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A Fitting Complement
We had a good time last night at our weekly VBCC gathering. We got to hang out with new friends Peter and Amber, getting to know them a little better. And of course there was the ever-present snacking session. We also, after all that, adjourned to the living room/sanctuary to recite the Nicene Creed, then took up our ongoing discussion of the Merton quote that Alan has been posting in stages here. Of course, the portion that we discussed last night is the most recently posted portion of the quote (see just below). It was very cool to talk about what God has in store for us, as individuals and as a community of believers. So, it was a very nice complement to that evening to wake up this morning to the following quote in my CQOD mailing:
"There are, I should say, four elements in a redemptive community. It is personal, with things happening between people as well as to and in them individually; it is compassionate, always eager to help, observant but non-judgmental toward others, breathing out hope and concern; it is creative, with imagination about each one in the group and its work as a whole, watching for authentic new vision coming from any of them; and it is expectant, always seeking to offer to God open and believing hearts and minds through which He can work out His will, either in the sometimes startling miracles He gives or in steady purpose through long stretches where there is no special "opening". It may fairly be said that unless one enmeshes himself in this "redemptive fellowship" of the church, he lessens his chances of steady growth and effectiveness, in his Christian life and experience."
~Samuel M. Shoemaker (1893-1963), The Experiment of Faith [1957]
| posted by #Debi | 7:04 AM |
1 comments
That's an awesome quote Debi. Thanks for putting that up here. Encouraging stuff. I pray we are that. 1 Comments: