Volunteer or Disciple

Dear Fellow Followers of the Way:
After Kathy’s sermon on Sunday, I have been pondering the difference between volunteers and disciples. As I have read the various call stories of the disciples, they were all hand picked by Jesus and they made radical shifts in life letting go of an old life to follow Jesus. They didn’t volunteer to be a follower of Jesus, they were chosen.

If they had volunteered, they would have always had a choice. As a volunteer you choose the organization and how deeply involved you want to be. How much money and time will you commit? What is your level of commitment? The other element of volunteering is that you always have a way out. You can choose not to help just as easily as you can choose to help.

Discipleship doesn’t give you that easy way out. You have been chosen, it was not your initiative to be involved. We have been called to a lifelong relationship with God and with our fellow disciples. It is a life that is to be shared without reservation, a life of giving ourselves up for others. We have to learn to be dependent not on ourselves but on God.

Just as Jesus served the disciples, he told them that they had to learn to be the servants of others. He commanded them to love one another just as he had loved them. He drew them in to a new way of being and we too are called to a new way of being. As Jesus calls to the crowd and to the disciples to “take up their cross and follow” and he calls to us as well.

I agree with Kathy that the church is a group of disciples and not volunteers. We have been hand picked; we don’t have a way out. And when you have no way out, you need to go in further. I leave you with part of the lyrics from Garth Brooks The River

Too many times we stand aside, and let the waters slip away
‘til what we put off ‘til tomorrow has now become today
So don’t you sit upon the shoreline and say you’re satisfied
Choose to chance the rapids and dare to dance the tide.

As we continue this journey through Lent, I invite you to look for ways to go in further and deeper. You are a disciple and not a volunteer, take up your cross and follow Jesus.
Grace, mercy and peace,
Karen

Mark 10:36-52

Mark 10:46-52

They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way.



This is the 2nd time Jesus has asked the question “What do you want me to do for you?” the first time is 10 verses earlier to James and John who knowing what they are asking for, ask to sit at Jesus’ right and left hand. Bartimaeus knows exactly what he wants.

What do you want me to do for you is a powerful question. I had this question asked of me by a Westminster member a couple Sundays ago. I, unlike Bartimaeus, was speechless. I was being served by the Christ in this member, but was unable or unwilling to throw off my cloak and meet Christ with a clear answer.

Bartimaeus jumps up and throws off his cloak. Most likely his only possession, and leaves it by the side of the road. The cloak would slow him down in trying to get to the Son of David, who has stopped and called him.

We all have cloaks, things that protects us, clothe us, give us our identity and possibly hinder us. Are we willing to leave them by the roadside because Jesus calls? Or does the cloak help us hide from ourselves? If we keep the cloak on we see Jesus from the roadside, but are not face-to face and we are not asked the question. We don’t have to examine ourselves for the answer to “What do you want me to do for you?”

It is often easier to let ourselves get lost in the crowd, hiding under our cloak. Seeing Jesus but not coming face-to-face. Hoping that the status quo will not change. But not Bartimaeus. He hears that Jesus is passing by and he so desires to come face to face, he will not be deterred. The crowd tells him to be silent, but he raises his plea once again.

May we have the persistence and the desire of Bartimaeus. May we so long to meet Jesus face to face that nothing will deter us, and when the chance comes, may we heed the call, spring up, throw off all that hinders us and have a clear picture of the thing we want more than anything else. That way when Jesus asks the question “What do you want me to do for you?” we know in our answer in our heart of hearts that our faith may make us well and we too will follow Jesus along the road.

Dealing with Hard Times

Dear Fellow Followers of the Way,

The news has not been good. The economic situation in the country has continued to slide, businesses are continuing to need to be bailed out, and our church budget issues are all pressing issues. These are issues with no easy answers. As the news continues to be bad, more tragedies begin to surface.

