There's You on New Year's Eve

New Year’s Eve has always been more than a night for parties, watching Times Square on TV, or singing “Auld Lang Syne.” The revelry associated with the night has always been secondary to me because it’s been our parent’s wedding anniversary for 59 years. They each grew up about 100 miles from Dallas, but in opposite directions, and met working at the same store in Midland, Texas. Their homes have been as far west as El Paso, as far north and east as New Jersey, and as far south as San Antonio, having moved four more times in-between. There’s a lot to be gained through moves: learning other ways of doing things, finding out there are nice people all over, and family bonding through the remoteness. Over the past 35 years they’ve been able to grow deep roots by staying in the same community which affords its own benefits: a sense of connection, familiarity, and comfort. They have used almost every vacation day to visit relatives, trying never to stay more than three days in one home and always having more homes wishing to welcome them. They’ve raised three children, delighted eight grandchildren, and embraced five (soon to be six) great grandchildren. In retirement they have fuller schedules than before, taking advantage of their health and sharing their talents. Their gifts together are many including baking, fixing things, helping others, gardening (flowers, vegetables and pecan trees) and square dancing. As a couple they set united examples of generosity, wisdom, respect, faithfulness, resourcefulness, accountability, fiscal responsibility, health consciousness, and family devotion. So you can see why the news anchors recalling the headlines of the past year seems rather uninspiring on New Year’s Eve - we’ve always had a marriage to celebrate and rejoice!

"To Each His Own"
What good is a song if the words just don't belong?
And a dream must be a dream for two
No good alone, to each his own
For me there's you

And today as almost every year before, our father gave her a bouquet of pink carnations and she made him a pecan pie.

My prayer for the congregation?

God of Life, You bring forth the great in the simplest of our acts, beliefs, and lives. On our own we are bare and plain. You dreamed the color to the skies, the vibrancy in the flowers, and the flush in our cheeks when love comes near. As loving parents of all those to whom we have promised to watch, let us always remember that they will follow our ways more than our words. Guide our lives to be living examples of the qualities that you wish to uphold. We offer thanksgivings for the many couples who have shown us the resiliency and favor of realizing their golden anniversaries. Your love is greater than gold. Amen.

Advent Anticipation

It’s a restless early morning and I can’t sleep. I woke up several times to look at the clock only to find it an unreasonable hour to be awake, but it became even more irritable to stay in bed. If I was six I might attribute it to Christmas eagerness. If I was rational I might attribute it to a drastic weather change. One day it’s in the 20s and in less than 24 hours it is thirty degrees warmer and climbing. The clothes that you wore to stay warm one night become stifling the next. If I had a teenager living at home I might be fretful wondering if they were home yet – and I can hear enough cars outside to know that some are racing home even now. If I was agitated it could well be explained by the anxiousness of gift giving and tasks left to be done within a finite timeline. If I was a first-time expectant mother I might be unable to sleep wondering when the baby would come, how would it feel to give birth, would I know what to do with a baby and would I be able to give him all that he needed? But I’m not eager, or fretful, or agitated, or a waiting mother. Maybe it is advent anticipation. We are on the eve of change. The verse from the “Canticle of the Turning” that I have practiced over and over the past few weeks has become a base for this advent season.

Though I am small, my God, my all
You work great things through me
And your mercy will last from the depths of the past
To the end of the age to be.
Your very name puts the proud to shame,
And to those who would for you yearn
You will show your might, put the strong to flight
For the world is about to turn.
My heart shall sing of the day you bring
Let the fires of your justice burn
Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near
And the world is about to turn

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, We can sense your power and your presence in the day. The winds blow, the day dawns, and nothing is the same as the day before. Even though we feel too minute to make a great revolution, we know that over and over again the small and the powerless are made great though their statements of belief and their actions of faith. Let us wipe away our fears and be prepared to usher the changes in the world and in ourselves. It is not a time for rest. We can’t live as we did one day earlier for we are on the eve of a changing world as we anticipate the messiah. Amen.

(you have to embrace the Celtic undertones)
The Canticle of the Turning

My soul cries out with a joyful shout
That the God of my heart is great
And my spirit sings of the wondrous things
That you bring to the one who wait.
You fixed your sight on your servant’s plight
And my weakness you did not spurn
So from east to west shall my name be blessed.
Could the world be about to turn

My heart shall sing of the day you bring
Let the fires of your justice burn
Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near
And the world is about to turn

Though I am small, my God, my all
You work great things through me
And your mercy will last from the depths of the past
To the end of the age to be.
Your very name puts the proud to shame,
And to those who would for you yearn
You will show your might, put the strong to flight
For the world is about to turn.

Chorus

From the halls of power to the fortress tower
Not a stone will be left on stone
Let the king beware for your justice tears
Ev’ry tyrant from his throne
The hungry poor shall weep no more
For the food they can never earn
There are tables spread, ev’ry mouth be fed
For the world is about to turn

Chorus

Though the nations rage from age to age
We remember who holds us fast:
God’s mercy must deliver us
From the conqueror’s crushing grasp
This saying word that our forebears heard
Is the promise which holds us bound
Till the spear and rod can be crushed by God
Who is turning the world around.

My heart shall sing of the day you bring
Let the fires of your justice burn
Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near
And the world is about to turn

FourthComing

Four seems like a resolving number: four lines make a square; four walls enclose a room; four seasons in the year; and financial reports are handled quarterly. If you want a complete meal you chose from the four basic food groups. If you want to hear a complete range of voices you select a piece with four sections of the choir. It was always ideal to take four people as a group to Six Flags so that no one had to ride alone on the roller coasters that sat two per seat. It’s the fourth week of advent and the waiting is about to be resolved. There is about to be a completeness to the story and to the waiting. From Isaiah we hear familiar scriptures at advent that collect God’s people from the four corners of the earth.

Isaiah 11 (1-2, 6, 10-12)
Then a shoot will grow from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat. The calf, the young lion, and the fatling will be together, and a little child will lead them. On that day the root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His resting place will be glorious. On that day the Lord will [extend] His hand a second time to recover … the remnant of His people who survive. He will lift up a banner for the nations and gather the dispersed of Israel; He will collect the scattered of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You raise your banner and gather your people in glory and peace. No where else can we find separated people unite side-by-side, and a little child will lead us. We long for resolution in our lives. We want to know ahead of time how things are going to work out. We rush to the last pages of a book to see if our hunch is right. We want to know the ending. In You, O God, we can find an ending of ourselves and the beginning of a new creation. We are made complete in Your Grace. This advent let us resolve to follow the Christ child. Amen.

Tremendous Three

We wait during this third week of advent. A braid is made of three stands. It takes three legs to make a steady seat or table. It takes at least three points to draw a straight line. Three votes help break a tie. We count to three when we want a child to mind. One of my favorite truisms is from the sage Anonymous, who states: “When you point your finger at someone, three fingers are pointing back at you.” That’s one way to take the heat out of an argument! One of my customers includes this quote by Henry James in all of his presentations where he makes people aware of Mental Health issues: “Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.” Which falls in line with a Japanese proverb, “One kind word can warm three winter months.” That’s a global warming that wouldn’t melt icecaps! Tom Bodett may not have had Advent in mind, but it seems quite appropriate: “They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.”

My prayer for the congregation?

Triune God, we praise thee three in one. During Advent we focus our attention on the return of the Messiah. We await the star, the shepherds, the manger, and the babe. We await the son who we separate from the father and from the spirit, placing the three in a perfect triangle of holiness, a perfect triad of wisdom. The scriptures point us in the hope of a savior, the zenith of Advent, weighing our thoughts towards the one who is to come. We see one part of the whole. How can we begin to round the angles until it forms a circle where one can’t tell where one begins and another ends? Can we picture a perfect circle of love? Can we see the world beyond our small part? Can we say a kind word to warm a cold soul? Can we avoid placing blame without recognizing our own contributions? Can we steady a shaky relationship? Can we truly be happy? You have loved us lavishly, we have things to do in your name joyfully, and you have given us hope abundantly. Amen.

One Plus One

At work we used to have two liquid supplies that weighed five gallons each and when it was time to replenish stock they needed to be lifted onto a shelf about five-foot high and over a large sink. I could manage to get the box onto a surface about waist level, but for that extra push we always called in someone else to help. Then it became an effort of coordination, logistics and execution. The real victory was when your determination overcame your laughter. No matter what new plan we devised, it seems like the 1.5 square foot box always won the first time and we would have to reconnoiter as we realized our upper body strength was not exactly ideal for this battle of wills. It didn’t help that inside the box was shifting liquid that changed its center of gravity and for some reason it would make us laugh as we struggled. If we started laughing midway, we would have to set down the box until we could compose ourselves. Sometimes we would start laughing even before we lifted it off the counter just in anticipation of laughing! I often try to do things without help, but this was one feat that I did not attempt alone - and this way two people were laughing!

When is two better than one?

