The "Enough" Prayer

"As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing." - Matthew 13:22

Dear Friends in Christ -

Obviously, I haven't figured out what "enough" is in my own life. I say "obviously" because I've neglected writing here for some time - and I really enjoy doing this! My schedule overfloweth. Many of the good things I want to do I don't get around to - and I spend more time than I would like to admit on things that seem important (or praiseworthy) but that, in the long haul, don't prove to be worth that much. Sigh.

Enough. What is enough? How much money is "enough" money? How much time is "enough" time? How much effort is "enough" effort? And how are we to know?

Today's Gospel lesson points out what happens to the Word when the cares of the world and the lure of money get to us: the Word gets choked out. And when the Word gets choked out - out-yelled in the daily shouting match for our attention, forced to take a backseat to other "crucial" things in our agenda - we yield nothing. Nothing of significant value, at least.

I have a friend I really admire. She does important work: she's a peacemaker who's job is to bring warring, wounded parties together to try to work out peace and reconciliation agreements. She's been working overtime lately, with more and more work coming her way. Recently, I asked her: "How do you know when you've done enough?" She said, "I ask myself the question, 'Was I kind to people each person who crossed my path today?'" If the answer is yes, then she believes she's done well, she's done enough.

Another friend of mine shared with me the prayer she's been praying lately: it's a prayer asking for guidance to "enough." I'm praying it these days, and I invite you to join me.

Whether it's "enough" time or money or grace we need, this prayer draws us to Jesus, the source of all we need . . . (It's from a book entitled, "Enough")

"Lord, help me to be grateful for what I have, to remember that I don't need most of what I want, and that joy is found in simplicity and generosity. Amen."

Faithfully in Him,
Janet+

Pray always - and take cover!!! (SUNDAY SERVICES CANCELLED)

Praise the Lord, all you nations!
Extol him, all you peoples!
For great is his steadfast love towards us,
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever.
Praise the Lord!
- Psalm 117

Dear Friends in Christ -

Psalm 117, a song of praise to God, is the one appointed for us to read today. It's the song God wants to put on our lips even as we scramble about doing everything from buying water and batteries to taking in the garden furniture.

God IS worthy of praise and He WILL see us through - no matter who we are, no matter where we are. God is noticing YOU on this day of storm preparation. "Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you" . . . that's more than just a pretty saying; it's God's everlasting promise to us.

Please continue to pray for all those in the storm's path as you hunker down in your homes with some good food and a few good books you can read by candlelight if necessary!

SERVICES AT ST. PAUL'S FOR TOMORROW (SUNDAY, 8/28) ARE CANCELLED DUE TO HURRICANE IRENE. If you or someone you know needs pastoral assistance, please don't hesitate to contact me at home (203-929-2929) or on my cell (203-246-8646).

All peace to you as you pray through yet another challenging weather ordeal!!
Faithfully yours,
Janet+

PS - In the midst of storm preparations, I find it very ironic that the name "Irene" means "peace"!!!

Pass It On

"Be strong, be courageous, and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes . . ." - 2 Kings 2:2

Dear Friends in Christ -

Each year, it gets easier, and it gets harder. I'm talking about the back-to-school routine. This is the fifth year for me, the fifth time 'round that I'm getting the kids ready for a new year, a new set of challenges, a new season of growth. I've pretty much got the basics down: the school uniforms are purchased, washed and hanging in their closets; the backpacks are selected and have been filled with the stuff on their school list; the summer homework is almost complete.

Each year, it gets easier, and it gets harder. Getting the "stuff" organized is a flurry of activity but easier to manage each time I do it. The hard part is getting the kids ready - in their minds, in their hearts, passing on to them what they need to know to be who God is calling them to be.

In today's Old Testament lesson (see the sidebar on the right for information on how to find the full Daily Office Readings for yourself), David is passing things on to his son, Solomon. The truth is, he almost waited 'til too late. He nearly died before he passed along some things that Solomon really needed to know.

What do your kids - or your grandkids or the kids in your neighborhood - need to know? Do you live your life in such a way that they pick those things up from you? Have you come right out and told them what's important to you - and why?

As a country, we've spent a lot of time bemoaning the state of our ecomony, the state of our city government, the state of our schools. But have we done what our God calls us to do? Are we living in His love and light, and passing that love and light down to our children?

An old camp-song says, "It only takes a spark to get a fire going." Of course, the presumption is that we have the spark, that we will "Pass It On."

At this crucial time in the lives of our families, in the life of our world, may we all have the power and the grace to equip the next generation not only with stuff, but also with the power that comes from living in God's way.

Faithfully with you,
Janet+

It's Not Too Late

1 Samuel 19:18 - "Now David fled and escaped; he came to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all . . ."

Dear Friends in Christ -

In the summer, we all need and want a change of pace. But when I talk to many of you and to my friends from around the community, I'm not hearing much of a difference from the rest of the year.

