tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10909624090558358782024-03-19T01:47:57.122-07:00Karen OlivetoINTO THE DEEP END
I have never been one to enjoy a wading pool. Even as a small child, I couldn't wait to jump into the deep end of the pool. I loved being able to not just float on the surface, but dive deep, deeper still, into the watery depths. Funny, it is the way I like to live life as well.Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.comBlogger241125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-34785610180515196702024-03-09T13:27:00.000-08:002024-03-09T13:27:05.616-08:00What Are We Teaching the Children?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2m5GfTNOOBpj1JLa2qmeA7_eiw2Pz9h_sQhcZeS4vhHz02bhpQOnZr46jjlYFyzyYQRn-QH9tVEbL1KIts-sAHBT-9kUcj9gQsEZMRcLP7RNKXTVZ91FmuLbmpJZXUelVDYzQxgStSDqFEO417dK4EEEuMvvaAMRwzw0dotCz3xRg5tGfenrK434XgcMC/s1280/play.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2m5GfTNOOBpj1JLa2qmeA7_eiw2Pz9h_sQhcZeS4vhHz02bhpQOnZr46jjlYFyzyYQRn-QH9tVEbL1KIts-sAHBT-9kUcj9gQsEZMRcLP7RNKXTVZ91FmuLbmpJZXUelVDYzQxgStSDqFEO417dK4EEEuMvvaAMRwzw0dotCz3xRg5tGfenrK434XgcMC/s320/play.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I grew up on a dead end street on the South Shore of
Long Island, perfect for playing ball in the summer and sledding in the winter.
It seemed to be an inevitable badge of childhood that all of us would
eventually sport a scar on one or both knees from tripping on the curbs that
were marked as 1</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">st</sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> and 3</span><sup style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">rd</sup><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> bases. The block had many
young families, so I grew up with enough friends to make two teams of whatever
we chose to play. We were fiercely competitive, but the make-up of the teams were
never the same, as players were interchangeable, one team to the other.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">We certainly had our fights, but they never lasted
long if we wanted to continue to play our games. We needed one another, so whatever
grievances we held against each other were quickly forgotten so we could resume
our play.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Why, as we grow older, do we lose this capacity to
forgive and forget? Why do we harbor resentments for so long? When did we stop
seeing that we are all, ultimately, on the same team?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This hit home for me as I watched the State of the
Union address. When did we devolve from having civility in the chambers to cat-calls
and taunting? When did Thanksgiving dinners begin to need referees or rules
about what we can and can’t talk about? When did we grow so polarized that we
have forgotten we are on the same team?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I can’t help but wonder about what we are modeling to
our children. Do our actions model respect when we interrupt a speaker? Are we
teaching tolerance of difference when we dismiss and dehumanize those we
disagree with? Are we helping our children grow into adults that will lean into
hard conversations with humility and curiosity?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jesus reserved some of his harshest words to for those
who mistreat children:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="background: white;"><span class="text"> “I’m
telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start
over like children, you’re not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let
alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will
rank high in God’s kingdom. What’s more, when you receive the childlike on my
account, it’s the same as receiving me.</span></p><p style="background: white;"><span id="en-MSG-9945" style="scroll-behavior: auto !important;">“But if you give them
a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you’ll soon
wish you hadn’t. You’d be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a
millstone around your neck. Doom to the world for giving these God-believing children
a hard time! Hard times are inevitable, but you don’t have to make it worse—and
it’s doomsday to you if you do.</span><span class="text">” (Matthew 18: 3-7, The Message)</span></p></blockquote>
<p style="background: white;"><span class="text">This week,
consider what your words and actions are teaching the children around you. And
then, take time to consider what the children in your life might be trying to
teach you about God and a life of faith.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-19534357740004014662024-02-22T07:55:00.000-08:002024-02-22T07:55:00.773-08:00Ring Out!<p> This weekend I am in Orlando at Exploration 2024, a
gathering for young adults to explore how God may be calling them into a
vocation in the church. I love helping people explore their call—I believe each
one of us was created to contribute something unique to the whole of our life
together. Our task (and it can take our entire lives) is to figure out what it
is and live it.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s kind of like playing in a bell choir.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Unlike a vocal choir, where often all the vocal sections
(bass, tenor, alto, soprano) sing the same phrase with counterpoint notes, a
bell choir member has but 2-4 notes (well, we altos also often have only 2-4
notes, but at least we sing them throughout the song!). Which means that as the
song with bells is performed, a bell ringer must be prepared to come in at the
right time with the right bell. I have seen some bell ringers ring just one
bell through an entire piece, but the song would not be complete if they did
not play their part at the right time. If they played the wrong bell, or came
in early or late, or even refrained from playing, the musical piece would be
changed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">While in other musical groups, people play individual
instruments, all the bells together make the musical instrument. We all are the
instrument together. If someone misses
their cue, or misses a performance, the instrument will not be able to perform
due to missing notes.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Each of us carries a note we must play if the Song of Life
is to be complete. To not be aware we are carrying the note, to not play the
note at all, or to play it wrong results in the Song of Life devolving from
being a Divine Love Song to a cacophony of dissonant and disconnected notes.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Scripture put it this way: <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="text"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif;">“Now there are varieties of gifts but the same
Spirit, and there are varieties of services but the same Lord, and
there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of
them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the
common good.” (I Corinthians 12: 4-7)</span></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You are needed in this world. If you don’t bring your whole
self, with your unique gift, to our life together, the vibrations that
reverberate in our souls is diminished. The beauty of life fades. The sweet
goodness of life is lessened.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Live so aware of yourself and others that you will know the
right cue—of when and how to let your life ring out in joy and delight.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHgpuWPg1OE">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHgpuWPg1OE</a>
<o:p></o:p></p>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-90298569138591914442024-02-07T08:28:00.000-08:002024-02-07T08:28:32.269-08:00I Will Go, Lord, Where you Lead Me<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> This is an anxious season for pastors. I confess from
February to the beginning of June, whenever my phone rang I would break out in
a cold sweat, and if I noticed it was my DS, I definitely sent it to voicemail.
“Why?” you might ask. Because it is appointment season!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We who have said yes to answering a call to ordained
ministry in The United Methodist Church agreed to become itinerant preachers,
going where God and the Bishop feel our gifts best match the needs of the
church. We are not solo practitioners but are a part of a connection of both
clergy and churches. This web of connection seeks to multiply effective
ministry by deploying clergy across the conference so we can, together, provide
a strong and vital witness of God’s love.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">This is the season where I, along with the district
superintendents, pastors, and Staff Parish Relations Committees, do discerning work.
Each pastor has to ask themselves: Am I being fruitful and faithful in my
current ministry? Am I growing spiritually? Am I deepening my leadership skills?
Do I have the skills this church needs? If I don’t, am I willing/able to learn them?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As bishop and cabinet, we look at every church and every
pastor. We look not only at individual churches but clusters of churches as
well so that entire regions can have the kinds of pastors needed for support. Data
is reviewed, church statements read, and prayers are lifted. Spouse’s and
children’s needs are considered, as is community support if a pastor is single.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Itineracy is a proud part of our history, one of the reasons
why Methodism spread across this country so effectively. Unmarried circuit
riders traveled a circuit of several churches over the course of 5-6 weeks,
preaching and teaching and equipping laity for the work of ministry. It wasn’t
an easy life back then…prior to 1847, more than half of circuit riders died
before they were 30! And it isn’t an easy one now.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Every time your
pastor sings “I will go, Lord, where you lead me,” they are reaffirming their commitment
to the itineracy. They are saying they are giving their full selves to serve not
in the place they want for themselves, but in the place communal discernment believes
is best for the whole as each pastor’s appointment impacts every other pastor’s
appointment.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGd61ZC-hAuwT46aX7F91Hqe8sfmgxHnaK3dAHgPjZzgDdWaLcQ5ElgSGmKc0cNk6Kveedyo-f1jERzFDmMOayIuaIblPdLiVE3Fjf6Ee9wMASEAvgSFZw9SCTSw2344YlxO_o4BLcjlRnSAsgbq3XJj1a5eBJwqbEElpKIsWmq5_VxnNmNRzuaT9ZCjXv" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img alt="" data-original-height="146" data-original-width="344" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGd61ZC-hAuwT46aX7F91Hqe8sfmgxHnaK3dAHgPjZzgDdWaLcQ5ElgSGmKc0cNk6Kveedyo-f1jERzFDmMOayIuaIblPdLiVE3Fjf6Ee9wMASEAvgSFZw9SCTSw2344YlxO_o4BLcjlRnSAsgbq3XJj1a5eBJwqbEElpKIsWmq5_VxnNmNRzuaT9ZCjXv=w400-h170" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I invite you to be in prayer for the pastors in
your life, for the churches throughout our conference, for the district
superintendents, and for me as we all, together, seek to follow the leading of
the Holy Spirit, which always leads us to places we hadn’t expected to go, to
be in relationship with people who are new to us, to do things we never thought
