God's steady pace at Christmas. . . by Luke Bouman

I am thankful for the opportunity to blog with the by the way community for Christmas this year. I am a longtime friend and mostly silent participant in the conversations of the community. I appreciate the challenges and joys of being in a community of conversation and deliberation. I am humbled by this opportunity to have my words be discussion and thought starters this holiday season.

I was re-reading an old book that has been in my family’s library for years. It is called “Children’s Letters to God” and it was collected and compiled by the editors in 1966. For something that is decades old, the questions and the comments of these children are fresh, amazingly deep and complex for their sources. One of them in particular grabbed my attention as I thought about this blog entry for Christmas. It goes something like this:

Dear God,
Are you real? Some people don’t believe it! If you are, you’d better do something quick.
Love,
Harriet Anne

I suspect this question is on many adult minds as well, especially given the state of the world. The “great recession” has many families wondering what the next year will bring. Threats from war and terror have a whole world on edge. I wonder if Christmas, as it approaches, offers people simply a distraction from all of this bad news? Or are we distracting ourselves because God doesn’t seem to be real any more? I am especially reminded of this possibility as I hear Christmas music blaring from any number of sources. The song, “We need a little Christmas,” seems to be getting more play than usual. This song about the rush to decorate, from the Broadway musical Mame, talks about our need for something to cheer us up. The lyrics are printed below:

Mame:
Haul out the holly;
Put up the tree before my spirit falls again.
Fill up the stocking,
I may be rushing things, but deck the halls again now.
For we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute,
Candles in the window,
Carols at the spinet.
Yes, we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute.
It hasn't snowed a single flurry,
But Santa, dear, we're in a hurry;
So climb down the chimney;
Put up the brightest string of lights I've ever seen.
Slice up the fruitcake;
It's time we hung some tinsel on that evergreen bough.
For I've grown a little leaner,
Grown a little colder,
Grown a little sadder,
Grown a little older,
All:
And I need a little angel
Sitting on my shoulder,
Need a little Christmas now.
Mame:
Haul out the holly;
Well, once I taught you all to live each living day.
All:
Fill up the stocking,
Young Patrick:
But Auntie Man, it's one week from Thanksgiving Day now.
All:
But we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute,
Candles in the window,
Carols at the spinet.
Yes, we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute.
Agnes:
hasn't snowed a single flurry,
But Santa, dear, we're in a hurry;
Ito:
So climb down the chimney;
Put up the brightest string of lights I've ever seen.
All:
Slice up the fruitcake;
It's time we hung some tinsel on that evergreen bough.
For we need a little music,
Need a little laughter,
Need a little singing
Ringing through the rafter,
And we need a little snappy
"Happy ever after,"
Need a little Christmas now.
Need a little Christmas now.

I think it’s clear that our culture seems in a hurry these days. We have little patience to wait for much of anything. We join Harriet Anne imploring God to do something quick.

Now, read the Christmas Story, keeping Harriet's request in mind. If you don’t have a Bible handy you can find the story here:  Luke 2:1-20

If there is one thing that strikes me about this story this year is that this is a story about a God who is definitely not in a hurry. God is not doing “something quick” at all. God is acting deliberately, slowly. This story unfolds more than 500 years after the prophets first recorded the promise of God’s gift of a Messiah. As opposed to the Greek gods, God does not inhabit an adult human form, but instead comes into the world as we do, born as a child. This one who is born will first need to learn to walk and talk, to eat and play and grow. This plan is nine months of incubation, twelve years to come of age, eighteen more before ministry begins. This plan is painfully slow, from our perspective.

But the slowness of it is not the only surprise. The fact that it lacks a certain, shall we say, conventional “star power” is also striking. This birth seems to indicate anything but royalty. The place is a simple animal enclosure, not a palace. The announcement is grand enough, but it is to shepherds (folks who were at the bottom of the religious barrel) not to priests and upright worshipers in the big deal town of Jerusalem. Even “David’s City” isn’t rightly named here. David’s City was the above mentioned big deal town, not backwoods, backwards Bethlehem. Almost everyone hears this story today without hearing how jarring all of these things are.

And yet God goes about this slightly off, deliberate, painstakingly slow plan. As it unfolds, I wonder whether I truly understand what God is about. I am in a hurry. God takes time. I rush to fill the void in order, vainly, to try to eliminate it. God enters the void, and by the presence of a child hallows it. I look for some mighty sign. God gives up the mighty route for the simple. I wish to dwell and worship a babe in a manger. God moves slowly, but does not dwell here. The manger is not the final destination for this baby.

It is only when I slow down to match my pace with God that I discover that God is at work in many surprising ways and surprising places. I have heard the calls of voices in our culture decrying that “Christ” has been removed from “Christmas”. But when I slow down, I realize that no such thing has happened. We didn’t put Jesus in the holiday, and no one has the power to take Jesus out. Is Christmas a time when people are hoping for something? Is Christmas a time when people long for more than what mere possessions can offer them? Is Christmas a time when we wish for the peace and goodwill of which the angels sing? Jesus is born into all of our longings, hopes, and all of our pains and sorrows. We do not always express these hurts and hopes appropriately, but even our poor attempts cannot drive God from our midst. The God who chose to be born in a stable comes to the desperate poor and desperate rich alike. The God who chooses also to die reminds us that even in the most desperate of places, God dares to join us. This is what we discover when we slow down. No matter how bad things get, God is right there with us all along, and doing something, albeit in God’s good time.

So I wonder, if we slow down, what other hidden things we might discover about God? Where else does God turn up unexpectedly? How else is God hidden in and with the desperate places of our world?

+ + +

Thanks so much, Luke, for your thought-provoking piece!  Please feel free, everyone, to join in the conversation, by leaving your comments and looking out for the comments of others.   We won't be having a skype conversation this week or next.  But anytime you'd like to let us all know your reflections, please share them here or on our facebook page.  God's holying presence be yours, in your joys and in your sorrows, this Christmas and beyond! 
~ Kari Henkelmann Keyl

Waitin' on a Sunny Day . . . by Elisabeth Aurand

Is Christmas just another pain-killer to soothe us, to distract us from our troubling fears? Or can it be a time to go deeper, to look inside ourselves… and ask God to come in, too?

In my lifetime, I've treasured the season of Advent, a season some Christians celebrate the four weeks before Christmas. Advent helps me get ready for Christ's coming. The joys of God's coming to us in Jesus are wonderfully apparent! But we can also take seriously the darker side of life, knowing that God's light is shining there, too.

This Sunday, in many churches that celebrate Advent, there will be two readings from the Bible that bring to life both the light-filled joy and the deep darkness of the season...

There’s “comfort and joy” proclaimed undiluted and unadulterated in Isaiah 35:1-10 .  It breaks upon us like warm sunshine as we hear “The desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly.” That speaks of the joy that the ancient Israelites had when they left servitude in Babylon and returned home to Israel: they found the burning sand, thirsty ground and the haunt of jackals now becoming a pool, and a swamp of grass.

But there’s also sternness from the second text, from Matthew 11:2-11, the story of John the Baptist. He is in jail and hears about the miraculous and healing deeds of his, cousin, Jesus. Nothing joyful happens to John – for example, he is not freed from jail. Yet he has been shown hope through the news of good things happening in Jesus’ ministry that he can hold onto; this allows for his own “patience in suffering.”

From these witnesses you hear what it means to live as a believer, stated well by Evelyn Underhill in Advent devotions, edited by Christopher Webber: The spiritual life is a stern choice. It is not a consoling retreat from the difficulties of existence; but an invitation to enter fully into that difficult existence, and there apply the Charity of God and bear the cost.

