Juggling

When I was in elementary school I became enamored with the art of juggling. As I watched demonstrations of juggling by the pros, it seemed impossible that someone could keep that many items in the air at once. Please note, I never became a great juggler, but I am able to pick up three similiarly-sized items and juggle them even to this day. With a little practice I am sure I could add more items successfully.
In the time leading up to Christmas we are often juggling--family, work, concerts, office parties, and many other activities. It seems impossible that we will ever be able to get everything done, keep everyone happy, actually enjoy the holiday. But like the younger me staring at the skilled jugglers, don't too quickly declare your mission impossible and raise the white flag. Work to become more skilled at concentration, balance, and timing. You might surprise yourself and handle the busyness without a core melt down.
Live and learn. Learn and live. Live and learn. It could be that over a lifetime God can help you learn to juggle and be happy.
plou

HOPE

This week we will be remembering that Advent is a season of hope. In a world of rising debt, violence, anxiety, etc., we need to hear that anything's possible and that everything is going to be alright thanks to a God that loves us. Here are some thoughts from Susan Hanson.

[T]he blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.—Matthew 11:5

Nothing will remain as it is—that’s the Advent message in Matthew’s account of the Gospel. Jesus himself will make the same observation later on in his parable of the vineyard: “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Lest we get too hung up on specifics—and yes, Jesus did do the things he promised—what Matthew is really talking about here is radical change. Leprosy, blindness, deafness—in Jesus’ day, these weren’t temporary conditions; once a person was afflicted, he typically remained so for life. The idea, then, that an individual could be cured was astounding. Add raising the dead and bringing good news to the poor, and we have quite a list of impossible feats.

And yet, that’s exactly what Matthew foretells. In the new age that the Messiah would usher in, the old assumptions simply wouldn’t apply. Why not imagine the lame walking? Why not envision the deaf hearing and the blind seeing again? Why not think of a world in which the poor would be given hope and the lifeless, breath? Why not believe that God has the power to resurrect our own tired hearts? Nervous with expectation, we dare to admit that we do.

A Prayer
O God, who desires only what is good, help us to be open to your healing grace, and make us agents of change in the world. Amen.

Advent

A Word for Advent from Pastor Lou
Proverbs 3:5-8
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.
7 Don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn your back on evil.
8 Then you will gain renewed health and vitality. (New Living Translation)

Twice in an hour this scripture was handed to me as if I needed to hear it. First, I heard one of the presidential candidates asked about “that scripture he often quotes,” and he noted Proverbs 3:5-6. Then, moments later, I received my daily Upper Room e-mail and there was the same quotation offered from a different perspective. I thought, maybe God is trying to tell me something.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.” That’s easier said than done. But as my mother always says, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

I want to venture in God! Don’t you? So let each of us pray, “Today, Lord, help me to trust. Help me to let go of the wanderings and musings of my own mind and accept the mind of Christ. Immerse me in your wisdom and love, so that as I move, it will always be toward you. Help me to find solid footing as I accept your will and choose to move closer to You.

This is Advent.

