things you never want to deal with

Fire. It's not something that happens to other people. We lost almost everything in a house fire yesterday. This is the room it started in - what was Luke's room. No human was hurt, but a furry member of the family went to kitty heaven. We will miss our baby Starbuck.

praying, thinking and more praying

I'm not sure of the origin of this blessing, other than is a Franciscan blessing. Craig Groeschel shared it during his speech at the Summit. I attended my 5th Leadership Summit these past 2 days. I have a lot of thinking to do, and this blessing just might be at the core of my reflections:

May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.
Amen.