So I came across this blog posting (link above) today and was very interested by the literary tattoos people choose to get. Of my tattoos, only one is literary - song lyrics. "We all shine on." Relatively short, relatively small, around my wrist. THESE folks had committed to their literary tattoos. The pictures were great. The blogger, who is absolutely entitled to her own opinion, seems to not like the idea of tattoos in general, and certainly doesn't want to get any. Fair enough.
I read through the comments - many of the "tattoos are trashy and stupid and you'll regret it later" sort. Hey, everyone's allowed to have their own opinion, so whatever. But then I came across two comments that kinda expressed my own feelings about tattoos, so I thought I'd copy them down here so I can they don't get lost. Well, let's be honest; so I can read them again without having to find the post, scroll through the comments, etc etc etc
Here we go:
"tattoos are the only art that no one can ever take from you. they cant be repossessed, they cant be altered by someone elses opinion. they are there for the wearer, the canvass, and nothing more. i dont see how someone can have an opinion on something that couldnt have less to do with them, other than something stereotypical. tattoos are not for the poor. they are not for the wealthy. they are for the people who like to wear their hearts, souls, or beliefs on the outside, to be reminded of them every time they look in the mirror. Tattoos are a statement of self. every tattoo has meaning… even the silly ones, because maybe that is the side of life that person values. tattoos seep into your blood and rarely have i met someone with a tattoo that didn’t love it, even if they didnt originally. they become part of you as much as you are a part of that piece of art." - comment by nell
"The difference between tattooed people and other people is that tattooed people don’t care if you don’t have any." - comment by I. Thomas
I confess, that second one made me giggle.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
What happens when you wake up at 4:30am
So the puppy woke me up at 4:30am. I'm glad - it means she peed outside and not on my bedroom floor. However (comma) today that meant my brain woke up and wouldn't go back to sleep. So I've been awake doing odds and ends - clearing out my Facebook message inbox (I know), writing a couple emails, FINALLY putting those CDs I've been meaning to return to Jay in an envelope AND addressing it (aren't you proud of me?), putzing around with my FB profile, and realizing that I haven't blogged in, oh, about forever. Lots of reasons for that....some very good reasons, some not-so-good reasons, some just pure laziness. So I went back through my Facebook notes from the last year and a half or so, decided since we're about to hit Ash Wednesday that starting at Lent 2010 was as good a starting point as any, and have reprinted(?) a selection of my notes from the last year here on this blog.
Hopefully, this will be the start of regular blogging again. Keep your fingers crossed. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully, when people realize that I'm actually writing again, more people will stumble across this blog and start reading it. Hopefully, it will not just contain the text of my FB notes (which in turn are the text of my weekly-ish meditations to the youth of St. John's).
So we'll see. I've got good intentions, but you know what they say about those! :)
Hopefully, this will be the start of regular blogging again. Keep your fingers crossed. We'll see how it goes. Hopefully, when people realize that I'm actually writing again, more people will stumble across this blog and start reading it. Hopefully, it will not just contain the text of my FB notes (which in turn are the text of my weekly-ish meditations to the youth of St. John's).
So we'll see. I've got good intentions, but you know what they say about those! :)
Doctor Who as faith discussion? Originally posted January 2011
I was watching Doctor Who last night, and it really got me thinking. Now, those of you who have been anywhere near my Facebook page for oh, the last few weeks, are giggling over my obsession right now. Those of you who are not sci-fi fans are groaning. Those of you who are fans of the series are going to want to hit me over the head for the way I’m shamelessly editing the episode. But stay with me…I’m going somewhere with this.
Basically, in this episode, The Doctor has to turn himself into a human to hide from some bad aliens who are trying to find him and kill him so they can live forever and pretty much destroy the universe in the process. He becomes a teacher named John Smith. He doesn’t remember being The Doctor. The idea is that if he can just hide out in this ordinary, boring life long enough, the bad aliens will die, he can change back, and everything will be hunky dory. His companion, Martha, who’s in on the scheme and knows how to get him to change back to The Doctor early if necessary, is there as his servant. Then, he falls in love with the school nurse, and suddenly his life isn’t ordinary and boring (at least not for him), it’s something wonderful. That, of course, is when the bad aliens find them, and Martha realizes he’s got to change back into The Doctor in order to save the universe.
For reasons that will be TMI for most of you, John starts to understand that he was once this person called The Doctor. In a scene that moves me to tears, John Smith, in absolute anguish, says something along the lines of, “But I want to stay! I want THIS life, John Smith’s life, this job, this love…please let me stay…why can’t I stay???” Martha says, “But we NEED The Doctor.” It’s heartbreaking. He doesn’t understand why this is happening to him – he doesn’t quite believe that the fate of the universe is at stake - he has to just trust that Martha knows what she’s talking about, and he’s got an agonizing choice to make.
So, what does Doctor Who have to do with faith? Let me see…there are at least two people I can think of in the Bible…well three…well more than three, really, but three’s enough for an example, don’t you think, and I wonder what happens if I push this button here? (sorry, couldn’t resist)
Point is, the Bible is full of people who have to make just this kind of agonizing choice. Do they continue in their regular life, which may be a perfectly wonderful life, or do they step up to the plate when God calls them? Do they remain the regular guy or gal, or do they become the hero? And if they become the hero, what then? What do they give up? What do they gain?
Think of Noah – he could have kept on just being Noah, without being laughed at by everyone he knew for years and years and years. But he chose to listen to God and to follow what God told him to do, even though it seemed crazy. Worked out for the best, really, but Noah had no way of knowing that beforehand. He just had to trust God.
Or Gideon. There he is, living his regular life, when God tells him he’s been chosen to save Israel from the Midianites. And oh by the way you’re going to be a general and lead a tiny little army against the huge Midianite army but it’ll be OK because I’ll be with you. What a choice: leave his safe life behind for possible death, or keep his head down and hope God would go choose someone else. He eventually chose to do what God told him to do, and again, this worked out well for Gideon and the Israelites, but he had to make the choice without really KNOWING if he would live or die in the battle. He had to trust God.
Even Jesus faced this agonizing choice! Remember the prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane? “Father, if it’s possible, take this cup away from me.” In other words, “God, do I HAVE to die, and die so horribly? Isn’t there another way? Can I keep this life I love?” If you remember that Jesus was completely human, it’s more understandable that he would pray this prayer.
But here’s the point – Jesus, Gideon, and Noah all say, “Not MY will, but YOUR will be done.” “I trust you God, I’m gonna make the hard choice, and I’m gonna just have faith that You know what You’re doing.”
And I’m willing to bet that every one of you, at some point, will be faced with some kind of choice between your comfort zone and the hard thing that God is asking you to do. You may have to give up something you hold dear, or at least something that makes you feel safe. It’s HARD. God knows it’s hard. God doesn’t promise that He’ll make it easy, but He does promise that He will be with you every step of the way. And if you hang on to that promise and make the hard choice to follow what God wants you to do, things will turn out the way they’re supposed to, to the glory of God. It may take awhile, but it’s worth it. God promises that, and you can trust in God’s promises.
PS - What does the Doctor do? Well, I'm not going to spoil the ENTIRE episode for you. It's Season Three, Episodes 8 and 9
Basically, in this episode, The Doctor has to turn himself into a human to hide from some bad aliens who are trying to find him and kill him so they can live forever and pretty much destroy the universe in the process. He becomes a teacher named John Smith. He doesn’t remember being The Doctor. The idea is that if he can just hide out in this ordinary, boring life long enough, the bad aliens will die, he can change back, and everything will be hunky dory. His companion, Martha, who’s in on the scheme and knows how to get him to change back to The Doctor early if necessary, is there as his servant. Then, he falls in love with the school nurse, and suddenly his life isn’t ordinary and boring (at least not for him), it’s something wonderful. That, of course, is when the bad aliens find them, and Martha realizes he’s got to change back into The Doctor in order to save the universe.
For reasons that will be TMI for most of you, John starts to understand that he was once this person called The Doctor. In a scene that moves me to tears, John Smith, in absolute anguish, says something along the lines of, “But I want to stay! I want THIS life, John Smith’s life, this job, this love…please let me stay…why can’t I stay???” Martha says, “But we NEED The Doctor.” It’s heartbreaking. He doesn’t understand why this is happening to him – he doesn’t quite believe that the fate of the universe is at stake - he has to just trust that Martha knows what she’s talking about, and he’s got an agonizing choice to make.
So, what does Doctor Who have to do with faith? Let me see…there are at least two people I can think of in the Bible…well three…well more than three, really, but three’s enough for an example, don’t you think, and I wonder what happens if I push this button here? (sorry, couldn’t resist)
Point is, the Bible is full of people who have to make just this kind of agonizing choice. Do they continue in their regular life, which may be a perfectly wonderful life, or do they step up to the plate when God calls them? Do they remain the regular guy or gal, or do they become the hero? And if they become the hero, what then? What do they give up? What do they gain?
Think of Noah – he could have kept on just being Noah, without being laughed at by everyone he knew for years and years and years. But he chose to listen to God and to follow what God told him to do, even though it seemed crazy. Worked out for the best, really, but Noah had no way of knowing that beforehand. He just had to trust God.
Or Gideon. There he is, living his regular life, when God tells him he’s been chosen to save Israel from the Midianites. And oh by the way you’re going to be a general and lead a tiny little army against the huge Midianite army but it’ll be OK because I’ll be with you. What a choice: leave his safe life behind for possible death, or keep his head down and hope God would go choose someone else. He eventually chose to do what God told him to do, and again, this worked out well for Gideon and the Israelites, but he had to make the choice without really KNOWING if he would live or die in the battle. He had to trust God.
Even Jesus faced this agonizing choice! Remember the prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane? “Father, if it’s possible, take this cup away from me.” In other words, “God, do I HAVE to die, and die so horribly? Isn’t there another way? Can I keep this life I love?” If you remember that Jesus was completely human, it’s more understandable that he would pray this prayer.
But here’s the point – Jesus, Gideon, and Noah all say, “Not MY will, but YOUR will be done.” “I trust you God, I’m gonna make the hard choice, and I’m gonna just have faith that You know what You’re doing.”
And I’m willing to bet that every one of you, at some point, will be faced with some kind of choice between your comfort zone and the hard thing that God is asking you to do. You may have to give up something you hold dear, or at least something that makes you feel safe. It’s HARD. God knows it’s hard. God doesn’t promise that He’ll make it easy, but He does promise that He will be with you every step of the way. And if you hang on to that promise and make the hard choice to follow what God wants you to do, things will turn out the way they’re supposed to, to the glory of God. It may take awhile, but it’s worth it. God promises that, and you can trust in God’s promises.
PS - What does the Doctor do? Well, I'm not going to spoil the ENTIRE episode for you. It's Season Three, Episodes 8 and 9
Advent 2010 - Missing Joseph?
When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him
Matthew 1:24a (New Revised Standard Version)
During Advent and Christmas, we often get fixated on Mary’s role and the birth of Jesus. Which is understandable – and appropriate. But often, someone who is almost as important becomes just another figure in the Nativity Scene when we set it up. Know who I’m talking about?
Joseph, of course! We often get so excited about Mary and Jesus that we “miss” Joseph. Poor guy. Really, he’s just a hair less important to the story than Mary – who of course is only marginally (at this point in the story) less important than Jesus.
