Every now and then, I hear a sermon that gnaws at me...it sticks with me. It’s almost as if I have a Jacob experience. I spend days if not weeks wrestling with the text and its implications on my life. Well, I recently had one of those moments. It was Homecoming 2012. Second to the High Holy days of the Church, this is the most attended worship service. It was truly a great day filled with singing, preaching and a good potluck meal. But, I left that Sunday not thinking about anything but the sermon – A Cloud of Witnesses. It was filled with great metaphors, and anecdotal stories were weaved into a major current event - the 2012 Summer Olympics. It was a text, Hebrews 12, I heard preached on many occasion, but this time is spoke to me in a different way. Yet, more than anything it made me think seriously about my spiritual journey. So for the last few weeks I have been thinking about the threads – the cloud of witnesses--that come together to make me the person I am. As I started to remember certain people, I became overwhelmed at the sheer memory of God’s abundant love for me as expressed through God’s people. I invite you to ponder and reflect on those individuals who have or who are making a difference in your spiritual journey. Then, consider the questions, “Am I making a difference in the lives of others and how?”