Thought For the Day from Pastor Steve

Thursday, February 25, 2010

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If the only prayer you ever say in your whole life is "thank you," that would suffice.

~ Meister Eckhart

I began "The Thought for the Day" on March 27, 2006. It has been four years! With my upcoming move to the United Methodist Church in Hampton, N.H., I have decided stop publication. It has been a real pleasure for me to offer these "Thoughts". Thanks for being a part of it and may God bless your journey.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

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Hope arouses, as nothing else can arouse, a passion for the possible.

~ William Sloane Coffine

Hope is choice, a way of acting and being in the world. It opens us up. It allows us to welcome the possibilities God offers us.

So dare to hope! And walk into the future that Grace opens to you.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

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The vocation of every man and woman is to serve other people.

~ Leo Tolstoy

That might even fit on a bumper-sticker! It beats a license plate I once saw that said, "ALL4ME." Now that plate might have been in jest, but it is a little too close to the truth about our culture.

Being a person of faith is holding values that run counter to our consumer culture. It is not easy to walk that narrow path, but Lent is a time to come home to what is really real.

(I began "The Thought for the Day" on March 27, 2006. It has been nearly four years! With my upcoming move to the United Methodist Church in Hampton, N.H., I have decided stop publication at the end of this month. It has been a real pleasure for me to offer these "Thoughts". Thanks for being a part of it and may God bless your journey.)

Monday, February 22, 2010

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We are not in as close a union with God as we could be as God wants us to be, and that the obstacles are those that we erect: the idols we put in God's place, the fears that we harbor, the love that we stifle, rather than share with others. There are walls that must be shattered, paths that must be avoided, illusions that must be shattered – all for Love's sake. ~ Amy Welborn

Lent gives us away to get where we need to be. It is a living practice to take up. It is a time to look at our lives and do some life "house cleaning."

Unless we clean things out, unless we get rid of things that only burden us, our lives are cluttered and unfocused. Lent is a time to find focus and open ourselves to God's future for us.

Thursday, February 18, 2010; The first Thursday in Lent

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To know the mechanics does not mean that we are practicing the Disciplines. The Spiritual Disciplines are an inward and spiritual reality, and the inner attitude of the heart is far more crucial than the mechanics for coming into the reality of the spiritual life.

~ Richard Foster

A spiritual discipline won't necessarily bring you closer to God. Only God, as we are open and cooperate with the Spirit, can bring you closer. What the discipline is meant to do is to help you get yourself, your ego, out of the way so you are open to Grace.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

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Duty makes us do things well, but love makes us do them beautifully. ~ Phillips Brooks

May you find the deeper love, the deeper reasons, that will enable you to do things beautifully today.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

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To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.

~ Howard Zinn

It all depends on what we choose to emphasize. If we see only the worst, it makes us cynical and hopeless. But if we focus on the good and graceful, it gives us hope and the energy to make a difference.

So let's ask ourselves what gift Grace offers us in the events of our lives and open up to welcome and live into that hope.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

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The moment of change is the only poem.

~ Andrienne Rich

Often we do our best to avoid change. Yet it can give rise to creative newness. Without it life is just one day after another.

What change is in your life? What might it mean for you to see it as poem or giving rise to creative potential?

God calls us to journey into a future, walking in the way of Jesus, who embraced the path with hope and trust. So may we.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

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Life is a progress, and not a station.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

With my recent appointment to the Hampton church, these words have renewed meaning.

Often we grasp at security. Yet our faith tells us that deeper security is found as we walk a changing path, trusting in Christ. Life is a journey, a path with Christ and others.

Monday, February 8, 2010

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What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.

~ Pericles

It was announced yesterday (2/7) at Old South Church that I will be the new pastor at the Hampton United Methodist Church in Hampton New Hampshire. While I am very excited by this new appointment by the bishop, I am also sad at having to leave a community that I have been deeply privileged to served for nine years. My family and I have so many good friends in the community. It is in the nature of pastoral ministry that strong bonds are formed. We will have the next more than 4 months (I start at Hampton 7/1) to say "goodbye" and come to accept and even embrace the new future the Spirit has for us. I did not ask to be moved but in our appointive system clergy are sent to new communities to offer their gifts and leadership. I have always been profoundly gifted by each community that I have served and I trust that will continue to be true.

Please pray for my family and me, and the communities of Old South and Hampton during this time of transition and hopeful expectation.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

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We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.

~ Jonathan Swift

Unfortunately this may be how many people see religions in our time. And it begs the question of whether we are up to the challenge of being the face of a faith that is life-giving and loving. Any hint of arrogance or triumphalism is deadly in this regard. Can we be the humble and loving people Christ calls us to be?

I wouldn't be a pastor if I thought we could not. So let's join together in having enough authentic religion to really love one another.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

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Buy a house on Gratitude Street. Do so as soon as you can, because this is the only place to live, and the longer you live here the more you'll love it.

~ J. Ellsworth Kalas

Say and live "thank you" as much as you can. Gratitude is spiritual practice that we must work at. It both changes us and means that we have been changed already.

Enjoy your day on Gratitude Street.

