It takes a village.

9 Apr posted by

Bible
Every night before bed my son and I read together.  He dives under the covers and we read stories that take us to far away places like Little Critter Land and the Island of Sodor.  We also read the classics from my youth like Robert Munsch and The Berenstain Bears. When we were at Costco a few weeks ago we found the Berenstain Bears Storybook Bible and have already read through it completely and are now turning to our favorite stories each night.  My son loves the story of Jesus and finds David to be quite compelling.  It’s been a really fun read together and the pictures are quite delightful.  Each story also comes with commentary from Mom of course and I think he finds it funny.

I love to talk to my son about life and faith and all kinds of things as it happens around us but it’s not something that I do in an age specific way.  It’s something we live in this house and as a result I don’t really think about programming it into our day at a specific time, it’s just what we do.  I think this may be unusual in the Christian circuit, or at least it feels that way to me today.  My son went to a Jump into JK program at our local Christian School to try it out and see if it was a good fit for him.  As he is a shy fellow he wouldn’t let me leave so I got to see what they were doing and I was amazed.  As all the kids sat around the mat they knew word for word ‘Jesus Loves Me’ and X sat there giving me the side eye as I had obviously failed him in not teaching it to him.  It’s not that we don’t listen to Christian music ever.  I have it playing on my iPhone in my mix and he knows some of the songs pretty well.  As we were driving out of the school parking lot he was belting out the chorus from Josh Turner’s Long Black Train.  Hearing a three year old sing “But there’s victory in the Lord I say” is pretty funny especially after he couldn’t sing Jesus Loves Me.

I think part of this stems from the fact that I tend to bounce around.  We’ve been lucky lately in that I’ve only been supplying in one congregation but we move from church to church as a family and as X. is fairly shy he doesn’t jump in and out of Sunday School programs easily.  I teach him at home.  We pray and read and talk about Jesus but he doesn’t get those kid songs that I remember from my youth. I wonder if this is a good thing or a bad thing.  I wonder how it will impact him as he grows.  He is very comfortable in church and is generally well behaved for my husband.  He enjoys listening to hymns and singing along where he can.  Also he shouts out ‘Amen’ at inappropriate times and I find this hilarious. He’s a kid who’s not church-schooled but is very churched.  I wonder how this will work in the future and I suspect he has an advantage, his mom is someone who has resources and tools to teach him at home.  Maybe it’s not conventional but it works for us and he’ll learn it’s okay to probe and question in faith from us.  I’m glad I can do this for him but I wonder about the other kids.  What happens to the families in the church when programming ceases to exist for them.  Where do they turn or do they turn anywhere?

The first thing on the chopping block for any church seems to be Sunday School or child related programming.  This is especially true when the numbers are small.  This is so backward to me.  We should be investing in our children.  Sharing with them and showing them that they are important, that they in fact are the future.  We should let them know that they matter and we should be learning from them, after all Jesus did say unless we become like children there is no getting into the kingdom of heaven. This is a real problem for us.  How can we learn from the children when we don’t see them or place any value on them besides the ten minutes they entertain us during the children’s time in worship?

Do we value our children? Are we giving them what they need?  Do we look to them as our future?

These are questions we really need to be asking.  Like it or not our children are the future.  It’s not about us, it’s about them.  It’s about helping them grow in faith and helping them discover the world around them.  It’s about finding ways to engage and encourage them as they  make their way.  It’s about sharing the gospel in an exciting way because it’s an exciting message. While my son may not know Jesus Loves Me, he will hopefully grow up knowing that God loves him and it’s okay to make mistakes as long as you get back on that horse to try again.  He’ll learn about grace and forgiveness, redemption and living life to the fullest.  I want him to fully engage, to question and ponder.   We will teach these things to him and when we settle once more in a charge I am hopeful that a congregation will assist in this. It takes a village to raise a child.  We need to be that village for our children. To love them and lift them up in faith. To pray for them and give them everything they need to make their way into the world.  Are we doing that?  Are we giving them everything we have?  If not, maybe we should think about what we are doing and ask ourselves if it’s enough.

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Filed Under: Church, Faith, Musings, random church things most of you probably don't care about, Uncategorized

We need community.

