"Who's the Boss?"

As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.

"Did you lock the door," I whispered when we crawled into bed.  "No," my hubby responded. 
Married a year, we had purchased our first house, a "semi detached," what I called a duplex in Ephrata, PA.  A "fixer upper" from the poorly papered red, white, and blue room in which two of my good Illinois friends had the pleasure of staying, to the broken latch on the patio door, we were gradually making home improvements.  On this particular day, after having lived here for a few weeks, Cliff had fixed the patio door lock and for the first time, we were able to secure it. Now we were in bed having slept in this house for a month without being able to bolt the door, and this was on my mind.   Hmmmm... did the lock create a feeling of security or insecurity?  I had slept fine up to this point with an unlocked door.  I got up, went down the stairs, and flipped the little latch to the right.

The other night we were talking and laughing as a family.  The story came up recounting how Cliff was teaching an adult Sunday school class on the topic of security and trust, and he started pulling items in which we humans tend to put our assurance out of a backpack--insurance policies, padlocks, and the shocker for me, a handgun (not loaded of course!).   This week we will be back in the benches at Ridgeview, and Brother Mick's message, "Who's the Boss?' will challenge us to consider where we place our security and confidence. To whom do we grant authority and power over our lives?  The sermon text will be drawn from Romans 6:12-23, and other texts to consider are Psalm 89:1-4;15-18 and Matthew 10:40-42.  Sure, there are practical measures we should take for safety, so let's get the discussion started and talk about this!  I'm looking forward to Brother Mick's exegesis on this passage; I've not considered the words from this passage in this light.

In the Upper Room this week, if my calendar is correct, Nelson and Pat will be sharing their story at 9am. The corporate worship service begins at 10:15am :) 

Last night was the final night of VBS in the park.  Thanks so much for your help!  Yep, it is a lot of work, and I'm glad for Zook's chicken pies to pop in the oven for supper, but what a wonderful time to interact with children and share about our God whose love extends to infinity and beyond! (No, we did not have a Buzz Lightyear theme)

My prayer for you today:  Spirit of peace, quiet our hearts, heal our anxious thoughts, free us from our fretful ways.  Breathe on us your holy calm so that in the stillness of your presence we may open ourselves to trust and be transformed.(HWB #729)  
 Help us, Lord, to understand that real security and control outside of you is merely an illusion.  Come Kingdom of God. Be done, will of God, on earth as it is in heaven.  In your name, Jesus.  AMEN.

Without question or doubt, you are loved by God, and I love you too! 
love and light, carol

http://www.ridgeviewmennonite.net/
"Always remember who you are, whose you are, where you are going, and what you believe, because it does make a difference!  Oh, and don't forget to attend a church of your choice this weekend. " JD

O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures. May the glory of the Lord continue forever.  The Lord takes pleasure in all he has made. Psalm104:24,31




"LACY'S CREEPIER COUSIN"



 She was dressed in a striking pattern of yellow and black with her legs covered in lacy stockings with bright flecks--all eight of 'em.  Going out to the garden to pick the beans or tomatoes, I had to be on the alert not to disturb her parlor which was stretched between plants as she awaited her guests.  Dad had taught us respect for this creature, not only explaining her usefulness in naturally ridding the garden of certain pests, but also by demonstrating. He would catch a little grasshopper and toss it onto her couch of silk where it would be greeted with a kiss and a special cozy blanket.  Forget Dora and Barney, my sisters and I were enthralled by the natural entertainment afforded by Creation and introduced with appreciation and respect to us by our father.

Now we live in the woods where the arachnids sometimes choose to live in our house rather than their beautiful, natural environment.  There are times I feel more like the woman on the mentos commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA1K4KG4_WM than
the Illinois farm girl who once let a tarantula named Nelson :) crawl up her arm. In those times I need to be reminded of the lessons from my dad of the incredible design and artistry of our Creator.   Thanks, Dad!  and Thanks, Dad!

