tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53779911383620658222024-02-06T22:24:05.468-08:00the truth shall make you odd"You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you odd."
-Flannery O'Connorstaceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-54291753281139005452012-08-01T16:28:00.000-07:002012-08-01T16:29:02.991-07:00More renewal leave reflectionsHere's a portion of an email letter I sent to my congregation this morning, my first day back.<br />
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... As many of you know, I have for years met monthly with a spiritual director - someone who helps me to reflect on where and how the Spirit of God is speaking to my spirit. We met last week, and (as she often does) she gave an assignment - to reflect and write on the graces of this renewal leave. There have been many, many graces indeed during these last few months, and I thought I'd share a few of them with you as I re-enter life at Church Hill Church.<br />
One of the primary graces has been time. I've had time do reading and significant self reflection. I have used the tools of the Enneagram, an ancient system for self understanding. I've journaled extensively and I have begun a practice of mindfulness meditation. There has been time to learn again to listen the inner voice of the Spirit. I've had time to read whatever I like. I have posted my renewal leave reading list on my blog here. <br />
There has been time and space for creativity. I've written more about this in my blog. I've taken art classes, worked on "projects," talked about art and creativity with friends. I've visited museums and galleries to enjoy the creative expressions of others. Part of my self reflection has taken shape in collage and drawing and painting.<br />
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It has truly been a graceful gift to have time for people. Stewart and I spent two weeks in California, where our daughter Helen has settled. We met her friends, saw the places that are meaningful to her. We also reconnected with several old friends while we were there. <br />
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After more than 20 years in parish ministry, I had lost sight of how my unique schedule impacts relationships. With most of my family and friends working Monday - Friday while I work on the weekends, with only Friday off, I haven't had the time it takes to nurture relationships. It was a blessing to spend time with our daughters, to have evenings at home with Stewart. My sister, Beth, and I got together several times, including 4 days in Burlington, VT with our brother, Tom. I was able to go to a niece's housewarming, to help two good friends with the overwhelming task of moving house, and to reconnect with a number people who have been important support in the past. The renewing of relationships was perhaps one of the greatest graces of this renewal leave.<br />
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It also has been a grace to have these three months of time without hurrying. I didn't have to worry about leaving important items on my to-do list undone at the end of the day. I jokingly said that it took about the first four weeks of renewal leave before I felt like I'd taken my fingers out of the wall socket, and to feel truly relaxed. What a great blessing to refocus and re-calibrate and to listen for that "still, small voice" which is the Spirit of God and which almost always gets lost in busyness, hurry and stress. <br />
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So, friends, I thank you, for enabling me to have the grace of time. There's lots more to share, but mostly I look forward to learning what you have been doing, both individually and as a congregation. I look forward to the possibilities of the fall, and a new program year.<br />
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Staceystaceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-24921892457214944312012-07-31T11:10:00.000-07:002012-07-31T18:51:41.392-07:00renewing Art, part 2Visiting museums and galleries was a highlight of renewal leave. I can't capture it all, but here are some highlights.<br />
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The Danforth Museum (Framingham): Bob, our drawing teacher took us on a tour of the exhibits – primarily a juried show of local artists in many media. It is so inspiring to see where the creative spirit takes people.<br />
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The Decordova Museum and Sculpture Park: (Lincoln): this is one of my favorite local museums, and our drawing class enabled us to spend focused time over three visits with some of the outdoor sculptures. This was one of my favorite multi media, indoor installations.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjunyb4A8z4Ra-TppyObT_HvJZuBjMWbOljEiTWAH98tq7JMAo8Ep0E9HGnPUMvrwL18udrxqz59CutFbWgNDSVNWnDLBtehXmVDcILFsNGMWqJd6bY4pHglAGpYYSkUr22a4JD94QN6teK/s1600/Capturing-Resonance-1_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjunyb4A8z4Ra-TppyObT_HvJZuBjMWbOljEiTWAH98tq7JMAo8Ep0E9HGnPUMvrwL18udrxqz59CutFbWgNDSVNWnDLBtehXmVDcILFsNGMWqJd6bY4pHglAGpYYSkUr22a4JD94QN6teK/s200/Capturing-Resonance-1_0.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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The Fuller Craft Museum (Brockton): Since I love Contemporary American craft, this is my very favorite local museum. I visited twice during renewal leave, once on my own in May, and then again with 3 friends who came for a four day reunion in early July. Fuller currently has an exhibit of contemporary blacksmithing,<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfXYUcmqq9BcxXpbCSsCt_V2CvHqU8gtByJvtW9GN4hxEyodXdLxdIvWIMXEPUNbYPT9o-s8o-xxDZV0XIVi1foysbvSuSzUwaJXaULwGrnSngZ2I8dKZ_cY3uhseKs7AeOZRvTSVtLSi/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkfXYUcmqq9BcxXpbCSsCt_V2CvHqU8gtByJvtW9GN4hxEyodXdLxdIvWIMXEPUNbYPT9o-s8o-xxDZV0XIVi1foysbvSuSzUwaJXaULwGrnSngZ2I8dKZ_cY3uhseKs7AeOZRvTSVtLSi/s200/003.JPG" /></a></div><br />
and an exhibit of the glass work of Dan Dailey has been there a while. His work is amazing, luminescent (he worked for a time with Dale Chihuly ) and has a sense of humor. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXe5TZA2erjADf1wdaNkBoQCofzuSj89VTd_DZJBq2Mxgvowj656KrP4ypgaifom_N5xiBSrqNZhymABwOcV4CKuPWjRJdlqjSEKPa4_zqlsjJbZeGGNW5R6cRBtXy4S8pPFrBJhF1NhFN/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXe5TZA2erjADf1wdaNkBoQCofzuSj89VTd_DZJBq2Mxgvowj656KrP4ypgaifom_N5xiBSrqNZhymABwOcV4CKuPWjRJdlqjSEKPa4_zqlsjJbZeGGNW5R6cRBtXy4S8pPFrBJhF1NhFN/s200/013.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Fuller has a good outreach program with local schools, and on display is the result of a school’s work on quilting the theme of “America, the Beautiful.” <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUt8AxeBEnKNYackMj8oQ3m37kg3O_Dy2iC2Yz4CNn5kAS5GLY6MJ4wVt3EUTwnxP3sXr-MavOjOTni6zV5tuLfnREiXofiTozRmQocDoL-Mg09XXfYZ3hvh2QwdEyW6IIhE54ChiGlFc/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVUt8AxeBEnKNYackMj8oQ3m37kg3O_Dy2iC2Yz4CNn5kAS5GLY6MJ4wVt3EUTwnxP3sXr-MavOjOTni6zV5tuLfnREiXofiTozRmQocDoL-Mg09XXfYZ3hvh2QwdEyW6IIhE54ChiGlFc/s200/010.JPG" /></a></div><br />
I’m surprised how many people in this area haven’t discovered the Fuller. It’s a hidden gem in Brockton. Go there.<br />
