Just add water. . .

Water is Life's matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water. Albert Szent-Gyorgyi. I love water, am drawn to water, be it a pond, lake, or the gulf, I love how it makes me feel. Maybe it is because growning up we spent a great deal of time hiking, camping, and picnicing at the lakes nearby.

In my husband's book, The Porpoise Given Life, he has devoted a whole chapter to hydration. He quotes David J. Ford with this: "you'd be surprised how many things are dry and useless till one brings the magic liquid known to all; You use it when you heed the call - just add water."

There are many stats about the composition of our bodies - about 70% water - 30% other substances. How about earth, about 70% water and 30% land. Our friend Kathleen Kilbourne asks the confirmands if they think this was a coincidence or on purpose? Chris states in his book: "since we are made in God's image, God must have, at some level, a 'water' nature - fluid, dynamic, life-birthing, earth cleansing, powerful, still, and chaordic nature. I really love this thought.

Water links us to people, places, times, expereinces, and life. Life giving, receiving, taking, and living. Water is vital to life - life in the flesh and a life with Christ. By water we are healed, our thirsts are quenched, we are cleansed, and refreshed.

Water is life. . . so, herein lies my passion and love of water.

Take me to the water Lord, quench my constant thirst for you.

"The Water"

by Chris B. Hughes can be found on:

chrisbhughes.net

sacred journey. . .

Some invitations we simply cannot explain. . . you just know you have to say yes! That is exactly how I felt when Anne Looney from Springfield Tennessee asked me to create a funeral pall in memory of her mother Honey King. She wanted to offer an alternative option for people who could not afford the expensive flower spray. Before I had time to think about the depth of this commitment, I had already agreed to her invitation. . . I cannot expalin why, I just did. I had never created a funeral pall before nor had I created a piece this large. Again, I just knew I was suppose to accept this invitation without fear.

Anne's mother Honey King lived 100 years of life and from what I understand, almost lived to be 101. I don't know much about Honey, but I do know her legacy of joy, life, and spirit are alive in her daughter Anne, and her grandaughter Katie Henry. Judging from their eyes, her love and life must have been great. In fact, when Chris and I delivered this piece to Anne on our way home from Lousiville Ky today, Katie and her husband Jackson met us at the house to see thecommissioned memorial to her grandmother.

We left Anne's home blessed by her hospitality, welcome, reception, and love, all of which I am certain she expereinced from her mother Honey. Being with Anne, Katie, and Jackson was like being bathed in a shower of grace and love. A most blessed expereince in time. . .

and so, as I look back on why the Spirit of God was nudging me to say yes to this opportunity, I have a clearer picture.

Thank you Anne,

thank you Katie & Jackson,

thank you Lord for trusting me with this sacred privlege.

The Equipping Pastor. . .

I just finished reading The Equipping Pastor by R. Paul Stevens and Phil Collins.

A couple of sections were affirming and disturbing to me. . . here is a statistic that will make you think:

• the average North American person spends some 88,000 hours on the job from the first day of full-time employment until retirement. Work occupies about 40% of one's waking life.
• In contrast, a dedicated Christian is estimated to spend as few as 4,000 hours in a lifetime in church meetings and church related activities.

Given these stats, they suggest we have made our spirituality into a leisure-time, discretionary-time involvement that provides a welcome relief from the boredom of much work or a challenge to the idolatrous demands of the marketplace. However, many of us know, that once our spirituality becomes the central driving principal of our lives, it compels to find God in everything, everywhere, and everyone.

Talk to me, do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Does it challenge in any way?

Too inspiring for words. . .

I am sitting here taking in the absolute beauty of what surrounds me at Lake Junaluska. The air is cool and sky is a little overcast. The flowers are glorious and the view. . . well you can see for yourself, it is beautiful. The most prominent sounds are those of a few walkers cruising bye and the geese of course.

I am contemplating God's abundant love for all creation. I mean, how in the world can you gaze at this beauty and not feel anything other than love. You have to believe the master creator had us in mind when God created such beauty. Our friend Shelly Webb discovered this week the breath taking beauty of the Grand Canyon, our daughter Chelsea expereinced the unconditional love and beauty that the people of the Dominican Republic hold while there this summer. My friends Julie & Mike, Cheryl & Pete, Sharmon & Dan are holding in the hearts and arms the beauty of their new grandchildren. . . The miracle of creation is astounding every where you turn.

The question we need to be asking ourselves: are we being responsible stewards of the created world God so carefully loaned us as stated in Genesis?

