Is it a sign of progress when you lay in bed at night not sleeping because parts of your nether regions ache after a gruesome workout? If that is success... well, my aches and pains ensure that I am a genuis.
Or an idoit.
Why, I ask myself, did I cook up this crazy notion that I should do the mini-marathon this year?
I'd much rather sleep in winter. Hibernating like a big ol' Momma bear.
Alas, no rest for me, running FOR God not FROM God or TOWARDS God, but with God. sigh.
As Dorie told Merlin the Clown Fish in Finding Nemo, "Just keep swimming."
Just keep walking...and walking and walking.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Friday, January 20, 2012
Letter to Gram
Dearest Gram,
It was way too cold for me to exercise outside this morning so I "cheated" and got on our elliptical. Made me think of all the hours you spent riding your stationary bike in your basement. I am sure cold and heat have no more reference for you now...but I certainly still feel their affects.
I would tell you how the family is...but you probably know better from your vantage point how we are all doing. We each have our stuff and we are dealing with it in our own ways...mostly leaning on God's grace to heal, redeem, and re-shape us. You cannot be replaced. But you are very much missed.
I find it hardest to decide when I miss you more... odd little interuptions in life like a random memory from childhood popping into my mind or seeing your empty seat in worship on Sunday mornings at 11:11am. Just know you are missed... and I cannot wait to be together with you in the kingdom to come! Not ready yet by any means, but knowing our reunion will be a reality is a joy of expectation in the midst of the lonliness of your absence.
I must confess I am having great fun continuing your letter writing and note card legacy. Thanks for the shoeboxes filled with cards! (Girl, you had cards for every occasion.) Not sure how long it will take me to use them all but, I am working on it every week. It is comfort to have them stacked next to my church office desk.
Oh, and all of your Bible reference materials and what not are scattered all over my office too. Makes me feel all cozy to see your handwriting ALL OVER YOUR BIBLES! :) I do the same thing too.
I'll write more later. Give all our relatives hugs from me! Tell them I need all the help I can get to establish my DAR status.
Love you,
Michelle
It was way too cold for me to exercise outside this morning so I "cheated" and got on our elliptical. Made me think of all the hours you spent riding your stationary bike in your basement. I am sure cold and heat have no more reference for you now...but I certainly still feel their affects.
I would tell you how the family is...but you probably know better from your vantage point how we are all doing. We each have our stuff and we are dealing with it in our own ways...mostly leaning on God's grace to heal, redeem, and re-shape us. You cannot be replaced. But you are very much missed.
I find it hardest to decide when I miss you more... odd little interuptions in life like a random memory from childhood popping into my mind or seeing your empty seat in worship on Sunday mornings at 11:11am. Just know you are missed... and I cannot wait to be together with you in the kingdom to come! Not ready yet by any means, but knowing our reunion will be a reality is a joy of expectation in the midst of the lonliness of your absence.
I must confess I am having great fun continuing your letter writing and note card legacy. Thanks for the shoeboxes filled with cards! (Girl, you had cards for every occasion.) Not sure how long it will take me to use them all but, I am working on it every week. It is comfort to have them stacked next to my church office desk.
Oh, and all of your Bible reference materials and what not are scattered all over my office too. Makes me feel all cozy to see your handwriting ALL OVER YOUR BIBLES! :) I do the same thing too.
I'll write more later. Give all our relatives hugs from me! Tell them I need all the help I can get to establish my DAR status.
Love you,
Michelle
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Retirement?
My grandfather's grandfather never retired because it hadn't been invented yet. Seriously, think about it... when did regular folks in America start even pondering the notion of 'retiring'? My Grandfather Lowe never retired. He worked on the day he died harvesting his crop. He suffered a brain aneurysm one month to the day of his 70th birthday while driving his tractor.
It has not been that long in the course of human history or US history for that matter that retirement has even been available for more than the wealthiest of the wealthy. Anybody got some research on that?
Given all the financial circumstances of the past few years, I am beginning to think that the 'time of retirement' has come to an end. The sun seems to be setting on this goal as inflation grows and our financial markets continue to fluctuate so rapidly. At least how we have recently contrived of retirement is coming to an end.
For example, it used to be in the local church we could count on our retired folks and stay at home mothers to assist with weekday ministries. Many of our 'retirees' are no longer available because they are back working part time jobs OR are doing more childcare because their stay-at-home adult child is back at work to support the grandkids. And fewer of our mothers or fathers are 'staying at home'. Many of them are balancing higher education, part time jobs, or jobs that they can do from home. All of this means for the volunteer hours needed at church- we have fewer people who are available for fewer hours or blocks of time. Interesting change of situation, isn't it?!
