Some thoughts after reading CNN's belief blog: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/31/do-you-speak-christian/
First, my disclaimer: I do occassionally drift through CNN's belief blog to read what other people are saying about religion. What I've learned not to do is read the comments because this blog has become a breeding ground for angry athiests. The belief blog is not a good forum for actual intelligent religiously-themed conversation. So I'm not advocating this blog: I'm merely presenting some of my thoughts on the issue of "speaking Christian."
It's an interesting point: that people who use "Christian terms" like rapture, born again, saved, salvation, justified, redeemed, etc. may not actually understand what they're saying. And I like the phrase at the end, "spiritual snobbery."
But the article got me thinking. Do I speak Christian?
I hope not. I know that probably sounds weird, coming from a pastor, but I hope you'll understand why I say "I hope not" by the time you're done reading this blog entry. So stay with me :)
A pastor friend and mentor of mine talked about the question of being saved once. He was being examined by his Presbytery pending his ordination and they asked him if he was saved and he said he didn't know. His point was that God knows and we don't, and this is true for good reason. We're not supposed to know if we're saved. If we have to worry about it, we're missing God's promise in election (a theological topic for another blog at another time). I've never said to anyone that I'm saved. At least I don't think I have. I'm pretty sure I haven't. I do remember being on a bus once and overhearing a conversation between two men in which one asked the other, "Are you saved?"
And I remember being uncomfortable. I don't remember how the other guy answered, but I remember the question. And I remember people asking me at one point or another, "Are you saved?" My answer is, "Jesus died for me because He loves me" because quite frankly, that's what really matters to me. Whether I'm saved or not is Jesus' business.
I try not to "speak Christian" for various reasons. One, I think it makes people uncomfortable. I do have a lot of non-Christian friends and once and a while I hear things like, "It's so cool that your a pastor." To some of my friends, I'm a novelty, which is weird to say, but I really am the closest they've ever come to interacting with a pastor. I try to speak the same to everyone. Obviously I talk to my congregation a little bit different from how I talk to my friends. But for the most part (and my friends and people in my congregation can attest to this), I try to speak in the same voice whether I'm at a church potluck or a Fourth of July party with my best friends.
Two, I don't see the real point to speaking Christian. My hope is that actions speak louder than words. My hope is that people see the way I live my life and how my interpersonal relations function and are able to see God working through me. Too often, language gets in the way of the Good News of the Gospel.
At the risk of ruffling feathers, the truth is that I actually flinch inside when someone talks about "when they were saved." I don't believe there is a moment where someone is actually saved. I believe the moment a person was saved was when Jesus died and was resurrected from the dead all because of how much He loves us. The moment people are talking about when they talk about being saved is the moment they first felt Christ really come alive in their own lives. It's not really being saved; it's being awakened. It's being renewed. I believe there is a difference.
What really stood out to me in the Belief Blog was this idea of using a "Christian vocabulary" and not knowing (or forgetting) what the words really mean. What does it mean to be justified? What does it mean to be saved or baptized or in communion with Christ and each other? What does any of it really mean? Religion is easy; theology is hard. I'm a pastor and there are still some theological terms that I'm not super comfortable with, and I think that's par for the course. If we pastors understood all of the theological terms we come across, there would be no room for learning. There always has to be room for learning. That's how we continue to stay real about our faith and how we believe.
We talk a lot about how we talk about our faith in contemporary times. How open should we be around our faith? I think the blog is right when it states that we are bilingual; we speak "social human being" and "religious human being." How can we marry the two so that our life outside of the church is not separated from our life inside of the church? How can we talk about our faith in a way that is accessible not just to the listeners, but to us as well?
A good place to start is with a self-assessment. What do you believe? If it helps, find out if your denomination has creeds or basic statements of faith. If you're Presbyterian, check out our Book of Confessions. That's a great place to go to find out what we believe and to what theology we subscribe. It might even help to write your own statement of faith. Put into words exactly what you believe.
Now think about what you've written (or read). What stands out to you? What aspects of that are more difficult than others? Are there things there that seem easy? Confusing? What words sound overly religious to you?
Read scripture and really think about your own theology. Is your theology rooted in scripture? Theology, by definition, ought to be rooted in scripture.
If we're going to talk about our faith, we have to be able to talk about why we believe certain things. We can't just say "It's in the Bible" or "because that's in the creed we say every Sunday." There has to be an aspect of it that you own.
I believe that God has a plan for me because scripture has a long history of people God taught to make lemonade from lemons. I believe that God has a plan for me because Christ died for me on the cross because he loves me, and why would he do that if he didn't have something awesome in mind for me? I believe that God has a plan for me because as a descendant of Abraham, I am a part of that covenant promise to be blessed to be a blessing others.
Speaking Christian becomes a dangerous thing when we use it to push theology that is not rooted in anything. Learning about our faith and learning why we believe in certain things is how we root our theology. Theology is hard; it doesn't have to be impossible.
I encourage you to write your own statement of faith and really get in touch with what you believe. Do your homework and root your beliefs in scripture. Talk to your pastor or seminary professors or other people in your church about certain concepts that you might be stuck on. Get away from "speaking Christian" and this concept of being "bilingual" and instead, focus on what it means to speak from your heart no matter what you're saying.
Wishing you peace,
Pastor Becki
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Could Use a Little Peace These Days
First, an apology to those that follow my blog. I haven't updated in a while because I've been busy working on some other writing. Most of you have heard of "Rookie," the novel I wrote in high school. These last couple of weeks I've begun the arduous process of ripping through Rookie and rewriting her almost completely. It's a daunting task, and it's been a while since I've stretched my fiction-writing legs, so as I work through that I've neglected my blog-writing duties.
That being said, there are things going on in the world today that I need to speak to. This is not meant to be a statement on politics. I'm not interested in "blame" regarding the right vs. the left and I'm not interested in economic factors. I'm not interested in debating the severity of the issues and spoiler alert: I'm going to be blunt and a little bit angry in this blog post. This isn't my norm: but I think it's called for.
There are days when I wonder if the destiny of the world is to simply blow itself up. As I read and watch the news about the shootings and bombings in Norway, I'm beside myself with the question, "What is going on in the human psyche that is leading people to believe that a bombing or a shooting is the only way to get people's attention?" Have we fallen so far and become so numb that blood shed and violence is the only way we know we still have a pulse? At what point does "peace on earth, goodwill towards men" become our reality?
