grocery list?

I haven't posted anything of real substance in quite a while, as Fulford would say, it's mostly been "the grocery list". I don't think I intended for this blog to become that (listing the events of the day...) it just sort of happened. However, someone did say something that struck me in church yesterday. We had a guest speaker in at Wesley Chapel named Raif. He's short, Egyptian and loves to laugh. He is also an evangelist, which made for a pretty good Sunday morning on Warden Ave. His sermon was essentially on the Good Samaritan and while I don't remember all of his points, I do recall one tidbit that jumped out at me.

I have always understood Jesus' story as one where we are called to emulate the Samaritan, who unlike the priests and the Levite, actually helped out the wounded man. I figured this involves things like taking care of people who are in need, loving the unloved, crossing the road and going to the hurting people. This I believe is still an important part of the passage. What Raif said that stuck out to me was that he, Raif, was the man on the side of the road, and that I was too, and that in our broken, beat up state- Jesus crossed over to my side of the road, brought me to a near by inn and paid for my recovery.

Anway, just thought that was an interesting twist to the story.

Going away to a pastor's retreat this week with the Free Methodist Church. Who would have thought that 3/4 of Epiphaneia would be going on a pastor's retreat together?.. that is strange, but I gotta say, I'm looking forward to some serious poker and interesting dialogue.