Living life with steps of faith

To the woman considering an abortion, I’m sorry that you are facing an unplanned pregnancy. I can’t imagine the fear or the troubling circumstances you must be facing.   But before you choose to abort, please take a moment to consider what a miracle it is that you are even pregnant! To conceive a child requires perfect timing.   Even when trying to become pregnant, there is only a 20% chance each month we will be successful.   Add to that the fact that intercourse must take place in the optimal time frame of the month. Yes, when we ovulate, our pheromones, or the animal scent that attracts us one to another, is at its prime.   As is the cervical mucus to carry the sperm to reach the egg. And so perhaps we are more likely to have intercourse when we are most fertile.   But that still doesn’t mean that a healthy sperm will reach a healthy egg, that the two will meet, and that the blastocyst (embryo) that is formed will implant into the uterine wall. ...

Sometimes I think we Christian women over-spiritualize our problems.  And if we don't over-spiritualize them we over-emotionalize the spiritual. I was at a Christian women's conference today.  It seemed as though the answer to all the difficulties in life was to get closer to Jesus.  I know that wasn't the speaker's intent.  In fact, I think the speaker's intent was just the opposite - to cherish the unearned love that God shows towards us.  But in her story she pointed out how her darkest time in life was when she pushed God away.  I think that time in her life still would have been difficult even if she kept Jesus close - because we are human.  She would have just found more comfort, hope, and joy during that time because of her awareness of God's nearness.  But God was near, even when she was unaware.  She just missed out on some of that comfort and those periodic glimpses into the bigger picture of how God was taking her lemons and mak...

The saintly woman three generations ago was defined by from what she abstained.  Perhaps the saintly woman of today is defined by how she exhibits compassion.  Those in their 90s today define godliness and being set apart as related to a moral goodness that is internal.  Yet, when I look at the term godly or righteous, I see it in terms of external relationships, how one interacts with the stranger.  When I put these two models side-by-side, I experience a bit of friction.  I love the sinner by inviting him in, she loves the sinner by keeping him out.  She is set apart by her personal lifestyle of abstaining.  I am set apart by my personal lifestyle of engaging. We read the same passage of Scripture and hear different things.  What did it mean when Jesus said to treat the obstinate as one would a pagan or tax collector? (Matthew 18:17)  What did he mean when he invited us to live in the Spirit instead of by the flesh?  Did the flesh r...

A young man sits dreaming out his window, looking out across the sky at the beautiful sunset and the painted sky.  He dreams of another life and as his mind wanders he dreams of receiving recognition, just once, through the attention of the man his people honor with the title of "emperor."  He realizes that it is just a title, and the man is an ordinary man, but the title still makes this man special and revered.  So special, in fact, that they are willing to move walls and structures in order for people to honor this man.  The boy sits and dreams and imagines this "emperor" as weak and dying and in the midst of his great weakness the "emperor"sends a message to this Chinese boy who sits at the edge of the empire.  To the boy, he recognizes the reality that a thing like this would never happen, but in his fantasy he also realizes that a message like this would never make it to him, because he is too unimportant and too far off and there are too many peopl...

I went to the doctor today and he said, "Worse case scenario, it is _____."  I started thinking about that statement, "Worse case scenario" and began to fill the blank in with all of the possibilities my mind could come up with. After each I asked myself if that really would be the worse case scenario and with each I could see an opening for the grace of God.  What might be defined as a worse case scenario from a doctor's perspective, from a Christian's perspective might not be all that bad.  Actually, a doctor's worse case scenario might be a Christian's best case scenario.  And what I realized is that with Christ there is no worse case scenario because in every scenario God wins!

This Sunday I fell off a member of my church's pedestal.  And it hurt some when I fell.  From this person's perspective, I had done wrong; from my perspective, I acted with grace in alignment with the church's teaching.  I have to admit that I don't like having people not pleased with me.  I want to correct or fix the situation.  But what I realized today as I sat before God, contemplating the wise words of a woman of prayer in our church and the words just read of Jean-Pierre de Caussade, I should celebrate and be glad that I fell, because I never should have been on the pedestal in the first place. I can come up with very human reasons as to why God is blessing us as a gathered community of faith right now.  I can also come up with very spiritualized reasons.  But I know that according to God's word and my life experience that it rains on both the righteous and the unrighteous.  We may be in a season of blessing right now, but I am sure we wil...

This morning during my devotions I read a quote that really struck my attention.  I would use the quote here, but if I did I would be taking it out of context as I don't believe I interpreted it as the writer intended. But, how I interpreted it was meaningful to me.  The idea I heard was that sin is something we discover that becomes deeply ingrained within ourselves.  I like this idea, because as I have discerned sin in my life, I have often found that it is something I've been doing for a while and never considered to be sin.  I often find my recognition of something in my life as sin to be quite surprising and then I feel sorrowful because I hadn't realized how what I had been doing had been so hurtful to myself and others.  I like this concept because it speaks to those areas that seem so right at the time and can be justifiable until we are enlightened to view it differently.  And I like this perspective because it shows how sin can go unrecognized, an...