• Pulling taffy
• Hugging
• Folding king-size sheets
• Water skiing (one to drive the boat)
• Sawing a tree
• Telling a joke
• Playing tennis
• Debating
• Animals on the ark
• Driving cross-country
• Saying/Hearing “I love you”

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, In your wisdom and love you saw that your people could benefit by living in companionship. When two people work with one goal in mind, the work is lightened and strengthened by additional ideas. This advent week we light two candles and double the light. Two candles light the darkness and we can see more around us, we can see faces with more detail, and we can see what is in need of repair. This advent let us double our efforts to mend relationships, to work in camaraderie, and to appreciate the gift of companionship.Amen.

One Day Closer

At this time of year there are many creative tools used to help little ones count the days until Christmas so that you do not have to constantly answer the question “How many more days?” Some people use an advent calendar so that each day you open a door to find an image that relates to the season, or maybe you open a drawer to find a piece of candy, and some allow you to add an ornament each day. We didn’t have a special calendar but instead used a simple paper chain. First you had to cut the strips of construction paper and then link the chains one by one; counting over and over to make sure the number was correct. You could go back any time of the day to review the length of the chain and be amazed at the brevity when once it had dragged onto the ground. In the sermon yesterday Anne mentioned a phrase that farmers who were experiencing a drought said to each other to help ease the tension of waiting for relief, “Today we are one day closer to rain.” What hope! What assurance! Bringing that reflection into the Advent season she finished “Today we are one day closer to the return of the Messiah.”

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You promise relief and hope for the world, we simply have to wait and remember that liberation is coming. Long ago no one thought to recognize that hope in the shape of something so small. Today, may we consider nothing too small to be made prominent by your hands or anything too large to be restructured by your grasp. We know these things, and yet we restlessly struggle through our day, resisting that assurance, wondering when O God, when? Today, we are one day closer, and we are filled with hope. Amen.

Thinning Christmas

It might be a thin Christmas. Besides the economic talk, or diet talk, I’m thinking of decorations. This year we have a single outdoor sign instead of lights lining the driveway, and I decided against setting up our battalion of nutcrackers, and left a good portion of ornaments in the box. Maybe it’s because we won’t be hosting any parties, maybe it is the need to conserve, or maybe it’s because (dunh-dunh-dunh) we’re getting a tad older. Last Sunday as we started Advent at early service we thinned out some of the steps of bringing in the colors and symbols of the season. We usually have a nice procession of bringing in wreaths, poinsettias, colors, and other elements all the while having a running narration explaining their significance as an aide in worship. It’s helpful, it’s rich in tradition, and it’s a way to let more people participate in the announcement of the season. But at early service we started the service with the colors already in place, and we all entered into the Sanctuary at one time singing “Maranatha” and each one lighting a small candle from the Advent candle. We watched stars and planets bring the text to life. It was a lot of changes, but for me it felt like the beginning of Advent instead of the beginning of Christmas. Some people stayed for the beginning of the second service so that they could still experience our traditional entry into Advent. It was a full day of getting our hearts and minds prepared for Advent.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You are prepared to wait for the world to join you in anticipation of the Messiah. This is the time of year that we try to remember the call for patience and reflection when everything else around us encourages us to rush and think later. Let us fall into step with you, pausing as you pause, slowing down our heart beats to match your calm. You are full of assurance and determination, and yet you wait. There is a beauty in the suspension of activity. Let us reflect the single flame of this Advent day in everything we do. Amen.

Turkey Soup

I do not claim to be a cook, and I don’t particularly like to cook. It seems like a lot of work for something that is over in ten minutes. When does the fun start? I have pretty low expectations for what I call a successful meal – one in which no one has to go to the hospital. (After I have cooked for guests, I’m convinced someone will come down with food poisoning.) But for some strange reason I like to make turkey soup from scratch, which takes time, makes a mess, and generates a ton of leftovers, all of the factors which would normally make me run the other direction. This Thanksgiving my niece’s husband carved the turkey as well as anyone I have ever seen, getting almost all of the meat away from the bones. I took the remainder of the bird home to make soup, even though it might have to be vegetarian. I couldn’t believe how much meat was still available! Perhaps that’s what I like: salvaging what was trash, looking at it from a different perspective, and finishing with a one-of-a-kind soup filled with wild rice and barley, carrots for color, and any spice that seems half-way applicable, including jalapenos.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You are the great creator! Where others see discarded and spent people, you see a chance to salvage a life and restore them to their own beauty. It takes imagination and work to rebuild, and often it’s easier to start from nothing than to break down, clean, refinish, and polish a dirty, worn, damaged item. You never turn away from hard work nor a long rehabilitation. We are all able to give more than we imagined and you have a way of bringing that out in us: we can feed more, clothe more, and love more, from what we already have. As we reach to find the unused portions, let us sing more, laugh more, and praise more to your glory. Amen.

Ado Annie and Me

I usually find connection with the second-tier characters, the ones who are slightly unusual. One of my first realizations of my affection (or connection) for the imperfect, was Ringo. Everyone was busy collecting all things Paul, John or George, but I decided Ringo was the one for whom my eyes would sparkle. I wasn’t even in first grade yet, but I knew there was something special about the one with the big nose who could still laugh and joke. Another sixties spectacular was the musical “Oklahoma.” Sure, the main characters were beautiful and sang show-stoppers like “People Will Say We’re in Love” or “Oh What a Beautiful Morning” but give me Ado Annie singing “I Can’t Say No” or “All Er Nuthin” and those are the moments of the musical that I replay, and quote even today. Ado Annie has a hard time limiting her choices and has so many interests that it keeps her from focusing. My role model!!

I'm jist a girl who cain't say no,
I'm in a turrible fix
I always say "come on, le's go"
Jist when I orta say nix!

I caught some kind of cold that zapped my energy over the Thanksgiving weekend, and on Friday I didn’t have enough energy to smile. I just went from one nap to the next. On Monday I went to bed at 8:30 and slept through the night - a big cut in the hours I usually spend on the home computer. So at a time when I had tried to get back in the saddle and re-focus my efforts, I had a legitimate reason to fall back, but then as I gained more hours and energy, I seemed to reclaim my old entrenched procrastination techniques, even though, or especially because, the season calls for more projects and more commitments. Once again, Ado Annie sings my life:

“I only did the kind of things I orta - sorta,
To you I was as faithful as c'n be - fer me.”

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You know our imperfections, and love us still. You know we are capable of so much more and reveal our possibilities again and again. Help us to see and be what you dream for us, and what you need of us. Develop our faithfulness so that it grows beyond what is comfortable to a faithfulness that is challenged and attested. Take away our standards and replace them with yours. During Advent let us learn to say no to practices that distract our focus away from preparing our hearts and homes. As the life of our community ensues, you need some of us to take on the role of the charismatic champion, the prodding instigator, the loyal defender, the tender caregiver, or even the trivial jester. All are welcome to follow, and lead others, to the star. Amen.

Recipe to Savor

It’s a few days before Thanksgiving and recipe books are opened as the cooks of each house are looking for “something different.” Often the eaters of the house are happy with plain corn or mashed potatoes, but the preparers want to sneak in a new combination of mixed ingredients (even though the rule is not to try out new recipes on guests). Maybe “earth bread,” “eggplant dressing,” “spinach sunflower,” or “banana yam casserole” will make it to the table this year, but surely “ziplock chicken” should wait for a more ordinary meal. Some families have almost a prescribed menu: “Who is making the pistachio salad this year?” “I’ve got the green bean casserole.” But sometimes the adventure gets the best of someone and they’ll announce as they walk in the door too late for revisions, “This year we’re having gumbo instead of turkey!”

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, We are ever thankful for the blessings in our lives. As we go to grocery stores in preparation for the meals we will prepare, help us to have a sense of wonder as we choose our vegetables, a sense of humbleness as we choose our spices, a sense of gratitude as we choose our bread, and a sense of joy as we choose in which line to stand. In every task we have the choice to honor you. Let us not forget the most important ingredient to our meal and to our lives, love. Amen.

When Does it Get Hard to Forgive?

In the book, My Grandfather’s Blessings, Rachel Naomi Remen recalls a Yom Kippur service which has held a special meaning for her. Yom Kippur is normally a day when the rabbi speaks of God’s forgiveness as the congregants contemplate their shortcomings over the past year. Instead of the anticipated sermon, the rabbi picked up his one-year-old daughter and held her as he told about the meaning of the holiday. Throughout the sermon the little girl was a typical adorable toddler, reaching for her father’s nose as he spoke, putting his tie in her mouth, and enjoying the attention that was being given to her. The entire congregation was engaged and engrossed by the smiling, flirtatious little girl who reminded them of a cherished child in their own family. Over the top of her head the rabbi said, “Think about it. Is there anything she can do that you could not forgive her for?” As if on cue, the little girl reached up and took off his eyeglasses. The rabbi and the congregation had a good laugh, but as soon as things quieted down the rabbi asked, “And when does that stop? When does it get hard to forgive? At three? At seven? At fourteen? At thirty-five? How old does someone have to be before you forget that everyone is a child of God?”

