the special people weserve. But most of all, I have learnedsomething about myself.

    Over the past couple of years, I havereally been struggling to show love andcompassion to someone in my family whostruggles with addiction issues. My hus-

    band and I tried to support him by givinghim a place to stay, giving him money,food, etc., and we were rewarded with lies,deceit, and a thankless attitude. I wasDONE with him. After spending sometime at Cherith Brook, I started asking my-self: Why am I so willing to show love,support and compassion to people I donteven know, when my heart is so hard to-wards this person I have known for over 25years? How can I see Christ all around atCherith Brook, but not see Christ in him?When I am at Cherith Brook, I hope I amreflecting the love of Jesus Christ to every-one there, but I began to feel like a fraud!

    Over the last couple of months, God hassoftened my heart towards this person, andmy anger has subsided. Ill admit it stillrises up at times, but I remind myself thathe is an addict, and that addictions canreally have a strong hold on people, and Imust love him and show him the samecompassion as I would a stranger.

    Becky Eis is a faithful Monday shower volunteerfrom Knox Presbyterian Church in Overland Park.

  • 8/14/2019 Lent CB Newsletter April 2009

    10/10

    Cherith Brook3308 E. 12th St.

    Kansas City, MO 64127(816) 241-8047

    [email protected]

    PRSRT STD

    US POSTAGE PAID

    KANSAS CITY MO

    CommunityCherith Brook is a residential Christiancommunity committed to sharing table fellowship with

    strangers, and all our resources with one another. We

    have found our inspiration from the early church, the

    Church of the Savior, and the Catholic Worker.

    MercyOur daily lives are structured around practicingthe works of mercy as found in Jesus teachings. We

    are committed to regularly feeding the hungry, clothing

    the naked, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the

    stranger, visiting the prisoner and the sick in the name

    of Jesus.

    PeacemakingAs followers of Jesus, we understand ourlives to be centered in Gods Shalom. Cherith Brook

    strives to be a school for peacemaking in all its di-mensions: political, communal, and personal, working

    constantly to undo poverty, racism and militarism.

    These three orbs can be summed up as the struggle to

    connect with the God of life. We pray that Cherith

    Brook is a space where all of usthe brokencan

    come to learn and relearn the ways of Jesus; a place to

    struggle together for Gods call of love, mercy, peace

    and justice.

    2nd SUNDAY SARCRAMENT SUN 6:30 pm

    SHOWERS M, T, TH, F 8am-NoonPRAYERS M, W, F 6:30am

    COMMUNITY MEAL TH 5-7pm

    FRIDAY NIGHT SHARING OR

    GARDEN WORK FR 2-5pm

    (Call for details: 816-241-8047)

    ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

    Weekly Schedule Who are we?

    Jesus said to her,

    I am the resurrection

    and the life. S/he whobelieves in me willlive, even though s/hedies; and whoever livesand believes in me will

    never die.John 11:25-26

    Midwest CatholicWorker Retreat

    (4/24-4/27) will expose a private

    military company,Blackwater,

    that trains more than

    40,000 people a year at tactical

    training facilities, with its newest

    near Mt. Carroll, Illinois.