Sandpiper's Thoughts

Our prayer

2012-01-29T22:02:00.000-05:00

Our creator God, hear our prayer.
Holy, holy, holy, we lift our prayer to you.
You live in heaven,
you live among us.
We pray for the change that will bring
heaven to earth.
We pray for reality to be shaped by your will,
instead of our own.

The hope of our church
is that you will come among us.
Heal our families.
Surround our friends with your grace.
Tune our ears to your word
so that we will hear you,
and follow you.
We pray that your church
will be brought together in unity.
Hear our prayers.

We pray that you will give us
what we need to live.
To live this life, alive.
Hear our cries for forgiveness
and for the ability to forgive.
Give us the strength to resist the
lure of sin.
Give us the courage to repent,
and to turn back to you.

Hear our secret hopes
Our unspoken worries
that move silently
through the crevices of our souls.
Hear these breathless, silent prayers,
unheard by others,
sometimes ignored by our hearts,
sometimes our hearts' deepest desires,
sometimes silenced by our pain or shame.
The echoes of these silent prayers
can be deafening in our lives.
Hear our groaning of our souls.

For the universe is yours,
the power is yours,
and we live our lives,
in your glory.
Amen.

Correction

2012-01-27T21:43:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I posted about the idea that criticism could be a blessing. After I wrote that, I read a devotional centered about the 1 Corinthians chapter concerning eating meat.

Paul tells us that knowledge puffs up but love builds up. Have you ever encountered someone with lots of knowledge and with a ready answer to problems, but without much love? It is kind of the other side of the coin of yesterday's post.

Being right is not the most important thing. Loving each other is most important. So what does that mean? Does it mean that we are quiet in the face of wrong? No, of course not. It might mean, though, that there are times when correction is not necessary. Do we intend it to be a blessing or only to demonstrate our knowledge? Is sharing the correction an act of love? Or not?

Blessing?

2012-01-26T16:02:00.001-05:00

I was reading a blog called The Painted Prayerbook today. Jan Richardson writes:

But, as Jesus shows us in this passage where we see him healing a man in the grip of a destructive spirit, such a blessing—the blessing that comes in facing the chaos rather than turning away from it, the blessing that comes in naming what is contrary to God’s purposes rather than letting it persist unchecked—makes way for the wholeness we crave. It brings release to what has been bound; it invites and enables and calls us to move with the freedom for which God made us.

So, someone points out to you a part of yourself or your actions that is contrary to God's purposes. Is it a blessing?

Calling it a blessing is certainly a different way to look at it. It doesn't often feel like a blessing at the time. It feels painful and awful.

Perhaps the blessing can come from how you react. (And the assumption here is that what someone has pointed out to you actually is contrary to God's purposes.) Do we see it as constructive criticism that can lead us closer to God? Do we act to correct what is contrary to God's purposes and move toward wholeness? If so, then the results can be a blessing.

I think the comment from the other purpose can be meant as a blessing or not. What we do with it -- that can bring about the blessing.

And sometimes, the comment -- the actual words themselves -- later are seen as a blessing.

Wrong Number, IV

2012-01-24T16:01:00.001-05:00

When I look at Jonah, though, I don’t think his problem is a lack of confidence or a lack of desire. I think Jonah has every confidence that he can go to Ninevah and tell the people there what they are doing wrong, and I imagine he would love to do that! Jonah was an Israelite, and Israel was conquered by Assyria. Ninevah is the capitol of Assyria. You can imagine that Jonah had no love for the people of Ninevah. His problem is not in telling them what they are doing wrong, and Jonah tells God no (at first) because he knows he can do the job well. He’s afraid he will do such a good job that the Ninevites will actually repent! And that God will show them mercy. Jonah would quickly have said yes to God’s call if he could have controlled the outcome. Jonah’s reason for saying No is that he was not willing to give up control. He didn’t trust God enough to surrender everything – even control – to God.

It is interesting to me to read about fishing during Jesus’ time. There were two kinds of nets that fishermen used from their boats. One of them was a trawl-net. It was dragged behind the boat, and became like a large bag, collecting fish as the boat moved. The kind of net that Peter and Andrew were using was smaller. The fishermen would throw the net from the side of the boat – its operation required skill and talent. In order to fish like Simon and Andrew were fishing, the fishermen had to be involved. Even so, it wasn’t like fishing with a pole. Simon and Andrew had to throw the net – be involved, and yet they couldn’t choose the fish they caught. The net would catch all kinds of fish, unlike a using a pole and catching one fish at a time.

Fishing for people – following the call of God – would in some ways be the same. We have to say yes to being involved – to casting the net -- and yet we have to give up control of the result. We have to trust God enough to place the outcome in his hands.

Psalm 65, verses 7 and 8, say “On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.” Doesn’t our response to God come down to trust? We have to trust him enough to place our faith in his choice – he chooses us and calls us. We have to trust him enough to follow his lead, even when we would rather do something else. And – maybe hardest of all -- we have to trust him enough to give up control.

Whatever our excuses are, our faith leads us to the belief that God is worthy of our trust. God is calling you today – in some way – to let go of your nets and to immediately follow him. Will you tell God he has called the wrong number? Or will you say yes, and follow him?

The following four posts were a sermon I preached this past Sunday.

Wrong Number, III

2012-01-23T16:11:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I think I say no to God because he is asking me to do something I just don’t want to do. There are many “I would rathers” in my life. I would rather sleep in on Saturday than go to the riverfront and help feed homeless people. I would rather keep some of my financial earnings for myself than give them to the church. I would rather watch TV in the evenings than work to prepare a sermon. It’s true that I would often rather follow my own desires than say yes to the work that God is calling me to do. Maybe you have had that experience. And yet, when I say yes to God, I often find that I am blessed beyond my expectations.I wonder if the four men called by Jesus that day had known how their lives would end if they would have said yes to him.

Much of this is according to tradition, but tradition tells us that Simon Peter was crucified by Nero in Rome and Andrew was crucified in Greece. The book of Acts tells us that James was killed by Herod. John was the only disciples who lived a long life, but he was banished to the island of Patmos. Would they have chosen differently if they had known? I don’t know, but I imagine if any of the four had been asked at the end of their lives, “Do you regret saying yes to Christ?” none of them would have regretted their decisions. Every call from God places in front of us an opportunity to trust that God is leading us in the right direction – to trust that his judgment is better than ours, and to trust that we will never regret following his lead.

Wrong Number, II

2012-01-22T23:44:00.001-05:00

In my church, each week I am responsible for recruiting a lector – a lay person who will read the scripture passage during worship. I try to ask lots of different people to serve, and I never really know what the answer to my request will be. One morning I asked Maria (name changed), and her response was, “Oh, I can’t do that. Ask my husband; he’ll do it, but I could never do that.” Her response demonstrated a lack of confidence in her abilities.

Do we sometimes hesitate to say yes to God because we don’t think we are good enough, capable enough, righteous enough, talented enough or perfect enough to serve God?

Picture for a moment the events related to us in the passage from the Gospel of Mark. Jesus is walking along shore of the Sea of Galilee, and he calls out to the brothers, Simon and Andrew. I don’t doubt for a moment that Jesus knew who they were – and that he knew they were not perfect men. He knew their flaws, he knew their weaknesses. He knew their sins. And yet – he called them. Calls are initiated by God, and he knows us. He put us together, created our very being, and he knows even the deepest, darkest parts of our souls, and yet HE CALLS US. He calls us anyway – maybe in spite of who we are, or maybe because of who we are. William Barclay wrote in his Commentary onthe Gospel of Mark, “We should never think so much of what we are as of what Jesus Christ can make us. What can Jesus do in the world through us if we will only trust in his choice of us when he calls?

Five minutes after Maria told me that she could never read scripture in church, she came back up to me and aid, “OK, I’ll do it.” Her confidence in God inspires me.

Wrong Number, I

2012-01-21T23:52:00.005-05:00

Weget our share of telemarketers who call our house. We don’t have caller ID, butI’ve gotten pretty good at knowing who is a friend calling and who is atelemarketer. When I answer the phoneand there is a pause after I say hello, I know that the computer system ispushing my call through to the salesperson, and I hang up. I can say “no” right away, before a liveperson comes on the line. When Godcalls, are you ever tempted to do that? Are you ever tempted to say to God – wrong number – call someone else?

One of the lectionary readings for this week is Mark 1:14-20. It is the call of Simon, Andrew, James and John.

WheneverI read that passage, I am always struck by the vision of the fishermen droppingtheir nets, immediately, and following Jesus. It is as if they don’t hesitate – they don’t go home and discuss thedecision with any family members – they don’t struggle through their choice–they just do it. Immediately. There is nothing in the passage that leads usto believe that Simon, Andrew, James and John were being called by astranger. I have to believe they had metJesus before, that they had heard him preaching or teaching, that in some waysthey had already developed some kind of relationship with him. Even so, Mark doesn’t leave much doubt thattheir response was excuse-free. Theydropped their nets, left their lives, and followed Jesus.

Oneof the other lectionary readings for the week comes from the book ofJonah. For me, in some ways, Jonah –initially -- has an opposite responsewhen compared to the four men in the Mark passage. God calls Jonah to go and tell the people ofNinevah that they must change their ways or face destruction. Jonah’s initial reaction – to run the otherway – is so much more like my reaction to God’s call sometimes. I can relate to Jonah. In response to God’s call, Jonah goes down toJoppa, gets on a boat, goes down into the ocean, and down into the belly of afish. Talk about arguing with God – onlyat Jonah’s lowest point can he finally say “yes” to God – and even thatresponse is reluctant. And when thepeople of Ninevah repent, Jonah is disappointed in God’s mercy.

Arewe sometimes more like Jonah in our responses to God than we are like Simon orAndrew? And why is that the case? I think we can get so wrapped up in ourexcuses that they become a trap – to use a fisherman’s image – our excuses canbecome a net to keep us from serving God.

He is who he is

2012-01-19T15:58:00.000-05:00

My son says he has green eyes. My husband agrees with him, but I think Josh's eyes are hazel.

The truth is, though, no matter what color I call his eyes or what color he says his eyes are, they are a particular color that is not impacted in the slightest by my perception of the color, by what I call the color, or by how much I insist that I am right. His eyes are the color they are, independent of my insistence.

I was thinking this morning that the same is true about God. No matter what I call him, or how I describe him -- no matter how much you or I argue about the "truth" about God -- God is God, and our perception of him does not change who he is or what he does.

Do you think it is the case that sometimes instead of God creating us in his image that we try to re-create God in our own image of who he should be? He is who he is (sound familiar?), and no matter how much I insist he is a certain way, he is still I Am.

There is much in that to take comfort.

Recommendations

2012-01-18T23:36:00.002-05:00

Last week's Friday Five at RevGalBlogPals:

Recommend a favorite worship resource or devotional book. I consistently (if by consistently you understand that I mean "mostly, when I remember to...") use the Upper Room's Disciplines as a devotional resource. I like it better than the Upper Room because each week is written by one author and has a lectionary theme.
Recommend a blog that you like to read that you think others might findenjoyable. My favorite blog is a knitter's blog -- The Yarn Harlot (www.yarnharlot.com). I know, if you don't read knitting blogs that you might think I'm exaggerating, but she's hilarious.
Recommend a fiction book that you think people might like. I'm currently re-reading (for the umptheeth time) Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. It's one of my very favorites.
Recommend a favorite recipe website. O.k., if you aren't into cooking orfood, then just recommend a random website that you find useful, hilarious,mind numbing or thought provoking. I'm not sure I have a favorite recipe website, but I have started using the Paprika app on my iPhone and iPad. Great recipe tool!
And for the last recommendation--it's bloggers' choice! Make arecommendation for anything! I'm also reading Reading the Women of the Bible: A New Interpretation of Their Stories by Tikva Frymer-Kensky. I would highly recommend it. I'm working my way through it slowly, a chapter at a time, and savoring it.

Sorrow into Joy

2012-01-17T16:24:00.000-05:00

This came in my email today, from Sound Bites:

Your sorrow itself shall be turned into joy. Not the sorrow to be taken away, and joy to be put in its place, but the very sorrow which now grieves you shall be turnedinto joy. God not only takes away the bitterness and gives sweetness in its place, but turns the bitterness into sweetness itself -- CharlesSpurgeon

Your sorrow will be turned into joy. Have you thought about that before? What would that mean? Soured milk into fresh. Decay into new.

Can you imagine a bitter relationship changed to one of joy? It isn't that terrible experiences would be removed -- it's that terrible experiences would be turned into ones of joy.

It's hard to imagine.

Forgiveness and Restoration

2012-01-15T22:27:00.001-05:00

As I was preparing the Sunday school lesson I taught today, about Joseph and the restoration of the relationship with his brothers, it was bothering me that Joseph was "playing around" with his brothers. He accused them of spying, put them in jail, sent them home,, kept the second oldest in jail, made them bring their youngest brother back with, accused him of stealing a silver cup -- he just didn't behave well.

It was a lesson about restoration and forgiveness, and yet Joseph didn't act in a forgiving way until the very end. It seemed to me if the lesson was about forgiveness, then I didn't know what to do with all the manipulation.

But as I was teaching it, I realized that Joseph's reaction just makes him more human. It had to work toward the restoraton. He is not perfect, and neither are we. And yet, God can bring us to a point of understanding that allows us to let go and to forgive.

We can be forgiving, even though we are not perfect. And through us, God can change the world.

Remnant

2012-01-14T21:44:00.000-05:00

What is a remnant? The Sunday school lesson I'm working on for tomorrow is called "God Preserves a Remnant." Think about a remnantstable at a fabric store. It’s full ofbits and pieces of fabric – odd yardage, leftovers from what someone elsewanted. Usually they are on sale,because no one really wants the leftovers.

Until the time comes when someonecomes along and chooses the remnant. Idon’t want to take this analogy too far, but it’s kind of a restoration. In the buyer’s imagination, what has beenfound to be useless to one person is restored to usefulness and acceptabilityby the imagination of someone else.

