When I was serving as pastor at an inner-city congregation in Erie, a frequent sound was the yells and loudness of children. Play in the inner-city seems to have a rougher edge than it's more pastoral cousin of rural rough-housing. One night while leaving the church, a young girl came running up the sidewalk to the church door and said, "I'm safe." I asked, "From what? You OK?" She replied, "I am now. I always run to the church because it's a safe place."
I remembered this moment as I reflect upon the murders at the Mother Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. I've always loved the concept of sanctuary --- the safe place where persons run to and are sheltered and protected. I grieve the loss of this and even more that in many places of faith it was lost long before a troubled young man with a .45 caliber gun entered a church prayer and bible study meeting.
The deep disquiet over Charleston is because it was such a common, frequent occurrence. I have sat in many a church meeting space on many an evening leading a Bible study and joining with persons in prayer. I have welcomed the stranger who showed up and joined the circle of study and reflection. If we are who we say we are, we must continue so to do.
After the 9-11 terrorist attacks on the United States, congregations all over the nation were posting various slogans and quotes on their sign boards. Many were of the "God Bless America" variety. At the congregation where I was the pastor (also in Erie), I put "NO FEAR" on our sign board.
Of all the places in our society, communities of faith must remain open, hospitable places of peace. All talk of having the ushers carry guns or mace and installing video surveillance equipment to check-out who is coming to our locked doors must be denied and stopped. Remember who we are and what we have been given --- we are a people of peace whom have received a spirit of love -- this was made abundantly clear in the mercy-filled responses of the family members of the nine persons killed while attending a Bible study and prayer circle open to all.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Friday, June 12, 2015
Trademark "Good"
"I think we're creative all day long. We have to have an appointment to have that work out on the page. Because the creative part of us just gets tired of waiting." ~ Mary Oliver
Sometimes one needs a nudge...often one needs a series of nudges....ok, more often than not one needs hit over the head with a sledgehammer before one realizes, "O, that's what I should be doing....." As all of us can attest, one's days can quickly become a litany of to-do's and try-to-pleases and have-to-do-this-cause-it-will-make _______ (add whomever fits this space for you)happy. Faithful blog readers have read it before....ok, many times before....I need to commit to writing. I need to commit to speaking. Take this any way you wish, yet, I've had myself committeed to the task of daily writing.
Being one who always looks for a cool celebration or anniversary or special date to start anything new, today, 12 June, is perfect as it is the birthday of Anne Frank. Thanks be to the designers of high school curricula who deemed it important that students should read THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK and kudos to Ms. Ruth Bird who assigend this book to my sophomore self. We're familiar with the story. On her 13th birthday, Anne received a diary that she named Kitty and on whose pages she confided. Anne and her family who fled Germany for the Netherlands went into hiding in response to the Nazi occupation and would eventually be captured and sent to a concentration camp where, except for Otto, the father, they would all perish. An acquaintence of the family, found Anne's diary and returned it to her father who had it published in 1952.
It is the dark backdrop of war and holocaust that brings even more gravity to, perhaps Anne Frank's most well-known quote: "Despite everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart." I remember debating in seminary classes if humans were innately good or innately evil. I landed on the innately good side and so do still believe.
I recieved my call to ministry while working as a summer program staff for two summers at Jumonville, the biggest of the three church camps run by the Western PA Annual Conference. I remember working an elementary kids camp that included several little cherubs that would bring me to question my belief that we are innately good. Johnny, please don't wear our identifiable orange bandana as a loin cloth. Jennifer, the fire is to help us cook our supper, please don't pile on one more log as you yell, "Camp Inferno!" It was during this week circling through the woodsy version of Dante's levels of hell, that I recall the camp dean repeating over and over to the youngsters, "Remember, make good choices." Sounded good, yet, where was the instruction of what would happen when their choices were not good and bordered on destructive?
As we know, every action has a consequence, or, as I am fond of saying, every action creates a ripple ---- good or bad. Every person can list moments when we've made terrrible choices, created really bad ripples. For many of us, the consequences were lessened by a strong support system of family and friends and community. What about those persons who lack any support system? Who's responsible? As members of a shared community, what is our role? Do we have one? What happens when we refuse to play it?
