I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can!

Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters;
and you that have no money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk, without money and without price.

Heritage Days, Vacation Bible School, writing, teaching, convention prep, family time, house guests, Pittsburgh convention, home visits, breakfast meetings, lunch meetings, youth Sunday, documents to prep,meals to prepare, laundry and ironing, memos to send, letters to write, groceries to buy, plants to water, birds to feed,  pets.... STOP! 
Yesterday was one of those times after I hugged and kissed my parents good-bye sending them on their way back to the Prairie State after a delightful week's visit, I realized I needed to pause and drink from the fountain. Although every single thing I've done this past month, with the exception of cleaning up the cat puke, was wonderful, worthwhile, and I wouldn't change, I need to take a deep breath and have a moment to "come to the water."  That meant I made a difficult decision to cancel a fun, youth event scheduled for Saturday night....sigh... That was hard for me to do, because I love these kids and don't want to let them down; I really, really don't.  But if I am a dry and grumpy youth minister, not to mention wife, mom, and friend who thinks thinks that the art to being good at something is to go, go, go, and do, do, do, well, then I am in the wrong business. There is refreshment available, free and delicious, but I must make the time to go to the Creator's stand.


This week Brother Mick is back and preaching "Too Good to be True?" sharing from Isaiah 55:1-5 reminding all of us that it is in God we find nourishment in our times of need. (Apropos for me) Another significant part of our service will be the commissioning of Dick Thomas for his role as moderator of the Mennonite Church USA for the next two years.  We will welcome a number of special guests as Dick receives this charge.


Is it really the end of July???
I've heard via the grapevine that the CPA exam has not only mental challenges but also driving obstacles as bears may strike your vehicle post testing!  What's the story, Eric?? :)
Etta will be facilitating in the Upper Room on Sunday.
We will not have Sunday School for the month of August, and church worship will begin at 9:30am. 

My prayer for today:  Creator God, you tell us, 'Ho! Come to the waters everyone who thirsts.' Why don't we listen to you?  Why do we tend to get caught in our busyness and tasks, our "to do" lists, our corporate climbs, even our good deeds, so that before long we feel dry, stressed, and weary?  Thanks for your open arms, your loving heart, your cool and refreshing water.  Remind us that you designed us for Sabbath rest.  When we are refreshed by your living water, then we can go about the kingdom work designed for us to do. Come Kingdom of God. Be done, will of God-- on earth as it is in heaven.  In Jesus Name. AMEN

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

 "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

Journeys

(1981)I stood by the edge of the dusty road and waved my arm up and down hoping that someone would stop.  I thought the bus was going to come by at 8am, but it was well past that time, and no bus.   After a weekend with the other "Goshens" at Listowel Boys School in Cayo District of Belize, I needed to return to the medical clinic in Benque Viejo del Carmen, a beautiful little village near the Guatemalan border where I would be serving for the next 5 weeks. So, here I stood on the side of this dusty road and waved my arm up and down, and almost immediately a rusty old pick up stopped.  The 5 men already in the back of the truck smiled and nodded hellos, and one of the men gave up his seat on the spare tire for me.  We continued the drive, the free taxi stopping and starting for pick ups and drop offs.  When we arrived in San Ignacio, I hopped out of the truck waving my thanks, and headed up the big hill toward Benque Viejo.

 

Xunantunich

 Hola!  said a young pregnant woman with a big smile.  Ahh, one of the women from the clinic! It's amazing how a smile and a familiar face can warm the soul. We chatted about her pregnancy and her community as we walked  and then bid one another farewell as our ways diverged. I continued my journey receiving greetings and various, ummm, interesting invitations from the men at the Scottish (I think--I'll have to check with my friend Jan!)  army post which I politely refused and continued to walk until a great big road truck driven by a Jamaican man stopped and offered me a lift.  He was not as enamoured with Belize as I was and was planning to return to Jamaica after Christmas.  When his path turned away from the road to Benque, I climbed out of the big truck and continued to hike along this road that basically cut through the rain forest.  Just a few miles away were the incredible Mayan Ruins called Xunantunich http://belizex.com/xunantunich.htm.  This time it was a driver with a jeep full of young boys that stopped to offer me a ride. We chatted, and I told him about Goshen College's Study Service Program which brought me to this beautiful and friendly country.  http://www.goshen.edu/sst/  He dropped me off about a mile from my destination, and I prepared to walk only to have the postman stop to take me the rest of the way.