18 Feb posted by

Yesterday I went to church. Hardly surprising I know but while I was there I saw various gifts being used, people doing ministry and it filled my heart. The church I’m going to be with through Easter is a good group of people and I love seeing them interact because they are so loving and kind. They have big hearts and they are a community. This morning as I pulled out my Lent Project the importance of community and gifts really struck me. We see two people in this passage. Simeon is a man who is waiting on God’s specific promise of a redeemer to come and Anna is a prophet for the Lord who trusts in God’s promises and is in constant worship and prayer. Two different people experiencing a moment with Jesus who see things differently, who give us a view of what is to come.

Simeon is given the gift of knowledge, of foresight. He shares with Jesus’ parents the pain that is to come, a hint of what may happen. He reminds them, and us that Jesus is about more than just freedom from political injustice, he’s here to redeem our hearts. Anna rejoices with thanksgiving and praise for the coming of the child and tells everyone who has been waiting for redemption that it is here!  Simeon’s knowledge is important as is Anna’s praise and thanksgiving. Knowing what is to come, that it may be hard and difficult shouldn’t stop us from giving thanks today. These two people balance one another and assist us in seeing the big picture. They help us to see the whole story and that is what we need to be looking at as a church.

We all have different gifts of the same spirit. Some of us are teachers, some prophets while others are servants or healers. All of us have a gift from God and none of us can tell or experience the whole story alone. We need one another. We need each other’s strengths and gifts to do God’s work in the world.

Today we are asked the question “Are you willing to wait for God’s promises to come true?” and I think that’s something I will really reflect on. I am someone who has a tendency to want things to move at a pace that I am comfortable with and I know I need to sink into God’s time and plan. But all that aside, this morning I really see the necessity of being in community, of holding one another up in faith. Anna and Simeon didn’t wait for a redeemer at home. They gathered with others to find strength. We need one other. We need each other for support and encouragement as we wait for God to work with us.

While I will spend the rest of the day reflecting on God’s promises and my trust in God I give thanks now for the community that is offered. I am grateful for the strength that comes when we are all together, using our gifts for the work and will of God.

 

 

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Filed Under: Lent, Musings, The 2013 Lent Project

The yeast…

5 Feb posted by

I’ve been experimenting with bread making this week.  It’s not as exciting as you think.  My husband went into our back room and dug out my bread machine so I only have to layer everything in a precise way and press a button.  It’s pretty easy, or so you would think.  Here is my first attempt.

failed bread
It looks awful, right?  It was even worse inside.  Uncooked and mushy, we couldn’t even make croutons out of this loaf.  What went wrong?  Lots of things I believe.  The first of which was the temperature of the liquid when it connected with the yeast.  You don’t want boiling hot and you definitely don’t want cold.  I think my liquid was too cold.  I also think the recipe I used didn’t call for enough liquid so the bread didn’t mix in the machine correctly.  Nevertheless I persevered and look what happened.

Bread again

This loaf worked.  I made sure that the water was exactly the right temperature.  I watched it like a hawk to ensure that the moisture level was correct and then I ate it smothered in jam.  It was definitely worth the effort and I realized something very important. Yeast is a little picky but when added at the right time, to the right mix amazing things can happen.

Because of my failures and final success with yeast, I started to think about Jesus and what he says about yeast.  Having a better understanding of how yeast works and the multitude of ways it can fail, I realized something important. Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven is like yeast that is worked into flour. When yeast is worked in and the right setting is there, amazing things can happen.  If however the setting is wrong, there’s nothing the yeast can do and ultimately the bread will fail.  It would seem to me that as God’s people we should be trying to keep ourselves open and ready for the spirit to move within us, to be the yeast in our lives and help us expand and grow.

I think ultimately we would say we want this but it’s scary to contemplate. When you look at bread, when you look at what yeast can do, how it changes and shapes the dough, that kind of change is frightening. Do we really want to double in love, in service, in devotion and commitment?  Do we want our churches to double in love, in service, in devotion, and commitment?  I think if they did amazing things could happen but our lives and church and worship would look very different from how they do today.

Are we ready to open ourselves up and prepare ourselves to do God’s work in the world or are we frightened of what that means?  Do you think you’re ready for yeast to be added to the mix?

 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.”  Matthew 13:33 NIV 

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Filed Under: Christianity, Church, Faith, Musings, Reflections, reforming

Even Lions fans have hope.