I personally think Joseph deserves a lot of credit. Here he is, engaged to a young woman, and she tells him (I assume – Matthew is a little unclear on that point), “I’m having a baby, and it’s God’s child – no really, it is.” I’m guessing Joseph’s first reaction was to think she was nuts, then to think she had cheated on him. Fair enough – it’s a lot to take in, and he *was* human, after all!
The thing is, engagement at that time was practically marriage, legally, from what I understand, and if Joseph and Mary had “jumped the gun” and she had ended up pregnant by Joseph, well, people would have snickered, and gossiped, but it would have been more or less OK. But since the baby wasn’t Joseph’s, he had every right to “dismiss” (read “divorce) her – which would have made her an outcast.
He decided to do this, but being a kind man, he was going to do it quietly so she wouldn’t suffer any more shame than she had to. I imagine he struggled with this – but I guess he was just a man who couldn’t accept that his fiancée cheated and got pregnant by another man. (remember, he didn’t believe the Holy Spirit thing at this point.)
Enter the angel – who was awfully busy in Nazareth those days! “Nope,” he told Joseph, “the baby really *is* God’s child. She didn’t cheat on you. Don’t be afraid to marry her.” The angel said more, but you’ll have to read Matthew 1 (or listen to the reading this Sunday at worship) to hear the rest.
SO – Joseph wakes up, believes the angel and Mary, and marries her. And then – he loves her, and he stands beside her during the inevitable gossip about the haste of the wedding, supports her and comforts her when she tries to tell people what’s happening but they don’t believe her, holds her when she’s scared, and probably has a hand in delivering the baby (I mean, who was gonna help – the sheep in the stable?) And THEN, he takes the role of being “father” to the Son of God. He and Mary are Jesus’ earthly parents, so who does Jesus have as a male role model? Joseph Quite a tall order, but I think he did a fantastic job.
So this Advent, remember Joseph. Remember that sometimes we, too, may be called to love and support someone who is taking a stand, following God’s will, even when it’s hard or we don’t really get it. Support systems are important. Very important.
Have a blessed week, my friends!
PS – there’s a fabulous little novel called Two from Galilee that tells this story. It’s out of print, but you might be able to find it in a library or get a copy off Amazon.com. It’s so good – and brings Mary and Joseph to life in a way that I think all of you would enjoy.
Matthew 1:24a (New Revised Standard Version)
During Advent and Christmas, we often get fixated on Mary’s role and the birth of Jesus. Which is understandable – and appropriate. But often, someone who is almost as important becomes just another figure in the Nativity Scene when we set it up. Know who I’m talking about?
Joseph, of course! We often get so excited about Mary and Jesus that we “miss” Joseph. Poor guy. Really, he’s just a hair less important to the story than Mary – who of course is only marginally (at this point in the story) less important than Jesus.
I personally think Joseph deserves a lot of credit. Here he is, engaged to a young woman, and she tells him (I assume – Matthew is a little unclear on that point), “I’m having a baby, and it’s God’s child – no really, it is.” I’m guessing Joseph’s first reaction was to think she was nuts, then to think she had cheated on him. Fair enough – it’s a lot to take in, and he *was* human, after all!
The thing is, engagement at that time was practically marriage, legally, from what I understand, and if Joseph and Mary had “jumped the gun” and she had ended up pregnant by Joseph, well, people would have snickered, and gossiped, but it would have been more or less OK. But since the baby wasn’t Joseph’s, he had every right to “dismiss” (read “divorce) her – which would have made her an outcast.
He decided to do this, but being a kind man, he was going to do it quietly so she wouldn’t suffer any more shame than she had to. I imagine he struggled with this – but I guess he was just a man who couldn’t accept that his fiancée cheated and got pregnant by another man. (remember, he didn’t believe the Holy Spirit thing at this point.)
Enter the angel – who was awfully busy in Nazareth those days! “Nope,” he told Joseph, “the baby really *is* God’s child. She didn’t cheat on you. Don’t be afraid to marry her.” The angel said more, but you’ll have to read Matthew 1 (or listen to the reading this Sunday at worship) to hear the rest.
SO – Joseph wakes up, believes the angel and Mary, and marries her. And then – he loves her, and he stands beside her during the inevitable gossip about the haste of the wedding, supports her and comforts her when she tries to tell people what’s happening but they don’t believe her, holds her when she’s scared, and probably has a hand in delivering the baby (I mean, who was gonna help – the sheep in the stable?) And THEN, he takes the role of being “father” to the Son of God. He and Mary are Jesus’ earthly parents, so who does Jesus have as a male role model? Joseph Quite a tall order, but I think he did a fantastic job.
So this Advent, remember Joseph. Remember that sometimes we, too, may be called to love and support someone who is taking a stand, following God’s will, even when it’s hard or we don’t really get it. Support systems are important. Very important.
Have a blessed week, my friends!
PS – there’s a fabulous little novel called Two from Galilee that tells this story. It’s out of print, but you might be able to find it in a library or get a copy off Amazon.com. It’s so good – and brings Mary and Joseph to life in a way that I think all of you would enjoy.
December 2010 Rant - my version of "Christmas is getting too commercial"
*clears throat loudly and ascends soapbox*
It's that time of year - the annual "What do we call December 1-24???" kerfuffle. There are so many larger issues that I should be addressing, but as a person in a mixed marriage with friends of many faiths - and friends who associate themselves with no faith group, this yearly squabble bothers me. So here are my two cents. Well, actually rather a lot more.
First of all - define "Christmas." Lots of people of lots of faiths open presents underneath a decorated evergreen tree on December 25th. I think this is great - I would never want to take that away from anyone. However, this is Christmas as a secular holiday. (all you theologians out there, read on before you jump all over that statement). So in that sense, sure, call the days before December 25 the Christmas Season - just don't then say that you're calling it that for religious reasons. Because if you are a Christian, calling November 28-December 25 the Christmas season is technically incorrect - we are currently in Advent. (if you are an Eastern Orthodox Christian who does the calendar differently, don't start with me. I don't know how your calendar works. But I love you as a sister or brother.)
Continuing the "Christmas Season as a faith statement" argument I think, if we're talking about the whole season (not just one day), in our multi-cultural, multi-faith society we DO need to call it the Holiday Season - because not all of us celebrate Christmas. Telling my Jewish husband to have a great Christmas Season, for example, would be, well, wrong! And there are other faiths that don't celebrate Christmas. And that doesn't even start to cover my atheist friends! So personally, I think it's sensitive, NOT just "politically correct", to wish someone a Happy Holiday if you're not sure what they celebrate. Or even if they celebrate anything at all. But Happy Holidays is a pretty safe bet. I mean, heck, everyone celebrates January 1 as New Year's, so you can't go wrong there! (don't get technical on me - I know there are other New Year's Days in other cultures, but they don't happen during the period of time that I'm talking about - and if they do, well then, that supports my argument!.)
So actually, yeah, as a person of faith who wants to show love to others and respect for their faith, calling this the Christmas Season indiscriminately *does* kind of bother me - I won't go so far as to say offend, because people's hearts are generally in the right place - until they start coming to blows over whether to say Christmas or Holiday. Because I think that shows a bit of arrogance - *my* holiday is the only one that counts. And other culture's holidays count just as much, in my book.
For Christians, the "Christmas Season" starts on Christmas Day, the day we celebrate the birth of our Savior, and continues through Epiphany. Oh, and just in case you didn't know - the 12 Days of Christmas are the 12 days *after* Christmas, not the 12 days before. I could tell you some Christian interpretations of that song, but it would bore you silly (if I haven't already done so.) So Google it if you're interested.
*gets down off soapbox*
I apologize to anyone who I have offended with this note. It's just my opinion and thoughts and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any Christian denomination or any other Christian, for that matter.
Just out of curiosity though - what do YOU celebrate in November (after Thanksgiving), December, and early January? Inquiring minds want to know.....
It's that time of year - the annual "What do we call December 1-24???" kerfuffle. There are so many larger issues that I should be addressing, but as a person in a mixed marriage with friends of many faiths - and friends who associate themselves with no faith group, this yearly squabble bothers me. So here are my two cents. Well, actually rather a lot more.
First of all - define "Christmas." Lots of people of lots of faiths open presents underneath a decorated evergreen tree on December 25th. I think this is great - I would never want to take that away from anyone. However, this is Christmas as a secular holiday. (all you theologians out there, read on before you jump all over that statement). So in that sense, sure, call the days before December 25 the Christmas Season - just don't then say that you're calling it that for religious reasons. Because if you are a Christian, calling November 28-December 25 the Christmas season is technically incorrect - we are currently in Advent. (if you are an Eastern Orthodox Christian who does the calendar differently, don't start with me. I don't know how your calendar works. But I love you as a sister or brother.)
Continuing the "Christmas Season as a faith statement" argument I think, if we're talking about the whole season (not just one day), in our multi-cultural, multi-faith society we DO need to call it the Holiday Season - because not all of us celebrate Christmas. Telling my Jewish husband to have a great Christmas Season, for example, would be, well, wrong! And there are other faiths that don't celebrate Christmas. And that doesn't even start to cover my atheist friends! So personally, I think it's sensitive, NOT just "politically correct", to wish someone a Happy Holiday if you're not sure what they celebrate. Or even if they celebrate anything at all. But Happy Holidays is a pretty safe bet. I mean, heck, everyone celebrates January 1 as New Year's, so you can't go wrong there! (don't get technical on me - I know there are other New Year's Days in other cultures, but they don't happen during the period of time that I'm talking about - and if they do, well then, that supports my argument!.)
So actually, yeah, as a person of faith who wants to show love to others and respect for their faith, calling this the Christmas Season indiscriminately *does* kind of bother me - I won't go so far as to say offend, because people's hearts are generally in the right place - until they start coming to blows over whether to say Christmas or Holiday. Because I think that shows a bit of arrogance - *my* holiday is the only one that counts. And other culture's holidays count just as much, in my book.
For Christians, the "Christmas Season" starts on Christmas Day, the day we celebrate the birth of our Savior, and continues through Epiphany. Oh, and just in case you didn't know - the 12 Days of Christmas are the 12 days *after* Christmas, not the 12 days before. I could tell you some Christian interpretations of that song, but it would bore you silly (if I haven't already done so.) So Google it if you're interested.
*gets down off soapbox*
I apologize to anyone who I have offended with this note. It's just my opinion and thoughts and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any Christian denomination or any other Christian, for that matter.
Just out of curiosity though - what do YOU celebrate in November (after Thanksgiving), December, and early January? Inquiring minds want to know.....
Veterans' Day 2010 - Thank You, Veterans (simple words that mean so much to so many)
Greater love hath no man, than that he lays down his life for his friends.
John 15:13 (King James Version)
Every Veteran’s Day, I have this Bible verse in my head all day long. In context, it is Jesus speaking about his imminent crucifixion and death at the Last Supper, after he’s washed his disciples’ feet. It’s part of the section of John where Jesus says he is the vine and his disciples are the branches.