Folks who spend their time researching career paths and what-not have already said my generation and the those right after me will have multiple 'career' paths in our lives. Few to none of us 'works' for the same company or firm or entity for the entirety of our working years. I am probably one of the few around who started in the same career and is still here (even after only 16 years!) (I always knew I was weird, but this is odd.)
Now I am not abandoning my goal of retirement one day.... but this discussion makes me stop and think about my future plans differently. Maybe some of my 'bucket list goals' need to be done now and not just put off until later. And also this makes me appreciate more and more those volunteers we do have at our church who MAKE the time to assist in the work of Christ's Body. Their generosity of time shows deep commitment given all the other circumstances surrounding us.
And I am pretty sure that none of us "retires" from the ministry of our baptism!
It has not been that long in the course of human history or US history for that matter that retirement has even been available for more than the wealthiest of the wealthy. Anybody got some research on that?
Given all the financial circumstances of the past few years, I am beginning to think that the 'time of retirement' has come to an end. The sun seems to be setting on this goal as inflation grows and our financial markets continue to fluctuate so rapidly. At least how we have recently contrived of retirement is coming to an end.
For example, it used to be in the local church we could count on our retired folks and stay at home mothers to assist with weekday ministries. Many of our 'retirees' are no longer available because they are back working part time jobs OR are doing more childcare because their stay-at-home adult child is back at work to support the grandkids. And fewer of our mothers or fathers are 'staying at home'. Many of them are balancing higher education, part time jobs, or jobs that they can do from home. All of this means for the volunteer hours needed at church- we have fewer people who are available for fewer hours or blocks of time. Interesting change of situation, isn't it?!
Folks who spend their time researching career paths and what-not have already said my generation and the those right after me will have multiple 'career' paths in our lives. Few to none of us 'works' for the same company or firm or entity for the entirety of our working years. I am probably one of the few around who started in the same career and is still here (even after only 16 years!) (I always knew I was weird, but this is odd.)
Now I am not abandoning my goal of retirement one day.... but this discussion makes me stop and think about my future plans differently. Maybe some of my 'bucket list goals' need to be done now and not just put off until later. And also this makes me appreciate more and more those volunteers we do have at our church who MAKE the time to assist in the work of Christ's Body. Their generosity of time shows deep commitment given all the other circumstances surrounding us.
And I am pretty sure that none of us "retires" from the ministry of our baptism!
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Randomness
These tidbits are too small to blog entirely about... but are part of the randomness of my world.
- Didn't know that White Pear Tea my husband gave me for Christmas would be this good! Yum.
- Day 3 of mini-marathon training was slightly better than Day 1. Day 4 is yet to be determined. Do I have to workout in the rain? Is that part of the deal? How hard core do I want people to think I am? or am not?
- Still rumminating on my New Year's Day question of "how is it with my soul?" Aqua comes to mind as a first response. Weird.
- I am slightly concerned that I have new fascination with my daughter's iPad game: Zombies versus Plants. The only thing I think this confirms is my interest in becoming a Master Gardener. I am really not afraid of the undead. They are only annoying. And not real.
- Tired of waiting for my book with Todd to appear on my door step... so I am moving on with some other writing projects. But cannot convince my first grader to write a book with me. She'd much rather kill Zombies with pea-shooting plants.
- Desperately wants to finish my non-fiction reading so I can make my way through a novel. For the love of fiction!
- Has started Confirmation class again... wow- and are these students going to challenge me! Double wow.
- Wonders if the Zombies would be any help at all in finding out the information I need on my dead relatives so I can establish my DAR status....
My Search for the Dead
Just last week, I got a itch in my saddle to start the process of researching my ancestors. Part of that I have decided is an indication of being in "mid-life" and the other part of that is about convenience. I know now is a good time (while my mother and aunt rustle through my deceased grandmother's papers and belongings) to gather the information I am seeking.
For some time the thought has been nesting in the back of my mind to establish myself with DAR or Daughters of the American Revolution. I know of two female relatives who were DAR's in their day. And there is family research that establishes at least two other revoltutionary ancestors.
I am woman on a scavenger hunt. And already, I have encountered are ugly roadbocks to the information I need, or the nonexistence of the papers I am looking for, or the answers to my questions. It seems that cousins of cousins don't like to share information or have the information to share. Sigh.