We want our children's children, and their children, and all generations that follow to catch a glimpse of what we were able to see. . . don't we?

Preoccupied with the final destination. . .

I ran one of the Charlotte Greenway tracks with our daughter Bethanye and our son-in-love Scott Allen yesterday. We started our run together however, within a matter of 10 seconds, their running pace left me looking like I was out for a Sunday stroll in the park. It had been four days since my last run so it took me a little longer than normal to settle into my groove. The cool morning air was burning my lungs, my muscles were stiff from too many hours of sitting in the car, my running partner was not with me that day as he recovered from a calf injury, and I had maybe had one too many cups of coffee before I ran. With that said, I felt like I was struggling more than normal. . . it was more work than it was fun.

I found myself looking for every 1/4 mile marker while hoping to "just make it one more 1/4" when I realized about three-quarters of the way through my run that I had become so focused on getting to the next marker that I was totally missing the journey. The path was absolutely beautiful, tree lined to provide shade for the trail. Some of the old trees were wrapped around other trees like an iron sculptor had spent months crafting this beauty to behold. The air that was burning my lungs was cool with a low level of humidity, just what I was praying for two weeks ago. The others runners were polite even encouraging.

WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS I THINKING? I was so focused on "making it" that I was totally missing the fact that I had already made it by just "being there." I spent the last 1/3 of the run taking in the created world all around me and praying God would forgive me for taking it all for granted.

So, what did I learn from the experience yesterday you ask. . . I realized that too many days of my life are spent getting to the next thing instead of taking in all that the created world has to offer me. I was not even giving God a chance to shower me with blessings - so as a result of my spiritual V8 moment (those are Chris' words) I have vowed to the best of my ability to pay attention. . . to life, people, the created world, the needs, the joys, the laughter, the love.

Soooo, how about you? How are you doing?

Weathering the storm

When living on the coast, you anticipate the inevitability of Tropical Storms/Hurricanes during the hurricane season. (June - November) Even though Lee did not hit us directly, we were in fact recipients of rain, wind, and more rain. This was my first experience living at the coast during a this kind of a storm. We lived with three days of rain, tornado watches, and lots of wind. With that said, I cannot being to imagine how frightening living through such storms as Katrina, Hugo, and other such hurricanes would be. Fear for your family, friends, your own life, possessions, treasures, and potential loss of the known.

In the midst of that fear God is present. After the storm, God is present. In the days to follow, God is present. The calm after the storm is a beautiful thing. The sky became a beautiful blue, the air was clear, humidity was low, and peace embraced all who payed attention. It must have been how the disciples felt when on the boat with Jesus when the storm came up so quickly. The calm after the storm is a beautiful thing. One to pay attention to. One to embrace.

During the midst of life's storms, it is hard to imagine there will ever be "the calm after the storm" As it was experiencing my first coastal tropical storm, I couldn't even imagine how amazing the calm was going to be. I am learning to trust and look for God's presence in the midst of life's storms while anticipating the peace to follow. Oddly enough, peace seemed to prevail during the midst of it all.

God's imminent presence is evident in and through all things. Thanks be to God.

Creating Sacred Space. . .

We moved our studio and office to a new location in Fort Walton Beach Florida. I must confess that I really dislike moving - however, our new location will provide Chris and myself the opportunity to share creative space - with plenty of room for my fabric artwork and creative writing space for Chris.

The view from the new studio faces the intercostal waterway - great space for creativity. It is also a part of the old Gulfview Hotel in FWB and has been renovated by the Junior League. The space comes with plenty of history and we are anxious to learn more specifically about the space we occupy. We are also within walking distance of downtown where many other creative folks seem to gather. (There is also a new Cupcakery and a Sno Ball stand downtown - you know, just in case our company would like a tour)

I am having a few nostalgic moments as I am going through some of mother's sewing materials I have not been able to go through until now. Found a few old treasures in the mix - old wooden spools of thread, tracing & marking materials, and more.

Please join us in praying this space will be sacred in every way, allowing the Holy to guide our ministries and creative spirits.

grace and peace. . .

Studio Time. . .

The process of co-creativity is one that I find hard to compare to any other process I know. There is a yearning from within to be connected with the Holy as well as a dependence on the spirit of God for guidance and inspiration. It did not take long for me to discern when I was creating independently apart from the Divine verses dancing with the Holy in co-creativity. Left on my own efforts, I would most likely not be experiencing opportunities to create art for others.

