Sometimes I Think I've Lost All My Gifts

Our friend George Dunn joined us on Thursday morning for our free store conversation and talked about driving through Myers Park on the way over.  He said that he was certain God wanted him to have a house in that neighborhood and he even knew which one which made us laugh.  Someone said maybe they needed a free store in that neighborhood as well.  George went on to say that even though things may seem one way on the surface that appearances don't tell us everything and sometimes actually hide the ugly truth.  He told us about a couple he knows that live in a very expensive house but they are in serious financial trouble because during the housing market boom they got a loan with no income verification and now they can't afford the payments.

George told us that he thinks Americans are obsessed with credit because we love the visible signs of status and success and we are obsessed with appearances.  He said that he lived that way for a long time until he lost his high paying job and with it his consumer identity.  Through this painful experience he told us that he learned that a human being is much more than his net worth.  He also wondered how long it would be before our materialistic obsessions would lead us to the brink of national financial ruin.

At this point in the discussion George told us religious people can be just as obsessed about appearances as materialistic people (and the two often overlap).  He said that in 1 Corinthains 12 & 14 the apostle Paul was dealing with early christians that were obsessed with the appearance of being spiritual.  We talked a bit about how spirituality is more than just having a powerful emotional experience in a church service or in group worship.  Rick told us about visiting a church where people were "going berzerk" which was beyond his comprehension and left him feeling more confused than inspired.

George said that in 1 Corinthians 13 the apostle Paul talks about love as the most important thing in life.  He said that without love, "I am a big zero" and "What I've done is a big goose egg."  We talked a bit about how love is what really helps us build lasting quality relationships with others.  It isn't always sexy to deal with the raw reality of people but it is rewarding to go deeper in our frienships rather than staying safe on the surface.  Joelle told us about attending a Nazarene church in Pineville for a while where she really got to know people.  She said that it was great to go deeper with people rather than putting up walls and being superficial and isolated.

As the conversation moved to a conclusion Rick said "sometimes I think I've lost all my gifts."  He said that he used to do oil painting and photography but had stopped doing these things.  We encouraged Rick that what is lost can be found.  At this our friend Terrence said "God is with us" and was thankful for friends that "helped me spiritually and physically."