A few points to ponder as the days grow hotter, the sun shines brighter and the grass gets greener.
More to come.....nudged worked;
sj;
Sometimes one needs a nudge...often one needs a series of nudges....ok, more often than not one needs hit over the head with a sledgehammer before one realizes, "O, that's what I should be doing....." As all of us can attest, one's days can quickly become a litany of to-do's and try-to-pleases and have-to-do-this-cause-it-will-make _______ (add whomever fits this space for you)happy. Faithful blog readers have read it before....ok, many times before....I need to commit to writing. I need to commit to speaking. Take this any way you wish, yet, I've had myself committeed to the task of daily writing.
Being one who always looks for a cool celebration or anniversary or special date to start anything new, today, 12 June, is perfect as it is the birthday of Anne Frank. Thanks be to the designers of high school curricula who deemed it important that students should read THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK and kudos to Ms. Ruth Bird who assigend this book to my sophomore self. We're familiar with the story. On her 13th birthday, Anne received a diary that she named Kitty and on whose pages she confided. Anne and her family who fled Germany for the Netherlands went into hiding in response to the Nazi occupation and would eventually be captured and sent to a concentration camp where, except for Otto, the father, they would all perish. An acquaintence of the family, found Anne's diary and returned it to her father who had it published in 1952.
It is the dark backdrop of war and holocaust that brings even more gravity to, perhaps Anne Frank's most well-known quote: "Despite everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart." I remember debating in seminary classes if humans were innately good or innately evil. I landed on the innately good side and so do still believe.
I recieved my call to ministry while working as a summer program staff for two summers at Jumonville, the biggest of the three church camps run by the Western PA Annual Conference. I remember working an elementary kids camp that included several little cherubs that would bring me to question my belief that we are innately good. Johnny, please don't wear our identifiable orange bandana as a loin cloth. Jennifer, the fire is to help us cook our supper, please don't pile on one more log as you yell, "Camp Inferno!" It was during this week circling through the woodsy version of Dante's levels of hell, that I recall the camp dean repeating over and over to the youngsters, "Remember, make good choices." Sounded good, yet, where was the instruction of what would happen when their choices were not good and bordered on destructive?
As we know, every action has a consequence, or, as I am fond of saying, every action creates a ripple ---- good or bad. Every person can list moments when we've made terrrible choices, created really bad ripples. For many of us, the consequences were lessened by a strong support system of family and friends and community. What about those persons who lack any support system? Who's responsible? As members of a shared community, what is our role? Do we have one? What happens when we refuse to play it?
A few points to ponder as the days grow hotter, the sun shines brighter and the grass gets greener.
More to come.....nudged worked;
sj;
Friday, May 22, 2015
Just breathe
Patience. Why, it’s been around forever.
“Just be patient” was a refrain of my mother be it at the dinner table, waiting in traffic, waiting for a uniform to be patched….
Hitting instructors tell players to be patient at the plate, to take some pitches, wait for the one you like.
With the always-manages-to-amaze-me technology, transportation seeking to go faster and be more efficient (the proposed BRT line in Pittsburgh and the Port Authority App), and download speeds which computer companies promote as faster with every new device, we are a society that is being ordered and organized for speed.
As the highway patrol once touted….”speed kills”
Our society has the attention span of the Golden Retriever in the movie, UP.... “Squirrel!”
Modern society seems to be happily and collectively suffering from attention deficit disorder. We don’t remember last week’s “big story” and therefore over-hype everything as the “story of the decade!”
As a kid, my mother got me a subscription to Highlights magazine and she kept me as a subscriber for several years. Of course, there is the thrill a kid has (psssst….we all do) of receiving something in the mail with your name on it and a magazine was triple bonus points! Yet, the coolest thing and what I loved the most about Highlights magazine was the search puzzle at the back. Every issue would have a different drawing and hidden in the picture were animals and objects that one had to search for, find and circle. The exercise taught observation, patience, paying attention --- all wise skills for any one.
