Getting Ready for Church

This morning my alarm went off and my mind immediately went to our service today.  I am excited about today.  I got up and did my usual morning routine and I got dressed.  I didn't get dressed as usual though.  Today, I found some dirty jeans and my boots.  I got my stuff together.  Today, my backpack was replaced with a wheelbarrow.  I got my ladder, my hedge trimmers and any tools I could gather up - I don't have many.  Today is a different kind of Sunday...but should it be?

Our community has weathered a tough storm - Hurricane Ike.  Today there are still people without power and with trees broken tattering their yards.  Our church is gathering to go out today.  We are taking our own small steps in helping some folks begin to put things back together.  As a church, we have established margin in our "church schedule" by only gathering two times a month.  This allows for some unique opportunities on the Sundays we don't gather at the YMCA.  For the next few months, those opportunities will probably consist of going out and helping our neighbors clean up.  However, other opportunities might include having a picnic with our neighbors, or going camping together.  It might be coming together in our living room to open the Bible together.  It might be any number of things.

Today, however, I am excited about 'being the church' as we move out and get dirty and sweaty and reach out into our neighborhood.  It's fun to be the Church @ the Springs!

Table Stays Home

Well, it's been a great day for the 434 Blog. Thanks for taking the time to check it out.

Most of you know that we are part of a church plant where one of our unique thumbprints on our community is the fact that we meet for services only twice a month. We do meet weekly, just not in the corporate gathering like most people expect. Our weekly "church" is our neighborhood groups and ours typically meets on Thursday nights. This week however we are doing something a little different. Our goal this week is to take the night we normally meet and use it to do something with one or more of our neighbors. We are staying home...

It's easy for us to get into a routine and always spending the week doing the same things - even good things. However, for us to change things a bit and give ourselves space in our week is a good thing to stop and focus on relationships that are close enough to walk to. In some ways, you can say we've given our group 2 hours of time by choosing to stay home. Now, I can't wait to hear the stories that come out.

Maybe you've chosen to stop recently and are finding that just slowing down is an incredible opportunity for relational connection that barely gets noticed when we are traveling at Mach4. At our church, we are in the middle of a series called "Life in the Margins" and this week we are specifically talking about Marginal Time, and creating some space in the midst of our crowded schedules. INTAKE is focused solely on preparing for this discussion on Sunday.

I'd love to hear stories about your slowing down and finding life in the spaces of time.