Family

We have a large family and we are so blessed by everyone.
This week Lisa came to visit with Brock and Rachel. Lisa is Chuck's daughter and Brock are 2 of her kids. Rachel is going into 8th grade and Brock into 5th grade.
First it was so much fun having Lisa here. She only stayed for 24 hours but we packed a lot into it. Marnie and Reagan and Addie came to dinner on Tuesday and we ate their favorite meal (Lisa and Marnie's!) Greek hamburgers and onion rings. We played cards and talked and it was great. Rachel is so good with the little girls - I can see that she could end up being a teacher like her mom.

Wednesday Lisa and I went to lunch at noodles before she had to leave. Brock and Rachel are still here. We have done a lot with them. A lot of games, a trip to the fair with Chuck (Grandpa), a trip to Inniswoods with me, mini golfing, dinner at Hooters, and games, games, games.

I realize that Chuck and I have become such a couple that we are boring. It is when kids are here that we get to do "family stuff." and I realize how much I love that stuff. Like cards, and watching TV, and eating together, and just "chilling." These 2 kids are great game players, smart, good sports and great company. Now, they "horse around" a little, but you can't have everything.
We went to the library and Brock picked out 2 books and Rachel got one and I got one and we sat in the family room quietly and read together. Even that was fun.

Tomorrow Grandpa takes them to the zoo while I finish my sermon. And then later on more quiddler, rummy cub, swipe and other family activities. I think I miss having kids at home.
Although........I do kind of miss the quiet!
I have the best of both worlds. (Brock asked me if I got that from Hannah Montana....huh?)

sunday mornings

This is my second time trying to write about Sunday mornings.

After church - our church service which focussed on love and acceptance and recognizing how God treasures us - I learned about the shootings in Knoxville.

It hit close to home because Audrey is in Knoxville and her best friend attends that church. The reason she was not there was because she was listening to Audrey preach about praising God.

That church was a scene of hate and death. And it is so disturbing. Too much has been written about the way religion can separate people from each other.

the church where the killings happened was Uniterian Universalist - a church which is open and affirming to all people and in the business of working for social justice.
As I type this I am watching TV as they are promoting a piece about a violent standoff in Columbus.

There are no words to express how helpless I feel.

Susan Howatch

One of my guilty pleasures for years have been books by Susan Howatch. I first read some of her big generational family sagas 20 years ago - Cashelmara and Penmarric.

But she started a series about Episcopal priests in England who were spiritual directors and got me hooked. Some of them that I read were "Glittering Images", "Glamourous Powers", and "Ultimate Prizes". I had not read one of her books for at least 5 years and found in the remainer pile "The Heartbreaker" at Barnes and Nobles.

And so I am hooked. But I find myself reading it pretty slowly for me. "The Heartbreaker" is about a "leisure worker" (prostitute) in England who is having sex with men for money and being used and abused by a woman named Elizabeth. He comes into contact with Carta and then the spiritual director Nicholas Darrow. It is in some sense a thriller as you wonder how he is going to get extricated from this life he has fallen into. It is about "splitting off" the physical from the spiritual, about dehumanization and it is about healing.

The healing happens as Gavin, the prostitute, is treated with compassion and respect and love.
At the beginning of the chapters, there are descriptions of pastoral care that often stop me and make me think. Here are some of them.

"The healing ministry is non-judgmental: those involved in it are encouraged to consider and address their own prejudices and stereotyping to avoid projection of their personal internal codes of behavior."

"Our identity is being forged in the crucible of whatever sufferings turn out to be inexticable from the particular journey of each person....into fulness of life."

"The challenge of pastoral care is to identify with suffering people and to offer companionship on their journey."

I have seen how spiritual direction and pastoral care brings healing to people. But the hardest part of it is to get rid of our judgments and allow ourselves to experience the pain that people carry within them. It is easier to judge and analyze people who are suffering than to stand with them in their pain. But that is when the healing happens.

Anyway, good books for me. I recommend Susan Howatch for a good read that makes you reflect on faith and the power of love.

Sunday reflections

Well, it has been a week!
Bible School is always fun but......every night for 5 nights starts to be a drain.
But today in worship we showed lots of pictures of the kids and it really did feel like a good experience for everyone.
The chidlren sang 2 of the songs from Bible School. Alyse came up front with all the kids and sang with her back to the congregation. Halfway through Kacey came up and turned her around and then she stood there and scowled. What a kid. Afterward Joe DeWitt told Kacey that Jim Morrison (of the Doors) used to sing with his back to the audience because of stage fright. Is that what is going on? There is something funny about all of it.

