Dear Friends in Christ -
Due to my grandmother's funeral, I will be unable to host book group this Friday, July 31st. I invite you to come to the Rectory on Friday, September 4th, at 7:00 p.m., instead. We'll discuss the book we've read - The Last Lecture. In the mean time, if you haven't seen the lecture, I invite you to do that in preparation for our discussion.
Faithfully,
Janet+
Thursday, July 30, 2009
My Grandmother
Dear Friends in Christ -
My grandmother, Audrey May Atherton Knight, passed away at home on Tuesday morning this week. My Grandma Audrey, my mother's mother, meant a great deal to me. She was a very faithful, lovely woman who had a deep appreciation for simple pleasures. Family was the most important thing to her, so being with us to - and through - the end was her fondest wish. My mother, Peggy, bravely saw her through her final difficult weeks. I'm so proud of my mom for having the strength and courage to tend her dying mother.
My grandmother is survived by her husband of 70 years, Charles; her sister, Leona; three children, eight grandchildren, and thirteen great-grandchildren.
I'll be travelling to her memorial service and burial. As I go, I want you to know how much I appreciate your prayers and care. Thank you for giving me this time to grieve and to discover anew the power of resurrection.
Faithfully yours,
Janet+
My grandmother, Audrey May Atherton Knight, passed away at home on Tuesday morning this week. My Grandma Audrey, my mother's mother, meant a great deal to me. She was a very faithful, lovely woman who had a deep appreciation for simple pleasures. Family was the most important thing to her, so being with us to - and through - the end was her fondest wish. My mother, Peggy, bravely saw her through her final difficult weeks. I'm so proud of my mom for having the strength and courage to tend her dying mother.
My grandmother is survived by her husband of 70 years, Charles; her sister, Leona; three children, eight grandchildren, and thirteen great-grandchildren.
I'll be travelling to her memorial service and burial. As I go, I want you to know how much I appreciate your prayers and care. Thank you for giving me this time to grieve and to discover anew the power of resurrection.
Faithfully yours,
Janet+
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Follow-up
Dear Friends in Christ -
For the past few weeks, we've been praying together (on Sundays and at other times) for the work of General Convention, our church's tri-ennial decision-making gathering. When we pray for something, it's always nice to hear what happens in relationship to our prayers. Always, when we pray, things happen - in the situation itself and in our hearts, - sometimes what we expect and sometimes something unexpected. With big happenings like General Convention, it also takes a while to unfurl the meaning, and to live into the "results", of the event.
Following is a letter to all of us from our Presiding Bishop. It summarizes the key matters raised and addressed at General Convention, and invites us to push on together. I hope it's helpful to you in understanding what has happened in our larger community. Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have questions.
Blessings,
Janet+
Presiding Bishop's letter to the church on General Convention
July 22, 2009
[Episcopal News Service] Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has issued a letter to the church about General Convention, which was held July 8-17 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. "Above all else, this Convention claimed God's mission as the heartbeat of The Episcopal Church," Jefferts Schori says.
The full text of the Presiding Bishop's letter follows.
My brothers and sisters in Christ:
The 76th General Convention is now history, though it will likely take some time before we are all reasonably clear about what the results are.
We gathered in Anaheim, as guests of the Diocese of Los Angeles, for eleven full days of worship, learning, and policy-making. The worship was stunning visually, musically, and liturgically, with provocative preaching and lively singing.
Our learning included training in Public Narrative, as well as news about the emergent church, in the LA Night presentation.
We welcomed a number of visitors from other parts of the Anglican Communion, including 15 of the primates (archbishops or presiding bishops), other bishops, clergy, and laity.
You can see and hear all this and more at the Media Hub: http://gchub.episcopalchurch.org/
The budget adopted represents a significant curtailment of church-wide ministry efforts, in recognition of the economic realities of many dioceses and church endowments, which will result in the loss of a number of Church Center staff who have given long and laudable service. Yet we will continue to serve God's mission, throughout The Episcopal Church and beyond. This budget expects that more mission work will continue or begin to take place at diocesan or congregational levels. Religious pilgrims, from the Israelites in the desert to Episcopalians in Alaska or Haiti, have always learned that times of leanness are opportunities for strengthened faith and creativity.
As a Church, we have deepened our commitments to mission and ministry with "the least of these" (Matthew 25). We included a budgetary commitment of 0.7% to the Millennium Development Goals, through the NetsforLife® program partnership of Episcopal Relief & Development. That is in addition to approximately 15% of the budget already committed to international development work.
We have committed to a domestic poverty initiative, meant to explore coherent and constructive responses to some of the worst poverty statistics in the Americas: Native American reservations and indigenous communities.