God specializes in remnants. None of us are the perfect piece of fabric,with the exact pattern, ready to be use in perfect condition for God’splan. But in us he sees potential. He sees how he can re-create us from what wewere to what we can become.

And because of that, we arecalled to a ministry of remnants, too. We are called to forgiveness and reconciliation, because we have beenforgiven and re-created by God.

A Battle in your Head

2012-01-12T09:00:00.001-05:00

I'm still reading (and enjoying) Gabaldon's The Scottish Prisoner. As John is walking to a place where he anticipates a confrontation, he thinks to himself, "Trying to fight a battle in your head was pointless and did nothing but fret the nerves and exhaust the energies."

It rang true with me, and, since I am reading this book on Kindle, I can see how many people have highlighted this passage -- 27. Twenty seven doesn't sound like a lot, but in my experience, that is a high number of highlights for one passage of text.

Does it ring true with you? I know that I often have battles with people in my mind. I argue, I reason, I invite arguments that will never happen, and I plan what I would say. Of course, I never (rarely) say those things except in my mind.

Christ warns us about committing sins in our minds. We think that is ludicrous -- how can we control what we think? And yet, I know that even though an argument with someone has only been in my mind, it still affects my relationship with that person. It changes how I see them, it alters what they say to me.

This is probably something I need to work on -- developing a place of grace in my mind rather than a place of confrontation.

Every person, a gift?

2012-01-11T14:42:00.001-05:00

I was in a meeting yesterday, and the leader of the meeting said (and I'm paraphrasing) that each person we encounter is bringing us a gift. If we look hard enough and are open enough to the gift, then we will find it. The person may not even be aware that he/she is giving us a gift, but the gift is given nevertheless.

What would life be like if we found a gift from God in each person we met, every day? That's not just the people who are generous, or kind, or loving, or full of grace, but also the grumpy ones, the mean ones, the thoughtless ones. What gifts do they give us?

Do we trust enough in God to look for those gifts? Do we believe enough to have faith that God could touch us, even through the guy honking his horn at us on the interstate? Do we see the gifts from the negative woman in the waiting room? Are we open to receive gifts from God, even from unlikely places and people?

And -- and -- are we willing to let God touch other people -- even those who make us made, or who hurt us, or who we are angry with -- are we willing to let God touch them through us? Can we be gift bearers to everyone?

How does it feel to know that God is doing it, even if we don't like it? What would we think if we knew how we have blessed the person who we argue with in our minds?

Every person, a gift. Can you watch for it and be thankful for it? Can I? And how will that change our relationship to that person?

Joyful Attitude

2012-01-10T20:31:00.002-05:00

This image is of a bluebird. Not a very good picture, I admit it, but it is so rare to see a bluebird that I'm posting it anyway.

I was in a waiting room today with a woman who was more negative than anyone else I've met recently. No matter what anyone said, no matter what comment was made on the television, her reaction was a negative one.

When I got in the car to drive to my next destination, the radio announcer said, "We need to adapt a joyful attitude." Too bad she couldn't tell the lady in the waiting room that.

I believe in God. I don't believe in the magic of a positive attitude -- I don't believe that if we just are optimistic, that nothing bad will happen. I do believe, though, that a joyful, optimistic attitude can make our lives easier to live, and more enjoyable to walk through.

I think that joyful attitude would include the following:

There is enough worry for today without borrowing it from tomorrow. Face and manage the problems for today, but let tomorrow's problem wait until tomorrow. Most of the time (not always, but most of the time), what we worry about doesn't happen.
Assume that you don't have all of the information you think you have. Usually we don't know everything, and sometimes what we don't know makes a huge difference in reality.
When the time comes, deal with whatever it is (this is the hardest one for me). You'll feel better once you've tackled the problem.
Pray about it. Don't forget.
Forgive people, even when they don't ask for forgiveness, even when they don't act regretful, even if the other person never knows you have forgiven them, or even that they hurt you. Forgive and let go.
Apologize. Even if you think the other person did something wrong. You probably did something wrong, too. Even if you didn't do anything wrong, you are sorry for the break in the relationship. Apologies build bridges and repair rifts in a relationship. Sometimes the healing is more important than the rightness. (maybe always?).
Find the positive in the situation. Find the humor. Find the story you will tell your friends.
Sometimes, just walk away. Disengage.
Forgive yourself.
Move closer to God, for there you will find joy.

Hospitality from who we are

2012-01-09T21:50:00.001-05:00

Today in a meeting we were talking about hospitality, and the people around the table were sharing experiences they had had receiving hospitality. Mark said that hospitality comes from who we are.

We kind of let that remark pass by unnoticed, but I think it is very true. Hospitality comes from who we are. Perhaps the best way to prepare to share hospitality is to define, for ourselves, who we are.

So much else is like that as well. In order to act as the church, we need to discover who we are. When our actions are born from who we are, they are genuine and authentic.

When a church says, "I am welcoming - that is part of what makes me who I am," then its actions will be one of a welcoming church, if the members understand their identity and are willing to let it give birth to their actions.

I've experienced true hospitality, and I've experience patronizing hospitality, and there is defiantly a difference.

Different Shoes

2012-01-08T20:29:00.002-05:00

This evening we got ready and went to the mall. I had changed clothes after church, so before we left the house, I went to my closet pulled out a black loafer and its mate. At least, that's what I thought I had done. I did pull out a black loafer, but not its mate.

When we were going up the escalator at Sears, I looked down, and found that I was wearing one black loafer and one brown loafer. These shoes were obviously -- very obviously -- different shoes. I think a mother and her daughter in the restroom were laughing at me. I had to tell the clerk we working with in the appliance department what I had done so that she didn't think I was just crazy.

My guys really got a kick out of my mismatched shoes. Steve took a picture; Josh laughed and laughed.

So funny. Right.

So, does Christianity ever make us stand out like that. Do we sometimes feel as if people are pointing and laughing? I wonder if perhaps it should make us that self-conscious Shouldn't, at least sometimes, our faith be so radical that other people notice how different we are, and perhaps how illogical we are?

Aren't there times when being a Christians should feel like wearing two different shoes?

Fridstool

2012-01-06T21:32:00.001-05:00

Have you ever heard of a fridstool? I hadn't either. I am currently reading The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon. One of the protagonists, Jamie, is looking for a quiet place to be alone, and he is reminded of something a nun had told him:

A fridstool is a seat of refuge, of sanctuary. Churches—English churches—often have one, for the use of persons seeking sanctuary, though I must say, they aren’t used as often these days as in former centuries.” She waved a hand knobbed with rheumatism and took another drink. “As I no longer have my cell as a place of private retirement, I was obliged to find a fridstool. And I think I have chosen well,” she added...

Do you ever feel as if you need a fridstool? I do.

A quiet, secluded place gives my mind room to think. It gives my spirit time to be quiet. Sometimes my fridstool is in my car. Sometimes it is the chair I have sitting in my office near the window, where I can read a devotional and have a few moments of prayer. Sometimes finding a fridstool requires that I leave my office and walk down to the chapel in the chuch where I work.

It an be a place or a time; it can be for serious study, prayer or it can be for leisure reading. It can be for just a time of quiet. Whatever you need -- whatever time alone means to you, try to find your fridstool.

Saying Yes, Saying No

2012-01-05T22:32:00.000-05:00

I read this today in a blog comment: A yes is only a yes if a no is possible.

The quote was in a comment to blog post concerning a book written by an author who believes that a hierarchical marriage structure is Biblical. Can a wife really say yes to a husband if he is in absolute authority? If her no is not possible then her yes is not really a yes at all.

Think about that. And think about its implications and how it can lead to situations in which the wife is abused or assaulted.

In a related thought, think about David and Bathsheba. Did she really commit adultery? Could she have said no to King David? If she could not have said no, then would her yes had been real? The New Interpreter's Bible goes so far as to call the intercourse between David and Bathsheba rape.

Stretching the point even more (to a point completely unrelated to the other two ideas), it follows that if God desires us to say yes to him, then he had to grant us the ability to say no. A loving response from us to God is only possible because he has given us free will. We can say yes only because we can say no.

Lorax

2012-01-04T22:01:00.001-05:00

I was at the movies earlier this week and saw a preview of the movie Lorax -- an adaptation of a Dr. Seuss book. I emailed myself this quote for future use: "It's not about what it is; it's about what it can become."

We spend a whole lot of time evaluating who we are, what we have done, what others have done, mistakes, wasted time, and flaws. We use all of that information to make value judgments about ourselves and others. And then we think that God does the same thing.

It's not about who we are; it's about who we can become.

God loves us now, today, as we are. And he can see who we can become, through his grace.

It's about transformation, re-creation, re-birth. it's about potential. It's about who we were created to be, not about the fact that we aren't there yet.

If we realize that, then we can reach for what is possible, opening ourselves up to what God can do, instead of judging what is potential based only on present reality.

It's not about who we are; it's about who we can become.

Is there anything excellent?

2012-01-03T23:37:00.000-05:00

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

At dinner on New Year's Day, we were discussing the surveys that car repair shops ask you to complete to rate the service they have provided. One of the members of our family stated that he saves the "excellent" column for service that is extraordinary or outstanding.

I wonder how often we do that in life. How often do we withhold affirmation or praise because someone has not been "perfect" in our eyes. Do we search for the excellence in what they are done? Do we have the attitude that we can find what is worthy to be praised in the work they have done or do we assume that they can do better?

What would be the fruit of our affirmation and encouragement?

Breakfasts with the Wise Men, Part III

2012-01-02T21:25:00.000-05:00

Continued from yesterday...

Two days later,very early in the morning, as the sun was just beginning to rise, Abid and thewise men were awakened by a pounding on the door of their rooms. Abid struggled to his feet and opened thedoor a crack. A man, dressed in darkrobes, stood there. “King Herod has sentme to bring the men of the start to the palace. They must come now!”

So it was that thethree wise men (with Abid standing close by) and King Herod shared breakfast.

The normally jovialand talkative men were silent in the presence of the King. Herod was handsome, well groomed and finelydressed. Gold and jewels adorned hishands, glinting in the dimness of morning as he dipped bread into the cheese. There was something about him – somethingunsettling. As Abid watched the fourmen, the word “evil” came into his mind. Herod smiled at the three wise men, but their hearts beat a fast, hardrhythm in his presence.

Herod said, “Youhave come to find the child who is to be born as King of the Jews.”

Melchior answered,“Yes, we have.”

Herod selected apiece of fruit, and sliced it open with his knife. Red juice squirted from its depths and ranacross the linen of the cloth that covered the table. “Good. That is excellent.” He bit intothe fruit, obviously enjoying its tartness. “I have spoken with my own wise men, and they have told me this child isto be found in Bethlehem. You are to gothere. And once you have found thechild, come back to me.” He reached foranother slice of fruit, flicking out a seed with his immaculate nail. “I wish to know this child, and I will go andworship him as well.” Once again hesmiled.

Very soon afterthat, the three wise men, along with Abid, found themselves in the courtyard ofthe house where they had been staying, stunned.

Clearing histhroat, Balthazar said, “I told you he would be born in Bethlehem,” but hiswords were weak, not full of his usual arrogance.

Caspar said, hisvoice aching with disbelief, “We told him when the star appeared. He will know the date of the child’s birth. What will we do?”

Melchior answered. “We will go to Bethlehem, and we will findthe child. We will warn his parents.”

"And what will wetell Herod when we come back this way?” asked Caspar.

"I don’t know, butwe’ll think of something.”

The three men spentseveral hours together in the courtyard, recalling all that they had read inthe prophecies and stories on their scrolls. They talked about what the man at the Temple had told them and theyremembered the desperation of the king to hear about this King of the Jews whohad been born.

Melchior said, “Iam not a Jew. Why is it that I feel asif the birth of this tiny child in the far away country will make a differencein my life?”

Caspar answered,“The man at the temple said that he would bring salvation to everyone – even tothe gentiles. I find that I believehim.”

Balthazar said, “Wemust go today and find this child. Nodelay. Abid! Pack our bags!” All three had failed to notice that Abid wasalready packing, and that he had brought the camels from their stalls. Balthazar sighed, “I just wish I had broughta better gift.”

The other two mennodded, remembering with shame their reluctance to bring their best.

Abid steppedforward, carrying the trunk that contained their gifts. He wordlessly opened it, revealing the threeitems inside. The three men steppedforward to look inside. Caspar reachedout and picked up the purple silk bag full of coins. Opening it, he found a wealth of God. Melchior recognized the small box of frankincensehe had hidden to protect it from thieves. And Balthazar saw the ornate jar that contained the finest myrrh, setaside for his own burial. All three ofthem lifted their eyes and looked at Abid. “Why did you bring these?”

Abid explained, “Forthe past many years, you have been talking about a babe to be born, who wouldbe the salvation of the world. Youconvinced me it was true! I knew at somepoint you would start to believe it, too, and that the truth would change yourminds about what gifts to bring.”

Feeling a littleashamed, and a little put out with their servant, but glad of his service, thethree men returned the gifts to the trunk and left Jerusalem, to follow a starand worship a king.

Breakfasts with the Wise Men, Part II

2012-01-01T21:22:00.000-05:00

Continued from yesterday...

The journey toJerusalem was long. It involved manysmelly, spitting camels, hot days and cold nights. No one really talks about it now, but Abidremembers it – every detail of it. Andfor years and years, he told his grandchildren about it. “Did I ever tell you the story…..” And his grandchildren would roll their eyesand squirm.

When the caravanreached Jerusalem, the wise men were tired, and they had begun to lose theirexcitement for the search. Abid foundthem a place to stay, and settled them in. He found a place for the camels to sleep, and he unpacked all of therugs, blankets, food, clothes, books and starcharts that the wise men hadinsisted on bringing with them. Duringhis work, he became familiar with town of Jerusalem, so when Balthazar woke upthe next morning, and declared, “We must go to the Temple! There will be people at the Temple who canhelp us!” Abid knew just where to take them.