The voices witness to the “good bones” of the faith life wherein Christians both honor real life existence with its lonely, dark, cold times and wait upon the joyful work of God. (This work is truly joyful, too — sending the warm sunshine that allows a field of crocus to come up out of the snow and bloom opulently in the spring.) The Advent decoration of choice at Washington National Cathedral  – bare pine or fir trees standing sparely in the nave – strikes the balance in the Spirit, with its fresh and fragrant green of life with promise and yet a lack of adornment, like an adult’s sober path through life.

Many folks, including those who are “churched”, don’t seem to know the way of both let-loose joy and focused resolve. I read one church group writing about its leadership as discouraged, worried and “losing its way” as a result of clergy misconduct, and this sounded like an “anti-text” to Isaiah’s words that no one will “go astray” on God’s Holy Way. Leaders hoped for “renewal” yet also cited “questions of relevance” affecting “church attendance across our country” just as if they were a desert that could not rejoice and blossom or the dry land that would never become glad.

But Isaiah writes in chapter 35, verse 8, of a holy way where it’s practically impossible to go astray and a way “home,” insured by God’s love and care. “Home” did not mean perfection, as Paul Duke writes. Yet, he continues, the prophet (Isaiah) declares that desolation, disability, grief and sighing for home will all be swept away, overtaken by luxuriance, liberation, health, strength, safety and multitudes, fools included, singing their way home –and God will send us flowers on the way!

Do we sense we’re on a Holy Way? Do we understand that God’s direction on this way means we will not lose our bearings? Do we find that the things of hope bring enough resolve to endure whatever life throws along the path? I find that many folks (including Christians) at this time of year are mainly given to giddiness, frenzy and "irrational exuberance") –that is, unstable joy and no true sense of “home” in all the frantic Christmas preparations.

The faith life announces seasonal joy, yet wraps it in the conviction of “home” and the assurance that God provides and continues to provide the sunshine no matter what or when the storm. We open our arms.. ready for the sunshine. As Bruce Springsteen sings it, “I’m waitin’, waitin' on a sunny day , gonna chase the clouds away, waitin’ on a sunny day….

Please feel free to join in the conversation, by leaving your comments and looking out for the comments of others. You can also join in an audio skype conversation Thursday at 7pm (EST), Dec. 9. You need to have downloaded the program from skype.com and have a microphone with your computer (as most laptops do). Then add "bythewaycommunity" to your contacts list on skype, and call in on Thursday.

The Chrismas Blues . . . by Kari Henkelmann Keyl

Departing from btw’s usual format this week (reflective blog, audio-skype conversation), I’d like to offer a brief but important reminder to all who happen to stop by.

These weeks leading up to Christmas celebrations (and other holidays/holy days) can be terribly sad times for many people. Some are missing loved ones who have died, and can’t imagine this season without them. Many are lonely all through the year, and this time of “merriness” just makes it feel worse. Plenty have lost their jobs, have other frightening financial concerns, or are devastated by broken relationships. Lots of pain out there. And inside of us as well.

Let’s take some time this week to pray for all who are grieving, all who are suffering from any kind of loss. Please be on the look-out for those who need some extra care. If you are among the heart-broken, let someone know. Let God know, too. Feel free to let the by the way community know, and perhaps we can share the load together.

Watchful God, you know well who is aching from loss, who needs recognition and healing care. Open our eyes to see the pain around us and within us. Create community where there is none. Mend our broken hearts… and send us out to do the same.

Lord Jesus, we remember you were part of a wandering homeless family.  You were born into a time and place where strangers were not welcomed, where the needy were trampled. You grew up in that world and saw God leading us home. Now, Lord, in this time and place, be our home. Give us safety… and forgiveness… and new life.

Spirit of God, implant in our very beings your lively energy, your bubbling hope. Give us confidence in your power over pain and death. When we are doubting and afraid, surround us with people who can be your messengers of hope. In your holy name we pray… amen.

I pledge allegiance to -- what? . . . by Ben Groth

How many of you have been in a country where there was a real, live, monarch? I’m not talking about the Queen of England or the Prince of Wales, royalty with honorary titles, but about a King or Queen who is the center of power in the country. A real monarch makes commands that others must follow, and a real monarch demands obedience to the throne.

I recently spent a week in Saudi Arabia, a country that is ruled under a real, live King. I found the sense of political authority there to be much different than what I am used to here in the US. In the United States, I often feel that the government is sort of a wide-ranging, but diffuse organization that administrates much of the country. Although I may not agree with a specific decision by our congress, it was usually made by people who were elected by other folks in our country, and I understand that part of the “deal” in living in the US is that the elected representatives may not be who I wish they were, but that they were (ideally) voted in through a fair process.

The full name of Saudi Arabia is actually “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” and the country makes no effort to hide the fact that King Abdulaziz bin Saud is its ruler. On the contrary, portraits of him are a common sight, and many important buildings and institutions have his name in the title. Examples of this would be “King Abdulaziz Public Library” or “King Abdulaziz University.”

Take a look at a part of what serves as the Saudi Constitution (from Chapter 2, "Monarchy"):
Article 5
(a) The system of government in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is that of a monarchy.
(b) Rule passes to the sons of the founding King, Abd al-Aziz Bin Abd al-Rahman al-Faysal Al Sa'ud, and to their children's children. The most upright among them is to receive allegiance in accordance with the principles of the Holy Koran and the Tradition of the Venerable Prophet.
(c) The King chooses the Heir Apparent and relieves him of his duties by Royal order.
(d) The Heir Apparent is to devote his time to his duties as an Heir Apparent and to whatever missions the King entrusts him with.
(e) The Heir Apparent takes over the powers of the King on the latter's death until the act of allegiance has been carried out.

Article 6   Citizens are to pay allegiance to the King in accordance with the holy Koran and the tradition of the Prophet, in submission and obedience, in times of ease and difficulty, fortune and adversity.

Article 7  Government in Saudi Arabia derives power from the Holy Koran and the Prophet's tradition.

We can see from this example that the Saudi State is very serious about two things, that it is an Islamic state, and that it intentionally centers political power around the King. Article 6 sounds somewhat similar to wedding vows in America, a pledge of allegiance through the best and worst times in our lives.

This Sunday, many Christians around the world will be celebrating Christ the King Sunday, and the question I’d like to ponder this week is this: What would our lives look like if we confessed Article 6 of the Saudi Arabian constitution in this way,

“[We] are to pay allegiance to [Christ] the King in accordance with the holy [Bible] and the tradition of the [Church], in submission and obedience, in times of ease and difficulty, fortune and adversity.”

Christ the King Sunday has a fascinating history, according to this article    by Carey Gardiner Mack:

Christ the King Sunday is a relatively new development. It does not bear the history of many long-held church traditions such as All Saints or Christmas or Easter and does not possess the deep and traditional biblical backing of these celebrations. Pope Pius XI brought Christ the King Sunday into the church's liturgical year in 1925. He was attempting to do several things, but mainly to advance the message of God in Christ over and against that of the political forces moving in the world at that time--people like Mussolini and Hitler.

The idea that Christ is King over and against earthly political forces and not just on the side of our own political forces is something we all need a strong reminder of. However, the best reminder comes not from me and my limited experience, but from the appointed Gospel text for Christ the King Sunday.  Take a look:  Luke 23:33-43

This is a disquieting image of our monarch, a profoundly ironic text in the light of what we normally associate with “Kingship.” To say, as this reading from Luke implies, that the moment of crucifixion is the strongest argument we can make for Christ’s Kingship is to actively subvert a culture that views wealth, power, and fame as the primary markers of success.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote that “The sermon on the mount is there for the purpose of being done. Only in doing can there be submission to the will of God. In doing God’s will we renounce every right and every justification of our own; we deliver ourselves humbly into the hands of the merciful Judge” .

In some ways, these words by Bonhoeffer are the hardest we can ever hear. When we are directed to a passage  Matthew Chapters 5-7  that blesses the poor, the peacemakers, the merciful, the meek, and the hungry (among others), we are confronted with a way of life that directly challenges how we are taught to evaluate a “successful” life in American culture.

