Do you know about Goodsearch, the search engine that generates money for your favorite charity (including The Salvation Army)with each search? It is a fine search engine - powered by Yahoo (whatever that means; I'm not too savy on the Information Super-Highway) since I've started using it.

This reminds me of some other ways to be merciful and just without giving up anything you would normally do. Ways like the The Gap's Red Campaign or drinking Fair Trade Coffee. Of course, there is actually buying less clothes and coffee and using that money to buy lunch for a needy person or sponsoring a child in a developing country.

Perhaps this idea is a bit like cheap mercy, as in cheap grace. Still, it seems like a no brainer. It could also be a good way to get people doing justice at an entry level.

By the way, sponser a child. $20 (USD) with the Salvation Army. Just google it, er Goodsearch it.

Wedding

Congratulations to our friends Joel and Kim Boyd who were married yesterday. Beautiful. May God bless this new family that blesses Him.

I was led to question whether I was seeking fellowship with Christ or simply proximity to His blessings. Ouch.

The latter causes a sort of reluctant service to God where we bargin with God about doing only what we must to remain blessed.

The former is being lost in the pursuit of God, utterly devoted in His service to the point where you are not negotiating with God about how little goodness and how much worldliness you can get away with. Instead, you are reckoning your life as not your own and are eager to give extravegantly, hilariously, ludicrously of all that you are. That is freedom!

Isaiah 1:17

Learn to do good;
seek justice,
reprove the ruthless,
defend the orphan,
plead for the widow.

Update

God has sent some great help our way with one or two looking to move into low-income apartments in downtown Seattle in the next stretch and a couple more months down the road.

We also will have some extra hands and hearts for the summer with a War College Missionary (3 Months)AND an intrepid Western Territory Summer Service Corps Team (6 weeks) AND a Youth Group Mission Team from Littleton Colorado (1 week).

We are making friends with some of Jesus' friends and deepening relationship with a couple of others. We are meeting some physical needs as we are able thanks to donated food and clothing and generous individuals literally giving the clothes off their back.

We are excited about our Christian community growing in numbers, growing in speed. We look forward to spending time in quiteness and rest as well. Jesus is the source of all we could hope to do.