Monday, February 1, 2010

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The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

~ Mahatma Gandhi

God is forgiving because God is strong and loving. As we grow along our journey and reclaim the image of God within, we too are strong to forgive and love. So live out and practice your faith today, so that you may be loving as God is loving.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

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You may call God love, you may call God goodness. But the best name for God is compassion.

~ Meister Eckhart

God is beyond all our names. But yet we need to speak of and name God. To speak of God as compassion connects us with the best of our tradition, the best in ourselves. It calls us to practice compassion and be kind in all our dealings, to know God.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

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True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

It is both mercy and justice. Mercy is private. Justice is about systems. Helping the individual "beggar" is essential but it ought not end there. We need to see the bigger picture and act in ways that address those concerns.

Where mercy and justice meet is where the transforming power of God is found. May you live out your faith at that most productive crossroad.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

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Rekindle the gift of God that is within you....

~ 2 Timothy 1:6

The gifts that God gives us need rekindling. They are a living dynamic within us. Unless we we rekindle them they dim to mere embers and eventually are extinguished.

Rekindling the gift is about practicing your faith. It is about doing the things that make faith a living process. Things like worship, prayer, study, serving the needy, and doing justice. Faith is a "use it our loose it" proposition. So today, live and do your faith... rekindle the gift.

Monday, January 25, 2010

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We are called to play the Good Samaritan on life's roadside, but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho Road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life's highway.

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

It is not just an individual issue, there is the need to reform the bigger system that produces wounded individuals laying by the side of the road. The deeper compassion is the making of justice that prevents the injury in the first place.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

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Happiness will never come to those who fail to appreciate what they already have.

~ Anon.

In a consumer culture that daily tells us that we are not okay unless we buy more and have more, in a success culture that tells us that we have to attain a level of status to "be somebody", cultivating gratitude for what we already have is a deeply countercultural activity. But the way of Jesus, the prophets, and much of authentic religion is counter to the surrounding cultural values. It is an intentional practice of gratitude for what is and working to love the reality we have.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

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People only see what they are prepared to see.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Call it the power of belief. As we enter into a situation hopefully with an eye to welcoming the gift we are more likely to find the good. An openness to the possibilities that God offers us is not only a personality trait, it is also a choice and a faith practice that we can choose to embody in our daily walk.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

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Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Peace is a way of life now that makes for more peace down the road. It is the process as well as the goal. It is elusive, as any great goal, but yet it can be lived now.

So live it today, as best you can, and it will shine more fully in the future.

Monday, January 18, 2010, MLK Day

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"I have a dream."

~ Martin Luther King, Jr

We all have dreams. Some dreams are worthy of our best and call us beyond ourselves. Some dreams are not achieved in the lifetime of those who dream them. The dreams of God often seem impossible at the time. Yet the faithful dreamers act on those dreams to allow them to be.

May you dream dreams worthy of yourself and be taken up in God's dream for this world!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

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The sun never says to the earth, "You owe me."

Look what happens with a love like that. It lights up the whole sky.

~ Hafiz

Open handed generosity is the purpose. To be more like the sun that shines on all. To reclaim the image of God within, which shines in all. That is the objective of life.

Let's be less concerned with secondary things and focus on what matters.

Monday, January 11, 2010

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A complete fast is a complete and literal denial of self.

It is the truest prayer.

~ Mahatma Gandhi

Authentic religion has often told us the opposite of what our culture tells us. In our consumer culture we are told that getting our way, getting what we want, getting more is the way to happiness. Yet every faith tradition I am aware of would say that it is in transcending our limited self that we find what really matters.

Will you serve the gods of this culture or live a truer way?

Thursday, January 7, 2010

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Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.

~ Mark Twain

You can believe all the right things, but if you do not live kindness it matters very little. So lets speak the language of kindness.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010; Epiphany of the Lord

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The coming of Incarnate God to all people, especially to those of us who are Gentiles, is the bridge from birth into life, the event that makes Easter possible for most of us. The light of the Epiphany illuminates the church's year as it illuminates the human race from whom the kings came.

~ Phyllis Tickle

The twelve days of Christmas come to an end today with Epiphany, which recalls the visit of the Magi. The Magi represent the revelation of the Christ to the whole world. It is a way of saying that God's grace is for all.

Sometimes we put limits on grace and like to draw lines marking who is in or who is out. Today is a day to remember that the Light is given to all the world. Or job, as we welcome that Light, is to live it and share it as freely as God does.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010; the 12th Day of Christmas

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May we allow the miracle of Christmas to continue long after the holiday trappings have been packed away;

May we welcome the adult Messiah and his challenging Gospel to recreate our lives, making the peace, justice and hope of this holy season a reality in every season of the new year.

On this last day of the Christmas season, as the ornaments are put away, let's be mindful that want matters most is far from ornamental -- allowing the Light to shine in our lives, birthing the Presence of Christ in our world.

That's not something we box away until next year but rather a purpose to live out everyday.

Monday, January 4, 2010; the 11th Day of Christmas

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When the song of the angels is stilled,

when the star in the sky is gone,
when the kings and princes are home,
when the shepherds are back with the flocks,
then the work of Christmas begins:
     to find the lost,
     to heal those broken in spirit,
     to feed the hungry,
     to release the oppressed,
     to rebuild the nations,
     to bring peace among all peoples,
     to make a little music with the heart…

And to radiate the Light of Christ,
every day, in every way, in all that we do and in all that we say.
Then the work of Christmas begins.

