Thanks and Blessings Upon Each of You
This has been a very special Lenten season. Each of you has contributed immensely to this discussion, and I have no doubt that much fruit has come out of it. I know I still have much to reflect on. I have appreciated hearing from each of you, as you strive to live “In the Name of Jesus.” Many of your comments have resonated with me. I have felt understood, and it has given me hope. Thank you for sharing so deeply and so consistently. Thank you for sharing of yourselves, and radiating the love of God.
May our lives continue to be fruitful. May we each be men and woman of prayer. May we daily practice confession and forgiveness, and may we develop a habit of theological reflections. All so that Christ’s name may be lifted high.
God bless,
Brynn
p.s. You may be interested in the website for the project I am working on at the Henri Nouwen Archive: http://www.utoronto.ca/stmikes/kelly/nouwen/nouwenletters.html
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April 12th, 2010 @ 8:56 am
Thank you for all your encouragement, but of course the truth is each of you made this discussion full and deep and fruitful!
Piet, I’m so excited to hear that you received a letter from Henri! That is exactly what my current project is all about. I’ll be in touch.
If anyone else has a letter from Henri, even one, please do contact me! Henri truly believed in the value of letters! In his lifetime he carefully saved and organized all his letters, and we believe he left the Legacy Trust with the task of collecting the letters he wrote, and making them available to future generations (while respecting the privacy of the individual).
All the best to each of you,
Brynn
April 10th, 2010 @ 2:59 pm
Dear Brynn and participants of the Lenten discussion,
Thank you for all your words. They gave me the feeling we are all inspired by words of Henri Nouwen and more deeply by the way Jesus showed us. It was difficult for me to understand all what you put forward, because of the language barrier. I am aware that all of us live their lives and see the reality that insight on this moment.
In 1995 I wrote a letter to Henri Nouwen to thank him for his books that had meant much for me. Within two weeks I received a letter from him. I expressed also a little bit of criticism, referring to his enthusiasm in every new book he wrote, with a new truth he had to bring. I realise now that I wanted to understand every new point he put forward. I forgot that that was of course not obvious. This is what Henri answered me: “….in me there is a kind of enthusiasm that seems to be a little bit too easy. Still I can tell you that when I write I am usually fully there and put down what I experience in the moment without realising that in other books I have expressed similar enthusiasm about other things. But maybe that is a little bit of naiveté shining through. It is not always easy to know the difference between being a child and being childlike but I feel that I am more and more called to become a child as Jesus says.”
Well, that is what I hope for you all: to become more and more a child as Jesus says.
God bless you,
Piet Hanemaaijer
April 9th, 2010 @ 4:23 pm
Thank you from me, too, Brynn. Your moderating was great and your questions and the way you structured the book study helped tremendously in getting me to think more deeply, but also thanks to all the participants because their entries also helped tremendously. I’m coming away with more of a feeling of a whole community that is on a different path of leadership than what is sometimes held up to be the way and I believe as I share and discuss with others right around me these things that Henri Nouwen was writing, I’ll be better equipped to find all the points of intersection with people right in my church and community. Thanks again!!!!!!!
April 7th, 2010 @ 8:30 am
Thank you, Brynn for moderating. You did a great job. I enjoyed the time here and was blessed.
God bless you all.
Mirjam
April 6th, 2010 @ 8:27 am
Hi Rose,
Thanks for the note! It is true, you are not alone… many people read my name as Bryan. In fact Brynn is also a male name (it is Welsh), so it would be hard to know in cyberworld either way. But, it is true I am a woman! Thanks also for the relationship advice. I want to glean as much wisdom from others as possible.
Brynn
April 5th, 2010 @ 2:29 pm
Thank you Brynn for your leadership. Now I will admit that until about two weeks ago, I thought you were of the male species because I read it as “Brian with a “y” for some reason. I wrote to admit this last week and forgot the 4 digit code so it didn’t register and I gave up — but I thought today it would give some smiles and I sort of think I wasn’t alone.
I believe you asked the marriage question and after decades I will say, “never allow a communication breakdown”. Too much maritial resentment builds up because of pure and simple misunderstanding and how men and women think so differently while both being right yet so wrong, all at the same time. (The old book - men from mars, women from venus give wonderful examples of this & we all could probably write our own as well.
Seriously now, I had planned on opting out of this Lenten (blog), but found myself here and the content helped to cultivate what is already growing and plant some new seeds as well. Thank you all — especially you Ms Brynn
Blessed, Happy and Joy-filled Easter SEASON to all –Let us remember that we are only on day 2 with 48 more Easter Days to go…
- ALLELUIA - ALLELUIA!!! - Rose