"There is something so amiable in the prejudices of a young mind, that one is sorry to see them give way to the reception of more general opinions." -Jane Austen

June 2, 2010

What in the world are you doing?

Friends,

Happy Wednesday! :)

"What in the world are you doing?"
This is a common question to escape my lips. As far as slang phrases go, this one is by far one of my favorites! It can mean many, many things depending on who is on the receiving end of it and I can use it in almost any state of emotion. For example, there are days when I come home and my dog has pulled out every single toy he owns and strewn them over the entirety of our apartment: "WHAT IN THE WORLD are you doing?" There are days when I walk into my co-workers, Lauren or Amy's, office and they are working in a "creative" fashion: (laughing) "What in the world ARE you doing?!" There are days when my computer freezes and I want to throw it out my window: "What in the world are you DOING?"

Today, however, I pose this question to you: "What. In the World. Are you. Doing?"

As we enter into June, the children in my church will be learning about the virtue of Responsibility and how that relates to God's call in our lives. We are responsible for Creation. We are responsible for service. We are responsible for loving one another. We are responsible for being good stewards of what God has given us. We are responsible for using the gifts we have to bring glory to God. We are responsible for caring for our neighbor. We are responsible for sharing the love and goodness and faithfulness and power of God with all the world. We have many responsibilities, friends.

As we move toward summer, we will continue this spiritual practice and the kiddos will be able to learn and experience the wonders of God's creation throughout July and August. Each week, we will study a day of Creation and will have field trips to the Planetarium, the Science Museum, Maymont Park, and the Zoo that correspond with our study. We will also learn about service and recycling from a local specialist. Our children will spend the next few months practicing the responsibility that God has entrusted us with-- a responsibility to Creation, to service, to one another.

With this in mind, I ask you again: "What. In the World. Are you. Doing?" How are you caring for the earth, for your neighbor, for the marginalized? How is your family learning about service and stewardship? What--in our world, in our country, in our community, in our congregations--are you and your family doing to bring glory to God? And...what are you NOT doing?


I pray that God reveals to each of you this week a new way that you can answer the call: "What in the world are you doing?"


Many, many blessings,
Amanda