After hauling way-to-heavy luggage on my recent travels, I aggravated my upper back and right arm. I was in a lot of pain for a few days, but with ice and Tylenol, it is better.
I recently heard a friend talk about a trip she took with some medical missionaries to Honduras. She showed me a picture of a barefoot woman with a bundle on her back. After looking at the picture closely, I could see that the bundle was a baby--it was a Honduran style Bijorn.
This one particular woman had walked barefoot for 7 miles to get Tylenol. Tylenol--something I thoughtlessly pick up at the grocery store and thoughtlessly take for my little aches and pains.
I wonder how many times that woman had little and big aches and pains and had no way to relieve them. I wonder how many times her baby had a fever and she worried because she had nothing to give to her to help.
We take so many things for granted don't we. Maybe we should take a moment today to be thankful for even the smallest of things.
Journey on...
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Home Again
I am back in Sumner, WA and thanking God for safe travels. For complete coverage on assembly news, you can go to the Disciples web page for updates on business, worship, etc. Though we are denomination (like many today) facing challenges, it seems to me that we are better spiritually than we have been in years. Over and over again I kept hearing our denomination described as one who mission is to bring wholeness to a fragmented world--what a blessed call that, hopefully, we can live into at the local congregational level. Blessings to you today.
Journey on...
Journey on...
Monday, July 23, 2007
Share the Feast--Day 2
Just a quick note before heading out to today's events. Yesterday was full of fellowship, business, food and worship. I don't see Dr. Sharon Watkins address online, but you can follow this link to get an update on what has been going on at assembly.
There were so many people at the Fiesta last night that, after getting my food, it took me 30 minutes to relocate my table! And in between I ran into at least 5 friends I have not seen for more than 10 years. What a joy! I might have taken my hand at riding the mechanical bull, but time ran out and we had to go to worship (darn =).
Will update more later. Journey on...
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Sharing the Feast
The first day of General Assembly has been amazing. Personally, it has been like this ultra family and friend reunion--I have run into old friends and professors from college and seminary, colleagues, mentors, church members and friends.
Spiritually, I have been uplifted by the two messages I have now heard. The first was at the Board of Church Extension dinner where the Rev. Dr. Cynthia Hale spoke. She was one of the first new church planters over 20 years ago. Her church, Ray of Hope Christian Church, in Atlanta, GA has welcomed over 10,000 members since its inception. Two things key to the fruitfulness of her labor? Love and PASSION. I couldn't agree more. Without a passion for the love of God, there isn't much to inspire, is there?
The second message was from Dr. Daisy Machado. The sermon was based on the feeding of the 5,000 and focused on our need to do the work of mingling among the crowds, seeing people as people and having compassion for them rather than fear of them.
Today promises to be another full day of fellowship and worship. Will write more later.
Journey on...
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Friday 5 on Saturday
I'm sitting here doing some catching up before delving into General Assembly and Sally from RevGalBlogPals posted 5 questions for pondering that I would like to answer:
1. Share a moment/ time of real encouragement in your journey of faith:
Last year I was at the 100th Anniversary of my home church (First Christian Church, Corpus Christi, TX). There were lots of former ministers attending including a man named Jack Meyers. When I was 10 and my maternal grandmother, to whom I was very close, became ill with cancer, Jack was there with the family. When my grandmother died, Jack came over to the house and I don't really know why, but I started crying when he walked through the door. He saw me crying and walked past all of the adults to the chair where I was sitting and he knelt down and began talking to me in a way that I could understand. He embodied God's compassion and I've never forgotten it. So it was very poignant to me, when after this Anniversary celebration last year, he pulled me aside and took the stole that he was wearing off and put it on me. I cried again. It was a cathartic moment and almost a commissioning--a symbol action reminding me that it is now my turn to embody God's compassion to others.
2.) I love what another person wrote--modesty...or moderation. I have grand visions a lot of the time for work, family and ministry...and then I realize that I need to just take one step at a time. There will always be items left on my "to do" list; but, if I am being faithful and doing the best that I can, that is enough.
3.) I will hire a youth/education minister =) Open a food pantry and contribute large sums of money to the Yakama Christian Mission. AND I would write more and speak more at retreats and other spiritual renewal events. AND maybe get a doctorate (I think I need to go back to moderation =).
4.)I think I have to let myself sit with the feeling of disappointment for a while. My default is to move on as quickly as possible, but if I can sit with it for a while, sometimes new thoughts or ideas come to mind. Conversations with a few trusted souls helps me through disappointing times. But it is prayer that really keeps me going.
