Barbara's Creative Projects
Today’s challenge is to be good stewards of our possessions and encourages us to give away things we don’t need/use or simply give to someone who is in need.
I have been working on de-cluttering, and making a pile of things to go to “Thrift on Kent,” The Mennonite Central Committee thrift store. This includes things like a computer monitor that works fine, but I don’t need it (I tend to hang onto things because I might need it down the road), as well as clothing and other household articles.
Today’s challenge is to share food with someone. Sharing a meal with another is, I think, a holy act. As a single person most of my meals are solitary. I like getting to eat with other people – at FMC when I have lunch with Tracy or the quilting women, when my kids come home or I go to their homes, when my favourite man comes in for a meal, having tea with my sisters.
Unfortunately, today is not a good day for me to do that. I feel very much like a cold is coming on, so I’m staying home alone today in an effort to avert it. This is a challenge that I will make up another day.
With the temperature at -19C, wind chill -33, Miss B does not like to go outside. But she must! So I put on her sweater, coat and boots. She does NOT like boots and tries very hard to shake them off. I have learned to cinch that velco tight!
Billie’s dance from Barbara Burkard on Vimeo.
Today’s challenge is a (random) act of kindness –
“Wherever there is a human in need, there is an opportunity for kindness and to make a difference. …
So look out for those God-given opportunities to live out Jesus’ command.”
‘A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’ (John 13:34–35 NIV)
So today’s challenge revolves around community – being a part of one’s own community.
I’ve been thinking about community lately, partly because of Google+. There you create communities and circles. But to me it feels so artificial. I have circles of people I actually know but am added to circles of complete strangers. What’s that about? And in the community I’m involved in #5minutesofmyday really only Marjorie and I make an effort to post a photo every day, another 6 or so people post occasionally while the group has 71 members. I’ve noticed that it only feels like community when people interact with each other. When someone 1+s my picture I know they’ve looked at it. When someone leaves a comment I know it has touched them in some way – that is where community happens.
I see my job as Administrative Assistant as facilitating community within the church. Helping people to connect with each other, to interact with each other.
Here in the condo I’ve attempted to do that by making a newsletter, by attending potlucks, by doing yard work (which often spurs conversation).
So where, today, can I plant seeds of community?