Claimed, gathered and sent

Psalm 121:7-8 (Today's New International Version) 7 The LORD will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; 8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Tomorrow the moving van arrives between 8 and 9 in the morning. I will say good-bye to the apartment that has been my home for the last 5 years. We will spend the night with friends so we can be rested for the drive to Gettysburg. Consequently, I will be away from the computer for the next few days as we travel and get settled. There is still a lot of packing to be done, but once we're on the road, I will relax. Our faithful God has brought us this far. Even 6 years ago, I could not have imagined this as the next scenario in my faith journey. Now, within a couple of short weeks my seminary career will begin with Summer Greek . I am in awe of God's grace and care for us. As Martin Luther wrote in his Small Catechism : I believe that I cannot by my own understanding ...

Emotions have been running high for the last week as we say good-bye to so many dear friends. It all started last Tuesday evening at a picnic with a small prayer group we have been a part of for some time. Dessert included well wishes, gifts, and prayers. It was overwhelming. Saturday evening was spent at dinner with long time friends of Ray's and the above process was repeated. By then I couldn't even read the card out loud through the tears. Sunday was the culminating event of the group good-byes, our last Sunday at Emanuel Lutheran Church , our spiritual home for the last five years; since my arrival in RI. The good folks there have encouraged me in the call to ministry and the journey that entails. Before the dismissal, our pastor called us forward so everyone could pray for us. We were presented with a lovely gift box of cards, letters, and gifts from our faith community, followed by a coffee hour in our honor. Again we were owerwhelmed. We had been concerned about finance...

Singing Owl, one of the Revgals asks this for the Friday Five: what are the five things you simply must have when you are away from home? And why? Any history or goofy things, or stories? We travel pretty light for road trips, as much as possible. Most have been trips to Rochester to see my daughter, granddaughter, and friends. However, next week at this time, the moving van will be here loading up everything for the biggest and most life altering road trip we've had in our five years of marriage--the trip to the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. One of the best parts of this particular trip is that it will begin on our 5th wedding annivarsary. So much for background. Five things I simply must have when away from home: 1. Clothes--the why is pretty obvious. 2. Toiletries--deodorant, shampoo etc.--again an obvious why--who'd want to be around me? 3. A place to stay halfway through the trip. From our current home to Rochester we always broke the trip in Albany. I ...

Yesterday's gospel abo ut the wheat and the weeds and letting both grow up together until the end lent itself to several interesting applications of the Lutheran understanding of faith. First there is the similarity in appearance of wheat and tares or weeds. They are nearly indistinguishable. The good and the bad, those following Christ and those who aren't, saints and sinners can be difficult to distinguish from each other. Luther spoke of Christians as being simultaneously saints and sinners. Ahhh how very Lutheran this illustration is. We often like to pigeonh ole people as Christian or not, in or out of God's kingdom. There are various varieties of the true litmus test. Only God knows the depth of one's heart. Today's sinner may be tomorrow's saint. This parable demonstrates that it is God who will be the judge of one's faith and commitment or lack thereof. Each of us falls and gets back up in our Christian walk. There are times when I am grateful th...

For those of you who aren't aware, RevGalsBlogPals is a tremendous site. Not only are there resources, help with sermons, etc., but it fosters a community of faith and fellowship for those in ministry, seminary, or considering ministry. Today is their third anniversary and one of the gals, Singing Owl wrote this for the celebration: Three years ago today, RevGals was on it's way The preachin' gals and then their pals Made history that day! The blogs are fun to do, The preachers party too, And Friday Five and all that jive, Give us a place to play! We gripe and pray and blog, And sometimes go whole hog With cyber parties, real ones too, There's always something new! So Happy Birthday, Gals, And Happy Birthday, Pals, Three years today--HIp hip hurray, It is a party day! That about says it all. Thanks for putting my feelings into words, Singing Owl. Give them a visit. Picture from flickr.

Thanks to RevHRod at RevGals for this week's Friday Five. So how did you come up with your blogging name? And/or the name of your blog? I use my own name. The name of my blog comes from a line in the ELCA mission statement, "Marked with the cross of Christ forever, we are claimed, gathered, and sent for the sake of the world.” Are there any code names or secret identities in your blog? Any stories there? I'm afraid not. What are some blog titles that you just love? For their cleverness, drama, or sheer, crazy fun? Tribal Church , Reflectionary , Lutheran Chick's "L" Word Diary , Cheesehead in Paradise , Proclaiming Softly ...there are so many. What three blogs are you devoted to? Other than the RevGalBlogPals blog of course! Tribal Church , Law and Gospel , The Heart of a Pastor . Who introduced you to the world of blogging and why? I came across it out of sheer necessity. For an assignment in an undergraduate course, I wanted to have a webpage so I could k...

One of the greatest blessings I have experienced this past year has been a relating to a spiritual director . We met together this afternoon for the last time before the move to Gettysburg for seminary. It has been just one year that we've been meeting monthly. We have connected on such a deep level that it seems as though we've been together on this journey much longer. I feel our time together has been great preparation for seminary and future ministry. Before we began, Pastor Linda went to her office and brought out a package for me. In it was a beautiful pink prayer shawl made by one of the women in their prayer shawl ministry. What makes it so special is that prayer is knitted right into it as the knitter prays for the person who will receive the shawl as she knits. There was a card with it explaining the meaning of the shawl and with some prayers. This was a recurring scripture theme . What an unexpected blessing--a reminder of God's presence and love as well as t...