Last week a father, after losing his job, killed his wife and five children before killing himself. In his faxed note, he says that he and his wife saw no reason to live. In the news reports as they spoke with neighbors, the neighbors were shocked. They knew Ervin Lupoe as a loving father and one neighbor spoke of being invited over for dinner and Lupoe recommending a builder for them. The neighbors never knew that anything was wrong.

Have we become so good at presenting a façade that all is well, that no one knows what is really going on in our lives? Have we separated ourselves from others so that we live on our own little islands? We ask how people are doing hoping that they respond with the socially appropriate answer “fine.” We are exchanging pleasantries, not really asking a question. Would this family of seven still be alive if people had stopped to really check in? Would that be enough to help them maintain hope?

So what are we the church called to do in times like this? I believe we need to remind people that we have a God who is faithful and is in the midst of our agony. When hearts break, God’s is the first one broken. This is a time to be joined in prayer and a time to be reconnected to the family of God by being in church. Check in with the people you know, really talk to them and find out how things are going. And remember, that God is faithful and will make a way where there is no way.

Grace, Mercy, and Peace,
Karen


A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
our helper he amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal.

Doubt

Fellow Followers of the Way:

“What do you do when you’re not sure?” This is the opening line of Father Flynn’s sermon in the play and the new movie Doubt. I know several members of Westminster have seen the play or the movie, but for those who haven’t, here is the synopsis from the Internet Movie Database.

It's 1964, St. Nicholas in the Bronx. A charismatic priest, Father Flynn, is trying to upend the schools' strict customs, which have long been fiercely guarded by Sister Aloysius Beauvier, the iron-gloved Principal who believes in the power of fear and discipline. The winds of political change are sweeping through the community, and indeed, the school has just accepted its first black student, Donald Miller. But when Sister James, a hopeful innocent, shares with Sister Aloysius her guilt-inducing suspicion that Father Flynn is paying too much personal attention to Donald, Sister Aloysius sets off on a personal crusade to unearth the truth and to expunge Flynn from the school. Now, without a shard of proof besides her moral certainty, Sister Aloysius locks into a battle of wills with Father Flynn which threatens to tear apart the community with irrevocable consequence. Written by Miramax Films

One of the things that I pondered after seeing the movie was how certainty and doubt play a role in the lives of Christians. In the movie, Sister Aloysius acts on her moral certainty. Christians like this scare me. I am reminded of a lesson learned in school that there are very few occasions when the terms always and never apply. The world is not so black and white that things can be categorized as “always this way” or “never like that” People who think this way quite honestly scare me. If we get into this certainty of thought, we are always right and we never give new ideas a chance.

However, doubt is a scary thing too. It is hard to predict what the future holds and whether we should meet the future with anxiety or excitement or both. Doubt can paralyze us into inactivity or it can cause us to turn a blind eye to those things we need to correct. How do we live in the murky middle? How do we live between certainty and doubt? How do we let our fear keep from getting the better of us?

The theme for the Mid Winter Youth conference was “Need a Power Outlet? Plug into Jesus!” It was based on Romans 12:1-8. We talked about not conforming to the world, but to be transformed and to live into what we are each called to be. When we live in doubt, our tendency is to conform, we become afraid of standing out.

One of the small group activities during the weekend was a guided meditation. In that meditation you are guided into a room full of weights. The weights are of various sizes and each one is labeled with a burden or problem. Jesus is next to you and asks you to hand the weights over to him. As you hand a weight to Jesus, he takes the burden and gives you a feather light coin with the same problem on it.

One of the points to this is to realize that Jesus takes the burden of our fears and doubts, but it doesn’t mean that we are rid of them. They are still ours, but the burden has been taken away. We can go to God in prayer, we can release our doubts; the reality of our situation remains, but we can be freed from fear. We become like the father in Mark 9:24 who cries out “I believe, help me now my unbelief!” When we put our faith in Christ, it doesn’t mean all our problems go away, but we are freed from the burden of them.

