GUEST BLOGGER: Finding Virtue through Pain

Greetings, JAR readers! 

My name's Josh.  To those of you who don't know me, I'm jruss' little brother.  Let me preface by saying that jruss requested that I do a guest post on this blog for some time, and I've been putting it off for one reason or another. I told her that she would have her post by January, and January came and went.  Now that February is almost over,  I'm finally sitting down and writing said blog post.  Why did it take me so long to fulfill a simple request?

Originally, when asked by jruss to make this post, I planned on doing a piece on Shalom, or the hebrew word for peace.  Then I figured I would write on my time at Passion 2012, a conference where 45,000 twenty-somethings all traveled to Atlanta to learn more about Jesus.  Neither of those posts ended up being written. 

Again, for those of you who don't know me,  I'm predisposed to being lazy. If I'm not careful, that laziness can consume whole days, or even weeks of my time.  Because of my sluggish nature, over the years i've crafted scores of excuses for why I don't get things done on time.  I'm too tired.  My room needed cleaning.  I'm not good at time management.  There's too many other things on my plate.  I forgot.

Which brings me to the nature of today's post:  The topic I'd like to discuss is the process of manning up. Allow me to define the the phrase "to man up."

Africa & Celebrities

I find this fascinating...

Celebrities map of africa

Can I have Mauritania? :D

Source: http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/03/africa-celebrities-madonna-oprah-brangelina-george-clooney

Dinner with the Girls

It was an absolute pleasure having you over tonight. Thank you for coming!

Antje & Jruss

Just Enjoy...

The following are a few quotes from "Broken Bottles", a sermon Rob Bell preached back in January 2011. Wow - his words resonated with me BIG TIME. 

You have been told a lie, as if you have control or power. You don't. All that is left for you to do, is to give yourself to your work. All that is left is to give yourself away and enjoy it!...you do your part, I will handle the rest.

Just enjoy it...

The outcome. The results. How you are heard. This is My problem. Your problem is to just give the gift and enjoy it and know when to walk away.

Let go... 

When you acknowledge the vapor, now you can actually enjoy...
When you face the possibility that your actions might not bring about the results you desire. When you surrender your desired outcome, and when we acknowledge our powerlessness. Now we are free to enjoy. And we may even be able to help somebody in the process... 

We are invited to trust. Is there some issue that is hindering your joy because you are so caught up in the outcome of it and you are terrified that your efforts might have been futile? Today maybe we just need to say, hey they are futile, and it's okay. You can still have joy...

Happy Birthday Aunt Penny!

I hope you feel celebrated and loved today!

The Well of Grief

This poem was read at a funeral I attended today...it touched me deeply. There is so much pain in this life...but in the pain, we can also find healing.

The Well of Grief 

Those who will not slip beneath 

the still surface on the well of grief 

turning downward through its black water 

to the place we cannot breathe 

will never know the source from which we drink, 

the secret water, cold and clear, 

nor find in the darkness glimmering 

the small round coins 

thrown by those who wished for something else. 

-David Whyte 

Dr. Arky, thank you for reminding me to have an Attitude of Gratitude. 

JustNeem at Whole Foods Market in Cary, NC

JustNeem rocks a new display at the local Whole Foods in Cary, NC. These organic solutions to skin care are amazing, even if I say so myself. Hats off to Mom, Dad, Jeffrey, Leslie and everyone else at JustNeem!

NPB

I just found out that you can watch the National Prayer Breakfast on C-Span. This was an incredible volunteering experience! 

"Wilberforce and Bonhoeffer saw what others didn't see, and we celebrate them for it." -Metaxas 

"We are imperfect vessels." -President Obama 

For those interested: 

Eric Metaxas: starts around 34:30 

President Obama: starts around 1:07:14

Snuggle Basket Full of Sunshine Kisses

This made our night! Thanks Camille! Happy Valentine's Day! 

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

JAR Award of Excellence - February

Each month we like to highlight something that spreads hope and love across the globe. And this month, I'm excited to present a group I just learned about at the Prayer Breakfast.

This month's JAR Award of Excellence* goes to the creative folks behind the record "My Favorite Enemy." Great job on this record!

This record brings together artists and songwriters from Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. They are part of a group called "The Middle East Project."

A bit of their story from the website:
"Over the past 10 years, we have created and nurtured real and sustainable relationships between colleagues all over the world, on both sides of the conflict. MEP is the sum of individuals, relationships and projects - all sharing the same vision. We continue to keep on meeting, year after year - to develop new initiatives, and to deepen and broaden our circles of relationships and influence -- no matter the political climate or events on the ground."

*At JAR we celebrate creativity and collaboration, especially in underserved regions and areas of conflict.

Stalking producers

So this is how it works!
"While writing and recording for his own album, Steve came in contact with other artists who developed an interest in his songs for their albums, and accidentally fell into a songwriting career as more and more opportunities arose."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Kipner

Success

I received the following email from a coworker. It made me smile, and think twice about how I calculate what success looks like in my life: 

In the interest of helping realize our vision to understand work-life sustainability, I’d like to share this article by Geoffrey James that I just read.  Enjoy! 

-

Think that success means making lots of money?  Think again. 

Pictures of dead presidents have never made anybody happy. And how can you be successful if you're not happy? And buying things with that all money isn't much better. A new car, for instance, might tickle your fancy for a day or two–but pride of ownership is temporary. 

Real success comes from the quality of your relationships and the emotions that you experience each day. That's where these 10 questions come in. 

Ask them at the end of each day and I absolutely guarantee that you'll become more successful. Here they are: 

1. Have I made certain that those I love feel loved? 

2. Have I done something today that improved the world? 

3. Have I conditioned my body to be more strong flexible and resilient? 

4. Have I reviewed and honed my plans for the future? 

5. Have I acted in private with the same integrity I exhibit in public?  

6. Have I avoided unkind words and deeds? 

7. Have I accomplished something worthwhile? 

8. Have I helped someone less fortunate? 

9. Have I collected some wonderful memories? 

10. Have I felt grateful for the incredible gift of being alive? 

The questions you ask yourself on a daily basis determine your focus, and your focus determines your results...

  

celebrate

“When we can celebrate and truly own what it is that makes us different, we are able to find the source of our greatest creative power.” 

          –Aimee Mullins: A Work In Progress from The Moth Podcast 

Prayer

"Dear lord thank you for giving me the strength and the conviction to complete the task you entrusted to me. Thank you for guiding me straight and true through the many obstacles in my path, and keeping me resolute when all around seemed lost, thank you for your protection and your many signs along the way, thank you for any good I may have done and I'm so sorry about the bad. Thank you for the friend I've made, please watch over her as you have watched over me. Thank you for finally allowing me to rest I am so very tired. But I go now to my rest, at peace knowing that my time on this earth, I fought the good fight, I finished the race, I kept the faith." 

          -Eli, The Book of Eli

Being Perfect

“Racial pain may be the lot of dark people, but God doesn’t have to explain it. I just have to trust the Lord to direct me through it. I realize, finally, that God never expected me to be perfect. Man did. And woman, And white folks. And black folks. The world did. But all the while, the Lord was saying, “Child, you’re ok with me. Being perfect is my business. Being is yours.”

          -Patricia Raybon, My First White Friend 

Empanada boats

Kate took us to dinner with her community group. We ate a whole boat of empanadas.