Breaking Bread

I'm so glad we have a small gathering to go to on most Friday nights, the beginning of the Sabbath. A place for Dean to be with some of his church friends and a time to share the study of God's Word. Dean has been missing that at church the last few months due to his dementia issues, so I'm thankful he still gets a small taste of church life at our friends' house most weeks. They are so special for providing us with that, for being supportive of Dean's needs, and for letting us both have a taste of Christian social life again. Some nights we even share a meal together, usually something simple like soup or "haystacks", and that is extra special.

The book of Acts tells of the early Christians "breaking bread from house to house" (Acts 2:46). And they did it "with gladness and singleness of heart."

I would encourage all church members to not be shy about inviting people into your homes. Your house doesn't have to qualify for a Better Homes and Gardens photo op. And your cooking doesn't have to match the chef of a quality high-class restaurant. Your guests will feel special just because you invited them.

I know we do.

Silent Auction

My parents passed away a little over a year ago now and we are still trying to find a place for some of their earthly belongings. We had some items in a silent auction this weekend at a train show and so I called to see how much money was bid on our dad's railroad treasures. It was rather disheartening to discover that only a couple of things had sold. I had envisioned at least minimum bids on everything, as dad's treasures had become mine over the last year that I have kept them, and therefore everyone would be wanting them. Not so.

Is this how the Father in heaven felt after giving up His only Son? Even as a gift, most people have rejected this treasure of all treasures. How can we be so blind when it comes to the value of our Savior? Shouldn't we all be wanting Him?

But then, I got to thinking that probably there just weren't enough people at the train show who happened to get to the silent auction tables. I should have been there, directing them to our precious items.

So, perhaps I have an obligation when it comes to Jesus' amazing gift as well. Am I somewhat to blame for some of those rejections? I need to be standing nearby, directing people to the valuable gift--Jesus, our most wonderful treasure of all.

300 To Go

I'm closing the year out with 65 blogs under my belt. My sister has put in an order for a year's worth, so I have roughly 300 to go to fulfill her wish. It has been a great exercise for me on several fronts. First, the writing process is becoming easier. It isn't taking me as long to get to my "finished product"--something fit to publish and post on Facebook for my friends.

But by far the greatest benefit to me has been going over the day's events and finding something there that reminds me of God. It's given me a great spiritual boost, because one quickly discovers that God is pretty easy to find. If we take a little time each day to look for Him. He is ready and waiting at every turn to instruct, comfort, and guide us.

The third benefit I have received from this blog has been the thrill of sharing it. I can monitor the number of pageviews and even the countries where people have at least taken a peek at it. I just pray that each person led to the blog will come away with a little something to cheer them, inspire them, or comfort them. That's my goal, after all. To share the great God I serve, in whatever way He provides..