I spoke about this at some length when a man went to a school board meeting and opened fire (thankfully, no one but the gunman was killed in that incident). It seems like nothing has changed, and I want things TO change. I hate opening up a newspaper or clicking onto CNN.com and reading about some other city that has its hearts and peace of mind shattered. Is it possible that this age of violence is our new reality and we just have to "get used to it?"
With every bone in my body, I hope not.
If we "get used to it" we are no longer breathing. If we "get used to it" we are no longer living creatures. We are no longer capable of the love and compassion that God calls us to. We have to get angry. We have to demand answers and we have to demand whether or not things like what happened in Norway is just our "new norm." It doesn't have to be that way. Remember a comment I've made before: the beauty of reality is that it can be changed.
I want to change this reality. Maybe you do too. Maybe you're even reading this and thinking, "You're right, but what exactly am I supposed to do about it? And what do you, Becki, oh pastor in the middle of a small town in central Illinois, propose to do about it?"
So here's what I'm going to do. First and foremost, I'm going to pray about it because I think our world is in constant need of prayer. But despite what I believe about the power of prayer, prayer by itself is not enough. When Jesus' disciples tell him in Matthew that there are hungry people who need to be sent into town to buy food for themselves, Jesus looks the disciples square in the eye and says: You give them something to eat. Prayer by itself is not enough. At some point, action is required on our part.
So I'm going to write a letter to all the people in my local government that "represent me." And I'm going to ask them what they are doing and what they recommend I do to promote world peace. And I'm going to keep writing to them until I get more than just a mail merge response. I might even make a phone call or two, because I want to know what our government is doing to educate people that there is a way to get people to listen that doesn't involve setting a timer or loading a gun.
I've already done one thing I wanted to do: blog about it. I want to raise awareness that there is a better way to get attention. I know the people in Norway or the would-be-bombers who are up and coming aren't reading my blog, but if we all took the initative to tell people there's a better way, we might realize how powerful word of mouth is. If we all posted on facebook and encouraged everyone we know to post on facebook, "Striving for peace without violence is the only way peace can occur" we might -- might -- see some kind of a chain reaction.
I have this optomism that one day the world can learn to get along. One day world leaders -- and local and national leaders -- will learn that these petty little partisan bickerings that go on are NOT the way to go. They are not striving for world peace. They are striving for more votes. Knock it off, politicians. I would think by now politicians would want to change the American people's perception that politicians are greedy and represent only themselves. My optomism is wearing thin.
I know that we can get to a better place. I know it is possible for us to achieve world peace, but it's a team effort. It takes work and cultivation. It takes everyone -- EVERYONE -- realizing that striving for world peace is not the job of higher of government alone. It's not just the job of Green Peace or the phantom people "out there." Striving for peace is the job of everyone, and it needs to be in order for it to mean anything. And in order for it to mean anything to us, it must mean everything to us. How many more people have to die in order for us to realize that killing people isn't going to solve anything?
I hope you take the time to pray for our world and for peace. I hope you ask the question, "What can I do?" and I hope you seriously think about some things -- however small -- that you can do. What's it going to take for our "never again" (Rowanda, Auschwitz, Darfur) to really mean something? What's it going to take for people like the young man in Norway -- a guy not much older than me -- to realize that the road that leads to violence is not the way to solve problems? And what's it going to take for us to really start loving each other?
I encourage discussion on this post, though I will tell you right now that if you post something politically charged, I will probably delete it. I'm not trying to be political. I'm more...thinking out loud that there must be something that I, as a child of God, can do from my small corner of the world to ensure that I at least am striving for peace. I hope you strive for peace, too.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Becki
That being said, there are things going on in the world today that I need to speak to. This is not meant to be a statement on politics. I'm not interested in "blame" regarding the right vs. the left and I'm not interested in economic factors. I'm not interested in debating the severity of the issues and spoiler alert: I'm going to be blunt and a little bit angry in this blog post. This isn't my norm: but I think it's called for.
There are days when I wonder if the destiny of the world is to simply blow itself up. As I read and watch the news about the shootings and bombings in Norway, I'm beside myself with the question, "What is going on in the human psyche that is leading people to believe that a bombing or a shooting is the only way to get people's attention?" Have we fallen so far and become so numb that blood shed and violence is the only way we know we still have a pulse? At what point does "peace on earth, goodwill towards men" become our reality?
I spoke about this at some length when a man went to a school board meeting and opened fire (thankfully, no one but the gunman was killed in that incident). It seems like nothing has changed, and I want things TO change. I hate opening up a newspaper or clicking onto CNN.com and reading about some other city that has its hearts and peace of mind shattered. Is it possible that this age of violence is our new reality and we just have to "get used to it?"
With every bone in my body, I hope not.
If we "get used to it" we are no longer breathing. If we "get used to it" we are no longer living creatures. We are no longer capable of the love and compassion that God calls us to. We have to get angry. We have to demand answers and we have to demand whether or not things like what happened in Norway is just our "new norm." It doesn't have to be that way. Remember a comment I've made before: the beauty of reality is that it can be changed.
I want to change this reality. Maybe you do too. Maybe you're even reading this and thinking, "You're right, but what exactly am I supposed to do about it? And what do you, Becki, oh pastor in the middle of a small town in central Illinois, propose to do about it?"
So here's what I'm going to do. First and foremost, I'm going to pray about it because I think our world is in constant need of prayer. But despite what I believe about the power of prayer, prayer by itself is not enough. When Jesus' disciples tell him in Matthew that there are hungry people who need to be sent into town to buy food for themselves, Jesus looks the disciples square in the eye and says: You give them something to eat. Prayer by itself is not enough. At some point, action is required on our part.
So I'm going to write a letter to all the people in my local government that "represent me." And I'm going to ask them what they are doing and what they recommend I do to promote world peace. And I'm going to keep writing to them until I get more than just a mail merge response. I might even make a phone call or two, because I want to know what our government is doing to educate people that there is a way to get people to listen that doesn't involve setting a timer or loading a gun.
I've already done one thing I wanted to do: blog about it. I want to raise awareness that there is a better way to get attention. I know the people in Norway or the would-be-bombers who are up and coming aren't reading my blog, but if we all took the initative to tell people there's a better way, we might realize how powerful word of mouth is. If we all posted on facebook and encouraged everyone we know to post on facebook, "Striving for peace without violence is the only way peace can occur" we might -- might -- see some kind of a chain reaction.