As they approachedthe Temple, the three men stood stunned by its glory. The platform area upon which it was built wasenormous, and the temple itself was covered in gold. Caspar muttered, “Herod has outdonehimself. Surely Rome will noticethis.”

The crowds werethick, but Melchior noticed a man standing close by. “Sir, I wonder if you would answer somequestions for me.”

The older man, bentwith age, but with wisdom in his eyes, said, “What can I help you with?”

“We,” he began,indicating his friends, “have come from Babylon…” The other two men cleared their throats,“Yes, yes, and Arabia and Persia,’ he added, to please his friends. “We have studied the stars, and we have readthe prophecies. We come to Jerusalembecause we believe that that a child-king is to be born here. We come to see him. Do you know anything about this?”

The man nodded hishead. “Yes, my God has spoken to meabout this child. He will be born soon,and he will be the salvation of all people.”

Excited, Balthazarsaid, “What do you know of him?”

"This child is fromGod. The fate of all of us rest uponhim. He will be light to the Jews andto the Gentiles. He will be the light ofsalvation for even you. When you findhim, you should bow down and worship him”

“Yes, yes,” saidCaspar inpatiently, “but where can we find him?”

“I, too, am waitingfor him. God has promised that I willsee him, but I do not know where to tell you to look.” Disappointed, the men started to leave, butthe man placed his hand on Melchior’s robe. “Be careful. Not everyone willwelcome this child.”

The wise menthanked the man and walked away, but Abid stood, stunned by what he had heard. Hequietly said, “Salvation? Even for me?”

The man, whose namewas Simeon, said, “Yes, and even for me.”

To be continued tomorrow...

Breakfasts with the Wise Men, Part I

2011-12-31T21:20:00.001-05:00

I have a story to share with you today about three wise men– THE three wise men. Some of this storyis biblical and some of it is not, and some of it is purely from myimagination. Because it is an importantskill to develop – the ability to tell the difference – I’ll leave it to you todetermine which is which.

Our story begins in Persia, with three wise men gatheredtogether for breakfast. Melchoir hadinvited Caspar and Balthazar to join him for a wise-men’s retreat – Melchiorlived in Babylon, and he had the largest home of the three, so Caspar had comefrom Persia, and Balthazar from Asia. Itwas a time to get together to read and study and to share their many “wise-men”insights. Can’t you imagine all of theintense discussions, the certainty of “rightness” and the quoting of ancientmasters? As we join in theirdiscussions, all three are sitting together at a large wooden table, drinkingthe strong coffee that Balthazar had brought with him from home. Melchior’s trusted servant, Abid, movedaround the room, serving plates of fruits and cheese. The three men, much to Abid’s chagrin, wereworking their way through several manuscripts, reading, and dropping crumbs onthe precious scrolls. Abid was almostalways frowning and scurrying around to clean up their messes.

All of a sudden, Caspar jumped up, his plate flew to thefloor, and Abid grabbed for the hot coffee. Ignoring all of that, Caspar said, “Listen to this, it is from an oracleby the name of Balaam – “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near – astar shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.”

Balthazar countered, “Very interesting. Listen to this one – from Micah – But you, OBethlehem, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forthfor me one who is to rule in Israel.”

Not to be outdone, Melchior said, “The prophet Isaiah says this-- For to us a child is born, to us ason is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.”

The three men reviewedtheir calculations and compared their star charts. Caspar said, “Now is the time. We must go and see this child-king.”

Another one said,“No, not now – maybe next year – look at this calculation” He waved a parchment around, barely missingAbid’s head.

Caspar banged hishand on the table, rattling the cups of coffee, and frustrating the attentiveAbid. “Buck up, friends! We must follow that star!” Abid, righting the coffee cups, filed theword ‘Starbucks’ away for future reference.

“Listen to this,”said Balthazar, ‘They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim thepraise of the Lord.’ We should bringgifts! Who will bring the gold? Who will bring the frankincense? I think I have some extra myrrh storedaway.” The three men shuffled theirpapers and stared at their feet.

“Abid,” saidCaspar, “I don’t think I really need to take gold. What would a child do with gold? But in my room is a bag of copper coins. When you pack for me, add that to the camel’sbag.”

“And, Abid,” saidMelchior, “I might have some frankincense in my room, but let’s leave that foranother giving opportunity. Pack thatperfume we picked up at WalziarMart. That will do.”

“Oh, yes, Abid,”added Balthazar, “It must be myrrh for my gift, but bring the myrrh mymother-in-law gave me last year, not the jar I’ve been saving back for my ownfuneral. That child won’t know thedifference, I’m sure. It’s the thoughtthat counts, right?”

So Abid rolled hiseyes, and started packing.

To be continued tomorrow...

Arise. Shine.

2011-12-30T22:27:00.000-05:00

Isaiah 60:1a: Arise, shine; for your light has come...

I was reading a devotional this morning from the Upper Room book Disciplines. The author (Natalie Hanson) was using this scriputre as the basis of what she was writing. She said, "We catch light from one another; God models it. We're given the great priviledge of helping ignite other live. We catch light from each other -- or darkness."

Are you contagious? Am I? This scripture would tell us that we all are. Others can "catch" the light of Christ from us, or they can catch darkness.

Do others rise and shine in God's glory because of me? Because of you?

What do we need to do to brighten the light of Christ in ourselves? To be open to become an agent of God?

How can we refrain from spreading the darkness?

Turn Around

2011-12-28T11:42:00.002-05:00

Christmas, coming at us at full speed.
Rushing towards us, like a train.
Are you ready for Christmas?
Have you shopped?
Have you wrapped?
Have you cleaned?
Have you planned?
Are you ready?

We turn around, knowing that Christmas comes
whether we are ready or not.
Christmas. Wham. Here.
Gifts ripped open.
Oohs and awe.
Meals prepared, table set.
Time spent together as a family.
Christmas has come.

We turn around, and sigh,
a little bit of relief.
Christmas has come,
and if finished.
Nap, if we are lucky.
Clean up paper, pack up boxes, put away (or return) gifts.
Thank the creator of the gift bag.
We sink into the chair, glad
to have 364 days until it comes again.

We turn around, and miss Christ.
Among all of the hoopla,
The Happy Holiday vs Merry Christmas,
among the emails from stores and the
rush to get everything done,
We have turned around,
and we have missed him.

We turn around, and Christ comes
Christmas comes,
each and every day,
Breaking into our lives,
Loving us with his compassion,
Saving us with his grace.
Are we ready?
Christmas comes every day.
Christ comes every day.
Just turn around.

Christmas Memories

2011-12-27T22:04:00.001-05:00

Five (out of many) memorable moments from our Christmas celebration:

The Christmas Eve services were both joyful in their own ways. Watching our younger son play the trumpet while worshipping with our older son was a joy.
We went to bed after we got home from the late night Candlelighting service. That doesn't sound very monumental, but it means that the gifts were wrapped and the stockings were stuffed prior to 1:00 am. It was so nice to go to bed -- at bedtime instead of in the middle of the night! I love gift bags! Whoever thought of gift bags should win a Nobel prize. They are attractive, don't require a box, are fast, and are reusable. Never has been being green been such an advantage!
Watching the boys open their stockings again was fun. They are growing up, and I'm not sure when stockings will end, but I'll enjoy it while it lasts.
Christmas Eve dinner was nice, with 11 people sharing the meal at our house. Christmas morning with the boys and mom was special as always. Christmas evening at Steve's brother was joyful and casual. Great family times.
Christmas is great, and the time after Christmas is stress-free. Because the actual day was a Sunday, we also had Monday off. Steve and I went to see a movie, and then Josh went with for an "appetizer" dinner and an evening movie. Great day.

Hope your holiday was memorable.

Would she have done it?

2011-12-26T21:47:00.000-05:00

On Christmas Eve, our church had a 5:00 worship service featuring the children, youth and Alternative worship band. I listened as a couple of young people from our church sang a duet of Breath of Heaven. It's a song written from the standpoint of Mary.

I am waiting in a silent prayer
I am frightened by the load i bear
In a world as cold as stone
Must I walk this path alone
Be with me now
Be with me now

As I listened to them sing, I realized that Mary herself had probably been their age, perhaps the age of the 15 year old youth who sang of the young mother to be.

Breath of Heaven
Hold me together
Be forever near me
Breath of Heaven

Breath of Heaven
Lighten my darkness
Pour over me, your holyness
For your holy Breath of Heaven

Young. New to the world. Beloved of God, but not famous, not experienced, not a person with a resume of encounters with the holy leaders of the day. She didn't have political experience or a degree in theology. She was a young girl, beginning her life. She was probably afraid, a little lost, and worried what this would all mean in her life.

Do you wonder
As you watch my face
If a wiser one, should of had my place
But I offer-all I am
For the mercy-of your plan
Help me be strong
Help me be
Help me

Would she have done it if she could have seen what it would mean? Would she have said "yes" if she had known it would mean becoming the mother of a young Jesus? Would she have done it if she had known it would mean knowing he would leave his home and travel across the known world, preaching to sometimes hostile crowds? Would she have done it if she had understood the nature of Simeon's warning to her? Would she have done it if she had known it would mean standing at the foot of a cross, watching her son die?

What would it be like to be Mary, young, perhaps 15, listening to the words of an angel?

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T22:55:00.004-05:00

I hope you and your family have had a wonderful Christmas.

I pray God's blessings on your new year.

I'll be back tomorrow with a "real" post.

A Song of Joy

2011-12-21T13:18:00.002-05:00

Inspired by Zephaniah 3:14-20

Sing a song of Joy, my children.

Shout your praise of God, my beloved.
Celebrate and proclaim the Word of God,
You, who are a precious creation
of the Lord of the universe.

Our God has taken away
the judgments against us.
He has restored our relationship
with our enemies.

God is here.
He is moving among us,
and we have nothing to fear.

Today, God speaks to us.
His words ring true,
full of grace and power.
A pure note of joy,
Vibrating through our spirits.

Fear not. Be strong.

I am your God,
and I am here.
You are in my presence.

I have given you victory over sin,
victory over pain and tears.
I have made you
and remade you,
and you bring laughter and joy
to my face.

You are my beloved children.
I sing of my love for you
with every breeze,
every ray of sun,
every bird song.

My love for you has removed

all blame, all guilt,
all sin.
I have made you clean.

I am here with you,
and I have forgotten none of you.
The outcast, the broken, the lost,
the stubborn, and the brave,
all are my beloved creations.
I will make your names known
throughout the earth.
I will make my salvation for you
obvious to all.

I will wrap my arms around all of you
and welcome you home.
You will see me
and you will know
that you rest in my hand,
and you have nothing to fear.

Going Out

2011-12-20T16:10:00.001-05:00

I'm reading Tikva Frymer-Kensky's book, Reading the Women of the Bible: A New Interpretation of Their Stories. Every chapter gives me a different look at a passage about one of the women of the Bible. I'm very much enjoying the reading, and have had lots of "blog thoughts," although I haven't written any of them down. Yet.

The chapter I'm reading today is about Dinah. Genesis 34:1 says, "Out went Dinah the daughter of Leah whom she bore to Jacob, to see the girls of the land."

Out went Dinah....

This is the only phrase in the story in which Dinah is the object of the verb. Even though the rest of the story is about what happened to her, and the responses to it, it is not about Dinah herself.
My first reaction was that we should all follow suit. Go out. Meet people. Develop relationships even among those we do not understand.

The author writes that the phrase "out went Dinah" might have another implication for those who originally heard the story. The culture in which Dinah lived -- and not just the Israelite culture, but much of the world's culture at the time, was patriarchal. When a woman "goes out" in a patriarchal society, she leaves the protection of her family. She is vulnerable, but the family is also vulnerable. What happens to her could have a poor impact on her family.

"The laws of Hammurabit demonstrate this attitude" when they speak to the idea of divorce. A woman who is seen as a "gadabout" (which literally means 'the woman who goes out') and who wants a divorce, is thrown into the river. The word had such a negative connotation that "an Old Babylonian word list equates it...with prostitute." They walk the street. They have gone out.

Even today, remnants of this attitude exist. Think for a moment about the word "streetwalker."

I go out. I am not, of course, a prostitute, but each day, I leave my home and I "go out." Sometimes I encounter resistance because of it, even though I'm sure no one considers that I am selling s*x. (avoiding odd search engines -- sorry). I wonder if the idea of "going out" -- the woman leaving the protection (and authority, perhaps) of the patriarchal family and going out on her own has impacted our society's unconscious response to women who work outside the home. Or who "go out" from the submissive role of wife to impact the world.

Is what we do seen as wrong -- even subconsciously -- because we are "going out"?

Santon

2011-12-19T15:57:00.003-05:00

One thing I would like to do for the blog next year is to take and post more images. This one is blurry and not that great. I'll try to do better.

According to what I read today, the first nativity scene was seen in the 1200's, arranged as a live re-enactment by St. Francis. The tradition caught on, as more and more churches held live nativities, and then nativity scenes with representations of the characters.

During the French Revolution, people were not allowed to worship in their churches, so the nativity scene in the home became important. In Provence, France, figures called "santons" (little saints) were made. These were nativity characters, and they included much more than the traditional ones. The baker, the scissors-sharpener, the hat maker, the blind man - representations from the neighborhood were made and included in the scenes.

These were originally constructed of terracotta, in two halves, then assembled together. They were air-dried, rather than kiln-dried. The process left the figures fragile. They were handmade by the santonnier

What I read today brought to mind our role as "santons' in the nativity story. We are also "made of clay," brought to life by the master's hand. We are fragile, and yet we have a divine mission, to bring the light of Christ to those who need it, even when we are not in church. We are from every walk of life, and we are witnesses to the miracle. We have seen God, and our job is to tell others about what we have experienced.

We talk so much about leaving the "Christ in Christmas." We worry about nativity scenes on courthouse lawns. Nativity scenes are a poor substitute for the real thing. The best way to keep Christ in Christmas is to BE Christians.

