Are we yet alive?

Never leave a fire burning when you go to sleep. It's not safe. 

You never know when a rogue spark might jump back to life and catch some unsuspecting twig. 

That's why, at night, when the campground settles down and the moon rises, every good Girl Scout (or Boy Scout or any good camper who may or may not be happy)--they know to scatter the coals. Everyone knows that if you want a fire to burn down, you push it apart; you create distance so it'll cool faster. 

...so why is there so much distance in the church? Why is it that the community of faith whose call is to fan spiritual gifts into flame--why is it that so many of us don't know the name of the person sitting next to us? 

If we want to see our churches alive and full of fire, we need to come together and breathe new life on the coals that still burn. We need beg for the Holy Spirit who lit the fire at Pentecost--the Holy Spirit who pulls us together; calls us to CONNECT and encourage.

Because as long as there is a spark, there can be fire. And I want to see the church alive.

The Fault in Our Kitchen

...while making cinnamon toast

Husband: "Wait, you butter the bread BEFORE you put it in the toaster?"

Me: "Of course. What do you do?"

Husband: "I'm not defending my position. You make better toast than me. I'm merely admitting that I know where my fault lies."

Me (clearly delighted with my comeback): "In the stars?"

Husband: "No! In St Andreas." 

Me: "The ocean?" 

Husband: ... :(

Me: "oh. California? I'm bad at geography..."

Husband hugs me

The toaster dings. 

Life is delicious. 

Ironic or Opportune?

It's Sunday evening. Just preached a sermon about opening our eyes to Gods miracles--instead of complaining about what we don't/can't see. I even used Louis CK's comedy bit about Americans who take cell phones for granted: ("I'm SORRY that your tiny device that bounces energy FROM SPACE is moving slower than you'd like..."). Later at home, while working on some curriculum, I came across a quote that warned against preaching and not practicing--"lest we get left behind" --and then, lo and behold--our entire wifi crashes. No internet. 

That means the freshly-written curriculum can't be emailed to the leaders who need it. 

I'll admit that my first reaction was something like "Uuuuugggghhh!!!! I hate this internet!!!" 

...but I quickly realized the parallel between the morning's sermon and the evening's occurrence. ("No. I'm going to stay calm. Internet is a luxury--not a necessity.") And my attitude changed. I drove up the street to borrow wifi and oatmeal from McDonalds and ended up seeing Theresa--one of the ladies from our Tuesday morning ministry. Not only was it a great conversation, but I had forgotten something I was supposed to do, so the encounter saved the day.

All in all, it was a good moment to lean on grace and remember that Sunday sermons are for me, too. We have to be thankful and appreciate what we have.

Huzzah to Pluto and Why this Matters to the Church

Remember when scientists decided that Pluto was no longer a plant?
 
Small and far away, it was once scorned, debated and rejected ...but no longer!

Professors, students, and public members of NOBUM (nerds outraged by unbalanced mobiles; it's not really a thing, but it should be) recently gathered for a public debate where the previous prohibition on Pluto's planetary position was rebuked! Huzzah!

It's a scene of geeky but endearing advocacy (I seriously doubt that Pluto cares about what people think of her/him) but I can't help but think that this scene speaks to the church. Aren't we also called to advocacy? To welcome everyone from the outside edges and to cry 'justice!' on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves?

When the world says 'you do not belong to our classifications!' it is the Church who says 'God's ways are not human ways!' When the world rejects and excludes, the Church finds worth and rallies for inclusion--challenging and rethinking those boundaries.

"Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." ~1 Peter 2:10

"Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ." ~Ephesians 2:12-13