Our Church

One of the listings I have on this web page is for Rob Bell's teaching at Mars Hill church in Michigan. I can't remember how I first heard about him; it could have been because I read Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith or by watching one of his Nooma video series, but eventually I found my way via the internet to the church that he pastors and their sermons on podcast . I usually wait a few weeks, and download several at a time so that I can put them on a CD for my drive to work. Rob Bell has a quirky sense of humor that resonates with my quirky sense of humor and I grin from the inside out - and he also has an infectious passion for mission and a desire to tell stories from the Bible with fresh eyes and creative analogies. I find that he ignites a spark to action in my own suburban life and I have shared his CDs with friends and family. But, I rarely find the same connection when he is out of town and other staff or visitors fill in. It's not my church. I benefit from listening to Rob Bell, but a church is more than one person, it's the people in relationship with each other and with God. I happen to have the complete package: pastors I like, admire, and who inspire me to further my faith development, joined with a congregation who all serve as shepherds, mentors and fellow journeyers on a united quest for study, worship and response to grace. Someday I wold like to travel around Michigan to see the coastland and the vineyards, and stop in Grand Rapids, Michigan to worship at Mars Hill (will Rob Bell be there???), but I would remain a visitor until I came home to our church.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, We are thankful that we have a church home; a place where we receive support, encouragement and love. As part of a family we are also entrusted to do our share to maintain its foundation, develop better relationships, and invest in its future. Without your presence and guidance we would be a broken family, a church in disorder. When we walk humbly alongside your mercy and grace we are a united family, a church in concord. We pray that our church is a sanctuary from the world, and a refuge for the world. We seek your will, your mission for our church, and your intention that we share our congregation's blessings with others who need a home and want to join in the chorus as we journey through faith. We are all visitors until we find our home in your enveloping arms. "I'm home!" Amen.

Staring at the fire for hours and hours,
While I listen to you play your love songs
"Our House" Crosby, Stills and Nash

Hear and Now

I watched a documentary titled "Hear and Now" which follows an older couple who were both deaf since birth. At the age of 65 they decided to get cochlear implants in hopes of hearing. They were already very well adjusted to the hearing world. As an engineer he wired their house to alert them to babies crying, alarm clocks and doorbells and he was instrumental in creating TTY (TeleTypewriter) allowing the hearing-impaired to communicate over the telephone. When surgical technology offered the possibility of hearing, they decided to try it together. It wasn't an easy procedure, causing nausea, pain and emotional distress. They had to wait 3 weeks for the swelling to go down before they could even test the implant, but once the device was turned on, the evidence of sound was seen in their face. The audiologist asked what they could hear, but they had no words, nor experience to be able to define what they heard. There were days of amazement as they walked around their house listening to sounds. They would flip light switches, run their hand down a wall, and learn the difference between tiptoeing and walking heavily down a wooden hallway. She debated the need to buy a carpet to muffle the sound and Paul played air guitar when the family brought over a sound system as a present. It wasn't a perfect cure. They could hear sounds, but often it was noise, it was not perfect hearing. In the earnest hope of hearing and understanding, Sally would turn up her implant often to the point where the system would become overloaded and quit working. They did not know how to filter excess noises that the hearing world does automatically. They would often take off the device when they needed a rest from the barrage of clamor or if they wanted to concentrate. There was disparity between their successes of hearing. Paul seemed to hear more than Sally which left her frustrated. She never regretted having the procedure; her only regret was that it came so late in life.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, We are a hope-filled congregation, eager to take the risky and sometimes painful steps to experience that which we have no knowledge to compare. There will be stages of wonder, frustration, joy and peace. May we be gracious and patient through each stage and encourage each other when the pace is a struggle and uneven. Let us filter our emotions and worries, allowing us to focus on the work of the church and our mission in your plan. Let us give thanks for our energy and our hope, and refuse regrets by claiming and taking part in your kingdom, here and now. Amen

Who Has Seen the Wind?