Justice is the goal, as we revised our canons (church rules) having to do with clergy discipline, both as an act of solidarity with those who may suffer at the hands of clergy and an act of pastoral concern for clergy charged with misconduct.
The General Convention adopted a health plan to serve all clergy and lay employees, which is expected to be a cost-savings across the whole of the United States portion of the Church. Work continues to ensure adequate health coverage in the non-U.S. parts of this Church. The Convention also mandated pension coverage for lay employees.
Liturgical additions were also included in the Convention's work, from more saints on the calendar to prayers around reproductive loss.
What captured the headlines across the secular media, however, had to do with two resolutions, the consequences of which were often misinterpreted or exaggerated. One, identified as D025, is titled "Anglican Communion: Commitment and Witness to Anglican Communion." It
• reaffirms our commitment to and desire to pursue mission with the Anglican Communion;
• reiterates our commitment to Listening Process urged by Lambeth Conferences of 1978, 1988, and 1998;
• notes that our own participation in the listening process led General Convention in 2000 to "recognize that the baptized membership of The Episcopal Church includes same-sex couples living in lifelong committed relationships 'characterized by fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and respect, careful, honest communication, and the holy love which enables those in such relationships to see in each other the image of God'";
• recognizes that ministry, both lay and ordained is being exercised by such persons in response to God's call;
• notes that the call to ordained ministry is God's call, is a mystery, and that the Church participates in that mystery through the process of discernment;
• acknowledges that the members of The Episcopal Church, and of the Anglican Communion, are not of one mind, and that faithful Christians disagree about some of these matters.
The other resolution that received a lot of press is C056, titled "Liturgies for Blessings." The text adopted was a substitute for the original, yet the title remains unchanged. It
• acknowledges changing circumstances in the U.S. and elsewhere, in that civil jurisdictions in some places permit marriage, civil unions, and/or domestic partnerships involving same-sex couples, that call for a pastoral response from this Church;
• asks the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, and the House of Bishops, to collect and develop theological and liturgical resources for such pastoral response, and report to the next General Convention;
• asks those bodies to invite comment and participation from other parts of this Church and the Anglican Communion;
• notes that bishops may provide generous pastoral responses to the needs of members of this Church;
• asks the Convention to honor the theological diversity of this Church in regard to matters of human sexuality.
The full text of both resolutions is available here: http://gc2009.org/ViewLegislation. I urge you to read them for yourself. Some have insisted that these resolutions repudiate our relationships with other members of the Anglican Communion. My sense is that we have been very clear that we value our relationships within and around the Communion, and seek to deepen them. My sense as well is that we cannot do that without being honest about who and where we are. We are obviously not of one mind, and likely will not be until Jesus returns in all his glory. We are called by God to continue to wrestle with the circumstances in which we live and move and have our being, and to do it as carefully and faithfully as we are able, in companionship with those who disagree vehemently and agree wholeheartedly. It is only in that wrestling that we, like Jacob, will begin to discern the leading of the Spirit and the blessing of relationship with God.
Above all else, this Convention claimed God's mission as the heartbeat of The Episcopal Church. I encourage every member of this Church to enter into conversation in your own congregation or diocese about God's mission, and where you and your faith community are being invited to enter more deeply into caring for your neighbors, the "least of these" whom Jesus befriends.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church
For the past few weeks, we've been praying together (on Sundays and at other times) for the work of General Convention, our church's tri-ennial decision-making gathering. When we pray for something, it's always nice to hear what happens in relationship to our prayers. Always, when we pray, things happen - in the situation itself and in our hearts, - sometimes what we expect and sometimes something unexpected. With big happenings like General Convention, it also takes a while to unfurl the meaning, and to live into the "results", of the event.
Following is a letter to all of us from our Presiding Bishop. It summarizes the key matters raised and addressed at General Convention, and invites us to push on together. I hope it's helpful to you in understanding what has happened in our larger community. Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have questions.
Blessings,
Janet+
Presiding Bishop's letter to the church on General Convention
July 22, 2009
[Episcopal News Service] Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has issued a letter to the church about General Convention, which was held July 8-17 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California. "Above all else, this Convention claimed God's mission as the heartbeat of The Episcopal Church," Jefferts Schori says.
The full text of the Presiding Bishop's letter follows.
My brothers and sisters in Christ:
The 76th General Convention is now history, though it will likely take some time before we are all reasonably clear about what the results are.
We gathered in Anaheim, as guests of the Diocese of Los Angeles, for eleven full days of worship, learning, and policy-making. The worship was stunning visually, musically, and liturgically, with provocative preaching and lively singing.
Our learning included training in Public Narrative, as well as news about the emergent church, in the LA Night presentation.
We welcomed a number of visitors from other parts of the Anglican Communion, including 15 of the primates (archbishops or presiding bishops), other bishops, clergy, and laity.