Branches and the Vine

2011-12-17T23:35:00.000-05:00

At the Gathering last night, Martha talked about an idea from the book Abide in Christ. We are all familiar with:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5

The image of being branches connected to the vine -- people connected to Christ -- so that we will bear fruit is familiar and easy to understand. The branches need their connection to the vine.

But what about the opposite. The point Martha made is that without the branches, the vine does not bear fruit. The vine needs the branches.

God didn't have to design the world that way. He didn't have to place his faith and his trust in us. He could have done it all by himself. Instead, he works through the branches -- he works through us.

We have the ability to say yes or no to him. We have free will; he made us that way.

Isn't that amazing?

Perhaps one of the ways to keep Christ in Christmas is to remain a branch, attached to the vine.

The Look Moment

2011-12-15T22:31:00.002-05:00

Brenda Dayne, in her podcast, said that when you create something, there is a hidden "look" moment, that usually appears at the end of the creative process. She was specifically talking about knitting -- that moment when you block the shawl, and you see the entire lace pattern at one time, for the first time, as a whole created piece.

It applies to all kinds of created projects.

I can relate to what she is saying. I notice it when I knit. I notice it when I create a brochure or a completed project. J, when he completed a project for a English, had a "look" moment when it was completed.

It is a moment of awe, when you have that "look" moment -- perhaps not awe at the quality of the project, but instead awe that what was in your mind is now a reality.

I see it in my children as they grow. Moments of awe that our children are growing into adults.

I wonder if God has those moments.

Motion Sickness

2011-12-14T15:29:00.004-05:00

My church is considering a renovation of the sanctuary. It wouldn't mean huge changes, but would alter the altar area. (grinning). We were talking about it last night at a meeting of the Ministry Leadership Council, wondering about timeline

Could it be finished by Easter? Do we wait until after Easter to start. The consensus was that starting in time to be finished by Easter might be rushing the congregation into something without giving them time to adjust.

This morning, in my email, was a message from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership. There was a one-line tag about motion sickness, and the author's opinion that it is something churches can suffer from. Disclaimer -- I didn't read the article, but the concept intrigued me.

Was that what we were talking about last night? Motion sickness? Move a church too fast through a change and watch the members battle motion sickness?

Two thoughts come to mind. The first is that we need to be aware of the possibility, and sensitive to it, when we begin to lead a church through a change. What can help with the motion sickness, especially when the goal is not to stop the boat and leave it docked?

What can we do when we ourselves suffer from motion sickness? An image of Peter walking on the water came to mind, coupled with the disciples waking Jesus during a storm when they were in a boat. Would it help with our motion sickness if we remember who walks on water? Who calms the storms? In whom we place our faith?

Maybe one of the ways we can keep Christ in Christmas is to remember who our Lord is when the storms toss us about.

Perfection

2011-12-13T15:16:00.000-05:00

I was reading a blog post by a knitter yesterday. Stephanie says:

Perfecting things doesn't perfect people. Even if you have the perfect napkin rings, a really beautiful gift, eighty-seven candles and a fabulous side dish. Give up now. I promise it doesn't change squat about people's happiness or ability to get along.

Sometimes, at Christmas, we try very hard to get everything done. We work to buy the perfect gift, wrap it "just so," put up all the great decorations, send out personalized Christmas cards -- we try to do it all.

For instance, when my oldest son was a toddler, we worked hard to prepare a great Christmas. He opened the first gift, loved it, and started to play with it. It was all he needed, and yet there were other gifts to open, other things to be done. "Hey, Grant, stop having fun and come over here and open gifts!"

There are some things I do at Christmas because I really enjoy doing them. I love to play with the table decorations for dinner. I find joy in it, and my family usually notices that it looks nice. It adds to our dinner.

I don't think they notice how I wrap gifts. I don't always (ever, usually) have the time to wrap the gifts perfectly, but I've decided it doesn't matter. I let it go.

Why struggle with how the nativity sets are arranged when my younger son gets great pleasure in arranging them? I give him that job.

What I can do to "prepare" for the holiday rarely changes (if ever) my family, but I can let my family change the way we "prepare" for the holiday. It works better that way.

Maybe one of the ways to keep Christ in Christmas is to love your loved ones, as they are. Enjoy them. Let them enjoy you.

Flash Mob

2011-12-12T08:54:00.002-05:00

Nine Lessons and Carols Worship
Johnson Memorial UMC -- December 11, 2011

A friend sent me a You-Tube link to a Christmas Flash mob. Take a look.

I very much enjoyed the video. As I watched it, a few thoughts about faith sharing came to my mind:

It all starts with the single saxophone. I wonder if it takes courage to stand in a room by yourself and start playing your sax. It's unexpected, and might not have been appreciated by the management students. And yet it was hauntingly beautiful. Do we have the courage to be the lone voice, singing of God? And when we do it, we might be met with derision or aggravation, and yet, I imagine God hears the beauty.
After the solo started, someone joined in, adding her voice to the song. Do we do that? Do we add our voice to the one who courageously stood up and spoke of God?
Then the chorus starts, and they sing together. The sound is amplified, perhaps sarcastically. More will join in the song because it doesn't take as much courage.
The tempo changes, enthusiasm is injected as the speed of the signing increases. The participants start to dance and clap, and to me, this becomes even more appealing. Do we get to a point in our witness when the enthusiasm becomes infectious? Energizing? Hard to resist?

Perhaps that is one of the ways we keep Christ in Christmas -- we proclaim his word with our energy and enthusiasm. Perhaps that is one of the ways we keep Christ in our lives, all year long.

Christ in Christmas

2011-12-10T22:05:00.001-05:00

On the way home from work on Friday, we were discussing a radio show JtM had heard that week. It was about keeping the "Christ" in Christmas. From the way the discussions were going, it sounded as if the speakers were more interested in making sure people said "Merry Christmas" rather than "Happy Holidays" and that no one write Xmas.

I wonder, though, are there better ways to keep Christ in Christmas? Alternative giving, feeding the homeless, caring for children, telling your friends about the transformative power of grace? Are there ways to keep Christ in Christmas?

Random Friday

2011-12-09T15:51:00.001-05:00

Today's Friday Five at RevGalBlogPals is a suggestion to list Five Random Things (Surprises, Thoughts, whatever...). I can be random, so here goes:

We toured eight homes in our town last Sunday as part of an Arts Fundraiser. We enjoyed it, and it motivated us to go buy a new Christmas Tree. We are modifying it, from a tree with pre-strung white lights to one with pre-strung white and colored lights. It was funny to see "unlit" trees advertised. All trees used to be "unlit," and the modifier was unnecessary.
I have an empty weekend ahead and much to get done. I wonder how much will actually get done.
G is coming home from school -- for one night -- to take his girlfrield to a formal dinner to which she has invited him, and then he'll go back to school, and then, on Tuesday, he'll come back home for Christmas break. That's a lot of driving!
This weekend is our church's service of Nine Lessons and Carols. Choirs, bells and brass.
Sometime, I would like to write a "liturgy" for Advent Candle lighting. I wonder what some of the basic requirements are for this kind of material. Could I leave out the very tired song, "Light the Advent Candle"? Surely there is some other song we could sing.

An Analogy

2011-12-08T15:54:00.001-05:00

I was on the road Tuesday and Wednesday, and I listened the entire audiobook of Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis.

To hear the whole book in what felt like one sitting was an odd experience. The advantage is that I heard the whole book as one piece, each part fitting togehter with the other parts to make a cohesive unit. I must admit, however, that it was a large amount of information to digest in one large gulp. I think I might have retained more if I had read it chapter by chapter and given it some thought as I went along. I have read the book before, and this was a different way to encounter it.

Several images from the book stand out in my mind, including this one to explain Theology. One man might say to you, "I have seen God, and I don't need your theology to explain him: I have experienced him." Lewis says that is true, as far as it goes, and he agrees with the man to a point.

Consider that you are standing beside the ocean, feet in the surf. It is a wonderful experience. It is much better than looking at a map of the ocean. However, the useful thing about a map is that it is a composite of many people's views and knowledge of and about the ocean -- not just yours. And if you goal is to cross the ocean -- if you have a destination -- then you will need the map. Standing, looking at the ocean won't get you there.

The same can be said of theology. An experience of God is wonderful -- a gift. Theology is a combination of many people's experiences of God, and it is a way for you to move beyond your own, personal experience, to a place of growth.

I like the analogy.

Arguing about Disagreements

2011-12-06T22:22:00.001-05:00

I am currently listening to Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis -- the audio book version.

He says in the very beginning that one of the things that Christians disagree about is the importance of their disagreements. What one may say is a matter of little consequence is a huge matter of faith to another Christian. Not only do they disagree about the issue itself, but they can't understand each other's attitude toward how vital the issue is in faith.

I was riding to work one day, listening to NPR. The report was about evolution and the Creation story in Genesis. The interview was with a person who said that if the Genesis story is not absolutely true, then the whole faith crumbles (I'm paraphrasing). Others (including myself) would say my faith stands either way.

We argue about these matters. Perhaps our priorities are not God's priorities.

Truth Telling

2011-12-05T16:18:00.001-05:00

Several years ago I was having a conversation with a fellow in our lab about faith. We were speaking about prophets, and he was surprised that anyone would think that prophets could still be found today. In his faith, there was a time of prophets, and that time has passed.

I read two devotionals this morning written by Harriet Jane Olson in Disciplines 2011. She writes, "In the New Interpreter's Bible commentary, Dr. Dvid Peterson notes that prophets are 'boundary figures, representing God to humans and humans to God.'" I can infer, from her writing, that she would disagree with the person I mention above. We can all serve as prophets. She goes on to say that we attend to the things of God, watching for God, and then we attempt to discern if we are hearing from God. After that, we speak. "We see God at work in our world, and we must name it."

We listen for God, watch for God, and discern the path onto which God is leading us. We are, as Bible study teachers have taught me, fulfilling the role of a prophet when we tell forth the truth of God. It's not future-telling, it's truth-telling.

So, what about those uncomfortable moments when we say nothing? Are there times when it is more comfortable to remain silent instead of speak the truth of God? I'm not talking about the times when we aren't sure, but I'm talking about those time when we are absolutely sure, and say nothing.

Are we answering our calling then? Or are we failing to be disciples?

Two Prayer Phrases

2011-12-04T21:40:00.001-05:00

I was thinking today as I listened to Joe's sermon of two comments I've heard concerning the Lord's Prayer:

Back when I was co-teaching a Wednesday night book study, one of the students said that she didn't like the phrase, "Lead us not into temptation." She didn't believe God would ever lead us into temptation. I was thinking about that today -- odd what pops into your mind. I think God does lead us into temptation. He doesn't do it for the sake of the temptation. I don't think he does it to test us. I do think, though, that it could be that anywhere we go, we will be exposed to temptation. I also think that if we follow God, it will be necessary to go where he goes, and he goes where we are -- into temptation. He does not send us alone; he goes with us and will give us the strength to resist. Perhaps it is best to say that God leads us through temptation.
Joe preached today about Herod. One of his points was that we are uncomfortable with the thought of Herod because we find a part of ourselves that is not like God. We are made in the image of God, but we are not reaching our full potential. "Deliver us from evil" might means what we usually think it means -- from the evil outside of us, but could also be a request to deliver us from the evil inside of us.

Be still

2011-12-02T13:48:00.001-05:00

Advent 1 from
www.http://www.cruzblanca.org/hermanoleon/

Advent. Waiting.

Often when I pray the words, "Be still..." come to my mind. The ending might be different. It could be just "be still" or maybe "be still and know," or "be still and know that I am God." And sometimes, "be still and know that I love you."

Be still.

My younger son cannot be still. I don't mean still as in motionless; I mean still as in quiet. He doesn't talk all the time, but he is always making some kind of noise. He fills the still air with tiny noises.

Be still.

Do you have a compulsion to fill the air -- to fill the stillness? Do you find comfort in quiet? Or is it empty?

Sometimes, when I pray, and I hear the words "be still," I don't want to obey. I want to get on with it. I'm probably praying because I have something to say, to ask, to tell. I don't want to be still. And yet, I try to obey. I try to stop talking and let the empty quiet exist. To know. To listen. To just be in the stillness.

Be still and know.

Waiting

2011-12-01T11:29:00.001-05:00

Sunset this weekend, reflected in the top of the car.

Advent is a time of waiting and preparation. Think about the times you spend or have spent waiting. How do you fill the time of waiting? What is your attitude towards waiting?

I can think of several periods of waiting in my life.

In the year before I changed jobs, I felt like I was in a time of waiting. I didn't know what I was waiting for, I didn't know when the waiting would end, or what would be the result, if anything. Along with that feeling, I felt a need to prepare for whatever came next, so I focused time on cataloging samples, preparing them for long-term storage, discarding what needed to be thrown away, and generally getting the lab into shape to be transitioned to someone else. When the waiting was over, the last two weeks were hectic, but not nearly what might have been. Do we spend time waiting for God in preparation?
I carpool to work. Often, on Wednesdays, the person with whom I carpool has a 7:00 AM prayer group meeting. That means that we leave about 1/2 an hour later on Wednesdays than other days of the week. I love that 1/2 hour, and on days when we don't carpool on Wednesdays, I still take the 1/2 hour of waiting time. It feels like a retreat -- I usually have a quiet breakfast and spend the time reading. There are no distractions. It's a precious time of waiting. Do we consider the time we spend waiting for God to be precious?
When I fly, I like to have a decent amount of time for layovers. I don't like worrying that I won't make the next flight if the current flight runs late (as they so often do). When the time is short, I am anxious, and I spend the time at the end of the first flight worrying about the layover, and making it onto the next plane. Is the time we spend waiting for God a time of anxiety?
This time of year, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, is a time of waiting. I usually spend it rushing around, trying to get everything done that "needs" to be done. I don't enjoy this month, even though is is full of opportunities of grace. It rushes by with no time to breathe or relax, and my waiting time seems focused on things that are not the priority. Do we spend our time waiting for God distracted by other priorities.