More recently, the I SPY and WHERE’S WALDO books do basically the same thing yet in much more colorful and glossy formats. However,the “why” behind them is the same: slow down, look twice, patiently search until you find what you are looking for. My brother Mark made sure to purchase them regularly for the niece and nephews continuing the family tradition of teaching observation and patience. Please note, I’m in no way suggesting we’ve mastered these skills, just that we realize their importance and seek to foster them in ourselves and in others.
As referenced several times in this blog, my mother was a total gift and I continue to realize how much by the many valuable lessons in how to be and become that she taught us by exemplifying them in how she lived. One of the most special and sacred spaces for me was the front porch at my mother’s house during the season of Summer. With flowers surrounding, hanging and in baskets and ample, comfortable furniture for many persons to sit and be together, I spent many wonderful times having porch moments; moments to just sit, watch the traffic go by, read, listen, talk, play word games. These were simple resting and renewing moments.
After dinner and before the final clearing of the table, we would stay at the table to talk and listen (the two really must go together to be effective) and sometime engaged in a game of table basketball (more on that in a later post).
I find myself continuing these gifts because I need to as they refresh my spirit and my being. when I am "in good space" these happen easily and on purpose.
They are ways that I get the daily recommended allowance for my spirit.
It's the start of the first official holiday of the summer season. Take time and just breathe and just be.
sj;
“Just be patient” was a refrain of my mother be it at the dinner table, waiting in traffic, waiting for a uniform to be patched….
Hitting instructors tell players to be patient at the plate, to take some pitches, wait for the one you like.
With the always-manages-to-amaze-me technology, transportation seeking to go faster and be more efficient (the proposed BRT line in Pittsburgh and the Port Authority App), and download speeds which computer companies promote as faster with every new device, we are a society that is being ordered and organized for speed.
As the highway patrol once touted….”speed kills”
Our society has the attention span of the Golden Retriever in the movie, UP.... “Squirrel!”
Modern society seems to be happily and collectively suffering from attention deficit disorder. We don’t remember last week’s “big story” and therefore over-hype everything as the “story of the decade!”
As a kid, my mother got me a subscription to Highlights magazine and she kept me as a subscriber for several years. Of course, there is the thrill a kid has (psssst….we all do) of receiving something in the mail with your name on it and a magazine was triple bonus points! Yet, the coolest thing and what I loved the most about Highlights magazine was the search puzzle at the back. Every issue would have a different drawing and hidden in the picture were animals and objects that one had to search for, find and circle. The exercise taught observation, patience, paying attention --- all wise skills for any one.
More recently, the I SPY and WHERE’S WALDO books do basically the same thing yet in much more colorful and glossy formats. However,the “why” behind them is the same: slow down, look twice, patiently search until you find what you are looking for. My brother Mark made sure to purchase them regularly for the niece and nephews continuing the family tradition of teaching observation and patience. Please note, I’m in no way suggesting we’ve mastered these skills, just that we realize their importance and seek to foster them in ourselves and in others.
As referenced several times in this blog, my mother was a total gift and I continue to realize how much by the many valuable lessons in how to be and become that she taught us by exemplifying them in how she lived. One of the most special and sacred spaces for me was the front porch at my mother’s house during the season of Summer. With flowers surrounding, hanging and in baskets and ample, comfortable furniture for many persons to sit and be together, I spent many wonderful times having porch moments; moments to just sit, watch the traffic go by, read, listen, talk, play word games. These were simple resting and renewing moments.
After dinner and before the final clearing of the table, we would stay at the table to talk and listen (the two really must go together to be effective) and sometime engaged in a game of table basketball (more on that in a later post).
I find myself continuing these gifts because I need to as they refresh my spirit and my being. when I am "in good space" these happen easily and on purpose.
They are ways that I get the daily recommended allowance for my spirit.
It's the start of the first official holiday of the summer season. Take time and just breathe and just be.
sj;
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