Certainty and doubt, 2 states that can lead to fear and can paralyze us. It has long been a part of the Christian faith. There are many hymns that speak to doubt. This is the last verse of the Hymn of Promise by Natalie Sleeth. It is in Sing the Faith.

In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity;

 In our doubt there is believing; in our life, eternity,

 In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory,

 Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

I am reminded that belief comes from doubt and that what lies ahead can only be seen by God. If we are so dogmatic in our belief, we leave no room for God to work within us. By the same token if we dwell in doubt, we are afraid to do anything. So “what do you do when you’re unsure?” The Christian response needs to be turning to God, turning to faith and letting God work in and through us to transform us. May we all put our trust in God, knowing the God alone can see what lies ahead for each of us. May we all find belief even amidst our doubt.

Grace, mercy and peace,
Karen

Remembering to live in the moment

I am amazed at how much time I spend worrying about what lies ahead.   Usually it is stuff that is beyond my control.  My realization of the week has been that there is one thing that I can control and that is my attitude.  Situations are what they are, but how I deal with them is my choice.  

This was brought on by a confrontation after feeling attacked.  I chose to let it dominate me instead of choosing my attitude toward it.  Fortunately, I got things in my head straightened out with the help of good friends.

searching

I have begun to ask myself what parts of my ministry excite me.  Unfortunately I am discovering that there are parts of my job that are outside of my passion areas.  There are areas that don't have energy within them and require more energy from me.   

That then begs the question what to do if there isn't energy for a program in a church, should it be allowed to die  People say it is important, but they don't really support it with their time.  

Advent Word

Expectation – anxious, collective and operative expectation of an end of the world, that is to say, of an issue for the world – that is perhaps the supreme Christian function and the most distinctive characteristic of our religion.

Historically speaking, that expectation has never ceased to guide the progress of our faith like a torch...We persist in saying that we keep vigil in expectation of the Master. But in reality we should have to admit, if we were sincere, that we no longer expect anything. The flame must be revived at all costs. At all costs we must renew in ourselves the desire and the hope for the great coming. But where are we to look for the source of this rejuvenation? From the perception of a more intimate connection between the victory of Christ and the outcome of the work which our human effort here below is seeking to construct.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (19th Century Jesuit Priest)

Dear Fellow Followers of the Way:

The journey to Bethlehem has begun; a season of expectation is upon us. The lectionary readings for the first Sunday of Advent remind us to keep watch and alert us to the coming of the Son of Man. We are given the example of the doorkeeper who keeps watch for the Master to return.

Unfortunately, the only doors we keep watch over it seems are the ones that lead to business establishments where we can buy more stuff. Our society has become so obsessed with the commercial side of Christmas that Black Friday, originally named by the Philadelphia Police in the 60’s because of all the traffic, has become truly black.   Last Friday, Jdimytai Damour, a temporary employee at the Valley Stream, NY Wal-Mart, was trampled to death by the crowd as they broke down the doors to get at the items on sale. Not only did the crowd kill Damour, but injured 4 others and news reports state that many consumers were angry about being asked to leave.

With this event Pierre Teihard de Chardin’s words struck me. “We persist in saying that we keep vigil in expectation of the Master. But in reality we should have to admit, if we were sincere, that we no longer expect anything.” The mad rushing crowd, the craze of bargain hunting, our expectations seem too often to be about finding deals and not about the return of the Master.

This week as we stand with John the Baptist in the lectionary text, let us hear the voice in the wilderness. A voice that cries out for repentance, that calls us to come to ourselves and to turn toward God. It is a voice that can perhaps help us revive the flame of our faith. A voice that perhaps can remind us to see and hear the Christmas story with new eyes and ears.

