Mother's Day and Making a Difference

Dave Richards' post today on his blog gives a great idea for Mother's Day gifts to empower women. Check it out here.

I received an email on this same campaign from Jessica this morning. I think this would be a great way to celebrate Mother's day this year. What a very simple, "doable" way to empower a woman to make a difference for herself and her family and her community.

Will you post this, email your friends, get the word out?

Revelation - Decoding Its Vision with Sanity!

What the Left Behind Series Never Told You!

Interested? I am. My doctoral advisor, Winn Griffin is beginning a weekly Bible study on the book of Revelation. You can sign up here.

Honestly, a good study on this is so necessary. I was surfing one sleepless in Seattle night and was watching one of the Chrisitan stations. I was fascinated with the amount of fear and manipulation that comes out of certain theologies. Winn says, "bad theology is an evil task master".

This would be a great study to do with friends. Hmm, I wonder if I might join a Revelation group...

Virginia Tech

Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy.

Bless those who mourn, eternal God,with the comfort of your love that they may face each new day with hope and the certainty that nothing can destroy the good that has been given. May their memories become joyful, their days enriched with friendship, and their lives encircled by your love. Amen

Adapted from "Prayers of Our Hearts" © 1991 Vienna Cobb Anderson.

Power

Something I am working on in my doctoral program is the issue of "power". I have been reflecting on power as it relates to leadership in the faith comunity. Henry Nouwen is again helpful here:
“It is not enough for the priests and ministers of the future to be moral people, well trained, eager to help their fellow humans, and able to respond creatively to the burning issues of their time. All of that is very valuable and important, but it is not the heart of Christian leadership. The central question is, are the leaders of the future truly men and women of God, people with an ardent desire to dwell in God's presence, to listen to God's voice, to look at God's beauty, to touch God's incarnate Word, and to taste fully God's infinite goodness?”
I have been keeping my eyes open to "notice" people who hold power in the Christian community. I am making note on the way power is used whether very intentionally as well as blindly. You have heard it said (I don't remember by whom) "when you don't have power you talk about it a lot" (if you know who said this let me know).
But look at different groups who do not hold power in our society and then begin to listen to what they say without first jumping to all kinds of judgments and assumptions...maybe we won't like what we hear but maybe a second listen, trying to "hear" empathetically what is being said.
I am rambling a bit here.
As I have been noticing how people use their power I am struck, struck by the many people who hold power and are not aware of it. When you are not aware of your power then I believe it is difficult to "see" those that don't hold the power position in any given situation.
One thing I do know, that in Christian leadership, there is a point where stopping to reflect on one's own power and how it is used is very, very important in these days where voices from the margins are becoming louder and louder.
The leaders that I watch move aside to share power with those that need to have room made for them is the ideal of servant-leadership that I see Jesus modeling over and over again in the gospels.

On Relationship

“More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water, and be known as someone who wants to live with them. It is a privilege to have the time to practice this simple ministry of presence. Still, it is not as simple as it seems. My own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups, and workshops that prevent me from walking the streets. It is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around an urgent cause, and not to feel that you are working directly for social progress. But I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn’t be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that you do not simply like them, but truly love them.” - Henri Nouwen

Resurrection thoughts from Dr. Winn

My doctoral advisor posted an interesting way of reading the Gospel of John in light of resurrection...have a look

http://drwinn.com/2007/04/06/resurrection-ala-john/

Holy Week

Last night we finished our Wednesday evening Lenten Group. When this group began I was in India but followed along in the book "Show Me the Way" by Henri Nouwen. It was a seven week group that met for soup and discussion around the daily mediations from the book. It was a meaningful way to travel through lent. Tomorrow a group of us are going to attend the Stations of the Cross at the Roman Catholic Church down the street from us. Besides Easter Sunday, the Good Friday Stations of the Cross is the most meaninful part of this season.

Hope you all have a meaningful Holy Week...

Life is Full

Anne Lamott was hysterically funny and profoundly inspirational. She signed my right “auntie” with her name, a heart and a rose.

Life is very full. I know that the spiritual life in order to thrive needs silence, solitude, a break from all the busyness…however, I am embracing that this is a season in my life that is very, very full and it is okay. I am married, parenting a nine year old, co-pastoring a faith community, launching a new non-profit and trying to keep up with a doctoral program…

Throwing a doctoral program into the mix of an already very full life seemed insane…but to me it is a gift! So, I receive and embrace this gift and the reality that for the next three years I have a lot to juggle. I will plan short getaways, moments of silence and solitude wherever I can. The fact that I have a very supportive husband and a laid back nine year old helps…