5.) I wonder about number 5--is it familial roots or church roots? My familial roots are really important to me (even though I now live thousands of miles away from family). As I learn more about family history, I begin to connect with my ancestral history. I thought I was a pioneer by become a female minister, but I think there were a lot of devoted, strong women in my family paving the way for me. My church roots are really important to me. I see those roots embodied in two areas--focus on Scripture (and the freedom to interpret the "non-essentials") and in the sharing of Communion every Sunday.
1. Share a moment/ time of real encouragement in your journey of faith:
Last year I was at the 100th Anniversary of my home church (First Christian Church, Corpus Christi, TX). There were lots of former ministers attending including a man named Jack Meyers. When I was 10 and my maternal grandmother, to whom I was very close, became ill with cancer, Jack was there with the family. When my grandmother died, Jack came over to the house and I don't really know why, but I started crying when he walked through the door. He saw me crying and walked past all of the adults to the chair where I was sitting and he knelt down and began talking to me in a way that I could understand. He embodied God's compassion and I've never forgotten it. So it was very poignant to me, when after this Anniversary celebration last year, he pulled me aside and took the stole that he was wearing off and put it on me. I cried again. It was a cathartic moment and almost a commissioning--a symbol action reminding me that it is now my turn to embody God's compassion to others.
2.) I love what another person wrote--modesty...or moderation. I have grand visions a lot of the time for work, family and ministry...and then I realize that I need to just take one step at a time. There will always be items left on my "to do" list; but, if I am being faithful and doing the best that I can, that is enough.
3.) I will hire a youth/education minister =) Open a food pantry and contribute large sums of money to the Yakama Christian Mission. AND I would write more and speak more at retreats and other spiritual renewal events. AND maybe get a doctorate (I think I need to go back to moderation =).
4.)I think I have to let myself sit with the feeling of disappointment for a while. My default is to move on as quickly as possible, but if I can sit with it for a while, sometimes new thoughts or ideas come to mind. Conversations with a few trusted souls helps me through disappointing times. But it is prayer that really keeps me going.
5.) I wonder about number 5--is it familial roots or church roots? My familial roots are really important to me (even though I now live thousands of miles away from family). As I learn more about family history, I begin to connect with my ancestral history. I thought I was a pioneer by become a female minister, but I think there were a lot of devoted, strong women in my family paving the way for me. My church roots are really important to me. I see those roots embodied in two areas--focus on Scripture (and the freedom to interpret the "non-essentials") and in the sharing of Communion every Sunday.
Share the Feast
This week is the General Assembly gathering of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). We're gathering in Ft. Worth--my old stomping grounds--which is home to Texas Christian University where I earned my B.A. and my M.Div. (from Brite Divinity School).
It is strange being back in a place that is so familiar, but that has changed so much over the course of years. Coming so close on the heels of our other whirl-wind Texas trip, I was afraid I would just be too tired. But I am starting to feel some excitement and energy.
The Assembly officially begins this evening and I'll be posting updates on what's going on.
Journey on...
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
A Voice in the Wilderness
This past Sunday, my child and I drove down to Portland, Oregon to meet my husband at the finish line of the Seattle to Portland ride. John, along with over 9,000 other riders, was a real trooper having ridden 206 miles in 2 days.
The finish line, as you may suspect, was a buzz of activity. The riders finished at Holladay park which was decorated with tents of foods, beverages, t-shirts and other items for sale, water, music and more. My 3 year-old was having quite a time bee bopping around the park (she was like a pin-ball bouncing around the inside of pin-ball machine).
At one point we made our way to the end of the park where the trolley line comes in. There were people getting off trains and others waiting to get on. And in the midst of that activity stood a tall, slender, African-American woman with a podium and Bible. She wasn't preaching hell, fire and damnation, but instead was reading from the Psalms.
I passed a couple of men sitting just behind her who were explicitly talking about how drunk they had gotten the night before...I was so busy chasing my little pin-ball that I couldn't stop and talk...and there were hordes of people doing the same thing.
I have been thinking about that scene for the last few days, wondering if what that woman was doing constitutes a true proclamation of the Word. When we think on evangelism and spreading God's Word, is that what we are supposed to do--preach to hordes of people who barely notice and barely care?
If evangelism is measured by faithfulness, then that woman was certainly successful. I think it must have taken a great deal of faith and courage to stand there and read her Bible. But I also wonder about the measure of fruitfulness--should evangelism produce some tangible, visible end result? Should the Word be presented in such a way that people take notice--that people are affected and maybe changed?