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The MFA (Boston): I spent most of a day at the MFA, primarily in the American wing and the contemporary wing. Even though I have been to these wings many times, there is always something new. Again, one highlight was student work. Under the guidance of artist Hannah Burr, students from eight after-school community organizations in the Boston area responded to works from the MFA’s collection, in very original ways. Though I don’t usually do it, this time I took a tour of the contemporary wing, which helped me to see some of the familiar work in new ways.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6uQ5CwZ-xW96PmhU6jgmhwxeDrxz7nomi7T2hnjoatjCvkZrOA3zjeAmEutNTPc0UQw_xWcOn5NrY6CkYNTfErsiryVOEpxBHcgaCsfCiNxDZghkPtqV7Erx08QSLmGgfj-55ARoDroc8/s1600/MFA+Raymond+Jonson+%2527City+Lights%2527.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6uQ5CwZ-xW96PmhU6jgmhwxeDrxz7nomi7T2hnjoatjCvkZrOA3zjeAmEutNTPc0UQw_xWcOn5NrY6CkYNTfErsiryVOEpxBHcgaCsfCiNxDZghkPtqV7Erx08QSLmGgfj-55ARoDroc8/s200/MFA+Raymond+Jonson+%2527City+Lights%2527.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: I went with my sister, Beth, and a friend, Paulette, for my first time to see the new wing. It’s bright and beautiful, with an expanded restaurant, gift shop, a 300-seat performance hall with three balcony levels. I hadn’t read much about the wing, so I was a little surprised to find that it contains very little actual art. Since nothing can be moved from its original location, the art is still all in Gardner’s magnificent home. There is so much crowded into the galleries that I always find something surprising. I wish there were better access to the dozens and dozens of amazing sketches and drawing on the hinged panels in the Long Gallery.<br />
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The Institute of Contemporary Art (Boston) is another favorite – Stewart and I are members here as well as at the Fuller. I visited twice during my renewal leave. My favorite visit was with Jane, my “museum buddy.” Jane is an artist (http://www.janeblake.org). She and I love to talk about the works we see, and during our last visit, one of the staff engaged us in a discussion about a particularly obtuse (to us, at least) piece of work. There is great energy at the ICA. Since I do not know much about art, I’m always challenged by what I see there.<br />
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When we were visiting Helen, we visited the Berkeley Museum of Art and saw some very interesting photographic work by California artists. Helen and I went to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (one of the places where Helen is doing installation work).<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3hZlv-J9d73mnPzIyAa_AMv04tyXYABDA-WSCpmU33nbBsVTpSRLC3m93Jnvyv-imzAjriwp0L6joN5L_zzZu7loQg07s2Al461DnHXLCYdZBOVSu9KY7COdkPI-BOhTpvqyTz8NTPHT/s1600/120+SFMoMA.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA3hZlv-J9d73mnPzIyAa_AMv04tyXYABDA-WSCpmU33nbBsVTpSRLC3m93Jnvyv-imzAjriwp0L6joN5L_zzZu7loQg07s2Al461DnHXLCYdZBOVSu9KY7COdkPI-BOhTpvqyTz8NTPHT/s200/120+SFMoMA.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Katarina Wulff was their “new artist” – her paintings of figures and landscapes are strange and beautiful. I was overwhelmed with the work of a photographer whose name I can’t remember (argh, I hate that). I’ll have to ask Helen.<br />staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-9782732179838607002012-07-31T10:54:00.000-07:002012-07-31T18:11:31.722-07:00Renewing Art, part 1One of the hopes that I had for my renewal leave was to spend time making/learning about/ seeing art.<br />
I took a wonderful drawing workshop at the Danforth Museum in Framingham with Bob Collins, a local artist. I also took a series of classes on drawing with colored pencils at the Decordova Museum in Lincoln. What I'm enjoying most is a class I’m still taking in collage/mixed media with Gary Nisbet at the South Shore Arts Center. I’ve enjoyed doing collage for many years and I’m excited to be learning some new techniques. <br />
I’ve also continue to work on my rug making – though at a slower pace. On the way home from my visit in Burlington, VT with my sister and brother, I took a detour. I stopped at a barn somewhere in mid state Vermont (forgot the town) where Amy Oxford, the grande-dame of punchneedle rug hooking, was having a barn sale of rug material and equipment. <br />
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And, this week, on our way home from Stewart’s bike/camping adventure, we stopped in Bath, ME at Halcyon Yarn, a major distributor for yarn and yarn craft materials. It was like walking into a rainbow – a converted old shipping warehouse, filled from wooden floor to high ceiling with wooden bins of yarn of every description – rooms of it. Stewart had a great conversation with the friendly clerk there about spinning. We’ll see if that becomes his new winter hobby. If he spins it, I will hook with it.<br />staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-21869279908079204012012-07-31T09:32:00.000-07:002012-07-31T18:14:31.763-07:00Renewal leave readingAs it turns out, I was not very disciplined about keeping my reading list updated during renewal leave. I did a lot of reflecting in my journal, but it didn't make it to this spot. <br />
But I've kept a (mostly complete) list of the titles I have read. One indulgence I allowed myself is that I did not finish any books that I didn't like. If it didn't capture my imagination within 50 pages, it went into the library return slot unfinished. I recently came to the awareness that if I read 2 books a week, that's just over 100 books in a year. There are too many good books out there to get bogged down in those I don't like.<br />
Here's my list for May - July, 2012. <br />
Non fiction<br />
The Wisdom of the Enneagram by Don Riso and Russ Hudson<br />
Self Compassion by Kristin Neff<br />
The Province of Joy: Praying with Flannery O’Connor by Angela A. O’Donnell<br />
An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler<br />
Practicing Resurrection by Nora Gallagher<br />
What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell<br />
Would it Kill You to Stop Doing That? By Henry Alford<br />
Below Stairs by Margaret Powell<br />
Lady Almina by Fiona Carnavon<br />
God is not a Christian by Desmond Tutu<br />
The Man who Loved Books Too Much by Alison Bartlett<br />
God’s Hotel by Victoria Sweet<br />
Still Life with Chickens by Catherine Goldhammer<br />
The House in France by Gully Wells<br />
The Best American Travel Writing 2010<br />
The Best American Spiritual Writing 2012<br />
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Fiction<br />
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Best Love, Rosie by Nuala o’Faolain<br />
A Day in the Life of a Smiling Woman by Margaret Drabble<br />
The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes<br />
Death Comes to Pemberley by PD James<br />
Gourmet Rhapsody and The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barberry<br />
The Drop by Michael Connelly<br />
Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: my year of magical reading by Nina Sankovitch<br />
Louise Penny: all seven of her mysteries set in Quebec<br />
Jonathan Kellerman: 3 detective novels<br />
Faye Kellerman: 2 detective novels<br />
Clive Cussler: 2 thrillers<br />