This will take more than perseverance, I believe.
But I shall not be detered.
After all this is about family! Dead family, but family nonetheless!
For some time the thought has been nesting in the back of my mind to establish myself with DAR or Daughters of the American Revolution. I know of two female relatives who were DAR's in their day. And there is family research that establishes at least two other revoltutionary ancestors.
I am woman on a scavenger hunt. And already, I have encountered are ugly roadbocks to the information I need, or the nonexistence of the papers I am looking for, or the answers to my questions. It seems that cousins of cousins don't like to share information or have the information to share. Sigh.
This will take more than perseverance, I believe.
But I shall not be detered.
After all this is about family! Dead family, but family nonetheless!
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Prayer Journal
Last Christmas, that is Christmas of 2010, my mother-in-law gave me a lovely leather bound calendar with scripture quotes, hymn texts and all sorts of spiritually uplifting goodies. I began the year in a quandry, I think I even blogged about it, regarding what to do with this additional calendar. It was just too nice not to use, but it isn't the style of calendar that my temperment type values.
Mid-January, I think, an idea popped in my head. I would use the calendar as a record of my prayers. Persons, situations, petitions, and celebrations would be marked on the days in which I remembered these prayers to God during my intercessory prayer time. Long, long ago in a previous period of my life I practiced this form of prayer journaling and it seemed as if 2011 was begging to be prayed through in this manner. (And as I reflect back on this tremendous year for my family... no wonder the year begged for prayers... rather the Spirit was preparing me and uplifting me for what would lie ahead.)
I am pleased to say that the spiritual discipline served me well in 2011. Daily names, situations and/or sometimes even a 'code' (I did that in honor of John Wesley's well coded diary) are written on days in the year as I prayed.
My learnings and insights from this practice are not gigantic change-of-direction thoughts, but rather quiet musings that are good on their own. For example, I have been so blessed by this practice that I have missed it during the first week of January. Thus, I have already adjusted my current calendar to include a section for my prayers & praises. Who knows... my blog readers may even find their names in my 2012 calendar.
Secondly, the only time my 2011 prayer journal became empty... that is when I stepped out of the practice... was immediately following my grandmother's transition into hospice, her death and the weeks following. I do not find this remarkable nor do I feel that I was unsustained in prayer during this time. Rather, I know how busy my prayer life was.... it simply wasn't the time to record things. Like Mary of Narazeth, some thoughts need to be pondered as they are prayed through rather than notated on a date of the month.
Nonetheless, here at the beginnging of the year I am writing my prayers down again. It helps me focus my prayer life. It aids me to remember others first beyond myself and also, draws me more into conversation with the Holy...and there is nothing bad about that at all.
Mid-January, I think, an idea popped in my head. I would use the calendar as a record of my prayers. Persons, situations, petitions, and celebrations would be marked on the days in which I remembered these prayers to God during my intercessory prayer time. Long, long ago in a previous period of my life I practiced this form of prayer journaling and it seemed as if 2011 was begging to be prayed through in this manner. (And as I reflect back on this tremendous year for my family... no wonder the year begged for prayers... rather the Spirit was preparing me and uplifting me for what would lie ahead.)
I am pleased to say that the spiritual discipline served me well in 2011. Daily names, situations and/or sometimes even a 'code' (I did that in honor of John Wesley's well coded diary) are written on days in the year as I prayed.
My learnings and insights from this practice are not gigantic change-of-direction thoughts, but rather quiet musings that are good on their own. For example, I have been so blessed by this practice that I have missed it during the first week of January. Thus, I have already adjusted my current calendar to include a section for my prayers & praises. Who knows... my blog readers may even find their names in my 2012 calendar.
Secondly, the only time my 2011 prayer journal became empty... that is when I stepped out of the practice... was immediately following my grandmother's transition into hospice, her death and the weeks following. I do not find this remarkable nor do I feel that I was unsustained in prayer during this time. Rather, I know how busy my prayer life was.... it simply wasn't the time to record things. Like Mary of Narazeth, some thoughts need to be pondered as they are prayed through rather than notated on a date of the month.
Nonetheless, here at the beginnging of the year I am writing my prayers down again. It helps me focus my prayer life. It aids me to remember others first beyond myself and also, draws me more into conversation with the Holy...and there is nothing bad about that at all.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Renewing the Covenant
Because several of my friends partied too late into the night on New Year's Eve and missed my sermon on Sunday morning, I decided that this is the one time I'd post my sermon manuscript for your reading pleasure. I hope it challenges you as it has done with me. Happy New Year!