What is the best way to wait for God? What attitude and action would prepare the way for the Lord as well as make the best use of the time He has given to us?

What are we waiting for and how are we waiting?

Sixth Anniversary

2011-11-30T22:36:00.001-05:00

I was doing some calendar work today and noticed that yesterday was the 6th Anniversary of my first post to this blog.

Much has changed since then. I have a different career -- not just a different position in the same field, but a whole different field of work. My boys, who were 12 and 9 then, are now 18 and 15. One of them is in college and the other one will be driving soon.

When I started the blog, I had just been on an Emmaus walk; now I have been on 7 teams, served as a Walk Lay Director and am just finishing up a term as Community Lay Director.

The blog has changed. In the beginning, I wrote more poetry, longer posts, and used more images. I never missed a day, and would sometimes post more than once. I thought more about the blog, had more time to take pictures and saw more metaphors for ideas. I probably read more back then, and during the earlier years of the blog, taught more. All of that gave me more blog fodder than I have now. I've been working to intentionally do more reading; that always gives me more to say.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for commenting. Blessings to you!

(By the way, I failed to mention the source of the devotional I quoted yesterday. It was from the Advent devotional program of the First Presbyterian Church of San Bernadino, California. Like my own church, the members of this church write and distribute devotional readings. The author of that particular devotional was Dana Babb.)

LIfting each other up

2011-11-29T20:55:00.001-05:00

Have you ever been singing in church, lost your place, and listened to the choir, the music leader, the person beside you or the person behind you to find your place again?

Have you ever been confused about the interpretation of a passage of scripture and asked a fellow church member, a Sunday school teacher, a pastor or a friend for different perspective on what it meant?

Have you ever been so tired that doing what you are called has become a burden so that you call someone else to help you carry the weight for a short time?

Has life ever been so difficult that you cannot go on -- at least for the moment?

I read a devotional written by a member of a California Presbyterian church. This is from an anthem her church choir sang:

“When a man is singing and can not lift his voice,
And another comes and sings with him,
Another who can lift his voice!
The first will be able to lift his voice too.
And that is the secret of the bond between spirits!”

This is a paraphrase of Ecclesiastes 4:9-10. I like the actual verse, too:

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. ¹⁰For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help.

We lift each other up.

A Peaceful Advent

2011-11-28T22:04:00.001-05:00

This past Sunday I taught Sunday school. The lesson was based on the Matthew 6 passage about the birds of the air and the lilies of the field.

I have found in teaching Sunday school that one way to ease a class into being discussion-friendly is to begin the class with easy questions, easing them into the more intense discussions as we move through the plan for the day. I started this lesson by writing a countdown on the board -- the number of days, hours, minutes and seconds until Christmas day.

We then spent some time sharing hints about how to reduce worry during Christmas. I was reminded of our discussion by a blog post I read today by Ken Carter. (I'm typing this using an iPad app, and I don't know how to do a hyperlink, but Ken's blog is www.revkencarter.blogspot.com, and the post is on November 27, "Simplifying Advent."). He gives some hints to pastors and lay people for Advent.

Here on some hints out class came up with:

Remember that you don't have to do everything you think you have to do. What happens if you don't send out Christmas cards? Nothing! What happens if you family visits you and there is dust on the ceiling fans? Nothing! (and I know that from experience) Choose those things that bring you joy, and do those.
Consider alternative giving. Make donations to a local ministry in honor of a loved one.
Remember that some things just aren't worth your worry.
Take everything one day at a time, rather than tackling it all at one time.
Go to church. Don't skip it.

Blessings to you this advent season.

Bahama Lighthouse

2011-11-27T21:36:00.001-05:00

This lighthouse is on Providence Island in the Bahamas. I took the picture from our ship last summer. As you dock at Nassau, you pass by this lighthouse. It is an 1817 lighthouse that is still active. In fact, as we pulled out on the ship that evening, we were able to watch the light.

(The night picture was terrible, but that's how things go...)

Light and hope

2011-11-26T22:54:00.001-05:00

It is the time of year when evening comes early and morning is dark. We yearn for the light, in more ways than one.

We think of the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah. According to Martha at Reflectionary blog, Elizabeth is searching for a sign of hope in her barrenness.

How can we be light in the darkness? How can we hope in barrenness? What is our calling in the winter of people's lives? How can God bring light and hope to others through us?

Perhaps in Advent, as we prepare the way for the coming of Christ, we can find ways to be the way Christ comes to others.

Free Gifts

2011-11-25T20:40:00.001-05:00

This, from today's Friday Five at RevGalBlogPals:

So take a bit of time to think back over the last year and ponder the gifts it has offered to you, then list five of those gifts, in no particular order- there is only one rule- all of these gifts must have been free, neither you nor anyone else should have spent money on them!
Thinking back over this past year, here are five free gifts I have received, in no particular order:

Watching my sons grow a year older.... I have noticed that they are changing, growing up, in many different ways. It is a gift to watch that happen.
The opportunity to lead a Walk to Emmaus
The gift of time from friends.... In this busy world, it is a gift when others choose to spend time with us
Gifts of encouragement and affirmation from family and friends.
My husband's love.

There are many others.... I am truly blessed. I'm not sure this was the purpose of this question, but this is what came to mind.

Living into our gratitude

2011-11-23T21:50:00.001-05:00

Rejoice always, ¹⁷pray without ceasing, ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

How do I give thanks?

It is a trend right now to list an item for which one is thankful on Facebook -- one item each day. There is nothing wrong with that, and listing our blessings can serve to create in us a thankful heart.

How is it, though, that we can live into our gratitude?

If we are grateful for the job we have, can doing it well be a form of gratitude? If we are grateful for our church family, can serving God through opportunities at the church be a form of gratitude? If we are grateful for our family, can spending time with them on Thanksgiving be a form of gratitude?

Steve was telling me about someone he knows who was fussing about calling the holiday "turkey day." This person said he was grateful to God for his blessings, and he wasn't going to take the Thanks out of Thanksgiving. Is there a better way to show our gratitude than to fuss about small matters such as that?

How can we live into our gratitude?

Thanking God for Thanksgiving

2011-11-22T23:13:00.001-05:00

I've heard lots of people lately say that Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday. Has that always been the case? Is there some kind of surge of support for the November holiday?

I wonder if Thanksgiving has increased in popularity because of the way Christmas continues to be an increasingly stressful experience. There is so much to do, so many lists to check off, gifts to buy, wrap and display, decorations to assemble, cards to mail, meals to prepare ... and money that is required to make it all happen. Have we reached the breaking point with Christmas?

Does, in comparison, Thanksgiving look appealing because of the lack of stress? If that is the case, what do we need to do to bring back Christmas?

Church

2011-11-21T22:53:00.001-05:00

I'm still working my way through my notes from Bishop Carder's book, Living our Beliefs. Read this quote from Chapter 9:

The church is treated as another voluntary organization that people join as they do a civic club or a political party. Loyalty is measured by frequency of attendance, payment of pledges, service on committees and participation in activities. The church is considered to be something we belong to rather than someone we are. Membership and participation are viewed as optional, depending upon personal preferences and satisfaction. The church, then is seen as another institution among many institutions competing for our times, energy, and financial resources. Its distinctiveness as a called people of God committed to being a sign, foretaste and instrument of God’s presence and power is lost amid institutional survival and personal satisfaction.

How do we measure the success of a church? Do we use the same criteria that we use to measure the success of a civic club? At Rotary today, we talked about a membership drive. The hope is that we can recruit 25 new members so that the club's vitality continues into the future. Do we have the same goal for the church? Do we recruit new members to maintain our budget? Our roles? Or do we have a higher calling?

Are we a choice among choices for financial giving, for volunteer services?

Or are we something else? Is church something outside of who we are, or is church something that we are?

Faithful God

2011-11-21T00:06:00.001-05:00

Today in Sunday school we read one of the lectionary readings for today: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24. In it is an image of the shepherd and his sheep:

34:12 As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.

We talked about how God, the shepherd, is looking for us. Do we look for the shepherd?

Image being lost as a kid (Mike's comparison). Did you feel that panic at being lost? Did you look for your parents? Do we look for God when we are the lost sheep?

And how do we know that God is faithful? How do we know that God looks for us?

If I were to ask you that question - Is God faithful -- I imagine you would answer, "Yes." But if someone asked you, "How do you know?" then how would you answer him?

Feeling Forgiven?

2011-11-18T11:15:00.001-05:00

What do you think about this quote from Bishop's Carder's book, Living our Beliefs?

One person said tome, “If you don’t feel forgiven and saved, you haven’t been.” Or, behavior is often justified with a simpleexplanation, “It feels right.” Feelingof certainty, optimism, excitement, serenity or “peace of mind” become of thegoals and tests of religious devotion. While valuing and affirming feelings and emotions, Methodism has neverdefined Christians discipleship as subjective feeling.

Have you been forgiven? Do you doubt the power of God's grace? Haven't we heard the words of assurance that we have been forgiven? Do we doubt those words?

And yet, I understand. In my life, I have often sinned against God, against family, friends, people I don't even know, and people I love dearly. I know that God forgives me, and I know that other people have forgiven me. And even so, I still feel guilty; there are times when I do not feel forgiven.

Why would I ever think that my ability to feel forgiven has any bearing on another person (or God's) ability to forgive?

There are those who have hurt me (or those I love) who I have forgiven, and they don't even know about my forgiveness, or even that I have been hurt. The forgiveness is real, but it doesn't depend at all on someone else.

Feeling forgiven has nothing to do with being forgiven. Feeling forgiven has to do with our own sense of guilt, and our relationship with other people and with God. It's an issue we need to deal with, but it doesn't mitigate how much and how often we have been forgiven. It certainly doesn't change the power of Christ's death and of God's grace. We are forgiven

Justified

2011-11-17T16:01:00.000-05:00

I taught Sunday school last Sunday. Since it is stewardship "season," I decided to tackle the concept of stewardship. I used some of the introductory material from Dan Dick's book Beyond Money. He talks about the idea that the "so that" of discipleship is stewardship. Discipleship is learning about God, creating a relationship with him, following in his footsteps, learning to live a life that is shaped by God.

Stewardship is putting all of that into action. It's using our gifts and our talents, our time and energy, in the way God has taught us for the tasks God has given us. Stewardship puts feet on discipelship.

And the other way around. As we act as stewards, we learn more about God, follow him more closely, and come to be more Christ-like.... so that we can act more Christ-like.

Near the end of the lesson, a person in the class asked me, "I don't understand how anyone can call himself a disciple if he hasn't been born again."

I think "born again" might be one of those terms that has been corrupted, just like "stewardship" has. I don't argue with the idea that we are and will be born again. I just argue with the idea that it must be at one particular moment, with a blinding flash of light (metaphorically speaking). We can be justified by God in a moment, in a month, in a year. We are justified once and then again and again. Daily, I must make the decision to follow God. Daily, he provides the grace to create in me a new heart, justified.

I am troubled by the judgement in the question, "Are you born again?" Sometimes I feel as if my answer is requested so that my worthiness for God can be judged by the person answering the question, and I don't like that feeling.

God has brought me to the point where I can say, "yes" to him, and he continually moves me on to perfection. I have nothing in it in which I can brag; it is the work of God.

Grace

2011-11-16T15:55:00.001-05:00

A few years ago I co-taught a class based on Philip Yancey's book, What's So Amazing About Grace. I remember as we talked in the class that there seemed to be a perception that grace = forgivness. I'm not here to argue that; it certainly does mean that. I think, however, that forgiveness is grace in the same way that a square is a rectangle. There is so much more to grace.

I read this paragraph from Bishop Carder's book (Living our Beliefs):

According to RandyMaddox, Wesley was deeply concerned to hold together the two traditionalemphases on grace. The Eastern Churchhas historically placed the accent on grace as God’s healing, while the WesternChurch has emphasized pardon as the principal work of grace. John Wesley incorporated both healing andpardon as inseparable expressions of divine grace.

Think about the idea of healing. I think in this discussion healing is more than the restoration of health. It's the restoration of the image of God in us. It's the restoration of our relationship to God.

Grace is love. It's forgivness. It's pardon. It's healing. It's restoration.

It's grace.

God's suffering

2011-11-15T15:41:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I wrote about the image of God, and how our relationship with God moves us closer and closer to reflecting the complete image of God.

Carder, in the next chapter of Living our Beliefs, talks about how sin is the opposite of this. Sin is the reflection of something other than the image of God. When we sin, we fall short of our potential -- short of what we were created to be. If you look at yesterday's list, sin means that we fail in our ability to have understanding and free will, to be good stewards. It means we fail to discern right from wrong and that we fail to be holy. When we sin, our actions and thoughts reflect something other than the face of God. We fail to be what we were created to be.

Now read this quote from the book:

The consequence ofpersistent denial and betrayal of the divine image is suffering – the sufferingof God. God so closely identifies withthe human family that God assumes the suffering and death inflicted upon it. The cross of Christ, then, represents sin’stragic consequences upon humanity and upon God.

Have you ever thought of your sin as bringing about the suffering of God? So often I think we believe that our sin doens't really hurt anyone else -- or at least we fool ourselves into believing that about certain of our sins. But what about the idea that our sin brings suffering to God?

Of course, obviously, our sin brought about the suffering on the cross, but what about today? Think about God suffering today because of your sin. My sin.

Image of God

2011-11-14T15:27:00.001-05:00

What do you think it means to be made in the image of God?

Does it mean we look like God? I don't think so....
What do you think of the idea that men are made in the God's image, so obviously, God is male? Kind of leaves me out in the dark. I, too, am made in the image of God, so I don't think that image has anything to do with gender.
Does it somehow reflect in what we can do? Our abilities? I hope God has much much greater abilities than I do, so that can't be it?
What else?

Bishop Carder says in his book, Living our Beliefs:

Our identity lies in the One to whom we belong and in whose image we are made, nor in how we look, what we know, or what we can do.

