Early Morning

I have seemed to forget that God created a 4:30 a.m. Each Tuesday morning, I have pledged to meet with a band of brothers for a Hardee's breakfast and prayer. I am very excited about this for two reasons:
1. All 5 of these guys are good friends of mine (3 were groomsmen in my wedding)
2. My life has been lacking in the spiritual department for a few months.
Even though this is extremely early to meet, I need this. This morning we discussed the tension of living in America and being a Christian. We discussed tithing to church as well as giving to others, promoting justice, living as peacemakers in a time of war and the role money plays in our families and our futures. This discussion had important implications for me because it resonated with much of the material we have been reading for our class. Since taking this ecclesiology class this fall, my concept of church has been transformed. I'm in the process of writing my final paper on the topic of ecclesiology and practices that uphold it. The more I write, the more I see what I hope should transpire in our faith communities. I don't have all the answers and probably the answers I think I have are foolish. I might post sections of my paper on-line in the near future, but maybe I should wait for my grade first.