"How are you?" I ask.

"Busy." "Crazy busy." "Tired." These are the most common responses.

Now the school year pace seems to have set in year round. It seems that folks have just traded in one set of obligations for another set, one way of overcrowding the calendar with another way of overcrowding the calendar.

This isn't just a work problem or a family problem, it's a SPIRITUAL problem.

The good news is that we're only about 2/5 of the way into summer. It's not too late. YOU can, with God's help, center down, refocus and receive what you need. Though fear ('what will people think if I change our plans now?'), exhaustion ('I'm too tired to make the call'), and anxiety ('we haven't done it that way before'), may at first loom large, wouldn't you rather take a step in faith and risk getting what you need than go along and get the same old unfulfilling results?

In today's Old Testament reading, David is facing some pretty difficult situations. He manages to get through it by escaping to talk to a trusted mentor and friend.

Maybe you need time with a friend, too. Maybe you need something else. Talk to God. Make a change. It's not too late.

Blessings,
Janet+

Treasure found at camp

Dear Friends in Christ -

What I enjoy most about camp is that it takes me back to the basics . . . sitting on dirt watching skits around the campfire, being silent at prayer time to hear the birds, seeing the slithery snakes and the little brown bunnies on my morning walk.

The isolation from "everything" allows me to get down to some things that I've let sit on back burners for a while . . . including a backlog of email. (Yes, there's an email connection available here, though mercifully not "too" available). I'm ashamed to say that I've had emails languishing unanswered since LAST summer. People - friends, parishioners, people I've handed my card to in line at the grocery store - send me emails that I don't always have time to get to. Sigh.

In digging through the pile of miscellaneous things, I found a significant amount of trash (let's face it, there's some humor but not a lot of depth in most of those "pass it on" emails). But today I also found a real treasure . . . a video clip from this site called TED . . . the clip is about really getting to the heart of things in our lives. When you get a chance, pour yourself a cup of iced tea, and watch . . . it may just change your life . . . really!
http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html

Slowly breaking open into more greater deeper LIFE,
Janet+

Independence Day

Dear Friends in Christ -

Around holiday times, I always search for a fresh way to express the connection between the event of the day and our souls. Today I want to share with you a piece by the Rev. David Anderson, a priest who ministers down the road from here. His words below on "True Freedom" invite us to reflect on Christ's invitation to us to be really, fully free.

A blessed Independence Day to you!
Faithfully,
Janet+

True Freedom
I don't know if it's true, but someone once told me that domesticated birds can be trained to sit by an open window---and not fly away. You put their perch next to an open window, but you tie one foot to the perch, so that when the bird attempts to fly out the window, it can't. You do this for days and weeks, and before long the bird stops trying to fly out that window. It's impossible. Eventually, you can untie the foot and the bird will sit by that open window and never try the "impossible."

That reminds me of the circus elephant, trained to sit quietly with his foot chained to a stake in the ground. At first, the trainer chains the elephant's leg to a stake driven deep into the ground: it's impossible even for an elephant to yank it free. The beast tries of course, heaves on the spike, but to no avail. Once the elephant has learned that stakes are impossible to fight against, you can drive a little picket into the ground that a rabbit could probably pull out, and the elephant no longer even tries. He knows what he knows.

The Fourth of July always brings us hot dogs, parades and speeches about freedom. America is indeed the "land of the free," and we ought to be proud of our liberty. But political liberty is not the same as spiritual freedom. You can have all the political liberty in the world, and still be a soul in chains. You can be like that bird by the window, that elephant tethered to a toothpick.

True freedom dawns when we recognize that the real bondage is deep within our hearts. Somehow we've been trained to sit still, not even to try the "impossible" anymore. It takes soul work, but God is in the business of freeing hearts. Now that's a liberty worth celebrating.

Pass the mustard!

On Mission

OUR 2011 MISSION TEAM IN HARRISBURG, PA

Dear Friends in Christ -

"Hard but good." That's the underlying riff I hear from this mission trip - and from every mission trip I've ever been on myself or heard reports from.

There's no easy way to make a deep difference in the lives of others. It's HARD. But I'm betting when the youth come back and greet their families in the church parking lot on Friday afternoon (tomorrow!) and when they offer their reflections on Sunday morning, we'll hear that it was . . . GOOD.

Their experience will, I hope, press the rest of us to think about whether or not we're "On Mission" - in our church, in our community, in our world. Sometimes we all (yes, including ME) come to church seeking comfort and encouragement. When we find challenge instead, we're tempted to walk away and seek comfort somewhere else: at an ice cream parlor, at a bar, at the home of a friend who will lend a sympathetic ear to our complaints without nudging us down a better path.

The disciples following Jesus never had it easy, but they had it GOOD: love flowed through them so powerful they changed the world and, through our missionaries (and through the rest of us, right?!), are changing it still. That's GOOD.

Faithfully on mission with you,
Janet+