In telling this it reminds of the scripture about the potter in Isaiah 64:8(Message): Still, God, you are our Father. We’re the clay and you’re our potter: All of us are what you made us.

God our Creator took dirt, shaped it, molded it, burnished it, breathed into it.  What is so cool is that God is still doing that: every time we mess up, feel damaged and just want to give up, God reached down, dips us in grace, smooths out the rough spots, patches the broken places and burnishes us again. We then go back into the world refreshed and whole and share it with other “pottery bowls” that need some TLC from THE POTTER.

Can’t wait till next week: going to make a slab box! This should be interesting.

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Rehearsing our prayer life is necessary also.  Creating habits that benefit us is harder than the we think. Setting time(our biggest obstacle) aside to be quiet, talk with God, listen to God, gets pushed aside by what is deemed more important.  My goal is to improve this habit, rehearse during a scheduled time. Of course when should that time be set up.

Are you up for the challenge?

So WHAT to do? I need to clean the food storage containers I emptied after cleaning the frig looking for the cottage cheese, which by the way was perfect with my blueberry yogurt and vanilla granola. Which I need to eat everyday, along with oatmeal. Like oatmeal, it is just I have to actually cook this kind(microwaving IS cooking) and it is not the kind that is prepackage and full of sugar. But then I have to wash the dishes. Why does every fun project have a clean-up to it?  Part of life, we make a mess then we clean it up and hopefully in a good way. We clean the kitchen, the laundry room the bedroom, the bathroom but how often to think about the heart room? “I do not have a heart room” you are saying to me. Yeah ya do – it is located in the center of your soul.  This needs a daily cleaning. The new is year is still a little new, but a new day happens more often. We need to treat each day as a new beginning of possibilities: for a change, improvement, lifting up another, learning, overcoming.  Even through our daily routines, something new can happen. Now some of my OCD friends would flip out if there is any change, but adding a spice to the daily can open us to a new perspective and point of view.

God did when creation began, and again when Jesus came to walk among us. God added something which turned our world upside down: a way of serving each other that did not involve all the rules and dogma we humans created.  God wants us to clean up our mess out of unconditional love not out of obligation or legality.  Grace is so much more than rules adn traditions, it is about a relationship: with God, with Jesus and with each other. We do not have to do this alone.

OK, I still have to do the dishes and wash some laundry. But I am also going to take care of my heart room also making sure what I do is not for my advancement or self-interest. Today is Tuesday, a new beginning. What will you do today?

We are hoping to create a space where young adults come together and explore their place as followers of Christ. How they can serve the community and in turn serve God.  It looks like this could be a missional group, but we will let the group decide.  In order that true community happens everyone involved needs to contributed.

I am so excited and I plan for 2012 to share my journey in this blog with them and my own call to ministry: Is this a direction God is unfolding for me?  Or do I continue to seek a pastoral call in an organized situation? 2012 is going to be exciting! Didn’t I already say that?

Til next week-

Shalom

Phyllis Tickle began the time together with a history of Christianity in the last several thousand years in 45 minutes. What I gained from this is that change happens whether we want, like or not.  It is happening and what is sad is that the Church(or some in the Church) are digging their heels to keep it business as usual within the buildings and rituals of their communities.  I not for getting rid of rituals but couldn’t they transform into something that brings both the near and dear and the new and exciting?!  Hard stuff.

Tony Jones helped with a reinforcement of the emergence is not-especially that it is not trying to do away with denominations.  Authentic living as followers of Christ, being Christ to the world comes to mind for me. And I believe that is what we, aren’t we?  Not perfect, not holier than thou but servants to the other and messengers of the gospel (good news) of Christ.

How this looks for me is to work on my relationships with those I ma in contact with everyday.  Being present to them, listening to their stuff and  share my stuff. For if I want to build trust I have to be transparent. Really hard stuff.

So how will tis look in the context I am in? Don’t know – yet. Just beginning a new ministry in the Denison area.  New worship service, reaching out to a demographic of under 40′s that may not want to have anything to do with the Church.  It is going to be an interesting and exciting journey.

Well – I need to write more but have hard a day of information that needs to be processed. I will say it was good to have Phillip Clayton, who brought the emergence within the science and sociological communities. And I only thought the Church was feeling the pangs of change! Not being schooled and actually hating chemistry in high school – I was caught up in what Phillip shared because he was excited and enthusiastic about the discoveries in the area of physics and chemistry. 

My Moderator(I am PCUSA) of our General Assembly, Bruce Reyes-Chow was equally engaging.  He shared what the community he pastors looks like and how they have been engaging. He emphasized that this worked in his context but probably wouldn’t in another part of the country.  And that is what I have understood about this whole emegence is that it is same but different depending on what the issues and needs of the people involved have.  There is no magic formula or program and it isn’t an outreach to reach the unchurched.

Well, that is it for now -

-until later, remember to look for Christ in everyone you meet and be Christ to those who need it.

PEACE