Sunday, August 28, 2011
New Directions - Learning in St. Louis
August 28, 2011
This week I traveled to St. Louis, Missouri for the MCC Programming Summit. In MCC Churches we find many people who cross our doors and discover a relationship with a God of love and grace. Some people stay with MCC, having found a place they can call home. Others will stay for awhile and then leave because they are just not a "regular church goer" or they find a church that finds their style of worship.
Almost all mainline churches have a wealth of resources in which to create programs for a church. Programs which feed the spirit and allow people to connect. We at MCC are creating ways in which our churches can develop a program that fits the needs of the people at a particular church. It is exciting work and I look forward to returning from my sabbatical and begin in a new direction.
New directions - we all find ourselves at points during life that call us to go in another direction. Either by force or choice, changes will roll our way that cause us to make decisions that change where we live, who we live with, or even where we might find our life's work.
Where do you find yourself today? Maybe you are in a rut and seek a new direction. You find yourself wanting change but not sure how to proceed. Sometimes we have to step out in faith and trust the God of Creation to show us a way. Other times we just need the courage to embrace the change.
Wherever you are in your life today may all directions lead you to a God of love and grace. May you have the courage to be an active participant in your life journey - with all its ups and downs, challenges and joys.
I return to work in twenty-one days having been on sabbatical for the last sixty days. I have been praying and seeking God's direction in my future and in the church I call home. God lead us this day to a place of newness. Let us not be afraid to embrace change and what will come with those changes.
Blessings,
Pastor Judy
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Weddings, love and feelings
August 5, 2011
I am entering my second month of Sabbatical and getting use to having time on my hands. Last week I started walking and made a goal to walk at least three times a week. This week I am aiming for four times a week. Exercise is good for your body and your soul.
Saturday I have two weddings to officiate. I always enjoy weddings and standing with the couple on their important day. I have been reflecting on what love is and what love is not as I have the time to look within at my own journey.
I follow the teachings of M. Scott Peck, author of The Road Less Traveled. One of the most important things I learned from him was that love is NOT a feeling. Peck was a psychiatrist and when couples would come to his office with the complaint that they had fallen out of love and they no longer felt the same way about each other - well that was when he said the real love can begin.
That true love which we all long for and too often spend our life looking for is an illusion until we learn that love is an action, an activity. Genuine love implies that we extend oneself for the purpose of nurturing our own and our beloved one's spiritual growth. True love is an act of will that transcends those "feelings" we have when we first begin a new relationship with someone.
Too often people get addicted to those wonderful feelings we have when we first get to know another as the relationship grows. Those feelings are nice, but they don't last forever. What comes after that is deep, genuine, true love and the desire to be a part of the spiritual growth of our beloved. It is also a give and take of each other's needs and desires.
In my experience as a pastor I find that I love many, many people. It is my hope that people within my congregation know how much I love them. Often I think of myself as a mid-wife who nurtures the people of God and participates in their spiritual growth and re-birth into a transformed and renewed life.
May my heart be filled with love this day that is evidenced by my actions.
Pastor Judy
I am entering my second month of Sabbatical and getting use to having time on my hands. Last week I started walking and made a goal to walk at least three times a week. This week I am aiming for four times a week. Exercise is good for your body and your soul.
Saturday I have two weddings to officiate. I always enjoy weddings and standing with the couple on their important day. I have been reflecting on what love is and what love is not as I have the time to look within at my own journey.
I follow the teachings of M. Scott Peck, author of The Road Less Traveled. One of the most important things I learned from him was that love is NOT a feeling. Peck was a psychiatrist and when couples would come to his office with the complaint that they had fallen out of love and they no longer felt the same way about each other - well that was when he said the real love can begin.
That true love which we all long for and too often spend our life looking for is an illusion until we learn that love is an action, an activity. Genuine love implies that we extend oneself for the purpose of nurturing our own and our beloved one's spiritual growth. True love is an act of will that transcends those "feelings" we have when we first begin a new relationship with someone.
Too often people get addicted to those wonderful feelings we have when we first get to know another as the relationship grows. Those feelings are nice, but they don't last forever. What comes after that is deep, genuine, true love and the desire to be a part of the spiritual growth of our beloved. It is also a give and take of each other's needs and desires.
In my experience as a pastor I find that I love many, many people. It is my hope that people within my congregation know how much I love them. Often I think of myself as a mid-wife who nurtures the people of God and participates in their spiritual growth and re-birth into a transformed and renewed life.
May my heart be filled with love this day that is evidenced by my actions.
Pastor Judy
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)