A Careful Exploration

Good Evening, Loved Ones,

Made it through the day with twos hours left before my discipline of Wednesday gratitude fades into the night. Here's one of the lectionary passages for this Sunday to consider.

Galatians 6 (The Message)

^1-3 Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day's out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ's law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.

^4-5Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.

This Dame Cinco effort is part of our "creative best." In the last year-and-a-half we have made more than 5000 expressions of gratitude through this discipline. There have been more than 1000 email links in our gratitude chain. Let's keep making a "careful exploration" of our lives through gratitude.

As I move toward sleep, tonight I give thanks for . . .

. . . Alin Sanchez who celebrated her 9th birthday tonight at prayer group. Alin is a tiny little 9 year old, with a tremendous character. She is a devoted sister to her brother and little sister and an inspiration to her parents and her church family. Feliz Cumpleanos, Alin!

. . . day one of the more than 30 year tradition of Grandview Park's Day Camp. About 90 kids and adults invaded Heartland Presbyterian Center and had a blast singing, telling Bible stories, swimming, hiking, cooking and eating lunch, playing soccer and making crafts.

. . . the hard-working staff of the summer program - Jennifer, Ms. Washington, Gely, Sam, Erandeni, Cheny, Jean and Martha. They sink four weeks of their lives into the lives of our children and youth. May God bless them richly.

. . . a vacation weekend soccer tournament that found youngest son, Lucas, on the winning end of a tournament even as the US was eliminated from the World Cup. It was a great getaway made all the better by one of those rare win-it-all moments.

. . . the beauty of God's creation that can be seen even while traveling at 75 mph down the interstate. Lakes rimmed in reeeds, rolling green hills of various hues and bounty, rich blue skies dappled with puffs of white . . .

Gimme cinco!

Pastor Rick