roots – Salvaged Faith

FF: Touching Holiness

Posted on October 2, 2009Leave a comment

From Rev Gals:

Yesterday I was privileged to join the thousands of pilgrims who had flocked to York Minster to see the casket containing the bones of St Therese of Lisieux. People came from miles around, some with deep faith came to venerate the Saint, others with none came out of curiosity. The Christians who came represented a mix of denominations, I went because I have read her writings and out of sheer curiosity having never been to anything like this before.

To put it in crude terms I was blown away by the by the deep sense of God’s presence, of gentleness, of holiness and purity. Today as I reflect upon the experience I recognise that there have been other places and other times when I have experienced a tangible touch of God. I wonder if it was because the message that Therese had is so much needed today, she experienced God as a God of love, and encouraged others to draw closer…

Where do you find God’s peace and presence, is there:

1. A place that holds a special memory?
I have experienced worship around a round communion table twice – in the basement chapel at Simpson College and in the attic space of West End UMC. In both cases, we gathered around the table for sharing in the eucharist. Both had a small but faithful community who deeply yearned for something more in their relationships with God. Both were locations that were out of the way, and in some senses forgotten – but that’s what made them so special. In some ways – in the candlelight and in the stone and in the darkness they both remind me of the catacombs I experienced in Peru and in Europe – the faithful huddled together seeking God no matter what.

2. A song that seems to usher you into the Holy of Holies?
“I love you, Lord” always does that for me. Especially sung a capella. I first learned it in high school for our mission trip to Peru and I learned it in both english and spanish. And then in college, we would often sing it in a big circle while holding hands. And the harmonies we would create!!!!

3.A book/ poem/ prayer that says what you cannot?
Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front
Every single time I read it, I pray it, I get goosebumps. It is earthy, it is challenging, and it reminds me that I have to practice resurrection in this life – that we taste it and touch it everywhere if only we look.

4. How do you remind yourself of these things at times when God seems far away?
I don’t. Which is a sad but true statement. I am desperately trying to put some of that holiness back into my life. I would really love to start a weekly evening communion service in my church, but I’m not sure how to do it without also sacrificing some of my family time. I guess the other part of that question is that I see God in all sorts of small moments throughout the day that I really just have to keep my eyes open – I just have to look

5.Post a picture/ poem or song that speaks of where you are right now in your relationship with God…
Tor Archer – Rooted Figure II I was looking for an image – mostly using my website title: salvaged faith. One thing lead to another and I came across this image. I would have posted it, but it’s probably under copyright – so I just linked. It brings to my mind the longing I have to be rooted in God, to be rooted to this earth, to be rooted in relationships. And rootedness really has this idea of deep life for me – unshakeable, firm, committed. It is the structure of our very being. I am not a hunter/gatherer. I am not a nomad (no matter how much the itinerant system says so). I am rooted in community and in that community I find God.

soil conservation

Posted on April 19, 2009Leave a comment

This morning, I preached a sermon on soil conservation.

Yah, it may seem like a strange topic – and definately not in line with any lectionary passages or a sermon series.

But this spring, I auctioned off a sermon during our youth fundraiser. And the winning bidder got to choose the topic or scripture for an upcoming sermon. Hence, the topic.

What I was blessed with was the resources this congregation member passed along. I learned all about the National Association of Conservation Districts and recieved their amazing church resource packet.

Because of a series we are starting next week on what it means to belong to the body of Christ, this was the weekened I chose to preach on the topic – but Stewardship Week actually kicks off NEXT Sunday – so I want to pass along the site for any who might be interested! HERE

For our worship, I talked about what it is that makes good soil – both in the earth that surrounds us, but also in more metaphorical terms, what makes good soil for our faith to grow in. Using some of Gary Gunderson’s congregational strengths from “Deeply Woven Roots” I lifted up four necessities.

1) Good soil needs roots… both to protect the soil from erosion and also as the tradition and scriptures and stories that ground us in our past.

2) Good soil must be abundant and have a common purpose… a clump of dirt can’t grow the planet’s food and neither can individual Christians reach out and embody God’s will in the world – but together, we can bear fruit.

3) Good soil must be alive… filled with minerals and living organisms and water and soil and air – it is the diversity that makes life able to survive. And our body of Christ requires all of us working together, with our unique gifts to bring to life the word of God in our world.