During Advent the church recounts a story known by the oldest and the youngest saints. The more often we hear it, the more immune to the story we become. The more immune to the story we become, the easier it is to become consumed by greed and materialism. This is a most amazing story. Through the weeks of Advent we are called to keep watch for the coming of the Master. John the Baptist calls us to turn toward God and then we read the stories that remind us of the incarnation, to celebrate the first coming of the Prince of Peace. As we wait in anticipation for the coming of the Christ child, let us remember to keep watch at the door of the Master’s house. Let us remember who we are and who we are called to be. May our hope be a light to the rest of the world so they too may stand watch with us.

With Advent anticipation, expectation, and hope,
Karen

God of Abundance

God, whose giving knows no ending, from your rich and endless store—

Nature’s wonder, Jesus’ wisdom, costly cross, grave’s shattered door –

Gifted by you, we turn to you, offering up ourselves in praise;

Thankful song shall rise forever, gracious Donor of our days.

Treasure, too, you have entrusted, gain through powers your grace conferred,

Ours to use for home and kindred, and to spread the gospel word.

Open wide our hands in sharing, as we heed Christ’s ageless call,

Healing, teaching, and reclaiming, serving you by loving all.

Dear Fellow Followers of the Way:

The sermon text last Sunday was the story of the feeding of the five thousand and while listening to Bill’s sermon, I was struck by God’s abundance in the story. I began to think of other biblical examples of God’s abundance and then I decided to email some of my friends and have them brainstorm other examples with me. Here is a start to references to God’s abundance.

Genesis 1 Job 42 Matt 6:31-33 John 10:10
Genesis 15 Psalm 23 Luke 5:1-11 All Healing and Miracle Stories
Exodus 16 Psalm 103: 1-5 Luke 14
Numbers 11 Psalm 104: 25 Luke 15:22 Romans 15:13
Ruth Eccl 5 :18-20 John 2 2 Cor 9:8 - 11
1 Kings 17 Amos 13 John 3:16 Revelation 21:15-21


I would guess there are hundreds more examples to be found. And although we see great abundance in these stories, the concept of scarcity lurks within the texts as well. In an article by Walter Brueggemann, “The Liturgy of Abundance, The Myth of Scarcity,” he points out the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt. In Genesis, Pharaoh orders the harvest to be stored. It was not about offering it to the people, it was about greed and making sure he had enough. Several generations later, the Pharaoh is scared of the abundance of the Hebrew people and orders the midwives to kill the baby boys. According to Brueggemann, “The fear of not having enough brings about the mentality of scarcity.” The author of Ecclesiastes comments on this as well in 5:10 “The lover of money will not be satisfied with money; nor the lover of wealth, with gain. This also is vanity.”

How could the author of Ecclesiastes have been so spot on for our world today? Consumerism is rampant. People buy without money to pay for things. It has created an environment of stress, distrust, and greed. Many people are never satisfied with what they have, they claim they will be happy if they just ____________. How have we let the fear of not having enough choke out the memory of the promises of God? How did we get so trapped in this mentality of scarcity? How do we get out of it?

I think we have to start with how we define abundance. As one of my friends reminded me context makes all the difference. Abundance looks different for someone with enough to eat and enough money to pay the bills relatively stress free than it does to someone who worries about which bills to pay in a given month or to someone wondering where the next meal will come from. Our culture tends to define abundance in material things as seen in the bumper sticker “He who dies with the most toys wins.” This kind of abundance is a source of lots of stress.

In a quest for more things, our society as created a sense of fear that there will never be enough. It is easy to want to hoard what we have and push others away, but is this what God intends for our lives? No. God intends for us to reach out to others and to live life with an open hand: an open hand that receives the grace and the blessing from the God who Provides (Jehovah Jireh Genesis 22:13-14) and an open hand that extends those blessings to those in need. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9:11 “ You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion.” Our society, the world teaches us a mentality of scarcity, but in God we find extravagance and abundance.