I have this optomism that one day the world can learn to get along. One day world leaders -- and local and national leaders -- will learn that these petty little partisan bickerings that go on are NOT the way to go. They are not striving for world peace. They are striving for more votes. Knock it off, politicians. I would think by now politicians would want to change the American people's perception that politicians are greedy and represent only themselves. My optomism is wearing thin.
I know that we can get to a better place. I know it is possible for us to achieve world peace, but it's a team effort. It takes work and cultivation. It takes everyone -- EVERYONE -- realizing that striving for world peace is not the job of higher of government alone. It's not just the job of Green Peace or the phantom people "out there." Striving for peace is the job of everyone, and it needs to be in order for it to mean anything. And in order for it to mean anything to us, it must mean everything to us. How many more people have to die in order for us to realize that killing people isn't going to solve anything?
I hope you take the time to pray for our world and for peace. I hope you ask the question, "What can I do?" and I hope you seriously think about some things -- however small -- that you can do. What's it going to take for our "never again" (Rowanda, Auschwitz, Darfur) to really mean something? What's it going to take for people like the young man in Norway -- a guy not much older than me -- to realize that the road that leads to violence is not the way to solve problems? And what's it going to take for us to really start loving each other?
I encourage discussion on this post, though I will tell you right now that if you post something politically charged, I will probably delete it. I'm not trying to be political. I'm more...thinking out loud that there must be something that I, as a child of God, can do from my small corner of the world to ensure that I at least am striving for peace. I hope you strive for peace, too.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Becki
Saturday, July 2, 2011
A Little of Us in the U.S.
I've been really into the U.S. lately.
I know that sounds weird.
I remember working at my retail job the night of 9/11 and I lost count of the number of people who came in that night looking to buy an American flag (which we didn't have because we only had them for Memorial Day and Fourth of July...September is out of season). And I remember thinking to myself that it was a shame that it took something like terrorism to spark a sense of patriotism in people. Shouldn't we always be that patriotic?
In the nearly ten years since those attacks, my generation has really had a chance to think about what it means for us to be patriots. Few of the people that are within two years of my age remember the political wars of the early 90's, but we all remember where we were on 9/11/01.
There has always been a strange tension between our sense of patriotism and our religion. On the one hand, we wonder why we have to separate them when both are such a deep part of our identity. On the other hand, we read stories all the time about people striving towards a deeper sense of separation between church and state. I look at the American flag in our sanctuary and sometimes think to myself, "Well, if they're taking the Ten Commandments out of the court house, why can't I take the American flag out of the sanctuary?" I say this tongue in cheek, of course, because a large part of biblical history has to do with nationalism; our biblical roots inform us that we can't help but associate our faith and our national pride in the same breath.
I've often wondered about this separation between church and state. I can see in theory where it would be a good thing. America is the great melting pot with people of so many different faiths and no faiths, so there's no way having a "national religion" would be a healthy thing for this country. I've talked about religious pluralsim before, so I'm not going to get into that here, but for the moment I will say this: there really is no such thing as a separation between church and state.
I've gotten into this show "How the States Got Their Shapes" on the history channel and I have to say, I'm really enamoured by it. That's what I mean when I say I've been really into the U.S. lately. I'm realizing how little of my own American history I really know, and I've been learning so much through this show. Watching the show leads me to look other things up. It led me to pick up a biography of James K. Polk (11th president of the United States) at a used bookstore at the shore last week, and it's not as dry as you might think. It's actually really fascinating. Two weeks ago, the show did a special on how religion helped shape the states and there was a moment when I couldn't tell whether the show producers were trying to paint a positive, negative, or neutral view of religion. Towards the end of the episode, I was more convinced that it was the neutral approach, but if you watch the episode you see just how little separation there really is between church and state.
If we are truly people of faith, we cannot separate out the different aspects of our identities. Being people of faith means that we are engaged with the world because that's where we live. We live in the world and we have secular jobs and we have friends of different faiths or no faiths and we watch movies that maybe Jesus would have shunned even though we find them entertaining. It's good to be a patriot (actually, in some ways it's a requirement), but it's not good to be a patriot at the expense of our faith. The converse is also true. It's not good to be people of faith at the expense of our patriotism. There are some branches of faith that completely separate themselves from the secular world and there are some branches that condemn the world for being too separated from faith. To each its own. But for me, my sense of country is connected to my sense of faith. I feel blessed that I live in a country where I can worship God the way I feel called to worship. I feel blessed that I live in a country where I can talk about God wherever I want. I feel blessed that I live in a country where even when there are those who feel blessed to be able to say God is dead, I can look them in the face and say, "God is alive and well and His Spirit is dwelling within me right now."
The scripture passage this week is from Matthew 11 and the verse goes, "To what shall I compare this generation? It is like a group of children in the streets calling to one another, 'We played the flute and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn." I wonder sometimes if Jesus were to come down to a church in America today, would he look around at the people gathered and ask the same question? "To what shall I compare this generation? We played the flute and you did not dance. I performed a sunset and you didn't pay attention. I gave you comfort and you didn't notice." Sometimes we become so busy trying to keep our faith separate from our secular identites so we don't offend people that we put God in a box that God doesn't want to be in. God wants our faith to permeate every aspect of our being, from our patriotism, to our most intimate relationships, to our most secular jobs.
As you celebrate the Fourth of July, I encourage you to think about how you connect your life of faith to the rest of your life on a daily basis. Is it something you can see easily? Or do you have a hard time focusing on God other than that hour on Sunday morning? I encourage you to consider the ways you might connect the various aspects of your identity more deeply as you strive to live a life in the light of Christ who loves you and keeps you. When God plays the flute, I hope you are able to dance.
May God bless you in your week. Take a moment, whether you as my reader are a person of faith or not, to remember those who have been affected by the wars either past or present and give thanks for those people. I'm remembering especially this weekend my two grandfathers, one who served in the navy, one who served in the national guard, I'm remembering Pastor Jan of my home church who served several terms as a chaplain in Iraq. I'm remembering my friend Ben K. for his service and a collegue David W. who lost his life in Afghanistan. I'm remembering and lifting up my collegue Craig who continues to serve as an army chaplain and for those spoken and unspoken, those I know and don't know, praise God for your courage, your bravery, and your faith.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Becki
I know that sounds weird.
