A Look on the “Brite” Side
The following is the latest column from Bob Brite, the Transitional Pastor for First Christian Church in Minneapolis.
Pastor Bob Brite.
Ah, the struggles and challenges of life! My favorite youngest daughter Katie is dealing with the tragedy of some friends dying and being severely injured in an Illinois car crash over the weekend (on top of the adjustments to college life). My favorite eldest daughter Corrie is having to adjust to somewhat lowered expectations due to a somewhat lower second-time-around LSAT score than she was hoping for. My own expectations of life and living, somewhat tied into theirs, has me on this day muttering “Bummer” under my breath while (as I said in my sermon on Sunday) God has been whispering in the still, small place of my soul to continue practicing patience, and working what I’m working on. Such involves losing weight, getting out with people beyond the friendly confines of FCC more, working with folks here at FCC on “Pieces of the Future” and, most importantly, praying more in the context of this Unbinding Your Heart thingie. (I’ve told you before, I love the word “thingie” – it has so many uses!)
One of the things I’m trying to do this week is to pray the neighborhood. I’m walking around about a four block area, praying for the folks in the apartment buildings, businesses, and agencies, praying that their souls might be open to the love of God. One of the “front burner” issues that Dennis and I are wrestling with (and which will come before the Board when it meets this week) is the starting of an alternative worship service to see if we can attract some-to-many
of the 20 and 30 something’s in this neighborhood to our community. I’m praying for the souls of the neighborhood to be open to that, among other things.
I have to work at prayer – listening to the promptings of the Spirit in a way that seems to be faithful. Sometimes it feeling like stumbling in the dark through a room full of rocking chairs; you know there’s movement, but you’re not sure where the movement is coming from or where you are to go. While I know that the ministry and people of FCC are progressing towards some decisions, we do not yet know what those decisions will be. That is occasioning a lot of reflection and prayer.
Are you praying, my brothers and sisters?? I hope you are. (By the way, check out our prayer wall outside the sanctuary; you can leave prayer concerns there!)
Grace and peace,
Bob Brite
