It's Saturday morning...

It's Saturday morning, a little after 9 am, and I am leaving on a road trip (destination still undecided) in a little less than an hour.

Last night was my going away party from work. For those of you that don't know, I am leaving WSCF at the end of September. It was also a welcoming party. We have a new Accountant. I am realizing that I need to invest in the relationships here in Geneva that are important to me. I only have a month or so before things will be completely different. During this month I need to take advantage of the fact that I am still here. I don't think this means that I need to be all sad or sentimental (yet) but I do need to just take every opportunity I get to focus on people. People are what count in this world.

I was just reading this blog. The author talks about how what the Church really needs is mentors. I agree partly, but I think authentic relationships are perhaps a better way to describe what is lacking in our Churches. We need people that are willing to celebrate with us when things are wonderful, that are willing to cry with us when things are hard, that are willing to pray with us always, that are willing to challenge us when we are wayward. We need people that are willing to get involved in our messy lives. We all have messy lives; we've all done things we're not proud of; we've all needed a friend and mentor. The Church could be the place where we find that, but often the Church is where we find people who have it all together. People that want to show how little they need other people. When we don't see think we need other people, perhaps we don't think we need God. I am writing this because this is a trap I often fall into - I forget that I need God and other people. I forget that I cannot do this alone. If Churches could be places where people learn to be with each other and pray with each other than I think Churches would see that they are relevant and that they can and do make a difference. As long as Churches continue to be exclusive for the "saved", they will continue pushing away people that recognize their own need for authentic, mysterious, community.

Spontaneity helps too! That's why we haven't decided where we're going on our road trip yet!