we would.</span></span>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-5910721600377162302024-02-01T13:43:00.000-08:002024-02-01T13:43:58.913-08:00Called to a Life of Love<p><span style="background-color: white;">I love</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c2b33; font-family: "inherit", serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> the story of Jesus' first calls to the disciples. His cousin
John the Baptist has been imprisoned for critiquing Herod’s behavior. In this
charged political climate, Jesus begins his ministry, recruiting those who are
willing to let go of all they are doing to follow him. Nets were dropped, tools
put down, schedules abandoned as Jesus’ call took hold of the disciples’ lives,
and they could do no other but follow him.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1c2b33; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1c2b33; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In hindsight,
the easy part was the initial call—“Come, follow me.” The disciples left the
familiar and ran to Jesus, hungry for direction and meaning. But we get to see
the whole story: when the demands of faith seemed too great, the risks of faith
too frightening, the disciples shrank in fear.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1c2b33; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1c2b33; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In fact, being
a disciple of Jesus was (and is!) a pretty high-risk venture. It meant leaving
oneself open to a great deal of loss: the loss of friends and family, the loss
of home and possessions, the loss of job and status. And by the world’s
standards, the gains weren’t very pretty. Since Jesus, from his very birth, was
considered a political subversive, the disciples risked a great deal to follow
him. And when Jesus was arrested and crucified and the going got real tough,
the disciples scattered in fear.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1c2b33; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1c2b33; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">God wouldn’t
leave them alone but kept beckoning to them. They discovered that their
commitment was greater than their fear, so that they were able to live out
their call of preaching, teaching, and healing in Jesus’ name.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1c2b33; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1c2b33; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Living out
God’s claim on our life is a scary venture. It calls us into a future that is
unknown. It puts us in relationships with people we might not otherwise choose
to be in relationship with. It opens us to experiences that we would rather
avoid.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1c2b33; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1c2b33; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Too often we
try to put guard rails on faith. We try to stifle where the Spirit calls us. We
pull ourselves back from the very places God would have us go. This is not only
to our own detriment but also to the world, which God has called us to engage
with hearts on fire for compassion, for healing, for justice.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1c2b33; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1c2b33; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">During our
Civil Rights Pilgrimage in Montgomery, I read one person’s words that
challenged me: “We committed ourselves so completely to the vision of civil
rights that the risk of dying was secondary.” I confess reading that while
standing in the epicenter of the civil rights movement, learning about how
costly the civil rights movement was to those who participated in it, felt like
a punch to the gut. How committed am I to my faith, to this life of Love that
Jesus calls me to? Am I willing to live it so completely that the risk of death
is a secondary thought?</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4NGF3v9PT2GaLW0lkEIcLK4jlqvq4BzRmhJTOxP_lKxgYXWBB3ntwbQwUFrziH8-ChefT0SKQgBGnSHTfV3SNwU8vqPDV1g2fGFyT3a85llATVJxD86NdAFkU-V6eEdn2bSPPe6MrtyJp8uCqa1h38Qdswhyphenhyphen00-JQnTVOorSNCYhPfFZ3fipUydZrkGF1/s1280/safety-net-3289548_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4NGF3v9PT2GaLW0lkEIcLK4jlqvq4BzRmhJTOxP_lKxgYXWBB3ntwbQwUFrziH8-ChefT0SKQgBGnSHTfV3SNwU8vqPDV1g2fGFyT3a85llATVJxD86NdAFkU-V6eEdn2bSPPe6MrtyJp8uCqa1h38Qdswhyphenhyphen00-JQnTVOorSNCYhPfFZ3fipUydZrkGF1/s320/safety-net-3289548_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1c2b33; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1c2b33; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Love Jesus
calls us to live is a demanding Love. This Love isn’t content with the status
quo. It demands that structures and systems get shaken up so that people can
not merely survive but thrive. It insists on recognizing all persons as
possessing the image of God. It always moves us to the margins of any group,
any community, to build the center of community (and ministry!) there.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1c2b33; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #1c2b33; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“And they’ll
know we are Christians by our love.” Many of us belted this song out with gusto
when we were young. Is the fire of that faith still burning? Where is Love
leading you and your church today as you follow Jesus?<o:p></o:p></span></p>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-26310850755428599882024-01-13T09:34:00.000-08:002024-01-13T09:34:09.134-08:00Warming Places<p> Across our nation, a bomb cyclone of cold weather has descended,
dropping temps into dangerous levels. I am especially mindful of those who are
unhoused in these dangerous weather days. I am grateful for our churches who
have opened their doors to those without shelter or heat!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The cabinet and I have been in Cody, Wyoming this week, preparing
ourselves for the appointment season. Yesterday, as the temperature never rose
above – 20F and had a wind chill factor of -50F, I noticed something as we
broke for the day. The caretaker of the retreat center came to our meeting
space and turned on the gas fireplace. I watched as the cabinet members all began
to gravitate to the fireplace. Hands reached out towards the warmth. Conversation
was both playful and meaningful as we stood around the fireplace.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the midst of cold weather, we are a species drawn to warmth.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVU3rRGV-jDmm-dXiQQZPNSahMkKDd3U6fCGuCk5UPYASfXHN_Wn3ZkgbcZHFuaZy5h84BtWlxYrJ87_ia29xtQuMvLjuEbaApR2YAeqmQt0U64F4jh_qJO4BPtsPEcVZmN6nC0JnbKHLshr428cx58zeBXFf6O1TZyTxT8trHE9YQeVzShpU_UkfJ6PxA/s5460/fireplace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3636" data-original-width="5460" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVU3rRGV-jDmm-dXiQQZPNSahMkKDd3U6fCGuCk5UPYASfXHN_Wn3ZkgbcZHFuaZy5h84BtWlxYrJ87_ia29xtQuMvLjuEbaApR2YAeqmQt0U64F4jh_qJO4BPtsPEcVZmN6nC0JnbKHLshr428cx58zeBXFf6O1TZyTxT8trHE9YQeVzShpU_UkfJ6PxA/s320/fireplace.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have been thinking about this as a metaphor for our
churches. This world can be so very cold—community is hard to come by;
judgment and intolerance is often encountered; we feel isolated and alienated.
Our spirits become brittle and break in the face of a chilly and unwelcoming
world.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How is your church an oasis of warmth in the midst of a frigid
world? Are people drawn to the warmth your congregation exudes? Will they find
a place where they can allow their souls to defrost and be reformed in Love?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am praying your church can offer a generous hospitality,
so those whom the world has frozen out can be embraced with open arms that
comfort and thaw even the most frozen hearts.<o:p></o:p></p>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-90562100425895219952024-01-08T10:06:00.000-08:002024-01-08T10:06:38.571-08:00We Shall Overcome<p> This past weekend, I am in Montgomery with members of our
conference, participating in a Civil Rights Pilgrimage. It has been a sobering
trip as we learn more deeply of the systemic terrorism and torture of African
Americans, so deeply embedded in our nation’s psyche. We were frequently brought to tears as we
moved through museums and monuments that showed not only the violence of racism
in the past but the way it continues in our present.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Lest we think that the legacy of racism is only a “southern
thing”, we learned that lynchings occurred in each of the four states of our
conference. Plus, monuments to the confederacy are found in three of our
states, the most recent one erected in Denver in 2003 (<a href="https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/wm5QAN_Colorado_Confederate_Veterans_Memorial_Riverside_Cemetery_Denver_CO">https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/wm5QAN_Colorado_Confederate_Veterans_Memorial_Riverside_Cemetery_Denver_CO</a>)
(additionally, we have a legacy of violence against Native Americans and immigrants
and in addition Japanese Internment camps that were found across our conference).
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdlHDFqQfB7fo-2Ppy8RpdO3uif7kpC5w906fx3KaibkVsvMMIe35wIpxCGHvw7WXuoCRfNerGFON1-o1RxXm4q2neB_yUWhfPoSuC4yEak7nWnivE0HJ5ijSrkSEwXCEDoscwUnQtItBsa4-_0aUu8w1n6TUhMP6kOlU_JjdWBKqB7g7lwg1WBAjwCrj/s357/legacymuseum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdlHDFqQfB7fo-2Ppy8RpdO3uif7kpC5w906fx3KaibkVsvMMIe35wIpxCGHvw7WXuoCRfNerGFON1-o1RxXm4q2neB_yUWhfPoSuC4yEak7nWnivE0HJ5ijSrkSEwXCEDoscwUnQtItBsa4-_0aUu8w1n6TUhMP6kOlU_JjdWBKqB7g7lwg1WBAjwCrj/s320/legacymuseum.jpg" width="285" /></a></div><br />One of the exhibits at Legacy Museum had slave pens which
you could peer into. As you looked in, a holographic figure of an enslaved
person appeared and spoke. It was very fleeting, and I found myself rooted to
the spot, hoping to have them reappear so I could learn more of their story. <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Are we willing to listen with open hearts to the stories of
those whose lives have been impacted by racism, not only in the past but in our
communities today?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am struck at how Christianity was twisted to support
slavery. What a defilement of a faith grounded in God’s love for all humankind,
whose image shines from the face of every person. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Yet, Christianity also undergirded the civil rights
movement. Clergy and laity together linked arms with others and put their very
bodies on the line to push back on the forces of evil and oppression. The
course of a nation was changed because followers of Jesus refused to allow
injustice to have the upper hand.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The struggle continues today. Are you willing to listen and
learn of life experiences that aren’t like your own, that are difficult, even
painful to hear? Can you do so and not interrupt, not try to make excuses or try
to discount the reality and truth of another’s reality?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We each are connected to one another as the Body of Christ.
