Thinking outside the fence

Grace and peace. It is a beautiful albeit cool Monday morning.
Driving
over I saw the great blue heron again. But what really caught my
attention was a field with cows feeding. They had a big bail of hay and
plenty of it. Most of them were black but a grey one was at the
fence...s t r e a c h i n g--u p to get a bit of some green laves off a
tree on the other side of the fence. Not only was it on the other side
but the branches were high, (I know that perhaps he'd already nibbled
off the lower ones).
He had food right there with the others. He didn't have to work for it at all. It was right where it had been most all the time. But this cow saw something that looked better.
Something Outside the Fence.

In business and culture a common saying now is that we have to think
"outside the box". In fact that statement has gotten almost so trite that to say it is not really 'out of the box' at all. To think that way is not always doing what we've done all the time but rather doing things that stretch us in energy and spirit. We believe that the church itself in its form and function also changes.
Not conforming mind you but reforming to be the church where it is
planted.
This we learned when we first went to India and againwhen we traveled with the group of ministers from Oklahoma to Bali and Java. The Christian faith is strong and vital and also focused on sharing the good news in word and deed. It is something perhaps we here need to re-learn.
Not to do it like we always have but to do it like we are led to do by God.
And that may be trickier than you think. Because we have to learn to listen
to the guiding hand of God. This cannot always be done on a schedule we go get um folks want to follow.
Be well and know that when you put yourself in a place to listen...you may well be led to places you never thought of going... and that can be a very good thing.

God abide with you
Hey what's that right over there?......

Bobbie Giltz McGarey
@2008

Rev. Dr. Bobbie G. McGarey