The first week of pursuing the broken heart manifesto is complete. I had many great conversations over email, facebook, phone, and beer with best friends, new friends, and people I don’t know how to describe other than “heros” who I would never expect to give me the time of day, and yet I am humbled by their excitement and willingness to struggle with me over the purpose and meaning of the text.
Kim and I spend a bit of time pulling together our thoughts on what it looks like to pick up the manifesto with a community and attempt to live it out in flesh and blood with others. Quite a few people have responded on various levels, and we’re excited to see what happens. So, in many many ways, it feels as if things are coming together.
And yet, this next week will be difficult.
It is time to slow down on the “Reading, Writing, Thinking, and Planning” and spend more time loving. I have looked into the eyes of strangers and wondered about their hopes and pain. I have yet to actually attempt to respond. With out daring to respond, the pondering is pointless. So, this next week, I intend to figure out how to live into people’s hopes and pain.
As soon as I begin thinking about this, I remember why it is so important to love locally. It would be so easy to send $25 to some charity and call it good-enough-for-now. But, there are people in need of justice, and hope, and healing, within a mile of me. (For that matter, there are people in my own family in need of hope and healing.) So, I begin.
If you have not read “Irresistible Revolution” by Shane Claiborne, please read it now. He tells the story of local selfless love better than I ever will. Kim and I are reading it together, and its ruining our life.
May it ruin yours as well.
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