~ Howard Thurman

May the work of Christmas begin, and may it begin with you.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009; the 1st Wednesday after Christmas

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What good is it that Christ was born 2,000 years ago if he is not born now in your heart?

~ Meister Eckhart

I believe in God, but do I believe in God-in-me? I believe in God in heaven, but do I believe in God-on-earth? I believe in God out there, but do I believe in God-with-us?

Tuesday, December 29, 2009; the 1st Tuesday after Christmas

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A novice master once responded when asked about a life lived in Christian authenticity, said that to be a Christian was not to know the answers but to begin to live in the part of the self where the question is born.…He was speaking of an attitude of listening, of awareness of presence, of an openness to mystery.

~ Wendy M. Wright

Not so much a set of ideas, beliefs, or doctrine, our's is a lived faith. In fact, the ideas, apart from a lived practice, are abstract, implausible, and often leave many unconvinced. So stop looking for answers and start living the questions.

Monday, December 28, 2009; the 1st Monday after Christmas

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Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind.

~Mary Ellen Chase

Christmas is like a man who went to a fine restaurant. He tried to eat all the great things on the menu in one sitting. All he got was indigestion. But if he had came back time after time, he would have grown to love the restaurant and it's menu.

Thursday, December 24, 2009; Christmas Eve

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The star shines on for those with eyes to see,

A finite gleam toward all eternity.

~ Eleanor Chaffee

The Christmas star shines still in hearts filled with God's peace and goodwill. May we have eyes to see it all around us!

Joy to the World! Our Light has come.

Merry Christmas to all!

Wednesday, December 23, 2009; the Fourth Wednesday in Advent

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The manner in which it is given is worth more than the gift.

~ Pierre Corneille

During this season of gift giving we do well to reflect on the deeper reality that the gifts we give and receive are "signs," that is, they point beyond themselves. In giving to others we are saying, "I care about you," Our lives are connected," "You are someone I think enough of give to." With that in mind we see the "heart" more than the outer appearance.
We can also ask ourselves if there might be more direct ways to communicate our feelings and not rely just on gifts to speak for us.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009; the 4th Tuesday in Advent

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For somehow, not only at Christmas,

but all the long year through,

The joy that you give to others

is the joy that comes back to you.

~ John Greenleaf Whittier

Giving is an energy loop; a caring circuit. No matter who we give to or whether the gift is appreciated it matters.

Jesus tells us that God "makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous" (Matt. 5:45). God is generous to all, regardless. May some of that same spirit of giving be part of our Christmas this year!

Monday, December 21, 2009; the 4th Monday in Advent; Winter Solstice

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Christmas, like a hearth fire remembered on a winter's night,

draws the wanderers by heartstrings back home.

~ Virginia Moore

Today is winter solstice, the shortest and darkest day of the year. On this day our ancestors built solstice fires on hilltops and petitioned the gods to bring back the sun. They feared that the darkness would continue and life come to an end.

We, too, fear darkness of an other sort -- illness, injustice and harm. Our Christian tradition speaks of a Light that shines in the darkness and the darkness does not overcome it. On this day, let us hold fast to that Light. And let us allow the Light to shine in our lives so that we might reflect Light to the world around us.

Thursday, December 17, 2009; the 3rd Thursday in Advent

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When are we going to learn that Christmas Peace comes only when we turn and face the darkness? Only then will we be able to see the Light of the World.

~ Ann Weems

Our faith practices, Christmas among them, are not to be shelters from the world, but staging point to engage the world more faithfully and deeply. Christmas comfort, the warmth of friends and hearth, a table full of holiday favorites call to deep gratitude and thus to compassion for those who are without such gifts. God engages this life in the birth, and so we are called to "make the Word flesh" again. May you let your light so shine!

Wednesday, December 16, 2009; the 3rd Wednesday in Advent

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We should employ our passions in the service of life,

not spend life in the service of our passions.

~ Sir Richard Steele

The very best of our faith is lived out when we remove ourselves from the center of our lives and place God and others there. During this season, let's serve a larger Life and give ourselves so that Christ might be born in our actions.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009; the 3rd Tuesday in Advent

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If you want peace, live your faith.

And the very peace of God will dwell with you,

for that is where peace comes from.

~ John Taylor [adapted]

Faith is less a set of ideas or dusty doctrines. It is a way of living, a way of practicing the teaching of Jesus and his community. To live that life out makes for peace in our lives and, little by little, even in the world.

So may you live in the way of Jesus and know "peace on earth and goodwill to all."

Monday, December 14, 2009; the 3rd Monday in Advent

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Right judgment means that we stretch out our hands to the poor and oppressed, that we seek and support good causes, that we work hard to keep the weak from being unjustly hurt.

~ John Calvin

The very best of our Christian faith is about removing ourselves from the center and putting God and others there. Jesus was fully employed in that task and in reaching out to the poor and oppressed. In our world of "all about me" that feels like giving something up. But to those who seek to follow Christ it is a great gift.

Thursday, December 10, 2009; the 2nd Thursday in Advent

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How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.