So why do I think about this on Veteran’s Day? Because I remember all those Veterans, of many wars, who volunteered (mostly) to go to a distant land where they might have to lay down their lives – for all of us. In my opinion, no matter what your view on wars (past or present), every single Veteran should be honored for this. Now, I’m not comparing Veterans to Jesus – exactly. Obviously, Jesus lay down his life to give us the gift of eternal life.
But Veterans go to war, knowing that they may die or be changed forever, and for so many of them the reason is “to keep America free.” In other words – they fight for us. If you think about it, it’s pretty awe-inspiring.
So this week, I challenge you to find a Veteran, and say thank you for your service. That’s all. It will mean so much to them – especially if you’re a stranger to them, I think! I see so many Veterans proudly wearing caps commemorating their service. If you keep your eyes peeled, you’ll see them, too. A simple “thank you for your service” is a profound way of honoring these men and women.
But you know what? I think there’s an equally important way. And that’s by advocating and working for peace, so that maybe, sometime, all our men and women who are in harm’s way can come home – for good. So there’s my other challenge – find a way to work for peace. Think this is just wishful thinking? Well, “you may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.”
Have a blessed week, my friends!
John 15:13 (King James Version)
Every Veteran’s Day, I have this Bible verse in my head all day long. In context, it is Jesus speaking about his imminent crucifixion and death at the Last Supper, after he’s washed his disciples’ feet. It’s part of the section of John where Jesus says he is the vine and his disciples are the branches.
So why do I think about this on Veteran’s Day? Because I remember all those Veterans, of many wars, who volunteered (mostly) to go to a distant land where they might have to lay down their lives – for all of us. In my opinion, no matter what your view on wars (past or present), every single Veteran should be honored for this. Now, I’m not comparing Veterans to Jesus – exactly. Obviously, Jesus lay down his life to give us the gift of eternal life.
But Veterans go to war, knowing that they may die or be changed forever, and for so many of them the reason is “to keep America free.” In other words – they fight for us. If you think about it, it’s pretty awe-inspiring.
So this week, I challenge you to find a Veteran, and say thank you for your service. That’s all. It will mean so much to them – especially if you’re a stranger to them, I think! I see so many Veterans proudly wearing caps commemorating their service. If you keep your eyes peeled, you’ll see them, too. A simple “thank you for your service” is a profound way of honoring these men and women.
But you know what? I think there’s an equally important way. And that’s by advocating and working for peace, so that maybe, sometime, all our men and women who are in harm’s way can come home – for good. So there’s my other challenge – find a way to work for peace. Think this is just wishful thinking? Well, “you may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.”
Have a blessed week, my friends!
Speak your mind - even if your voice shakes (originally posted October 2010)
This week, as articles and videos and news about deaths by bullying have flooded the internet, I can do no better than to offer you this link. Please click on it and read the blog entry:
http://blogs.elca.org/faithlens/post/october-6-12-2010/
I shared it on my Facebook page, and I know many of you saw it, but I want to share it again – and encourage you to take up (or continue) the challenge. I say continue, because I know you, and I know how compassionate and kind you already are. I’m asking you to be intentionally compassionate and kind to the “outsiders” – and you know as well as I do that every school has them. Show God’s love to those who are being hurt by others. Find a way – large or small, it doesn’t matter. Be a link in the chain of love around these outsiders so that together, we can show them they are not really “outsiders” – they are our brothers and sisters. Demonstrate to bullies by your kind actions that we will not put up with that kind of cruelty.
At this point, you might be thinking, “Well, yeah, but if I get in the middle of something, I could get hurt!” or “If I snitch on the bullies, then they’ll come after me!” And you know what? I get that. I remember middle and high school, I remember retribution, and I remember being the object of teasing at times. So what I’m asking for you to do is what you can do. It may just be a small thing. But please, don’t choose to do NOTHING. That’s all.
Have a blessed week, my friends – I love you!
http://blogs.elca.org/faithlens/post/october-6-12-2010/
I shared it on my Facebook page, and I know many of you saw it, but I want to share it again – and encourage you to take up (or continue) the challenge. I say continue, because I know you, and I know how compassionate and kind you already are. I’m asking you to be intentionally compassionate and kind to the “outsiders” – and you know as well as I do that every school has them. Show God’s love to those who are being hurt by others. Find a way – large or small, it doesn’t matter. Be a link in the chain of love around these outsiders so that together, we can show them they are not really “outsiders” – they are our brothers and sisters. Demonstrate to bullies by your kind actions that we will not put up with that kind of cruelty.
At this point, you might be thinking, “Well, yeah, but if I get in the middle of something, I could get hurt!” or “If I snitch on the bullies, then they’ll come after me!” And you know what? I get that. I remember middle and high school, I remember retribution, and I remember being the object of teasing at times. So what I’m asking for you to do is what you can do. It may just be a small thing. But please, don’t choose to do NOTHING. That’s all.
Have a blessed week, my friends – I love you!
Words for a great man - child of God, husband, father, grandfather, and evangelist - Ray Seibel (originally posted September 2010)
From Lisa: I wish all of you could have known Ray. He was a special man. Of course, we are all special, and there are many great men who deserve to have their homilies on Facebook or elsewhere, but he was one of those 'angels among us.' Below is the text of Pastor Cynthia Krommes' homily at Ray's memorial service. There is nothing I can add except the funny image that comes to mind when I think of Ray in heaven - although he of course is ecstatic at being reunited with his beloved Shirley and meeting his Lord face-to-face, I can't help but think that he is a tad disappointed (if such a thing is possible in heaven) that there is no one to evangelize to! I hope you'll take the time to read this and meet Ray; we all can learn so much about love from him.
*****************************************************************************************************
Memorial Service for Raymond Seibel
St. John’s Lutheran Church
September 28, 2010
John 1: 35-51
Philip said to Nathanael, “Come and see.”
Just seven weeks ago we gathered here for a memorial service for Shirley, Raymond’s beloved wife, and now here we are again, this time for Raymond. To lose Shirley and Ray to death – one to cancer, the other to prolonged heart disease – is not fair, and in fact is overwhelming, especially to their family. They were trying to adjust to living without Shirley, now Ray is gone too. This is grief upon grief, sadness upon sadness, sorrow multiplied that is almost too much to bear. During my last visit with Ray, just before leaving for Tanzania, he confessed that he still cried for Shirl every day. I told him that was O.K., it was part of grief. “I don’t think I’ll ever stop crying,” he replied. Now we cry for him too. Our tears started flowing with Shirley’s death and now they roll on with Ray’s, united as they were for 47 years of marriage, grief mingled as one. And so today we while we mourn Raymond, our grief at the lost of Shirley is renewed too. It is a grief compounded, in part because God gave us so much through them, just as God gave them each other and their wonderful family.
Ray loved to tell how the gift was given on Christmas Eve during the celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus. That’s when he proposed to Shirley and she said yes. I don’t know if he did it during the sermon, but I would not be surprised, because if Ray had something important to say, he said it, often leading Shirley to declare, “Not now, Raymond.” For all the years since that Christmas Eve, their marriage continued to be a gift to each other and to us. I remember how when we had some Evening Light candles that had burned down too far to use, and I put them in a box marked “free,” Ray snatched them up, took them all home to surprise Shirley. When she came in from work, dinner was on the table, and the whole house was full of candlelight. “I love my Shirl,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. God’s gift of love given to us in the Christ Child, was alive in their marriage and family.
This gift of love mattered so much to Raymond that he unabashedly shared it. An extrovert, Ray loved being an evangelist. No matter where he was, he invited others to “come and see” God’s love at work, especially here at St. John’s. He had an evangelist uniform – his St. John’s hat and his St. John’s tee shirt which he wore with great pride and enthusiasm. Once he told me that he had taken to roaming the aisles of the Acme and when he came across a pregnant woman, he’d invited her to have her baby baptized at St. John’s. He’s the only person I’ve ever known to evangelize those yet to be born. Then while in the check out line, he’d converse with the other folks in line, the cashier, anyone who would listen, about church and invited them to worship. He did this with such joy because he was sharing the love of God – love freely given to him in the gift of faith, the gift of Shirley, the gifts of Alicia and Jimmy, Charlie, Jeanne, and his beloved grand-daughters, Jeanette, Rachel and Sarah as well as Jason, Peter, Stephanie and Zachary and the gift of the Church. “Come and see the gift of love alive,” Raymond would say to almost everyone he met. Later when he and Shirley retired to North Wildwood, he shared God’s love by shopping for the poor. It was his job and he did it with joy.
Ray discovered that God’s love multiplies when it is shared and he delighted in that. In fact it was so important to him, that almost every Monday morning, he come to my office to talk about how Sunday had gone at St. John’s. Our “Monday-morning Quarterback,” Ray wanted to improve our welcome to guests, to encourage the ease in which they could follow the service and to make sure we never ran out of bulletins. Sometimes he would be critical of a hymn that had too many verses or a sermon that went on too long, but it was always said in love, to help us be a congregation that live in, grew through and shared God’s love. However there was this one Monday, nine years ago. He had been down the shore for the whole summer and during that time we welcomed Abdul and Kamal Fahar, our first set of refugees. “So, why did we have to go to Somalia to help someone when we have so many people who need our help right here in Phoenixville?” Ray bluntly asked. It was a good question and so I reminded of him all the ways St. John’s already helped in our community, from PACS to St. Mary’s Shelter to the new Clinic. He nodded, but I could see he wasn’t convinced. So I said, “You know, Ray when we look at the world we see all the divisions between peoples and nations, but when God looks at the world, God sees everyone.” With that he smiled this huge smile, “Everyone?” I could see him imagining the evangelism possibilities, and responded, “Everyone.” When I walked him down the hall, there were Abdul and Kamal. They had ridden their bicycles over to meet Pastor McMullan. I introduced them to Ray. He firmly shook their hands, gave them friendly hello and invited them to join the Church. I explained that they were Muslims and not Christians and they worship God four times a day. Ray said to them, “That’s better than me, I just do it on Sunday.” With that he said good-bye and was out the door – on to Acme with love to share.
Which is what is going on in our Gospel for today – John the Baptizer points Jesus out to two of his disciples who then follow him. One of them, Andrew then tells his brother Simon Peter and brings him to Jesus. Next, Jesus finds Philip and invites him to follow and Philip finds Nathanael and tells him to “Come and see.” One to another to another to another, until Jesus promises Nathanael, indeed promises us all that we will see even greater things, and tells us of heaven opening and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.
“Come and see,” our Lord said to Raymond and Raymond said to us. But Jesus promises even greater things – the kingdom of heaven with dancing angels and the fullness of God. Shirley was given the reality of this promise first and Raymond followed shortly after. While that causes us grief for we miss them so much, let us also embrace the promise of new life in Christ that they both enjoy. Given to them in their baptism, lived out in their lives, the promise sustained them and gave them joy.
“Come and see,” Raymond said to us – sharing God’s gift of love. May we say it to others through our words and deeds, now and forevermore. Amen.
Pastor Cynthia Krommes
*****************************************************************************************************
Memorial Service for Raymond Seibel
St. John’s Lutheran Church
September 28, 2010
John 1: 35-51
Philip said to Nathanael, “Come and see.”
