Claimed, gathered and sent

Amen. St. Brendan the Voyager - The Journey Prayer - The Journey with Jesus

My CPE supervisor right from the beginning told us the residents of BV would be our teachers. CPE is now complete and I couldn't agree more. This is the story of a relationship with just one of them. When I first met R, she was pretty well bed-ridden and on hospice care in her apartment in assisted living. I went to her room in response to a note from the associate chaplain that she was not doing well. R didn’t speak much when we met as she was struggling with pain, but still managed a few words and looks of communication. Her eyes were bright clear blue and were warm in spite of the soreness she was experiencing. As one of her two daughters introduced me to her as one of the chaplains, she smiled in response and seemed glad to see me. The conversation we carried on was very limited due to the medications she was being given for pain. They made her sleepy and she would nod off. She was remarkably warm and welcoming given the circumstances and her own suffering. When awake,...

We are grateful to family, friends, and Garmin for a successful move from RI to G ettysburg. The packing and preparing for the trip were a nightmare. If it wasn't for our family, we wouldn't have gotten on the road on time. We didn't have everything done when the movers arrived!!!!! Talk about stress. There is nothing like the love of good friends to help you along the way. We were totally spent last Friday night and were privileged to spend it with some special friends. They made us sit down and relax and wonderfully took care of us. That was the first night I slept well in a very long time. After a few errands, we were on the road Saturday, Aug. 2, which was our 5th wedding anniversary. Due to Garmin, the gps system, the trip was relaxing. She told us where, when, and onto which roads to turn. I could concentrate more on driving than looking for the next turn. It was a relaxing drive to our halfway point. After checking in to the hotel, we went out for a nice dinner. Sund...

Parts of the lectionary readings from Tues. really got me thinking. I could not decide which reading to meditate on. Something in each one grabbed me. Ps. 149:4 regarding the Lord's pleasure in his people, Exodus 40:38 -- God's presence with the people through each part of the journey, and 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12 with its instructions on how to live incarnational lives. So these bits from the readings all seem interconnected. I had a great diagram of this in Word, but don't know how to add it here, so just imagine a cycle of the above in a circle: 1. God's delight in us. 2. His presence every stage of our journey. 3. Living an incarnational lifestyle--bearing witness of his presence in our lives, and then back to #1 bringing us full circle. Speaking of full circle, remember what we read from Acts on Sunday? Ah yes, the all too familiar story of Stephen's stoning. Martyrdom was the stage of the journey where Stephen found his Lord's presence. He bore witn...

How many of us remember the Kix ad with the tagline, "Kid tested, mother approved ?" I always felt good about getting Kix for my kids because it was basically healthy, low in sugar etc., not because of the cereal's motto, though I did as a mother approve. We see political ads ad nauseum at this time of year and we hear plenty of "My name is [insert your favorite (or least favorite) candidate's name] and I approve of this message." One does get some sense of credibility in hearing that statement. At least the candidate knows what's being said of him/her. One of this morning's lectionary readings was from 1 Thessalonians 2 where Paul is defending his ministry. As I was prayerfully reading this, what particularly struck me was these few words "approved by God." It is God's approval that Paul could look to in defense of his work, his concern: "pleas[ing] God who tests our hearts." And me? I have a rather high need for approval ...

Centered Life: Connecting Sunday to Monday on the Luther Seminary website has a short quiz to see how centered your life is. These are my results. How did you do? Imagine a life of belonging, identity and meaning centered in Christ that is: Awakened to God's presence in your life Called to live your faith in every situation Set free to contribute your unique gifts to God's work in the world Nurtured and supported by a community of faith Your profile: Awakened - 35 (7 mean) Called - 34 (6.8) Set Free - 34 (6.8) Nurtured - 35 (7)

“A vision is a picture of a possible, ongoing future you intend to create that illuminates your underlying purpose, values, and beliefs” (Stoner, Zigarmi, & Blanchard, 2003, p. 2). Paul paints it in Ephesians as, “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20, Today’s New International Version). Paul was a determined, focused leader who effectively communicated his vision to the church. “Paul almost single-handedly spread Christianity…His secret was a focused life” (Warren, 2002, p. 32). He wrote, “I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13, New Living Translation). This enabled empowerment of others in leadership. “… the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Timothy 2:2, Today’s New International Version). Paul shared leadership. He entrusted his churches to those he taught. Paul loved his followers...