We often work hard to align the authority of the gospel with our positions, beliefs, and prejudices, making sure that our rock and our foundation is built on nothing less than the  "Faith of Our Fathers" .

To proclaim Jesus as our King, we must abandon this and put Christ at the center by proclaiming the painful redemption of a broken world, not the righteousness of our own privilege. Some ideas for reflection this week:

• How do our political and social commitments detract from a life led in allegiance to Christ? How are they shaped by our faith? Do we strive to wed religion and politics as the Saudis do, or do we separate them into different compartments of our lives?

• How can we act differently to proclaim our allegiance to Christ through actions, not just in our creed? Where do we actually place Christ in our pecking order of authorities that influence our lives? How do we keep from letting our boss’s directives or media messages influence our decision making more than our faith?

Please feel free to join in the conversation, by leaving your comments and looking out for the comments of others. You can also join in an audio skype conversation Thursday at 7pm (EST), November 18. You need to have downloaded the program from skype.com and have a microphone with your computer (as most laptops do). Then add "bythewaycommunity" to your contacts list on skype, and call in on Thursday.

Even when it's bad, it's good . . . by Elisabeth Aurand

As the leaves complete their exodus from branch to ground and gaunt November trees therefore appear menacing, and temperatures fall even as we arise in darkness and work the final hours of the day in shadow, we are reminded of dark realities. We can push away the dark thoughts. Or we can talk about them, plunk the fearful realities down on the table. Like Jesus often did.

Take a look at this reading from Luke’s book of the Bible Luke 21:5-19, which comes to us with images of terror: Nations will rise against nation; there will be great earthquakes and in various places famines and plagues, and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. November’s natural imagery of nature’s change into winter, a metaphor for old age and hardship, is mirrored in texts that speak of difficulty and underscore unsettledness and announce again the fact of insecurity in our world.

As if we needed a Bible reading to remind us!  Thomas Friedman's column  in last Sunday’s New York Times articulately trumpeted a not uncommon message that has been given to the general American public for some months, Long Live Lady Luck. Friedman reminds us that Americans have either foiled or found lacking 5 terror plots executed against citizens since last Christmas, the most recent of which was the package bombs on the cargo planes, timed to go off possibly when the planes were over our country (maybe even over Chicago – the President’s home and symbol relating to Nov. 2nd, I’ve heard.) Friedman states that avoiding these heinous direct attacks is akin to winning the lottery five times in a row, and he plants the logic in the reader’s mind that such luck may run out any time.

Jesus does not stop with the list of calamities in Luke 21, rather corrals the depressing stampede with instructions about a believer’s protocol during such times: When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified, he states, or enlightens with the perspective, This will give you an opportunity to testify (in the case of the calamity of persecution.) Then come his divine assurances: But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.

It behooves us just now to ask, exactly to whom is he speaking. Who will not be harmed when in the midst of such peril, in fact? Who exactly can have this kind of endurance? Is it a group of elite ancient marathoners he is instructing? Visiting Kung Fu practitioners from ancient Chinese civilization? It turns out that the audience is his disciples, though it seems that “all the people” who are nearby in the temple at Jerusalem are overhearing the conversation and, as such, would be a group who wouldn’t display unusual talents or strength or intelligence. Jesus teaches with confidence in this part of Luke and suggests that his followers – any follower- might be likewise self-possessed and a non-anxious presence should threatening events become even more dire. This makes one wonder if Jesus has simply become a little unhinged by now, with his own trials soon upon him, or perhaps just chooses to avoid reality by suggesting a desperate plan to counter worldly turmoil with the confident approach.

Christians do take to heart, though, this approach as an answer to tough times. For we have seen God’s power at work, in fact, even reversing such a calamity at Jesus’ crucifixion -- bested by his resurrection. We believe that the power of God in Christ is truly at work. God’s presence allows for what no one could do by their own skills and therefore people of faith agree with the assessment of Old Testament professor William Holladay: The Bible doesn’t answer why there is darkness, rather offers a vision of how evil in the world is overcome.

Oh God, give us courage that we might stop and let you do what we cannot.
Brother Christ, cheer us with your simple, smiling focus on God’s work and
Holy Spirit, give us the faith to know without doubt that even when it’s bad, it’s good.
(Prayer attributed to Lutheran writer Maude McDaniel)


Please feel free to join in the conversation, by leaving your comment and looking out for the comments of others.  You can also join in an audio skype conversation Thursday at 7pm (EST), November 11. You need to have downloaded the program from skype.com and have a microphone with your computer (as most laptops do). Then look for "bythewaycommunity" on skype.

Quick fun fact:  By the way has been recognized as being one of the Top 50 Lutheran blogs!  Kind of nice to be noticed, yes?

Civility begins with emptiness . . . by Kari Henkelmann Keyl

It seems we are living in a world where rudeness rules. Incivility sells. We’re being “entertained” by having our blood boiled.

I’ve been hearing a lot of talk the past couple of years about “the end of civility” in America (video ; blog). I’m glad we’ve been talking about it. I hope someday we can grow out of it. But for now, it just seems to be getting worse.

The Supreme Court’s “Citizens United” decision has resulted in a stream of unbelievably uncivil attack ads “preparing” the voters for the upcoming elections. And I’ve been astounded at the disrespectfulness of the debates that I’ve peeked in on.

My 8th grade daughter was given a school assignment to watch a Fox News debate between our state’s (CT) gubernatorial candidates. Having never watched a debate before, she was excited about it. It was fun to see her eagerness to be part of this.

That’s where the fun ended. The candidates spent most of their time making fun of the other, speaking directly to each other in the most condescending of tones. “Bullying” was the word that kept coming to my mind. I was horrified that these two grown adults were speaking this way in front of my child. As she turned off the TV, her dismay poured out: “Are these the only two choices we have to be our next governor?”

There’s nothing new about incivility, of course. There’s nothing new about people being spittin’ angry and playing blaming power games to make themselves feel better or more important or “right”.

Jesus once told a story to people who were prettydam’ sure they were “right”, as long as they could spot a loser to compare themselves with. It’s the kind of “in your face” story that put Jesus on the hit lists of some powerful folk. Take a look, at this link: Luke 18:9-14.

If you’ve read this story before, you may be more familiar with an ending like this: For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted. I love the way The Message version says it in picture language:  If you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face, but if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.

Shoot. I wish Jesus would be running for governor.

I suppose with words like that, he wouldn’t get very far in a Fox News debate.

But what if I tried believing that Jesus is present at every debate -- standing there between the debaters with arms outstretched, sighing, crying, trying to tell the bullies they've been redeemed ("righted") already.   Sure cools down my boiling blood, gets me breathing easier, makes me hopeful.

This story Jesus tells can get us thinking: How do we talk to and about each other? How do we talk to God? And how does the way we relate to God affect the way we relate to people who are different from us?

Newsflash: Your relationship to God has nothing to do with how rotten other people are.  Your relationship to God has everything to do with how open-heartedly forgiving God is!

What would happen to the way we humans treat each other if we truly believed that? How would the incivility factor change if we all talked to God like the tax man in Jesus’ story: coming with open hands, unloading our emotional baggage, standing EMPTY before God, allowing God to fill us with new life and love.

Try out these words of prayer, written by Frank von Christierson. They can be sung with an ancient chant melody called  Adore te Devote  or just prayed in silence.  They just plain carry me into the heart of God...


Eternal Spirit of the living Christ,
I know not how to ask or what to say;
I only know my need, as deep as life,
and only you can teach me how to pray.

Come, pray in me the prayer I need this day:
help me to see your purpose and your will,
where I have failed, what I have done amiss;
held in forgiving love, let me be still.

Come with the vision and the strength I need
to serve my God and all humanity;
fulfillment of my life in love out-poured:
my life in you, O Christ, your love in me. Amen.


