Christmas...How'd we do?

So, we did it. We celebrated another Christmas, the big kahuna of Christian holidays. I wondering how it was for everyone. Over the past several decades, my Christmases have gone from morose to meaningful. I'm glad. We seem to be getting a handle on a better celebration. We've all heard the phrase, "the true meaning of Christmas." But what exactly is that? The Wikipedia entry says that is "is a phrase with a long history in American pop culture. It first appears in the mid-19th century, and is often given vaguely religious overtones, suggesting that the "true meaning of Christmas" is the celebration of the Nativity of Christ. But in pop culture usage, overt religious references are mostly avoided, and the "true meaning" is taken to be a sort of introspective and benevolent attitude as opposed to the commercialization of Christmas which has been lamented since at least the 1850s." Please join us for some friendly conversation and exploration. We'll be delighted to see you.

Belief, Faith and Knowledge in the light of Intellectual Honesty

"Belief, Faith and Knowledge in the Light of Intellectual Honesty." Now there's a catchy title. Each of these terms potentially represents volumes of philosophical discourse. This coming Sunday, December 23rd, with the benefit of several on-line experts who provide workable definitions, we'll try to distill each of these down to manageable size and condense them into a coherent epistemological proposition that is meaningful to our spiritual growth. This could be fun, and easier than it sounds. If not, we'll just share some favorite stories.
Please join us. You'll be warmly welcome.

Your verse...

This Sunday we'll talk about Bible verses that have personal meaning to us as individuals.

My pick is Psalms 100 (KJV):

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.² Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. ³ Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. ⁴ Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. ⁵ For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

I was taught to memorize this psalm in my first grade Sunday School class. 

I took some time last week and spent a lot of it outdoors, watching glorious sunsets over a lake, being awestruck by crystal clear starry nights, sharing the break of dawn deep in a remote southern swamp, listening to the sound of nature beyond the human hum, being in the presence of people I love. At times, I felt the close presence of the majesty of the universe, and the reality of the fact that we are stardust become conscious, and Psalms 100 made sense for every one of the planet's children that would have it.

Please be warmly welcome at 9:45 on Sunday morning. Bring your verse. Share your story.

Progressive Dinner

Our annual progressive dinner is tonight. 

Appetizers:  704 Forest Ave., JC, hosted by Bennette Rowan and Julia Rogers

Entrée:  711 West Maple St., JC, hosted by Julie Wade

Desserts:  209 Riverside Dr., Eliz. hosted by Jim and Helen Wilson

People must be signed up to bring a dish in order to attend and for us to know how many folks to expect

Surprize Sunday

Please join us. See what we come up with this time.
We'll be delighted to see you.