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, teach us how to forgive. Sometimes it seems more profitable to withhold forgiveness and retain our control and our power when we feel that it is within our rights. We have been wronged and we want the other partner in this reality storyline to share our feeling of hurt and pain. If we could review our transgressions every year, would we be able to put some to rest? Could we set a time limit on grievances? Could we clean out our personal cases as judge and jury at the same time we relinquish unworn clothes? Could we give others the same latitude that we hope for ourselves? Could we remember what a child of God looks like? Could we increase our love so that there is no room to harbor resentment? We can, we pray, with your mediation and intervention. Amen.

Getting Into

When I made up my mind
And my heart along with that
To live not for myself
But yet for God, somebody said
Do you know what you are getting yourself into

I know denominations have different practices and ideology about youth deciding to become members of a church and making their decision to declare Jesus as Lord. As a benefit of confirmation classes our youth have a greater idea of what they are getting into more than many adults sitting next to them: the history of the church, the beliefs and framework of the denomination, the relationship with a faith partner, and the responsibilities involved within the community of believers. It could sound like an academic and sterile approach if you are used to an invitational call, but passion, spirituality and emotion are as great a factor as any. Today our confirmation class led both services, reading their faith statements in the first service and all deciding to continue their faith journey by joining the church. Then in the second service, which they organized and planned, they led the entire worship from the opening announcements to the closing benediction. I’m sure it would have been a memorable day under the best of circumstances, but there were a few unscheduled surprises which will make this the one that people will remember with a knowing nod: “Ahhh, the Confirmation class of 2008, the one where the power went completely out.” But more than that, people will remember their faith statements. They will remember taking communion to a song that shares their decision and ours: Yes, I know what I’m getting into - and I am here thankful and grateful, with my whole life.

I'm getting into you
Because you got to me, in a way words can't describe
I'm getting into you Because I've got to be
You're essential to survive
I'm going to love you with my life

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, We are blessed and we praise you for the lives of Ashton, Brooke, Carson, Chas, Jordan, Mariah, Mary, Mychelle, Peyton, Raquel and Ryan. We are going to learn more about your vision and the dreams of this church through the lives and gifts of these youth. May we continue to study and search our own hearts to have as clear an idea of our faith as the statements shared today. May we be taught how to love with joy, energy, thoughtfulness and sincerity by watching and following our younger pilgrims. We are eager to continue within your grace and love, knowing what a blessing we have found ourselves getting into. Amen

You say you will not dwell on what I did but rather what I do
You say I love you and that's what you are getting yourself into

Amazing, Rising Grace

What a treat! I just got home from “The Preservation Hall Band” along with “The Blind Boys of Alabama.” By the end of the concert people just kept looking at their hands wondering if there was any feeling left because you can’t listen to 95% of the songs without clapping along; and if you had not been clapping, then you were swaying to the beat. One way or another you were as involved with the band as if you were on stage with them, and sometimes that was encouraged as well! One of the songs that you could listen to without helping along the percussion was “Amazing Grace.” And for me, and for the “Blind Boys of Alabama,” that means singing the words to the tune of “House of the Rising Sun.” I’ve heard “Amazing Grace” in its traditional setting to the other extreme of using the theme tune from “Gilligan’s Island!” But the version that sends a coolness of Spirit in my body every time is when the song is poured out over the minor, soulful keys of “Rising Sun.” Some people object to this version because the original lyrics of “Rising Sun” have been attributed to prostitution or a prison, but how can Grace be anything but amazing to turn those lyrics and actions from:

Now the only thing a gambler needs
is a suitcase and a trunk.
And the only time he'll be satisfied
is when he's down and drunk.

to:

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found
Was blind, but now I see.

My prayer for the congregation?

Amazing God, You rise above our hopes and dreams! You seek the lost and give them a home; You take our sins and wash us clean. Let us remember to whom we belong, and to whom we bless for miracles of changed lives and changed situations. Remaining faithful is not a one-time revelation, but a daily struggle between the world of our culture and the world of your kingdom. We usually keep one foot in each realm, swaying our bodies between each one. Let us call upon you for stability and consistency, for perseverance and wisdom, for help when we are lost. Let us worship You as Lord of our lives, amazed that you have called even us, even now. Amen.

T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear
the hour I first believed.

There is a house in New Orleans,
they call it Rising Sun.
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy,
and God, I know I'm one.

Through many dangers, toils and snares
we have already come.
T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far
and Grace will lead us home.

Oh mother tell your children
not to do what I have done
spend your lives in sin and misery
in the House of the Rising sun.

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be
as long as life endures.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found
Was blind, but now I see.

The Things We Do

A few Sundays ago I was in a rush. Imagine! We have a small team that has taken on various responsibilities to set up for our early worship service and at the last minute I realized I might be responsible for the communion elements, which in our congregation is a loaf of bread and grape juice. I rushed into the grocery store, vacillated over which type of bread to get (which usually means leaving with multiple types) when I really didn’t have the time to be indecisive. I hurried to the check-out lane and the cashier asked lightly, “Oh, are you getting ready for service?” “YYEEEESSS!” I said with great exasperation and slumping shoulders to accentuate the weight and critical standing of the mission. “Oh, that doesn’t sound very good.” She said rather disappointedly and sadly. I felt about two inches tall. “Are you in a rush?” she kindly offered as an excuse. “Yes! Yes! That’s all that’s wrong. I’m in a rush! Thank you and I hope you have a nice day!” Walking out to the car I thought that perhaps I might have a nice day once all of the tasks were behind me and I could go home and start my Sunday hibernation. After worship and Sunday School I started to drive home to start my nap, but realized I had left early enough that I could attend a worship service at another church whose praise band I had previously heard at a joint program. Perhaps this would erase the sustaining feeling of work not worship that I had started with that morning. Sometimes it can be so refreshing to go where there are no demands, no expectations, and no worry over details. Someone else has that covered. I knew the music would be first-rate, but it was also interesting to see their stage presentation with sweeping bolts of fabric and theater lighting. And while it was true that I was present without worry it was also true that I missed the gifts of participation and preparation. “There’s no place like home.”

My prayer for the congregation?

Blessed Jesus, how many times have you heard the objections of Marthas, who feel tired and worn from their self-appointed duties? How many times have you asked us to be still and remain in your presence? How many times have we missed your message because we were busy checking our lists and focusing on the next duty? How many times have we gotten enveloped in your Word instead of wrapped up in our own? Let us remember that it is not our works that create our faith, but that because of our faith and the grace of Your love that we cannot help but respond through acts of love. Let us keep the source of our faith in the purpose and execution of our actions. Let us never forget Grace as we labor, as we rest, when we taste exhaustion and when we long to do more. We know we can do more, because You love us so much more. Amen.

Green Lights

This week I am taking #2 son to work while his car is in the shop. It’s not exactly on my way to work, and by the time I drive to my work I’ve made two legs of an Isosceles triangle around Dallas, which would and then we rewind at the end of the day. But it’s not a huge burden and I spend very limited time creeping on interstates, instead most of the traveling is done on major roads that at least offer some decent travel speeds. In fact this morning we made remarkable time because the lights are timed to promote thru traffic and as long as you travel at the correct speed you can ride from one side of town to the other with relative ease even during the heavy morning traffic. This was in direct contrast to the previous night when we caught almost every red light on the same road, slowing down our retreat home. When the lights are always green you feel like you are where you need to be and you want to stay on that road for as long as you can. Sometimes our faith journey takes us on similar roads, when funds fall into place, relationships offer support, independent conversations put forward confirmation, and ministries are blessed - when all lights stay green.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, Sometimes we need road blocks to stop our progress and recalculate our next move, and sometimes when we are following your vision we need all barriers taken away so that we find no reason to diverge from our course. We praise your wisdom and power. Act as our guide to direct us towards the road we should travel and give us the clarity to recognize your intercessions in our lives. We believe and desire your interaction in our lives. Amen

The Beat of Freedom

The normal charge for freedom is often heard “Freedom Isn’t Free.” Which is true, but my own personal plea may have to be “Freedom Isn’t Easy.”

As far as your self-control goes, as far goes your freedom.
Maria Von Ebner-Eschenbach

I suppose freedom isn’t easy for me because my self-control needs something similar to a tazer gun to keep it in check. Left on my own whims I can make hours disappear without a trace better than David Copperfield can make an elephant vanish. And at the end of both acts we are all left wondering how it is done. I can’t tell either. It’s a trade secret. Somehow I have managed to make vanishing hours multiply into days and now into weeks and the rhythm of writing got interrupted. I had a week of leave from work that included travel but also included time at home. I had freedom and I basked in it. But when it came time to rejoin my routine it was as daunting as trying to start a diet, “Just wait until Sunday and start the new week.” “Okay, start on Monday because Sunday is still part of the weekend.” Similar to learning how to jump into a turning rope, I’ve tried to find that place in the beat where you jump back in, and I don’t have a lot of athletic muscle memory to recall how it is done. Yet it’s a thrill to make it inside the loop while the ropes are turning, not starting with the rope flat on the ground waiting to start after you are ready, but to fall into the beat of the active rope, finding the rhythm of the rope with the ground with the pace of the turners. You have to feel the pulse, and then commit.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You are constant and steadfast. Give us the sensitivity to feel your beat, the initiative to join the rhythm, and the resolution to remain in step. We are likely to grow weary or short of breath, but you are resolute and continue the course. Let us purge our defenses and resolve our struggles to rejoin the marathon of your works. Let us fall into the tempo of the beating of our hearts, following your heart. Amen.