Please join the conversation here by leaving your comments and/or coming to an audio skype conversation: Thursday at 7pm (EST), October 20. You need to have downloaded the program from skype.com and have a microphone with your computer (as most laptops do). Then look for "bythewaycommunity" on skype.

Peace, civility, and holy emptiness be yours,
Kari

Pessimism or Persistence… What’s This Life For? by Pastor Bill Petersen

I’ve been stuck recently by the amount of pessimism in our world today and the amount of persistent injustice through harassment and bullying. One of the more visible examples is the death of gifted musician, Tyler Clementi who committed suicide September 22nd, apparently after discovering that his Rutgers University roommate live-streamed him in a homosexual encounter without Tyler’s knowledge. This harassment went beyond the sophomoric heterosexual webcam scene from the movie American Pie

and apparently Tyler was overcome by a level of pessimism he saw no way out from.

Given the rash of suicides (pessimism with a death sentence) resulting from bullying (persistence of provoked injustice), all I can do is wonder...

• What would be justice in these cases? and,

• What, in light of these examples of injustice, should we pray?

Thankfully God gives us the gift of prayer, a direct connection not for the outcome, but rather for relationship… God wants us to be in open communication, to be real with God, to authentically share our frustration, sorrow and pessimism with God persistently. God loves us so much that God wants us to share ourselves with God through honest, heartfelt conversation. Prayer does not necessarily immediately change things. There will still be pessimism and heartbreak in our lives, but God wants us to share all of our highs and lows with God. A relationship with God is built through ongoing conversation, us talking (sometimes yelling and screaming) and then listening, being quiet in God’s presence.

Prayer changes one self because God can be trusted more than any human relationship with others… and even with ourselves (for we often get in the way and sabotage our relationships through selfishness, control, and impatience). In the book of Luke, there is a lot of encouragement to pray. We are given examples of Jesus' praying, and if he of all people needed to pray, how much more do we need to (if we are honest with ourselves)?

In the story about the persistent widow in Luke, Jesus is trying to encourage his followers to see beyond their pessimism, recent set-backs and disappointments and their perceived lack of response from God. It seems to me that because even the judge caves in and gives justice to the widow, we can trust in God (who is all about unconditional love and justice) will love us and see that justice is done for you and me.

But the world is both good and evil. There is always injustice, someone or some system that takes advantage of the poor, the widowed, the alone, you and me… Harassment and bullying happen, even to the point of suicide. And we wonder, we get angry and we often forget, or defiantly don’t raise these concerns with God (the God who longs for us to do just that). In the end, Jesus' story is not about a sketchy judge and it's not about a pushy widow. In the end it's a story about God and about you and me. This story is about the God who has and will love you always. A God who will always listen to you

and be there for you, no matter what!

In the Creed song "What's This Life For?" the band wrestles with the suicide of a friend and they bring their music as a prayer to God. The band doesn’t sing a syrupy sweet praise to God, but an agonizing questioning prayer to God. Their song echoes the pessimism many experience and the question of life’s meaning in a world full of injustice…

Hurray for a child that makes it through

If there's any way, because the answer lies in you

Their laid to rest, before they've know just what to do

Their souls are lost, because they could never find

What's this life for

I see your soul it's kind of gray

You see my heart, you look away

You see my wrist, I know your pain

I know your purpose on your plane

Don't say a last prayer, because you could never find

What's this life for

But they ain't here anymore

Don't have to settle no goddamned score

Because we all live under the reign of one king

God the king whose reign we live under is one who wants us to bring our questions directly to God through prayer. The story of the persistent widow reminds us that justice comes, even in a world filled with unjust judges and persistent bullies to those who persist regardless of how much faith they have, or how pessimistic their reality.

So what injustice is in your life that makes you pessimistic? And, what, in light of your personal experience with injustice, do, or could you pray for?

Please share your thoughts and comments. If you would like to learn more about Pastor Bill Petersen and his ministry go to http://www.faithlutheranct.org/ .

Wrangling Over Words by Kathi Johnson, MDiv

I was thinking today about an argument I had with someone once. This argument turned into a real doozy - we were yelling at each other, we slammed doors, and I shed some tears. You know what’s interesting? I can’t even remember what we were fighting about! All I’m left with is the memory of each of us angering the other with our words - words which escalated our emotions higher and higher until we parted for a time to cool down.

After this particular fight, there were more words - quieter words, words spoken in caution but also with love. It wasn’t easy, but we both saw that we had misused our gift of words in order to hurt the other, and we both saw our need to both apologize and forgive the other.

Americans are very concerned about words. I think this concern goes back to our community ideal of free speech. There are many who say that people should be able to say or write whatever they want to, and while I, as an American citizen, am a recipient of this particular gift, I also often wonder: shouldn’t we use our free speech with more responsibility?

When I think about free speech, I think often of what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:23: “‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things are beneficial. ‘All things are lawful,’ but not all things build up.”

“Not all things build up.” In other words, while we can say whatever we want and know that legally, at least, we have some protection on our side, do we ever think about the effect our words will have on others? How much care do we show to others in the use of our words? All things might be allowed, but does that mean we should stretch that allowance to its fullest measure, even beyond human compassion?

The Surpreme Court is deliberating a case about one church’s use of words as they protest at military funerals. There are lots of arguments given by people on both sides - there is a lot of “free speech” language floating around - and a lot of focus on what’s right according to the laws of the land. But - to return to 1 Corinthians for a second - when I read about this case, I am left asking, what about what is beneficial to others?

Down here in Texas, where I live, the political ads for the governor’s race have begun in earnest. One recent ad had a candidate saying that the incumbent is only in it for himself. Lo and behold, a few days later, the incumbent released an ad saying that the other candidate is only in it for himself. I’ve often wondered why candidates feel it necessary to tear down the other, rather than focusing on what they themselves will do for the people?

2 Timothy 2:8-15 has some advice about our words: that we should avoid wrangling over them, because it is that wrangling which ruins all who are involved, and doesn’t do anything for anyone. And so, because of these results, I wonder again: shouldn’t we use our free speech with more responsibility?

I’m thinking again about the times in my own life when I haven’t used my free speech with responsibility. There have often been consequences for what I have said - a relationship has been broken for a time, or someone has been hurt. But, as I think over these times, I am also reminded of the times when I have messed up, and when I have gathered up all my courage to go to that person and I have used my words - sometimes broken and unsure - to apologize. And in return, I have received words of forgiveness from that other person.

I thank God for the times when we do speak or write words which build others up, rather than tear them down. And I pray for us all to use our words well: to use them wisely as we relate to others, and to use them to give our praises to God.

“By your word, eternal God, your creation sprang forth, and we were given the breath of life. By your word, eternal God, death is overcome, Christ is raised from the tomb, and we are given new life in the power of your Spirit. May we boldly proclaim this good news in our words and our deeds, rejoicing always in your powerful presence; through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord. Amen.”
-Prayer for Spread of the Gospel, Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 75

How We Argue Fuss and Fight by Kathi Johnson, MDiv

We live in a complex world. It’s a world filled with many issues, many leaders, many voices – all wanting our attention, all screaming for our allegiance. And it feels to me as though we live in a world which is increasingly polarized: you’re either for me, or against me – there is no middle ground, and there is no kindness if you are against me.

Contrast this for-or-against attitude with the first part of the New Testament reading for this week, 1Timothy2:1-2:

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.

Prayers are to be prayed for everyone. Not just those we like, but everyone. Not just those with whom we agree, but everyone. Not just those with whom we already live at peace, but everyone. And isn’t it interesting, the direction in which the author goes after asking his readers to pray – he says that these prayers will lead us to “a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.”

I think that one reason why the text goes that direction is because it is harder to do battle against those for whom we have just prayed. If we are earnestly praying for another person or another group, God has a tendency to work on our own hearts as we are praying for others.

So...do you pray for those with whom you disagree?