1 Jan posted by

Life in 2013 has been quiet thus far.  I made two batches of potatoes for dinner tonight {one with chives, the other with cheese} and have settled in for some much needed coffee after a late night watching the ball drop and trying to encourage my son to stay in bed.  I adore coffee and it’s magical energy producing powers which enable me to function. I’m grateful to those who grow the beans which keep me going.

This last week was wonderful. We spent time together as a family, I’m finally feeling better after a nasty bout with a chest infection and I didn’t go to church. Where did I go instead you might ask? I went to the Lions game. My Mom and Dad got all of us tickets and I made the trek down to Ford Field.

photo (6) 2
It was awesome. I love football and the game was so much more fun to watch in person. We settled in early and I enjoyed some delicious food while watching the practice on the field. As I sat there with my Sloppy Jane in one hand, and a giant drink in the other I turned to my brother and said ‘this is some good church, isn’t it?’. He laughed and shook his head but seriously there were some things I noticed at the stadium that really struck me as a church goer and a minister.

First, the football crowd has a much better community spirit than most of the churches I have been to. The people who were season ticket holders knew each other well. They were hugging and calling out New Years greetings to one another as they found their seats. They also extended that friendliness to us. People were turning around during the game and chatting with one another. The man sitting right in front of us was asking my husband questions and needling my brother {who’s a Bears fan} and there was no hesitation. The warmth and friendliness of the people was rather shocking and quite pleasant. As I sat there I wondered why those of us in the church aren’t more like this. Why we don’t turn around and chat with one another more? Why we don’t extend honest, open affection to those who are visitors? It’s something we should really be working on.

Second, there was excitement in that room. I know we were there to watch a game so that’s expected but I found myself wondering where the excitement went for worship. I often {though not always} find that as I lead worship I am much more excited about it than those who are attending the service. It seems at times as if we’ve sunk into a routine and have lost the thrill for what is is we do. We forget that worship is a celebration and a time to really connect with God. There should be moments of quiet and reflection but also there should be joy and dancing.  I think we should look for ways to make church interesting and enjoyable for people.

Last but definitely not least was the fact that people gathered together for a common purpose and really connected because of it. This was a community of people who even while watching their team go down in defeat after one of the worst seasons imaginable didn’t let that get them down. They were looking towards the future and as we left I said and heard others say, there’s always next year. Hope is something we all need and it seems to me that those of us in the church who in fact have reason to hope have lost our faith. We are struggling and have forgotten about the one who saves and redeems. We’ve lost sight that there is a future possible if we just work towards it. Too many of us are wallowing in our own worries to look into the future and plan for a different season, a different way of doing things. There was hope in that stadium even while the season ended. As a church we need to find hope once more.

It is my hope this year that we move in a positive direction. That we start to live out our faith in community and hope. That we develop an excitement and enthusiasm for the gospel once more. That we begin to believe that a future is possible. If Lions fans believe that a future is possible surely we as believers in the hope and truth Jesus offers can start to see that as a possibility too. It’s time for us to move on out of this negative season in the church and begin preparing for the next stage, the next step. We need to move forwards into tomorrow.

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Filed Under: Church, Football, Hope

While I was chopping…

10 Nov posted by

I just spent the afternoon chopping vegetables. I went to the market this morning and picked up some lovely produce. As my husband and son entertained themselves I chopped and prepped for the coming week. It makes weeknights easier and dinner time more enjoyable. As I stood there chopping and preparing for the future I started thinking, after all when you’re chopping carrots what else are you going to do?

When you think about it, much of life is really about preparing for the future. We do laundry so we don’t have to walk naked around town. We wash the dishes so we can eat again later. We clean so that in the future we’re not surrounded by a terrible mess. You can see where I am going. What we do now has impacts on the future. What we decide to put our energy into today will definitely affect tomorrow.

So where am I going with this you ask? It’s rather simple. If what we decide to put our energy into today affects tomorrow then we really need to consider what we are doing today. This is so true in many areas of life. The energy we put into our kids, our work, our friendships all have lasting consequences but for today I’m thinking particularly of faith and our churches.

Where are we putting our energy?

Sadly it would seem to me that much of our energy is going into keeping us happy. Instead of making decisions that would benefit the church of the future we are making decisions to stay put and stay content. It’s troubling because these decisions to freeze in place and not make any significant changes will impact those who come behind us, if there is anything of us left to come to. We need to be bold. We need to have vision. We need to see that it’s not about us.

