Summer Past
By Belinda
September is almost over but I have thoughts of summer sitting on the shelf of memory like jars of brightly coloured jam; and before more time goes by I want to share.
It was back in July when my dear friends Dave and Joe invited Susan and I to join them with other friends, for the presentation of an award they were to receive. The award was for service to the community in the area of abuse prevention. It was being presented by the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto.
I would not have missed this opportunity to witness the honouring of friends, but I was also curious and interested to visit the church, which defines itself as "A house of prayer for all people," and particularly welcomes people of all sexual orientations.
But for this special event, I probably would never have had an opportunity or reason to attend the church, and I felt as though I was embarking on an adventure; a visit to a "new country."
I was also looking forward to seeing Dave and Joe's little friends, Ruby and Sadie, and meeting their niece Shan, whom I knew through cyber-space as a fellow blogger, and who had flown in from Vancouver Island for the event. It felt exciting and a little scary at the same time.
Before leaving that Sunday morning, July 15, I opened my Daily Light. I always read the whole day in the morning--morning and evening readings, and the evening readings contained these verses, which were both a prompt to be discerning and a caution not to judge by appearances, at least that's how I read them:
So I left that morning prepared to "see" and "hear" all that I could, on as many levels as I could; ready to celebrate friends, but also to observe.
I'll write more over the next few days, as I have time, about what I saw. Stay tuned!
September is almost over but I have thoughts of summer sitting on the shelf of memory like jars of brightly coloured jam; and before more time goes by I want to share.
It was back in July when my dear friends Dave and Joe invited Susan and I to join them with other friends, for the presentation of an award they were to receive. The award was for service to the community in the area of abuse prevention. It was being presented by the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto.
I would not have missed this opportunity to witness the honouring of friends, but I was also curious and interested to visit the church, which defines itself as "A house of prayer for all people," and particularly welcomes people of all sexual orientations.
But for this special event, I probably would never have had an opportunity or reason to attend the church, and I felt as though I was embarking on an adventure; a visit to a "new country."
I was also looking forward to seeing Dave and Joe's little friends, Ruby and Sadie, and meeting their niece Shan, whom I knew through cyber-space as a fellow blogger, and who had flown in from Vancouver Island for the event. It felt exciting and a little scary at the same time.
Before leaving that Sunday morning, July 15, I opened my Daily Light. I always read the whole day in the morning--morning and evening readings, and the evening readings contained these verses, which were both a prompt to be discerning and a caution not to judge by appearances, at least that's how I read them:
Job 34:3
New International Version (NIV)
1 John 4:1
New International Version (NIV)
John 7:24
New International Version (NIV)
24 Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”(A
1 Thessalonians 5:21
New International Version (NIV)
John 10:3-5
New International Version (NIV)
3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice.(A) He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.(B) 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.(C) 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
So I left that morning prepared to "see" and "hear" all that I could, on as many levels as I could; ready to celebrate friends, but also to observe.
I'll write more over the next few days, as I have time, about what I saw. Stay tuned!
Comments