Last weekend as we talked about the true meaning of hospitality — genuine affection for the stranger — we got to see our own community live it out in powerful ways. We looked at what it might mean to move toward those people on the outside, in the margins, the forgotten, with love and not fear. I talked with a handful of you who were taking the idea of true hospitality seriously… and you (like me) were feeling like God might be leading us to a glorious sense of discomfort amid those who aren’t like us.

We heard Susan’s story of learning to care for the homeless in Santa Ana. She talked about what it means not merely to provide a sandwich, but to listen to, to know the names of, and share her life with the homeless. No longer are they a faceless “them,” instead, “they” have become “us.” As a church, we were invited to join Susan and the Homeless Outreach Team in caring for the homeless. A number of us took home hygiene kits and helped pack sack lunches. What a great weekend to be together and to see God at work among us.

I’m looking forward to this weekend, as Doug Fields will lead us in the next segment of our Fearless Generosity series. I can’t wait to see you all at Mariners Mission Viejo.

Grace and Peace,

Jeff