Lenten Carbon Fast

Day 4: What you can do today Did you hear about the civil disobedience at the White House on Ash Wednesday - a call to conscience in advance of tomorrow - which will be the largest climate rally in history?  Click here to read Jim Antal's blog on the Ash Wednesday Action:  www.macucc.org.  Click here for details on tomorrow's rally:http://forwardonclimate.org   If you're going - develop some strategies about sharing your experience and conviction in ways that will increase others' commitment.  If you're not going, take time today to ponder: what would it take for me to publicly witness to my convictions about creation and climate change?

Lenten Carbon Fast

Day 3: What you can do today In America, people are more reluctant to talk about their financial life than they are about their sex life. Each of us makes decisions every day about consumption of resources and investment of assets. Today: notice - and consider recording - the environmental impact of the choices you make - just today's choices - in the arenas of consumption and investment.

Lenten Carbon Fast

Day 2: What you can do today Watch and learn how to communicate more effectively on the issue of climate change. Bill Moyers interviews scientist Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication, who describes his efforts to do what even Hurricane Sandy couldn't - galvanize communities over what's arguably the greatest single threat facing humanity. Benefit from Leiserowitz' expertise in the psychology of risk perception. http://bit.ly/Zm10zT

Lenten Carbon Fast

Day 1: What you can do today  Thank you for responding to creation's cry and Christ's lament by engaging in this Lenten discipline with thousands of others. You'll be given dozens of opportunities to reduce your personal carbon footprint in the coming days. You can multiply the global impact many times by committing yourself - today - to share with others that you're doing this discipline and invite them to join you. On this critical day of self-examination, look at whatever may hold you back from sharing your commitment and inviting others to join you. Share this link via Facebook, email and Twitter: www.macucc.org/carbonfast

Broken But Redeemed

A couple of weeks ago the District Superintendent met with about a dozen key leaders of our church; the purpose was to get know the folks of our church and to learn more about who we are as a worshipping body. His first question -- what is unique about your church? The silence was deafening and spoke volumes. Nothing. Finally I disturbed the thoughts of all present (of course I did, you all know how much I hate silence!). 'We used to be a church for the broken' I began, 'I mean a place where the broken could come and know they were accepted as they are, where they are, and who they are. But we aren't that any more.' I nearly whispered the final statement. A few near me agreed.

Since that Sunday evening I have thought a lot about that question and not just that question but an even broader question. What is church? Based on my gut and visions this is my response:
Church is -
- broken people, led by a very broken person, living in a broken world whose mission is to go into the broken society to meet broken people where they are to bring them home.
That simple.
So, then what is the difference between the broken people who commune together once a week and the broken people who don't?
- the broken people who gather weekly in a church building are redeemed through Christ Jesus and brought into Wholeness with God through the indwelling Holy Spirit who is our voice, our guide, and our conscience.
We are still broken, just as broken, some even more broken. But we know who we are and whose we are. We are where we belong. We are home.

Our job now is to go into the broken world, onto the streets of our broken society, and meet with the broken where they are. The prostitute on the corner, the drug addict in the alley, the alcoholic stumbling out of the bar, the abused in the shelter, the abuser in prison. We are to meet them there and love them as they are, where they are, for who they are. We are then to bring them into the family of the redeemed and journey with them on the road to who they are to become...we are to bring them home.

It sounds all so obvious, so simplistic and so utterly difficult.

We used to be that church.
We used to be those people.
- we were once led by a minister who understood brokenness, who would speak of that brokenness fearlessly and willingly from the pulpit.
- we were once led by a minister who was never embarrassed to sit with the homeless, drink coffee with them, and then walk across the street and up the road to where they bedded at night.
- we were once led by a minister who went into the bars and spoke with those who were drowning their fears and sorrows in too much liquor.
- we were once led by a minister who would walk with the down-trodden, the depressed, the addict, the accursed and the abused and would bring them home.
We aren't any longer.
We used to be unique...but not any more.

Jeff Cannon...for all of your foibles there are ten times the fortes. You are a blessing. You are missed.

I just wanted you to know that. From God...through me...to you. You are a blessing Jeff Cannon and you are loved!

The Four Dis's

I've been thinking alot lately (nothing new for me, I know). I am dis-gruntled, dis-content, dis-appointed with worship lately ... mostly with the "new" minister (who really isn't "new" at all now after 18 months). Unfortunately, all these "dis"'s make for a very dis-heartening Sunday morning. I get nothing out of worship as of late because of the dis-satisfaction. I know, I know ... worship isn't just about me, the sermon isn't meant just for me, I may not get anything out of it but somebody sitting there did. I know. I get all of that. However... 

