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

Summer's Entrance

I value how those ordinary moments in life emerge as extraordinary memories. I recall being at my Grandma Moser's when she still lived in the brown brick house on Madison Street. A walnuty scent, the musicality of many clocks, and the sight of Grandpa sitting in the kitchen shooing the parakeet off of his bald pate are brain smiles for me. 


My Two Grandmas in 2008



 At the start of one summer when I was a preteen, my younger sister and I were at the grandparents with 2 of my younger cousins, and we gained permission to walk up to the little ice cream shop next to the Post Office, a real treat for us country girls. :)  We got our vanilla cones and began walking back to Grandma's when suddenly the town boys swooped in on their snazy banana seat bikes and began spitting what I thought were wood chips at us.. (now I'm wondering if it was a nice wad of chew!)  The littlest cousin dropped her cone and began to cry.  I gave her mine, picked up her yechy treat and prepared for battle.  (This was before I embraced the Anabaptist way of peace!) :) On their next attack run, I hefted the damaged goods at one of the boys, and missed... BUT he lost his balance and went tumbling over the handlebars.  We scurried back to Madison Street as quickly as we could, fearing greater retaliation.  Grandma's response surprised me as apparently the Mama Grizzly syndrome took hold, "Oh, I wish you would have hit him in the back of the head with that ice cream!"

What does this have to do with Sunday's message?  Absolutely nothing.  This hot and steamy weather simply awakens the thought of ordinary vanilla ice cream which brings to my mind one extraordinary summer ice cream adventure.

Brother Mick will be continuing to look at the early church. In Acts 17  Paul's word to the people of Athens diplomatically acknowledges their religiosity and search for meaning beyond themselves. He directs them to  the Creator God, the "unknown god" for whom the Greeks have an altar. Many gods were worshipped by the people of this time period.  Aren't we glad we don't have all those idols?  Or do we?  As we search for hope, meaning, and sustenance in our lives, to whom or to what do we turn?

The last I heard Smith and Rhonda Noel will be sharing from 9-10a in the Upstairs Room on Sunday.  I've heard pieces of their story, and I think you will be inspired. 

If you are interested in helping out the senior high youth with the Heritage Days trash pick up project on Saturday, June 18 all day or Sunday, June 19 from 7-9am, please let me know! 

My prayer for you today:

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God.  Nations are in an uproar, kingdoms fall; you lift your voice and the earth melts.  Lord Almighty, you are with us; you are our fortress.  Let us be still.  Let us wait.  Let us watch.  Let us listen.  Let us be still.  You are God.  

You are patient with us, O God, in spite of our sin.  Often we choose greed, selfishness, fear, and hatred rather than letting your Spirit fill us with your fruit of self-control, sharing, hope, and love.  The world is so in need of your love and hope.  Grant us courage to be a part of the solution rather than part of the problem.  Grant us courage to share your healing and hope with a hurting and conflicted world, here at home and around the world.  Come Kingdom of God. Be done will of God, 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

Shelter

Turn your ear to me,  come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Since you are my rock and my fortress,  for the sake of your name lead and guide me.Psalm 31:2-3

 When I was 15, I went on a wilderness canoe trip to the pristine Quetico Park where the loons danced and sang and the lakes had names like Kahshahpiwi and Isabella, with five girls my age, two 20-something leaders, and one of the leader's mom.  (I thought she was way too old for this sort of thing although she was probably around my current age.) This was the sort of trip where we had to carry in everything needed because there were no stores, hotels, no ovens, refrigerators, or toilets available.  There were no motor boats, no cars, no phones. Ipods, GPS units, cell phones, and even walkmans :/ were devices of the future. Our personal items were put in one small homemade denim duffle bag each, and the food stuffs, latrine shovel, tp, maps, and matches were in backpacks.  Incredibly challenging and breathtakingly beautiful, the trip was worth every sore muscle, scary bear encounter, and soggy minute!


