Laura Pierson

It has become a morning ritual for me. Those last few warm moments in bed before the day begins. The alarm goes off and as I wrap my mind around the day, I grab my smartphone and check in. Some call it a "data hit". Before my feet hit the floor, I have checked my email, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts. Now, say what you will about social networks, but I find this time to be a time of connection, a time of checking in with my friends near and far. My friends who inspire me with anecdotes of their days, with thought provoking reposts of articles that have resonated with them, and even with long rants about the things that frustrate them. Many of YOU, have inspired me before my crazy, hectic day begins.

Yesterday was particularly hectic. But I had a moment of connection that stayed with me all day. It started with a tweet from Shane Claiborne (we're not personal friends, but I'm one of his many followers on Twitter). It went something like this: "I find God in the suffering eyes reflected in mine. If this is how u are revealed to me, this is how I will forever seek u."

As I pondered this most of the day, I came upon a Facebook post from a friend who ran out of gas. With growing frustration, he was pushing his car down a busy street to a nearby gas station. Drivers kept whizzing by, some honking at him. Passerby stopped and looked. He grew more frustrated that no one in the cars buzzing by or walking down the street stopped to help. And then help came in an unexpected form. My friend shares that a man, obviously homeless, came up alongside and saying "Let me help you out, I got your back." The two of them pushed the car through two intersections together until they got to the station. Upon arrival, the man turned to walk away. He did not expect to be thanked, did not expect to have kindness reflected back upon him. Of course, my friend is a wonderful soul who reciprocated the generosity of this stranger who probably is often overlooked.

The sharing of this story is important. My friends surprise is important. I believe my friend got a surprising and unexpected glimpse of God's image yesterday. I wonder if sometimes we expect God to look just like us. Act just like us. Have stories just like ours. Be the people in the cars just like ours. I wonder if it's easier to look for God in our likeness because perhaps that is safer. It does not challenge us to stop and witness another story. My friends, let us continue to reflect God into the world, but also let us see God in the eyes of the broken, in the eyes of the suffering, in the eyes of the other, in the eyes of the ones who are the most easily overlooked. It is in these moments when our world weary souls can be fed. It is in these moments when our impressions of the world can shift. It is in those moments, we can most assuredly be surprised by the divine.

Save the Date - for  Dr. LaTaunya M. Bynum's installation. The service will take place on March 21 at 2:00 pm at First Christian Church in Sacramento.

LARRY VUCKOVICH CONCERT at FHCC

News From Disciples Women

After meeting with the Executive Committee (EC) and the Disciples Women's Leader-ship Council (DWLC) we have determined the need for a time of discernment and re-imagining new possibilities for our Quadrennial Assembly (QA).

We honor and celebrate the rich QA experiences that have come before us, recogniz-ing the lives that have been changed and the inspirational calls to ministry.

We acknowledge that the world has changed since QA's inception in 1957. More women are in the work world and are in single parent situations that have affected the levels of participation in regional and general church activities. We all know the costs associated with every part of our lives are on the increase. More info