F.R.O.G, 9/11, and such . . . .

not long ago, i received a series of e-mails that included FROG; there is a story to go along with the acronym, of course, that deals with a guardian angel that left a little ceramic frog by the bed of a woman in the hospital; her health improved, and a kind person helped her understand the deeper meaning: frog = forever rely on god...or frog.

we celebrated the 10th anniversary this week-end with a wonderful dinner; 10 years of support for wesley foundation merced; a spiritual ministry to the students, faculty and staff at our community college, merced college, and the newest u.c. campus, uc merced. what a relaxing evening; wonderful conversation, a short but informative and energizing program, and a low key but persuasive was to encourage support for this ministry for the years ahead.

at the end of a great meal and program, out came plate-fulls of frog cookies; a yummy reminder to forever rely on god...for a ministry that was only a dream 10 years ago! we now have a solid program under the direction of our half-time campus minister jennifer goto. and we have great determination to expand this ministry to full time, and be able to fully support our wesley student housing. this is truly takes the support of faithful people, and the full reliance on god. be sure and check out this ministry and lend your support . . . www.wesleymerced.org

not just one reminder of frog...but a whole plate full!

as we remember also this week-end, 9/11; September 11th will be forever a marker for change. as people share 'don't forget'; i'm hopeful that we will 'forever remember' the ways in which we can respond in the face of tragedy; through kindness, understanding, forgiveness, and with opportunity. People talk about where they were when this tragedy struck. I remember what people were like the week following this event; quiet skies, numbness, people going out of their way to be helpful, talking with strangers, taking turns and other acts of kindness; that was short-lived, unfortunately. but these 10 years have brought a continued energy to seek understanding and broaden our awareness of a culture and a people for whom most of us were unexposed. our spiritual capacity has broadened, and hopefully our ability to welcome dialogue and understand diversity in more welcoming ways.

i preached about our capacity to learn to forgive, both ourselves and others, for not being perfect; for being human, and for making mistakes that are harmful and hurtful. to learn how to do repair work; to explore how to expand the love of jesus in a more encompassing way. i utilized comments from a collection of letters complied by an organization called "tuesday's children", in a book entitled the legacy letters; messages of life and hope from 9/11 family members. how difficult it is to move on from tragedy; to live without guilt because you happened to survive. love empowers us to move on; not to forget. to allow life to continue to unfold in new and unimaginable ways. sadness, shock and pain give way to newness. it takes time. the 9/11 memorial in new york city will stand as a tribute that life flows on.

we can be embittered; we can be held hostage by fears and pains. and we can allow our past experiences to inform our current reality, so that we may make a difference. we can speak out against oppression; we can name racism is unacceptable; we can work to overcome injustice; we can lean to find understanding on a topic that is new or unexplored by us, each and every day.

bitterness and anger can be the death of us, if we choose to live in that reality. may we choose not to live in that reality, but f.r.o.g. as micah 6:8 reminds us -- what does the lord require of you, but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your god.

may this be our reality . . . .