On The Table

Thank God for beautiful weather! :-)

And speaking of nature, there's a plan brewing for a whole bunch of us to go apple-picking at Mackintosh Fruit Farm in Berryville, VA this Saturday. The plan is to meet there at 3:30pm and it's a bit of a trip to get there, so if you want to join in, plan accordingly. Should be fun!

Next up...last Sunday morning's return of the 9:30am Club was a rousing success, with lovely music being made both before the service and during communion. So let's do it again! 9:30am at Jammin' Java; come on by if you like music: playing it, singing it, or listening to it.

And finally, our worship service for this week (10am at Java) will be entitled "I Got Nothin'" ...or... "Inspiration Stone Soup".

Here's the deal. (Warning: this "On the Table" is about to take an unusually confessional turn.) As many of you know, I've spent much of this year in varying degrees of depression. This has left me in a place where the things that previously inspired me, excited me, made me feel like my life had meaning and purpose, etc. now seem empty to me. This is true even when I'm not particularly depressed. The best I can get to lately is "comfortably numb" - actual passion, excitement, energy, creativity, etc. just aren't there for me these days. Maybe you've felt this way - maybe you feel this way right now - but I'm betting that for many of you, there are things that really get you fired up and passionate. I think it would help me a lot to hear about those things. And maybe I'm not the only one.

So: I'm asking everyone to bring one thing (it doesn't have to be a physical thing; you can just talk about it) that inspires your passion - if you've got one. And then, just tell me (and us) what's so awesome about it. It could be "spiritual" or "secular". Could be a child, or a song, or an activity, or a place, or a cause, or you can take us outside and show us your motorcycle, or whatever - I don't care. I got nothin'. What you got?

We'll finish with our communion liturgy - that'll be my contribution to the stone soup, because I've found (thank God) that it still has the power to move me, at least a little.

So that's the deal for this weekend: apples, music, and stone soup. Sounds kinda autumn-y to me.

Peace,

Mike Croghan