It is hard to believe we have already travelled from Christmas to the beginning of Lent. A season of reflection in the midst of our lives is an important annual journey. If you want to read a great, simple reflection on Lent, return to the homepage and scrolldown to the lower right hand corner and click on "Want to know more about Lent?". It's a fast read but offers good insight.
The smudge of the cross mingled with the woody scent of the burnt palm leaves brings home how quickly journeys move from "Gloria in excelsis Deo" to "Hosanna" to "Crucify." I feel exposed with the dark stain of the cross marking me on my forehead. I have given voice to all three expressions at various points along the way. The Lenten pathway helps guide me home, back to the dust of the earth and the breathe of the Spirit.
I hope you find a place of quiet regularly during this next six weeks. It is not as much about doing, but rather in being with the One. Quiet, still, thoughtful.
On the journey,
Alecia
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sailboats on a River
I am always amazed at the depth of the questions coming from our confirmands. After a discussion about the Holy Spirit, Becca H. wrote the following questions:
*Is the Holy Spirit love or when we feel love is it from the Holy Spirit?
*Does everything happen for for a reason?
*Can sailboats on a river represent our path in life?
These are good, serious, thoughtful questions. Connecting God's Spirit to love-- pure love is an insightful observation. I believe that while we experience God's love, the Spirit opens us up even more to when love is expressed.
A sailboat offers a good metaphor of the Spirit. If we look at our life as a sailboat, then we have to decide whether we are sailing or simply watching other sailboats from shore. I believe God placed within each of us that desire to sail-- to respond to the Lord. As we created our own versions of origami sailboats in confirmation, it was quickly apparent the boats with more sail available caught the most wind. Nicholas M.'s boat shot across the water because of the clever design to capture the wind. When we open up our hearts, souls and minds to the Spirit, we can go places we never dreamed of with our lives.
On the journey,
Alecia
*Is the Holy Spirit love or when we feel love is it from the Holy Spirit?
*Does everything happen for for a reason?
*Can sailboats on a river represent our path in life?
These are good, serious, thoughtful questions. Connecting God's Spirit to love-- pure love is an insightful observation. I believe that while we experience God's love, the Spirit opens us up even more to when love is expressed.
A sailboat offers a good metaphor of the Spirit. If we look at our life as a sailboat, then we have to decide whether we are sailing or simply watching other sailboats from shore. I believe God placed within each of us that desire to sail-- to respond to the Lord. As we created our own versions of origami sailboats in confirmation, it was quickly apparent the boats with more sail available caught the most wind. Nicholas M.'s boat shot across the water because of the clever design to capture the wind. When we open up our hearts, souls and minds to the Spirit, we can go places we never dreamed of with our lives.
On the journey,
Alecia
Monday, February 21, 2011
An Invitation
I was asked to participate in a new group called Healthy Church Initiative (HCI). Over the next year I will be reading a series a books and participate in a discussion group. At each meeting I will be asked to offer an action plan on one key learning I discovered in the reading. My initial response was to not take part simply because of time. However, I changed my mind when I discovered that the books I will be reading will aid us in becoming the missional church God has called us to be.
The book I will be reading is, "Recreating the Church" by Richard Hamm. I would love to have others read it as well and share what they learned. Here is a description of the book:
"At the center of this manifesto is Hamm's concern for preserving the core values of the Mainline churches in the face of challenges from secularism and fundamentalism. The problem, as he sees it, is that the structures that developed over the years have become obsolete and they prevent the church from adapting to the cultural context in which it lives. By embracing the "missional church" idea Hamm is less interested in quick fixes, but rather calls for long term reinvention of the church so that the Mainline values can be preserved and can influence not just the religious context but the world context."
Check it out. See what you think. I'll post my thoughts after I have read the book.
On the journey,
Alecia
The book I will be reading is, "Recreating the Church" by Richard Hamm. I would love to have others read it as well and share what they learned. Here is a description of the book:
"At the center of this manifesto is Hamm's concern for preserving the core values of the Mainline churches in the face of challenges from secularism and fundamentalism. The problem, as he sees it, is that the structures that developed over the years have become obsolete and they prevent the church from adapting to the cultural context in which it lives. By embracing the "missional church" idea Hamm is less interested in quick fixes, but rather calls for long term reinvention of the church so that the Mainline values can be preserved and can influence not just the religious context but the world context."
Check it out. See what you think. I'll post my thoughts after I have read the book.