I remember working at my retail job the night of 9/11 and I lost count of the number of people who came in that night looking to buy an American flag (which we didn't have because we only had them for Memorial Day and Fourth of July...September is out of season). And I remember thinking to myself that it was a shame that it took something like terrorism to spark a sense of patriotism in people. Shouldn't we always be that patriotic?
In the nearly ten years since those attacks, my generation has really had a chance to think about what it means for us to be patriots. Few of the people that are within two years of my age remember the political wars of the early 90's, but we all remember where we were on 9/11/01.
There has always been a strange tension between our sense of patriotism and our religion. On the one hand, we wonder why we have to separate them when both are such a deep part of our identity. On the other hand, we read stories all the time about people striving towards a deeper sense of separation between church and state. I look at the American flag in our sanctuary and sometimes think to myself, "Well, if they're taking the Ten Commandments out of the court house, why can't I take the American flag out of the sanctuary?" I say this tongue in cheek, of course, because a large part of biblical history has to do with nationalism; our biblical roots inform us that we can't help but associate our faith and our national pride in the same breath.
I've often wondered about this separation between church and state. I can see in theory where it would be a good thing. America is the great melting pot with people of so many different faiths and no faiths, so there's no way having a "national religion" would be a healthy thing for this country. I've talked about religious pluralsim before, so I'm not going to get into that here, but for the moment I will say this: there really is no such thing as a separation between church and state.
I've gotten into this show "How the States Got Their Shapes" on the history channel and I have to say, I'm really enamoured by it. That's what I mean when I say I've been really into the U.S. lately. I'm realizing how little of my own American history I really know, and I've been learning so much through this show. Watching the show leads me to look other things up. It led me to pick up a biography of James K. Polk (11th president of the United States) at a used bookstore at the shore last week, and it's not as dry as you might think. It's actually really fascinating. Two weeks ago, the show did a special on how religion helped shape the states and there was a moment when I couldn't tell whether the show producers were trying to paint a positive, negative, or neutral view of religion. Towards the end of the episode, I was more convinced that it was the neutral approach, but if you watch the episode you see just how little separation there really is between church and state.
If we are truly people of faith, we cannot separate out the different aspects of our identities. Being people of faith means that we are engaged with the world because that's where we live. We live in the world and we have secular jobs and we have friends of different faiths or no faiths and we watch movies that maybe Jesus would have shunned even though we find them entertaining. It's good to be a patriot (actually, in some ways it's a requirement), but it's not good to be a patriot at the expense of our faith. The converse is also true. It's not good to be people of faith at the expense of our patriotism. There are some branches of faith that completely separate themselves from the secular world and there are some branches that condemn the world for being too separated from faith. To each its own. But for me, my sense of country is connected to my sense of faith. I feel blessed that I live in a country where I can worship God the way I feel called to worship. I feel blessed that I live in a country where I can talk about God wherever I want. I feel blessed that I live in a country where even when there are those who feel blessed to be able to say God is dead, I can look them in the face and say, "God is alive and well and His Spirit is dwelling within me right now."
The scripture passage this week is from Matthew 11 and the verse goes, "To what shall I compare this generation? It is like a group of children in the streets calling to one another, 'We played the flute and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn." I wonder sometimes if Jesus were to come down to a church in America today, would he look around at the people gathered and ask the same question? "To what shall I compare this generation? We played the flute and you did not dance. I performed a sunset and you didn't pay attention. I gave you comfort and you didn't notice." Sometimes we become so busy trying to keep our faith separate from our secular identites so we don't offend people that we put God in a box that God doesn't want to be in. God wants our faith to permeate every aspect of our being, from our patriotism, to our most intimate relationships, to our most secular jobs.
As you celebrate the Fourth of July, I encourage you to think about how you connect your life of faith to the rest of your life on a daily basis. Is it something you can see easily? Or do you have a hard time focusing on God other than that hour on Sunday morning? I encourage you to consider the ways you might connect the various aspects of your identity more deeply as you strive to live a life in the light of Christ who loves you and keeps you. When God plays the flute, I hope you are able to dance.
May God bless you in your week. Take a moment, whether you as my reader are a person of faith or not, to remember those who have been affected by the wars either past or present and give thanks for those people. I'm remembering especially this weekend my two grandfathers, one who served in the navy, one who served in the national guard, I'm remembering Pastor Jan of my home church who served several terms as a chaplain in Iraq. I'm remembering my friend Ben K. for his service and a collegue David W. who lost his life in Afghanistan. I'm remembering and lifting up my collegue Craig who continues to serve as an army chaplain and for those spoken and unspoken, those I know and don't know, praise God for your courage, your bravery, and your faith.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Becki
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Response to a Comment on My Blog Post
I tried for 15 minutes to respond to the comment from Tara and Blogger continued to be a pest...so this is my response, lol:
Tara: I absolutely agree. I remember a teacher saying once, "hate the sin, love the sinner" and I totally do my best to abide by that. I think what gets dangerous about our relationship to sin is that we attempt to create a heirarchy of sin; that is, ranking one sin as more sinful than other sin. Sin is anything that pulls us away from God; period. All we can do is offer all that we are to God every day of our lives and continue to strive for deeper, richer relationships with Christ. God is against sin; God loves us, though, so praise God for that!
As a pastor, I represent all three of those things that you mentioned, but I definitely think the world is at the bottom of the proverbial totem pole. God ought to be at the top and it's a challenge sometimes for us as human beings to keep Him there in all that we do.
That's what I love about the Phillipians verse: it's present tense and so our wrestling is a constant challenge. But I think wrestling with questions about our faith and our relationship with God is what keeps our faith real and our own.
I love you too :) I'm so glad you're my neighbor!
Tara: I absolutely agree. I remember a teacher saying once, "hate the sin, love the sinner" and I totally do my best to abide by that. I think what gets dangerous about our relationship to sin is that we attempt to create a heirarchy of sin; that is, ranking one sin as more sinful than other sin. Sin is anything that pulls us away from God; period. All we can do is offer all that we are to God every day of our lives and continue to strive for deeper, richer relationships with Christ. God is against sin; God loves us, though, so praise God for that!
As a pastor, I represent all three of those things that you mentioned, but I definitely think the world is at the bottom of the proverbial totem pole. God ought to be at the top and it's a challenge sometimes for us as human beings to keep Him there in all that we do.
