Faith

What are the top five needs in my life? Each of us could share or exchange our needs with five other people or organizations. We can care for one another directly or indirectly. Many opportunities present themselves with people that we don't even know.

The Benedictine Center, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood, is offering an ecumenical day of renewal geared to the needs of lay ministers, ordained ministers, parish staff members and others who serve their churches and faith communities full time or on a volunteer basis.

During the 70s and 80s some savings and loan financial companies paid 15 percent interest on CDs. Some home mortgage rates reached 18 percent interest. Most of the loan payment went for interest. The point is this. We want to pay as little for interest and as much on the principal as possible.

The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra will present a free concert at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, 900 Stillwater Road; Mahtomedi, on Thursday, May 17, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available by calling the SPCO ticket office at 651-291-1144. Call Diane Nash at 651-762-9141 for more information.

Men wanting to integrate contemplative prayer into their busy lives will find support in a men's contemplative spirituality group that meets on the fourth Monday of every month. The next gathering is May 28, at the Benedictine Center, 2675 Benet Road, Maplewood.

All of us have problems, frustrations and anxieties. Some seem to have fewer while others are on overload much of the time. The long term effects of these are probably beyond our understanding.

I was sitting in our senior adult Sunday school class and an interesting thought went though my mind while we were discussing Caleb and his desire to carry out his dream. You can read about it in Joshua 14:6-15.

It seems that every day has its hurdles. March madness required high school and college student athletes to miss classes, spend extra time competing and facing more pressures than usual. These students are living in an easy dream world.

A TV ad shows a young family driving through a desert in a vehicle pulling a boat. They look lost. The wife and mother turns to her husband and suggests, "Maybe we should look at a map."

We read about the true meaning of Christmas. We are reminded in church what Christmas is all about. Sometimes we are reminded that Christmas should be a birthday party not a shopping spree. If we think of the most significant person in our family; how much do we spend on them?