hoedown '06

What do you get when you take some good cookin'...



mix it up with line dancing,



square dancing,



barn dancing,



chase your 2 year old dancing and



throw in good friends havin' a great ole time?

You guessed it--Grace College Hoedown 2006!

brave new world

OK, so this is a week old...nevertheless, our Children's Ministry Director, Dori, has been making fun of me all year for the shared panic Matthias and I experienced in last year's Harvest Festival "Tunnel o' Terror" (it was designed by high schoolers and I took a 22 month old in it--what would you call it?). Anyway, the Leonard boys are not to be daunted. We went for a second run this year and I have the photo evidence to prove it. This time it wasn't just Matthias and I--David joined us! OK, so it was the kiddie tunnel this time--we still went for it!

our citizenship

I voted today. Upon returning from the polling place I was greeted by the latest issue of Newsweek that only served to further intensify the questions over which I struggle each and every election cycle--how do I work out my heavenly citizenship within the context of 21st century American politics?

As I said in my sermon on Sunday on Philippians 2:12-18, I believe we are called to live lives of morality and responsible citizenship to our respective governments as Christians. I read in Romans 13:1-7 that God Himself has instituted societal government as a part of His common grace in the restraining of evil on the earth. This means participation in our societies--voting, paying taxes (mentioned by Paul), praying for our leaders, etc. Yet, this issue of Newsweek embodies another principle I see in Philippians 2. Our lives need to stand out in ways that go beyond morality and social structures, which our unbelieving society understands within its own framework.

Let me give an example of what I mean. I think all of us in the Evangelical world have been embarrassed and grieved by the recent news of Ted Haggard's involvement with Mike Jones. It's bad enough that the significant moral failure of a giga-church pastor and resident of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) serves to promote a negative image of the Church once again. But I don't think Haggard's moral situation is what's most embarrassing in this week's Newsweek. I was most embarrassed to read the image of the Gospel we have portrayed to our culture long before the Haggard affair. Newsweek describes the NAE as "a powerful lobbying group that represents some 30 million Christians." (p. 33, "Newsweek," Nov. 13, 2006). The articles further characterize evangelicals as having a reputation for being harsh, intolerant, going too far, and a collection of hard shells and hypocrites. To be fair to Newsweek, the article's representation of American evangelicalism is that of a movement at a crossroad's regarding its future. Though I'm not sure this actually paints a more winsome portrait. I don't see a societal reputation that can be identified with Paul's desire for us in Phil 2:15-16 that we be "blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain." Is there any way to harmonize our current reputation with Paul's admonition to shine as lights in the world? We may be quick to point fingers at the Haggards in our midst, but my point is much larger than that.

My concern, as I struggled over which candidates and propositions (and especially!) judges to vote for and against, is that we put too much hope as Christians in the electoral process. We are citizens of a third race neither Jew nor gentile (which category would you place "American" in?) that is the People of God. No political party, no democratic process, no educational initiative, no politician is going to bring about the Kingdom of God. The apostle Paul warns us "we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places." (Eph. 6:12) Even our political processes in America are under the influence of these powers. How else do you explain that the party who opposes abortion promotes policies that oppress the poor? Why is it that the party that promotes social justice campaigns against criminal justice and the lives of the unborn?

In our efforts to live lives that display the justice of the Kingdom of God we must remember that our true hope is that the Kingdom of God was inaugurated in the coming of Messiah Jesus when he died on the cross and was raised again in victory over the powers. Our hope is in His return when justice will be done and as one NT scholar puts it, "the world will be put to rights." Until that time let us strive to work out the implications of the Gospel in our lives. May we engage, may we do our part, respect the government God has placed over us, vote, pay our taxes and so on. At the same time, may we place our hope in Jesus, His cosmic plan of redemption and pray "Thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven."

are they ready?

One of the major questions people have asked me since returning form New Orleans is, "Are the levees ready if antoher big hurricane comes their way?" My honest answer is, "I don't know." I know that Kevin Brown, Executive Director at Trinity Christian Community (the organization we worked alongside), describes New Orlenas as a an anxious city the closer we get to August 29th. I just read a report on MSNBC that I piont you toward for your consideration as Ernesto buildsin the gulf. Be in prayer for our brothers and sister at TCC and that the Lord will continue to rebuild New Orleans in the name of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

what happened...

