Everyday is a celebration! Seriously, every day!

In an earlier blog I wrote about October being Clergy Appreciation Month, but did you know that it is also: Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, American Pharmacist Month, Apple Jack Month, Awareness Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Computer Learning Month, Cookie Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Eat Country Ham Month, International Drum Month, and Lupus Awareness Month. It is also: National Diabetes Month, National Pizza Month, National Vegetarian Month, National Popcorn Popping Month, Sarcastic Month, and Seafood Month. (I see some conflicts in these designations!)

Each week of the month also has its special celebration. The 1st week of the month was "Get Organized Week". This one flew right by me, but I plan on working on it as soon as I can find my calendar. It was also "Customer Service Week" - a lot of other people I know let this one slide right by them. The 2nd week of the month we saw celebrations of "Fire Prevention Week" and "Pet Peeve Week". Seems to me these are more like year-round designated activities. Finally, during the 3rd week we saw "Pastoral Care Week". I've commented on this in that previous blog, so won't rehash this.

As we go on, I found out that almost every day of the month has some special designation attached to it. Everything from "Name Your Car Day" on the 2nd, to "Bald and Free Day" on the 7th, to "Wear Something Gaudy Day" and "Babbling Day". There is also "National Nut Day", "National Mincemeat Day" and "Increase Your Psychic Powers Day", but I bet you saw that one coming. And how could I forget "Virus Appreciation Day"?

I am amazed by the number of inconsequential things people find to celebrate! How do you celebrate "Virus Appreciation Day" or "Sarcastic Month"? It's hard enough for me to remember to buy and mail birthday cards for family members in a timely manner, how in the world could I have daily celebrations for all of these other things that are recognized and set aside? Maybe I should have taken advantage of "Get Organized Week" and organized myself so I could find more ways to celebrate the inanities of life. As I think about all these things I find that I do have to simply laugh - or I'll start crying with the thought of having more to "celebrate" than is possibly human!

In the midst of all this thinking there is a still small voice in my head that whispers - "Be still" and reminds me to stay focused on what I truly have to be grateful for and to celebrate. I choose to celebrate the many gifts God has given me. I have the ability to hear my children's voices and my husbands snores; the gift of touching my cats soft warm fur or holding a pen to write a letter; and the ability to see the faces of my friends and loved ones. I celebrate the comfy blanket wrapped around my legs as I sit on my couch in my comfortable livingroom under a solid roof with a cup of hot tea by my side and breakfast waiting for me on the kitchen counter. Today I celebrate all that God has given me and all He has taken away and I pray that I can do the same tomorrow and the day after and the day after that.

There is no need for me to do more, to add more, to this day than what is already present.

"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done." ~ Genesis 2:2-3

This is the day ...

Have you ever noticed that every day you seem to encounter someone that has something to say about the weather? Maybe your spouse said to you this morning, "Looks like it's gonna be cold today." Or maybe a co-worker said, "Can you believe how hot it is out there?" Or how about your comment to the grocery store checkout clerk, "I am so tired of all this rain!"

I know that for most of us this is all idle chit-chat, designed to make conversation and connect us with the people and the world around us. But underlying the comments seems to be a hidden agenda. Hidden even from our own minds and hearts. There oftentimes seems to be a sense of discontent with the our present state of being, as if we awakened in the morning and something in our world wasn't ... quite ... right. How difficult we make things out to be when we forget to simply say thank you for THIS day!

We are reminded in scripture that God created the heavens and the earth , night and day, and said, "It is good." We are also reminded in scripture to offer up our prayers and praises unceasingly and in all circumstances. And we are reminded in scripture that God's love and mercies for us are unfailing and new every morning.

So, let's all think about each of our days and remember to thank God for this day which He has made. Rain, sun, cold, warmth - THIS is the day that the Lord has made and I will be glad in it!


