Wednesday, April 20, 2011

For a Reason and a Season

When I was growing up, I hated cantalope. My mother and sister also hated cantalope. Cantalope was not served at our house, although my dad sometimes ate it when he went out to dinner.

When I got married to Kelly, I discovered that he was also a cantalope hater. Once when we had friends over, Kelly remarked that I should have not made a fruit salad because he does not like cantalope. The salad had actualy been brought by our guests. Ooops!

As I was pregnant with Tim, however, I began to crave cantalope. Despite Kelly's dislike of the fruit, I started eating cantalope on a regular basis. When Tim was born, the craving went away, but I still retained a liking for the fruit. There was a reason that I needed cantalope and my need lasted for a defined period of time, a season.

Sometimes our outreach is for a reason and season. People come to us to because they have a need or a craving. They may not be Lutherans, they may have lost faith altogether. God sends them to us for a season to nurture and grow. What we have to offer and how that expression takes form in community is the essence of the coversation that we are having at Mt Carmel.

There are sheets of white paper on the wall in the Sanctuary which contain the results of our initial brainstorming about what we want to see and how we feel about Mt Carmel. Pastor Glen has encouraged us to pray about the words on the paper, as we consider how to "brand" Mt Carmel. If you were unable to participate last Sunday, please add your input. There are blank pages for your thoughts and we welcome you on this journey together.

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