Giggles and Laughter continued

As a follow up of my last posting - this past weekend was filled with giggles and laughter. One of my favorite moments was being at the home of dear friends and watching Alyse sit across from me eating her meal. All of a sudden I heard Alyse say.. MUMMM.... and she was devouring some corn on the cob. She really enjoyed her visit with our friends.



We were having a great time when Sharron said it was probably time for us to go home. Breeley was surprised that we placed her in her car seat. On Sunday several people made remarks about her blue eyes - They are beautiful!

We treasured our time with the "girls" over this past weekend.

On Sunday I preached a difficult message about the red letter word - forgive. This message spoke to the hearts of many people. At the close of the worship experience I had a person comment to me how they sensed the presence of the Lord in our midst. I believe the worship was outstanding - but the teaching message not one of those "feel good" messages.

When the worship experience was over I wished I had closed my message with the true story I included in the worship folder. Here is that story:

In his book The Art of Forgiveness, author Jack Kornfield shares a stunning portrait of mercy. In South Africa the Babemba tribe has an incredible way of dealing with
criminals and the unjust. When a person is caught committing a crime they are placed in the center of the village and are surrounded by the rest of the people.

One by one the people around the circle face the accused and state the good things the person has done, recounting in great detail positive memories of the man or woman in the middle. The ceremony itself can last for days, and at its closing the person is welcomed back into the tribe with great jubilation.

Many people could never imagine such a picture of love and acceptance. Indeed many of us are used to "getting even" and receiving as good as we get. Yet the Babemba are very close to the heart of God in welcoming home those who have strayed. Jesus spoke a very difficult truth when he went on a mountainside and began to teach His disciples. He taught them saying: “Yes, if you forgive others for their sins, your Father in heaven will also forgive you for your sins. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father in heaven will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14-15

Jesus went beyond telling us about our own forgiveness to tell us to offer forgiveness as well. Perhaps he knew that the one thing we needed in our own lives to grasp the love and forgiveness of God is to provide the same to others. Indeed, maybe it is when we are the most forgiving that we most clearly see the Father.