These shoes were made for walking...

I just bought a brand new pair of walking shoes.  I admit that I am a little bummed that I cannot try them out today.  I am recovering from some kind of cold bug and thought it wise to not exert myself util I know I can get through tomorrow's sermon without incident!

It has been almost a year since I purchased walking shoes - my last ones almost had a hole in them.  But, they are officially retired as of today.  They were good shoes and they carried me through my first Avon Walk with nary a blister.

But, as I look at my new shoes, I feel hopeful.

Where will these shoes carry me?
When I retire them, what things will have happened in my life?
How many miles will they clock?
How many secrets will these shoes hear?
How many world problems will my walking buddy and I solve while I wear these shoes?
How many times will I walk my dog in these shoes?
How many times will I reach down and scratch his ears?
How many picture perfect days will these shoes see?
How many issues will I sort out while walking in these shoes?
Will these shoes see me through any crisis?
How many sermon ideas will come to me while I'm in these shoes?
How much inspiration will these shoes lead me to see?
To which adventures will these shoes direct my feet?

It really wasn't just a pair of shoes that I bought today.  It was my sanity!  And, thanks be to God for good shoes, good friends, and long walks....and what a blessing it is when they all come together.

New Vision

Well, the day that I never thought would come has arrived. Insert heavy sigh here. I have just purchased my first pair of reading glasses. I probably need a completely different prescription for my contact lenses, but I don't have time to fool with that before I go on vacation...so I went to the drugstore and made the purchase.

I was feeling kind of weird about it - not really sad, just weird to be old enough to need them. I guess I thought I would stay eternally 27! But, I'm going to play a "Let's pretend" with these glasses - we'll make it a game.

Let's pretend that they have magic powers that will inspire my words as I do research for my dissertations...sermons, too, for that matter.

Let's pretend that they have the power to help me more clearly see not only words, but life too...since they have magic powers.

Let's pretend that they can help me see any old problem from a new perspective.

Let's pretend that they help me focus my vision where it needs to be.

Let's pretend that they make me look intellectual, and heck, since they are magic glasses, let's pretend that they increase my IQ by serveral points.

Let's pretend that they make me see the good in everybody.

Let's pretend that they make me see signs of the Spirit - obvious signs and hidden signs.

Let's pretend that they help me see hope, find hope, and share the vision of hope with others.

I'm feeling better already.

Pentecost and preaching

Today, we celebrated Pentecost. I know that Christmas and Easter get a lot for play time, but Pentecost is one of my favorite days in the entire church year. At Christmas, our attention is on "and the Word became flesh," and we think of that flesh as a tiny baby. We have a visual. At Easter, of course, our attentionis on the Resurrection, and we think of the empty cross or the stone rolled away. Again, we have a visual.

But, Pentecost??? Well, we have the tongues of fire in Acts. We have the Spirit brooding over the waters in Genesis. We have Jesus breathing the Spirit in John. We have fruits of the Spirit in many of Paul's letters. What we do NOT have is one visual. And, that's one reason I like Pentecost. It allows our minds to wonder! It gives new life to spiritual creativity. The Spirit comes in any number of ways to any number of people.

I suppose that makes me feel hopeful and challenged...both at the same time. It makes me want to pay attention to where the Spirit shows up in my own life, and it makes me want to hear the stories about where the Spirits shows up in your life.

I experimented with recording my sermon today. If you'd like to listen, here it is in MP3 format.


Pentecost Sermon 2013

And, since I'm posting audio, here is a sermon from May 5 - same format.


May 5, 2013

Trip to Greenville

Today, I got up early and drove to Greenville, NC to attend a pastoral care workshop on "When the Unthinkable Happens."  I can't remember the last time I drove to Greenville, although many years ago, I made that trip every week to attend classes at East Carolina for my Master of Social Work.  I carpooled with another student, and since we only had to be on campus 2 days a week (we were in local internships on the other days), she and I shared a hotel room...well, except for the very first semester.  I rented a room from a Greenville church lady.  Now that I think about that, I cannot believe I just called a church and asked for a referral, and they sent me to her!  Anyway, a lot of memories came back as I made the trip this morning.  The workshop was held in the heart center which was near what used to be Brody Medical Center.  Our library was located in the medical library, so I spent a lot of time in that building years ago!

The workshop today was very informative.  My favorite speaker was Rabbi Shaul Praver.  He is from Newtown, Conn.  As you can imagine, he had a different perspective on gun control and mental illness.  He believes, as do I, that the United States has a big violence problems that we are not dealing with.  He did not frame his discussion with politics.  Instead, he talked about creating a culture of peace.  I liked that.  He said that while public schools cannot teach religion (because whose religion would they teach), the fruits of the major religions are the same...compassion, kindness, generosity, love...  Those things CAN be taught.  He advocated for a curriculum of compassion...teaching kids to be compassionate...teaching kids to be peaceful.

I could feel myself getting excited about that idea.  That could be a fun thing to develop.  At the very least, it is an encouraging thing to think about.

He gave me much to think about, and while it was an early morning, I am really glad I went.  It's nice sometimes to be the one sitting in the audience.

