I Love You

NOTE: This was re-printed with permission from Scott, an active friend of The Living Room.  

Since I've been coming to The Living Room I've been somewhat apprehensive to embrace Jesus as a god and even God himself (or herself).  I've just been burned so many time in my life by dysfunctional religious people and I'm sick of it.  You'd think I'd learn my lesson and not come back to any church but I just can't seem to let go that there is something bigger than us in the universe.  

Anyway, I've asked for your prayers that I somehow experience God so I'll have something to hang on.  Tom has been good counsel as well as my friend Wendy (she doesn't come to TLR but is a friend of it and recommended it to me originally).  Some of it has been helpful but most of it is batted down by my own anger and biases towards the church (even as organic as The Living Room is).  

Last week I shared with Tom that I don't think I work hard enough to find God... but my counter argument is always, "Well why should I?  God is all powerful... he/she can do all the work, I'm tired of trying."  Tom said  that could very well be part of my problem and that also I might be closer to God if I tried to serve others.  

I've always been service minded and Tom let me know of a few places I could be involved with.  Even thinking about it has energized me some (mainly more that I get to help someone than anything else).  

Anyway, after talking with Tom I went home to where I now live in Decatur.  The dogs needed to go out and we have this groovy backyard to let them run around in (it's more like a grotto than anything else, very cool, vines everywhere, really shaded).  I was watching them run around and I looked up in the trees for a moment and saw something hanging down from the branches.

After looking at it for a while, it appeared to be two pieces of bark stuck together by some *really* strong cobweb (I tugged on it and it didn't instantly snap like your average cobweb does).  The two pieces of bark were stuck together to... look like a cross and it seemed to be hanging there in suspended animation.  

I need to make something clear, I gave up on "Signs and wonders" years ago.  I was convinced that they didn't happen anymore and they especially didn't happen to me so I approached this "cross" with a lot of pondering and skepticism, but I'm also open to the fact that this could really be a nice "I love you" from God.  But regardless, it's been something to think about that's for sure.

It's been two days since I initially saw it and I was sure that with all the wind and rain we'd have that it'd be on the ground somewhere.  But lo' and behold, it's still hanging there by this industrial strength cobweb.  So this morning I snapped a few shots of it and thought I'd share what I saw.

Once again, I don't know if this was by God or not but regardless, it got me thinking and wondering.  

Communion

Last night after The Living Room community worshiped God, we walked on over to Dwell, our resident intentional community in Grant Park.

Ed and Kathleen provided us with delicious foods and wine. Our patron saint, Keith, thanked God for our meal and we proceeded to feast. This night marked one of the high points of my communing with these fine folks for over a year now.

Aside from the fact that Dwell's awesome layout provided the perfect environment for multiple conversations and the wonderful God-given weather last night, we experienced what Keith was reminded of as he observed, "This reminds me of the disciples gathering at Pentecost!"

The Holy Spirit may not have come in a loud wind, floating flames, and tongues of various languages. Instead, the Spirit came in memorable moments of life-sharing, bonding, laughter, and joy (the wine may have had a minor effect, praise be to God!).

Our community name is something we want to see embodied more often in our interactions, as a welcoming, open, safe, and holy body of all believers.