October 17th, 2025
Friday, October 17th
Impact
By: Pastor Todd Crofford
In 1986, Henri Nouwen was well known and getting more famous by the day. He had written multiple best-selling books, was an esteemed teacher at Harvard School of Divinity, and was sought after as a speaker in both Protestant and Catholic Circles. But that year he left all of that to serve at L’Arche Daybreak, living amongst and caring for the intellectually disabled. Nouwen determined it was one thing to write about serving God within the context of community, but greater still to do it.
Some might look at this move as reducing his impact in the world - Nouwen saw it exactly the opposite. As an old man reflecting back on his life he said, “I discovered that the things I was most concerned about—success, influence, power, and security—are not the things of God. What I most need and what I found in community are vulnerability, humility, and the willingness to forgive.”
In Matthew 25, Jesus’ parable puts these words into his Father’s mouth,
'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
We easily associate impact based on number of followers, books sold, or prestigious opportunities, but impact comes by living in community. As we do life alongside others and humbly serve, it is Jesus we are loving.
Impact
By: Pastor Todd Crofford
In 1986, Henri Nouwen was well known and getting more famous by the day. He had written multiple best-selling books, was an esteemed teacher at Harvard School of Divinity, and was sought after as a speaker in both Protestant and Catholic Circles. But that year he left all of that to serve at L’Arche Daybreak, living amongst and caring for the intellectually disabled. Nouwen determined it was one thing to write about serving God within the context of community, but greater still to do it.
Some might look at this move as reducing his impact in the world - Nouwen saw it exactly the opposite. As an old man reflecting back on his life he said, “I discovered that the things I was most concerned about—success, influence, power, and security—are not the things of God. What I most need and what I found in community are vulnerability, humility, and the willingness to forgive.”
In Matthew 25, Jesus’ parable puts these words into his Father’s mouth,
'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'
We easily associate impact based on number of followers, books sold, or prestigious opportunities, but impact comes by living in community. As we do life alongside others and humbly serve, it is Jesus we are loving.
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