Bothered

Last Saturday night bothered me. More importantly, concerts in February bother me. Brainwashing bothers me. Winter Jam bothered me.

Well, I guess it's pretty clear that I'm bothered. Last Saturday night I took a group of my youth to the Winter Jam concert in Charlottesville. We went up early and stood in line. We got in and got our seats. We were looking forward to a great concert. We enjoyed the opening bands. (I especially enjoyed the Sidewalk Prophets.) I was irritated by the amount of "he" language that was being used as well as referring to "Father God" over and over in prayer. As the evening went on, it came time for a "message" of some sorts. The speaker was introduced and came to the stage with a youth. He offered the kid a $50 bill in exchange for a penny. The message was, who wouldn't want a large amount of money in exchange for just a little. The speaker tried to tie this to how accepting Christ is. The guy said that when one accepts Christ they get all the ever needed or wanted. He said, "Girls, it's like when you walk into a mall and you see the shoes and clothes and you can get EVERYTHING you ever wanted." That's what believing in God is like. He then followed up with, "And guys, if you are worried about the clothes and shoes, then I'm worried about you." Everyone sitting around me took that as a snide remark towards gays.

After this intro, he turned to trying to scare the youth into believing in Christ. I was thoroughly disgusted and he wasn't even five minutes into his sermon. The hell, fire, and brimstone message was in full swing and continued on for what seemed like forever. I physically felt sick. The youth were texting me continuously...asking what is this dude talking about. One texted and said: "I'm not drinking the kool-aid." As the speaking went on, the more fed up I got. Finally I thought he was done and he prayed to "Father God" even more.

When it was time to collect the love offering the speaker got back up and gave a message about how it was just a "drop in the bucket". He tied this into the scripture of the boy with the loaves and the fish. He gave all he had, and before Jesus multiplied it, the disciples said his donation was just "a drop in the bucket." I wasn't buying his crap.

I was seriously turned off. It was as if after the glorious picture was then turned to scaring the youth into believing. I grew up with the hell, fire, and brimstone messages and I never wanted to hear another one again. When we left the concert that night, I felt as if the youth needed to debrief what had happened. I was so thankful that they had many questions. I was thankful that they could put into words their disgust for what they heard. I was thankful that they had been taught the message of God's love and that they know what a true relationship with Christ is like, instead of being scared into one.

As the week has gone on, I have had plenty of time to think about why I'm bothered and what I wanted to write about it. While there were many details of the evening that I chose to forget, I remember the speaker saying how the message being offered was one of hope. Just a couple days ago, one of the adults that went on the trip with us emailed me some of his thoughts. He shared that at the concert, we could interpret that as hope for the moment. He felt the youth were being scared into believing and with that belief would come hope for the moment. He then said that at our church, we are teaching and experiencing a lifestyle of hope. It is important for us to all remember that there are many ways to bring people to a belief in Christ. However, the scare tactic doesn't work. It may work for a week or two, but there is no follow through.

After this experience, I've decided that what God is calling me to do is preach the truth. The truth is that God loves all people. God loves. God made us to love and be loved. Instead of scaring people into believing, it's time for Christians to love like Jesus did. That love will preach. That love doesn't take many words. That love is saving grace. There's no need to scare...there's just a need to love.

Walking the Labyrinth

Today we set up a 45 foot canvas labyrinth in our sanctuary. The sanctuary is open the first Tuesday of every month for walking the labyrinth. During Advent the labyrinth was out once per week. During the hustle and bustle of the Advent season, I didn't find the time to walk, though I knew I needed to.

So this afternoon, when all was quiet, I went into the sanctuary, removed my shoes and began to center myself. I hadn't walked a labyrinth in years and so it was refreshing as I began my walk. As I walked, I pondered the following quote:

"Let nothing disturb you. Nothing dismay you. All things pass. But God never changes. Whoever has God lacks nothing. If you only have God, you have more than enough." -Teresa of Avila

On the journey inward, I prayed. I cried out to God offering all of the things that have been holding me back. When I made it to the center, I stood looking at the cross and remembered the many reasons I believe. After spending time in the center, I began my outward journey. On the outward journey I just listened for God to speak and God did speak through the quiet.


