faith-flowing

by Kari Henkelmann Keyl

One of the beauties of by the way is our ability to be flexible, to go with the flow of the Spirit in the moment. And flow we did last night at our bread for your journey gathering.

As you may know if you read the last post, Dustin was the designated leader for the evening. He chose some great readings to lead us into thought and prayer, and planned out the shape of our worship time. But when the time came, those gathered went in a different direction.

While waiting for more people to show, we jumped into deep discussion on Christianity’s relations to other religions, tugging on Dustin’s broad background in the faith expressions of the world. And that’s where we stayed, until we brought it all together with prayer. It was fascinating to explore what are the points of connection with my own faith, what are the disconnects, and what difference it could make if we’d all learn to truly understand one another rather than rely on the old prejudices we carry around. Having just returned from a trip where I was interacting daily with those of other faiths, in a land so deeply affected by pre-judgments and conflict, this was especially poignant for me.

At the end of the hour, we decided together to let the readings and reflections Dustin had chosen lead us into discussion and prayer next Thursday. I’m looking forward to it. And I hope you’ll be there to add to the richness.

Until then, I’d like to offer these words to guide you into prayer. I gleaned them from the comments to Crystal’s blog from last week. Thanks to go to William who posted these words of prayer:

God of opportunity and change, as our horizons extend, keep us loyal to our past. As our dangers increase, help us to prepare for the future. Almighty God, keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities. Giver of the present, hope for the future: grant us the joy of your saving help again, and sustain us with your bountiful Spirit. Amen.

Walk by Faith through the Open Door

by Crystal Mohrmann

One of the things that never ceases to amaze me about by the way’s bread for your journey is how often I am able to directly relate the week’s lesson to whatever is going on in my own life. I also always find that in the days after bread for your journey, I run into reaffirmations or reminders to remember the lesson.

This week, the most significant aspect of our discussion (for me) came from the idea that often, God will open the door for us, but that it is our responsibility to take the initiative to step through it, even when it looks like it could be dark inside, and trust that he’s going to be walking with us the whole time and carrying us when we can no longer walk ourselves.

Personally, I’ve had to walk into several dark places and I’ve more often than not, gone kicking and screaming. Because sometimes, I don’t think God gives us the choice. He gives us the extra push we need to get where we need to go when we can’t get there ourselves. However, most of the time, I think God does give us the choice. He opens the door to an opportunity and let’s us decide to walk by it or to walk through it. Right now, in my life and in my search to find the right place to pursue my passion, I am standing at one of God’s open doors. By opening this door, he’s sending me a lifeline, so I won’t drown in financial and other stresses, but from my perspective, what’s inside doesn’t look like what I thought or expected. And so I struggle with the same question I did a few weeks ago when I posted my last blog. Then, the question was do I let go of the rope? Now the question is do I walk through the door? Both involve blind trust, but I think if anyone is worthy of that trust, it’s God.

And so, I’ve been pondering that since last night’s bread for your journey and attempting to build enough courage to walk through a door that leads to a future that’s unknown. Interestingly enough, I decided to relax tonight by watching an old episode of the TV show, “Everwood.” Typical enough, right?

Well, do you remember those “reminders to remember” that I spoke about at the beginning of this post? Yeah, one of those popped up in a reference to none other than the flood story that Heidi talked about earlier this week on the blog and which was also one of the readings from last night. In the episode I just so happened to be watching (season 3, episode 18 if anyone is interested), one of the character’s says, “Maybe I’m like that person that didn’t realize that God sent him the boat or the helicopter…when the flood came…[m]aybe God did answer my prayer, but I just didn’t realize it because it didn’t come in the form I was expecting.”

I know, subtle right? If that wasn’t further encouragement to walk through the door, I’m not sure what else would be.

William Blake once wrote, “There are things that are known and things that are unknown. And in between, there are doors.”

