Candles in the rain...

One of the things that I love the most about ministry at this stage in my life is that it is ALL about sharing grace.  I care about the well-being of the institution, but I don't give that lots of my time.  I figure Jesus has been in charge for 2000+ years and really doesn't need my meager insights, right? Besides, as Pope Francesco I makes clear:  there are ups and downs in the life of the church, but the heart of it all is grace.

Today in worship ALL our singers - my band Between the Banks AND our church choir - nailed the music with so much sensitivity and verve that I was in awe after worship.  (I hope to have a clip of this gig soon...) And then Carlton and I played a duet that blew me away; we didn't have an arrangement until last night and only ran through it once, but OMG it simmered and cooked with Spirit.  What a blessing on so many levels.

And then there is my man John L:  two years ago he and his beloved came to our Thanksgiving Eve concert because of an article in the local paper.  And when they read our Open and Affirming statement, one turned to the other and said THIS is the place for us.  So they became members and have helped keep the grace flowing in their own unique and beautiful ways.  As some know, we're getting ready for the Church World Service CROP Walk to Fight World Hunger next Sunday. (Make a donation here: http://hunger. cwsglobal.org/site /TR?team_id=95113&fr_id=17801&pg=team  And for the past two Saturdays, John has put himself out on a busy curb and already has collected almost $2,000 on his own! We're going to join him NEXT Sunday on Park Square to up the ante, but MAN is this one beautiful disciple?

So, as a gorgeous autumn Sunday comes to a close in the Berkshires, I am waiting to speak with my daughter in Brooklyn about how she's feeling in anticipation of the birth of her first baby; reveling in the photography of my other precious daughter as she captured fall in the hill country around her farm today; praying for my father who continues to be troubled and sick and likely to wind up in a nursing home soon; holding my dear brother in the Spirit, Peter, close to my heart as he and Joyce get ready for a time of caring for part of the world in the Middle East; and preparing for our Thanksgiving Eve show on Wednesday, November 27th @ 7:30 pm.

Here's the tune that grabs my heart at this moment in time...