Eavesdroppings

Heavenly palette wars are on in the Missoula valley this somnolent Sunday afternoon. Grim gray has come back for an encore performance. Big sky blue refuses to be upstaged. Good work, blue. You are the winner for the moment. Never mind what that weatherman said.

I am sitting at the Zootown Brew coffee bar, perched on the best people watching stool in the house. I am facing Broadway, watching Missoulians drift by, sometimes stopping in their obedient red light position, sometimes maneuvering the green light traffic at 35 mph. Across the street from me is the FedEx Kinkos, one of the few establishments that remains open 24 hours. Next to it in the two tone green building is Jem Shoppe Jewelers and Bob's Sew-Vac Center. The trees right outside the window are covered in knobby tips waiting to spring open.

I had brunch at a little breakfast nook called Dauphine's a few hours ago. I overheard a group of eight talk about when they were younger, what words they could and could not use in front of their parents. They all seemed to have grown up in homes where there were definite verbal boundaries. They also seemed pretty proud (based on their colorful word choices) that they were now grown up enough to no longer be under the confines of parental censorship. The conversation brought back memories of my own mom and dad's house rules, the ones my brother and I loved to bend as often as possible. My cellular memory also reminded me of the consequences that swooped across our backsides when said bending was discovered.

I left a pen that had an invitation to my current church on it and a Looking for God in America information card for my waiter with noteworthy customer service skills. We got the pens this morning during the service. Our pastor handed them out and challenged us to plant them all over town like seeds, to let people know that we exist and hopefully to plant good actions with those pens, like nice tips, or any other action that might be appreciated. He preached on the feeding of the 5,000 from the book of Mark and encouraged us to switch from our instant response of focusing on what we don't have to a place of offering what we do have. He said that if each of us stay in a place of working independently, then we would find ourselves lacking, but when we bring our resources together, all those drops in one bucket could really get some things done and make a real change.

This morning in my quiet time, I was reading II Corinthians 9, the same message I heard this morning from Mark.

6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." 10Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
12This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

I just found a great quote by James Lowell on the bathroom wall. "All the beautiful sentiments in the world weigh less than a single lovely action." I guess the theme for the day is action sowing.

It has been a grand day of snippet gathering from sermons, diners, and bathroom walls. Just in case you were wondering, the winner of the day is Big sky blue! Thanks be to God for His limitless lovely actions. May we go forth and share what has been generously sown in us.