Holy Redeemer Lutheran Church
1948 The Alameda
San Jose, CA 95126
San Jose, CA 95126
What a marvelous Ministry Faire! It is at times like these that I realize the importance of the path that our congregation has chosen - to be a Purpose Driven, Permission Giving Congregation.
So many people spoke to me afterwards to express their surprise at how much is taking place at Holy Redeemer. The ministries described were truly a wide swath of ministry - some focused on the congregation, some focused outside of the congregation, some raising money so that other ministries can be done, all of them engaging a facilitators and others in a vibrant endeavor to be the Kingdom of God in this place.
Thirty different ministry presentations by 13 different members of the congregation is a wonderful statement about how active our small community is. But, that doesn't need to be the end. There are so many opportunities out there for people to be engaged. Just think about it.
The opportunities go on and on and are only bound by your imagination. But, if you can conceive of it, you can do it! That is the wonderful think about the congregation that you are a part of - you don't need permission. All you need is a yearning to do ministry.
And, next time we do a Ministry Faire we can add to the number of ministries that are publicized by the number of new visions that are being lived out.
| KQKE | 960 AM | Air America - Talk Radio from the Left |
| KCSM | 91.1 FM | Jazz and Blues |
In the Antarctic, every March since the beginning of time, the quest begins to find the perfect mate and start a family. This courtship will begin with a long journey -- a journey that will take them hundreds of miles across the continent by foot, in freezing cold temperatures, in brittle, icy winds and through deep, treacherous waters. They will risk starvation and attack by dangerous predators, under the harshest conditions on earth, all to find true love.
With these rules Maher takes serious aim, bringing all of his incisiveness, with, and his signature exasperation to bear on topics ranging from cell phones ("I don't need my cell phone to take pictures or access the Internet. I just need it to make a phone call. From everywhere! Not just the places it likes!") to fast food ("No more McDonald's in hospitals. I'm not kidding!") to the conservative agenda ("Stop claiming that it's an agenda. It's not an agenda. It's a random collection of laws that your corporate donors paid you to pass."
Maher brings these brilliantly conceived riffs to the written page for the first time, along with some singularly Maher-ian "editorials - editorials nothing like the standard fare found on the pages of the local newspaper.
"In June, Sean Penn and two friends traveled to Tehran. It was Penn's first trip to the country. What he found was a culture in conflict. Although the nation is ruled b y a very conservative, tradition-bound government, Penn talked to many younger Iranians who have a strong interest in Western culture and want their own country to liberalize its policies on individual rights."
(Mr. Penn's articles may be viewed at SFGate.com or the church office has a complete set that you may borrow.)
"I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think we really ought to go ahead and do it. It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war, and I don't think any oil shipments will stop. But this man is a terrific danger, and this is in our sphere of influence, so we can't let this happen. We have the Monroe Doctrine, and we have other doctrines that we have announced, and without question, this is a dangerous enemy to our south, controlling a huge pool of oil that could hurt us very badly. We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don't need another 200-billion-dollar war to get rid of one strong-arm dictator. It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with."