Our so called shelters for this trip were small pup tents, that were like wedge-shaped crypts for people who suffered claustrophobia, in which we slept 3 people. One windy and rainy night, my tent mates and I could see our little structure beginning to sink.  We bent our knees to keep our faces from being obstructed by the drooping walls, and I stuck my arm out the zipper-door to support the front pole. Since sleep was out of the question, I thought I might as well try to keep our heads dry!  Finally with a huge gust of wind, the tent totally collapsed, and we had to get out of our flimsy enclosure and attempt to reassemble our "house of straw" in the midst of the tempest.

(A "shout out" to Peg, one of my companions on this trip, who said, "Let's keep journals!" I am so glad!)

The primary text for Brother Mick's message this week is I Peter 2:2-10 where Peter calls Christ the cornerstone, and says we are living stones being built into the very house of God.  What are the images that come to your mind as you think about stones and buildings?  What does having Jesus as the cornerstone of one's life mean?  How can we be living stones? I like the image of  God's people being "houses of God" where people can find sanctuary, love, and peace. John 14:1-14 is also a listed text of the week. This is the familiar, "Do not your hearts be troubled.... in my house there are many dwelling-places..."  .  I hope you can join us!

If I'm recalling correctly, Allison and Spencer graduate this weekend from Coastal College!  Congratulations!

The young adult class is invited to Bob and Jill's for lunch on Sunday.  Go to the Rigeview Mennonite Young Adults fb page to rsvp.  I have no doubt it will be delicious and fun!
 https://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/home.php?sk=group_158265147558908

A few more helpers are needed for Vacation Bible School June 20-23.  Let me know if you are interested! 
Oh, and the senior high youth are providing trash clean up for the community Heritage Days event.  Would you be willing to help them out?  June 18-- pretty much all day.  June 19-- morning only. Let me know!

My prayer for you today:  Creator God, as we experience shifts and changes in our lives,  help us to recognize the constancy of your love.  As the storms and clouds pervade, remind us that you are  the cornerstone of our shelter, Jesus, the place where our trust and hope dwell. As we face doubt and indecision, tune our ears to listen to the voice of your Spirit.  Come Kingdom of God.  Be done will of God, here on earth as it is in heaven.  AMEN

You are loved by God, and I love you too.  If I can be a support to you in anyway, please let me know! 
 love and light, carol 

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

I Shall Not Want

Room 249 was dark and drear; the hospital decor of 20+ years ago when hospital rooms were typically less like a spirited painter's palate and more like tombstone shades of grey. I was working on a general medical/surgical unit in a friendly provencial hospital where the evening supervisor's mantra, "You will NOT have overtime" started each shift. The woman in 249 (I'll call her "Elsa") suffered severe rheumatoid arthritis and had multiple areas of skin breakdown.  She was a sweet and gentle person who, in spite of her crippled body whose very bones you could feel separate when you lifted her, rarely complained.  Her care often required several of us working together, and even with all the caution we could muster, any movement resulted in extreme pain for her. 


After completing Elsa's nighttime regimen as tenderly as we could, the other RN and I said our goodnights and prepared to leave the room. "Would you girls say the 23rd Psalm with me before you leave?" Elsa asked in her quiet, husky voice. Both of us stopped in our tracks, went to either side of Elsa and held her knobby hands.  "Of course."   We both were glad we had this beautiful canticle committed to memory. Together, with Elsa's quavering voice joining ours, we recited this hymn.  For the first time, I understood....

The retelling of this incident causes a swell of emotion within me as I'm reminded of how the three of us experienced God's comforting presence through the words of a psalm and a circle of believers. Elsa could have said the words independently, and she probably did, but her invitation for us to join her in this song and prayer invited comfort and peace to that dreary room granting me the experience of our Creator in a new and beautiful way.

 

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,^*

   I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
   your rod and your staff—
   they comfort me.

The early church, as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles, seemed to integrate her understanding of God as shepherd in very tangible ways.  Brother Mick will lead us in examining the texts, Psalm 23 and Acts 2: 42-47. How does the individuality of our culture today affect our perception and practice of God's shepherding?   As a number of our young people will be baptized this Sunday, this is an especially pertinent situation to ponder.

