holy happenings . . . .

having been in several locations in my lifetime during holy week, i kind of knew what to expect; expect the unexpected!

begin with palm sunday ... what have all the palms gone?  those long branches that wave in the breeze ... well, when all else fails, go to a florist and get smaller ones ... and, ta-da!  instant palm sunday.

there was singing, and celebrating, and eventually, the experience of the rest of the week.

on maundy thursday, also called holy thrusday, we gathered for a simple supper; we began by adding more and more table settings because more and more people kept coming!  santa cruz has this great big table ... and you can just keep adding seats and place-settings!  while we ate, we began with the guessing game of 'name the plagues' (exodus, chapter 7) and then remembered the passover (chapter 12) .... and then we moved forward in time to remember the last supper and the foot washing (john, chapter 13), and concluded with communion (i corinthians, chapter 11); always plenty to eat at a united methodist pot-luck!

saturday evening saw us gather on west cliff, spending time in quiet reflection at the easter vigil.  finding time with god can sometimes be a struggle in our busy lives.  taking time for renewal and reflection is worth finding; open up your electric or paper calendars and just schedule it in!


and then there is easter; gathering 12 hours later we find ourselves in the same location, but in an entirely different atmosphere!  celebration in music and communion and the beauty of the coastal morning! 

 

then there is an easter breakfast and worship with more music and celebrating!  the day just never seems to end because this year, easter falls on 4/20 which in santa cruz is a whole celebration of its own! 

 

 

 

 oddly enough, however, there is a whole different week that happens during holy week; 14 days packed into 7!  what more might you do, you ask?  well, there is work to be done in providing
our shelter program with new matts and pillows. 

who could ever guess one can get 20 pillows and 20 air mattresses packed into a cabrio ... but, when all else fails, take down the top (on the coast, of course!)  it is amazing what you can do in a cabrio during holy week!  (you can also get 25 bags of shredded redwood back in there with no trouble at all!!!)

and then you ask someone to make a closet to store all those bags of bedding!

 and then you throw in getting a new computer and learning a touch-screen windows 8.1 program, and you ask yourself, was this really necessary?!  and then you realize the week isn't through yet because earth day falls on the day before easter, and there is a whole other awareness that happens in santa cruz ... we have no plastic bags, but re-usable everything!  who knew a butterfly could look so beautiful in recycled bottle caps, or that united methodists could do so many things with used wine corks?!  and, of course, there was a demonstration of how you can make fruit smoothies by modifying your blinder and attaching it to a stationary bike for power-blending!! 

only in santa cruz, i suspect, could holy happenings make one so cool, calm, and at peace!

 

holy happenings in deed!  christ IS risen; christ is risen INDEED!

in the midst . . . of drought and of lent

 i was departing the office after our music team finished rehearsing, when i came upon the sky; what a great vision this was, and so, thanks to my trusty iphone, i was able to capture this delight!

the sky on the coast changes so rapidly that you hardly can blink before the images before you make a dramatic shift.  i still can hardly believe i am back on the coast, where i haven't been since 1980!

but here i am, drought and all!  and so it goes....

 when we were planning the season of lent with the worship design team, we were very mindful of our lack of water.  and since we planned the image of water, we have still had very little, and water rationing  is (voluntarily) in effect.

and so we are 'in the midst ... of drought and of lent'.

while attending my class on law enforcement for leadership santa cruz county, we began our day at the police department where they had recently dedicated a memorial garden for the two officers who were shot while on duty just over a year ago.

this fountain flows with renewing waters to remind us of the cycle of life.  while we are ever aware of this cycle, we are more mindful of death as it occurs in that cycle -- from illness and age.  we don't usually include the pangs of life to be experienced so abruptly, especially during a call of duty ....

 and so water becomes a form of healing for those moments, both anticipated and unanticipated, in our lives.

the beauty of the coast is ever changing, like the sky. and so it is with the water.  renewing, powerful, soothing.  a beauty to behold.

