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"Everything is a gift. The degree to which we are awake to this truth is a measure of our gratefulness, and gratefulness is a measure of our aliveness."
-David Steindl-Rast
"'Thank you is the best prayer that anyone could say. I say that one a lot. Thank you expresses extreme gratitude, humility and understanding."
-Alice Walker
"We rise by lifting others."
-- Robert Ingersoll
"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation
of my heart be acceptable to you,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer."
--Psalm 19:14
Gracious God,
Help us to become masters of ourselves so that we might be the servants of others.
Take our minds and think with them,
Take our lips and speak through them,
Take our hands and work with them,
And take our hearts and set them on fire with your Spirit.
--Rev. William Sloane Coffin
Dear Friends,
Last Sunday, on All Saints Day, we lifted up some of the people in our lives who have been “saints” to us. Friends, grandparents, parents, teachers, and coaches were among those named who have pointed the way, mentored us, loved us unconditionally, shown up for us in ways large and small, taught us how to be better versions of ourselves, and set examples of what it looks like to live out God’s kingdom here on earth. Lifting up these people out loud in our worship service was a powerful and moving experience, and served as a reminder that we in turn are called to be “saints” in the lives of others whenever and wherever we can. We need to be reminded that even our smallest interactions can have a profound ability to shape and impact one another’s lives—we need not always make grand gestures, but small gestures with great love and compassion.
This Sunday one of my favorite “saints” of Talmadge Hill will be preaching—Eric Remole. Eric has an incredible story of transformation to share with the congregation. His journey has involved profound suffering of body and soul. But his journey has ultimately led Eric to come alive in the spirit in ways that have utterly shaped and transformed his relationship to God, to community, and to the world. Come hear Eric share his story, “A Leap Into Faith” this coming Sunday.
Yours,
Jennifer
“Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with.”
― Brodi Ashton
“We need not take refuge in supernatural gods to explain our saints and sages and heroes and statesmen,
as if to explain our disbelief that mere unaided human beings could be that good or wise.”
― Abraham Maslow
"The miracle is not to fly in the air, or to walk on the water; but to walk on the earth."
--Chinese Proverb
"The invariable mark of wisdom is to see the miraculous in the common."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson