You HAVE to be kidding

It has been awhile since I've blogged. I got back from General Assembly and went straight to work putting together a camp for children going into grades 4,5 & 6 next year. I hadn't planned on directing this camp, but it was going to be cancelled because the original director backed out. I didn't think that was acceptable, so naturally I am now directing =)

As I have looked over the list of kids coming, I must admit I have some anxieties. Children with ADHD and one with some other behavioral issues. What HAVE I signed up for? But then I must remember that my assumptions about how things are or are going to be are not always right.

For instance, my perception of my almost 3 year old Border Collie is that he is crazed. After all, he did practically flunk out of dog obedience 101. But when out playing Frisbee with him in the park, more than one person has commented, "What an obedient dog." My reaction--you have to be kidding me, right?

Take for another instance, my perception of our outing the other night to a local restaurant with our 3 year old child. The whole time, I felt like I was working overtime trying to keep her calm and was worried that she was bothering everyone around us. But as we left, a man said, "Ma'am. I want you to know that your child is so well behaved." My reaction--you have to be kidding me, right?

Take for a final instance my perception that I could personally stand to lose a little weight. I think I looked better when I was a size or two smaller. But a couple of Sundays ago, a female church member said, "you have the nicest figure!" Of course she was 95, but my reaction--you have to be kidding me, right?

So often I get it in my head that things are one way, but often they aren't...or others don't see it the way I do. I am glad that God sees things differently. That God doesn't believe the negative self talk or negative perceptions that we have about ourselves and others. God keeps telling us, "You're MY special child." And our reaction--you have to be kidding me, right?

Lucky for us, God is good at changing perceptions and minds.

Journey on...

Where's the Tylenol?

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

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...

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...

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...

'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...

Delay

I am very guilty of living in the future. My mind is sometimes racing with thoughts about what I need to accomplish in the next few hours, the next few days, the next few weeks--so much so that I really do forget to live in the moment.

Yesterday, my child "B" and I left from church to go for a ride. One of our favorite routes is a highway that goes from the valley up to Mt. Rainier. On a clear day, it is a gorgeous ride--and just long enough for B to maybe take a nap.

I was ready to go yesterday when a parishioner showed up just wanting to say hi. He only delayed us for about 5 minutes, but it may have been an important five minutes. As we left and made our way up out of the valley, several emergency vehicles passed us. Then more emergency vehicles passed us. I started counting and I'm not kidding, about 15 first responders (police, fire trucks, ambulances, etc) passed us by.

Just a few minutes up the road, we came to a stop. I could see all of the lights flashing up ahead. All I could tell is that there had been a wreck and it was pretty bad. As we sat there, two more emergency vehicles passed by. Clearly we were going to be sitting there for a long time, so I turned around and we went through to pick up some fast food for lunch (healthy, I know).

As we were pulling out, I saw two more firetrucks heading up to the accident scene and one ambulance coming back. I assumed the ambulance was rushing off to the hospital. As it passed by we could see the silhouettes of people standing and working on someone. I suggested that we pray. My little child agreed and we prayed for that person in the ambulance and the people who were working so hard to try to help them.

And I wondered, had not my parishioner, known for the gift of gab, stopped by to say "hi," would we have been in that wreck? or close enough to it that we would have seen what had taken place? I don't know, but it was a stark reminder of how life can change in an instant and how important it is to appreciate what you have right in front of you--even if it is the person who likes to talk a lot =). I must remember to thank him.

Journey on....

Rattle, Thunder, Clap!

The other day we had two rounds of thunderstorms in our area. When I lived in TX, I was used to those kinds of storms, but it never storms like that here. My child was upstairs watching TV, when a flash of lightening struck very close by, followed by a ground-shaking boom.

B screamed instantly. I think it was the first time B had heard a noise that loud. There were tears and then the persistent question, "is the fire coming back?" I guess that flash did look like fire.

We're just not accustomed to that kind of commotion anymore. And when something like that happens, we have to alter our plans, maybe do things a little more differently than we might have. I was working on something downstairs when that happened, but ended up spending the next hour or so cuddling with B. And that was okay.

I wonder, though, as the pastor of a long-established church, is it truly possible to alter plans...do things differently than we might have? I catch myself becoming entrenched in my own way of thinking and then realize that I need to be open to other possibilities, but I know that is not easy.

I guess the key is to try to focus on God, remembering the words of Christ, "apart from me, you can do nothing." And in Christ, all things are made possible, right?

Journey on...

More than just a bird

Peacock
Originally uploaded by johnrite.

This Saturday was a beautiful day and we decided to enjoy it by going to the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma. The zoo is small but very nice. In addition to the exhibits you'd expect at a zoo (elephants, tigers, monkey), Pt. Defiance has a roaming exhibit--the Peacock pictured above.

We had seen the Peacock at various points during our visit, but happened to come around the corner just as the bird was getting its ire up and boldly displaying its feathers. My husband captured this beautiful picture--and then the bird charged at us! We quickly moved on to the more sedate penguin house.

But this beautiful photo made me remember something that I learned on a trip to Italy...that Peacocks were symbolic of eternal life in the early church. I remember seeing the Peacock on frescoes in catacombs and mosaics on church floors.

The Peacock came to symbolize immortality because of an ancient myth that the flesh of a Peacock would not decay. It also came to symbolize resurrection as it sheds its feathers for newer and brighter ones every year.

The Peacock's spread of brilliantly colored, spotted feathers serve as a protection mechanism--making the bird look twice its normal size. The many "eyes" of the Peacock's feathers came to symbolize the many eyes of God--able to watch and see many things at the same time.

I'm not sure why the Peacock fell out of favor as a Christian symbol, maybe someone out there can answer that question. But I do know the bird is magnificent, perhaps pointing us to something divine even in the everyday setting of the city zoo.

Journey on....

Chiaroscuro

Happy Summer Solstice! It is June 21st--the longest day of the year. Before moving to Washington State, I didn't even know what the Summer Solstice was. In Texas, the days get longer in the summer and shorter in the winter, but not quite to the degree we see in Washington.

Here, on the longest day of the year, the birds start chirping at 4:00 a.m. and the sun is still setting at 9:45! And in the winter, on the shortest day of the year, we are lucky to get 8 hours of daylight. This swing between day and night is even more exaggerated in Alaska and places further north.

On the darkest day of winter, December 21st, we gather for a "Longest Night Service." We talk a lot about the light of Christ coming into a dark world. And from the darkest days of winters, you would think that the really long days are a welcomed thing. But sometimes I feel like all this sunlight is too much. Can you have such a thing as too much sunlight??

I am reminded of an art term that a picked up some years ago, Chiaroscuro, which is the interplay of light and dark in creating a work of art. If you have too much darkness, there is no light and life in a painting. If you have too much light, there are no shadows to create depth and texture in a painting.

As I bask in so much sunlight, I learn to appreciate the darkness of the winters...the darker parts of life that create shadows and depth in my being. Without both, we are not true works of art.

Journey on...

What was THAT?

Most families have at least one snorer, right? Stereotypically we always think it is the guy in the house making all that noise. But I must confess that I come from a long line of down right raucus honkers! And, for the record, the guy in the house snores too, but he has nothing on the nasal caucophony that comes out of my mouth when I hit the R.E.M. sleep.

As if the snoring is not enough, my child "B" will, from time to time, crawl into bed with us. This usually causes "the shuffle." B climbs into our bed and one of us climbs out of bed in search of a quieter, less crowded place to sleep.

This was the scene last night at my house. We had all settled back in for the night--dad in the guest room =) and mom and B in the master bedroom. This was all fine until I was startled awake by a big THUD! The moment every parent dreads had come--my child had fallen out of bed.


B immediately started crying, mostly because B was very scared. And who wouldn't be? When we are deep in sleep there is nothing like a loud snore, or a loud noise, or contact with the floor to scare the daylights out of you.

So what happens when we are shaken out of our daily slumber--when something unexpected startles us awake and scares the daylights out of us? Maybe the disruption is a unwelcomed diagnosis, or the death of a friend, or a change in work life. Whatever it may be, when the unexpected jolts us awake, I think God is especially present in those times.

The moment I realized my child had fallen, I instinctively lept out of bed and scooped her up in my arms to make sure B was okay and to comfort B. Is this not what God does for us? The Psalmist said it perfectly in Psalm 121: "...He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand."

God is like a mother who scoops her children up off of the floor and comforts us when we are hurt, confused or scared. Though we never outgrow the fear of the unexpected and the unwelcomed, there is something reassuring about knowing that God is always with us.

Journey on...

Eliminating Debt

It is really easy these days for people to get into financial difficulty because of debt. This is often the topic on talk shows and in magazine articles and books. We know, as a culture, what it is to be in debt financially.

But there are other kinds of equally destructive debt that we accumulate in other areas of life. Life debt is much less recognizable in a success-driven world, but it is as prevalent as financial debt.

As the parent of a soon-to-be three year old, I am constantly testing myself to make sure that I am spending adequate time with my child and giving my child an adequate amount of attention. I don't just do this because B is a preacher's kid and I don't want B to be maladjusted =)...but I do it because I know how easy it is to think I must first get this thing done, or attend to that thing...and before you know it I have missed out on opportunities to spend quality time with my child.

The book, Parent Trek: Nurturing Creativity and Care in our Children, quotes Arlie Hochschild, a professor at the University of California as stating "that time with children cannot be borrowed: 'Often parents...unwittingly create little debt collectors in their children. In exchange for not being available,...they will trade time on an upcoming Saturday for lack of time now. Thus, the family copes with Monday through Friday with the promise of Saturday. The children collect not bills, but love, payable at a later date.'"

Ouch! I really want to try not to do that. And hopefully we can all have the sense of mind to not put off the things that are truly important to us. There will always be work to do, tasks to accomplish, stuff to get done...but time with loved ones cannot be borrowed back once it is spent.

So make the time today to hug your children, converse with your spouse, call your mom or email a friend.

Journey on...

Are You Saved?

As a member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), one of the things I prize about our identity is our sense of tolerance. One of the sayings from Alexander Campbell, one of the founders of the church, is: "In Essentials Unity, in Non-Essentials Liberty, in all things Charity."

I like the statement because it asserts that there are essentials of the faith that are non-negotiable and then there are non-essentials that are open for debate and discussion. And when we debate and discuss, we try to do so with an air of respect and tolerance for diverging views and opinions.

But what do you do when you have a hard time distinguishing essentials from non-essentials...what do you do when you have a difficult time tolerating those who are intolerant?

I have a hard time tolerating those who reject the legitimacy of women in ministry. I have a hard time tolerating those who simplify complex issues with one-liners and refuse to think or research the subject which the speak against. I have a hard time tolerating Christians who think that the most important aspect of faith is being saved by confessing Jesus as Christ. Am I sounding intolerant yet?

I guess recognizing areas of intolerance is the first step in opening the door to new learning and understanding. I must say that I really am annoyed by Christians who think that they have "saved" someone because they led that person to say with their lips, "I believe that Jesus is the Christ...my personal Lord and Savior."

I am annoyed not because I think that such confession is non-essential, but because I think that faith is about being and doing...about confession and action. This week I will be preaching from Galatians 2:11-21 and in that text, I am convicted of my intolerance toward my brothers and sisters who hold confession of faith as the primary essential.

The Apostle Paul says: "we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. " And what Paul is saying is that it is not strict adherence to the law that will make us justified before God, but believing in Jesus--salvation by grace through faith. Okay...so confession in Jesus is really important. But is the confession alone all that is needed. Can I say, "I believe in Jesus Christ" and go on with life as usual resting assured that I have been "saved?"

No. Paul goes on to say: "For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. " Belief in Christ...belief that is felt at the core of one's being...changes life. Paul not only confesses Christ with his lips, but he lives by faith in the Son of God.

So it is not enough for me to say that I love my church tradition because it professes to be tolerant, I better start living that way too--even when it means tolerating that which I find intolerant.

Journey on...

That Gross Tree in My Yard

We moved into our first home last fall. It was September and Autumn was setting in. When we first looked at the house, we noticed this huge tree leaning against the neighbor's garage and wanted to make sure it wasn't on our property line (as it looks like it's going to cave the neighbor's garage in anyday now).



We have loathed that tree. It dumped a TON of leaves in the fall which collected on top of and killed the grass. It has gone through various phases of blooming, raining white dust on the yard and our cars and then dropping these weird seed-looking things. It is by far the messiest, grossest tree I've seen.



But to my surprise, I looked up in the tree and noticed little red dots on the limbs. This was no ordinary, gross tree...it is a cherry tree. Who knew! It's right up there now in esteem with those weeds we were going to pull out back that are now growing strawberries.



Sometimes we look at things, and cannot see clearly what it is we are looking at. The Apostle Paul described this experience when he spoke about "seeing in a mirror dimly." Sometimes in church life, in our personal life of faith, we feel that way--like we don't see things clearly. But if we are patient and able to work through "the gross stuff" that comes our way, we may find that God has a pleasant surprise in store for us.


Journey on...

Simply Living

We all have titles that help identify who we are and what we are called to do. My titles include: mother, wife, Pastor, daughter, daughter-in-law,sister, sister-in-law, aunt, niece, cousin, friend and neighbor...(listed not in any particular order).

It is hard, with limited time and limited resources, to not feel as though I am letting the duties of one area of my life slide in order to spend more focused time in another area. Finding a balanced, simpler way of living can be terribly challenging.

Ecclesiastes 4:6 states: "Better is a handful with quiet than two handfuls with toil, and a chasing after the wind."

It is imperative for all of God's creatures (mothers, fathers, Pastors and people of all walks of life), to find the time for quiet. I believe that sometimes, it is the only time to take a deep breath and to hear the still, small voice of God speak to us.

So today I pray for you, a few moments of quiet to rest and remember that no matter the number of titles you carry, your number one title is "loved, child of God."

Journey on...

What about the Trinity?

Tomorrow is Trinity Sunday. It's no Christmas or Easter...so there won't be beautiful banners, flowers or cantatas from the choir. But it is an important Sunday on a topic that we rarely discuss in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Recently I found myself struggling to explain the Trinity to a group of high school students. Wikipedia has a very helpful entry on the Doctrine of the Trinity: "God is one being who exists, simultaneously and eternally, as a mutual indwelling of three persons--the Father, the Son (Jesus of Nazareth) and the Holy Spirit." One God...three persons.

That all sounds good, but how can 3=1 or 1=3? Mathematically it just doesn't add up. Mary Anderson's 1998 Christian Century article (available through paid subscription to ATLAS) entitled "So explain it to Me."

Anderson says: "I was watching my grandmother sleep during her afternoon nap. As I contemplated her existence, I thought wisely. 'That's Grandmama, Mamma, and Odell.' She smiled in her sleep as I called her by the names used for her by her grandchildren, her daughter, and her husband. Three names, three relationships -- and yet the same person. Amazing!"

Maybe this is the best way that we know how to put words to the experiences that we have of God...to use the language of situations that are familiar to us. The Doctrine of the Trinity is one way that church tried to put words to the experience of a God who was One and yet interacted with creation in three distinct ways.

So in the end, mathematically 3 still does not equal 1...but in faith, the One God works in (at least) 3 different ways in order to meet creation in ways that are powerful and life-changing.

Journey on...