There is something uncomfortable about putting one's New Year's Resolution in writing for the public to see.  I guess it is that sense of accountability that comes from being open about something for which you expect to some degree to fail.  When we start a new year we are often passionate (or at least motivated) to make an adjustment in our life.  For the past several years I've been wanting to focus on "self-discipline" but have not been successful because I have defined that goal to broadly with too many expectations.  Once again this year, I'm going to try to make self-discipline my key word for the new year, except this year, I'm just going to take it one step at a time.  One mini-goal a month.  So this month, my first step will be to keep a regular sleep schedule.  I will be responsive to my body's needs.  Since I usually feel tired at 10:30 p.m., instead of denying my body and ignoring its plea, I will go to bed at around 10:30.  I wil...

One of my very close friends who is a professional mother recently wrote a blog post that I think needs to get extra attention and a lot of hits: Pinterest and the Devil One of the blessings of attending a mainline protestant church rather than an evangelical protestant church (both are Christian) is that I don't have to face "the perfect Christian woman" image that is so prevalent in the evangelical wing of Christianity.  No pressure to wear makeup, have my hair perfectly styled, nails manicured, have my home decorated like Martha Stewart, or even to be a parent.  But, I do admit that when I have spent time with my evangelical Christian female friends, I have felt that jealousy bug creep in - giving me a desire for something that will never be me and is not me.  This is one of the reasons in my 20s I was cautious about joining Christian women-only groups - they seemed to harbor these ideals. Actually, I've kind of wondered if us mainline Christians are the mis...

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about what it means to be set apart for God and how all of us Christians are set apart for God.  I've thought about how I started the race well as a child, having been confident of my faith and committed to living differently as described in the Bible.  Then considered how my teenage years I gave into pressures to "conform to the world."  It was in little ways that I gave in - telling a dirty joke, laughing when I shouldn't, and wearing "attractive" clothes.  I remember hearing my grandmother say on multiple occasions, "what is so bad about being a nerd?"  Then in college, I chose to be set apart by joining other Christians at a Christian college. I had hoped to be humbled by having others around me of deep faith.  Instead what I discovered were things that I didn't like about Christians.  Yes, I was blessed my first couple of years in a cocoon of growth, but in the later years I began to questio...

I think reading the reflections of pastors from the past is a gem in my collection of tools for ministry.  Sometimes they seem so much wiser than the writings from pastors today.  Pastors who are too consumed with contemporary life to recognize the truths and principles of ministry that have stayed consistent through the years. I want to be that type of pastor. The one who holds on to and lives the core values of pastoral care.  The shepherd who knows her sheep by name and their stories by heart.  One who listens and creates sacred spaces of hospitality where God's love and grace is shown.  A minister who keeps Jesus Christ first and lives a life of prayer, soulful rest, Bible study, and joy-filled fellowship. I want my life to reflect God's peace.  I want to be a presence that brings people home to Jesus. I want to love and to live freely.  When people think of me and my profession, I would like them to think "pastor" before "minister." I apprec...

Holy ecstasy that is what I feel in Your Divine Presence Holy ecstasy I feel selfish in the joy I discover in Your presence Nothing can compete with this pleasure of honoring Your holy Name. When I put you first, my whole world changes, it improves faster than overnight. You must be jealous of this change in me.

This has been a week of God sightings. This past Monday immediately after receiving a phone call that could have made me very nervous, a beautiful, bright rainbow with clearly defined colors appeared perfectly framed by my living room window on a sunny day.   It was as if God was saying "I promised" and "It will turn out alright." This morning I had a dream where an acquaintance came to my door and asked me to intercede in prayer for him.   And this past week my mom encouraged me to contact this pastor who lives 1,000 miles away whom I have never met to see if he would be willing to meet.  I contacted a member of his church and within 24 hours I received an email response saying that this pastor will be in my neighborhood this upcoming week and was given his cell number! In none of these circumstances was I expecting to hear from God.  Perhaps I should be listening more!

Note - this is in process and may be edited from time to time. Personal Mission To recognize and highlight the Imago Dei in all of God's human creation. 1) As a child of God, I am inspired to embody the aroma of Jesus Christ while daily taking steps of faith that reflect my reliance on the ever-present love and wisdom of God. 2) As a family member and friend, I am committed to being a prayerful, honest, and loving presence; a loved one who is willing to take the risk, to create and preserve sacred space. What I seek in return is a space where I can also be vulnerable and admit my sin and receive God's grace. 3) As a minister of God's healing grace, I am called to be a messenger--translating across cultural ravines--for the purpose of: a) building unity in the church, b) furthering the kingdom of God, c) sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and life in the Spirit. My Core Values: Serving and ministering to those marginalized by church and society. Protecting...