Passing on Thoughts

So many things to "blog'. I was at an excellent seminar
on stewardship yesterday
with thoughts to pass on;
and I could do an update on the unemployed man
I mentioned in an earlier entry. He stopped in on
Wednesday. He has not asked me for money.
The additional facts are that he is 56 years old,
gets evening meals at the local soup kitchen,
is also living in his car.
How much longer can that continue here in
Minnesota? It's getting colder.
Park's turn to help host "the homeless" (IFHN)
will come around later in October but that program
does not help single men. He is keeping in touch
with some other agencies. I will try to let you know
what else develops.

Also let me pass  on some of the devotional readings
of the day and if I have time I will add
to this entry later.

From A Daily Spiritual seed
MESSAGE OF THE DAY

The truth of the matter is,
we all come to prayer with a tangled
mass of motives
altruistic and selfish,
merciful and hateful,
loving and bitter.
Frankly, this side of eternity
we will never unravel
the good from the bad,
the pure from the impure.
God is big enough
to receive us with all our mixture.
That is what grace
means, and not only are we saved by it,
we live by it as well. And
we pray by it.   - Richard J. Foster


....and this from inward/outward---

By John Squadra

If someone says, “To be enlightened you must
fast and pray all night,”
Have dinner and go to bed.
If you see a sign, “This way to salvation,”
run the other way.
If someone says, “This book is the truth,
you can buy it from me,”
Take your money and buy grapes and roses.
If someone says, “He’s talking tonight,
thousands will be saved.”

Go for a walk…listen to the birds
and watch the clouds, and leave
your backpack, your Bible and your Buddha
under a tree and hope
they will be gone when you return.
Where we are going you can’t carry anything,
not even your name.
If there is logic in the above,
be afraid, it’s a lie.

But if you feel something in your chest
as beautiful as the grass beneath your feet,
be grateful…open your arms
and forget everything
you ever thought you knew.

Source: This Ecstasy