plou

Safe Harbor Reflections

For me SAFE HARBOR did not just start last year and end, then start up again this year and now that our week is done it is over. Marian asked me to be involved just for one evening last year to serve dinner or just come visit, I kept putting her off and saying no, she kept bugging me and telling me it was something she knew I would be good at. I didn’t think I could do it for two reasons, One, I really didn’t want to, I was just thinking "Ooohhhh Marian not something else" and the 2nd was that I had a cousin in GR who was homeless and stayed in the shelters during the winter months and it felt a little too close to the heart. Well, Jerry went to the shelter in the evening; he was very inebriated, went to the wrong door of the shelter and couldn’t get in. He fell asleep in his wheel chair and he died of exposure that night. That day I showed up at Church to help Marian…and came back every night. I knew it was something that was meant for me to do, I have a great need in me to help people and this was it, and I love every single minute of it. I met people and heard some of their stories, some of them previous owners of large companies, and because of illness or tragedy in their family lost everything because of money and the system not working in helping them out. People that never fathomed in their life that they themselves would be in the position of being homeless and in need of someone else’s help. Last winter I got to know every single one of those people by name and face. And over the summer I saw a couple of them here and there, but I constantly wondered where they were, how they were eating, if they were sleeping somewhere out of the elements. This fall when we started putting things together again for SAFE HARBOR, I learned that Norm’s family had taken him in this fall in Midland, Hobo Don went to Marquette where he knew someone, and those of you who served last year I am sure remember Louie, he just got out of jail for stiffing a pizza guy, because he was hungry, but is now clean and with help has disability coming in and also has an apartment of his own. I also learned that two of the women, Eddie and Kat, who I got to know very well both died this summer. One from an illness another who just couldn’t do this any more. And this year, on November 10th when we opened our doors again to the homeless people of our community I saw all those same faces and names that I knew, and unfortunately many new ones. Monday morning I woke up and could not speak, I know, Joy for everyone who knows me, I heard it all week long. But every night I would come in, look around, and wish there was more I could do, wish I had the means to buy them all warm clothes or give them there own place to stay. We had a woman from another church who bought new cots for everyone to sleep on this year, and new blankets because last year we ran out. When we ran low on blankets on Monday night I called Rich Tomey, who works for good will, and told him we might already need more blankets, he said the Super 8 motel just brought in bags of them and he would drop them off, I said "thank you so much Rich" he said " It’s not me, it’s God" He came back again that night because he had a lady buy a garbage bag full of ski gloves and asked him to bring it to the safe harbor location , again I thanked him and he said "It’s not me, it’s God". Wednesday he came and asked to get every ones shoe size because another Lady had called and said if we could get everyone’s shoe size, she could get new winter boots for everyone. I thanked Rich and he said, "It’s not me, it’s God" Thursday my voice was sort of coming back to me, Betty came up to me and said, "I am glad you are getting your voice back, I’ve been praying for you". Liz came up to me and said " I am glad you are getting your voice back, I’ve been praying for you". Doug came up to me and said, "Too bad your voice is coming back, but I have been praying for you", then Dan said it, and another one, all evening I heard this. On Friday, Rich came in with boxes of winter boots and extra ones, just in case. I started to thank him, but stopped myself, and said "I know, God did it". Before I left that night Betty and Liz called Julie and I over and gave us a card, it Thanked all of us for what we had provided that week for them, and it was signed by everyone of them, and it said "God Bless You". That night as I lay in my own bed, with my own blankets, in my own home, I thought to myself "it‘s God". And I thought about all these people who have virtually nothing, who had been praying all week for God to Bless ME. And of course, I cried.
Jennifer B.

Safe Harbour

Blessed trying to be a blessing!

Season of Light

As autumn becomes winter it can be a little depressing for some of us. I was contemplating the shortening days and dropping thermometers, and it occurred to me that the shortest day of the year is coming. Right before Christmas, we will experience the shortest day of the year --the day with the least amount of light. Following that day the temperature will continue to plummet as the snow piles up. But from that day on, the light will increase and the darkness decrease despite the fact that that winter in northern Michigan will be with us for another 3 0r 4 months.
I am reminded of the ancient prophets and Jesus himself who spoke light into the darkness. Long before the outward circumstances had changed, they began to envision a different the present as if the future had already come.
Maybe you are experiencing a difficult time in your life--frustrations, debts, broken relationships piling on. Remember that light is breaking into your darkness even if the circumstances have yet to change. Remember and stand on the promises of God who is light and life to our lives.

time to sign up to help again

“The first busload is here!” someone yelled from the kitchen. Randall grabbed the dishes of eggs and pancakes from the oven where they were being kept warm, and put the sausage in. There was a frenzy as everyone rushed to get food, dishes, and utensils on the serving table. Four of us stood behind the table, ready for the crowd with prongs in hand. It was my youth group’s turn to feed dinner to the homeless people who were spending nights at our church that week.
I was unexpectedly nervous. Would all of the people be druggies or alcoholics? How should I act around them? The first group began slowly streaming in. I was surprised. Though some of them were tattooed up and down, and wore chains and blue eyeliner, others wore simple jeans and t-shirts. Many of them I could not have picked out of a crowd. As I served each one a generous spoonful of eggs, I became more and more comfortable. Every person had his/her own unique personality. They seemed more similar to me than I would ever have imagined.
When we had finished serving everyone, I had a chance to sit down and get to know some of the people. After that night, the people I served would not just be “homeless people” anymore. They were Louis, with all of his tie-dye and tattoos; Anthony, the great lumbering bear whose persona filled the entire church, masking his inner self; and Michael, who could one day be the nicest guy in the world, and the next could be so high, he could not even remember the people he met the day prior. These homeless peoples are not just a statistic to me anymore. They were real people with feelings and substance and names.
Though I was only able to impact those I served in a small way, their impact on me was even greater. It was enough reward for me to see the smiles on people’s faces and their temporary release from hunger. It is extremely fulfilling to be able to serve another human being. Now when I see the homeless on the streets there is no need to avert my eyes. I can smile and call each by name.
--Molly G.

