Looping Puccini

On Tuesday my job required me to travel to another campus, about 70 miles north-east of Dallas. It's an assignment for which I am always ready to volunteer. It does my soul good to get out of the city and see countryside. My favorite part of the drive is when there are no other cars on the road, just an occasional cow in the wildflowers, and listening to my favorite traveling CD, Coldplay's "Rush to the Head." But for a change in routine I pulled out a CD with arias by Puccini. I'm not usually an opera buff, but there are a few songs that are near perfection: "O, Mio Babbino Caro" & the 3rd Act of "Nessun Dorma." It doesn't bother me if songs are in another language. I tend to let the words become part of the whole song and not a section on which to focus. I used the repeat button to loop the songs over and over... and over again.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, You provide a perfect rhythm that calls our name and we never tire of hearing our name from your voice. Sometimes we may not recognize the exact words, but in times of grace, in times of cooperation, in times of miracles we understand that the undercurrent of your presence has been there all along, offering hope, seeking justice and reconciling wrongs. A perfect composition! Let us listen for your contagious melody in the life of this congregation. Let us join in refrain and let us never grow tired of your name resounding from our lips in continuous prayer. Amen

Giving In

Sometimes you just have no choice but to give in. Yesterday I got so sleepy driving home. I mustered the energy to fix dinner, but was asleep by 9pm. I woke up a little around 11pm, gave a thought to this exercise, but gave in to sleep again. I feel like I'm at a member from an AA meeting, and declaring, "I'm Nancy, I'm undisciplined." Now that I've skipped a day I have to start counting at the beginning again. By no means am I comparing this prayer/writing discipline to the victory that a recovering alcoholic achieves when they are able to count the days they are remaining sober; if anything it makes me appreciate more the struggle and dedication to be able to count continuous days of fighting something they want so badly. I gave into sleep. One could argue that my body needed it, but isn't their body screaming to give in to something it is sure it needs? How do you know when to give in and when to fight?

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, help us to maintain the daily discipline to stay healthy in our spirit and strong in our dedication. It is easy to reassign our priorities and to welcome the relief of a lesser goal. But at times we do have to listen to that inner call for rest and for reflection. Help us to be wise to know when to give in to those needed times of contemplation and when to fight the good fight past our concerns of self-interest. Let the days be numbered endlessly as we mature in our faith and stronger in our walk. Amen.

Windows 98

I woke up at 4AM on Friday and because I hate to lie in bed when I can't sleep I decided to spend some time on the computer. I could have stayed on the computer for another 8 hours; one link led to another, which led to two more... it was a pyramid scheme in perfection! I've added a host of new links to my favorites so that I can revisit. There is so much!! So much!! I like to think I'm semi-computer literate, but then a wave will hit me and I'll realize I'm still living in Windows 98. The first time I heard of blogs was about five years ago and I was incredulous that this whole forum had escaped me. Yes, I know about My Space and Face Book, but Friday morning was the first that I knew about Twitter. Again, I'm dumbfounded.

Twitter "brings you closer to those to whom you want to stay connected, 140 characters at a time."

This could possibly invoke an entire dissertation on relationships and I don't know whether to embrace it or to hope it will fail. The video on the home page gives a pretty creative example of the reason to use Twitter. It's a way to stay connected between blog postings and e-mail, but with this tag line, I wonder how much more distance it can create instead of a bridge of personal touch.

My prayer for the congregation?

God, today we honor the Sabbath. The weather said "stay home" but we gathered in your name for worship & fellowship w/ cakes & brisket. (136 characters, whew!) Amen (140)

or

God, we long to walk in your light, live by your truth and keep your commandment to love each other. Be with those who seek your peace. Amen (140)

Y U TXT?

My sister and I both have Nintendo DS. One of the features is that if you have multiple DS games within a certain distance then you can wirelessly text to the other.... Why? Why don't you just say it? You are in the same room! I have to admit that I am generationally challenged when it comes to texting. I just don't get it. I used my cell phone to text for the first time Friday night and that was to let #2 son know I wouldn't be going to his show. I knew he couldn't hear in the club and that he didn't have the time to talk, so, for the first time it made sense. Since I was on a roll I sent another TXT 2nite and he sent a reply message asking if I had watched a "60 Minutes" special to help parents text. He couldn't figure out my recent change of attitude. That's okay, he hates my BlueTooth. How in the world do you marry the radio generation, with the BW TV generation, with the Atari generation, with the cell phone generation, with the next generation??