Maybe the success of evangelism lies somewhere in between faith and fruit =). In faithfulness we do what we can and pray for God to provide the fruitful harvest.
Journey on...
The finish line, as you may suspect, was a buzz of activity. The riders finished at Holladay park which was decorated with tents of foods, beverages, t-shirts and other items for sale, water, music and more. My 3 year-old was having quite a time bee bopping around the park (she was like a pin-ball bouncing around the inside of pin-ball machine).
At one point we made our way to the end of the park where the trolley line comes in. There were people getting off trains and others waiting to get on. And in the midst of that activity stood a tall, slender, African-American woman with a podium and Bible. She wasn't preaching hell, fire and damnation, but instead was reading from the Psalms.
I passed a couple of men sitting just behind her who were explicitly talking about how drunk they had gotten the night before...I was so busy chasing my little pin-ball that I couldn't stop and talk...and there were hordes of people doing the same thing.
I have been thinking about that scene for the last few days, wondering if what that woman was doing constitutes a true proclamation of the Word. When we think on evangelism and spreading God's Word, is that what we are supposed to do--preach to hordes of people who barely notice and barely care?
If evangelism is measured by faithfulness, then that woman was certainly successful. I think it must have taken a great deal of faith and courage to stand there and read her Bible. But I also wonder about the measure of fruitfulness--should evangelism produce some tangible, visible end result? Should the Word be presented in such a way that people take notice--that people are affected and maybe changed?
Maybe the success of evangelism lies somewhere in between faith and fruit =). In faithfulness we do what we can and pray for God to provide the fruitful harvest.
Journey on...
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
What a Long Strange Trip It's Been
We got back from vacation on Sunday evening around 8:00 p.m. Needless to say, we were exhausted. We had flown into Dallas, TX where we stayed with relatives for 2 days, driven down to Corpus Christi where we stayed for 4 days and attended one wedding party for my brother and a birthday party for my child, then we drove to Houston for a wedding rehearsal and then the wedding the next day, then we drove from Houston to Dallas to catch our plane back.
And the entire time I ate too much BBQ, slept too little and only got one 45 minute workout in. To top it off, one of our beloved church members passed away on Wednesday of the week I was gone...so I had to work overtime when I got back to prepare a funeral service which was held for her yesterday.
I feel a little confused about where I am and where I have been. It seemed appropriate that when we landed in SeaTac, the first song to come on over the speaker was the Grateful Dead's "Truckin" in which the lyrics 'What a Long Strange Trip It's Been" seemed all too fitting.
My time away was punctuated by moments of joy at being with dear friends and loved family, nostalgia as we drove past our old house in Dallas, confusion as I met my soon-to-be sister-in-law and wasn't quite sure what to make of her, irritation as I attended my brother's wedding held at a Church of Christ (I was asked by two people what I do and when I told them I was a pastor, there was nothing but disapproving silence), and sadness as I thought about my church member who had passed away--a woman who had been in church just the previous Sunday.
I was happy to return home if for no other reason than to get back into a routine that would restore a sense of normalcy and comfort. Of course there is nothing normal about our weather today--forecasters are predicting a high of 98! And we don't have air conditioning (yikes).
Through my experience of the past week, I have come to appreciate again how hard it can be for worshipping communities to change. After all, what is more foundational to one's sense of normalcy and what is right in a chaotic world than the dependability of ordered worship. And yet, ordered worship can become stagnant and unimaginative too.
Through the long strange trip of this past week, the one thing that seemed to bring me a sense of calm and peace, was prayer--even just a few brief moments of prayer. Again, this was a reminder to me that we cannot stop change, but we can navigate through it better when we are focused on what is most important--when we focus on God.
I don't know what kind of travels the summer holds for you, but I hope they will be maybe a little less hectic and topsy-turvey...and that through it all, God will be at the forefront of every moment.
Journey on...
And the entire time I ate too much BBQ, slept too little and only got one 45 minute workout in. To top it off, one of our beloved church members passed away on Wednesday of the week I was gone...so I had to work overtime when I got back to prepare a funeral service which was held for her yesterday.
I feel a little confused about where I am and where I have been. It seemed appropriate that when we landed in SeaTac, the first song to come on over the speaker was the Grateful Dead's "Truckin" in which the lyrics 'What a Long Strange Trip It's Been" seemed all too fitting.