It’s hard to do that, to look beyond what makes us happy and see that there are others in the world who need this news too. We need to change our perspective and see churches as not places where we come but instead as who we are. We need to find ways to engage those who are seeking and not exist strictly for ourselves.

Until we realize that what we do today ultimately impacts our future I don’t think we’ll be able to make significant progress. It’s not enough to just keep hanging in. We need to live well and thrive. Our decisions impact our ability to do this.

And to think this rant formed while just hanging out and chopping some carrots. Can you imagine what I might say if given a few hours to myself to reflect and dream. Perhaps it’s best if I stick to the kitchen…

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Filed Under: Musings, random church things most of you probably don't care about, Reflections

Rooted in love.

12 Oct posted by

Yesterday my son, his best ‘friend’ Monkey Monkey and I made the journey to place where my siblings live. We had lunch, went to Costco and generally had fun.  Monkey Monkey went with us everywhere as my son is his caretaker.  He feeds him, kisses him and puts him to bed each day.  Sometimes if something particularly bad has happened I need to give Monkey Monkey a kiss to make it better.  My son really loves his friend.  Most kids have something they love like this.  It’s hoped I guess that the love they show for their favorite toy/blanket/insert thing here is a reflection of the love they are getting.  When a child is rooted in love, is established in love they learn to love others in that model.

I guess you could say that who we are is a reflection of where we’ve been and who we’ve grown with.  I find it curious that some of my real life blogging friends are writing about the ‘toxic sludge’ that has invaded our local churches.  They’ve spoken of the anxiety and toxic mess we find ourselves in and they want to dig us out of the mess.  As I read about their dreams and desires I find myself wondering how we got into this mess in the first place. It’s curious that an organization which claims to be keepers of the truth would have deteriorated this far.  I think it’s safe to say we are in trouble and we need help.

This morning my devotions took me to the 3rd chapter of Ephesians and I ran across this verse:

“…And I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:17-19 NIV

The problem could be that we aren’t rooted in love, we’re rooted in sludge.  Some people would say this isn’t so.  They’d say that we’re rooted in love but the world is in sludge. They’d say that people ‘out there’ just don’t like church anymore and it’s not our fault that we’re {anxious/depressed/frustrated/angry}, it’s theirs.  It’s their fault that we’re in financial hardship.  It’s their fault that we’re struggling to attract people.  It’s their fault…

I think it’s easier to blame others than it is to see that you’re in fact part of the problem.  Look at the Pharisees.  They were good, devout people and they had a lot of rules to follow.  They weren’t technically wrong you know.  There were loads of rules and they knew them by heart.  They spoke the truth of the law a lot of the time but they never got to the heart of the message.  To know something and live something are two different things.  The Pharisees spoke truth but failed to act in love.  They were rooted in tradition and rules instead of God and God’s gift of the law.  They knew the truth but they didn’t live it.

One thing that set Jesus apart from the religious people of his day was his desire to love people and share that love with others.  He spoke God’s truth in this world.  He spoke love to all people and lived a life that was accessible to everyone.  We need to live like this, rooted in the love of God and established in his word and accessible to all people.

When I watch my son love his Monkey Monkey I feel so incredibly blessed.  This little boy knows how to love in a big way.  He’s lived in love, been surrounded by love from a large extended family and collection of friends and that has shown him what love is.  He’s taken what he’s seen and made it his own. As a family we’re not perfect by any measure but that’s okay.  We try and we love and we continuing living in that love. This is what the church should be. We should be first and foremost a collection of people who try and love and live in that love.

Who we are is what our legacy will be.  If we don’t address this toxicity and fear we will pass this to the next generation as a model for what the church should be.  We are called to be living in truth, living in love.

Paul addresses this futher on in the book of Ephesians when he says:

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.  Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us…” Ephesians 4:31-5:1 NIV

If we live in God and are rooted in God’s love we will follow God’s example.  Who we are is reflective of where we are rooted.

I guess the question remains, are we rooted in love?
I suspect that if we root ourselves in love we’ll find ways to get out of the mess that we are in.

What do you think?

