Pastor = Shepherd - I just spent the weekend at Echo Lake and I am off to another Senior Teen retreat this weekend. I've also headed back to highschool this semester to get to know the 11th graders in the horticulture class. I guess I needed to be reminded that what I am doing is important and essential. God is good like that to encourage us and give us these nudges to let us know that we need to keep on keeping on. After some tough stuff last week that could & would affect the way I do ministry God gave me these things to show me that I need to stand up for the important stuff and not give in to a lesser agenda imposed by others.

God is relationship exemplifed by the trinity - relationship within himself. People are designed with his image - more and more I realize that has less to do with what we look like, but has more to do with need for community and relationship. Then the more I see Jesus' ministry was really all about relationship and community than it was administration, policy and maintaining the status quo.