10 Things I Like About Carmel–Part II
Posted Jul 30, 2012 - 6:21 pm by Clint Porritt
Continued... Click here to read PART ONE.
I've been reflecting this week on my work environment here at Mount Carmel. Why is it that I work here? Why do I love this place so deeply? Where do I see God at work? My reflections led me to sketch out a "10 Things" list which I hope to relate over the next week or two.
7. Dropping By – One of the things I love about Carmel is that our space is more home than institution; more like a family than students and faculty. In college I made appointments to meet with my professors, came early, knocked quietly, took the seat closest to the door, talked about the thesis for my paper and left. At Carmel students and alumni drop by, surprise you in the doorway, flop down on your couch and begin flipping through the stuff on your desk. We might chat about paintball and music and homework and church and relationships and eventually may get around to the big question they’re burning to ask. And on a really good day, they bring you a slurpee.
6. Dropping Everything – Carmel is not exactly schedule bound. Sure we have a whole lot of schedules: chapel schedule, academic schedule, ministry schedule, community meal schedule… it’s hard to keep up. But people stuff–service, celebration, care and prayer–trumps stuffy schedules. A tug of the Spirit or an unanticipated phone call and we’re all off to shingle a home, attend a funeral, prepare a meal, rake a yard. Anyone who’s experienced Carmel knows that on any given day–at a moments notice or absolutely no notice–we might just drop everything to make room for bigger things.
5. Forgive and Forgive – It’s impossible to avoid tensions and conflicts in a community like ours where we’re spending a lot of intense time together. A miscommunication, an insensitive comment, a complicated friendship, a joke gone too far–everyday signs of living as broken people in an imperfect world. Yet in the middle of our brokenness, this family regularly comes together to breath deeply God’s grace. In these moments we are witnesses to God’s good work of reformation and restoration. Hugs happen, sorry’s are spoken, and conversations continue. At Carmel we live forgiven and learn forgiveness.
Thanks for reading. If you've connected with this please "recommend" this article below or leave your own thoughts and reflections on our Carmel Community Facebook page. Stay tuned for upcoming and final Part III coming later this week.