I share this experience with you because I want to encourage anyone who can make it to the next labyrinth walk in February to do so. If you have never walked a labyrinth and are wondering what it might be like, here are some thoughts:

"Your life is a sacred journey. And it is about change, growth, discovery, movement, transformation, continuously expanding your vision of what is possible, stretching your soul, learning to see clearly and deeply, listening to your intuition, taking courageous challenges at every step along the way. You are on the path... exactly where you are meant to be right now... And from here, you can only go forward, shaping your life story into a magnificent tale of triumph, of healing of courage, of beauty, of wisdom, of power, of dignity, and of love."
Caroline Adams

We are all on the path... exactly where we need to be. The labyrinth is a model of that path.

A labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. The Labyrinth represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the world. Labyrinths have long been used as meditation and prayer tools.

A labyrinth is an archetype with which we can have a direct experience. We can walk it. It is a metaphor for life's journey. It is a symbol that creates a sacred space and place and takes us out of our ego to "That Which Is Within."

Labyrinths and mazes have often been confused. When most people hear of a labyrinth they think of a maze. A labyrinth is not a maze. A maze is like a puzzle to be solved. It has twists, turns, and blind alleys. It is a left brain task that requires logical, sequential, analytical activity to find the correct path into the maze and out.

A labyrinth has only one path. It is unicursal. The way in is the way out. There are no blind alleys. The path leads you on a circuitous path to the center and out again.

A labyrinth is a right brain task. It involves intuition, creativity, and imagery. With a maze many choices must be made and an active mind is needed to solve the problem of finding the center. With a labyrinth there is only one choice to be made. The choice is to enter or not. A more passive, receptive mindset is needed. The choice is whether or not to walk a spiritual path.

At its most basic level the labyrinth is a metaphor for the journey to the center of your deepest self and back out into the world with a broadened understanding of who you are.

I encourage you to take some time to center yourself. Taking 45 minutes out of my day to center myself, pray, and listen was just what I needed to lift my spirit.

Labyrinth thoughts taken from: http://www.lessons4living.com/labyrinth.htm

Challenge for 2010

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1! Happy New Year! It's 2010. New years always excites me because it reminds of of new beginnings. There are always things that I had wanted to do, hoped to do that didn't happen in the year prior. As I thought about goals/resolutions for myself this year I came up with two: I want to start running, and I want to live like Jesus. As I thought about the second goal, I thought about how those around me could be involved.

Tonight I challenged the youth to a new goal or resolution for 2010. We are committed to living like Jesus did. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

I often hear horrible statistics about what other world religions think of Christians. It is quoted that the greatest single cause of Atheism today is Christians that acknowledge Jesus with their lips, but deny him with their lifestyles. So many times we get caught up in worldly things that we forget about the message of Jesus to love others.

The challenge is to live like Jesus did. Jesus loved all people, lent a listening ear, helped a person in need, never condemned, always forgave.

What are your new years resolutions? How does the message of Jesus align with them? Will you accept the challenge to live like Jesus did?

A Snow Day

Since I couldn't leave my house to get to church this morning, I took some time to reflect today on God's goodness. When I was growing up, I remember several times that it snowed more than a couple inches. I remember the excitement that would show on my face as I would sit at the picture window and watch the snow fall. As the snow would get deeper I would long to go outside. Finally, mom would get me ready to head outside and I would make my way next door to my grandparents house (which is where my family lives now). I would meet my Granddaddy on the front porch. From there we would head out to the tractor with my cousin. Granddaddy would pull us on tubes behind the tractor for hours.

I remember one time that it snowed in particular. This time it was different. The snow was deep. The deepest I could remember. My Granddaddy walked ahead. He had no problem. He went around back, toward the barn, to get the tractor. I struggled to follow behind him. I made it about 10 feet before I got stuck, and 10 seconds before I was scared. I was having boot- trouble. If I raised my foot, my boot would slip off. If I kept it down, I couldn’t move. Either, I could move and risk frost bite- or stay where I was and freeze solid.