When one suffers, we all suffer. It is only when we listen and learn that we
can work to ensure the dignity and humanity of all of God’s children. In this
way, we build up Beloved Community and leave a better world for those who will
come after us.<o:p></o:p></p>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-61847857930028903332024-01-02T16:38:00.000-08:002024-01-02T16:38:51.752-08:00The Work of Christmas...<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zOXTHVbzJr-5n4d4fzltoktWakfLQd2hFoWnDY3nMXrG9DUGHx_CenqpgBQFXHUeM2ZUGmXYxHT43Ackl74hcoT5na6Tqr5d4B5JAmr3R5lMval1bjMKwQ5bwUTdvPksJVqb-0B_99jLjRlESywMo6PVlXXPaSIoXLYDrBWd3R7_by2nwFDNIcTM-Ekx/s2895/thurman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2895" data-original-width="2000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zOXTHVbzJr-5n4d4fzltoktWakfLQd2hFoWnDY3nMXrG9DUGHx_CenqpgBQFXHUeM2ZUGmXYxHT43Ackl74hcoT5na6Tqr5d4B5JAmr3R5lMval1bjMKwQ5bwUTdvPksJVqb-0B_99jLjRlESywMo6PVlXXPaSIoXLYDrBWd3R7_by2nwFDNIcTM-Ekx/s320/thurman.jpg" width="221" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We are smack dab in the middle of the
12 days of Christmas, yet for many, Christmas is already over: the tree is
shedding and the decorations are begging to be placed back in their boxes for
another year. Christmas 2023 is quickly becoming one more holiday memory.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It is at this time I like to sit with
the words of Christian mystic Howard Thurman:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“When the song of the angels is
stilled, When the star in the sky is gone, When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock, The work of Christmas begins: To
find the lost, To heal the broken, To feed the hungry, To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations, To bring peace among others, To make music in the
heart.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“The work of Christmas begins…”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I have been meditating on that
statement all week. What is the “work of Christmas”? Are we willing to do it?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">From Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel
to Herod’s decree to murder all boys under the age of two because he found his
power threatened by the baby Jesus, the birth of Jesus challenges those in
power and upsets the status quo through God’s revolution of Love. The God who
made us becomes one of us, to show us a better way to live, to challenge
systems that keep us from living out our full God-given humanity, to ensure
that oppression ends and justice reigns.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The work of Christmas begins…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As you begin to pack away Christmas decorations,
how will Christmas remain in your heart? How will God’s love for humanity be
visible in your actions? How will you live out your baptismal vow and<i> </i><em><span style="background: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-style: normal;">“accept the
freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and
oppression in whatever forms they present themselves”?</span></em><em><span style="background: white; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-style: normal; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="background: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%;">Our faith does not allow us to hold a naïve
view of the world. As we consider the possibilities of the New Year, we know
that we will continue to be faced with violence, political division, a world on
fire, inequalities, and hatred. How does Jesus’ birth provide us with hope,
instill in us holy boldness, and compel us to take on the task of ushering in
God’s Beloved Community? </span></em><em><span style="background: white; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="background: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%;">The work of Christmas begins…let’s do this!</span></em><em><span style="background: white; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></em></p>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-33812492671048658372023-12-20T09:05:00.000-08:002023-12-20T09:05:03.364-08:00Open to the Holy Spirit<p> <span style="background-color: #f9f9f9;">Yesterday,
I went to Colorado Springs with MSC colleagues to the Flying W Ranch, to attend
this working ranch’s Christmas dinner and entertainment. With old saddles
hanging from the ceiling and cowboy hats as the tree toppers on every Christmas
tree, it was one more time when I realized how different my life is from eight
years ago. This week, a Dance FB memory from 10 years ago popped up: Friends
and I were wearing “tutus” as we participated in the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay
Freedom Band’s Dance-Along Nutcracker.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249);"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxNehN7PUEH7BEFyDScbr3eiNeMOf6I-cENXmwfzgG1cPzAIOkI8wnS9X-GjvaPbgVaHnChjH-mal7K8XHTOc6JRnvPe-JzqtLeUkdzaiPyNnVvIWWGn8bP-5hRu2Msq_gpCPHQJg2PBGAPhkF8JaseIhCChoyckSpJnQQ-LtQvmNxy_rnhf0n8gyi1gq/s813/dancealong.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="813" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxNehN7PUEH7BEFyDScbr3eiNeMOf6I-cENXmwfzgG1cPzAIOkI8wnS9X-GjvaPbgVaHnChjH-mal7K8XHTOc6JRnvPe-JzqtLeUkdzaiPyNnVvIWWGn8bP-5hRu2Msq_gpCPHQJg2PBGAPhkF8JaseIhCChoyckSpJnQQ-LtQvmNxy_rnhf0n8gyi1gq/s320/dancealong.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br />This is what
happens when we allow the Holy Spirit to break into our lives: we are led to
places we hadn’t thought we’d ever go, to build relationships with people we
never knew before, to grow in ways we hadn’t expected. The Holy Spirit keeps
stretching us and our world, breaking barriers and borders, enlarging our world
in blessed ways.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249);">This week,
the lectionary focuses on Mary, the mother of Jesus. A teenager who was
betrothed to the carpenter Joseph, an angel announces to her that she will bear
God’s son. I try to imagine what she must have felt, how she reacted when she
was told this. Scripture says she had questions: </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif;">“How can this be, since I
am a virgin?</span>” (Luke 1: 34). Whether the angel’s response put her more at
ease or not, what we know is that Mary said yes to carrying the Son of the Most
High. Her life would take an unexpected turn, one she hadn’t planned, couldn’t
even imagine, as she opened herself to the Holy Spirit and gave birth to a
child who would change the world.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXei16sdloL1GniPWdNE4yO30Kl0rrOO4eMaWJvYe-PLAGb9oT_IPHYeWEcagobs108ns33EoP_Vf4v2xZFCzmAA6vLGxHFwnPdGmq8gKEY4jIWh5dg-Y-PS4fKkTLemyUlN1WmcH7oOeuWljLDKbsCUIje09DfROaRuUbQ7DrbPSjjOmcu5GVOCAsJCvJ/s640/ranch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXei16sdloL1GniPWdNE4yO30Kl0rrOO4eMaWJvYe-PLAGb9oT_IPHYeWEcagobs108ns33EoP_Vf4v2xZFCzmAA6vLGxHFwnPdGmq8gKEY4jIWh5dg-Y-PS4fKkTLemyUlN1WmcH7oOeuWljLDKbsCUIje09DfROaRuUbQ7DrbPSjjOmcu5GVOCAsJCvJ/s320/ranch.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif;">Do you leave yourself open to the Holy Spirit?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif;">We know we are living a Spirit-led life when we find
ourselves in community with people we never thought much about before, when we
cross into new and unknown territories with eyes wide open, listening,
learning, growing. We find ourselves relying less and less on our ego to make
decisions and more on the Holy Spirit. We allow the Holy Spirit to work through
us, so that we become extensions of Christ in the world. We find ourselves
compelled to speak out, stand up, and stand with those who are oppressed and suffering.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Segoe UI", sans-serif;">This Advent season, keep yourself open to the Holy Spirit.
You will find yourself (and those around you) blessed in ways you can’t even
imagine.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-87985186769944936302023-12-10T09:58:00.000-08:002023-12-10T09:58:20.730-08:00A Candle In the Dark<p> <span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249);">“Comfort,
O comfort my people, says your God.</span>” (Isaiah 40: 1)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Saying “Happy Holidays” out of respect to the many religious
traditions that exist in the United States makes some people’s blood boil: “How
dare they cancel Christmas!” they exclaim. I wonder how these same individuals
feel now that religious leaders in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Galilee, and Jordan
have “canceled” Christmas, stating that this year is not the time for festive
celebrations when so many are suffering from the Israeli-Hamas war?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Real life has collided with our often saccharin and
sanitized view of Christmas. We want to believe that this really is “the most
wonderful time of the year.” That the angels’ song of “Peace on earth goodwill
to all” is more than a wish. That children sleep sweetly in a “silent night”,
uninterrupted by bombs or gunfire.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But there is no peace in Palestine this Christmas. In the
fighting between Israel and Hamas, the number of women and children killed is
shocking (the current death toll notes 1,200 Israelis and 17,177 Palestinians).
Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are now homeless, trapped in the small region
with little food, water, medical care, or shelter. This is a major humanitarian
crisis.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There is no peace in Bethlehem this year.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Many religious organizations are encouraging those of us
living around the world to join in solidarity with Palestinian Christians and
forgo the usual festivities of the season. The General Board of Global
Ministries of The United Methodist Church has encouraged churches to keep the
second Advent candle (known as the Peace, or Bethlehem candle) to remain unlit,
as a way for us to keep before us as well as in our hearts and prayers the
suffering of those in the midst of war.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I admit I have struggled with this: the Advent wreath is a
sign of hopeful waiting. It seems to me that at a time like this, we need to
keep the light of Peace burning bright, calling us to seek peace in all
actions, times, and places. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But to have the light unlit in the Advent wreath all Advent
and into Christmas is a jarring reminder that there is no peace. It is a weekly
reminder that millions are suffering from war and violence. Their cries echo
silently around the sanctuary.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Rev.
