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Merry Christmas, and God Bless Us Everyone...

Inspirational words from Tiny Tim...

Anywho, just wanted to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And...wanted to share some pics from this past weekend. Sorry, I don't have any pictures of us at the Hollums house since I was too busy stuffing my face and playing WIIIIIIIIIII....

happy thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! God bless yall!

Silence...

Hello all!
I hope everyone's weekend went well. We had a quite thought provoking conversation on Friday; we missed everyone who couldn't join us, and hope to see you next week. Speaking of next week, we will NOT be meeting on Friday night. Instead, we will meet at Asbury UMC (in Cold Spring, KY), where we will prepare and serve a meal for local homeless families. More details to come!

So, what do y'all think about silence? One of the things that I would love to hear about is different ways that help people tune out all of the noise in the world and tune in on the voice of God. Happy discussing!

Prayer...

I've overcome the temptation to post the MC Hammer classic "You've got to pray..."
Anyways, I hope the weekend is going swimmingly for all. So, any further thoughts on the topic of prayer? What is it? What is it for?
But whatever it might mean, consider this quotation from the colonial American theologian Jonathan Edwards: "Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is to life."

And as promised last night, a prayer by Jesus for y'all to chew on (from John 17):
After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. 5 So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. 6 "I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8 for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth. 20 "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 "Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."

Hospitality

Hey folks!
What a great disussion last night! Please feel free to share any other thoughts about the theme of hospitality throughout the week. And, just an encouragement for all of us to be quite intentional in being hospitable in the situations in which we find ourselves.

The passages that we read last night:
Gen 18:1-8
And the LORD appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2 and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood over against him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed down to the earth, 3 and said: 'My lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant. 4 Let now a little water be fetched, and wash your feet, and recline yourselves under the tree. 5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and stay ye your heart; after that ye shall pass on; forasmuch as ye are come to your servant.' And they said: 'So do, as thou hast said.' 6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said: 'Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes.' 7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto the servant; and he hastened to dress it. 8 And he took curd, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

Lev 19:34
"You shall regard the foreigner living amongst you just like a native born citizen. Love him as yourself because you were foreigners in the land of Egypt."

And for the more visual among us...a fresco by Giovan Batista Tiepolo:

Worship...

Well, too many scripture passages from last time to post up here...
But, that do y'all think?

Just a reminder for this coming week - we are meeting on Friday, regular time, regular place.
On Saturday, John and Michelle have graciously opened their home for a little par-tay for Sylvia' birthday. 5:30 pm. It's potluck - so please bring a dish to share.

Have a great week!