This afternoon I attended the AGM at Ripon Sailing Club where Tim and I are members, I won't go into details about the meeting, but I do want to highlight some of the values and priorities that were expressed.
First, RSC is a place where people of all ages and all abilities are welcomed; there are age related events, but the young folk are encouraged to race with the adult fleets, and when this happens the more experienced sailors are usually very helpful to the less experienced. That does not always mean that the older folk help the younger... sometimes it works the other way around! It requires a certain amount of humility for a 49 yr old beginner to receive help from an 8 yr old!
Second, training is madeavailable at all levels, and people are encouraged to get involved, and valued for who they are...
Third, we were asked about our gifts and talents...
And lastly there was a sense of real celebration that the prizes for the year had not gone to the same old winners.
There is a lot the church can learn from groups like this- if we dared to have the humility to do so!
First from a young man - a young offender given a creative outlet by the Wakefield Probation Service, on display at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, he made this poster: I cry when I dream sometimes....
Jesus said: "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." (Matthew 11:28-30)
Do you ever have one of those last straw moments, when a small thing, something you would normally cope with just pushes you over the edge and you find yourself being irrational and emotional? That happened to me yesterday and my poor family got a whole load of frustration anger and emotion dumped on them...
It was a silly thing, it really was, but it revealed to me that I am tired and not a little stressed, I don't cope well with winter I know that, and these last few weeks have been fairly pressured; last Thursday I presented my Probationers project to a District group, and I am writing a self-assessment on my ministry and development, set that against a background of criticism from one or two vocal people and you begin to get the picture. District Panel is on the 1st March and Presbyteral Synod on the 8th March....
Add to that the re-adjustment to Tim ( my husband) being away in Durham where he is studying and training for the Methodist Diaconal Order, stretched finances and the health problems of a few family members...
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The funny thing is that I am rather prone to carrying things without necessarily realising it , and it
is usually an accumulation of little things, when it comes to the big things I am pretty good at handing them over and letting God be God!
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I could easily tell myself that I should have learnt this lesson by now, but I have to say that I really do think that life sometimes quite simply trips us up! I have been praying and reading the Scriptures, I have been taking time to exercise, I haven't been over working even though I have been busy, and yet despite all of this I have not been attentive to my heart and soul, maybe this is because all of the things that have been causing me stress are good and positive things. But even positive things have their darker side:
Even though I have been swimming I have not been out in the fresh air as much as I might have been, and I am a person who needs fresh air and space to breathe in....
Even though I have enjoyed putting my Probationers Project together I have not really acknowledged to myself the costliness of this, through it I am offering myself, heart, mind and soul, and that is pretty scary.
Even though I know that Tim is following his calling and I support him wholeheartedly I really do miss him when he is away!
As for spending time in prayer and meditation, I was informed by a less than helpful critic recently that visiting is a form of prayer... hmm, if anyone can come up with a polite response to that suggestion I'd be grateful :-)
Maybe it is not so strange then that all of this was brought sharply into focus by a dirty bathroom! It was quite simply the last straw...
But the amazing thing is that the last straw did not have the last word, this afternoon Tim and I headed over to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park where we spent nearly 3 hours walking , looking at the sculptures and enjoying the fresh air. On the way home we stopped for coffee and cake; cinnamon latte and a slice of chocolate tiffin for me, as we walked and talked I came to realise that I had been trying to carry more than I could manage, simply because I hadn't realised the extent of the accumulative pressure of life...
As we sat sipping coffee and eating chocolate cake Tim pondered that perhaps God was in the chocolate, and as we savoured the pleasure of it I know what he meant, there was grace in it...
And in all things I need the grace of God...
And in all things I need to pay attention to my heart...
The Scriptures remind us: "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself."
To love ourselves we need to learn to pay attention to our hearts... by your grace Lord, help me to learn...
Over at Revgals Songbird asks us: Twenty years ago, I was on a Pastoral Search Committee, and one of the questions we asked the ten candidates we interviewed in the first round was to tell us their three favorite passages of scripture. I loved hearing the variety of verses quoted and even learned some that I didn't know, such as the last line of one of this week's lectionary passages:
He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)
For today's Friday Five, list your five favorite passages/verses from the Bible and tell us something about why you love them.
First I'd like to tell you a bit about my encounter with the Scriptures, I did not go to Sunday School as a young child, in fact church did not feature in my life at all. When I was 12 I can remember an intense desire to own a Bible and pestered my mum until she took me to buy one. I remember being faced with a shelf full of Bibles and did not know which to choose, in the end I picked out a pretty KJV with impossibly small print.
