Moving furniture around

It's amazing to me that the placement of furniture in a room can drastically effect how we feel in the room. For example, this morning I walked into the intern office downstairs as Dr. Marshall, (also our staff interior designer), had moved a very bulky wooden table into the kitchen. The rustic black farmhouse table was also now in the work space area adjoining the intern office, providing a nice contrast to the mostly office-y pieces. It felt...good, and open. It made me want to walk through the area more as the space invited order as opposed to clutter. I found myself just standing there observing our busy interns getting ready for a full Monday. Nice.

Although I'm sure you are all dying to see the new layout, you are probably much more interested in the point of this entry. And I am getting there...! First of all, I'll ask you this simple question: when was the last time you moved furniture around in your own life? If you are anything like me, you may work from a comfy, yet dusty attic complete with dated wallpaper, a hand-me-down lazy boy, an overflowing trunk of nick knacks waiting to be sorted through and an oriental rug that hasn't been cleaned since the Clinton administration.

Here at Hope Clinic, there is always the temptation to fall into the proverbial "rut" and in contrast, the opportunity to hustle. Thankfully, we have been extremely blessed by consistent support from businesses, churches, volunteers, and prayer warriors. However, there is a distinctive choice made around here to grow and change for the better whether it means rearranging what we already have into a new formation or dreaming of something more suitable. Regardless, the mission continues to blow my mind and inspires me to clean my mess. It's never quite plausible to just start over altogether. Yet it is almost always possible to rearrange what hasn't worked in the past, and in doing so, invite life and beauty.

Take just ten minutes....

It seems all week now we have gotten a constant stream of tragic accounts of loss due to this past weekend's flood disaster. People, even staff members here, have experienced extensive (and expensive), house, car, office, loss which cannot be undone. (Don't you wish you had an undo button for natural disasters?) Fortunately, the clinic is unscathed. However, I think we all have been affected in some way or know someone closely who has.

This is a very real example of crisis and also a very real example of how it can hit anyone at anytime. You can't plan perfectly for it and you can't react perfectly to it. I for one, have been really blessed to see the community of Nashville gracefully respond as just that: a community.

Timely enough, tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer. I know there are so many global crises taking place, ranging from the oil spil off the Gulf of Mexico, to the straggling repercussions of the earthquake in Haiti, to the continued economic hardship in our country. Now, add a Nashville flood that has stolen lives and homes unexpectedly...literally a mess.

So much of what we do here at the Clinic has been founded on and fueled by prayer; it is our most valuable player in day to day activities every year. Please join us, along with millions across the country, in this amazing and powerful opportunity to make a difference. Even just ten minutes set aside to pray in the car on the way to work or during lunch is all it takes! I think it is very fair to say our Hope can only rest in Him.

"The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him." Nahum 1:7

Guest of Honor

Today is our annual Hope for the Future event at the stunning and nearby Hutton Hotel. Lily Smith has done an amazing job heading up this thing, along with our positively first-class team of staff members. As everyone around the clinic is bustling around, tweaking last minute details like the shrubs out front and the candle placement for the Open House, I feel the need to wrap my head around what's behind all the excitement. Down stairs in the conference room, there is this amazing poem I sneak down to read any time I can. I'd like to share it with you today.

"Hope is one of my favorite emotions because of its humility.
It's not like gladness or joy, which stick around just for the good stuff.
Hope is my heart's missionary. It humbly seeks fear and shame and hurt and befriends them.
Hope enters the very dustiest parts of my heart, cleans out the cobwebs,
and whispers of the promise of eternal perfection..."

-Maggie Lindley

It's really important for this "humble" emotion of Hope to grow strong in each one of us. At the Clinic, this emotion must forgo the luxury of discouragement and serve as the anchor for the thousands of men and women who walk through our heavy glass door each year. It must breathe life and refreshment in our staff and volunteers who tirelessly serve. It must spearhead the grand generosity of all who give, whether through time, prayer, or resources. Hope stays very busy. It has no choice.

And so tonight, at our big Gala, the guest of honor will in fact be Hope...I for one am looking forward to seeing it on every single face.