What does all this rambling mean? I have been out of the studio for the last 12 days and my soul is pleading for me to return to the dance floor. So, here I am, ready to go. I've got my dancin shoes on and ready to shag. Looking on Pandora for some great music - here I go.

A THOUGHT TO PONDER: what makes your soul dance? You know, when you are in the midst of this dance, you can think of nothing else. . . . so, don't just think about it. . . DANCE!

Living a Life worthy of the call

I have to ask myself ~ what does this mean?

I wake up each morning and pray that I can resist the demands of our culture

so that I may be awakened and attentive to the stirring of the spirit of God within.

Where is God calling me this day. . .

awakenings of my soul?

With whose eyes will I choose to see the needs all around me?

seeing the kingdom here on earth.

With whose heart will I most likely respond?

with the heart of the Divine within or my own?

Where will you send me this day Lord?

Here I am, trying desperately to be ready. . .

send me.

Are we having worship in the morning?

of course we will be worshiping in the morning!

It is amazing the number of phone calls we received from folks inquiring as to whether or not we would still be holding worship service Sunday morning due to the snow and ice. Like the snow and ice outside would determine our ability to worship. REALLY?

We must have different definitions of worship because as long as I have breath and life within, I am called to be in constant worship with our Creator. I gazed out our kitchen window I thanked God for the beauty my eyes are able to behold. A blanket of pure white snow enveloped everything in its reach. . . the ground, the fence, the trees, the street, cars, even the playground and picnic area behind the parsonage. Absolutely breath taking. How can we not stop and worship this beauty that was abounding all around us?

Yes, we gathered for corporate worship both at 8:30 and 11:00. Like our friend John Heath said: "I have attended worship services on Sunday morning for the better part of my whole life, but I can promise you that I will never forget this worship service." I am with you John, I too will never forget the beauty of either service as long as I live. They were small, intimate, spirit filled hours of worship.

Praise God that regardless of what is going on with the weather outside, the temperature inside, or within our souls, the God of all creation never takes a break from desiring to be in worship with us. Why of course we are going to be in worship in the morning, will you?

Looking Ahead to VBS 2010

I know what you are thinking. . . I cannot begin to think about VBS, I have Sunday School knocking on my front door, not to mention teacher training, organizing small groups, youth kick-off, resources to order and organize, DO NOT MENTION VBS RIGHT NOW! It is too early to plan for VBS 2010, however, while the Vacation Bible School experience is still fresh on your mind, gather some of this year's VBS servants together and have a brainstorming session.

A few things you may want to ponder together:

• Are you satisfied with the Publishers of the curriculum you are using? Does the theology fit the vision and mission of your congregation?


• Does your VBS have an outreach component?


• Are your doors open to the children in your community? Youth? Adults?


• How would you evaluate your publicity of your event? Was it effective or in-effective?


• How can we grow our current Vacation Bible School model into a significant step in Disciple making?


• Did you struggle getting "servants" (vs. volunteers) to sign up to help?


• Is your current model of training, supporting, and thanking your servants effective? If not, what do you need to change?

A couple of months ago, I invited churches in the WNCC to share about their Vacation Bible School experiences, curriculum used, as well as the inclusion of a mission component. If you click on VBS - it will lead you to the responses I received from folks in our conference. I am certain they would be more than happy to be a conversation partner with you and your coordinators.

Educators and Missionaries in the Western North Carolina Conference have been working to create a VBS based on missions which includes the life and stories of children in Southeast Asia. Our goal is to have this curriculum available in the spring of 2010 as a PDF down loadable format. Stay tuned for upcoming posts of this VBS curriculum.

Until then, have fun dreaming together of ways we can truly vacation in the words, visions, and dreams of the Bible come to life.

Safe Sanctuary Training. . .

Will he held for the Western North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church on:

• Wednesday, September 2 in Asheville NC
• Thursday, September 3rd in Winston-Salem NC

We will take a look at the new issues concerning Cyber Safety and the Vulnerability of Older Adults. We will also host questions concerning Jessica's Law.

There is still time to register for either one of these Safe Sanctuary training events. Deadline for registration is Tuesday, September 1st.

Hope to see you there!

When was it we saw you a stranger and welcomed you?

"Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we you sick or in prison and visited you? And the king will answer them, Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. "

When was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you? There are two words that stand out in this part of the gospel message; the word saw and welcomed.

The word saw, past tense for see, seeing, or having being seen, requires an awareness or awakening of our visual senses. It implies our eyes are opened and we are paying attention. Let me say that again. . . our eyes are open; to the needs of those around us.

