I simply asked this question on a post almost 3 months ago, hoping I would get lots of feedback from thoughtful people. I have my ideas about how to answer – ideas I am sure are unique to say the least. But I am sure some of my readers do as well, and I would not want to miss out on the wisdom that surely could be shared.
But I only got 4 responses.
I was bummed.
And then tonight, I find this video on You Tube where an artist asks the question and supplies thought provoking art in response.
Please watch the video, and respond…
Perhaps there is a worthwhile discussion to be had even yet…???
Fat Beggars School of Prophets 
here is what HOME, means to me.
SAFELY HOME…May 18, 2015
May 18, 2015⁄The Gathering Journal ⁄Edit
“Because you have made the Lord, which is our refuge, even the most High, your habitation; There shall no evil befall you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling. For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Psalms 91:9-12
Driving home from our trip to the mountains, we encountered a mixture of weather; High winds, hail, sunshine, rain, snow, icy roads, patches of fog, and clouds touching the mountain-tops. At times, it was un-nerving as the truck slid beyond our control.
Although these different scenes of weather were extreme with temperatures and conditions varying drastically, if you looked…you could find God in all of them. Some were more pleasant than others, I’ll admit, and you didn’t have to search for Him too hard; But even in the dismal freezing cold, and the dark looming storm clouds…if you searched for Him…you WOULD find Him.
It reminded me of how life can be. At times, the deafening winds of despair howl at our door, and drown out the voice of peace. Sometimes, we’re in the sunshine, walking on the mountain-tops and feel as though we could almost touch the face of God. Other times, the storms of life come and we’re pounded and drenched in doubt that overwhelms and fear that freezes us in our tracks! Every once in a while, we hit a patch of fog in our journey home. This is the time when our faith kicks in… if we KNOW Jesus. We can’t see what’s ahead, or behind us…all we can see, is where we are. There’s no turning back…like the song says, “I have decided to follow Jesus…no turning back…no turning back!”. What’s done, is done. All we can do is move forward into the unknown and trust God to keep and guide us until we reach our final destination.
We need to look for God in EVERY situation and trust Him, because He IS there…and He WILL lead us safely home. He promised!
By: Anita Mondragon May 2015
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“He which testifies these things says, ‘Surely I come quickly, Amen.’ Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” (Come and take us home to be with you) Parenthesis, mine. Revelation 22:20
“There is nothing on earth that can satisfy our deepest longing. We long to see God. The leaves of life are rustling with the rumor that we will…and we won’t be satisfied until we do.” Max Lucado from his book: When God Whispers Your Name
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The smell of Chile simmering on the stove…the fireplace ablaze with warmth and light. Rain falling quietly just outside my window…Home.
If home is this compelling here on earth, I have to wonder…what will heaven be like?
Will there be pies cooling in the window of my Saviors’ kitchen? Will He have a big pot of something delicious simmering on His stove? Will the fire in His hearth bathe me in warmth and light? Or, will He be all the warmth and light I need? Will I hear thunder roll and see lightening light up the sky? Will pure, glistening diamond like substance fall softly to the ground?
Is there a sky? Is there ground as I know it? Or will I skip on clouds? I have to wonder…
The only thing I know for sure is: I will be HOME! My REAL home…my eternal home, my meant to be home.
We all long for home. It is a void placed within us by God Himself. We use phrases like: “Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.” Or, “Home is where the heart is.”
It is really our eternal home that we all long for. No matter how many things we buy to decorate and spruce up our homes here on earth, we are never satisfied. There is always something that seems to be missing. Something more we want…something more me need…something just beyond our reach.
It’s the call of Heaven. Our hearts long for this blissful place of rest and acceptance. This place of refuge, where the lion will lie down in peace with the lamb. No war, no famine, no tears, no death. Only peace and love!
Let me tell you friend…it’s NOT beyond your reach! Jesus, and your eternal home are just a prayer away. He invited you years ago when He stretched open His arms wide on the cross and said, “Come to me…and I will not cast you away!” He died for you…He died for me so that we could go where He is.