The Best American Short Stories 2010<br />staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-26593936677054780412012-06-04T14:03:00.000-07:002012-06-04T14:03:42.294-07:00Reading<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQPieXupRYXvXnOKrYJBa0jGlhmkaWpK76mBQpRHWfx5ZhvzQqVfeuU1-uHwfWWmcIoFwIgxWlXyPhoUQQEaPN3V1NUIFO4gwBicsyr1mHF4_CB-6kIEQ9q9trhZ8R4xTxG1Mwryi6ifG/s1600/books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="143" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmQPieXupRYXvXnOKrYJBa0jGlhmkaWpK76mBQpRHWfx5ZhvzQqVfeuU1-uHwfWWmcIoFwIgxWlXyPhoUQQEaPN3V1NUIFO4gwBicsyr1mHF4_CB-6kIEQ9q9trhZ8R4xTxG1Mwryi6ifG/s200/books.jpg" /></a><br />
I’m trying to keep track of what I am reading while on renewal leave. It is such an indulgence to have time to read – to just read whatever I want. I love having several books going at the same time – a couple of “serious” books here by my reading chair, and another couple of lighter works upstairs by the bed and next to the TV, one on my ipad and, of course, the recorded books in the car.<br />
I’ve mentioned a couple of books in previous posts, so here are a few disconnected thoughts on some of the other books I’ve recently finished:<br />
Just before we went to California, I hurriedly loaded Death Comes to Pemberly by P.D. James onto the ipad. James is one of my favorite authors, and I’ve read most of her other books over and over. Having read nothing about this new work, I assumed it to be another in the Adam Dalgleish series. As the plane took off and we reached the altitude where electronic devices are permitted, I opened the ipad and was astounded. James has written a follow up to Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.” (Pemberly, I had forgotten, is the estate in Derbyshire of Fitzwiliam Dacry, whom Elizabeth Bennet marries at the end of Austen’s novel). James does a wonderful job of recreating the setting and the ambiance and of bringing Austen’s characters once more to life. The mystery itself was not, for me, the highlight, but what a wonderful way to begin our trip.<br />
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The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes: Barnes won the 2011 Booker Prize for this novel. To me, it’s a book about memory – the way our memories shape our current lives as well as the tricks our memories play on us. We tend to think of our memories as factual recordings of events as they happened, but that’s far from true. When my sister, Beth , and I get together, we enjoy comparing our memories of growing up – of events and people. Sometimes our memories coincide, sometimes we have different but complementary memories of the thing, and sometimes we can hardly believe we are talking about the same event. Barnes’ novel is short, but exquisite.<br />
Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by the Countess of Carnarvon: I didn’t watch the PBS series, but I did enjoy the sort of voyeuristic glimpse into the life of the great house. In the United States, we take pride in our delusion of a classless society. This book is a trip back to a time and place where rigid class divisions were accepted without much question. I’m looking forward to reading another book or two about Downton Abbey written by people who are not so deeply invested in presenting a rosy, uncritical picture. To read this book, you would think that Lady Almina was practically a saint!<br />
The Brutal Telling and A Fatal Grace by Louise Penny: delightfully traditional murder mysteries, set in the tiny Canadian village of Three Pines, somewhere outside of Quebec City. Chief Inspector Armande Gamache is all you could want in a fictional detective – insightful, compassionate, patient. I love to read these formulaic stories, I think because it is so reassuring to know it will all be tidied up by the end.<br />
<br />staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-51514054202118305402012-05-23T07:01:00.000-07:002012-05-23T07:01:29.080-07:00ClutterIn her book, “Practicing Resurrection,” Nora Gallagher writes about the death of her brother, her Episcopal church in Santa Barbara, her marriage, and most of all, about discernment. She senses God calling her to something and she thinks it might ordained ministry. Or then again, it might not be. This book is a story of her struggles, her waiting, her listening for something, anything that will clarify the “call.” It’s a story of people, some who go with her on the journey, some whom she encounters briefly along the way. <br />
One of these people says to her about her sense of ‘call’: If you use supernatural language then you end up waiting for a lightning bolt, instead of sticking to your own life… ‘Call’ makes you think of a voice from outer space, which it is not. These voices are in us already. They are drowned out or muffled. Discernment is about cleaning up the clutter to find the thread.” (p. 17)<br />
Cleaning up the clutter is harder than it sounds. The temptation (for me) is to replace one kind of clutter with another. What I really need is empty space.<br />staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-56152716861297211702012-05-22T09:20:00.002-07:002012-05-22T09:20:42.240-07:00Manners<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQ8DyLtjQi1qn2jfvOkW_Ib2ORHtm7mGe1L9XlBNcGFuCOpxzVJeojKNcU70jMKz4OSOW8OeKPwqwTMtRnyXS5OzWo5zRg1qxQD4-WYtOLOytyC41cDOhFQLKetHPaRU1O_ytEIUnmgsd/s1600/thank+you.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="134" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQ8DyLtjQi1qn2jfvOkW_Ib2ORHtm7mGe1L9XlBNcGFuCOpxzVJeojKNcU70jMKz4OSOW8OeKPwqwTMtRnyXS5OzWo5zRg1qxQD4-WYtOLOytyC41cDOhFQLKetHPaRU1O_ytEIUnmgsd/s200/thank+you.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Henry Alford’s “Would it Kill You to Stop Doing That? A Modern Guide to Manners” is a witty look at the state of manners in the contemporary world. It’s not so much a prescription or even a lament as it is an observation. So many of the stories are (sometimes sadly) funny .<br />
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It did make me think a bit about state of manners in the church. I’m tempted to go on a long rant. Letting people stand or sit by themselves at fellowship time (all the while insisting that we are don’t do that). Telling a newcomer “you are sitting in our pew.” Witnessing someone saying to a newcomer “you are sitting in our pew” and not doing anything to mitigate it. Telling someone “you can’t do it that way” without first finding out the whole story. Talking in “code” that other people can’t understand, making them feel like outsiders. <br />
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OK, so I gave in to temptation and ranted (those are a few of the things I have observed or heard about in the past few months at my church). <br />
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But Alford’s book made me think that manners in the church are like manners anywhere else. Good manners mean making people feel recognized and welcome and included. Not embarrassing people. Thinking of things from the other person’s perspective. Recognizing that other people have different perspectives and life experiences just as valid as yours. <br />