That's what I love about the Phillipians verse: it's present tense and so our wrestling is a constant challenge. But I think wrestling with questions about our faith and our relationship with God is what keeps our faith real and our own.
I love you too :) I'm so glad you're my neighbor!
Wedding Bells
I attended a wedding yesterday for a long-time friend of mine and was so excited that I was able to go. The wedding took place in New Jersey and it just so happened that I was going to be in town anyway for a family reunion at the beach, so the timing worked out perfectly (actually, it worked out even more perfectly because a friend of the family passed away so I was able to attend the viewing as well).
The wedding was held in an episcopal church in northern NJ and I'm fascinated in the differences between our two denominations. I'm also fascinated by the similarities. It was a beautiful reminder of how regardless of polity, we're all playing for the same team.
My senses were heightened yesterday for many reasons. First of all, it's still kind of a surreal experience to be at that age where so many of my friends that are the same age as me are getting married and some of them even have kids now. Secondly, I have yet to officiate a wedding, so I'm paying close attention to wedding ceremonies to get ideas and inspiration. Thirdly, I was keenly aware of the sounds around me.
The church where this wedding was held is in an urban setting. That comes complete with all the urban sounds. Not too far out of sight is a trauma-level hospital, so at a couple points during the service we heard sirens. At another point, one of the scripture readers had to pause because a plane was flying so low overhead it made the walls shake. But then, when the priest began her homily, the world around us seemed to go silent except for the sound of the birds in the church yard. As we moved from the homily into the song "Joyful, Joyful We Adore You," it was clear to me that the Holy Spirit was in that place.
Marriage is an interesting thing and it's something that has come under such scrutiny over the last several decades, particuarly in the GLTB communities. The other day, NY legalized gay marriage. They are not the first, and I'm certain they will not be the last. A pastor friend of mine once said to me to remember that marriage is a civil institution first; then a church celebration. He didn't deny that marriage symbolizes the relationship between the church and Christ, but he also said that in legal terms, marriage is a civil institution. In order for a marriage to be legally recognized, even pastors have to follow the rules of the municipalities. I find myself agreeing with his statement to a certain extent, but I'm still torn regarding what I really believe about marriage. My church polity tells me that marriage is a religious and whole union between one man and one woman before the sight of God. But something in my heart just feels so broken when two people who love each other are forbidden to get married in a church that they love so much.
I hesitate to even write about this, and I'm really nervous doing it because I am a pastor and I do uphold the polity of the Presbyterian church and I do hope that people understand that even though pastors pledge to uphold the polity of their denominations, pastors are still human beings who are subject to the same questions of interpretation nonpastors are.
I read an article on cnn this morning (http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2079861,00.html?hpt=hp_t2) that talked about whether or not marriage is really marriage if the church still won't recognize it. It made me so sad to read it (I didn't even bother to read the comments because the comments on religious articles on cnn are generally so hateful and angry I just can't read them anymore) because as a pastor, I want people to feel welcomed and loved in a church. Not rejected. To coin a phrase from Dan Kimball: I want the church to be better known for what it's for instead of always just for what we're against.
What is marriage about? Marriage is about making a pledge to unite two souls in a unqiue and special way in the eyes of God. It is about pledging fidelity and wholeness in the midst of adversity. It is about pledging the kind of love between two people that Paul admonishes us to have for each other in I Corinthians. Marriage is a symbole of the relationship that Christ has to the church as her bridegroom. Hate destroys marriage. Jealousy destroys marriage. Lack of communication destroys marriage. Divorce destroys marriage. What is it about marriage between two men or two women that destroys marriage?
Marriage is legal and religious. People who are married before the justice of the peace without religious implications present are still participating in something that cannot be legal without the religious. And those who are married in the church cannot have the religious without the legal. The legal and the reglion is bound up together, woven together in what we hope can some day become harmony.
I'm still on a journey of self-discovery to understand what I really believe about the insitution as marriage as it relates to the GLTB community. I'm also still on a journey to understand what I believe about the ordination of the GLTB community now that the language of our denomination's polity has been changed to pave the way for it. But I know this much is true for certain: God loves each of us and while there may be times He doesn't like us very much, He ALWAYS loves us. God formed each of us and knew each of us in the womb and before the womb. God took special care to mold us, piece by piece, into the beautiful men and women we are all to become. We are made new creations in Christ and we are all a work in progress because whatever we become, God is never quite finished. That's what I believe about a living, active God.
I encourage you to keep an open heart and open mind and be honest with yourself with what you believe. As you form (or hold onto) your opinions about what marriage means to you and what it means to the GLTB community, I encourage you to really read scripture, read articles, talk to people, and in essence "do your homework" so you know why you believe what you believe. Most of all, greet each other in the name of our Triune God with all the love of Christ in your hearts and treat each other with grace as God has given us grace so freely.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Becki
The wedding was held in an episcopal church in northern NJ and I'm fascinated in the differences between our two denominations. I'm also fascinated by the similarities. It was a beautiful reminder of how regardless of polity, we're all playing for the same team.
My senses were heightened yesterday for many reasons. First of all, it's still kind of a surreal experience to be at that age where so many of my friends that are the same age as me are getting married and some of them even have kids now. Secondly, I have yet to officiate a wedding, so I'm paying close attention to wedding ceremonies to get ideas and inspiration. Thirdly, I was keenly aware of the sounds around me.
The church where this wedding was held is in an urban setting. That comes complete with all the urban sounds. Not too far out of sight is a trauma-level hospital, so at a couple points during the service we heard sirens. At another point, one of the scripture readers had to pause because a plane was flying so low overhead it made the walls shake. But then, when the priest began her homily, the world around us seemed to go silent except for the sound of the birds in the church yard. As we moved from the homily into the song "Joyful, Joyful We Adore You," it was clear to me that the Holy Spirit was in that place.
Marriage is an interesting thing and it's something that has come under such scrutiny over the last several decades, particuarly in the GLTB communities. The other day, NY legalized gay marriage. They are not the first, and I'm certain they will not be the last. A pastor friend of mine once said to me to remember that marriage is a civil institution first; then a church celebration. He didn't deny that marriage symbolizes the relationship between the church and Christ, but he also said that in legal terms, marriage is a civil institution. In order for a marriage to be legally recognized, even pastors have to follow the rules of the municipalities. I find myself agreeing with his statement to a certain extent, but I'm still torn regarding what I really believe about marriage. My church polity tells me that marriage is a religious and whole union between one man and one woman before the sight of God. But something in my heart just feels so broken when two people who love each other are forbidden to get married in a church that they love so much.
