{"id":2694,"date":"2014-07-18T11:55:40","date_gmt":"2014-07-18T11:55:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oshetablogs.wordpress.com\/?p=2694"},"modified":"2014-07-18T11:55:40","modified_gmt":"2014-07-18T11:55:40","slug":"blooming-where-im-planted-why-im-staying-in-cambridge-not-moving-to-the-city-and-shamelessly-surrounding-myself-with-birds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/shalominthecity\/2014\/07\/blooming-where-im-planted-why-im-staying-in-cambridge-not-moving-to-the-city-and-shamelessly-surrounding-myself-with-birds\/","title":{"rendered":"Blooming Where I\u2019m Planted: Why I\u2019m Staying in Cambridge, Not Moving to the City, And Shamelessly Surrounding Myself With Birds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

The timid prayer warrior wore socks with sandals and disclaimed her odd vision of birds while praying for the Sunday service.\u00a0 \u2018There\u2019s someone here who feels like a bird with a broken wing. God wants you to know that he sees you. He\u2019s mindful of the birds.\u201d<\/p>\n

And I, a lonely visitor, cried hard and quiet in the audience; I was that bird. I felt like we were flying towards a bright horizon and now, we\u2019re grounded. Shot down by circumstance and improbabilities. With broken wings and broken dreams, I was desperately seeking God in this \u201cin between\u201d space after<\/em> our church plant and before<\/em> the \u201cnext big thing for God\u201d we\u2019re called to do.<\/p>\n

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From \"Ponderings of An Elect Exile\"<\/a>
From \u201cPonderings of An Elect Exile\u201d<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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\u201cJust be\u201d. I sensed when I went back for prayer. \u201cJust be.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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So I went home and researched \u201cgrounded birds\u201d and broken wings. Did you know that when a bird\u2019s wing is broken, shortly after the initial break the Rescuer is advised to hold wrap the bird up and hold her close to His body? The warmth and the closeness comforts the scared, injured, confused bird. The next suggestion I found was that every bird will experience a season of \u201cgrounding\u201d. Even though it\u2019s in her nature to attempt flight, the Rescuer knows she\u2019s not ready, so He grounds her until her wing is restored.<\/p>\n

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And I sensed these words again, \u201cJust be. I\u2019m mindful of the birds.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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So, for now, I\u2019m giving up my dream of moving into the city. That doesn\u2019t mean I don\u2019t love the city. That doesn\u2019t mean I don\u2019t seek her Shalom. And that doesn\u2019t mean I don\u2019t have hope. Just right now, I\u2019m a little broken. I can\u2019t quite handle the flight into her storm. I need to be grounded. I need to just be and let Him be mindful of me.<\/p>\n

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After this acceptance, I wrote this Facebook Status.<\/p>\n

\"Screen<\/a><\/p>\n

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Then, I looked around my kitchen\u2014my public housing, fairly drab kitchen and decided, to make beauty right now and bloom where we\u2019re planted. <\/strong>Thanks to the Nester and her book, \u201cThe Nesting Place\u201d I was inspired to make this beautiful gallery wall in my kitchen. I\u2019m surrounding myself with birds to remind myself that although I\u2019m broken\u2014I\u2019m still loved.\u00a0 Although I\u2019m grounded\u2014I\u2019m safe.\u00a0 Although I\u2019m small\u2014my Rescuer sees me.<\/p>\n

\"wallart\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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So, for the next couple of years, we\u2019re here in Cambridge. Still living in public housing. Miles away from the urban community I romanticized as my mission field. Maybe God\u2019s just asking me to be in still and nourished in his field of dreams.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_4711\"<\/a>
At the end of our family vacation we decided to go to a game and showing of \u201cField of Dreams\u201d at Fenway. For me it was a to celebration of our time here and a commitment to listen to the still small voice to build greatness and seek beauty right in my back yard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Maybe.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m already sensing those dreams he might be dreaming when I\u2019m ready to fly once again.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a young mama here who wants to start an enrichment program on Thursday night for the kids in our development. Maybe I can help her dream.<\/p>\n

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There\u2019s a church nearby teaching cooking classes to the kids in a housing development nearby\u2026maybe I can learn from them.<\/p>\n

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The school that my kids go to right down the street needs an artistic mom to help with the talent show next year and my son\u2019s middle school needs a parent liaison. Maybe I can partner with other parents to advocate for our kids education.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Cambridge isn\u2019t Roxbury where I pictured our church plant; it surely isn\u2019t Dorchester where my husband works with proven risk teenagers. Cambridge isn\u2019t New Orleans where I cut my teeth on urban ministry\u2014but it\u2019s home. It\u2019s where this broken bird is grounded. It\u2019s where God is asking me to bloom.<\/p>\n

Blooming Where I\u2019m Planting and Grounded with my Rescuer,<\/p>\n

\"signature\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Today\u2019 I\u2019m linking up with Lisa-Jo Baker, Five Minute Friday.\u00a0 Click the picture and give us your best, unedited, straight-from-the-heart words on \u201cBloom\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"From<\/a>
From the Five Minute Friday Facebook group!<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The timid prayer warrior wore socks with sandals and disclaimed her odd vision of birds while praying for the Sunday service.\u00a0 \u2018There\u2019s someone here who feels like a bird with a broken wing. God wants you to know that he sees you. He\u2019s mindful of the birds.\u201d And I, a lonely visitor, cried hard and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3037,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,537,495,548],"tags":[541,542,543,544,545,229,21,546,547,549],"class_list":["post-2694","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","category-ministry","category-the-city","category-the-suburbs","tag-birds","tag-bloom","tag-broken","tag-fenway","tag-field-of-dreams","tag-five-minute-friday","tag-jesus","tag-seen","tag-sparrow","tag-wing"],"yoast_head":"\nBlooming Where I\u2019m Planted: Why I\u2019m Staying in Cambridge, Not Moving to the City, And Shamelessly Surrounding Myself With Birds<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The timid prayer warrior wore socks with sandals and disclaimed her odd vision of birds while praying for the Sunday service.\u00a0 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