Perspectives: Path

 Where is your path leading you?

Humans are Both/And

When I was working through the Women Speak of God class, I was particularly impressed by George Harkness.  Her view of faith is so interesting, but so is her view of human nature. I've always see the paradoxes in how we see Jesus, but she talks about the paradoxes of human nature, and for me, they made a lot of sense. 

Looking Harkness’ list:

• Humans are both nature and spirit – I think in church we are often more concerned with spirit for our members and with nature (the needs of the body) when working to serve those outside the church. We don’t talk much about the connection between body and spirit in the church, and while we are comfortable providing food for children and meals for the homeless, we don’t talk to them much about spiritual needs. I know we need to make sure someone is fed – no doubt – but do we go any farther than that?
• Humans are both free and bound – Do we think much about human limitations?  We are quick to judge, but slower to remember the stresses placed on people by work, family life, health, etc. We don’t talk much about time management or self care.  We are, thankfully, forgiven of our sin, and can find the assurance of that freedom, but we are also limited.
• Humans are both children of God and sinners – I’m glad we do speak often – in education and in worship – about people as children of God. We don’t speak much about people as sinners, though. One of the things that connects this piece of human nature to Wesley for me is that he recognized that we are always sinners. We are working toward perfection in love through God's grace, but we need to learn to trust God more and continue to reach for grace.
• Humans are both transient and eternal – We might miss this one entirely. We very rarely talk about death in church (I mean, what better place would there be?), and we don’t often think about life eternal.  Funerals – that is the only place we seem to tackle this paradox.

Book Review: Dynamite Prayer

Information about the book

PIcardo, Rosario and Sue Nilson Kibbey.  Dynamite Prayer: a 28 Day Experiment.  Invite Press. Plano, Texas. 2022. (Cokesbury / Amazon)

Summary

From the back cover:

Dynamite Prayer is a daily prayer guide that will show you how to begin a practice of "breakthrough prayer," a way of raying where we ask God to en new doors and reveal new possibilities, fueled by the Spirit's power.  This 28-day adventure will take you from feeling stuck, overwhelmed, and uninspired to curious and expectant as you surrender you own preferences and ideas and courageously follow the miracles God brings into your life.

Impressions

I hesitated to write a review for this book.  Earlier, I wrote a post about feeling resentment about reading this book. I know that resentment has colored by perceptions of the book itself; it seems to me that a review I write would be impacted by that feeling. And yet, it has become my practice to record thoughts about the books I read, so here we go.  But to give you another view of the book, I will tell you that it has four stars on Goodreads and a total of 13 ratings.

A few reasons why I didn't like it (beyond, but probably influenced, by my resentment):

• The author uses the word dunamis to refer to God's power. My brain stumbled over that substitution every time I read it. In my head, I had to read God's power for the words to make any sense. It disrupted the reading.
• I don't find snippets of verses to be helpful in devotional reading. I'm much more interested in reading a longer passage to know the context that a short verse. Along with that, in one instance, the authors used a particular translation (NKJV) of the Lord's prayer passage that included the phrase "For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever."  This phrase was not found in the earliest versions of Matthew: I felt like this translation was used just to have the word power in the verse - when it really wasn't there.
• Each day included a Prayer-Hold phrase and a Breakthrough Prayer - these were meant to be prayed throughout the day. There is nothing wrong with that at all, but isn't something that is natural (or fruitful) for me personally.

Now some good thoughts:

• The book lends itself well to a month (or so) of readings - each day has a routine set of devotional, prayer, and scripture, and the format could be very useful for someone who will invest the time beyond reading it (which is all I did - see again, the resentment post).
• The book is well written, and I appreciate that.
• I have heard comments from others that the authors are excellent; I think that should color what you decide to read.

Give this a go if the format and purpose sounds like something that would interest you. It is well done for the kind of book it is.

Posts about book

Picardo Dynamite

Perspectives: House

Why did I post this picture?  I don't know; I just like this house.  It looks a little bit like a fairytale house to me.

Refuse to See

I'm reading a book by Julie Salamon called Rambam's Ladder: A meditation on Generosity and Why it is Necessary to Give.  In it, she tells a story of riding the subway with her daughter.  She is seated next to two young, white men and an older black man with a cane.  An elderly couple is also riding the train, "and they didn't appear to be all that hardy." 