(The Message) Galatians 5:13-14It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom.

Vote

I Samuel 8:19-20 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles."

Normally I don’t have firm political stands, if you chose side “A” then my natural reaction is to argue for side “B.” However, in the next room I may debate for side “A” if the mood of the room is for side “B.” (There are a few politicians that I cannot stand beside, no matter the sparring partner.) I have some interesting conversations with #2 Son about government, laws, and politics. Talking with him, instead of taking sides, it’s considering whether any government is needed. He argues that there are some people who will do the right thing whether or not there are laws in place, and conversely there are people who will do the wrong thing which no law will influence or deter. #2 Son would have been in the minority of the Israelites who decided that they needed a king to rule over them. I suppose as a federal employee I’m a bit biased in favor of some government. Today we elect our next President for the next four years.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You rule with mercy, wisdom and justice. Let us seek leaders for our nation and for our congregation who mirror those same attributes. Let us choose leaders not strictly by familiarity or family ties, but by weighing in favor of the good of the entire body. Let us remember that despite our compliance to earthly kings, you are Lord of all. We surrender our lives to your authority and seek to be devoted citizens of your kingdom. Amen

I Samuel 10:23-24 They ran and brought him out, and as he stood among the people he was a head taller than any of the others. Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see the man the LORD has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people."
Then the people shouted, "Long live the king!"

Praying for Our Enemy

Prayer is a necessity. Without it we see only our point of view, our own righteousness, and ignore the perspective of our enemies. Prayer breaks down those distinctions. To do violence to others, you must make them enemies. Prayer, on the other hand, makes enemies into friends. When we have brought our enemies into our hearts in prayer, it becomes most difficult to maintain the hostility necessary for violence. In bringing them close to us, prayer serves to protect our enemies. — Jim Wallis in Peace Prayers

Actually, the presidential election has not been too mean-spirited in my opinion. Perhaps because both men seem to respect each other underneath all of the ads and debates that require one to differentiate issues and the choices. There doesn’t seem to be a deep divide between the two men that barely allows them to remain in the same room. Maybe McCain has faced enough enemies in his past as a Prisoner of War and Obama has faced enough backlash from his mixed heritage that neither one wants to spend their time unwisely nor wastefully on destructive thoughts. Even the red and blue state divide doesn’t really exist.

The “red state/blue state” divide has become such a staple of cable news since the 2000 presidential election that many people assume that it’s a recent invention, but it isn’t. More importantly, although “red” and “blue” have become rallying cries for political partisans in recent years, the color labels were never intended to last beyond a given election, and are, in fact, supposed to flip in 2008.
The use of “red” and “blue” as color codes on maps of electoral results actually dates back to at least 1908, when the Washington Post printed a special supplement in which Republican states were colored red and Democratic blue The colors were apparently arbitrarily assigned in that case, although in later years both parties strove to claim blue (as in “true blue Americans”) and avoid red, with its connotations of radicalism.
Finally, in 1976, the TV networks agreed to a formula to avoid any implication of favoritism in color selections. The color of the incumbent party, initially set as blue for Gerald Ford’s Republican ticket in that year, would flip every four years. Consequently, a successful challenger runs again in four years, as the incumbent, under the same color. So in 1992, the challenger Clinton was red on the maps, and in 1996, incumbent Clinton was also red. Challenger Bush, red in 2000, was red again as an incumbent in 2004. But perhaps because the pundits decreed 2000 to be a watershed election, the “red/blue” divide has assumed a broader political significance (at least to pundits), and although the formula dictates that the Republicans should be carrying the blue flag in 2008, it will be interesting to see how the networks color their maps.Word-Detective.com/ June 2007

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, No one else asks us to pray for our enemies, but you. No one else asks us to love our enemies, but you. This should make it easy to differentiate between following your laws and following the laws of our emotions. Even in the word enemy, we find its source includes the word “friend.” Let us also pray for our own redemption, when we seem to be our own worst enemy. Let love expand in our hearts and minds leaving no room for hate and anger to remain. Amen.

Prayer Circle

Some people are curious about our little prayer group. Perhaps you first became aware when you saw us at the end of the second service in a little huddle with our heads together at the front of the sanctuary, sometimes we make a circle in the narthex, and lately we’ve been going to the chapel. It sounds a bit like Goldilocks, trying to find the right spot! It has more to do with being able to hear each other rather than trying to be visible or invisible. We are specifically praying for the congregation, its vision, leadership, direction, growth, discipleship, and more. You may see us on Sunday, but the prayers are daily. We don’t physically meet each day, but I trust the others implicitly are fulfilling their promise without delay. However, I know myself fairly well, and I had to find a way to be accountable or it might slip into a Sunday thing, and since we attend early service, I don’t always stay for the Sunday group prayer, and then pretty soon Sunday would have slipped off the priority list as well, and then I would have to quickly exit to avoid the guilt of seeing those I have let down – which would be everyone! Whew! So, to avoid that spiraling cycle of guilt and broken promises, and to instill a new discipline, that is why this posting has become my response. In no way do I believe that our circle is the only one praying for our congregation!!! I believe many others include the church while praying for their families because it’s as natural as a bee making honey.
I will be taking six days of vacation and because it’s okay to ask for help, so they say, and because I believe we have many who are eager to pray, here’s an invitation to share in keeping a daily written conversation and prayer for our congregation. You can e-mail me, call me, or leave a comment directly below, or I may call you!

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, We turn to you for comfort, direction, and thanksgiving but often we find it hard to turn to the person next to us and admit we need help. We try so hard to be self-sufficient, but often we can't do all that we hope to do. Like a circle expands on the surface of a pond, so our widening circle can expand as we meet and join with others. Amen.

My Beloved

My Beloved is Mine, and I am His. Song of Solomon 2:16

These were the words on our wedding invitation 29 years ago. I’m not always known for being head strong, although I have my moments, but in planning our wedding I had some definite ideas. Part of my theory was that if people came to share in the celebration, then the ceremony needed to be longer than five minutes, so there was extra music, extra readings, and extra candles (even in the bridesmaid’s flowers)! We weren’t quite as extravagant with finances, the traditional seventies wedding in the southern suburbs was a simple cake and mints affair. I wore my dear friend’s wedding dress, asked a co-worker to take the photos, and had the plainest bridesmaid’s dresses ever. (Sorry girls, my biggest regret for the day). In some ways I was extremely lenient in expectations, and in other areas I had my own maverick standards which weren’t found in any bride’s magazine. Where was Dennis in all of this? Where any groom wants to be, out of the way! His one criteria was that it had to be late enough in the day that his groomsmen could finish their work at the golf course. After that he was content to show up the day of the wedding and let me have the reins. “The goal in marriage is not to think alike, but to think together.” Robert C. Dodds. We definitely have some different ideas and approaches, and I believe we have always given each other the freedom to keep our individual perspectives, yet we can come together easily, trusting each other’s decisions and respecting each other’s views. “Love at first sight is easy to understand; it's when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle.” Amy Bloom. A few years ago I reached the point where I had spent more of my life married than not married, and then came the raw realization that we are only about half-way to where we hope to be. One of the songs at our wedding was “What are you doing the rest of your life?” We are still finding out.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, One of your greatest creations is companionship! How wisely you realized that we need others to help support, to corroborate, to plan, to mend, and with whom we can share our joys and sorrows. Let our congregation hold sacred the marriages that begin in our church, doing our part to provide a nurturing environment for their growth and endurance. May we keep a sense of their excitement and devotion and reclaim that for our own lives, finding the joy of placing another person’s welfare above our own. It is a miracle! In Jesus’ name and as Christ followers, Amen.

What are you doing the rest of your life?
North and South and East and West of your life
I have only one request of your life
That you spend it all with me

All the seasons and the times of your days
All the nickels and the dimes of your days
Let the reasons and the rhymes of your days
All begin and end with me

I want to see your face in every kind of light
In the fields of dawn and the forests of the night
And when you stand before the candles on a cake
Oh, let me be the one to hear the silent wish you make

Those tomorrows waiting deep in your eyes
In the world of love that you keep in your eyes
I'll awaken what's asleep in your eyes
It may take a kiss or two

Through all of my life
Summer, Winter, Spring, and Fall of my life
All I ever will recall of my life
Is all of my life with you

Nature Reclaimed

I went to the grand opening of the Trinity River Audubon Center in Dallas. (other photos from my afternoon). It was a beautiful day to be outside and the turnout was very strong despite the State Fair and Cowboy football game as venerable competition. One of the success stories about the center already is that it was once an illegal dump site. It has been reclaimed by the City of Dallas and demonstrates how a municipal liability can be transformed into a major asset. The Center has over 6,000 acres and volunteers will provide a direct impact in further reclaiming and restoring the land for native plants and animals. It also provides new economy and improved visibility for an area of town that is often bypassed for the malls and athletic complexes of north Dallas. Between the educational programs at the Center, the Tai Chi demonstration, and the rescued birds of prey that were on display I was reminded of the vast array of opportunities available for volunteers to make others aware of our inter-connectedness.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, Your creativity is magnificent! There are ponds teaming with life, brilliant flowers attracting insects, drying fall plants waiting to reseed, children learning about the hidden world around them, and adults growing in harmony with nature. Life is resilient! Let us reclaim our place in your presence when we have sloughed away from our responsibilities, and let us restore our faith when we have polluted our morale. You provide opportunities for rebirth and rejuvenation. Let us each find a passion to call our own, in which we are compelled to help educate and promote awareness for others. There are infinite possibilities as we marvel at your creation and the abundance of life! Yet with the countless organisms in your creation, one declining system impacts all others. All are deemed worthy. Let us live to be worthy and restored by your grace. Amen.

