There are those with the skill, willingness, time, and vision to see the "bones" of run down old houses and transform them into something new and beautiful.

My parents are people like that. With my mom's optimism for what "could be" coupled with my dad's unstoppable carpentry skills and "know how," they labored on an old broken-down farmhouse which became my family home. My memories of the process are few as I was only 4-5 years old at the time, but if I close my eyes and drift, I can smell the wood and paint; I can certainly feel the itch from falling asleep atop a
roll of soft, pink insulation; I can recall squabbling and playing with my sisters in an unfinished living room.

I wish I had before and after photos of the house to share with you.

I'm struck how the word "labor" is so appropriate as in a way, something new was "born," and I can attest to the abundant life that filled that old house!

What if we could see the value of our dry, old bones and be open to the transforming, life-giving power of the Creator in us? What if we could see each other with not as we are but rather as God intended us to be? What if...?

Brother Nelson is preaching a message called, "Renewed for Life," with scripture text from John 11:1-45 where Lazarus is called back to life. Additional texts include Ezekiel's valley of dry bones in chapter 37. Our focus statement for the morning is: "We encounter God in our mortality and our need for renewal. God replenished the "dry bones" of Israel, and Jesus brought Lazarus back to life. As we breathe, we witness God's breath, which restores creation. We wait with hopefulness for resurrection."

The service begins at 10:15 AM with Sunday school at 9 AM.  I hope you can join us.

It is not too late to join the Easter choir! People of all ages are invited. Practices are April 8 and 15 at 7 PM.

Holy Week events:
April 17  Maundy Thursday Service 6:15 PM  (A light supper will be offered.)
April 18 Good Friday Service 7 PM
April 20  Easter Early Service-8:15 AM;  Breakfast-9 AM; Worship-10:15 AM

For the month of April we will be collecting food items such as cereals, granola bars, peanut butter, canned goods, etc. for The Factory Ministries The Factory Ministries.

Korinne Wenger is part of a team of Drexel University students initiating a "sneaker drive" for Philadelphia Nursing Home residents. During a recent visit, the students discovered many people did not have adequate footwear to enable safe walking. The students are collecting gently used (and cleaned!) or new adult sneakers of all sizes to distribute. I will place a box in the lobby for shoe collection; please tie the shoelaces together.

Prayer for today: 

We Give thanks to you, Lord, we call on your name; let us make known among the nations your glorious kingdom of justice and peace.

Despite our brokenness and dry bones; despite our forgetfulness; despite our unloving ways and impure motives you continue to grant us grace and mercy—a love that endures forever. You offer living water to revive us from our dry bones.  You are our hope and our salvation. You didn’t say to us that you were so disgusted with us that you sent us Jesus . NO! You said you LOVE us, the world, so much that Jesus came to bring healing to our relationship with you.   Thank you, Shepherd King! 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! 

Love and Light,
Carol

Ridgeview Mennonite Church

"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 was washing dishes when Vera who was sitting at the kitchen table said, "Say, would you wash this off?"

"Sure."  Having no idea what she was asking, I turned around, and she handed me what appeared to be a large marble. I glanced up at her face and saw the empty eye socket. Yikes! Her glass eye!  
Her twitching lips informed me that as much as desiring her eye rinsed, she was hoping to freak out this teenage girl just a little. 

One of my earliest jobs was as a companion/helper for a woman in my community who had become blind as an older adult. Arriving at her house each day, I would help with clothing and cooking, drive to appointments in her big brown Bonneville, and keep her company.  She had never visually seen the apartment in which she was now living, so there were strings from her bed to the bathroom, from her bathroom to the kitchen, and from the kitchen to the living room to serve as guide ropes.

Each day she would talk me through the preparation of food I'd never before made. I had to trust her mind's eye as under her tutelage I prepared chicken in a terrifying pressure-cooker; I fried zucchini and made mashed potatoes. Oh, I also had to call the plumber since the celery  I put into the garbage disposal choked all the moving parts with its fibrous self.

There were times our communication struggled as Vera's 70-something word set was different than my juvenile self's lot, and when she asked for her "pants" she did not mean the same thing I did. I suspect her patience was greatly stretched.

