Old Orchard Garage Sales

Tomorrow is the annual Old Orchard garage sale. It will be our first one since we've only lived here 3 months. I guess it's going to be somewhat chaotic from what I hear.

We're hoping to meet a lot of people at the sale. We're planning on music, flyers, and just hanging out talking to people. We really like getting to know new people and mixing it up with our neighbors, so it should be a lot of fun. We're also hoping that God's going to do some cool things through this event.

If you happen to stop by this website as a result of the garage sale, we hope you might come and join us for one of the Sunday evening gatherings here at our home where we share good conversation and good food. We meet Sundays @ 6 p.m. at 2874 Kenwood Blvd.

Hope to see you then. Enjoy the garage sales!

Hungering and Thirsting

Last night we listened and reflected on the blessing, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they will be filled." One comment in my study of the passage stood out. The writer noted that hunger is a sign of health. Lack of hunger a sign of sickness. In a certain sense the writer is saying we can gauge our health by how hungry we are for God's righteousness.
In reading and listening to these blessings, I've begun to notice how much they have to do with our dispositions. Poor in spirit, mourning, meekness--each of these is bourne out of a heart disposition which recognizes our finiteness. If that is so, then to hunger and thirst is a natural result; when we are empty of ourselves, only then can we truly begin to experience a hunger and thirst to fill.
What do you think?

Blessed are the Meek

Tonight we listened to Jesus' words "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth." Our hunch is that, just like the rest of the beatitudes, meekness must be understood as arising from the heart and will. The beatitudes are less prescriptive and more descriptive--this is how things are in the kingdom. These are the kinds of people, the state of the heart, of those who belong to God's kingdom. Meekness, then, describes more a state of being than of doing.

Next week we'll attempt to explore what it means to hunger and thirst for righteousness. Maybe we'll see you there. Peace.

A Prayer for Today

O Lord our God, give us grace to desire you with a whole heart,
that so desiring you we may seek you and find you;
and so finding you, may love you;

and loving you, may hate those sins from which you have redeemed us,

for Jesus Christ’s sake.
Amen.

--St. Anselm 1033-1109