You can see and hear all this and more at the Media Hub: http://gchub.episcopalchurch.org/
The budget adopted represents a significant curtailment of church-wide ministry efforts, in recognition of the economic realities of many dioceses and church endowments, which will result in the loss of a number of Church Center staff who have given long and laudable service. Yet we will continue to serve God's mission, throughout The Episcopal Church and beyond. This budget expects that more mission work will continue or begin to take place at diocesan or congregational levels. Religious pilgrims, from the Israelites in the desert to Episcopalians in Alaska or Haiti, have always learned that times of leanness are opportunities for strengthened faith and creativity.
As a Church, we have deepened our commitments to mission and ministry with "the least of these" (Matthew 25). We included a budgetary commitment of 0.7% to the Millennium Development Goals, through the NetsforLife® program partnership of Episcopal Relief & Development. That is in addition to approximately 15% of the budget already committed to international development work.
We have committed to a domestic poverty initiative, meant to explore coherent and constructive responses to some of the worst poverty statistics in the Americas: Native American reservations and indigenous communities.
Justice is the goal, as we revised our canons (church rules) having to do with clergy discipline, both as an act of solidarity with those who may suffer at the hands of clergy and an act of pastoral concern for clergy charged with misconduct.
The General Convention adopted a health plan to serve all clergy and lay employees, which is expected to be a cost-savings across the whole of the United States portion of the Church. Work continues to ensure adequate health coverage in the non-U.S. parts of this Church. The Convention also mandated pension coverage for lay employees.
Liturgical additions were also included in the Convention's work, from more saints on the calendar to prayers around reproductive loss.
What captured the headlines across the secular media, however, had to do with two resolutions, the consequences of which were often misinterpreted or exaggerated. One, identified as D025, is titled "Anglican Communion: Commitment and Witness to Anglican Communion." It
• reaffirms our commitment to and desire to pursue mission with the Anglican Communion;
• reiterates our commitment to Listening Process urged by Lambeth Conferences of 1978, 1988, and 1998;
• notes that our own participation in the listening process led General Convention in 2000 to "recognize that the baptized membership of The Episcopal Church includes same-sex couples living in lifelong committed relationships 'characterized by fidelity, monogamy, mutual affection and respect, careful, honest communication, and the holy love which enables those in such relationships to see in each other the image of God'";
• recognizes that ministry, both lay and ordained is being exercised by such persons in response to God's call;
• notes that the call to ordained ministry is God's call, is a mystery, and that the Church participates in that mystery through the process of discernment;
• acknowledges that the members of The Episcopal Church, and of the Anglican Communion, are not of one mind, and that faithful Christians disagree about some of these matters.
The other resolution that received a lot of press is C056, titled "Liturgies for Blessings." The text adopted was a substitute for the original, yet the title remains unchanged. It
• acknowledges changing circumstances in the U.S. and elsewhere, in that civil jurisdictions in some places permit marriage, civil unions, and/or domestic partnerships involving same-sex couples, that call for a pastoral response from this Church;
• asks the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, and the House of Bishops, to collect and develop theological and liturgical resources for such pastoral response, and report to the next General Convention;
• asks those bodies to invite comment and participation from other parts of this Church and the Anglican Communion;
• notes that bishops may provide generous pastoral responses to the needs of members of this Church;
• asks the Convention to honor the theological diversity of this Church in regard to matters of human sexuality.
The full text of both resolutions is available here: http://gc2009.org/ViewLegislation. I urge you to read them for yourself. Some have insisted that these resolutions repudiate our relationships with other members of the Anglican Communion. My sense is that we have been very clear that we value our relationships within and around the Communion, and seek to deepen them. My sense as well is that we cannot do that without being honest about who and where we are. We are obviously not of one mind, and likely will not be until Jesus returns in all his glory. We are called by God to continue to wrestle with the circumstances in which we live and move and have our being, and to do it as carefully and faithfully as we are able, in companionship with those who disagree vehemently and agree wholeheartedly. It is only in that wrestling that we, like Jacob, will begin to discern the leading of the Spirit and the blessing of relationship with God.
Above all else, this Convention claimed God's mission as the heartbeat of The Episcopal Church. I encourage every member of this Church to enter into conversation in your own congregation or diocese about God's mission, and where you and your faith community are being invited to enter more deeply into caring for your neighbors, the "least of these" whom Jesus befriends.
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Squash Delight
Dear Friends in Christ -
In our garden, the zucchini, yellow squash and pattypan squash are all growing faster than we can eat them, so we've started to share them with friends. (If you need some, give me a call, and I'll cut some off the vine for you!)
I do this sharing with a bit of a sigh and a chuckle. True confessions: over the years, many people have often offered to give me free zucchini and squash - and I've often either declined it altogether or taken it home and watched it go bad in the refrigerator.
