Gifting Yourself During the Holidays

Recently I was speaking with someone at the JBWS Candlelight Vigil reception in our church. They looked around our Narthex and said, “Are you the church that gives out those holding crosses? My sister gave me one and I love it! I pray with it everyday!” Our new church identity is: The Church That Gives Holding Crosses. What a blessing!

Milt and Florence Andersen have gifted of themselves by making hundreds of holding crosses that our church gives out to those in the hospital or to anyone in need of a reminder that Jesus Christ is present with them in the midst of suffering. Two years ago Florence suggested to Milt that he might make a “few crosses” when he could no longer golf. She thought it would be good to keep him busy. This inspiration has turned into a widely known Holding Cross Ministry from our church to the Morristown area community! When I hand a holding cross to a person in the hospital, they immediately grab onto it and sigh with relief seeming to feel that peace which surpasses all understanding from Christ.

Over 277 years our church has had a very important identity as God’s gift to our Morristown area community. We are known for our great history of leadership and hospitality, for the famous visit for communion by George Washington, for transforming our previous church building into a hospital during the revolution, and we are known for the wonderful reconciliation our church experienced when we reunited the two churches after the Civil War. Currently we are known for having: two beautiful buildings, a fabulous nursery school, a caring mission-oriented congregation, articulate preachers and on and on. Having an identity of “giving” is exactly what Christ had in mind for his Church since the very beginning.

As I write this we are in the midst of stewardship season heading into Advent. “Giving” is a theme for both the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. Meditate on all that God has given and respond with thanksgiving to God by blessing others. This is the time set aside to consider our “gifts and talents” and to give of ourselves sacrificially for the sake of Jesus Christ who sacrificed for each of us.

Please "gift yourself" this season by giving a portion of your time and talent, (like Milton and Florence Andersen do so generously), AND give of your financial resources also, to sustain our many church ministries into 2011. We want to do all we can to help this church continue to be God’s gift to the Morristown region for another 277 years and more!

GOD'S BEEN GOOD TO ME

I'm mindful of the blessings

That come my way each day.

My heart is overflowing

Each time I kneel to pray.

I'm thankful for the seasons;

Each one's a masterpiece.

I'm allowed to work the land,

But God still holds the lease.

I'm grateful for the friendships

That brighten sorrow's way,

Because my cup of happiness

Sustains me everyday.

I love the children and the flowers

That decorate my life

And the quiet, gentle hours

Free from worry and strife.

I'm grateful for eyes that see

The beauty of it all

Because God's been good to me

And blessed me through it all.

I'm thankful for the little things

That fill my life with love.

The best things in life are free;

They come from God above!

~By Clay Harrison~

"The Greatest Generation" is a term coined by journalist Tom Brokaw to describe the generation[1] who grew up in the United States during the deprivation of the Great Depression and many went on to fight in World War II. (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greatest_Generation)

I have always admired this generation, and their resilience that was shaped by living through the depression, their love of country and their “can do” grateful attitude. Sadly, our church has lost too many of this generation over the past year: Dr. Myles Morrison, Marty Kleindienst, Bob Lundquist, and most recently Rit Kay. Let us appreciate those we still have with us from the “Greatest Generation” and learn from their wisdom about how to be faithful, strong, and grateful in our living.

Phil Thayer will be 96 years old the first of November. Although he lives at Fellowship Village, Phil remains an important member of our church family. When his daughter comes to visit, he asks her to bring him up to our church office so he can greet us. Despite his severe hearing loss and difficulty with mobility, Phil always laughs and jokes as he always did when he comes to visit. His positive spirit has been an important factor in his creative longevity.

Phil was always active in the leadership of our congregation for many many years! We are so grateful for all he has contributed to shaping our church into the strong vibrant one it is today! Phil’s attitude of gratitude that still keeps him growing into his 97^th year of life is reflected in the poetry by Clay Harrison. Let us all learn from both Phil and Clay about having a thankful heart for all our many blessings.

Let us be thankful for the "Greatest Generation" as we enjoy this poem of Thanksgiving: http://www.angelfire.com/d20/cupofjoy/dailythings.html

Why Do We Have Yoga Classes?