i keep trying to capture the 'perfect' splash on the rocks.  as they say, timing is everything, as is patience.  both of those adjectives continue to evade me as i work at getting the perfect picture.

 either my iphone clicks too slowly and misses the moment, or i don't hold out long enough in one spot to get the picture that 'i have seen before and after i click'.

water continues to be that vital source of life that comes in the moment and is lost.

but i did get the creative ingenuity of someone who was able to put rocks together to form an image...and the splash of water seemed 'just perfect' in this instance!

one of the things about lent is that as i walk, my pedometer just doesn't understand when i need to stop for five minutes at a time to get that 'perfect' picture.  and so it goes ... but i have managed to become part of the 10 million step club since i began my walking regiment two years ago ... who knew?!

one final 'in the midst experience during this drought and lenten season ... my yard.  without rain, and without watering, flowers don't really grow.  so, along with many others in the area, i keep empty milk jugs and buckets in the areas where i can collect water, be it a sink, a shower, or the garage.  and so, i was rewarded with my efforts by one -- count it ONE iris!  now, that was worth the wait!

back to blogging . . . let the healing waters flow . . . .

ah, to blog again!  it has been a couple of months, or nearly, and ash wednesday has just come and gone; i actually started this post yesterday but got interrupted....a longer story to tell!

so what's been happening?  diana butler bass came to visit santa cruz, sponsored by the progressive christian forum for which i am a member.  a group from the congregation did a book study on her book, 'christianity after religion; the end of church and the birth of a new spiritual awakening'.  we're setting up a 'post diana' group at the church.

the wall posts (pictured) reflects the thoughts of some 225 people who gathered for the diana's workshop.  being able to see the changing tides of religious beliefs and spiritual unfolding is a helpful process ... and colorful too, don't you think?!

and we have had such an odd winter in santa cruz ... and in california in general.  dry.  we're putting water restrictions into place.  our congregation even began to plan the whole season of lent around the subject of water; to cherish this life-giving substance; to care for our earth; to remember water as part of our baptism and to be thankful.

then just as february nearly ended, the heavens began to open up with this life-sustaining wetness we call rain.  so far, we are not out of the drought danger, but we are seeing some good results.

on one of the breaks from the few storms we did have, i took a walk on west cliff, heading to natural bridges where we will have our easter vigil and sunrise service.  and this is one of the views from that walk.  renewing; refreshing; life-sustaining.  no surfers in this part of the ocean, but enjoyable none-the-less! 

the ebb and flow of the waters of life renew us and remind us of the blessings of life.  i invite you to take some time during this season to ponder your place in your spiritual journey, and to find renewing times each and every day.  as you are renewed, so you will face the situations of life in a better space.  you'll make better decisions when your life is calm.

one of the benefits (ok, the challenges too!) of being a pastor is that we get to be a part of everything!!!  the congregation here in santa cruz is very accommodating, and while i don't feel i have to be at everything, i also hate to miss out -- it's just who i am. 

on tuesday mornings to have an upper room study at the abby -- a local church building opened up a coffee house, and we are several groups that show up to check-in, chat, and fellowship together; this is a great environment for spiritual growth.  and they don't mind that we pray!  we've been averaging about 9 on a tuesday morning at 8; and you don't have to come prepared ... just open for the possibilities!  this is a rich opportunity; so come join us!  we can always add another chair!

and so we come to the beginning of lent.  ash wednesday is the beginning of this 40 day (more or less) journey with jesus.  this is the opportunity we have to explore deeply our relationship with god and one another.  lent is an intentional time to find our grounding as a christian.  and as we ready ourselves for new life that will come on easter, we take on a deeper commitment to be what god calls us to be -- if we are willing!

the image we will use this season will be water, and we will hear this image each time we worship.  we will be surrounded by empowering words to wash us and empower us from the battery of words that are thrown at us in our daily lives; nurturing words such as silence, hunger, open, repent, reconcile, mercy and love.

