Developing My Artist Side

I grew up believing I was not an artist. Whenever we had art class in school or an art project I did not recieve good grades nor did I like doing the project. As I look back on those days I now realize there was most likely some ADD going on although it was not called that and my fine motor skills took some time to develop, resulting in messy projects from coloring in the lines, drawing pictures or later in mechanical drawing class where I always pressed to hard on the pencil.

Then in my first church there was a man who started a stained glass hobby. I thought I would like to give it a try. It took about five more years before I decided to take the plunge. I discovered a grinder could take away cutting mistakes and some solder could fill in the gaps. I made lamps, panels, and even some windows but for the most part my glass has remained untouched for the last couple of years. Even in all that time I would not have considered myself and artist, I sort of saw myself as a person putting together a puzzle in which you make the pieces yourself with glass.

Then this year I decided to expand my horizons and get ino the world of glass fusing. In going through the class a discovering some new talents and exploring some new ventures in the hot glass arena I have found some ability to create all sorts of new things.

Later on this Fall I was introduced to a book entitled "The Artist's Way" which helped me to see everyone has an artistic side but in my case I had allowed people to suppress it through criticism. As I look back I now realize there is an artistic side of my life and all I had to do was discover the right medium.

I have also found there is a freedom in expression, not based upon how others see it but how I through the help of God have expressed it. I have found this to be transforming for my life and my relationship with others and with God.

A 24 Hour Retreat

One of my plans this year is to focus more on my personal connection with God. One of the things I have discovered over the almost thirty years I have been in pastoral ministry is how easy it is to help others with their spiritual questions while never taking the time to address one's own. This past year has been particularly trying for me personally with some church issues, personal issues and some family health issues so I have thought it best to go deeper in my relationship with God in turn begin to wrestle with the issues that crop up from time to time. In turn this will serve to help me be more grounded in my ministry in the church and in turn approach the difficult issues that will come my way in the future, which I am sure they will.

With all that said, I signed up for a series of retreats this year through our regional office and have just completed the first of these a 24 hour retreat at Shantivanam. You can check out their web site by following this link: http://www.shantivanam.com/home.html

Shantivanam House of prayer is the prayer retreat center for the Archdiocese of Kansas City Kansas. It is located far way from the noises and lights of the city and was for me a place of quiet reflection. Some retreat centers are geared toward group retreats but Shativanam is set up for personal retreats.

The cabins we were given were designed for one person, set in a wooded setting where one was away from everyone. From my cabin you could not see anything but trees and forest. What I noticed at first was the quiet. In a world filled with noise I have lost the importance of silence. The scripture which came to mind was Elijah experience of God not in the earthquake or the storm but in the sound of shear silence.

Athough it was only 24 hours I was able to in my reading, praying, walking the many trails and sitting by the pond encounter a sense of peace in my soul with the person God has created in me. I took time to read, nap, reflect and encounter a closness with God provided by the creation all around me.

One of the final encounters I had during my time there was while hiking to see a particualr view I encountered a terrapin on the trail. He saw me a ducked his head back in his shell waiting for me to walk by. And as I returned down the trail he had moved a few feet off to one side moving ever so slowly making his way back into the woods but when he saw me again the head went into hiding. It had been years since I had seen a terrapin in the wild. I would see them all the time as a child when I visited my grandparents in Missouri. I have often sought to be the opposite of the terrapin moving from one thing to another very quickly but the slow movement reminds me of how much can be missed when moving quickly.

I learned my my experience on retreat the importance of slowing down and reflecting and filling up with the presence of God. When I do I begin to gain the refreshment needed for difficult times.

A New Religion

This is part of an article I recieved from Ron Degges the President of Disciples Home Missions and I believe it is worth passing on.