This weekend is Heritage Days at the community park in Intercourse.  Ridgeview is participating in the community worship service starting at 10am in the big tent.  Mick, Nelson, Jeff, and others will all be involved.  My weekend's involvement is trash pick up.  If you want to help me out, I'm sure I can find a place for you! :)  There are also fireworks on Saturday evening.  The church parking lot will be full of spectators and fun!

Korinne, Ian, and the rest of the EMU Honduras cross-cultural team returned safely on Wednesday night-- actually it was Thursday morning as the expected Wednesday 10:45pm arrival became Thursday 1:30am....We arrived back at home around 5am. (YAWN!)

Laura G has arrived at Laurelville for her work as a counselor. Have a great summer, Laura!  I KNOW the campers will adore you! :)

My prayer for you today:  Lord, you are dressed in a robe of light.  You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens; you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds. You make the clouds your chariot; you ride upon the wings of the wind. Psalm 104:1-3  Thank you for the amazing world you have created.  Open our eyes to see how you fill the earth!  Open our hearts to understanding that we are part of that beauty and are loved and cared for by you. Open our minds to understanding that we are called to be caretakers of your world.  Thank you, God. Thank you, God!  Come Kingdom of God. Be done will of God, on earth as it is in heaven.  In your name, Jesus. AMEN

Without question or doubt, you are loved by God, and I love you too!  Have a great weekend!
love and light,
carol
PS  The internet is behaving badly-- I hope to add more photos later!

http://www.ridgeviewmennonite.net/index.htm

"Always remember who you are, whose you are, where you are going, and what you believe, because it does make a difference!  Oh, and don't forget to attend a church of your choice this weekend. " JD

Pentecost Sunday

And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?"

"Gooooooooooooal!" is a cry that has meaning at my house.  The husband, 3 daughters, the son-in-law, and the boyfriend all play futbol or soccer as we Americans call it. Say  "pitch, boots, and sweeper" to a soccer player, and you won't be conveying "throwing, snow protection, and brooms."

I've come to enjoy the sport (good thing!) and could explain many of the rules to you if you asked. I particularly value the international flavor of the sport.  Cliff once played on a team that represented  5+ nationalities, and although I don't recall from what countries the players were, Europe, USA, the Middle East, and South America all wore the same jersey, and other teams in that particular tournament covered the rest of the globe.  Though intense on and off the pitch, the camaraderie, passion, and language of this global sport carries some lessons from which the church could learn. 

This week is Pentecost Sunday. "The story of this day sets the stage for the events and themes of the entire book [of Acts]:  empowerment by the Holy Spirit, human response across national lines, opposition, the preaching of a gospel for all peoples, a great ingathering, and the formation of a community of believers with its many signs and wonders."  (Believer's Church Bible Commentary Acts, Faw P. 40)
"What Does It Mean?" is the title of Brother Mick's sermon as he invites us to "explore our own presuppostions about how God's Spirit is at work within us" in his message this week.  Loretta Lapp and Julie Denlinger will be co-worship leaders, and I very much like the generational linkage.  Carl the caterpillar will be experiencing a phenomenal transformation this week.

Kori and Ian return from Honduras next week.  :)
I'm not sure what is happening in the Upper Room on Sunday..... Come find out!

My prayer for you today: Breathe on us, Breath of God.  Fill us with your love, joy, and peace that we can pour out kindness, mercy, and grace in your name, Jesus.  Bless these young people with a renewed sense of your Spirit; ever guiding, ever compassionate, ever present. Provide healing for each of us in our brokenness. In a world that is full of strife and pain, let us be vessels of your healing and hope.  Holy Spirit, be the thread that binds us together that your Kingdom will come, here on earth as it is in heaven. Come Kingdom of God; be done will of God, here on earth as it is in heaven. AMEN

Without question or doubt, you are loved by God, and I love you too! 
love and light, carol

http://www.ridgeviewmennonite.net/

"Always remember who you are, whose you are, where you are going, and what you believe, because it does make a difference!  Oh, and don't forget to attend a church of your choice this weekend. " JD

No Pain, No Gain

Good morning, All! 