a cross of candles will light our way; the light of Jesus, the two thieves crucified on either side of Jesus, peter james and john, and even a candle representing judas -- all these personalities flow through us during this lenten season; we can come to understanding of what it means to be wrongly accused, crucified for what we believe, learning to grow deeper in faith but still not comprehending fully, and even to betray and wish we could take that moment back.  lent invites us to understand more fully.

so take take to be washed and nourished by renewing waters.  be open to the possibilities.  let the healing waters flow . . . . 

not just a regular day . . . .

 this is not a regular winter; nor is it a regular day.

i was listening to the radio on my way to the office this morning when a song came on the radio ... the chorus of which is ' . . . dance with my father again . . .'. 

it is a song sung by a son, remembering his father and how he use to dance with his mother and he as a child; he is now singing about how sad his mother is, now that his father is dead, and he wants so much just to be able to have his mom dance with his father again, hoping to cheer her; a wish and a prayer.

so, i'm singing along, the romantic in me, when it dawns on me that it would have been my father's 87th birthday today; i am the same age he was when he died.  how ironic is that . . . .

we never do know what time is allotted to us or our  loved ones.

and i am constantly reminded here in santa cruz, to get out and enjoy; get away from my computer and take in the area.

this is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and even though we are seriously talking about water restrictions -- having had only 5 inches of our 30 inches of rain this year -- one cannot help but enjoy wearing short-sleeve shirts in the heart of winter . . .
 

 i mean, honestly, for a community that is supposed to be rainy, foggy, and dreary at this time of the year, irony has dawned upon us; no water, but the ocean! 

and so, here it is:  a little redwood, a surfer, and a wee ship, anchored by the dock of the bay.  santa cruz at it's best in the midst of the worst possible times . . . what more can one do but make the best of it?!

and so, i leave the office after a text message that delights me to know that i will not have to search the parsonage for my opera glasses -- because one does not need to have magnification in order to see one of the other wonders of the world right here in 'my own back yard'!

and really, why travel anywhere else when you can see such wonders as this?!

 ok, seeing a HUGE bumble bee atop a blooming flowing of ice plant might not constitute one of the wonders of the world ... but my being able to take a picture of said bumble bee without getting stung, is!

my elementary school in daly city, thomas edison, was surrounded by ice plant.  we just took it for granted; we climbed on it, tore away patches of it to fling at each other when we were team fighting at recess ... kids stuff.  now i appreciate it, and fathom its ability to hold water and produce such a delicate flower without much rain!

just beyond the shores of west cliff, these reminders of my childhood have followed me into my adulthood; i never could have imagined!

 and yet, another real wonder of this community is that we host a migration area for monarch butterflies.  with the buzzing on the ground, one need only look up into the trees to see a host of hundreds of orange and black fluttering in the trees ... a christmas tree light display could not possibly do it justice!

this particular butterfly was a little out of the migration path ... i had thought, 'wouldn't it be great to get a picture up close and personal?!' ... for the migration area is roped off to keep people like me away from disturbing their rest and relaxation.

but, there always seems to be a non-conformist in the pack, and tuesday was my lucky day!  off by itself, this butterfly found a bit of sun on a tree, just eye level from me as i was walking back to my car ... did i say that i had my convertible top down in the mid-(not so) bleak winter?!

and so, i added additional steps to my pedometer this week, and renewal to my soul.  and i wonder today, about my dad ... might we have enjoyed a bet of a 'get-away' together on tuesday; to enjoy the sights and the unusual weather, even while we would have said, 'even though we need the rain'.

alas, one never knows how much time we have, so we are called upon to enjoy every minute of every moment, and learn to embrace what we are given -- even on this not just a regular day . . . . 