Salamon asks the two young men sitting next to her if they would give their seats to the elderly couple.  The two men glanced at the older couple and ignored them.  The older, seated man, started to stand up.  "Not you," (Salamon) said.  "I meant them," and pointed at the other two men.

The men looked perplexed, but finally stood up for the older couple to take a seat.  Having seen what had happened, another woman said, "Bravo....It always amazes men when they do that....Refuse to see."

Salamon, in her experience, thinks it is the most privileged who are "the most insular."

I know there are times when I do that - refuse to see.  Maybe I walk to the other side of the street, or I hope my car doesn't get stopped next the man with the sign asking for money, or ignore the people standing on the train who could use my seat.  It's easier on my selfish side if I refuse to see. 

Don't you think refusing to see is harder on our spiritual side? On our growth toward perfection? I need to open my eyes more. 

 

Abundant Love

In Rachel Held Evans and Jeff Chu's book, Wholehearted Faith, in the Epilogue, are these words:

"The truth is, you can't earn God' love because you already have it.  You can't be any more loved than you are because God's love has already been freely and abundantly given."

In Sunday school the other day, we were discussing the curriculum.  The author said (and I am completely paraphrasing, because I'm doing this from memory), we can receive God's grace by asking for it.  I think the corollary of that is the common idea that we can be forgiven by God by asking for forgiveness.  What if our sin is that we can't ask for forgiveness? What if our sin is that we don't recognize our sin? What if we never overcome the perceived stumbling block of turning to God and asking to be loved?

The truth as I believe it is that we are loved before we ask, we are forgiven before we repent, and God's grace is freely given, without condition.

In our world, it's not very hard to believe that someone could love us but still hold a grudge against us, or could love us, and still withhold forgiveness because we haven't asked to be forgiven, or done the right repentant action to restore the relationship.

But I don't think God is like that.  I think God's love, and God's forgiveness, and God's grace are all wrapped up together in the nature of God. God loves us more abundantly than we can imagine - without limits, without condition, without boundary. God loves us, infinitely. And that means we are already forgiven, and that God's grace surrounds us without us asking for it.

So what is the value of repentance?

Because sometimes we can't accept the gift because we hold on so tightly to our sin. God has created a way for us to step into the light. Repentance convinces us to let go, and to find the gift, freely given.

It's not God's nature to withhold love. It is human nature to need a way to recognize it.

 

Perspectives: Castle

Why am I posting this image on Perspectives Friday?  I just like it.  This is the Smithsonian Castle on the Washington DC Mall.  I've seen it many times, and been in it once.  Every time I see it, I admire it, and I wonder what is inside.

The other thing I love about this picture is how people are relaxing on the grass.  Just makes me want to do that (although I think I took the picture as we were relaxing on a bench - much the same thing). 

Winning the Lottery

I'm reading a book called Imagining Abundance: Fundraising, Philanthropy, and a Spiritual Call to Service by Kerry Alys Robinson. 

She relates a story about her sister-in-law, who passes a billboard each day.  The billboard indicates the current value of the lottery if you were to win it.  The two of them have a discussion about what the sister-in-law would do with the winnings if they were hers.

This prompts Robinson to write, "'Winning the lottery' implies a random, undeserved gift of good fortune awarded by chance.  hasn't each of us already won?"

Think of the ways you have already won the lottery. Your family, your faith, your work, your talents, your character. As I thought of this, my list of "lottery winnings" seems endless. That doesn't mean my life is perfect - there are always worries and the mistakes I make - but I have more undeserved gifts than I "can throw a stick at." My life is blessed. I am grateful.

Think about this for a bit. Instead of thinking about what you feel like you are missing or the problems in your life, spend some time remembering all the ways you have received undeserved gifts - both large and small.  Spend some time in gratitude.

