33 years ago today, my son was born! But, that's another story...
 

I am so excited that we are talking about WHEN we are going to start to regather as a church. If you missed the email that went out on Monday, you can read it here (here). What I did not tell you in that email is some of the many benefits of gathering again. Here are a few:

How many of you have woken up in the past few weeks and you wondered, "What day is this?" It's like Groundhog Day, isn't it? But, soon, this will no longer be the case. When you start your week with Sunday, and Sunday is for the Word of God and the people of God, it's as if the planets are realigned, and your week has some order to it.

How many of you are ready to see people other than your family? You love your family, I know, and they love you, I am sure, but between you and me, I'm guessing that most of you are ready for a little break. There are only so many walks you can go on. And the family dog who used to want to go on walks is probably looking for a little alone time too. The dog is probably the happiest creature in the house that church is going to regather.

But, perhaps the biggest benefit of being able to gather again is to share with one another some of the things that the Lord has taught us, or some of the unexpected benefits of these past few weeks. So, here is my little challenge: Think of about 5 things that you have learned or benefited from and be prepared to share them with others. Then, if you are on social media, post those. The more of you who post these, the more of an encouragement this will be for people to count their blessings, rather than focus on less helpful matters. The other benefit of doing this is that we will help create a culture of sharing blessings. That way, when we do gather again and see one another, we are ready to ask one another, "What has been an unexpected blessing to you?" and you will not only be prepared to answer it, but more importantly, your heart will be softened with gratitude. Thanksgiving always makes the heart tender.
 

Grace and Thanksgiving,
Bob