hello, dear ones! i just got back from house church, and am feeling energized. our study of acts 6 led to a discussion of the church's call to serve the poor and our larger community. this is a recurring conversation for us, but tonight k reminded us of the simple truth that, if we have a vision or burden on our heart, then we are probably the best person to work to see that vision manifested, instead of just talking about ideas. for example, if i feel a call to live in community, i can either choose to talk and talk with other about how to live in community and wait for it to happen, or i can get off of my butt and just do it! or, if i have a vision to see our church get more directly involved in peace and justice issues, i can either dialogue the crap out of it, or i can take on the responsibility to educate my church family about the issues and provide them with concrete ways to respond. aargh. we waste so much time with words and ideas. thanks, k, for lighting a fire under us! grow up, kids, and follow your calling! kevin brought up the concept of the church's gifts as a whole, as opposed to just the giftings of individuals. brian maclaren stated at mayhem that a marriage is made up of three individuals - husband, wife and the marriage itself. in the same way, the church community is a separate entity from its individuals, and it's possible for that entity to have a particular gift to bring to the larger Body. so the question that remains for our particular community is: "what is our gift as a whole, together?" good stuff to consider before our next meeting... speaking of gifts, i've been feeling an intensified desire to really learn what my gifts are, and to take risks in using them, and to encourage others to use their's. daniel has been really fabulous at challenging me to embrace my gifts lately, including that of healing. so a couple of weeks ago, he encouraged me to keep my eyes open for someone needing prayer. i gathered my courage to ask leslie if she wanted a few of us to lay hands on her and pray for the intense pain in her hand that had been debilitating her for the past few months. we simply prayed for her, and the next morning when she woke up, the pain was gone. now, two weeks later, it's still gone, and she's able to really do things for herself again, and is so joyful. the thing is, though, that she had been wearing a brace on her hand for about two months prior, and every week we all passed up the chance to ask her if she wanted us to pray for her. what the heck?? i'm cyncial enough that my faith in jesus is not based on whether or not he heals leslie's hand. but if we really believe that God wants to use us as vessels for his power, then why aren't we asking for it more often? that's all for now. good night.