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

"Not my will but thine, O Lord. Not my will but thine, O Lord. Not my will but thine, O Lord..." While some parents count to 10 with deep breathing to keep from losing it with the kids, this prayer method worked most times for me when our children were young. 

"Not my will but thine, O Lord." Over and over and over and over I would pray this when the girls were fighting; when the diaper pail (yes, I used cloth diapers) was tipped over; when stars were scratched into the furniture; when sullenness was the attitude of the moment; when tantrums occurred; when I had to get up during the night yet again; when .... Parenting is one of the toughest jobs a person will ever have, and it is a journey with many opportunities to serve as judge or executioner, to react in bad temper or respond with gentle consistency, to give in to selfish, impatient ways or follow God's plan.  I never really thought about how Micah 6:8 could 

relate to parenting, but I believe I could make a case for it as we journey with our children!

"Sounds Simple Enough" is what Brother Mick is calling his message as he expounds on Micah 6:1-8. Many of us have memorized verse 8,  "and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"  Mick writes, "They are (these verses), in effect, the job description for disciples; and they sound fairly easy to accomplish as well...do justice, love mercy, walk humbly. Those are good things all of us can agree upon. But the disconnect between what sounds good and simple and what you do or are able to do is vast...." 

Sunday school classes begin at 9 AM; we'll have "All Church Singing" from 9:55-10:10 in the rec room. The famous "Amish Wedding Feast" fundraiser will be during the fellowship hour following the worship service. Although the senior high hasn't had confirmation yet, they hope to serve with Mennonite Disaster Service this summer. I expect we'll begin our meal around 11:40. Everyone is welcome!

I think Sunday is the final day to bring in the Progresso Soup for the Food Pac Program which provides weekend food for children in need. Items for Mennonite Central Committee school kits are what we'll be gathering for February. mcc school kits Did you know the school kits are MCC's most requested item? I didn't until I checked out the website! Korinne and Ian distributed kits when they were in Honduras with EMU a few years ago.

Prayer for today: Keep us safe, O God, for in you we take refuge. Apart from you there is no good thing.Ps. 16 Grant us courage, Loving God, to seek justice on the path of life that you've prepared for us. Grant us wisdom, Gentle God, to live in peace, mercy, and kindness with one another. Help us to trust, Faithful God, in your Presence, knowing you'll never leave us nor forsake 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!

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

A number of years ago when I was wearing the school librarian hat at Locust Grove Mennonite School, I was enjoying the diverse student population but struggling with names that were new to me such as Kangofta and Illala. Reviewing the list of first graders for the new school year, I sat in a circle on the floor with them for a meet and greet time.  Most of the kiddos were returning from last year, so I knew their names, but there was one new student.  
"You must be CaSADee," I said to the little girl.  In a chorus upon which even the excellent music teachers could not have improved, all the students voiced, "It's CASadee." 

Of course it is! Silly me! I was getting so used to unfamiliar pronunciations that I missed the familiar. I seem to have an impressive number of opportunities to laugh at myself. 
Hearing our names spoken respectfully and correctly from others is important, so there are times I am frustrated with myself as I doubt my pronunciation, therefore I don't even try. 

"By Any Other Name" is the tile of Brother Mick's message this week with scripture text from Isaiah 9:2-7. The question we'll be exploring on this Mennonite World Fellowship Sunday is, "How can we best realize that it is not the names with which we are born into this world that unite us as one people group over against another but rather the names and characteristics of Jesus that we take on for ourselves as disciples that bring us together regardless of our location?"  The service begins at 10:15 AM with Sunday school for all ages at 9 AM. Please join us. If you've never been to Ridgeview, there are friendly people in the foyer that can help you find your way.  (or ask for me!) 

Here is a link to the bulletin for lots of information.Ridgeview Bulletin

As well as our ingathering of cleaning supplies, etc. for Bridge of Hope, we are also collecting Progresso Soup for the Food Pac program so if you get to the grocery store before Sunday, pick up a few items, won't you?  

Prayer for today:  Gentle God, as we pause and behold the expansive variety of colors and shapes in your people; as we pause and touch the roughness of a tree and rest in the embrace of a loved one; as we pause and hear the singing of birds and diversity of language; as we pause and smell the wood smoke of the stove and the simmering of stew; Lord, we taste and see that You are good. Your mercy and love extends to all of 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!

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

"Here kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty!" We called; we looked; we looked; we called.  No Hattie. 
A few years ago on a Wednesday, our beautiful "miracle kitty" http://carol-thecommunique.blogspot.com/search/label/cats went missing.  Growing up on a farm, I had experienced the comings and goings of our many felines, but when on Friday morning Hattie was still missing, our hopes to find this little critter who had worked her way into our hearts began to wane. 

Grimly inspecting road kill as I returned home from the grocery store, I found myself praying, "Lord, if Hattie is alive and to be found, would you show me?" 

Thinking about the last time I saw her, I recalled that it was late afternoon on Wednesday. She was walking toward the pasture and the shed that housed the neighbor's lawn/snow equipment. Could it be? Could she be trapped in the shed? That sense of "knowing" that I've had on occasion welled up within me, and I could barely wait to get home.  Even before I unloaded the groceries, I sprinted to that shed and opened the door. 
Pitiful, frightened, and hungry, there was our forlorn cat. 