Book Review: Always a Guest

 Information about the book

Barbara Brown Taylor. Always a Guest: Speaking of Faith far From Home. Westminster John Knox Press. Louisvlle, Kentucky. 2020. (Cokesbury / Amazon)

Summary

From Amazon's description: From beloved writer and renowned preacher Barbara Brown Taylor comes a new collection of stories and sermons of faith, grace, and hope. Taylor, author of the best-selling books Holy Envy and An Altar in the World, among others, finds that when you are the invited guest speaking of faith to people you don't know, one must seek common ground: exploring the central human experience. Full of Taylor's astute observations on the Spirit and the state of the world along with her gentle wit, this collection will inspire Taylor’s fans and preachers alike as she explores faith in all its beauty and complexity.

Impressions

Our Foundation sends books to donors and other friends every year as Christmas gifts.  This book was one of those Christmas gifts, and I just "got around' to reading it. The title comes from the reality that after Taylor left parish ministry 22 years ago, she has always been a guest preacher. Right away, I could relate to the book - any time I preach, I am a guest preacher.

The book is a collection of 31 sermons, delivered at different churches, seminaries, or conferences. Each sermon starts with a short scripture passage and then continues with the manuscript of the sermon. I found it interesting to start my reading by checking at the end of the sermon for when and where it was delivered.  I decided to read this book one sermon at a time.  Each day for the past 30 days, I have read one sermon, moving through the book. It took me 30 days because I read two sermons (the last two sermons) today.

This is one of those books where every page, every chapter, brings unknown-before-now ah ha moments. It's the best kind of book to read.  My copy is now riddled with highlighter, I used a section during a presentation I made a month ago, and I marked a particular sermon in my colleague's copy of the book so that he would read it. Taylor takes each scripture and brings out new revelations - new thoughts - new perspectives.  Her sermons rarely take the usual approach to a scripture - they are fresh and inspiring.

I loved this book. I highly recommend it. It's wonderful and full of wonder.

Posts about book

Additional posts referencing this book will be tagged with Taylor Guest.

Perspectives: Reflections of Peace

 See the doves? Do we reflect peace?

 

Course Review: Women Speak of God

 Information about the Course

This is an advanced Lay Ministry course offered by BeADisiciple.com called Women Speak of God. This is a course offered as part of the Wesley Academy for Advanced Christian Studies, created in partnership with Wesley Theological Seminary and BeADisciple.  The course instructor is Pamela Deck and it is based on material written by Dr. Amy Oden.  The course is eight weeks long. Each week involves a short reading from the book In Her Words by Oden,  viewing a video of with Dr. Oden, posting answers to 3 or 4 questions on a Discussion board, a journaling question and exercises that are completed but not shared, and participation in online discussion. 

The course can be part of a certification called Certificate in Advanced Christian Study.  The certificate involves completion of six courses such as this one.  The course can also be taken as a stand alone option.

Summary

From the website: The workshop is about how Christians in different cultures, different time periods, and different social locations have told their faith stories. Amy Oden, professor of the History of Christianity and Dean of Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC, presents video lectures on six Christian women who wrote about their faith. The workshop explores how we, as members of the Christian family, tell our “family stories.” It also helps us to examine our own faith and to articulate our own experiences of God.

Lessons include: Perpetua, Macrina, Juana Inez de la Cruz, Susanna Wesley, Jarena Lee, and Georgia Harkness.

Impressions

I chose this particular course because a friend who was in seminary (at the time) had talked about Perpetua. I wanted to learn more. Besides that, I was interested in hearing about and reading voices of women of faith.

The basic theme of the course is how we tell the story of our faith.  I think we often fail to do that, and that sometimes we are not equipped to do that. It was enlightening and inspiring to read how six women over the history of Christianity, had told their stories. They were women who had faced difficulties - from execution because of their faith to discrimination because of their gender. The course explored how women illustrated what it means to have the identity of a Christian and how we have worked out what we believe.

From a big picture standpoint, it was enlightening to watch how the focus of the women’s testimony changed throughout the time period covered. Perpetua was helping people understand what it means to be a Christian – a follower of Christ – what is our identity. Macrina’s purpose changed. She knew what it meant to be a Christian, but helped her brother understand more about what Christians believe – how closely we are known by God. Juana Ines de la Cruz and Jarena Lee had different purposes, too. They demonstrated what it means to have a calling from God, gifts from God, and how we are to use them.  Susannah Wesley and Georgia Harkness spoke of the “now what?” You have an identity, you have beliefs, but now what? What is faith and what does that mean?  I loved the progression through them, but more than that, I hadn’t thought about how our stories would have developed over the centuries.