Sandy Olewine served for 10 years in the Holy Land. She shared this poem that
moved me deeply:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
you prepare your breakfast, think of others<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(do
not forget the pigeon’s food).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
you conduct your wars, think of others<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(do
not forget those who seek peace).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
you pay your water bill, think of others<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(those
who are nursed by clouds).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
you return home, to your home, think of others<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(do
not forget the people of the camps).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
you sleep and count the stars, think of others<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(those
who have nowhere to sleep).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
you liberate yourself in metaphor, think of others<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(those
who have lost the right to speak).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
you think of others far away, think of yourself<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(say:
“If only I were a candle in the dark”).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">—
Mahmoud Darwish<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">May
we each be a candle in the dark.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpbSuEGeH_zNmp_SSnTfzzTBadh6VtuhgsUCA2rYhgx2TaKmm5gCnmwtfdrfDnAlcjbvk4WEuWObtTuFyW8mRQCCSmonJyAlSKujss6jV4OvJcvJK9ay0kHkOGs2YI7YF1pUUEOdh6y7i7jttgwluJdeHcDE_LL6mj-ObSS7Oq2ePG_ptDph_s4ljVPant/s6147/candle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6147" data-original-width="4098" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpbSuEGeH_zNmp_SSnTfzzTBadh6VtuhgsUCA2rYhgx2TaKmm5gCnmwtfdrfDnAlcjbvk4WEuWObtTuFyW8mRQCCSmonJyAlSKujss6jV4OvJcvJK9ay0kHkOGs2YI7YF1pUUEOdh6y7i7jttgwluJdeHcDE_LL6mj-ObSS7Oq2ePG_ptDph_s4ljVPant/w266-h400/candle.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span><p></p>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-41920741574570497742023-12-02T07:38:00.000-08:002023-12-02T07:38:35.621-08:00God is Coming, Ready or Not!<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "inherit", serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">I am
so thankful that Robin puts up with me throughout Advent and Christmas. I don’t
think of myself as a rigid person, but apparently, when it comes to the
holidays, family members simply roll their eyes at me when I say that. I like
to say that there are rituals and traditions that I like to honor. These are
the things that bring meaning and joy for me, and enable me to sink into the
Christmas story as fully as possible, helping me see signs of God’s coming in
my life and in my world once again.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Because
that is what good rituals do: they help reorient us and attune our senses to
see beyond the usual and mundane to see where God is showing up, to lead, heal,
challenge, comfort, and call. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That’s
why I love the season of Advent. These four weeks leading up to Christmas help
me prepare to receive God’s gift of Love once again. Throughout the year, there
is so much I let get in the way of my walk with God, so many distractions that
keep me from listening and looking for God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This
year, the church calendar and the secular calendar have nearly undone clergy
and lay leaders. Advent is marked by the four Sundays before Christmas. But
this year, the fourth Sunday is the 24th, making it Christmas Eve! How does one
simultaneously prepare AND receive? Some churches have made the decision to
start Advent a week early so that people can have four Sundays to prepare and
then experience the wonder and joy of Christmas Eve. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8cmNbo6rv3sMvFgCT4lZNsVcsTM2yC7KF4tCjGYyUjuVRLNVkdD0pBQdM4V9bKyHCL06G8bUP15-SfeJCa-Gz_fFfzTM_eqxNs2hjhF5TcwoUtkgV20MG8OMNfqNxfQkGDtsEXcZPlPKBknKHByCdrUAej-j9ju3FAnoFU5i275MqS6MAsekc9IRsyauO/s1024/advent1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8cmNbo6rv3sMvFgCT4lZNsVcsTM2yC7KF4tCjGYyUjuVRLNVkdD0pBQdM4V9bKyHCL06G8bUP15-SfeJCa-Gz_fFfzTM_eqxNs2hjhF5TcwoUtkgV20MG8OMNfqNxfQkGDtsEXcZPlPKBknKHByCdrUAej-j9ju3FAnoFU5i275MqS6MAsekc9IRsyauO/s320/advent1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yesterday
I wrote a post on FB: “Advent is here! Are you ready for the journey?” To which
Pastor Matt Franks replied, “No, but I have found great peace in just letting
it happen vs being so stressed about what needs to be done.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Thanks,
Matt. I needed this reminder, and I have a hunch I’m not the only one. May we
all find peace in letting the season unfold. There is no “perfect” way to do
Advent, no “perfect” way to prepare for Christmas. Perhaps the best way is to
simply stay alert to the signs of the sacred, showing up in our world once
again. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "inherit",serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI Historic"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Because
in the end, God is coming, ready or not!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-51846518699417533732023-10-29T19:14:00.002-07:002023-10-29T19:14:21.295-07:00Let Peace Begin With Me...and You<p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">These have been heart-wrenching days as our TV screens
have been filled with images of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The
night sky has been lit up by rocket missiles that have exploded with deadly
consequences. Homes and hospitals have been destroyed. Bloodied, bruised and
dead Israeli children and Palestinian children have torn our hearts into a
million little pieces.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">How do we make sense of this conflict? How do we make
a stand for peace in a place that has been torn apart by violence for
centuries? What are we to do?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As I watch the images from the Middle East, a reminder
whispered to me: Jesus wept.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jesus wept.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Jesus weeps twice in the Gospels: Once, when he learns
that Lazarus, someone he loved dearly, had died (John 11:35). The second, when
he stood overlooking Jerusalem and was overcome with emotion, weeping as he
said <span style="background: white;">“If you, even you, had only
recognized on this day the things that make for peace!” (Luke 19: 41-42).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">I am struck by these two
instances: in the first, he feels such kinship with another that he can only
cry when he learns that Lazarus has died. The second, in spite of the jubilant crowd
that welcomed him with Palm branches and shouted “Hosanna”, he can only weep as
he looks over Jerusalem (whose name means “City of Peace”).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Maybe what is needed in
this moment are our tears. May we open our hearts to those who are caught up in
a conflict that is not of their own making. May their lives matter to us. May we
cry at the loss of life, whether Israeli or Palestinian, simply because they
are our siblings, connected to us by a common cord of humanity.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirsU0_4p__hOLTZYXLZnm4Kq_riC8WuvdHcbaZUn5Verz7xvhpyWgyQ-oQEJV47v7zRp9J0d50_gNGcKihFjsenPn_tkwEd-rW3i7_Ggp4Qy9VM6joMHZXaB-RIfBB0hQ2BHb-JVai8BWWfW_vuN1GNGR-A_4INZEfypNUlMRQMJfEsf51u84WKqfEpHlf/s2425/peace.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1698" data-original-width="2425" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirsU0_4p__hOLTZYXLZnm4Kq_riC8WuvdHcbaZUn5Verz7xvhpyWgyQ-oQEJV47v7zRp9J0d50_gNGcKihFjsenPn_tkwEd-rW3i7_Ggp4Qy9VM6joMHZXaB-RIfBB0hQ2BHb-JVai8BWWfW_vuN1GNGR-A_4INZEfypNUlMRQMJfEsf51u84WKqfEpHlf/s320/peace.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />May we cry because peace
seems so elusive. May we cry because we, too, seem not to recognize the things
that make for peace.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">And then, through the
power of God’s grace, may we live lives of peace. In youth group we sang “Let
there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” This is the foundational
place that peace begins. If we aren’t living with hearts of peace, that give
rise to acts of peace and relationships of reconciliation, how can there be
peace in our lives, towns, cities, countries, and world?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">May the peace that begins
with us pour out and connect with other peace-seekers. May this become a strong
and gentle movement that truly turns swords into plowshares and spears into
pruning hooks, so that tears no longer fall and no one studies war any more.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-1219709157889000462023-10-14T12:22:00.002-07:002023-10-14T12:22:09.746-07:00Doing Unto Others...<p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This past week was the 25th anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard, who died on October 12, 1998. Six days earlier, Matthew, a young gay man and student at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, was beaten, tortured, and left to die strung up on a wooden fence. It was a horrific act that tugged on the conscience of America, helping people realize the hatred and violence LGBTQ+ people face daily. During one of my trips to Wyoming, I made a pilgrimage to the site where Matthew Shepard was left to die. It was important for me, as this region’s bishop and as a lesbian, to visit the site and pray there. </span></p><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto !important; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; scroll-behavior: auto !important;">Today, I am at a gathering of several hundred United Methodists in Charlotte, NC—the Reconciling Ministries Network is hosting a Convocation. RMN helps churches be a place where all people—regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity—are welcomed into the life of the church and its ministry. There is great joy and so much love in the room. It is a place of healing and hope for so <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWa7r0aatKDjNAa4OqcakMc0691IasrvK1WUWsXvzWGp9NE2bMIKWDtNodpHcw3a02OJtuWgLCVusgBCORjxqUHBMdU8hFvz9ZUbiYRsW4LUL9u9DhDt6hakJPVDbNiT2czMJSnAORYMueckfn-ItXyzdC00SXhUvzsEGwVIJRnL6XjcqvyUNl5T9LZLqz/s640/mshepard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="454" data-original-width="640" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWa7r0aatKDjNAa4OqcakMc0691IasrvK1WUWsXvzWGp9NE2bMIKWDtNodpHcw3a02OJtuWgLCVusgBCORjxqUHBMdU8hFvz9ZUbiYRsW4LUL9u9DhDt6hakJPVDbNiT2czMJSnAORYMueckfn-ItXyzdC00SXhUvzsEGwVIJRnL6XjcqvyUNl5T9LZLqz/s320/mshepard.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />many.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto !important; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; scroll-behavior: auto !important;">At this convocation, I am especially thinking of the two men whose actions led to Matthew's death. Did they attend a church? Did they learn of God’s love for them as well as all others? What were they taught that made it possible for them to commit unspeakable acts against Matthew?</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto !important; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; scroll-behavior: auto !important;">What are we teaching our children? How are we ensuring that each person—no matter who God created them to be—will know they, too, bear the image of God and will be nurtured to grow into the fullness of their God-given self in a safe and loving environment? How will we help one another see God’s face in people who aren’t like us, so that we will be moved to offer care and compassion as well as stand together for justice and right relationships?</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto !important; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; scroll-behavior: auto !important;">I have been moved by the response of those in Wyoming to Matthew’s death. The state known as the “Equality State” (because it was the first state to grant women the right to vote) and a state that had an all-black town (Empire, WY, founded in 1908) has had people across the state organizing to ensure that all Wyomingites experience a safe and just place to live. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto !important; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; scroll-behavior: auto !important;">Sara Burlingame is a remarkable Wyoming community organizer. Sara recently wrote a piece reminding the people of Wyoming of the “Golden Rule of the Snow Ditch: Do unto others in a snow ditch as you would have done unto you in a snow ditch.” When someone’s car has slid off the road, you first don’t check on who they are before you help them. Their life depends on you getting them out of the ditch. You help. And you help, knowing that one day, you will need the same help.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto !important; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; scroll-behavior: auto !important;">Throughout the Mountain Sky Conference, we know the importance of this rule during the winter months! What a great way to understand more fully Jesus words, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” (Matthew 7:12). When we treat each other the way we want to be treated, the lives we very well may be saving may be our own.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto !important; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; scroll-behavior: auto !important;">May our churches be places where every person is treated as the precious child of God they are. Where we look out for one another. Where we work to build safe communities and towns together. Where God’s Beloved Community takes shape and becomes a beacon of healing and hope, justice and joy. </div></div>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-66688364613598172772023-10-03T18:42:00.003-07:002023-10-03T18:42:13.944-07:00Let's Dream Together!<p> I love church buildings. When Robin and I travel, we always
