JPUSA scents and Baklava

After 9 years of living in the Chicago land area, then moving away... I finally made it back to visit a JPUSA church service. That is... the Jesus People USA. It is a church, an intentional community (that's church talk for commune), a ministry, an old building in the midst of renovation, and a space that collects alot of odors. The church itself was not so different from any other that I have visited. There was singing... some familiar songs, some not so. There was preaching... by a woman, that was different, but not a first (they have rotating teachers - I dont think she was the sole pastor there)... it was sort of an "academic" approach which isn't that unusual either. There was communion... with real bread - way better than those little stale wafers. The difference was mostly in the people there. I wonder how many of them lived there and how many live nearby or were just passing through. There was definitely a sense of "anti-materialism" and a general indifference about appearance. This made me feel very superficial as I had wrestled with what a person is to wear at a JPUSA service... the real answer: NO BODY FREAKING CARES. How do I get to that place in my life... not the unkempt part, but the part that says, who cares if my shoes have a stain, they are still shoes or if my jeans aren't trendy, they are still jeans or if my shirt is a little faded or my purse (gasp - I carry one sometimes) doesn't match my outfit. I want to be in that place... not the physical place of JPUSA's Friendly Towers, but the place that values faith, people and community above all else. They are living outward and upward, like I have only talked about living. It was convicting and inspiring.

We (Ginger and I) also did some fun stuff. We went to Greek town and had gyros and baklava. We went to Wheaton and back to the city. We took the "L" to downtown... ate at the Billy Goat on lower Michigan, took the "L" back to where we were staying, then headed to Aurora the next day, then the Morton Arboretum. It was a very full 36 hours... especially since nothing was planned except the JPUSA visit. At the end of these trips, though, I am always disheartened at the thought of not being around many people again for a few days. I love road trips with friends... I guess its time with friends that I love. Maybe I am communal... but I still like showers on regular intervals.