~ Annie Dillard

Another way to get at this is to ask ourselves if what we are doing is worthy of us. We all give ourselves to serve things. Are those things worthy of all we have to give? Do they call for the best in us and give back in ways that further enrich us? Are the things we will serve today up to the task of giving us a life?

Wednesday, December 9, 2009; the 2nd Wednesday in Advent

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The sane know contentment, for beauty is their lover, and beauty is never absent from this world.

~ St. Teresa of Avila

Perhaps today's snow has made your day harder. It has mine. During Advent I visit the shut-in members and the snow is in my way.

Yet I can also see the quiet beauty of it. How it transforms everything like a silent beautifully embroidered lace draped over the landscape.

I have the choice to practice contentment and welcome the beauty all around.

Monday, December 7, 2009; the 2nd Monday in Advent

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Feeling gratitude and not expressing it

is like wrapping a present and not giving it.

~ William Arthur Ward

There are many ways to express it. It may be with words, or through actions. How might you today?

And how might you in ways others actually might be able to unwrap?

Expressing gratitude in ways others can receive completes the circle of giving. So may you be graced to live "thank you" today.

Thursday, December 3, 2009; 1st Thursday in Advent

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Money can buy happiness only when you spend it on someone else.

I recently read a study that said that having more money, beyond what we need to care for basic needs and some modest wants, does not make us more happy. It went on to say that the way money has proven to make people more happy is when they share it with others.

What a great insight for this season when we will be buying presents for others. Money can indeed buy happiness!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009; 1st Wednesday in Advent

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It is better to suffer wrong than to do it,

and happier to be sometimes cheated than not to trust.

~ Samuel Johnson

The way of God is less concerned for self, less fearful of being taken. We are offered the choice to be a generous expression of Grace.

May if be a choice and a way that we are more free to choose today.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009; the 1st Tuesday in Advent

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We cannot abandon life because of its storms.

The strongest trees are not found sheltered in the safety of the forest,

rather they are in the open spaces --

bent and twisted by the winds of all seasons.

~ Tammy Felton

Life is struggle. To know the story of Jesus is to see that struggle and pain are simply a part of the journey. Yet there are shallow voices in our culture that tell us that life is "onward and upward," "just a bowl of cherries." As we believe these voices we feel that our suffering is a personal shortcoming, that if we were somehow better we would have a life that was sunny all the time. And so we blame ourselves.

We need to accept and "normalize" the storms of life that come to all of us. We need to know that in this journey we all have times of darkness, but that God loves us and we can love others even in the pain.

Monday, November 30, 2009; 1st Monday in Advent

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In the very midst of our busy preparations for the celebration of Christ's birth in ancient Bethlehem, Christ is reborn in the Bethlehems of our homes and daily lives. Take time, slow down, be still, be awake to the Divine Mystery that looks so common and so ordinary, yet is wondrously present.

~ Edward Hays

With all the outward signs and external preparations of the season we can easily forget that the real miracle of Advent/Christmas is rebirth in our inner lives that enables us to live more compassionately and generously. In all the upcoming activity don't forget to be awake to what matters most.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

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So once in every year we throng

Upon a day apart,
To praise the Lord with feast and song
In thankfulness of heart.
~ Arthur Guiterman, The First Thanksgiving

Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

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Thou hast given so much to me,

Give one thing more, - a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days,
But such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise.
~ George Herbert

To ask for a grateful heart, to practice gratitude in our lives, makes thankfulness a part of who we are. As we practice giving thanks, it becomes the natural pulse of our heart, more and more each day.

So may you practice thanksgiving, not only on the day named for it, but each day.

Monday, November 23, 2009

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As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.

~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

In addition to saying prayers we can also "be" prayers. Our prayers, if we are to live by them, call us to put them into action.

During this week of Thanksgiving how might you not only say a prayer of gratitude but also be a prayer?

Thursday, November 19, 2009

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If you don't believe in ghosts, you've never been to a family reunion. ~ Ashleigh Brilliant

And so it will be with many of us who gather for Thanksgiving. If there are things that seem mysterious to you, things going on that you do not understand, behaviors of others that seem strange, that is not at all unusual. Rather than judge or criticize what we do not fully see or understand, perhaps we can try to view others through the lens of a generous compassion. We do not have to react blindly. We can have more choice in our actions. In addition to making things a bit less "spooky," we will feel better about our own attitude and behavior.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

2009-11-18T09:19:00.000-05:00

No one is really happy merely because he has what he wants;

but only if he wants things he ought to want.

~Augustine

Want, can in fact, be the seat of unhappiness. Our culture tells us to want more and more. Yet often the more we have, the more scattered we become, the more diverted from what matters most.

Happiness lies in knowing what you want at a deeper level and focusing your energies toward that. For Jesus to love God and others was his deepest want.

What is yours? And how might you move toward it today?

Monday, November 16, 2009

2009-11-16T09:30:00.001-05:00

When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.

~ Catherine Ponder

There may be situations and relationships that can no longer be made right. When that is the case, the best we can do is seek to let go and forgive. It may not be as positive as a real reconciliation but it can release us to move on with our lives.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

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No one can estimate what is really happening at the present. All we do know, and that to a large extent by direct experience, is that evil labors with vast power and perpetual success — in vain: preparing always only the soil for unexpected good to sprout in.

~ J.R.R. Tolkien

And the cross leads to resurrection.