'tis the season . . . .

i've been remiss in not blogging . . . .  so, 'tis the season, so we say!  why not, on friday the 13th; as good a day as any!

i'm basically settled in santa cruz; after all, it has been nearly six months, and all the boxes are neatly stacked away, so it was time to decorate for christmas.  i haven't put up a tree since my first year in merced; the santa cruz parsonage has the absolute perfect picture window for a tree, so, i'm happy to report that all my christmas items arrived without any issue!

you'll note, however, that that 'white stuff' on the roof is NOT snow; we've had a cold spell here; down to 26 on a couple of mornings i've gone out walking.  and yet the days have been sunny and warming into the 60's; we may even hit the 70's!

one of the realizations when you reach 55 is that you are considered a 'senior'; i can purchase a weekly sack of food from the gray bears for $25 a year -- i haven't yet -- and i can get into holiday concerts at a discount -- my first discounted concert is tonight!

the other realization at 55 is that there are lots of  memories connected with the holidays.  on the stereo in this picture to the left is my childhood pinocchio; i also have a little stuffed santa that is my age!  so christmas is filled with many emotions, and if i can adapt on of the christmas jingles, i believe it is good to 'let them flow, let them flow, let them flow....'

our focus this year at the united methodist church of santa cruz is 'light'.  our tree has more lights than usual, i believe, because i was the 'stringer of the lights' and i like lots of lights on a tree -- i suspect you couldn't tell!  the ornaments are old-time candles, and people were invited to write their christmas prayer, their hopes and dreams for the season, before placing them on the tree.

so we keep exploring the concept of light this advent season as we prepare for thee light to brighten our world on christmas.  it is my hope that your hopes and dreams of all the year may be met on that christmas night.  we certainly invite you to join us on christmas eve as we light the way of peace this year; our service of carols and light begins at 7 pm.  invite someone to share the light of jesus this year on christmas, and keep that glow, going, throughout the new year!


and, of course, it wouldn't be a trip down memory lane if i didn't share a picture of the boardwalk ... when i visited santa cruz in my youth, it was a day trip; i had no idea there was an actual town here!  we'd fly down 'blood alley' (highway 17 as we called it back then) and come onto ocean street and be directed to the parking lot.  when we heard about the earthquake in '89, and the downtown being hit hard, it was confusing, as we had no idea there was a 'downtown'. 

santa cruz is more than the boardwalk; it is now, for me, community!  light has dawned in the years since my youth, and i've grown to appreciate the depth and breath of this community.  yes, the beach-boardwalk has matured, and the community is more than simply ocean street heading to the big parking lot.

so come to the beach at the oddest time of the year; see the light of christmas shine forth this year, with your hopes and dreams; let the light of a stirring sunrise enliven your passion for working toward peace and justice in the year(s) ahead.  and let the light of jesus shine in and through you.  the world is longing for that light; the world is longing for the jesus in you to meet the jesus in them.

imagine a silent night ... a holy night ... where all is calm ... where all is bright.  may this be the year when the light truly shines and is never diminished! 

merry and happy . . . .

"and then it was ... done ...."

october first has arrived, and with it, some news....

let me begin from sunday.  the autumn, in the life of a united methodist church pastor, revolves around stewardship and annual meetings, not to mention planning for advent and christmas!

part of that planning time involves other people; this year being in a new church setting, i gathered our nominating team, and we gathered to have conversation and a meal together.  yes! chinese food!  and following a good meal, there is the 'sharing of fortune'.

in the 'worth keeping' category, came this fortune:  "all personal breakthroughs begin with a change in beliefs".

spend some times with that thought ... what are some personal issues that you have struggled with in your lifetime that changed when you looked at the issue from another perspective?  how did that happen?  did you talk it over with someone; did you simply give yourself time to think about the issue differently?  did you experience something that made you think about that issue, differently?  did the situation change suddenly?

from my own experience, i have found that focusing on an issue intently often brings me to a block.  when i feel blocked, i then know it is time for me to let it rest for awhile.  this still holds true for me:  when i was growing up, often i would hit a wall and not be able to figure out a solution, and so i'd just go to bed!  for many, struggling with an issue led to sleep-less-ness!  not for me; when something weighs heavily on my mind, i sleep better than ever, and in the morning, most often, i'd wake up refreshed and with "thee" answer!