So I feel it's only fair offer not only the produce, but also an idea of a tasty way to eat it. Let's face it, we've all eaten a lot of bad vegetable dishes in our lives. Sometimes the squash or zucchini goes uneaten because we can't think of a quick, yummy way to prepare it. So . . . . along with the free squash, here's my version of baked squash. Warning: I cook like my grandmother, so amounts aren't measured! (Trust yourself! You'll know how much to put in!)
BAKED ZUCCHINI/SQUASH
Preheat oven to 350 degrees or preheat grill
Wash squash or zucchini and cut it down the middle length-wise
Scoop out the seeds and enough of the flesh of the squash to make a trough
Set aside
In a skillet, saute on low enough of the following to fill the trough in the zucchini:
diced onion
diced red pepper
diced mushrooms
diced garlic
leftover cooked rice or the flesh of the squash, diced fine
salt
pepper
a few finely chopped basil leaves
Saute until onions are translucent and red pepper is soft
Place stuffing in a bowl and stir in crumbled feta cheese or crumbled chevre cheese
Place zucchini on a baking sheet
Rub it with a bit of butter and lightly salt it
Place stuffing in zucchini troughs (if it spills over a little, that's OK)
Bake in oven for about 30 minutes or until zucchini is soft and stuffing mixture is browned
Eat warm in large quantities as a main dish or in small quantities as a side dish with a chicken or fish entree
Bon appetit!
Blessings,
Janet+
PS - Watch for an article this week here on this blog . . . Lesson #19 - "What to do with mannna"
In our garden, the zucchini, yellow squash and pattypan squash are all growing faster than we can eat them, so we've started to share them with friends. (If you need some, give me a call, and I'll cut some off the vine for you!)
I do this sharing with a bit of a sigh and a chuckle. True confessions: over the years, many people have often offered to give me free zucchini and squash - and I've often either declined it altogether or taken it home and watched it go bad in the refrigerator.
So I feel it's only fair offer not only the produce, but also an idea of a tasty way to eat it. Let's face it, we've all eaten a lot of bad vegetable dishes in our lives. Sometimes the squash or zucchini goes uneaten because we can't think of a quick, yummy way to prepare it. So . . . . along with the free squash, here's my version of baked squash. Warning: I cook like my grandmother, so amounts aren't measured! (Trust yourself! You'll know how much to put in!)
BAKED ZUCCHINI/SQUASH
Preheat oven to 350 degrees or preheat grill
Wash squash or zucchini and cut it down the middle length-wise
Scoop out the seeds and enough of the flesh of the squash to make a trough
Set aside
In a skillet, saute on low enough of the following to fill the trough in the zucchini:
diced onion
diced red pepper
diced mushrooms
diced garlic
leftover cooked rice or the flesh of the squash, diced fine
salt
pepper
a few finely chopped basil leaves
Saute until onions are translucent and red pepper is soft
Place stuffing in a bowl and stir in crumbled feta cheese or crumbled chevre cheese
Place zucchini on a baking sheet
Rub it with a bit of butter and lightly salt it
Place stuffing in zucchini troughs (if it spills over a little, that's OK)
Bake in oven for about 30 minutes or until zucchini is soft and stuffing mixture is browned
Eat warm in large quantities as a main dish or in small quantities as a side dish with a chicken or fish entree
Bon appetit!
Blessings,
Janet+
PS - Watch for an article this week here on this blog . . . Lesson #19 - "What to do with mannna"
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Just a word . . .
. . . that I find challenging and inspiring - from Helder Camara
Let every word
be the fruit
of action and reflection.
Reflection alone
without action
or tending toward it
is mere theory,
adding its weight
when we are
overloaded
with it already.
Action alone
without reflection
is being busy
pointlessly.
Honor the Word eternal
and speak
to make
a new world possible.
Let every word
be the fruit
of action and reflection.
Reflection alone
without action
or tending toward it
is mere theory,
adding its weight
when we are
overloaded
with it already.
Action alone
without reflection
is being busy
pointlessly.
Honor the Word eternal
and speak
to make
a new world possible.
Friday, July 17, 2009
CHURCH CROSSING Lesson #37
CHURCH CROSSING Lesson #37
That stuff in the Bible connects . . . with real life . . . a lot
Since I renamed this blog “CHURCH CROSSING” and used the story of the Israelites seeking to cross the desert as a metaphor for our life together at St. Pauls, I’ve been thinking a lot the Moses story. I first learned the story of Moses’ life and leadership in Sunday School when I was a kid – starting with his placement in a basket in the bulrushes to escape Pharoah’s edict of death, continuing through his murderous rage, his encounter with the burning bush, his leadership of the Israelites out of slavery and into desert crossing, and his death on the edge of the promised land. It’s a truly amazing and powerful story.
