Today was a good day.

One of the men in our church celebrated his 62nd birthday this week. He's on the leadership council of the church, volunteers picking up people on Sunday mornings, is a member of a Christian motorcycle gang, has about a dozen grandchildren, and has survived nearly 10 years with a heart transplant after only being given 2 months to live back in 1993. The "party" thrown for him was a "Bless Ed's Mess" day, where his wife invited us all over to the house to help remodel, clean up around the yard, and do various other odd-jobs on the property.

It was a glorious day at Ed's, as it served as a wonderful reminder of why I love our church and of how I'm in a continual process of being saved by the work of Christ. As soon as I feel I've grasped an understanding and feeling of His love and power, I witness an example, a touch, a life that gives me a much deeper comprehension.

For example, one of the reasons Faith and I commited to going to Church Under the Bridge was because of it's intent to bring out the kingdom on earth, by trying to live out the concept of Jubilee and preach Christ to "black, white, and brown, rich and poor". Being deeply involved with CUB, I felt as if I had a good grasp on this whole belief system. However, I realized just how much I didn't know today while working at Ed's.

There was a schoolteacher, a social worker, 2 recovering alcoholics, an electrician, a homeless man, a migrant worker, a childcare provider, and a seminarian. Working side by side. For no reason other than to celebrate the life of Ed, help him get some much needed work done around the house, and enjoy one another's presence. No strings attached. No money involved. Just a love and appreciation for one another.

For those few hours this morning, as I helped haul trash with the 2 recovering alcoholics, we weren't separated or designated by paychecks, zip codes, stability, or education levels. As I sat next to the migrant worker and the seminarian for lunch, there was only laughter and conversation in the air.

If but for a few hours this morning, I was able to see how inadequate my understanding of Christ's work is. At the same time, God granted me a look.

Today was a good day.