Happy Thanksgiving! I hope wherever you are this Thanksgiving, you are surrounded by just the right amount of family, and food, and that you feel loved and safe and well.
Over the last five Sundays, we’ve been talking about our partnership with the Food Bank. I don’t have the total of what your giving raised quite yet, but I do have a big gratitude to share.
Late this afternoon, I received an email from Courtney Butnor (one of our site leads who shared about her experience 2 Sundays ago) reporting in from today’s Mobile Food Bank. Not only has our Food Bank team added 20 new volunteers in the last few weeks, but today, we served a record 122 families. And, every one of them received a turkey breast for Thanksgiving.
Wow! Thank you to all those who helped make the Food Bank possible. It’s not too late to join the team, or to shop at a future Food Bank. Learn more here.
And now for the joke promised in the title! Posted by the ministry coach that Sean and I work with – it’s a good reminder to keep turning towards joy – which is, we know, in these days is an act of resistance.
Thanksgiving Joke
There’s a woman in the frozen section of the grocery store. You can tell from a mile away that she’s irked about something. She’s looking over the turkeys. Picks one up, shakes her head “no,” puts it down. Picks another one up. No, still not good enough. She’s been a while there in the frozen section, and appears to have individually inspected and rejected each single turkey when a stock-boy happens by. “Young man,” she calls out. “Excuse me!” The stock-boy turn around, says, “Me?” “Yes, you,” she says. “Now, see here. I’ve been looking over this selection of turkeys. They’re all so terribly puny. Don’t they get any bigger?” The stock-boy looks at her. Looks at the turkeys. Back at her. Then in the gentlest way possible, he says, “Ma’am, I hate to tell you. But these turkeys are dead.”
This Sunday we start a new series, Slow Down with a service on coming to terms with all the stuff we can’t get to on our to-do lists. Sounds about right for the kick off of the holiday season, eh? See you – and your out-of-town guests! – 8:30, 10, or 11:30.
In partnership,
Rev. Gretchen
Notes from Disciplined: Week 5 – Now What?
Listen to the message
Music
We sang our theme song for the last time Divisionary (Do the Right Thing) by Ages and Ages
Christopher shared his original new song, Breathe, inspired by this worship series
At 8:30 & 10, with the Choir’s support, we sang Life Calls Us On
In the 11:30 we sang May the Life I Lead,Oh, River, and Magnificence
Practices
Though the series is over, you can still use our Disciplined Practice Guide and this audio recording to practice our prayer beads.