Let's start talking...

Good article that tries to open the door, just a little, and get us to discuss "5 Uncomfortable Issues the Church Needs to Start Talking About"...

It has been said that the Church is not a museum of saints, but a hospital for sinners. Yet, most of us would much rather pretend to be a saint on display than call for an ambulance.

Week after week, many of us walk into a church, sit by people we have known for years and yet would never dream of sharing our innermost struggles with. While a large part of this is our pride, another factor is a Church that seems unwilling to talk about certain uncomfortable issues, choosing rather to ignore them, try to cover them up or simply reject people who bring them up.

There are many issues the Church as a whole needs to address, such as creationism, activism, environmental stewardship and many others. But there are many more issues that individuals in the Church are dealing with—issues that the Church Body should be talking about. In Galatians 6:2, Paul urged the Church to "Bear each other's burdens," so maybe with more grace and love we can turn on the light in the darkened rooms of each other’s hearts and let our churches become safe havens for the uncomfortable things we have to deal with....

Read the rest at Relevant

Beloved

From the moment we claim the truth of being the Beloved, we are faced with the call to become who we are. Becoming the Beloved is the greatest spiritual journey we will ever make.

As long as "being the Beloved" is little more than a beautiful thought or a lofty idea..., nothing really changes. What is required is to become the Beloved in the commonplaces of my daily existence and, bit by bit, to close the gap that exists between what I know myself to be and the countless specific realities of everyday life.

Advent

For those who don't have an Advent calendar on hand...or for those who don't know what an Advent calendar is...


"Advent is a precious time in the Christian calendar. The four weeks leading up to December 25 are meant to be a period of expectant waiting, as we prepare ourselves for the miraculous arrival of our Savior and his gifts of love, hope, joy, and peace.
The reality for most of us, though, is that these are anxious weeks of shopping and holiday planning leading up to a hectic Christmas Day. In the bustle of the holiday season, it’s hard to remember what we’re waiting for.
Completely avoiding the Christmas onslaught may be impossible, but we can make an effort to maintain some connection to the spiritual foundation of this season. Busted Halo’s 2013 Advent Surprise Calendar is here to help with that..."

This is just a picture...to access the calendar, go to this link...
 http://bustedhalo.com/features/advent-calendar-2013 

Just in case you're not familiar with Advent...Busted Halo will tell you in 2 minutes what it's all about!

 

JOY!

Happiness is a perception!

 

Piano Guys....

Must admit, this is the first time I've heard these guys...what an interesting way to make music!

12 days of Christmas...

Just in case you're interested in purchasing all the gifts in the song...in 2013 it will cost you about $114,000.00!

http://news.yahoo.com/12-days-christmas-items-top-114k-050236819.html

Thought it was interesting, because of minimum wage, the 8 maids a'milking are the cheapest of them all!

Rules