Great Day

I am reminded that one of the reasons I started this God-Spotter blog was to identify when God shows up in my life. Our worship yesterday was one of those times. We all met together. People witnessed regarding the impact of CUMC on their lives. We brought new people into membership in our congregation. Folks who had been gone returned. The enthusiasm for God and love of God was palable as we celebrated, remembered and said thank you. It is great to be the pastor of this church.
plou

challenge=discovery

Nothing helps us grow like a challenge. Sunday, I invited people to pray outloud from their seats. I wasn't sure what would happen. I worried that the silence might be defeaning. Instead, at both services, we had a marvelous season of prayer as people lifted their petitions and thanksgivings to God. This new prayer effort is definitely of God. I can see people spirits being lifted and commitment being deepened already. I wonder what spiritual discovereies will make next. I can't wait until next Sunday!
plou

Accept the Challenge

This Sunday, September 16, I will lay down a challenge to all the people of CUMC to pray at least 15 minutes daily for the next 60 days. Over that time we will pray, study prayer, and witness to our experiences one-on-one, in small groups and during worship on Sunday morning.
As you know, none of us has time enough to pray, and none of us can afford not to pray. So the question becomes, "What will I give up in order to make time in my day to pray?" The answer will be different for each of us, as will the experience. The result will be that many of us after 60 days will have developed a healthy spiritual habit that will continue for many years to come. I hope you will accept the challenge.
Prayerfully Yours,
plou

My Response to Record Eagle Article

Lou’s Blog
Last Sunday, in our local newspaper there was an article printed about about the Rapid City Businessman’s Association holding a community picnic beneath a Klu Klux Klan flag (a confederate flag emblazoned with the words “White Power” and “Klu Klux Klan”). As I read that article I was reminded by a poem attributed to Martin Niemöller.

First they came for the Jews and I did not speak out - because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the communists and I did not speak out - because I was not a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out - because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me - and by then there was no one left to speak out for me.
The evil “isms” of this world depend on fear, niceness, and anonymity. When we are silent in the face of hate and violence, hate and violence flourish. Although it was horrific to think that one of our neighbors owned and raised a flag that so firmly stands against human dignity and the diverse beauty of God’s human creation, even more egregious was the deafening silence and inaction of 300 community members who attended. Silence is not always golden. In fact, sometimes silence is deadly to the values we cherish.
plou

