This is what real church looks like...

Today (Sunday) I went to the Bayou Blue Presbyterian Church.

The church was small, the people were few, the sanctuary was bare and insignificant, and let’s just say there were a few more notes in the songs that I’m not sure would have been found at NWPC. : )

The church wasn’t anything special. But the church—the people in it, the community that had been built there—was one of the best I’ve ever seen. They made an ordeal out of Sunday. (They made an ordeal out of God.)

First worship, then a weekly congregational Sunday dinner, followed by a time of smaller group learning in Sunday school.
This is what the church should be.

I understand that most (many?) churches are too big to feasibly have a congregational meal every week together. People are busy and budgets are tight.

Maybe it shouldn't work everywhere. But think of your own church and then think of how Jesus’ church movement was. Pretty sure He had potlucks every week too… ☺

My Roommate.

Wasn't there an oil spill in the Gulf?

While I'm in New Orleans, though I'm there for Katrina relief, I would hope that, if we're permitted, some of our efforts would be put forth to helping with the oil spill wreckage.

I screen captured this picture the other day from Google Earth:

The pink icon is Houma, where I'll be living. The yellow is New Orleans. And the green bit in the water is oil from the spill (estimated on June 20, 2010.)

Each week I'll be going on a swamp tour, so I'm interested to see (and hopefully report) the state in which my area will be when I get there.

My Call to NOLA

Tomorrow (after I spend some quality time with Mr. Dave Matthews and his friends) I'll be flying to New Orleans to work on Katrina relief with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA). Yes, I said Katrina.

It's been almost five years and people need to remember that it's still a problem in the Gulf.
But that's life isn't it? An earthquake happens in Haiti, people rally together, celebrities do their part, record-breaking amounts of aid-money is given, and a few months later, I'm buying Sperry's instead of continuing to send support to buy tents for displaced children.

We need to remember the hurt in the world.

Yesterday Hillary was over, and we watched Radiohead's "All I Need":

(Sobering, yes, but we also watched the episode with this song):

: )

Whether you hear it from Thom Yorke or Bret and Jemaine, we must remember people across the world who are suffering. That's what this month will be for me.

It's An Addie Summer

I just skimmed my post from November and am wondering where all the blogs I said I would write disappeared too... : )
Well, it's a new summer, and that means the usual:  Addie is traveling and will be blogging about her experiences so she doesn't have to call too many people and tell the same story over again. : )

Much is in store for this summer:

Addie’s Summer To-Do List:

May

WC Graduation.

L O S T Finale. : )

Trip to Annapolis.

Grad Parties Galore.

June

A Brie Visit.

More Graduations.

More Grad Parties.

Wedding.

Concerts.

Detroit.

New Orleans.

July 

More New Orleans.

More Weddings.

New Wilmington Mission Conference.

August
More Concerts.

Learn German.

Visit Laura.

Learn to Sew.

August 31 First day of classes!