Uh oh. Maybe now I’ve scared you a bit! Maybe now you don’t want to pray for (or even think about) That Person Over There because you really aren’t interested in having your own heart changed. You might even think, “There’s nothing wrong with my heart, God! Work on their heart, instead!”

And so, here we are, back to our for-or-against mindset yet again: I’m right. They’re wrong. My heart is right. Their hearts are wrong. And often, out of this attitude, we find ourselves arguing with others, forgetting all about the call to pray for them.

I found an article about fighting at the Psychology Today website, and while the article is obviously referring to arguments within a relationship, I think there is wisdom for how we relate to each other in public arguments, too. Disagreement with someone can be handled in a way which promotes respect - all it takes is a bit of intentional thinking before we speak.

And sometimes we must realize that, even if it feels right, sometimes speaking is not the right thing to do. Sometimes, our words will be lost on the other person or group – and it is precisely at these times when we should pray, lifting up our words of anger and frustration to God, and asking for the right words to speak in our conversations with others.

Think of times when you have disagreed with others - has the conversation been respectful? If so, how was that respect communicated? If not, what can you do (for your part) to make the conversation more respectful?

Let us then live in quietness and peace with others.

Let us pray:
Gracious and holy God,
Lead us from death to life,
From falsehood to truth.
Lead us from despair to hope,
From fear to trust.
Lead us from hate to love,
From war to peace.
Let peace fill our heaerts,
Our world,
Our universe;
Through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Amen.

(This prayer is a prayer for Peace, found in Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 76)

Please share your thoughts here and engage in the conversation.

What will you sacrifice for a thrill? By Heidi Jakoby

In today’s culture we do not often talk about sacrifices at least not until recently and the current recession. Now as many people have lost their job and their income and investments are not as high as they once were, what do you have to sacrifice? Are you going out to eat less? Are you not going to the movies? Have you stopped going on vacation? What have you been willing to give up and what have you kept in your life?

Recently our household income has decreased and I find myself rethinking what is important. What are the priorities in my life, what are necessities? Years ago when both my husband and I were working full time I didn’t seem to question every purchase but today I even question my $1 Sweet tea at McDonalds. If I save that dollar then I can…

What would it be like to sacrifice everything for someone else? To give up my home and all my possessions? I think most things I could give up, but not everything. If you were to visit my home and complement some nick knack I would likely have a story to tell you about that. Even pieces of jewelry that I own have stories. I don’t think I could do it, yet people lose their possessions every day sometimes because of a fire or maybe a storm like “Earl” which is currently threatening the east coast.

If you needed to evacuate what would you take with you? What really matters?

In the lesson from Luke 14:25-33 this week, Jesus asks us to leave everything behind including our families to realize there are more important things and beliefs than those of our families. At first glance this sounds very lonely, until you realize that he is asking all of us to consider leaving our old life behind and consider this new way of living a part of a group who cares for one another and wants to help each other in all aspects of life. O.k. it is a little utopian but it is a nice thought especially if some of your family decided to come along. Jesus is asking us to take a risk, how big of a risk are you willing to take for your beliefs?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a pastor who ended up dyeing for his beliefs he could have lived but he was not willing to sacrifice his beliefs for his life? (Here is a brief description of his sacrifice.)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer lived in Germany during the regime of Hitler. Bonhoeffer was part of the resistance to the Gestapo, and though he lived in America for a short time and could have avoided persecution, he chose to go back to Germany. He went to encourage others in Germany, especially the church, to refuse to crumble before the despot government ruling the country that he loved. Eventually Bonhoeffer, along with other members of his family, were arrested and placed in concentration camps. While in Tegel Prison Bonhoeffer was a source of encouragement to many other prisoners. Even the guards took a liking to him and they often smuggled out his writings and poems. Eventually, Bonhoeffer was executed at the Flossenburg Concentration Camp on April 9th, 1945, just a few days before it was liberated by the Allies. At about the same time Bonhoeffer’s brother Klaus and his sisters’ husbands were executed in the concentration camp at Sa-ches-en-hausen. (The Cost of Discipleship  Written by: Hardgrove, Dr. Mark E.)

What would you be willing to die for? Some people refuse to leave their homes even when the government tells them to evacuate. I don’t know about you but I don’t think I would lay down my life for my house?

Check out this article in the New York times Hurricane Earl Clears Beaches of All but Surfers New Your Times Hurricane Earl Clears  surfing on the storm waters all along the east coast yesterday and today would you risk your life for a thrill? Many people do, and that is the premise for the many x games that have popped up over the years. Extreme sports are great adrenaline rushes but also great risk.

What are you sacrificing today?

What would you die for?

Have a great weekend and let me know what you think.

Check Yourself! By Heidi Jakoby

What is our obsession with reality shows about featuring rich housewives throughout the United States. We have Real Housewives  of New Jersey, New York, Atlanta, Orange County and now DC???? There is also Keeping up with the Kardashians . I am never sure what all these people do or why they are so famous? I’m confused, am I supposed to aspire to be more like them? Most of what I have seen has been people who are not very gracious, have little to no humility, and at times are mean? I’m confused I thought we are suppose to live our best life; treat others as we want to be treated?

On a recent episode of The Real Housewives of DC, Staci invited her friends to her Aunt’s house for a traditional Sunday dinner, something Staci treasured all her life, most were very polite and gracious and one was completely out of her element but refused to be polite, check out Staci's Blog Staci's Blog. Staci states:

Good manners folks... there is no excuse for mean comments toward people who are opening their home and extending their hospitality, even if "the scene" is different than what you are accustomed to… Her behavior was particularly offensive because it was directed at my family (neck roll, please!!). You can be rude to me, but DON'T mess with my family. It's that simple. When it comes to those I love, I don't care to analyze your motivation, your hang-ups or your issues - check yourself.

I found it refreshing to read what Staci had to say. When I read Luke 14:7-14,  I thought Jesus was also reminding us to "check ourselves". Jesus is at a banquet and talks about, his recommendations for the best way to behave at a dinner party. Quoting from the message Jesus says, “If you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face. But if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself." Do you agree?

Then Jesus says to the host, “The next time you put on a dinner, don't just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You'll be—and experience—a blessing. They won't be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned.” I love to invite people or give people gifts when they least expect it. Have you ever invited friends from different socioeconomic groups to come together for a meal? What was it like? Were some people uncomfortable?

I hope you take a few minutes to check out Staci’s comments and think about why reality shows focused on the rich social groups in the United States, keep multiplying? Who is watching these shows and what are we learning?

I have spent a lot of time with little children lately and I find it refreshing when I hear please and thank you. Recently I have met a number of children who have not been taught to say thank you or please, and whose parents do not think these are important lessons, what do you think? Is being polite an appropriate expectation? Should manners be taught? I found this great post Nine Steps to Being Polite at a Dinner, what do you think?

Thank you for spending some time reading my post, please feel free to comment!

Which is more efficient? Planning or Living Moment to Moment? by Heidi Jakoby

Someone needed to be healed so the healer healed them! What is wrong with that? Sometimes you just need to be in the moment and go with what has been put before you. In the story from Luke13:10-17  “the man in charge of the meeting place was angry because Jesus had healed someone on the Sabbath”, but Jesus seized the moment when the women walked into his life. Why would Jesus wait until another day to heal this woman? I have been struggling with the idea that rest is important and I do not rest well, but being in the moment is also an important aspect of living a fulfilling life? Planning and honoring the past; where do they fit?

This week has been all about being in the moment and as you can see this blog did not come together until this evening. Monday at 6:30am I received a call from my friends asking me to watch their daughter as they were on their way to the hospital to have their second child. My answer was yes, even as I needed to head out to help with a summer program for children, that morning. I had a great time and we had some very special moments that day, but I have not been able to catch up on what I “needed” to do this week? What is most important?