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He quotes Edmund Burke, an 18th century writer, who said that “manners are more important than laws.” Even the unspoken and unwritten “laws” in the church. Manners, I think, are about hospitality to everyone. And isn’t that what we should be about in Christ’s church?<br />staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-51889767784536293572012-05-21T15:01:00.002-07:002012-05-21T15:01:58.227-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0aLVKA-i0zrIrakx9WAisJ7kY_VUMoBQq2zNmZekGcIMU2RGB5tFErq-vx9TonSBFqZOPWq3bSybLVu-OJqpX5SV977CU5KAg7mPXpEM6rWbHs16l-JidaDqaeDurArs0D2DxjjQxzSb/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim0aLVKA-i0zrIrakx9WAisJ7kY_VUMoBQq2zNmZekGcIMU2RGB5tFErq-vx9TonSBFqZOPWq3bSybLVu-OJqpX5SV977CU5KAg7mPXpEM6rWbHs16l-JidaDqaeDurArs0D2DxjjQxzSb/s200/005.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Yesterday, I began to work in the flower beds in the back yard, ahead of the rain. I’m a bit delayed in starting this task, due to our early May trip to California, and the weeds have taken hold and the grass has inched back into the gardens. I worked for a couple of hours, then loaded up the wheel barrow with sticks and bits of rose canes. As I tipped them out into the brush pile, I made a discovery. The young men who mowed during our absence also raked the clippings – lots and lots of clippings – and put them in the brush pile. I was unreasonably excited – it felt like I had been given an unexpected gift. I gathered them up and heaped them onto the cleaned up beds. These relatively new beds, established in a yard created by fill, need all the organic help they can get. Heaps and piles of grass clippings – like a pile of gold.<br />
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The most fertile soil for plants to grow is compost: grass clippings, kitchen waste, plants from the garden that have died, dead leaves. What is leftover, discarded – garbage – created the most fertile soil.<br />
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Flannery O’Connor wrote that conversion is a lifelong process of turning away from one’s own egocentricity and seeing oneself in “a kind of blasting, annihilating light” that allows us to see ourselves realistically so that we can turn from our sin.<br />
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God gives hope and new life and possibility in the places where we least expect it: Pain. Garbage.<br />staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-55463112734264877102012-04-30T07:15:00.000-07:002012-04-30T07:15:33.823-07:00The prayer to St. Raphael, the “angel of happy meeting,” was Flannery O’Connor’s daily prayer and one that she also shared with friends. O’Connor suffered with an illness that limited her greatly and which she knew would be fatal. She was isolated and often lonely, living on the farm in Georgia. Still, she remained focused on “the province of joy,” a place without location in this world and a state in the life to come.<br />
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O Raphael, lead us towards those we are waiting for, <br />
those who are waiting for us:<br />
Raphael, Angel of happy meeting, <br />
lead us by the hand toward those we are looking for.<br />
May all our movements be guided by your Light<br />
and transfigured with your joy.<br />
Angel, guide of Tobias,<br />
lay the request we now address to you at the feet of Him<br />
on whose unveiled Face you are privileged to gaze.<br />
Lonely and tired, crushed by the separation and sorrows<br />
of life, we feel the need of calling you and of pleading<br />
for the protection of your wings,<br />
so that we may not be as strangers in the province of joy,<br />
all ignorant of the concerns of our country.<br />
Remember the weak, you who are strong.<br />
you whose home lies beyond the region of thunder,<br />
in a land that is always peaceful, always serene and bright <br />
with the resplendent glory of God. <br />
Amen.<br />staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-86311500254809027662012-04-28T07:41:00.002-07:002012-04-28T07:41:54.179-07:00The renewing power of friendshipFriends. Day one of renewal leave concluded with a gathering of friends at the Billiards Café back in Ayer. It felt like being home. It’s hard to describe the renewing power of being with people with whom we have such a rich shared history: our 12 years in Lunenburg and 5 in Ayer: kids growing up together, the United Parish of Lunenburg, working together to create the Parker School and to expand Habitat for Humanity in Central Mass. <br />
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Friendships that have endured struggles and changes. Emily, our oldest daughter was there, too (as were two other offspring of friends) – these folks have known her since before she can remember . I am very thankful for these friendships, and when we are together, I realize how important they are.staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-2242071899872840772012-04-27T08:07:00.000-07:002012-04-27T08:07:47.508-07:00Renewal leave, day 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9IX40PBQnctsE-SmKdJHSkUrZungkW-64kymJHtnHRdoO0EaugN6nTahUukBO1El8SrznvpTmqrhbDZiiKRx23kaIRnLtq9Jc1wLs6-KDkkPdaEKYYGDIqNIfdFvVZBSLtGJoQF_wWkA/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9IX40PBQnctsE-SmKdJHSkUrZungkW-64kymJHtnHRdoO0EaugN6nTahUukBO1El8SrznvpTmqrhbDZiiKRx23kaIRnLtq9Jc1wLs6-KDkkPdaEKYYGDIqNIfdFvVZBSLtGJoQF_wWkA/s200/003.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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Today is the first day of a 3 month renewal leave. I’ve been straining towards this day for a while now, tired, discouraged, dulled. Sensing god’s presence, but without much energy to do anything about it. So, here I am, and it feels like a gift.<br />
I have hopes and plans for this time. Traveling – to the Bay area to see our youngest daughter Helen, to Vermont to spend time with my sister and brother – to Maine with friends. I’ve been keeping a reading wish list for months and it’s 4 pages long. 2 introductory art classes will stretch me – for half a century I’ve lived with self applied label “not artistic”. I have several friends I want to reconnect with. There will be time to garden, to bike, to walk in the woods or on the beach with Tony the Wonderdog. There will be time to just hang out with Stewart, and with our other two daughters, Georgia and Emily - without feeling like I need to be doing something else.<br />
It is an amazing privilege to feel called by God to serve in a local church. To share with people on a profound level, to speak for justice and compassion, to teach and preach, to baptize and bury, to help people prepare to marry and heal after divorce, to watch children grow, to walk with folks as they learn to listen to God speaking to them. It is a joy to work with colleagues who are dedicated, creative and inspiring and with lay people who are appreciative and insightful.<br />
But, I find, it also takes a toll. I almost never have two whole days off in a row. Every time the phone rings, or the doorbell buzzes, it may be an emergency. So many evening meetings. Working weekends means not much time for friends and family. Living in a fishbowl (“Hey, I looked out the window during worship and saw a new lamp in your window!”) People who are difficult and unrelenting in their oppositional or judgmental behavior. This is the way it is and I knew it well when I answered the call. Most of the time things stay in balance.<br />
Right now it’s time to hit the reset button. Starting today. It will take time to unwind. I think I’ll move a little book rack downstairs beside my chair. I have two new devotional books. I’m going to get some colored pencils. Tonight, Stewart and I will meet up with friends and family and hear some music.<br />
