Claimed, gathered and sent

It is good to take some time to look at where we're at, how far we have or have not come, and where we're going. We do that as individuals. Do we do that often enough as a church? During the summer, Emanuel Lutheran Church , West Warwick, RI did that in a series of cottage meetings in members' homes. It was enlightening and action has been taken as a result. Gordon MacDonald suggests what it could look like if the church followed Starbuck's example of closing for a time to retool. What do you think? Pictures courtesey of Fotosearch.

I was praying about who my roommate would be and asking God's grace that we get along well. He is indeed faithful, even in the small things. Marie is my roommate. We have an extremely hot room. Our Biology studies this past week on global warming seem quite apropos. I am always hot, but thankfully, so is Marie. We both arrived at rehab on Thursday. We died from the heat and were both soaking wet by morning after sleeping all night in our sauna...I mean room. Even Ray found it very hot here. Friday we met many people: dietitian, physical and occupational therapists, activities director...you name it. More importantly though, we learned the secret of cooling off the room, which involved turning off the heat entirely and opening a window. But, if we left our door open, the heat would come into our room from the hallway and would overheat the room. When we are way too hot: the window is open, the heat off and the door closed. We kept saying imagine if one of us was always cold and the ...

Now that I'm on the other side of my surgery last Monday, I can say I have a new knee! This is what a typical healthy knee looks like. In meeting with my husband Ray, after the surgery, the doctor used a very technical term describing some of what he found around my knee: junk! Apparently due to said junk, the procedure was not so straightforward. Sparing you all the gory details, suffice it to say that I am at a very nice rehab facility close to the hospital and I am improving daily. I get around pretty good with my walker. This is what my knee looks like now--well a knee, not mine specifically. " I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well" (Ps 139:14). pictures from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:PTG_P.jpeg and http://www.righthealth.com/Health/Picture_Of_A_Knee/-od-images_1-s.

There are many outside the church that see it/us as irrelevant. Take a look at what Sally Morgenthaler's thinking about it this regard. The url to her post is: http://blog.christianitytoday.com/giftedforleadership/2007/12/a_more_soulful_religion.html#more

I don't know about anyone else, but I find it so easy to go into a situation with preconceived ideas, assumptions, what are called mental models in systems theory. Here's a short post about that. Hold biblical assumptions suspended. Otherwise, you will be stuck in defense mode and not really hear what the other person is debating...listening to their contradictions to your beliefs, you may learn something new. Holding your assumptions… just means that you are exploring other possible meanings. (Stewart, 2007, Para 5) Imagine…we could even be wrong in our assumptions and preconceptions. I blush when I consider my dogmatism of thirty years ago regarding truth and those issues/beliefs that determined who was in or out of God’s kingdom. “In dialogue people actually feel as if they are building something, a new deeper understanding…Choosing to view adversaries as ‘colleagues with different views’ has the greatest benefits”(Senge, 2006, p. 228). Bridge building rather than wall b...

Please take a look at the article at this link http://www.generousorthodoxy.net/thinktank/2007/11/the-thoughts-of.html?cid=91559088#comment-91559088 entitled The Thoughts of One Signatory to "Loving God and Neighbor Together." This is regarding Christian-Muslim dialogue.

We have all been called names, some good and some bad. I remember being called fat, difficult, insubordinate, careless, slow. What about you? Sometimes you aren't actually called a name, but treated in a way that implies you are careless, stupid, a screw up? It's painful. What does God say about names? "Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To those who are victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give each of them a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it" (Rev. 2:17). Naming is very personal and intimate. We name our spouses, children, our pets. We have "pet names" for those we love: sweetie, honey, sweetheart. God names us, calls us beloved, my child, precious, holy and mine. Can you imagine the Lord having a special, pet name for us, that only he and we know? "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass ...

To many non-Christians, the church seems irrelevant. Dan Kimball speaks to this issue regarding the post-modern generation. “People in emerging generations are open to discussing … truth. But they're looking for conversation, not a lecture, and facts, not rhetoric.” [1] To speak the language of today’s seekers, one must learn the language. Daniel Hill desired to understand younger, unchurched people. “For Hill, whose day job is ministering on staff with Willow Creek Community Church 's Axis outreach, Starbucks provides a context to build meaningful relationships with postmodern, Gen-Next twentysomethings who are far from God.” [2] God given intellects give us creativity in outreach. [1] Dan Kimball, “I Like Jesus … Not the Church,” Outreach and Evangelism Today, 14 March 2007, n. p. Online: http://www.christianitytoday.com/outreach [14 March 2007]. [2] Brett Lawrence, “Starbucks Spirituality,” Leadership Journal, Fall 2002, ...