sometimes a change in beliefs means simply that i have to change/adjust/adapt MY beliefs.  we often hold our thought process as optimal, when, in reality, they are often only one option.  so, it 'fortune' came to me at a 'fortunate' time.

and here's why!  on monday, october first, my lovely home in merced closed in a short sale; it was recorded, and a couple who fell in love with it, is moving in.  i've had so many thoughts and emotions about the situation and the reality that led me to not only purchase the house, but have to leave it.

since moving from merced to santa cruz, and getting back into 'parsonage living' once again, i've grieved and wrestled with what it means to 'let go' -- especially letting go of things we cannot be in control of any longer.  while some may say, 'there's a plan about this', i can't imagine anyone intentionally planning to have to lose their home.

but having another couple move in, while at one time may have angered me, actually thrills me, for that house has been sitting vacant for three months.  now it will be filled with new sights and sounds; laughter and tears.  and i am released to the ties to something that is no longer and cannot any longer be mine.  it has been a drain these last few months, financially and energy-wise.  and today, while i am no longer a home-owner, i am released to move forward; freed to live into a new adventure, unencumbered.

an emotional burden is lifted, and i feel lighter; these three months, like the fortune cookie said, was somewhat of a drain.  but today, i've had a personal breakthrough.  i am able to begin anew.  i've slept the best i have in weeks, last night.  an unfortunate incidence has been completed; i've been dealing with it (as have a number of others) ... and then it was ... done.  a new opportunity has begun.

what lies ahead .........

a day (off) in the life of . . . .

a day off; nothing special, except, it WAS special; it prepared me for today . . . .

i got up and attended to house chores; the front- and back-yards needed tending; followed by laundry, cleaning, soup-making; filing and reconciling . . . does this sound familiar?  it isn't my regular day-off pattern; i try to do something renewing, and chores are not at the top of my list -- imagine!

and yet, i found myself somehow comforted in the 'doing'; so much so that by 3:30, i was so ready to be done with my chores and headed off for a renewing walk on west cliff dr.

what i saw:  they are repairing the walkway down to the beach (repairs reminded me too much of  my life at church, and so i walked on! -- but not before i noticed the insignia placed on the side of the stairwell -- the word 'open' over a mosaic red heart; ok, it made me think of my life at church again, but in a different way;  ok, so i'm always thinking about my church life; the difference between my life as a pastor and my life as a person is difficult to turn off, but maybe that's the 'god thing' in me; i'm never far away from who i am meant to be!  and that's not a negative in my estimation!)

what i saw:  a number of people walking the way; biking, running, walking, skating; dogs, a bird (how DOES one walk a bird?!) leisurely, driven, communal; this was a beautiful monday to be out and about!  and still, what i came across was a memory.
having grown up in daly city, i seemed to always be surrounded by ice plants, yet i rarely saw them in bloom.  my elementary school, thomas edison (now combined with the twin school next door to form a middle/junior high school) was surrounded by an ice plant hill.  perhaps we had too much fog, and not enough sun for the plants to bloom, but here in santa cruz, blossoms galore!  big, pale yellow blossoms, mostly.
there is nothing like a day which allows one to remember and reflect.  while i would not like to re-live even one of my childhood days (unlike emily in thornton wilder's our town ) my memories yesterday focused on some of those happy times; is there at least one happy memory from your past that made all the difference in the world?!

and i experienced more than a sense of renewal as i awoke this morning.  and then, following my small group encounter, i got a call from someone that shared a poem from mary oliver, entitled the summer day for which, here in santa cruz, we are experiencing today!  i found that poem on garrison keillor's 'the writer's almanac' website.  might this reflect such a day as this?  it reads,

Who made the world?   Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?   This grasshopper, I mean—
the one who has flung herself out of the grass, the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down—
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, 

how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?