We are, as humans, constantly treading the divide between what’s known and what’s unknown. We, as Christians, however have faith on our side…faith that although so much of our lives is unknown to us, there is nothing God does not already know about us and our journey. He opens doors for us on purpose. And sometimes, we need to step up and let our faith help us move through the door to the unknown even if it scares us, even if it doesn’t come in the form we were expecting.

Imagine this: You and your best friend have decided to take a road trip. You have no idea where you’re going, but your best friend assures you that he knows how to get there and knows what will be there when you arrive. Your friend doesn’t promise that you won’t get a flat tire or take a wrong turn by accident along the way, but he does promise that you’ll be together on the journey and will end up exactly where you’re supposed to be. Do you go with him or do you walk away from an incredible opportunity because you’re scared of what “might” happen along the way? I don’t know about you, but I trust my friends enough to know that if they say they’ll get me where I need to go, then they will. I believe God deserves that same trust.

So ask yourself: are you ready for a road trip with God?

If your answer is yes, then walk through the open door.

Following in Dustin’s footsteps, I’ll leave you with a song from Jeremy Camp called “Walk by Faith.”

the other side and getting there

When you’re crossing a stormy sea, do you row like crazy just to avoid the rocks… or do you focus your energies on getting to the other side? Do you turn to God yelling, “Why the hell are you asleep on the job: help me! Or do you breathe in God’s calm and take on the storm together?

Not that it’s an either/or thing, mind you. Storms are never that clear cut. Faith journeys aren’t either. But it’s good to process how we face our storms, and it’s good to be in community when we do it. That’s kind of the bytheway way anyway.

Last night’s Bread for your journey gathering at the Crowne launched us into all this stuff with the following readings and prayers. Come on into the boat and see where it takes you.

Reading number one’s from Mark 4:35-41:
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%204:35-41;&version=65;

God, we know what those storms are like, our times of anxiety or even panic, when everything seems off and we’re afraid. As we get into your word, help us hear you calling out to us in the middle of our storms. And let us also hear where you are calling us to go and how we are to find the courage to get there. In your name we pray… amen.

Reading number two’s from a 19th century hymn by Edward Hopper:

Jesus, Savior, pilot me over life’s tempestuous sea;
Unknown waves before me roll, hiding rock and treacherous shoal.
Chart and compass come from Thee: Jesus, Savior, pilot me.
As a mother stills her child, Thou canst hush the ocean wild;
Boisterous waves obey Thy will, when Thou say’st to them, “Be still!”…
May I hear Thee say to me, “Fear not, I will pilot thee.

Jesus, you come for a ride with us in our boats, this ride we call life. Let me borrow from you your calm assurance, your determination, your love for those on the other side. Forgive me for being afraid, for being focused on my own needs for safety. Reclaim me and send me out with renewed faith in you. In your name we pray… amen.

Reading number three is short but full, a haiku by Yamaguchi Seishi:
Under a blazing sky
A sail in the distance—
The sail in my heart.

God, when the storms have quieted and the sky is clear, let me see your vision, what you want for the future of your people and your planet… and let me sail out to make your vision my own. In your name we pray… amen.

+ + +

So you’re one of a dozen or so who’ve been completely drawn into the wandering work of this captivating healer Jesus. You’ve been traveling with him all over the western side of the Sea of Galilee. And it’s been an amazing ride.

Then one day, Jesus says let’s hop into the boat for a sail. Sounds good, Jesus. I suppose we’ll be hanging out along the shoreline, our home turf, healing and showing those nasty demons who’s boss, right? No? We’re going to the other side? Excuse me, did you say the other side?

Already the storms are brewing, inside of you. ‘Cause you’ve heard stories of the people on the other side. They’re not like us. Why go there when there’s so much to be done here?

It’s not long before the weather outside matches the wild weather inside your anxious head. You and your buds try hard to avoid the rocks and bail out the drowning waters. Nothing’s working but your panic response. You’re not going to make it.