I am so grateful to Vera for teaching me not only about cooking but also about adversity and resilience. There are parts of our story for which I'd like to have "do overs," but it is what it is, and I am thankful for the relationship and opportunity.

"[Sunday's] texts are all about sight, both physical and spiritual," Brother Mick's presermon notes state. "They invite us to consider moving beyond whatever deeply imbedded, knee jerk reactions are so commonplace to us and consider other possibilities that may be present....Are we locked into our assumptions or can we allow the call and touch of God to expand our sight?"  The sermon passage is John 9:1-41 with adjunct scriptures from I Samuel 16:1-13 and Psalm 23.

You are welcome to join us!  The worship service begins at 10:15 AM with Sunday school at 9 AM.

I just had a great conversation with Heidi updating me on Ashlea's progress.  She is home and healing! Let's continue to hold her in our prayers.

Would you like to sing in the Easter Choir? After church you'll have an opportunity to meet the Mark Jackson who is directing.  :)

Prayer for today:  The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein. Psalm 24:1 Gentle Shepherd, open us to sight and understanding greater than ourselves that we may see the earth and its people as your earth and your people. Let us take care of each other and our world as we live in relationship with You. Thank you for Ashlea. We request your continued healing and loving Presence to be made tangible to her.  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! 

Love and Light,
Carol

Ridgeview Mennonite Church

"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

Encounters

Ranck's United Methodist Church 

Would I get the creamy and delicious broccoli cheddar soup with the Mediterranean veggie sandwich or perhaps the chipotle chicken panini? Hmmmmm and Mmmmmmmm! Panera Bread

I arrived a few minutes early for my lunch date with Joanne, and there were a gazillion other people who were in line pondering their lunch options. Opening the door for young moms, elderly couples, mothers and daughters, and friend groups, I made myself the unofficial greeter.  A man of undistinguishable age and ethnicity came in and paused.

"I think the nicer weather must be bringing them out," he said. "It's busier than usual for this time."
His clothes were shabby with a combination of layers not unlike Raj from "The Big Bang Theory"(Raj),
and the way his collar laid flat against him caused me to consider if they were also his pajamas.

"Church" entered our conversation, and he said, "I used to go with my girlfriend and always left feeling
inspired and cleansed." Wow.

As people continued to flow through the doors, he got in line, and we bid one another a "good day." I was kinda wondering if I should offer to buy him lunch, but I didn't.

The soup and sandwich won out, and now Joanne and I had the daunting task of finding a place to dispatch our fare. Every table and booth in that place was occupied.

"We could sit in the car," I half-jokingly suggested.

About that time the man I had been conversing with earlier observed our plight and with a smile and a nod beckoned us to join him at his table for four. For the next ten or fifteen minutes we made small talk as he ate his bagel with cream cheese, and we enjoyed our lunches.

Isn't it ironic that I stood in line wondering if I should buy this man lunch, and he freely offered a welcoming place for Joanne and I? I wonder what his story is? I wonder what encounters I'll have today, and if I'll be open to seeing God?

This week Brother Mick's message is called, "It Can't Be. Can It?" His sermon text is John 4:5-42 which is the story of Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. Mick in his presermon notes says, "It makes perfect sense to me that there will be times in our lives when, like the Samaritan woman, we will have an experience or gain an insight and ask ourselves in all sincerity, 'This can't be God, can it?' Such as this, I think is the way Jesus frequently comes to us. Not beating us over the head with cold hard truths or knocking us about because of our brokenness and sin. But rather offering the invitation to accept, to believe, to follow. To struggle with our own doubts and find faith. For the truth is, even the smallest event, the seemingly insignificant word or touch can be God's presence in our lives."
Our worship service begins at 10:15 AM with Sunday school at 9 AM. This is the third Sunday of Lent. "We encounter God through nourishment that meets our needs."

Since I did not blog last week, you may be unaware that our young friend Ashlea Loncosky Good had a brain aneurysm about 2 weeks ago. She is doing amazingly well and has moved from Hershey Medical Center to rehab.  Please join me in prayer as Ashlea heals.

