stones and love

Today's reading from Acts 19 tells of those who came from Antioch and Iconium, who influenced the crowds to stone Paul. And when they were done, (ie. pretty sure they had killed him) they dragged him out of the city. Imagine the frenzy, the intenisty of their fear and rage. Don't mess with our beliefs buddy!


But then the disciples showed up, surrounded him and behold! He got up and headed for the nearest bed and breakfast for much needed rest and then....what? Oh, he didn't head for the B & B? He went back into the city? What kind of crazy fool goes back into the place where people tried to kill him? Oh yeah, Jesus. And you, and me.


I have to believe that there was divine power in the disciples surrounding Paul as he lay dead on the ground. Just goes to show - grace and love abound in those who surround us with their love...thank God for them today and may you be given the strength to rise up and continue to love....even those you don't really want to love today.

spilling sweat, not blood

"It's when we start working together

that the real healing takes place.

It's when we start spilling our sweat

and not our blood."

David Hume

I took this photo inside the AIDS Chapel

at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco.

violence

"All violence is the result of people

tricking themselves into believing

that their pain derives from other people
and that consequently those people deserve
to be punished."

Marshall Rosenberg