Last week nine (mostly college students) from Grace Church went to New Orleans to put hands and feet to the Gospel. We had the opportunity to work alongside Americorps volunteers associated with Trinity Christian Community doing house gutting in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. In the time we were there, we gave 346 man-hours of labor, over $10,000 of work and worked on three different houses.

As a regular Newsweek reader, I had my opinions going into the situation. "Why didn't these people just evacuate?" "It can't be as bad as the news made it out to be--they sensationalize everything!" "It's a year later, I hope there's enough work for us to do when we get there." And on and on my thinking went. I learned evacuation is a much more complex, time consuming, and expensive ordeal than I realized. The news is certainly biased. It didn't adequately cover how Katrina devastated the wealthy and poor alike (though, of course the poor have no recourse to recover without outside help). The news has also given those of us in California the false notion that things are getting back to normal by the lack of coverage (until the recent blitz as we approach the one-year anniversary of Katrina. Wait until the second week of September and see what kind of coverage New Orleans gets). While some sections of N. O. are humming along, most of the city is STILL in ruin. Recovery is a marathon, not a sprint.

On the flip side, we all noticed that it is the Church (local congregations from all over the country and parachurch ministries) that is taking the lead in getting it's hands dirty with the practical work of house gutting and rebuilding. It is the Church that the Lord is using to rebuild the homes of the poor. The Lord is bringing glory to Jesus Christ through community development of ministries like Trinity Christian Community who have faithful men and women like Kevin and Sandy Brown, Brian and Larie who have returned to N. O., where God has called them to "seek the welfare of the city." (Jer. 29:7)

I will try and capture some more reflections on our trip in future posts. For now, these are some initial thoughts and photos of our team and what we saw. I'd love to hear you reactions...

coming soon...

I just got back from New Orleans a couple datys ago and am trying to catch up in a hurry this week. I'm anxious to share about our experience in N.O.--the situation is MUCH worse than I realized. I feel blessed that I was able to put hands and feet to the Gospel in an area that despereately needs it. Anyway, hopefully I'll get pictures soon and I'll have a little more time to share some of my reflections on the trip.

On another Note: WELCOME BACK CUESTA STUDENTS!!

The new year is beginning and it's always great to see you guys around here. Can't wait to get to know some of you newbies better! Gear up, this is going to be agreat Fall Season!

calling all creative types...

So I just cheked out the the promo videos for our youth group's Fall Forward trip. First, you've gotta check 'em out (click here)--they're hilarious! Second, where are you creative types in the college group? The highschool staff is totally showing us up--I'd love to hear from you if fun, creative stuff is your gig!

urban christians

Tim Keller's preaching and ministry model often inspires me and gets me thinking. He recently wrote an article for Christianity Today that did both to me again. As I contemplate the issues of the biblical ministry of justice and love for neighbor, I was drawn into what Keller has to say. The article is entitled "A New Kind of Urban Christian" and it rasises many issues that resonate with the life nad ministry of John Perkins (see previous post). Among the statements that caught my eye:

• "As the city goes, so goes the culture...People who live in large urban cultural centers, occupying jobs in the arts, business, academia, publishing, the helping professions, and the media, tend to have a disproportionate impact on how things are done in our culture. Having lived and ministered in New York City for 17 years, I am continually astonished at how the people I live with and know affect what everyone else in the country sees on the screen, in print, in art, and in business."
• "Once in cities, Christians should be a dynamic counterculture. It is not enough for Christians to simply live as individuals in the city...Christians are called to be an alternate city within every earthly city, an alternate human culture within every human culture, to show how sex, money, and power can be used in nondestructive ways."
• "Christians should be a people who integrate their faith with their work. Culture is a set of shared practices, attitudes, values, and beliefs, which are rooted in common understandings of the "big questions"—where life comes from, what life means, who we are, and what is important enough to spend our time doing it in the years allotted to us. No one can live or do their work without some answers to such questions, and every set of answers shapes culture."

