Groovy Granny's Grind

It's a beautiful morning!! The sun is shining brightly, there's a strong breeze blowing the trees and the windchimes, causing them to stir their music and I am reflecting on the past few months and the message that has become so prominent in my life. God is whispering. Can you hear Him?

Back in the Fall, as some of you already know, our Bible study group read through and discussed Trevor Hudson's book, "A Mile In My Shoes". In his book, Trevor Hudson talks about his pilgrimage of hope and pain and teaches us how, we too, can become pilgrims in service to God, by reaching out to others, offering love, attention and acceptance. This book moved each of us in the group, very deeply and there was a special "bond" that came about in the midst of reading this book together. When we finished this book, just before Christmas, we agreed to come back together after the holidays for a pilgrimage of our own. About 11 of us spent a day, together, in a poor part of a local city, helping to distribute food at a food bank and visiting with people in the area. It was an incredible, and in many cases, a life-changing experience. And, Praise God! it is snowballing!! God is doing incredible things in the lives of brothers and sisters all around us and the message is coming from every direction. Daily devotionals, excursions to various everyday places, through prayers and conversations with one another, and other ways I'm not recalling at this moment, God has been speaking in a 'loud' whisper! The message is everywhere!

“But if someone who is supposed to be a Christian has money enough to live well, and sees a brother in need, and won’t help
him—how can God’s love be within him?”~1 John 3:17 (TLB)

"You know that the hardest thing for you to give up is your money. It represents your time, your energy, your talents, your total personality converted into currency. We usually hold on to it tenaciously, yet it is uncertain in value and we cannot take it into the next world. The Scripture teaches that we are stewards for a little while of all we earn. If we misuse it, as did the man who buried his talent, it brings upon us the severest judgment of God. The tithe is the Lord’s. If you use it for yourself, you are robbing God. We are to take the tithe as a standard, but to go beyond the tithe is an indication of our gratefulness for God’s gifts to us. In the midst of sorrow and trouble, this life has many blessings and enjoyments which have come from the hand of God. Even our capacity for love is a gift from God. We show our gratitude by giving back to Him a part of that which He has given to us." ~ taken from "Day by Day with Billy Graham"

Sunday morning, our Bible study group will be presenting the worship service... Sharing with others in our congregation, the experiences of our pilgrimage and our desire to continue this journey with them and others in our community. We will present our reflections on that day and invite them, as brothers and sisters in the family of God, to join us in reaching out. Now, don't get me wrong...we have a very loving church that reaches out everytime and anytime someone is in need. We reach out even beyond the walls of our church and into our community. But, there is always more to be done so we want to help be the catalysts that bring about an even wider and more extensive outreach. God's arms are stretched out over all the World and we are to do our part in doing the same. We are the body of Christ...the family of God...each one of us and we must remember....

"If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it." ~1 Corinthians 12:26 (NRSV)

"THAT day at the cemetery it was three below zero. The dozen or so family members and friends who were gathered for the last farewell huddled down in the collars of their coats. Scarves and hats were pulled together to cover any skin exposed to the chilling wind. Each one stood alone, each trying to keep warm. They seemed hardly aware of the others. I encouraged them to stand closer together to help shield one another from the biting cold.

Afterward I thought about our plight that cold afternoon. Then I recalled some of the groups I've been in over the years. Some seemed so self-contained there was no room for the stranger. As a visitor, I have been the one standing in the cold. This makes me think of my own congregation. How can I reach out to those others and draw them into the circle of caring? How can we draw in those who come to share life in the church, the Body of Christ? Even more important, how can we reach out to and greet the stranger as a child in the family of God?

Sometimes it taxes my energy to reach out and welcome others. But then I realize that in reaching out, I too am warmed and find a place in this extended family we call the church."~John E. Pugh (Montana, U.S.A.)