God is in the world, forever shining light in darkness, always working for good in the midst of brokensess. Working counter to Grace is hopeless. Deciding to work with it is the most important choice we ever make.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

2009-11-11T09:16:00.001-05:00

Forgive your enemies.

But if you have no enemies, forgive a few of your friends.

~ Bob Edwards

... and family members, co-workers, church members, and neighbors.

Stop keeping score of who is right, who is to blame, and who hurt who. Retribution is a burden that only weighs us down. It is a diversion from the real work of restoration and healing.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

2009-11-10T09:45:00.000-05:00

The purpose of our lives is to give birth to the best which is within us.

~ Marianne Williamson

How might you express that best of you today?

In what ever simple way and daily way you can, may you be blest to be a gift to the world.

Monday, November 9, 2009

2009-11-09T09:10:00.001-05:00

It is not our hold on Christ that saves us,

but God's hold on us!

~ Charles Spurgeon

... or as Romans 8:38-39 tells us: "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord".

Our hold wavers, our trust waxes and wanes. But let us look to the One whose hold is eternal and who loves us with a love that will never let us go.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

2009-11-05T09:19:00.000-05:00

One day a certain old, rich man of a miserable disposition visited a rabbi, who took the rich man by the hand and led him to a window. "Look out there," he said. The rich man looked into the street. "What do you see?" asked the rabbi.

"I see men, women and children," answered the rich man.
Again the rabbi took him by the hand and this time led him to a mirror. "Now what do you see?"
"Now I see myself," the rich man replied.
Then the rabbi said, "Behold, in the window there is glass, and in the mirror there is glass. But the glass of the mirror is covered with a little silver. No sooner is the silver added than you cease to see others but see only yourself."
~ Source unknown.

Silver can, indeed, bring out the worst or the best in us. We can see only ourselves, as our culture tells us to do again and again. Or we can use what we have to bless others, as Jesus tells us to do again and again. In one way is misery, in the other true happiness.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

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Without God we cannot, without us God will not.

We need a higher power to inspire and give us vision and passion. And God needs us to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world. It is a collaborative kingdom, an interdependent "kin-dom" where each one has gifts to share. So share your gifts today so that "thy kingdom come... on earth as it is in heaven."

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

2009-11-03T09:16:00.000-05:00

You never know when a moment and a few sincere words can have an impact on a life.

~ Zig Ziglar

We cannot know how what we do or say will impact others. We can only be true to what we believe is best in ourselves and offer that gift generously to the world. Today offer that moment and those words that you might be a gift to God and others.

Monday, November 2, 2009

2009-11-02T09:20:00.001-05:00

A young man squandered all his inherited wealth. As generally happens in such cases, the moment he was penniless he found that he was friendless too. At his wit's end, he sought the Master out and said, "What is to become of me? I have no money and no friends." "Don't worry, son. Mark my words: All will be well with you again." Hope shone in the young man's eyes. "Will I be rich again?" "No. You will get used to being penniless and lonely."

Faith may not be a change in one's circumstance but rather the serenity to accept what is. If our trust in God is based in what we perceive to be positive shifts the situation of our lives, our faith will always be weak and shallow. But if we are able to accept what is, and then open ourselves to the grace in that reality we will know a "peace the passes understanding."

Thursday, October 29, 2009

2009-10-29T08:05:00.000-05:00

We read that we ought to forgive our enemies; but we do not read that we ought to forgive our friends.

~ Sir. Francis Bacon

... and our family members, co-workers, and community members.

Forgiveness is not the abstract injunction of a dreamer, it is a requisite to live with others in the real world. To hold onto past hurts and focus on how others have trespassed against us is toxic to our souls.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

2009-10-28T08:10:00.001-05:00

"How does one seek union with God?"

"The harder you seek, the more distance you create between Him and you."

"So what does one do about the distance?"

"Understand that it isn't there."

"Does that mean that God and I are one?"

"Not one. Not two."

"How is that possible?"

"The sun and its light, the ocean and the wave, the singer and his song -- not one. Not two."

~ Anthony de Mello

The Light shines in you. The Song sings through you. Not one; not two.

May you allow and help the light in you to shine today, may you hear the song in yourself and others!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

2009-10-27T08:11:00.001-05:00

The Master gave his teaching in parables and stories, which his disciples listened to with pleasure -- and occasional frustration, for they longed for something deeper. The Master was unmoved. To all their objections he would say, "you have yet to understand, my dears, that the shortest distance between a human being and Truth is a story." Another time he said, "Do not despise the story. A lost gold coin is found by means of a penny candle; the deepest truth is found by means of a simple story."

~ Anthony DeMello

Stories need not be factual to be true. Great characters from novels or movies can be more real to us than passing acquaintances. What matters is the truth the story points us towards. Jesus was famous for using stories. He constantly taught in parables with the hope that we might welcome deeper truth.

So welcome the stories of your day, your own and others. See in them the deeper truth of grace and healing.

Monday, October 26, 2009

2009-10-26T08:22:00.001-05:00

Love beauty;

it is the shadow of God on the universe.

~ Gabriela Mistral

The trees in my yard are amazing with color. As they prepare to sleep for the winter they let loose one more blaze of vivid life.