"This is the day the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it." ~ Psalm 118:24

Faith is a Verb

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BB7t4PcSNdo&feature=related


You are holy ... You are mighty ... You are worthy ... Worthy of praise ... I will follow ... I will listen ... And I will love you ... All of my days

Justice and Mercy Impact Ministry Expo

Quick update on prison ministry expo:

Learn About Justice and Mercy Ministries at Expo This Sunday
10/13/2009

Have you ever felt a burden on your heart to minister to the prisoners in our penal systems? Would you know how to begin if you wanted to explore that call? Would you be able to find some holy task that matches your ability, interest, and situation? The answers are yes to all of these questions IF you attend the Justice and Mercy Impact Ministry Expo this Sunday evening, October 18, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. St Andrew UMC in Marietta will host this expo in the fellowship hall.

Here you can review various ministries that serve victims of crime, help inmates reenter society, visit detention facilities for worship services, sponsor children for summer camp or mentor a child, pray for the victims, the families and offer care and restoration of victims, offenders, criminal justice officials, and more. There will be many ministries present to highlight their ministries.

Come find out more about a particular ministry that interests you or come and see what ministry areas are available. Ministry representatives will be on hand to provide information and answer questions.

Email from God

I had a moment today - a God moment.

How often have you gone about your day doing what you felt was what you had to do because it is what you are designed to do, only to feel at the end of your day an emptiness in the meaning of your work? I have felt that way more often than I care to admit. In the world of pastoral vocation we have the blessing and the joy to serve God. Hallelujah! Yet ... there are days when clergy of the small church are so emptied out with caring for others, doing the bulletins, tidying the office and sanctuary, and working on the million other mundane tasks of the office, that we lose the joy of prayer and preparation. We lose focus on the knowledge and hope that Sunday is coming!

Well, today was one of those days. I have had so many ministry tasks to juggle and the stress of several significant changes to process that my joy was simply running-on-empty. After driving an hour to a meeting that ran for almost three hours and then driving home for another hour, I had to work on some paperwork and get ready for another meeting. My mind was overtired and my heart was heavy and I just wanted to walk away for awhile. Instead, I dutifully sat down to work on the next task of the day and began sorting through my email. That's when my God moment happened!

In my email was a message from someone who had heard me speak recently. This individual was so touched by God's spirit that they "had to" share what was on their heart with me. That simple gesture by this person affirmed and lifted me in a way that doesn't happen often. I knew that God was speaking to me and telling me, "Well done good and faithful one" through the words and testimony of another. This message has filled my heart with joyful anticipation to embrace the next step God is calling me to. Please continue in prayer that I may be worthy of the task set before me and that God may be glorified through the process!

Thank you my friend for your obedience to our Lord in sharing your message with me. I have been touched and have felt the fingerprint of God on my heart today.

"The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.'"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' ~ Matthew 25:22-23

Who was, Who Is, and Is to Come

What a wonderful time of looking at the face of Christ in the eyes of my brothers this weekend. It was a time of remembering, renewing, and restoring. Alleluia, praise our King of Glory!

I was standing in the pouring rain
One dark November night
Fighting off the bitter cold
When she caught my eye
Her face was taught and her eyes were filled
And then to my surprise
She pulled out a photograph
And my heart just stopped inside
She said He would have been three today
I miss his smile, I miss his face
What was I supposed to say

But I believe always always
Our Savior never fails
Even when all hope is gone
God knows our pain and His promise remains
He will be with you always

He was living in a broken world dreaming of a home
His heart was barely keeping pace
When I found him all alone
Remembering the way he felt
When his daddy said goodbye
Fighting just to keep the tears
And the anger locked inside
He's barely holding on to faith
But deliverance is on its way

'Cause I believe always always
Our Savior never fails
Even when all hope is gone
God knows our pain and His promise remains
He will be with you always

Friend I don't know where you are
And I don't know where you've been
Maybe you're fighting for your life
Or just about to throw the towel in
But if you're crying out for mercy
If there's no hope left at all
If you've given everything you've got
And you're still about to fall
Well hold on, hold on, hold on

'Cause I believe always always
Our Savior never fails
Even when all faith is gone
God knows our pain and His promise remains
Always, Always
He will be with you always
He will be with you always
He will be with you

Lyrics from "Always " by Building 429

Hymns vs. Choruses

Gotta laugh at this one! Hope you enjoy :)

Old farmer Joe went to the city one weekend and attended the big city church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was.

