Open Thread

This thread is for anything you want to bring up - I'll leave it open so if you think of something during the week you want to post about, you can go ahead and add it as a comment on this thread.

Go and Tell John ... What?

John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus whether he was the one they'd been looking for, or should they look for another.  Jesus told them to go and tell John what was happening -- the blind were receiving their sight, etc.  The implied conclusion was that if that's what you're looking for, them I'm the one.  But if you're looking for something else, I guess not.

Suppose those disciples came to Tabernacle and asked whether we are the church they've been looking for.  What would we tell them to go and tell John that we are doing?  What should we be telling them?

Drawing the Line

Where do you draw the line about helping others, especially when you feel strongly that they are creating their own problems.  (For example, people using money to buy drugs or otherwise be irresponsible.)  Our Christian obligation to help includes meeting short-term needs and working for long-term improvement.  How do we tell when meeting short-term needs works against long-term improvement?  There are lots of different charitable activities that might, in some situations, facilitate the very behaviors we wish to discourage.  What is the Christian thing to do?