Main Entry: epiph·a·ny Pronunciation: \i- ˈ pi-fə-nē\ Function: noun Inflected Form(s): plural epiph·a·nies Etymology: Middle English epiphanie, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin epiphania, epiphaneia epiphainein to manifest, from epi- + phainein to show — more at fancy from Late Greek, plural, probably alteration of Greek appearance, manifestation, from Date: 14th century 1 capitalized : January 6 observed as a church festival in commemoration of the coming of the Magi as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles or in the Eastern Church in commemoration of the baptism of Christ 2 : an appearance or manifestation especially of a divine being 3 a (1) : a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something (2) : an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking (3) : an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure b : a revealing scene or moment 1. That...

The New England Synod of the Women of the ELCA now has its own website!. There you will find links to events that you missed, current happenings, as well as up coming events. Check My del.icio.us list on the sidebar. The url is http://www.nesynod.org/Women/women.htm. It's a very user friendly and informative site. Please check it out.

The Journey goes on forever and ever Our journey with Christ does not end in a specific destination; it always continues in yet another direction. The spiritual journey is about taking a step, even when we are unsure where that will take us. An Hasid story asks the question, "When did the Red Sea part?" According to the Jewish storyteller, the waters separated not when Moses commanded them, not when he waved his staff over the waters. The waters parted when Moses put his feet in. Faith is a journey that is often formed in our weakness. So it is right that we seek safe places to ask questions that lead us forward...questions about death, about life, about Jesus, about tragedy and pain. This concept of journey as an on-going process was beautifully captured in a prayer attributed to Martin Luther sometime in the 16th Century: This life is not one of righteousness, but growth in righteousness..... Not health, but becoming...not rest but exercise. We are not yet what we should be...

Left-Hand Column Cases distinguish mental models from actual conversation. The Ladder of Inference show mental models formed if rungs are skipped. Both are tools “to uncover, test, and change your mental models and those of others” (Erickson, p. 8). The Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia is my next stop after Regent; I thought. My confidence came from God’s past leadings. I deemed excellent public transportation essential for my husband. Preconceived notions came from trips up the Ladder of Inference. The Left Hand Column Case applied when asked why I chose Philadelphia . My unspoken belief was Philadelphia was superior to Gettysburg . Some of the church’s best theologians and musicians taught at Philly. Gettysburg has two academic options: grades or pass/fail, making some doubt the academic standards. “Instinctively making sense of a situation is a valuable survival skill … this process of inference also describes the structure of prejudice and stereotyping” (Erickson, p....

Discuss how one who is certain that Matthew 12:30, John 14:6 and Revelation 3:15-19 are true might be able to "suspend their certainty" in order to dialog with one who holds that all religions point to the same God. This was the question presented to us and this is my answer. “We become trapped in the theater of our thoughts … losing touch with the larger reality …” (Senge, 2006, p. 225). Spiritual pride and arrogance further hinder honest communication. Laying aside attitudes of certainty and pride, truly listening to another, we are much more effective witnesses. Bohm’s step three is challenging when the conversation only involves two people, unless we listen to God’s voice through the Holy Spirit. “…the Father … will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth … you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you John 14:16-17 (Today’s New International Version). God does not need defending. Ministering to Muslim universi...

Each fall for 15 years, up to 100 people gathered every Wednesday night at Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis, Tennessee, to explore the meaning of the Sacred Journey. Led by the Rev. Dr. Douglass M. Bailey, the participants in the class listened and talked about their own journey and the journey of others. The class affirmed the individual nature of each journey and each person's need to explore the questions that can shape their path. The people who journeyed together each fall learned about prayer, community, death and resurrection. They heard questions and reflections from others, and through them came to a better understanding of their own spiritual growth. We have included an overview of the Journey material here in hopes that some of the ideas may help you on your own Spiritual path. The questions are meant for you to ask yourself and those traveling with you. Use those that are meaningful to you as guideposts, pointing down a road you may not yet have explored. Prayer Pray...

Each fall for 15 years, up to 100 people gathered every Wednesday night at Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis, Tennessee, to explore the meaning of the Sacred Journey. Led by the Rev. Dr. Douglass M. Bailey, the participants in the class listened and talked about their own journey and the journey of others. The class affirmed the individual nature of each journey and each person's need to explore the questions that can shape their path. The people who journeyed together each fall learned about prayer, community, death and resurrection. They heard questions and reflections from others, and through them came to a better understanding of their own spiritual growth. We have included an overview of the Journey material here in hopes that some of the ideas may help you on your own Spiritual path. The questions are meant for you to ask yourself and those traveling with you. Use those that are meaningful to you as guideposts, pointing down a road you may not yet have explored. Journey wit...