A new religion has been birthed. Well, it is kind of a new religion. It is a religion that has infiltrated all religions and it is a real danger. If it were just another ordinary, run of the mill religion I would not bring my concern to you. Neither would I if it were a religion that amalgamated a little bit of this one and a little bit of that one. Religious goulash has been around for millennia.
The religion I am talking about is LCD religion. Akin to Melba toast and pabulum rather than meat and potatoes, it sucks you in and then leaves you a complete mess. It attacks your spine and makes you spineless continuing to spread to your head, mouth, hands and feet. You do not know what to think, what to say, what to do, or where to go. It is Least Common Denominator (LCD) religion and it has taken hold of the faithful, their houses of worship, and their denominational structures.
More pervasive than you might think, Least Common Denominator religion drains the substance out of faith, hope and love leaving only a smiling veneer religion in white, patent leather shoes, singing the jingle: nothing matters any more/close your eyes and shut your doors/let's snuggle up and cozy be/it's not our problem/don't you see. Under its hypnotic spell religions have retreated from addressing the grand questions of fairness, equality and justice that are at the core of their identity.
I told you it is a real danger. This is the reason why we together have to get the boldness back into our religion(s) and back into ourselves. We have to turn the other cheek. We have to go the extra mile. We have to forgive and not look back. We have to embrace and not refrain from embracing. We have to love without exception. We have to do what Jesus taught us is right. We have to stop being afraid and start allowing God to lead. Fear is what neutralizes the Spirit's ability to lead thus causing LCD religion.

What's Next?

One of my favorite questions to ask whenever I complete a project is: what's next?" I guess it is founded on the principle that God is not finished doing a new work in me or in the church I serve. With that in mind I have just finished working on a major project from being on a task planning team for a transformational event and just finished the evaluation call for the event a few moments ago.

I have several items on my plate wanting to take the next step in the transofrmation process with the church, needing to get a project rolling for the completion of the interim ministry training course and the need to move some programming forward in our church.

But it is important to remember all I do in the church and out begins and ends with my relationship with God. It is easy to get busy doing stuff and lose sight of that connection. it is easy for me to forge ahead and get busy doing things and really not look to God for direction and guidance in what ever I am working on. The tendency for me to forge ahead and think I am doing God's work without ever checking in with God is a common problem in a busy, active and wanting results type world in which I exist.

The first thing in the "what's next?" question is how is my connection with God? Am I listening? Am I connecting? Am I taking the time to nurture that relationship which is vital for my life?

I am currently serving on the planning team for an event and through my contact with the members of that team I have been exposed to several new books and authors. One such author is Margaret Wheatley. One book was recommended by the group but another book of hers popped out at me while I was ordering the one that was recommended. Having never read anything by her before I did not know what to expect from either book. The second book is the one I want to focus on. The title is "Turning to One Another: simple conversations to restore hope to the future." It is a series of articles and quotes designed to help people start conversations with others. In our busy world we have stopped conversing with others and we need to relearn how to take the time to enter into conversation with people. When we do the world will be a better place.
One quote in this book jumped off the page at me: "it's not our differences which divide us, it is our judgements about each other that do." That statement spoke volumes to me. Having just gone through an election an few months ago the image which remains fresh in my mind is the amount of judgement that has been passed down on both sides of the political spectrum. But it does not stop there in our world today. Not only does one have to believe the same things I do but they also must follow the exact same action in executing those beliefs. If one does not the result is criticism and judgements. I receive a large number of e-mails from people on both sides of the political spectrum and both sides spend all their time judging the other and complaining about why the other is wrong and they are right.
There is a great scene in the film "Hotel Rwanda" in which the differences between the Hutu's and Tutsi people are described. It seems when the Dutch were running the country they created the division with the idea a divided population would be easier to govern. One of the groups had a lot more prestige and power than the other. When the Dutch gave up control they turned power over the other group making the once persecuted people the ones in charge. The result was those now in power began persecuting those once in power. A mass slaughter of humanity took place all in the name of getting even.
It is not our difference which divide us; it is our judgements about each other which do. When we make the judgement of right and wrong it creates a division which is very hard to mend. All it does is create an ever widening division in our world. We have to be right so we must do everything in our power to prove you wrong.
To be honest I have grown tired of the rhetoric from both sides. Because what I have seen is both sides have their supporters and detractors and who ever screams the loudest feels they have won. So the result is we scream and shout put downs and criticisms with the tag line one can not be a good person if they believe what you believe.
A wise man once said no one has ever converted another person to their side by way of an arguement. I might also add when judgement is passed on another it makes it harder to love that person in the way we as christians are called to love each other.