"Well," said the farmer, "it was good. They did something different,
however. They sang praise choruses instead of hymns."

"Praise choruses?" said his wife. "What are those?"

"Oh, they're okay. They are sort of like hymns, only different," said the farmer.

"Well, what's the difference?" asked his wife.

Joe said, "Well, it's like this - if I were to say to you, 'Martha, the cows are in the corn' - well, that would be a hymn. If on the other hand, I were to say to you:

"Martha, Martha, Martha,
Oh Martha, MARTHA, MARTHA,
the cows, the big cows, the brown cows, the black cows
the white cows,
the black and white cows,
the COWS, COWS, COWS
are in the corn,
are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn,
the CORN, CORN, CORN.

"Then, if I were to repeat the whole thing two or three times, well, that would be a praise chorus."

The next weekend, his nephew, a young, new Christian from the city came to visit his Uncle Joe and Aunt Martha. He attended their local church in the small town. When he went home his mother asked him how it was.

"Well," said the young man, "it was good. They did something different however. They sang hymns instead of praise choruses."

"Hymns?" asked his mother. "What are those?"

"Oh, they're okay. They are sort of like praise choruses, only different," said the young man.

"Well, what's the difference?" asked his mother.

The young man said, "Well, it's like this - if Uncle Joe were to say to his wife, 'Martha, the cows are in the corn' - well, that would be a praise chorus. If on the other hand, he were to say to her:

"Oh Martha, dear Martha, hear thou my cry
Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth
Turn thou thy whole wondrous ear by and by
To the righteous, inimitable, glorious truth.

"For the way of the animals who can explain
There in their heads is no shadow of sense
Harkenest they in God's sun or His rain
Unless from the mild, tempting corn they are fenced.

"Yea those cows in glad bovine, rebellious delight
Have broke free their shackles, their warm pens eschewed
Then goaded by minions of darkness and night
They all my mild Chilliwack sweet corn have chewed.

"So look to the bright shining day by and by
Where all foul corruptions of earth are reborn
Where no vicious animals make my soul cry
And I no longer see those foul cows in the corn.'

"Then if he were to do only verses one, three and four and do a key change on the last verse, well that would be a hymn."

Isn't it such a blessing to be a part of the body of Christ, to be together in all our differences and our familiarity? Praise God!

"Sing to the LORD, you saints of his;
praise his holy name." ~ Psalm 30:4

Me? faith? What you talkin' bout?

Recently I had a conversation with someone who said to me, "I wish I had your faith." I didn't know if I should laugh, cry, or continue to stand there with my mouth open and my jaw hanging to the ground! Me? faith? You have to be kidding? I mean, sure I recognize God in those moments when it really matters. Don't we all? But, do I have the kind of faith that matters, the kind of faith that can lead someone else to a life of fullness and hope? As I read the following piece, I realized that I have enough faith. Enough faith to offer someone else a glimpse of God's peace in the midst of today's concerns. Enough faith to share hope in a future with Christ. Enough faith to recognize that God is using me to light a step on someone else's path.

"Each of us has been given a measure of faith (faith the size of a mustard seed is sufficient), and now is the opportunity for us to commend the faith that is in us. In the words of the prayer attributed to St. Francis (Book of Common Prayer, p. 833), each of us in our small way can be an instrument of God's peace. "Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair hope; where there is darkness light; where there is sadness, joy..."