I started to yell. “Granddaddy! Help! I’m stuck!” Snowflakes clung to my eyelashes. He couldn’t hear me. I yelled louder. I had flashbacks to the episodes of Little House on the Prairie where they were stranded in the snow…I started to cry. My ears started to burn. (I was sure it was a sign of frostbite) Tears froze on my cheeks.

Just when the world started to grow dim… (ok- maybe not so much, but I was a girl and a tad melodramatic) I saw my Granddaddy come out of the barn door. “Come on!” He called. “I can’t” I wailed. “I’m stuck!” My Grandaddy looked at me. He looked at the snow. He walked toward me. Shuffling his feet. Clearing a path. Then, he turned, “Follow me” he called over the wind and snow.

And, I did. All around the backyard. I followed him. Sometimes he shuffled, sometimes he just, walked. Where he shuffled- I skipped- the snow like the red sea, was parted on either side of me. Where he walked, I hopped from one of his gigantic (to me) footprints to another. Where the snow drifted too thick to shuffle through and too high to hop over, my Granddaddy carried me.

Often times, my journey with God, is a lot like a snow day. Exciting, and a bit dangerous. Fun, but also, hard, footprint hopping work. Some days, I feel like I’m skipping along behind God as a path is cleared. Other days, I struggle to jump from one footprint to another. There are days, when I feel like God's turned some corner where I can’t see the way. Then, there are the days when I feel stuck. Afraid to move and afraid to stay put. Life is just too deep, too high, too cold, too hard, for me to walk. I wail. I cry.

And God, hears. God wipes the snowflakes and tears from my lashes, and I can see. God was right there all the time. God picks me up. God carries me. As God always does.

Not, just on snow days.

Remember this scripture from Isaiah:

"Listen to me, O house of Jacob,
all you who remain of the house of Israel,
you whom I have upheld since you were conceived,
and have carried since your birth.

Even to your old age and gray hairs
I am God, I am God who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

"To whom will you compare me or count me equal?
To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?"

Isaiah 46:3-5

After spending this snow day reflecting on God, we received a phone call from a family friend. She lives in Northwestern Virginia and got about 2 feet of snow. She is not in good health, but went out to shovel her driveway and sidewalk. She made little progress before realizing that she couldn't do it alone. She went in, sat down and prayed. A little while later she looked out and 4 young men walked up and started shoveling her driveway. She went out to speak to them and they said they were missionaries. She offered money, but they refused. They only asked for water. When they finished the drive and walkway, they left, walked down the street and didn't shovel for anyone else. It's amazing how God provides for those who ask and seek.

So take some time to look at this snow, whether you got 10 inches or 24 inches, our earth is covered in beauty. Take time to know that God is always there, clearing a path, making footprints for us to walk in. There may be times that we get lost, or lose the path, but if we cry out and listen we will realize that God is always HERE!

On Being Thankful

Next week we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. It is one of my favorite holidays because I gather with family. I enjoy spending the time with family that I only get to see once or twice per year. We get to catch up, laugh, and generally have a good time. We also share a huge meal, so that makes our time together even better.

Lately, I've been watching people's facebook statuses about the things they are thankful for. While I haven't joined in on changing my status, I have been reflecting on the things I am thankful for. These include:

1. My family: I am supported by such a loving family that truly cares for my well-being and lifts me up in my ministry.

2. My friends: Most of my friends are spread out through the US but we are able to stay in touch. I am thankful for all of them, but especially those I am closest to. Those that share common beliefs and we lift each other up in prayer.

3. My youth: I have the greatest group of youth ever. I am thankful for each one of them: their individuality, their personalities, their gifts, and their love.

4. My church: I am thankful also for the wonderful body of Christ found at Good Shepherd. The people are encouraging and accepting, loving and missional.

5. My Faith: My faith continues to be one of the greatest things I am thankful for. Without it I would not be where I am today.