While I worked through the course, I read the book In Her Words by Amy Oden. I would recommend doing this if you have the time. It adds more dimensions to the course - although the course would stand alone without it.

Great course - I recommend it.

Posts about the Class

Posts about the class will have the tag WSOG

Call story to Certified Lay Ministry

In general, my call to ministry has not been a single, dramatic event, but instead a lifetime experience of sanctifying grace. I have always, even as a child, believed in God. I was baptized in the Presbyterian Church, attended a Lutheran church for a time, and was then invited by a friend to visit her United Methodist Church, and I’ve been there ever since.  Beginning with UMYF,  I have felt called to ministry, to give of my gifts and time to the work of Christ’s church.

For someone to understand my call to Certified Lay Ministry, I think it is necessary to know about three “thin places” in my life of faith - times when God was especially close and God’s leading was particularly apparent. 

In the fall of 2006, I was a pilgrim on a Walk to Emmaus. I approached the walk like I would a scientific experiment.  I did research. I knew the schedule, I knew about the tables and talks, and I was a little suspicious that the team was trying to manipulate me.  What I found, once I let go of a need to control what was happening, was that God was present with me on the walk.  I learned to trust more and love more. The year that followed was full of grace - everything about my faith life was different. I learned that if I were called to do something, God would be present with me.  Trust more.

In late 2007 and early 2008, I felt I would be leaving my position as a Research Associate. I didn’t know what was next, but something was.  Late that spring, I applied for a position, and was scheduled for an interview.  In the intervening time, I learned that the position of Associate Director at The Foundation was still open. I went to bed one night, certain the position was not for me (way out of my knowledge base), and I got up the next morning (without any sleep), knowing that I needed to apply. When we sing “I heard you calling in the night,” I know what it means.  The first position wasn’t mine, but the one at The Foundation was - it was where God was calling me to be. It felt like stepping out of a boat, onto unknown waters, but God was there, and still is. Trust more.

I was in the right place, but I needed to be equipped. That meant learning more about the work I would do, but it also meant more growth in my call. I was already a certified lay servant (or a certified lay speaker - whichever it was at that point), but God was nagging me to explore Certified Lay Ministry.  I did.  I researched, I checked out the curriculum, and I tried to see how it would work. For me, and I think for others, CLM training feels like it is designed only for those who are seeking to be assigned to a church. That was not my call. I was convinced certified lay ministry was not for me, but God didn’t listen to my protests.  In 2010, at the end of one of our Board of Trustees meetings, I came in late for lunch. The only seat available was next to Herb Lambert, so that is the seat I chose. He was one of the first CLMs in our Conference. He starting talking about his experience, how he helped in ministry in his church, and how the process had worked for him.  It was exactly what I needed to hear in order to be convinced to proceed and to become certified. I believe God had a hand in that conversation.  I was certified as a CLM in 2011. Trust more.

God has called me to work that I love, serving individuals and churches on their journeys to be more generous and to be good stewards of God’s gifts. God has equipped me and provided authority for me through Certified Lay Ministry. I am grateful for the opportunities I have to share the gifts God has given to me; I am grateful for those people who have provided guidance, encouragement, and inclusion. I believe that I am blessed to be a blessing, so I hope that is what I do. Love more.

 

Prayer: God of all Children

 

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to provide the Gratitude Reflection (meal grace) for a Team for West Virginia Children dinner event.  Here is the prayer:

God of Creation, God of all children, we gather this evening, supported by the hope you provide to us that the work of this organization can make a difference in this community, especially in the lives of children. Help us to never forget there are children who are hungry, who are abused, who live without loving parents. Remind us of the babies suffering through addiction, and the teenagers who are parents.

Our broken hearts are filled with gratitude for all those who give of their time, their gifts, and their resources to bring healing, in all the ways it is needed, to these children.  May the work done be not only pleasing to you but also empowered by you to bring healing and change to all of us.

We give you thanks this evening for those who grew and harvested our food, for those who prepared it, and for those who will serve it. We thank you for our fellowship around these tables, and pray your blessing, o God of the universe, on the work of this team, that it may bring justice and peace.

Amen.