The other morning I spent an hour on the phone with a dear friend and we discussed all the "dis"'s that we are feeling; yes WE, BOTH of us. If two of us are on the same page, could there be more? Hmm ...

The morning conversation didn't begin negatively at all, no in fact she had called to discuss the Spring Fling and using that money towards the purchase of the new choir robes. But when one or both persons in the conversation find themselves to be dis-gruntled, dis-content, dis-appointed, and dis-satisfied well all those "dis"'s just naturally make it into the dis-cussion. For all intent and purpose the two of us spent maybe five minutes on the Spring Fling and 55 minutes on the "dis"'s of the "new" minister - to the point of singing the praises of the former minister (and those of you who have read ANY of my blogs here or on myspace KNOW the difficulties we had with him!).

It seems that we are falling into a rut. This "new" minister seems ever so negative, dwelling in the past, and unable to utilize the lay leadership of the church. The "new" minister gripes and grumbles so horrendously that all we, well I, seem to get from the negative vibes is a sense of foreboding. It seems that at every turn the "new" minister is dis-gruntled, dis-content, dis-appointed, and dis-satisfied. Now that may not be true, but that IS how it seems. Maybe it is all the "dis" vibes from the "new" minister that has both myself and my dear friend being influenced by our own "dis"'s. Hmm ...

At any rate, nothing was solved in our hour long conversation ... we still have the "new" minister and it looks like we'll be stuck with him for another year (unless - unless enough of us from SPRC approach the chair and claim a change of heart and he goes to the District Superintendent and begs for a change ... hmm, that might just work!). 

One of the best aspects of the previous minister was that there was never negativity from the pulpit. Our attendance may have been tanked (which really it wasn't) but there was never a peep of "dis" anything from the pulpit. Our finances might have been worrisome (which I suppose they really were) but we never heard a word of that from the pulpit. No, the previous minister was fantastic at always encouraging and uplifting. We may have had numbers and data kept from us but by golly gee whiz we left there feeling fabulous about ourselves and the state of the church. Now, though, it seems every Sunday we leave (well I leave) trudging out of the sanctuary, feeling duly reprimanded for NOT doing my part to help grow attendance, to help offset our ever growing debtedness, to "make disciples for Christ" (as if I even know what "make disciples" means). I HATE feeling as if I'm not doing enough when in fact I do MORE than enough. Just because I don't "invite" neighbors, friends, or family or whatever to come to my church. Hey, witness and evangelism are NOT my gifts. Leave that to those who are gifted at that. My gifts are faith, generosity, hospitality and administration. Let me do my gifts because I can do those extremely well. Quit harping on me each and every Sunday to "invite". I'm getting so tired of hearing "invite", "invite", "invite" each and every Sunday from both the pulpit and the children's message. 

Ok, off my soap box, end of rant. Just wanted to air (yet again because I already did to both myTed and myBff!

Election Day 2012

So I am standing in line at the polls, a ridiculously long line btw, with myShelby when Destiny walks up to us. She has come with her grandparents and cousin to the precinct. She stated that her government class held a mock election and of course Obama won. She thought it crazy that the class, 97% black, would hold mock elections because she, of course, knew the outcome would be Obama overwhelmingly. "We are a majority black school after all", was her statement. I thought that sad quite honestly. Was she saying that she and other black children at Hampton High School were voting for Obama simply because he was black? Or was she implying that the black population is overwhelmingly Democratic?

I would like to believe that the government class focused on the issues, highlighted the campaign proposals and promises of each candidate, discussed the pros and cons of the "ifs" ("if" Obama is re-elected ... or "if" Romney wins the presidency ...), and then made informed election votes. And maybe they did, she didn't go into any further detail and I, surrounded by a population of 94% black in line at the precinct, was not brave enough to question this mock election and point out such basic points of the election process as informed decision. I simply assumed that there is a "the government needs to care for me" mentality that the black population has that leads them to vote democratic. I pray that I am wrong.

I should have prayed for discernment from God prior to taking pen to ballot, but I didn't. My thoughts turned to the many United Methodist Women Priorities, how each party would or wouldn't support those 11 priorities. I believe my bent is shifting to a more liberal stance, but not so far liberal as to believe that the rich must pay for benefits the poor receive. We should eliminate poverty, I agree, but not by making the rich exclusively pay. There are no easy answers. The wealthy subscribe to many altruistic deeds and support many charities. The wealthy tithe to their churches. The wealthy do give, and some give until it hurts. But that hasn't eliminated poverty. Poverty can only be eliminated systematically. The government itself needs to stop applying bandages, needs to stop simply giving just to give, just because it can. Charity solves nothing. Justice fixes the problem. The government needs to get to the root issues of the problem and seek a cure to the cause, fix the brokenness.

Ok, off my soap box. Sorry.