An Easter Choir is in the works with Mark Jackson as our guest conductor. Would you like to sing? Sign up in the lobby or be in touch with Joanne Dietzel.

Prayer for today:  O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In God's hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are God's also.The sea is God's, for God made it, and God's hands formed the dry land. Psalm 95

Gentle God, as you wrap us in your love and grace in unexpected and seemingly insignificant ways, open our eyes to the gift, power, and beauty of these moments.  Grant us courage and wisdom, grace and peace as we relate to our neighbors, both friends and strangers. Forgive us our hubris, and help us to love with our whole hearts. Help us to practice gratitude and joy and know that in you, Jesus, we are "enough." Wrap Ashlea and her family in your healing and comforting light. 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

Ridgeview Mennonite Church

"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

Winter and Spring Struggle

Vultures 

Eastern Bluebird 

"Are we like Judas, who was so overcome by his sin that he could not believe in God's mercy any longer and hanged himself, or are we like Peter who returned to his Lord with repentance and cried bitterly for his sins? The season of Lent, during which winter and spring struggle with each other for dominance, helps us in a special way to cry out for God's mercy." Henri J.M. Nouwen, Show Me The Way.

A powerful question, isn't it? Judas or Peter?

Lent has begun, this time of "springtime for the soul." I suspect the imagery of winter and spring struggling is especially poignant for many of us this year. Perhaps this long, harsh winter can itself be part of my Lenten discipline as the struggle of seasons intensifies.  Perhaps rather than despairing in the piles of snow and naked trees, I can live in the hope and knowledge that spring will, indeed, ultimately triumph; that when the forecast mentions snow and ice,  I respire "Yah-weh" breaths and hope in the merciful fecundity of spring; that this time of grappling seasons is not unlike the contention in my own soul.

Judas or Peter?  

Brother Mick's message is "Limits, Boundaries, and Freedom." "The power of all temptation is the prospect that it will make me happier....How do we understand our freedom as offered by God? Is it a freedom from or a freedom to choose?" Worship begins at 10:15 AM after the 9 AM learning and sharing hour. There is an elective on Spiritual formation to which everyone is invited even if you can attend only one!  We'll also have corporate singing in the rec room from 9:55-10:10 AM.

Penny Power is in full swing. Bring your nickels, dimes, quarters, pennies, and bills to drop into the big jug for this MCC food program project.Relief Sale Penny Power

Although I'm not quite 55, I may have to slip into the "Alive with 55" group on Tuesday to hear Marvin and Mary Lapp, parents of Glen Lapp who died while returning from a medical camp in a remote part of Afghanistan while serving with MCC, share their story.

Rejoice in the Lord and be glad,you righteous, sing, all you who are upright in heart! 

God of compassion, reveal yourself to each of us today that we can truly understand a little bit more of your love and grace to turn from our ways of self harm and harm of others. Help us to listen to your whispers of encouragement and direction. As the winters and springs of our souls wrestle for dominance, teach us; guide us; grant us mercy.  Thank you for the life of each reader, and give each one courage to step onto the Kingdom Way; to be transformed into the beings we were created to be. Supply wisdom and courage, insight and protection, healing and hope. In your name, Jesus, we lay our thoughts, desires, thanks, and requests.   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

Ridgeview Mennonite Church

"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

As we neared our destination, the roads became increasingly slick, upwards, and curvy. Our group of young people and their multi-aged leaders were en route to "Hilltop Haven" for a weekend of connecting with one another and our Creator. The lane leading to the cabin required a hairpin turn onto the icy upward slope, and the minivan loaded with luggage gunned it to get a running start. The youth, Cliff, and I watched from the road in the 15 passenger tanker.  The steep embankment on the "road" side of the lane allowed us a view through the winter trees. (Yep, steep embankment on one side of the glacier-like lane...) Nope; didn't make it. The headlights stopped moving.

