walking in prayer . . . walking in health

we began the season of introspection last week...historically, the church has called this time 'lent', when we often give up (foods or beverages that we are often dependent on) or take on something (a service of some kind) for 40 days.  This is a symbolic time when we reflect on the things that tempt us not to remain faithful or committed to our faith teachings; in this time we seek to be attentive to our faith, and grow closer to the love that jesus shared with us and all the world.

we at the united methodist church of merced, are handling this season a little differently this year.  we are offering a reflection of the season utilizing adam hamilton's work, '24 hours that changed the world'.  in this study, both during worship and in small groups, we will explore, well, the last 24 hours of jesus' life, beginning with the passover seder that we embrace as communion, and concluding with the crucifixion.

as a way of beginning this journey, we offered a personal prayer time on ash wednesday.  instead of having a traditional service in which we conclude with receiving ashes on our foreheads and remembering that we are dust and to dust we shall return, we offered the labyrinth.  walking the labyrinth is a style of prayer that invites us to open ourselves up to a journey with god; as we walk into the center, we let go of those things which prevent us or block us from faithfulness; as we walk out from the center, we are open to receive god's spirit -- which is always available to us, but after we let go of all our clutter, we have room for god and better resources to grow in faith.

we will offer the labyrinth again on thursday april 5, and friday april 6; those days are traditionally known as holy thursday and good friday.  we felt the best way to be closer to understanding our spiritual path was in prayer with god.  so please, join us.  we will even have 'on line' and paper labyrinths available for those who have difficulty walking.  11:30 am until 2 pm; 5 pm until 7 pm, both days. 

i've always believed that one could not get lost on the labyrinth.  it is a simple path to follow.  but somehow this past week, i never made it to the center.  so my season of reflection will be to prayerfully consider what that means.  i did make it back out again, and i wasn't fearful, just curious and amazed that this could happen.  i understand this has happened to others as well.  no worries, when it comes to prayer.

so here is a picture of me walking the labyrinth.  such a calming experience and a wonderful way to be emptied and filled again by the grace of god.  i'm ready for whatever this season brings.

and my walking continues.  for those who have been following my blog, you know that i've started walking with a pedometer.  my goal each day is to take at least 7,000 steps.  most days it is not a problem to reach that goal number, but on days when i have to be somewhere early (like worship on sunday mornings or the men's breakfast and bible study on thursday mornings), i just can't get in my daily walk.  rather than being obsessed by this reality, i find that i'm ok with being able to walk five days and take two off. 

i'm paying attention, once again, to what god is trying to say to me.  and in the process, i've completed 720 health miles on my pedometer.  when i am able to walk in the morning, my step count is moving toward over 10,000 steps!  wha-hoo!  my hope is to reach 2,000 health miles by march 30. 

i kind of like having a goal, and being accountable to others other than myself (i have not one, but two clergy groups with whom i will be sharing the results each week).  not obsessive, but committed!  i've noted how difficult it is for some of my colleagues to commit to being accountable.  i just figure it is one more way to remain faithful -- to myself, if to no one else!

what steps are you taking on your faith journey this season?

one little step and i'm locked out!

as we approach a new season, our focus for the next seven weeks at the church will be on the last 24 hours of Jesus' life, based on the study by adam hamilton from church of the resurrection (united methodist).

granted, the bulbs are blooming and the trees are budding; all of these events earlier than normal.  but this isn't the new season i'm talking about.

each year around the is time, faithful christians begin to reflect inwardly to take what i call a 'faith check-up'.  we explore individually how we are doing with respect to our faith journey.  are we paying attention to god, and the spiritual direction of our lives...are we being the best we can be...are we struggling in some way that needs our attention...are we moving onto perfection, is how john wesley would put it.

we tend to begin this season -- often called lent -- with pancakes of 'fat tuesday'.  our after school program will have this kind of dinner tonight...did someone say yummy?  and then we spend the next 40 days, not including sundays or some of the days before easter, in reflection and exploration, often giving up something or taking on something as a reminder that jesus also took on something for us, and gave us new life.

our church will be offering opportunities to pray the labyrinth in a variety of ways.  traditional markings for this season begin with ash crosses on the forehead, but we're utilizing a new form of lent this year, hoping people will be moved to experience prayer in their daily journey.

our board of pensions, the folks who watch out for clergy health and our retirement, invited us to once again be serious and thoughtful about our health.  clergy are dismal in the health department; too much stress, too many obligations, and too little exercise and healthy eating opportunities.  i wonder if we started having healthy pot-lucks, if people would be more inclined or less inclined to increase their spiritual commitment...oops, i digress.

anyway, in preparation for getting healthy, we have contracted with 'virgin healthmiles' -- now, isn't that a hoot of a company name?!  upon signing up, we were sent a pedometer -- advertised as the ultra-wearable activity tracker with 3d accelerometer-based technology for true tracking accuracy.  the goal is to walk at least 7,000 steps a day.

now, for the technology part, where i got locked out!  i began my walking with the pedometer on thursday evening.  to date, i have walked 48,364 steps, and average 9,672.8 steps (in 5 days). so, i think i'm on track; the trouble, of course, is technology!                                                                                    

we are suppose to download our pedometer every day or so, and then be able to log into our account.  trouble is, i had to create a new personal id for this account; i couldn't use a previous pin to get in, and i must have typed in the wrong pin...three times, thank you very much!  and now i am frozen out of my account.  i was suppose to receive an email to reset my pin, but that has gone into cyberspace, and has yet to reach even my spam folder. 

this isn't turning out to be such a great start to the season. 

never-the-less, i keep walking...i guess that is the important thing.  one foot in front of the other.  one little step. 

what might your step be in these coming weeks?  how will you check in with yourself and with god to see how your spiritual journey is.  are you healthy?  are you spirited?  are you moving faithfully?