For my devotional time this morning I was reading Hebrews 12, you know the chapter that starts out, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses..." (Heb 12:1). What powerful imagery, how moving. It makes you feel like you can hang in there with this great throng that has preceded you in the faith. It is the second half of the verse that I was meditating on this morning. "... let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us" (Heb 12:1b). Several thoughts came to mind. First of all, "the race that is set before us." My son, Christian, was a distance runner from middle school through college. He did best of all at the mile. He did very well at longer distances like cross country races or road races. He did ok at slightly shorter distances, but the mile was where he shined. That was his race. When he ran the race set before him, that he was best built for, he succeeded. What about us? Do we look at others' walks of faith...

The following question was posed to our Ministry Communication Skills class. My response follows the question. In the question, Adam refers to Peter Adam the author of one of our texts. In the footnote you'll find the complete info. Adam seems to distinguish between the spoken (past tense) message of God and the written and preserved (present tense) message. Is this distinction helpful for Christian communicators? Explain why or why not. If the distinction was not as clearly articulated, that is, if one viewed the written and codified words of God as his (current) speech to us, would this make a difference? Is this something with which Adam would agree or disagree? Adam’s distinction is helpful. Some things were strictly for the culture or people of that time; i.e. the Jewish dietary codes, codes for temple worship. Some were given with the initial listeners/readers in mind, but are also a living word for us today. John 1 exemplifies both the past and present tense of ...

Revelation 11:15 (NRSV) Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever." What will it be like when that day comes...when the kingdom of the world is all his? The Revelation of John vividly, apocalyptically describes the future reign. But what about now? How can we live an incarnational life here and now? For Christ's reign to begin now, it must begin in the hearts of his people, our hearts. As I was pondering this and its outcomes, a chorus came to mind. Part of it is, "...may your kingdom be established in our praises, as your people declare your mighty worth!" Establishing his kingdom with our praises, not just verbally, but with our very lives, days, moments. "For to me to live is Christ..." (Phil 1:21) was Paul's affirmation. Just think of the ...

It was a marvelous Easter celebration this past Sunday. It was one of the wonderful times where everything comes together just right: the music, the word, the worship and fellowship. Throughout the day Ray and I kept marveling at what a special day it had been. But when all is said and done, borrowing a phrase from Pastor Paul's sermon, I must ask, "So what!" It's not just about the warm fuzzies of family, music and worship. What we celebrated Sunday is the linchpin of our Christian faith. " And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins" (I Cor 15:17). The same power that raised Christ from the dead is available to us in our daily lives. It's no myth. It's reality. As Peter wrote, "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty" (2 Pet 1:16). Christ is risen! He is risen i...

Take a look at this. It brought me up short and reminded me what my attitude should be. Work Is a Sacred Trust by Nancy Ortberg March 22, 2007 | The summer I was 15, I locked myself in the bathroom. Not for the typical reasons. There was no fight with my parents or disappointing love interest. I wasn’t trying to hide tears or cool down a temper. I had just received my first paycheck. It wasn’t just the paycheck I loved. That was just symbolic. It was work I loved. I loved the feeling of doing something that mattered, something that helped other people, something that I could accomplish. Growing up, I awoke each morning to the smell of coffee and the sight of my dad in his crisp white shirt and tie, sitting at the breakfast table reading the newspaper. His aftershave gently filled the room and there was a sense of anticipation in him as he readied to start the work day. My dad loved what he did, and he was good at it. That was a dynamic combination. Every morning my mothe...

The psalmist proclaims, " When I am afraid, I will trust in you" (Psalm 56:3). This is what I was meditating on this morning. Of course, my mind wandered to that song "You are my Hiding Place" from Psalm 32 and the chorus, "Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you." Fears take on many forms. Children are afraid of the dark, of the absence of their parents. We as adults fear losing those we love through distance or divorce. My greatest fear right now is that my words and actions might discredit my Lord. The past couple of weeks at work have been difficult for all of us. Last week I raised my voice in response to my supervisor. At lunch I wept over my lack of self control. I had read and meditated in the morning on that portion of scipture, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight..." (Psalm 19:14). I was so far off in left field from that. As that day progressed, perhaps my words were better ...

It has been a week of being recreated from the inside and that is painful. God has brought me to the Spiritual Formation course through Regent University for "such a time as this" (Esther 4:14). The means of being taken apart and put back together by God has been spending more deliberate time in his presence by the use of an ancient method called lectio divina or divine reading. More about that in another post. Of course, living the truth God shows you is quite another matter. For me this week has been difficult at work. We had a staff meeting followed by individual meetings with our supervisor where we each got "our ears boxed" so to speak. My prayer all week has been that God would make me more like Jesus. The means however, is through the school of hard knocks. The kicker was the verse I was meditating on yesterday, "May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer" (Ps 19:14)....