Just seven weeks ago we gathered here for a memorial service for Shirley, Raymond’s beloved wife, and now here we are again, this time for Raymond. To lose Shirley and Ray to death – one to cancer, the other to prolonged heart disease – is not fair, and in fact is overwhelming, especially to their family. They were trying to adjust to living without Shirley, now Ray is gone too. This is grief upon grief, sadness upon sadness, sorrow multiplied that is almost too much to bear. During my last visit with Ray, just before leaving for Tanzania, he confessed that he still cried for Shirl every day. I told him that was O.K., it was part of grief. “I don’t think I’ll ever stop crying,” he replied. Now we cry for him too. Our tears started flowing with Shirley’s death and now they roll on with Ray’s, united as they were for 47 years of marriage, grief mingled as one. And so today we while we mourn Raymond, our grief at the lost of Shirley is renewed too. It is a grief compounded, in part because God gave us so much through them, just as God gave them each other and their wonderful family.
Ray loved to tell how the gift was given on Christmas Eve during the celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus. That’s when he proposed to Shirley and she said yes. I don’t know if he did it during the sermon, but I would not be surprised, because if Ray had something important to say, he said it, often leading Shirley to declare, “Not now, Raymond.” For all the years since that Christmas Eve, their marriage continued to be a gift to each other and to us. I remember how when we had some Evening Light candles that had burned down too far to use, and I put them in a box marked “free,” Ray snatched them up, took them all home to surprise Shirley. When she came in from work, dinner was on the table, and the whole house was full of candlelight. “I love my Shirl,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. God’s gift of love given to us in the Christ Child, was alive in their marriage and family.
This gift of love mattered so much to Raymond that he unabashedly shared it. An extrovert, Ray loved being an evangelist. No matter where he was, he invited others to “come and see” God’s love at work, especially here at St. John’s. He had an evangelist uniform – his St. John’s hat and his St. John’s tee shirt which he wore with great pride and enthusiasm. Once he told me that he had taken to roaming the aisles of the Acme and when he came across a pregnant woman, he’d invited her to have her baby baptized at St. John’s. He’s the only person I’ve ever known to evangelize those yet to be born. Then while in the check out line, he’d converse with the other folks in line, the cashier, anyone who would listen, about church and invited them to worship. He did this with such joy because he was sharing the love of God – love freely given to him in the gift of faith, the gift of Shirley, the gifts of Alicia and Jimmy, Charlie, Jeanne, and his beloved grand-daughters, Jeanette, Rachel and Sarah as well as Jason, Peter, Stephanie and Zachary and the gift of the Church. “Come and see the gift of love alive,” Raymond would say to almost everyone he met. Later when he and Shirley retired to North Wildwood, he shared God’s love by shopping for the poor. It was his job and he did it with joy.
Ray discovered that God’s love multiplies when it is shared and he delighted in that. In fact it was so important to him, that almost every Monday morning, he come to my office to talk about how Sunday had gone at St. John’s. Our “Monday-morning Quarterback,” Ray wanted to improve our welcome to guests, to encourage the ease in which they could follow the service and to make sure we never ran out of bulletins. Sometimes he would be critical of a hymn that had too many verses or a sermon that went on too long, but it was always said in love, to help us be a congregation that live in, grew through and shared God’s love. However there was this one Monday, nine years ago. He had been down the shore for the whole summer and during that time we welcomed Abdul and Kamal Fahar, our first set of refugees. “So, why did we have to go to Somalia to help someone when we have so many people who need our help right here in Phoenixville?” Ray bluntly asked. It was a good question and so I reminded of him all the ways St. John’s already helped in our community, from PACS to St. Mary’s Shelter to the new Clinic. He nodded, but I could see he wasn’t convinced. So I said, “You know, Ray when we look at the world we see all the divisions between peoples and nations, but when God looks at the world, God sees everyone.” With that he smiled this huge smile, “Everyone?” I could see him imagining the evangelism possibilities, and responded, “Everyone.” When I walked him down the hall, there were Abdul and Kamal. They had ridden their bicycles over to meet Pastor McMullan. I introduced them to Ray. He firmly shook their hands, gave them friendly hello and invited them to join the Church. I explained that they were Muslims and not Christians and they worship God four times a day. Ray said to them, “That’s better than me, I just do it on Sunday.” With that he said good-bye and was out the door – on to Acme with love to share.
Which is what is going on in our Gospel for today – John the Baptizer points Jesus out to two of his disciples who then follow him. One of them, Andrew then tells his brother Simon Peter and brings him to Jesus. Next, Jesus finds Philip and invites him to follow and Philip finds Nathanael and tells him to “Come and see.” One to another to another to another, until Jesus promises Nathanael, indeed promises us all that we will see even greater things, and tells us of heaven opening and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.
“Come and see,” our Lord said to Raymond and Raymond said to us. But Jesus promises even greater things – the kingdom of heaven with dancing angels and the fullness of God. Shirley was given the reality of this promise first and Raymond followed shortly after. While that causes us grief for we miss them so much, let us also embrace the promise of new life in Christ that they both enjoy. Given to them in their baptism, lived out in their lives, the promise sustained them and gave them joy.
“Come and see,” Raymond said to us – sharing God’s gift of love. May we say it to others through our words and deeds, now and forevermore. Amen.
Pastor Cynthia Krommes
Peace Train Lyrics (copyright Cat Stevens) - boy, still relevant today! - originally posted September 2010
Lately, more than usual, music and lyrics have really had an effect on me. (Usually it's something I read in a book) But music and lyrics are starting to speak to me more and more deeply, and I'd love to share some of them with you from time to time. I heard this song this morning on Pandora, and I really LISTENED to the words. Wow. This song is from 1971, but I think it's just as relevant today...I hope many of my teenagers will read this too - even though it's an "oldie".
Now I've been happy lately
Thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be
Something good has begun
I've been smiling lately
Dreaming about the world as one
And I believe it could be
Something good's bound to come
For out on the edge of darkness
There runs the peace train
Peace train take this country
Come take me home again
Peace train sounding louder
Ride on the peace train
Hoo-ah-eeh-ah-hoo-ah
Come on the peace train
Peace train's a holy roller
Everyone jump upon the peace train
Hoo-ah-eeh-ah-hoo-ah
This is the peace train
Get your bags together
Come bring your good friends too
Because it's getting nearer
Soon it will be with you
Come and join the living
It's not so far from you
And it's getting nearer
Soon it will all be true
Peace train sounding louder
Ride on the peace train
Hoo-ah-eeh-ah-hoo-ah
Come on the peace train
I've been crying lately
Thinking about the world as it is
Why must we go on hating?
Why can't we live in bliss?
For out on the edge of darkness
There rides the peace train
Peace train take this country
Come take me home again
Peace train sounding louder
Ride on the peace train
Hoo-ah-eeh-ah-hoo-ah
Come on the peace train
Come on, come on, come on the peace train...----
Let justice roll down like water - originally posted September 2010
Hear this, you who trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, saying, “When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the Sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? Amos 8:4-5 (NRSV)
Ah, the prophets. The Old Testament prophets, with their colorful language and sometimes difficult to understand metaphors and examples. Really hard to figure out sometimes, but oh, so important!!
Take the verses from Amos above. They’re from this Sunday’s reading. I had a hard time understanding what he was trying to say in the whole passage, so I read a couple of different translations AND the biographical information in the beginning of the book in my Bible. Turns out, Amos was a farmer who God called to be a prophet. And his message was all about social justice. He’s telling the Israelites that God is angry with them, in a nutshell, for being wayyy too selfish.
See, Israel was in a pretty good place at the time of Amos. They were at peace, business was booming, lots of people called themselves ‘religious,’ the military kept them safe…all in all, a good place to be – or it looked like that from the outside.
But was it? Welll…Amos says no. In this book, he exposes the rotten core of Israel. Selfishness. People were thinking only of their needs, what they could get for themselves, and the heck with everyone else! Amos talks about cheating on business deals, exploiting the poor, wasting money on things they didn’t need, corruption in government, and worshipping false gods.
So Amos says, guess what, Israelites? God’s had it up to HERE with you, and your day of reckoning is coming! Amos is hard to read because we don’t get the “change your behavior and everything will be ok” message of some other prophets. Amos tells the Israelites that things have gone too far and they are about to suffer the consequences of what they’ve been doing.
So what can we learn from this book? I think the message for us is, “don’t be selfish.” Look around you, listen to what’s going on, pay attention to how people interact and whether people are treated fairly. And if you see something wrong – do something about it! Advocate for social justice, and live your life that way! There are ways all of us can do that – giving food to PACS, speaking out when someone is being treated unfairly, making sure we treat everyone the way we want to be treated, and most of all, think of others as well as of yourself. Some of us can do big things, some of us can do little things, but if we ALL do what we can, then justice will “roll on like a river, righteousness like an everlasting stream!” (Amos 5:24)
So what can you do? My challenge to you this week is to think about how you can advocate for social justice – do your part to work towards everyone being treated fairly. Then…don’t just think about it…DO IT!
Have a blessed week, my friends!
It's a marathon, not a sprint! - originally posted August 2010
tart running – and never quit!...Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it.
Hebrews 12: 1b-2 (The Message)
Just keep swimming...just keep swimming
Dorie the Fish
In Hebrews chapter 12, Paul seems to be writing from cliché-ville. Keep your head in the game...keep your eyes on the prize...never give up...walk it off...practice makes perfect...don't drag your feet...he uses running a long-distance race as a metaphor for our life of faith.
This isn't a sprint, Paul says, it's a marathon. Our faith life isn't an intense but short run to the finish line, it's a life-long process. And he wants us to train, practice, and most of all, keep running – no matter what. Any of you who have tried to get better at something know that it takes some time – and it's really frustrating sometimes. Sometimes you want to give up; it seems like you'll never get it right. But if you stick with it, you'll get it!
But how do we do that? How do we keep our heads in the game when there are so many distractions, temptations, and most of all – when we keep messing it up? Paul's got instructions for that, too
First, he says, remember all those who have gone before. He gives a list in the very end of chapter 11 – and they ain't all saints, let me tell you! They're people who didn't always get it right but who believed that God had a plan for them and just kept going. When you're feeling like your faith isn't really all that strong, Paul says, go back to the Bible and read about all those folks – and especially about Jesus. "That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!" (Hebrews 12:2, The Message)
Then, he says, imagine your cheering section. Not sure you have a cheering section? Think about your life for a second. Who tells you 'good job' when you've done something to be proud of? Who listens to you and talks with you when you have questions about the whole "God thing?" Who helps you to figure out how you can make a difference in the world? Heck, who drives you to church, service projects, Bible School, Confirmation, Sunday School??? That's your cheering section.
Keep your eye on the prize – the love of God through Jesus and the promise of eternal life. It's not something we can earn – we already have it. It's a gift of faith. But by keeping that prize – that promise – in mind, we can make choices in life that live out that promise and show that love to others.
And most of all, Paul says, this is a race with an infinite number of winners. So part of this race is to help each other so that we ALL make it to the finish line.
This week, I challenge you to sit down and read Hebrews Chapter 12 to further explore Paul's idea of life as a marathon. Find a translation of the Bible you like (I like The Message, personally) and go for it! It won't take long, and it's totally worth it. Think about YOUR cheering section, how YOU can help others reach the finish line, and what YOU need to keep going even when it's hard. And then go for it!
Have a blessed week, my friends!
