both within and without us. When we embrace Jesus? way of being outwardly focused, as st Francis did,  looking after others and lovingly working towards their best interests then we ironically find ourselves more relaxed and happy, for our greatest need to have purpose and meaning in life is met. This Jesus calls his kingdom and his righteousness. It could be argued that the world is sliding towards a value system that requires us to spend more time working, less time in relationship with our families and friends, more time consuming and less time conserving the resources of the planet. This trend is reversible . However it requires that ordinary people like you and me, take seriously the gospel of Jesus Christ just as St Francis did. Together we can make a difference for good and together we can encourage others to seek God?s Kingdom of love and the rest will follow. As we read in the text for today: ?Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be given you as well.? I?d like to share a poem with you today entitled: Lost Generation . It is a poem written by Jonathan Reed , who  is a student at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia. When first read, the poem seems to be a pessimistic monologue of the current generation, an echo of sentiments often found when looking at news reports and articles.The world seems to be sliding into a dark inhospitable place. The last line