Article from Sunday's Traverse City Record Eagle

Klan flag flies at picnic
Some attendees offended, others say it's no big deal
BY SHERI McWHIRTER
smcwhirter@record-eagle.com
Special to the Record-Eagle A Confederate flag flies over a community picnic in Rapid City. The words “White Power” are printed above the circle with the cross, and “Ku Klux Klan” printed under it.
RAPID CITY — County Road 593 is the main drag in this tiny Kalkaska County community, where a handful of mom-and-pop shops cluster around a yellow blinking light that signals the town center.
Everyone in Rapid City knows just about everyone else and many gather on summery weekends to grill steaks, roast pigs and chew the fat.
At a May 6 barbecue, organizers served up a T-bone steak, baked potato and all the fixings for just $10. Overhead flapped a Confederate flag that bore white supremacist and Ku Klux Klan markings.
A Klan banner smack in the middle of a northern Michigan, small-town cookout sponsored by the Rapid City Businessmen's Association caused a stir among some who attended. The flag also focused unwanted attention on this spot-on-the-map about 20 miles northeast of Traverse City.
"When we drove into the parking lot and got out of the car, I was shocked and disgusted and wanted to get back in the car,” said Dick Ault, of Alden, who said he stayed because a group of friends had gathered there. "Some thought it was a Confederate flag, which was bad enough, but then we saw it was a KKK flag.”
The flag included a cross inside a circle, accompanied by the phrases "white power” and "Ku Klux Klan,” but its message didn't bother everyone who attended.
"I didn't care one way or another about the flag being up. It's not a big deal,” said Tom Tucker, of Rapid City, a cookout volunteer. "Should it have been up? No. I stood the pole up myself. Whoever put the flag up, I don't know, but I put the pole up. If anybody is going to holler at anyone, it should be me.”
A tattered American flag arrived with the pole and they couldn't fly that, Tucker said, so someone retrieved another flag to run up the line.
Event organizer Stuart McKinnon, owner of Torch Plumbing in Rapid City, said the Klan flag was not meant to be there, but he knows who raised it. He refused to identify the owner.
"I'm not going to say because it doesn't matter who did it,” McKinnon said.
The man who raised the flag thought it might be a joke, but later realized it was a mistake, McKinnon said.
"He just wasn't thinking,” he said.
'People can fly what they want to'
Kalkaska County Commissioner Rob Crambell, of Rapid City, attended the event and saw the flag, but didn't stop to read it. He thought it simply was a Confederate flag and didn't mind because he "doesn't have a problem with people voicing their opinions in this country,” he said.
"You see them everywhere, so no, I wasn't (offended). I don't think all those flags mean racism. If they did, you wouldn't see them on NASCAR cars and all over the place. Do they question it when they see it on NASCAR or anywhere else? This is America, after all, and people can fly what they want to. It's unfortunate that it was more than just a Confederate flag,” Crambell said.
Both Crambell and fellow county Commissioner Louis Nemeth, who also attended, said the situation is being blown out of proportion. For his part, Nemeth said he never really saw the flag, despite it being planted right next to the main line where people gathered for food.
"I didn't look up to the top of the flagpole at all. I didn't see any flag. I saw the pole because it was near the serving line. The people who did look up saw something they didn't expect to see,” Nemeth said.
Organizers said if anyone had complained, they would have removed the flag.
"I don't have a problem with any flag you fly. I didn't see the flag. Apparently, it was a mistake to fly a flag like that because it offended some people,” said Bruce Belanger, owner of the Valley Street Café in Rapid City.
'A little sick to my stomach'
Count Joe Mariage, of Rapid City(*), was among those offended by the Klan symbol.
"I was a little taken aback by it. I didn't understand why that flag was flying. It was kind of a laid-back thing until the talk about the flag,” Mariage said.
He and his wife were among 300 or so people who bought tickets to the sold-out event, designed to thank community members for supporting local businesses.
"The purpose behind it was great, to get the community out together, but somebody had a personal agenda. The whole thing was very emotional,” Mariage said. "I felt a little sick to my stomach by Sunday night. I can't condone this kind of thing.”
Bill Bocksthaler, of Alden, said he was appalled to find the flag above the picnic and regrets not leaving right away.
"We should have followed our instincts and got right out of there, but we had 25 or 30 people who are our friends there,” he said. "A lot of us feel like we were duped into attending a Klan rally,” Bocksthaler said.
Organizers scoffed at that notion. The event was neither a Klan rally, nor a recruiting effort and nobody there belongs to the KKK, they said.
"I'm Catholic, so how can I be a Ku Klux Klan member? They'd hang me,” McKinnon said.
Hate groups not a thing of the past
Anthony Griggs, a research analyst with the Southern Poverty Law Center, said KKK members typically don't wear robes and hoods in public, but instead dress in plain clothes.
"It's not uncommon for the Klan to hijack an event,” Griggs said.
The SPLC monitors hate activity across the country and recorded a nearly 20 percent climb in recognized hate groups over the last five years, he said.
"This is proof that this kind of thing still goes on. Some think we've moved past this. Some think it's no big deal. Hate groups are not a thing of the past,” Griggs said.
Statistics from the SPLC show there are 25 identified hate groups in Michigan, including chapters of the KKK, neo-Nazis, White Nationalists and Black Separatists.
In Grand Traverse County, hate literature occasionally pops up and is left on lawns, or stuffed in mailboxes.
And in Wexford County in May 2005, Cadillac officials presented a certificate of appreciation to the Nazi group National Socialist Movement after members from a local chapter participated in a citywide park cleanup.
The Klan flag won't fly over the next Rapid City cookout, Tucker and Belanger said.
"The businesses and people who participate in putting these events together apologize for offending anyone,” Belanger said.
"But for anyone to assume we were having some kind of Klan meeting is absolutely ridiculous.”

