I was a bit nervous about approaching Brian but I did. “Hi, did you want a hot meal? Are you hungry?”

“Yes m’am. I’d appreciate that,” Brian clearly but quietly stated. A gentle man. He looked me in the eyes for the first time. It was then I realized Bill didn’t feel welcome and he was too shy to ask.

As I handed Brian a meal, I started a conversation with him. It came up that he has two sons, and he’s glad they’re sons. He would worry much more if they were girls – about protecting them. Brian said he’d been sick lately. We laughed together.

The group we fed Friday night changed my perception about our homeless on the streets. I didn’t see any signs of drug use; no alcohol on the breath on a Friday night. I watched one homeless friend come up and the other 10 – 12 greet him, as if he were coming home from work. Then, I found out he had just gotten off of work, and his two teenage sons were with him – hungry. I observed as another guy, Carl, ate his dinner and then greeted another fellow eater with, “Man I haven’t seen you in a long time. How are you? I’ve missed you and was hoping you were doing alright.”

My perception changed. They were loving each other just like Jesus. As Kathi, Tim, Ben, Raj, Jessica and I fed the homeless Friday night, we were invited into their home, full of hospitality and warmth. We felt blessed with the honor of being included in a family, 68 of them, eating around the curb.

Local Flavors Catering Chef, Chip Marshall, worked tirelessly all day to create 100 bowls of hearty stew. Our homeless friends were surprised to get a hot and tasty meal Friday night. They felt blessed; we felt blessed.

We felt the love all day as Local Flavors Catering chef brought the venison donated by a hunter and cooked. I am grateful for Chip putting aside his paying business for an entire day and putting together a stew to bless the hungry.  It humbles me to work with such great people serving others. And, it reminds me again, we got to live out the scriptures and walk with Jesus all day long.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’” – Matthew 25:34-36, NIV

Enter a wonderful week – full of Spirit and reflection.

The Lent journey begins. February 22, 2012, 6:00pm.

Why is this Wednesday special?

Wednesday is an invitation to STOP. In Boy Scout preparedness, the first survival skill you learn is to: S.T.O.P. Stop and slow down your breathing; get calm. Think and move with deliberated care. Observe and assess your situation and options. Plan for your immediate needs and work the plan.
Ash Wednesday is the church calendar day to re-submit your survival, anxieties, care and plan to God. Everyone needs Ash Wednesday. It’s easy to get swept along in life without recognition of our need to stop, climb off the merry-go-round, and consider what God is saying or doing around us.

STOP on Wednesday. Join us for a light supper with other ‘Stoppers,’ receive the ashes on your forehead as a reminder of the stop signs in life, and remember your life in need of Jesus above everything else in this world.

A Lenten Prayer to Share.

Lord, today I scurry from street to place, thought to un-thought, worry to unrecognized worry, from frustration to cocktails, from friendliness to aloofness, and project to accomplishment. In the midst of this life, I may not have given much thought to you and your thoughts today. But I realize I need You, most of all in this life. I know you’re not here just to make me feel good, as if the world revolves around me. I struggle with focusing beyond myself, honestly. There is a lot to deal with just in this day Lord. And, at the same time, I want to hold in tension knowing two things vividly: how much you watch and care for me, And, my seeking to serve and understand and “be there” for You and others, beyond my selfishness. I guess I need a balance centered more around You and less about me. But how? When will I have the time? Will it actually matter? Help me stop and seek. Help me be quieter inside, looking outside and moving towards You. Help me inch beyond my “normal” and seek You, above all else. Help me be stronger in You, I ask. Amen.

Join us Wednesday, February 22nd, 6:00pm – 8:00pm at 10 E. Mount Vernon Place, Baltimore, MD, on the 2nd floor.

“There’s no time like the present.”

RSVP “YES, I won’t miss this!” here.

Love – What does it mean to love well and completely in your life now?

[1 Corinthians 13:4 – 7, The Message]

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

Sandy lives aboard a sailboat in the Fells Point area of Baltimore, MD.

Most of what I do is kind of hidden, or private to other people. I thought I’d take a moment and give you some insight to a “hidden world” of a pastor.

There are 5 activities I spend the most time on: 1.) Listening for God through prayer, talking with people, and reading, 2.) Counseling or being consulted by people, 3.) Getting out to meet new people, 4.) Getting administrative planning, finances, and working with our Board of Directors.

I spend time each week in counseling or in being consulted, for spiritual or life situation reasons. Each of us, as Christ-followers, is privy to people’s inner lives which we hold sacred and in confidence. Job #1 continues to be caring and holding confidences – for, about, with people.

I also make an intentional part of each week to be “out in town” meeting and getting to know others. No, this is not Sandy’s “normal personality.” Don’t get me wrong. I love people and hearing about their day, but I am an introvert galore. So, why do I focus a part of each week on something ‘not natural’ to Sandy Boone? Well, this is God’s way of sending me (and you) to empower a new kind of growing community with all kinds of different, eclectic, and wonderfully talented individuals. As we look for others, God raises the hunger in people for something deeper in community.

Here’s a one-week snapshot of what I did this past week, for example.

• Calendar Updates: You’ll find a calendar updated and on our website. In order to do that, I’ve been working for several weeks on pinning down people and places (and let me tell you that is a lot like herding cats!).
• Out and About: I just came back from a walk around town in great weather to run ministry errands to the bank, the post office, and the local coffee shop. Along the way I met up with several people I know and had some thoughtful conversations about life.
• Getting people ready for our Homeless feed on Feb. 17: I met up with Dennis, one of our homeless friends in our community, and encouraged him; asked him to spread the word there would be a feeding for the homeless in the Fells Point square on February 17^th at 6pm.  Dennis is really excited about spreading the word!
• Catching up with people cruising: God is touching them with the beauty and wonder of His world – a gift.
• New Office Space and Hours: Earlier this week I received keys and a tour of space Water’s Edge has been given to use on Mondays at Gallery Church Baltimore, right on the water (praise God for their openness and gift for community gathering space!).  I’ve set-up a regular office schedule to use that space on Mondays between 4pm and 6pm. And we’ll set-up some special times on a few Monday nights there – the first of which is a really, really awesome relationship night, on February 27^th.
• Space for Teenagers: I found space for a teen mission team coming to downtown Baltimore this summer to spend the night and cook.
• Meeting with Baltimore-Washington Conference of the UMC: I met with a Conference committee to share with them the dream of Water’s Edge and to interview for my clergy “on-loan” appointment to the Baltimore Washington Conference. (Yeah, that’s “mumbo-jumbo language in the United Methodist church meaning I have to be “allowed,” or in their language, “appointed” to be here next year.) Good news – I will be here next year!
• Coordinating with Agencies: I talked with two other agencies about homeless services, and am coordinating some discussions for the future about how we can connect. One of those is an organization which spans the whole city and links many organizations together! I am super, super excited about a mass movement we might have a part in. I’d like to see us CHANGE poverty, not just readjust it.
• Reading and Preparing for blessing relationships discussion on Feb. 27^th: I am thrilled to be offering this time together. It’s different than we’ve ever done, but wouldn’t it be great if we allowed God to teach us about blessing the other half of our couples? I always grow while I’m studying and praying a lot about a particular subject.
• Prayer: This should be at the top of my list, but I often find that we underestimate the need and power of prayer with Jesus. And it’s a priority of every day for me, before I leave the boat or open up email.

Obviously, every week is slightly different.

The direction each week remains the same: Lord, I give my life to you this week. Who do you want me to see? Where do you want me to go? How can I serve you?

February 5, 2012 Newsletter