Let us pray. Come Spirit of the Living God and fall afresh on us. Melt us and mold us to your will so that there is more of your grace and love in our lives and less of our stupidity. Come Spirit of the Living God. Come. Amen.
How is it with your soul? Notice I did not ask the polite question of “How are you?” Nor did I ask a casual version of “What’s new?” Rather, I asked the soul-searching question that John Wesley would often pose at small group gatherings. How is it with your soul? It is a soul tending question… inviting reflection, vulnerability and insight. It is the kind of question that my spiritual director and I wrestle with once a month. Often it requires that I breathe deep and stop and think. So, I put this question to you…How is it with your soul? Let this thought steep in your mind like an excellent brew of tea leaves because we’ll come back to it.
Our culture enjoys creating resolutions for the new year. It is our means to reflect on the past and look ahead to the future. This tradition harkens back to an ancient Babylonian practice which honored the pagan god, Janus (whose two heads looked to the past and to the present.) The most popular expression of this tradition 4,000 years ago was to return farm tools neighbors had borrowed from one another. Anybody have my rake?
Today, we spend most of our January 1st… with fingers to keyboard typing our resolutions that usually include one or two of the following: Drink Less Alcohol, Eat Healthy Food, Get a Better Job, Get Fit, Lose Weight, Manage Debt, Manage Stress, Quit Smoking, Save Money, and/or Volunteer to Help Others.
On this the first day of a new year… with God’s grace new every morning and new every year… we stand at a precipice of great opportunity. God loves us. God’s grace is freely given to us. We do not earn it, but received it as the gift of Christmas it was… so that we can begin again. We can indeed turn away from our muddled past and live life differently in the year before us.
Each of us has regrets about the year past… shoulda’s or woulda’s or coulda’s. We all wish we could have done better as a wife or husband, be a better parent, or have more patience with an annoying relative. Some of us know all too well the broken promises we made to ourselves, our accountability partners, and even to God. How many times did you or I mutter in 2011, “Oh God if you only will get me through this… then I will….” But many of us failed on our end of the bargain.
I know a young man who had a tough time in 2011 and 2010 and 2009. His tough times were the combined result of one or two random bad circumstances and the accumulation of a series of bad choices he has made. He asked his friend after recounting his recent difficulties, “Why is my life so hard?” You have probably heard the definition of insanity. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Perhaps, this young person needs to realize… he has been doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result and that does indeed make life very hard. Insanely hard.
Today we can stop our insanity and start fresh… with the best choice. A choice for God to influence and impact all of our decisions. In this worship service we will do something uniquely United Methodist as we participate in the Covenant Renewal Service. This is our moment to set things right with God, once again. To start fresh. To begin anew. To re-commit ourselves and our lives to the ways of God.
John Wesley first observed this practice from his contemporary Richard Allene in 1663, who was a Puritan. Wesley found the covenant service rich and meaningful, as expressed in his Journal: "Many mourned before God, and many were comforted" (April 1756); "It was, as usual, a time of remarkable blessing" (October 1765); "It was an occasion for a variety of spiritual experiences ... I do not know that ever we had a greater blessing. Afterwards many desired to return thanks, either for a sense of pardon, for full salvation, or for a fresh manifestation of His graces, healing all their backslidings" (January 1, 1775).
Since that time… the people called United Methodist have been sharing this service especially on New Year’s Day. One United Methodist writer from Britain writes, “This is an occasion for people who wanted to try to live the Christian life better—which really meant to actually live out the vows of the baptismal covenant—to get together, have a time of intensive searching of the scriptures and prayer, culminating in a ritual of commitment”(Mr. Burton-Edwards).
The heart of the service, focused in the Covenant Prayer, requires persons to commit themselves to God. This covenant is serious. Individual copies of the Covenant Service are recommended for all worshipers so that they may sign and keep them as reminders. I encourage you to sign your bulletin today before you leave. Former DISCIPLE 1 Bible students will recognize the prayer from their 34 week study together. Later in the service you will find this prayer… which we will pray together… listen now to it in its entirety.
The Wesley Covenant Prayer
I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.