On the first page of one of the books I had as a child was the poem "Who Has Seen the Wind" by Christina Rossetti. The past few days it has been very easy to see the wind. Flags are flying straight out, hair is being thrust out of place and tossed across one's face, the trees are bending and leaning in response to the wind. The good news is that the winds have helped keep our 90+ degree temperatures a bit milder than stagnant, humid summer air. It has been going on for several days now and I keep wondering where all the wind is coming from. How can the winds be that strong, yet continue to be in our area instead of moving to other parts of the country? Some of my favorite memories are being on sailboats with the wind lifting the sails and the rush of the wind on my face. We saw a tree in Colorado that had been twisted artistically by the strength of the wind, which only makes me a greater admirer of the wind. I know the news broadcasts hope to intimidate the public when they show reporters bracing the hurricane winds and rain, but instead I am checking myself to keep from driving down and standing next to them! A couple of movies come to mind when I think about the wind. One is watching Lt. Dan facing the hurricane in "Forrest Gump." After challenging God to bring on the worst during a storm, Lt. Dan is humbled and changed. During the movie "Phenomenon" Lace is rocking on the porch, and it joins the earth's rhythm of the trees rocking in the breeze, and her own heartbeat. Who has seen the wind?

My prayer for the congregation?

Holy Spirit, you are compared to the rush of a mighty wind. We try to find words that express your power and we are left using words that describe another unseen force that can be seen through the elements with which it comes into contact. We pray that your power can be witnessed through our lives, both the gentle daily rhythms of grace and the bold occasions of humbling mercy. We are shaped as we yield to your constant presence. May our congregation be a force of enduring love. Our winds will subside, but the Spirit is eternal. Thanks be to God, Amen

Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you:
But when the leaves hang trembling
The wind is passing thro'.

Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I:
But when the trees bow down their heads
The wind is passing by.
- Christina Rossetti

The Kitchen Sink

At one point yesterday, our small office had four different service calls addressing repairs at one time. We had an outside vendor attending to our large copier/printer in one area, a technician making adjustments to a new ID system in another room, a mechanic making adjustments to a 30+ year old lighting system in the same room, and an in-house computer technician swapping computers throughout! At one point our boss asked if anyone else could be in our area? "The plumber!" was our comeback, to which we all groaned... "NO!" As many questions that arise with that many activities, repairs and changes, and even though there is a learning curve to use the new computers (which can be frustrating) - at the end of the day, when so much had been tackled, it felt really good! We've waited nine months to get our computers upgraded, but as an unexpected bonus, we are getting more software than we had before, and an additional work station! This is good!! I can't wait to go to work???? :-)

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, Sometimes we're impatient when we think our needs have been overlooked or we are hurt when we think we have been ignored. We see other needs met before our own. After living in disbelief and mistrust, often we're not prepared mentally or physcially when our needs are raised as a priority and the wave of change comes into our lives like high tide, first tickling our toes in the sand and then strong enough to make breaking white foam that makes its power known. We reach down to the water, made closer to our reach, and playfuly throw it above our heads. We delight in the new experience, change the way we stand to adjust for the new surroundings, and marvel at what is brought along with the higher water. Gracious God, you are present in our low tides and our high tides, all as part of your rhythm and wisdom. Right now we thank you for our overwhelming blessings! Amen

