And a Whirlwind of New Life

Clearly, it would not be good to leave things hanging too long with "Death" as the leading blog post.  :) Mostly, because that is not a full depiction of current reality.  You see, ever since things began to "fall apart" in the summer (see previous post), God has decisively inserted points of new life.  Because it would be ridiculous to put it anywhere else on the list, we'll start with...

OUR BABY!

27 weeks strong

While there are aspects of pregnancy that feel far from "life-giving," on the whole these last six months have been a lesson in patient cultivation.  For example, there were weeks when I no longer wanted to exercise: what was the point?  I hadn't felt comfortable running since the first trimester, I wasn't training toward any particular goals, and I was being saddled with new limitations (and pounds) with each passing month.  I could whine about it (and I did), but I also began to see it as a chance to try different things.  I've done water aerobics.  My yoga practice has shifted and deepened.  Last week it dawned on me that I could get my heart rate up by playing basketball-- score!  And this morning I noticed a hula hoop, picked it up, and spent longer spinning my hips than I have in decades.  Additionally, I've come to accept that while I can't say I'm training for another 10K or going up 30 pounds on power-lifts, I need to remember that I'm in training for birth!  I do my squats and try to keep my body in condition to move and breathe and share life with our growing little child.

In other words, I am prodded into new ways of living as I grow with our baby.  Sometimes it's fun and sometimes it's not, but there's no question that it is of God.  I am fascinated by the new kinds of conversations I have with total strangers, and Christian and I have been drawn into communities of parents, whether through friends, childbirth classes, or church.

CHRISTIAN'S NEW (SAME) JOB
On so many levels, we were blessed with a new life together when Christian accepted a promotion to work for his building's management company.  He still works at the front desk of a residential high-rise downtown, but he now works day-shift Monday through Friday.  We felt like giddy newlyweds this winter as we spent our first "real" (Saturday-Sunday) weekend together and got accustomed to joint dinners.  (This in contrast to his working swing and day shifts Sunday through Thursday nights.)  Christian has been encouraged and affirmed by his co-workers and the building's residents, and it has been refreshing to work for a smaller, better-run company.

CITY HEIGHTS CHURCH COMMUNITY
We don't have a name or a building or anything especially snazzy going for us, but there's something very peaceful about being the Body of Christ in our neighborhood in an evolving, organic way.  It's about a dozen people in a living room on a Sunday evening.  We are all passionate about God's work of love, grace and justice in our midst and we are learning how to pursue that together.  For now, that is enough.  There is prayer and hope and centering in worship of God while attending to the practicalities of real life.  That is new and very very good for me.

BUT WHAT ABOUT URBAN MINISTRY?
If you're a ministry supporter, follower, or friend, I would expect you to be asking precisely that!  That is next up on the blog list, so stay tuned...