Notice that not one thing I listed was a material possession. As I have reflected about what I am thankful for, not once did I first reflect on a material thing. While I am thankful for the necessities such as clothing, food, a roof over my head, running water, a vehicle to drive, and so on, I am most thankful for the people, the relationships, and my faith in God.

The Bible is full of scripture that reminds us to be thankful. One such passage is:

Know that the Lord is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

⁴Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.

⁵For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures for ever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 100:3-5 (NRSV)

Remember during this time of thanksgiving to give God the credit. What are you thankful for and how do you show God your thanks? God is Good and the love God gives will last forever, so give thanks in all you do now and forever, amen.

God is Mighty to Save

Living life as a minister is not always the easiest thing. I feel like my life is a open book. I'm always being watched, I'm held up to higher standards. While this is the life of a minister, I'm still just human. I live life just like anyone else. My education happens to be in religion. My calling happens to be student ministry, and through God's grace I can minister to others.

However, just like everyone else, I have my moments of feeling empty. I experience times in my life when God is calling me back, yearning for our relationship to grow stronger. This past weekend on the Middle School Retreat, I think I got just as much out of it as my middle schoolers did. The speaker did quite the job of reminding us what our lives are to be like. We were reminded that we love because God first loved us. We were reminded that we are beautifully and fearfully made. This is just what I needed to hear.

One of the songs we sing in youth group is "Mighty to Save" by Hillsong. We sang that song this past weekend. As we sang I truly listened to the words. The second time we sang it I was able to sing the words as a prayer. And finally last night at youth worship I was able to sing them and truly mean what I was singing.

Here is a part that sticks out to me:

So take me as You find me,
All my fears and failures,
Fill my life again.

I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in,
Now I surrender.

My Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.

Shine your light and let the whole world see,
We're singing for the glory of the risen King...Jesus


I hope that in your own life you take time to reflect on your relationship with God. Are you feeling empty? Ask God to take you as you are, all your fears and failures, fill your life again!


(On a personal note, I do not refer to God as He, so when singing this song, I change the word "he" to God.)

(Photo Credit: "Under Your Wing, by Rick Berry. This picture reminds me of the verse: Shine Your light and let the whole world see, We're singing for the glory of the risen king")

What we have to look forward to

I spent this past week in Seattle, Washington with my good friend Dusty. We met at Campbell and became good friends. During a time in both of our lives when we just needed to "get away" we decided to take a trip. We narrowed it down to four places and then selected Seattle. What a great choice we made! Seattle proved to be wonderful. There were so many things to do, places to go, sites to see.
During our time away, it gave us a chance to catch up face to face. This is much needed with friends when you spend extended periods of time separated by long distances. Phone conversations, text messages, and emails are nice but spending time face to face is truly the best. Dusty and I both love to travel so during this trip, we discussed the next places we want to go and things we want to see. We shared stories and memories, laughed and cried, and prayed for each other, something that keeps our friendship strong.
During the midst of our time away, I was reminded of the reality back home. Many of my youth were being faced with hard situations. With the death of two grandparents as well as the death of a 15 year old friend, I knew that there was much I needed to be doing at home. I picked up the phone and made calls. I sent emails and text messages but most of all I prayed. While the final days of my trip were great, they were still overshadowed by the tremendous losses being faced at home.
We arrived to the airport on Monday morning and said "see you later" (as is custom: we don't say good bye). We checked into our airlines and made our way to separate gates. As I sat down at Gate A8 I looked up to see a woman coming towards me. She sat down near me and said hello. I responded. She then asked where I was going. I told her and followed with asking where she was going. She told me that she was on her way to Cancun to meet her college friends. This woman was in her 60's and going to meet her college friends. I thought to myself, there's hope! She told me that her best friends to this day were the friends she made in college. When I told her that I'd been in Seattle with my friend from college she quickly said, "Good for you! I hope it continues as long as it can. Go places, meet up, catch up, and have fun. That's what true friends are for." I thanked the woman and quickly texted Dusty to tell her about my encounter. This put a smile in my heart, knowing what I have to look forward to in the years to come meeting up with old friends in new places making wonderful memories.

