My Life or Something Like It . . .

A Prayer for Children Leaving Home

Each day, I receive a prayer from Beliefnet. Today's prayer really hit home for me. So here it is for all those who have children who have left for college, work, military, marriage, or wherever God has led them.

It is time to let go,
to stand back and watch
as the young leave home
and go out into the world
on their own.
Bless them, O God,
in all their endeavors,
in their successes and failures.
Guard them from all harm and evil
and make them strong to resist temptation.
Lead them in your paths
that they may be the builders of life
and not destroy your creation.
Teach them your ways of justice
that they may care for the well-being of all
and not for their needs alone.
Guide them in their search for truth
that they may praise you in all they do.
Let them trust the love of family
to support them in their time of need,
to care for their hopes and dreams,
and to love them, no matter what comes.
Amen.

- Vienna Cobb Anderson

Source: Adapted from "Prayers of Our Hearts" © 1991 Vienna Cobb Anderson. Reprinted with the permission of the author.

Eclectic Echoes -- August 21st

What is our chief end?

"We" Faith in a "Me" Culture

Mother Teresa and Billy Graham's hands

Coffee Pastor reflects on Barbara Brown Taylor's Leaving Church.

Jack reflections on "What Keeps You Going?" and all I can say is "Amen!"

A More Prayermissive Society

The concreteness of community

Health care reform: WWJWS (What would John Wesley say?!)

Failing to Trust Ourselves
Young Clergy Women share their call stories: Ashlee and Beth

Waiting for Sex or Marriage

Dammit, Jim, I'm a pastor and not a curator!

Ministry Pornography?


Elvis Costello asks "What's so Funny about Peace, Love and Understanding?"

Tips for trying to wake up an early crowd at church!

What's so funny about a generation of sarcasm? One of the many services I have been known to provide!

Check out Bart Stye's new blog featuring covers of songs! Fun stuff!

My hero as a child! The Amazing Life of Audie Murphy I also had a crush on Daniel Boone.

Caffeine reduces memory impairment! Hope I can remember to grab that next cup of coffee!

7 Flowcharts for Fun! Yes--flowcharts can be fun!

In honor of District 9 (which I will probably never see due to the gore!) Five ways Movie Governments Could Respond More Effectively to Alien Invasions

Stand

Jon (at Stuff Christians Like) in his recent post on “Asking God Geography Questions” reflected on our tendency to ask God questions such as “Where I should go?”, “What should I do?”, and “Who should I be with?” and concluded that God’s answer to all these questions would be “In My Presence.” Which reminded me of a chapter in Barbara Brown Taylor’s new book, An Altar in the World, where she reflects on the spiritual discipline of getting lost. One of the values of getting lost, according to Taylor, is that you must become aware of where you are.

“I am convinced that this is normal human behavior, which means that something extra is needed to override it. Why override it? Because once you leave the cow path, the unpredictable territory is full of life. True, you can’t always see where you are putting your feet . This means you can no longer afford to stay unconscious. You can no longer count on the beat-down red dirt path making all of your decisions for you. Leaving it, you agree to make your own choices for a spell. You agree to become aware of each step you take, tuning all of your senses to exactly where you are and exactly what you are doing.”

And when we become aware of exactly where we are, we discover that we are in God’s presence—here and now.

I’ve never been good at standing in the place where I am and I’m especially not good at being lost. Carmen, my GPS (as in “Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?”) is my best friend. She tells me where to go—and even though I argue with her from time to time and even override her instructions on occasion—she is pretty faithful to ensure that I get where I believe I am supposed to go. But even at that she has taken me some interesting places—because even Carmen doesn’t give me the big picture. She leads a step at a time. And quite honestly, I don’t like that either.

Give me a map. Show me exactly where I am going. Show me each clean bathroom, each Starbucks, each McDonnell’s drive thru, and each gas station. Don’t worry telling me about the beautiful scenic overlooks or the field with deer that might surprise me because I am on a mission—most the time I’m even on a mission from God—and I don’t have time for all of that.

Yep, I’m not good at standing where I am.

The problem with constant movement—even movement toward something—is that you so easily forget the reality that even when you are moving toward the place that God is calling you that God is still present with you now. God is not to be found over there. God is here. God tabernacles with us. So that even when God is leading us forward by pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, God still dwells in our midst.
So today, I am hearing the word of God from the band REM, “Stand in the place where you live. Think about it. Wonder why you haven’t before.”

Those of us at New Life are on a journey. We are in the midst of visioning process followed immediately with a stewardship emphasis. The theme for our visioning process is “Journey toward the Promised Land” and right now we are trying to discern what God’s Promised Land is for New Life and how we get there. So, I confess, I’ve already jumped ahead and tried to determine where God is leading us and what it will mean for the congregation as a whole and for me as their pastor.