Arches de Triomphe

I have one of those love/hate relationships with McDonalds. In part because I’m stubborn enough that I don’t like to feel as if I’m being bullied into a situation. Children who aren’t old enough to read can recognize the golden arches and start pointing their parents towards them. When our sons were young, McDonalds had started introducing the playgrounds on site, Chicken McNuggets, and Happy Meals. There was no question where they wanted to eat when given the choice! They saw fun and toys! I saw kids eager to eat, a possible struggle over when to leave, and sweet convenience. One of the things I admire about McDonalds is how quickly they move people in the drive-thru lanes. If someone tries to boycott the system by special ordering, then of course the sandwich will be made to order, but they ask that sticky cog to pull ahead so that the other well-trained customers can pull up and receive their orders as soon as possible. It’s a very well-timed process with a high standard of implementation. I find myself comparing other drive-thru waits to McDonalds when I feel I’ve been waiting too long for fast food. Hello! Fast food!! Although I may have mixed emotions about the restaurant, they do offer some wonderful charitable gifts such as the Ronald McDonald Houses which allow families to stay near the hospital where their critically ill child is receiving treatment and Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles taking health care to neighborhoods.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, Our congregation does so many things so well. We are blessed. Some processes are well practiced and have stood the test of generations, while some methods are revised and critiqued for possible changes. It is a struggle to know when our ideas might border on the edge of awkward impulse and when we are living in the realm of unbridled dreams and visions. We dream that the children will point to the cross on the church and direct their parents to turn in. We hope that the parents will see the church as a home that offers fellowship, nurture and growth for their families. Let us hold our church to a high standard whose focus is the triumph of your kingdom and one that can be used as a gauge for vitality. Let our congregation be known for our united acts of love and for gifts of gratitude to the community in response to the grace in our lives. Let us create an arch of joined hands to welcome the Beloved. Amen

Vacation at the Dealership

There's nothing like a wait at the car dealership to just be. Oh, I could have made the wait more work efficient. I could have brought a laptop, made some phone calls, or made lists of things to accomplish, but instead I wrote an old-fashioned, hand-written letter to a friend. It's something I've been meaning to do for several weeks, just like getting the oil changed, and today it was possible to do both things. I was efficient! Philip Yancey commented that the beginning of the verse in Psalm 46, "Be still and know that I am God..." comes from the word "vacate" which is the root of the wonderful word "vacation." So Philip Yancey invites you to vacation with God. Be with God. It's hard to imagine taking a vacation at a car dealership in Dallas; there is no ocean breezes, no mountain vistas, nor fine art hanging on the wall to pass as a museum, but one thing they do offer is the opportunity to just sit still, and be. A dealership may not rate as a Top Ten resort, but it still offers the opportunity to vacation, if you will.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, May we find the time to vacation with you, to sit still in your presence, and to know that you are God. We have errands to run, tasks to accomplish, and great needs that you have set before us, but there is also your instruction to be still. "Be still and know that I am God." Your command, O God, brings us peace but also brings into alignment our priorities and our power structure. You are Lord when I am still and when I am running full steam. You provide a constant vacation, if we will accept your invitation to be with you. Amen.

Confessions

A public confession of sins is part of our faith tradition's worship service. It's not that we don't have private confessions through prayer, but our lives intersect with the printed public confession, and there are those sins that we have corporately as a community. I've never had a problem with the section of worship devoted to confession of sins and I find it surprising that some people find objection to being grouped into a public time of confession. I'm always able to find myself and my actions in those words. Thanks be to God for the Assurance of Forgiveness. We have a new intern who started today and his role during the worship service was to lead us through the prayer of confession. But here's my confession... today I had to smile during this holy time. To hear our confessions of sin with the eloquence of a proper English accent made the word "tawdry" sound tempting! Accents have a way of influencing your mood. An apology from a Carolina southern drawl is much more convincing than from a gruff New Englander. A cowboy joke told through the voice of a West Texas twang is much more entertaining than from a Canadian inflection, eh?

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, We offer our confessions before you. We confess that we don't follow your directions whole-heartedly, we evoke our own agendas, and we try to use our own vision of how to complete the tasks presented to us. We are humbled by your enduring love and forgiveness. We are thankful that you do not listen to our voice and our stumbling sentences that we force together, but listen instead to the words of our hearts during our time of open prayer and reflection of our omissions and sins. We pray that we be in your presence and live following your will. Amen.