Loving this post at Gifted for Leadership, concerning women’s contributions to church leadership throughout the ages! Read it if you’re an egalitarian. Read it if you’re a complimentarian. Read it if you’re undecided on the matter. Just please read it.
Community art? June 11, 2009
For all those who were wondering, yes I’m still alive and I have returned from Italy! I hope to blog some thoughts and reflections, maybe even some pictures, in the near future.
But for now, some thoughts on art… which I feel a bit strange writing about, because when it comes to visual arts, I have very little (if any) talent. I was reminded of that today as I attempted to finish a few pages in my son’s baby scrapbook. It’s a good thing I only committed to doing baby scrapbooks for my children, and not one for each year of their life.
Back to the topic at hand, though– the pastor who I work with at Highland Park Community Church has a vision for using art in worship, and I have been intrigued and inspired by the idea. Drawing, painting, dancing, photography, etc. all seem like wonderful ways to express love and connection to God. And it also seems like something that may draw people from the community into a building they would not normally enter… a church building.
These thoughts came back to me as I happened to be reading an old issue of Reader’s Digest (from August 2003). There is an article by Kathryn Renner on p. 211, having to do with a community art piece that had a powerful impact on one neighborhood:
Jan, a self-taught artist, decided to ask each person in her neighborhood to paint his or her face on one big canvas… first, she painted a grid on the canvas and propped it up on an easel in the garage, next to a table of paints. Then whenever Jan was home, the ‘art room’ door was up, with an open invitation for enighbors to paint on a square. the first to stop in were kids riding by on theri bikes… But the adults weren’t so eager. ‘Most said they hadn’t picked up a brush since kindergarten,’ Jan says. ‘They were afraid they’d mess it up.’ But as word slowly spread, they came, some using their driver’s license photos as models. Then something started to happen. They came back– to see who had painted, or if they could recognize who was who. While in Jan’s garage, they began to chat about re-modeling projects, schools, jobs, and families. Wendy, who lived across the street and was fighting breast cancer, came in her wheelchair to watch the fun every day. When the worst happened and Wendy died, they stood by her husband, Bill, and invited him over for meals… This summer has been different in Jan’s neighborhood. Famlies take turns hosting happy hours. They share birthdays and swim in each other’s pools. ‘We’re watching over each other now, just like in the painting,’ says Jan.
I’m wondering, could we do something like this for our communities, as congregations? …use art to build relationships and connection with one another, to break down barriers and welcome one another into our lives? What do you think?
Pilgrimage May 13, 2009
My seminary cohort, the group I have spent the last three years studying, conversing and sometimes arguing with (in love of course!), is busily preparing to go to Italy at the end of the month. We have been reading some books and repsonding to them:
Serving with Eyes Wide Open: doing short-term missions with cultural intelligence by David Livermore
The Road to Emmaus: pilgrimage as a way of life by Jim Forest
La Bella Figura: a field guide to the Italian mind by Beppe Severgnini
The book I’ve been ruminating over the most is the one on pilgrimage as a way of life. Basically, Forest encourages his readers to approach every day of their lives as a journey with Christ and toward Him, to anticipate meeting Christ in others in every moment, to live with a constant sense of awareness of God’s Presence. *sigh* I do not do this well. I tend to live by lists… I make them and I check things off. Laundry, check. Shopping, check. Pick songs for Sunday, check. Send emails, check. Set up babysitting, check. Dishes, check. Cleaning, check….
I am an extrovert for sure, and enjoy spending time with people; but I can be very task oriented and have probably been more so over the last three years as I added school to my already full life. After reading this book, I long to slow down and savor each moment (even if my hands are busy with household or church tasks). I want to notice things and notice people. I want to live with my eyes wide open so that I do not miss where Christ wants to meet me in another… even, perhaps, my children… especially my children! It sounds idealistic and impossible, yet does that make it a worthless pursuit? Something in me yearns for that kind of spiritual growth and formation. In one sense, I don’t care if I never reach the goal. The point is the journey.
A conversation with my unchurched neighbor May 5, 2009
The phone rings.
“Hello?”
“Kris Anne, it’s Jill. I just wanted to apologize again for not making it to your graduation party. I really wanted to be there, but I was still so sick. I hope it went well.”
“Oh my goodness, don’t even worry about it. I just hope you feel better soon! Is there anything I can do for you?”
“No… and I don’t even want you to pray for me. You know, I have this really religious friend who says we can ask God for anything because he’s our Father and we should be able to ask our fathers for anything no matter how trivial because they love and care for us. But I don’t buy that.”
“Hmmm…. why is that?”
“Well, if I’m sitting at the Black Jack table praying that I will win, that’s not right. That’s disrespectful to God. I only think it’s right to pray about severe health issues… not the little ones, but the big ones. You know, when I broke my foot and I was lying on the ground, I didn’t pray that God would heal it. I prayed that he would help me get through the pain. I don’t think life is supposed to be comfortable or easy. I believe God does miracles and can heal, but to ask him to help me get rich or relieve a little pain… it doesn’t seem right. You just got your MDiv, what do you think about all that?”