Check out the article and share your thoughts...

let justice roll down

Over the course of my vacation in Southern CA last week I read a book called Let Justice Roll Down (can be purchased at www.ccda.org) by John M. Perkins to prepare for our upcoming trip to New Orleans for Hurricane relief. The book chronicles Perkins' journey from the poverty, prejudice and racism of his upbringing as a sharecropper in New Hebron, Mississippi in the 30's to his founding of Voice of Calvary ministries. Perkins left Mississippi as a young man, after his brother was killed, to go to California where he found job opportunities, a different brand of racism and faith in Jesus Christ.

He returned to Mississippi to share the Gospel and help his own people find equality, justice and economic independence through cooperative efforts. His ministry shockingly led to a night when Perkins and some of his colaborers endured an inhuman night of torture at the hands of white law enforcement officers. Perkins was almost beaten to death, yet the Lord spared him and his colleagues allowing his incredible work of "redeeming lives among the poor which will in turn redeem (biblically transform) whole communities." The mission of the John M. Perkins Foundation sums up his life work well, "To raise up, nurture and equip leadership who will 'wholistically' minister to the poor through communicating biblical truth to achieve the building of community through Reconciliation, Relocation and Redistribution."

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to walk in the shoes of a man who has witnessed and endured intense racism firsthand. I have never looked at life through the eyes of such a man as John Perkins until reading this autobiography. This is a man who finds his joy in the Gospel, who preaches the Gospel and who puts hands and feet to the Gospel in a wholistic way.

In a few weeks, we will be taking a small team (there's still room! Contact shelly@graceslo.org if you're interested in joining us) to New Orleans August 12-19 to work alongside Trinity Christian Community in the redevelopment of this city's community, devastated a year ago by Hurricane Katrina. I'm eager to get a glimpse of TCC's ministry, which provides training opportunities and resources for faith-based organizations having an impact on at-risk communities throughout New Orleans. Throughout collaborative efforts, more lives can be changed and our reach can be greatly expanded.

"Seek the shalom of the city where I have sent you...
and pray to the LORD on its behalf..." Jeremiah 29:7

number 3?

While not exactly the hand of God, seeing Floyd Landis in le maillot jaune (yellow jersey) in this year's Tour de France today has made me very happy. After seeing prerace favorites Jan Ullirch and Ivan Basso (Tour favorites) yanked because of a dping scandal and Alejandro Valverde crash out of the race with a broken collar bone early on, I've been looking for a brighter spot on this year's race. Those of you in SLO might remember Landis coming through town as the race leader and eventual winner of the Tour of California. He went on to win two more races this season--the Tour de Georgia and Paris-Nice. He's had a great year so far despite suffering from a terribly damaged hip joint. Right now he stands as this year's favorite to win. If he does he will be the third American in the 93 year history of the Tour to win after Greg LeMond (3) and Lance Armstrong (7). Go Landis!

marking the hand of God

Marking the hand of God, or identifying God at work, is one of my favorite things to do. Our church staff relates where we have seen God moving each week at our staff meetings. I love asking our college leadership this same question. When I share ways I've seen God at work it helps me to pay attention and reflect on incidents that I might normally miss. When others share their observations, I am encouraged and lifted out of the daily grind of task I need to complete.

One of my heroes is C. H. Spurgeon. He was a man of the Word, a bold preacher and I am always impressed with the way ministries grew up around his church under his leadership. Often I turn to his Morning and Evening devotional for some food for my soul. Earlier this week I came across a reflection on Psalm 103:2 that focused my attention on God's blessings and hand in my life, so I thought I'd share it with you all. Enjoy...

“Forget not all His benefits." Psalm 103:2

It is a delightful and profitable occupation to mark the hand of God in the lives of ancient saints, and to observe his goodness in delivering them, his mercy in pardoning them, and his faithfulness in keeping his covenant with them. But would it not be even more interesting and profitable for us to remark the hand of God in our own lives? Ought we not to look upon our own history as being at least as full of God, as full of his goodness and of his truth, as much a proof of his faithfulness and veracity, as the lives of any of the saints who have gone before? We do our Lord an injustice when we suppose that he wrought all his mighty acts, and showed himself strong for those in the early time, but doth not perform wonders or lay bare his arm for the saints who are now upon the earth. Let us review our own lives. Surely in these we may discover some happy incidents, refreshing to ourselves and glorifying to our God. Have you had no deliverances? Have you passed through no rivers, supported by the divine presence? Have you walked through no fires unharmed? Have you had no manifestations? Have you had no choice favours? The God who gave Solomon the desire of his heart, hath he never listened to you and answered your requests? That God of lavish bounty of whom David sang, “Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things,” hath he never satiated you with fatness? Have you never been made to lie down in green pastures? Have you never been led by the still waters? Surely the goodness of God has been the same to us as to the saints of old. Let us, then, weave his mercies into a song. Let us take the pure gold of thankfulness, and the jewels of praise and make them into another crown for the head of Jesus. Let our souls give forth music as sweet and as exhilarating as came from David’s harp, while we praise the Lord whose mercy endureth for ever.