I set out to read that impossibly small print thinking that the way to read it was cover to cover, needless to say I get giving up, but I kept trying ... The Scriptures really came alive to me though when my son Chris was diagnosed with congenital heart disease, with the help of a Congregational Church Minister I bought a New International Version Bible and began to mine it's pages for words of life and promises, that brings me to the first verse on my list:
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1. John 11: 4 "When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”- I am not really one to lift verses out of context but this promise leapt from the page as I sat next to Chris's intensive care bed when he was only 2 years old. Through the years it has been a verse we have clung to and occassionally hurled at heaven in desperation. Next week Chris starts a course to explore a call to ordained ministry; to God be the glory! You can read Christopher's own testimony here.
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2. The second verse I have chosen is one that I often pray, taken from the story of the Woman at the well from John 4, this verse speaks about worship. To do it justice I offer you part of the passage:
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
Firstly I love this whole encounter and have written about it several times, buthe verse concerning worship- that true worshippers will worship in Spirit and in truth really stands out, in what I believe is a spiritually thirsty world people need to encounter true worship! And true worship is what we are called to. We are constantly asked what it might look like- I think that,that question is the wrong one, rather we should ask ourselves, how should this be, or where is my heart when I come before God...
3. The third verse I have chosen is this from Matthew 11:28-30 :
28-30"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
Taken from The Message version of the Bible this verse sustained me through depression, and still sustains me through tiredness and discouragement, it holds within it echoes of the divine dance ( Perichoresis) that God invites us to participate in. I love the picture of relaxing into the rythms of grace, of learning in Christ to live freely and lightly...
In my darkest night this verse kindled a flame that never dies away!
4 . My fourth choice is actually a whole chapter- Genesis 1 with its amazing first verse: In the beginning God! This beautiful poem/song of creation has caused so many arguements, mostly because it has wrongly been treated as fact. Only last week as I began to work through the E100 with our Bible Study class three people expressed amazement at the truth that can be conveyed through mystery and myth, previously they had dismissed any thoughts on Genesis 1 &2 as they had just not been able to accept the simplistic God created the world in 7 days account, as a poem/song they were able to relate to it in a new and exciting way!
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5. Goodness I would love to be able to choose nother 5, or even 10, but this last choice today has to be from 2 Corinthians 4:
5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
We have this treasure in jars of clay... reminds me that I am fragile and vulnerable, weak and prone to mistake, and yet God has trusted me with the good news, his treasure is in me, and will shine through me...
To quote Anthony. B. Robinson from "Good News in Exile"... describing his search for a new way of talking about conversion, seeking out a Biblical response to people's longings he says:
" I believe that new hearts and minds are the level to be working at, and it is at this level that many of our congregations long to be addressed. They are waiting I believe for their pastors to say: People something is at stake here, something that makes all the difference in the world"
I have been alerted to a series of posts surrounding an article in Marie Claire where single 27 year old Rev Wren Miller talks about her struggles with life, love and yes sex! Some of the articles are critical-(and this one) for she dares to mention masturbation , and sexual urges though IMHO with frank honesty and without gory and elaborate descriptions!
Many of the comments on the critical blog posts profess concern that a clergy person should speak openly like this, one says; "
It is totally inappropriate to share intimate details like these in general. No matter if you are an old/young/male/female… clergy or any other person.
And as media consumer I’m not interested in knowing such details too.
Keep it private
While a friend of Rev Miller's says this:
"The Rev. Wren Miller is beautiful inside and out and she is a wonderful pastor. Those of you who have been willing to give her the benefit of the doubt are correct- the magazine took all sorts of liberties with her words, and in some cases, just made stuff up. All the “career” and “job” language was not her own–the magazine wrote the article in first person and then wrote “as told to” the reporter in tiny print. She was NOT drunk (she hardly drinks at all) and it is unkind to suggest that she was. I promise that she is not some silly, immature girl. She really needs the support of her clergy colleagues right now.
And since it pertains to the topic of this blog, I’ll add that she ALWAYS looks put together and professional on her wardrobe of almost entirely thrifted clothing. In sum, she’s awesome and anyone who meets her knows it immediately."
Knowing the media I accept that they have not portrayed Rev Miller in her own words, they have quite simply printed the version that will sell! I am glad to know that Rev Miller does not refer to her calling as a career or a job, for if I found anything in the article disquieting it was that!