And wouldn’t you know, I come all the way out here on retreat, and the stories read in Chapel are about Moses. This is clearly no accident.
The story I heard on Wednesday morning was about Moses and the burning bush. The preacher (a priest friend of mine, Pat Hames) put a very interesting spin on it: Moses ended up in Midian, away from his friends and family, because he had murdered an Egyptian who was hurting one of his fellow Israelites. Pat reminded us that Moses committed the murder because he wanted justice: a good desire to be sure, but definitely not a good way of going about it. At the burning bush, God invited Moses to do something he had always wanted to do – help get justice and freedom for his people. And God gave Moses a job (leader) and a plan (plagues then exit across the Red Sea) that would leave no mistake that it wasn’t Moses, but the one and only true and living GOD who was in charge.
I don’t know about you, but one of my biggest fears about getting deeply involved with God is that He’s going to make me do something I don’t want to do, something that won’t let me become all I want to become. According to Pat (and this Bible story about Moses), the opposite is true – God’s always and only about helping us to blossom and flourish – giving us a way to live out the desires of our hearts.
Oh, and then there was another Moses story in Chapel at noon today. This was the story of the birth and saving of the infant Moses, when his mother put him in a basket in the bulrushes and floated him toward Pharoah’s daughter, hoping that Pharoah’s daughter would raise Moses as her own and thus save him from the fate of other Hebrew babies: death. The plan worked and Pharoah’s daughter not only fished him out of the river, but through some conniving on the part of Moses’ aunt (who was servant to Pharoah’s daughter) Moses’ own mother was brought in to be his wet nurse. The powerful thing about the story as it was read in Chapel today was that when we got to the part about the conniving women, everyone (a group of all women) laughed out loud.
Another one of my fears is that God’s promise that “all things work together for the good of those who love Him” won’t come true. Not for me. Not this time – in whatever crazy, deep, fascinating challenge cum problem I’ve stumbled into now. Laughing together in the midst of the Scripture reading today was a spontaneous recognition: it does work and, more than that, we DO know how to follow our instincts and participate in making good happen. God delights in a little crazygood sneakiness. In the name of helping it work. In the name of love.
My prayer for me – and for all of us at St. Paul’s – is that God will use this desert time of figuring out our path to the promised land to free us from all the extra baggage we carry – fear, guilt, anger, hopelessness – and whet our appetites for more milk and honey.
That stuff in the Bible connects . . . with real life . . . a lot
Since I renamed this blog “CHURCH CROSSING” and used the story of the Israelites seeking to cross the desert as a metaphor for our life together at St. Pauls, I’ve been thinking a lot the Moses story. I first learned the story of Moses’ life and leadership in Sunday School when I was a kid – starting with his placement in a basket in the bulrushes to escape Pharoah’s edict of death, continuing through his murderous rage, his encounter with the burning bush, his leadership of the Israelites out of slavery and into desert crossing, and his death on the edge of the promised land. It’s a truly amazing and powerful story.
And wouldn’t you know, I come all the way out here on retreat, and the stories read in Chapel are about Moses. This is clearly no accident.
The story I heard on Wednesday morning was about Moses and the burning bush. The preacher (a priest friend of mine, Pat Hames) put a very interesting spin on it: Moses ended up in Midian, away from his friends and family, because he had murdered an Egyptian who was hurting one of his fellow Israelites. Pat reminded us that Moses committed the murder because he wanted justice: a good desire to be sure, but definitely not a good way of going about it. At the burning bush, God invited Moses to do something he had always wanted to do – help get justice and freedom for his people. And God gave Moses a job (leader) and a plan (plagues then exit across the Red Sea) that would leave no mistake that it wasn’t Moses, but the one and only true and living GOD who was in charge.
I don’t know about you, but one of my biggest fears about getting deeply involved with God is that He’s going to make me do something I don’t want to do, something that won’t let me become all I want to become. According to Pat (and this Bible story about Moses), the opposite is true – God’s always and only about helping us to blossom and flourish – giving us a way to live out the desires of our hearts.
Oh, and then there was another Moses story in Chapel at noon today. This was the story of the birth and saving of the infant Moses, when his mother put him in a basket in the bulrushes and floated him toward Pharoah’s daughter, hoping that Pharoah’s daughter would raise Moses as her own and thus save him from the fate of other Hebrew babies: death. The plan worked and Pharoah’s daughter not only fished him out of the river, but through some conniving on the part of Moses’ aunt (who was servant to Pharoah’s daughter) Moses’ own mother was brought in to be his wet nurse. The powerful thing about the story as it was read in Chapel today was that when we got to the part about the conniving women, everyone (a group of all women) laughed out loud.
