Ready

I was at a meeting last week where we starred into the face of the unknown. One of the members said she felt ready. She was ready to step into the mystery and trust in the hope of a new and more loving tomorrow. I long to be ready...

God, I want to be ready to receive something new, something different. In the face of the mystery of your calling, may my heads, feet, heart, and mind be prepared to care for, nuture, and tend this newness. Break in, I am so hungry for it, break into my life so I might discover how to care for my brothers and sisters more fully. I talk about it a lot, but help me discover new ways to do it. Ways that become real and part of my living. May it be so.

No, I do not have a case of the Mondays, I am just grumpy

So a quick update. I prayed about taking time to catch snowflakes on my tounge and I did it. It was more wonderful then I had remembered. I found myself laughing so hard I was in tears... Creating God, create a new mindset, a new space in me this day. Open my clentched fists that I might be ready to recieve. Shift my perspective so that I may be ready and willing to do what is needed. Grant me clearer vision through the fuzzy fog.

Snow on a Spring day

Living in St. Louis I have found one thing is always constant, the weather is always going to change. I never know if I will wake up to find sun, rain, snow, wind, or other outside my window. Although it is technically a spring day and I expected and hoped to find flowers and sun and maybe a rain shower, I was greeted by spring snowflakes. Go figure.

But this surprise of snow reminded me that is life. It is the unexpected, the joys, the challenges, and certainly the stuff that I thought was behind me. So, I decided to rejoin the blogging world.

I have decided I want to create a space that is open for my prayers, my hopes, and a new spiritual practice for myself. And if there is anyone out there who is willing to come and long and have this conversation with me, great.

This space is going to be used as a space for me to offer some prayers. I am eager to hear new ways and ideas to be open to the spirit of God in our midst from anyone who wants to comment.

I know I often find the Spirit of God in nature, in my son, in conversations with people, while in my car, and in places that surprise me. My hope in sharing these prayers is to be more intentional and more watchful for that spirit and to be open to the luring of God. I hope you join me in praying and finding new ways to pay attention....

God, I delight in the unexpected ways that you pop up in my life. In snow on a spring day, you remind me that life is not always what I expect it to be. May I be open to things that are surprising. May they teach me. I know my first response is to be upset and grumpy. Instead help me to take delight and try to catch snowflakes on my tongue. Amen.

Realizing Peace

As we prepare for the second Sunday in Advent and prepare to light the second advent candle, peace, this image has been captivating my mind. This mural was created a few weeks ago at a lock-in at Webster Groves Christian Church. The youth and spiritual mentors (with some assistance by John and Carolyn) created several mixed media murals. I have been sitting with the questions, what is peace, what does peace look like in our world, how do we live peace? And this image keeps coming to mind.

In the image peace is constant. It encircles and holds together all the colors. Peace is vibrant and alive. I recall watching as the youth created this mural. They took great care and work to make the peace sign. They used a pattern, a hula hoop, to make the circle. Perhaps there is not one set pattern for peace, but several models of non-violent action by Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, and Jesus set before us that can help us create a pattern for peace in our lives.

After the peace sign was carefully constructed, they spattered paint everywhere! It was an active process that included laughter, joy, movement, energy, and the willingness to let go. They had planned to use hands to construct the peace sign. But after it was made, they realized it needed other direction. Peace demands that we listen deeply and are willing to let go of our best laid plans.

Maybe I am reading to much into this sign, or maybe, just maybe the creation and existence of this piece of art is helping to realizing the process of peace in my journey. Thanks again to all the hands and hearts that constructed these pieces!

An Urban Silence

Last week I traveled to San Francisco to participate in the Bethany Fellowships. Research revealed that many new pastors do not stay in the ministry past five years, so Bethany was created to help new pastors develop patterns of sabbath, retreat, and rest in ministry. The group meets twice a year for a five day retreat in a different parts of the United States. Each day of the retreat has a different focus. On Wednesday, we were invited into 24 hours of silence.

The last time I went on retreat I spent the day of silence on the retreat center grounds. I watched the sunset and a turtle crawl out of the woods. This past Wednesday, I got on a train and rode into downtown San Francisco. It was amazing to be still and yet moving on the train. Through the window of the train I watched the fog crawl over the mountains. Upon arrival in downtown San Francisco, my companion Dietra and I, boarded a MUNI light rail in silence. We rode past the bay, pier after pier.

Then we wandered the streets trying to find fresh seafood. In silence we found a sandwich restaurant, not our first choice, but a place to eat. Then we wondered the streets to the museums. After some confusion on the streets, we found the Museum of the African Diaspora. It was powerful to listen to the stories of African people who traveled to United States in slavery, escaped slavery, and fought for their freedom. As I sat and watched a video of Dr. Howard Thurman, my heart swelled. I was overcome by the courage, passion, and conviction of my brothers and sisters.

My day of silence was filled with energy, sounds, and life. God was alive and well on the streets of San Francisco that day. I was thankful that I was silent, aware, and watching. Time and
time again I have experienced God in the beauty of a sunset or calm of water. In San Francisco I experienced God in the drums beats, the rush of people going in and and out of shops, the stories at MoAD, and in Urban life.


For more information about the Bethany Fellowships, visit http://www.bethanyfellowships.org/.
For more information about the Museum of the African Diaspora, visit, http://www.moadsf.org/

Chasing Balloons

During Christian Education this past week we talked about the movement of the Spirit. While considering the elusive nature of the Spirit and its movement in our lives, we chased around balloons. We, the church, laughed, danced, and twirled as we tried to keep the balloons from touching the ground. The wind came and blew the balloons in all directions. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. The work of the Spirit is a mystery, but when we are lucky it can involve some dancing, twirling, and lots of laughter.

Spring Wonderland

On Saturday I went to the Botanical Gardens. It was a warm, sunny day, and spring flowers were in bloom. Several individuals took advantage of the wonderful spring day. The gardens were packed.

When I first arrived, everywhere I turned I had to stand in a line. I was a bit annoyed. I wanted to roam free and dance near all the flowers. Instead, I had to wait to take pictures until people moved back.

As I looked closer at my companions I saw a mother and father dancing with delight with their infant as they were surrounded by new life emerging from the ground. I saw small children running up to flowers touching them and laughing. I saw an elderly couple juggling a camera as they tried to capture all the life that moved around them. In an instant I was surrounded by new life, not just flowers, but people joyously celebrating the season of spring.

During holy week we are invited into a time of reflection where we examine the tension of life and death. Tonight we are expected to get a hard freeze. It seems more appropriate to talk about death as winter gives us (hopefully only) one more round of cold. But, we know the ground is anxious and already beginning to give new life.

Walking down the paths at the Botanical Gardens, I found myself renewed and re-energized by all the life that surrounded me. New life will come as it has seasons before. New life will have a hard time preserving through all the elements.

May your heart be surprised by the beauty of a tulip or the scent of a hyacinth. Dance with joy and delight as new life comes!