I preached both the 10:30 and 5:00 PM service because Charles was not here for the gospel praise service. So, I did my sermon with my manuscript and my sermon notes. I think I got a complicment from Deric (who plays the piano) that he did not fall asleep. Hmmm

This morning after I preached someone asked me if I was a stand up comedian (I told a joke!) and someone else asked me if I was a liberal. I didn't know what else to say, so I said YES> And the church needs liberals and concerservatives.

Audrey has been in my prayers all weekend and her senior minister Scott. Scott is in the hospital with blood clots in his lungs. Audrey came home from Mexico on Tuesday to that news as well as a break in at her home and a stolen computer. She preached a funeral on Friday and today. All of which was unexpected. Plus lots of conerns for Scott. I know God is giving her strength to do what she needs to do. It is not easy.

Anyway, Sunday night and I am taking tomorrow off. Praise the Lord!

Friday night

I am home after a week of Bible School.
We had the last program this evening and had a dinner for over 75 people at the church.
It was - however you measure it - a great success.
We did the review of the week and sang the songs and reviewed the themes of every day. It was clear that the kids really learned something.
The best part was the intergenerational fellowship that develops in a church of this size. It all feels good but - of course - tiring.

Kacey and Brett went out for a drink afterwards and Jax and Alyse are over here. Right now Jax is in bed with poppy who is watching a race very loudly. Jax has his pacifier in and I think will be asleep soon.
Alyse is in the prayer room - and maybe she will go to sleep and maybe not. She and I played bunko, war and I tried to teach her a solitair game. It was clear it was too much and at one point she just wanted to be with Jax - who is her security blanket. It was okay.

I was watching her face and she was smiling one minute and crying the next and I knew she was really tired. A long week - but a good one.

Bible School

Yesterday was the beginning of the week of Bible School that every church does every summer.
It was - for me - a ton of fun.

I am living ni the best possible world this week. I am doing the thing that I like to do the best - which is leading games. And even better my partner in doing that is Kacey. She is organized! And so, we got together and planned the games and then she wrote up the plans and is making sure we have the stuff and then we get to do it.

When you lead games you get to know the kids and the adults. And watch them having fun.
I laughed and laughed last night.

We try to work into the theme of the day - which yesterday was "Share" - we share with each other. So we ended up playing games like "Share the Cocanuts" (which is the same as "Steal the Bacon." ) So much fun. We had 4 groups of different ages and they all got into it in different ways.
The last group was small and we played the adults against the kids which was a hoot. Kacey and Glenn and I are all competitive and aren't going to let kids beat us. Funny, funny. (we ended up tieing. ....."shared" the victory)

I always have the same feeling after the first day of Bible School - that was fun. can't we stop now? Oh, we have to do it again tomorrow? and the next day? And the next day?

Regardless - this should be a good week.

Weekend

It is Sunday night and we are watching "Law and Order" CI with Chris Noth. I am happy. I wish he wasn't leaving the show. Next year he will be replaced by Jeff Goldberg! Not so good.

Busy weekend. Friday night we showed "The Great Debaters" at church for our "Reel Faith"
Only 5 people showed up but it was okay - it was a really good movie. I recommend it. What a feel good.

Saturday morning I did a funeral for a 45 year old firefighter who died of cancer. He was diagnosed less than a year ago and died on his birthday. I spent time with Shelly, his wife, on Thursday and just cried with her as I heard the sad story. It was the biggest funeral I have done since I have been in Columbus - must have been at least 70 vehicles in the procession. We drove past his station. It was all very sad. There was much ceremony with the whole thing. Especially at the cemetary. A bag pipe, a 3 gun salute, the folding and the presentation of the flag. There was clearly so much camaradarie iwthin the fire department. The whole thing was very memorable to me and I felt honored to be able to help out with the funeral.

Saturday evening Chuck and I went to a "Songfest" at New Fellowship Christian Church. It was organized by Deric who plays the piano for our Gospel Praise service. It started at 5 and was over at 8:45. It was an amazing evening - and Deric is an awesome piano player. He could accompany anybody with anything. At one point they brought in Charles Mom Teresa to sing (spur of the moment) and backed by three choirs (again spontaneously) they rocked the house.
It was awesome. So glad we went.

There are times in my life when I am attending events like last night that I just feel blessed to be in ministry here in Columbus. These are experiences I would have never had if I had stayed in Northwest Ohio.

God is Good.
All the time
All the time
God is good.