He also said:

John Wesley saw imagoDei – image of God – in three manifestations:
The natural image, in which the human capacity for understanding, freedom of will, and love are expressions of God’s image;
The political image, in which human beings exercise stewardship over creation and share in God’s ongoing governance of theearth; and
The moral image, in which the human potential for righteousness, true holiness, and happiness are signs of the divine image

So, our capacity for understanding, freedom of will and love are from God. Our ability to be good stewards is from God, and our ability to discern right from wrong, our holiness and happiness are from God.

One other quote from the chapter that I really liked:

In many ways, humanidentity is formed by relationships. Wetake on the values, qualities, dreams and goals of those to whom we relate insignificant and ongoing ways.

Because we relate to God, because we have a relationship with him, we move closer and closer to reflecting his image, and to being able to share in the imago Dei.

Risk

2011-11-13T22:14:00.001-05:00

The Parable of the talents comes between two other parables in Matthew 25 -- the parable of the bridesmaids and the story of the sheep and the goats. We had some discussion today in Sunday school about what the parable of the talents means.

Is it about risk? Is God calling us to leave a passive faith and pick up an active faith.

One person in Sunday asked what the master in the story would have said if the first servant had taken a risk and lost it all - all 10 talents. Is it correct and believable to say that the master would have been more pleased with that servant that with the one who did not risk at all.

Do our lives honor the Christ who risked everything for us?

A Modern Parable

2011-11-11T13:23:00.001-05:00

Inspired by Matthew 25:14-30 (The Parable of the talents)

One day, God was sitting in the parlor of the churchwith three of the church members. Godhad been working with this group of three for many months, teaching them abouthimself, leading them in the work of his kingdom. He had called them together for a meeting –these three disciples were very good United Methodists, and God knew that ameeting was what was necessary to get them organized. He even had asked one of them to bringdonuts and coffee, so that all of them would realize how serious he was.

He told them, “I will never leave you alone, but forthe next couple of months, I have to go across town and work with anotherchurch. While I’m gone, I want you touse what I have given you to do the work that I have taught you.”

All three of them agreed.

To the first disciple, whose name was Peggy, God hadgiven the gift of preaching. Peggyworked very hard to spread the good news of grace, planning her sermons with care,praying for God’s leadership, and preaching with every ounce of talent she had.She preached at her church and she said yes when other churches asked her topreach. God’s word was known throughher.

To the second disciple, whose name was Stan, God hadgiven the gift of service. Stan’s heartburned with the need to help people. Hevolunteered at the local food bank, he drove the van on Sundays so that theneighborhood children could come to Sunday school, he would surprise the oldermembers of the congregation by mowing their lawns. Stan tried to love people with a love likeGod had shown him, and even though at times he made mistakes, people in thecommunity began to know the grace of God better through Stan’s service.

To the third disciple, whose name was Mark, God hadgiven the gift of music. Mark foundgreat joy in singing. He agreed to singin worship one Sunday morning, but couldn’t decide which hymn would be best topresent, so he delayed his offering for a week. He tried to practice, but he worried that he would damage his voice byusing it, so when the time came in worship for him to present his solo, hisvoice was timid and his song was unsure. People squirmed in their seats, and felt sorry for Mark. No one really paid attention to his messageof grace.

Just in time for Christmas, God returned to theChurch. He called his disciples togetherfor a Volunteer Luncheon, preparing for them three kinds of soup and pimentocheese sandwiches. “So, tell me, mybeloved, how has it been going?”

Peggy said, “Master, I have shared your good newsusing the gift you have given to me. After several of the worship services I led, people would approach meand tell me stories of how your word had touched their hearts. I am so thankful to have been able to dothis.”

And God said, “Well done, my child. Continue in your ministry. Perhaps you shall soon hear my call toordained ministry in the church.”

Stan’s report came next. “Master, I have tried to spread your lovethroughout the community. I have beenblessed to see that as people are loved, they begin to love others aroundthem. In fact, one night I prepared ameal for the youth group, and I watched as they made plans to take theleft-over baked chicken to the homeless shelter. It is amazing to me how your love spreadsthrough each of us.”

And God said, “Well done, my child. Continue in your ministry. I believe that soon you will be called tojoin others of my children on a mission trip. And what about you, Mark? How hasit gone with you?”

Mark, who had sat without speaking throughout themeeting, said, “I know, Master, how precious this gift is that you have givento me, and I know how important your message is to the world. I tried to use your gift to me, but I wasafraid I would make a mistake. I worriedthat I would proclaim your word incorrectly through my music, or that I woulddamage my voice if I used it too much.”

And God said, “You were right to believe that the giftI gave you is precious, and you were right to think that the message is important. It is urgent that the message of my love isshared with those around you. You wereafraid because you chose to work without me, and because of that, you werealone. You will continue to be aloneuntil you turn and follow me. Otherswill have to do the work you are too afraid to attempt.”

Expectations

2011-11-10T15:38:00.001-05:00

Thursday's devotional this week in the Upper Room Discplines book, contains the following quote (by Paul L. Escamilla:

"Ascending" to retreat, or in some other context, is a practice of both heightened expectation and surrender of expectation. For two things, above all, are true when God's people gather in devotion: God will grant mercy, and we know not how.

Anticipation. Expectation. When one goes on a Walk to Emmaus, one is advised "not to anticipate." I've watched as participants feel that there expectations are not being met during the walk. They have anticipated what their reaction will be, what will happen, etc, and they are disappointed. Until God breaks through their anticipation with his grace.

How often do we do that? How often are we surprised by God because we haven't anticipated what he will do? Sometimes, I think, the surprise is grace in and of itself. We just can't guess or understand how he will work in our lives.

I like this quote, because I think it is good advice for how to live in relationship with God. Expect his mercy, and realize that you can't anticipate how it will arrive. Thanks be to God.

Tools for Discernment

2011-11-09T21:10:00.001-05:00

Question from my Certified Lay Minister training material: Read “Our Theological Task,” Part II, Section 4, The Book of Discipline and Chapter 10, “Doctrinal Faithfulness and Continuing Exploration” from Bishop Carder’s book. Four “tools” – scripture, tradition, reason and experience – are proposed as a way of engaging in theological discussion for the twenty-first century while maintaining sound doctrine. Discuss these tools. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each?

There is a somewhat trite saying expressed often on t-shirts and posters that reads, “God isn’t finished with me yet.” The saying has become trite and overused because it contains a grain of truth. God is still active in the world, and God desires us to be in mission with him. Since that is the case, we need a way by which to discern truth in a modern world. Wesley offers us a method that employs four tools for us to use in our attempt to discern the will of God and in our theological discussions: scripture, tradition, reason and experience.

“The primary source and criterion for determining doctrine and engaging in theological exploration is the Bible.” (3) Our Articles of Religion state that “the Holy Scriptures containeth all things necessary to salvation….” This is an echo of 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness”. It is necessary for us to undertake a serious study of the Bible, both individually and in community, so as to allow God’s grace to work through the Word. We do so taking care to interpret scripture in its many contexts, including historical, cultural and biblical. Citing a single passage in isolation can lead to dangerous misuse of the Word of God. According to Bishop Carder, “scripture does not yield its divine secrets carelessly or casually.”(3)

Because “the theological task does not start anew in each age or each person,”(4) we are instructed to recognize the role tradition can play in our theological explorations. It is important to use the light previous theological thought to illuminate our interpretation. The dangers in the use of this tool are an overreliance on tradition – allowing it to negate our own experience and reason as well as a reliance on a narrow traditional source instead of a broad range of interpretations.

Our use of experience is twofold. We are called to rely on our experience of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and the confidence that we are becoming a new creation through God. Our relationship with God should aid us in discerning God’s will. Our life experience is the second facet of this tool that is important. We gain wisdom and understanding throughout our lives. The drawback of this tool is that we can elevate our personal experience above the guidance we receive from scripture, resulting in rationalization or distortions of God’s word.

As United Methodists we are called to bring reason into play. “The human mind is one of God’s most precious gifts and an important means of exploring, discerning and sharing God’s truth and mission.”(3) According to Wesley, religion and reason go hand in hand, and “an irrational religion is a false religion.”(3) As with any of the other tools for discerning God’s will, reason can be misused and abused.

3 - Carder, Kenneth L., Living our Beliefs, Chapter 10 (Doctrinal Faithfulness and Continuing Exploration).
4 - The Book of Discipline, Part II: Doctrinal Standards and our Theological Task, Section 4: Our Theological Task.

The Bowl's Purpose

2011-11-08T21:50:00.001-05:00

A potter works with a lump of clay. She molds the shapeless form into a form that can be placed strategically in the middle of the bat, and then she begins to turn the wheel. Her hands expertly find the center of the ball of clay -- that point at which the friction of the clay in her hands is reduced. Here, she begins the process of skillfully opening up the clay to her hands, widening the bowl, beginning the formation of the finished product.

Her hands caress the clay, continuing to shape and mold the raw material into the object she dreams it will be. Once the bowl is before her, justified in her mind, she removes it from the bat and takes it through a process to harden the clay into pottery.

Glazes and paints complete the dream.

And then the test. She pours water into the bowl. What if it doesn't function as a bowl should? What if it leaks? What if it disintegrates? What if it doesn't fulfill the purpose for which is was made?

In Carder's book, Living our Faith, he says:

The Methodist emphasis upon “practical divinity” or holy living, therefore, recognizes the integral relationship between beliefs and behavior, faith and works. It is not a diminishing of the importance of beliefs; rather, it is a declaration of the importance of beliefs in shaping who we are and our relationship with God and the world. (p27)

There is a relationship between being shaped by grace and the works to which we are called. Our works do not earn us grace, but grace prepares us for works. If there are no works, then have we allowed grace to do its job?

My Territory

2011-11-07T22:10:00.001-05:00

A few years ago a book came out based on the Prayer of Jabez:

Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, ‘Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from hurt and harm!’ And God granted what he asked. I Chronicles 4:10

Enlarge my territory. At first reading, this phrase always bothered me. I know there are ways to interpret the passage that don't make it sound like a prayer for MORE MORE MORE, but still.

On Sunday, Joe mentioned this prayer, but he made a change. What if we were to pray, "Inhabit my territory"? Inhabit my heart, my life, my words, my actions. Inhabit all that I am.
Then, the prayer can become "enlarge my territory." If God will inhabit who and what we are, then expanding the reach of God becomes the goal of the prayer.

Normal

2011-11-06T20:22:00.003-05:00

We were driving by the Civic Center the other day and noticed lots of teenagers in line for a concert. They were all dressed in black. I said to Steve, "They are hoping to look different from everyone else, but they all look the same."

Do we have a goal of being normal? What is normal? And is it such a great goal to have?

Joe's sermon today talked about how the the Greatest Commandment calls us to love God with everything we have and everything we are. He said that isn't really normal -- normal would be to love God, yes, but not with everything.

Christianity is radical, not normal.

And then Joe said what I thought was the most profound sentence of his sermon. "If Jesus had been normal, they wouldn't have crucified him."

Shaka, when the walls fell

2011-11-05T09:36:00.003-04:00

There is an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation in which Captain Picard is trying to communicate with a species that only speaks in images. Metaphor. Historical myths. In order to understand them, one must have a background in the stories that form the basis of their language.

It started me thinking. What would our communication be like if we only spoke in metaphor and images? For instance:

In West Virginia --

Devil Anse and his neighbors
The football team, dead in a field
Buffalo Creek dam, broken.

In our country --

Native Americans on a trail of tears
Independence, declared
A railroad underground
December 7, 1942
Two towers falling

If I made a list like this for a country or a world you didn't know, you wouldn't understand what I was saying, but if you are part of the culture from which they arose, the phrases mean so much more to you that just words.

The same is true of our faith --

A woman with a tent peg, standing over a commander
Two in a garden
Isaiah and a coal
Daniel and the lion's den
The virgin and the angel
Jesus on a cross
Saul, blind on the road
John, revealing God's love

Read those phrases as if you have never seen them before, and remember that we are called to spread the news, not just to those who already know about it and are part of the faith from which the stories arose. If we speak these phrases to those we are called to convince, to those outside of the faith, they will not understand.

So what do we do instead? I wonder if the place to start is with our own faith story. Can you tell the story of how God has encountered you on the road and opened your eyes? Can you tell of an instance when you were made clean through God touch on your lips with fire? Is there a time in your life when you took a step of faith, only because God called you to do it? Can you relate to someone else how God has saved your life through the death and resurrection of his son?

Can you tell your own faith story to someone who only would understand your language, and not the language of our faith?

Connected

2011-11-04T22:28:00.005-04:00

Part of my training for CLM asked me to discuss the idea of the Connection based on a reading of the Constitution and part of the Book of Discipline:

Weare one universal church, “a community of all true believers under the Lordshipof Christ.”¹ We are one Bodyof Christ, and from that belief stems our connection. “The church of Jesus Christ exists in and forthe world, and its very dividedness is a hindrance to its mission in thatworld.”¹

TheBook of Discipline defines the connection as “a vital web of interactive relationships….”² It is part of our identity asUnited Methodist, and it is a tangible outgrowth of our belief in the Body ofChrist.

Theconnection is experienced in almost every aspect of our organization, includingclergy service, property ownership, and our organization for mission. The United Methodist Church is organized in amanner to take advantage of our connected nature. Our connection serves three purposes: (1) toenable a more effective method to carry out God’s mission in the world, (2) to organizethe whole Church for the benefit of ministry in the local church and (3) toallow for the administration (connection) of the whole church to be faithful toour calling.²

For me, being a Connectional Church means that when I offer a presentation or a sermon at a church other than my own, I am still in my church. It means that when there is a tornado in Kansas or a hurricane in Florida, I am there because my church is there, acting through UMCOR. When there is a shooting at Virginia Tech, I am there, because the Wesley Foundation is there. When my local church feeds 150 people on a Thursday, the entire United Methodist Church is there. We are a Body of Christ, connected.

