The Open Door

Potluck Picnic in the Park!

Jesus and What We Can Give Right Now

Jesus seems to have encouraged the disciples to live in the present tense.  He tells his followers more than once not to worry about how they will eat or what they will wear--consider the lilies, after all!  He tells them that they can't know the day or time when the Son of Man will arrive.  He tells the story of a man ready to build more storehouses to stockpile all his treasures for the future, until death comes to surprise the man in the midst of his preparations. 

I suspect that one reason Jesus advises against worrying for tomorrow is that worrying about tomorrow tends to make us ungenerous today.  We hold back our time, our income, our energy, because we worry that we will need it later.  We give less to others, lest we need those resources for ourselves later. 

All of which reminds me of a quote from Annie Dillard that I came across a while back.  She is talking about creative writing, but I love how the same thing applies to all of our God-given gifts.  She says:

"One of the few things I know about writing is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time.  Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book, or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now...Something more will arise for later, something better.  These things fill from behind, from beneath, like well water.  Similarly, the impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive.  Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you.  You open your safe and find ashes."

May each of us find a way, every day, to give our all to the world God so loves, trusting God enough that we can hold nothing back for ourselves or for tomorrow.

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THANK YOU!

Thank you all so much for staying to  help count school supplies after worship last Sunday! We got all of the Tennis Club's supplies lined up and we managed to count out a whole lot of markers and pencils to give away as well.  We should call these Five Minute Workdays our Five Minute Miracles!

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CHILDREN'S BELL CHOIR

This Sunday,  Aug 10, come a little early to the beach service and grab a color-coded bell.  Our early service music director, Mila Smith, will be leading anyone interested in a baby bells rendition of Jesus Loves Me, as the morning's prelude.  Fun for children, but also for those of us who are technically no longer children!

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Back to School

As we get ready to outfit local kids for the coming school year once again, you can participate in one of these ways:

1. With your dollars, marked Back-to-School
2. With your time and effort.  We could use some help loading and unloading supplies to take them to public housing around 4:30 pm on Aug. 12.
3. With your shopping—please look for low prices on 4 oz bottles of glue.  Prices go as low as 25 cents each, if past years are any indication. The church will be happy to reimburse you, so buy plenty! 

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We are on our SUMMER WORSHIP SCHEDULE! 

8:30 am Beach Church service at Decatur Street beach--Park in our lot and head straight for the ocean!  Bring your own chair or towel. 

11:00 am Jazz Celebration Service --Enjoy the music and the AC in the sanctuary!
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Our Church Staff:
Pastor: Rev. Dr. Nicole Wilkinson
Keyboardist/Jazz Leader: Greg Pordon
Organist: Milla Smith
Office Administrator: Nancy DeSantis