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

In the 1990’s, I was a Parish Nurse/Counselor at National Presbyterian Church in the North Washington DC area. Part of the focus of a PN’s work is to develop “Faith and Health” programs that motivate the congregation (and staff) to care for their bodies, minds, and spirits in holistic health promoting ways, valuing the “body as a temple of the Holy Spirit.” This theme has flowed into my work as a Pastor here at PCM. While providing pastoral care I think of your whole person in body, mind, and spirit as I pray for each you.

Last winter, I organized a “Coping with Depression” group and planned an exercise class in coordination with the group timing because regular exercise often decreases the severity of depression. Yoga was chosen for the exercise method because a certified Yoga instructor in our church family was looking for ways to share her gifts and talents with the church. This presented a perfect opportunity to combine the talents of Susan Jones with our need for an exercise class to follow the depression group! (Recently, Susan moved to Florida, but the group of 12+ dedicated class members kept the yoga class going with various devoted amateur instructors).

Although Yoga was originally practiced 5000 years ago as an Eastern religious practice, it is now widely accepted in the West as a peaceful way of exercise that promotes health and mental wellbeing. The original goal of Yoga practice was the uniting of the spirit with the cosmos. Our class applies "Hatha Yoga" which is a physical fitness yoga allowing us to focus on the movements in a holistic practice that benefits body, mind and spirit without the eastern religion emphasis. The Sanskrit term “ha” means sun energy and “tha” refers to the moon. The Hatha Yoga poses focus on a balance between opposites (right and left) and breathing while stretching, relaxing, and strengthening.

People take up yoga for a wide range of reasons: to gain flexibility, to tone-up or lose weight, to improve their ability to relax, or for the challenge of learning something new. Regular practice of yoga improves general fitness, balance, and strength, with each class ending with a peaceful relaxation time. Yoga has the potential to make each of us more fit disciples of Jesus Christ. Join us for Yoga on Saturday mornings at 10am in the Parish House. Your body, mind, and spirit will be glad you did! (For more information contact me or any of our current pool of instructors: Carolyn Westerdahl, Christine Volinsky, and Milton Argueta Jr.)

(Paul Tillich quote on stone in New Harmony, IN)

We are Called to be Co-Creators and Co-Redeemers

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved.” (Romans 8: 18-24a)

For the Doctorate of Ministry in Science and Theology program, I have been reading Christopher Southgate's: The Groaning of Creation: God, Evolution and the Problem of Evil. Southgate proposes that humans are "called" to be "co-creators" and "co-redeemers" with God's unfolding creation. He defines co-creators as those whose purpose is to be the agency, acting in freedom, to help further God's work in creating a "wholesome future" not only for our own benefit but for all creatures. And he adds, "if we may participate in God's creative and redemptive work, it is because we ourselves are still being created and redeemed."

Isn't this good news? Each of us has a calling to help create and redeem creation, working in companionship with God! Southgate emphasizes that as we live out this purpose we become partners with our triune God in the healing of our little corner of the cosmos. But to do so we must be humble Christ-like servants and realize that all creatures are embraced and loved in communion with God.

What does this mean for your life? At our Church Expo there are many opportunities presented to help you get involved in our church as Christ-like servants that will ultimately benefit our little corner of the cosmos. You can still sign up to be a Sunday School teacher helper, or a Youth group advisor, sign up for a mission team going to Louisiana, or help with the church bazaar. If you are still searching for how you can help “co-create” our church ministries, contact me and I'll be glad to help you find a way to align your gifts and talents with a ministry opportunity. Helping others not only promotes growth in our church, but it helps you grow in new ways, too!

A Dangerous Woman?

A Faithful "Dangerous Woman"

My Grandma Thaxton, pictured above, had a big positive influence on my life. She taught me what a strong faithful Christian woman looked and acted like. Fern Thaxton raised three little girls as a single mother during the Great Depression in Boelus, Nebraska. She supported her little family by working fulltime as a schoolteacher. When this photo was taken, Grandma was riding on her favorite horse, Daisy, who carried her on the daily trek to teach her "little folks" in a one-room school house.

Grandma may look meek and mild in this photo, but she truly was what Lynne Hybels would call: "a dangerous woman." Why? In her book, Nice Girls Don't Change the World, Hybels says, "A dangerous woman is one who shows up with everything she is and joins the battle against whatever opposes the redeeming work of God in our lives and in our world. A dangerous woman delves deeply into the truth of who she is, grounds herself daily in the healing and empowering love of God, and radically engages with the needs of the world."