Say Whaaa? Originally posted May 2010
Grant me the serenity to accept what I cannot change, the courage to change what I cannot accept…
(paraphrase of The Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Neibuhr, as heard on “Car Talk,” on NPR May 15)
Sometimes inspiration for these meditations comes from unexpected places! I was listening to a “Car Talk” podcast in my car the other day, and I heard something very interesting. For those of you who don’t know “Car Talk,” it’s a call-in radio show broadcast on NPR, focusing on car repair, though it tends to veer off into humor more than once in each episode. “Click and Clack, the Tappit Brothers,” AKA Tom and Ray Magliozzi, usually start the show with an email from a listener, or a joke, or some funny headlines, or something. Anyway, the quote I used above was from their May 15th show, and it really struck me.
“The courage to change what I CANNOT ACCEPT” rolled around in my brain for awhile, collided with “none of us do it alone,” and kinda exploded into a train of thought. As our good friend Martin Luther would say, “What does this mean?”
First, an example from history. Rosa Parks. She sat down when the law of the day told her to stand up, and because she was tired from her hard work all day, she didn’t get up when they told her to. She had “had it up to here” with that stupid rule, and she wasn’t gonna take it anymore.
Perhaps a mother, who can no longer accept the abuse going on in her family, finally finds the courage to take her children and leave.
Or a father, who is terrified of the harm his wife’s substance abuse may have on his children and can no longer accept living in this fear, finally finds the courage to face it and get help for her.
Or a family with extra food, who can’t accept anymore that others in their neighborhood are going hungry, wraps leftovers into an Aid For Friends meal. Or delivers groceries to the food pantry. Or, heck, hands out food to the homeless guy on the corner!
Or a young person, who can no longer accept the special treatment a certain group gets at school, bands together with other young people and goes to the administration to address it.
Or another young person, who can no longer accept the bullying and teasing that tears away at the self-esteem of a classmate, stands up for that classmate, publicly declaring that the ‘differences’ that prompted the teasing aren’t bad, just different!
Or a university professor, who can no longer accept that you can ‘earn’ your way into heaven, starts telling everyone that God says we are saved by the gift of God’s grace!
These are all “small” changes, right? I mean, one family isn’t going to end world hunger, one woman or one man aren’t going to end global domestic abuse, one young person isn’t going to end discrimination, one teacher isn’t going to change the minds of a nation….but one person CAN make a change that will affect the people around him, and those people can make a change to affect the people around them, and….see how it can multiply! One person saying, “That’s it! I’ve had it up to hear with this crap!” can turn into a movement that changes the world.
That’s why “we don’t do it alone” is so important. It’s really easy to get caught in the trap of, “Yeah, well, discrimination sucks, but I can’t do anything about it; I’m only one person.” The truth is, you can – and should – do something about it! No, you may not be the person who is credited with ending social injustice, but it’s part of your job as a person of faith – a person commanded by God to love your neighbors – to do what you CAN do. And I’ll tell ya, the courage to change what you cannot accept – even if it’s just a small change like not participating anymore – is a good first step!
Have a blessed week, my friends!
Lisa
PS – You think Tom&Ray would ever imagine that their words would turn into a youth meditation? Me neither! But they’re gonna find out – because I’m going to send this to them! I want them to know what their words started!
(paraphrase of The Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Neibuhr, as heard on “Car Talk,” on NPR May 15)
Sometimes inspiration for these meditations comes from unexpected places! I was listening to a “Car Talk” podcast in my car the other day, and I heard something very interesting. For those of you who don’t know “Car Talk,” it’s a call-in radio show broadcast on NPR, focusing on car repair, though it tends to veer off into humor more than once in each episode. “Click and Clack, the Tappit Brothers,” AKA Tom and Ray Magliozzi, usually start the show with an email from a listener, or a joke, or some funny headlines, or something. Anyway, the quote I used above was from their May 15th show, and it really struck me.
“The courage to change what I CANNOT ACCEPT” rolled around in my brain for awhile, collided with “none of us do it alone,” and kinda exploded into a train of thought. As our good friend Martin Luther would say, “What does this mean?”
First, an example from history. Rosa Parks. She sat down when the law of the day told her to stand up, and because she was tired from her hard work all day, she didn’t get up when they told her to. She had “had it up to here” with that stupid rule, and she wasn’t gonna take it anymore.
Perhaps a mother, who can no longer accept the abuse going on in her family, finally finds the courage to take her children and leave.
Or a father, who is terrified of the harm his wife’s substance abuse may have on his children and can no longer accept living in this fear, finally finds the courage to face it and get help for her.
Or a family with extra food, who can’t accept anymore that others in their neighborhood are going hungry, wraps leftovers into an Aid For Friends meal. Or delivers groceries to the food pantry. Or, heck, hands out food to the homeless guy on the corner!
Or a young person, who can no longer accept the special treatment a certain group gets at school, bands together with other young people and goes to the administration to address it.
Or another young person, who can no longer accept the bullying and teasing that tears away at the self-esteem of a classmate, stands up for that classmate, publicly declaring that the ‘differences’ that prompted the teasing aren’t bad, just different!
Or a university professor, who can no longer accept that you can ‘earn’ your way into heaven, starts telling everyone that God says we are saved by the gift of God’s grace!
These are all “small” changes, right? I mean, one family isn’t going to end world hunger, one woman or one man aren’t going to end global domestic abuse, one young person isn’t going to end discrimination, one teacher isn’t going to change the minds of a nation….but one person CAN make a change that will affect the people around him, and those people can make a change to affect the people around them, and….see how it can multiply! One person saying, “That’s it! I’ve had it up to hear with this crap!” can turn into a movement that changes the world.
That’s why “we don’t do it alone” is so important. It’s really easy to get caught in the trap of, “Yeah, well, discrimination sucks, but I can’t do anything about it; I’m only one person.” The truth is, you can – and should – do something about it! No, you may not be the person who is credited with ending social injustice, but it’s part of your job as a person of faith – a person commanded by God to love your neighbors – to do what you CAN do. And I’ll tell ya, the courage to change what you cannot accept – even if it’s just a small change like not participating anymore – is a good first step!
Have a blessed week, my friends!
Lisa
PS – You think Tom&Ray would ever imagine that their words would turn into a youth meditation? Me neither! But they’re gonna find out – because I’m going to send this to them! I want them to know what their words started!
Pentecost 2010 - What's Next, Daddy?
This week is Pentecost, and I usually write about the Holy Spirit coming down on us, etc etc etc. For some reason, I’m just not feelin’ that message right now- not that I don’t feel the Spirit, but I just didn’t want to write the same old, same old. So I pulled out my copy of The Message and took a peek at this week’s second lesson – a passage from Romans. And holy cow! It’s a good one! I have trouble wading through Paul’s letters sometimes, but this passage just jumped out at me! Want to hear it? Yay!
So don’t you see that we don’t owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go! This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we now who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us – an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!
Romans 8:12-17 (emphasis added)
Action! Adventure! Really wild things! That’s what God promises us. And God’s Spirit gives us the strength and courage to meet the adventure head on with excitement, like a little kid at an amusement park going, “That roller coaster was cool, Daddy! What can we go on next?” Life with God is like that, if we can really open ourselves up fully to living with him.
Not that it’ll always be cotton candy and roller coasters – Paul reminds us of that too. “We go through exactly what Christ goes through.” And Jesus went through some pretty tough stuff, right? His own family not really understanding him, his friends betraying him, his own neighbors not believing him and trying to run him out of town…it’s not always an easy life. But look at the next part…”If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!” And boy, the good times are SO WORTH the hard times!
Sometimes the good times are really obviously exciting and adventurous – like when you go on a mission trip, serve Feast Incarnate, or something like that. Sometimes the good times are a little quieter, like when you serve in a procession or as a reader in church. Sometimes the good times are simply seeing God’s love reflected in the actions of people around you – people you care for and are in ministry with. Those times warm my heart and remind me what it’s all about. But whatever the good times….hang on tight! You’ve got things to do and places to go – beyond your wildest imagination! Let God use you, and who knows what will happen!
Have a blessed week, my friends!
So don’t you see that we don’t owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go! This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we now who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us – an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!
Romans 8:12-17 (emphasis added)
Action! Adventure! Really wild things! That’s what God promises us. And God’s Spirit gives us the strength and courage to meet the adventure head on with excitement, like a little kid at an amusement park going, “That roller coaster was cool, Daddy! What can we go on next?” Life with God is like that, if we can really open ourselves up fully to living with him.
Not that it’ll always be cotton candy and roller coasters – Paul reminds us of that too. “We go through exactly what Christ goes through.” And Jesus went through some pretty tough stuff, right? His own family not really understanding him, his friends betraying him, his own neighbors not believing him and trying to run him out of town…it’s not always an easy life. But look at the next part…”If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!” And boy, the good times are SO WORTH the hard times!
Sometimes the good times are really obviously exciting and adventurous – like when you go on a mission trip, serve Feast Incarnate, or something like that. Sometimes the good times are a little quieter, like when you serve in a procession or as a reader in church. Sometimes the good times are simply seeing God’s love reflected in the actions of people around you – people you care for and are in ministry with. Those times warm my heart and remind me what it’s all about. But whatever the good times….hang on tight! You’ve got things to do and places to go – beyond your wildest imagination! Let God use you, and who knows what will happen!
Have a blessed week, my friends!
Down in the Valley...(originally posted April 2010)
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…you are with me.
Psalm 23:4a (NRSV)
(Jesus said) My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.
John 10:27-30 (NRSV)
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
Revelation 7:17b (NRSV)
It seems as though a lot of people I care about are in the ‘valley of the shadow of death’ right now. I’ve been sending out prayers for peace and comfort to so many of my friends…so many people I know are wondering, “Why did she die?” “Why did he have to go so soon?” “Why does this hurt so much?” “How could this happen?” “Why now?” “Will it ever stop hurting?” “Why me?” Unanswerable questions. Questions that tear your heart out because they are unanswerable. Are you in that valley? Or have you ever been?
When we’re in the valley, what can we do? Do we have to just suffer? Mercifully, thankfully, that question has an answer. I only had to look at the Bible readings for this Sunday to find that answer. And the answer to that is no. The Bible readings are so good that I couldn’t pick just one verse to talk about, so I picked verses from each one.
First – at some time in our lives, each of us has to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. God does not promise us that we will never suffer. But he promises this – Jesus will walk right through that valley side-by-side with us. We can ask him all those unanswerable questions, which are really just cries of pain. He’ll listen, and he’ll comfort us, because he, too, knows what it is to lose people he loves and to hurt. He’s ‘been there, done that.’ That’s the beauty of Jesus being true God AND true human.
In John, Jesus promises that nothing, not one thing, can tear us away from his hold. That means, when we are so far down in the valley that we don’t have the strength to hold on to God, God will still hold on to us. When we’re so angry at God that we want to push him away, God holds on to us. When we’re so depressed and confused and wondering if God is even real, God holds on to us. He will never, ever, ever let us go. When we’re in the valley, that may not seem like much comfort, but it’s God’s hold on us that will eventually pull us out of the valley, and then when we’re looking back at the valley and realizing God was always there – well, it is amazing grace indeed.