A section of the lane plateaued, so we decided to at the very least to make an attempt at getting to that area. Cliff expertly maneuvered our tank into position and hit the accelerator onto the frozen waterfall. Some 30 yards (I really have no idea of the distance; I'm guessing!) behind the minivan, we slid to a stop and parked our van. The van in front of us was not only stopped but also wedged crookedly. Yikes!

I turned to the kids. "Grab your stuff. We're going to have to hoof it to the cabin from here. Be careful!"
Someone called out, "Can't we just sleep in here?"

With some of the youth wearing sneakers and moccasins rather than boots, the real fun began: the upward trek on a slab of ice carrying luggage, food, and sleeping gear. At one point my feet lost the workable snowy edge, and I found myself sliding backwards. Nathan offered a stabilizing hand, and I got back on course. Various lights from either phones, headlamps, or flashlights provided assistance for those of us without any illumination. The sound of a dropped 2-liter of root beer as it rolled and rolled and rolled and rolled provided laughter and warning lest "bowling for teens" became a new game.

Bruises, skinned knees, and ripped jeans resulted; I think all but 4 of us fell at some point. But helping and encouraging each other, we made it, AND I heard NO complaints from the youth.

As I've had time this week to reflect on our experience, I've thought about how this adventure is like life.

• We offer each other encouragement and aid
• We walk together 
• We keep positive attitudes
• We wait for each other
• We help each other up when we fall down
• The right shoes are important
• We may get bruised and bleed a little
• We share our light
• We help carry one another's stuff
• We prioritize what we really need to carry

But the very first thing?

• We have to get out of the van

Brother Mick is back from his adventure in Argentina, and he will be sharing a word he has titled, "Fluctuating Faith." "Our journey through faith is seldom as rock solid and consistent as we may hope it to be or even say that it is." His text for the morning is Matthew 17 which tells of Jesus along with Peter, James, and John climbing the high mountain where Jesus is transfigured before them. 

The worship service begins at 10:15 AM with Sunday school at 9 AM. 

There will be an adult elective class on "Spiritual Formation" beginning Sunday  and offered through the spring. Merv and Jan Stoltzfus, Joanne Dietzel, and Jane Hoober Peifer will bring leadership to these sessions which are based on a curriculum developed by Kairos: School of Spiritual Formation. Merv and Jan said that each class will "stand alone," so don't let inability to commit to all classes deter your attendance at one or more! 

Sunday School singing at 9:50AM will occur next week, March 9, rather than this Sunday. 

Our new friends from Burma/Myanmar hope to be present on Sunday. Be prepared to smile, nod, and communicate creatively!  

There is a basket under the mailboxes to collect new flat sheets and/or blankets for MCC to distribute in areas of need.Mennonite Central Committee

Have Hope! Warm days WILL come again! 

Prayer for today:  God of love and grace, thank you for each person reading this. Reveal your presence today in thought or heart, and remind each one of the treasure he/she is to you. You are always with us, even when we don't feel you. Help us to perceive you and realize we are yours. Grant us courage to "get out of the van" and walk in your Presence and with one another in life. Jesus, you've shown us how to love each other; help us to do so.  Spirit, you are within us; awaken us to your wisdom and direction.  In the life changes we face, you are ever-present. Thank you, Lord God.  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! 

Love and Light,
Carol

Ridgeview Mennonite Church

"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

"Bad Mommy Moments" 

 

Those of you who are parents know what I'm talking about; if you become a parent, you'll eventually understand. Our oldest daughter was just a sweet, little six year old, and we had just moved to our home in the woods with the long, long, lane.  While she was at school, the weather turned frightful-- snow, sleet, and a cold wind. (Kinda like many days this winter.) An early school dismissal was ordered.  Since she was riding the school bus, I guesstimated the time she would arrive, and my intention was to be waiting in the warm, navy-blue mini-van at the bus stop. Did you know that the bus drivers don't necessarily wait for the said departure time from the school, but they leave whenever they are ready even if it is an hour before the scheduled release time? I was in the kitchen when I heard Bo, our big yellow lab who was in the garage, give a sudden string of deep woof, woof, woofs!  I went to the garage and found my little girl standing in the garage, crying, looking like a crystallized cherub, so startled by the dog that her boots became wet inside as well as out!

