Hi everyone,

One of our Core members, John Bloss from our house here at Centre Street is very playful.  He has a game he loves to play called "hide the object".  It can be whatever you are reaching for...a cup of coffee, the salad, a bread knife, etc.  In this picture above, taken at Tom Krysiak's birthday in September, John had playfully taken the glasses of Trish, who is in charge of the assistants. He then placed them on his own face and Trish had to pretend she had lost or misplaced her.

But as I watched this game, I was touched by his playfullness, but as I look back on this photo, it touched me at a deeper level.  John in putting on the glasses was showing me how we need to look at things through other people's lives.  It is easy for us to look at something and see only one side of the story.  It is easy also for us to judge and draw our own conclusions. But when we take time to look at a situation through the eyes of another, we have a new perspective, we see clearer.

Living with the core members, you are invited to see with their eyes, to witness their lives, their story. It can be easy to jump to conclusions, to determine what their needs are.  But then we see them and their story and they show us what their needs are.

I look at my own story and journey of faith.  It would be easy for people to look at me and draw their own conclusions.  They could say I know what Jeff needs (or more like "what I need from Jeff"). But if people stop and allow themselves to listen to my heart story, to see with my eyes what I am living...this is giving me the freedom to live this year as I need to do.   This is seeing my year through my glasses, my story. 

People often say "We're praying for you to come back to Riverview".  I respond, "don't pray like that...pray instead that I will be open to where God is calling me to love".  That will free me to be open to God's voice.  Kep me in your prayers.

Until next time....

Jeff