I am thankful.<br />staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-81796447378303565792012-04-06T13:11:00.003-07:002012-04-06T13:17:11.472-07:00Maundy ThursdayToday I wrote this to my congregation:<br />I’ve been turning over and over in my mind the events of the Maundy Thursday service last night. It’s a highly symbolic and participatory service – from the footwashing to standing together at the communion rail, to watching as one by one, people rise from their seats to remove items from the chancel. It’s very different from other worship services.<br />Many times during our Lenten journey through the last 24 hours of Jesus’ life, I’ve reminded myself – any you- that it my job not to get in the way of your discomfort. For it’s at that point of discomfort that faith grows deeper. <br />So, every week I invited you, as uncomfortable as it may have been, to find yourself in the story.<br />To see yourself with the disciples at the last supper, so concerned with what others thought of them, so concerned to be acknowledged for all that they had done to serve Jesus. And then to see yourself with them, nodding off in Gethsemane, intentions so good, but unable to go the distance.<br />To see yourself as a member of the Sanhedrin, that religious body so concerned with maintaining the status quo that they missed the heart of Jesus’ message. Or in Pilate, knowing what is right, but giving into pressure.<br />Did you see yourself in the crowd or even in the soldiers who mistreated Jesus? Did you dare to ask yourself in what ways large or small, you sometimes bully or make fun of another?<br /><br />It’s been an uncomfortable journey, hasn’t it?<br /><br />And last night, we washed each others' feet. Now, that’s something uncomfortable in so many ways. The sheer physicality of the act – we may be so accustomed to faith as a matter of the intellect, that engaging our bodies in an act of devotion seems strange. It is an intimate act, as well, to take off one’s shoes and to touch the feet of another, to allow one’s own feet to be touched. It’s a shedding of control – for once you sit in that chair, you have no control over who will come and kneel before you and pour warm water over your feet and dry them with a towel. And it is spiritually uncomfortable, too. For I suspect that many of us are uncomfortable with the image of Jesus kneeling at our feet, serving us.<br />We serve him – that’s the way it should be. But footwashing reminds us that Jesus came to serve us, and only when we let him serve us do we truly dwell in his presence.<br /><br />I found the experience uncomfortable myself. First, it’s uncomfortable to be the one asking you to do this! But I sat in the chair and Dan McAllister came and knelt and washed my feet. As he did, I remembered that when I asked Dan to take part in the service by reading, I invited him to be a part of the footwashing only if he was comfortable with it. But he acknowledged his discomfort and said,” If I’m in, I’m in all the way.” I thought, “what would it mean to say that to Jesus: if I’m in, I’m in all the way.”<br /><br />And then I washed Deb Bailey’s feet. As I held her bare feet, I thought about how many times those feet had stood at the counter peeling potatoes or chopping onions, preparing a meal to take to Father Bill’s shelter. I thought about how her feet are feet that serve, and as I dried them I prayed that my feet might serve as hers have.<br /><br />And then we came and stood, side by side, and ate the bread and shared the cup of the one who washes our feet. Some smiled. Some wept. We sang “my Lord, my Love, is crucified.” And we watched as the Lenten symbols were removed from the chancel and the cross draped in black. And then we left, in silence.staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-55613368255538199952012-02-07T05:28:00.000-08:002012-02-07T05:33:26.435-08:00When the roses speakIn Mary Oliver's poem, the roses say to her:<br />" the heart shackles are not, as you think,<br />death, illness, pain,<br />unrequited hope, not loneliness, but<br />lassitude, rue, vainglory, fear, anxiety,<br />selfishness."<br /><br />May I pay attention to the roses, whose task Oliver says, is to be extravagant.<br />Isaiah says: "then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf be cleared." The roses and I long for that day.staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-65762688896890387992012-01-11T05:40:00.000-08:002012-01-11T05:41:57.111-08:00unseen criticsAfter being away from this blog for so long, I’m more than a little reluctant to come back. If I post something here today, does that imply a commitment to post something tomorrow or later this week, or later this month? I’m afraid I’ve let this blog become another pressure to “perform” – to produce something witty or insightful or lovely. Or at least to produce something more often then once every few months. Also, I confess: I read other blogs and compare. The comparison is not life-giving or inspiring. This blog becomes a reproach. How opposite that is to my original intent to find a place for expression and connection. <sigh><br /> God of light, the unseen critics stand on my shoulder. They lean on my back; they are heavy, they are strong. They squeeze my head until it hurts. They shake a finger in my face. They clutch at my ankles so that every step forward is an effort. They crowd my brain until the river of creativity slows to a trickle and threatens to dry up altogether. God of acceptance and power, remove the unseen critics. Only you have the power to displace these long established residents. But I believe that if you make me free, I will be free indeed. Amen.staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-47143639188094731212011-09-06T16:58:00.000-07:002011-09-06T17:00:19.384-07:00Wisdom<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtoBQ3fjwvcEl3zGMKq4TmAk3itep0f315S_d8HFfwvQBnFl-5HTidC-_H9B0to3tmLouD3AJ3tqrp-FpWd1Zyxc066kWNqpls_s-Kb78I-ug9hQwugT4hDdmDQFBQY_UjI8UPUoMBml7V/s1600/pierogis5.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtoBQ3fjwvcEl3zGMKq4TmAk3itep0f315S_d8HFfwvQBnFl-5HTidC-_H9B0to3tmLouD3AJ3tqrp-FpWd1Zyxc066kWNqpls_s-Kb78I-ug9hQwugT4hDdmDQFBQY_UjI8UPUoMBml7V/s200/pierogis5.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649400732295906450" /></a><br />Wisdom consists in doing the next thing that you have to do; doing it with your whole heart and finding delight in doing it. And this delight is the sense of the sacred. -Helen Lukestaceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-54788552255443690222011-09-06T04:39:00.001-07:002011-09-06T07:16:47.614-07:00Teatime with my demons<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAus8OAYmdf59zwj3qNT8K49vzGFLwDSxzky26rZ45uHRPoTL-IMrMt7SrFZzdigj_ZFI0tu_bg1jCum_gsHtgSKUFmxdu_aoG7Wa6DbJGNh3VGgJqAby_Vu9mmZ3AqPglb5_UQEK1Bcx/s1600/gargoyle-1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAus8OAYmdf59zwj3qNT8K49vzGFLwDSxzky26rZ45uHRPoTL-IMrMt7SrFZzdigj_ZFI0tu_bg1jCum_gsHtgSKUFmxdu_aoG7Wa6DbJGNh3VGgJqAby_Vu9mmZ3AqPglb5_UQEK1Bcx/s200/gargoyle-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5649213636885108610" /></a><br />excerpts from an article by Suzanne Guthrie in <span style="font-style:italic;">The Christian Century</span>:<br /> "My friend Brother Bede likes to tell a story about the Buddhist saint Milarepa. When demons came to his cave to torment him, Milarepa said to them, "How kind of you to come. you must come again tomorrow. and from time to time we must converse" And Milarepa invited the demons in for tea...