As I wrote yesterday, I see God at work in David's life in huge and small ways. How about you, where do you see God at work?

four on the fourth

I'm a week behind on this blog post, but I can't let the Fourth of July pass without celebrating my little David. He turned four years old last Tuesday (4th of July!) and each birthday is a celebration in our family of God's faithfulness, sovereignty and care. Four years ago our little guy was born with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome. We grieved, we rejoiced and we didn't know what to expect from this little boy.

He came home to us three weeks after his birth taking all his nourishment through a G-tube. That very first day the Lord directed me to John 9:1-3, "As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' Jesus answered, 'It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.'" We have seen God at work in David over and over again in his short life. As you look at these pictures, you'll see the first is David with his Curious George (given by his proud dad!) the first day of his life. The second picture is with the same Curious George--how far he has come!

Since we've moved here to the Central Coast, David has begun to sit up regularly and is now scooting all over the house on his bottom (In honor of our friends in Russia, this is known as the "Misha Scoot" around our house). He has no G-tube and is even beginning his first stages of self-feeding. Soon he will join the ranks of other big boys and big girls and begin his first year of preschool--we can't believe our little guy has come to this stage already! Scripture tells us to "Weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice." Some of you have wept with us along this journey. We invite you to rejoice with us at this stage of the journey!

back in the saddle again!

I know some of you were worried about the recent demise of my Specialized Tarmac frame...trust me I have been too. More than one tear and anxious moment has been shed over the loss of my friend with whom I have ridden over 2,000 miles in the past 6 months. If you ride, you know what I mean. If you don't, well, you probably don't.

Suffice it to say, the good folks at Art's Cyclery and Specialized worked out a "crash replacement" frame deal for me (yes, it was a good deal, but still painful!). I've been out on it a couple of times now and am loving every minute of it. I even got to take the inaugural ride with one of our Grace missionaries, Mike Grainger and Scott Morton.

Anyway, I know there are some of you out there who were afraid I'd stop shaving my legs and that I'd lose that funny little tan spot on the backs of my hands--don't fear, all is well again!

the gospel for real life

As I counsel people it seems to me that I often find myself pointing once again to the power of the cross and our hope in the Gospel to transform us. I've been convicted for a long time now that the Gospel is not just for the unbeliever, but for the life of the believer as well. I'm continually looking for a good book to recommend that will get people started and take them further down the path of the Gospel in their lives. At this stage I'm surprised how often I find myself recommending a particular book by Jerry Bridges, The Gospel For Real Life. I've read it with some guys I've discipled and it seems to be relevant to so many situations I come across. Instead of limiting my recommendation of this book to those I meet with one on one, I thought it might be a helpful resource to recommend more broadly. The back cover summerizes the book well...

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the door to eternal life, but what difference does it make once we're inside God's kingdom? Jerry Bridges says the gospel is the very lifeblood of our walk with God. Without doubt it is the key to our salvation, but it is also the power for our daily progress in holiness. The Gospel for Real Life will help you.

• Experience freedom from the grip of sin and know the joy of pursuing holiness
• Revel in God's acceptance of you and participate in His grace as a daily reality
• Expose the subtle acids of legalism in your life and enjoy the liberty of the cross
• Discover how to "preach the gospel to yourself daily" and so partake of its continuous transforming power
• Carry the true fullness of the gospel to a desperately needy world around you

new grace beyond blog

With so many of our students away on missions trips and projects this summer, we thought it would be a great idea to provide a way for us to stay in touch and hear about the Lord is doing through our students all over the world. I just invited all our student missionaries to log in and begin posting about waht they're doing and what God is doing where they are. Check out Grace Beyond in the coming days to read what your friends are up to. Log in to interact and dialogue about what God is teaching you too! Ask questions! Share random thoughts! If you are a Grace college student who is serving somewhere this summer, you're invited to jump in and post too. If we missed you somehow (please please forgive!), email me (steve@graceslo.org) and we'll take care of you! The world is flat, so let's take advantage of it.

dodgers or giants?

