Dear friends in Christ,
I spent a couple of days this week catching up with a friend in Rhode Island. One day we went to the sea shore, and I went walking on rocks along the ocean. I love these massive, ancient rocks. As I scrambled up and down the rocks, I was thinking of the great hymn, “I bind unto myself today,” that many of us sang on Trinity Sunday, in which we sing about the “deep salt sea” and “the old, eternal rocks.”
That’s not all I noticed. At first, it looks like the ocean and the grassy shore are teeming with life, while the rocks are barren. But a closer look reveals something amazing.
There is life in between the rocks, and sometimes even in the rocks themselves. Plants shoot forth with verdant energy. Among the harsh gray rocks is the promise of new growth.
I wonder how many other places in our lives look barren at first, but upon closer scrutiny might reveal life and growth? These resilient plants are a living parable of God’s love and life. There is no place where God cannot work in our world and in our lives. So often, it could look like God’s presence is absent from our world. If we keep looking—beyond the harsh rocks and to the cracks and gaps—we might see God’s love and life at work.
Would our world look different if we peered beyond the rocks to see the plants? How might our lives change if we searched for life and growth?
Yours faithfully,
 |
Scott Gunn
Executive Director
Photo by Scott Gunn
Today’s Flash Sale: Table Graces AND Family Graces
Table Graces
Praying before meals opens our hearts to an awareness of God, who is the giver of all good things and sustains us in all of our lives. When we pray before meals, we follow the example of Jesus, who prayed with his disciples during The Last Supper.
This booklet contains thirty prayers. It is designed to stand on a tabletop or counter, with the same prayer viewed on both sides to encourage praying together at meals. The prayers can be read together, said quietly, or can be sung.
Regular: $15
Today: $11.25
*Discount is valid until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time
Family Graces
This booklet contains thirty prayers. It is designed to stand on a tabletop or counter, with the same prayer viewed on both sides to encourage praying together at meals. The prayers can be read together, said quietly, or can be sung.
Regular: $15
Today: $11.25
*Discount is valid until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time