A toast to the next place we visit, the next memories we make, this is what we have to look forward to.

(Enjoy a few Seattle pictures!)

Be reminded...

This past summer I went to Israel on a journey to see where the biblical events took place. For some in the group, they traveled there to have these great spiritual experiences. While I did have several experiences that I consider to be spiritual, I was truly there to see and take it all in.

Not many people get the opportunity to travel abroad. I have been blessed to travel abroad each summer since I turned 18. I had always wanted to go to Israel so when the opportunity arose I signed right up.

Being in Israel brought the Bible alive for me. I would stand in a place and realize that the biblical stories I had read so many times before had happened at or near where I was standing. That truly opened my eyes to the history of it all. I was excited to be sharing these experiences with good friends.

The picture above is taken from the place where Jesus stood and wept over Jerusalem. After sitting on this hill and having a short devotion and prayer, we walked a little further to see a tree. We were reminded of when Christ gave his life for us, taking on our sins and freeing us from all things. Take a look at the tree of thorns and remember: "And they clothed him in a purple cloak; and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him" Mark 15:17

In this Holy Land, I walked where Jesus walked. I wept where he wept. I was reminded of what Christ did for me. I went for the history of the land, I left with spiritual renewal.

It's time to write again

I haven't posted anything to this blog since January. There have been many reasons for this, but mostly I've just been extremely busy. For the past few weeks life has slowed down just a bit and I've started to think about what was missing. One of the first things that came to mind was writing. I used to write frequently. Whether or not anyone read it didn't matter much to me. What did matter was that writing is a sense of release for me. Writing gives me time to think about things, time to process things, and time to be creative. So for these reasons, I will begin to write again.

A brief update since January: (there's a lot)

Since January, I've traveled to Orlando 3 times (one week in Disney World, one week for a class, and Easter weekend with Dusty and her family.)

I completed my final semester of Divinity School and graduated in May with my Master of Divinity with concentration in Christian Education and Missions.

I began working as Minister of Youth Discipleship and Living Ministries (missions) at Good Shepherd UMC in Richmond, Virginia. This means: I packed up my Buies Creek apartment in May and moved back home.

I have taken the youth to camp at Lake Junaluska, NC and on a mission trip to Brooklyn, NY.

I went to Israel for 10 days in July. Future posts will feature pictures and stories and the things I learned.

In August, I went to Texas to visit Dusty for 5 days.

Currently, life is great in Virginia. I have so much to share and catch people up on, and that will happen in the near future.

Here's to writing! It's definitely time to start writing again.

God speaks...

Some people say that God doesn't speak. Some say they can't hear God. The question is, are we listening? I hear God often. I heard him today. He blessed us with over 6 inches of beautiful, white snow. The beauty today reminded me of the simple hymn, "For the Beauty of the Earth." The first verse is:

For the beauty of the earth,
For the glory of the skies;
For the love which from our birth,
Over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This, our hymn of grateful praise.

Out of grateful praise to God, for the beauty God blessed us with, I thought I'd share some pictures

Stories

When I was growing up, my parents used to tell me not to complain about my own life when I didn't know what other people were facing. There was the famous quote about "walking a mile in someone else's shoes." No matter where I turned there would be someone else facing a much worse battle than myself.

Lately, I've taken the time just to listen to other people's stories. Take for instance the manager at the local Mexican restaurant. Since I am eating there about once a week, he has learned my name and often will sit at the table and talk for a few minutes. He was in college in Mexico studying graphic design when his mom went in the hospital and he used all of his money to pay her medical bills. When he ran out of money, he moved to the states to try and make money to help support his mom and to hopefully raise enough so that he could finish his degree. He works about 82 hours a week in order to make enough money to help his family.

Just tonight, I was at Waffle House with a friend. Our waitress was talking about how she had overdrawn her bank account by $13. When the cook asked her why, she began to explain. When she graduated from school she was given $450 as gifts. Instead of being able to save it she gave it directly to her mom so she could pay the bills. When she finally got a job at Waffle House she was able to have some money of her own. She had to loan her mom money just last week and that's when her account was overdrawn.

