Christmas Mail

There is something exhilarating about walking out to your mailbox and discovering an envelope, handwritten with your name on it, isn't there?  Your heart skips a beat while your mind searches for whose handwriting this belongs to.  Its a wonderful feeling.  And sometimes that can happen with an email too.

 

Today I received an email that at first I thought was junk mail.  My name was misspelled and it started out as one of those 'you've had a family member die and leave you millions of dollars!' emails.  And just as I was about to hit delete, my eyes caught some key words, my heart skipped a beat, and all at once my world was validated.

 

 

Dear Rachael,

 

I just want to tell you how much I, personally, appreciate the time and effort that you and your family put into preparing and serving the Thursday Community meals.

 

As you know, there are a variety of individuals who come each week. Some are here because they need the meal to help them make ends meet, while others come because they enjoy the fellowship of being with others. And, of course, there are those who come for both.

 

I try to come each week, just to visit with people, just to welcome them and to build a relationship with them. It has been fun to get to know them and there have been times when they have asked me to pray for them or a friend or family member. But again, one thing that they all have in common is their enjoyment of getting together.

 

I do recognize that this is a huge job for you and I just want you and the others who work with you to know how much it is appreciated.

 

God bless and Merry Christmas!

 Pastor Mike Berne

 

Money does not grow on trees nor does my time expand limitlessly.  Because of this, I choose my charities and volunteer opportunities carefully.  I firmly believe that God did NOT put us on this planet to be alone.  This is evident from the very beginning in the Old Testament in Genesis when God says to "Be fruitful and multiply" to the New Testament when Jesus says "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men."  With this as my biblical background, I do not choose charities that segregate out certain types of people.  I seek ways to bring a sense of belonging and community to everyone - regardless of your financial status.  In some way or another we all know the feeling of being picked last or wanting to crawl in a hole and hide from the situation and I do not wish that on anyone.  The cruelty, unfairness, and cracks that so many people slip through in this world is enough to make us turn off the news, stop reading the paper, and change the radio station.  If the only light in people's life is a simple meal eaten at the park or a community dinner, then I'm happy to help - always have, always will.

#Advent2016  #ilovemyshepherd  #graftedheart