challenge

Lent is a time to face the spiritual challenges of our lives. I've often given up things for Lent. This year I decided to do something for Lent that would push me physically, mentally and spiritually. Along with my son, Nate, we have taken on the challenge of excercising 90 minutes per day for 60 days. To accomplish it, we sometimes have to get up early in the morning, postpone a meal, or give up another favored activity. We have just nicely begun at this writing, 14 days into the challenge. We will finish on my birthday in May.My hope is that taking on this challenge will allow me to begin to say more and more, "I can" rather than "I can't." The Lord has many challenges for us--we must be able to seize on his invitations to serve, knowing that we can!I pray that each of us will be taking on challenges in the coming year knowing that when we take on challenges for God, we are strengthened by the one who calls us. Easter reminds us that we are superpowered by the spirit of the risen Christ. "(We) can do all things through the One who strengthens (us)."If you gave up something for Lent, why not take on something for God this Easter.plou

real diversity

Yesterday I went to the back of the church while the children's choir was singing at the early service. I turned around and my heart skipped a beat. There in front of me was a choir of 10 or so children and only one of them was white. In fact, he wore a prosthesis for a left lower arm and hand and was not born in the U.S.
In that moment, I knew that what God dreamed for us at Christ United Methodist Church had materialized before my eyes. A new kind of church has emerged--one more reflective of the kingdom in all its magnificent glory. Thank you God for a refreshingly beautiful glimse of your kingdom come.

A great sample of an Upper Room Devotional.

I was blown away by today's Upper Room Devotional. We don't have to be perfect, but we so have to let go and let God work through us and our ministry. --plou
_________________________
He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
- Micah 6:8 (NRSV)
_________________________

AT the music festival the piano-duo competition was in progress. The first pair of entrants played their piece without mistakes. As the second performers were making an unsteady start, my companion leaned over and whispered, "The first pair has won already."
At the end, the judge stood. "The first contestants were letter perfect," he began. "Mechanically, their playing was good; but what we want is music. The second players had a little trouble getting started, but then we heard distinct melody and firm chords, signifying a listening and thoughtful communion. They entered into the spirit intended by the composer. They made music."
What a lesson! The music master clarified that obeying exacting rules does not necessarily convey the spirit of the music. In the same way, Jesus told us to move beyond law to the spirit of the law, which is love for God and for people.
We keep love alive by opening ourselves to the promptings of the Spirit within us through prayer, meditation, and sensitivity in our relationships. Then, by divine grace, we become channels of God's love and help to bring about the harmony that the Creator/Composer intended.
Prayer: Lord, may the promptings of your Spirit make us open channels of your love. Amen.

Hazel Keenan Schrum (Ontario, Canada)

We have a link to these daily devotionals on our home page. Just click daily devotional.

Reason to Party

On October 2 I wrote this blog post:

Last night in our "Saving Jesus" class, the commentators of our video considered the question, "Did Jesus hold services or throw parties?" Their contention was that Jesus went from neighborhood to neighborhood throwing parties with expansive guest lists that included people from all social classes and even mixed religious backgrounds. This activity was considered revolutionary because it brought people together across socially, politically and religiously enforced lines. The Roman Empire effectively worked to keep these people of various classes and backgrounds separate and hating one another, thus ensuring centralized Roman power and a dis-empowered general populous.I think it's time for the people of God to start throwing parties again--celebrations of God that bridge social, economic, political and ethnic barriers. We need to stretch our invitation list beyond our comfort zone. Anything less than a well-attended Jesus party will never accomplish the ministry and witness that Jesus did.Jesus self-proclaimed mission is found in Luke 4:18-19, 18 when he reads a passage from Isaiah 61, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors, and that the time of the Lord's favor has come." What better way to say that than to throw a party in Jesus's honor?

--Well we did it! God did it! December 24th we threw a God party, sent out 10,000 invitations and people came--people with all different skin colors, people in wheel chairs and walkers, people in diapers and depends, people in ties and T-shirts. We sang to the glory of God--young and old together. We took chairs from every room to make room for the 229 people that arrived that evening. We had a birthday party for Jesus. Thank you for joining me in honoring our Savior in such a fun and powerful way.