We never know what other people are facing. As I seek to be more positive this year, I am seeking to help others. Several weeks back I cleaned out my closet and I have multiple bags of clothes to donate to those that need them. I have realized just how blessed I am, and I am seeking to follow Christ's example. I'm listening to stories and I want to help others.

New Attitude

We rang in 2009 just 13 days ago. I've heard it so many times...a new year, a new way of thinking. It's a fresh start. A blank slate. New ideas, new dreams, new goals. When a new year comes people often make new years resolutions that they keep for several days, or weeks but after several months they have forgotten what they even vowed to do. Some vow to lose weight. Some want to eat healthier or exercise. Some want to better themselves. Some may want to go back to school, or to graduate, or to get better grades. There are a wide range of resolutions that can be made, and yet forgotten. In the past, I have been in the group of people who have made resolutions and kept them up for a short period of time and then not kept up.

This year I'm committed to being different. I have one commitment and it is to have a new attitude. I mentioned this in the office one day and I was reminded of the Patti LaBelle song "New Attitude." It has become somewhat of an office joke and I was even entered to sing it at karaoke tonight. I sang (but without the microphone). There are even a few dance moves that go along with the song. Each day I wake up, I sing the song, think of the words, and remember, I've got a new attitude.

All joking aside in regards to the song, I am committed to this new attitude. In order to do this I have committed to three things. First, I am committed to my relationship with God. God will give me the ability to have this new attitude. Second, I will keep a negativity journal. In this journal I write all of my negative thoughts and feelings. I write things that anger me. After each day, I'm not allowed to look back. I can only look forward. This idea was shared with me by Dr. Brock. As we talked about this journal, he shared about how writing things gives us a sense of release. For the days I've kept this journal so far, it has helped. Third, I am committed to just being more positive. There is nothing worse than a negative Nancy. I don't want to be known as that. So I will wake up on the right side of the bed. I will smile. I will encourage others. I will seek what God has in store for me each day.

With this new attitude, it doesn't mean that each day is going to be easy for me. I know that a lot of things are going to come up that will upset me or make me mad. However, with this new attitude I am committed to truly becoming a happier person. I am blessed and I need to live a life that truly shows that.

When thinking about this new way of living, several scriptures came to mind:

"with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds;and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:22-24


"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus"Philippians 2:5

We are called to have an attitude like Christ. I am determined to figure out what that looks like, feels like, and is lived live. I'm pretty sure it doesn't look like the old me. This small commitment of a new attitude will be the biggest, most positive change I can make for my life. As we journey together, hold me accountable, I'll need it.


I'll leave you with the words of Patti LaBelle:

Running hot,
Running cold,
I was running into overload,
That was extreme.

I took it so high, so low, so long,
There was no where to go like a bad dream.

Somehow that wires uncrossed,
The table were turned,
Never knew I had such a lesson to learn.

I'm feeling good from my hat to my shoe,
know where I am going and I know what to do,
I've tidied up my point of view,
I've got a new attitude.

They say it's my birthday

December 10, 1982 at 6:22a.m. I was born in St. Mary's Hospital, Richmond Virginia. I was born several weeks early so I was whisked away for a check over. When the doctors had cleared me I still wasn't allowed to meet my mother. She had pneumonia. For two weeks we stayed in the hospital while she recovered. My dad came to the hospital everyday to take care of me and feed me. After two weeks, Mom and I got to go home on Christmas Eve.


Today I turned 26 years old. I don't feel any different. I was surrounded by loving co-workers all day. I got to take an afternoon nap. I received my letter from the Associate Dean for Academics congratulating me for registering for my last semester of classes (what a present!). This evening I had a home cooked meal with two good friends. It was followed by several hours of good conversation.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow at work. It's tacky sweater day in honor of my birthday. I hope to post a few pictures later.

I am thankful for yet another year of life. I have one semester left of graduate school and from there who knows. All I do know is that God continues to bless my life with love, friends, family, and memories that I will never forget.

To Return or not?

