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Sharing the Son Means Leaving the Shade
by Sally Matheny My enthusiasm glittered with the morning sun. It was my first time serving a meal at the project. People slowly filtered into the commons area. My cheerful greetings were not returned. Instantly, I sensed a divide greater than the table between us. They had come for the food. Nothing else. Searching in Silence An inexplicable heaviness stifled communication. Icy silence, as well as sharp tongues, severed most attempts at interaction. It was obvious. We were not welcome. After helping distribute the food, I retreated under the outstretched branches of a tree. Thankfully, I’d thought to bring a lawn chair. It provided a secure…
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Share the Hope of Christ with the Mentally Ill
by Sally Matheny Share Hope with the Mentally Ill Many years ago, one of my kindergarten students, “Cody,” exhibited bizarre and sometimes violent behavior. He wasn’t malicious. Yet, he consistently wrecked havoc among the five-year-olds, causing everyone around him great stress and concern. No matter what methods we tried to encourage success for him, they only helped for a short time—a very short time. My assistant and I felt all our efforts were hopeless. And school wasn’t the only place of Cody’s erratic and raucous behavior. One morning he came in with singed hair and no eyebrows. His crystal blue eyes remained expressionless as he told me what he did in…