Yes, yes, I know. It was just a cat. Yes, yes, I know. The shed was a practical place to look. Yes, yes, I know. I know these things, yet I know God loves all his creatures, and this time the tender hearts of some girls rejoiced as our family cat was found. 

Sometimes we know exactly for what we are looking, like a lost kitty. My focus was centered and distinct as I searched.  But sadly there are times on our life journeys when our vision isn't so clear. There are times when our focus on what truly matters is askew. There are times we choose to walk a dead-end path searching for life in soul-sapping places. 

Brother Mick's sermon text this week is John 1:29-42, the passage where John acknowledges who Jesus is, and John's disciples go with Jesus. Mick has entitled his message, "What are you looking for?"  "What is (it) that we are seeking...an easy way through life...some kind of great reward for doing 'what we are supposed to do'...a great reward in the end...the desire to live as God's people in the kingdom way? The way we answer that question says much about our own motivations, desires and intent as we follow after the Messiah."  Please join us at 10:15 AM for our worship time, and at 9 AM for our Christian Ed hour. 

Keep Lizzie Stoltzfus in your prayers as she is in Haiti with Smith and Rhonda to begin work on a new school building.  

Stephen and the other Lizzie got married this past Saturday in a beautiful wedding. :) There are two Lizzies in the family now! 

Remember to bring items for the Bridge of Hope January ingathering--canned vegetables, cleaning supplies, dish soap, laundry detergent, paper towels, sponges, toilet paper, trash bags, and umbrellas. You don't have to bring everything; one or two items would be terrific! 

On Wednesday nights at 6:15 PM we share a meal together before our 7 PM classes.  Everyone is welcome! 

Prayer for today: Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost...Is. 55:1 
Living Water, we desire to be refreshed, revived, and restored by you that we can in turn can share healing and hope with a thirsty  world. Fill us with your Spirit fruit, that no matter our life circumstances, You will be evident. Help us to focus on what really matters in our lives.  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

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

What if...? What if...? It's time again for this question.

 What if.... 

• You're right, and I'm wrong? 
• I'm right, and you're wrong? 
• We're both wrong? 
• It doesn't really matter? 
• People really don't care?
• What really matters has nothing to do religion and theology but everything to do with how I treat you, and how you treat me? (You know... do unto others)
• God isn't contained by church walls and is working as much out of the church as in the church? 
• God doesn't have to be "named" to be the One at work?  
• It is okay if we don't have all the answers? 
• Jesus really meant it when he said we should love our enemies?
• I wouldn't be afraid to ask my questions out loud? 
• We believed God is bigger than the Bible as we relate to our world? 
• I get fired for asking questions? 
• We would really understand the meaning of grace? 
• We understood that the answer to the question is "Love?" 

I struggle when we as believers profess to have all the answers, or when we are certain that our way is the only way. (How many Christian denominations are there, anyway?) Some of us say, "But the Bible says..." yet we pick and choose what we want to inform our lives from this important book. Over the years the Bible has been used to condone the KKK, slavery, the Inquisition, misogyny, homophobia, and the Crusades,to name a few. I appreciate Barbara Brown Taylor's image of the Bible as "God's word with human fingerprints all over it."  What if the Bible is the starting place for discernment not the final place?

So, as I post what I think, and you post what you think, and she posts what she thinks, and he posts what he thinks.... What if we're all just noisy gongs and clanging cymbals? What if the measure of our words is found in the action of love in our lives? What if...?What if...? What if....?


And I'll keep pondering the questions....Perhaps we should meet to bring our questions; not for answers, mind you, but rather for contemplation.

This week Brother Mick's message is called "If I Had My Druthers," with his sermon text from Acts 10:34-43. Mick says in his presermon notes, "Peter was fairly sure about his original understandings of who was in and who was omitted from Christ's body until his vision and a new perspective on God's much broader acceptance of those who believe. So much of our lives seems to come down to niggling little preferences quite apart from reason or reality which can cause us to completely shut others out." I hope you can join us for worship at 10:15 AM. If you're unable to attend but want to hear the message, it will be posted on the website. http://www.ridgeviewmennonite.net/sermons/index.php

College students who've not yet returned to school or live locally, I'm hoping you can join me in the Upper Room at 9 AM.  
Todd will join those attending the new class of more established young adults in a room in the 1960 hall at 9 AM. There is nursery care available, or you can take your little ones to class. 

Steve and Lizzie get married tomorrow!  

The ingathering for January is items for Bridge of Hope. See last week's blog or the bulletin for the list. 

Winter family night activities begin on  Wednesday, January 15 with a meal at 6:15 PM.  There are classes for children from kindergarten through senior high, and an adult class. Brother Mick is leading a sing along with new and familiar songs from our songbooks/hymnal with the adults. 

I think I'll grab our copy of Laura Ingalls Wilder's The Long Winter and curl up with a cup of tea for the rest of the season. 

Prayer for today: Open our eyes, Creator God, to the beauty of your Presence. Open our ears, Gentle Master, to the wisdom of your Voice that speaks to our souls. Open our hearts, loving Savior, to the invitation of peace and hope.  Open our minds, Divine Mystery, to the wonders of true life. Author of all life, fill us with Your bread and wine that we may be vessels of sustenance and warmth to a world crying out for relief. 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

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