In this time of Thanksgiving, may we remember that our God is a God of plenty. Let us offer ourselves in praise to God and use the talents and gifts we have been given to reach out to people in our community and in our world. Let us celebrate God’s abundance and reach out with an open hand to the world and give the world hope. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

Grace, Mercy and Peace,
Karen

How easy is change?

Barack Obama has just been elected as the new President of the United States. He has had a platform based on hope and change, the people have bought in. I think many realize that we cannot continue the same path we have been on. But how easy will it be for us to actually change. How easy is for anyone to actually change? Only time will tell.

Here is to the hope of change. the hope of finding a new way.

Weekly Word for September 16th

1 Peter 5:1-6
5Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you 2to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it—not for sordid gain but eagerly. 3Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock. 4And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away. 5In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for‘ God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time.
Dear Fellow Followers of the Way:
Leadership has been in the spotlight in recent weeks. Whether it is the Presidential campaigns which are heating up or the leadership seen in light of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, we have seen leaders in a variety of areas of life. Our own denominational publications are not different. This month Presbyterians Today and The Presbyterian Outlook have both published journals whose lead stories are about leaders in the church.

Hundreds of books have been written on leadership with titles such as Who Moved My Cheese?, The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader , and Leadership Without Easy Answers, written by the likes of Spencer Johnson, John Maxwell, and Ronald Heifetz. The articles printed in Presbyterians Today and The Presbyterian Outlook speaks to the need for leaders to improvise like jazz musicians and for “Dangerous elders to be alive in their faith and fully empowered to be spiritual leaders in their church.”

Regardless of the leaders we see on television, I am drawn back to an assignment from the leadership class I took while in seminary. We were given a list of biblical figures that were seen as leaders, Moses, Joseph, Deborah, David, Esther, and my personal favorite Peter.

They all had gifts that were needed and they were all called by God, but Peter is my favorite as we can see a change in him as we move through the New Testament. In the gospels we see a younger, brasher Peter. The one who in one breath says “You are the Christ,” and in the next is rebuking Jesus only to hear “Get behind me Satan!” Peter with faith to get out of the boat, but not enough to stay dry. Peter who denies Christ three times, but is asked three times to feed Christ’s sheep. This is the man who is one of the great leaders of the early church.

Peter is one of my favorites because he is so very human. Faithful and loyal but full of fear. Peter needed to be reassured and needed help as he learned from his mistakes. As his ministry draws to a close we find the text quoted above. We are invited to lead willingly as God would have us do, to humble ourselves before God.

I invite you to read the articles “Like Jazz Musicians Effective Church Leaders have the ability to Improvise,” and “Dangerous Elders, Dynamic Deacons.” I also invite you to spend time getting to know Simon Peter in the Gospels, Acts and the Epistles of Peter. If his leadership style doesn’t match yours look at Moses, Deborah, David, Esther, Paul or find another leadership style in the Bible. Then look at where and how you might use your leadership skills. Where is God calling you to step out in faith and lead?

Grace, Mercy, and Peace,
Karen

Weekly Word..

About once a month I am charged with writing the "Weekly Word" in the weekly email newsletter for Westminster Presbyterian Church. I have decided to start posting them here as well.

Dear Fellow Followers of the Way,

Every night when I get home, I open up my laptop and spend several hours online. Yes, I will admit it, I am a tech geek. I am one of the thousands who are addicted to text messaging, email, and Facebook. For those of you not familiar with Facebook, it is a online social network that has around 80 million users. It is one of several social networking sites that have been created for people to connect to online communities.

I am fascinated with this new phenomenon of online communities. What has happened in society? What happened to the days of talking to neighbors over the back fence (and yes, I remember talking with neighbors over the fence)? Where are the days when the church was the center of community life? When was the last time you picked up the phone and called a friend? The back fence and the local church have been replaced by high speed internet and cyber community. Telephone conversation has been supplanted by text messages and email.