Ears that Hear

One of our dogs has a quite annoying habit, she can pick up the faintest creak of a bag of cookies being opened when she is in a sound sleep several rooms away. I suppose I only have myself to blame, both for the fact of opening the bag for a cookie, and secondly for getting her in the habit of expecting a bite at the end. It can be so infuriating when I try my best to be deliberate and slow about quietly opening the bag but by the time I’m sliding the cookie completely out of the bag I hear the clicking of her nails against the flooring as she quickly comes into the kitchen with her ears perked up and eyes fixed on my hands. Then I’m not only out one bite, but I’m out two because the other dog follows behind. It can take all the pleasure out of sneaking a treat! I don’t mind sharing so much, but it’s the pretense of being invisible and the extravagance not counting if no one else sees it. Like the new shirt that gets whisked away to the closet, or the CD with the cellophane quickly removed, or the cookie held behind the back, we are skilled at finding ways to hide our actions and foolishly thinking it will delay their consequences.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, Do you shake your head in amazement at our folly or do you grow limp in sorrow at our failure to understand your omnipotence and mercy? Again and again we think we can control the variables to portray the veneer we want others to see, but truth cannot be camouflaged. Help us to act in ways that bring credit and honor, not grievances that bring disappointment and reprimands. As we strive to improve our own course, let us also be aware of adverse activities in the world. We have “ears that hear and eyes that see – the Lord has made them both.” (Proverbs 20:12) Let us attune our ears to the fine hints of deceit and injustice and see with clear vision the facts of inequality that can’t be disguised. We are accountable both by our actions and our inactions. We long for your favor, but sometimes we find the way there more difficult than others. We seek your strength to live in truth. Amen.

Then the LORD said to Samuel, "Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them.
I Samuel 3:11-13

Funambulist

At the Renovare conference one of the illustrations that was shared was the story of the Great Blondin who became famous by crossing Niagra Falls with varying theatrical feats: Once on stilts, another time blindfolded, pushing a wheelbarrow, and by cooking and eating an omelet in the center. But one walk has legendary proportions. Blondin walked across the rope to a cheering crowd and asked, “Do you believe I can walk back?” The crowd started chanting “We believe! We believe!” “To prove my skills are above reproach I will carry someone with me! Do you believe I can do this” At which point the crowd erupted in approval, “We believe! We believe!” “Then who is willing to come along with me?” The crowd was silenced. He asked again with no believers coming forward. Finally, one man, Blondin’s manager came forward and rode on Blondin’s back safely across the wet cable to the opposite shore for the experience of a lifetime.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, We have no reason to falter in our belief in You. When you call us forward, we ask that we have the courage to follow our words of faith. It could be a call to teach, to be an elder or deacon, to help improve the buildings and grounds, to work with the youth, to rebuild a community, or to be joyful in worship. Not every entreat will lead us over dangerous depths but in all considerations having the same trust. We seek that unerring trust to replace our doubtful and cynical expectations that we have developed through disappointing experiences with leaders, government bodies, media and even close friends. To follow your call will take prayers not only for our selves, but also prayers of encouragement for one another. You go before us, guard behind us, and stay beside us. Let us let go of whatever may hold us back to stand securely in your presence. We believe! Amen.

The Time is Right

How many times have we wished that the day had at least 25 or 26 more hours instead of a measly 24? What would we do with those two extra hours? Would we take the opportunity to fill them with plans and dreams for things that we don’t seem to have the time for now: Checking on a friend? Reading a book to a child? Exercising? Learning a new trade or hobby? Volunteering? Sleeping? Or would we use those 2 extra hours and dream of 2 more so that we can expand what we are already doing: Answering a few more work e-mails? Watching more TV? Placating our current obsession? Wishing we had more time. I don’t necessarily have good time management. It’s probably a good thing that I do work because on holidays or days that I take leave, I putter around the house and before I can blink an eye it’s 10:30 or noon and I haven’t anything to show and sometimes barely out of sleeping attire. When I go to work I don’t have a problem staying on task and getting things done, but I can have a hard time translating that same resolve to other ways in which I spend my time.

"The time is always right to do what is right."
Martin Luther King Jr.

My prayer for the congregation?

O God of infinite dedication, we are humbled by your devotion. With whatever time we have, help us to do what is right in your eyes. Whether it is honestly working for wages or as volunteers; or diligently attending to the needs of our family; or exhaustively exercising our minds and bodies; or energetically feeding and using our talents, may they all be done for your glory. May we reevaluate our timing and revise our schedules so that we are in alignment with your plans. Help fill our hours with righteous actions and leave less time for undirected meandering. Give us time of rest and play so that we may restore our passion and vitality. And may we find time every day to be in conversation with You. Amen

Hospitality

One of the speakers at the Renovare conference I attended was Lauren Winner. I already had her book “Mudhouse Sabbath” for several years in which she views Christian principles through her Jewish heritage. Part of what she talked about was the concept of hospitality. The Jewish tradition is to warmly welcome strangers since they had lived as exiles in an alien land and knew the value of being welcomed into homes. Jewish tradition says that houses were to be built with doors on all four sides of their house so that no traveler would have difficulty finding an entrance. In fact, it wasn’t enough to have the doors left open, the charge was to go out and bring in guests. The host was expected to serve the guests himself and the guest was expected to offer grace after the meal to thank his host. The guest should also leave a small portion of his meal on his dish to demonstrate that he had been given more than enough. Hospitality was seen as critical as study. The huppah, the canopy used in Jewish wedding ceremonies with four open sides, is used as a symbol that the newly married couple will take on these “acts of love” as they establish their own home. Ms. Winner suggests that “Creation is the ultimate expression of God's hospitality to his creatures.” She shared a personal story of a family that is so used to having visitors that their eight-year-old asked, “Mommy, why isn’t there anyone in the guest chair tonight?”

My prayer for the congregation?

God of Creation, you leave your arms open and welcome us warmly into your embrace. There are no strangers in your eyes, only loved ones. You are not content to wait for our stubbornness to fade, but come in search of us with bountiful gifts. You have fed us and provided sanctuary and we offer our thanksgivings and praises to You. Let us, in turn, welcome any who are drawn to the light inside. Let us be so accessible that none have trouble finding an entrance nor a welcoming smile. May we become so enthusiastic and thorough that our youngest become familiar with having guests in our halls and in our pews, and that they find it extraordinary not to have someone sitting alongside at a place of honor. Amen.

Pen Prayers

I found “Prayers from the Ark” by Carmen Bernos de Gasztold at a used book store a few years ago. There are twenty-seven poems, each a simple prayer by one of the animals on Noah’s Ark. Noah starts the book as he cries out “Lord, what a menagerie! Between your downpour and these animal cries one cannot hear oneself think! The days are long, Lord….” Some of my favorite poems are: the prayer of the companion dog, “No one but You and I understands what faithfulness is…”; the singing cricket, “this little impulse of my love: this note of music You have set thrilling in my heart”; the dowdy elephant, “I am so embarrassed by my great self, and truly it is not my fault if I spoil Your jungle a little with my big feet…”; and the confident rooster, “I am Your servant, only… do not forget, Lord, I make the sun rise.” But the one that comes closest to my own prayer is the Prayer of the Butterfly.

Lord!
Where was I?
Oh yes! This flower, this sun,
Thank You! Your world
is beautiful!
The scent of roses…
Where was I?
A drop of dew rolls
to sparkle in a lily’s heart.
I have to go…
Where? I do not know!
The wind has painted fancies
on my wings.
Fancies…
Where was I?
Oh yes!
Lord,
I had something to tell you:
Amen

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, How do you separate all of the prayers and make each one heard? You welcome our prayers as they come from our heart, not as ideal, but from our lives and from our needs. Sometimes we are like Noah, exhausted by the day’s demands and unyielding clamor. Our days are long and we seek relief. Sometimes we are closer to the arrogant rooster who has more need for recognition in saying our prayers than truly seeking Your will. Often we are distracted as the butterfly, landing on one cause for only a moment before finding interest in the next one over or being pushed away by the winds of demands. Help us to remain faithful and joyful in our commitment to following Christ. O God, we are a menagerie of talents and personalities! Lead us off together to further your mission. Amen.