Just tell Him you want to go home with Him…He will make sure that you do!
By: Anita Mondragon 2014
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Anita,
Thank you so much for your response. I really appreciate it.
This may seem counter-intuitive (or maybe not), but I resonate most with your comment about smell and fire. The smell of food in particular. In your case that is Chile simmering and a fire place blazing – casting its light and warmth throughout the home. These things are universal, I believe and indispensable parts of “HOME”.
There is more too, but these are the two things you said that I resonate most powerfully with.
I read a book called Beyond Homelessness by Bouma-Prediger and Walsh several years ago that really helped me to think more clearly about HOME. Not that I agreed with every word of the book, but mostly yeah… AND it definitely opened my imagination up to the notion of HOME in ever more powerful ways. I highly recommend it. And there in that book I began to think of spiritual and metaphysical dimensions beyond the four walls and a roof. Evidence of family and celebration of family and love inherent in the culture of HOME. The TIME – as in years especially – spent in this dwelling means memories of Christmases, birthdays, family reunions etc – but even bad times too suffered TOGETHER that drew us closer into bond with one another. HOME surely involves these things…
When I was growing up, my Dad’s career required that we move every few years – usually several hundred miles away from the last place. I grew up all over the Western USA. My family stayed in tact (until I was grown), but we did not – strictly speaking – have a HOME. On the other hand, my aunt bought a small, humble, even frumpy little house in a small town, raised her kids there and her grandkids there. Her great grandkids run the roost now (though they live elsewhere). But several generations of that branch of my family call that house HOME, and it bears the marks alright. If the walls could talk … well… actually they do. There are growth marks on the door jam in the back stoop. There are scars on the walls from where the kids drew with crayon. And my fav… the coffee cup hooks over the kitchen sink with each person’s name on it – some of them from nearly 30 years ago.
And I have memories there too. Old memories. I do not have my own childhood home to visit, but I have that one, and it is as close as I can get.
Smells of food, fireplace, the view out the window – even just the fact of a kitchen reflects on “MOM”… these cultural artifacts have social significance, spiritual significance. They tell us we “belong” here – or that we don’t.
This is “SOUL” stuff, and I have not even begun to speak of Heavenly Home or God’s Promised Land yet. Btw, Bouma-Prediger and Walsh take us into those realms too in amazingly imaginative ways as at the end of each chapter, they exposit/expose a given passage of Scripture to unearth the meaning and sense of HOME therein. You have to read it to see what I am saying, but I assure you, it is an exercise that thrills your spirit!
Yes. And after thinking through this kind of stuff, then applying it to homeless ministry illuminates things previously unseen. I mean it is so easy to jump in and presume that if we bring the compassion of Jesus to the homeless and perhaps a blanket, cup-o-soup, and some socks that we are going to make a change in someone’s life… But that is rarely the case.
Then we go back to the drawing board and start thinking about cause/effects and plan strategic moves to address the problems “Practically” as opposed to some naïve compassionate prayer. Suddenly we begin thinking about “enabling” vs job training and so forth. But sadly, all the wisdom of the world has not actually made the profound change we were looking for.
And finally we come to HOUSING FIRST, and there seems to be some real traction in the remedy, but I submit it still is not HOME FIRST, and that you actually can be quite wealthy, live in a fine mansion, and still miss out on HOME.
This is the kind of conversation, I am looking for.
Thank you for your input. And please… think on it and engage some more!
I appreciate your considerate response.
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Thank you so much for your words of encouragement! Sometimes when I post things…I wonder if anyone is even getting the message from the words I put on the page! Know What I mean? I will look into reading that book…sounds interesting! I am enjoying your blog posts as well! Keep on testifying! If you haven’t yet read books by Max Lucado…pick one up…any one, and you will be blessed beyond words! Thanks again!
anita
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Anita,
Thanx for reading and engaging. I very much want to develop community and in community. To share and grow together.
Thanx also for your kind and encouraging words.
As for Max… you’re gonna love this… he and I went to the same school. He went before I did, but he came to speak to us. Always a big event. A good guy. One of our treasured grads!
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