Josh is on His Way!

Our Floridian buddy Josh is almost here. He turned 18 a week ago, and today (Sunday the 21st) left Florida with his dad, to drive up here to live, learn, and minister in Salem. He was so excited about the minstry over Halloween, he simply wanted to move up and help us out, and learn from us.

I think that he has some nasty weather to make it through on the drive, but he should be here Monday night, and will be staying with Carlos for awhile at least.

Pray for his job search, he has a few leads but needs to be able to able to nail a job down soon.

Upcoming Core Teachings Classes

Beginning Tuesday Night, January 23rd, we are going to be working together with Sinners and Saints to hold a basic teachings class. This first six-week session will cover How to Study the Bible for Yourself, a review of Church History, Lessons in Discipleship, Living Life as a Ritual (with discussion on sexuality), and the Gifts of the Spirit. This will be six week class, and at the end we will gather to eat together for the final and seventh week.

Dry Bread, Cookies, Popcorn, and Nuts

Take your pick. To define this last year you have four bowls from which to choose an element which defines how things went in your life over this last year. One bowl holds some dry crusts of bread. The next holds cookies. The third bowl is filled with popcorn, and the last bowl has pistachios. Which one do you pick and why?

The answers which came from people in morning gathering were creative, and in spite of some difficult experiences over the year were hope filled. My favorite answers in the morning were these two (please note this does not mean someone else's answer wasn't of deep value - these two just captured my heart, and attention):

Kevin Menasco - he chose the bread, because, "It's boring, and dry, but it nutritious and I need it."
Seth Cohen - Chose pistachios because, "They are open, and I have been more open this year."

The evening gathering was a cathartic release. The dam broke, and all the feelings of struggle and difficulty came flooding out. We didn't even get to teaching from the Bible on this night, because we spoke about the year's struggles, prayed for one another, and worshiped in song some.

What has your year been like? What would you pick and why?