First, that God is good and graciously extends his love to all. One final quote from the book, Friendship on The Margins. "The idea of being a friend of God should strike us as pretty outrageous. That members of God’s obstinate, broken creation could be drawn into friendship with the Creator and Redeemer of the universe is extraordinary. And yet this is what God offers us. We are welcomed into the deepest fellowship and friendship of the Trinity. Jesus invites us in and wants to live in us. If this notion weren’t so familiar to Christians, we might respond more often with grateful astonishment."
Secondly, I am so glad to have Greg here with me. Leona Kloster was right, sabbatical is a time for holding hands.
Thirdly, I am deeply grateful for the love and support of our great kids, our families, our friends, and our faith family at Neland.
Finally, I'm thankful for the opportunities I've had in the last two weeks to meet new people and see new places. I failed to mention that I had dinner with Eliot Vander Lugt at a wonderful Thai place in SF and also had my friend Karen Norris come visit for a few days. My cup of gratitude overflows.
I've also been praying for those I love and care about for whom these days of family gatherings mingle joy with pain due to the absence of dear loved ones. May the warmth of God's embrace be a balm to their grief. And may all your Thanksgiving gatherings be a taste of God's abundant and hospitable love.
With love and gratitude.
Ruth and Greg
PS. Oh yeah, and I'm thankful for the beauty all around us.
Glad to see you've hit the ground running (and resting!). Is that Muir Forest above? Brings back some lovely memories for us. I remember places where it felt like a kind of "natural" cathedral.
ReplyDeleteWe miss you back here but pray you're being renewed and refreshed. Be blessed!