Another one of my fears is that God’s promise that “all things work together for the good of those who love Him” won’t come true. Not for me. Not this time – in whatever crazy, deep, fascinating challenge cum problem I’ve stumbled into now. Laughing together in the midst of the Scripture reading today was a spontaneous recognition: it does work and, more than that, we DO know how to follow our instincts and participate in making good happen. God delights in a little crazygood sneakiness. In the name of helping it work. In the name of love.
My prayer for me – and for all of us at St. Paul’s – is that God will use this desert time of figuring out our path to the promised land to free us from all the extra baggage we carry – fear, guilt, anger, hopelessness – and whet our appetites for more milk and honey.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
CHURCH CROSSING Lesson #14
“If it doesn’t belong to you, keep your paws off it.”
Dear Friends in Christ –
“If it doesn’t belong to you, keep your paws off it.” I say this to my young son pretty much every day, because he knows what he wants and when he sees it within reach, he just can’t help himself. A few days ago, after the 47 millionth time I said it, I wondered aloud to my husband, “What’s the problem? Why can’t he just leave it alone?”
Of course, I already know the answer to the question. The reason he can’t keep his hands off it is because he wants it SOOOO badly. And even if it doesn’t belong to him, he thinks that if he can just hold it for a moment, something in his little self will be better, happier.
“If it doesn’t belong to you, keep your paws off it.” The truth is, in over 40 years of living, I still haven’t totally learned this lesson. There are so many things that I want so badly – good things – for myself, for others – that I want to help, to put my hands on things that aren’t mine to do. At home and at church.
It’s dangerous for me not to be able to keep my hands off things. As rector, I’m expected to oversee this parish, but the parish is not “mine.” It’s God’s. It’s ours. But it’s not mine.
It’s hard to remember that it’s not “mine,” though, when I read articles and go to clergy gatherings where there’s talk about leaders who make things happen and a rector’s responsibility to “grow the parish.” I often think, “Oh, I should be doing this.” Or, “Oh, we need to do that, and I should get it started.” I feel pulled toward the glittering goal, and something in me thinks, “Yes, that can be mine, if I just reach out and grab it.
I wouldn’t have accepted this calling if I didn’t want to see traditions thrive and new programs rise and more people find wholeness in relationship with God. I have to remember, though, that THIS whole glorious sandbox is God’s. All of it. The people, the buildings, the vision. God lets me play in His sandbox, but He gets to make the rules about what I can touch, and when.
Summer is a great time to play in the sandbox. To dream and plan, to experiment with building this little thing here, to sketch out something that might fit over there. As your ministry team leaders and I play in the church sandbox this summer, please pray a blessing on our efforts. Pray that, in due time, just enough heavenly rain will come to stick together the things that are supposed to last. And, for those things that don’t belong to me/us, I’ll be able to keep my paws off!
Blessings,
Janet+
Dear Friends in Christ –
“If it doesn’t belong to you, keep your paws off it.” I say this to my young son pretty much every day, because he knows what he wants and when he sees it within reach, he just can’t help himself. A few days ago, after the 47 millionth time I said it, I wondered aloud to my husband, “What’s the problem? Why can’t he just leave it alone?”
Of course, I already know the answer to the question. The reason he can’t keep his hands off it is because he wants it SOOOO badly. And even if it doesn’t belong to him, he thinks that if he can just hold it for a moment, something in his little self will be better, happier.
“If it doesn’t belong to you, keep your paws off it.” The truth is, in over 40 years of living, I still haven’t totally learned this lesson. There are so many things that I want so badly – good things – for myself, for others – that I want to help, to put my hands on things that aren’t mine to do. At home and at church.
It’s dangerous for me not to be able to keep my hands off things. As rector, I’m expected to oversee this parish, but the parish is not “mine.” It’s God’s. It’s ours. But it’s not mine.
It’s hard to remember that it’s not “mine,” though, when I read articles and go to clergy gatherings where there’s talk about leaders who make things happen and a rector’s responsibility to “grow the parish.” I often think, “Oh, I should be doing this.” Or, “Oh, we need to do that, and I should get it started.” I feel pulled toward the glittering goal, and something in me thinks, “Yes, that can be mine, if I just reach out and grab it.
I wouldn’t have accepted this calling if I didn’t want to see traditions thrive and new programs rise and more people find wholeness in relationship with God. I have to remember, though, that THIS whole glorious sandbox is God’s. All of it. The people, the buildings, the vision. God lets me play in His sandbox, but He gets to make the rules about what I can touch, and when.
Summer is a great time to play in the sandbox. To dream and plan, to experiment with building this little thing here, to sketch out something that might fit over there. As your ministry team leaders and I play in the church sandbox this summer, please pray a blessing on our efforts. Pray that, in due time, just enough heavenly rain will come to stick together the things that are supposed to last. And, for those things that don’t belong to me/us, I’ll be able to keep my paws off!
