Everybody Dies, but Not Everyone Lives, by Josh

Since I came to Los Angeles I have spent a lot of time on the weekends playing Ultimate Frisbee in a park high up on a mountain under the famous Hollywood Sign. This has been a great catharsis for me to release all of my energy and work out any anger I have from the previous week. Through this activity I have also gained a lot of good friends, many of who I hang out with even off of the field. Some have even asked to come to church with me. I have also had the pleasure to have several of my roommates and old friends come to play with us. 


[A few weeks ago], I went to the field expecting the usual Saturday game. Upon arriving, I was informed that one of our friends had passed away. This information really blew me away. Our friend Tom was only 24 years old. I found out that cancer was discovered in his body less than a month ago, and now he is dead. I realize that people all over the world die every day from many different causes, but it still makes you stop to contemplate life when it happens to someone you know. A lady from First Pres. Church of Hollywood died this week in a house fire. You never really know when it could happen to you. 

Think about what you did last year, last week, yesterday, this morning. Would you change what you did if you knew that it was your last day on this earthly plane?  This reminds me of some song lyrics that I wrote last year:

If you were given a warning 

that you’ll die in the morning,

what would you do with tonight?

Would you throw a big bash?

Would you blow all your cash?

Would you try to set things right?

If you were told by a friend

That tomorrow’s the end

What would you do with today?

Would you release all your fears

After all of these years,

Or would you simply run away?

If you are not happy with your day to day life, change what you are doing. Pretend that you knew that you would die tomorrow.  How would you spend your last day? Would you want to talk with your family or friends? Would you rather spend your last living hours watching television? What is the point of not enjoying life? Many people say that they are not happy with what they are doing, but that it will all be worth it for the payoff in the end. Do the ends justify the means? Sure, you can plan for the future, but at what date in the future does the happiness begin? Lately, there have been many billboards put up around Los Angeles that proclaim that May 21, 2011 is the end of the world. This may or may not be true. I personally don’t believe it to be true, but it could be the last day for any of us. We might as well live as if it is. 

I’ll finish this blog with the story of Tom’s memorial.   A few of Tom’s closest friends organized an ultimate Frisbee extravaganza memorial. After church I got a ride to the North Hollywood Park to find games in full swing. Tom’s friends were grilling, having some drinks, laughing, and making new friends. It was estimated that over 70 people showed up throughout the day,and this wasn’t even planned until [a few days before]. It was a great day of enjoying life.  They had a box of some of Tom’s things, like dvds, books, and posters, that they wanted people to go through and take, to enjoy and think of Tom while they do. Overall it was just a great celebration of his life. I’m sure Tom would have had an incredible time if he were there. At the end of the night somebody said that we should have gatherings like this more often. I thought that the comment was very true. It shouldn’t take somebody dying, for the rest of us to really live.

Remembering that Death is Conquered

"I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction." - Hosea 13:14 (King James Version)

Call it "winter blahs." Call it "The Januaries." The afterglow of the holiday season seems to always be a time of heaviness, a time of reckoning. This year, in particular, our Dwellers have had to deal with deep personal loss in a concentrated way. Between November and now, we've suffered the passing of three grandparents, and have been praying for the health of many other friends and family members. It is always hard to balance what we believe, that Jesus has conquered death, and what we feel: Sadness, emptiness, maybe even some regrets.

This week, the Dwellers and I traveled north to Valyermo and visited St. Andrew's Abbey, a Benedictine monastery up in the mountains. This is becoming tradition, as it serves as the perfect backdrop to a solitude retreat, one where we practiced silence in prayerful hope that we might find better reception for the voice of God, putting Psalm 46:10 into practice ("Be still, and know that I am God.") We were directed to visit the cemetery, which made sense on several levels. The austere desert mountain bleakness echoed with what many of us are feeling. In the dimness of January, it would seem like there exists a small death of fervor for the mission. Joy seems to be taking a nap.

Which, I'm reminded, is okay. I found myself contemplating the Saturday (or whatever day it actually was) that Jesus was neither dying nor reborn, between the cross and the rising. What a dark day that must have been. I can hardly imagine. But it turns out alright, gloriously better than ever expected. Jesus rises, having conquered death and re-establishing true hope for humanity, now and forever.

So, we take heart. In our grieving over loved ones who've passed, we look to the empty tomb. In the funk we find ourselves in this month, we can look to the energetic and passionate letters of Paul. We have so much work ahead of us within this mission, in this neighborhood, and with each other, and find ourselves overwhelmed. But we take heart, ask for prayer over the coming months, over the health of the garden, over the health of the little community and the heart it brings to the neighbors. And we settle back down in the hope that Jesus will encourage us, will strengthen us, will support us.

He has and He is and He will.

To all the groups and folks that will visit us this year, we pray that the amazing work of God, the powerful love of Christ, the energetic passion of the Holy Spirit will be revealed in surprising and purposeful ways to you.

Blessings abound, even in this desert.

Matthew

Alex, Kenna, Wendy, and Will with kindhearted Brother Cassian.