By Kathy Beal –

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to go to our neighborhood festivals…

seeing friends…

meeting new people…

hanging out with them…

eating a variety of foods…

celebrating culture…

laughing…

talking with families…

and telling stories…

The festivals are something to look forward to and something to remember.

In Holland, people gather at parks….

at city centers…

and in the streets…

Jesus met with all kinds of people in all kinds of places and laughed and ate and hung out with them… developing relationships.   He was a storyteller.  Some of the stories were about reconciliation, redemption, forgiveness, answered prayer, transformation, grace, peace with justice, restoration, hope, love, and caring about each other.

Following Jesus’ footsteps took me places this summer to meet and talk and eat and share stories… developing relationships with some wonderful neighbors.