<br /> "My demons manifest themselves in forms so familiar I don't even recognize them when they come to call until it's too late and I've lost my equilibrium: anxiety, perfectionism, the sweet savor of annoyance over another's bad habits, self loathing...<br /> "There was a time when men and women left the cities to encounter God in the desert. But memories, experiences, habits, prejudices, and irrational fears came with them, clashing with silence, starkness and solitude. Extracting themselves from the demons camouflaged within their culture, they found concentrated phantasms erupting from their own thoughts, unhealed personalities and broken selves. Seeking purity of heart, the desert mothers and fathers had to face the demons erupting from their own hearts...<br /> "Lately when my own demons show up, I try to have the presence of mind to invite them into my consciousness...Surprisingly, my bad spirits are less chaotic when I pay attention to them..."<br /> <br /> God, help me to pay attention to my demons, to learn from them, and to trust in your power to help me overcome them - in your time, and in ways that you would choose. Amen.staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-70577776214825082422011-07-02T18:28:00.000-07:002011-07-02T18:34:16.990-07:00God Says Yes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmi1Oga4Tzj9o1wTkZl4gpOxnoVjguECs8nU918teA7KYncKt_0OGkwKkIt2gWLOpZ2J75x_qLOju0UfJKWj_kkMbkE6YPM1Q-o8I7ZiI4Xa2u3TMK6-mzVA8FisCu3K4SGX3qYdzE2rYC/s1600/006.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmi1Oga4Tzj9o1wTkZl4gpOxnoVjguECs8nU918teA7KYncKt_0OGkwKkIt2gWLOpZ2J75x_qLOju0UfJKWj_kkMbkE6YPM1Q-o8I7ZiI4Xa2u3TMK6-mzVA8FisCu3K4SGX3qYdzE2rYC/s200/006.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624933328068628722" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">God Says Yes To Me</span><br />Kaylin Haught<br /><br />I asked God if it was okay to be melodramatic<br />and she said yes<br />I asked her if it was okay to be short<br />and she said it sure is<br />I asked her if I could wear nail polish<br />or not wear nail polish<br />and she said honey<br />she calls me that sometimes<br />she said you can do just exactly<br />what you want to<br />Thanks God I said<br />And is it even okay if I don't paragraph<br />my letters<br />Sweetcakes God said<br />who knows where she picked that up<br />what I'm telling you is<br />Yes Yes Yes<br /> <br />from The Palm of your Hand, 1995<br />Tilbury House Publishersstaceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-35749605681426061272011-06-18T16:27:00.000-07:002011-06-18T16:30:47.477-07:00Eviction protest and the policeThe Randolph Police had their first interaction with CityLife/VidaUrbana yesterday.<br />When the constable and the truck arrived for the eviction, there were 30 of us on the lawn, with signs, singing, chanting, praying. <br />Soon, police officers started to arrive.<br />One young police officer who arrived a bit later, said to the man holding a sign next to me: “What’s going on? Why are you here? What are you doing?”<br />Our fellow protester explained to the officer that Ketly, the homeowner, had been foreclosed and we wanted Fannie Mae to let her pay fair market rent and stay with her family until the house is sold to someone else. Also, we wanted Fannie Mae to consider, in good faith, an offer that a local non-profit has made to buy the house for cash.<br />Police officer nods his approval: “Good for you guys. That’s great.”<br /> The Randolph police gave CL/VU an extra 2 hours past the deadline to try to make the deal. And they were almost as happy as we were when, 15 minutes past the deadline, as the moving truck backed into the driveway, the phone call came: eviction postponed. Fannie Mae will consider the offer.staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-72546411436929657092011-06-16T10:22:00.000-07:002011-06-16T10:28:12.696-07:00communication, Coca Cola and the future<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDNYfszIkzb7N_re2io-2xFVpebYer4F75qqfhZDOedsko01jbFavhOt4RgiLVtznNCcC7NW6u5FU_So5l_X-s3JKJWw3hr7LpiE1e8XtGeFBNbDZPCassNspaI5UpW1jlN_Cr1CbpL-9D/s1600/coke.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 159px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDNYfszIkzb7N_re2io-2xFVpebYer4F75qqfhZDOedsko01jbFavhOt4RgiLVtznNCcC7NW6u5FU_So5l_X-s3JKJWw3hr7LpiE1e8XtGeFBNbDZPCassNspaI5UpW1jlN_Cr1CbpL-9D/s200/coke.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5618870549590355810" /></a><br /><br />At Church Hill, we have a new communications group. I sat in on their last meeting. One of the primary goals that was mentioned in our winter focus groups is to attract more young families from the community and this group is working on that goal.<br />Shortly after that meeting, I was in another gathering, where I heard for the 10th or 100th or 1000th time, “it’s just not like it used to be. People just aren’t interested in church anymore. People are too busy. They just don’t care.” Followed by a big sigh and shrug of the shoulders.<br />And for some reason, I thought about soda. Coke, to be specific. And here’s what I thought:<br />When Coca Cola noticed that sales of one particular product have fallen off, and the company’s profits were not as rosy as they used to be, and share holders were getting worried, do you think that people at Coke were hanging around their cubicles saying things like: “What’s wrong with people these days? Don’t they know how delicious this is? Don’t they know what a great product it is? I love it just the way it is. Remember when everybody drank Coke? There are just so many competing products. What can we do?” Followed by a big sigh and shrug of the shoulders.<br />I guarantee you that this did not happen at the corporate offices of Coca Cola.<br />Wishful thinking and blaming consumers is not part of their strategy.<br />Instead, people at coke began to ask questions: <br /> How have people’s beverage drinking habits changed? Why have they changed?<br /> Do they prefer a different kind of flavor? Is the bottle/can too big, too small?<br /> What kinds of beverages are becoming more popular? What will they want to drink tomorrow?<br /><br />They did research. Then they asked themselves:<br />Do we need to change our formulas? Do we need to change our marketing strategy?<br /> What can we do to bring consumers back to Coke products?<br />In other words, how do we need to change to accommodate these new realities?<br /><br />And then, and here’s the pivotal point: they actually made the changes.<br /><br />The people at Coke did not blame themselves or others. <br />They did not feel sorry for themselves. They did not give up.<br />They saw a need to take action and they did.<br /><br />I don’t know what exactly was needed to make the changes. Retrofitting old plants? Building new ones? Changing personnel? Different management strategies?<br />The point it, they did what needed to be done so that no one today is saying, “Coke. I remember that. My parents used to drink it when I was kid.”<br /><br />So that’s my parable. As Jesus used to say, “let those who have ears, hear.”staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-28117893122390920912011-05-24T17:28:00.000-07:002011-05-24T17:49:04.649-07:00Flannery's Angel by Charles Wright<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9f5y0_fgkA3UxbkwCCPGH9aXkTZLONznsL5SXycCmn26ROBA7mL065CCSwlHZMpVl_Cukon66rrcwO2kzziJDl5QOrMreunCYYR7tnooZIrlmuLF-P98omw5dM3PiQmdbCanotBq73of/s1600/arch_angel_raphael.