When I reflect on those 2 short hours of my life, I'm reminded of the beauty and vibrancy in the ordinary journeys of life.  For me, the experience was extraordinary, but had I lived in Belize, it may have been mundane and tedious.  What am I not noticing and appreciating in my everyday tasks and trips today?  George Fox founder of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) said, "Walk joyfully on the earth and respond to that of God in every human being."  I like that.
From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. 2 Cor. 5:16 

I hope you can join us at Ridgeview this Sunday as the senior high youth will be implementing the entire service. Using their experience from the Mennonite Convention in Pittsburgh, the youth will sing and tell about "Bridges to the Cross," sharing scripture, songs, seminar learnings, and photos from this inspiring week. I'm not sure what will be happening in the Upper Room on Sunday.  I know that those who were there last week were blessed by Eric's time with them. Sunday School begins at 9am--Worship Service at 10:15am.   Check out the Ridgeview Mennonite Young Adult fb page for a homemade icecream event next week at Rick and Gwen's!
https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/groups/158265147558908

My prayer for you today:  Creator God, as many of us are sweltering in this intense heat, we know that there are streams of living water in you.  Cool and refresh our hearts and minds even as our bodies labor and sweat.  Guide our feet as we journey in life. Hold our hands as we walk along the road.  Grant us shade as we wilt in the intensity of life.  Open our eyes to see you in the people we meet along the road.  For those suffering loss and experiencing pain, be a healing balm.  For those struggling with anxieties and relationship problems, reveal yourself in new ways. Help us to bridge the gaps between us; to be reconcilers to one another as you have been to us. Come Kingdom of God. Be done will of God, here on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus name.  Amen

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

http://www.ridgeviewmennonite.net/

"Always remember who you are, whose you are, what you believe, and where you are going, because it does make a difference.  Oh, and don't forget to attend the church of your choosing this week."   jd

The story I'm telling today is not for the weak at heart or squeamish. Some of you have heard this dreadful tale before, but I tell it again today as a warning because I care. 

Turkey Point Lighthouse seemed innocuous enough as she stood guard on the bluff overlooking the Chesapeake Bay. My friends Jan, Joy, and I were here for an easy hike and relaxing day.  Reading the signposts and exploring the site, we imagined what life would have been like for the many women who were known to be the keepers.  An osprey swooped over the still water scooping up a fish; butterflies danced around us. Surrounded by this beauty it was hard to imagine the threat we humans and our habits were bringing to this great body of water; basking in the glory of nature, it was hard to imagine the horror story that was about to unfold. Continuing our walk, we unintentionally stepped off of the trail and found ourselves in the long grasses that skirted the bay.  Unbeknownst to me, the attack began, only I remained totally oblivious. Oblivious, that is until many hours later when I disrobed to shower and found 100s of little red scabs all over me.  Hmmm... I've spent a lot of time outdoors and never seen anything like these little red tags.  I scraped one into my palm to look at it more closely when....EWWWWW!  It moved! It's ALIVE!  Chiggers, little red mites that bite and cling, little red parasites that suck your blood. Hundreds of them, all over me! HUNDREDS!! AND THEY ARE ALIVE!

At this point I could make various spiritual applications, but for today, I'm content to simply tell you to BEWARE! when you walk in long grasses and encourage you to come up with your own moral for the story. I quickly scrubbed them down the drain, but the itch and bumps stayed with me for weeks!
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 We welcome the Smoker family from Japan.  Charles will be sharing a message he has titled, "Japanese Characters and Biblical Concepts" with scripture from II Timothy 3:16-17 and II Peter 1:20-21. Let's pray that their time in the States is meaningful, blessed, and even fun!
As the summer months are upon us, we will continue to welcome the tourists at Ridgeview.  :)

Rich and Erica grieve the loss of a good friend.
Nathan and Sarah Horst experienced the deaths of Sarah's grandma and Nathan's grandpa in one week's time.  Although not unexpected, loss of these significant people is painful.  Let's pray for them.
Life is hard, sometimes really hard.  God is our refuge and our strength.

Beth and Eric Alderman will be sharing in the Upper Room this Sunday.  I hope you can join them to hear their story.  I will be with the senior high youth.

My prayer for you today:  Lord God, grant us an awareness of your constant presence in our lives. In our busyness, we often fail to acknowledge you. I pray you would grant the readers peace, joy, and wisdom as decisions are made, children are cared for, work is done, employment is sought, grieving is occuring, play is happening, vacations are occurring, and relationships built. Open our eyes to see you in one another.  Open our ears to hear your quiet whisper.  Open our hearts to your love.  Open our arms to welcome others to the peace and joy found in you.  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

Bridges to (the) Cross

From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view;even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. ¹⁷So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! ¹⁸All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself,not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. ²⁰So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  II Corinthians 5:16-20

The gravel road led down to the Mackinaw River and the bridge. It was one of those bridges that we describe as rustic and rickety... could we really drive across it?  Would I fall through if I walked across it? The road and the bridge were scenic and beautiful in the way of postcards, but across the river spanned by the creaky bridge, the scalp prickled and tales of legend were told.  You see, on the other side of the river was a sad, rundown house which, although appeared uninhabited, was the home of a recluse.  A man who was notorious in our small community with stories of pulling out the shotgun to pepper folks who entered his property, drinking and bathing in the muddy river water, squirrelling away a fortune.... Of course, this made him the subject of pranks and dares by the area's fearless and foolish.

This changed for me one Thanksgiving; my mom began building a new bridge.  You see, she was driving to our rural home which wasn't far from the scary man's shack, and she saw him walking along the road.  Well, the next thing we knew, there was going to be an additional guest for our Thanksgiving feast!   I don't recall many of the details of that dinner other than he was very scruffy, ate lots of bread and drank tons of water which perhaps prepared him for his stint in prison for tax evasion a year or so later.  But he was also very polite, very grateful, and treated my mother like a queen. My mom bridged a gap between us and our neighbor as I realized that at our table was a broken, old man. and one of God's own.  Fear: it keeps us from stepping on that seemingly rickety bridge, doesn't it.

