More food for thought...

Hello:

Hey, with holidays upon us and schedules crazy, how does this sound?

For those who can and want to, we’ll meet at 3^rd Street Pizza just before 4 on Sunday afternoon to watch Secretariat…maybe we’ll stick around for pizza or coffee or whatever afterwards.

No get together Sunday, the 26^th, but we’ll pick things up Sunday, January 2 at our house at 6.

Merry Christmas!

A couple of thoughts or “micro-brews” of the reflective kind:

I was out at the Trappist Abbey last Friday and was visiting with Brother Mark. I was discussing how I believe people desire and need to have a hope for the future…he said, “And hope for the past.” I’d never heard that phrase. But it makes sense, doesn’t it? That kind of hope helps us believe that events, people, trials, regrets and things we’ve tried to forget are “redeemable” somehow, some way, some time, through the help of a God whose arm is not too short.

Second thing…don’t know if you’ve seen the YouTube video of Narayanan Krishnan, a former chef in a 5-star restaurant in India, who quit his job to care for, feed and reach out to the destitute, homeless and elderly in his city.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiC_9RHTvsA

One person commented on Facebook that this is what Christ came to do? Is this guy doing it “in Christ’s name”? What does that mean? Is it the words or label that makes it “in Christ’s name”? Or, is it the actions? Or both? Or either? One person referred to him as Brother Teresa. I like that. Food for thought…

Another week...

I don’t know about you all, but last night was a highlight of my week. To hear more stories from each others’ lives, to hear different views on what is the body of Christ, to hear times of “the best ever” alongside times of apparent “abandonment by God”…very challenging and encouraging.

When Lyn shared the desire to be challenged, a thought ran through my head…the honor of challenging one another…In the book of Hebrews, chapter 10, verses 24 and 25 say something like:

Don’t stop getting together…keep challenging and spurring one another on to what it is you’re supposed to be about – love and good deeds…

I don’t know what this “group” is headed for or what it will look like. I do know this…God is a relational God…he wants us in relationship with him and with other people.

While there was some anxiety expressed about “dividing” too fast, know this…we’re not out to make that happen any faster than it’s supposed to…on the other hand, cell reproduction is part of a healthy organism…can we trust as we grow and “multiply”? It can be scary…but “scary” is a life I’ll take over safe…

Who knows? We might even try a bit of music next week…music of the iPod variety, not me singing J.

After most left last night an idea was floated about us pooling some of our giving for Operation Smile…take a look at: http://www.operationsmile.org/

We can talk about it next Sunday.

Mike and Joyce sent this link. If you have time, read it… 

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/12/04/1957457/dont-blame-the-man-in-the-skybox.html

So, as always, thoughts and questions are welcome…

Til next week,