Tonight my mother called, she needed my opinion. She informed me of how the business meeting at my home church went last week. Up for a vote were the proposed changes to the constitution, one of which was including females as deacons. The church had a talk-back session two weeks prior to the business meeting in order to allow for discussion.

The business meeting happened last Sunday. When it came time to vote for the constitution, a man stood up and said he wanted to talk. Technically, he wasn't supposed to because the dicussion had taken place earlier. He demanded that he be able to talk and wouldn't sit down. He said that he couldn't believe the subject of women as deacons or ministers had gotten this far. He stated that it was not biblical for women to be leaders and basically bullied everyone present for 10 minutes. He told the people that the subject of women as leaders, deacons, ministers, etc. should have never been brought up and since it had the leadership of the church was wrong, and doomed for hell.

To make it better, the FEMALE youth minister stood and talked about all the reasons that people should not vote for female deacons. How ironic?

Needless to say, the vote occurred and it wasn't passed. I believe that many people will leave the church.

Mom called to ask for my opinion. She feels like she and my father should leave the church. My father doesn't want to because he feels they have been members for 30 years and haven't been a part of the "business" of the church for some time. Mom feels torn. I told her I wasn't going back there and that on Christmas Eve, if they go I will stay home.

If you'd like to know why I haven't been going to church for some time, it's for reasons like this. Whose a man to tell me that women can't be spoken to by God? I just don't understand. You can use the Bible all you want as your reasoning, but if you study the Bible you would know that what you are using was not meant to exclude women for all these years afterward. Good grief.

I'm free because...

Today is Veteran's Day. U.S. President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed an Armistice Day for November 12, 1918. The U.S. Congress passed a concurrent resolution 7 years later. Veteran's Day was officially made a federal and state holiday on May 13, 1938. The law stated that it would be on the 11th day of the 11th month. It was created to be a day dedicated to the cause of world peace.

As I think about Veteran's, I am quickly reminded of those whom I'm close to that have served in some branch of the military. My grandfather, whom I was very close to served in WWII. He wouldn't tell me much about it when I was young, only that he served, loved his men and was disturbed by many of the sights.

As I drove around freely today, worshiped in chapel, went to work, ate dinner out I remember those who have fought for my freedom.

Whether or not we agree with the war, we should all agree to support our troops.

So on this Veteran's Day, let us remember those who have fought for us. This is the day we can honor the 24.9 million military veterans.

Once I was a pumpkin...

This Friday will be October 31st. For most people that means: Halloween! I remember as a small child helping mom to pick out my costumes and getting all dressed up. I remember the costume that mom picked for me before I was old enough to help her out. I was a pumpkin. Cute as a button with the bleach blonde hair poking out from under my green hat which served as a stalk. During the early years of my trick or treating, we would go with good friends Brandon and Clay. I would go around with them in their grandmother's neighborhood and we would get as much candy as possible. We would gather back at their grandmother's for hot apple cider and we would dump our candy into piles to see who had the most or to trade for something we might like better. As my sister and I got older, we started going trick or treating with some other good friends, Brandon and Lucas. We would go all around their neighborhood and then come back and compare candy. Sometimes we would have a bonfire and make smores and other times we would just eat as much candy as we could.

However, it never failed. When we got home from trick or treating, Mom would take our candy and put it into two jars. Then it would be rationed out over time so that we didn't eat all of it at once. For the first few days it was exciting to be able to pick the candy I wanted. Then, it lost its zeal and often my jar of candy would sit for weeks or months.

I remember the simple fun we had back then. I don't remember bad things. Now, the news is full of stories about child molesters putting certain signs on their doors to keep children away. You also have to be very careful about the candy you get. Each piece must be checked to make sure that nothing has been tampered with. The other thing I hear now is that this holiday is from the devil. Most churches will not condone Halloween and will have a Fall Fest or an All Saint's Day Celebration. What's wrong with letter kids have a little Halloween fun? By the way, my second favorite holiday to decorate for is Halloween.

