Sunday, October 23, 2005

Brilliant Fall Day

We are having to head home today, this brilliant fall New England day. The color is amazing. It's the first the sun has appeared all weekend, and it has changed the foliage into a shimmering, colorful backdrop of golds, reds and oranges. I was considering a quick trip to our favorite pumpkin patch but I'm not sure we'll make it.
We went to church today. There was a group there from Liberty University called Living Proof. They travel around the country presenting a program at public schools called Primary Focus. It sounds very interesting and like a great ministry opportunity for these college students. They give a year to this program. Interesting... I'm going to look them up.
The pastor this morning spoke from a series he's doing on the beatitudes. This weeks was "Blessed are those who hunger for righteousness, for they will be satisfied." He made some interesting points, good examples. He used the story of the woman at the well and talked about how Christ offered "water filled with life" that could satisfy the longing in her heart. I have heard many sermons on the woman at the well, really good sermons, but this particular time it struck me differently. I've heard whole sermons on "living water" but I'm not sure I've ever heard anyone say "water filled with life," but it certainly gave me a different perspective on this particular story. Christ came to "give life, and give it abundantly" and we should crave "water filled with life."
The pastor continued on about hunger and what it implies, a condition rather than a status, ongoing not a point you reach. We should be continually hungry for righteousness and our filling should come from Him. One suggestion he made was that "Christianity has nothing to offer those who do not hunger." I'm still mulling this one over, but I think it has a lot of truth when spoken in Fairfield County, Connecticut. It may be more relevant around here, but then again I think many people here assume that everyone in Fairfield County is affluent, and that is just not the case. They need to remove the scales from their eyes! The needs are great here, both physical and spiritual.
Lastly, for today, there was an ad at the beginning of the service for an event called Rock the Sound. They are trying to raise money for a Christian FM station in CT and are fundraising with a concert in Bridgeport. It sounds cool and I think the cause is quite worthy. Audio Adrenaline and the Newboys will be there. There really is a great need for Christian radio up here and I'm glad to see this kind of thing happening. Fun youth event!
Well, enough for now. I'm off to enjoy pizza, another staple in this place I call home, before heading home. I'm already dreading the drive and wishing I could stay a bit longer... we'll be back for Thanksgiving and I'm thinking of making a week out of it - YEAH! Maybe we'll make it to the farm then.

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