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 159px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9f5y0_fgkA3UxbkwCCPGH9aXkTZLONznsL5SXycCmn26ROBA7mL065CCSwlHZMpVl_Cukon66rrcwO2kzziJDl5QOrMreunCYYR7tnooZIrlmuLF-P98omw5dM3PiQmdbCanotBq73of/s200/arch_angel_raphael.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610449356853706994" /></a><br /><br />Lead us to those we are waiting for,<br />Those who are waiting for us.<br />May your wings protect us<br /> may we not be strangers in the lush province of joy.<br /><br />Remember us who are weak,<br />You who are strong in your country which lies beyond the thunder,<br />Raphael, angel of happy meeting,<br /> resplendent, hawk of the light.staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-37883846806696026262011-02-11T05:03:00.000-08:002011-02-11T05:07:16.510-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDENBG85GcAJlyQ4ZPI5NgvK-liiziERG5uv72oC-w30sXufOsFnA6P6ZemZ4lLQv7X7LZPve6pjOOEmxlmlpPXBsjocVwNpnMGpB87Zg4tVv1W5PHenxzW2yC9qy4s1N0lraYaaIADdf/s1600/017.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicDENBG85GcAJlyQ4ZPI5NgvK-liiziERG5uv72oC-w30sXufOsFnA6P6ZemZ4lLQv7X7LZPve6pjOOEmxlmlpPXBsjocVwNpnMGpB87Zg4tVv1W5PHenxzW2yC9qy4s1N0lraYaaIADdf/s320/017.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572417774604903010" /></a><br />"The story of God's life with us is the deep landscape against which we begin to notice and recognize the mystery of love at work in everything." Mark McIntoshstaceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-11818262343098235542010-12-23T05:18:00.000-08:002010-12-23T05:31:45.385-08:00Rejoice Over Everything<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9lVB4RFKR3ItQrxFXaVPWylmgIHP3RNzed_J1T7LAhfA6s6_NqPHEBpDbX0DTMB65iwPyCWw415kxrM5l5BOdQtryOJmj-TWN9yhXfXBX8_-H6PYoN-AqMzKqwbKwcKLPEYS301wz8Df1/s1600/candle+and+hands.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9lVB4RFKR3ItQrxFXaVPWylmgIHP3RNzed_J1T7LAhfA6s6_NqPHEBpDbX0DTMB65iwPyCWw415kxrM5l5BOdQtryOJmj-TWN9yhXfXBX8_-H6PYoN-AqMzKqwbKwcKLPEYS301wz8Df1/s320/candle+and+hands.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553869709862804290" /></a><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Just for today, in spite of everything still to be done - services not quite complete, gifts not yet wrapped, meals still unmade, errands still to run - I'm going to try to heed these words, just a tiny bit.</span><br /><br />Rejoice over everything.<br />Exult. Exhilarate.<br />Be glad. Be delighted, elated, and bowled over with joy!<br /><br />Frolic freely, hop, hope,<br />dance on the dare, cheer,<br />champion the little ones, revel in the riotous light.<br /><br />Invoke God without ceasing. Pray with passion.<br />Whatever you do, do not quench the Spirit.<br /><br />Take care not to douse or dampen the bold blaze in your depths.<br />Jump into life. Hold fast to it. Give thanks for everything.<br /><br />For everything, even the most misshapen and misunderstood,<br />is the disguise of the divine.<br /><br />Susan Virginia Hullstaceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-48764715652323962182010-12-21T04:38:00.000-08:002010-12-21T04:41:46.606-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcdhNvl1WmX9Kfb3mvU1xN4lL4gTTaPLvk0DNRC-NlUm2NMmGA1KHPZNAv3BnzJTbmOrRjrDfz3iZoZVdNfoz9l7HOiPFGrdfQPaz1nZr0qykF6W656YmEOhQsbSvxihtqiQmoAPywJapB/s1600/pine+tree.htm"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcdhNvl1WmX9Kfb3mvU1xN4lL4gTTaPLvk0DNRC-NlUm2NMmGA1KHPZNAv3BnzJTbmOrRjrDfz3iZoZVdNfoz9l7HOiPFGrdfQPaz1nZr0qykF6W656YmEOhQsbSvxihtqiQmoAPywJapB/s320/pine+tree.htm" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5553114797749313858" /></a><br />Noel<br /> by Anne Porter<br />When snow is shaken<br />From the balsam trees<br />And they're cut down <br />And brought into our houses <br /><br />When clustered sparks <br />Of many-colored fire<br />Appear at night <br />In ordinary windows <br /><br />We hear and sing<br />The customary carols <br /><br />They bring us ragged miracles<br />And hay and candles <br />And flowering weeds of poetry<br />That are loved all the more<br />Because they are so common <br /><br />But there are carols<br />That carry phrases <br />Of the haunting music<br />Of the other world <br />A music wild and dangerous<br />As a prophet's message <br /><br />Or the fresh truth of children<br />Who though they come to us<br />From our own bodies <br />Are altogether new<br />With their small limbs<br />And birdlike voices <br /><br />They look at us<br />With their clear eyes <br />And ask the piercing questions <br />God alone can answer.staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-78186072475926712252010-10-15T13:12:00.000-07:002010-10-15T13:21:46.962-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuqFgy0ixq1S5kJPnimyjeSP7NnZXY6vG5PWZjSDzeCcbTFmrJ-gKswn_inUFn7ah28Ut1IG9kmFArDCaSbliYImkM3aOb9UmlxSwFueZ7e5PV4ZsYELDuV4fs3pne27mgW_fOyNdnOBd/s1600/poppy+seed.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 140px; height: 93px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuqFgy0ixq1S5kJPnimyjeSP7NnZXY6vG5PWZjSDzeCcbTFmrJ-gKswn_inUFn7ah28Ut1IG9kmFArDCaSbliYImkM3aOb9UmlxSwFueZ7e5PV4ZsYELDuV4fs3pne27mgW_fOyNdnOBd/s320/poppy+seed.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528370645141350450" /></a><br />Luke 17:5-6<br /><br />As you have heard next Sunday is our “Grow One Sunday”. And so during this week we are asking you to pray about whether God is calling you to grow one step in giving this year – Either by making a pledge if you haven’t done that in the past, or by growing in the portion of your income that you give. And to help us get started in our thinking and praying, let’s think about mustard seeds. (Instead of mustard seed, The Message paraphrase says “poppy seed” – most of us have probably had a poppy seed muffin or bagel, so we can picture what he’s talking about) So, let’s think about poppy seeds.<br /><br />When I came to this story from the bible that is assigned for today, I had to stop and think for a minute and try to remember. What was going on that caused the disciples to say to Jesus, “Give us more faith”? I couldn’t remember, so I read backwards to see what had been going on. And the context is this: the disciples had just asked Jesus a question: with all this talk of forgiveness, Jesus, how often do I have to forgive someone who wrongs me? Seven times? And Jesus replies: no, not seven. Seventy times seven. You have to live life of forgiveness. Wow. That's a lot of forgiveness. No wonder the disciples said, “If that’s the case, Jesus, you’d better give us some more faith.” And Jesus answers them in this surprising way. “If you had as much faith as this tiny seed, you could say to this tree, “be planted in the sea, and it would obey you.” And you can almost hear the disciples, can’t you? "A poppy seed? Really? That’s all the faith we need? Well, I’ve got that much faith!" And that’s exactly the point.<br /><br />The original text of this passage is in ancient Greek and Greek grammar can be a bit tricky. When Jesus says, “If you had faith as big as a tiny see…” it’s a clause according to fact. You know how we say, “Is the Pope Catholic?” It’s the same sort of thing – it’s as if Jesus were saying: if the sky were blue… iff birds could fly… If you had faith as big as a poppy seed… Which you do! You’ve got that much faith! And it’s enough. That’s enough faith. You just have to use it.