Not having any children of my own spending this week with a group of 5 year olds has required me to be in the moment. I am a reality show junkie and one of my favorites is Flipping Out   on this show a Jeff Lewis runs his own business with a number of assistants. One of the things he often tells his staff “I want you to be present and be two steps ahead of me”. What is required of them really? As in any job when you are truly present and attentive to your task at hand often it goes easily and ultimately more efficiently.

Was Jesus just being efficient by healing the women on the Sabbath, why wait? Was this just another normal day of ministry for Jesus? When is the last time you felt like you had a normal day? For me this week was no where near normal. Everyday was a new immediate need. When will I have another normal day. People are getting back from vacation, realizing school begins soon and trying to get as much fun into this summer as possible. Do you sometimes long for a normal day? I found this great Prayer for a normal day Prayer for a Normal Day by Mary Jean Iron

Normal day,

let me be aware of the treasure you are.

Let me learn from you, love you,

bless you before you depart.

Let me not pass by in quest

of some rare and perfect tomorrow.

Let me hold you while I may,

for it may not always be so.

One day I shall dig my nails into the earth,

or bury my face in the pillow,

or stretch myself taut,

or raise my hands to the sky and want,

more than all the world, your return.

This was a very special week for me, but sometimes I too long for a normal day.  I wonder what a normal day was for Jesus, always being questioned.

Please comment here and let me know your thoughts.

Express Yourself! by Heidi Jakoby

What do Sliding out of a job and protesting a mosque, have in common? Both of these stories are stories about expressing your opinion, freedom of speech.

Today Steven Slater  was let out of jail and there has been an explosion of conversation and opinions about his actions. He is the flight attendant who after having a bad experience with a passenger used a number of expletives over the intercom then grabbed a couple of beers, deployed the slide and slid out of the plane into his car and went home. Quite the dramatic resignation, you can check out the details in many places online. Steve clearly expressed his opinion.

Mosque at ground zero debate. “Approved for New York City buses is an ad which shows a plane flying toward the Twin Towers as they burn, a mosque which has been proposed for the area, and the words ‘Why There?’” There has been great public debate over the building of a mosque at ground zero.

I do not know what your opinions are on either of these stories but what I do know is I am very thankful that I was born and raised in the United States of America where we have the right of free speech. In Luke 12: 49-56 what resonated for me is the importance of having and expressing your opinion, with mutual respect and grace.  I believe that through discussion, disagreement and being in relationship we all grow and we are honoring one another. For this blog I looked at a variety of blogs and opinions and I found myself continuously reflecting back on the phrase “Agree to disagree agreeable” which is one of Steven Covey’s Stephen Covey  Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Why can't more people agree to disagree and to disagree with love, grace and respect?

As a Lutheran I often view life through this specific lens; what I love about this lens is the encouragement I received to ask questions. The opportunity to have conversations, disagreements and debates about faith, the Bible and more with mutual respect has helped me in my life's journey.  Martin Luther  was a person who questioned the status quo and who wanted to engage in discussions. My parents always encouraged me to ask questions of people, of leaders and even bosses. The key was to ask those questions with respect, seeking to understand the other person’s point of view. In the story from Luke 12:49-56, Jesus talks about how homes will be divided. Let me share another paraphrase of this story form Good As New: A Radical Retelling of the Scriptures by Rowan Williams

“My mission in life is to bring about a revolution, and I’m longing to see the sparks fly! I have a painful time ahead of me, and I can’t wait to get it over and done with! Some of you imagine I’m going to bring peace to the world as if by magic, it’s not as simple as that! What I have to say is more likely to lead to conflict. Families will be split down the middle, parents and children will fail to see eye to eye, and newlyweds will fall out with their in-laws.”

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds who were listening in to all this. “You’re very good at forecasting the weather. If you see clouds coming up from the sea, you say, ‘There’s rain on the way,’ and you’re right. If the wind changes to from the desert, you say, ‘We’re in for a hot spell.’ Right again! You have double standards! You like to show how bright you are in the world at large, and pretend to be dull! Isn’t it time you learned to have an opinion or your own? Think things out and come to a realistic view of your situation, before matters are taken out of your hands and you find you have no choices left. Once you’ve lost your freedom, it’s hard to get it back again.”

How have you been engaging in discussions about your faith? What are your opinions on this reading? Do you avoid conversations about faith? Why?

David Lose states, “if Jesus' call to a new way of relating to each other – via forgiveness, courage, and humility – stirred up division during his time and that of the early church, what does it bring today?”. Faith and religion continue to stir up controversy but I continuously hope that people handle controversy with understanding.

Change and growth comes from experiences and sharing of ideas. What recent conversations have changed your life or helped you to grow? Were you understanding, and gracious to the last person who disagreed with you? How did you share your opinion? Engage in the conversation, don’t be afraid, assume people will be respectful and listen?

What do you think of the story from Luke, has your home ever been divided over an issue? How did you resolve the conflict? Did you agree to disagree agreeably?

Please take a few minutes to share your comments here or join me on Skype Thursday August 12th at 7PM EST at "bythewaycommunity".

just keeping in touch here...

To the by the way community:

By the way is taking a bit of a breather here. Summer’s not a bad time for that.

BTW’s adventures in searching for God –  active in the world, alive in the Word – will continue. In the meantime, do be attentive to how God just might be searching for you. And if that attentiveness leads to new discoveries or a story to tell, let us all know, will you? Just comment below…

Journeying on with you,

Kari

Connect to the Extraordinary by Heidi Jakoby

Finding the extraordinary in the ordinary. I am still to this day a person who gets excited about the mail, yes snail mail the mail delivered to my home each day. I am always hopeful that the mail will bring a surprise something unexpected, just like a knock at the door or the doorbell ringing. When I was little the door bell rang often, but today everyone arranges play dates or calls ahead and the surprise, is a little lost in my opinion. On a pretty regular day Jesus came and knocked on Martha and Mary’s door. They did not expect him and there were many chores to be done to maintain the house and to show hospitality. Take a look at the story in  Luke 10:38-42 . What do you think? Martha definitely had the gift of hospitality and opened her door and invited Jesus in but may have missed the opportunity to visit with Jesus and be in the moment. Mary disregarded her chores and visited with Jesus. I do not think one woman was right and the other wrong I think that sometimes we do not notice the opportunities before us to be in the moment. To put ourselves in a place of wonder. We easily get caught up in what we have to do and we sometimes don’t ask what are we being called to do?

Let me share three of my own examples from this past week. I had my Niece, Nephew and their Mom visiting for a week as they do every year since before they were born. My Niece and Nephew are 9 and 11 and I used to make breakfast everyday for them, but as they grew I realized that they could help. Yes, it was a little messier but letting them help, teaching them to cook has become a wonderful tradition each time them come for a visit and now it is our time to talk catch up and for them to teach me. I recognized that this ordinary time has become extraordinary.

A second example which stands out for me is our trip to Canobie Lake Park  , a local amusement park. This park has history going back to the Vitoria era and it was known for its Dancehall, now redone with a small museum in the back. We entered the park when it opened and left when it closed so you can tell we were on a mission, to get as much in as possible. In the heat of the afternoon we often stop to take in the show, as we did this time. The show ended and we were heading out and my husband grabbed me and started dancing with me. There was music but no one else was dancing, but this was a dance hall. I had two options, say “stop, we need to move on” or dance. I chose to dance, and it is one my favorite memories of last week, my husband and I danced in this famous dance hall. Check out Lee Ann Womack : I Hope You Dance (Lyrics,  Video) Lyrics and see what you think about how this relates to Jesus invitation to Martha to come and be a part of the visit.

The third example is about a friend who had surgery Monday and asked me to stay overnight as she needed a “responsible adult” to be with her overnight. The Monday after a week of visitors is usually a day to catch up on sleep and to take it easy but I knew that this was something I needed to do. I knew that we all need help every now and again and it isn’t always easy to recognize when your tasks and plans need to take a back seat to someone else’s needs. I think this video I found from the Responsibility Project illustrates this well entitled Second Line  What did you hear?