 

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Filed Under: Bible, Christianity, Church, Faith, Musings, random church things most of you probably don't care about, Reflections

Water your own grass.

11 Sep posted by

I was doing a little reading this week and came across this thought: “If the grass is greener in someone else’s yard, maybe it’s time you watered your own.  How long has it been since you’ve taken stock of what God’s given you and said, “Father, thank you”.”  {Craig Groeschel, Soul Detox} This is brilliant, absolutely brilliant. How long has it been since you watered your own grass?

Sometimes in life we forget the blessings that we do have. We start longing for things, material and immaterial. We begin believing what the world tells us and start thinking that we don’t have enough, we aren’t good enough, we should have more and be more. When we start envying what our neighbors have we forget what blessings we do have. When is enough, enough?

I know this is something I struggle with at times. There’s a fine line between dreaming and coveting it seems. I want to push myself to be better, to strive for more and discover who I was created to be but that sometimes can deteriorate into why not now, why not ever, why not.  It can quickly become I want, I want, I want.

This is something we struggle with as a church as well. We look at other congregations and see how well they are doing on the outside. We want what they have. We covet their numbers, success and secrets. We begin envy them and we start wondering why it can’t happen for us. In the end we fail to see the struggles they have and we forget the blessings we do have. When we fall into envy, when we covet and desire we often forget our blessings and fail to be thankful.

This week let’s water our own grass. Let’s wake up each morning and give thanks for one blessing we have received from God. If you’re up to it, write them down and by the end of the week you will have a list of seven things that you are grateful for, that are blessings in your life. Let’s count our blessings together and thank God for what we have been given.

Will you join me?

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Filed Under: Christianity, Church, Musings, Reflections

Variations on a theme.

20 Aug posted by

There is one theme that keeps popping up in my life. People really want to know what will happen when I’m called back into ministry. I’m getting questions like “When you’re called back will you move?” and “What will happen when you’re called back?” I find this fascinating. Fascinating because I feel called in ministry right now. Fascinating because the present isn’t enough. Fascinating because people want to know what I’m doing, when I’ll be doing it and why before I’ve even thought about what comes next.

We are a people who want to know the answers. We are a people who demand to know what is coming. We have to have answers now.

Honestly right now I am not thinking about what comes next in ministry. For a while I dwelled on it like everyone else but then something amazing happened, I got too busy to worry as I was actually doing ministry. I was busy preaching. I was busy writing. I was busy living and doing and being. I’ve received requests to review books and Bibles and movies. I have planned and dreamed and thought about what projects I would like to take on right now. I am busy doing ministry in the present with people and I love it. I have no time to think about the future.

I think this may be one of our big problems as a church in general. We are so caught up in where we are going that we forget there are things that  need to be done now. We forget that our calling is to serve and share right now and instead are attempting to plan how we will do that in the future. We should live and embrace the ministry that we are called to in the present. If we do that we might find that our course clears up, some questions get answered and things get a lot easier.

Are we focused on the future or planted in the present?
Which do you think is better and where do you think we should be?

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Filed Under: Christianity, Church, Faith, Musings, Reflections

The vine.

5 Aug posted by

On quiet days I like to slip out into our garden to do a little work. This afternoon while my boys were busy playing with trains and watching the Olympic trials I headed out to do some much needed pruning. My hanging baskets were wild. My tomato plants were mangled. After the storm last night they needed some serious care. The hanging baskets were relatively easy. It just took some time, patience and a steady hand to untangle the long vines and pull the dead and dying pieces from within. The tomatoes were another story. The storm had broken one plant in half. It had flattened many others. The plants I had tended, stalked and tied were no longer standing tall. Instead they were laying flat and broken. They were seriously compromised.

I sat down and got to work. I separated broken pieces. I pulled what tomatoes I could find off those broken parts. I tied the plants up again. I separated and divided. I worked to ensure more stability. Then I stood back and looked at that which was left. It was not the same. That which was left was not the same. It was shorter, smaller, stockier. The plants weren’t as far reaching or full. They looked different. They were new. They were healthier.

The plants that were left were healthier. I was ruthless while tending them. I cut off pieces that were unneeded. I sought to find ways of ensuring their health and well being. Sometimes a good pruning makes things better. It’s painful at the time. Sometimes our hand is forced to make it happen. But ultimately it is often the best thing. Sometimes in order to make things better pieces have to be removed, the plant has to be pruned, cuts need to be made.