So, as Halloween fast approaches, let us remember the more simple times. Do you remember your favorite childhood costume? Do you remember all of the candy? What are some of your favorite memories? I sure remember the good things and not trying to stay away from child molesters or people who thought this holiday was from the devil. Whatever the case may be, I hope that whatever you do on Halloween you find joy. I'll probably be with one of my friends giving out candy to trick-or-treaters and I will love every minute of it!

It warms my heart...

Last month I read an article in the Biblical Recorder about the Women's Build for Habitat for Humanity. What caught my attention was the picture of the new homeowner on the front dressed in full hijab. She and her family are Muslim and were putting in sweat equity with North Carolina Baptist women to build a new home. I was interested in how this Christian organization was working with Muslims. I hadn't thought much more about it since then, other than the fact that it was neat. The other night as I was reading online news, I found an article on fox news about Muslims working with Habitat for Humanity to build homes. The article gave me great hope for Christians working with Muslims. It's a wonderful source of encouragement as there has been so much turmoil between Christians and Muslims and now we are finding new ways to work together. Take a look at both articles and think about how you can help. It's something we can all do. Let's learn to get along and love God.

The difference an email makes...

I've been pretty sad this week and had a lot going on in life. This weekend I took the time to hang out with friends and just take care of myself. On Friday evening I received an email that made me smile. It reminded me that I do have a purpose and I am following God's call.

Here's what it said:

Sara:

I know that you probably do not get thanked enough for the work that you do to help out the International students and so many others on campus. Thanks for your Christian example simply by living your life--you do make a difference and your impact extends far beyond what you may ever realize.

Have a great weekend & God Bless.


This brightened my world and reminded me that I do make a difference.

How are you making a difference?

subs...

So I was laying here tonight watching the "new" 90210. I was not particularly enthralled by it, so I began to surf the web reading news and blogs. I came across the following:

IOWA CITY, Iowa -Iowa City police said a man who was driving drunk tried to bribe a police officer — with a sandwich. Police said a 25-year-old man was charged with drunken driving early Sunday morning after an officer saw him driving with his headlights off and pulled him over.

Police said the man was riding with a police officer in a squad car when he offered the officer free sub sandwiches if he could go home.

The officer declined.


Seriously???? I wonder if he offered Subway or Quizno's? That would make a difference in my world.

It reminds me of a cop joke I heard.

An old man bought a brand new sports car. He finished all the paperwork and was handed the keys. He got in and pulled out of the parking lot. When he got on the interstate his foot continued to press the gas. He was going faster and faster. He realized that he was speeding and thought about stopping, but didn't. No sooner than he took his foot off the gas, he saw blue lights in the mirror. The cop approached the car. He said to the man, "Listen sir, you were speeding quite a bit there. It is almost the end of my shift before the weekend. If you can give me a really good reason, that I've never heard for why you were going so fast I will let you go."

The man thought a minute and he said, "My wife ran away with a cop years ago. I thought you were bringing her back." The cop looked at the man and said, "Have a nice day and walked away."

I don't guess the guy is offering bribes from jail, but if he is, I'd like Subway.

While an era comes to an end, life continues

Today marked my sister Margaret's 22nd birthday. I was 4 years old when she was born. She came one month early and was very sick. I remember having to go with Mom and Dad as we took her for blood transfusions and tests galore. When she finally came home, I had to get used to not being the only child anymore. After she finally arrived home, I asked if we could take her back to the hospital. I much preferred to be the only child. As we grew older, our love for each other grew. We became good friends and talked to each other about many things. Now that I live 4 hours away, I don't get to see her that often, but when I do it's like a wonderful reunion. I'm thankful for her and pray for her continued health and good life.

Today also marked the end of a 43 year era. Today was the last game of the Richmond Braves. They played the Norfolk Tides in the Richmond stadium. From what I hear, the place was packed and traffic was terrible. The score was 9-3 and the Braves played a good game. I remember going to the Diamond as a kid. Dad would take me to see games. We would also get to see fireworks. As I got older, I would go with my youth group or friends. Going to a Braves game or two was something I did every summer. As the Braves leave the area, I will always remember the good times I had at the Diamond watching the games.