Slow Cooked Oats

Slow Cooked Oats and Faith
Most mornings I make slow-cooked steel-cut Irish-style oats for breakfast. (It really sounds fancier than it is.) It's actually "instant" and doesn't involve much work, just a little more preparation and patience. Unlike most instant oatmeal concoctions which take 1 to 3 minutes in the microwave or 5 minutes in boiling water on the stove, these steel-cut oats take about 30 minutes of slow boiling on the stove, plus time for the water to heat up initially.

Why in the world would I spent so much time on breakfast and what in the world does this have to do with anything? Well... first of all I think these oats taste better: texture, flavor, the works. They're also really good for me. And so for me they are worth the wait. They also teach me preparation and patience. I have to think about my breakfast and start preparing it fairly early if I want to eat before leaving the house. And on the mornings when my stomach is grumbling they teach me patience, to wait for the food that God has so graciously given me.

I think faith is a lot like slow-cooked oats. It rarely comes pre-packaged or "instant." Good faith is slow-cooked over a long time. It takes preparation on God's part and ours. It takes patience. But it is well worth the wait.

Most of my heroes of faith were not formed that way overnight. They emerged as new creations over time, through years of Bible study, through pain and suffering, through sacrifice and prayer, through the trials and tribulations of the Christian church. In other words they were slow cooked, in the best sense of the phrase.

The End of the Year... So Soon?
Even though we won't change our wall calendars until December 31, the end of the church year is almost upon us. Next Sunday (November 23) we will celebrate the last Sunday of the church year and begin the new year with the first Sunday of Advent on November 30.

Christ the King Sunday is a relatively recent addition to the church calendar, but a good one. On this day (well, actually every Sunday in fact) we celebrate that the Lord Jesus Christ reigns over heaven and earth and all things. As a reminder of this reign, we will read from the last part of Matthew 25. For the rest of the readings, click here.

Faith in Action: Thanksgiving Baskets
One way to concretely embody the words of Christ in the text at the end of Matthew 25 is to help put together Thanksgiving baskets for families and individuals in need this Sunday at 2pm. Meet near the food pantry in the basement.

Sunday School for Adults
Each week we offer two opportunities for adult Christian education. One class meets in the chapel and studies the Sunday Scripture readings. The other class is continuing the Nooma (which means "Spirit" in Greek) series on faith issues. Next Sunday is #17: Today. Here is a brief description from the Nooma website:

How much time and energy do we spend wishing things were how they used to be? We often think about times in our past when things were different and want our lives to be like that again. Some of us have even come to believe that our best days may actually be behind us. But if we’re in some way hung up on the past, what does that mean for our lives now? How are we and those around us affected if we’re not fully present? If we’re longing for the way things used to be, what does that really say about our understanding and appreciation of our lives today? Maybe we need to learn to embrace our past for what it is, in order to live our lives to the fullest, right here, right now.

Bible in 90 Days: Home Stretch
This Sunday the participants in the Bible in 90 Days are entering the home stretch. Beginning Nov. 23, on these last 20 days we will cross over from the Old Testament into the New. If you were thinking about joining us in September but did not for whatever reason, why not join us these last 20 days as we read through the New Testament? See this schedule and begin on Nov. 23 with day 68.

Gospel of Mark
I found the following information in both the Toledo Blade and the Sentinel-Tribune and thought it was worthwhile to pass along for any who might be interested:

Epworth United Methodist Church, 3077 Valleyview Drive, Toledo, will present Rev. Joseph Morris in a two-hour performance of "The Gospel of Mark" Friday (11/21) at 7 p.m. The Roman Catholic priest began committing the entire gospel to memory after an injury left him confined to bed for four months. Following his recovery, he adapted the story for performance in what is described as a "living, breathing proclamation of an ancient story about God's healing love."
The public is invited. Admission is free with an offering taken. Light refreshments will be available at intermission.