Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. Ephesians 3:8-9
“More than anything else it is the loving contemplation of the Maker that causes the soul to realize its own insignificance, and fills it with holy dread and true humility, and with abundant love to our fellow Christians… I was greatly moved with love for my fellow Christians, that they might know and see what I was seeing, for I wanted to cheer them too…”
Julian of Norwich (c.1342-1416) in Julian of Norwich: Reflections on Selected Texts by Austin Cooper (London: Burns & Oates, 2001) 38.
Special thanks to Shannon and Amy Rodgers for trays of pulled pork nachos (pictured above) at Mark and Kate Whitsitt’s house. Shannon smoked the meat himself special for my visit, though in pain recovering from a car accident. His sacrifice blessed me. Would you pause to say a prayer for his healing from neck pain, back spasms, and the brain tumor the scans revealed?
That’s right, Shannon had the bizarre gift of a car accident to reveal a benign brain tumor that needs to come out.
I wish Jenni was here. What’s sweeter than fellowship with friends? Many ask me: What’s Jenni doing back home when you travel? While I stay with our friends, Jon and Maria Searles, in East Hampton, Connecticut, and teach at Faith and Work 2.0 up in Keene, New Hampshire, today with ECFA colleagues, Sam Huggard and Paul Voltmer, she’s serving on a parallel track.
Jenni and I are about as far apart in the USA as we can be, and yet, we feel like we are walking hand in hand.
While I serve God all over the world as the Generosity Monk, in “loving contemplation of the Maker” she serves as the Soulcare Anchoress, helping people anchor their souls in Jesus. Like the Apostle Paul before us, we share generously the riches of Christ and His abundant love with others. While my work is often speaking and writing, she’s commonly meeting with women, providing spiritual direction, and serving in other ways.
Click to learn more about the Soulcare Anchoress, the perfect complement to the Generosity Monk.
Like Julian of Norwich centuries ago, Jenni has been “greatly moved” by God’s love which inspires her to listen graciously to people and love them well. She also encourages spiritual practices that invite people to put themselves under the spigot of Jesus Christ so He can fill them with His abundant love. She directs people to living water, the only water that satisfies.
My free gift to you today is this: subscribe to the spigot for a biweekly drip.