My Grandma Fern lived a full life loving God and caring for children by teaching during the week at a small public school and also every Sunday at her little Methodist Church's Sunday School. Even after she retired from fulltime teaching at age 73, she volunteered as a private tutor for special needs children in her home.

Grandma never left Nebraska in all her 93 years, but she still fit Hybels' description of a "dangerous woman" who: cherishes children, embraces the elderly, and empowers the poor; who prays deeply and teaches wisely." As her adoring granddaughter, when I looked into her eyes and listened to her speak, I could see she was a strong and gentle leader, who sang songs of joy and talked down fear; who never hesitated to let passion and conviction compel her and righteous anger energize her. She was a "dangerous woman" who overflowed with goodness in the name of God and by the power of Jesus. By that power and God's amazing grace, Grandma Thaxton changed the world for those whose lives she touched in Nebraska. And she continues to change the world through us her offspring and for generations to come. Thanks be to God for faithful dangerous women!

Thought Conditioners

Norman Vincent Peale is one of my favorite inspirational authors. He always wrote positive practical messages in his many books and Bible studies. Recently I found an article entitled: "Thought Conditioners." Our thoughts need to be conditioned - like clothing, or hair!

Reverend Peale dedicated much of his ministry to the power of positive thinking. In his preaching and teaching he would often remind us that we do have control over what we think about and how we perceive the events in our lives. Dr. Peale said, "Since happiness and effectiveness depend upon the kinds of thoughts we think, it is absoutely impossible to be happy if we think unhappiness-producing thoughts."

This reminds me of a favorite scripture: "Finally, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things...And the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4: 8-9 NIV)

And Luke 17: 21 promises, "The kingdom of God is within you." When we are filled with self-doubt, fear, and insecurity, we tell ourselves, "I can't do it. I don't have it in me!" But you do have it in you. You have the Kingdom of God within you. Dr. Peale once said that God has placed in your personality all the ability you need. You have only to believe in yourself, and strength within you will be released.

This photo of my daughter shows the joy and strength one feels when accomplishing God's work. We were in Kenya digging an irrigation ditch to direct water to the garden of a Maasai community. It seemed an impossible task at first, but with perseverance and the help of our whole team working alongside our Maasai friends, we were able to do it. Remember, when you are gripped with self-doubt, repeat to yourself, "God's abundance, peace and power are within me. I lack for nothing."

Entertaining Angels Unaware

There is a song by the Newsboys that has the chorus: "Entertaining Angels by the light of my TV screen, 24/7, you wait for me. Entertaining Angels, by the time I fall to my knees, host of Heaven, sing over me."

The scripture that inspired this song is Hebrews 13: 2-3. "Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those who are in prison as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured as though you yourselves were being tortured." (NRSV)

How difficult it is for us to take time to show such hospitality! This kind of hospitality was a custom in the Mediterranean region in the early Christian era. And the Bible speaks often of the importance of hospitality as in the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 25-37). The book: Entertaining Angels: Early Christian Hospitality in its Mediterranean Setting by Andrew Arterbury details what Christian hospitality meant. It wasn't just a quick greeting and welcome, it was a sincere interest in the wellbeing of the other. Our modern society has lost interest in true hospitality and often shuns the idea of getting involved in one anothers lives. Yet, God calls us to reach out and take the risk to care for each other personally.

The little angel in the center of the labyrinth photo above is a symbol of hospitality to me. It was given to me by a parishioner who wanted me to keep it in memory of our mutual dear friend who passed on into eternal life a few years ago. Every time I look at this precious little angel, I think of our friend, Joy, and the graceful talents she often demonstrated in showing Christian hospitality to friend and stranger alike. Joy was a professor at a nearby university. She often invited students to her home for a home-cooked meal and fellowship.

Life is full of opportunities to show hospitality. And when you do, the blessings come back to you, maybe in the form of angels and maybe in the form of the peace you feel from doing what your heart knows is grace-giving. You are an instrument of God's grace when you show hospitality to the strangers in need. May God bless you richly as you bless others near and far.

"A human being is a part of the whole Universe, a part limited in time and space. One experiences one's self, our thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical illusion of our consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. This is what I call Hospitality, offering our home, this earth, this universe to all who share it with us." (http://www.uupuertorico.org/Values/Hospitality.htm accessed 7-08-10)