. . . about valentine's day

what do you remember about valentine's day?

historically, valentine's day has many starting points; one being that it is a day to remember early christian martyrs named valentine.  one valentine was martyred for his care of couples in 269; legend had it that when weddings were outlawed by the church (yes, this is STILL happening!) for some reason, valentine did the ceremonies in secret, making contact with the couples via notes signed valentine.

it became established as a real holiday in 496 by pope gelasius the first.  it was associated with romantic (courtly) love in the high middle ages by none other than geoffrey chaucer!  by the 15th century, flowers, candy and 'valentine' cards were shared between lovers; today we have target and see's!

last year an all star cast came out with a movie, 'valentien's day'.  so, there you have it.

what do you remember about valentien's day?  red, pink and while paper heart-made cards out of construction paper?  chalky candy hearts with messages like 'i love you' and 'you're sweet' written on them?  red-hots?  chocolate hearts?  mysterious flowers appearing?  roses costing hundreds of dollars?

I remember learning to play post office (now get your minds out of the gutter!) in second grade when we did a unit on the u.s. postal service.  we got to decorate lunch bags and set them on our desks (these became the mail boxes where we lived in class).  we'd have cupcakes and punch for our party...how is it that anyone ever decided that two such sweet things like punch and cake go together?  boxed hearts...they still sell those at target -- they might even actually BE the same hearts from my second grade classroom!

homemade cards, store bought cards.  valentines in every shape and size.  what do they mean?

love.  a way to express what is sometimes difficult to say in person.  love.  sentimental, perhaps.  but deeply meaningful.  where would we be without love?  love is not easy.  love takes work, and can slip through your fingers when you're not paying attention.  even when you ARE paying attention, love can hurt.  deep love is eternal.  with the wind on our face, we can remember that the spirit of love is jesus. 

do you remember your first love?  the love you never thought would end?  the love you never thought possible again?  the love that is inside of you...to give, and also to receive.

if nothing else, remember that every day, not just today, but every day: you are loved, you are appreciated, and you are worth the love that is shared.  and no one, no matter what, is beyond love.  that may seem debatable by some.  but, fortunately, we're not the ones who have the final say.

share love always; don't hold back.  and in those times when love feels so distant, think back upon those handmade cards that perhaps you even made once.  remember that you have the capacity to share all the love that is within you.  what a great love story....you!  

going about the task, interrupted

do you ever get going about your task, and then find yourself interrupted? i believe this might be something worth paying attention to....

case in point. i found myself far behind this past week, and traveling south for a workshop that was scheduled for two days. since i couldn't add another day to the week, or more hours to the day, i ended up not attending the second day of the workshop, and staying home. actually, the first day of the workshop was insightful and will be useful, so i don't feel cheated.

that was my first interruption of the week-end. had i not listened to 'that still small voice', i might have tried to over-do-it, and therefore would not have been ready for sunday -- and as a pastor, i can't very well stand in front of the faithful, yearning to hear a word from god and say, 'my dog ate my homework' or 'i ran out of time' or even 'i was uninspired this week' (which i was not!) so, saturday came, and was very productive on a number of fronts.

sunday morning, however, i was feeling just a little bit off...ever have one of those days? by the time we had warmed up with 'wings' -- our praise team -- i knew that i was really just 'a little bit off'. i wasn't being a martyr thinking that 'the show must go on' -- there are very capable people i can call upon, and the merced congregation is very understanding about emergencies and when things go wrong -- well, after all, they've lived with me for six years!

but, prayerful insight empowered me to lead worship. but by the time fellowship time came, my energy was spent and i departed for home, leaving very capable people in charge of sunday school. and honestly, i had prepared for worship, but would have been just a supportive adult for sunday school.

at home, i interrupted what i usually do on a sunday, and i watched the super bowl -- first time in years!  by monday, i was assured that this season's sinus issues were causing my 'offness'.  this allowed me to finish my taxes and deal with all kinds of other things.  by 3 pm, i was done, and enjoyed a productive and relaxing day-off.  but not before i discovered i needed an oil change!

no worries, i had time to put a strategy in place.  don't be interrupted, but plan for tomorrow!  get up early, be the first to arrive for an oil change and then (maybe) get a jump-start on my day in the office.

funny thing, when going about the task, be prepared to be interrupted!  seems i needed to acquire new jewelry today -- a serpentine belt, among other things.  well, better than being stranded.

now in the office, dealing with stuff, ready to post my blog and -- poof!  it's gone!  going about the task, interrupted.  finally was able to find part of the draft, and since it is past lunchtime, i have a moment before i post to DANCE!  this just in....time to be interrupted from the task -- prop 8 has been overturned!  justice continues to prevail.  care to interrupt your task for a moment, and dance with me?