Christ Among Us

In my first ever blog I mentioned Mary Morris-one of Kara's best friends and someone I've grown to love and appreciate. Mary has cancer and is in the midst of battling the chemo/radiation treatments.

Last night was our last time to see Mary for almost two months for she is returning to Morgantown, WV (where Kara grew up) to be with her family and close friends. As we were saying good bye it dawned on me how important our weekly gatherings had become (sometimes every other week). There was no plan of action when we came over, usually a call from Mary saying, "Hey, I've got way too much food--can you and Kara come over and help mom and I eat it?"

You never have to ask me that question twice. Usually we talk about politics, our conservative religious views (ok their conservative religious views) and the latest movies.

I did not realize this until last night, but we sort of formed our own dysfunctional church over the last few months. People would come over all the time to see Mary, and when they left, they always felt a sense of renewal in their faith journey. The one we were supposed to bless ended up being a blessing. The Kingdom shows up in my life in the strangest ways: people I initially failed to notice, circumstances that seemed mundane or predictable--and then, wham! The traces of God in our midst shows up so obviously even if only for a few moments.

Kara and I will miss Mary and Lois (Mary's mother) while they're gone. Not only are we losing great neighbors (they live right across the street) but we're losing Christ among us. Pray for God to fully dwell in Mary's life as she continues to wrestle with the cancer in her body.