This week I'm priviledged to be in Pittsburgh at the Mennonite Convention with all its rivers and bridges, learning, growing, stretching, praising, sharing, and at the moment yawning. (4-5 hours of sleep are slightly under my usual snooze time) The youth are inspiring and blessing me with their attitudes of service, praise, hunger for learning, and growth. The message of reconciliation of us to God and one another is, indeed, good news! 


Special treats for me this week have been conversations and hugs with my eldest daughter and her hubby, and a catch up chat with Julie. :)


Here are a few links if you are interested in finding out what's happening in this delightful city which has been overrun with Mennonites!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N969uLec8qQ&feature=share
http://blog.goshen.edu/mpress/
http://vimeo.com/22979366
http://www.mennoniteusa.org/

Brother Mick will be sharing this Sunday after a week of inspiration here in Pittsburgh.  His message is "Tossing Out Seeds" based on the parable of the sower found in Matthew 13.  Lots of seeds have been planted this week. Time to start watering and tending!  I hope to see you at Ridgeview-- I'm not sure what's happening in the Upper Room at 9am, so I'll probably stop in to find out. :)

My prayer for you today:  Creator God, the greatest task of all is for us to love you and love each other.  This we can do because you've made Christ our bridge to you.  As you heal us in our brokenness, help us to be bridges sharing  healing and hope to our discordant and hurting world.  Come Kingdom of God.  Be done, will of God; here on earth as it is in heaven. In the

name of 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

   The Lord always keeps his promises;
      he is gracious in all he does.
 The Lord helps the fallen
      and lifts those bent beneath their loads. Psalm 145:13b-14

"Oh, Mommy!  I love you!" exclaimed my 5 year old as she hugged my waist while I washed dishes.
 "I love you too," I responded turning and squatting so I could be eye level with her. 
"You know, Mommy, if you hadn't married Daddy, I wouldn't be here," she said with her little arms wrapped around my neck.
Hmmmm, where is this going? "That's right, Honey."
"And if you would have married another man and breeded with him, I wouldn't be here then, either." 
Oh, she was so serious, so sincere.  Oh, she was watching waaay to much "Animal Planet!"

I've spent my adult life in various settings working with infants, children, and teens.  What delight! Children that haven't been "broken"  by fractured adults aren't afraid to look you in the eyes when you're in the grocery store.  They aren't afraid to give you a hug. They aren't afraid to climb into your lap and snuggle. (This is why our laps become bigger as we have children-more room is needed!) :) They aren't afraid to cry when they are hurting. They know that mommy will not hold it against them when they puke all over her.  They know they can run to daddy when they are frightened. (I recall a little girl who practically climbed up her daddy while at the Phila Zoo when the lion roared not 10 feet away!) They know mommy or daddy will carry them into their beds when they fall asleep in their carseats. When they have a bad dream, they crawl into the parents' bed. They can dance in the rain, roll in the grass, eat a dripping ice cream cone, laugh out loud at the butterfly perched on grandma's head, tussle with daddy, cry when their friend is crying, and be themselves, silly, creative, inquisitive, vulnerable,and emotional.  

This week Brother Mick is preaching from Matthew 11:16-19; 25-30 and has titled his message, "You're Being Childish."  Childish behavior is more of a vice than a virtue, but there are many childlike qualities and attitudes that we should embrace.  Matthew reports in v.25  "At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike."   There is an "AhhHa!" moment when we read the familiar 28-30 in the light of the trust and vulnerability of a child :  'Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”'    The image of running to daddy for rest and help is natural, expected, trustworthy, and beautiful.
Kelsey, you know what I mean when I sigh deeply and say, "Oh, Daddy!"  :)

At 9am we will be gathering in the Upstairs room, and I am planning on joining you this week.  I look forward to seeing you! 
Please pray for Julie, Nathan, Sarah, and I as we head to Pittsburgh for the Mennonite Convention.  Julie will be attending some of the Young Adult sessions, and Sarah, Nathan, and I will be shepherding the senior high youth. There will be others from Ridgeview and with Ridgeview connections present.  I'm looking forward to seeing some of you there, particularly my eldest daughter and her hubby! :) 

My prayer for you today: Creator God, you call us to your lap, healing us, teaching us, carrying us. "Oh, Daddy!"  we cry and will be answered, for Jesus, you have shown us the love of our Creator for us.  We are called your children!  Thank you!  Help us, Lord, to gain understanding, to gain childlike trust, to be vulnerable so that our souls learn to acknowlege and be aware of your presence within and all around us. As we are healed by your grace and love, let your healing and hope flow through us to the world.  Come kingdom of God. Be done will of God, here on earth as it is in heaven. AMEN 

I hope to at least post a "Hello from Pittsburgh" note next Friday.  If you don't hear from me, well, breathe an extra prayer for me! :)
 
Without question or doubt, you are love 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