What I find so fascinating is that we long for community, so we are more physically accessible than ever. Laptops, cell phones with more memory than the laptops of 5 years ago, and blue tooth headsets make us accessible at all times, but do they help foster community? We may be connected, but is that what makes community? I would argue no. Community is about relationship; it is about something that ties us together at a deeper level. Community is about being open and vulnerable to others and being a part of one another’s lives.

As Christians we are called to live in community. Jesus called the disciples to follow him. He invited them to be a part of a community. They shared meals together, they traveled together, they sat at Jesus’ feet to learn together. There were a part of each other’s lives. The invitation to follow Jesus is an invitation to not only be in community one with another, but it is an invitation into the very life of God.

We worship the Triune God who is the very essence of community. Theologian Elizabeth Johnson in She Who Is describes the Trinity as a triple helix, individual strands not connected but intertwined and inseparable. She also borrows the image of the divine round dance where the Godhead spirals inward, outward and forward out of freely given love; love that overflows in the freely given love in the person of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ draws us into the very life of God; we are invited into the divine dance. We are invited to be in community, to be intertwined and inseparable parts of one another’s lives. So how intertwined are you in the life of the community that is Westminster Presbyterian Church? To become intertwined means to participate in the lives of one another; to participate in the life of the church. As we approach Rally Day and the All Church retreat, where will you plug into the life of the church? Will you sit on the sideline or will you enter the divine dance?

In Christ’s love
Karen

A New Adventure

I am off to Massanetta Springs, VA in the morning. I will be the keynote speaker for 2 identical middle school conferences. One of my seminary friends and classmates, Kelly Kaufman suggested my name. I have moved from panic to terror. Two sermons and 4 keynotes plus 3 devotionals and questions after keynotes has moved me to a state of terror.

This is another experience that although it is my "first rodeo" I feel like it can't appear that way. I had these same feelings when I presided at my first funeral. On one level I am pretty sure everything will be just fine. I will deal with things as they come and everything will get done. On another level I am glad for the panic and terror because this is the Word of God.

Here's to trusting God and going forward!

At the close of GA

I have been watching the streaming video and participating in a live blog during GA. Many will think we are going to hell in a handbasket after voting to delete G-6.0106b. It will be interesting to see what happens across the church. I am truly interested to see how many people in my congregation actually know what went on.

And yes, I have tipped some cows. I have learned that it must be done carefully and with great care. "We've never done it that way" rings about many things, but often those are the very things we do in fact need to change. This fall will bring about several changes. Should be fun!

Anyone for Sacred Cow Tipping?

Over lunch I was sharing some of my ideas that have stemmed from needs expressed by parents of preschool kids. In the course of conversation, I discovered a sacred cow. To move forward with these ideas means the possibility of re-engaging several families into the life of the congregation, but it also means to risk pissing off some staunch members because "We've never done it that way before" and I feel like they are afraid that one change may lead to a bigger change.

I would love to make gourmet burgers, but I don't want to alienate folks either. Trying to find a way to tip this sacred bossie over in the hopes to help families of preschoolers without completely alienating myself from some other members. There is big risk, but there is also big reward.

After the first week

Well, I made it through my first week back in the real world without running away screaming! The first week at Westminster was good. I had committee meetings the first 2 nights and spent a lot of time unpacking and reading curriculum. I have a lot to catch up on, and I have to remember that it will take some time. People here have been happy to have me back.

One of the meetings was a Session meeting with a strategic planner. In looking ahead, it makes me wonder why God has called me to this place at this time. After Tuesday night, I feel sure that I have been called here, but I know not why. What is it about my particular set of gifts that is needed in this place. That is the question that lies ahead for me.

Friday I met with the children's ministry team chair and there is much work to be done. I am teaching the elementary group in 3 weeks, planning curriculum for summer, VBS, and revamping curriculum for the fall. I think it will keep me busy.

I have also continued to get the apartment unpacked and even have some pictures up now. Woo Hoo!