Hey, guys, what’s up with Jesus, sleeping like a baby?! Doesn’t he care that it’s all going to end here if he doesn’t get involved?

Yeah, Jesus is snoring in the stern, as unperturbed by the whipping wind as he is by thoughts of going to the other side. You shake him awake. He shouts out to the wind-and-waves with the courage and confidence of a tiger-tamer. And all is at a dead calm. Except that all hearts are still racing. Everyone’s amazed. Including Jesus.

You’re amazed at his shalom, his power, his chumminess with nature. He’s amazed that you’re amazed. He’s astounded by the tentativeness of your faith.

But he’s not daunted. The journey to the other side continues. (Feel free to read the rest of the story if you’d like, of the unsavory characters the crew meets and greets (and loves and heals) on the other side. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%205:1-20;&version=65; )

What does this story stir up in you? What’s the “other side” in your life? When you’ve got storms brewing, what’s the difference between shouting, “God save me!” and “God save me, so I can be reaching others with your saving love!” ?

The difference is this. “God save me” is the shout of a human being, the natural cry of someone in need, someone who’s hit the bottom. And the bottom is where Jesus tends to hang. There Jesus is with the hand held out. Come with me. Die to yourself. Rise up in me.

Ok. I will. I’ll do it new every day. And occasionally I’ll even find myself with the depth of faith to say, “God, save me, so I can be reaching others with your saving love!” But that will not be me talking. It’s the Christ in me, the Risen One alive in me.

~ Kari

A Friend Saves a Place for You

Today a friend sent me a link to an article about the Country Rock Church, a new worshiping community in Ohio that had its first worship gathering in a bar, and they had quite a turnout. With the promise of live bands, wings, pizza, rowdy fun, and a short message... the group that sponsored the service created a space for those who normally don't find their place in houses of worship.

Creating a space... a place to be... a spot to hang...

Can you relate to the experience of going into a classroom that looks pretty full, and you see across the room... a friend waving to you and pointing to the seat he or she has saved for you? Feels pretty good. Your place was saved. You belong. Friends do that for one another in a lot of ways.

I remember one Sunday evening during my third year of college, when I was hanging out in a dorm room with a bunch of friends, most of whom had just come from a late night candlelight worship service. We were enjoying the last few hours of our weekend, eating and laughing and being together. But I was soundlessly weeping inside, feeling as alone as I'd ever been. I had admitted to myself during that worship time, that I didn't believe a word that I had sung or said or heard. I believed nothing. And I was miserable. And ashamed. And I didn't want to shake anyone else's faith, didn't want to bring anyone else down to the pit with me. So I wrote a note to my friend across the room, my dear friend, David, whose faith I couldn't shake, because he was an atheist who said he had none. I folded up my loaded note and tossed it over the heads of our mutual friends. (Yes, once upon a time we had no texting and IMing...)

David read my note, gave me a knowing look, and wrote back. What I read surprised and warmed me. My friend encouraged me to keep searching, to not give up. He said even though he couldn't believe in God, he always found himself with friends who did... that we all had something special that was worth holding onto. David gave me a place to be. He saved a space for me until I came to the point where I could risk talking to others about my struggles... and could begin to find God again. I hold onto the hope that somehow I was able to do the same for him... by being God's caring presence for him in his times of trouble, even though he wouldn't recognize that caring space as God's own.

One of my favorite things about Jesus is that he provided a space for those who had none. He drew into his circle those that the rest of the world had put out with the trash. He did so even when it endangered his reputation, his comfort and safety, and even his life. And Jesus continues to do so, continues to save a place for each one of us: a place where we can hang with God... both in this life and in the life to come. And we act as Jesus' open arms and listening ears whenever we give a lost soul some place to belong.

Oh, and by the way, By the Way is coming closer to finding that space and time we might create... for being with God in worship and prayer. Please join the conversation about what you see as the need in our area, for people all along the spectrum of faith or unfaith to give one another a place to be.

~ Kari Henkelmann Keyl ~