On a personal note, I’ve moved my youngest son into his college dorm and am well aware that in a year I will move my youngest into one. I wonder what is ahead for me as a mother of grown children who don’t live at home. Will I become old? Will I no longer get pop references? Will I suddenly prefer reruns of SNL to Jon Stewart on the Daily Show? What will life be like with an empty nest?

Last year at this time, I was looking back. This year I find myself looking forward.

But today, I hear God telling me to slow down a bit and focus on where we are—where I am—to find God in our midst and to wait for the next direction and who knows where that will take us. So maybe instead of rushing into God’s presence in the future, I can feel God’s presence here and now.

As Joshua and Caleb told the Israelites as they stood at the edge of the Promised Land, “the Lord is with us, do not fear . . .”

As REM reminds me

Stand Where You Are!
Stand!

Image: The Dancing Life by Bernard Ndichu Njuguna

The Gospel in 10 Words

At Fallen and Flawed, 12 bloggers summarized the gospel in 10 words or less. I was struck by the fact that none of them mentioned the love of God. Furthermore, to be quite honest, I don't buy into the opinion that we ought to be able to summarize it in ten words or less. And my definition of gospel probably changes from day to day depending on where I see God's love at work in the world, but here is my summary (in 10 words) for today:

God's love means sin, death, evil are never the end!

Eclectic Echoes--August 7th

Great news!!! Sumatanga raises over $400,000 to remain open!

What DO pastor's do all day?

5 Things You Need to Know About Self-Control

Johnny Cash and Leadership

Twitter Theology: 5 Ways Twitter Has Changed My Life and helped me be a better Disciple of Jesus

The Younger Generation and the Churches That Reach Them

Funeral Evangelism

In Memorium: 5 Great John Hughes Moments

In honor of our 30th High School Reunion

I normally don't post Facebook quizzes to my blog, but here is a quiz about my senior year in honor of the fact that I graduated from high school and started Auburn 30 years ago.

Fill this out about your SENIOR year of high school! The longer ago it was, the more fun the answers will be!! At the end, choose 10 people (or more) to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to "notes" under the tabs on your profile page, copy and paste my note in the body of the note, delete my answers and type yours, tag 10 people (in the right hand corner of the app). Then click publish.)

IN YOUR SENIOR YEAR DID YOU...

1. Did you date someone from your school? I may have had a date or two, but I didn't "date" anyone.

2. Did you marry someone from your high school? Yes. I met Craig in 9th grade when we took Latin 1 but we didn't date until our sophomore year of college when he transferred to Auburn.

3. Did you car pool to school? Yes. I drove my sister as well as a couple of other folks.

4. What kind of car did you have? 1972 Chevy Vega (nicknamed the Viscous Vegas and it could be heard coming for miles)until it was rear-ended and totaled. Then (and this sounds much better than it was) a 68 Pontiac Firebird (the Ferocious Firebird).

5. What kind of car do you have now? 2009 Toyota Camry--metallic blue

6. Its Saturday night...where are you today? Reviewing my sermon for the umpteenth time.

7. It is Saturday night...where were you then? Walking the mall

8. What kind of job did you have in high school? None

9. What kind of job do you do now? Pastor, New Life UMC

10. Were you a party animal? Not at all.

11. Were you considered a flirt? Not hardly

12. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? Clarinet in marching and concert bands.

13. Were you a nerd? Absolutely.

14. Did you get suspended or expelled? No

15. Can you sing the fight song? Unfortunately, yes.

16. Who was/were your favorite teacher(s)? Mr. Wagnon, Ms. Bedell, and yes Ms. Morrow

17. Where did you sit during lunch? I have no idea

18. What was your school's full name? Gadsden High School (and it no longer exists)

19. When did you graduate? 1979

20. What was your school mascot? Tiger

21. If you could go back and do it again, would you? Honestly, no.

22. Did you have fun at Prom? Yes.

23. Do you still talk to the person you went to Prom with? If Facebook counts--Hi Bob!

24. Are you planning on going to your next reunion? Unfortunately, no. It's Saturday night--not my best night for a party.

25. Do you still talk to people from school? Yes--mostly Facebook

26. School Colors? Orange and Black

27. What celebrities came from your high school? I don't know of any--anyone else have an idea?

What if Today Was Your Last Day?

“I believe every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don't intend to waste any of mine.”
-Astronaut Neil Armstrong (born August 5, 1930)

This week, we continue to reflect on the words of wisdom given to the churches of Ephesus.

15Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, 16making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, 19as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, 20giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:15-20

• “Be careful then how you live . . .” How would you live your life differently if you knew that tomorrow was your last day? Would a sense of urgency inspire you to live more boldly or to cower in fear? How can you make better use of the time granted you?

• Do you believe that your life is Spirit-filled? If so, how is that evident to those around you? If not, what stands in the way of allowing the Spirit to fill you and pour out of you?

• What is the role of worship and of singing in the life of faith?

Ask the Right Questions

It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.
- James Thurber