Blessings,
Janet+
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
A Wonder of Creation
Dear Friends in Christ -
I've been watching my garden grow. It's a daily miracle to see what has grown and what has faded due to leaf blight or bug invasion. Hopes, frustrations, joys, agrivations, all tied to a little plot of dirt with things growing in it. A microcosom of life.
There are many things that we didn't plant in our garden plot this year; one of them was strawberries. We still wanted some of those delicious berries, though, so last week I went with my family and my friend Irene to Jones Farm. We picked as many as we could carry, and the result was DELICIOUS . . . jam, pie, frozen berries, and topping for ice cream. WOW!!!
It wasn't until after we had jammed and frozen and pied our way through the day that I sat down to put my feet up and to read the "Barrels of Strawberry Recipe Fun" brochure from the farm. And I learned something I didn't know: "Botanically, strawberries are not even berries at all, but members of the rose family." So basically, when I'm eating a strawberry, I'm eating the flower part of a rose. Wow! Knowing that fact makes sense of the experience I have through my senses; I get the same kind of intense pleasure from smelling a rose that I get from smelling and eating a strawberry. Mmmmmmmmmm . . . a wonder of Creation.
Hope you're enjoying some of the wonders of Creation this summer, too.
Blessings,
Janet+
I've been watching my garden grow. It's a daily miracle to see what has grown and what has faded due to leaf blight or bug invasion. Hopes, frustrations, joys, agrivations, all tied to a little plot of dirt with things growing in it. A microcosom of life.
There are many things that we didn't plant in our garden plot this year; one of them was strawberries. We still wanted some of those delicious berries, though, so last week I went with my family and my friend Irene to Jones Farm. We picked as many as we could carry, and the result was DELICIOUS . . . jam, pie, frozen berries, and topping for ice cream. WOW!!!
It wasn't until after we had jammed and frozen and pied our way through the day that I sat down to put my feet up and to read the "Barrels of Strawberry Recipe Fun" brochure from the farm. And I learned something I didn't know: "Botanically, strawberries are not even berries at all, but members of the rose family." So basically, when I'm eating a strawberry, I'm eating the flower part of a rose. Wow! Knowing that fact makes sense of the experience I have through my senses; I get the same kind of intense pleasure from smelling a rose that I get from smelling and eating a strawberry. Mmmmmmmmmm . . . a wonder of Creation.
Hope you're enjoying some of the wonders of Creation this summer, too.
Blessings,
Janet+
Sunday, July 5, 2009
My Mission Trip Experience by Emma Kaesmann
The witness that Emma gave this morning, in her own words . . .
"This week I experienced something really powerful. On the mission trip, my group went to United Cerebral Palsy. United Cerebral Palsy is a place where people who have the disease can go for the day while their families go to work because they can't take care of themselves. Our job there was to entertain and keep the patients company. While we were there, our group met one of the staff members named Valentine. Miss Leslie had talked to him earlier that day and he had asked her if our church could pray for him later that night during our church group time. Us kids had never met the guy or talked to him. Me, Miss Leslie, Amy, Evan and Joey were just standing there talking and Valentine came over to us and was talking to us about our group and our positions. When he asked me what my position in the group/church was and I said I didn't know, he started to just focus on me. He was asking me questions about my faith. Some of the questions he asked me were, "When was the last time God talked to you?" "What did he say?" and "What is your purpose of being sent to Washington DC?" Then he asked me if I knew who he was and I said no. When I said no, he told me I did know who he was. I was both confused and scared when he said that. He then confessed that he was a prophet of God. He explained to me that only God has the power to bring me from Connecticut and Valentine from Trinidad so that I could stand as proxy as our church prayed for him. Valentine told me to read a section from the Bible because he thought they fit me personally. The section he wanted me to read was Jeremiah chapter 1, verses 1-15. He was right. They did fit me.
Later that night when our church gathered for church time, the whole youth group laid their hands on me and prayed for me and Valentine. During the prayer, I felt a flow of emotions...mainly shock. It was an overwhelming feeling of the Holy Spirit and I just cried.
On Thursday when we went back to UCP, I saw Valentine and told him what had happened the night before. I told him about how I was going to step out of my comfort zone and do something I normally wouldn't do. That is going back to my church and telling my story to everybody. Verse number 8 says, "'Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the Lord." Before this whole experience, I would never have done something like this. I am normally quieter and would be too scared to do this. After this wonderful experience, I realized I could do it. I am doing this with God right by my side.
