a technical glitch . . . and so much more!

i guess i didn't get the memo, and therefore, i have a technical glitch happening in my (blog) life.  some of you got wind of this last week, but, somehow, i figured out a way to handle it then; this week, i cannot.

my glitch is adding pictures to my blog.  previously, i just added them before i began my message, and then i worked around them; moved them to the right or to the left or to the center -- much easier than trying to move people from the right or to the left. . . .  but, now i haven't a clue; i can't even cut and paste them in, which is what i did last week....at least i think that's how i did it last week!  now i'm so confused, i'm lucky if i can remember my password!  by blog instructions say that i need google plus, and i can't even get google minus today!

so, this week's post will be picture-less.  let me describe what this past week has taught.

our leadership council met on retreat -- beginning the year on retreat allows one to set the tone and get some perspective for the time ahead.  that, by the way, is suppose to be what new year's does for us, but honestly, who would pass up champagne at midnight?

with pot-luck goodies in tow (how very united methodist), we gathered to do in-depth planning.  we listened, contemplated, shared ideas, snacked, indulged, laughed, offered ideas and prayed!  we prayed first -- always the best thing to do!  and from our time together, we set in motion a vision for the year:  an opportunity to have our community of faith be in covenant with god and one another, around the areas of prayer, bible reading, worship attendance, witnessing, financial giving, and service.  i'll share more about these areas throughout the year, beginning in april.

my point today is, making a covenant is about making a commitment; that is so difficult for our society.  we can hardly even bring our cell phones to be in the 'vibration only' setting for too long!  being faithful is not an easy decision, but something that is enriching and can lead to a very powerful change in one's life.

and so an unrelated, but actually more related than we think, action happened on sunday.  our united methodist women led us in worship, reminding us of what it means to serve in mission and keep our faith and the world accountable. women have not always been admired for taking a stance.  in the middle ages, women were told that in order to enter the church, they had to keep their heads covered; in a sense, women were kept in their place, under-valued and un-appreciated.

and so women began to gather their numbers together, advocating not for themselves, but for those who also had no voice; the widows, the children, and those for whom the church denied.  today, women continue to be under appreciated but their visibility and strength makes their advocacy even more powerful!  we truly must take off our hats to those who are the drivers of our compassion and care in this day and age (a picture would have been really good here, so you'll have to imagine women adorned with very unique hats standing to lead us in this year ahead, when we need more than ever, to take action to address issues of care and justice).

this is a year of great change, or it has the potential for great change, if we are willing to prayerfully consider what it means to be the hands and feet of jesus in the twenty-first century!  imagine . . . take a moment and truly see a world where we can focus on living without hunger; a world in which we cooperate with our neighbors; a time in which we share our needs and our resources.  if any body can lead us, it will be the united methodist women and their sister organizations throughout the world!

finally, i offer you a recommendation that has been offered to me.  sometimes we discover connections by sharing just the slightest piece of information.  joyce shared with me that she had just finished reading a book entitled god's hotel by (doctor) victoria sweet.  it shares the (true) story of her experience working on the wards of laguna honda hospital in san francisco; an almshouse style facility where people have come for many years to live out their lives or where lives were changed when the county hospital had given up all hope.  i commend the book to you, even though i am only about a quarter of the way through my reading.

the point i make, however, is about connections and relationships.  we never know how those spiritual experiences will come about, or where they will lead us.  as it turned out, joyce was working her nursing rotation in san francisco when she came upon laguna honda; a very florence nightingale style hospital, with wards and nurses and doctors doing somewhat 'pre-modern' medical treatments; before hmo and limited care that left you anticipating returning home before you had even been seen by a doctor!

as joyce was sharing with me about this book, inviting me to read it, she had no way of knowing that i had been to laguna honda in the early 1970's; my 'home church' in daly city had a member of the congregation who resided at laguna honda.  each month the women organized a birthday celebration for the members of her ward; they'd drive into the city with homemade cakes; we'd sing and visit and share the gift of time -- even 40 years ago, the gift of time was a commodity that was in short supply.  but each month this caring act continued!

had joyce not read that book, connecting with her experience there and sharing it with me, neither of us might have ever had this particular shared experience -- and, i suspect, this shared experience might never have reached 'blog status'.  do you have such shared experiences with people whom you meet? 

funny how a technical glitch empowered me to write this particular blog, when, as i arrived, i had something entirely different on my mind to share.  a spirit thing, i suspect, although i'm not sure the spirit had anything to do with my ineptness....  i was just fortunate enough to take a moment to contemplate a "plan b" (using anne lamott's image of how "plan a" wasn't want needed to be shared in the first place!)  a technical glitch?  no!  this was so much more!  have you ever had such an experience as this worth your time to share?

{an aside . . . . i will be away for the next two weeks; a week's vacation, and a week of continuing education.  i can't promise i'll be able to get my technical skills going....but none-the-less, i'll be back pondering very soon!  thank you for your continued interest and your kind feed-back!}

old, new, and i can't figure it out!

this is kristen celebrating christmas; some of us have to work, but i'm not bitter!

somehow, my blog settings have changed over the new year, and i can't seem to figure out how to change them.
so, here you are, getting to experience this new setting with me.
kristen and ben went to the islands for christmas, and i stayed home.  and i got this great picture, so i'm sharing it with you!  what a way to end 2012; with a splash!
and after all the financial cliff hoop-la, i can honestly say, i don't feel any differently in the new year.
the light still dawns on us, and hopefully, we will be able to share the good news, even if our politicians in washington d.c. can't figure it out!

and the picture below is new year's day; my home; i stayed home on that day too!  you can't really see, but our snow in merced looks a little like what people might call 'frost'.  and it was indeed, cold, and has continued to remain cold.  so walking is a challenge in the early, wee hours of the dawn.  but, alas, somebody has to do it!

i suggested to our communion group at the hampshire that they take their morning walk in the afternoon!

and so the new year has begun.  i started sorting out my taxes, and then this morning, in preparation for 'epiphancy', i began to prepare for our high school/college sunday school class.

we will have an epiphany party, based on the beginning text of matthew, chapter 2.  we'll hear about and explore together what epiphany is and was, and what it means to us today -- seeing the light; exploring the possibilities; sharing the gift of life.

we'll have gifts to share, and cake to eat.

now about the cake....a healthy cake to begin the new year...ok, carrot cake -- from scratch -- well, at least it sounds healthy; carrots and raisins; but then you add things like sugar and oil.  well, none the less, it will be a memorable way to explore why it is that one baby made a ruler (herod) so uncomfortable, and why, 2,000 years later, we still seek to follow in 'the way'.

what does it mean to share 'the light of the world', to you?

how will you share your faith in the coming year?

when will you be willing to serve in mission in the days to come?

who, if not jesus, will compel you to advocate on behalf of those whose voice and lives are being silenced?

where will you find your strength to make a difference -- meditation, community support, bible study, a small group; or will it be a sound bite, a headline in the newspaper, a facebook post or a website?

have you started your new year's resolution yet? 

reading?

lifestyle change?

setting out to make a difference?

are you finding peace and making a difference yet in the new year -- and if not, how are you setting out to find your spiritual place in 2013....

for me, the old continues to keep getting older;

the new continues to cause me to remember that i am old and need to continue to learn something new.

and, there is some comfort in knowing that i can't figure everything out...

leaving me to remember how important it is to ask for help, and offer help to others when asked.

all in all, it's not a bad beginning for a new year!