The Real Thing

It seems like one way we hope to make an ideal world is by making things more homogeneous. A way of thinking where race is inconsequential, age is unimportant, one’s sex is minor, and no culture is dominant. Wouldn’t we love to be considered for a job where truthfully none of those qualifiers were part of the decision? Wouldn’t we love to remove all of those barriers when we see someone by their external features only? Wouldn’t we love to have an equal share for all, where no one is greater than another? Wouldn’t we love to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony?

I'd like to teach the world to sing (Sing with me)
In perfect harmony (Perfect harmony)
I'd like to buy the world a Coke
And keep it company
(That's the real thing)
…And I'd like to buy the world a Coke
And keep it company (It's the real thing)
I'd like to buy the world a coke
(Coke is what the world wants today)
And keep it company (Coca-Cola)

There we go again… We can’t seem to stop ourselves. We either exploit the idea for a business proposition (before the next person), or create a standardized population that becomes the plot of a science-fiction nightmare. In that story there remains a corruptible bureaucracy of oversight that thinks for the masses. We just can’t get the idea right on our own.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You alone can see us as our true self, your beloved child. You don’t have favorites; you love each one for our unique gifts and our distinctive personalities. May we find the same irresistible qualities in each other that you find in each one of us. Let us encourage the talents of our neighbors and embrace the unique individualities that supplement one another, building a stronger community that can serve you more creatively and completely. Let us adopt the connective greeting from the Orthodox Church: “The Christ in me greets the Christ in you.” The only way to see each other more purely is to see the pure Christ in each one. Remind us that the world's harmony cannot be found in a jingle or a manifesto, but by living in want of you, and living in the shadow of Christ. Amen.

Helpless Without Help

Many rash generalizations are made about people needing to pull themselves up by the bootstraps, to stop being dependent, but I really don’t think anyone wants to be helpless. I know I don’t. I like to try and do things by myself first before I admit I might need help with things that are technologically over my head, physically beyond my strength - or anything to do with finance and numbers. I think my sensibilities lie closer to farmer-stock than city-dwellers, even though I have never lived on a farm. I learned to rotate tires and change spark plugs in high school (okay I actually only did each one once, and it wasn’t exactly my idea, but still I got my fingers dirty and I’m able to pound my chest in conquest). Of course, if I reduced my pride and learned to have a healthier dependence upon God, I might surprise myself with what could be accomplished.

“Show me a helpless person and I will show you an angry person. But show me a person whose heart, soul, mind, and strength is fixed upon loving an Almighty God, and I’ll show you someone who realizes that he or she is never helpless. And when we realize that we are never helpless, then we can also do that second part, continuing to do good—showing that we’re different—even when everything around seems to be going bad. It may not be a piece of cake. But with time, and prayer, and courage…it’s possible.” – Sermon of the Month, Eastminster Presbyterian Church, Dallas, Texas

My prayer for the congregation?

Almighty God, Your acts are life-giving and strengthening. You work continually for goodness and righteousness. O God, at times we feel helpless to the immensity of our national and global issues and are tempted to fall into a state of apathy or non-involvement. Let us combine our sense of can-do with your wisdom of how-to, furthering goodness, one step at a time. Let others see the difference in the way we approach problems with courage, focus, prayer and reliance on our gifts united with your will. Because of your grace we are different and have a sense of peace and conviction when a more reasonable emotion could be fear and anger. Let our reality be grounded in you. Through you all things are possible! Amen.

Via Negativa

Via Negativa
Why no! I never thought other than
That God is that great absence
In our lives, the empty silence
Within, the place where we go
Seeking, not in hope to
Arrive or find. He keeps the interstices
In our knowledge, the darkness
Between stars. His are the echoes
We follow, the footprints he has just
Left. We put our hands in
His side hoping to find
It warm. We look at people
And places as though he had looked
At them, too; but miss the reflection.
R.S. Thomas (1913–2000)

I’m listening to a book by Eugene Peterson as I drive. Appropriately, after yesterday’s meditation by Richard Rohr on the benefits of saying “I don’t know,” I heard this poem today. My favorite part is “the darkness between the stars.” Imagine! I learned that more than a title to this poem, via negativa is a term which means looking for answers about God and existence in "what is not" rather than saying “God is this, and God is this”. It’s a realization that you can’t use normal terms related to everyday life to try to define and describe the Holy, it’s too limiting. Artists use negative space to provide a place for the eyes to rest and it is considered as integral to the design as the focal point. Negative space in art “is the space around and between the subject(s) of an image. One day I will go see the paintings at the Rothko Chapel. The paintings, even as thumbnail images, have a way of pulling you into their blackness. I’m as quick as anyone to roll my eyes at a lot of modern art, but somehow he has applied layers and textures in the darkness that begins to explore the things for which we have no words.

My prayer for the congregation?

Oh Holy Spirit, You are in all and through all. You exist in areas where we don’t have enough imagination to behold nor words to explain. We take photos of the stars and marvel at their beauty as we are able to hold them in our hands, but the vast darkness between the stars is beyond our limitations. It becomes a background we often pass with quick, wide strokes of paint on canvas so that we can turn our focus on the detailed things we do know. Let us stare into the darkness between the stars, crane our ears towards the echoes of your centuries-old conversations, and place our feet in the footsteps left for our discovery and direction. You are not at all ordinary, nor definable. Let us walk via negativa to a new understanding of what we can never understand. Amen.

This I Know

We must never presume that we see. We must always be ready to see anew. But it's so hard to go back, to be vulnerable, and to say to your soul, "I don't know anything." Try to say that: "I don't know anything." Maybe you could think of yourself as an erased blackboard, ready to be written on. For by and large, what blocks spiritual teaching is the assumption that we already know, or that we don't need to know. – Richard Rohr

I understood the point of Richard Rohr’s meditation, but I was also struck by the opposite potential for spiritual growth, the ability to say “This I know!” It’s very easy for me to admit that I don’t know anything about almost everything, but it’s a real challenge to declare my thoughts on things as inconsequential as a favorite color, a favorite restaurant, or a favorite movie. If I can’t claim my own ideas, how can I pretend to have knowledge at all? How then can I pronounce the miracles of Jesus, or participate in Scriptural debate, or suggest the discernment of God’s will if I can’t identify what I do know about myself? If a blackboard remains blank, no reinforced teaching can occur. When you write key words it helps strengthen the message. What would you write down as the essential things you know, and that you wanted others to know about you?

My prayer for the congregation?

Omnipotent God, we know that you hold us dearly and have our best interests as your aim. Let us narrow down the most basic tenets that we follow and may they be seen as plainly in our actions as if they were written on our foreheads. Allow us to marvel at your mysteries without a need to undermine by explanations and propositions and instead utter words of submission, “I don’t know. It’s a God thing.” Build up our knowledge of ourselves, what we believe and what we are capable of becoming with your grace. Let us affirm what we believe to be true, "Jesus loves me, this I know!" Amen

Passing Judgment

While driving in the city we pass other cars on the highway all the time, but tonight after a drive on more rural roads I was reminded of the delicate art of passing on two-lane roads. It’s one thing to pass another car when all the lanes are moving in the same direction, true it can be tricky, but not as conflicting as moving into the next lane for oncoming traffic! There are a lot of decisions to be made: How badly do I need to pass? Has the solid yellow line prohibiting passing changed to dashed? How much room before it returns to solid? Can I accelerate that quickly? Can I see oncoming traffic??? I still feel vulnerable even though I’ve gone through the check list and decided it’s safe to pass. To knowingly drive on the wrong side of the road, even for a short amount of time, with headlights directly aimed at your windshield, takes strong nerves and a growing confidence in judgment. Sometimes it begins by frustration of following a car driving well below the speed limit, or the physical limitations of a big tractor trailer on hilly terrain, but eventually you reach the point where dissatisfaction and the impediment is more powerful than the challenge of moving ahead, even if that means looking straight at a distant projectile headed towards you. Eventually you learn which conditions are advantageous to passing, and when it’s more valuable to sit back, relax and wait to fight/pass another time.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You send out your disciples into the world, providing their needs and supervising their movements. As a congregation, give us courage and wisdom to know when to progress. Weigh in on our judgment so that with improvement and ease over time we may gain confidence and can increase our willingness to serve and decrease our hesitation to follow. Lord, you faced a point where you stayed and endured suffering instead of seeking relief and freedom. Teach us when we need to stay in place. Teach us how to add value to this world. Amen.