In effect, Jesus turns the disciples' request around on them. "Increase our faith," they ask, and he points out to them that they have enough already. In spite of their fears, anxieties, they have what is needed, and each of his hearers is encouraged to take their rightful place in the exercise of spiritual authority."

“The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea”, and it would obey you.” – Luke 17: 5-6

Finding Grace in Everyday Moments

I finally sat down and had a cup of tea today after having spent the weekend with a number of my sisters in Christ and two special brothers in Christ. Many of us came weary and burdened, full of the junk we carry in our lives. It was a long weekend filled with unloading baggage, and picking up pieces of our lives. I needed to spend some time in rest. So, I had a cup of tea.

In that cup of tea, I found a beautiful moment with my Lord and Savior. I found the rest and the peace I needed.

The Tea Cup

There was a couple that used to go England to shop in a beautiful antique store. This trip was to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. They both liked antiques and pottery, and especially teacups. Spotting an exceptional cup, they asked, "May we see that? We've never seen a cup quite so beautiful."

As the sales lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke up, "You don't understand!" it said, "I have not always been a tea-cup. There was a time when I was just a lump of red clay. My master took me and rolled me, pounded and patted me over and over and I yelled out, 'Don't do that. I don't like it! Let me alone,' but he only smiled, and gently said; 'Not yet!!'"

"Then. WHAM! I was placed on a spinning wheel and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. 'Stop it! I'm getting so dizzy! I'm going to be sick!’ I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, quietly;’ Not yet.' He spun me and poked and prodded and bent me out of shape to suit himself and then... Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I yelled and knocked and pounded at the door. 'Help! Get me out of here!' I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as he shook his head from side to side, 'Not yet.'"

"When I thought I couldn't bear it another minute, the door opened. He carefully took me out and put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. Oh, that felt so good! 'Ah, this is much better,' I thought. But, after I cooled he picked me up and he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. 'Oh, please; Stop it, Stop it!!' I cried. He only shook his head and said. 'Not yet!'"

"Then suddenly he put me back in to the oven. Only it was not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I just knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. I was convinced I would never make it. I was ready to give up. Just then the door opened and he took me out and again placed me on the shelf, where I cooled and waited and waited, wondering “What's he going to do to me next?"

"Later he handed me a mirror and said 'Look at yourself.' And I did. I said, ’that’s not me; that couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful!"'

"Quietly he spoke: 'I want you to remember, then,' he said, 'I know it hurt to be rolled and pounded and patted, but had I just left you alone, you'd have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurt and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened. You would not have had any color in your life. If I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you wouldn't have survived for long because the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. Now you are what I had in mind when I first began with you.'"

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." ~ Matthew 11:28

On the Road Again ....

... just can't wait to get to get on the road again...

Did you know there are hundreds of songs that have been written about "the road"? How about the ever-popular: AC/DC – Highway to Hell? Or one from my late teen years: Bachman Turner Overdrive – Roll On Down the Highway? Most folks will remember the melancholy song by the Beatles – Long and Winding Road. The title of this post comes from a line in a song by Willie Nelson – On The Road Again. Do you remember swooning to the velvet voice of Ricky Nelson in "Travelin’ Man"?

And who can forget the ever popular ballad by Loudon Wainwright – Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road?

Most people accept and embrace the belief that life is a journey, and we see journeys as best-lived on roads. In today's modern world most communities have roads that are paved and designed for cars - not for walking. In fact, our communities have been designed to suit a lifestyle that requires the "convenience" of a car and are not able to be easily navigated on foot. As one author commented - try walking around sometime. No, communities are set up to be convenient for CARS. We've got drive-thru restaurants, drive-thru pharmacies, drive-thru convenience stores, and drive-thru car washes.

In the Bible we have a road story. It is also a story about love and a story about TRUTH. What is your story? Where are you on the road with the risen Savior? This weekend I am "on the road again" with friends and strangers building community and watching for time spent with my Lord. Hope to see you at the cross-road!


"Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem." ~ Luke 24:13