"This week I experienced something really powerful. On the mission trip, my group went to United Cerebral Palsy. United Cerebral Palsy is a place where people who have the disease can go for the day while their families go to work because they can't take care of themselves. Our job there was to entertain and keep the patients company. While we were there, our group met one of the staff members named Valentine. Miss Leslie had talked to him earlier that day and he had asked her if our church could pray for him later that night during our church group time. Us kids had never met the guy or talked to him. Me, Miss Leslie, Amy, Evan and Joey were just standing there talking and Valentine came over to us and was talking to us about our group and our positions. When he asked me what my position in the group/church was and I said I didn't know, he started to just focus on me. He was asking me questions about my faith. Some of the questions he asked me were, "When was the last time God talked to you?" "What did he say?" and "What is your purpose of being sent to Washington DC?" Then he asked me if I knew who he was and I said no. When I said no, he told me I did know who he was. I was both confused and scared when he said that. He then confessed that he was a prophet of God. He explained to me that only God has the power to bring me from Connecticut and Valentine from Trinidad so that I could stand as proxy as our church prayed for him. Valentine told me to read a section from the Bible because he thought they fit me personally. The section he wanted me to read was Jeremiah chapter 1, verses 1-15. He was right. They did fit me.
Later that night when our church gathered for church time, the whole youth group laid their hands on me and prayed for me and Valentine. During the prayer, I felt a flow of emotions...mainly shock. It was an overwhelming feeling of the Holy Spirit and I just cried.
On Thursday when we went back to UCP, I saw Valentine and told him what had happened the night before. I told him about how I was going to step out of my comfort zone and do something I normally wouldn't do. That is going back to my church and telling my story to everybody. Verse number 8 says, "'Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the Lord." Before this whole experience, I would never have done something like this. I am normally quieter and would be too scared to do this. After this wonderful experience, I realized I could do it. I am doing this with God right by my side.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Missionaries Return
Dear Friends in Christ -
Our mission team has returned from Washington D.C. When I talked to the team
leader, our Director of Youth Ministries, Leslie Beard, on the phone this morning,I could feel what I can only describe as waves of the Spirit over the phone. Whatever happened in D.C. with our mission team, it was powerful.
At both the 8:00 a.m. amd 10:00 a.m. services tomorrow morning, members of the mission team will be sharing their experiences. I hope you'll join me in hearing their stories.
Blessings,
Janet+
PS - Thank you for praying and giving to make their mission work possible! It's amazing what God does in and through us, isn't it?!
Our mission team has returned from Washington D.C. When I talked to the team
leader, our Director of Youth Ministries, Leslie Beard, on the phone this morning,I could feel what I can only describe as waves of the Spirit over the phone. Whatever happened in D.C. with our mission team, it was powerful.
At both the 8:00 a.m. amd 10:00 a.m. services tomorrow morning, members of the mission team will be sharing their experiences. I hope you'll join me in hearing their stories.
Blessings,
Janet+
PS - Thank you for praying and giving to make their mission work possible! It's amazing what God does in and through us, isn't it?!
Friday, July 3, 2009
A Prayer for Independence Day
Dear Friends in Christ -
As you celebrate our nation's birthday tomorrow, please join me in praying for our great country. We are so blessed to live here, to benefit from the wisdom and strength of our forebearers. Let us use well that which is entrusted to us, strive for justice and dignity for all, and fearlessly, openly, listen and share.
Blessings,
Janet+
A PRAYER FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY (Adapted from "The Book of Common Prayer")
Almighty God, giver of all good things: We thank you for the natural majesty and beauty of this land. We thank you for the great resources of this nation. We thank you for the men and women who made this country strong. We thank you for the torch of liberty that has been lit in this land. We thank you for the faith we have inherited in all its rich variety. Help us, O Lord, to finish the good work here begun. Strengthen our efforts to blot out ignorance and prejudice, and to abolish poverty and crime. And hasten the day when all our people, with many voices in one united chorus, will glorify your holy name. Amen.
As you celebrate our nation's birthday tomorrow, please join me in praying for our great country. We are so blessed to live here, to benefit from the wisdom and strength of our forebearers. Let us use well that which is entrusted to us, strive for justice and dignity for all, and fearlessly, openly, listen and share.
Blessings,
Janet+
A PRAYER FOR INDEPENDENCE DAY (Adapted from "The Book of Common Prayer")
Almighty God, giver of all good things: We thank you for the natural majesty and beauty of this land. We thank you for the great resources of this nation. We thank you for the men and women who made this country strong. We thank you for the torch of liberty that has been lit in this land. We thank you for the faith we have inherited in all its rich variety. Help us, O Lord, to finish the good work here begun. Strengthen our efforts to blot out ignorance and prejudice, and to abolish poverty and crime. And hasten the day when all our people, with many voices in one united chorus, will glorify your holy name. Amen.
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