I hesitate to even write about this, and I'm really nervous doing it because I am a pastor and I do uphold the polity of the Presbyterian church and I do hope that people understand that even though pastors pledge to uphold the polity of their denominations, pastors are still human beings who are subject to the same questions of interpretation nonpastors are.
I read an article on cnn this morning (http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2079861,00.html?hpt=hp_t2) that talked about whether or not marriage is really marriage if the church still won't recognize it. It made me so sad to read it (I didn't even bother to read the comments because the comments on religious articles on cnn are generally so hateful and angry I just can't read them anymore) because as a pastor, I want people to feel welcomed and loved in a church. Not rejected. To coin a phrase from Dan Kimball: I want the church to be better known for what it's for instead of always just for what we're against.
What is marriage about? Marriage is about making a pledge to unite two souls in a unqiue and special way in the eyes of God. It is about pledging fidelity and wholeness in the midst of adversity. It is about pledging the kind of love between two people that Paul admonishes us to have for each other in I Corinthians. Marriage is a symbole of the relationship that Christ has to the church as her bridegroom. Hate destroys marriage. Jealousy destroys marriage. Lack of communication destroys marriage. Divorce destroys marriage. What is it about marriage between two men or two women that destroys marriage?
Marriage is legal and religious. People who are married before the justice of the peace without religious implications present are still participating in something that cannot be legal without the religious. And those who are married in the church cannot have the religious without the legal. The legal and the reglion is bound up together, woven together in what we hope can some day become harmony.
I'm still on a journey of self-discovery to understand what I really believe about the insitution as marriage as it relates to the GLTB community. I'm also still on a journey to understand what I believe about the ordination of the GLTB community now that the language of our denomination's polity has been changed to pave the way for it. But I know this much is true for certain: God loves each of us and while there may be times He doesn't like us very much, He ALWAYS loves us. God formed each of us and knew each of us in the womb and before the womb. God took special care to mold us, piece by piece, into the beautiful men and women we are all to become. We are made new creations in Christ and we are all a work in progress because whatever we become, God is never quite finished. That's what I believe about a living, active God.
I encourage you to keep an open heart and open mind and be honest with yourself with what you believe. As you form (or hold onto) your opinions about what marriage means to you and what it means to the GLTB community, I encourage you to really read scripture, read articles, talk to people, and in essence "do your homework" so you know why you believe what you believe. Most of all, greet each other in the name of our Triune God with all the love of Christ in your hearts and treat each other with grace as God has given us grace so freely.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Becki
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Carpe Diem
I really should read the "Book of Confessions" more often.
Now you're probably thinking one of three things: 1) What is the Book of Confessions? 2) Umm...you're a pastor. Why aren't you reading the BOC more often? or 3) Oh no. Here comes a polity lesson.
So let me answer all of these questions: 1) The Book of Confessions is not a book by a bunch of people who wanted to record a list of all the things they've done wrong. It's the first part of the consitution of the PC (USA) and the confessions are a series of creeds, confessions, statements, and catechisms all written at different times and places in the world and they contain the foundations of our faith. They are confessing what we believe as Christians united in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
2) I'm not reading it more often because like most people, I'm busy and even though I'm reading a bunch of other stuff, I'm not always reading about polity.
3) I'm not giving you a polity lesson, so stop worrying!
This coming Sunday is Trinity Sunday. In preparation for my sermon, I picked up my Book of Confessions for inspiriation about how to approach Trinity Sunday. It's not the biggest day on our liturgical calendar by any means. It's a big deal, but we don't often make it a big deal in worship (some probably do, but I've never experienced it as a big deal in church). I don't want to just try and look at the Trinity like it's some mathematical equation that we as Christians have to solve. I turned to the Confession of 1967 and read this in the preface: "The purpose of the Confession of 1967 is to call the church to that unity in confession and mission which is required of disciples today. This Confession is not a 'system of doctrine,' nor does it include all the traditional topics of theology. For example, the Trinity and the Person of Christ are not defined, but are recognized and reaffired as forming the basis and determining the structure of the Christian faith." (emphasis mine). I think that's an important observation that the confession doesn't attempt to "explain" the Trinity, but it affirms it as part of the foundation of our faith. That was the first thing I thought, "wow, that's something good to keep in mind as I prepare my sermon."
Then, as I was reading through the confession, I read this: "Life is a gift to be received with gratitude and a task to be pursued with courage."
And there I stopped because I found that statement incredibly profound. Life is a GIFT to be received with gratitude and a TASK to be pursued with courage. How often do we find ourselves in that place where we wish we had someone else's life? We want to be that person who won the lottery. We want to be that person who was able to use "petty cash" to give their kitchen and bathroom an AWESOME makeover. We want to be the mother that is the envy of other mothers, the hostess with the mostest, and the teachers and preachers that other people in our field aspire to be like. You know you do this. I know that I do this. Maybe not all the time, but occassionally, we all do this. Sometimes it seems like human beings just weren't created with the wherewithall to be comfortable with who we are.
Looking at life as a gift is something I think most of us were tought from a young age. If you've ever seen the movie "Dead Poet's Society" with Robin Williams and a host of other awesome characters, you remember the big emphasis in that movie of the line, "Carpe Diem" : Seize the Day. I've heard over and over to look at life like a gift. I've never thought of life as a task to be pursued with courage.
Sometimes it feels like we are constantly trying to figure out who we are and what our role in the world happens to be. It takes a conscious effort to cultivate that spirit of thanksgiving that brings us to a place where we can say with confidence that we are children of God, each created with individual care and love by our Almighty Creator. In a world that teaches us to always be better, it's frightening to think that we can ever be truly happy with who we are.
But that's what this confession says to me. Maybe not so much, "Be happy with who you are" and not even so much "only do the things you love" because let's face it: sometimes we have to do things we hate. But if we look at the things we do as a part of the gift of life that God gives us, how does that change how we perceive our to-do lists? How do we actively pursue life as a task of courage?
I encourage you to think about how in your own life you perceive life as a gift to be received with gratitude and a task to be pursued with courage. In thinking about your every day tasks, what kind of courage does it take to say "I'm doing this not because I'm necessarily thrilled to be doing it, but I'm doing this because this is where God is calling me to be right now"? And how often are you doing the things that you love simply because you love to do them?