In the ancient Genesis story of creation, after each thing is created it is called "good." It might also be called "beautiful". Our souls are that part of the universe that is able to look back on itself and appreciate that goodness and beauty. Today, notice the beauty in your life and celebrate the presence of Grace in life.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

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Sticks and stones will break our bones,

but words will break our hearts.

~ Robert Fulghum

We have the capacity to break the hearts of those who love us. James tells us, "but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God" (James 3:8-9).

We can bless or curse, the choice is ours.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

2009-10-21T08:10:00.001-05:00

Just do the right thing now; don't worry about the future.

Or... as Jesus tells us, "do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today" (Matt 6:34). Aspects of our future are beyond our direct control, so to let go of it and focus on what we might do today is enough. To be more in the present, to allow Grace to inform our now, and then to entrust the future to God's hand is a great way to live.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

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To be at one with God is to be at peace.

Peace is to be found only within, and unless one finds it there, one will never find it at all.

Peace lies not in the external world.

It lies within one's own soul.

~ Ralph Trine

Peace is not from some product we buy, or food we eat, or substance we take in. It is not from some status we achieve, some job we do, or income level we achieve. We will not achieve it by being perfect, or beautiful, or rich, or successful.

The great spiritual traditions of the world tell us the opposite, that peace is within us already. Jesus' proclamation that the kingdom of God is among/within you speaks to his experience of knowing peace as a gift already given by God, but still needing us to live into it together. So let's stop looking for peace outside of ourselves. Today, come home to know peace within and among us, a gift already given that calls us to journey together in grace.

Monday, October 19, 2009

2009-10-19T08:12:00.001-05:00

In this world there are two tragedies.

One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.

The last is much worse.

~ Oscar Wilde

There may be a reason our prayers are not "answered" just as we want. Getting what we want can easily lead to the sense that we are the center of the universe. Real faith is to pray to God with Jesus, "not what I want, but what you want" (Mark 14:36).

Thursday, October 15, 2009

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The hatred we bear for our enemies injures their happiness less than our own.

~ J. Petit-Senn

Hatred is a toxin we swallow ourselves in hopes someone else will die.

The way of Christ is to let go of hate and have compassion. He tells us, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous" (Matt 5:43-45).

To be more like the One who shines on all is our path.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

2009-10-14T08:20:00.001-05:00

What we usually pray to God is not that God's will be done,

but that God approve ours.

~ Helga Gross

For God to give us what we want is a bit like a parent always giving a child what he or she wants. It may feel right in the moment but it is not the loving thing for the long term. Part of the child's growing up is understanding that the world does not revolve around them.

Part of our own spiritual growth is to place God at the center of our lives not our own wants. We see this with Jesus, when facing the cross in the garden of Gethsemane he prayed, "remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want" (Mark 14:36). This has been called the "perfect" prayer because it honestly acknowledges need but still places God at the center.

May we offer that same prayer in our needs and concerns today.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

2009-10-13T08:12:00.001-05:00

No man or woman of the humblest sort can really be strong, gentle and good, without the world being better for it, without somebody being helped and comforted by the very existence of that goodness.

-Phillips Brooks

Spirit is contagious. When we are good and gentle is spreads and makes a difference in the world. So today, be mindful of the spirit you share. In the ancient words of scripture "hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:22).

Thursday, October 8, 2009

2009-10-08T08:14:00.001-05:00

When you read God's word, you must constantly be saying to yourself,

'It is talking to me, and about me.'

~ Søren Kierkegaard

Or in the words of the old gospel song, "It's me, it's me, O Lord standing in the need of prayer. Not my brother, not my sister but it's me, O Lord standing in the need of prayer."

When we point a finger at someone else, three fingers point back at us.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

2009-10-07T08:15:00.001-05:00

I long to accomplish a great and noble task,

but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.

~ Helen Keller

Or, as we often say, "one day at a time." The route to the great or noble is not direct but rather a matter of doing the daily, seemingly small, tasks with mindfulness and care. So attend to today and let God take care of tomorrow.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

2009-10-06T08:15:00.001-05:00

I wept because I had no shoes,

until I met a man who had no feet.

~ Persian proverb

There are times we ought to weep, times when it is the healthy and important thing to do. Yet we need to be careful not to get lost in our own weeping. To connect with the larger world and the needs of others puts our life in perspective and helps us know we are not alone.

Monday, October 5, 2009

2009-10-05T08:21:00.001-05:00

Life is about letting God use you for his purposes,

not using God for your own purpose.

~ Richard Warren

Faith is not magic. Magic is saying the right thing to get God to give us our way. Faith is a trust, the opposite of magic, where we become a part of God's higher purposes and work to let go of our own agenda. Most people prefer magic to faith. Faith takes deep trust, the best we have to give. But it offers us a real life, living for more than ourselves alone.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

2009-10-01T08:22:00.001-05:00

Do not judge each day by the harvest you reap,

but by the seeds you plant.

~ Robert Louis Stevenson

This is especially true with things we care most about, faith, family, friends, and work. Often these are realms where we must be patient and sow seeds not looking for a quick payoff. This takes trust that what we sow we will one day reap.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

2009-09-30T08:17:00.001-05:00

There are two ways of spreading light:

To be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.