Amigos de Guatemala

When our sons were in middle school the youngest played select soccer and one of the best results of that phase of our lives was playing in the Dallas Cup, which is an international youth soccer tournament. Part of the understanding when you qualify to play is that as a home team you will provide accommodations for one of the international teams. Our team was selected to host “Las Estrellas” from Guatemala and Diego y Daniel stayed in our home. I was excited from the very beginning and took a week off work so that I could enjoy the entire week of soccer games and spending time with our guests. Our sons weren’t quite as sold on the idea and voiced their questions about the motive and the benefits of such an undertaking. “Why are they coming to our house? What will we do with them? How can we talk to them?” My years of studying Spanish allowed us to converse over the basic details. “Time to go. Time to eat. Time for bed.” (North Americans are very concerned about time!) Diego y Daniel were charmers, and after the initial meeting the four boys were instant companions. And even though we would join with other families for big gatherings of laughter and playing, we were sure that we were going home with the two best! The week flew by until it was time to take them to the airport for their return home. Our sons, who seven days earlier were prepared to revolt over this intrusion in their lives, were sad beyond belief, and after we returned to our house could do little more than lie on the couch and grieve their losses. One exclaimed, “I see their faces everywhere I look!” Our church cluster has established a relationship with el Norte Presbytery in Guatemala that has included Vacation Bible School, building improvements, spiritual development, and most of all creating friendships. This year we are hosting the exchange. Once you link your lives with theirs, you’ll never forget their impact on your life. (Read Jane for her more personal accounts.)

My prayer for the congregation?

El Senor ha hecho grandes cosas por nosotros, y eso nos llena de alegria. (Salmos 126:3)
The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. (Psalm 126:3) We welcome our sisters and brothers from Guatemala and we are elated for the opportunity to share another week together. Sometimes we marvel how this short amount of time can create a universal bond, but because of our common devotion to you, our boundaries are dropped. We are eager to sit side by side, and share in communion. Let us embrace this opportunity to learn about others, and to learn about ourselves as well. Let us take strength from their courage to travel and their eagerness to set aside this time to foster relationships. We ask for their safe keeping and gentle journeys back home. Amen.
En todo tiempo ama el amigo. Proverbios 17:17
A friend loves at all times. Proverbs 17:17

Wanting the God Things

One of the reoccurring themes that I heard from the people I met in Houston was a side of themselves they had never thoroughly had to claim before: want. Oh sure, they have experienced want; they wanted a new TV, they wanted to go out to dinner, they wanted to get a new tennis racket, they wanted a necklace – but for this group of people they had not wanted before. After 12 days without electricity the divide between the haves and the have nots was brought home to them in a way they had never experienced it before. To pass by homes on their own street with lights on, knowing what other benefits they had, they yearned for what their neighbors had. Not in a covetous manner, but from an inner pull that was missing something so basic in their lives that they felt incomplete. Then they reevaluated that emotion for their own spiritual growth and realized they had never wanted Jesus in that same rudimentary level. In their lives they have wanted to live faithfully, they have longed to discern God’s will in their lives, and they have created a nice symbiotic relationship to include their church schedule, with their work schedule, with their play schedule. But until they had to live in a climate without power, both in electricity and control, they had not experienced that side of submission, that side of necessity, and they wanted to apply that same depth of surrender into fervor for Christ. After the storm left the area, so did the national news media. I didn’t get to drive down to Galveston, and we haven’t heard many updates just a few hundred miles away, but listening to a Houston radio station as they recounted tales of “Hurricane Heroes” let me know that while the storm did incredible physical damage to houses and businesses, it also blew through a time of reconciliation, review, and renewal.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You fill our needs! Let us reassess our desires to determine the difference in things we want and things we need. We need You! Let us know of the deep, elemental need to be in your presence that can only be satisfied by time spent with you, not contented by an hour each week, but to live in constant awareness. As a church body, may we find our desires rooted in submission, not in omission. We ask for your continued healing presence for those who are discouraged, dislocated, and disconnected. Amen.

"Into the Eye of God"

"Into the Eye of God"-Macrina Widerkehr

For your little prayer
your journey into God,
May you be given a small storm
a little hurricane
named after you,
Persistent enough
to get your attention
Violent enough
to awaken you to new depths
Strong enough
to shake you to the roots
Majestic enough
to remind you of your origin:
made of the earth
yet steeped in eternity
frail human dust
yet soaked with infinity…

With the raw evidence of Hurricane Ike being so recent, it’s hard to imagine asking for a hurricane into one’s life, even if it is a small one! But sometimes it takes a major disturbance to upset our patterns and comforts which have a greater appeal than unknown results and hard work. We won’t know the calming side of God if we are stationed in comfort; or the merciful side of God if we are without need; or the forgiving side of God if we are stagnant in idleness.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, We long for your serenity! How can we fully know of your extensive peace without having lived through a time of doubts, unrest and insecurity? Let us turn our full attention to you, and seek your peace with the confidence of one who can battle the winds of a storm because of the assurance of the calm that awaits. Amen.


“Into the Eye of God” continued
…You begin your storm
under the Eye of God.
A watchful, caring eye
gazes in your direction
as you wrestle
with the life force within
In the midst of these holy winds
In the midst of this divine wrestling
your storm journey
like all hurricanes
leads you into the eye,
Into the Eye of God
where all is calm and quiet
A stillness beyond imagining!
Into the Eye of God
after the storm
Into the silent, beautiful darkness
Into the Eye of God
-Macrina Wiederkehr

Foolish in the World

I am either completely trusting, completely naïve, or completely irresponsible. Several months ago I registered, paid, and planned to attend a Renovare conference in Houston and hoped to spend a few extra days in the area. I had not yet made hotel plans, and then Hurricane Ike hit the region. There was some speculation whether the event would still take place but slowly the area started clearing and the church gained power six days before the event was to start. I kept finding all kinds of reasons why I shouldn’t go to the event and even tried to find someone else who could go in my place. In the end I formulated a compromise to attend one day instead of two. My mind wasn’t completely sold until I woke up at 3am and decided that was as good a reason to go as any. Before I left, we still did not have a computer, so I left without printing a map, but I knew to go south on I-45, was 90% sure of the address, and knew there was an exit for the street from the interstate, I just didn’t know whether to turn left or right. At least I know enough to have a charger for my cell phone that plugs into the car! I drove while most of the countryside was putting off getting out of bed, and I was bidding my time until family or friends were awake and could give me directions via the Internet. As it turns out it took three tries before I found someone that could help, and after she looked at the hybrid map questioned the address, which was wrong, of course. She was able to correct my course and stayed on the phone naming streets before I even reached them. She was able to get me to the driveway without a hitch and as soon as I found parking an attendant whisked me to the front doors on a golf cart. As I sat down the music stopped and the first speaker stepped up to the podium. Perfect! Before we said goodbye that morning, my friend asked how I was going to find my way back to the interstate at the end of the day. I told her it would be simple. I would just back track of course! And of course I didn’t, but instead followed the line of cars that obviously knew something I didn’t, and in a shorter time, was at the interstate. I am either completely trusting, completely naïve, or completely irresponsible.

The Lord is kind and does what is right; our God is merciful.
The Lord watches over the foolish; when I was helpless, he saved me.
Psalm 116:5-6

My prayer for the congregation?

Merciful God, You watch over the wise and the foolish, the young and the old, the strong and the weak. All are valuable in your sight. It’s hard to be reckless when we value astuteness, but for your cause, let us experience the vulnerability to be foolish. Let us set aside what is reasonable, sensible, and prudent to follow the path of Jesus, spending time with those who cannot benefit us, washing the feet of those who serve us, and living the laws of the commandments rather than arguing its intent. If You use the lowly and the foolish to demonstrate your transforming grace, You can use us! Amen.

Where is the wise person? Where is the educated person? Where are the great thinkers of this world? Hasn't God made the wisdom of the world foolish? God wisely planned that the world would not know him through its own wisdom. It pleased God to use the foolish things we preach to save those who believe. Because of what God has done, you belong to Christ Jesus. He has become God's wisdom for us. He makes us right with God. He makes us holy and sets us free.
Romans 1:20-21,30

Filling in Blanks

Now the question arises, does one fill in the blanks for the missing three days? I can say that my schedule was thrown out of kilter, and at a contemplative worship service when we were asked to listen to the selected scripture the words that applied to my life were “go to the mountainside to pray.” I wish Dallas had mountains, but instead I had to apply that imagery as I climbed the stairs to our room with a reinstalled computer. It’s not that I can’t or didn’t pray without this exercise of putting words on paper and uploading, but after six months it’s become a daily practice of setting aside time to focus on God and our congregation, and habits can allow one to jump into action mode instead of wondering where, when, and how. Believe me; I can work those questions into a lovely serving of procrastination. Instead I’m debating over the pros and cons of filling in the blank days. Pros: the commitment, a resolution to September, a complete project. Cons: Who are you kidding? Does everything have to be resolved like a 30 minute TV show? Aren’t there some pretty big blanks in the Bible? And by no means am I trying to compare the two, but I’ve always had a fondness for Midrash, a Jewish exploration of filling in between the lines of text, of missing information. We don’t know what to do with blanks. We’re used to filling them in as on a test or as a puzzle to solve.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, We long to climb the mountainside and be set aside in your presence. As much as we love a good mystery story, we are also trained to define, solve, and explain questions so that we are informed and educated. We feel superior and complete when we can resolve those missing elements. We cannot know your mind, O God. Let us embrace your mystery, your indefinable workings, and your unexplainable grace. Let us be humble and accept the opportunity to live in the unknown, relying on the Spirit instead of our own knowledge and experience. As we try to fill in the answers to how our congregation can best serve you and our neighbors, let us take time to explore the empty areas serving our church family, and also the vacancies in the awareness of your Grace in the people who pass our church every day. Some blanks are meant to be filled. Let our lives be used for your good. Amen.