1. Preambleof the Constitution of the United Methodist Church.

2. The Book of Discipline, Administrative Order.

People of the Red Cord

2011-11-03T22:15:00.000-04:00

When the time of her delivery came, there were twins in her womb.While she was in labour, one put out a hand; and the midwife took and bound on his hand a crimson thread, saying, ‘This one came out first.’ But just then he drew back his hand, and out came his brother; and she said, ‘What a breach you have made for yourself!’ Therefore he was named Perez. Afterwards his brother came out with the crimson thread on his hand; and he was named Zerah. Genesis 38:27-30

In the story, the first bay to appear during the birth has acrimson cord tied on his hand, but his brother is born first, and is given the namePerez, which means "a breach."

A breach can be an infraction of a law, a break insomething, like a barrier or a relationship, or a gap.

So why was he named "breach"? Did he break with tradition? Did his birth foretell a broken relationship with his brother? Did he break through expectations?

And where else have you seen a scarlet cord in the Bible? Remember the story of Rahab? The Israelite spies gave her a scarlet cord to mark her home so that no one would hurt her when they conquered the city.

I'm reading Reading the Women of the Bible by Tivka Frymer-Kensky. She calls Rahab a "barrier-breaker" and says that the red cord places her in the company of David's ancestors.

Rahab was an outsider. To the Israelites, she was a foreigner. To the Canaanites and the Israelites, she was a woman and a harlot (if I use the real word, I'll trigger some unwanted search engine results). In everyone's eyes, she was outside of desired company. And yet, she has a large role to play in the keeping of God's promise to the Israelites. She helps to bring them into the promised land. Even God, who has told them to destroy everything; leave nothing that could contaminate the fledgling nation, seems OK that Rahab and her family are saved.

She has a faith in God, and that seems to be her motivator. She believes that God will conquer Jericho, and she works a deal to keep her family safe. She keeps the two spies safe. She does the unexpected, doesn't she? And she becomes an agent of God's desired plan because of her barrier-breaking.

Should we be people of the red cord? Should we be barrier-breakers? And should we be more aware of the likelihood that God will use "outsiders" to do his will?

The True Beast

2011-11-02T21:54:00.001-04:00

The following is a quote from the book A Horse and his Boy by C.S. Lewis. It is spoken by Aslam:

"Now Bree," he said, "you poor, proud frightened Horse, draw near. Nearer still, my son. Do not dare not to dare. Touch me. Smell me. Here are my paws, here is my tail, these are my whiskers. I am a true Beast."

There was a question in the comments yesterday about the phrase I used as an inspiration for the post. It was from the above book, and here it is quoted correctly.

Do we dare to move closer to God? Do we dare not to more closer? Do we realize that the closer we move to God, the more we will come to realize that he is God? From far away, we can fool ourselves into believing that we can put God in a box, that we can talk ourselves out of faith, that we can limit his power. But the closer we get, the more we come to understand that he is "a true Beast," as Aslam says.

Do we dare to have our faith strengthened by that understanding? What difference will it make in our lives? Do we dare? Or do we dare not to?

Dare not to dare not.

2011-11-01T23:33:00.004-04:00

I was reading this weekend and came upon this phrase -- You dare not to not dare. Sometimes faith requires that you step out, ad we dare not to dare not step out.

Service exists in the place God calls us to. We dare not go.

Free Nature of Grace

2011-10-31T21:29:00.000-04:00

I'm back from the Emmaus Walk. While I was serving this weekend, I stepped out of the conference room to get a breath of fresh air .

It was a beautiful day. Someone had spread pieces of bread across the yard and there were probably 30 birds picking up pieces of bread and eating them. I don't know for sure, but it looked like someone had disposed of communion bread by spreading it out for the animals, and these birds were enjoying it.

As I watched them, I thought -- these birds don't worry if they are worthy, or perfect. They don't worry if they have earned this unexpected gift or not. They just realize they were need the bread, so they eat it. I wonder if we could learn a lesson from birds. It felt like God was making use of the birds to make his point -- the free nature of grace.

Riding

2011-10-26T16:13:00.000-04:00

I sent a flurry of emails out today in preparation for the Walk to Emmaus tomorrow. At one point, one of the Board members said, "Now......Just Breathe..lol....God is in control......" I laughed and wrote back, "I am breathing. I breathe by organizing." God has to take care of the big things, like two team members with cancer, another one who lost her father this morning, a pilgrim who is deciding not to come on the walk, and arranging for grace to cover the whole event. God is in control, and I know that.

I'm grateful for that, but it doesn't mean I don't participate in the work he has given to me. In fact, I believe he expects my participation.

I read a devotional today from the book A Year with Aslan: Daily Reflections from the Chronicles of Narnia.

Then [Aslan] said, "We have a long journey to go. You must ride on me."...And with a great heave he rose underneath then and then shot off, faster than any horse could go, down hill and into the thick of the forest.

Amen.

Preparing for a walk

2011-10-25T23:16:00.002-04:00

I'm preparing to be the lay director of a Walk to Emmaus this weekend. I'm so busy that I haven't even made a list yet, and that has me worried.

I'm certain the walk will be a blessing, but if my posts here are short, scattered or absent, you'll know why.

We have 24 women who have signed up for the walk, and I'm praying God will use the walk to touch their lives and transform their hearts.

Practice

2011-10-24T23:35:00.003-04:00

A list of random thoughts:

I would like to participate in an in-depth Bible study, but none is being offered at my church. I wish it were being offered.
I am trying to do some study on my own, but I lack focus and determination to get it done. If I want it so badly, it seems that I should be able to do it.
Is part of the problem a lack of community as I do it alone? Probably.
A sermon last week has prompted me to pick up daily devotional reading again. It's hard to get up in the morning early enough to do it.
I like doing it, but I also like sleeping. I wonder if getting into the routine of it will make it less difficult.

At the church where I was this Sunday, the young adult leading the children's moment explained the necessity of practicing for spiritual growth. She told them she really wanted to juggle, and then she showed them how, in spite of her desire, she had no ability. "Why not?" she asked. "Practice!" the kids explained to her.

Practice.

The Sigh of Sorrow

2011-10-23T21:02:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago -- probably by now, it's been a couple of months ago, a friend died. She had had cancer for years, and had fought it the whole time. She called it her "journey." Her faith became evident during her journey -- whether it grew as she traveled the road or the light of the journey highlighted it, I don't know.

There came a time when all of us at church realized that her journey would not end with physical healing, but would be what we call "terminal." I think that realization came to me when Hospice was called in, but she lived in Hospice care for many months (at her home).

We probably wouldn't have been friends, except we were in the same reunion group, and you get to know people when you share your faith.

Her journey took her through death, and many people said that it was a blessing.

Today in worship, Jack talked about sorrow. He talked about the sigh of sadness, and how it can be a gift from God. Without the sorrow, without the realization of loss, resurrection has no meaning.

I think we might have to pass through the sorrow before we can reach the joy of resurrection. Even when death is a "blessing" - when it is the end of a long journey through cancer -- or Alzheimer's -- or suffering -- those of us here have to go through the sadness before we reach the realization of the blessing -- the resurrection.

I can know the death ends the suffering, but that doesn't mean I can skip the sadness. It's there, too.

Outsiders

2011-10-22T21:20:00.002-04:00

It has been a busy few days. On Thursday and Friday we had our fall board meeting. That generates a whole lot of work, worry, preparation and execution. It's a great Board of Trustees, and I love to be around them, but the meetings keep us busy for a few days.

Part of the Board meeting is a worship service. The Trustee who led worship this time started out by talking about feeling like an outsider, and the first time he felt like a "loser."

He said something that stuck with me. He said that we allow those who label us to have more power in our lives than our own sense of who we are.

Isn't that true? Sometimes? The older we get, I think the less we are prone to do that, but even now, at an age that starts with a 4, I still let that happen.

God doesn't use labels. To God, we are not winners or losers; we are his children. God sent his son so that none of us will be outsiders.

The next time I feel like I am on the outside, I'll remember Brent's sermon.

Fall Leaves

2011-10-21T21:23:00.000-04:00

Fall might be one of my favorite times of the year. I love taking pictures of fall leaves, fall scenes. There are days when the weather is absolutely perfect. Blue skies, cool breezes, perfect lighting.

Fall

2011-10-20T21:22:00.000-04:00

Where I am Different

2011-10-19T22:01:00.001-04:00

I found this today in a blog called The Potter's View (http://wtmcclendon.wordpress.com/2011/10/19/childrens-sabbath/)

There is a wonderful Chasidic story about the child of a rabbi who used to wander in the woods. At first his father let him wander, but over time he became concerned. The woods were dangerous. The father did not know what lurked there. He decided to discuss the matter with his child. One day he took him aside and said, “You know, I have noticed that each day you walk into the woods. I wonder, why do you go there?” The boy said to his father, “I go there to find God.” “That is a very good thing,” the father replied gently. “I am glad you are searching for God. But, my child, don’t you know that God is the same everywhere?” “Yes,” the boy answered, “but I’m not.”

Where is the place where you are different enough to find God? Do you help to create that kind of atmosphere for others? Is your church that kind of place?

In Anticipation of the Day

2011-10-18T21:48:00.002-04:00

Bishop Grove was telling a story in memory of Catholic Bishop who died. The two men attended worship / communion services at which the other was leading. When Bishop Grove approached the Catholic Bishop for communion, with his arms crossed (a symbol of a request for a blessing), the Catholic bishop pulled his arms down and said, "I want to serve you, in anticipation of the day."

In anticipation of the day...

What do we do in anticipation of the day? Do we forgive those who hurt us in anticipation of the day when grace will overflow? Do we love our enemies in anticipation of the day when love will reign? Do we feed the hungry in anticipation of the day when no one will be hungry? Do we teach children the Word of God in anticipation of the day when every knee will bow? Do we pray in anticipation of the day when we will know God? Do we worship in anticipation of the day when we will stand in front of God? Do we share in communion in antiicpation of the day when we will all be gathered around the table?

Do we serve our Lord in anticipation of the day?

Does our service bring us and others a foretaste of the day to come?

Does our service bring that day closer?

Image from the park

2011-10-17T21:39:00.000-04:00

Children's Sabbath prayer

2011-10-16T22:49:00.001-04:00

Josh wrote a prayer today for Children's Sabbath:

Dear Lord;

Thank you for everything you have given to us. You have helped us through thick and thin. You have been there in times of need when we don't know what to do or don't know where to go. You have put us on the right path and led us where we need to be.

We know we have not done your will, and we have broken your law. we know we have sinned, and we know that we wil sin again, but Lord we just ask for your forgiveness.

Lord, we thank you for the children -- for what they have given, for what they do for this church and for what they do in this world, but, Lord, there are children in the world who are hungry, thirsty, deprived of sleep and who do not even have access to education, so Lord we ask for you to watch over them. Lead us to help them.

Lord, we are thankful for everything that you have given to us, though sometimes we have taken your gifts for granted. We are thankful for Joe Hill, who has led us in preparing for this service, and who shares his gifts with the youth group.

Lord we ask that you wil help the family of Marilyn Holleron who passed away last week.

Lord, we ask that you help us in our every day lives, and whenever we are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Help us to make the right choice.

Let us never forget to pray as you son taught us to pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread and forgive us our trespesses as we forgive those who tresspass against us and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

Fall leaves

2011-10-15T21:21:00.005-04:00

Ritter Park early this evening

Scattered

2011-10-14T23:52:00.000-04:00

Today's Friday Five:
(From RevGalBlogPals): So, I don't know about you, but I have had quite the scattered week. Sometimes, life is that way, right? In the spirit of Scattered-ness, I offer you a scattery kind of Friday Five:

I lose my keys all of the time. Even if they are in my hand, I still am looking for them. Sigh! What is something you chronically looking for, if anything? It used to be shoes -- I would just drop them anywhere in the house. I try to make sure I put them in the closet now, so that's not as much of a problem. I'm always looking for my sunglasses. I often misplace whatever it is that I have in my hand -- "I just had that! Where is it?" I always lose the scissors and tape when I am wrapping gifts. I've even tied them together, but then I just lose them both!
What movie are you looking forward to watching sometime in the future? (me, the new Footloose!)I love movies, but I can't think of one that is coming out that is on my list of "I must go see it as soon as it comes out." I am looking forward to the premier of Bones on TV, but that's not a movie.
What is one of your favorite comfort foods? (me, pizza. hands down). Chocolate!
Story time. Tell us a story of one your favorite people that has touched, blessed your life. I'm blessed that many favorite people touch my life. A story from today -- Steve went to a funeral today of a man who died unexpectedly at 54 years old. He left behind at least a couple of children -- two adults, one of them 18. The 18 year old spoke at his father's funeral. Steve was texting Grant, who told him what a terrific father he is. I know that he is, and I know Grant thinks so, too, but I'm glad he articulated that to his father.
What do you do to focus or calm or center yourself? (please, I need ideas!!!) Knit. Read. Photograph. Watch television (is that considered a centering activity?). Use prayer beads in prayer. Write. Talk.

Conviction

2011-10-13T22:16:00.000-04:00

Balance. Moderation. They are good words. Words that are positive.
Read this quote from Living our Beliefs by Kenneth Carder:

“It makes nodifference what you believe as long as you are sincere.” Such a claim is often made in the name offaith and tolerance. The affirmation,which is itself a belief or tenet of faith, makes sincerity the criteria forreligious devotion. It assumes that allreligious beliefs are equal and their validity is judged by the firmness withwhich they are held and the sincerity with which they are acted upon. Truth becomes synonymous with strongconviction, and faithfulness if validated by “it feels right.” (p23)

I agree with him that my conviction that something is truth doesn't make it truth. My conviction should arise from truth; it doesn't work in the opposite direction.

Is there a danger in this, though? Is there a danger that my own conviction that I am right make me arrogant? How do I balance the idea that not everyone can be right against the idea that I and only I am right?