~ Edith Wharton

Whether is it by reflecting the light of grace in Christ, or by allowing your God-given inner light to shine, we are to be light for the world. "You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid," Jesus tells us. So let it shine today in whatever ways God has gifted you to shine.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

2009-09-29T08:20:00.000-05:00

Dare to love and to be a real friend.

The love you give and receive is a reality that will

lead you closer and closer to God,

as well as those whom God has given you to love.

~Henri Nouwen

Jesus, when asked what the greatest commandment is, replied to love God and to love others. He wants us to know that these two love are in fact one love.

So walk this day awake to the reality that as we love others we are lead closer to God and to others. Extend yourself to give and receive.

Monday, September 28, 2009

2009-09-28T08:32:00.001-05:00

Happiness is essentially a state of going somewhere, whole heartedly, without regret or reservation.

~ William Sheldon

And it is the result of trusting the journey Christ calls us to walk. Second thoughts, anxieties, and fears can easily sap our energies and focus. But to give ourselves to our journey whole heartedly (providing that the path we have taken is worthy of us) is indeed a key to happiness.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

2009-09-24T07:59:00.000-05:00

The place God calls you is the place where your deep gladness meets the world's needs.

~ Frederick Buechner

What we are gifted to give and what others need is the intersection of grace. Finding these places in life is one of the greatest challenges and blessings of our journey. That place will move over the course of life and with changes in the world. Yet the constant remains: our deep need to share blessings and need of others to be blest.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

2009-09-23T08:13:00.001-05:00

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.

~ Cicero

Often we feel we are entitled to so much, and we are are encouraged always to want more. To appreciate what we have, knowing the we are not owed anything, is to cultivate the gift of gratitude. This gift is the start of happiness, generosity, and joy.

Monday, September 21, 2009

2009-09-21T08:13:00.001-05:00

When I was young I was sure of everything;

in a few years, having been mistaken a thousand times,

I was not half so sure of most things as I was before;

at present, I am hardly sure of anything but what God has revealed to me.

~ John Wesley

Surety is elusive. Often we do not know. But to trust in God is to say, "while I may not know, God knows, and that is enough."

Thursday, September 17, 2009

2009-09-17T08:08:00.001-05:00

Many a time a word of praise or thanks or appreciation or cheer has kept a person on their feet. Blessed is the one who speaks such a word.

~ William Barclay

St. Paul had a companion named Barnabas. The name "Barnabas" means "son of encouragement." We all need companions to encourage us and we need to be those who offer a good word. There is much we can bear so long as we know we are not alone.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

2009-09-16T08:15:00.001-05:00

There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.

~ Douglas Adams

In the face of such an unfathomable and unknowable universe a good dose of humility is in order. In fact, one of the less appealing faces of the religious is the temptation to be a know-it-all. Standing before the mystery of life without words to explain it is our proper place. We do not know all and we do not need to, but with trust we can celebrate it.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

2009-09-15T08:15:00.000-05:00

Our background and circumstances have influenced who we are,

but we are responsible for who we become.

We are the responsible for our lives. We are the author of our own feelings. Our background and family is important to understand. And often unless we do understand we are in the dark. But that understanding ought to not be about blaming. As adults we are responsible for our lives and no one else. If we are happy, or content, or loving it is up to us.

Monday, September 14, 2009

2009-09-14T08:02:00.001-05:00

If someone you know needs help, don't annoy them by asking if there's anything you can do. Think of something appropriate and do it.

~ Edgar Howe

As someone who has needed some help over the last few weeks, I know that generic offers of help are not that helpful. But when someone does something caring or thoughtful it makes all the difference.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

2009-09-03T08:14:00.000-05:00

Joy is not in things;

it is in us.

~Richard Wagner

You can't buy it. It does not come from success, or wealth, or achievement. It is not in a pill or bottle. It will not come from having the perfect house, or child, or education.

It is already in you, waiting to be welcomed. Jesus tells us, "the kingdom of God is among you."

Please join us for "The Way of Prayer"

2009-09-02T10:37:00.001-05:00

Please Join Us For "The Way of Prayer"

The Way of Prayer is a 10-week group designed to help you expand your understanding of the nature and practice of prayer. Pastor Steve will lead this group that will meet Monday evenings starting in October from 7-9 p.m..

Many Christians grow up with a limited vision of what prayer is and how to pray. The Way of Prayer offers many forms to explore and practice, both individually and as a group. People with different temperaments, spiritual types, and learning styles will each find expressions of prayer that draw them closer to God. We will also learn to integrate body, mind, and spirit in prayer, and to live a more creative rhythm between the inner life and the outward journey of service.

In this 10-week study, you will explore the nature of prayer and a number of prayer forms. Topics and dates are:

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

2009-09-02T08:05:00.001-05:00

Said a traveler to one of the disciples, "I have traveled a great distance to listen to the Master,but I find his words quite ordinary."

"Don't listen to his words. Listen to his message."

"How does one do that?"

"Take hold of a sentence that he says. Shake it well till all the words drop off. What is left will set your heart on fire."

~ Anthony de Mello, SJ

We can easy get lost in the words and not search for the deeper meanings. So remember that words are signs, they point beyond themselves to something deeper. Today, let that "deeper" set your heart on fire.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

2009-09-01T08:22:00.001-05:00

One word frees us of all the weight and pain in life.