Look at the reading from John again. Focus on one word – perish. I like this translation because it uses that word. Jesus promises us eternal life. He doesn’t promise that we won’t die here on earth, but he promises that we won’t “perish” – become utterly destroyed. Again, that may not seem like much when you’re grieving, but for someone to be utterly destroyed, I think, means they are forgotten, never to be seen again. And we know that we will see our loved ones again – someday. In the meanwhile, memories keep that person in our hearts, love for our dear ones reminds us that they are alive with God.
The last promise, to me, is the most breathtaking of all. It’s one of the most comforting things I’ve ever read. God promises to wipe every tear from your eyes. Not to take away the pain, but to sit beside you while you cry it out and work through it. God’ with you, holding the Kleenex and wiping away your tears. No matter how hard you cry, no matter how long, no matter when, or where, or how many times. God stays beside you, wiping away your tears. Loving you through all your pain. He’ll never get tired of sitting with you when you cry. He’ll never tell you to stop crying, that you’ve cried enough. He’ll just be with you, with that eternal Kleenex, wiping away your tears and loving you. Helping you to go through the journey of pain, grief, and suffering into healing and hope.
It takes a while to get out of the valley. I know this. I’ve been in the valley – and recently, mourning the death of my grandparents and the loss of a significant friendship. Sometimes you get partway out, stumble, and fall back down to the bottom. But even then, God is there. You are never, never alone. Even if you think you are. God is always there. Sometimes God doesn’t look like God – he may look like a friend, or a pastor, or a parent, or a member of the congregation…whoever helps you, offers you comfort, well, that’s God being with you. And when none of those are around, and you’re suffering alone in the dark – God’s there too. If you’re in the valley, I pray that you can somehow hear and trust these words, and that you can find some peace and comfort in them.
Psalm 23:4a (NRSV)
(Jesus said) My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.
John 10:27-30 (NRSV)
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
Revelation 7:17b (NRSV)
It seems as though a lot of people I care about are in the ‘valley of the shadow of death’ right now. I’ve been sending out prayers for peace and comfort to so many of my friends…so many people I know are wondering, “Why did she die?” “Why did he have to go so soon?” “Why does this hurt so much?” “How could this happen?” “Why now?” “Will it ever stop hurting?” “Why me?” Unanswerable questions. Questions that tear your heart out because they are unanswerable. Are you in that valley? Or have you ever been?
When we’re in the valley, what can we do? Do we have to just suffer? Mercifully, thankfully, that question has an answer. I only had to look at the Bible readings for this Sunday to find that answer. And the answer to that is no. The Bible readings are so good that I couldn’t pick just one verse to talk about, so I picked verses from each one.
First – at some time in our lives, each of us has to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. God does not promise us that we will never suffer. But he promises this – Jesus will walk right through that valley side-by-side with us. We can ask him all those unanswerable questions, which are really just cries of pain. He’ll listen, and he’ll comfort us, because he, too, knows what it is to lose people he loves and to hurt. He’s ‘been there, done that.’ That’s the beauty of Jesus being true God AND true human.
In John, Jesus promises that nothing, not one thing, can tear us away from his hold. That means, when we are so far down in the valley that we don’t have the strength to hold on to God, God will still hold on to us. When we’re so angry at God that we want to push him away, God holds on to us. When we’re so depressed and confused and wondering if God is even real, God holds on to us. He will never, ever, ever let us go. When we’re in the valley, that may not seem like much comfort, but it’s God’s hold on us that will eventually pull us out of the valley, and then when we’re looking back at the valley and realizing God was always there – well, it is amazing grace indeed.
Look at the reading from John again. Focus on one word – perish. I like this translation because it uses that word. Jesus promises us eternal life. He doesn’t promise that we won’t die here on earth, but he promises that we won’t “perish” – become utterly destroyed. Again, that may not seem like much when you’re grieving, but for someone to be utterly destroyed, I think, means they are forgotten, never to be seen again. And we know that we will see our loved ones again – someday. In the meanwhile, memories keep that person in our hearts, love for our dear ones reminds us that they are alive with God.
The last promise, to me, is the most breathtaking of all. It’s one of the most comforting things I’ve ever read. God promises to wipe every tear from your eyes. Not to take away the pain, but to sit beside you while you cry it out and work through it. God’ with you, holding the Kleenex and wiping away your tears. No matter how hard you cry, no matter how long, no matter when, or where, or how many times. God stays beside you, wiping away your tears. Loving you through all your pain. He’ll never get tired of sitting with you when you cry. He’ll never tell you to stop crying, that you’ve cried enough. He’ll just be with you, with that eternal Kleenex, wiping away your tears and loving you. Helping you to go through the journey of pain, grief, and suffering into healing and hope.
It takes a while to get out of the valley. I know this. I’ve been in the valley – and recently, mourning the death of my grandparents and the loss of a significant friendship. Sometimes you get partway out, stumble, and fall back down to the bottom. But even then, God is there. You are never, never alone. Even if you think you are. God is always there. Sometimes God doesn’t look like God – he may look like a friend, or a pastor, or a parent, or a member of the congregation…whoever helps you, offers you comfort, well, that’s God being with you. And when none of those are around, and you’re suffering alone in the dark – God’s there too. If you’re in the valley, I pray that you can somehow hear and trust these words, and that you can find some peace and comfort in them.
Lent 4 2010 - Just a Good Ol' Boy
Up until now, I’ve been choosing famous people to illustrate my challenge of letting your light shine – leaving behind reasons to be missed. Not today. Today is the story of a regular guy.
I’ve known this guy for years – since he was ‘knee high to a grasshopper’, in fact. He was a kid I grew up with, a boy who lived near me. He was an ok kid, I guess, although we tended to fight more than we played nicely together. As we got older, we weren’t as close. In fact, we fought a lot.
Anyway…so he’s just this regular kid, kinda skinny, made ok grades in high school, played sports. You know, not a bad kid, but he got into his share of trouble. He had plenty of friends, but his share of enemies, too, I think. Just a regular kid.
We started getting close again when I was in college. He was fun to hang out with, but you know, we didn’t do anything special. Just hung out, partied, the usual.
He went off to the local college, but he wasn’t really sure what he wanted to do with his life. So he took some classes, got some good grades, got some bad grades, but overall was doing ok. Then, in 2002 or so, his country called for soldiers and he answered. He joined the Marine Reserves. He ended up being sent overseas to the Middle East for two tours of duty – thankfully coming home uninjured (although I’m sure with some mental scars) each time. This is when I started noticing what a wonderful young man he was becoming. The Bible says, “Greater love hath no man than that he will lay down his life for his friends.” I think this guy’s love was just as great – he was willing to lay down his life for people he didn’t even know, in the name of freedom.
So after he came back, we kept in touch, and over the years, I saw what an amazing young man of faith he was becoming. He treats people the way he would want to be treated; he is a true friend who would do anything for his friends (he once stopped a friend from committing suicide!); he treats the women in his life with respect and honor; he treats his family with love and protectiveness. He’s always ready to come to the aid of his siblings, no matter what. He’s a “cowboy” in the best sense of the word. This all comes from his deep faith and his love of God.
He also recently discovered a love of horseback riding. But instead of “just” enjoying it, he also volunteers for two organizations that provide horseback therapy – Wings of Hope and Horses for Heroes. Horses for Heroes especially impresses me, because he’s uniquely suited to help wounded veterans heal through horseback therapy – since he’s a veteran himself. He can listen to their stories, sympathize with their scars, and just generally let his light shine through. He leaves behind “reasons to be missed” each and every single day.
Now, believe me, he’s not perfect. Boy’s got a temper, and he tends to be rather…opinionated. But hey, who is perfect? He’s also a humble guy, and he wouldn’t think of himself as an amazing example of a faith-filled life, but he is. Just a regular guy…who does regular things with great love…and shows the love of God to everyone he meets. Surely we can all be like that, can’t we? We don’t have to be famous, or important, or known throughout the world. We can show God’s love in our regular lives just as well!
By the way, if you haven’t figured it out yet, this “regular guy” I’m talking about is my little brother Paul. Yeah, I was trying to trick you a little with the “lived near me” stuff. Didn’t want you to guess too soon. We really did fight a lot as kids, too! Now, Paul’s probably going to turn bright red when he reads this, because like I said, he’s a humble guy, but I’m telling you – he is a great man of faith. If all the little boys in Texas turn out to be half the man he is, Texas will be doing well for the next generation.
I love you, Paul! And I’m so proud of who you’ve become!
I’ve known this guy for years – since he was ‘knee high to a grasshopper’, in fact. He was a kid I grew up with, a boy who lived near me. He was an ok kid, I guess, although we tended to fight more than we played nicely together. As we got older, we weren’t as close. In fact, we fought a lot.
Anyway…so he’s just this regular kid, kinda skinny, made ok grades in high school, played sports. You know, not a bad kid, but he got into his share of trouble. He had plenty of friends, but his share of enemies, too, I think. Just a regular kid.
We started getting close again when I was in college. He was fun to hang out with, but you know, we didn’t do anything special. Just hung out, partied, the usual.
He went off to the local college, but he wasn’t really sure what he wanted to do with his life. So he took some classes, got some good grades, got some bad grades, but overall was doing ok. Then, in 2002 or so, his country called for soldiers and he answered. He joined the Marine Reserves. He ended up being sent overseas to the Middle East for two tours of duty – thankfully coming home uninjured (although I’m sure with some mental scars) each time. This is when I started noticing what a wonderful young man he was becoming. The Bible says, “Greater love hath no man than that he will lay down his life for his friends.” I think this guy’s love was just as great – he was willing to lay down his life for people he didn’t even know, in the name of freedom.
So after he came back, we kept in touch, and over the years, I saw what an amazing young man of faith he was becoming. He treats people the way he would want to be treated; he is a true friend who would do anything for his friends (he once stopped a friend from committing suicide!); he treats the women in his life with respect and honor; he treats his family with love and protectiveness. He’s always ready to come to the aid of his siblings, no matter what. He’s a “cowboy” in the best sense of the word. This all comes from his deep faith and his love of God.
He also recently discovered a love of horseback riding. But instead of “just” enjoying it, he also volunteers for two organizations that provide horseback therapy – Wings of Hope and Horses for Heroes. Horses for Heroes especially impresses me, because he’s uniquely suited to help wounded veterans heal through horseback therapy – since he’s a veteran himself. He can listen to their stories, sympathize with their scars, and just generally let his light shine through. He leaves behind “reasons to be missed” each and every single day.
Now, believe me, he’s not perfect. Boy’s got a temper, and he tends to be rather…opinionated. But hey, who is perfect? He’s also a humble guy, and he wouldn’t think of himself as an amazing example of a faith-filled life, but he is. Just a regular guy…who does regular things with great love…and shows the love of God to everyone he meets. Surely we can all be like that, can’t we? We don’t have to be famous, or important, or known throughout the world. We can show God’s love in our regular lives just as well!
By the way, if you haven’t figured it out yet, this “regular guy” I’m talking about is my little brother Paul. Yeah, I was trying to trick you a little with the “lived near me” stuff. Didn’t want you to guess too soon. We really did fight a lot as kids, too! Now, Paul’s probably going to turn bright red when he reads this, because like I said, he’s a humble guy, but I’m telling you – he is a great man of faith. If all the little boys in Texas turn out to be half the man he is, Texas will be doing well for the next generation.