I think in many ways this is where we are as a church. We are overgrown. There are branches that reach so far from the vine that they aren’t stable, they are weak. There are parts of us who have drifted. Parts of us who are tired. Parts of us who are dying. We are in need of pruning. A period of being cut back, shaped and reformed. We have a choice. We can chose to wait, to let God take over or we can be willing participants and surrender ourselves to this process. Ultimately the choice is ours. We can act or we can sit. We can move or we can stall.

I stalled. It was messy. My plants were destroyed after the storm came through and I needed to work hard to rebuild my garden and help these plants find their way once more. If we stall it will be messy. We may be destroyed before we are rebuilt and that will be quite painful. If we surrender to pruning now it might be a slightly more gentle process, though undoubtedly still painful.

Should wait until there is no choice for us or should we act and surrender to God’s will? This is one of those things that is so hard. Emotions are tied up in this. People’s histories and stories are involved. This is about more than buildings and money, this involves courage and fear, thoughtfulness and prayer. This morning rather interestingly before I even had glanced at my garden I came across this verse in my morning reading. ”I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower.  He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit.  Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit.” – John 15:1-2  It would seem that none of us, those who are healthy and those who are not are able to escape the pruning process. The question for us then is whether or not it is time? Is it our time to be pruned? Do we ask for God’s direction or wait until we are forced into action?

I leave it to you, what should we do?

 

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Filed Under: Christianity, Church, Faith, Musings, Reflections

I want to.

26 Jul posted by

It was an interesting day.

Earlier today I noticed a man walking down the street stick his hands down his pants.  Scratching at his butt.  Not an itch but a full on hand completely down the pants butt scratch. He seemed oblivious to the fact that a million and one people were in fact watching him as he strolled from their cars, their buildings, from wherever.  He was 100% confident and I was strangely impressed.

Later while walking through the mall I watched a group of teens loudly, rudely enter the space of a man who as much older than they.  They didn’t notice, didn’t see.   A little explicit in actions, slightly inappropriate they were caught up in themselves and completely ignored him while going about their business.  He was able to witness it all and looked a little uncomfortable.

After lunch with my Gran at the food court while throwing out our garbage, I happened to run into a man who is known for being afraid of women.  He won’t talk to them.  He’s kind of afraid of them.  He nodded at me and I smiled, he smiled back.  This was a big step for him.

While my Gran was trying on pants at a store that was closing I noticed the sadness in the sales associates eyes.  As I got my iced chai latte I noticed the anger behind the baristas eyes and heard it in her voice.  I witnessed pain.  I saw loneliness.  I saw life uncovered.

These were just a few pieces of a day in this world that surrounds me. I was surrounded by people. Some happy, others sad. Some anxious, others confident. Some lonely, so very lonely.  Some sad, so very sad. In the midst of all these things where do people turn when they need someone?  Where do they turn when faced with a problem that seems insurmountable?

One used to say the church. A place where anyone can go, but could they? My friend Ray stated today on his blog that people in the church “often find ourselves looking down on those who are not. There really is a standard of dress in most places, often unstated.  We really wonder about folk who look or talk or act differently from what we consider the norm.” We are not really a place for anyone.  We are a place for people like ourselves.

So where do people turn?  Who do they turn to?

If Jesus was here he’d seek them out, help them and be there with them.  If Jesus was here he’d do it, he’d take care of things.  It would be a lot easier if Jesus was here, wouldn’t it?   It would mean we could just let him deal with things, let him take care of these people.  The problem is Jesus told us to “Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.”  Jesus told us to act.  To go out into the world.  To find people.  When you do this you often run into people who aren’t like you, people who are different. and we’ve already established that the church doesn’t like people who are different so we’re stuck, what do we do?

Where do we turn?  Who do we look to for answers?

I guess we’ve got to go with Jesus.  But Jesus asks for commitment.  Jesus asks for everything.  Are we willing to do that?

I want to.
I want to help create a space where all can come.
I want to feel the Holy Spirit in our midst as we work with God.
I want to minister in real ways, relevant ways to people who need something different, something new.
I want to live and practice what Jesus commanded us to do, knowing that he will be with us.

Will you join me?

 

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Filed Under: Christianity, Church, Musings, Reflections
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