Five Finger Gospel. . .

"Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you? And the king will answer them, truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me."

Matthew 25:31-46

I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. . . instantly I think of food. I am always thinking of food - I suppose it is why I am a lifetime member of weight watchers! I have fasted, intentionally or unintentionally skipped a meal for a variety of reasons, however, I have never experienced the lack of some type of nourishment to feed my body. This is not boasting, merely confessing that I do not know what it feels like to be so hungry that I would do just about anything for the substance.

The folks at our new church home, Milford Hills UMC have and continue to bless us with food. Fresh food from their gardens, homemade cobblers, meals, and even an old time pounding to help stock out pantry. They have modeled out radical hospitality to our family in ways we have not known before. . . we are certainly blessed.

I am also thinking of another type of hunger, maybe one that I can relate to more readily than something I put in my mouth. Oddly enough, it is food that came from the mouth of others. I have experienced times in my life when I was starving for the spoken words of love, encouragement and hope. I wanted so desperately to hear these words that I worked extremely hard to fill that emptiness with other things. . . some not so healthy. I felt as though my soul was starving. My husband Chris reminded me "there are folks starving for a sense of worth, to feel as though their life has value and meaning." If you have ever had anyone dismiss or diminish the quality of your life, you have expereinced a taste of what he is talking about.

I was hungry and you gave me something to eat.

I was hungry and you fed me.

I was hungry.

You acknowledged me.

You spoke to me.

You whispered words of love to me.

You fed me.

You. . .

May the eyes of our hearts be opened to those in our midst - our world - who are starving for food; whatever that look like.

May the peace of Christ be with you.

gloria

Say Goodbye to. . .

the non-essential resources in your church library that are taking up room and creating clutter.

We all do it. We look at the old books on our shelves, many outdated and most likely no longer relative to our culture of the 21st century, BUT we just cannot throw them away. WHY NOT? We tell ourselves it is disrespectful to throw away old resources especially if someone donated this book some 65 years ago in memory of a loved one. What about the old Bibles we continue to store with shredded binding, torn and yellowed pages, we know we would not carry them around but think there just might be someone, somewhere that could use this. Really? I mean after all, we own numerous versions of the Bible. You know what I am talking about. . . Researcher George Gallup points out that so many Bibles have been printed in the United States "that even rough estimates of the total number published to date do not exist." 92% of households in America alone own at least one Bible and the avaerage household owns three.

What now? Give yourself permission to let go of the old to make room for the new. There are agencies, libraries, collectors, and others anxiously awaiting for these old resources to make their way down the pipeline.

Let's make our church libraries conducisve for browsing, invitational, and contagious. Why not offer a coffee hour in your resource center? Comfortable chairs, a little paint, lights to read by, create an atmosphere that folks desire. Get them excited about what is available in your resource center. Highlight new resources in your newsletter or other publicity sources your church uses. Have an open house or reading session. . . be creative!

There are some classic resources you will not want to discard. . . when in doubt, ask. There are also countless dated resource you will want to discard. Take ye authority! Do what Nike says: "JUST DO IT!"

A Novel of Redemption. . .

Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos is a wonderful story of redemption.

Sally Holscher recommended this book on the Daily Voice and curiosity got the best of me. . . so I ordered the book. I must tell you I was not disappointed! In this beautifully created story of redemption, a community of the most unexpected folks live together in a home. Through this story of love and grace, lives are transformed through the incarnational healing power of Christ in others.

The book is richly layered, compelling, and given the chance, will drawl you into each step of the journey. Broken for You ends with thought provoking questions in the back of the book. It would be ideal for study groups, women's groups, or anyone who is ready to allow the redemptive power of God to transform their lives.

Through this book, the "God Family" image has been truly redefined! If curiosity gets the best of you and you give this book a chance, let me know what you think.

Peace of Christ be with YOU!

Mudhouse Sabbath

This new resource, Mudhouse Sabbath written by Lauren F. Winner came highly recommended to be by my friend Susan.

Lauren converted from Orthodox Judaism to Christianity and finds that her life is still shaped by the spiritual essences of Judaism - rich with religious practices and traditions that she cannot leave behind. In Mudhouse Sabbath, Lauren takes a look at eleven spiritual practices that can transform the way we view the world, and God. These practices include: sabbath, fitting food, mourning, hospitality, prayer, body, fasting, aging, candle-lighting, weddings, and doorposts. She does a beautiful job of comparing the religious practices of Judaism and Christianity, with a wonderful insight and honesty.

This resource is a quick and rich read. I recommend you view it for your personal use in addition to being a wonderful read for a group looking at all aspects of evangelism in the life of their congregations. You can find this resource at Cokesbury bookstore as well.

Happy Reading - shalom bayit: peace in the home; harmony between family members!

Spirituality in the Second Half of Life. . .

What are the signs that you have or may have entered into the second half of life?

• You learn to be gentle with life and yourself.
• Being successful in life looks different - more geared toward looking at the legacy your life is leaving, recognizing the presence of God in every and all moments, recalling all the names you were trying to pull up in a conversation, and finally realizing that you no longer have to be the life of the party just enjoy being there.  
• You learn to accept life in life's terms: it is what it is and a mentality that readiness is everything.
• You begin to nurture your inner relationship - how is it with my soul?
• You are no longer guided by your ego but by the spirit within.
• You develop the ability to laugh at yourself - most of the time out loud!
• The dust on the dresser becomes a canvas for creativity.
• You find yourself day dreaming of long walks on sandy beaches with a loved one, movies and popcorn, the warmth of the summer breeze blowing in your face. 

I suppose I better understand why folks say that the second half of life is golden. As you go about your day today, no matter what half of life you find yourself in, pause to be aware of God's presence in your midst, mind, and soul. 

May the peace of Christ be with you!

gloria   

Shore and Ground

Keep walking, though there's no place to get to.

Don't try to see through the distances. That's not for human beings.

Move within, but don't move the way fear makes you move.

Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened.

Don't open the door to the study

and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.

Let the beauty we love be what we do.

There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.

Rumi

Summer Movie Season is here and the box office is hoppin'

The Hollywood Jesus website is dedicated to looking at "Pop Culture from a spiritual point of view." The spiritual point of view is particularly Christian featuring current releases, books, DVD's, music, comics, TV, games, etc. A few of the features of this site that you might want to take a look at are:

• Reviews and previews


• Columns and features


• Critical Studies Section which is also printer friendly


• Movie Reviews featuring a collection of reviews of 160 top films, every one of them from Hollywood Jesus spiritual perspective


• Plays


• Speciality books


• Special Sttractions section that includes recommended resources, fantasy coverage, archived feature, featured attractions as well as a new 30 day challenge

When you take a look at the website, it feels like it is designed with the younger generation in mind. . . full of many items to look at, colorful, and creative in design. My simple mind has trouble functions more efficently with simple design, however, the site is pretty user friendly, even for the simple minded.

Take a look at the Hollywood Jesus website and let me know what you think.

PRAISE GOD!!!

There is Life after moving!!!!