stop along the way to dash into a church. I love the smell. I love the way the
light dances across the altar. I love the way the pews are worn down from
generations of worshippers sitting, squirming, and (if we’re honest) sometimes
even sleeping.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But there are things that concern me when I visit churches. Sometimes
I wonder: is the church more of a museum these days (with very limited hours)
or a mission outpost?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There was a time when the church building was the only
community space in a town, so it was a vibrant gathering space. People knew it
was the safe home to go to when the place you lived wasn’t safe. People came to
find solace as well as challenge as they deepened their discipleship. They came
to dream of ways to put their faith in action, to be a healing force for those
who were hurting, a movement for justice for those who experienced oppression
and injustice, a place where the redemptive love of Christ was experienced in
tangible ways.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcgPeIk_OwObNr4kE6UivHH_YBX0CSggRR7YdY6VeteqHRg3N9sYrM38BTiazBVEQT7aMtandyyRN2D3JbipQE1xH2Tgle6EqQIKDB-mIsrIeEgg_56HZESn7XBk3zUz3-hEiWf1cVRChBPGxQcbqf-SP1pQ4XQ-KVINPgKbqTw7l9jLW0PW0BUF-6ia82/s1280/blueprint-681314_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcgPeIk_OwObNr4kE6UivHH_YBX0CSggRR7YdY6VeteqHRg3N9sYrM38BTiazBVEQT7aMtandyyRN2D3JbipQE1xH2Tgle6EqQIKDB-mIsrIeEgg_56HZESn7XBk3zUz3-hEiWf1cVRChBPGxQcbqf-SP1pQ4XQ-KVINPgKbqTw7l9jLW0PW0BUF-6ia82/s320/blueprint-681314_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>But times change. For many, the church building that served us
so well in the 1920s now feels like an albatross around our necks. The roof
leaks. The heater is on its last legs, and it feels like we are serving the
building rather than it serving us. Each year it feels as if a greater
percentage of our budgets are going to building upkeep than ministry programs.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">COVID taught us that vibrant ministry can happen without a
building. In fact, we in the Mountain Sky Conference are now worshipping more
online than in person.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What does this mean for the future church? What will we
leave the generations that will come after us? Someone was thinking of us when
they broke new ground, although they couldn’t imagine the world we would currently
inhabit. What is the new thing we need to create, for the sake of our children’s
children? How will we shape a church that is less a museum of antiques and more
a place (whatever that place might look like) where wounded souls find healing
and peace through the love of God?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let’s dream together!<br /><o:p></o:p></p>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-7428755619334601342023-09-26T14:29:00.002-07:002023-09-26T14:29:18.214-07:00 God Loves You!<p>Yesterday as I took a walk I listened to a reflection on the
app “Pray As You Go”. This is a great app to use while you are driving, heading
into the office, or taking a quick break. The segment I listened to instructed
me to “Imagine God looking upon you with great love: ‘You are my Beloved, says
the Lord, precious in my eyes.’ How does it feel to hear those words spoken to
you? Take a moment to recognize how
precious, important, and significant you are to the Lord. God delights in you.”</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The day was already warmed by the sun, and as I listened to
these words, I felt enveloped in God’s love, as warm and real as the sunshine
against my skin. It made me stop and think about all the people in my life who
have helped me know this truth of God’s love for me: family members, Sunday School
teachers, friends, pastors, colleagues, strangers in the check-out line, the
person sitting next to me on a flight…I give thanks for all these and so many more
who, when I had forgotten my own significance and worth, helped me remember
that God delights in me.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCqKaydOS1YgN92A_welXBlkCeLWQ0Z0KLe9UoFzIGsd6kI-FJFUblz7M3OkzTHIJyl6PvQ_hEn3Eg2n-tr0s_oXZNOCpge12jsYPAfp2dgh19pegqBIdRLr2F2mWgFoRP4HgSXQuJMEOJnsXUQRJEXNCCNmyZG4HVI6-_mg_fLVOMJyJjTp9mcE4_PCqq/s2048/missiontour.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1356" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCqKaydOS1YgN92A_welXBlkCeLWQ0Z0KLe9UoFzIGsd6kI-FJFUblz7M3OkzTHIJyl6PvQ_hEn3Eg2n-tr0s_oXZNOCpge12jsYPAfp2dgh19pegqBIdRLr2F2mWgFoRP4HgSXQuJMEOJnsXUQRJEXNCCNmyZG4HVI6-_mg_fLVOMJyJjTp9mcE4_PCqq/s320/missiontour.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>In the course of my ministry, my heart has been broken too
many times when I have encountered people who never had someone tell them that
God loves them with a love that will never let them go. They were never assured that they have a friend in Jesus. No one took the time to help them
experience God’s love for them, that they are precious in God’s sight. <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Who has helped you know you matter to God, and that you are
loved by wildly generous God? Give thanks for those precious souls!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And who are you helping to know God’s love? Every encounter is
an opportunity—by your actions and words—to be a vessel of God’s love. May you
be a wellspring of that love!<br /><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-18740577700763272092023-09-08T13:27:00.002-07:002023-09-08T13:27:59.593-07:00On Eagle's Wings<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />This summer has been spent in deep prayer
and discernment. It has been forty years since I began serving as a clergywoman
in The United Methodist Church. This coming year will be my last before
retirement.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I have listened for
God’s voice as I have asked, “How can I serve well in this last year? What
should I focus on? How can I bring my best self to all matters and relationships?”
I opened myself up to the pain I carry, having broken a stained-glass ceiling.
I have felt anger rise up in me about the lies that have been said about me
that encouraged people to seek disaffiliation. And my heart was filled with so
much joy as I thought of all the people I have been blessed to serve and be in
ministry with.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the sacred silence,
as I listened for God’s still, small voice, I was aware I was not alone. Every
morning, as I prayed on the deck, eagles would keep me company. Not one, not
two, but a whole nest! I felt comforted knowing I was not alone in the space,
as I sought discernment about the future.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYF2KGBLjdixuvLc6Htvb8g2GXXJ-QwjrZQPV3_E9pLfWNTRra-mTQy2FJcmCNDzMq4cpn4wd-ruu-Kw4Go1IQ6MO57EgWhorQub8idXu3DWoxUfMhAYDxTXIh4KUwT2v25joAnX3xSTfsk2Lr0ZRjnD6csFX4eAKchSgtrgFRc0Mofv9HVzcwB20OYZMo/s640/eagle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYF2KGBLjdixuvLc6Htvb8g2GXXJ-QwjrZQPV3_E9pLfWNTRra-mTQy2FJcmCNDzMq4cpn4wd-ruu-Kw4Go1IQ6MO57EgWhorQub8idXu3DWoxUfMhAYDxTXIh4KUwT2v25joAnX3xSTfsk2Lr0ZRjnD6csFX4eAKchSgtrgFRc0Mofv9HVzcwB20OYZMo/w240-h320/eagle.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Seven years ago, when
I was overwhelmed by the threats, hatred and condemnation that I received after
my election as bishop, Robin and I came to Nova Scotia to visit my uncle. We went
for a drive and as I was driving, I began to cry silent tears. I just didn’t
think I had the strength to go on as bishop. I love this ministry, I love the
people of the Mountain Sky, and I love The United Methodist Church, but I just
didn’t think I could take one more step. I felt empty and scared.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Suddenly, out of the
corner of my eye, I saw something coming towards us. It was an eagle! It flew
right past my window and then flew ahead of me, directly at eye level, and led
me as I drove for a couple of miles! And then, without me touching my phone,
this song from my playlist began to play:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hold me close<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Let Your love <a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/surround"><span style="color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">surround</span></a> me<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bring me near<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Draw me to Your side.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And as I wait<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I'll rise up like the
eagle<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And I will soar with
You<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Your <a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/Spirit"><span style="color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">Spirit</span></a> leads me on<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the <a href="https://www.definitions.net/definition/power"><span style="color: #222222; text-decoration-line: none;">power</span></a> of Your love.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(from The Power of
Your Love by Geoff Bullock. You can listen to it here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jZ_ZkMYUsc">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jZ_ZkMYUsc</a>)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It was in that moment
that I knew God was with me, and with power and grace would give me what I
needed to serve faithfully. When I returned home after that visit, I felt God’s
strength empowering me and guiding me. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How right, in this
last summer of active ministry, God provides me with companions to remind me of
God’s presence and power. Mick Jagger sang it best: “We don’t always get what
we want, but we get what we need.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This summer, I
received a blessing I didn’t even know I needed. I am returning to the Mountain
Sky with joy and anticipation of all that is before us, knowing that in all
things, we will be lifted up on the wings of the Holy Spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Let’s do this!<o:p></o:p></span></p>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-26587330812478222432023-08-29T07:54:00.005-07:002023-08-29T07:55:24.167-07:00The Subversive Message of the Gospel<p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I have been
spending much time reflecting on comments made by Russell Moore, who used to be
one of the top officials of the Southern Baptist Convention. Moore </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #1d2d38; padding: 0in;"><i>says </i>that he is alarmed by the growing number of
Christians who believe the Bible and its teachings are “subversive.” In an NPR
interview, Moore offers a story that highlights this view:</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; letter-spacing: .1pt;">[The
book] was the result of having multiple pastors tell me, essentially, the same
story about quoting the Sermon on the Mount, parenthetically, in their
preaching — "turn the other cheek" — [and] to have someone come up
after to say, "Where did you get those liberal talking points?" And
what was alarming to me is that in most of these scenarios, when the pastor
would say, "I'm literally quoting Jesus Christ," the response would
not be, "I apologize." The response would be, "Yes, but that
doesn't work anymore. That's weak." And when we get to the point where the
teachings of Jesus himself are seen as subversive to us, then we're in a
crisis.</span><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The more I engage
scripture, the more I am struck that it is, indeed, a subversive book. Jesus
continually turns the status quo upside down by making the last, first, by
hanging out with “undesirables”, and by the orientation to faithful living he
delineates in the Sermon on the Mount, one that is grounded in love not law.