That word is love.

~ Sophocles

We often think that being rich, or strong, or beautiful, or smart will save us, will "free us of all the weight and pain in life." But typically all those things teach us to only rely on our own strengths. What deeper spiritual traditions offer us is our essential need to be a part of something bigger than ourselves and be taken up in the concerns of others and our world. Love is the power that makes those larger connections. It offers us a more expansive life and lifts us beyond our own "weight and pain in life."

Family Visitor, the Newsletter for the Old South Church is updated for September

2009-08-31T08:57:00.001-05:00

The Family Visitor, the Newsletter for the Old South Church is updated for September and is on the church website. Just click here. Or you may copy this URL into your browser: http://oldsouthumc.org/clientimages/36470/familyvisitor-sept2009.pdf

Enjoy and please join us soon!

Pastor Steven Notis

Old South United Methodist Church

6 Salem Street, Reading MA 01867

Email: pastor@oldsouthumc.org

Church Website: oldsouthumc.org

My Blog: oldsouthumc.blogspot.com

Monday, August 31, 2009

2009-08-31T08:51:00.001-05:00

Silence is the language of God;

It is also the language of the heart.

~ Dag Hammarskjöld

Our lives, our world, can easily crowd out the silence and quiet we need. So take some time today to simply be, to let the silence speak so that you might hear the language of your deepest self and the One who loves you.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

2009-08-27T08:32:00.001-05:00

"Don't wait for a sign from God. Be one."

~ seen in the Jesuit residence at Red Cloud Indian School

It was said that the Red Sea did not part until the first Israelites threw themselves into it. We are a part of God's presence on earth. We need to act, trust, and do. God will not do it without us and we cannot do it without God.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

2009-08-26T08:20:00.001-05:00

"Are there ways for gauging one's spiritual strength?"

"Many."

"Give us one."

"Find out how often you become disturbed in the course of a single day."

~ Anthony de Mello, SJ

The serenity we want comes from trusting in God. To trust, even when we are not sure, can help us to be less anxious, a gift to others. Our world needs less anxiety and more faith.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

2009-08-25T08:16:00.001-05:00

The enlightened person, said the Master, is one who sees that everything in the world is perfect exactly as it is.

"What about the gardener?" someone asked. "Is he perfect too?"

The monastery gardener was a hunchback.

"For what he is meant to be in life," said the Master, "the gardener is a perfect hunchback."

~ Anthony de Mello, SJ

May you welcome the "perfect" in your life and be the "perfect" one you are.

Monday, August 24, 2009

2009-08-24T08:37:00.001-05:00

I can change only myself,

but sometimes that is enough.

~ Ruth Humlecker

Attempts to change others are met with resistance. Most people just want to be accepted as they are.

We know how hard it is to change something about ourselves we do not like, to lose weight, or change a destructive attitude. Trying to change others is impossible. We can only directly control ourselves. To attend to our own lives and generously share our lives with the world is enough.

And it may even make us the sort of people who inspire others to more.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

2009-08-20T08:30:00.001-05:00

Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.

~ Paul Boose

We cannot change what has happened. We can only choose how to live today. To forgive is a gift we give to ourselves and others. It can take time and it happens at its own pace, but to allow it to happen unburdens us and helps us engage the future with hope.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

2009-08-19T08:33:00.001-05:00

Live with passion.

Live with purpose.

Live for others.

~ Jeffrey Immelt

This has been a difficult summer for me. My sister's sad and tragic passing has taken me aback. Yet my recent mission trip to Maine was the best possible medicine. To focus on others, who are struggling with so much, was just what I needed.

Healing takes time and we need to care for ourselves, but to get out of ourselves and care for others brings needed perspective and a sense of renewed purpose.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

2009-08-18T08:39:00.000-05:00

God gave us an imagination to compensate us for what we are not;

and a sense of humor to console us for what we are.

~ Francis Bacon

Taking our lives seriously but not too seriously is the idea. We can indeed imagine how we ought to be and that should spur us on. Yet often times things do not turn out as we imagine and so we need to laugh at our "best laid plans" and accept our limits with humor and humility.

Monday, August 17, 2009

2009-08-17T08:36:00.000-05:00

The poorest person is one whose only wealth is money.

After a great week on a mission work-team to Downeast Maine I am more aware that real wealth is about relationship. Eighteen people from the North Reading and Reading UM churches had a great week serving others and spending time together.

Often financial wealth does the opposite. It insulates us from others. We think we can make it alone and we pretend not to need others. And so we are robbed of a deeper wealth that comes from mutually depending on others.

So today, remember what real wealth is for you.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

2009-08-15T08:20:00.001-05:00

Yet another beautiful day in Downeast Maine!

Last night we handed out health kits at a migrant worker camp. They
are mostly Latino and they travel all over the country to harvest our
food. After the blueberries are picked they will harvest the apples.
We need their labor yet they live in tents all summer and are given
little for their work.

We are doing the 6 hour drive back today. But first we went to the
blueberry pancake breakfast at the Blueberry Festival. Yum!

It was a great mission trip of servning others, good company,
delicious food, and amazing natural surroundings.

Steve

Sent from Steve's iPhone
781 929-7882