On the journey,
Alecia
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Confirming Your Faith
One of my favorite aspects of my job is Confirmation which I work with 7th and 8th grade students. It is a fun age because they tend to not censor what comes out of their mouth as to whether or not its particularly religious. Because I have a policy to answer any question thrown at me in the class, I have fielded questions on a number of topics. Sometimes the questions are more serious in nature. Take for instance the thoughts of one of the students:
*When talking about sins, it depends what you consider a sin.
*Can a person ever be entirely forgiven for sins?
*Just because God died on the cross, does that mean our sins are forgiven?
*Why do sins matter if we are not perfect?
This student is doing a great job in thinking theologically. She might not think about in those terms, but it is precisely what she is doing. I wonder how our church would change if we all took time to think theologically now and again.
On the journey,
Alecia
*When talking about sins, it depends what you consider a sin.
*Can a person ever be entirely forgiven for sins?
*Just because God died on the cross, does that mean our sins are forgiven?
*Why do sins matter if we are not perfect?
This student is doing a great job in thinking theologically. She might not think about in those terms, but it is precisely what she is doing. I wonder how our church would change if we all took time to think theologically now and again.
On the journey,
Alecia
Sunday, December 12, 2010
The Gift of Water
If you would like to add the gift of water to your presents, then simply go to the website: http://www.water.cc/. If you click on "giftcards", you will be set. The organization is the Living Water International. You will be able to read more about the water crisis, Advent Conspiracy and more.
The four tenets of the Advent Conspiracy have inspired me throughout this season:
*Worship fully
*Spend less
*Give more
*Love all
I hope they resonate with you as well.
On the journey,
Alecia
The four tenets of the Advent Conspiracy have inspired me throughout this season:
*Worship fully
*Spend less
*Give more
*Love all
I hope they resonate with you as well.
On the journey,
Alecia
Monday, November 22, 2010
The Cost of Being Me
Yesterday in service I had people add up the dollar amount of what they were wearing and of items they were carrying. The list consisted of:
Clothing
Shoes
Undergarments
Jewelry
Purse/wallet
Electronic devices-- phones, ipods, etc.
Glasses/contacts
Money
My clothing and items totaled $247 without the jewelry or $1047 with it. In Kenya the average household income is $245. It stopped me in my tracks to realize just how much it cost to be me. Apparently alot of you had similar feelings. You tried explaining how if I just hadn't included the one category your number would have been in a more "acceptable" range. I believe I am socially aware and try to make wise choices. I simply had not thought about the sheer amount of money that I have on me at any given time.
It jarred me. I'm grateful to have glimpses of clarity into my life, even when I am not sure that I always want to hear it. Thank you God for teaching me in a variety of ways.
On the journey,
Alecia
Clothing
Shoes
Undergarments
Jewelry
Purse/wallet
Electronic devices-- phones, ipods, etc.
Glasses/contacts
Money
My clothing and items totaled $247 without the jewelry or $1047 with it. In Kenya the average household income is $245. It stopped me in my tracks to realize just how much it cost to be me. Apparently alot of you had similar feelings. You tried explaining how if I just hadn't included the one category your number would have been in a more "acceptable" range. I believe I am socially aware and try to make wise choices. I simply had not thought about the sheer amount of money that I have on me at any given time.
It jarred me. I'm grateful to have glimpses of clarity into my life, even when I am not sure that I always want to hear it. Thank you God for teaching me in a variety of ways.
On the journey,
Alecia
Monday, November 1, 2010
Privileges
As much as I loathed all of the political junk mail of the last two months, I always love the process of voting. I look forward to going to the polls whether it is an off-year election or not, which begs the question as to whether any year is truly an "off" year. Yes, I know it means it is not a presidential year; however as I have looked at the ballot, there are important issues to be decided.
For all of the complaining about local, state and national elections, a surprisingly small amount of people actually turn out to vote. Wouldn't it be a sad commentary on life if more people vote on "Dancing With the Stars" than on our off-year election. It's easy to get fed-up with all of the negative commercials and print ads. It's much more satisfying though to walk into the voting booth and cast your vote.
On the journey,
Alecia
For all of the complaining about local, state and national elections, a surprisingly small amount of people actually turn out to vote. Wouldn't it be a sad commentary on life if more people vote on "Dancing With the Stars" than on our off-year election. It's easy to get fed-up with all of the negative commercials and print ads. It's much more satisfying though to walk into the voting booth and cast your vote.
On the journey,
Alecia
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