What I want to ask is do we really believe that the clergy should not talk about sex, or for that matter about any other areas of life where they have struggles? Some of us struggle with diet, some with finances, some with fitness, some with self-confidence, some with depression.... should we really keep quiet about all of these things slap on our self-controlled masks and show a perfect image to the world?
I want to say that I think it is this type of behaviour and image that puts so many people off, we must move past the days of putting on your Sunday Best, of being one thing at Church and another behind closed doors. A church that has no room for struggles and mistakes (sexual or otherwise) is false and dare I say even destructive, and I even agree with one of Rev Millers critics that:
For clergy, our personal life is just as important to our ministry as the church business. How we conduct our family life is just as crucial as our sermon preparation. Our physical, mental, and emotional health are just as essential as the administrative council meetings. Personal care will impact our ability to conduct the ministry to which we are called. This includes appropriately dealing with our personal struggles, even any kinds of sexual issues we may have.
But would argue that this is in fact the case for everyone, how we live matters, and I believe that sharing our struggles not in full techi-colour detail but with honesty and integrity opens a window through which the grace of God is shown to all. I blogged my journey through depression a couple of years ago- I wonder if Rev Roberts would consider that to be wrong and too revealing?
The Hacking Christianity blog broadly supports Rev Miller and says:
....perhaps the Spirit is moving through this situation to allow other women (and men in some situations) to talk about their experiences and to find ways together to cope, identify, and transform their places of ministry into more open, honest, and healthy places of expression.
Surely this is what we need to create- open, honest,healthy and I would add safe places where, before God people are able to express themselves, and know that,that expression will be heard. Transparency is not pretty, and can cause discomfort, but with obvious exceptions ( where it may endanger someone/ break confidentiality) I believe that it is worth it.
This image was drawn by my husband Tim in response to a sermon at St Johns College Durham yesterday, it is partly a reflection of Isaiah 43: 1-3, and like Tim as a young Christian I too found real encouragement and significance in this passage. You can see more of his art and thoughts at his blog Images and Stuff.
"Of all the epic structures the human race has devised, none is more staggering or imposing than the Gap Between Rich and Poor," committee chairman Henri Jean-Baptiste said. "It is a tremendous, millennia-old expanse that fills us with both wonder and humility."
"And thanks to careful maintenance through the ages, this massive relic survives intact, instilling in each new generation a sense of awe," Jean- Baptiste added.
The vast chasm of wealth, which stretches across most of the inhabited world, attracts millions of stunned observers each year, many of whom have found its immensity too overwhelming even to contemplate. By far the largest man-made structure on Earth, it is readily visible from locations as far-flung as Eastern Europe, China, Africa, and Brazil, as well as all 50 U.S. states.
"The original Seven Wonders of the World pale in comparison to this," said World Heritage Committee member Edwin MacAlister, standing in front of a striking photograph of the Gap Between Rich and Poor taken from above Mexico City. "It is an astounding feat of human engineering that eclipses the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids of Giza, and perhaps even the Great Racial Divide."
According to anthropologists, untold millions of slaves and serfs toiled their whole lives to complete the gap. Records indicate the work likely began around 10,000 years ago, when the world's first landed elites convinced their subjects that construction of such a monument was the will of a divine authority, a belief still widely held today.
Though historians have repeatedly disproved such claims, theories still persist among many that the Gap Between Rich and Poor was built by the Jews.
"When I stare out across its astounding breadth, I'm often moved to tears," said Johannesburg resident Grace Ngubane, 31, whose home is situated on one of the widest sections of the gap. "The scale is staggering—it makes you feel really, really small."
"Insignificant, even," she continued.
While numerous individuals have tried to cross the Gap Between Rich and Poor, evidence suggests that only a small fraction have ever succeeded and many have died in the attempt.
At Sherburn in Elmet we began our journey through the E100- The Essential 100 passages of the Bible- giving us an overview of the Big Story we find ourselves caught up in. I suspect it is going to be a long journey. Knowing our propensity for taking our time we'd decided to take two passages at a time, but only really dealt with one this evening...
The book is designed to zip through 5 passages each week- it seems that we are going to take the scenic route. We are going to savour the Scriptures and really get to grips with what we are reading. This evenings look at Genesis 1&2 allowed folk to free themselves from Sunday School versions of Genesis to engage with the mystery and poetry of creation. In one short meeting I witnessed faith being built and confidence restored in the Scriptures and in the God of the Scriptures.Why?Well simply because I was not asking people to take the passages literally but to seek truth rather than fact and to engage with the Creator through the revelation of the mystery that is creation...
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