<br /><br />There is a story about Alexander the Great, the Greek ruler who created one of the greatest dynasties in history. A man came to Alexander, asking for ten talents. Alexander responded by giving him 50 talents. The man tried to stop Alexander, saying that 10 would be enough. And Alexander replied, “True, ten are enough for you to receive, but not enough for me to give.” Alexander’s giving had to do with who he was, not who the recipient was. His giving had to do with his own need to give. That’s the question for us today: How much do we need to give so that we can grow in faith? <br /><br />There was a time in the life of the church when we made some serious mistakes regarding stewardship. Mistakes that have proven very difficult to undo. There have been times when we have acted as if stewardship is all about the church’s need to receive money. And in doing that, we have lost focus on the real meaning of stewardship as a spiritual practice. We’re trying to correct that.<br /><br />You may have noticed that in recent years, when we start to talk about stewardship, we don’t usually say much about the church budget. Because as we talk about stewardship, to focus on the church budget, would be to miss the point, it would be to ask the wrong question. The question, in Alexander’s terms, is not “how much does the church need to receive?” As if God were waiting for a hand out from us. After all, we are a part of the church of Jesus Christ, established by God to endure through the ages. <br /><br />And we know that this congregation that we’re a part of is doing great things – in missions, with baby kits and Father Bill's and our new church wide emphasis on housing needs. We’ve got a new Sunday School program for the kids and the Breakfast club for the teens and an entire youth group experience focuses on helping kids reach out to help others. We trust that, Chuck Frary has said about a thousand times since I’ve known him, God gives us what we need to do the work God wants us to do.<br /><br />No, the question at hand is not how much does the church need to receive, the question, as Alexander asked himself, is how much do I need to give? That is the question for me and it is the question for you: How much do I need to give to be true to myself? How much do I need to give to be faithful to the God that I know in my life? How much do I need to give as a spiritual practice? For giving, at its best, is a spiritual practice that benefits us, the givers.<br /><br />We have talked all summer and into the fall about spiritual practices. A spiritual practice is something that we do intentionally that connects us to God – to God’s creation – and to other people. A spiritual practice is something we do to create an open space within our lives, within our hearts, where God can come and dwell. And giving – regular, planned, disciplined, generous, giving is a spiritual practice that is foundational for all of us who want to follow Jesus. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism said it this way: earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can.<br /><br />Occasionally someone will say to me, “I don’t really need to make a pledge. I give whenever there’s a need – I give when they need money for Father Bill's or for the disaster relief or for baby kits. But I don’t want to make a pledge." And when I hear that, I think of how giving is like prayer. Many, perhaps most, Christians pray at certain times in our lives: When we are going through a difficult time, when we’re grieving or worried. We give thanks when something wonderful happens, when we feel blessed and thankful. And those prayers are so important.<br /><br />But it is the other kind of praying that really bears fruit. Regular praying, every day, day in day out, in good times and bad times – but mostly the in the in between times. Praying whether we feel like it or not. Praying whether it seem like it’s doing any good or not. Regular, disciplined, planned praying – this is the spiritual discipline that opens the space in our hearts where God can come in and dwell. <br /><br />And so it is with giving. Giving when there is a special need or perhaps when we’ve had an unexpected windfall is important. But it’s the regular giving, every week, every month – writing the check whether I want to or not, whether I feel like I can afford it or not, whether I feel changed by me giving or not, that eventually make the place in our hearts where God can dwell. You have heard testimonies last week and the week before from people about how their own giving, in some cases, their own tithing, has changed them. How they have been made different because they give. A greater trust in God, a deeper peace, a sense of being a part of something much greater than oneself, freedom from the power that money tries have in our lives. It’s different for everyone. But giving in this way changes us.<br /><br />But back to the mustard seed or the poppy seed. Most of us who gather here are trying to come closer to God, to have some experience of the holy. We are trying to put that poppy seed of faith to use, and giving as a spiritual practice is one way which we do that. So my prayer is that as we prepare for our Grow One Sunday is that we would follow Alexander’s example, and ask ourselves, “how much do I need to give?” What is the portion that I need to give to open that place inside me where God can come and dwell? May God be with us as we put our poppy seed of faith to use. Amen.staceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5377991138362065822.post-6719194384907858582010-09-11T11:42:00.001-07:002010-09-11T19:09:47.949-07:00Passion<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXyOTSmbNswsBg5s3f-SoUIi9XU-6XXf8T_8IVdwvkRFiSJZGZO5QZgQ6hdjxpktDpMP6QbXwbBOhjjsKDwtdj_kb9jdOac9BDsCsx8pANdpONjp9M4mclxmKeby5VP2QymTTZ6hJzgZ7/s1600/herb+and+dorothy.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXyOTSmbNswsBg5s3f-SoUIi9XU-6XXf8T_8IVdwvkRFiSJZGZO5QZgQ6hdjxpktDpMP6QbXwbBOhjjsKDwtdj_kb9jdOac9BDsCsx8pANdpONjp9M4mclxmKeby5VP2QymTTZ6hJzgZ7/s320/herb+and+dorothy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515728260757523490" /></a><br /><br />We recently watched “Herb and Dorothy” a documentary about Herb and Dorothy Vogel. They are art collectors, now in their 90’s, with a passion for minimalist and conceptual art, but also for post minimalist and abstract expressionist work.<br /> He was a postal clerk, she a librarian, living in Manhattan. Ever since very early in their marriage, they have collected art. They decided to live on her salary and use his to acquire artwork. They visited galleries and studios, developing close friendships with many artists who would later go on to be universally acclaimed – Robert Barry, Sol LeWitt, Richard Tuttle.<br /> They didn’t collect art as an investment – indeed they made a decision to never sell anything they had bought. They collected because it was a passion – it was their life’s work. They had two criteria for selecting work: they both had to like it and it had to fit in their modest one bedroom apartment.<br /> They collected well over 4,000 pieces of work. Over 1000 are now in the National Gallery of Art (they chose that institution because it has a policy of not selling its work and because it is free to the public). But they had far too many pieces for the National Gallery. So they established “fifty works for fifty states” – giving an institution in each state 50 pieces of art.<br /> Inspirational! Read more here: http://vogel5050.orgstaceyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00950848608325210852noreply@blogger.com0