I really hate moving

For the last couple weeks I have been packing and repacking stuff into boxes. Throughout this process it is ever apparent that my mom and I do not do things the same way. It has been a cause of tension. My sisters have stuck up for me. I think everything is now packed and ready for the movers.

The next few days will be crazy, but then I start my new position as Director of Christian Education on Monday, March 31st at Westminster Presbyterian in Austin. I am excited about the position and the possibilities that exist. It is nice to be returning to a community that I already know.

But I still hate moving.

Griping about airlines

Just flew back from Virginia and thought I was going to get stuck with both my carry ons (a backpack and computer case) at my feet because of the suitcases that were boarding ahead of me. Unfortunately with all the new restrictions coming about checked luggage, I think there will be more and more suitcases carried onboard.

When people lug these things onboard they slow down the boarding process because they can't seem to lift their bag over their head and into the bin. When they finally get a corner balanced on the edge of the overhead bin, half the time because they have the expandable suitcase fully expanded they have to fight to get it into the bin anyway. I swear I saw suitcases that were almost the size of my checked 23" bag going on board. They finally made people gate check them because of the space.

I wish instead of charging people $25 for a second checked bag, the airlines would charge for the stupidly overly large luggage going on the airplane!!

Stan Hallisms

Many of the APTS blogging community have made comments about the death of beloved professor Stanley R. Hall. He was an editor of the Presbyterian Book of Common Worship and was the one who taught me (and many others) to love and respect liturgy and worship. Since taking The Church as Worshipping Community my junior year, I have looked at worship and worship space differently.

One of the fun things about class with Stan was his quirky turns of phrase, what have been lovingly dubbed "Stan Hallisms." You never knew when one would be uttered, but some of them were absolutely priceless. Here are some of my favorites.

• Presbyterian worship, boredom to the glory of God
• Nothing is as new as what is old
• To gather as a community we commit theology
• No prejudice against the merely dead in Christ
• Prayer – doing deals with God
• To make a difference, that if we closed our doors we would be missed
• Never neglect the use of strange funny words
• Latin is a good language for offering sacrifice
• Big sucking font
• Great God org
• The 70’s brought in a lot of balloons and grab-ass liturgy
• Jesus soup
• Rich visceral stuff
• Wigged out over worship
• Gifts to the church are your enemy
• Aesthetically slightly ugly
• Enough water to drown a cat

So to Stan who has transferred membership to the church triumphant, thank you for a new look at boredom to the glory of God, for an appreciation of the rich visceral stuff that happens so that we would indeed be missed if we closed our doors. I promise not to relive the 70's or to create church architecture that is aesthetically slightly ugly. Stan Hall will be missed, but I am richer for having known him.

The Adventures in Ministry Begins

Although it is not what I expected my first step to be, I have accepted a position as the Christian Educator at Westminster Presbyterian Church of Austin, TX. At this point it is a non-ordained position, but there is possibility of it becoming ordained down the road. I have begun to feel that I am marking time and this church offers a chance to engage in congregational ministry and gain experience. I have also discovered a passion for working with children and youth and exploring theology.

I see this as a chance to vision with people for what they want in ministry with children and youth and help them work toward it. I also understand that this is only one stop of many in my future of ministry.

Yet another library burns...

Today marked the 2nd library to burn in the last week. Last week saw the death of Jack Stotts. Today the living library Stanley R Hall died. I am grateful for the time that I got to spend learning from Stan and getting to know Stan. He has left a living legacy in all the students who sat in class with him, whether they agreed with him or not. I have been shaped by Stan's gift of knowledge.

I can't help but think that there is now a task ahead for the students of Stan and Jack. For those of us who knew these men, we know the legacy that they left us. The torch has been passed. it is now ours to run with, to nurture the flame and to watch it grow.

I pray for comfort for the family and friends of Stan Hall as they mourn his passing. For me, Stan Hallisms run through my head. The one that yells the loudest in my mind is "Let us not be prejudice against the merely dead in Christ."