Not only do we see who is around us, but the eyes of our hearts are moving with compassion, grace, and love, being attentive to the needs of others. We welcomed you as the incarnation of Christ to the world. We reminded you of the value your life holds. We worked to salvage and protect your dignity, allowing you opportunity to bask in the grace and love of Jesus. "For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully meade." Psalm 139:13-14

We vow to take care of you,

to love you through the love of Christ,

to help you pick up your mat and walk.

God of all creation,

Open the eyes of our hearts to see and know the needs of your world.

Empower us, your people to see all creation with your eyes,

valued, wonderfully made, and unconditionally loved.

Open the eyes of our hearts Lord.

Open the eyes of our hearts.

Open our eyes.

We want to see you.

Rule of St. Benedict. . .

Let us get up then,

at long last,

for the Scriptures rouse us when they say:

It is high time for us

to arise from sleep.

Let us open our eyes

to the light that comes from God,

and our ears to the voice from heaven

that every day calls out this charge:

If you hear his voice today,

do not harden your hearts.

Rule of St. Benedict

Seven words that kill the spirit and life of a congregation. . .

WE HAVEN'T DONE IT THAT WAY BEFORE!
Really?

What are you implying when you speak those words?

What does it feels like to have these words thrown your way?

I confess the first thing I hear is the slamming of a door. Boom - I'm done!
My gut reaction is to turn and run the other way.
You just as well put a big neon sign in the front of your church signifying:
closed to progress,
closed to the movement of the spirit,
closed to and for life!

Really?
I just cannot imagine God's preferred vision for the kingdom sitting idle because we are fearful of moving in and towards a direction we do not know. These seven words have the potential of paralyzing a congregation with their inability to change.
Change signifies movement.
Change can be very exciting.

I have learned that some folks not only embrace change, but are looking for it in every aspect of life, while others do everything in their power to avoid such movement.
Change is the one and only constant in our lives outside of the abundant unconditional love and grace of God.
Our bodies change, our climate is changing, our minds are changing. . . why not our attitudes?
Imagine for a moment if you will, a life without change. . .
Scary isn't it? Transportation would not exist as we know it, nor would our modes of communication. No television, radio, computer, cell phone . . . hard to allow your minds to go there? It is for me.

The Spirit of God is moving, flowing, rushing like a mighty river. Are we as a church going to plant our feet in the every flowing steam of life because we are afraid of what might lie ahead, staggering to keep our balance or our we going to jump in, flowing with the rushing, changing, current of life?
What direction is God leading you. . .

The folks in the life of your congregation?

In ways that best honor God's kingdom here on earth?

In the community?

Into the world?

Maybe, we will never do it that way again.
Maybe, just maybe that is what God is calling us to imagine.
God is calling us:
to movement
to change,
to life!

Leadership and Self Deception

getting out of the box

The Arbinger Institute

I like to consider myself one who thinks and lives outside the box. However, this read gracefully led me to a deeper examination of my own character encouraging me to reconsider which side of the box I actually do live in.

"Self-betrayal - is an act contrary to what we feel we should do for another." In other words, we know better but do it anyways. If I cut off someone in traffic, I not only have gotten in their space but potentially put their life in danger. Why then would I do such a thing when I know well the possible consequences. In other words, I have now put the other driver in a position to be aggressive, fearful, or just mad as heck, most likely an act contrary to what they feel they should be doing. So back to the question, why then do we do such things? We are probably functioning out of fear, self-doubt, jealousy, preoccupation, to name a few hopefully contrary to our core!

If we know better, why then do we continue this behavior?

How do we break this cycle of putting others in the box?

If I am functioning in the box, am I building up the body of Christ with my behaviors?

Leadership and Self-Deception is an easy read. Not as complicated as it sounds!

If you find yourself in any leadership role or if you are willing to take a deeper look within, I recommend this resource. It would also be a good read for a team to read together.

Check it out and let me know if you were surprised at what you learned.

Blessings of discovery!

Church and Me. . .

From A to Z

By: Wendi Martin

What a fun discovery for teaching children about the church; the life and body of Christ. Wendi has taken the components of the life and ministry of scripture and the church and provided a wonderful resource for teaching young children.

The front page of the book offers space for children to make this resource personal; inviting them to internalize the words, stories, and images they are experiencing. Each letter of the alphabet represents a word, then defined below and followed by a scripture reference. Wendi uses a caterpillar at the bottom of each page to journey through the alphabet, ending the journey as a beautiful butterfly. Nice! The caterpillar also prompts such questions as: what is special about the sanctuary (S for Sanctuary) in your church? or if they have ever prayed at the altar (yes, A is for altar)?