Covenants are promises like marriage covenants, baptismal covenants, etc. Each party or side in the contract or promise makes a commitment. The prophet Jeremiah finally stopped telling the ancient Israelite people the bad news of their failure to fulfill their part of the covenant… and began to preach consolation and hope to them. His message? What we read from chapter 31 this morning… that God will do something new in God’s side of the promise… God will put God’s law or love or Godself in people’s hearts. This covenant was fully completed in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
God will be our God that is God’s side of the bargain. We will be God’s people that is our part. And what lies at the root of this covenant? The same thing that lies at the root of the Covenant Prayer… God’s unconditional forgiving grace. God forgives our sins, failures, and “our insanity”. I appreciate what one writer said about this new covenant… "We are most ready to hear these words when our own efforts are exhausted. When we are weary of our inner turmoil we are ready to hear Jeremiah."
If you are exhausted from the insane way you have lived 2011 … if you are weary of the manner in which you lived 2011… and you want 2012 to be different… then let’s start again. Let us renew our promise to God as we receive God’s generous love in forgiving us.
Now is the moment to return to the question… How is it with your soul? The most flavorful teas require steeping time… and so does this question. We’ve steeped it for a while now. Bishop Woodie White, our former Bishop of Indiana, writes about soul tending, “The question of the condition of one’s soul does not require a response to others, but one’s self. It is not so much an accountability issue to the community as it is an assessment of one’s own faithfulness and discipleship. Really, one’s condition. Not just in doing, but perhaps more importantly in being.”
So, I ask this soul tending question not to drudge through the deep recesses of your soul… but to give us all some light in which we can each ponder our own souls. What is your assessment of your faithfulness? What are your successes and failures in discipleship? How is it that you want to begin afresh in 2012? What scary goals lie before you that require grounding in the forgiving grace of God?
Let us ponder this in silent prayer….
Jeremiah 31:31-34
“God’s New Year’s Day Resolution”
Let us pray. Come Spirit of the Living God and fall afresh on us. Melt us and mold us to your will so that there is more of your grace and love in our lives and less of our stupidity. Come Spirit of the Living God. Come. Amen.
How is it with your soul? Notice I did not ask the polite question of “How are you?” Nor did I ask a casual version of “What’s new?” Rather, I asked the soul-searching question that John Wesley would often pose at small group gatherings. How is it with your soul? It is a soul tending question… inviting reflection, vulnerability and insight. It is the kind of question that my spiritual director and I wrestle with once a month. Often it requires that I breathe deep and stop and think. So, I put this question to you…How is it with your soul? Let this thought steep in your mind like an excellent brew of tea leaves because we’ll come back to it.
Our culture enjoys creating resolutions for the new year. It is our means to reflect on the past and look ahead to the future. This tradition harkens back to an ancient Babylonian practice which honored the pagan god, Janus (whose two heads looked to the past and to the present.) The most popular expression of this tradition 4,000 years ago was to return farm tools neighbors had borrowed from one another. Anybody have my rake?
Today, we spend most of our January 1st… with fingers to keyboard typing our resolutions that usually include one or two of the following: Drink Less Alcohol, Eat Healthy Food, Get a Better Job, Get Fit, Lose Weight, Manage Debt, Manage Stress, Quit Smoking, Save Money, and/or Volunteer to Help Others.
On this the first day of a new year… with God’s grace new every morning and new every year… we stand at a precipice of great opportunity. God loves us. God’s grace is freely given to us. We do not earn it, but received it as the gift of Christmas it was… so that we can begin again. We can indeed turn away from our muddled past and live life differently in the year before us.
Each of us has regrets about the year past… shoulda’s or woulda’s or coulda’s. We all wish we could have done better as a wife or husband, be a better parent, or have more patience with an annoying relative. Some of us know all too well the broken promises we made to ourselves, our accountability partners, and even to God. How many times did you or I mutter in 2011, “Oh God if you only will get me through this… then I will….” But many of us failed on our end of the bargain.
I know a young man who had a tough time in 2011 and 2010 and 2009. His tough times were the combined result of one or two random bad circumstances and the accumulation of a series of bad choices he has made. He asked his friend after recounting his recent difficulties, “Why is my life so hard?” You have probably heard the definition of insanity. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Perhaps, this young person needs to realize… he has been doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result and that does indeed make life very hard. Insanely hard.
Today we can stop our insanity and start fresh… with the best choice. A choice for God to influence and impact all of our decisions. In this worship service we will do something uniquely United Methodist as we participate in the Covenant Renewal Service. This is our moment to set things right with God, once again. To start fresh. To begin anew. To re-commit ourselves and our lives to the ways of God.