Perhaps the best I can do, in most situations, is to say, "This I believe...."

Carder also says this:

However, although Wesley and the Methodists “were fullycommitted to the principles of religious toleration and theological diversity,they were equally confident that there is a ‘marrow’ of Christian truth thancan be identified and that must be conserved.”
(p25)

I like that -- a marrow of Christian truth.

Taking a Stand

2011-10-12T22:19:00.000-04:00

Ritter Park on Saturday

Facebook is an odd addition to our social routines in our country. Through this new medium, I can find out about the kidney stones of a person with whom I am "friends," but don't really know, and how his urologist is going to treat them. Through Facebook, I can be reminded of birthdays, and add to the birthday celebration of friends far away or close by -- and, yes, all of those fun birthday wishes do add to the joy of the day. Through Facebook, I can keep in touch with distant friends, I can hear news, I can see friends wearing funny glasses and carrying rubber chickens -- well, just one friend. It's a strange mix.

Yesterday and today, Facebook opened up a different world for me. A young woman I only know because I served on the Emmaus team when she was a pilgrim, posted an announcement. She didn't want to start an argument or debate the issue, but she was announcing that she is called to be a pastor, and that she was pursuing credentials to follow her calling. GREAT!

Except, it seems, it is not great. Not for some who read her post. Most people were very supportive, but others were not. One person told her that she and those who encouraged her (including me, since I had posted my own support) have walked away from God's Word to serve "a god we really didn't want to know." Her mother commented that while she loved her daughter, her daughter was wrong, and she did not approve of her decision.

We'll ignore the issue of a mother posting her opinion of her daughter's life decision of Facebook for the moment.

I know there are people who believe that it is wrong for a woman to preach. I know there are people who believe that it is not biblical for a woman to teach men, to speak in church, to follow her calling from God to use her gifts in ministry. I know this is how some people believe.

I wonder if we stand up often enough to tell these people that they are wrong. I wonder if we say often enough that their interpretation of the Bible is incorrect. I wonder if we take enough of a stand against this kind of bigotry so that those who believe this way might challenge themselves to grow beyond this twisting of God's Word.
I wonder if by saying it more often we could somehow change this young woman's reality so that when she says, "I am called to be a pastor," she wouldn't feel as if she were revealing a deep secret that was going to be met with not only disapproval but also questions about her faith.

I am called to preach, to teach, to speak in church and to use my gifts to spread the Word of God. While I have chosen to do this through the path of lay ministry, I stand with this young woman. I am grateful to belong to a church (and a family) that supports my call. May it also be so for this young woman.

Living our Doctrine

2011-10-11T22:01:00.000-04:00

As part of my CLM training, I reading the book Living Our Beliefs by Bishop Kenneth L. Carder.

First of all, let me say that the copy of the book I'm reading belongs to our Annual Conference's Resident Bishop -- I borrowed it from him. It has the Bishop's highlighting in it. Cool.

The introduction talks about the idea that some people believe that we United Methodists don't have any real beliefs -- that we are "live and let believe." Not so.

But, the United Methodist church did not originate out of a battle over doctrine. We began as a renewal movement from the Church of England. Carder states that Wesley's concern was that our beliefs shape our lives. What we believe should have an impact on how we live our lives.

"In other words, beliefs are to be lived, doctrine is to be practiced." An authentic belief will bear the fruit of impacting and shaping our lives into the image of Christ.

To me, that says that Wesley would not be as concerned that we state our doctrine as much as he would want our lives to demonstrate our doctrine.

Sound familiar? To me it is right in line with James -- faith without works is dead.

The Kingdom of Heaven is like...

2011-10-10T16:17:00.001-04:00

Did you read the lectionary readings for last week? One of them was the troublesome passage from Matthew (22:1-14). It is a parable about a wedding feast. The King has prepared the wedding feast and sends out his slaves to call those who have been invited.

Some who have been invited kind of blow it off, others went about their business, and some of them killed the king's slaves.

The king was enraged, and he sends out his troops to deal with "the murderers." "The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy." Not one to waste a party, the king then invites people from the streets to come and enjoy.

The wedding was filled with guests.

And then comes the part that is the reason I call it a "troublesome" passage:

But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not waring a wedding robe, and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in there without a wedding robe?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, "Bind him hand an foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." For many are called, but few are chosen.

So, what does that mean? It doesn't sound like Christ to me, and it doesn't sound like a kingdom that would be very inviting.

So, I did some reading today.
First of all, William Barclay says that this is actually two parables, with verses 11-14 (that I quoted above) being a second parable. Read the first ten verses of this passage, and they can stand alone, and they teach a lesson we've heard from other parables of Jesus.

One blogger suggests, in a sermon she posted, that:

What we don’t know, because of the distance of time and culture, is that the people listening then would have known that the white robe was waiting for you when you got to the banquet. It would have been as easy to get as the bulletins we hand out every Sunday.

Pair that with what Barclay's explanation that this is a parable of an open door. Everyone is invited to come in, "but when peopole come they must bring a life which seeks to fit the love which has been given them. Grace is not only a gift; it is a grave responsiblity."

It's not a story about what the person was wearing. It's a parable about picking up the life of grace. I wonder if God says, "Come in the door. It is open to all of my children. I want you to come to the kingdom. Here is grace -- freely offered."

What is the result when we don't pick up the white robe at the door? When we don't accept the gift, freely given? We aren't really in the kingdom at all. We're back outside, in the darkness, where we are not free.

Franklin

2011-10-09T16:36:00.000-04:00

Benjamin Franklin's grave in Philadelphia

Sign

2011-10-08T22:20:00.005-04:00

This sign was on the wall beside the new restroom in our mall --ll that is currently being renovated.

It brings to mind several questions for me.

It is, of course, a double negative, so what is really says is that contractors are always allowed in the women's restroom, regardless of the circumstances. How often do we post signs -- literally or figuratively -- that say one thing when we mean another? Do we even realize that we do it?
Interesting to me that after this demanding order, there is a "thank you." What do you think the attitude of the sign-writer was when he/she wrote that? Is s/he really grateful?
What has happened to prompt the sign? I'm not sure I really want to know!
What is I am a female contractor? What am I to do?

Table Leader's Prayer

2011-10-07T21:35:00.001-04:00

Let your light shine through me
So that the pilgrims around this table see you.
Shine through me.

When I don’t know what to say,
Let your word be my words.
When I say too much,
And make the experience,
Too much about me,
Let my words become your words.
Speak through me.

When a pilgrim is lost,
Afraid,
Convicted,
Hurting,
Heal through me.

Remind me that you have brought me to this place,
To this table,
Because this is where you want me to be.
Help me to remember that you have already
Equipped me with the gifts I need
Forgiven me for the mistakes I will make
Strengthened me for what comes next.
Help me to remember that I never walk alone.
You are my constant companion on this walk to Emmaus.
Even when I don’t recognize you.
Shine through me.

Amen.

Find Joy in the Lord

2011-10-06T15:32:00.001-04:00

Insprired by Philippians 4:4-8

Celebrate!

Find joy, again and again, in the Lord!

Allow others to see the Lord through you.
Approach them with a gentle spirit, for
in your actions,
in your words,
in your witness,
they will see God.
Others will move closer to God
because of you.

Stop fretting.
Cast all of your worries on God.
His shoulders are wide,
and he can carry you.
He yearns to free you
from the prisons you make for yourself.
Take everything to God in prayer.
Bring him your needs,
your worries,
your gratitude.
Take all of it to God.

God will bring you peace.
It will cover you,
envelope you,
surround you,
beyond what you can understand.
Beyond what you can imagine.

My beloved sisters and brothers,
Start focusing on what is of God.
Truth
Honor
Justice
Purity
Joy
Praise
Excellence
All creation, worthy of praise.
Fill your minds, your lives, your hearts
with these things.

Celebrate!
Find joy, again and again, in the Lord!

Two short poems

2011-10-05T15:32:00.001-04:00

I wrote two poems today, without meaning to.

For the first, I was writing a difficult email to a group of people. I started to end with my usual, "Grace," but then this appeared. Seems like a good benediction to me:

Grace, I pray for you, abundant and overflowing,
Gratitude, I offer for you, loving and joyous,
Peace, I bring to you, beyond our understanding,
and Joy, I wish for you, a gift from God.

And then I left a birthday wish on Facebook, and it became this:

May your day be joyful,
Your life be hopeful,
andMay you have no need to make wishes
as you blow out your candles.

Call to Worship

2011-10-04T15:39:00.000-04:00

I'm working on Laity Sunday. Here's the Call to Worship I've written:

Leader: We have been invited by the Creator of the universe to enter the Kingdom

People: Lord, help us to remember.
Leader: We were loved before we knew God, we were forgiven of our sins, and weare made whole by God’s grace.
People: Lord, help us to remember.
Leader: Enter God’s gate with thanksgiving and with praise
People: We will worship the Lord with gladness and come into his presence withsinging.

Autumn Prayer

2011-10-03T13:33:00.002-04:00

As the breeze blows by
and the drying leaves,
Dying leaves,
Rustle with the footsteps
of the gardener,
The creator comes near.

Colors are so brilliant
that they hurt your eyes.
Yellow into orange into red.
Brown, foreshadowing death.
All against a blue, blue sky.
Free of snow, but ready.
The creator comes near.

The gardener trims the dead roses,
thorns bringing blood
that is wiped against the undergrowth.
Stained, like the sin in his life.
Dead growth is pruned away,
Weeds are ripped out
as the ground is prepared for emptiness.
Emptiness that will bring new life.
The creator comes near.

Finally in the house,
standing at the sink,
looking out over the garden,
the man washes away the dirt.
He feels the presence of the creator,
and he sends out a prayer.
For the hot water cleaning his hands,
warming his soul from the chill.
For the soup bubbling on the stove,
and the bread baking in the oven.
For the setting of the sun
on the golden splendor outside his window.
He offers up his gratitude
to the creator
who has come near.

Marks

2011-10-02T21:48:00.000-04:00

Oh, Lord make haste to help us.
Oh, Lord, make speed to save us.
Oh, Lord, hear our prayer.

A man sat in a room
As a big issue was discussed.
What do we do about the problem of immigration?
What could be our reaction?
The man's suggestion,
if it could even be considered a suggestion,
Was to tattoo a mark on the forehead of the one
Who came,
Send him back,
and then shoot him on sight
if he returned.

Oh, Lord, make haste to help us.
Oh, Lord, make speed to save us.
Forgive us for our sins,
Forgive us.
Oh, Lord, hear our prayer.

A man sat in a room,
telling a story he remembered from long ago.
When homeless rode trains,
And looked for food along the way.
They would mark the homes of those
Who would provide.
A mark of grace.

Where help could be received.
Oh, Lord, make haste to help us.
Oh, Lord, make speed to save us.
Forgive us for our sins,
Forgive us.
Free us for joyful obedience.
Oh, Lord, hear our prayer.

Oh, Lord, may the mark I make
be one of grace.
Amen.

Blog Gone and Back

2011-10-01T14:26:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, as I was working on the blog, I deleted an image that was in the sidebar. Once I did that, I lost the template -- that nice lighthouse image in the left hand corner and all of the blog formatting.

I like the lighthouse, and while I have changed the template for other blogs I manage, I've never changed this one. It still has a very old Blogger template. I've resisted the change because 1) I like how it looks, 2) it would be a lot of trouble, and 3) I haven't found something that I like better than what I have.

Faced, though, with the very plain blue replacement blog, I realized I had to do something, so I went out to look for a new blog template. I found one I kind of liked, and downloaded it to replace the plain Jane blue template. As I was doing that, I found a button that said, "revert to old style." I pushed it, and you guessed it, old template was restored.
So, I'm back where I started. I'm not sure how I feel about that. As I was planning the new blog template, I was thinking it might be a good time to think about the blog and to ponder some questions:

Is posting every single day still what I want to do?
Do I have enough to say to continue daily posts?
What if I allowed myself to miss days without trying to make them up?
Would I be able to continue in the habit of posting at all?
How disciplined could I be without the 'every day' rule?
Could I switch to a five day a week rule?<li>If I continued with every day, do I need to pick up other disciplines so that I do have enough to say?
Should I just continue with what I'm doing?

Same template, and no answers to these questions, but I'm thinking.

Perhaps the penultimate question is the one to really consider. What else do I need to be doing in order to have spiritual thoughts to share? Hmmm.

Mountains

2011-09-30T14:18:00.002-04:00

Part of a railing in Philadelphia

I was reading Blazes and Cairnes, a blog. I was struck by this post in which JF describes walking a section of the Appalachian Trail called Roller Coaster -- a section of trail with a reputation for being terrible.
How do we face a section of the trail of our life that promises to be difficult? How do we attempt to climb a mountain that is in our way? How do we blaze a trail through unfamiliar territory? What is your approach?

When approaching a mountain, do you look at the entire mountain and wonder how in the h*ll (pardon my English) you will ever make it to the top? The mountain is too high, and you are convinced that you do not have the stamina, the knowledge or the desire to climb all the way to the top? Does knowing how high the mountain is prepare you better for the climb? Can you be more realistic that way?
When you look at the mountain, do you avoid looking at how high it is, instead trying to decide how to take the first step? Does this enable you to approach the mountain with confidence because your goal is only the first step? Does this make you less realistic? Is it hiding your head in the sand?
Do you plan out your walk before you take the first step, ordering each piece of the trail in detailed goals? Does this guide your way or does it mean you aren't prepared for the unexpected?
Do you look for another, less steep way up the mountain? Does this mean you are clever or are you running away from the challenge?

As you can see, I don't have the answer, but just a few questions.

In the post above, I especially liked his final phrase:

When I got to the Bear’s Den Hostel I realized that I had finished one of my best days on the trail. Tired, but not exhausted or defeated, I thanked the AT for another great day of hiking and I breathed in and out, knowing that it is enough to be present right where you are. (emphasis mine)

Sometimes we forget the joy of knowing that it is enough to be present right where we are.