4) Good soil must be nourished by nutrients and water… without these things, the soil would be dead and worthless, unable to produce abundance. And as people of faith, we need the refreshing power of the Holy Spirit, the waters of baptism, the bread of new life and to live in the Word of God in order to do God’s will.

routine and roots

Posted on September 18, 2008Leave a comment

I’m working on routine in my life right now (yes, I know I’ve said it time and time again… but hey, what can I say, I’m a work in progress). So far this week, I’ve stayed fairly on target with my plans – focusing on two particular goals: exercise and spiritual centering.

For exercise, I run/walk on a nearby trail. I think the whole course, from doorstep to doorstep is a little over 3 miles, and I spend about 10 minutes of it running. I went Monday morning and again this morning… if I can do 3-4x a week, I’ll be happy.

For centering, I’m working on quieting my spirit before I begin work each time I’m in the office. I have three candles next to a chair that I light and I pick up my handheld labryinth and work through it. When I get to the middle I say 6 prayers: for myself, for my family, for my church, for the church, for the nation and for the world… and then I pray my way out asking guidance for my work this day and with the Lord’s prayer. It has felt amazing to set aside that time for myself! I really do feel like my work is more productive and more on task to what God wants me to do with the day than it has been before.

In the midst of that re-focusing of my time and energy, I’m thinking back to what I wanted to do and how I wanted to incarnate postmodern/missional views of church into this congregation and my life. One of those was through setting down roots – and I’m excited this week about going the homecoming football game and also the gardening that I did to weed and get things ready for fall in my flower bed. There is still a lot of work that is left to be done there. Both for me are about roots – about getting involved with the community, getting my hands dirty and meeting people where they are.

walking by radnor lake

Posted on June 30, 2007Leave a comment

I tend to not be very observant. I’m just not detail oriented and so I miss the little things (like when brandon shaves and it takes me a few hours to realize it, or potholes in the road). I guess you could say that I’m so obsessed with the forest that I miss the trees (and the underbrush and the bugs and the animals)

Lately, people around me have been sharing how much they experience God out in nature, and while that is sort of true for me, I don’t have monumental experiences in the wood or by a lake or whatever. I experience God much more through other people.

I was floored yesterday when I went for a hike with my friend, Nate. At first, it felt like any nature hike I normally embark upon – my eyes staring at the ground, watching for rocks or roots, glancing up whenever I hear a strange sound.

The path that we were on was incredibly soft and well marked, and gradually I got my confidence up and began to just look all around me. I saw nate touching the trees as he passed and thought to myself- wow – why don’t I do that? why don’t I get so close I can feel the life all around me. I began appreciating the fact that my chacos allowed me to feel the soft dirt and bark between my toes. I began touching leaves.

It soon began to rain. But under that cover of all those trees, it was just amazing. we were slightly wet to be sure – the air probably couldn’t have held any more humidity – but we really weren’t being rained on. And the drumming of thousands of raindrops above us was beautiful.

And then we began to see the deer. Now, I live in a wooded area in Iowa – and so I know all about deer. But I have never seen deer as tame as this or as close as this. We walked for an hour and a half and saw almost 10 adult deer, and at least 6 fawns. And they would be right by the path! we were probably less than 10 feet from some of the fawns who were eating the tender green foliage right by the side of the path.

At one point, we saw a doe and two fawns on the hillside right beside the path and they were gradually coming down the hill, so we stopped. Those two fawns just kept coming slowly, moving their way down towards us (and also probably heading for the lake on the other side of the path). The doe disappeared from sight, and while the fawns kept looking around, they also kept coming. They made an arc to keep their distance but eventually were standing right in front of us on the path. We were crouched on the path, when one of the fawns begins to slowly, cautiously walk towards us. And it only got so close before it began to get a little jittery and turned back. But then the other one had to do the same, and go a bit farther to show its sibling up. I cannot believe how close, how brave, how daring that little fawn was. And all at once it was startled by something and took off sprinting in the other direction.

Walking in the park, with someone who has a deep spiritual affinity with nature, really opened my eyes to everything that was around me. The world was alive all around me and it was okay to walk slowly, stop if necessary, to take it all in. I think that I still, for whatever reason, have more sense of connection with the dirt than with the trees looming above me. I feel like I can get down into the dirt and plant something and watch it grow, rather than touch or look up and see a being that has been there for a hundred years. Maybe that says something about my calling or my experience of nature to this point as a farmer’s daughter. But I didn’t know that the way I know it know. The ground. The roots. They beg for my attention. But i also got to appreciate on this walk the things that they nourish, sustain and support. that that was a beautiful thing.