After being in a serious car accident as a girl of about 10 years old, I discovered the other worlds found through the stringing together of words.   Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew, Frank and Joe, Madame Curie, Meg and Calvin, and Florence Nightingale were all characters who lived in my house.  In my Hopedale Mennonite Church library,I also discovered a series of books by author Louise Vernon in which she recounts church history through fiction.  Two of those books  The Secret Church and The Night Preacher  tell the stories of the early Anabaptists and Menno Simons, those radicals who chose to be rebaptized as adults, some at the cost of their lives and eventually came to an understanding of Christ's love calling us to journeys of peace. These texts were my first introductions to the "Believers' Church."  The Martyrs Mirror (also known as "The Bloody Theater or Martyrs Mirror of the Defenseless Christians Who Baptized Only Upon Confession of Faith, and Who Suffered and Died for the Testimony of Jesus, Their Saviour, From the Time of Christ to the Year A.D.1660" --was actually first published in Dutch in that year) became known to me as a high school student.

Starting with the crucifixion of Christ and the stoning of Stephen, this huge volume recounts the stories, torturing, and deaths of  faithful men and women who died for their beliefs. "In the year 1571, there was burnt alive, at Amsterdam in Holland, for the testimony of Jesus, a woman named Anneken Heyndricks, aged about fifty-three years....'Though I am sentenced and condemned by you, yet what you say does not come from God...'They did not let her speak any more but filled her mouth with gunpowder, and carried her thus from the city hall to the fire into which they cast her alive."
(P 873 Martyrs Mirror, c. 1972)
To check out this book you can go to these websites:
http://www.homecomers.org/mirror/index.htm  (Text of the Martyrs Mirror)
http://www.bethelks.edu/mla/holdings/scans/martyrsmirror/  (Jan Luiken's etchings from Martyrs Mirror)

The irony of such a violent book in the hands of a peace church isn't lost on me.  Perhaps the cruel and fiery stories of the faithful who were tortured and put to death by church and state is in part what keeps us steadfast.

Brother Mick's message "No Pain, No Gain" on Sunday has us spending time on the text from I Peter 4:12-19, 5:6-11 as Peter encourages the church to endure the times of trial.  What does this mean for us in 2011?

 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. I Peter 4:12-13

I hope you can join us to learn, share, and grow together!

On Sunday, Etta Esh will be joining the Upstairs Room as discussion facilitor at 9am, and there is an informal gathering at Pat and Arnie's at 6pm.  Good times! 

June 18 and 19th, the senior high could use a few more helpers for Heritage Days trash pick up  in the afternoon on Saturday and Sunday morning 7a-9a. Let me know if you're available to help the community and youth group.

There is also a fellowship meal after church-- the annual pig roast!  Come one and all! 

Blessings to Travis as he heads to Connecticut for his internship with Boehringer Ingelheim.  Nate has finally begun his swim training (It's probably called something else!) in Florida.

My prayer for you today: Lord God, you are present with us. Thank you for these young people.  Some of them are in other countries, some training, some working, some relaxing, some parenting, some grieving, some rejoicing.  No matter where we are or how we feel, you are present.  Would you bring to us an awareness of your Being? Never do you leave or forsake us. We are broken and needy.  Fill us with your healing spirit that your light will shine through our fissures.   We ask that you would use us to bring healing and hope; there is so much pain and suffering in the world—help us to be bearers of your love and peace.  Jesus, you are the answer.  Let us share your love with all creation to a world discordant and splintered.  May your kingdom come, your will be done, here on earth as it is in heaven.   Amen

Without question or doubt, you are loved by God, and I love you too!  Breakfast anyone?

love and light, carol

http://www.ridgeviewmennonite.net/

"Always remember who you are, whose you are, where you are going, and what you believe, because it does make a difference!  Oh, and don't forget to attend a church of your choice this weekend. " JD