I agree with one of the many bloggers I read that the story of Martha and Mary:

{Is} really about Jesus and how much Jesus wants to draw each and all of us into a relationship that lifts us beyond the everyday limitations of this life that we might glimpse, if only for a few moments at a time, the sacred in the mundane, the extraordinary in the ordinary, and the holiness with which each and every moment of this life is imbued.” David Lose (to see the rest of what David  wrote click here )

Please comment and let me know what you think. We will not be skyping for the next few weeks, so please comment here and let us know when you would like to join the conversation.

I challenge you to find the extraordinary in the ordinary and share it hear.

 

A Picture of Jesus . . . by Dustin Wright

When Kari asked me to guest blog this week for by the way, I was frankly a bit apprehensive. I hadn’t done this in a while, and since I’m spending my summer training new counselors up in New Hampshire at Camp Calumet Lutheran, I also knew I wouldn’t have all that much free time to get this post done. Luckily though, after borrowing from some experiences up at Calumet this summer, writing about this week’s gospel seemed pretty straightforward. It’s the story of the Good Samaritan, from the New Living Translation:  Luke 10:25-37  

Think about what the nature of a relationship between two neighbors looks like… I don’t mean the “keeping up with the Joneses” sort of relationship, or the type where you kill your neighbor’s rosebush for growing a few inches into your yard… I’m talking more about the healthy relationship of two neighbors living in community. In a healthy relationship between neighbors, one party isn’t always helping the other… it’s a relationship that’s mutually beneficial. I borrowed some milk from an older couple next door a few months ago for instance, but I’ve also helped to haul some old furniture out of their basement once or twice too.

Through the Good Samaritan parable above, Jesus suggests to the “religious expert” that all persons are created in God’s image, and thus should be treated lovingly as neighbors. Jesus on the other hand suggests that while not everyone will love us back as neighbors, some folks will act as a picture of Him, even if they're not always the people we’d expect. The song  "Picture of Jesus" by Ben Harper, illustrates this concept quite well.

Finally, given the profound effect Camp Calumet is having on me this summer, it’s impossible not to mention how this “picture of Jesus” concept is alive and stronger than ever on the shores of Lake Ossipee. Having been up there for a well over a month now, I’ve been amazed how a new generation of staff members are striving to emulate Jesus’ love and caring for others, treating all campers, guests and fellow staff members as neighbors. It’s particularly interesting that while some staff members are doing that on purpose, others are doing the same thing unintentionally, just by living, working and having in fun in the strong Christian community that is Calumet. Check out this  video post  from Calumet’s new blog to meet some of those amazing staff members.

God’s peace,
Dustin Wright

Thanks, Dustin, for your thought-provoking words and links!  It can be intriguing to notice all the ways that God shapes us to be neighbors for one another... and how we keep finding Jesus showing up in the world around us.  All are welcome to join in the conversation Dustin has started here.  Feel free to leave your comments below. We will be skyping Thursday July 8th at 7PM EST.  On Skype we are "bythewaycommunity".  If you're new to skyping, just download the program at  skype.com, set up your identity.

Traveling Light . . . by Kari Henkelmann Keyl

Living with purpose is a beautiful thing. Some of us do it every day. Some of us feel that sense of meaningful purpose just once in a while… or not at all. One of the things we can do to cultivate that sense of purpose is to “travel light”. Don’t get bogged down with so much stuff. Pay attention to all you’re “carrying” that might be distracting you or weighing you down.

Max Lucado’s book, Traveling Light: Releasing the Burdens You Were Never Intended to Bear, has much food for thought on this topic. He starts out with a comedic description of his own boy-scoutish tendency to “be prepared” for everything and therefore leave nothing behind. Then he gets us thinking…

"I don’t know how to travel without granola bars, sodas, and rain gear. I don’t know how to travel without flashlights and a generator and a global tracking system. I don’t know how to travel without an ice chest of wieners. What if I stumble upon a backyard barbecue? To bring nothing to the party would be rude…

…I need to learn to travel light. You’re wondering why I can’t. "Loosen up!" you’re thinking. "You can’t enjoy a journey carrying so much stuff. Why don’t you just drop all that luggage?"

Funny you should ask. I’d like to inquire the same of you. Haven’t you been known to pick up a few bags?

Odds are, you did this morning. Somewhere between the first step on the floor and the last step out the door, you grabbed some luggage. You stepped over to the baggage carousel and loaded up. Don’t remember doing so? That’s because you did it without thinking. Don’t remember seeing a baggage terminal? That’s because the carousel is not the one in the airport; it’s the one in the mind. And the bags we grab are not made of leather; they’re made of burdens.

The suitcase of guilt. A sack of discontent. You drape a duffel bag of weariness on one shoulder and a hanging bag of grief on the other. Add on a backpack of doubt, an overnight bag of loneliness, and a trunk of fear. Pretty soon you’re pulling more stuff than a skycap. No wonder you’re so tired at the end of the day. Lugging baggage is exhausting."
-excerpt from Traveling Light, by Max Lucado

Take a moment to consider what kind of extra stuff you carry… and how you might benefit from letting some of it go. Then check out this reading from the Bible, where Luke gives us an account of how Jesus sent off a whole slew of folks on an important mission: Luke 10:1-9

I don’t know about you, but I would love to be a part of such an intensely focused mission… where the most important thing you have in your pocket is peace. And healing. And some awesome news to share! Travel light, Jesus directs, so you can be focused on the oh-so-vital job I’ve given you. Focused and free.

But let’s face it. Letting go of stuff – whether it’s material stuff or emotional stuff — is so so hard. It’s so hard for me to let go of the little things I’ve collected that bring back treasured memories. Each time I let go is like a little death. And as hard as it is to let go of the positive things, it can be even tougher to let go of the negative stuff that clings on.

…I was hauling those souvenirs of misery
And with each step taken my back was breakin’…

Sara Groves’ and Joel Hansen’s duet, Traveling Light, grabbed my attention with those words “souvenirs of misery”. Why in the world would one carry stuff that reminds you of awfulness? See where this song takes you in answering that question: video  lyrics .

There’s lots of wisdom in Jesus’ choice to send out his crew in teams. Loning it doesn’t work. We can begin to drop the unnecessary baggage when we’ve got team support to do it, when there are other travelers walking beside us to keep our spirits lifted. And when that team spirit bubbles up from the love God gives us in Jesus… and not just our own desire to “improve ourselves”… then that love can ripple out from us to affect others on the journey.

Healing Spirit of Jesus, bubble within us that desire to be out there in your world, filled with purpose, loving your people. Help us to let go of all that weighs us down. When that feels like death to let go, walk beside us to show us the new life you would have us find. We can’t do it without you and the people you give us to team with. Lead us on! In your holy name we pray… amen.

Continue the conversation by leaving your comments below and/or by joining the btw community Thursday (July 1), 7pmEST, for our audio skype conversation. If you’re new to skype, set up your identity at http://www.skype.com/, then look for “bythewaycommunity”. All are welcome! Come as you are.

Live, Love, Learn, Leave a Legacy by Heidi Jakoby

What is the fire that burns in your heart? Are you following your passion or has life gotten very comfortable? Recently I have found my life getting very comfortable, I do not seem to feel the same passion for goals as I once did. When I was in High School my goal was to graduate, then to get into college, then graduate from college, get married, get another degree, have children, get a good job . These were all passionate goals for me. Not all of them were achieved but I felt like I was living life to the fulliest in the pursuit of these goals. Now I have a great home, a wonderful husband, we are comfortable and I don’t seem to have a clear passion or as Steven Covey puts it in his book First Things First  I cannot identify “The fire within”. Do you know what your “fire within” is and how to pursue it.

George Bernard Shaw wrote:

This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. Being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.