Each fall for 15 years, up to 100 people gathered every Wednesday night at Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis, Tennessee, to explore the meaning of the Sacred Journey. Led by the Rev. Dr. Douglass M. Bailey, the participants in the class listened and talked about their own journey and the journey of others. The class affirmed the individual nature of each journey and each person's need to explore the questions that can shape their path. The people who journeyed together each fall learned about prayer, community, death and resurrection. They heard questions and reflections from others, and through them came to a better understanding of their own spiritual growth. We have included an overview of the Journey material here in hopes that some of the ideas may help you on your own Spiritual path. The questions are meant for you to ask yourself and those traveling with you. Use those that are meaningful to you as guideposts, pointing down a road you may not yet have explored. The Journey...

The Shack by William P. Young is a must read for anyone who has ever struggled with the problem of loss and pain. It is an allegorical journey into the very heart of the God who loves us so much and grieves over the pain of his people. It deals with the issue of theodicy, which is the attempt to reconcile the bad things that happen in this world with the idea of a loving, benevolent God. Here is a link to the website for The Shack. It gives you an opportunity to even read the first chapter. The link is: http://theshackbook.com/ . Enjoy!

Each fall for 15 years, up to 100 people gathered every Wednesday night at Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis, Tennessee, to explore the meaning of the Sacred Journey. Led by the Rev. Dr. Douglass M. Bailey, the participants in the class listened and talked about their own journey and the journey of others. The class affirmed the individual nature of each journey and each person's need to explore the questions that can shape their path. The people who journeyed together each fall learned about prayer, community, death and resurrection. They heard questions and reflections from others, and through them came to a better understanding of their own spiritual growth. We have included an overview of the Journey material here in hopes that some of the ideas may help you on your own Spiritual path. The questions are meant for you to ask yourself and those traveling with you. Use those that are meaningful to you as guideposts, pointing down a road you may not yet have explored. The church ...

I'm beginning a series on the Journey of Faith, taken from explorefaith.org. The article is lengthy, but nicely divided up for daily posting. Enjoy and begin the journey to which he has called us! The Journey of Faith Each fall for 15 years, up to 100 people gathered every Wednesday night at Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis, Tennessee, to explore the meaning of the Sacred Journey. Led by the Rev. Dr. Douglass M. Bailey, the participants in the class listened and talked about their own journey and the journey of others. The class affirmed the individual nature of each journey and each person's need to explore the questions that can shape their path. The people who journeyed together each fall learned about prayer, community, death and resurrection. They heard questions and reflections from others, and through them came to a better understanding of their own spiritual growth. We have included an overview of the Journey material here in hopes that some of the ideas may help you...

Here's a little post I did connected with systems thinking which relates to our life together as church. Unwillingness to listen, to reach a point of understanding is devaluing. Though tarnished by sin, people are still made in God’s image, behooving us to endeavor to understand their viewpoint. “Genuine engagement in the process of learning from and with others will require you to be ready to change ... for the good” (Brennan, 2002, p. 19). Entering into dialogue, “with a spirit of inquiry and openness” (Sapp, 2002, p. 3) is crucial. Reaching a point of understanding was intrinsic to our ministry to Palestinian college students in the Holy Land . Sapp’s term, “suspending assumptions” as crucial to effective dialogue resonates with the friendship evangelism or incarnational model we followed. Rather than treating them as Arab terrorist heathens, we took interest in them and in their faith. Mutual respect and inquisitive learning about each other’s culture, language and fait...

Last week, Friday through Monday, was spent at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. I was there with approximately 12 other prospective students for their fall Seminary Sampler. It was a wonderful time and the group of us stayed in the same place and really built community together. There were panel discussions, tours of the campus and student housing, meals together and classes. Several decided by the end of our time together that Chicago was indeed the place for them to continue their studies. As for me, it was great, but I could not see myself there. It confirmed that Gettysburg was the place for me to go. Yesterday I filled out my application to Gettysburg, sent off my transcript request to Regent and sent out the various reference forms to the appropriate people. On Saturday, the 10th (Luther's birthday!) I meet with the Synod Candidacy Committee, God willing, to move forward with the process. " I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will c...