Culture of Peace

Friday Five

So, a blog ring I follow, posts five questions every Friday for consideration and blogging - sometimes, they are serious.  Sometimes, they are fun.  Today's questions seemed particularly fun, so here goes:

Happy Friday Five....and although I don't have a theme for this Friday, I do have five questions for you to ponder upon:

1.  If you could hear what someone is thinking for a day, who would you choose, and why?

Hmm...the noble side of me would like to mention a great world leader or maybe even some of the leaders whose decisions embarrass me every day I pick up a newspaper and ask, "What are they thinking????"  But, the truth is, I'd be most curious to know what goes on in the heads of either one of my cats.  And, is it anything like this...

2.  If you were trapped in a tv show for a month, which show would you choose, and why?

Designing Women.  I loved Julia Sugarbaker and think I could learn a lot from her.

3.  If you could do any job in the world for a day, what would it be?

I think I would like to be a professional ballroom dancer for a day.  I cannot move at all, but I think it would be a lot of fun to be able to dance and jump and move and look good doing it! 

4.  What are you loving right now?

I am loving the warm weather....finally.  I am loving "Praying in Color."  I am loving the Moonlight Sonata.  I am loving that I will be taking a vacation in less than a month.  

5.  Use these words in a sentence:    bless, cheeseburger, chihauha, skipping, Georgia.

Lord, bless cheeseburgers and chihauhas that go skipping through Georgia!

Prayers, Pencils and Markers...Oh My!

I don't know about you, but sometimes when there is a major tragedy, I don't know how to pray. This week, we've read about the explosions at the Boston Marathon set intentionally. We've read about the explosion in West, Texas - not intentional but killing and hurting many people. We've read about an explosion set in a coffee shop in Iraq killing 27. When did it get to be that you cannot run a race without the fear of violence? You cannot drink a cup of coffee without wondering if the next customer ordering a Skinny Latte is contemplating what it will be like to blow you up? It is overwhelming. The state of the world can be overwhelming.

Sometimes, I just want to turn the news off. Close my eyes. Pretend that as long as things are ok at my home address, that is all that matters.

I struggle with prayer during these times. Actually, prayer is an ongoing struggle...but since Advent, I've been experimenting with different ways to pray. Started with my old stand-by of silence, psalms and writing. In the last month, I haven't felt as close to God as I've continued in my routine. Purchased a book called 50 Ways to Pray, and wow, that has been a great resource for just settling down my stirred up mind.

BUT, yesterday, I received a book called "Praying in Color: Drawing a New Path to God" by Sybil MacBeth. I know it sounds weird, but when you are practicing God stuff, sometimes you do weird things. Anyway, this book is about using colors and drawings (doodles really) to create prayers. I tried it this morning, and would you believe 50 minutes went by before I remembered to check the time? It worked for me today. It was powerful for me today.

Maybe because with explosions and stuff, I just don't know how to pray. Comfort? Strength? Justice? With the state of our nation, I just don't know how to pray. Sometimes, I don't know the words to say or write...but these colors, these little sketches brought new words to my mind. New phrases. New questions. It worked for me today.

So, I splurged...bought brand new fully sharpened colored pencils (24 of them), markers, and a sketch pad. It was the same excitement I had as a child when I got a Crayola Caddy for Christmas.  I had to remind myself that I was just starting, and I do not need to purchase the entire store.

I like to try different ways to connect to God. And, colored pencils are kind of fun.  Maybe one day, I will post one of my visual prayers...

Goodbye Cokesbury

Today, I made what will be my last trip to the Cokesbury store in Raleigh. They are closing all of the stores and going internet only. I received a card saying that all of their merchandise was now 50% off, so I drove over to check out their supplies and books. I did not expect to see so many empty shelves and empty walls, nor did I expect to feel sad about it...but I did.

I became a frequent visitor to Cokesbury 13 years ago when I started seminary. Our class books were ordered through their store, and they gave all of the students a small discount. When I was ordained, I went to Cokesbury with my mother and pastor to pick out a robe. You may think that all black robes are the same...but they are not. Mine is made from a soft, breathable fabric that feels like peach fuzz. Because my size was in stock that day, they gave me a discount.

When I began serving as a pastor, I went to Cokesbury for commentaries, preaching material, curriculum, personal devotional books, Advent and Lenten resources, stewardship supplies, and sometimes I went just to check out the newest authors for my own reading. Since I've been at Drew, I've been to Cokesbury for class books and research materials.

Today, Jeanne waited on me - and she has helped me before. She has ordered books for me. Engraved them for me...and just taken care of things. I realize the world is going to the internet, but what the internet won't be able to do, is call me by name - well, ok, maybe the internet can remember my name, but the internet cannot recognize me with eyes. Jeanne can. Molly can. And, the internet cannot give me that personal touch, one on one help when you need a Bible for a pre-teen or when you need some kind of curriculum that might appeal to boys or whatever. And, the internet cannot tell you if you are about to accidentally by some religious hoo-hah.

So, although their selection had started to dwindle by today, I managed to purchase $158 worth of books today - actually, I suppose that is $316 worth since they were all half off. Some of it was pastor's class material, books on the Holy Spirit for an upcoming paper, a bible study book for tweens, and several books that I hope will challenge my own spirit and my prayer life.

I am thankful to have shopped at Cokesbury for these many years, and I will miss them.