New Years Eve 2010

Is the behavior within and by some churches driving our young out of church?

Read this book review by one of my favorite professors from LTS, the book sounds like an interesting read!

Partisanship in the Hijacked Church: A Book Review

Before even reading the book, does anybody out there have any thoughts on rigidity and the church?
Should churches and their members draw strict lines that reveal such rigidity?
If so, does that include all issues or only essentials?
How do we decide upon those essentials?
Are these essentials flexible and open to change over time and with life experiences?

What is a good Thanksgiving?

You know it's a good Thanksgiving when all the plates are cleaned off, and nobody wants to move away from the table!

Lots to be thankful for today!
Many blessings, many joys, many to come!
My prayer for tonight is for those who have little or nothing to eat on a day when others are literally "stuffing" themselves ... and for those who face fear and trembling more than security and sanctuary. May they find peace, satisfaction and sanctuary and know what it is like to be loved and to love!

Thinking about being Thankful!

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2 days before Thanksgiving and getting ready for a trip to Williamsburg, VA with my family (pictured above, missing 2: our “bonus” daughter and my wonderfully supportive husband who is taking the picture). We will spend the holiday with my parents in a condo they have rented for all of us.

Before I get back to my “to do” list, I wanted to take time to sit down and think about what it is that I am thankful for today (sticking to the theme of the week).

My first thoughts are that I am thankful for the time we will all have together and the opportunity to plan and prepare Thanksgiving dinner for everyone while ”on the road!” Yes, I am crazy like that, I love planning and preparing special meals that will hopefully stir old memories and maybe offer more stories for the future. Kind of bummed that we are using store bought pies (Mom’s idea, since she thought that home made dessert supplies, along with all the other recipe requirements for the day and kid supplies would be too much for me to pack). As much as I like making Thanksgiving dinner, I like the dessert creations the best! We will see how the packing goes!

Then, my thoughts go deeper regarding thankfulness:
My life has been an incredible journey so far, with joys that have overwhelmed and heartaches that nearly broke me. Throughout, I have never felt alone. There have been times when I have had to get through difficult and even traumatic struggles with no one person to lean on, and I have experienced rare, precious and beautiful gifts and looked around to see nobody to share them, or understand why I am amazed. One day I will share more of my experiences with you and perhaps I will find that you too have traveled the same roads I have. For today though, I choose to stay on the surface with you, peering through the depths to understand how and who I am.

Even though it may have appeared that I was alone at times in my journey in life, I can honestly say that I have always felt a deep connection to a Presence that goes beyond anything I can explain in words. Since I was a little child, this Presence has been like a second skin, one that I cannot imagine not being there. Since I have always been aware of It, even during the times when I tried to ignore It, I trust beyond all questioning that It will always be there. I can’t say that I take this connection for granted though, we are too deeply fused as One through all we have been through together. Imagine a bandaid that has stayed on too long and has to be soaked in water to avoid the pain of separation. After time, pieces of the bandaid (the cotton fibers especially) and the skin intertwine, depend on one another and eventually can’t be recognized as separate any longer. Maybe that is a way to explain how I relate to a Presence that goes beyond my language.

Maybe my modern day wordless understanding of this Presence is the Divine self description in the Hebrew Testament, translated to “I AM,” or “I AM that I AM.” A description of that which is, in human terms, indescribable in completeness. The Divine mystery we often limit with our descriptions, but is it possible to explain the limitless in fullness?

So, to sum up what it is that I am most thankful for: the continual Presence that has been with me since my birth and will continue until the end of my earthly days, the day we will dance together in heaven, I am most thankful for the unlimited, indescribable, unending
Divine Presence that will never let me go!

Beat the Drum Movie

Beat The Drum

If you haven’t had a chance to watch “Beat the Drum” yet, I highly recommend it!
It brings a little understanding of the culture in Africa, especially in handling illnesses, such as HIV/AIDS. Through Musa, a little boy, we get an up close glimpse at what the orphans there face far beyond the grief of loss in countries such as South Africa.

The movie opens with beautiful scenes of landscape that reveals a land that is rich and alive, then zooms in on little Musa, (played by Junior Singo, an inspiring young actor), who is sitting by his Mother’s new grave. After a few moments of sitting with him in his grief, our attention is directed to his “grandmother” who calls him to get on with his chores and help with his father. The audience is invited to follow along and get a birds eye view of the difficult, tragic and fear-filled reality that many young children like Musa go through. Through his eyes, we also get glimpses of others like him who face even more dire circumstances.

The title of the movie: “Beat the Drum” carries the theme of the heartbeat of a continent filled with passion, strong belief and circumstances, many of which are brought on by a history of oppression by those hungry for power and wealth. When I was in South Africa, a beautiful indigenous woman told said: ”the British came into our villages with the Bible in hand, in the end, they had all our land and we had Jesus!” The movie reveals a mix of Christian faith with cultural and tribal beliefs that muddle the understanding and suspicion of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Little Musa travels from his tiny village: “KwaZulu Natal” to Johannesburg in search for a way to replace a cow that had been sacrificed and to search for his Uncle. Imagine going from a small tribal village in the far off country to a city that is busy and bustling with activity, and corruption. Our little guy never wavers from his understanding of right and wrong, and his indomitable spirit doesn’t allow him to give up as he carries his drum wherever he goes. After he learns the truth about the epidemic, he returns with this to his elders.

Throughout many ups and downs, and heartbreak, this young man shows more strength than many of the adults he encounters along the way! This is a must see! http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Beat_the_Drum/70080313?trkid=4213515