A Big Hmmmmm...

So, we have some attrition in our group.  I think a couple of people were "iffy" anyway, but one other person- someone who was very key to a number of people joining - opted out.  Whether that's a permanent opting-out of our group or just for now remains to be seen.  I wasn't there and am playing catch-up.

Budgets have been really tough to discuss.  It's taken us 4 weeks to get everybody to think and share about how they're spending money, with all sorts of drama both hidden and open spilling out.  O me of naivete!  My coleader called that one, but I don't know that either one of us were prepared for how it all came out.  The opting out seems at least in part due to this stuff, and of course, there are all sorts of anxieties and fears.  One thing Mako pointed out to those who were in training was that salary and finances are incredibly personal things.  Having grown up in the 80's where "greed was good", it seems hard to believe that there still aren't some vestiges of bragging rites over how much you make, but then again, different times, different people, etc.

What was encouraging for me was to hear the stories behind the money stories:  of where the lightbulbs of family background went off when we looked at our current budget; to hear of people making mistakes not unlike my own; and to hear stories of provision.  The whole purpose is for us to love one another and draw close to God, and my bigger hope is that God would set us free so that we can be generous with others.  May there be healing in what we shared and freedom.