Dear Friends,
I’m not thinking of the book or the TV series. As fires burn in and around Los Angeles, I find my heart hoping the best for the people losing so much of what they count as their lives due to fires.
There are people here, of course, who experienced the same thing three years ago.
There are also little fires of the Spirit blossoming around us. I hope we can see those, as well. We will welcome new folks into the congregation this month. We will thank many who have been providing leadership in the church for a long time and are now taking a rest, we are welcoming new people to leadership (many of them fairly new to the congregation).
This morning I heard a story about a woman in the congregation who helped heal a brother who was having a bout of a paranoia. She spoke calmly to him and told him all thought well of him and if he needed to step away to calm himself down, then he could come back, and they would all welcome him. He did. He came back after a respite, apologized, and went on. Another person, new to the congregation, offered to be the sponsor of another member’s daughter who is going through recovery. It’s beautiful these healers are some of the little fires of the Spirit all around us.
And there are so many more of these little fires. Too many to keep up with. And I’m sure you are seeing some as well (if you have a chance I’d love to hear about them). The stories from this week involved a playwright, a BMX racer, a musician, two young artists, and more. Our cup overflows.
Blessings to y’all in this new year.
Keep tellin’ the Story,
Mike
On this Sunday we will remember the baptism of Jesus and remember our own….this song by Ibeyi seemed appropriate: River