How I long to feel this way to find my passion again and to live life like Shaw describes. I love the image of life as a torch not as a flame, that are lives are meant to burn brightly and boldly and we are to leave a legacy that we can hand to the next generation. Shaw speaks clearly that we are all connected and that when all members of the community are living fully we (the community) become a force of nature. How amazing this is. Was there a time when you were a part of a group that had a symitry of gifts and together the group achieved greater things than you could have imagined in the beginning? Is this something you want to be a part of again? How do you move toward that passion , that fire?

When Jesus goes out and recruits disciples he is clear that they are being asked to focus on the most important thing, "First things first. Your business is life, not death. And life is urgent: Announce God's kingdom!...No procrastination. No backward looks. You can't put God's kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day." How do you seize the day and fully live it? Let’s read the whole story Luke 9:51-62

In this story Jesus also makes it clear that the journey will neither be comfortable or easy. Is that a part of not pursuing your “fire within”. When I was growing up my parents always said they wanted my life to be easier than theirs. I am not sure how helpful that is to me today. I am comfortable but I am having a hard time finding my “fire within”. Sometimes I think that it is adversity or difficulties that help you to find your passion and to think about your legacy. In Covey’s book First things First he says, “The key to the fire within is our spiritual need to leave a legacy. It transforms other needs into capacities for contribution. Food, money, health, education, and love become resources to reach out and help fill the unmet needs of others.” Do you agree? How has this worked in your life?

Take a couple of minutes to think about the legacy you want to leave, Nichole Nordeman’s video touched my heart and got me thinking about my legacy. The pictures of the people and the legacies they are leaving are very inspiring. What will be your legacy? (video, lyrics)

Finally if you want to just take a deep breath, relax and spend 2 and a half minutes viewing this video from Franklin Covey: Leave a Legacy

Please share your thoughts and comments here and join us on Skype for a discussion just call "bythewaycommunity". We will be on Skype from 7-8pm EST, 6-7pm CT 4-5pm PCT. Hope to talk with you soon. Hope your day is filled with joy!

naming the demons, reclaiming the God-in-you . . . by Kari Henkelmann Keyl

They tried to make her go to rehab, and she said… no, no, no. Singer Amy Winehouse became famous as the Grammy Award winner who won’t go, go, go, with her song of resistance, Rehab (lyrics video), in 2006. She has been in and out of rehab since then, reportedly finding some health, but it hasn’t been easy. 

Some of us can relate to the terrible journey of the substance addict who’s trying to get clean… or trying not to get clean… or doing both at the same time. And some of us have never been addicted to drugs. But we can hardly claim to be better than the struggling addicts. We’ve got addictions of our own.

Whether your addiction is – to caffeine or nicotine, to over-exercising or taking ibuprofin, to eating or not eating, to too much screen time or to being connected to your friends 24/7, to blaming others or cutting yourself down — addiction can be one hell of a ride. And jumping off that ride can be as scary as staying on it.

There are these habits and obsessions we get into that help us cope… for a while anyway. But when we see that they’re just band-aids, keeping us from getting the real help/change we need, then it’s time to take them off the “coping mechanisms” list and name them for what they really are.

Naming addictive habits can be powerful. We can name them “destructive” or “hurtful to myself and others” or “what I’ve centered my life around” or “what I truly love and worship even though it doesn’t love me back”. Naming the demons that have attached themselves to us can be the beginning of re-claiming our own lives, of taking them back.

While you’re contemplating your own need to name and re-claim, check out this simple but poignant poem  written by someone who’s using poetry as part of her healing journey.

“You've taken from me God's image of me. I'm letting you go, and I want to be free,” says the determined Poet to her Addiction.

A number of writers have chronicled how Jesus continued to see God’s image in people despite the scary demons that had overtaken them. Here is one such person, in Part One of an incredible story: Luke 8:26-31

It seems to me that this person’s demons may well have been supernatural creatures of some sort. But they also could have been related to misunderstood diseases like epilepsy, mental illness, or alcoholism. Whatever is the reason for this man’s ostracizing symptoms, the reality is that he has fully taken on the demon-possessed label that his community slapped him with. He needs a new name. But there is resistance. “What business do you have messing with me, Jesus?!” he cries. This is the way life is with me. Leave me alone! If you take away my demons, who will I be? How will I cope then? No, no, no!

Here’s the rest of the story Luke 8:31-39. Jesus separates the demons from the person. So powerful is this demon-force that it drives the herd of pigs crazy. And the whole thing makes the townsfolk crazy, too. They could handle the crazy man by shackling him. But this Jesus was too powerful to be messed with. Too much change, too fast. They’re more scared of the healthy man than they were the wild one!

But the man who’s been freed has a new life beyond fear. He wants to hop into the boat with Jesus, but Jesus has bigger plans. He can see the gifts in this person. He gives him a new name: truth-telling God-connector. Go and tell everyone how God reached out to you! I know you can! 

Try to imagine what might happen if you named one of the demons you struggle with… asked Jesus to help you face up to it… shared your story with someone who would walk with you through the painful changes… learned more about your relationship with God than you ever thought possible… felt the new freedom... and began telling others about what God has done...

Who knows?

Healer Jesus, you have named me as your beloved child. Walk with me as I face up to the habits and attitudes I have that take me away from you. Open my eyes to notice those who need me, those who need you. Help me see the gifts in myself that you see… that I might be a God-connector in the world.


If you’d like to come and engage with others on the stuff I’ve brought up here, please come and join the audio skype conversation on Thursday, June 17, 7pm EST or Monday, June 21, 8:30pmEST. New to skype? All you need is a microphone (most laptops have them built in). Just go to http://www.skype.com/, download the program, set up your identity, and then look for “by the way community”. All are welcome!

Can you see what I see? By Heidi Jakoby

I don’t know if you wear glasses but I got my first pair just 4 years ago. Have you ever picked up someone else’s glasses and tried to see through them? Sometimes things are clearer and sometimes it is worse. Sometimes we may be accused of looking through “rose colored glasses”. What are your lenses? How do you look at the world and are you able to image how others’ see? Empathize with their point of view?

Have you boldly gone where others were not willing to go? Have you ever been at a meeting where you were just stirring to state the obvious and felt you could not because it was not your “place”, “your turn” or maybe you were not confident enough? Or are you a person who has gone into places and spoke what was needed to be said even though you might not have been invited to speak? Well this is a little of what happens in the story from Luke7:36-50  . Jesus is invited to dinner and his host does not greet him with the usual water to clean his feet and the kiss on his face, but a women who was not invited had no reason for being there boldly went in and washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, put perfume on them and then kissed them. Who in this story showed more hospitality? The host who fed Jesus and treated him quite lavishly or the women? With whom do you identify?

My nephew just got back form Uganda where he traveled with Engineers Withought Boarders to help a village with their water. I want to share a quote from his blog (to see more about his trip and the team from Tufts University who went click here  )

“Along the way to the village we were greeted by children yelling “mizungu” as we passed in the car, which means white person. For some of the people of Shilongo we are the first white people they have seen, and for everyone else we are still a very rare occurrence and people always stare at us.”

I wonder what the children were thinking on this day. There are some wonderful pictures filled with smiles.

As children of God how do we view the world, listen to the song Through the Eyes of a Child and reflect on how children see the world and how you view your world differently as a child. (lyrics/ video )

In the final part of the story Jesus talks about thankfulness. How thankful are you? How do you show your thankfulness to others? What do you think about the comparison of sinfulness between the women and the Pharisee?

I look forward to hearing your comments and thoughts. We will be skyping Thursday June 10, 7PM EST and Monday June14, 8:30pm EST, 7:30 CT, 5:30 PCT.

If you have not skyped before you just need a microphone, often build in to your computer, set up an account at www.skype.com and then call “bythewaycommunity” anytime during the hour we are online.

Hope to talk to you soon.