This weekend Ridgeview will be bustling with junior highers as they are led by Infuzion, a team of people committed to "spiritually impact the students of this generation for Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God..." They are also providing resourcing for adults from 5-8pm on Saturday, so if you'd like to come, just come!  Supper is provided. 

Julie's knee surgery yesterday went well, and she is happy to report permission for "weight-bearing as tolerated."  Yay!

In the Upper Room on Sunday at 9am, Steve and Val Kauffman will be sharing some of their life journey.

My prayer for you (and me)  today:  Shepherding God, in your presence we are offered rest and provision.  Open and available, you invite us to your fold.  Let your church be so caring and invitational! 

Thank you for these young people. I pray that you would reveal yourself to them in new and tangible ways.  Thank you that Julie's surgery went well. Thank you for the beauty of your creation.

 I bring my irritation and frustration with the very technology that allows this communication, and lay it at your feet.  I desire to have a grateful heart, not a grumbling one, yet I am feeling grumpy with my lost work and the delay to post this message. 

I pray for our broken and hurting world.  Help us to be ambassadors of your peace and hope rather than carriers of strife and despair.  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!  Feel free to contact me.

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. "

Who Is It?

When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us^* while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’

Good morning! 
Last week the office administrator was away, so I answered the phone, "Good afternoon, Ridgeview Mennonite Church, this is Carol." 


Oh, Dear!



The voice on the other end said, "Hello, this is Cliff.  I need some information from Mick.  Is he available?"

 I replied, "No, he is out today.  Would you like his cell phone number?"  

Cliff replied, "Yes, please."  Cliff told me later, "I was trying to figure out what "Carol" worked in the church office.  Carol B? It didn't sound like her." 

 Then I said, "I'll work on getting screens in the windows at home  this afternoon, before we bring the girls home from EMU."  Then it dawned on him-- He was talking to Carol Wenger, his wife!  :)

(Permission granted from Cliff before the retelling of this story! I like to think Cliff's heart was burning within him as he was trying to discern the voice with whom he was speaking.) ;)

This week Brother Mick is preaching a sermon entitled, "If I had a Dollar...." We'll examine the passage from Luke 24:13-35 soon after the resurrection where Jesus joins two believers who are discussing the amazing events of his life and death, still unsure of the truth in the rumors which are flying.  They do not recognize their Lord and Saviour. How many times do we fail to recognize the presence of God in our lives? I hope you can join us on this mother's day Sunday to hear the words of scripture and discuss the meaning of Christ's presence in our lives.

Korinne Wenger and Ian Mast have arrived safely in Honduras where they will spend the next 6 weeks studying with Eastern Mennonite University's cross-cultural program and building relationships with their hosts.

Julie Denlinger will be having knee surgery on May 12 to repair a tear in the meniscus.  Crutches with no weight bearing are on tap for the next 6 weeks.  :(

If anyone wants to help the senior high youth mulch the church grounds, come on over to Ridgeview at 7pm Wednesday the 11th.  We will also be mowing Albert and Frances's lawn for the rest of this month, so let me know if you'd like a turn. :)

My prayer for you today: Great God, creator of the heavens and the earth, it is in you we put our trust.  Well, Lord, at least we try.  I confess we often put our trust in the things of the world, in our locks, weapons,and armies as we live lives of fear. rather than trust.  Help us not to lean on our own understanding of the world, but to trust in you with all our hearts.  Help us to open our eyes and minds to your presence with us.  
Thank you for never leaving nor forsaking us.  Grant clear minds and good "rememberers" to our students who are taking exams and finishing papers. Grant Kori and Ian an awareness of your Being with them as they travel, meet new people, and experience a different culture.  Grant Julie peace and healing as she has surgery this week. Thank you for the opportunities we have to be love and light to others this week. Thank you for being our Hope.  Grant us courage and wisdom to respond in the Kingdom way.
Come Kingdom of God.  Be done, will of God; 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!
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