When held against the values of contemporary society, Jesus’ teachings are indeed
subversive.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">There are subversive
acts throughout the Bible. Today’s lectionary reading from the Hebrew Bible is <span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249);">Exodus 1:8-2:10. Here, the Hebrew people
are in Egypt, where Pharoah grows particularly paranoid by their expanding
numbers. He orders all the midwives to kill any Hebrew boys who are born. The
midwives, seeking to be faithful to God, let them live. When asked by Pharoah
why there continues to be so many infant Hebrew boys, they stretch the truth:
“Those Hebrew women are just so strong and vigorous. They give birth before we
arrive!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHyoIPVAxNLIpBrWIocQrVpUlXfdMrZs1ebsu-PzHjPp0-bcK34WSplWQd6SMJPirOCc5abaMRUQK6skT7ilTvN-PVwizqBNPW6O5sn1152KNmLHtaHu8s3VS_o0w7dqcoMzdIOv9Fv-iFR_CBx2NKuEBSYS0EPaUJtA95o1Fhau3hXin7TElba_qhPU6/s5184/emmanuel-phaeton-ZFIkUxRTWHk-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwHyoIPVAxNLIpBrWIocQrVpUlXfdMrZs1ebsu-PzHjPp0-bcK34WSplWQd6SMJPirOCc5abaMRUQK6skT7ilTvN-PVwizqBNPW6O5sn1152KNmLHtaHu8s3VS_o0w7dqcoMzdIOv9Fv-iFR_CBx2NKuEBSYS0EPaUJtA95o1Fhau3hXin7TElba_qhPU6/s320/emmanuel-phaeton-ZFIkUxRTWHk-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Pharoah takes his murderous plan further: he orders all
Hebrew boys to be thrown into the Nile. One mother, however, hid her newborn
son. When she knew she could no longer keep her child’s presence a secret, she
doesn’t throw him in the Nile, but gently places him in a woven basket. She
tells his sisters to follow the flow of the basket to keep an eye on him. Who
finds the baby but Pharoah’s daughter, who scoops him up from the water. She
knows that this must be a Hebrew child, yet, when the child’s sister asks if
she should find a wet nurse for the baby, Pharoah’s daughter says yes. Not only
does the mother nurse the baby, but Pharoah’s daughter even pays her to care
for the baby. Pharoah’s daughter calls him “Moses”, meaning “I drew him out of
the water.”<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I am struck that these subversive stories are one of the
reasons why in oppressive regimes, the Bible is often banned. There is a
message of hope, liberation, and justice that crushes despair, oppression, and
injustice.<br /> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-top: 12.0pt;"><span style="background: rgb(249, 249, 249); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">What would it mean for you and your church to be subversive
centers of God’s loving actions? Are you ready to engage in a Love revolution?
What faithful acts of subversion and resistance is God calling you to, so that others
might know of God’s love, compassion, and justice?<o:p></o:p></span></p>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-47809767780845728082023-08-21T11:34:00.001-07:002023-08-21T11:34:13.485-07:00The Deadly Silence of Muzak Churches<p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I love traveling across our area and seeing the towns
and villages where our United Methodist Churches are located. As I stop to pray
for the church, its laity, clergy, and ministries, I wonder what that church
means to the community it sits in the middle of. Is it seen as a beacon of
hope? A refuge from the storm? A place of welcome? A source where basic needs
(like water and food) can be met? Does it offer a spiritual path that enriches
the lives of those it touches? Does it matter at all to those around it? If it
closed its doors the day after tomorrow, what would be different in the town?
Would anyone even notice?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">When I was growing up, we derided “Elevator Music”
which was found in department stores, doctors’ offices, and, well, in elevators.
Muzak was invented in 1934 by <span style="color: #333333;">Major General George
O. Squier</span> as a way to send recorded music to businesses without the use
of a radio signal. Science entered in when it was found that music could be
used to bolster productivity in workers and calm people down. One of the
company’s slogans was, “Muzak fills the deadly silences”. At the height of its
popularity, Muzak reached tens of millions of people a day, from presidents and
astronauts to someone in the produce section of a grocery store.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A professor at Queens College said of
Muzak: “[it’s] a kind of amniotic fluid that surrounds us; and it never
startles us, it is never too loud, it is never too silent; it’s always there.”</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Sometimes, I wonder sadly if the same
can be said of our churches. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Have our churches blended into the
landscape so completely that people don’t even know we are here anymore? Are we
“there” but not “out there” in a world that has so much brokenness and so many
needs? Have we watered down Jesus’ message so much that it no longer startles
us? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJl4Nmwg5Zn0S5onH2vYhQstf3GlSXiOJDL6ca1zOd95VKm1fiJFx4HVD6Xk1JTHZyWAGBarhf0g1t97Nn6JerH3aB1PXffZLITXy09W97CUfpmsZt8QjDtKHLLdd4elEg4ecT5CO0R8nAtkbNt-7m3KUTOzW5lIYjbB5R1Cncf660lLv3PsE27HyqM2r/s4000/nils-huenerfuerst-Ac1m89nfNjA-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAJl4Nmwg5Zn0S5onH2vYhQstf3GlSXiOJDL6ca1zOd95VKm1fiJFx4HVD6Xk1JTHZyWAGBarhf0g1t97Nn6JerH3aB1PXffZLITXy09W97CUfpmsZt8QjDtKHLLdd4elEg4ecT5CO0R8nAtkbNt-7m3KUTOzW5lIYjbB5R1Cncf660lLv3PsE27HyqM2r/s320/nils-huenerfuerst-Ac1m89nfNjA-unsplash.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There are “deadly silences” in our churches
and communities that the Church must speak into, bringing the light of God’s
Love and the healing balm of the Holy Spirit as we minister as disciples of
Jesus Christ. This is not the time for us in the church to fade into a
comfortable background. Drugs and division, violence and viciousness are causing
our communities to crumble. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">How can you and your church move out of
the background shadows and sing loudly and boldly a new song of hope, healing,
and liberation, so that the entire community can dance to Love’s song?<br /><o:p></o:p></span></p>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-28794743610740606242023-07-22T09:49:00.001-07:002023-07-22T09:49:15.831-07:00Be Kind<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">This week, The United Methodist Church lost a
spiritual giant—retired Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar. His death hit me hard, and when
I reflected on this, I realized because of the depth of his kindness. From his welcoming
embraces to the way he looked you in the eye when he asked you how you were, he
was a man who was fully present, grounded in grace, and an embodiment love.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">I have been thinking all week about kindness. I do
think it is a quality we easily dismiss and a power we underestimate. Think
about the ways others have brought hope and healing into your life. It’s not
usually the grand gestures we think of, but the small ways people saw us, responded
to us and our needs, offered a squeeze on the arm, prayed for us, called us out
of the blue, sent a card of encouragement, caught our tears.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoViwNK8EISe8PETHc49x0Gu5wbHqh5f6m0saEGnBzyx3WI7HLA4TDldsEh_a3rSk-7GFkxmSeUOvPfjVEpFAoSz90MTrJ9AAcI107ycOE0xNnqvhLrtYBEvfKILkJ8q2hmq3ldEilLUiQ-hVHDMUwRDX_a5MAd1wwUB32q9ecJJzkgivO3kz7tdoR2rZ/s2969/kind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2227" data-original-width="2969" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoViwNK8EISe8PETHc49x0Gu5wbHqh5f6m0saEGnBzyx3WI7HLA4TDldsEh_a3rSk-7GFkxmSeUOvPfjVEpFAoSz90MTrJ9AAcI107ycOE0xNnqvhLrtYBEvfKILkJ8q2hmq3ldEilLUiQ-hVHDMUwRDX_a5MAd1wwUB32q9ecJJzkgivO3kz7tdoR2rZ/s320/kind.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Scripture tells us that kindness is one of the fruits
of the Spirit (Galatians 5). Paul encourages, <em><span style="color: #443122;">“Be
kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ
forgave you.” </span></em><em><span style="color: #443122; font-style: normal;">(Ephesians
4:32). Jesus embodied kindness in the ways he saw those the world overlooked,
ate with the outcasts, healed those who were hurting, and washed the feet of
his disciples.<o:p></o:p></span></em></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="color: #443122; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 107%;">We live in a world that is in dire need of kind
people. Too many of us are stepping over or around those in need. Too many of
us allow anger, resentment, frustration, and impatience get the better of us,
so we fail to do the simple things that express kindness. We forget that our
small, random acts of kindness, powered by the Holy Spirit, make a difference
in the lives of those around us.<o:p></o:p></span></em></p><p class="MsoNormal"><em><span style="color: #443122; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 107%;">Consider ways you might express kindness
today. Pray the words to this hymn by Margaret Cropper:</span></em><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #404040; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">Jesus' hands were kind hands,
doing good to all,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #404040; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">healing pain and sickness,
blessing children small,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #404040; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">washing tired feet and saving
those who fall;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #404040; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">Jesus' hands were kind hands,
doing good to all.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #404040; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #404040; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">Take my hands, Lord Jesus, let
them work for you;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #404040; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">make them strong and gentle,
kind in all I do;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 45.8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #404040; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">let me watch you, Jesus, till
I'm gentle too,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 45.8pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; tab-stops: 45.8pt 91.6pt 137.4pt 183.2pt 229.0pt 274.8pt 320.6pt 366.4pt 412.2pt 458.0pt 503.8pt 549.6pt 595.4pt 641.2pt 687.0pt 732.8pt;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #404040; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">till my hands are kind hands,
quick to work for you.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p>
<br /> </p>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-78299961319357947682023-07-19T08:18:00.000-07:002023-07-19T08:18:04.682-07:00"Be Still and Know That I Am God"<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Before I left for renewal leave, one of my pastors gave me a book she and the congregation were reading, “Praying
Like Monks, Living Like Fools” by Tyler Staton. There was a section that I have
been mulling over: the author told about the time Dallas Willard was asked, “What
do I need to do to be spiritually healthy?” Without missing a beat he replied, “You
must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">That hit me like a ton of bricks.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Most of us live our lives tightly packed, hurrying from one
thing to another with scarcely time to breathe. Stop and smell the flowers? Let
me see if I can fit it in, maybe sometime next week? Of course, by then the
flowers have lost their sweetness and are slowly dropping their petals.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnN6ymruzVTJS3HqeZC36IkNI2yT-BxP8p-lNcZbkPyd49XbjkNvzKf0PfaWN8rCguji8MLQ75sOrfTttzAmgvlv-sqrGvEtkxx00bfgYunT_3KfOYwcrFHcQWXHzS1LrEYTTR05saeReSeoZsAbHxzuAme1febPT5a705pNDeY4BkcLtsO5fa3cropJO5/s1280/rest-52495_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnN6ymruzVTJS3HqeZC36IkNI2yT-BxP8p-lNcZbkPyd49XbjkNvzKf0PfaWN8rCguji8MLQ75sOrfTttzAmgvlv-sqrGvEtkxx00bfgYunT_3KfOYwcrFHcQWXHzS1LrEYTTR05saeReSeoZsAbHxzuAme1febPT5a705pNDeY4BkcLtsO5fa3cropJO5/s320/rest-52495_1280.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Each morning, I am spending more time than usual in prayer.
