Next Gathering

Our next gathering will be Thursday, February 7 at 7:00 at the Arabica Coffee Shop in Streetsboro. We'll continue to talk about the places we've seen God at work in our lives and discuss Rob Bell's book Sex God. Email streetsboro.youngadults@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Look forward to seeing you there.

Uncomfortable

Tonight, as I sat in a Starbucks reading, I observed some kids skateboarding across the street at a skate park... in the snow. I watched them doing ollies as the snow fell all around them and as I watched I thought about how much they must love skating. To love something so much to give up the warmth of being inside and instead be uncomfortable and cold.

I sat there with my warm cup of coffee inside a warm building and I thought about these kids as an image for ministry. To love something so much that we are willing to be uncomfortable... to love God so much that we are willing to be uncomfortable... How many of us sit in the warmth of our worship services on Sunday mornings, comfortable and unshaken? How many of us ride around in our cars or sit in our houses, comfortable? Are we willing to give some of this up for the sake of the gospel? Are we willing to be uncomfortable for something that could be so much fun?

Those kids were having a good time skating - the rush of landing a jump or speeding from one end of the park to the other... what about the rush of helping another person or living into our calling as children of God? Those kids gave up warmth, gave up comfort for some great fun. Are we willing to do the same?

Just a thought. =)

Kate

November 1

It's been almost a month, but we'll get together again this Thursday, November 1 at 7:00. Join us at Arabica in Streetsboro as we talk about sex and God.

Questions? Drop an e-mail to streetsboro.youngadults@gmail.com

See you then!

Next Gathering!!

Join us Thursday, September 6 at 7:00 for our next gathering. We'll be at Arabicas in Streetsboro to continue our discussion of Rob Bell's book, Sex God. Questions? E-mail streetsboro.youngadults@gmail.com.

Lifeboat

I've been thinking a bit lately about celebrity and why many of us are so excited to share that we've met somebody of any importance. If you're a member of the general population, it's probably being able to say that you saw Will Smith walking down the street or got a picture with Julia Roberts. If you're a church geek, it might be the ability to say you ate dinner with Martin Marty or hung out with Mark Hanson for a bit (and if you don't know who these people are, then I'm obviously not going to impress you). But why is it that we're so happy to share the information that we got to eat with these people or have a picture of one of them with a golf ball in his mouth? Why don't we say the same things about our friends or a random person we met at a party? "I got to talk with Susan Reyes tonight!" Who is that? Why would we care?

The more I think about it, the more I believe it boils down to the lifeboat. Several months ago, I read a book by Donald Miller called Searching for God Knows What. At some point in the book, he describes what he calls the lifeboat theory. We go through life like we're stuck in a lifeboat and we need to get rid of one person. So we try to rationalize to the other people in the boat why it shouldn't be us that goes, why we have value. Most of us don't need to be the people with the most value, but we certainly don't want to be the lowest ones on the totem pole. So as long as there is somebody with less value below us, we feel alright.

So back to the celebrity thing, being able to say we met somebody of "importance" is something because not many people are able to say that. Scarcity usually translates to value and since fewer people can say they have met Will Smith or the presiding bishop of the ELCA, then that automatically gives us value by association.

So what does this mean for how we live our lives? Do we give into the lifeboat theory? I find that I often do without really thinking about it. But if I'm mindful of it, I remember that the one who gives real value is God and because I know and am loved by God, I have real value. I don't need to prove it to anybody - none of us do. But in this world, sometimes it's hard to remember that.

What do you think?

Kate

Moving to Thursdays!

We're moving to Thursdays. So our next gathering will be Thursday, September 6 at 7:00 at Arabica in Streetsboro.

Want to Know What We're Reading?

Want to know what we're reading when we get together in Streetsboro?

Here's a link for the book: Sex God by Rob Bell.

We'll be together again this coming Wednesday, August 15 at 7:00 PM at Arabicas in Streetsboro.

Hope to see you there.