God made you and God loves you. God took special care to put your life together piece by piece and even when life is tough, God took special care to make sure that He is with you every step of the way. May you find ways to see life as a gift and may you receive it with gratitude. May you also see life as as a task to be pursued with courage and may you feel God with you giving you that courage to Carpe Diem: seize the day.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Becki
ps: back to the BOC...
Now you're probably thinking one of three things: 1) What is the Book of Confessions? 2) Umm...you're a pastor. Why aren't you reading the BOC more often? or 3) Oh no. Here comes a polity lesson.
So let me answer all of these questions: 1) The Book of Confessions is not a book by a bunch of people who wanted to record a list of all the things they've done wrong. It's the first part of the consitution of the PC (USA) and the confessions are a series of creeds, confessions, statements, and catechisms all written at different times and places in the world and they contain the foundations of our faith. They are confessing what we believe as Christians united in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
2) I'm not reading it more often because like most people, I'm busy and even though I'm reading a bunch of other stuff, I'm not always reading about polity.
3) I'm not giving you a polity lesson, so stop worrying!
This coming Sunday is Trinity Sunday. In preparation for my sermon, I picked up my Book of Confessions for inspiriation about how to approach Trinity Sunday. It's not the biggest day on our liturgical calendar by any means. It's a big deal, but we don't often make it a big deal in worship (some probably do, but I've never experienced it as a big deal in church). I don't want to just try and look at the Trinity like it's some mathematical equation that we as Christians have to solve. I turned to the Confession of 1967 and read this in the preface: "The purpose of the Confession of 1967 is to call the church to that unity in confession and mission which is required of disciples today. This Confession is not a 'system of doctrine,' nor does it include all the traditional topics of theology. For example, the Trinity and the Person of Christ are not defined, but are recognized and reaffired as forming the basis and determining the structure of the Christian faith." (emphasis mine). I think that's an important observation that the confession doesn't attempt to "explain" the Trinity, but it affirms it as part of the foundation of our faith. That was the first thing I thought, "wow, that's something good to keep in mind as I prepare my sermon."
Then, as I was reading through the confession, I read this: "Life is a gift to be received with gratitude and a task to be pursued with courage."
And there I stopped because I found that statement incredibly profound. Life is a GIFT to be received with gratitude and a TASK to be pursued with courage. How often do we find ourselves in that place where we wish we had someone else's life? We want to be that person who won the lottery. We want to be that person who was able to use "petty cash" to give their kitchen and bathroom an AWESOME makeover. We want to be the mother that is the envy of other mothers, the hostess with the mostest, and the teachers and preachers that other people in our field aspire to be like. You know you do this. I know that I do this. Maybe not all the time, but occassionally, we all do this. Sometimes it seems like human beings just weren't created with the wherewithall to be comfortable with who we are.
Looking at life as a gift is something I think most of us were tought from a young age. If you've ever seen the movie "Dead Poet's Society" with Robin Williams and a host of other awesome characters, you remember the big emphasis in that movie of the line, "Carpe Diem" : Seize the Day. I've heard over and over to look at life like a gift. I've never thought of life as a task to be pursued with courage.
Sometimes it feels like we are constantly trying to figure out who we are and what our role in the world happens to be. It takes a conscious effort to cultivate that spirit of thanksgiving that brings us to a place where we can say with confidence that we are children of God, each created with individual care and love by our Almighty Creator. In a world that teaches us to always be better, it's frightening to think that we can ever be truly happy with who we are.
But that's what this confession says to me. Maybe not so much, "Be happy with who you are" and not even so much "only do the things you love" because let's face it: sometimes we have to do things we hate. But if we look at the things we do as a part of the gift of life that God gives us, how does that change how we perceive our to-do lists? How do we actively pursue life as a task of courage?
I encourage you to think about how in your own life you perceive life as a gift to be received with gratitude and a task to be pursued with courage. In thinking about your every day tasks, what kind of courage does it take to say "I'm doing this not because I'm necessarily thrilled to be doing it, but I'm doing this because this is where God is calling me to be right now"? And how often are you doing the things that you love simply because you love to do them?
God made you and God loves you. God took special care to put your life together piece by piece and even when life is tough, God took special care to make sure that He is with you every step of the way. May you find ways to see life as a gift and may you receive it with gratitude. May you also see life as as a task to be pursued with courage and may you feel God with you giving you that courage to Carpe Diem: seize the day.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Becki
ps: back to the BOC...
Friday, June 3, 2011
Summer Goals
Well, it's June. June in Illinois is a lot different from June in New Jersey. In Illinois, school is out. Kids are looking forward to May because graduation is in May. The school work ends in May. June is all summer. In New Jersey, graduations are in June. Finals are in June. School ends in June. The last week of June is summer is the first full month of summer is actually July. Of course school has ended for me in May since starting college, but I still have that mentality that summer doesn't really start until the public schools let out in June.
I don't actually like summer. I know, weird, right? I appreciated time off from school, but I'm not a fan of heat. I am a fan of swimming and I plan on doing a lot of swimming this summer.
And applying lots of sun screen. Lots and lots and lots of sunscreen.
But I have other goals this summer. I'm about a week away from my ten-month anniversary of being in this church and as I start looking two months ahead to my yearly review, I'm setting some summer goals to get me there.
1) Read more. I didn't do a whole lot of reading this past year even though I bought a ton of books. I think part of it had to do with the culture shock of not having to read. In seminary, you're given a reading list that increases the amount of paper you own exponentially. And I can't remember any week of seminary where I got every single word read that I was supposed to read. So getting out of seminary it was like, "Wait...I don't have to have anything read by this weekend!" Over the last couple of weeks, I've been trying to read more. I even bought a kindle this past week. The kindle serves two purposes: first, I can upload sermons and worship plans to it so I'm hoping to save the church a lot of paper. Second, I can put multiple books on one source and not bring a library home with me when I go on vacation. And oh won't it be awesome on the plane!
But I do want to read more. And I want to read things about topics I don't usually read about. Currently I'm working through two books. I'm reading "They Like Jesus But Not the Church" by Dan Kimball, which is a look at why emerging generations (twenty-somethings) love Jesus but cringe when you ask them what they think about the church. As a pastor who falls into that age group, it's an interesting read. The other book I'm reading is very much outside of what I consider my "reading culture norm." It's called "Acts of Faith: The story of an American Muslim, the struggle for the soul of a generation" by Eboo Patel and it's about his work striving for a culture that embraces interfaith relations. I don't have a whole lot of interaction with people outside the Christian faith. I'm in what Dan Kimball calls in his book the "Christian bubble." Which leads me to my second goal.