I love you, Paul! And I’m so proud of who you’ve become!
My brother. I love him. He's cool. ♥
Lent 3 2010 - Writing the Truth
"The life-giving, life-saving story is a true story that transcends facts." - Madeleine L’Engle
Some of my favorite writers tell lies. And sometimes the lies show the Truth.
Bet that grabbed your attention, huh? Well, I’m being a little tricky with words – of course, I’m talking about fiction writers. Fiction is a type of writing that is an ‘imagined’ or ‘made up’ story, so in the sense that it’s not something that really happened, it’s not factual, not ‘true.’ Therefore, some of my favorite writers tell lies.
But….how can ‘lies’ show the Truth? What the heck does that mean?
Now before you all get your undies in a bunch (especially any novel-writers out there), I’m not trying to bad-mouth fiction writers in any way. I love fiction! I read fiction all the time! The point I’m trying to show you is that even when a story is ‘made up’, it can show Truth. Still confused? Well, here are 3 of my favorite writers. They all happen to be fantasy writers, because I read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy novels, but they also are people of faith whose faith comes through in their stories.
1. Madeleine L’Engle. Have you ever read A Wrinkle in Time? Great story about instantaneous time/space travel, witches, angels, big furry monsters, a huge disembodied bad-guy brain, life on other planets….and about the power of Love. How to show Love even when you don’t like the person. How to care for your fellow man and learn the lesson of ‘who is my neighbor?’ (sound kinda familiar?)
2. JRR Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings trilogy isn’t just a great travel tale about elves, wizards, hobbits, men, orcs, talking trees, and a Ring. Tolkien’s deep faith and his love of the natural world and sorrow at what man was doing to it runs through every page. While he creates a whole other Earth for us to read about, he is showing us deeper lessons about good versus evil, the seductive power of evil (lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, anyone?), how it’s sometimes really, really, really hard to do the right thing, but how we always will have help. Not bad, huh? Pretty good faith lessons from a fantasy writer!
3. CS Lewis. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. If you haven’t read it, you should. If you haven’t seen the movie, you should. This book has probably the most obviously Christian message of all – it’s more or less a retelling of the story of Jesus’ betrayal, death, and resurrection. Aslan=Jesus, get it? I remember how excited I was when I first made that connection. I mean, it’s not exact, but the message is pretty clear for those who know both stories. And for those who don’t, who are reading the book just as a cool fantasy book, well, they get a pretty important story, don’t they!
These writers chose to weave faith lessons – Truth – into their fiction stories. They chose to put a deeper meaning into their books – one you have to think about – rather than just to tell a fun story. (now, I’m not knocking ‘fun story’ novels that don’t have a deeper meaning, either. I like those, too – but somehow, I like these more.)
Why have I chosen these for my Lent 3 message? Well, because I like reading, honestly. And I think writers are very cool. And I think writers who want to get across a message of faith are cool. Spreading the Truth while telling stories – that’s what Jesus did!
Writing a book is hard work, and it takes a lot of a certain kind of imagination. To have a whole story in your head, then to get it down on paper, then to have the courage to show it to someone else, whether it’s published or not – WOW!!! And I really admire the three writers I listed above, because they’ve written books that all kinds of people like to read, so their message is getting out to who knows how many millions of people. Talk about leaving behind a reason to be missed!
I know we have a lot of writers among our youth, and I hope that those of you who love to write keep doing it! And may your light shine brightly as you do it!
Have a blessed week, my friends!
Some of my favorite writers tell lies. And sometimes the lies show the Truth.
Bet that grabbed your attention, huh? Well, I’m being a little tricky with words – of course, I’m talking about fiction writers. Fiction is a type of writing that is an ‘imagined’ or ‘made up’ story, so in the sense that it’s not something that really happened, it’s not factual, not ‘true.’ Therefore, some of my favorite writers tell lies.
But….how can ‘lies’ show the Truth? What the heck does that mean?
Now before you all get your undies in a bunch (especially any novel-writers out there), I’m not trying to bad-mouth fiction writers in any way. I love fiction! I read fiction all the time! The point I’m trying to show you is that even when a story is ‘made up’, it can show Truth. Still confused? Well, here are 3 of my favorite writers. They all happen to be fantasy writers, because I read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy novels, but they also are people of faith whose faith comes through in their stories.
1. Madeleine L’Engle. Have you ever read A Wrinkle in Time? Great story about instantaneous time/space travel, witches, angels, big furry monsters, a huge disembodied bad-guy brain, life on other planets….and about the power of Love. How to show Love even when you don’t like the person. How to care for your fellow man and learn the lesson of ‘who is my neighbor?’ (sound kinda familiar?)
2. JRR Tolkien. The Lord of the Rings trilogy isn’t just a great travel tale about elves, wizards, hobbits, men, orcs, talking trees, and a Ring. Tolkien’s deep faith and his love of the natural world and sorrow at what man was doing to it runs through every page. While he creates a whole other Earth for us to read about, he is showing us deeper lessons about good versus evil, the seductive power of evil (lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, anyone?), how it’s sometimes really, really, really hard to do the right thing, but how we always will have help. Not bad, huh? Pretty good faith lessons from a fantasy writer!
3. CS Lewis. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. If you haven’t read it, you should. If you haven’t seen the movie, you should. This book has probably the most obviously Christian message of all – it’s more or less a retelling of the story of Jesus’ betrayal, death, and resurrection. Aslan=Jesus, get it? I remember how excited I was when I first made that connection. I mean, it’s not exact, but the message is pretty clear for those who know both stories. And for those who don’t, who are reading the book just as a cool fantasy book, well, they get a pretty important story, don’t they!
These writers chose to weave faith lessons – Truth – into their fiction stories. They chose to put a deeper meaning into their books – one you have to think about – rather than just to tell a fun story. (now, I’m not knocking ‘fun story’ novels that don’t have a deeper meaning, either. I like those, too – but somehow, I like these more.)
Why have I chosen these for my Lent 3 message? Well, because I like reading, honestly. And I think writers are very cool. And I think writers who want to get across a message of faith are cool. Spreading the Truth while telling stories – that’s what Jesus did!
Writing a book is hard work, and it takes a lot of a certain kind of imagination. To have a whole story in your head, then to get it down on paper, then to have the courage to show it to someone else, whether it’s published or not – WOW!!! And I really admire the three writers I listed above, because they’ve written books that all kinds of people like to read, so their message is getting out to who knows how many millions of people. Talk about leaving behind a reason to be missed!
I know we have a lot of writers among our youth, and I hope that those of you who love to write keep doing it! And may your light shine brightly as you do it!
Have a blessed week, my friends!
Lent 2 2010 - A Christian Athlete
"If you ever really want to do a story about who I am, God's got to be at the center of it. Every time I hear a piece or read a story that doesn't have that, they're missing the whole lesson of who I am." - Kurt Warner1
For the second story in my Lenten series, I wanted to tell you about a Christian athlete. One challenge – I don’t really know much about any athletes. So, I Facebooked my good buddy Mike Peterson, who gave me a great suggestion – Kurt Warner. Kurt Warner is not only an outstanding football player, he is a man who truly lets his light shine – he lives a life of faith and isn’t afraid to show it. The next few paragraphs are quotes from two internet articles I read about Kurt.
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How does Warner express his faith? He always has the Bible in his hand when he does postgame interviews. He joins players in postgame group-prayer sessions on the field. He loves to engage in spiritual discussions with teammates but says he tries not to be in-your-face about it. He wants the words of the Bible to guide his everyday life.1
When he and his family dine on the road, they always buy dinner for another table in the restaurant but keep the purchase anonymous. The children choose the family. Brenda Warner said it's their way of teaching their kids one of the Bible's messages: It's not your circumstances that define you but what you do with those circumstances.1
While Kurt Warner is not ashamed of verbally sharing his faith that Jesus Christ is God's Son Who died on the cross and rose again for the sins of the world to give a home in heaven to believers, he also is not one to raise his arms to heaven after throwing a touchdown pass. Instead, he is one whose life shows his beliefs on a daily basis by the way he treats and serves others.2
Added Cardinals defensive tackle Bertrand Berry: "To limit Kurt as a Super Bowl champion would do a disservice to him. I think his legacy will be that he's just a great human being, and I think that's the highest compliment that you can give anybody."1
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Wow. When I read these articles, I kept thinking, “This is exactly what we mean when we encourage our young athletes to be Christian athletes – that an athletic career can’t last forever, but Christian faith will. And did you notice how Bertrand Berry described Kurt? As a ‘great human being.’ If you remember, a couple of weeks ago I mentioned that people who don’t necessarily see your example as being that of a Christian life of faith (perhaps because they don’t share those beliefs or perhaps because they just think in different terms), they will see you as being a ‘good person’, which is wonderful. Kurt truly is ‘leaving behind reasons to be missed.’
Our congregation is blessed with many young Christian athletes. Some of you play for teams in your middle school or high school. Some of you will go on to play in college – some of you are even Olympic quality. God has given all of our athletes an amazing gift of physical grace, strength, and beauty. Use that gift! Use it to the best of your ability! And as you use it, participating in the sport you love, remember that what you can do with your body is a gift from God. Living a life of faith is your way of thanking God for that gift. How can you do that? My challenge to you is to think about how you, a Christian athlete, can live your life as a thank-you to God. And whether you, like Kurt, have a chance to publicly express your faith in interviews or on TV, or whether you only have a chance to show your faith in smaller arenas, please, always try to live your life so that you can say, with Kurt, “If you ever really want to do a story about who I am, God's got to be at the center of it.”
Have a blessed week, my friends!
Lisa
1http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/articles/2009/01/09/20090109boivin0109-CP.html
2http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/499915/nfl_quarterback_kurt_warner_demonstrates.html?cat=48
For the second story in my Lenten series, I wanted to tell you about a Christian athlete. One challenge – I don’t really know much about any athletes. So, I Facebooked my good buddy Mike Peterson, who gave me a great suggestion – Kurt Warner. Kurt Warner is not only an outstanding football player, he is a man who truly lets his light shine – he lives a life of faith and isn’t afraid to show it. The next few paragraphs are quotes from two internet articles I read about Kurt.
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How does Warner express his faith? He always has the Bible in his hand when he does postgame interviews. He joins players in postgame group-prayer sessions on the field. He loves to engage in spiritual discussions with teammates but says he tries not to be in-your-face about it. He wants the words of the Bible to guide his everyday life.1
When he and his family dine on the road, they always buy dinner for another table in the restaurant but keep the purchase anonymous. The children choose the family. Brenda Warner said it's their way of teaching their kids one of the Bible's messages: It's not your circumstances that define you but what you do with those circumstances.1
While Kurt Warner is not ashamed of verbally sharing his faith that Jesus Christ is God's Son Who died on the cross and rose again for the sins of the world to give a home in heaven to believers, he also is not one to raise his arms to heaven after throwing a touchdown pass. Instead, he is one whose life shows his beliefs on a daily basis by the way he treats and serves others.2
Added Cardinals defensive tackle Bertrand Berry: "To limit Kurt as a Super Bowl champion would do a disservice to him. I think his legacy will be that he's just a great human being, and I think that's the highest compliment that you can give anybody."1
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Wow. When I read these articles, I kept thinking, “This is exactly what we mean when we encourage our young athletes to be Christian athletes – that an athletic career can’t last forever, but Christian faith will. And did you notice how Bertrand Berry described Kurt? As a ‘great human being.’ If you remember, a couple of weeks ago I mentioned that people who don’t necessarily see your example as being that of a Christian life of faith (perhaps because they don’t share those beliefs or perhaps because they just think in different terms), they will see you as being a ‘good person’, which is wonderful. Kurt truly is ‘leaving behind reasons to be missed.’