“I think your friend is right that God loves us like a Father and cares about our lives. But I also agree with you that praying to win at the gambling table isn’t right. And I think you are right on that life is not about our comfort or wealth… you’re amazing… I don’t know that I always remember that. But I’ve actually been stumped lately about praying over health issues. I prayed for my mom to be healed of cancer and to live, and God didn’t heal her on this side of heaven. For whatever reason, He didn’t do a miracle. I guess lately, I’ve been praying that whatever happens, God will shape me and mold me into a more godly woman. And when it comes to praying for others, I pray that whatever happens to them, God will give them inner peace and strength and reveal His Love to them… and that’s about as far as I get. I know God loves us and wants what is best for us, but He doesn’t always say yes to our prayers… and that’s difficult for me. I sometimes feel like, if He is just going to do what He’s going to, then why ask. I don’t know, Jill. I certainly don’t have all the answers.”
“Yeah. Would you pray for my sister, though? We don’t speak to each other, but I found out she has six nodes on her throat. They are testing them to see if they’re cancerous. Her life is so messed up; I don’t want her to die.”
“I’ll pray, Jill. I’ll certainly pray that God will show up with all His Fatherly love and surround all of you with grace. You’ve got a beautiful spirit, Jill. Let me know if you need anything else, ok?”
“I will.”
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And now, I wonder how to pray… perhaps Jill knows better than I…
Ministry Doubts April 28, 2009
Great post from Maggi Dawn on the pressures of professional ministry on a person’s faith. I needed to read this today:
http://maggidawn.typepad.com/maggidawn/2009/04/is-my-faith-real.html
Apologies April 27, 2009
Just popping in to apologize for the sparseness on the blog lately. I am graduating with my MDiv from Biblical Seminary this Saturday, so I’m busy finishing up papers and projects and planning/shopping for my grad party.
God is good! I am so thankful for the priviledge of the last three years! I still have a few Tuesday night classes in May, which are in preparation for our seminary cohort trip to Italy (May 26-June 5, check out our cohort blog about the trip at pilgrimagetoitaly.blogspot.com). So Saturday is a symbolic end, not the tangible end… but I am really looking forward to it nonetheless.
Before I end this post, I have to say one other thing– I will miss my mother this weekend very much. I have a sense that she will share the experience with us, but…. to take some pictures with her, to share the moment with her, to hug her… that would be wonderful… and I’ll miss that.
Post ReLaunch… April 13, 2009
I think I have written here before about the six-month project at the church where I am serving (Highland Park Community Church). We’ve been praying, preparing the building and worship space, praying, studying about service and ministry and leadership, praying…. doing Outrageous Acts of Kindness in the community and marketing the church… and praying.
Yesterday was the big day– the Grand ReOpening (or ReLaunch) of this community of faith.
…and God was there! We planned for about 75 people and served close to 100. Everything went smoothly and I sensed people were connecting with the message and with God. We’ve been told by church planting consultants that week two can see a drop-off of at least half the number that came on Launch day… so we will see… our hope is to retain around 20 new people over the coming year.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support during this time! Continue to pray that HPCC will be a light in the community and will find many ways to serve where there are needs. Pray that people will find many ways to connect with Jesus through our ministries. And pray that our core group will have healthy relationships with one another and with God as we move forward with this work.
God is good! God is faithful! We belong to Him!
Found this poem April 13, 2009
A friend of mine posted this poem on her facebook page, and it has been on my mind since then. I sometimes struggle in ministry with doing things to please people or doing things to get affirmation… instead of BEING, and simply BEING FAITHFUL. I know and understand in my mind that ministry is definitely NOT about pleasing people, and that the motivation is twisted if it’s a motivation to get affirmation. But, ugh! I am so human! I pray that this prayer becomes part of my spiritual DNA.
——————————————————————————————–
Deliver me, Jesus –
from the desire of being loved
from the desire of being honored
from the desire of being praised
from the desire of being preferred to others
from the desire of being consulted
from the desire of being approved
from the fear of being humiliated
from the fear of being despised
from the fear of suffering rebuke
from the fear of being forgotten
from the fear of being wrong
from the fear of being suspected
And Jesus, grant me the grace to desire
that others might be loved more than I
that others might be esteemed more than I
that in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease
that others may be chosen and I set aside
that others may be praised and I unnoticed
that others may be preferred to me in everything
that others may become holier than I, provided that I become as holy as I should.
Published Article April 7, 2009
I am honored that the editor of Everyday Liturgy has accepted a short piece I wrote for their Spring Journal, focusing on women in theology.
Click on the link below to see the journal and read my piece, entitled “Our Differences and Our Theology.”
New Website March 24, 2009
Since November, we at Highland Park Community Church have been working with our hands and hearts in preparation for reLaunching (or a grand reOpening) on Easter Sunday (April 12, 2009).
We have been painting, cleaning, buffing floors, replacing windows, reconfiguring pews in a circular formation, purchasing new equipment… we have been studying the book of Philippians, discussing vision and mission, doing various OAKS in our community (Outrageous Acts of Kindness)… we have been praying for specific families in our community and for the larger community in general….
It’s been hard, at times exhausting work (I’m sure even more so for our pastor and her husband). And we have no idea what God is going to do on Easter Sunday. Will there be 30 people? 60? 100? 200? The theme of surrender has been on my heart the past few weeks. This is not truly “our” work. We’re participating with God in what He’s up to in Levittown. This is His… all of it… all the people…
I’m writing about this today because recently our website has gone LIVE. Check it out here:
www.highlandparkcc.org
Please pray that we will be faithful in being God’s instruments during reLaunch and beyond. Pray that we will be sensitive to the Spirit’s movement and release our dreams and hopes to God. Pray for strength and perseverance for our core group. Pray that God will prepare the community, the hearts of people, to receive His Love through us. Thank you!!!!
