Uphill idealist

Breathe. Trust. Play. Rest. Create. Love. Be. These are the words that I need. These are the words that I will hold close. These are the words that are a prayer -  when I forget to breathe, when I don't remember to trust, when I need to play, when rest is far from me, when I don't feel like being creative, when love is what I long to feel and when "being" needs to be enough. Be. Love. Create. Rest. Play. Trust. Breathe. Thank you Jesus...  for these seven simple and profound words. No matter the order - these seven words bring light and life. Amen.

There is a wonderful section of Anne Lamott's book, Traveling Mercies, that describes her conversion experience. There was no altar call and no pleading - but there was persistence and the knocking that could not be denied.  "...everywhere I went, I had the feeling that a little cat was following me, wanting me to reach down and pick it up, wanting me to open the door and let it in. But I knew what would happen: you let a cat in one time, give it a little milk, and then it stays forever. So I tried to keep one step ahead of it, slamming my house door whenever I entered or left. And one week later, when I went back to church, I was so hungover that I couldn’t stand up for the songs, and this time I stayed for the sermon, which I thought was so ridiculous, like someone trying to convince me of the existence of extraterrestrials, but the last song was so deep and raw and pure that I could not escape. It was as if the people were singing in between the notes, weeping and joyf...

A reflection on Matthew 16:21-28 Do you know that there is something very special about your hands? There are 29 bones in each of your hands. Also there are 37 muscles that help your hands to move and pick things up. What is something that you do well with your hands? Can you think of anything else that is really interesting about your hands? Your fingerprints are really interesting! Fingerprints are the tiny ridges, whorls and valley patterns on the tip of each finger. They form from pressure on a baby's tiny, developing fingers in the womb. No two people have been found to have the same fingerprints -- they are totally unique. There's a one in 64 billion chance that your fingerprint will match up exactly with someone else's. Fingerprints are even more unique than DNA, the genetic material in each of our cells. Although identical twins can share the same DNA -- or at least most of it -- they can't have the same fingerprints. (Info from article at ...

In the last year or so, my nephew Eli has been taking karate lessons at a martial arts school. When he goes to class he wears a special suit called a Gi and has even earned two different color belts as he’s grown in his skill. Eli has learned all of this by going to class, looking at the sensei (teacher) to see how to practice the exercises and he follows his teacher’s instructions.  Over time Eli showed he had a gift for endurance. When other students were getting tired, he still had energy to burn. Each student in his class excelled in different ways. Some were good at jumping high, kicking, and rolling. Have you ever been in a class like this – what were you good at? In John 1, we have a chance to look, see, follow and come along with Jesus as he becomes the teacher to new students. Just like karate students, we all have God-given gifts. In addition to gifts like running, jumping and energy you also have spiritual gifts. Some examples of spiritual gifts are: wisdom, faith...

Image found at: achurch4me Story of missing puzzle piece – When my daughter was almost one and a half, I was working on redecorating her bedroom. I bought some bright colored fabric and sewed some curtains and bought a new comforter for her new toddler bed. To complete the decorations I found a puzzle that matched the design of her curtains and spent many evenings working on it. I filled in the sky, the houses and all the people in this colorful parade scene. But when I got to placing the last piece of the puzzle, it was nowhere to be found. I searched our apartment from top to bottom, emptied the trash, a vacuumed every corner. I even checked the vacuum cleaner bag – but the missing piece was nowhere to be found. I had planned to seal the finished puzzle with puzzle glue, frame and hang it on my daughter’s bedroom wall. But now, my plans - along with the last piece of the puzzle were lost. For a day or so I sulked about the missing puzzle piece. I considered going a...

Image found at Oregon Idaho UM Conference There is a great deal of power in a name. At birth we are given a name by our parents and that becomes an identifier of who we are. It’s the means of getting our attention, engaging us to participate and giving us a place to interact with others in community. When we have a name, we have a place in a family, at school or work. Our names become a vehicle of interacting with people. Even after death, our names remain to be a point of connection and blessing that carries on well beyond our lifetime. On this day of the Saints, we honor and remember those that have died and can take encouragement from their lives of faith in God. Their lives and our lives are a tapestry woven together by God’s grace and love; in the joys and the sorrows of life. Our names give us a place in this world, but not all of the places and experiences of life initially feel like blessing. Martin Luther speaks of the tension of living with the effect of sin, as Chris...

My friend Kristen is good at reminding me about gratitude. In the last year she and her husband have changed vocations, had a new baby, cared for their active two-year-old boy, self-published a book called “Hyper and happy – 225 toddler activities that work” , and just six months ago relocated from Jamestown to their hometown of Nashville, Tennessee.  Earlier this week, she found a rare moment of quiet in her home and posted a photo that caught my attention. In the picture, I saw a few tree branches that had been collected from her yard that had been artfully placed in a vase, and had small paper leaves had been tied onto the makeshift tree. When I looked a bit closer, I noticed that the leaves were covered with writing. Each leaf was a statement of gratitude and thankfulness. The simplicity and beauty of her picture took me off guard. In the midst of the transition, challenge and hyper but happy atmosphere that Kristen was experiencing; she remembered to make a pr...

Pastor Cartwright's wife's name was Winnie. At least that is what I think her name was. No she wasn't "Winne the Pooh", but she was very friendly and kind. She had gray fluffy hair, a kind face, and a easy going way about her. All these characteristics were reasons I probably wasn't afraid to tell her about the dream I'd had. I was no more than 5 years old and I was sitting in her Kindergarten Sunday school classroom. There was I picture on the wall of Jesus and a multicultural group of children crowding around him. I really liked that picture. At some point, I'd had a dream about Jesus when I was in her class. In the dream, I was one of the children in the crowd huddled around him. In fact, at one point of the dream I was sitting on Jesus lap having a nice chat with him - probably about how much I loved my red patent leather Buster-brown dress shoes. No matter what I actually talked to Jesus about in my dream, I was so excited to have been ...

Image found at "Kings English" . John 13:13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. These words have been rattling around in my mind since the Maundy Thursday worship service last night. Especially this part of the reading: 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. In Jesus time, washing someone's feet was the job of a servant. Because of the dirty and dusty conditions and the open sandals that people wore, people's feet would get very dirty walking around all day. When someone came to your home, it was good manners to...

Here is part of an ongoing conversation that is a part of the small group ministry of First Lutheran Church of Jamestown NY. If you would like to join in on the online discussion follow the link to the Holy Conversations Group on Facebook . When I think of Jesus, my earliest association with him came from my childhood growing up in Sunday school and church. There was a Christmas pageant that baby Jesus was the literal star of and I was one of the myriad of angels singing "Oh come let us adore him", there was communion in worship where his crucifixion story was told - the emphasis of the entire sacrament was to REMEMBER Jesus. My childhood was filled to the brim with Jesus and my early religious education made Jesus the face of God for me. In Mrs. Cartwright's classroom there was a picture of Jesus on the wall where he was surrounded by children from all around the world. I once had a dream where I was seated with Jesus and his full attention was on me. It was a dream that...