Our congregation is blessed with many young Christian athletes. Some of you play for teams in your middle school or high school. Some of you will go on to play in college – some of you are even Olympic quality. God has given all of our athletes an amazing gift of physical grace, strength, and beauty. Use that gift! Use it to the best of your ability! And as you use it, participating in the sport you love, remember that what you can do with your body is a gift from God. Living a life of faith is your way of thanking God for that gift. How can you do that? My challenge to you is to think about how you, a Christian athlete, can live your life as a thank-you to God. And whether you, like Kurt, have a chance to publicly express your faith in interviews or on TV, or whether you only have a chance to show your faith in smaller arenas, please, always try to live your life so that you can say, with Kurt, “If you ever really want to do a story about who I am, God's got to be at the center of it.”
Have a blessed week, my friends!
Lisa
1http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/articles/2009/01/09/20090109boivin0109-CP.html
2http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/499915/nfl_quarterback_kurt_warner_demonstrates.html?cat=48
2010 Lent 1 - Music CAN help change the world
Do you use your God-given talents (and yes, everybody has some God-given talent) to the best of your ability? When people look at your life, do they see someone who lives a life of faith?...So there you go – my Lenten challenge to you is to ‘leave behind some reasons to be missed’ – not selfishly, because you want people to miss you, but with humility, knowing that God loves you, so now you are free to love others. Another of my favorite philosophers, in the song “Instant Karma”, says, “Better recognize your brothers/everyone you meet.” John Lennon, for all his flaws, knew that what we do and say, and how we live now can have an effect on the world around us for who knows how long to come. “We all shine on, like the moon and the stars and the sun,” he sang. So shine, little stars, shine brightly! (from last week’s message)
For the next few weeks, I want to share stories with you of people who have “left behind reasons to be missed.” Here’s the first – a music group you may or may not have heard of.
Peter, Paul, and Mary started as a folk trio in the 1960s and continued to make music together pretty much until Mary’s death last year. Let me tell you, THIS is a group who left behind something to be missed. And not just really good songs, either.
See, they had a God-given talent for making music together. And through their music, they worked to change the world. In the 1960s, there was A LOT going on – the world was trying to change in a big way. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and people like them were working for equal rights for African Americans, others were protesting for social justice and an end to war, some people were just plain sick of the government…it was a turbulent time. Some great, great music came out of this time, but I want to focus on Peter, Paul, and Mary because of how they used THEIR MUSIC to work for change.
These three wrote powerful songs of inclusiveness (example: All God’s Critters Got a Place in the Choir), social justice (If I Had a Hammer), and some that were just plain fun (The Wonderful Toy). But just writing wasn’t enough – their talent and blessing was how they sounded together – because they were so good (in my humble opinion), their music was popular, and their message spread across the country. They used this “power” to record songs from other Protest Singers and folk singers of the 60s (like Bob Dylan), and those songs spread, too. As did other anthems of the Civil Rights Movement.
Now, they did more than talk the talk – they walked the walk. They believed it was not enough to just sing about equal rights and social justice, they worked for it – through singing at protests and marches, through working with social activism groups, and through how they lived their lives in commitment to equal treatment. Reasons to be missed, indeed!
So maybe you’ve never heard of this group. Maybe you don’t think these are people who would be interesting to you – after all, that was like 40 years ago, right? Who cares about folk singers in the 60s?
OK, fair enough. Who are some groups NOW that are changing the world through their music? U2 comes to mind immediately; but there are certainly others. Who are some of the groups you like that have had a big impact on you or your friends? Why have they had that impact? What’s their message? How are these groups using their God-given talent to change the world?
Changing the world through music – it’s something to think about, isn’t it! Changing the world through poetry set to rhythm – an awesome thought. It’s happened more than once. Do you have a God-given talent for music or poetry? Can you use this gift to change the world – or maybe just your little corner of it? Can you put out a message that’s important to you? Can you share God’s love through your talent? Hmmm……
Next week…another story.
Blessings!
Lisa
PS – if you are interested in learning more about Peter, Paul, and Mary – and honestly, it’s worth it to listen to their music and read a bit about them – check out their website: www.peterpaulandmary.com. And DO listen to their songs – they’re meaningful, important, and a lot of fun!
For the next few weeks, I want to share stories with you of people who have “left behind reasons to be missed.” Here’s the first – a music group you may or may not have heard of.
Peter, Paul, and Mary started as a folk trio in the 1960s and continued to make music together pretty much until Mary’s death last year. Let me tell you, THIS is a group who left behind something to be missed. And not just really good songs, either.
See, they had a God-given talent for making music together. And through their music, they worked to change the world. In the 1960s, there was A LOT going on – the world was trying to change in a big way. Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and people like them were working for equal rights for African Americans, others were protesting for social justice and an end to war, some people were just plain sick of the government…it was a turbulent time. Some great, great music came out of this time, but I want to focus on Peter, Paul, and Mary because of how they used THEIR MUSIC to work for change.
These three wrote powerful songs of inclusiveness (example: All God’s Critters Got a Place in the Choir), social justice (If I Had a Hammer), and some that were just plain fun (The Wonderful Toy). But just writing wasn’t enough – their talent and blessing was how they sounded together – because they were so good (in my humble opinion), their music was popular, and their message spread across the country. They used this “power” to record songs from other Protest Singers and folk singers of the 60s (like Bob Dylan), and those songs spread, too. As did other anthems of the Civil Rights Movement.
Now, they did more than talk the talk – they walked the walk. They believed it was not enough to just sing about equal rights and social justice, they worked for it – through singing at protests and marches, through working with social activism groups, and through how they lived their lives in commitment to equal treatment. Reasons to be missed, indeed!
So maybe you’ve never heard of this group. Maybe you don’t think these are people who would be interesting to you – after all, that was like 40 years ago, right? Who cares about folk singers in the 60s?
OK, fair enough. Who are some groups NOW that are changing the world through their music? U2 comes to mind immediately; but there are certainly others. Who are some of the groups you like that have had a big impact on you or your friends? Why have they had that impact? What’s their message? How are these groups using their God-given talent to change the world?
Changing the world through music – it’s something to think about, isn’t it! Changing the world through poetry set to rhythm – an awesome thought. It’s happened more than once. Do you have a God-given talent for music or poetry? Can you use this gift to change the world – or maybe just your little corner of it? Can you put out a message that’s important to you? Can you share God’s love through your talent? Hmmm……
Next week…another story.
Blessings!
Lisa
PS – if you are interested in learning more about Peter, Paul, and Mary – and honestly, it’s worth it to listen to their music and read a bit about them – check out their website: www.peterpaulandmary.com. And DO listen to their songs – they’re meaningful, important, and a lot of fun!
Ashes to ashes...originally posted February 17, 2010
Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return. (from the ritual of Imposition of Ashes, Lutheran Book of Worship)
Here’s the thing. I don’t want to remember that I am dust, and to dust I will return. Not right now. Really, it’s just a poetic way of saying, ‘you know, you’re going to die someday.’ And to be quite honest, I’ve had just about enough of death to last me for some time, thank you very much! Starting with Ginny Reimet, continuing with my grandparents, hearing of the death of grandparents of two good friends, the father of another dear friend, the teenager killed just recently….and all this was this fall and winter! There are more, I’m sure, more that I’m not remembering right now, but geez, isn’t that enough? Enough! Enough with death, already!
So yeah, I get it. I’m gonna die someday. We’re all gonna die someday. Why do we have to have this reminder? I mean, as Christians, shouldn’t we focus on the promise of eternal life? That our bodies return to dust, but our souls go to be with Jesus (and all those dear ones who have gone before us)? Well yes….but not today. At least, today it’s in the background.
See, today is the start of Lent. Today is the day to take a step back, slow down, settle down, and get ready to walk with Jesus to the cross and grave. That’s why the worship services are more somber. That’s why the children hid the Alleluia banner last week. We are a little more somber, grave, and meditative than maybe we usually are.
But still, why the reminder? Can’t we be somber, grave, and meditative without all the death stuff? Well, sure, but the reminder that we are mortal is also a reminder that we have choices to make. In The Lord of the Rings, the wizard Gandalf says, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” And he’s right. That goes for us, as well. We have a limited time on this earth; how will we choose to spend it? What decisions will we make about our thoughts, words, and deeds?
My prayer for all of you is that you decide to cling to the God who is with you all the moments of your life and at the moment of your death. The God who loves you beyond all understanding. I hope the decisions you make are grounded in that belief. And I hope and pray that when you make bad decisions (because let’s face it, we all do), you will remember that God is STILL beside you and will never abandon you.
Have a blessed week, my friends,
Here’s the thing. I don’t want to remember that I am dust, and to dust I will return. Not right now. Really, it’s just a poetic way of saying, ‘you know, you’re going to die someday.’ And to be quite honest, I’ve had just about enough of death to last me for some time, thank you very much! Starting with Ginny Reimet, continuing with my grandparents, hearing of the death of grandparents of two good friends, the father of another dear friend, the teenager killed just recently….and all this was this fall and winter! There are more, I’m sure, more that I’m not remembering right now, but geez, isn’t that enough? Enough! Enough with death, already!
So yeah, I get it. I’m gonna die someday. We’re all gonna die someday. Why do we have to have this reminder? I mean, as Christians, shouldn’t we focus on the promise of eternal life? That our bodies return to dust, but our souls go to be with Jesus (and all those dear ones who have gone before us)? Well yes….but not today. At least, today it’s in the background.
See, today is the start of Lent. Today is the day to take a step back, slow down, settle down, and get ready to walk with Jesus to the cross and grave. That’s why the worship services are more somber. That’s why the children hid the Alleluia banner last week. We are a little more somber, grave, and meditative than maybe we usually are.
But still, why the reminder? Can’t we be somber, grave, and meditative without all the death stuff? Well, sure, but the reminder that we are mortal is also a reminder that we have choices to make. In The Lord of the Rings, the wizard Gandalf says, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” And he’s right. That goes for us, as well. We have a limited time on this earth; how will we choose to spend it? What decisions will we make about our thoughts, words, and deeds?
My prayer for all of you is that you decide to cling to the God who is with you all the moments of your life and at the moment of your death. The God who loves you beyond all understanding. I hope the decisions you make are grounded in that belief. And I hope and pray that when you make bad decisions (because let’s face it, we all do), you will remember that God is STILL beside you and will never abandon you.
Have a blessed week, my friends,
Yes, I'm still alive...
Wow. I haven't posted in, like, forever. While there have been lots of good reasons for that, I don't wanna get into it, and they're not necessarily valid anyway. So, the following posts are some "oldies but goodies" - stuff I wrote and posted on Facebook that belongs here too. Maybe if I get my act together and actually start posting here regularly, more people will read it...makes sense, yes?
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