At the bottom of each page the children are prompted with questions i.e. "what is special about the sanctuary (S-Sanctuary) in your church?" or asking them if they have ever prayed at the altar of their church ( A for Altar). The photo illustrations capture the life and community of Bethlehem United Methodist Church in Climax North Carolina.

Church and Me From A to Z is FUN.

It is beautifully created.

Thank you Wendi.

You may purchase a copy of Church and Me From A to Z. You may also reserve a copy of this resource and other valuable resources to use in your congregation from the Fishin Hole, the Western North Carolina Conference Resource Center.

The Joy and Blessing of Affirmations. . .

You know what I am talking about; the occasional "ada-girl" or "great job" we are fortunate enough to get from peers, supervisors, spouses, or on the rare occasion our children. Our need as well as our desire for affirmation is real. I see how Gracie and Zoe, our lab puppies respond to praise. . . there again, they respond to just about anything that has a treat connected with it. 

Think about it, we sometimes work overtime in our jobs for an extra pat on the back. I have watched our adolescent daughter take hours getting ready to be with friends to hear the words: "you look great." Let's face it, affirmations feel good. We want to feel that our life has value, our contributions are valued, and our work is not done in vane. 

Hear the good news: You are fearlessly, marvelously, and wonderfully made. God takes delight in you! How does that feel? Can you allow yourself time to let that sink in? 

YOU, yes you are wonderfully made! 

God takes delight in you. A delight beyond our human understanding. 

As you go forth into this week, this day, even this very moment in time, allow yourself to be lost in the beauty and grace of God's constant presence in your life. 

Hear God speaking these words to you: 

I love you my beloved child.

You are marvelously made. 

You are beautiful in my sight.

I love YOU.

May we strive to honor God in all we do in and with our lives. . . there we will find the ultimate affirmation!       

I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. . .

"Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you? And the king will answer them, truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me."
Matthew 25:31-46

While on a mission trip out on the Navajo reservation, we were cleaning around a medical clinic, painting the fence around the cemetery, and building a wheel chair ramp for a local church. The temperature was over 100 degrees with absolutely no humidity. When you live in an area with relatively high humidity, you know that humidity intensifies the heat index. When no humidity is present, the heat feels very different - still hot, but different. You must continually hydrate your body or else. . .I was thirsty and the Christ in someone else shared with me something to drink, which most likely kept me from experiencing dehydration and numerous other complications.

What about those in our midst that are desperately waiting for the Christ in us to share with them something to drink? You know who they are, we drive by them, walk past them ignoring their pleas for help. They offer to work for us in lieu of something to eat and drink. We are a spoiled society. . .

Did you know:

• The cost of just one case of bottled water water could supply a person in Kenya with clean, safe drinking water for the next 5 years! One case - that is 24 bottles of water.


• Every year over $100 Billion dollars is spent on bottled water world-wide.
  
• The United Nations estimates that if given just 1/6th of that money for one year, $15 billion, they could cut in half the number of people without access to clean water.

Jesus calls us to quench the thirst of all creation.

Be the Living water

Share the Living water. . .

I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink

I was thirsty. . .

You, yes you, quenched my thirst for life, for love, for hope

The thirst is real

desperate

you gave,

yes

you

Holy Curiosity. . .

Encountering Jesus' Provocative Questions

By: Winn Collier

I love books that challenge my assumptions and established way of thinking.I love finding resources that create a desire within to carry the book around just in case I find a couple of extra minutes in my day to pull it out and read. I get excited when I have to read a paragraph, quote, or sentence more than once, twice, or beyond.

I found such a resource in Winn Collier's book: Holy Curiosity, Encountering Jesus' Provocative Questions. Collier takes scripture and challenges our common wisdom in reading the text. He gives you eyes to see it from another angle, so far, angles I have not imagined before. I am still wrestling with some of his wisdom. It is taking me deep within. . . far beyond my knowing and connecting more with my being. I am finding his writing to be honest, confessional, as well as challenging.

Who Condemns You? Why Are You Afraid? Are You Being Willfully Stupid? These are just a few of the chapters you will find in this resource. Jesus' questions probed the soul, and they were not easily ignored. [14] Why do we think we can ignore them or simply gloss over them?

I hope you will find your way to adding Holy Curiosity to your collection of resources. I will be surprised if you do not find yourself filing it under, inspirational, insightful, and provocative.