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, our heads are spinning. How do we serve those with so many different needs and different traditions? How can we arrange a common space with such diverse tastes and furnishings? How can we bridge generations that have such fundamentally divergent points of reference? How can we possibly predict what the next generation will require? Our heads are spinning with confusion, frustration and helplessness. In our times of uncertainty, we can stand in confidence that we are your people. When all else seems to fall in shadows and blurred desires, we can proclaim with cohesive assurance that you are our God. We are thankful that you provide a centering point, a uniting universal starting point for conversation and fellowship. PTL! Amen.

On Strike

Every so often a story will appear about a mom who has decided to go on strike because she is underappreciated, and extremely underpaid. The article then makes a tabulation of all of the jobs that the mom does in the course of a week (chauffeur, housekeeper, tutor, cook, etc) and the cost of hiring out all of those positions is overwhelming! One study I don't think I've ever seen researched is to calculate the cost to replace a pastor who might consider going on strike. Their roles are many, and none are simple tasks!

I know I'm going to leave off some tasks, but this is a start (in no particular order):

Counselor

Judge/Mediator

Accountant

Office Manager

Property Manager

Fiscal Officer

Teacher

Consultant

Peace Officer

Computer Technologist

Visual Aids Specialist

Motivational Speaker

Social Worker

Event Planner

Wine Steward

Hospital Chaplain

Sales/Marketing

Vision planning

Writer (technical and creative)

Editor

Volunteer Coordinator

Student

Hospitality Agent

Juggler

Food Service Worker/Distribution

Logistic

Carpenter/Mason

Cheerleader

Forecaster

Spiritual Advisor

Healer

Translator/Interpreter

Security Officer

Shepherd
- And what is truly imposing, is that we too are all called to be ministers!?!

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, We indeed must rely on you if we are to try to fulfill your call to minister to each other and to the earth. One human cannot possibly assuage the many pleas for aide all by themselves. We are thankful for those who have followed a career in ministry. Forgive us when we ask too much of one person to complete and create unfair expectations. Gracious God, you have provided a community of individuals with many gifts and talents. Help us piece together a mosaic of skills and artistry to create an environment of learning, working, sharing and speaking of your love. One person can make a significant contribution, but together we can become a force of change. We seek your help as we minister to the world. Amen

Viva Tortillas!

We usually have some tortillas around the house. They make quick snacks if you add cheese and breakfast if you add egg. Actually, I prefer a tortilla with grilled bratwurst instead of a hot dog with bun! There I said it! I'm messing with all that our culture holds dear from the 60s: Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and Chevrolet (The Texas Rangers are taking care of the first ingredient). The one disturbing thing, not only with most tortillas, but bread goods in general, is that they seem to have increased the amount of preservatives that are added. Our family probably keeps bread longer than most people, so whenever I open a bag of bread, I automatically smell the bread first, expecting to get that unique smell of mold. When that test passes, I move to visual inspection. Still no mold! Bread items seem to last longer and longer. However... last week I bought some fresh tortillas from the deli section and imagine my surprise when mold started showing up while my other tortillas that were opened quite a bit earlier still seem unblemished and ready to use.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, if we preserve our worship to you in such a way that things become routine and synthetic, then we risk the possibility of missing the mystery and wonder that arises when we are open to fresh ideas and new programs. Help us to sustain our prayers, our worship, and our programs but with an appreciation for the authentic and relative. Let us continue our courses not because it's historical but because they are still needed and still valuable. We are thankful for all that has been preserved through the years through the campfire teachings by the story tellers, the illuminated and detailed words of the scribes, the poignant testimony of the witnesses, and the bold actions of the saints. Give us fresh voices to offer a glimpse of the living God in our lives to those who think of faith as stale and irrelevant. You, O God, are bright and unblemished and genuine. Amen!

Bucket Seats

As a young girl, with romantic inclinations, I can remember longingly watching couples sitting so close to each other in the front seat of the cars that it almost looked like there was one two-headed form in the front seat instead of two separate people. Before strict seat belt laws and center consoles, the girl could slide over and sit as close as she could and still allow the boyfriend to turn the wheel safely. It was obvious that they were in love and inseparable. I wanted to be the one sitting so close that no one could tell if there were two of us or one. One of my favorite anecdotes uses this imagery.

An older couple is driving down the road when they get behind a car with two people sitting very close to each other. The older woman shakes her head and asks why they don't sit that close to each other any more. The driver replies "I haven't moved."

In a few years this illustration won't mean as much to a younger generation that only knows of cars with bucket seats.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, you remain constant and steadfast as we move closer and farther away from your presence. Often we ask ourselves why you have left our company while it is our own actions that have created the distance. We also create distance in our own community when we assume that what we value and what we connect to will also evoke the same response to another set of ears and eyes. Help us to find common goals and to have a generous acceptance of each others unique origins and viewpoints. O God, we longingly seek to be inseparable from you and we desire to follow so closely to your will that it will seem as though we are one body, journeying together in the image of Christ. Amen