I am following the advice of the Psalmist, “Be still and know that I am God.”
(Psalm 46: 10). As I engage in this practice, I am discovering that stillness
is not the same thing as silence. I am hearing things I was too busy to hear
before. In the stillness, with no words to distract me (including my own), my
heart beats to a new rhythm as I sit in the presence of God.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How can you ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life? What might
your life feel like if you refused to submit to hurriedness? How might it bring
you closer to God?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">May you take time in this long days of summer to “Be still,
and know that I am God.”<o:p></o:p></p>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-72561827239577517542023-06-19T07:58:00.003-07:002023-06-19T07:58:33.028-07:00PREPARING FOR ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2023<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZJjpB8cKtantWHKj8JE9ekBSeh6VrDcy7Cyb6VsYWCRU__dTSpejebaYraChNlvd9ABNy28uXso-S-rG_l7SUh1EHeQpXt0SX1MBojKF_krEv7xAs2poxFddqnIc3PKV62S53-2mppzbt2fgOnorg3FM103jwDCGzf7-bEvnJ_o6dfj5HqsGJaRKW9cl/s452/ac23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="313" data-original-width="452" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghZJjpB8cKtantWHKj8JE9ekBSeh6VrDcy7Cyb6VsYWCRU__dTSpejebaYraChNlvd9ABNy28uXso-S-rG_l7SUh1EHeQpXt0SX1MBojKF_krEv7xAs2poxFddqnIc3PKV62S53-2mppzbt2fgOnorg3FM103jwDCGzf7-bEvnJ_o6dfj5HqsGJaRKW9cl/s320/ac23.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Much of the work of conference leadership has been laser-focused
on preparing for Annual Conference, which will be held next week at First UMC
in Colorado Springs. Annual Conference is a time when clergy and lay members of
the Mountain Sky Conference gather to help us order our life for the coming
year. We will worship together, engage in mission, share in bible study, engage
in learning workshops, approve new candidates for ministry, adopt a budget, remember
those saints who served God and now rest from their labors, and renew old
friendships and make new ones.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have been watching reports from Annual Conferences across
the country. I have been struck by the joy and hope that has been expressed
across the connection. As we move past the heartbreak of disaffiliations, there
is a renewed commitment to our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for
the transformation of the world. There is a desire to deepen the United
Methodist connection. There is a vision for who God is calling us to be that is
contagious, captivating clergy and laity.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In these few days before we gather, I will be in deep prayer
for our time together. I pray that the winds of the Spirit will carry us safely
to Colorado Springs and that those who will be attending via zoom will feel the
connection we share. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I pray that everyone who is a part of annual conference will
find joy knowing they are a part of something lifegiving and will rediscover we
can do more together than we can apart.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I pray that someone will find Jesus tapping them on the
shoulder and hear him say, “Come, follow me.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I pray that we will offer one another generous grace as we commit
to listening to one another, even when there are sighs too deep for words.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I pray that we will do what United Methodists are told to do
from the time they enter Sunday School: to leave a place better than we found
it (whether that place is First UMC, Colorado Springs, or each session we are a
part of).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The words that continue to surface in my prayers are these:
Grace. Joy. Connection. May these words guide our time together.</p>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-9055341856567642312023-05-22T09:34:00.000-07:002023-05-22T09:34:19.544-07:00CHANGE HAPPENS<blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCX0kBuYzch1NRtbiiCw1Gr1Ayd6mpC4L3Xcro4TN_hFOcjKaAhh0UwNUsMoTGSZeQRkkDFnD34keglFgKGiX3s108ORN0fRqdEtT1VnnzreFBzF3Q4gRKGRLMMhyOjWPfrXYXOvoV0XVNugF5-Fd_xcTnutmU7P5D4IPq2bTkopEl_clv6FLfo5b5FQ/s1920/flowerbud.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCX0kBuYzch1NRtbiiCw1Gr1Ayd6mpC4L3Xcro4TN_hFOcjKaAhh0UwNUsMoTGSZeQRkkDFnD34keglFgKGiX3s108ORN0fRqdEtT1VnnzreFBzF3Q4gRKGRLMMhyOjWPfrXYXOvoV0XVNugF5-Fd_xcTnutmU7P5D4IPq2bTkopEl_clv6FLfo5b5FQ/s320/flowerbud.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> I was recently in a meeting where someone pushed back their
chair and said exasperatedly, “I just can’t take any more change.” Looking
around the room, heads nodded in agreement. The world is changing at breakneck
speed and it can be exhausting and disorienting. It can also make us pine nostalgically
for the past and even try to reinvent it, forgetting that it is nearly
impossible to recapture what was because of all that has transpired, all the
ways we and those around us have grown and changed.<p></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> <br /></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Change happens. The Bible is full of stories of change: of individuals
growing and changing (even changing their names!), of whole communities
changing in response to their situation, providing us with inspiration as we
face change in our own lives. God speaks through the prophet Isaiah: “See, I am
doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”—a reminder that
faith that is vital grows in response to a God who continues to create.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have been on the road for several weeks and when I finally
returned home, I was surprised to find lilacs in bloom, green grass, and LOTS
of weeds. So much had changed in such a short time, a reminder to me that there
is so much beauty waiting to be born and seeking to blossom. To face the
crossroads of change is an inevitable task of every human being. To understand it
as moving from miracle to miracle is a choice.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As you move through the changes of your life, may you seek
the miracles of new life, of beauty, of possibilities waiting to unfold before and
within you. God is doing a new thing, can you not perceive it?<o:p></o:p></p>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-26239937399052697682023-04-08T11:29:00.004-07:002023-04-08T11:29:56.244-07:00IT"S HAPPENING!<p><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This week I saw the perfect Easter sign (one that every
church leader—from choir member and administrative assistant to music minster
and pastor, probably has tacked up in a corner of their mind):<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">He is Risen<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">WE ARE CLOSED<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">Happy Easter!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Some of us can’t wait for Easter Monday (or even Easter
afternoon!). We have done our best through choir rehearsals, Maundy Thursday’s
Last Supper, Friday’s Tenebrae service, prepping the sanctuary for Easter,
getting ready to welcome guests to worship, and the grand finale: Easter
worship! Jesus might have come out of the tomb…but by the time worship is over,
we can’t wait to crawl into our bed. We can’t wait to hang a “We are closed”
sign up.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But, funny thing. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Resurrection happened!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7M6GWX7Z0pgJj_T27p-4m29AiH7HJkEuRjfG_uy6T5ucGWLm-ucJC31JT_nMx0gvnrtve0v4L-bOvnwQyQ7rbFc6HrdK5JoMdYdzsSq-S4MdEnY6xr9uVMykzXQYdMT-_zgw-snyjLgpFx5zwaVVZttKBG837GNCLgESDJxRpc_C3G5T8gYSCwG6BwQ/s640/eastersign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7M6GWX7Z0pgJj_T27p-4m29AiH7HJkEuRjfG_uy6T5ucGWLm-ucJC31JT_nMx0gvnrtve0v4L-bOvnwQyQ7rbFc6HrdK5JoMdYdzsSq-S4MdEnY6xr9uVMykzXQYdMT-_zgw-snyjLgpFx5zwaVVZttKBG837GNCLgESDJxRpc_C3G5T8gYSCwG6BwQ/s320/eastersign.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Through no effort of our own, God breaks through with the
Good News that death no longer has the final say. Whatever deaths we face, God
promises new life through resurrection power. And this means that anything is
possible.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I always couldn’t wait to finish the Lent-Holy Week-Easter marathon
and crash. But the message of new life somehow got through to the church—it is
time to rise and shine and do a new thing in the name of Jesus! New discipleship
programs, new outreach ministries, new mission engagements…<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And I was too depleted to respond well to the signs of
resurrection happening in my church.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My prayer is that you have paced yourself well this week, so
that as resurrection takes hold in your church, you will be ready to engage in
the new life God is bringing forth in your very midst.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is no time to repeat Good Friday’s phrase, “It is
finished.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In fact, God’s only just begun.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-48963591262651433072023-03-28T09:42:00.001-07:002023-03-28T09:42:40.410-07:00Resilient Faith<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> Recently, I have been in conversation with more than one
person who said, “I feel like I need a really good cry.” I know the feeling. There
is so much to cry about these days: one more school shooting in our conference
(this one at Denver’s East High School), the climate crisis, a fractured church,
a world at war, bans on books, legislation that puts our trans siblings at risk…sometimes
all I have are sighs too deep for words.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">I spent this week in Montana, first at a Montana clergywomen’s
retreat and then at our United Methodist-related Rocky Mountain College in
Billings. When I turned into my driveway yesterday, I was surprised to see that
a tulip plant had burst from the ground and was drinking up the sunlight. It
wasn’t there when I left last Sunday. And this morning, it was partially
covered in snow but by the afternoon, it was once again reaching up towards the
sun.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">God built resiliency into all creation. Paul reminds us of
the strength we find in God to persevere all that befalls us:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background: white;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgstlRc0QkCFRF1gayQcBO8mZ3gzzWsG1aHFNine6ZbidcjX13b00gJ7LF1VNN-3SS_snniVJajQh-aGTSGaow6fk25PY8JIQqXYaZbqct3qDQGyqT3o_oRwu4mwnUrUVynSHlnea-RLtr4InklKb1x2veLxEaECIeaomHZ8KfLjY_DV4ghkQs8BO4zFQ/s640/tulip2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgstlRc0QkCFRF1gayQcBO8mZ3gzzWsG1aHFNine6ZbidcjX13b00gJ7LF1VNN-3SS_snniVJajQh-aGTSGaow6fk25PY8JIQqXYaZbqct3qDQGyqT3o_oRwu4mwnUrUVynSHlnea-RLtr4InklKb1x2veLxEaECIeaomHZ8KfLjY_DV4ghkQs8BO4zFQ/s320/tulip2.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">“So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even