This has nothing to do with Sunday's message, but I've just become a 'great aunt' twice in a few short weeks, and then there's all this ice and snow. Memories awaken! The good news is, in spite of my "mommy flubs" my daughters have grown into amazing young women, and if Alana has children she'll be able to say to them, "Well, when I was a kid, I had to walk through ice and snow up a long, long, lane..." 

(Sometime ask me about the lane, a bicycle, the eldest daughter, and a groundhog....) 

Brother Nelson will be sharing a message he is calling, "Beyond Our Capacity." Scriptures are Matthew 5:38-48, I Corinthians 3:10-11, Psalm 119:33-40, Leviticus 19: 1-2. God has called God’s people to show graciousness to each other, the neighbor, the stranger, and even to love the enemy.  With all these categories we could get caught trying to figure out just exactly where one fits into the scheme and thereby try to understand the nature of our relationship.  The irony is that when we are loving the enemy we are in fact living in ways that ignore the categories we could develop. In the OT God’s people were called to be holy; Matthew records Jesus saying, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” These standards seem beyond us, and they are.  Our only hope to meet these lofty expectations is to be a people built on the foundation of Jesus Christ." 

The worship service begins at 10:15 AM with classes for all ages designed for sharing, learning, and 'discipling' at 9 AM.  I will not be present as I'll be with the senior high youth enjoying the beauty of PA mountains.

Here is this week's bulletin detailing many opportunities for growth and service: Bulletin
If this loaded correctly, here are some pics from 2009 Mountain Retreat.

Prayer for today:  God of mystery and light, touch our lives today that we might experience you in new and transforming ways.  Our journeys are all different, yet you travel with us.  Open our eyes to recognize you. Peace, Hope, Love, Grace, Joy, Light-- envelop us in your Presence--Immanuel-- with us, never to leave us nor forsake us.  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

Ridgeview Mennonite Church

"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

When Korinne and Taylor were in middle school, one of their soccer coaches said to me about them, “Your girls have such internal motivation on the field. I wish I knew how to create and teach that!”

My response was, “Well, they love the game." 

As I've thought more about that, I would now say it this way, "As they love the one who shared his passion and excitement for soccer (their dad!), so they learned to love the game he loves, and therefore, they do not require external motivations. In fact, I think it is fair to say that although some of those external methods such as running laps, yelling, cursing coaches, and punitive actions for losses can get results, those approaches can suck the joy right out of the game they love.  


I hope I'm expressing this clearly, because I think this is a great life metaphor. 

As we experience the love and passion our Lord has for our lives and those around us, so we learn to love each other and live our lives with the sacrificial love of Jesus as we accept this love for ourselves. Following Jesus is, therefore, not a set of a set of punitive rules, but rather an active, internal response to relationship resulting in joy despite some loss. 

Does that make sense? I'm not sure if I expressed that as clearly in words as what I visualize in my mind! Our scripture passages for Sunday point us toward committing our lives to God and following God's ways. Jesus takes us from the box of laws that were to help us be close to God, to a relationship that directs our path. Our scriptures are Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Matthew 5:21-37, I Corinthians 3:1-9, and Psalm 119:1-8. The message is titled, "'Follow' is an Action Word," and I'm preaching. Please pray for me! Classes for all ages begin at 9 AM, and the worship service is at 10:15 AM. 

I think Mick and Michelle's flight out of NYC took off yesterday. I've not heard if they made it all the way to Argentina or not.  Do you think we can assume that no news is good news?

Let's see, what am I doing today...

     -blogging
     -shoveling
     -laundry
     -shoveling
     -grocery shopping
     -shoveling
     -shoveling
     -shoveling

I am grateful for our neighbor with the GIANT snowblower on his tractor that found its way back to our house last night bringing 'hurrahs' from Cliff and I and terror to our critters! Thanks, Mel!





Prayer for today:  God of love, beauty and creativity, open our eyes to see You, experience You, hear You, and sense You. Let your love draw us into meaningful relationships with You that change not only our lives but the lives of those around 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! Happy Valentine's Day! 

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