Let the debate begin! On Saturday, July 8 the college group is heading down to Dodger Stadium for a baseball game. Is it a Giants game, or a Dodgers game? Having spent 8 years in Southern California I wish it were an Angels game myself, but things being as they are, I'm calling it a Dodgers game! We have 30 tickets, so we should have a great time together. The cost is $20 (covers ticket, gas, parking, etc.) and you can sign up and even pay online to reserve your spot (click here). We'd love to see you out of towners join in, so we're trying to make it easy on you to sign up in absentia (that's Latin 'cause you're educated college folk! It means 'cause you're not around').

You will need to have registered yourself in our online directory. If you haven't done so yet, take a minute and check it out by clicking here!

Grace College Missions

We've had the priviledge oif sending out a number of our Grace College students (some now graduated!) out to a number of short term mission fields this summer. We're looking inot creating some kind of online community so they can log in and all of our group can log in from wherever everyone is this summer. This will help us stay conencted and enable us to pray for one another. More on that to come, but for now here's prayer requests from Brain Wong and Matt Esswein who's traveling in Africa right now with his family.

Brian Wong:
Hey Everyone,

This is probably going to be my only e-mail before I head out for training on Sunday (6/18) in San Diego. We'll be down there for a week until we head out of LAX on the 25th. Lord willing, we'll be back August 17th.

If I get the chance, I promise I'll send out an update e-mail, though I can't actually promise that I'll have the opportunity. Please bear in mind that I won't be able to be very explicit in the statements I e-mail so bear with me. But until I have the opportunity to actually send an update with more specific prayer requests, please pray for the following:

• The Team: Team unity and bonding. I'm praying for an awesome team, while keeping in mind that sometimes the best learning and growth occur in situations with teams that aren't so great.
• Boldness: God is faithful to provide ample opportunities to share. Often times my problem is a lack of boldness in taking those opportunities.
• Health: I'm praying that I'll serve God both in sickness and in health.
• Focus: I pray I'm not distracted by anything, whether it's my team members, my students, or anything else. I want to stay focused on the task at hand.

Also please feel free to forward this on to others who may be interested. Also feel free to ask me to add them to the list for future reference.

Yours truly,
Brian
----------------------------------------

Matt Esswein:
Some of the specific ways you can be praying for me are;

• courage and assurance from Christ through tough emotions and seeing my family in a tough place
• quality communication and an overall FUN trip within my family
• the Holy Spirit to speak at the conference to encourage, inspire, and heal us and the people we are speaking to
• words to say, scriptures to share, and stories to tell
• quality rest and overall health amongst the busy schedule and questionable food

Grace and peace,
Matt

The Real DaVinci Deception?

In walking by a copy of DaVinci's The Last Supper the other day I couldn't help but make an observation that has, up to this point, alluded me. You see, with so much attention directed toward the female-looking Apostle John on the left side of the painting, most of us have missed a far more notable figure on the right. You'll note that most of the apostles in the painting have facial hair with the exception of John and this other apostle (someone who knows art help me out here--who is this one in the painting?). Then it hit me--is it possible that Dan Brown, in his DaVinci Code, is actually pulling a fast one on us? I mean, according to him, he has revealed the secret that will destroy Christianity as we know it. I submit to you that the DaVinci Code is really just a diversion tactic. If you look carefully at the paitning and a picture of Drew Barrymore, you will find there is an undeniable similarity. We know from teh film Everafter that DaVinci and Barrymore met--even that he did a head study portrait of her. I submit that the real DaVnci Deception is not about the identity of Mary Magdalene, but rather that Drew Barrymore is in fact somehow tied to a greater conspiracy than any of us has yet imagined. Was her great-great-great-great-great-great-et al. grandmother Mary Magdalene perhaps? Has DaVinci picture Barrymore's late ancestor Martha, a devoted though overworking, disciple of Jesus? I haven't had time to search the Gnostic Bible yet for textual support, so I can only speculate at this point. Nevertheless, I invite you ponder this, the Real DaVinci Deception with me...

scattered thoughts

Wow--too long since I blogged last! This has been a hectic, exhausting and strangely renewing quarter for me. Here's some thoughts running through my tired head...