John Wesley first observed this practice from his contemporary Richard Allene in 1663, who was a Puritan. Wesley found the covenant service rich and meaningful, as expressed in his Journal: "Many mourned before God, and many were comforted" (April 1756); "It was, as usual, a time of remarkable blessing" (October 1765); "It was an occasion for a variety of spiritual experiences ... I do not know that ever we had a greater blessing. Afterwards many desired to return thanks, either for a sense of pardon, for full salvation, or for a fresh manifestation of His graces, healing all their backslidings" (January 1, 1775).
Since that time… the people called United Methodist have been sharing this service especially on New Year’s Day. One United Methodist writer from Britain writes, “This is an occasion for people who wanted to try to live the Christian life better—which really meant to actually live out the vows of the baptismal covenant—to get together, have a time of intensive searching of the scriptures and prayer, culminating in a ritual of commitment”(Mr. Burton-Edwards).
The heart of the service, focused in the Covenant Prayer, requires persons to commit themselves to God. This covenant is serious. Individual copies of the Covenant Service are recommended for all worshipers so that they may sign and keep them as reminders. I encourage you to sign your bulletin today before you leave. Former DISCIPLE 1 Bible students will recognize the prayer from their 34 week study together. Later in the service you will find this prayer… which we will pray together… listen now to it in its entirety.
The Wesley Covenant Prayer
I am no longer my own, but thine.
Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,
exalted for thee or brought low for thee.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
thou art mine, and I am thine.
So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.
Amen.
Covenants are promises like marriage covenants, baptismal covenants, etc. Each party or side in the contract or promise makes a commitment. The prophet Jeremiah finally stopped telling the ancient Israelite people the bad news of their failure to fulfill their part of the covenant… and began to preach consolation and hope to them. His message? What we read from chapter 31 this morning… that God will do something new in God’s side of the promise… God will put God’s law or love or Godself in people’s hearts. This covenant was fully completed in the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
God will be our God that is God’s side of the bargain. We will be God’s people that is our part. And what lies at the root of this covenant? The same thing that lies at the root of the Covenant Prayer… God’s unconditional forgiving grace. God forgives our sins, failures, and “our insanity”. I appreciate what one writer said about this new covenant… "We are most ready to hear these words when our own efforts are exhausted. When we are weary of our inner turmoil we are ready to hear Jeremiah."
If you are exhausted from the insane way you have lived 2011 … if you are weary of the manner in which you lived 2011… and you want 2012 to be different… then let’s start again. Let us renew our promise to God as we receive God’s generous love in forgiving us.
Now is the moment to return to the question… How is it with your soul? The most flavorful teas require steeping time… and so does this question. We’ve steeped it for a while now. Bishop Woodie White, our former Bishop of Indiana, writes about soul tending, “The question of the condition of one’s soul does not require a response to others, but one’s self. It is not so much an accountability issue to the community as it is an assessment of one’s own faithfulness and discipleship. Really, one’s condition. Not just in doing, but perhaps more importantly in being.”
So, I ask this soul tending question not to drudge through the deep recesses of your soul… but to give us all some light in which we can each ponder our own souls. What is your assessment of your faithfulness? What are your successes and failures in discipleship? How is it that you want to begin afresh in 2012? What scary goals lie before you that require grounding in the forgiving grace of God?
Let us ponder this in silent prayer….
Sunday, January 1, 2012
New Year is Here!
Happy New Year's!! We celebrated with my Mom and Step Dad & family... (it was my mother's birthday) and then came home for some dinner and fun! Today is the first Rose Parade that I missed watching in about ten years... all because we had worship this morning. I am sure the Avon Marching Band did super and all the floats were amazing. It is a parade that remains on my bucket list.
After re-commiting ourselves to God this morning during our Wesley Covenant Renewal Service....I am ready for the new year. I had fewer goals... and more perspective. Maybe that comes with being 40 or at least with more life experience.
Here are my 2012 goals:
- Complete the Indy 500 Festival Mini-Marathon in May (walking).
- Be creative: writing, scrapbooking, etc (bi-monthly.)
- Raise an amazing, intelligent, compassionate daughter.
- Support and enjoy a super husband in all his endeavors.
- Companion and care for parents, family, friends and church folks.
- Live out my Vocational Mission Statement: Preach, teach and deepen spiritual maturity in others and myself.
Whew- not sure which goal is scary or biggest because they are all challenging. Here is to another great year!
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