Changing in Spite

The prodigal computer has returned home! It includes a new perspective on life that will take some adjustments to the way things look, perform, and interact with others. I will have to learn some new strategies and tactics to get the response that I need to complete my tasks. There are some things of which we have more control, and others which we don’t. In the world of computers I’m not willing to go back to the days of DOS, and so I have to rely on computer programmers and manufacturers who have the power to dictate how our work patterns evolve. We were happy to live in the world of Office 2003, but now we are all the way to 2007. We’re already behind again aren’t we? I wonder if anyone has created a time conversion for computer systems similar to the equation: one year in a dog’s life equals seven years of a human’s life. Could it be one year of computer life equals twenty years of human evolution? Would that mean we were contentedly living in the pioneer days of Office 1903? No microwaves, cell phones or Internet?? One church is hosting a twelve week video study on Postmodernism and how it can be deflected. I guess in communities where computers, satellites, and access to information are not as accessible as ours, a postmodern definition may not apply. But I imagine the churches that are using videos to disseminate the message are living and using the tools of postmodern progression. Even if a disaster of huge proportions completely altered the way we conduct our lives, there would be a new term found to describe this transition after the postmodern age. It’s a description of a grouping of years not a movement.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You have remained steadfast and true through the changing seasons and our changing world. In your timing, our tumultuous changes are but a leaf turning as another fall brings vibrant hues of reds and orange. These are colorful times and it may feel to us that all around us our stability is falling one by one, like dried leaves to the ground. You are the roots to the vine that remains alive and brings new growth and new life. Let us remain connected to You so that we may know that we are living in accordance with your laws and not left to flail about with the passing storms. Help us to adjust to our changing environment as simply as we put on a sweater or shorts in reaction to temperature changes. If we live faithfully then we have a core of unfathomable resistance to fear and worry. You are our source of life! Amen.

Windows

Whilst dipping pen in ink, I hereto ascribe these thoughts. In other words, the computer is in the shop! We don’t have the fancy i-phones or Google phones, and I’m old enough that I would rather write long hand than try and piecemeal a letter on a 2x3inch screen anyway - so in computer terms that means I’ve dusted off my Windows 98 laptop. I wanted to try and connect the laptop to our wireless router, but I was unable to find software or downloads that will work with these ten-year old ancient standards. Planned obsolescence. We are forced to use newer operating systems, with more memory, and with different connectors for peripherals. I’m not one that rebelliously will hold out until the bitter end crying for the demise of Microsoft, and I’m not computer literate enough to program my own solutions, but I’m frugal enough to appreciate this ten-year old computer still has the essentials that I need. The main drawback is the heat that is generated makes me warm and sleepy! As long as I’m not trying to download 7M files (which takes approximately 30 minutes via dial-up modem) or support NASA then all works as it should. I’m not leery of progress, nor do I dismiss the newest advances, I’m eager to see the new shortcuts, options, and productivity aids, but I’m not one that stands in line awaiting the latest beta version. I prefer to wait for the price to come down and the kinks worked out for the average consumer.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, We are never beyond upgrading in your eyes! You have the belief that we can continue to grow and mature in our faith and in our choices to live more Christ-like. Sometimes we remain at one stage, not because we fear the next step, but because we want to make use of all the resources that are available, and fully appreciate all the opportunities that are still viable. We don’t want to bypass an untapped gift in our rush to clamber to the next goal. Let us not be satisfied to remain level permanently. Give our dreamers the freedom to soar above our expectations and help them deliver your vision in a way that demands that we take notice. Our minds and energy await the challenges that come with adapting what we have with what You have waiting for us. Amen

Sweeten the Pot

I’ve always liked the inspiration of the American melting pot, an eclectic mix of nationalities and customs combining to create a new and stronger country because of its fusion of the best of multiple cultures. An editorial in today’s Dallas Morning News was written by a brand new American citizen, Murli Melwani. He writes of the conscious decision he made to live in another country besides the one to which his alignment was assigned by birth: “the desire to live in a place where one is allowed to give full play to one's gifts, talents, skills and abilities freely, while respecting similar rights of others; where one is not treated as a foreigner in a part of one's own country because one comes from another province or state…” As part of the ceremonies, a video was played of President Bush welcoming the newest citizens: "Our country has never been united by blood or birth or soil," he said. "We are bound by principles that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests and teach us what it means to be citizens." The editorial is concluded by an old anecdote from the community of Iran.

In the 8th century, a community from Iran, which later came to be known as the Parsis, fled the persecution by fanatical Muslim invaders of their faith. They arrived on the coast of India. Before these pilgrims set foot on the shore, their leader sent a glass of milk to the Indian ruler. The ruler returned the glass after adding more milk, topping the glass right up to the brim. His action sent the signal that the country couldn't accommodate any more people. The leader of the pilgrims, a sagacious man, added a spoon of sugar, without spilling a drop, and sent the glass back to the Indian ruler. The ruler understood the significance of the gesture: Sugar blends with milk and sweetens it without changing its composition or qualities. The ruler allowed them to settle in India.

Mr. Melwani can’t say whether the story is true or not, but that he understands the emotion and the sincerity, because he feels that he will be able to sweeten the American melting pot.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You hold all of the earth’s nations under your authority. We long to lessen our ties to kings and nations and increase our allegiance to your sovereignty. We are people choosing to live within your justice, your encouragement, and your welcoming grace. Let us add our talents and gifts to sweeten and enhance the portion of the world we are charged to administer and restore. Let us welcome the insights and diverse backgrounds that bring new understandings and new ideas to our congregation. We were established by many voices and varied opinions that made us stronger over our history. Let us continue to tell our stories, share our unique perspectives, and work to combine and unite them all into one house of worship, offering praise and adoration to our one, true Lord. Amen.

Give Me Your Eyes

Paul Newman had one of the most memorable set of eyes with their piercing, clear, and vibrant qualities. They were magnified by projection onto the movie screen, and along with his impish grin captured an image that made him an international star. He also had the talent to support his status. The thing I notice first about a person is their eyes. Some congregations share the phrase “I see the Christ in your eyes” as they Pass the Peace. It’s a phrase that encourages you to seek a deeper level of that person, as you look each other eye-to-eye, soul-to-soul. Others are encouraged to see the world around them, using Christ’s eyes as a filter. One of the Christian singers I’ve started listening to is Brandon Heath. He has a song called “Give Me Your Eyes” that is an invitation to do just that.

Give me Your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity
Give me Your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me Your heart for the once forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see
- Brandon Heath

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You have the ability to see the world as it should be, as it could be, and as it is. Let us seek the Christ in others, realizing that each one is a Child of God, and loved. May we find the capacity to love as well. Let us look at the neighborhood around us to see what we might have missed as we rush by to arrive in time for the next service, the next fellowship, or the next meeting. Let us look into the eyes of our neighbor, searching for the connection that reaches beyond their color and into the possibility of the person You have called them to be. Let us look at the mirror, into the eyes of one who has the talent to support the role that You have given as our mission. Give us Your eyes for just one second so that we can see as you can see. Amen.

40 Days

“The Bible is clear that God considers 40 days a spiritually significant time period. Whenever God wanted to prepare someone for his purposes, he took 40 days:

• Noah's life was transformed by 40 days of rain.
• Moses was transformed by 40 days on Mount Sinai.
• The spies were transformed by 40 days in the Promised Land.
• David was transformed by Goliath's 40-day challenge.
• Elijah was transformed when God gave him 40 days of strength from a single meal.
• The entire city of Nineveh was transformed when God gave them 40 days to change.
• Jesus was empowered by 40 days in the wilderness.
• The disciples were transformed by 40 days with Jesus after his resurrection.”

Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life

We now have 40 days until the presidential election. It may seem like we have been wandering in political wilderness for 40 years preparing for this election, but in six weeks we’ll know who the next president will be. The first debate between Obama and McCain will hopefully add some insight into their individual strengths and ideologies. Early voter registration is expected to be light as voters are waiting the full length of time hoping to find a defining moment when they can throw their support behind one candidate. Too often Americans vote against a certain candidate rather than for a candidate. Wouldn’t it be refreshing to know you were voting with certitude and were able to place your full confidence and enthusiasm behind your vote? Perhaps better than relying on political ads, media coverage, or talk show rhetoric that we could make our decision through 40 days of intentional prayer for guidance.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You are Lord of all! You govern our comings and our goings, and we are blessed to be under your rule. For the next 40 days let us pray with purpose for our nation, for the vote that each one holds, and for the leader that will emerge. This new president-elect will be forced to embark huge difficulties the moment the count is tallied, let us use our power to be lifted in prayer for wisdom rather than use our power to weigh down the energy needed to resolve. Let us pray for leadership that follows your model of direction and management. Ultimately, Lord, You have authority over us. And we are forever thankful. Let these 40 days be a time of testing of your will and being aware of your guidance. Amen.