• The 75th Anniversary has challenged me in teh areas of prayer, evangelism, life-purity, priorities, God-sized vision, the importance of relationships, how we aren't first ones to walk the earth and anticipation for the future chapters of God at work among other things...
• Summer: Dodger/Giants game, hikes, beach days, Spirit West Coast, New Orleans Relief Trip, Leadership Backpacking in the back country--totally excited about all this; overwhelmed in the details (see my use of a semi-colon? that's 'casue this is a college blog!)
• Lots to do, lots to do, lots to do (notice the unhelpful repetition of useless yet anxiety producing words here--real insight into my current metal state)
• I think my bike frame has bitten the dust--I think I'm going to cry over this one--seriously.
• I see God working in our Growth Groups, missions, community ministry, youth, children's ministry, college, among our staff--I want to grasp teh Lord's vision for the days ahead and lay myself at His feet for His purposes.
• Can't wait to get into a stack of books sitting on my shelf to my right.

Not profound, but it's where I am. It's been too long since I logged in, so here I am again!

God's heart for the community

Our 75th Anniversary Celebration began on Easter as we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus and sang out All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name as they did 61 years ago. This past weekend we celebrated all that God has done through Grace over the years to reach the larger community here on the Central Coast. From reaching out to the local servicemen, to reaching out the jails, to our current ministries in Juvenile Hall and the Overflow Shelter, Grace has been reaching out to live the Gospel in this community for 75 years. We heard from Pastor Scott as he showed us God’s heart for the poor, the broken and the outcast. Mike Yankoski, author of Under the Overpass, shared his experiences living among the homeless during his days in college. In addition to this, Grace hosted a BBQ luncheon for the poor and homeless in our community last Saturday.

As I was gearing up for last weekend, I couldn’t help but notice something very particular about the Lord’s instructions to the Israelites concerning the feasts He appointed them to celebrate. In Leviticus, a book full of Levitical Law and instructions, the Lord clarifies some of the specifics about how the national feasts are to be carried out. In chapter 23 we are told that the 14th day of the 1st month is an appointed time of rest and celebration—it is the Lord’s Passover. Then, the next day is to be the Feast of the Unleavened Bread, which is to last 7 days (vv. 1-8). The Lord goes on to give more explicit detail, directing the Israelites in the specific ways in which they are to harvest the crop at this time (vv. 9-14). Then He makes clear the offerings and sacrifices that are to be made—bread, lambs, a bull and rams. And yes, they are to rest from labor (15-21).

It’s the next verse that catches my attention though. In verse 22 we see God’s heart for the poor and the needy in in society. Even as the Lord instructs the Israelites to extravagant sacrifice, He lays down instruction for the poor of the community. The Israelites, recognizing that their harvest comes from the hand of God are not to hoard the fruits of their labor to themselves, but are to share with those in need. As they celebrate the mighty acts of God—their redemption from slavery in Egypt and God’s provision for the people, they are to hold that provision with an empty hand. The people of God are to share and freely give of that which they have freely received.

This weekend we began our 75th Anniversary Celebration in earnest. Perhaps it’s fitting and even appropriate that a celebration of God’s faithfulness and blessing all starts with an opportunity to bless others through a tri-tip BBQ luncheon for the poor and needy of our community. The Lord has given Grace so many resources and opportunities over the years. He has enabled our church to grow and to give back to our own community, to those who have suffered devastation in our own country and those who have suffered around the world. This past weekend, we celebrated God's faithfulness through serving and loving those for whom God has a special place in His heart.

May we take the time in the days, weeks, months and years ahead to look the homeless in the eyes. May we talk with them as those created in the image of God. I was struck by practical ways we can reach out to those in need by giving away socks, gift certificates, soft granola bars and water bottles. May we incarnate the love of Christ to any and all we meet!