2) To make more friends outside of the church. It took me 10 months, but I'm starting to get to the point where I'm hungry for something outside of my apartment and outside of my church. I'm not even necessarily looking for Christian friends or "churchy" friends. I want to go to concerts and hang out with people who aren't going to ask me about things coming up at the church. I have a couple of friends from the church who treat me more like a friend and less like a pastor and I love that, but I'm hungry for more community within the community, or even in the city across the river.
3) Use my gym membership. The thing about a year-long contract at a gym is that you're stuck paying for it whether you utlitize it or not. As gas tips over the $4 range (again! ugh.) it seems like it makes sense to use what I pay for. And since the temperatures outside are not going to be very forgiving this year -- though I will be in the pool a lot! -- I plan on going to the gym a couple times a week to make up for it. Besides: I can make friends at the gym who aren't connected to my church.
4) Pray more. I've been doing a little soul searching and the fact of the matter is, I don't have much of a prayer life. I admit that freely to you as a pastor. I pray in church when we pray corporately and occassionally I'll mention a few things to God in passing, but I don't really have a disciplined spiritual life. So this summer I'm going to spend a lot of time working on my own spiritual health so I'm better equipped to guide the spiritual health of my church. It was nice to be at the retreat center and do the labyrinth, but what does spiritual health for me look like now that I'm back in my routine (albeit a summer routine)? That's the kind of self-exploration I'm doing this summer.
In January, I told you my New Year's Resolution was to live more simply. I think I've been doing that in some ways. No, I'm not taking shorter showers, but I'm being a lot more cautious about spending. I'm shopping less. I'm simplifying my schedule and taking more time out for myself. But I haven't, by any means, broken any glass ceilings. There's always room for more simplification (is that even a word?). Hopefully by working towards my four summer goals, the result is that I put more effort into working towards my ultimate New Year's goal.
What are you hoping for this summer? Do you have a reading list or a vacation list? Does it feel like you're already tired of summer because you know all you'll be doing is running around from one activity to another? Do you need to do a "faith check in" to see how, six months into the year, you're faring in your relationship with God this year?
I wish you all the best and most of all, I wish you peace.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Becki
I don't actually like summer. I know, weird, right? I appreciated time off from school, but I'm not a fan of heat. I am a fan of swimming and I plan on doing a lot of swimming this summer.
And applying lots of sun screen. Lots and lots and lots of sunscreen.
But I have other goals this summer. I'm about a week away from my ten-month anniversary of being in this church and as I start looking two months ahead to my yearly review, I'm setting some summer goals to get me there.
1) Read more. I didn't do a whole lot of reading this past year even though I bought a ton of books. I think part of it had to do with the culture shock of not having to read. In seminary, you're given a reading list that increases the amount of paper you own exponentially. And I can't remember any week of seminary where I got every single word read that I was supposed to read. So getting out of seminary it was like, "Wait...I don't have to have anything read by this weekend!" Over the last couple of weeks, I've been trying to read more. I even bought a kindle this past week. The kindle serves two purposes: first, I can upload sermons and worship plans to it so I'm hoping to save the church a lot of paper. Second, I can put multiple books on one source and not bring a library home with me when I go on vacation. And oh won't it be awesome on the plane!
But I do want to read more. And I want to read things about topics I don't usually read about. Currently I'm working through two books. I'm reading "They Like Jesus But Not the Church" by Dan Kimball, which is a look at why emerging generations (twenty-somethings) love Jesus but cringe when you ask them what they think about the church. As a pastor who falls into that age group, it's an interesting read. The other book I'm reading is very much outside of what I consider my "reading culture norm." It's called "Acts of Faith: The story of an American Muslim, the struggle for the soul of a generation" by Eboo Patel and it's about his work striving for a culture that embraces interfaith relations. I don't have a whole lot of interaction with people outside the Christian faith. I'm in what Dan Kimball calls in his book the "Christian bubble." Which leads me to my second goal.
2) To make more friends outside of the church. It took me 10 months, but I'm starting to get to the point where I'm hungry for something outside of my apartment and outside of my church. I'm not even necessarily looking for Christian friends or "churchy" friends. I want to go to concerts and hang out with people who aren't going to ask me about things coming up at the church. I have a couple of friends from the church who treat me more like a friend and less like a pastor and I love that, but I'm hungry for more community within the community, or even in the city across the river.
3) Use my gym membership. The thing about a year-long contract at a gym is that you're stuck paying for it whether you utlitize it or not. As gas tips over the $4 range (again! ugh.) it seems like it makes sense to use what I pay for. And since the temperatures outside are not going to be very forgiving this year -- though I will be in the pool a lot! -- I plan on going to the gym a couple times a week to make up for it. Besides: I can make friends at the gym who aren't connected to my church.
4) Pray more. I've been doing a little soul searching and the fact of the matter is, I don't have much of a prayer life. I admit that freely to you as a pastor. I pray in church when we pray corporately and occassionally I'll mention a few things to God in passing, but I don't really have a disciplined spiritual life. So this summer I'm going to spend a lot of time working on my own spiritual health so I'm better equipped to guide the spiritual health of my church. It was nice to be at the retreat center and do the labyrinth, but what does spiritual health for me look like now that I'm back in my routine (albeit a summer routine)? That's the kind of self-exploration I'm doing this summer.
In January, I told you my New Year's Resolution was to live more simply. I think I've been doing that in some ways. No, I'm not taking shorter showers, but I'm being a lot more cautious about spending. I'm shopping less. I'm simplifying my schedule and taking more time out for myself. But I haven't, by any means, broken any glass ceilings. There's always room for more simplification (is that even a word?). Hopefully by working towards my four summer goals, the result is that I put more effort into working towards my ultimate New Year's goal.
What are you hoping for this summer? Do you have a reading list or a vacation list? Does it feel like you're already tired of summer because you know all you'll be doing is running around from one activity to another? Do you need to do a "faith check in" to see how, six months into the year, you're faring in your relationship with God this year?
I wish you all the best and most of all, I wish you peace.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Becki
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