My time away was punctuated by moments of joy at being with dear friends and loved family, nostalgia as we drove past our old house in Dallas, confusion as I met my soon-to-be sister-in-law and wasn't quite sure what to make of her, irritation as I attended my brother's wedding held at a Church of Christ (I was asked by two people what I do and when I told them I was a pastor, there was nothing but disapproving silence), and sadness as I thought about my church member who had passed away--a woman who had been in church just the previous Sunday.
I was happy to return home if for no other reason than to get back into a routine that would restore a sense of normalcy and comfort. Of course there is nothing normal about our weather today--forecasters are predicting a high of 98! And we don't have air conditioning (yikes).
Through my experience of the past week, I have come to appreciate again how hard it can be for worshipping communities to change. After all, what is more foundational to one's sense of normalcy and what is right in a chaotic world than the dependability of ordered worship. And yet, ordered worship can become stagnant and unimaginative too.
Through the long strange trip of this past week, the one thing that seemed to bring me a sense of calm and peace, was prayer--even just a few brief moments of prayer. Again, this was a reminder to me that we cannot stop change, but we can navigate through it better when we are focused on what is most important--when we focus on God.
I don't know what kind of travels the summer holds for you, but I hope they will be maybe a little less hectic and topsy-turvey...and that through it all, God will be at the forefront of every moment.
Journey on...
Sunday, July 1, 2007
'El Queso' Mata! – 'Cheese' Kills
We're on vacation and I'm loving the opportunity to read a little bit without the pressure of having to crank out a sermon for two Sundays! I am trying to read The Gospel According to Starbucks by Leonard Sweet, which is turning out to be a great book.
Additionally, I did something I haven't done in a long time--I picked up the Sunday morning paper (yes, the print edition!) and read it. The Dallas Morning News had this article buried somewhere deep in section C, "Marchers Take on Cheese." There was a picture of a small group of mostly Mexican Americans, donning t-shirts with the slogan "'El Queso' Mata!" marching to make people aware of the dangers of cheese.
Cheese? What's wrong with cheese I wondered? With the rash of recalls from pet food to toothpaste, I was alarmed to think that one of my favorite foods could now possibly kill me. I was pained to read about how two families had lost teenagers to overdoses of cheese. But it wasn't until halfway through the article that I realized "cheese" is a name for a mixture of cold medication and heroine.
I felt a little silly that I hadn't seen (note to self: put on glasses before reading) the subtitle to the article: "Northwest Dallas: Parents, police rally to promote awareness of drug." For someone who doesn't know the lingo, awareness is needed in order to gain understanding.
I wonder how often people come through the doors of church and feel the same confusion about church lingo that I felt about the dangers of "cheese." I am reluctant to utter words like: Sanctification, Justification, Ordinances, Salvation, Doxology, etc. because although I know these words well, I am aware that they are at best confusing and at worst meaningless to a lot of people.
So I continue to pray for guidance in writing subtitles that are bold and finding words that convey the most important aspect of the life of faith: that God in Jesus Christ loves us more than we can imagine.
Journey on...
Additionally, I did something I haven't done in a long time--I picked up the Sunday morning paper (yes, the print edition!) and read it. The Dallas Morning News had this article buried somewhere deep in section C, "Marchers Take on Cheese." There was a picture of a small group of mostly Mexican Americans, donning t-shirts with the slogan "'El Queso' Mata!" marching to make people aware of the dangers of cheese.
Cheese? What's wrong with cheese I wondered? With the rash of recalls from pet food to toothpaste, I was alarmed to think that one of my favorite foods could now possibly kill me. I was pained to read about how two families had lost teenagers to overdoses of cheese. But it wasn't until halfway through the article that I realized "cheese" is a name for a mixture of cold medication and heroine.
I felt a little silly that I hadn't seen (note to self: put on glasses before reading) the subtitle to the article: "Northwest Dallas: Parents, police rally to promote awareness of drug." For someone who doesn't know the lingo, awareness is needed in order to gain understanding.
I wonder how often people come through the doors of church and feel the same confusion about church lingo that I felt about the dangers of "cheese." I am reluctant to utter words like: Sanctification, Justification, Ordinances, Salvation, Doxology, etc. because although I know these words well, I am aware that they are at best confusing and at worst meaningless to a lot of people.
So I continue to pray for guidance in writing subtitles that are bold and finding words that convey the most important aspect of the life of faith: that God in Jesus Christ loves us more than we can imagine.
Journey on...
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