though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on
the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without God’s
unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming
good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than
meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the
things we can’t see now will last forever.” (2 Corinthians 4: 16-18)<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When all seems so wrong and so bad, lean into the grace of
God. When it feels as if your heart can simply not bear one more bit of bad
news, remember that Love will continue to burst forth in your life and in our
world again. When your soul is weary beyond words, remember the renewal Jesus
offers you: <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span class="text"><b><sup><span style="background: white;"> </span></sup></b></span><span class="text"><span style="background: white;">“Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy
burdens, and I will give you rest. </span><b><sup style="font-size: 1.2rem; scroll-behavior: auto !important;"><span id="en-NRSVUE-23489" style="scroll-behavior: auto !important;"> </span></sup></b>Take my yoke upon you, and
learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for
your souls. </span><b><sup style="font-size: 1.2rem; scroll-behavior: auto !important;"><span id="en-NRSVUE-23490" style="scroll-behavior: auto !important;"> </span></sup></b>For my yoke is easy, and
my burden is light.” (Matthew 11: 28-30)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="text"><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I pray
for the healing of the world. May we find strength in Jesus Christ to extend
God’s healing Love in our broken world.</span><span style="font-family: Segoe UI, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-88791999467737176042023-01-21T10:37:00.002-08:002023-01-21T10:37:18.445-08:00LOVING THROUGH DISAGREEMENT<div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; scroll-behavior: auto !important;">Thank you for your comments on last week’s reflection on reformation in The United Methodist Church. The many posts and emails I received in response to the reflection revealed a love of our church and a deep hunger for it to be all it can be amid a fracturing time. Where there is brokenness, there is a need <span style="font-family: inherit; scroll-behavior: auto !important;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; scroll-behavior: auto !important;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>for healing—there must be a time for rest and recovery as that which is broken is reformed. With the help of the Holy Spirit, the people called United Methodist will be a church of reformation as the broken pieces are stitched together in new and beautiful ways. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; scroll-behavior: auto !important;">Can we sit in the rest and healing part for a moment? </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; scroll-behavior: auto !important;">My hunch is that you—like me—are sick and tired of the half-truths, mistruths, and just plain lies that have been said about our beloved church. I regularly get emails from folks across the connection saying that their church is considering disaffiliation because they were told I don’t believe in the divinity of Christ and that I use Tarot cards to make decisions in my annual conference. Both are false! And I give thanks for those folks who took it upon themselves to do a little research and seek out the facts. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; scroll-behavior: auto !important;">I do have critiques about our church. There are things I wish were different. Some decisions pain me deeply. But disagreement is a part of living in community. I have yet to belong to a community that was free from dissenting voices. What matters is how we enter into the disagreements as we embrace a mutual desire to make our shared life better. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; scroll-behavior: auto !important;">One thing I recognized early on as a pastor was that our appointment system makes it much too easy to leave a church (or for a church to request a new pastor) when the going gets rough. What I learned was that this doesn’t bring resolution, it simply delays an honest engagement of the disagreements. When all parties stay close, leaning in together, keeping aware of their commonalities instead of their differences, it helps move through the disagreement. We learn so much together! When we truly seek to move through our differences and stay united, we are all brought through the conflict to a whole (and holy) place of mutuality and trust. And it is from that place that great things can happen as we seek to serve as disciples of Christ!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimCiAFQn1G3iNb6Vbt-XFzeSRihpl49_hFqed_HxV8VNA4e_Vgav52tPT85UBukiN10pN9RWmBJQUshY4EaxcNxptx9L_RsxSqsdbkwJjy1QgrDrWp-1CIl8C-n3wBmJnrHrLjrpQMmc2VZNLcjKaqsavyVQqdQu9yXgrHts-mbXaNGRAX9eGkMUe4SA/s1920/people-3108154_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimCiAFQn1G3iNb6Vbt-XFzeSRihpl49_hFqed_HxV8VNA4e_Vgav52tPT85UBukiN10pN9RWmBJQUshY4EaxcNxptx9L_RsxSqsdbkwJjy1QgrDrWp-1CIl8C-n3wBmJnrHrLjrpQMmc2VZNLcjKaqsavyVQqdQu9yXgrHts-mbXaNGRAX9eGkMUe4SA/s320/people-3108154_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Image by Gerd Altmann)</span></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; scroll-behavior: auto !important;">I believe that God works even in the discord, for “in all things God works for good.” May we stay open-hearted to those with whom we disagree, for the Body of Christ is a diverse one and we need each other in order to know God as fully as we can. May love be the guide in all we do, in every ministry we undertake, in every decision we ponder; a love that enlarges our world, our views, our understandings, because this love requires us to take into account not only ourselves and those close to us, but even those we see as “other” and “strange” yet still possess the image of God.</div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; scroll-behavior: auto !important;">May love undergird our life in Christ’s church as we seek to be faithful stewards of it. </div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; scroll-behavior: auto !important;"><br /></div></div><div class="x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; scroll-behavior: auto !important; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; scroll-behavior: auto !important;"><br /></div></div>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1090962409055835878.post-47909501410298638132023-01-18T09:38:00.004-08:002023-01-18T09:38:37.082-08:00Reformation and The United Methodist Church<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">I recently had an interview with Yellowstone
public radio. The interviewer, Kay Erickson, wanted to ask me questions about
the current events in The United Methodist Church. I steeled myself for her
questions but then was delightfully caught off guard by her first question:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“What can you say about the reformation happening in
The United Methodist Church?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Reformation”. I like that.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Her question had me exploring the meaning of
reformation. One source describes it as “<span style="background: white; color: #333333;">improvement (or an intended improvement) in the existing form or
condition of institutions or practices etc.; intended to make a striking change
for the better in social or political or religious affairs.” Synonyms for
reformation include “</span><span style="background: white; color: #202124;">improvement”,
“betterment”, “correction</span>”.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Instead of “split”, “schism”, or “disaffiliation”,
what if we saw this moment in the life of The United Methodist Church as a
reformation moment?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If we were honest with one another, we would note that
it is time for a reformation. While the Gospel message of love of God and
neighbor hasn’t changed, the world around us has. Our communities are filled
with “Nones” (those who have had no encounter with the Church) and “Dones”
(those that have left for a variety of reasons, including spiritual trauma). In
fact, the “Dones” have increased in numbers as studies show that church
attendance has dropped off since COVID. How we share this life-saving,
life-transforming love of God in Jesus Christ needs reforming in order to reach
people outside the walls of our church.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Imagine a church where all people in your community
can call home, receive a welcomed embrace, and find encouragement and strength
for the challenges they face.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Imagine a church that sees new people as a gift from
God, who possess skills and life experiences that can enrich our common life.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Imagine a church that is a community hub, where people
come for learning, recovery, recreation, and creating change.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Imagine worship opportunities that are on days and
times other than Sunday mornings, so that people can receive spiritual
nourishment and a faith community when they most need it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Imagine a church that centers those lives that the
rest of the world shoves to the margins.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOCfJHsG-4ccBatfe4t0CKTLk2Q7Fe4Z1zHLwts0ltst7I1gbMeofMxxNHWzNeIbLHFVpMX8LvZd6XRHqlAlzxJ5CEs1C8qU2gQSB3nLHRudIE5obMGe4RYInvLuznNHNQOFmvZa-K3jcLv64Oud6UrvY_z0-foVRrgMv9dZPAK9UbdX2yxMBvgzvU2g/s540/church-820339_960_720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="540" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOCfJHsG-4ccBatfe4t0CKTLk2Q7Fe4Z1zHLwts0ltst7I1gbMeofMxxNHWzNeIbLHFVpMX8LvZd6XRHqlAlzxJ5CEs1C8qU2gQSB3nLHRudIE5obMGe4RYInvLuznNHNQOFmvZa-K3jcLv64Oud6UrvY_z0-foVRrgMv9dZPAK9UbdX2yxMBvgzvU2g/s320/church-820339_960_720.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Imagine a church where bible study is intrinsically
related to service and acts of justice in the world.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Imagine a church that is less interested in building
and ministry maintenance and instead with how to best be organized to meet the
needs of a hurting world?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Imagine a church whose connective tissue isn’t the
building but the strength of the community.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Imagine a church that is always open to the Holy
Spirit’s leading, allowing itself to change in order to remain faithful.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am ready to engage in the work of reformation. How
about you?<o:p></o:p></span></p>Karen Olivetohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15672325550752196213noreply@blogger.com0